Saturday, January 27, 2007

OT: Stick man dancing!




Click here to have a go yourself

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Nothing to do with marketing

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

What are your benefits really?


I spent all day yesterday with a great bunch of potential entrepreneurs, running a start a business workshop. When we hit on the topic of marketing we had some fun defining exactly what benefits each business could potentially deliver for its customers.

We all (hopefully) know the difference between features and benefits but so much of the marketing I see, from the 'big guys' down focusses on features alone. So what benefits do people really care about?

Nobody really cares how many Safety Stars a car has got - what really motivates us is the peace of mind that comes with knowing our family is safe in the back seat. I don't care that product x is cheaper than product y - what I care about is that extra money means I can buy something else or not have to stress when the bills hit the doormat. You've got 20 years experience - so what? - your customer wants to see results so that his boss doesn't yell at him.

Whatever product or service you have to offer, you need to ask what is the real customer benefit for every feature you can name. When you know that you've got your marketing message pegged.

(BTW - that's me in the suit)

Thursday, January 11, 2007

BILLION dollar sales letter

On December 16th 2006, Martin Conroy passed away. You may never have heard of him but he is widely credited as having written one of the, if not THE, most successful marketing pieces ever. His sales letter for the Wall Street Journal was in continuous use for 28 years, from 1975 to 2003 and generated well over $ 1 BILLION DOLLARS in subscription sales.

Here it is in all it's glory (who says long copy doesn't sell?)

---

The Wall Street Journal

Dear Reader:

On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both—as young college graduates are—were filled with ambitious dreams for the future.

Recently, these men returned to their college for their 25th reunion.

They were still very much alike. Both were happily married. Both had three children. And both, it turned out, had gone to work for the same Midwestern manufacturing company after graduation, and were still there.

But there was a difference. One of the men was manager of a small department of that company. The other was its president.

What Made The Difference

Have you ever wondered, as I have, what makes this kind of difference in people's lives? It isn't a native intelligence or talent or dedication. It isn't that one person wants success and the other doesn't.

The difference lies in what each person knows and how he or she makes use of that knowledge.

And that is why I am writing to you and to people like you about The Wall Street Journal. For that is the whole purpose of The Journal: to give its readers knowledge—knowledge that they can use in business.

A Publication Unlike Any Other

You see, The Wall Street Journal is a unique publication. It's the country's only national business daily. Each business day, it is put together by the world's largest staff of business-news experts.

Each business day, The Journal's pages include a broad range of information of interest and significance to business-minded people, no matter where it comes from. Not just stocks and finance, but anything and everything in the whole, fast-moving world of business. . .The Wall Street Journal gives you all the business news you need—when you need it.

Knowledge Is Power

Right now, I am looking at page one of The Journal, the best-read front page in America. It combines all the important news of the day with in-depth feature report-ing. Every phase of business news is covered. I see articles on new inflation, wholesale prices, car prices, tax incentives for industries to major developments in Washington, and elsewhere.

(over, please)


And there is page after page inside The Journal, filled with fascinating and significant information that's useful to you. The Marketplace section gives you insights into how consumers are thinking and spending. How companies compete for market share. There is daily coverage of law, technology, media and marketing. Plus daily features on the challenges of managing smaller companies.

The Journal is also the single best source for news and statistics about your money. In the Money & Investing section there are helpful charts, easy-to-scan market quotations, plus “Abreast of the Market, ” “Heard on the Street” and “Your Money Matters, ” three of America's most influential and carefully read investment columns.

If you have never read The Wall Street Journal, you cannot imagine how useful it can be to you.

A Money-Saving Subscription

Put our statements to the proof by subscribing for the next 13 weeks for just $44. This is among the shortest subscription terms we offer—and a perfect way to get acquainted with The Journal.

Or you may prefer to take advantage of our better buy —one year for $149. You save over $40 off the cover price of The Journal.

Simply fill out the enclosed order card and mail it in the postage-paid envelope pro-vided. And here's The Journal's guarantee: should The Journal not measure up to your expectations, you may cancel this arrangement at any point and receive a refund for the undelivered portion of your subscription.

If you feel as we do that this is a fair and reasonable proposition, then you will want to find out without delay if The Wall Street Journal can do for you what it is doing for mil-lions of readers. So please mail the enclosed order card now, and we will start serving you immediately.

About those two college classmates I mention at the beginning of this letter: they were graduated from college together and together got started in the business world. So what made their lives in business different?

Knowledge. Useful knowledge. And its application.

An Investment In Success

I cannot promise you that success will be instantly yours if you start reading The Wall Street Journal. But I can guarantee that you will find The Journal always interesting, always reliable, and always useful.

Sincerely,
Signature
Publisher

PRK: id
Encs.

P.S. It's important to note that The Journal's subscription price may be tax deductible.
Ask your tax advisor.

© 1994 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Springwise Top 10


From one of my favourite sites, Springwise.com, the top 10 marketing and advertising ideas of 2006.

One or two get a mention here before, and admittedly not all are suitable for a small business, but use them for inspiration for your next campaign.

Link

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Referral Marketing in 7 Steps

We all know that referrals are a great source of new customers and clients. If you do a good job you'll no doubt get referrals and word-of-mouth business, however, some businesses simply get more. Why? Because they are referral friendly. Becoming referral friendly is something we work on with all of our clients by breaking it down into three simple steps:

1. Over delivering and exceeding expectations
2. Providing tools to make referring your business easy
3. Promoting and rewarding referrals

Along these lines, here's a fantastic 7 step guide to generating referrals by John Jantsch

How to Create the Ultimate Referral Marketing System in 7 Simple Steps

The following seven steps constitute the core components used to build an effective referral marketing system for your business.

Step #1 - Create a referral target market(s) - you must create a target list of companies and individuals who can be motivated to refer. This can be clients or a network of related businesses. In many cases you will find a certain percentage of your clients already refer some business. Tap these sources first, create tools to make it easy for them to refer you, ask them what would motivate them to refer more business. Don't spend your time and energy trying to create a referral program that everyone will buy into. Some people are just wired to give referrals - focus on that group

Step #2 - Identify your ideal referral client - In order to receive high quality referrals you must be able to quickly communicate the exact type of person or business that makes a great referral. Skip this step and you will likely find yourself on too many wild goose chases with referrals that don't fit your ideal target client.

Step #3 - Create and communicate your core referral message - you must be able to easily explain the value you can bring to anyone who is referred. For example, a marketing and branding expert for professional services might tell an attorney, "We show estate attorneys how to become famous," as a way to simply communicate how they are unique. It's important that your referral sources know what makes you unique, what your brand has to offer that a referral might value most.

Step #4 - Design a referral education system - When you meet with a potential referral source you can substantially increase the number and quality of referrals if you systematically educate them on: Who makes a great referral, what's in it for them to provide a referral, how to refer you, and the exact steps you plan to take with that referral. Taking the time to educate your referral sources is a great way to differentiate your business from the hoards of other businesses that are probably courting them are referral sources as well.

Step #5 - Outline your referral lead offer and system - this is the heart and soul of the system. This is where you devise the creative offer that makes people want to refer you. Spend some time to craft a creative approach to motivate your referral sources. Money for referrals is rarely the best approach. Motivate your sources with recognition, thanks and contests. Example: Earn a 100% refund on your tax return preparation when you refer 4 people who become clients."

Step #6 - Create a referral conversion strategy - what good are referral leads if they don't become referral clients? You must map out a specific set of steps that will allow you to convert your referral leads. A referred lead is a warm lead, but in some cases, they may actually have higher expectation, due to the referral. Make sure that your initial marketing materials, meetings and sales process meet those expectations or you may find that the referral tap gets turned off. Remember, you are borrowing the trust a referral has with the referral source, don't abuse it.

Step #7 - Identify a referral follow-up strategy - to bring your referral system full circle you need to devise two follow-up steps. 1) a way to continue to market to your referral leads that don't immediately turn into clients and 2) a way to systematically communicate the progress of a referral back to your referral sources to keep them motivated. I find that often it makes sense to create several ways to reward your referral sources. Acknowledge them in some way as they refer leads and then again, in a more significant way, as a lead becomes a client. This way you consistently communicate how much you appreciate their support on your behalf.

Take the time to complete the steps outlined above and then operate your referral marketing system week in and week out and you will soon discover a steady flow of highly qualified leads, already aware of the value you can provide, seeking to do business with your firm.

(Note: John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide published by Thomas Nelson. He is the creator of the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system. You can find more information by visiting http://www.ducttapemarketing.com)