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Archive for September, 2010

Where Marketing Goes Wrong

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

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With the right planning, executing on an effective marketing campaign is easy. However, getting things right at the point of interaction with a prospective customer is where it all happens.

Not too long ago I was traveling and decided to run into a coffee shop. Upon entering, I noticed there weren’t a lot of people there so I went right up to the cashier and ordered my coffee. She was miserable. No “hello”, no “smile”, nothing.

Imagine being the marketing guy (or gal) for this coffee shop. You could do everything right and then lose business because of a depressed cashier! I for one have not interest in going back to that place.

Yet this happens all the time. Prospective customers visit retailers only to have a bad experience. Or they buy products that under perform. Worse yet, they reach out for help only to speak to an unhelpful representative or call center where you can barely hear the customer service rep.

Marketing is more than running a direct mail campaign, its the whole package. If you want to take your marketing up a notch, think about the whole user experience. From first touch to repeat purchase, marketing needs to be involved with the entire purchase decision process and then some.

This week, take a closer look at your process from start to finish. It’s always best to see things from a customers perspective. You may just find some opportunities for improvement!

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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Marketing In a Recovering Economy

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

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We’re definitely not out of the weeds yet, but things are starting to look up – people are spending money again. But this time, they’re a little more discerning. What does this mean for small and medium sized business depending on cautious consumers? It means that they need to alter our approach and keep an eye on buyer confidence.

To make the most of this recovery, think long term. Consumers may be less likely to make big purchases right now, but you can certainly encourage them to make small purchases again and again. By thinking long term, a new approach leads you to alter your pricing and packaging approaches.

A good example is that of a small retailer. Can you offer specific incentives that get consumers to buy small items again and again? Points programs or frequent buyer cards can do the trick. Think about ways that you can get consumers to return without being overly concerned about making a really large sale. The more you can get your customer into your store or back to your web site the better.

Of course you can always issue coupons or discounts, but I don’t like getting consumers into the habit of expecting money off each time they visit my web site (or a retail store). Rather, consider bundling small products to keep average order size smaller than what you normally may be offering and encourage replenishment.

The other side of this coin is buyer confidence. How can you make consumers feel as though they’re receiving valuable products and services? And, doing so at a price that is fair? In this economy, low price guarantees or liberal exchange policies are recommended. You can also help by doing the comparison of products or services on behalf of consumers.

Let your buyers see consumer generated feedback, ratings, and other information that can improve their knowledge of the products and services you’re selling. Provide a personal testimonial and let them know what they can expect during and after the buying process.

The best marketing strategies today are those that let consumers try before they buy and minimize risk. These are actually tried and true marketing techniques but have risen to the top as markers look for new and improved techniques for creating awareness and generating sales among targeted segments.

Improve your marketing today by thinking long-term. Review your product and pricing strategies to support what’s going on in the real world. Most importantly, put yourself in the shoes of your customers. If you do, you’ll understand what matters most and provide the confidence they need to continue buying from you.

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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Referral Marketing Can Push You Over

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

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Just last week I decided to buy a new cell phone. Finding the right phone these days can be a real chore. When I was in the Verizon store, it was so packed that I could hardly hear myself talk. When the salesman approached me I was actually relieved and glad to get a little help. After he asked me what I was looking for he showed me some phones and explained the various plans.

Since I’m online pretty much 24/7 I was looking for something with a good web browser. He strongly encouraged me to purchase a particular phone. When so called “experts” make a recommendation, we tend to listen. After doing a little research online and comparing plans I went ahead and ordered the device. When I first got it I was pretty excited. I mean, who wouldn’t be. Getting a new phone is like buying new car. It’s hard to dismiss that “new” feeling you get when you try it for the first time.

In just a couple of days, my enthusiasm waned. The phone was heavy, didn’t allow me to complete some simple tasks easily, and didn’t stay charged for more than a few hours. None-the-less, I spent an arm and a leg to get this phone so I figured that I should learn to live with it.

Then I was having dinner with a friend and he said, “Why didn’t you get the [name of phone]?” I told him the whole story and how the rep in the store pointed me to the one I purchased. My friend said, “Call them up and get a new phone.” I was reluctant at first, after all I was the one who chose the original phone in the first place. But then I reminded myself that I should have what was going to make me happy. Besides, I’d have to live with it everyday for the next 2 years.

So I called up Verizon and ordered a new phone. Of course it cost more money, plus I have to pay a restocking fee, and not to mention but it’s back ordered too. Even so, it was the right thing to do. So why didn’t I make the choice to begin with? I think the question is really more about the influence of a referral. If I had dinner with my friend before buying the phone, I’d likely have made a different selection the first time. The fact of the matter is that marketing can do a great job but can never live up to the value of a personal referral.

What does this mean for marketers? It means that in addition to promotion, we must also focus on creating an EXCELLENT customer experience. What people say about you and how likely they are to actually recommend your business or product is what matters most!

When was the last time that you experienced your business as a customer? Encourage customer feedback and continually evaluate the customer experience. Don’t be afraid to hear good news and bad. You want to encourage testimonials and referrals if you want your business to grow.

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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PPC Made Simple: Book Number 2

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

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A couple of years ago I wrote my first book, SEO Made Simple. For those of you who read the book and have followed me via this blog know that the book was developed for those who wanted practical advice for achieving number one rankings for their Web sites or blogs.

Ever since the first book was published, I’ve had people asking me to teach PPC using the same, simple, easy-to-understand methodology. In essence, how to make pay-per-click marketing simple. It took me a while to finish PPC Made Simple – given the fact that I’m working on six different projects at any given moment, but I’m happy to say its finished.

The book is great for anyone starting out in PPC. I take my years of Internet marketing experience and boil it down to about a hundred and forty pages of “do this” and “don’t do that.” I don’t know about you, but reading 300 page books on Internet marketing that don’t show you how to do much of anything really aren’t my cup of tea.

PPC Made Simple is easy to read, easy to implement, and will get you the results you need when marketing through Google AdWords. I encourage you to pick up a copy today or recommend it to anyone looking for valuable pay-per-click advice. PPC Made Simple is available in softcover and for the kindle.

As always, thanks for visiting my blog, listening to my marketing rants, and finding value in what I have to offer!

All the best,

Michael

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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You Can Learn A Lot From Your Customers

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

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Everyone knows that you can learn a lot from customers. But how many people actually reach out to them and ask for their opinion? A company that I recently consulted for reaches out to hundreds of customers daily but never asks them what they think of their products, services customer service agents, or service. Getting feedback from your customers is easy to do and takes very little time – it’s an essential part of marketing.

Using surveys to ask about customer satisfaction or to generate ideas for your business is essential. What most companies don’t realize is that collecting customer feedback is easy to do with the right tools and well defined goals. Collecting information should be part of every business.Each touch you have with a customer is an opportunity to collect information.

Whether you are a retail business or run your business online, collecting information can be as simple as asking. I’ve seen a variety of techniques that are effective for surveying customers and gathering information. Here are just a few:

1. Use SurveyMonkey or another online survey solution. These are inexpensive and esy to design. Use posting options to send links via email or post online.

2. Print survey cards that can be included with an order. If you are selling physical products, whether shipping or checking out at the counter, be sure to include a paper survey card.

3. Print information about your survey on a customer receipt. When you hand over a receipt or send via email, let your customers know about your survey and how they can provide feedback.

4. Offer an incentive. If you can offer a free product or discount for those who complete your survey, you can dramatically improve response rates. Find low cost options that provide value to your customers.

5. Create a contest. Establishing a contest around that encourages customers to send you there feedback can be an exciting way to gather information. Video contests, testimonial submissions, and user videos can give you new ideas and information that enhance your business.

These methods are great for collecting information. The key is to consider what information is vital to your business? What type of information for customers can improve your service, sales, and marketing? Take time to ask the right questions and the results can be of tremendous value.

I find that surveys that take less than 5 minutes to do are completed more often than longer surveys – unless their is an incentive. Depending on the size of the incentive, individuals are usually willing to complete surveys of different length. Experiment with survey format and length to improve response rates.

Make surveys an essential part of your overall marketing program. Use surveys to evaluate your business and collect vital information. Also use the touch to collect customer testimonials that you can publish online and off. Customers are always your greatest asset!

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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Today’s Marketing Topic: Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM)

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

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Your products and services will always be subject to those who like to gossip and share information on their blogs, Facebook accounts, and tweets. Knowing this simple fact is the key to using Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing. WOM is the best way to make your business famous.

WOM strengthens the consumer-marketer bond, makes people talk about your company and gives customers the opportunity to comment on your products by ‘spreading the word.’

Basic Elements – Word of Mouth Marketing

• Products and services information

• Gifts and rewards for customers

• Sending messages among friends and family

• Gathering people by similar hobbies and features, for instance, the wish to be famous

WOM should not be used to mislead potential customers, but rather to leverage your audience in a positive way. Your customers are meant to be respected and valued. Show them with integrity and intelligence that you appreciate them being your customers and encourage them to speak to others about your products or services

Using resources like online newsletters, emails, and blogs are a great way to provide value and get others to share knowledge of your brand or products with others. When valuable content is distributed, provide tools people need to share it with like minded people. This could include: social bookmarks, email a friend, etc. Making it easy for others to share your information goes a very long way.

Viral marketing is like the ripple effect on water when throwing a pebble into it. One valuable step to get big results! If you’ve been reading my blog, you know how much I love blogging. If you have your own blog or are thinking of starting one, consider the following benefits of blogging from the perspective of WOM marketing.

•No costs for promotion –uses others to help distribute your content.

•Increases reputation and credibility by people spreading the word about your blog and company.

WordPress’s Tell a Friend Plugin – Spread the Word Quickly!

Some blog sites have added great tools to help distribute valuable content that you may offer. The ‘Tell a friend’ plugin of WordPress is the most famous tool used for viral marketing. It is a free plugin added in blogs that lets people pass along sites to others.

• Visitors will click on the ‘Tell a Friend’ button, if you place it in your blog. In this way visitors will spread the word easily from the pop-up.

• Telling others about your blog has never been so easy. Just fill out the e-mail form and send them to your friends!

This tool supports major free e-mail providers such as Hotmail, Google, etc. Once you are in your account, it pulls your address book! It sends hundreds of e-mails at a time choosing the addresses from your contacts. It will give your blog a larger exposure.

When ever you initiate an online marketing campaign, consider the value of Word of Mouth marketing. By leveraging your customers and other who are interested in what you have to offer, you can take your marketing to new heights!

Thanks to Mark Doyle from The Outsourcing Company for his guest post today. Mark can be reached at mark@theoutsourcingcompany.com

P.S. If you liked today’s post, reach out to Mark Doyle, leave a comment, or retweet it!

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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Give Me Specifics!

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

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One of the most powerful techniques in marketing is giving specifics… or NOT! When selling or marketing products, you need to know when to give specific examples, testimonials, or evidence, and when to hold back. For example let’s explore the commercials that offer a faster Internet connection.

Cable companies like Comcast and others highlight the fact that their Internet connection speeds are “Up to 2 times faster” than some other brand. By being specific, customers and potential customers can see the benefit of what is being offered. This helps to justify price and remove obstacles to purchase.

At the same time that Comcast is giving you specifics, they are also being smart about what they are not telling you. For example, Comcast might be more expensive than other competitors with a similar offering. Or, they may require the purchase of an upgraded package in order to get the faster service too. In this example, Comcast is being as selective about what they are telling you as well as what they aren’t telling you.

Are you being specific in your marketing?

Being a strong marketer means being able to tell the difference between situations that require specifics and those that do not. One of the main points I wish to get across is that using specifics in your marketing messages are ideal when your product or service meet an obvious or latent need. “Do you laundry in half the time”, “Save gas with our new fuel efficient model”, etc. are good starting points to address obvious needs but don’t quite do enough to generate a desired action.

“Our New Washer Allows You to Do 30% More Laundry in Half the Time,” “Save 40% More Gasoline Then Other Similarly Priced Vehicles,” “Save $32/month With Our Automated Payment Plan”. Whatever you are selling or promoting, be specific when meeting a customer need.

If you are not sure if there is a need, then you must focus on your market segment and work directly with customers/prospects to determine what need or problem your product solves. When you’ve identified the needs, work on messaging that can address needs in both a direct and indirect manner. Test your messages but do so intelligently. Pair up specific and less specific messages to see which has a positive effect.

Fight marketing fire with marketing fire

One way to determine possible messaging is to look at what your competitors are doing. How are your competitors marketing similar products or services? If you’re a retailer and are running a sale on a particular item, announcing the sale itself may not enough. If your competitors are offering lots of details, you may have to fight fire with fire. What’s the price they are offering on the item? What do you get with your purchase? How does your offer compare to your competitors’? Be specific. If you offer isn’t as good, choose to be less specific or direct to draw attention and interest.

Sometimes being vague is a good strategy. If your goal is to pique interest, then test both general and specific messages. “Whiten Teeth” is a good message if you have uncovered a need. “Make Teeth 27% Whiter With [product name]” may be even better. Specifics help people make comparisons and can also add a dimension of reality that can’t be acquired anywhere else.

The Best Marketing Messages Come From Testing

The reality is that you can plan your messaging based on solid market research, past messages and behaviors, but nothing replaces real live testing. Find inexpensive ways to test your messaging like pay-per-click advertising or email. Take the winners and build marketing messages that enhance them over time.

By testing on a regular basis you can continue to refine your marketing and improve your results. Even the top marketers rely on testing to keep their ads, emails, and other direct marketing from becoming stale or ineffective. Before delivering your next campaign, consider how to position the specifics of your message and how you are going to test it. If you do, you’re sure to win!

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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How To Use Blogging From a Marketing Perspective

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

tweetmeme_url = ‘http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-to-use-blogging-from-marketing.html’; tweetmeme_source = ‘TheMarketingBlog’;

Thanks for all the great feedback on my interview with ABC World News last week on the 25th anniversary of New Coke. It looks like the best way to get everyone to retweet my posts is to appear on a national news program! Again, thanks for commemorating the important day in marketing history and allowing me to think back to what it was like during the “cola wars.”

This week I wanted to change gears a little bit and respond to a number of you who have been asking me about blogging in general.. how do I start a blog? How can I use blogging from an Internet marketing and search engine optimization perspective (watch the video).

Sometimes the best way to teach is to actually show someone how to do something. The same is true with link building. I have a lot of experience in building links and I can tell you that I’m amazed at how many people are abusing blogs… submitting lame comments and putting their URL in the comment field. This is not only ineffective, it’s a waste of time.

The next time you’re using a blog to build links to your web site or publish original content, keep the above method in mind. Best of luck!

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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Marketing Opportunity or Disaster?

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

tweetmeme_url = ‘http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com/2010/05/marketing-opportunity-or-disaster.html’; tweetmeme_source = ‘TheMarketingBlog’;

Last week I had a great opportunity to talk to ABC World News about the 25th anniversary of New Coke. During the marketing interview I couldn’t help but think about what it must have been like for the marketing team immediately after New Coke was launched.

For those of you who weren’t old enough to remember one the of the most significant marketing events of all time, let me explain what was happening twenty five years ago. There were two major brands, Coca-cola and Pepsi. Pepsi was the new kid on the block and they were eating Coca-cola’s lunch. They still had a long way to go but were making significant headway. The Coca-cola guys (and ladies) said, “We need to do something significant if we are going to maintain our market share.”

Well, something significant they did indeed. Coca-cola reformulated their beverage. This would soon become one of the most significant marketing case studies of all time. The reason being that much of the market research said that consumers would prefer the new formulation and would therefore consume more Coca-cola. However, it appears as though Coca-cola didn’t take notice of some of the opinions of die-hard Coca-cola drinkers who were resisting a change. The result – disaster (or in reality opportunity).

By ignoring the voice of their best customers, New Coke was destined for failure. As marketing professionals, we love data – especially when it serves us. And although the majority of research showed users preferring the New Coke formula, loyal customers weren’t supportive. When the new formula was introduced there was a backlash and the biggest marketing launch of all time was over before it even started.

It wasn’t long until Coca-cola started planning for a relaunch in the form of Coca-cola Classic. They didn’t want to give up on New Coke all together, but clearly they had to do something. There are stories of Pepsi closing their offices the day that New Coke launched professing – “We Won!” They knew they had Coca-cola on the run, but they underestimated the power of marketing.

The marketing team and executive teams at Coca-cola responded quickly and in just 3 months, relaunched the original formula saying, “We heard you and have brought back the original.” People flocked to stores and bought Coca-cola in droves. Even Pepsi fans were getting in on the action to taste the formula that everyone wanted back so much.

I’d like to give the marketing guys at Coca-cola all the credit. Did they know that the New Coke would be a failure? Were they planning a relaunch of the original formula since day one? Was this a PR stunt? We’ll probably never know! Regardless of whether or not this was planned, the response by Coca-cola was an opportunity created from near disaster.

The next time you launch a product that doesn’t do well, remember Coca-cola and how they managed to turn a negative into a positive. Today Coca-cola is on top of the Cola Wars and continues to be the beverage of choice for many throughout the world. Your marketing can be effective when you do your research, look at it objectively, and utilize your best customers for product improvement ideas. Doing so is nothing short of refreshing!

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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New Coke Turns 25 Today!

Saturday, September 4th, 2010

SPECIAL POST:

tweetmeme_url = ‘http://marketing-expert.blogspot.com/2010/04/new-coke-turns-25-today.html’; tweetmeme_source = ‘Michael Fleischner’;

Today marks the 25th anniversary of “New Coke”. ABC World News asked for my thoughts on this famous day in Marketing history via Skype… enjoy the video – I hope it take you back. Be patient while the video loads.

What other marketing blunders do you remember? Be sure to comment!

Source: Michael Fleischner – Marketing Expert

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