Marketing is a multi-faceted process that can take you from where you are now to where you want to go. Let’s take a good look at what should be included in your “marketing plan,” but not necessarily in the order shown.

Design a dynamite brochure that stresses the benefits to your customers and potential customers of your service and products. Very few people – except maybe your competitors – are interested in what you market as much as they are in how what you market will benefit them or further their goals. Take a look at your brochure.

SIX THINGS TO CONSIDER:

1. Does it convey that message?
2. Is it eye appealing?
3. Is it on glossy paper?
4. Is the layout attractive?
5. Did you avoid the problem of “too much information?”
6. Are the graphics appropriate in style and number?

If you can’t say “yes” to these questions, then set aside that brochure and begin again. You have only one chance to impress your customer with that brochure. Take advantage of the opportunity and do it right.

Be sure that your business cards do double duty by making certain that their layout and message are correctly planned. Are they attractive to the eye, easy to read? Do they provide your title, email address, and web site? And don’t forget that a logo and slogan go a long way toward building your brand. Keep the logo simple. Consider some of the most easily recognized and remembered logos – Coca Cola ©, Apple Computer © are two good examples. Note how simple but memorable they are. Your slogan should be simple, easy to remember, and easy to quote – “Drink Coke” – is an excellent example. Last, but far from least, use good card stock and remember that some colors are a turn-off. Create a card that your client will keep and remember.

While we’re talking about getting your name in front of your clients, let’s consider the power of the internet. Do you have a web page? If not, you really should consider setting one up. It’s easy (at least the simple ones are), and it can be put up and hosted for very reasonable fees by a company like Go Daddy (I’m not kidding that is really the name of the server and host). Once you have that page set up, you will want to:

CREATE YOUR WEB SITE:

It is very important to link to associations, chambers, trade journals, and vendors whose products you use or to whom you provide services because that link will increase the traffic to your website. So, call them and ask if it is all right if you link to their pages. It is very rare for anyone to refuse the linkage (assuming the product or service offered doesn’t violate their code of ethics) since the linkage is a good form of advertising and marketing for them, too.

Make that web page easy to use. If it is too complicated, visitors go elsewhere – probably to one of your competitors. Don't forget to set up a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section. Note the questions, and answer them for your visitors who hate to be left in the dark about anything.

Provide an address and a means of reaching you or your company. Nothing is more annoying to a customer than finding the company wanted and then having no way to get in touch with them. Once the individual realizes that, it is quite possible that questions about reliability and ethics may hove into view.

The internet’s power lies in its connectivity. So, don’t undermine it; build on it.

In addition to creating a level of awareness, you also want to make certain that your clients and customers remember you. Many people use incentive gifts for this purpose. If you decide to do this, make certain that the gifts are useful reminders of you and your company. We have all been handed strange little “gifts” that will never be used by us or by anyone in our companies, so if we later remember the company, it is not necessarily a favorable memory. Also, consider the fact that if everyone “gives” such an item, it won’t be memorable. I can’t tell you how many company pens I’ve received over the years. Useful? Yes. Memorable? No. The gift needs to stand out, last, and be used on a regular basis. If it won’t be, why spend the money to buy and give it? Items that are useful and can be put on the client's desktop will have good visibility.

The best gift you can give any client or customers is attention – solicit input, listen, and take action when you learn needs and interests. One thing you should do is solicit input from customers and clients on a regular basis and act on what was said if it is feasible, legal, and possible. Then let all of your clients know what you are doing with the information they provided.

One of the most effective ways to secure good information is to establish a focus group. This group provides you with face-to-face contact (or ear-to-ear if you use a phone conference) and critical input. The group can shift members, but regular meetings should be held in order to stay informed about customer needs and views.

If we all had our way, our customers would do our marketing for us by telling their friends about us and our services or products. Well, why not encourage “word of mouth” action? Ask for it and encourage it with thank you gifts. Sponsor a community or school event that will result in “fame.” And, last, but far from least, hold training sessions (related, of course, to your product or service) to remind the world that you not only exist but care for your customers and want to help them succeed.

I doubt if there is anyone in business who hasn’t been told to study the competition and do it one better. But because public speaking is so frightening to many people, if they were once told to speak or write on topics that mesh with client needs, many probably tuned out the suggestion. So, I’ll make it again – get known as an expert – after all you are one – speak at local, state, and national events and write articles that you trade for ad space.

You’ve probably already figured out my next point – build brand recognition through repetition. Consistency is vital, so it is important to let your customers hear from you on a regular basis, but make certain that what you send out has value to them.

Saturn has built its brand recognition in a number of ways, but when you ask people about the company, one of the first you hear is how good the follow-up is. Take a page out their book – remember successful marketing requires three key things: an excellent product, outstanding service, and follow-up.

One thing that Saturn has done is make it easy for the customers to deal with them. This is important to remember and emulate. You need enough phone lines – there is a growing irritation among consumers about the number of times that they hear, “Your business is important to us,” and then find themselves on hold for an inordinately long period of time. It is also important make certain that ALL calls are returned promptly and that phones are answered on the 2nd or 3rd ring. If you answer on the first, the caller will not have heard the ring, and after the third ring, he/she thinks you have gone out of business. It is also annoying to customers to find themselves in what I call the "telephone loop" where they are instructed to push one, push two, push three and then eventually they get voice mail anyway.

Signage, word power and remnant space – it’s important to make use of all three of these. Let’s look first at the sign. A good sign reminds, spurs impulse, implants inclination, sharpens the company’s identity, and gives a brief message. Go out and read your sign. Does it do all of this? Now, let’s consider a different kind of advertising, flyers or classifieds. Are there any words that are more appealing and powerful than others? You bet there are. A study done at Princeton found that the following words had great drawing power: “save, new, results, safety, easy, discovery, proven, guarantee, free, now, secret, and benefits.” Consider using them appropriately in your advertisements. Also, did you know that there is a way to buy radio and T.V. time and even magazine space without incurring the equivalent of the national debt? Well, there is! Use remnant space! When you contact the media in which you have an interest, tell the sales person to provide you with information on remnant space and to let you know how deep the discount is going to be.

A few years ago, we designed some marketing/advertising tip sheets for our own clients, and I shared some of the key points with you in this article, but if you are really serious about creating a world class image on an imagination budget, here are some quick tips that should help you achieve that image:

14 TIPS TO REMEMBER

1. White is always a safe color for envelopes, and white, # 10 sized envelopes with first classstamps on them are more attention getting than metered letters.
2. You have only three seconds to “get” someone to open an envelope.
3. Invitation sized envelopes tend to get opened before regular ones.
4. Handwritten addresses trigger a greater level of curiosity than do printed ones.
5. If you are using a teaser on the envelope, make certain that it applies to the receiver.
6. Mass mailings only work if they go to carefully selected, target audiences.
7. If you are going let people know that a “free gift” is enclosed in your mail, make certain that it would be one that is helpful to the receiver.
8. If you have a product and deal with resellers, let them know if they can mark it up and still be highly competitive.
9. You can get free publicity in newspapers and on radio if you provide free training sessions. Just send a press release that provides the details that can be provided in a “community calendar.”
10. If you have a brick and mortar store, arrange the aisles to direct the flow of traffic through the store past those items most likely to attract the eye and trigger the impulse to purchase.
11. Do a good turn and reduce staffing costs by setting up a student intern program. The students profit by gaining experience (do screen and train with care). Letting the local news agencies know about the program is a great way to trigger good publicity.
12. Build brand recognition by remembering that “snappy” press releases that equal one inch of column space are likely to get printed since most papers need fillers. Get to know the editor. Get to know the reporters that cover the business beat and feed them stories about newsworthy events -- then when you have a story about your company, it is more likely to get printed.
13. Get into the Chamber habit – if it is business focused, and get on the committees that most closely relate to your business focus.
14. Hold a contest – design a contest and have prizes such as T shirts or hats with your company’s logo on them. The winners become walking billboards for your company, and the publicity is both valuable and free.