Marketing Done Modern

Let Others Do Your Work; Why Public Relations is Worth It

Especially with the current economy, many companies are pouring money into advertising.  However, this won't last long.  Companies will soon learn that their return on investment for their ad dollars won't be what they anticipated.  But there is a way to increase business without spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on goofy TV ads or annoying radio commercials.

Public Relations

I am currently reading a book called The Fall of Advertising, The Rise of PR. It discusses how advertising is a great tool for maintaining a brand, but that using PR is the best recipe for building a brand.  While, I wouldn't use the book as a manual on how to launch and build a product, it does carry some very interesting points.

A third party can really create buzz about a new product.  For example, there is the Oprah Effect.  Look at her book club for one example.  Many titles that had never been heard of by many people are now best sellers.  Just today when looking at amazon.com, the first thing that pops up is "Kindle is Oprah's New Favorite Product."  My bet is that sales of this little gadget will increase significantly, now that it's been endorsed by Oprah.  If you aren't aware of what a Kindle is, it's a wireless reading device that is a product of Amazon.

While Oprah is a big and famous name, she's not the only one that can create appeal for a product just by talking about how great it is.  Many people look to Consumer Reports when they are trying to determine which product to buy.  But PR is not limited to well known names.  It could be as simple as an article in the local newspaper or a story on a radio station.  Sometimes we can't control the PR we get, but other times we can by supporting a little league team, sponsoring a cancer walk event, or even providing a prize for a local fund raiser raffle.  We have to remember that advertising isn't the only way to get our name heard and remembered.

Happy Marketing!

Get Professional or Get Lost

And I don't mean the sort where I say "Scram, you're bugging me."  Like I discussed last time, if you want customers to actually use a program - be it loyalty, discount, etc - you need to provide them with some form of marketing material.  This is sort of the second half of that.  I find this topic to be very important to me, therefore, as a head's up, this is a more verbose article.  This means a lot to me so I'm typing out very plainly for all to see.

Provide professional looking marketing materials.

Now, I go further in depth on this one.  Anything that a potential client has a chance to look at should look as if it's professionally made.  I am not saying everything that you print and hand out has to look like a work of art, but it should look nice.  Plus, you don't have to spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on printed material.  But by spending a few dollars, it may give your clients a more favorable opinion of you.  I'm going to start with a few ways that you can still get high quality printed material for far less than going to a design studio to produce it.  Then, I will give you an example of how this can be really lucrative for you. 

Business cards are one thing that you should definitely have if you own your own business.  If you're just starting out, I'm sure you don't have a $250 budget just for printing business cards.  You don't have to spend that much, but too little can make your material seem cheap.  For example, one thing I really dislike is getting a business card that has perforation marks on it.  In my mind, this person isn't legit and they are too cheap to get business cards made.  They also may not be serious about their business or the product they are providing for you. But the thing is you don't have to buy 2,000 business cards and spend $150.  You have options.  You can go to Office Depot and purchase Avery Business Card products that have clean edges and come in quantities of 30 to 2500.  Another idea, that I personally love, is using an on-line printing company.  There are other places besides Kinkos.  A site that I really like is called VistaPrint.  Several times I have gotten personalized return address labels.  They aren't that expensive and they really show off my personality.  But VistaPrint offers many products including premium business cards.  They also offer free business cards if you aren't dedicated to a logo.  They offer several different templates that range from whimsical to very business like.  Granted, you may have to pay $5.45 for Shipping and Handling, but it's still 250 business cards for roughly $0.02 a card.   

Besides business cards, make sure all pamphlets and handouts look professional too.  I know that it may be easy to just type something up on the computer and print it out.  But take some time.  And you can print it out at home, but make sure you have a nice color printer and high quality paper.  And DON'T PHOTOCOPY!!!!  I have nothing against photocopying for somethings, but doing it for all of your material is unnecessary.  Changing the color of the paper also doesn't change the fact that it's a photocopy.  It may be cheap, but I hate getting photocopied material where some piece of information is missing because it wasn't scanned in properly.  I could literally write for hours about the need for personalized folders (if you provide a lot of information), glossy finish tri-fold pamphlets, high quality paper stock vs. generic ink-jet paper, but I won't.  I will explain how spending a little bit more for nicer materials can really pay.

Every year for the last three years I have had to move. I like choices when looking at apartments.  My last move occurred in May of this year and I visited about a dozen different complexes before deciding.  As petty as this sounds, if an apartment complex had a crummy looking marketing folder, they were automatically off my list.  Giving me a piece of paper which is supposed to include amenities but the last word is cut off just doesn't cut it with me.  Also, complexes that had information, but it had been written on rather than reprinted also bugged me.  It made me feel like they were more interested in getting me to sign a lease rather than making me feel at home in my new community.  I ended up renting an apartment, not only that I liked and fit all of my criteria, but they had a very nice folder with glossy inserts, no missing words, and it was all organized very nicely.  Considering I spend about $950 a month on an apartment, that's a pretty sizable chunk of my income.  $950/month * 12 months = $11400  While the marketing material wasn't the only contributing factor that lead to choosing where to rent, it didn't hurt anything.  Other apartment complexes lost out because I didn't even want to look at what they had to offer.  Just goes to show how something so little can pay off so big. 

Happy Marketing!!!

Provide Information, Produce Customers

Many companies offer discount/loyalty programs.  If you live near a Kroger, I'm sure you have a Kroger Card with you wherever you go.  Lots of people, including myself, have a Best Buy Reward Zone card.  The great thing about both of these programs is when you sign up, there is a lot of promotional material to explain exactly what it is you're signing up for.  Hundreds of companies offer discount programs, but not all of them offer promotional materials to accompany you.  I understand that it costs money to print promotional material, but is it worth the $0.25 it's going to cost you to print a brochure to lose a loyal customer?  A simple page can be printed easily, if you want it to look more profession, take it to Kinkos.  In my opinion, it's better to go with a more professional look, but we'll get to that on a different day.

Last week my boyfriend was visiting.  I gave him a Nikon D60 as a birthday/Christmas/anniversary/Valentine's Day gift.  While he was visiting he wanted to get a camera bag to protect the camera on his trip home.  After not finding precisely what we wanted at Best Buy, we went to Ritz Camera.  We found a great Tamrac bag and a couple of other items.  That's besides the point.  So while we are checking out, the girl tries to sell us a loyalty program where you get some discount on printing using their services.  The reason I'm so vague is because we really didn't know anything about the program.  When my boyfriend asked for some material to take with him to think about, she responded that she didn't have anything, just what she told us.  We say no thank you and move on to another store.  As we continue to shop, my boyfriend mentions that if they had some type of material, he would've considered it.  The other problem was that the program didn't offer any immediate benefit. 

Now, if they had provided some type of material for us to look over, we might have considered it.  But, now we will get our prints wherever we feel like rather than being repeat customers.  That's a lot of money if you consider that we just got a new camera, we sometimes scrapbook, giving pictures is one of my favorite fall back gifts, and I love to frame pictures.  They could have made a lot of money if they had just provided a little information.  A little information goes a long way.

Happy Marketing!

Take Advantage of Your Strengths

Many times people go into business because they feel that they can provide a product or service that either other companies can't provide or that they can do better than the competition.  Look at Burger King and McDonald's.  Biases aside, they provide a very similar product.  They are fast food hamburger restaurants.  They both have a signature sandwich, the Big Mac and the Whopper.  However, in the minds of consumers, they are different.  McDonald's slogan of "I'm Lovin' It" automatically brings to mind the jingle.  Burger King has "the king."  But each has found customers who are loyal.  Growing up, I wouldn't touch Burger King with a ten foot pole.  As an adult, however, I went over 3 years without touching McDonald's and have become a devoted Burger King fan.  They have managed to coexist for decades offering very similar products.  Sure, the burgers are slightly different, but the premise is the same. 

So what if there are 45 other restaurants town, yours is different.  But step back for a minute and ask yourself why.  What makes you different from the other 45?  And how can you use that to your advantage?  First you need to find out why you're different.  If you are exactly the same as 10 or 12 other restaurants, it may not be long before you fold like so many others have done before you.  Next, use your differences to your advantage.

In St. Joseph, MI, where I grew up, there is a wonderful restaurant called Schu's.  Schu's is a great restaurant and has awesome food, but is really well known for one thing, their potato soup.  It is, in a word, scrumptious.  It's thick and creamy, comes topped with bacon, chives, and cheese, and completely sinful.  It's the perfect compliment to a meal or perfect as a meal itself on a cold Michigan night. I am not the only one who feels this way.  While Schu's is always busy, let's create a scenario where they need a little help. 

Let's say they are very busy Thursday through Sunday and closed Monday.  Since tourist season is over, Tuesdays have become dead.  If I worked there I would suggest using our potato soup to our advantage.  People know about it, they love it, let's provide it for them.  From October to March, I would do a Soup Tuesdays once either every other week or once a month, depending on what is monetarily feasible.  I would advertise that on Tuesdays, every customer, that was interested, would get a free cup (not bowl) of soup with their dinner. Use your strength to draw in customers on a slow day.  Most people can't make a meal out of one cup of soup so it's more than likely they will buy a dinner and a drink as well.  While you may not make as much as if the soup was full price, you're bringing in more money on Tuesday than you were previously. 

Maybe you're a pizza joint that uses a special kind of mozzerrella on your pizza.  Don't limit it just to your pizza, use it in manicotti and even on top of salads.  Use what makes you different and brings customers in to your advantage.  Don't assume that they will come on their own, entice them.  "If you build it, they will come" may have worked for Kevin Costner, but it doesn't always work in real life. 

Happy Marketing!

Work Together, Not Alone, It Will Help Your Business and Theirs

Many companies think of what will be best for them.  Which is understandable.  You want what's best for you, your company, and your customers.  Sometimes, the best thing for you is also the best thing for your neighbor.  A lot of times people forget that they can be symbiotic with another company.  Many companies work with non-profit organizations, but few seem to work with other companies.  Sometimes you need to work with someone who does something different from you in order to help yourself.  Here's an example.

There's a small boutique clothing store in my home town.  It sells beautiful clothing but I've never been there when a lot of people are.  I can't even think of the name, that's how unmemorable this place is.  This small company really needs to do something to get it's name out there.  Here's my idea.  Think, who loves clothes and has a lot of disposable income?  Teenagers.  Teenagers are worth $179 billions dollars a year. A YEAR!!!  I would recommend that this company holds a fashion show at the local high school.  Not only that, have girls volunteer to be the models.  Charge a couple of bucks per ticket at the high school auditorium and donate the proceeds to one of the clubs at the school like Key Club or the Boosters.  If you have girls modeling, they will bring their friends, their parents, and even their parents friends.  It's a great way to sponsor a fun event as well as show off your goods and get your name out in the public. 

You can work with other local companies as well and all be sponsors.  Get together with a salon to do the girls hair and make-up before going on stage.  Talk to a bakery to provide cookies and other desserts for after the show.  Not only do people see your product, you're helping a local organization, and getting other companies (that aren't your competitors) noticed as well.  And it doesn't have to be a high school, it could be a newcomers club, Rotary club, or Kiwanis club.  Work together to help everyone and get noticed more.  It's a win-win.

Happy Marketing!