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What Makes Marketing Work by Allan J. Katz Many small businesses have a natural aversion to marketing. That's understandable because marketing can be intimidating if you don't know what makes marketing work. In my marketing blueprint there are eight steps to successfully generating productive, response driven marketing results. 1. MINDSET Marketing is a mindset. A mindset based on your own integrity and belief in your service. When someone asks you what you do for a living, instead of telling them you're a drycleaner, retailer or particular service, begin to think in terms of being a "problem solver." Say something like, "I help people who enjoy quality clothing keep their clothes looking and lasting longer." Or incorporate this problem solving mentality into your advertising messages. Don't use jargon or technical terms. Just speak in terms of solving your target market's problems. Stress benefits, not features and show your customers you value results, not hype. 2. POSITIONING YOURSELF IN THE MARKETPLACE You must finally decide, are you a full service dry cleaner or a discount dry cleaner. Either way your store, inside and out must reflect this decision. Your personnel, advertising and quality must reflect this positioning statement. Here's a 5 point checklist to help you decide if you're reaching the right market. Ask yourself.
3. BUILDING PERCEPTIONS If you asked your best, most trusted customer, and I encourage you to do this. "What is it that makes your company so good?" "What do you value about the way your company gets the job done?" "What do you value about the way your company treats you?" What makes marketing work is perception. There is very little difference in dry goods and restaurants that sell the same type of food, offer the same services and deliver on their promises. To do marketing right you have to consistently build a perception in the mind of the consumer about what makes you different. Is it that you're more trustworthy than your competition? More knowledgeable about difficult technologies? Does your plant have more modern resources or respond quicker to customer's requests? What innovative marketing ideas have you implemented recently? Do you have the capacity to service large corporate clients, hotels or specific niches? 4. WRITING A WINNING MARKETING MESSAGE When you sit down to craft a persuasive results oriented marketing message, keep your problem solving mindset and target market in mind and think about what is the reason people need you, specifically to solve their dry cleaning problems. How do you know you've written the right message? When your prospect reads your message and says, "That's Me!" For example, to position yourself as the "tough stain remover" a headline like this would command immediate attention, don't you think? " Are you constantly switching services or retailers (be more specific) because of being ignored?" See the difference? Use the benefit of your service from your client's point of view. Ask yourself, what is the problem most of my customers face? How can my unique talents, resources, people and services best meet and solve these challenges? This is why non-intrusive marketing vehicles like newsletters, e-zines and community based sponsorships are so persuasive and powerful. You can deliver this message in the form of articles, samples, case studies and educational materials in a way that your customers and prospects will appreciate. As you craft your marketing message make sure to incorporate the winning AIDA formula. Get the attention with a problem solving headline that makes them say "That's' Me! Grab their interest next by telling them why you're different and what your service can do that others cannot or will not. Sweeten the deal by attracting desire. Whet their appetitive with an offer so enticing they cannot possibly refuse. Then top it off with a sincere call to action. What should they do now to begin to build a loyal relationship with you? Subscribe to your ezine or newsletter, visit your store for a special in store offer, sign up for pick up and delivery.
Allan J. Katz, The Loyalty Coach helps small businesses attract, keep and multiply customers. For his popular ezine, "Remarkable Marketing Results" visit his site at http://www.loyaltycoach.com. For help with copywriting and marketing strategy visit http://WebMagnet.info .
Allan J. Katz may be contacted at http://www.loyaltycoach.com What is it about magnets that draw people to leave dozens of them on fridges and file cabinets for years at a time? Many people like to have the contact information handy for common service providers without flipping through a bulky phone book. Magnets are the perfect solution for being seen in this situation. It's a win-win relationship for you AND the customer. Putting Magnetic Business Cards to Work for You Any small business can take advantage of the advertising power a magnetic business card holds. This includes:
Hand them out at:
When clients place your magnet, you instantly have an advantage over the competition. Now, all the client has to do is pick up the phone and call when they need you. They will appreciate the fact that they didn't have to spend time thumbing through the yellow pages trying to pick one company to fulfill their needs. With their initial satisfaction comes repeat and referral business for you. It's a snowball effect that can't be beat! On my fridge, you'll find magnets from Domino's and Papa John's pizza, a heating and air specialist, a massage therapist, a neighborhood veterinarian, as well as the nail salon my wife goes to. I have no idea when these magnets were placed there but I do know that they don't move from the prominent spots they were placed months or years ago. Creating Magnetized Business Cards Now that you've discovered the positive effects that magnetic business cards can have for your company, what's the best way to obtain them? Option 1: Buy stick-on magnets and attach them to the back your current business cards You can buy magnets of various shapes and sizes at your local craft store at a relatively cheap price. Take a hot-glue gun and glue the magnets at each corner on the back of the cards. The upside is that this is a cheap and easy method of creating magnetized business cards. The downside is that it can be a very time consuming process to attach the magnets and the end result usually looks less than professional. Remember that in this situational type of marketing, image is everything. Option 2: Buy magnetized business card stock from your local office supply store and print them yourself Avery is a popular brand that offers these types of do-it-yourself inkjet cards. With these, you print out your card design multiple times on a sheet of paper that already has a full magnetic backside. There is less work involved in creating them; however, magnetic paper can be costly. Another downside to this method is that inkjet printers don't print well on magnetized card stock because the paper surface is so thin. The ink from your printer will tend to glob on the surface once the paper is saturated making your cards sticky with the possibility of staining clothes and hands. Ink cartridges aren't cheap either, so be sure to figure that into your costs as well. Using this method, you will end up paying the same, if not more, than the next option... Option 3: Have your magnetic business cards professionally printed by a commercial print shop While you may pay a few extra dollars for this method, in the long run, it will save you time and earn much more business for your company. Your magnets will be printed on glossy, full sheet, magnetized card stock paper specially formulated for high-resolution press printing. The magnets will look and feel professional to your customers, and will have a better chance of getting placed in a prominent spot on the fridge or file cabinet. With recent breakthroughs in online printing technology, you can design or upload full color magnetic business cards online, and have them printed for less than it would cost you to print on your inkjet. Take advantage of the marketing power of magnetic business cards, and start seeing long-term results today. More business card networking articles:
Chris Brunner is interested in helping you gain more clients by marketing with powerful and useful business cards. Browse one of the web's largest collection of business card networking articles and create business cards online at http://www.greatfxbusinesscards.com
Christopher Brunner may be contacted at http://www.greatfxbusinesscards.com or info@greatfxbusinesscards.com | |
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