3 Affordable Long-Term Advertising Strategies

Advertising on a budget means carefully considering your long term goals, as well as your short term ones.  While every business focuses on generating profits, one sale today from a customer that never comes back won’t help your long-term business prospects.  On the other hand, a customer that cannot afford to buy today may be able to make a purchase in the future when the economy turns upward.

Subsequently, all of your advertising strategies should be aimed at making a lasting impression with the client – not just making a temporary sale.

Smart Long-Term Branding

Your advertising is effective only if it builds and cements your branding strategy.  People will often buy a brand that they recognize.  For example, think of your favorite carbonated beverage.  Chances are the first brand that popped into your mind was either a Coke or a Pepsi product; you probably aren’t thinking about the off brand that your grocer also stocks.  This instant association is the power of branding.

Branding simply involves getting your name and logo out everywhere.  Your logo should be on everything – every product you sell, every brochure, every business card, and every ad in the paper.  It can even go on your office stationery.

The Keepsake Advertisement

Another way to maintain your image with the customer is to give them something that they can keep for an extended period of time.  Let’s face it – most catalogs, sales ads, and bulk mail end up in the recycling bin shortly after their arrival.  This means that you will need to get creative with how you approach the customer.

Many companies find success using an annual calendar.  The calendar will be used by the client all year long, and you can include special savings or coupons on each page to encourage them to call.  Many realtors use notepads or refrigerator magnets as a way to keep their name in front of their customers.  Post-its, T-shirts, ball caps, stickers, magnets – anything that appears to have more value than a sales flyer is often held onto longer, giving you more opportunities to reach the customer.  Maybe they can’t buy today, but they’ll be thinking about you tomorrow.

Customer Loyalty Programs

All customers like to feel appreciated, and creating a customer loyalty program is a good way to build repeat business.  Some businesses do this in the form of a discount card that members can use to receive special deals.  Your local sandwich shop may have a punch card that rewards you with a free meal once you buy 10.  Members-only mailing lists with special promotions are also a big hit.

The advantage is that any of these programs is easy to implement – all you need is some printed postcards to take down the client’s information.  Punch cards or savings cards are easy to have printed.  And once you have the client’s personal information, you can contact them at will – sending them reminder letters, sales ads, and other communications throughout the year.

Remember, the goal is to build customers that will last a lifetime.  Focus on building long term customers with your advertising strategies to see the most success.

From Silly to Sincere to Silly Again: How to Shift into a New Marketing Theme

Your overall marketing theme brands your business tremendously.  A somber and sincere marketing theme can convey professionalism and rationalism. A silly and lighthearted marketing theme can convey warmth and humor.

Occasionally, you may feel the need to switch to a new marketing theme. Perhaps your business’ overall tone has shifted, or maybe you just don’t feel that your advertising angle is working anymore. Either way, switching to a new marketing theme can be a challenge. Here are some tips and techniques on how to make the transition a little bit simpler:

• Review and Plan – A solid strategy meeting or session is the first step to successfully transitioning to a new marketing theme. First, you must review what elements of your old strategy were not working. Then, you must have a clear and focused outline of what your new strategy will be. It is crucial that you have clearly identified your rationale for changing marketing themes. Otherwise, it is the equivalent of throwing darts blindfolded.
• Look at Other Businesses – We are not saying that you should steal another business’ successful marketing theme. However, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It is important that you can look at other successful marketing themes and then devise a way to customize them and make them your own. Always be original and never steal ideas, but don’t shy away from modeling your themes and strategies after those of successful companies that you admire.
• Ease Into the Transition – Gradually shift into your marketing theme; don’t do it instantaneously. If consumers have grown accustomed to looking at your company in a certain light, then it will be too sudden for them to suddenly see a completely different marketing scheme. Create transition ads that could fit into a serious or silly scheme, and then slowly shift into your new theme.

No matter what you do, just be sure to create a theme that you truly feel fits your company. And remember: It is never to late to makeover your company’s image.

Why Kids Work in Marketing Materials

Who doesn’t love an adorable little kid in a commercial? No matter who you are or where you are from, you probably cannot help but say “aw” when you see a cute little kid hawking a product.

Using children in your marketing materials can be a great strategy to win over myriad types of customers. A photo of a child or a video clip of children being happy with your product can be an extremely successful marketing strategy. Here are some tips and techniques on how to make kids work in your marketing materials:

• Be Creative – Be creative when creating marketing materials that feature children. Although this can be an incredibly ingenious strategy, it is still important that you use children in a way that is creative and logical. Just throwing pictures of kids into an ad without a clear intent or strategy can be disastrous, especially if you own a business that would not immediately be associated with children.
• Be Professional – If you are shooting a commercial or doing a photo shoot, be extremely sure to abide by child labor laws. Violating these laws can carry extremely harsh penalties. Even if you are using children that are relatives, keep all filming to less than two hours.
• Don’t Be Grating – While kids are cute, the voices of extremely small children can actually be somewhat grating to a lot of people. Thus, be sure to use kids who are older than ten if you are recording a radio spot or a commercial where the child will be doing the majority of the speaking. Furthermore, this ensures that your message is clearly heard: Because really, how many two year olds who you know can clearly say “free estimates for roofing and home repairs?”
• Shoot Your Own Family – People like entrepreneurs and business owners who they view as human. Don’t be afraid to inject yourself into your child-oriented marketing materials.

Even if you are abiding by child labor laws, kids can tend to get pretty cranky after a few hours on the set. Thus, be sure to have plenty of treats and entertainment around when shooting any photos or filmed spots.

The Truth Behind “Shock” Marketing Tactics

Have you ever seen one of those “World’s Most Shocking Advertisements” shows? Plenty of companies have made a name for themselves by creating shocking, lewd, or bizarre commercials and marketing campaigns. Sometimes it works to boost sales and sometimes it does not. Before you embark on a shocking or “out-there” ad campaign, here are some things to consider.

• Interest Doesn’t Always Convert – What is important to remember about marketing is the principle of “conversion.” Conversion means the ratio of individuals who are aware of your company to the individuals who actually make a purchase. As in, if ten thousand individuals visit your website but only five hundred people buy your product, you would have a fairly low rate of conversion. How does this relate to “shock” marketing tactics? Well, these shocking strategies can often result in high levels of interest, but poor conversion rates. This is because people will be made aware of your company, but not necessarily of your company’s product or overall quality.
• …But Interest is Beneficial – Taking what you know about conversion into account, it is indeed important to take measures towards creating a well-known image for your brand. While it is indeed important to have a high rate of conversion, a business cannot achieve this if they don’t have a high amount of interest to begin with. Thus, if you choose to use “shock” marketing techniques, it’s important to ensure that plenty of information about your company is included within the ad.
• People Are Easily Offended – This may sound like an unfair understatement, but it is quite true. While you and your friends may value your open-minded senses of humor, most people are offended fairly easily. Hypersexual or incredibly crude ads rarely play well amongst religious or conservative types. While pushing the boundaries a bit can be a good thing, going overboard can backfire.

Don’t shy away from having fun with your ads. However, remember that any marketing efforts should always ultimately be about increasing sales and profits. Any ad idea that you feel may jeopardize sales should not be pursued.

Word of Mouth Advertising: Five Free Ways to Market Your Business

In these shaky economic times, even Fortune 500 companies are rethinking their billboard advertisements. Instead of investing into expensive advertising campaigns, businesses can take advantage of free marketing ideas. All you need are a stack of flyers or business cards – and the following ideas!

Don’t believe us? Here are five ways to promote your business without having to pay a penny!

• Voicemail Messages: No one likes a telemarketer calling during dinner. However, people do like when a company with whom they have done business in the past calls to ensure the customer is happy. Leaving voicemail messages for past customers is a great way to retain repeat customers. Here is a tip that may seem counterintuitive, but really works: call during the day when people are at work, not after five PM when they are trying to relax. Let them listen to your message on their terms.
• Children’s Events: Consider sending one of your employees to the next children’s festival or fair, dressed up in a fun costume that has your company’s logo printed on it. Parents are happy when their kids are happy, and thus they will associate your business with a sense of contentment. You can give away lollipops with your business card attached. Parents will keep the business card, while children enjoy the treat.
• Word of Mouth: It may sound too simple, but promoting your business whenever you meet a new person is a great way to generate viral advertising. You will be surprised at the effectiveness of a pleasant conversation. Make sure you always have business cards on hand to give to a new acquaintance. You can also initiate word of mouth advertising through your customers; each time they refer a new client to you, your business can reward the existing customer with a discount or a gift.
• Open Houses: Invite your customers to bring friends to your place of business for a free seminar and maybe a few refreshments. A free open house can be quite useful in attracting both new and old customers to your company. Keep plenty of literature, brochures, and business cards handy. Display these prominently throughout your open house to encourage visitors to take home the materials with them.
• E-Mail Signatures: Never send an e-mail that doesn’t have your company’s name posted within the signature. Every message you send is an opportunity to spread the word about your fantastic business, so use this to your advantage.

As you can see, you don’t have to break the bank to spread the word about your company. Using even one of these great tips will have a definite positive effect.

Last Ditch Marketing Efforts to Avoid

In today’s economy, you have seen many local business ads promoting their “Going Out of Business Blowout” or “Store Closing Mega-Sale.” You may have given these ads little thought beyond briefly pitying the unfortunate owner of the closing company.

However, here is a little secret that may shock you: some businesses promote their “Going Out of Business” sale before they have officially decided to go out of business! Believe it or not, many store owners are actually using these sales as last ditch efforts to see if they can still save a failing company. If their “Going Out of Business” sale is successful, they will simply remain in business and play off the extravaganza as a happy accident.

While this tactic may work occasionally, it does not bode well for your branding efforts. Furthermore, you are sure to alienate your loyal customer base. But just for fun, let us look at some of the other tacky tactics of shameless entrepreneurs.

• Stock Market Pricing – This is a trick that is more common in small bars and cafes. The latest trend in lounges and taverns is “Stock Market Pricing.” Since the prices of drinks in bars tend to be more ambiguous and arbitrary than in a shop that sells tangible goods, many bar owners are actually raising or lowering drink prices on a day to day basis based on the patterns of the stock market. However, while Stock Market Pricing may seem somewhat logical and relatively tame, here is why it does not work: while this price system may build the business a fan base one week, it may chase them away the next.
• Guilt-Inducted Advertising – Unless your small business is a funeral home, there should only be happy feelings associated with your business. Therefore, it is hard to believe that many small business owners are using guilt tactics to draw in customers. Guilt tactics are any marketing slogans or themes that rely on guilt or other negative emotions to bring in customers. For example, if a pet store promoted a sale on puppies by using language such as, “In this economy, a new pet is the least you can do for your child,” this would be a marketing strategy that relied mostly on guilt and negativity. This does not work for obvious reasons: it’s cheap, tacky, and transparent.

To avoid being like one of these awful failing businesses, follow one key rule of thumb above all else: promote your company, but be honest and frank. Your forthcoming, cheerful, and positive attitude will bring in more business than any unscrupulous strategy.

Creative Ways to Distribute your Marketing Materials

Any small business owner knows that assembling your marketing materials is only half of the battle when it comes to advertising and promoting your company. If you have invested time and care in creating custom promotional materials such as flyers, then you should take an equal amount of time distributing them in a way that is effective and suits your business. However, with so many options available, you may not be clear on which methods of marketing are right for you.

Here are some tips on where and how to distribute your marketing materials.

• Festivals and Fairs – The traditional method of distributing your promotional materials at festivals and fair allows you to attract many customers. The benefit of handing out flyers at a festival or fair is that you know your audience will be in a good mood, causing them to have positive associations with your company. In contrast, when you distribute flyers to people’s homes, there is always a good chance that you will be catching them when they are in a cranky or negative mood.
• A Face to the Brand – Simply “papering” a neighborhood (i.e. littering people’s cars and homes with flyers or brochures) is a horrendous way to pass out your marketing materials. First, people find it to be a huge nuisance. Second, you are not very likely to capture a captive audience that way. If you are planning on handing out your promotional materials, it is best to hand them directly to people, rather than placing them on cars. Furthermore, it is good to have someone who is friendly, upbeat, and cheerful hand out your flyers. This causes potential customers to associate a cheerful face with your brand.
• Include a Coupon – Disguise your promotional flyer as a coupon. If your flyers do not have any discounts printed on them, you can staple a coupon to the corner. When you are passing out the flyers, it is more likely that people will hold onto the flyer when they believe it provides them with a valuable discount or coupon.

Marketing materials like flyers and brochures are solid investments for your small business. Make sure they provide your business with the right return by planning an intelligent distribution strategy.

Joint Promotional Efforts: Why, How, and With Whom?

Marketing and promotional efforts can certainly be expensive. Subsequently, it can be a great idea to partner with another company to help minimize the costs of advertising. We know what you’re thinking: Why would I want to help another company advertise their business?

Believe it or not, synergistic advertising efforts with other companies can really help your business rather than harm it. You can reach broader markets – all without spending more on your advertising campaigns. For example, if you run a bridal dress boutique, consider a joint promotional campaign with a wedding florist. You could both exchange customer lists, as well as share the costs of a booth at a wedding show and a colorful mailer to new brides.

Here are some tips on how to create a joint promotional effort that really works:

• Never Work with Your Competitor – A joint promotional effort that results in you aligning yourself with your competitor is completely self-defeating. And by competitor, we mean any company that provides a service or product that is very similar to yours. Instead, a joint marketing campaign should work in one of two ways: either it should align your business with another company that provides a complimenting service or product to what you provide, or it consist of a coupon system where customers of Company A can use their receipts to get discounts with Company B and vice versa.
• Only Work with Quality Companies – Only embark on cross-promotional efforts with quality companies. Even if the entrepreneur is a friend of yours, don’t do anybody any favors. No one is entitled to ride your business’ coat tails.
• Keep in Touch – Even after the promotional materials have already been printed and the contracts are signed and completed, keep in touch with the other company to ensure that they are holding up their end of the bargain. If they are rejecting coupons or providing less than stellar service, it will make your company look bad. Remember, this is a partnership: They are obligated to ensure that that both parties are benefiting from the joint venture.

Of course, you are taking the risk by betting your company’s reputation on the excellence and trustworthiness of another brand. However, you will see that the payoff can indeed by quite rewarding.

How to Get More Bang for Your Marketing Buck

It is truly shocking to see how many companies hastily throw together marketing and promotional materials without thoroughly analyzing their marketing strategy. In this economy, every expense needs to generate a return. Having a powerful, cohesive branding strategy is critical to making the marketing materials investment worthwhile.

Of course, the average small business cannot afford to hire a million dollar advertising agency (if only!). However, it does not take an advertising professional or a fancy company to create aesthetically appealing marketing materials that really pack a punch. Here are some tips for getting more “bang for your buck” when it comes to your promotional materials.

• Optical Weight – A point to keep in mind when assembling your marketing materials is the concept of optical weight. Optical weight is the idea that some graphics and groups of text are “heavier” than others. Darker areas tend to pull our eyes and seem heavier, while lighter areas are more effervescent and carefree. Use optical weight to your advantage by making important points and graphics darker – and thus, “heavier” – than less important areas.
• Consistency – Consistency is really important when it comes to your marketing materials. It is consistently that reinforces your branding strategy and increases the probability of customer recognition. Ensure that the logo and font for your company name on one flyer is identical to your brochure. Consistently is critical to driving home a theme and image that enables customers to easily picture your company when they think of your product.
• Avoid Clutter – A streamlined flyer or brochure is better than a clunky one. You may feel the need to tell everything there is to know about your company, especially if you are on a tight marketing budget. However, a streamlined ad is not only more visually pleasing, but much more memorable. Encourage the customer to call you, where you can then truly impress them again with all of your company’s great features.

If you follow these tips, you are sure to efficiently optimize the effectiveness of your marketing materials.

Where to Market your Small Business in a Soft Economy

In a soft economy, small businesses are often the first to suffer. Plagued by a lack of resources, small business owners may feel financially stifled. However, a recession or soft economy can actually be used in your favor – if you are smart and savvy enough to know how and where to market yourself.

Indeed, the well-informed small business owner can see their operation flourish during these tough times, while watching their competitors swiftly fall behind. Here are some tips on where to market your small business in a down economy.

• Your Existing Customers – In a soft economy, it still costs more to attract a new customer than to retain an old one. Make sure you are tapping into your existing customer base, as they have already indicated their interest in your business! Send them coupons, mailers, and incentives, as they are still your most powerful business cornerstone.

• Flea Markets and Consignment Shops – During a recession, second hand operations like flea markets and thrift shops actually see a huge spike in business. Since flea markets are public forums, they are a great place to hand out flyers promoting your company’s latest discount or special. Consignment shops, on the other hand, may be a trickier forum in which to promote your small business. Consult the owner of a few different second hand shops and see if they would be interested in conducting a cross promotion. You will be reaching a very captive audience.

• Your Neighbor’s Customers – Teaming up with a synergistic business is a powerful way to increase your marketing efforts without spending a dime. For example, if you are a wedding florist, partner with your city’s wedding stationer. You both share the same target audience, yet are not competitors with each other’s business model. You can have brochures printed to leave in each other’s stores, and you could even split the cost of a mailing campaign or wedding show booth.

• Your Website and E-Mail –If your small business has not tried e-mail marketing, now is definitely the time. It is cheap, easy, and allows for you to reach a large group of people for absolutely no cost at all. You can also swap your e-mail list with another company, which allows you to reach a much larger audience.

Thinking outside the box is the only way to thrive during a recession. Take advantage of all the resources around you to put your business in front of spending customers.