2010 by admin.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was always one, surefire marketing activity a business could do to attract more business? The truth is, there are myriads of marketing opportunities out there, and any number of them could work for your business (i.e. an ad in a certain publication, a website revision, a new brochure).

But how can you know if any specific marketing activity will work? Before moving forward with a marketing idea, ask if it will:

• Create demand
• Command attention
• Build your brand
• Drive consumer behavior
• Change purchase patterns
• Increase revenue
• Work with other in-place marketing efforts.

If you can’t answer ‘yes’ to a majority of the questions, save yourself the trouble and say ‘no’ to the marketing activity.

- by Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Advertising, Sales collateral | No Comments »

2010 by admin.

When it comes to considering social media as part of a marketing strategy, most business people are of the same mind: it sounds like a good idea, but the specifics about its utility are vague. Is YouTube for you? Should you flirt with Flickr? And what in the world is Twitter?

Social media are marketing tools that use the internet to disseminate messages. These media are comprised of various online communities that, once you join, allow you to shift back and forth from being the audience to the author. Here are brief descriptions of a few of these social media outlets:
Blog – A personal online diary.
Flickr – Upload, share and view photos.
YouTube – Upload, share and view short videos.
FaceBook – eDirectory that allows you to create, view and share a personal info page.
Twitter – Mass text messaging of up to 140 characters
LinkedIn – Business networking site that allows registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business.
Digg – Discover, share and view content  from anywhere on the Internet.
- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Advertising | No Comments »

2009 by admin.

Avoid these three common mistakes made by countless corporate newsletters, and you’ll be on your way to producing a valuable marketing tool that develops deeper customer relationship.

• Don’t promote your product – Instead of promoting your product, tell about solutions that come from your product, For example, instead of writing about the large number of residential fire alarms your company sold in the last quarter, tell how 50,000 families have protected themselves against fire.
• Don’t write about internal goings-on – Instead of writing about how 100 employees enjoyed a lovely holiday bash in December, tell how 100 orphans enjoyed the secret Santa gifts company employees provided.
• Don’t profile employees – Instead of interviewing your employee of the month, interview your customers and have them tell why they like working with your employee.

– Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Employee Communications | No Comments »

2009 by admin.

With the economy in a mess, the human response to marketing messages has changed. The last thing anyone wants to hear about, and therefore will be less likely to respond to, are messages that are fear based (‘Don’t miss out!’ ‘Last chance!’). Consumers are now more likely to respond to messages of reliability, safety, and stability.

How can you market better in a tight economy?

To consumers: Target how your service or product will protect or increase the value of what a a person has or how it will increase their or their family’s comfort or safety. Includ einfo about how satisfied others in the community are with you, your service and your guarantee.

To businesses: Target how your product or service will help them do more with less. Unbundle products and services and price separately to show you are transparent and trustworthy.

- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, LightStream Group | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

Just how well are you communicating with your employees and customers? Not as clearly as you should, if you have no agreement on message.

Here’s a test: look at the communications coming out of the different departments in your company. Really look at the materials and read the message. Look at e-mail signatures, department intranet landing pages, the corporate website home page, the newsletter, your print ads, your sales kits? If the sales department communicates about value-added service, HR communicates about a caring environment, and marketing communicates about pricing, you have multiple messages and little clarity.

Pick a message, any message. Agree on it. Use that message in all your communications. You’ll achieve clarity, and a solid brand standard.

Posted in Customer Communications, LightStream Group | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

Research shows a listener will decide how or if they will respond to voicemail within 10 seconds of hearing the message. Rushing through those 10 seconds does not serve you well. If voicemail had a warning label, it would read: “For best results, speak your name and return phone number slowly and clearly.”

Take the time to practice your voicemail message. Learn how to slowly say your name (especially if the message recipient has not met you before), by pausing between your first and last name. Provide your phone number with care, enunciating each number, not spewing all 10 digits in one syllable. And for best results, repeat it at the end of your message.

–Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Employee Communications | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

You may never know which of your e-mails will languish in someone’s spam mailbox. But you can decrease the risk by being more careful with the words you use in your e-mail subject line.

There are certain key ‘spam’ words that most filters will recognize in a subject line and automatically dump as junk. To prevent your e-mails from relegation to spam purgatory, make your subject line more actionable and specific. For example:

Instead of As per your request, detail what the e-mail is about (i.e. Information for the inventory report).

Instead of Confirmation, communicate specifics such as 2/15 meeting details, or San Antonio trip itinerary.

Instead of Read now or Important, drive home urgency with a needed action, as in Bring attached to Tues. meeting or Presentation input due Wednesday

–Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

There’s nothing like pundit-bred chatter about an impending recession to get us to review our marketing efforts. Is there a way to make marketing work harder when economic storm clouds are on the horizon? Certainly! Remember, when customers make buying decisions under economic stress, they tend to buy from trusted sources. Make it easier for your existing customers to continue buying from you, with these easy-to-do marketing activities:

Stay in touch – Keep your name and products or services in front of them by staying in touch with them. Give them valuable information they can use, let them know about special offers on your products or services, and ask them for feedback. Use print, e-mail and the phone.

Let them know you care – Show your appreciation for them. Send them a birthday card, or a random note of appreciation with a gift card for coffee or a snack treat.

Refer business to them – There’s nothing more valuable than new business. Keep your eyes and ears open for business opportunities for your customers. Call and give them a good lead with contact information.

-Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications | No Comments »