bath marketing company

Don’t ignore ‘old’ media

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Don’t ignore traditional media

I think it is pretty evident that new media gets all the credit in marketing these days; after all, there is something very sexy about having a great website, having your own blog and being on top of social media. However, don’t forget the power of the old guard such as newspapers, trade press, radio, tv or even the really humble media such as posters and leaflets. These are extremely effective marketing tools and the fact that lots of businesses are ignoring them may well provide you and your business with a great opportunity.

In my opinion, employing a mix of old and new media can really boost your marketing and push you ahead of your competitors.

When you have decided on your image and USP, every message you send in any form must reflect these. This includes the way you communication on paper – for instance:

Letterhead
Business cards
Invoices
Mailing labels
Brochures & flyers
Catalogues
Press releases
Compliment slips
Signage

You may not automatically assume that some of the above are marketing tools, but each one creates an impression of your business. Sometimes, a business card can create a lasting impression (I am just re doing mine!) and the logo, style, font, etc must be consistent.

Even if you consider yourself creative, I would always suggest you get a marketing company to do it for you!

Blogs & how to use one

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Do you blog? As you probably know, a blog is an online site in diary form. The most typical blog is one that has articles that are posted periodically with the newest appearing at the top of the page; above the previous one. There are also static pages like the about us or profile pages that provide information about the site owner. A blog can also link to other blogs and/or websites, display a calendar of events & many other features. In fact, blogs are so versatile that they sometime replace actual websites.

There are millions of blogs out there in numerous formats and maintaining a blog requires considerable work and effort. However, if the content is relevant and interesting to read, blogs can rapidly become new business tools as well as a great PR tool for the owner.

I use my blog as a way of demonstrating my market (or marketing!) knowledge; a sort of reputation management tool that I hope helps my readers. I have installed analytics to my blog so I know where readers come from and how long they spend on the blog. I have also linked up both my blogs for link building purposes.

However you use your blog, here are some functions that it can perform:

1.keep customers up to date with your latest offerings
2.help establish a dialogue with customers, especially if you allow customers to leave comments
3.provide a platform for you to inform people of developments within your business – although a “news” section on your website can also perform this function
4.raise your profile as an expert in your field
5.list other sites with which you are associated – Twitter, Linkedin etc
6.it can even bring in revenue by allowing adverts to appear on it or by asking people to subscribe to it

As you have probably gathered, I love blogs, but don’t start one unless you can maintain it. If need be, enlist the help of someone who can help you write content and someone to help you optimise and link it. Every little helps!!

How to open doors

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Open that door!
In order for a business to grow, clients need to buy from you. Don’t expect many clients or prospects to buy straight away or to beat a path to your door in the early stages, but stick with it and you will reap the rewards. Similarly, most buyer surveys suggest that buying decisions are highly rational processes following elaborate scouting of the offers, the study of marketing material, the personal recommendations or even initiatives like social media.
Therefore, you must make sure that your company image is one that differentiates yourself from others and that your own marketing speaks volumes.

I write numerous posts on how to get your marketing ducks in a row – see this post for example – and how to give your business the best chance of success, but, what is it that attracts a prospect to stop, look and listen? Here are a few ideas you could use:

Offer a report on some original research – Who can resist free information? However, in order to be effective, the research must be original and new. Your prospect will most likely be in a better position than you regarding their knowledge of their sector so don’t tell him/her something they already know.

An in-depth analysis of his/her market – Similar to the above, but this is about having some sort of information that reveals your intellectual capacity. PR and literature are the most suitable vehicles to carry this.

Invitation to participate in research – This will depend on a number of factors, but, if the subject matter is relevant, the results made available and it brings him into contact with peers in his sector, it is likely that the prospect will participate. Flattery is quite key to this!

A critique of his activities – Obviously this can go straight to his heart! Be careful, but outline/highlight where the prospect could make improvements.  For example, in my  10 minute 121 meetings at networking, I concentrate very hard on adding value to peoples’ current marketing; giving them tips on how to get the most from areas like direct mail.

Are you a leader in your field? If you can truly substantiate that you are an expert, the prospect should be listening to you. You don’t need to be the biggest or even the best, but having extensive experience in his area will be of great value. Bath Marketing Consultancy does this in relation to the legal and retail sectors.

Exploit uncertainty – Deep down many clients fear exploitation i.e. “Am I being ripped off by Agency X?” “Am I the person paying for the MD’s new car and the businesses new swanky offices?” If you know information about their current supplier like a change in personnel or their costing structure, you can use it and it would take a very self assured client to turn a deaf ear to the information.

These are just a few of the techniques you could employ to open a door. Try one or try them all and then let me know how it went.

Spreading the word.

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There are numerous ways that you can get your message out to potential customers, but the main ones are advertising & PR. I know that online is a huge area, but, in this instance I am grouping advertising together as advertising encompasses TV, radio, magazines, local press, billboards, leaflets, Blogs, podcasts, social media, public speaking, networking etc etc.
In this post, let’s look at getting your message out via advertising. In my opinion, one of the key aims of advertising is to get word of mouth marketing. I posted on Twitter recently that 53% of online traffic at the moment comes via WOM. When your satisfied customers tell others how great you are and suggest that they also use your product or service, that’s pretty much the best kind of publicity you can get!

To get this process started and before anyone can talk about your business, they need to know about it and this is where the initiatives mentioned above come into play. Sometimes, this can come from a YouTube video, sometimes it can come from social media and/or traditional advertising in a local paper or it can even come from giving out samples in the high street. It almost doesn’t matter how it get’s started; it matters that it does get started.
Do you know when people are most motivated to tell others about you? This might shock you, but it is right after they have bought or made a purchase.
Here are just some suggestions on how to spread the word:
Offer customers a reward for doing so; maybe a coupon for the contact details of 3 friends who might have a similar need to them.
Add a ‘tell a friend’ or ‘share’ button to your website or Blog.
Create space for them to talk. i.e. adding some sort of forum to your website.
Maybe introduce some sort of limited edition label to what you do.
Create a club that gives benefits to members.

Whatever you decide to do, people will always talk about the outstanding or unusual!

You have a brand whether you like it or not!

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Whether you want them to or not, it is highly likely that your business is associated with certain characteristics. It is therefore, up to you to ensure that your customers remember these characteristics for the right reasons. 

They must remember your quality as a business and/or the range of benefits that sets you apart from the competition. If people do not associate you with

anything memorable or particular, your business will be part of the sea or mediocrity where a high amount of other businesses can be found.When you or what you are doing is outstanding or different, the media will pick up on it; sometimes without any effort from you.

Don’t forget that placing loads of emphasis, resources, money and energy on your logo will not make your business stand out. You need to have a distinctive product or service. Logos and slogans can help, but are no substitute for a genuine USP. Once you have done this, you can even “own” your colour or slogan such as the red in Coca-Cola!With the foundations laid, it is time to reach out to your customers…….

Money, money, money

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One of my Tweets this morning was just a snippet about profit being far more important than numerous sales or account wins. The reason for it was that I have experienced working with one particular agency who threw everything (including the kitchen sink!) at a possible bit of new business making the creative team work all night to produce hundreds of bits of work in the hope that if enough mud is thrown, something will stick. How much for marketing

This is wrong. Yes, every prospect wants to see what you can do and possibly some ideas. But, the fact that they are sitting in front of you should go some way to reassuring you that you are in the running for their account. In the case of marketing, a prospective client has come to you as you are the expert not them and they will expect to pay for this expertise.

For example, if your house develops a leak in the roof, you will most likely contact a roofing specialist to sort out the problem. Will he/she arrive with an example of previous work done? Maybe. Will he/she start reducing prices to win the work? No. Apply this rule to pretty much every professional service industry and the same will happen.

Don’t be tempted to buy business.

When pricing remember you are a boutique not a supermarket. Stress value rather than actual cost and if need be, set client benefits against your price. You could even break down your costs into some sort of menu or even include some sort of extra.

Always be aware of the sector in which you operate and the price level it justifies. Remember that if you go in at a low price to clinch the deal, you will never be able to increase it. Clients want value not just a cheap price. I have one associate I work with who will never reduce his rates as he is very aware of the level of product he offers and what value it brings to clients. Similarly, I know that Bath Marketing Consultancy’s price and very high quality end product represents great value.

If pricing becomes the issue, treat it as an objection and overcome it. The expression about paying peanuts and getting monkeys is very true!

Develop a clear vision

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I was with a new client the other day who told me a number of times how good his business was at supplying the product he sells. When I questioned the word “good” there was a lack of statistics or information to substantiate his claims. Sometimes business owners can get a bit blinkered when it comes to what sets them apart from their competition.
In a nutshell, are you a business that is satisfied with your position in the market? What are your strengths and weaknesses? How do you want to be perceived and what sort of information have you go to substantiate your claims??
In my opinion, each business should have a clear vision; a sort of mission if you like. This is necessary to give a focus to the business and something that can be translated into a marketing message for clients and prospects. It should be obvious to anybody who comes into contact with your company exactly what it stands for. Why not claim the high ground and tell everyone about it i.e Bath Marketing Consultancy is Bath’s only full service, pay-as-you- go marketing company!
Naturally, the mission needs to be credible and it may well need regular review, but without it your business has very little to differentiate it.

My final bit of advice on this is to ensure that the mission has real distinguishable features. Too many statements centre on “……we aim to be the number 1 supplier for…..” i.e. there is no client focus or addressing of what clients want. Adapt this type of statement to be more along the lines of “….we aim to be the number 1 supplier for those clients with need for xxx thanks to the benefits offered by our unique xxx package.”

This might be a little long winded, but I hope you catch my drift!

What is marketing all about?!

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To me marketing is not just about making sales or having a glossy brochure as a leave behind, it is about following a number of initiatives that all work together producing clarity about your USP and facilitating business growth.
To clarify this, below are what I feel, the process of marketing should include:

1.Winning new businessWhat is marketing all about?!
I still feel that 5 or 6 initiatives should be running at one time and that each new initiatives needs testing. For example, do you use cold canvassing? It can be incredibly successful

2.Understanding your market
How well do you know your market? What sort of experience do you have from your contacts? Is there potential to do a real SWOT analysis?

3.Brand building
My personal favourite. Ensure you use a mix of corporate id, advertising, PR, sponsorship, SEO, corporate literature etc. All of these are great brand building elements so use them, maybe in connection with visibility at seminars, networking or conferences.

4.Plan your strategy
Make sure you know exactly what you are doing withyour business or marketing plan. Are you the sole driver in this or can you outsource?

5.Managing existing clients
Put in place manageable deliverables and some way of monitoring activity.

6.Internal marketing
This might not be something that you need if you are a small business, but internal communications and training are essential.

Some might say that marketing is a bit of an obsession for me, but how well do you know your market and your position within it? How much more turnover could you make if you increased your market share or were on more radars?

Too often marketing is a knee jerk reaction to falling sales rather than a planned process. In a crowded market place, you must shout to get heard. You mush shout to get noticed and to be remembered. Jump in and take control or someone else will. Make sure you have a simple, clear and differentiated offer.

After all, there is nothing worse than seeing some other business/organisation doing really well when you know your offer is better. Don’t let it happen!

Advertising. Yes or no?

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Standing out?

Can advertising generate leads? Should it be a part of your marketing activity? What type works? Some quite strong questions for a Monday morning!

I believe that that there are limited numbers of prospects who buy in the professional services arena and, the infrequency of their purchase decision making makes a strong case for not doing any advertising at all. After all, why do so few ad agencies advertise? Maybe there is a message in that!!

Of course, for many years, some professional services were not permitted to advertise for ethical reasons (i.e. the legal sector), but, when these restrictions were lifted, their first impulse was to rush into advertising. But they forgot about below the line activity.

My main interest in advertising is whether it can generate leads; whether it should be taken seriously as a response generator. Do prospective clients come knocking as a result of an advert or does seeing an advert leave them cold? To me, advertising is about ensuring that prospects see the added value working with you brings. However, there are some professional establishments simply advertise to satisfy their egos………….and to annoy their competitors!

There is one obvious situation where advertising would seem an obvious route to market – the launch of a new product or service……or what I like to call “Announcement advertising.” However, for this to be truly effective, the advertising needs to be full of flair and create a buzz around the market. I have tried to do this with my latest Bath Life advert promoting my website/CMS package using a chocolate cake.

Wherever possible try (as written about by a fellow Tweeter Andy from Pro Ipbx), and put a response mechanism in place to allow reactions to get straight back to you. Or, at least ensure that you find some way of viewing effectiveness. Maybe by simply asking enquirers or promoting a particular page on your website that can be viewed via analytics.

Although it is sometimes hard to quantify, I believe advertising does create curiosity. It can also lay the foundation for other marketing initiatives such as e marketing or direct mail. It can also generate real positive feelings internally from your employees by showing real commitment to the business and raising morale. Hmm, but does this answer the question of its use? Tough one.

There will be plenty more on this subject from me tomorrow and later in the week, but, what do you think? Let me know by leaving a comment. Let’s share experiences!

Top 10 Marketing Tips for Success

Paul Tagent4 Comments
1. Slash your advertising budget in half. Use the money you save to test some other simple forms of marketing. Better yet, get on the phone to the media you advertise in and ask them to reduce the prices – in this economy they are really struggling and I can almost guarantee they’ll give you a substantial saving. Use the money you save to test new forms of Marketing and Internet Marketing.

2. PR. Publicity. Expert positioning. Any time your name appears in print, you are automatically an expert. People believe what they read in the papers, see on the TV and hear on the radio. It can be as simple as writing a small column in a local paper — most of these papers are crying out for quality content. They have little money to pay freelancers to write for them and might well welcome material from you.

3. Up selling. If you don’t ask your customers to buy more from you, they’ll rarely come offering. You can build tremendous momentum with a sale if you keep offering add-ons and more “de-luxe” versions. Don’t just sell a sofa – sell it with a full carpet clean, and matching rugs.

4. Go out and meet your top 20 customers. Don’t try to sell them anything, but do ask for referrals. Take them to lunch, or even just a coffee at Starbuck’s. This is a powerful strategy simply because in this modern and hectic world, no one seems to want to do it anymore. If other people aren’t doing something, that’s a good enough reason for you to test it.

5. Networking. Go anywhere people in your target market or in synergistic businesses might hang out. You don’t have to pay to join a Breakfast club – there are lots of trade shows and events you can get in for free. The people at these events are there for the same reason you are: to do business.

6. Public Speaking. Any time you get up in front of an audience to speak about your business, you’re marketing. There are dozens of opportunities to speak to interested, qualified prospects all over the place.

7. Improve your sales skills. There is an incredible amount of top quality, free information out there on sales – you’re reading some NOW! Books aren’t expensive, either, and you can get them from the library if you don’t want to buy them yourself. Knowledge is priceless, and it’s something no one can ever take away from you. Always be prepared to invest heavily in yourself. Becoming great at selling is absolutely fundamental for business success today.

8. Emails. If you’re emailing your customers and clients less than once a week, you are definitely leaving money lying around unclaimed. Make it a habit to mail your list regularly with useful, topical content they can use. They’ll love you for it, and you will make more sales.

9. Joint ventures. Look around you and you’ll see dozens of non-competing businesses whose customers are just like yours. For instance, imagine you deal with, VOIP systems and save your customers money. Now imagine you get local accountants to let you leave your paper newsletter or other marketing piece in their waiting room. Anyone waiting for their accountant has money on their mind and will be a prime target for your “save money” message. It works.

10. Become an expert at Internet Marketing; maybe trial Pay per Click Advertising on Google. Pay per Click is the most powerful breakthrough in Marketing this century – yet very few small business owners truly understand its power.

You do not have to implement all of these, but I guarantee they will make a difference to your business. If you have a specific marketing problem, why not put me to the test by filling out the small contact form on my website?