Why is the marketing technique of providing high-quality, detailed information specific to the industry and customer needs far and above that which is specific to your product so effective with this customer type? The reason, simply, is that this customer clearly cares deeply about the matter at hand, or about the problem to which your product provides a solution, and therefore has an implicit trust for a an individual—and a company—that has taken the time to acquire deep knowledge on the subject at hand and/or seems to treat it with a passion equal to that of the customer. The flip-side of the coin is that the highly discerning or knowledgeable customer is not likely to take your seriously if you appear not to know very much about his needs. You are a knowledgeable company, so show yourself off as one!

How do you create and information-rich, interesting, and useful information limb to your marketing strategy, and how do you leverage it? Let’s look at a specific example. Let’s say you market a luxury transportation solution to for horses. Your customer is perhaps the owner or care taker of a prize competitive horse. The customer will have an extremely in-depth level of knowledge as to the needs of his horse, as well as a passion for meeting those needs. If you meet that customer’s passion and provide information beyond what is already available to him, you will gain his trust and begin to build a strong relationship. Providing rich, informative materials regarding general horse care, comfort, and other equipment will accomplish a few key marketing goals for you:

• Build trust
• Build the impression that your company has the expertise to provide the BEST solutions
• Keep the discerning customer on your web page, in your showroom, or wherever the info provided resides
• Keep the customer coming back to you
• Differentiate yourself from the competition
• Set yourself up as an industry expert

For example, let’s suppose that a company that provides products and services related to eradicating bedbugs hires you to help with marketing, logo design, promotional products, etc. As you begin work, you quickly realize that your initial ideas involving pictures of bedbugs and stuffed bedbug toys are not exactly appealing to the majority of the population. What to do? Eliminate images of the subject matter from the major collateral and promotional materials altogether? Not likely. Somehow try to make the subject seem cute or less creepy, maybe a bedbug in a tux? Not only is this not particularly helpful, but it also detracts from your client’s main angle, which is that bedbugs are terrible, disgusting, and must be eradicated. Not as easy as it might seem at first.

Experience shows that the best strategy in a case where one of the major associations to the product or service being offered is an unpleasant one is to create imagery that depicts the conquering of the offending component, in this case bedbugs. For example, an image of a tiny, scared little bedbug being scrutinized by an intelligent-looking, self-assured inspector/exterminator is humorous while also immediately inspiring thoughts of conquering the pest, not just of the pest itself.

Another example might be creating promotional materials and promotional products for mental health services. Mental health services carry unpleasant associations for some people, as they can be associated with mental instability, depression, and other such generally unpleasant associations. By focusing on the flip-side of these phenomena (mental health rather than mental illness), or positive mental health tools that have equally positive effects whether one is perfectly healthy or not, the best results can be achieved. For example, instead of focusing on depression and treatments, promotional items should focus on prevention and stress-relief. Aromatherapy salts, positive daily mantra cards, uplifting music, etc would be appropriate promotional items for a mental health service provider.

As a rule of thumb, if your client’s subject matter is difficult or sensitive, use images and wording that is all about conquering the difficulty. Such images inspire confidence while softening some of the harshness that can accompany subjects that are not based in the more pleasant parts of life.

Read More…

• Back to Basics Marketing
• Marketing as Company Wide Responsibility
• Mobilization: Reaching Outside the Marketing Department
• Advanced Lead Qualification: Sales and Marketing Work Together
• Sales’ Feedback into Marketing: Profiling Prospects and Their Problems
• “Inside Marketing”: Marketing to Your Own Sales Organization
• Developing Unique, Customer-Focused Value Propositions
• How to Train an Entry-Level Marketing Employee
• When Return on Investment Doesn’t Paint a Full Picture
• Defining and Presenting Value Propositions in a Competitive Market
• You Are Here Logos and Promotional Product Designs for “Difficult” Subjects
• Defining and Refining Value Propositions for Luxury Items
• Evaluating Return-On-Investment (ROI) for Tradeshow Activities
• Management Mistake in Small Business: No Investment during Trying Times

If you are not sure how to obtain information needed to create other portions of your business plan, say a good competitive market analysis for example, your local Chamber of Commerce (COC) is a good place to start. The COC is an organization that helps local business owners by providing them with a wide array of information pertaining to the business dealings within their community and can offer you with some valuable information useful for you when writing your business plan. However; while the public information provided by the COC may help you with gathering general information you will need to for your competitive analysis, information may be limited and will require creativity in putting it all together. Further, if you need help with writing your business plan, as most everyone does, you will likely spend a lot of time on the Internet searching for examples of existing plans or even paying for services to companies who assert great success with ‘helping people just like you.’ While some great information and services may be found over the Internet, questions and concerns may not be answered completely as you attempt to tailor your plan to be a true reflection of your company. One of the most valuable ways many people have found in creating a business plan is to take a college course. If higher education is not within your means, consider a community college, which is much more affordable.

Once you complete your business plan, it will likely be something you will be proud of for years to come. Remember to continue to set short and long term goals once you are in business to help you work your plan and achieve success.

Reference: Marketing > Marketing Local Services: Tips and Special Considerations

Using these less expensive alternatives may not get you to the top of the Google page however; these social networking services are also being fished daily for key-words found within the text contained on the pages generated on each of them. Further, the people who use these alternatives have found a way to create leads and generate interest that has proved to be an invaluable part of doing business.

The following is a breakdown of some of the services you can expect to find of each of the aforementioned sites:

• LinkedIn will allow you to create a personal and/or professional profile where you may include who you are, where you are located and a detailed description of the services your company – provides.
• Facebook provides the user with a personal profile as well as an option to generate a business profile within their existing account. It is easy to toggle between your two pages and share your business profile with all of your Facebook friends and gives them an opportunity to click a ‘Like’ button at the top of your profile. Clicking on the ‘Like’ option generates another post to your friends Newsfeed whereby all of your friends’ contacts are then also able to click to view your business page instantly.
• Gmail provides a free email service as well as a chat option that several companies use for sales meetings as well as to train employees all over the globe. One business owner shared with me recently that she “found the people that don’t do well in the beginning are the ones that don’t use the Gmail chat option.”
• Twitter allows users to create a public account that gives the option to post your page to Google for free. Utilizing the status message on Twitter also gives your friends and ‘followers’ updates to what may be happening with you or your business instantly.
• YouTube is a free viral service that has been used by people to express their more creative side. Creating a professional business video and posting it to YouTube is a great way to educate the public at large about the services your company provides and to generate interest and leads that will inevitably grow your business.
• Meetup.com is unique in that it allows people to search for events taking place within their local community. Posting an event on this site can greatly benefit a business owner, or someone looking to generate leads and is well worth taking the ten minutes to sign up and post your event to their site.

Additionally, if you are looking for an inexpensive way to promote your business, Vista Print provides a wide array of creative services that business owners can use to market themselves at very little cost. The first 250 business cards ordered through VistaPrint are free.

While there seems to be a plethora of information and services available on the World Wide Web, the Internet, as a vehicle of marketing and doing business, is still in its infancy stages of what can be created and accomplished. As Walt Disney said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

References:

Geoffrey Kutnick, Marketing Director, Rudeluv Designs & Marketing, RD&M,; Lecture; 26, July 2011

Another way to market yourself in your community is to give people something to talk about or provide a unique attraction for patrons to enjoy while they visit your establishment. Thinking out-side the box when it comes to marketing is also a good skill to employ. One new restaurant owner found that his location and visibility was an issue and passersby would often think he was closed during business hours. After months of having employees pass out flyers, in parking lots and door to door, people would still approach his establishment, often open the front door, peer in and ask “are you open?” After months of hearing this he knew he had to do something. So, he exercised is creativity and asked an artist friend to place some attractive, lifelike, mannequins dinging at the tables in the window during business hours. The mannequins provided a visible sign that conveyed the message of ‘yes, we are open and people are currently enjoying the food here.’ Once inside the customers would see that there were mannequins in a restaurant and would have a good laugh. It generated a conversation and his restaurant became known for ‘the place to eat with the cool mannequins.’

Thinking outside the box and having the courage to do something unconventional when it comes to marketing often pays off. Some other ways business owners have used to generate interest is in way of creative signage or a positive, uplifting quote on a storefront that creates the message that ‘good, happy people work here.’ Appealing to the senses is a simple way to market your business and even retain good customers. Finding something simple in way of décor may also appeal to clientele and keep them stimulated if they have to wait to be helped. Providing coffee, tea or snacks also has great appeal.

Another way to create a calm environment is by having an attractive fish tank highly visible area in your waiting area. Remember to make your place of business a child-friendly place to visit as this is a great appeal to parents who often have to bring their children along. Providing crayons, coloring books, Highlights Magazines or even video games may also provide stimulation and a quieter environment. If customers have a positive and memorable experience while they visit your place of business is it a sure-fire way to retain future business and encourage them to refer others.

Reference: Marketing > What Women Want: Special Considerations in Marketing of Beauty Products & Services

Marketing, referral or networking groups facilitate the meeting of fellow, local business owners in your area and generally meet once a week. For every area of location, each referral network in a community generally has several chapters to choose from. Each chapter provides an exclusive membership to one person within their field of business. This means, that if you are a general contractor, you will be the only general contractor in the group or chapter; or if you are an optometrist, you will be the only optometrist in the group and so on. If another like business owner already holds a chair within that chapter another local chapter is easy to find.

The benefit of being the only business owner in your field within the group is so that the other members will refer the people they meet and know only to you. Setting aside time once a week to meet with fellow business owners in your community can prove to be an invaluable investment to the future growth of your business. These meetings are held in the early morning and are structured to meet the individual needs and vision of every person within the group. At every meeting you will be given the opportunity to share who you are, what you do, where you are located and the kind of referral you are looking for. You are encouraged to bring business cards and / or flyers to each meeting so the other members of the group have something to pass along when they refer you to their friends, family and other contacts. During each meeting you will also be given forum to give and receive referrals with the other members of the group. Getting to know local business people in your area and relying on word of mouth are two of the most cost effective ways you can market your business. The challenge for some in these marketing groups is weekly attendance. However; since your participation within the chapter is exclusive to one person of your profession, you are holding a position in the group that could be attended by someone else who may be a more consistent source of referrals for the other participants who do show up every week.

There is a nominal fee to join, an annual due and a fee for to cover the cost of your breakfast every week. However; most participants of these groups have found great success using this referral system of marketing and enjoy the opportunity to help grow each other’s businesses. Two of the most successful referral marketing teams are Business Network Inc. (BNI) and Team Referral Network (TEAM).

These groups always have a positive atmosphere and are a source of encouragement to any local business owner; they are proof that marketing your own business can be fun! If you are curious about joining a marketing group, I would recommend checking out TEAM, as the first two breakfasts are free to newcomers.

References:

TEAM Referral Network: Together Everyone Achieves More., “Don’t Hire a Sales Team,.. Join One!”
Web, 28 July 2011.

BNI Local Business – Global Network., BNI Home Page;; Web, 29 July 2011 <http://www.bni.com/>

Also See: Marketing > On-Site Service Providers and their Role in Marketing Your Brand

However, an investment in staff education and promotion of personal development can be worth its weight in gold. When you take the human element into account with regard to marketing a business, it is important to recognize that we all desire to feel important and that our contribution matters. When people feel valued at their place of employment and feel as though they are making a worthwhile contribution to a team, they tend to stay on with the company longer; which can significantly reduce turnover and lower annual costs for rehiring and training future personnel. Further, employees who feel valued on the job tend to take more pride in the day to day tasks they are assigned; are less likely to show up late or call in sick; are less likely to steal from the company and overall; and do a better job than others who do not. By making an investment in your employees, and training them to share in your personal philosophy, they are more apt to look out for the companies’ best interest and by this you create a trickle-down effect. The impact that of creating happy employees and a happy workplace generates is an invaluable way to market your business in-house. Therefore, making the investment in employee education and promotion can prove to be worth its weight in gold.

One company, called Results Through Motivation (RTM), has been very successful in doing just that. RTM began with a philosophy and made the integration of employees and customer relations a primary focus. Within an employee’s very first week on the job they were to memorize the ‘Six P’s of the RTM Philosophy’: Purpose, People, Planning, Perfection, Profit, and Pride. At the end of the week the employee was to recite the Six P’s and give their interpretation of what they meant. Further, RTM continued to instill their vision, mission and purpose into their training program and the people who work with RTM tend to achieve great results, and is reflected in their sales and profits since its inception in 1983. RTM posts the following in all of their places of business:

Our Vision: To be the premier quick service food company in the world.
Our Mission: Quality Food, Fast and Friendly.
Our Purpose: To make money, have fun and make a difference in people’s lives.

By creating an atmosphere of good spirit and team effort, employees become an integral part of helping forward your business in your intended direction and as a result, they do much of your in-house marketing for you!

References:

Wikipedia., “Stew Leonard’s”; Web, 26 July 2011 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew_Leonard’s>

Funding Universe., “RTM Resturant Group” – Web, 27 July 2011, <http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/RTM-Restaurant- Group-Company-History.html>

Reference: Marketing > Marketing for Long-Distance and Mail-In Services

If you are not sure how to obtain information needed to create other portions of your business plan, say a good competitive market analysis for example, your local Chamber of Commerce (COC) is a good place to start. The COC is an organization that helps local business owners by providing them with a wide array of information pertaining to the business dealings within their community and can offer you with some valuable information useful for you when writing your business plan. However; while the public information provided by the COC may help you with gathering general information you will need to for your competitive analysis, information may be limited and will require creativity in putting it all together. Further, if you need help with writing your business plan, as most everyone does, you will likely spend a lot of time on the Internet searching for examples of existing plans or even paying for services to companies who assert great success with ‘helping people just like you.’ While some great information and services may be found over the Internet, questions and concerns may not be answered completely as you attempt to tailor your plan to be a true reflection of your company. One of the most valuable ways many people have found in creating a business plan is to take a college course. If higher education is not within your means, consider a community college, which is much more affordable.

Once you complete your business plan, it will likely be something you will be proud of for years to come. Remember to continue to set short and long term goals once you are in business to help you work your plan and achieve success.

Also see : Entrepreneurship > Marketing Using Customer Testimonials

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) refers to advertising by the use of search engines, where ads are placed within the right margin or at the top of the search results page. Depending on how specifically the text content typed in by a person searching is to the content provided on your website or ad, the more likely you are to appear with the first several listings. Further, depending on how much you are willing to pay to advertise on Google or any search engine, your ad could appear at the top or in the right-hand margin.
When comparing on-line ad pricing you can chose from the following options: Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM); where your add will appear one thousand times, to people who use keywords within their search that match the ones found within your website; or a Cost Per Click (CPC) where you will pay for only the clicks people make on to your listing. CPM advertising, for local advertisers will run $0.10 to $3.00 on average while CPC will average anywhere from $.50 to $5.00 for local advertising. Some things to bear in mind when generating your on-line presence and using these services to advertise are:

• Who is my target audience?
• How many people currently search for my type of service day to day?
• What am I willing to spend to attract people to my business?
• Can I attempt to advertise on my own or would it be more advantageous to hire someone who knows more about search engine marking?

In an effort to maximize your business efforts, you may want to consider hiring such a professional.

Reference: Online Networking > Recruiters, Headhunters and HR Professionals: Social Marketing and Social Networking Experts

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins asserts in his ‘Personal Power Program’ that “success leaves clues.” One successful business owner who has shown marked success over time is a man named Stew Leonard. Stew began his dairy and food store in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1969, along with 7 employees and built a financial empire. With current annual sales of approximately $300 million and some 2,000 employees, Stew Leonard’s ‘Stew’s’ is still going strong. Stew’s is the world’s largest dairy and food store; it is also the Guinness Book of World Records “greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States.” When Stew was asked where he got all the good ideas he answered, “We learn from our customers. We’ll try any new ides – no matter how harebrained the idea sounds.” Customer comment boxes are located conveniently throughout the store and are emptied and read at the end of each closing day. Stew’s willingness to do things unconventionally and mindfulness to always listen to the customer are the primary and fundamental ways he markets his business. At the entrance of each of the Stew’s locations there is a slab of granite with a saying inscribed that reads: Rule 1: The Customer is Always Right! Rule 2: If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Reread Rule 1. Stew’s determination to stay connected to his customers is what has driven his business to great success. Furthermore, each employee understands Stews vision and that “customer service cannot be a sometimes thing. It must be earned and re-earned every day.”

Another successful company, that spends very little on advertising and marketing is Costco Wholesale, and yet somehow has become a household name. The founders of Costco also understand the importance of listening to their members. Each location has a customer comment box and the comments are handled on a daily basis. Customer comment cards are also read daily by the Regional Buying Office and suggestions for new products, as well as return of old products, are seriously taken into account. Phone calls to the members who have questions or concerns are also made by the warehouse and buying office staff. By keeping advertising costs low, Costco is better able to pass on savings to their members.

Both of the aforementioned businesses see the use of a Customer Comment Box as an essential part of their growth and success. It is also believed that if one person makes a suggestion or a comment, there is likely 10 to 20 other customers who will not take the time to say anything; they will simply take their business elsewhere. If a business owner loses sight of the customer, we begin lose everything.