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TIPS, TIPS, AND MORE MARKETING TIPS!
Need more visibility for you or your business? Try some of these wacky, crazy and creative ideas from Debbi Kickham, co-author of the bestseller, OFF THE WALL MARKETING IDEAS and read her blog at www.MarketingAuthor.com.
Do Something Wildly Unusual -- Check Out
These Spas!
One way to market your business is to offer something extraordinary or wildly unusual. Even if customers don't make that actual purchase, your business name, service or product will become a conversation piece. Case in point. There's a day spa in Manhattan that offers facials made with - are you ready? - nightingale droppings. The bird poop is a longstanding beauty secret in Japan, where geisha girls used it for its skin-brightening properties. After this day spa offered this treatment, sales spiked And have you heard of the fish pedicure? A salon in Virginia has made a big splash with this treatment, in which tiny toothless carp nibble the dry skin off of women's feet. So, put your best foot forward with your marketing, and think outside the bunion. I'm always reading about spas that do something extraordinary -- it makes great copy and magazine and newspaper editors LOVE a story like that!
Leave Behind A "Keeper"
After you make a sales call to a potential new customer or client, or they visit your office or practice, make sure to GIVE THEM something memorable. For example, I buy packages of bubble gum, and create my own labels that say 'HIRE A BUBBLY BLONDE," and list my contact info on the label. I also hand out a one-page sheet that lists "THE TOP 10 THINGS THAT SET DEBBI KICKHAM APART," and include snappy verbiage in what is a mini resume and biograpy of myself. Let's face it -- most business people DON'T do these things, and if you do, you'll stand out! Check out my "Top Ten" list at my website, www.MarketingAuthor.com.
Use Color!
Today's tip? Use color to your marketing advantage. Today's tip has me seeing red - but that's a good thing. I'm talking about a marketing idea that is pure genius. What is it? The vivid, glossy, lacquered red soles that stand out on every pair of Christian Louboutin high heels. Didn't you notice that Oprah Winfrey, when her show was on, frequently sported shoes with red soles? Many times, Oprah wore Christian Louboutin high heels and you know that she did, because the bright red soles stuck out like a sore thumb. French designer Christian Louboutin has hit pure gold with this marketing gimmick. He took a mundane object and, with his distinctive red soles, made his shoes instantly recognizeable. He did it with color - and not even a logo. The designer sells about a half-million pairs of shoes every year. That's a red marketing idea - that translates into plenty of cold green cash.
Similarly, make sure that when you send information to customers and media, that you DON'T put it in a yellow manila envelope. That's what EVERYONE does. Instead, use colored envelopes that instantly stand out! As a marketing expert, I know it's a fabulous idea!
Ask Customers For Their Input!
If you want to better market your product or services, just ask your customers for their input. That's what the Wrangler Company did back in 1947, when Wrangler hired a rodeo tailor to design jeans for cowboys. Ranch hands were asked their advice on whether the jeans needed more room for their thighs or a bit more stretch in the rear. Today, Wrangler goes back back to those roots with a new jean design competition; the winner's project will appear as part of a collection launching this fall. All participants needed to do was launch a video on the website NextBlue.com. How does this apply to you? Well, if you own a pizza shop, a flower store, or a nail salon, just run a contest and give a prize to the customer with the best idea for a new product or service. That's a small price to pay for effective marketing. I'm a marketing expert who creates marketing strategies for hair salons, plastic surgeons, dentists, spas and skincare salons, and these businesses can all benefit from customer/patient input.
NOW HEAR THIS!
Debbi now broadcasts a daily "Marketing Minute" for Money Matters Radio, www.Moneymattersradio.net. Her broadcast can be heard once a day, at approximately 2PM, on a wealth of New England radio stations including WBNW 1120AM in Boston and Concord, Mass.; WESO 970AM in Southbridge, Mass; and WPLM 1390AM in Plymouth, Mass. www.MarketingAuthor.com
Click here to hear some of the marketing audios:
Nix the Boring Nametag Have a Snappy Signature Tag Line Give Yourself an Unusual Title Sending Raisins to Publisher Helen Gurley Brown Use Invoices To Your Advantage Every business sends out emailed invoices to clients. But it's a very smart, no-cost marketing strategy to toot your own horn on those invoices. Try some of these ideas. · How about including a small announcement about a special offer or discount? · Or a link to media coverage about your business or industry from the newspaper? · What about including Information about an award you've won? · Or an announcement about your donation to a local charity? You get the idea. You should make every invoice into an effective marketing tool, so that every contact you have with your customers has a positive effect. The more upbeat information you can share with clients, the better. That's just smart marketing - and it can translate to increased sales for your business.
WANT MORE TIPS?
Visit Debbi's website at www.MarketingAuthor.com, and visit the blog for GREAT business marketing ideas that frequently require more creativity than cash!
Read Off The Wall Marketing Ideas: Jumpstart Your Sales Without Busting Your Budget, the bestselling book that Debbi co-authored. It made The Boston Globe's Bestseller List in just 11 days after publication. Buy it on Amazon.com, and while you're at it, write a review!
TRAVELING THIS SUMMER?
Don't leave home without picking up Debbi's latest bestseller, THE GLOBETROTTER'S GET-GORGEOUS GUIDE: Diet and Beauty Secrets of Travel and Beauty Pros, Traveling Executives and Celebrity Travelers, which hit Amazon.com's Bestseller List as #1 in December!
Check out the book's website at www.GorgeousGlobetrotter.com. You'll discover celebrity secrets plus a wealth of diet, beauty, packing, luggage, fashion and shopping tips, as well as money-saving advice and even offbeat tips that will take the "travail" out of your travels.
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