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Adrienne Zoble's Marketing Myth #34:
Our advertising isn't
working,
but we don't know what else to do. |
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 Hello, :
Speaking at a conference in Orlando last week on "The Do-able Marketing
Plan," I fielded an interesting question:
"So you think we should cancel all of our advertising?"
This came
after I had extolled the benefits of marketing for referrals and additional
business from existing clients/customers.
I responded,
"Before I answer, please tell me how your advertising is
working."
Reply: "It s--ks."
The sky
opened. After probing with a few other questions,
I confirmed to myself that I was speaking to someone from a decent-sized
company spending considerable money on advertising; when they weren't seeing
the results they saw previously, they simply didn't know what else to do. What a segue for my seminar!
I suspect
that his question and circumstances weren't unique; he and his colleagues
obviously came from the old school of cold calls and media advertising, which
was surprising, since he was fairly young.
So...what do you do, when you find
yourselves spending more and benefitting less?
The
answer's simple. Go to the newer
strategies of face-to-face, voice-to-voice and educational marketing.
How often do
you get out of your office to schmooze?
It's summer; take advantage of the gorgeous weather to dine al fresco
with a client, past or inactive customer, advocate (someone who's referred you
more than once and is always ready to say great things about your company),
consultant or other professional advisor, vendor, fellow members of
associations. The list goes on and on;
in fact there are 35 different categories by my latest count.
When you
would communicate only via email because it's quicker, pick up the phone
instead. If you wish to do a survey,
place a few strategic calls. Ask when
it's convenient to talk for no more than 10 minutes, and set a brief phone
appointment. People speak greater
numbers of words than they write. You'll
get more and better feedback.
Utilize the
opportunity for one-on-one communication.
A surprising amount of the time, the person you've called will just
happen to say, "You know, I've been meaning to call you. Can you help us with...?"
How much
business do you do by referral? How well
do you thank referrers and keep them apprised of referral progress? Take the time this summer to ensure your
follow-up, both before and after the sale, is perfect.
Now back to
the attendee's question. I don't advise
anyone to quit media advertising cold turkey, but you may certainly cut back
instead of totally cutting out. If
you're running monthly, cut back to bi-monthly.
If you're scheduling full pages, scale back to ½ pages. With the broadcast media, pull one week off
each broadcast flight of two weeks or more.
Then take
just some of the money you've saved and start marketing face-to-face. Present seminars that prove you and your
colleagues are The Experts.
Media
advertising is part of marketing, but marketing isn't only media
advertising. Summer is the perfect time
to embrace the more personalized strategies.
Start growing your
business, practice or organization now!
___________________________________
Visit Adrienne Zoble at www.azobleassoc.com. Check out her Do-able Marketing Plan workbook and her 10-Minute Marketing Plan Program. Make sure you pick up her Schmoozing Calendar and her latest E-book, "Thriving in Difficult Times or Getting your Phone to Ring Again."
Perhaps
your organization or company is looking for a dynamic,
tell-it-like-it-is speaker; or you need an article/column for your
publication or newsletter.
Adrienne Zoble will help you sell more in less time, even in these
challenging times.
___________________________________
Adrienne Zoble Associates, Inc. azoble@azobleassoc.com
1060 Sailors Reef www.azobleassoc.com
Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 970/282-1150
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