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Marketing in this New World...Here's How! |
 A year ago reports were coming out saying that 86% of all consumers researched your busines on-line before calling you or visiting your store. Then a report in fall 2008 stated the figure had increased to as high as 92%. This doesn't mean that you had to have an on-line shopping cart to sell your products/services. It means that you were either an established business on line or you were nowhere to be found. Please read below to find out if you are missing opportunity.
Best Marketing Opportunities in 2009...
If you still have a book written about marketing before 2000, you might consider heating your home with it. The ways of marketing your business have changed drastically. The good news...it's not too late! Although some old school marketing tactics still have a place, here are some necessary marketing ideas to get you back on track in 2009.
Create On-Line Interest in Your Company You goal should be to utilize the best marketing tool ever placed before you. "The Internet". Now that you don't need to rely on the Yellow Pages anymore, you should make sure that when consumers land on your home page, they've found the right company. Since viewers on average do not go more than 1.27 pages into websites, then the home page had better do a great job of selling your services. So you know those Pay-Per-Clicks that are debiting your credit card each month? It does you no good if when the consumer gets there, they don't see what they need. At Cowtown, we study consumer behavior and have figured out how to create interest, how to at least double the pages viewed and the time in which they spend on your website (when we have control of the content).
Pay Per Clicks Finally, the art of pay-per-click has been mastered and there are winners and losers. You have probably been hit up by phone calls advertising that they can get you at the top of search engines. We've tried almost everything out there and have the proven methods of Pay-Per-Click success. Call us and we will make sure your website rockets to the top. Here's the kicker...we used to be able to do a good job of coding a website and see our clients show up on page one of Google and Yahoo. That worked until your competitors all joined Pay-Per-Click programs and the increased hits their websites received gained them more credability with search engines than your site. So the game is on! Start your program today or lose out on leads and opportunity. Look at it this way...It's a fraction of the cost you used to spend on Yellow Page ads.
Viral Marketing Before you start judging Linked-In, FaceBook, Twitter and other communication tools, you must realize, this is not much different than that old business network you used to be a member of. The biggest difference is the possibilities for referrals are endless. If you are in sales and do not use these tools...you are a dying breed. These tools were made with you in mind. You can reach everyone you know, everyone your friends know, and gain hundreds of contacts with much less work than ever before. Plus you are somewhat endorsed when you are invited to join a network, or are "Friended" on FaceBook. This is not just for those with time on their hands, but for everyone in business who wants more referrals and to make ends meet!
Media Partnerships
Last month, we did some programs that tested the results of partnering on-line with a newspaper (skyscraper ads) while running print ads at the same time. The package offered a discounted combo-pack pricing and we tracked the leads that came from the newspapers website. The result was astonishing. Hundreds of click throughs to the client's website, increased calls from both ads and they made back the advertising investment within three days of the campaign launch. We strongly recommend you have Cowtown negotiate with the TV stations, radio stations or local newspaper for your own campaign. On-line partnerships are the "here and now" of marketing. Don't let your competitors gain TOMA before you do with your target audiences! These are just a few ideas...I have more! Call me today to brainstorm on some ideas that can ensure that you weather the storm and kick some tail in 2009! |
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Marketing Q&A |
If I have you do a direct mail piece for our company, what percent  response should I expect? 5%...2%?
It was fun back in 2000 when I was selling direct mail programs for The Kansas City Star and could almost guarantee a 2% response. It was my candid answer and more times than none, we did receive 2%. I love direct mail and have even received a Professional Direct Marketing Certification. That's the PDM at the end of my name. However, today's results are much different.
If you're just starting out with direct mail, I suggest you make sure that your list is targeted to your audience and comes from a quality source. Then a very strong offer is a must. The copy should be written by a pro! The design and images are the final touches that help get you the best response. Even then, do not set any expectations too early. Your goal instead, should be to see what you get and then try to improve on those results. That's why testing is your best option not to break the bank. Be a student to what the results tell you and each time you test, increase your ROI (return on investment). Direct marketing is not a one time buy...it's a journey that can cost quite a bit to get there, but once you've arrived, it can pay off and produce for years.
Cowtown Marketing Strategies can help you with any direct mail campaign. We are a turn-key solution for "customer retention" and "prospecting" both.
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home page, your stock market reports, and focus on your business. Seriously, the world is not at the end. So pick yourself up and get going. We've done exactly that. We have a new website I want you to visit that shows a new attitude and displays what we are really capable of. 