 Marketing
That Sells - 2 Key Principles That Work
By Wendy Zak of Words By WendyAs a small
business owner you know marketing can be expensive and yet how can you
expand your company without it? Unfortunately, the result of this dilemma is
often home-made, poorly targeted and badly written materials that do not
achieve their objectives. Disillusioned owners and managers express that
marketing doesn’t work for them or that the expense is prohibitive. The
simple truth though, is that if you contact the right people and give them
the right information, your marketing activities will not fail. Effective
marketing hinges on two key principles:
1) Targeting - No message will work if it is sent to the wrong
person. Consider how broad your market is. If you run a wholesale plumbing
supply outlet, your ad may sound great on radio, but you are paying to reach
a lot of people who are not plumbers. Your market could be more effectively
reached through, for instance, a local trade publication, inserts in a trade
association mailing, or direct mail.
Mailing lists and tele-marketing lists are available based on almost any
targeting criteria and can help you to contact the best prospects. Or, if
your market is small or specialized, you could even create your own. If ten
mailings can find one good customer, then why waste money on more?
If your product is high-end or specialized, it may be more effective to
personally deliver an artfully conceived brochure or leaflet to a few highly
qualified prospects than to pepper-spray the message to the masses. Just
remember that, having identified your prospects, it may take several
communications before they become a customer.
2) Creative Presentation - Remember some absolute rules:
- First impressions count. Your piece must have immediate visual impact to
stand out from the advertising clutter that surrounds us. The headline must
shout out a single, clear benefit.
- Short is not always sweetest. It has been proven that if your message is
correctly targeted, your prospects will read everything you care to tell
them about your product or service. In fact, if your copy is unfailingly
interesting and relevant, it actually helps to provide as much information
as possible.
- When laying out your text, highlight important points visually. Italics,
underlining, color, hand-written notes in the margin, and text boxes are all
excellent ways to make sure that your benefits jump off the page. Use the
word “you” as much as possible in your copy, and tie everything you say in
to a tangible benefit for your prospect.
- If using the mail, use every piece as a selling device. Never waste the
envelope - in fact, it may not get opened at all if it does not convince
your prospect to further explore your message.
- Wherever possible, demand a response. A prospect that just makes a mental
note for future reference may forget all about you. But once they contact
you, then you can take the responsibility for on-going communication. Use a
coupon, a time-sensitive offer, or any kind of incentive to persuade them to
respond immediately. Just as important, if you solicit a response, then you
can track the effectiveness of any particular marketing piece.
- While a advertising agency may be expensive, consider some less costly
alternatives: many printers offer design and copywriting services for work
that they will be producing; freelance professionals, such as marketing
consultants, graphic designers and copywriters can provide the expertise to
produce a cost-effective and persuasive campaign for you.
- When seeking freelance assistance, have a clear idea of who your target
market is. Consider your competitors’ marketing materials, and imagine which
would be most likely to work for you. Analyze which of your own marketing
activities have been most successful in the past. It is this kind of
preparation which will facilitate the production of the best materials
possible.
Unfortunately, marketing will always be one of the ultimate “Catch 22s”. It
is one of the first expenses to be cut when cash flow is tight, and yet it
is during these times that a marketing campaign is most helpful.
Implementing the above rules will help you to produce and distribute
effective marketing materials at the lowest possible cost.
Wendy Zak is a freelance copywriter & marketing consultant. She
specializes in brochures, leaflets, news-letters, sales letters &
informational articles. 403 279.3661.
wendy@wordsbywendy.ca
www.wordsbywendy.ca
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