Posted by JulieD on November 16, 2008 under Advertising, Marketing | 
Think Twitter doesn’t affect your business? Johnson & Johnson did.
This weekend Motrin became the #1 topic on Twitter. More specifically their web-ad about Babywearing (you know, slings, front carriers etc.) made them the #1 trending topic on Twitter…and not in a good way. In fact, they they managed to offend both people who wear their babies in slings and people who don’t.
By 3pm on Sunday there were:
Every few minutes there were 60 more tweets on the topic.
But there was no response from anyone at Johnson & Johnson or McNeil Health Care Group.
I’m guessing this is going to all over the business news, if not the mainstream news by Monday morning.
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Are people Twittering about your business? What are they saying? Do you even know how to find out?
Hint: go here and enter your company’s name.
Posted by JulieD on November 10, 2008 under Marketing |
This morning my local radio station interviewed some of the people attending and organizing the Bench2Business conference, which is aimed at “aspiring and established scientists and entrepreneurs of color”.
Everyone they interviewed was really positive. No-one wasted time complaining about the inequities of the past or present, but instead talked about creating opportunities and role models.
Even more tellingly, one of the organizers sidestepped the moral issues altogether and pressed on to economics, saying,
You just cannot leave 30% of your society sitting on a side line and think you’re going to drive an economy in this country.
see original article
See? That’s a message people can rally around, because it promises something for everyone. He’s saying, “no matter what your position on race or equality or affirmative action, or politics or economic theory, you will be richer if you espouse my cause.”
If you want to persuade people to agree with you, buy your product, espouse your ideas, let them see what’s in it for them.
Posted by JulieD on November 7, 2008 under Down Is Up |
…Has an equal and opposite reaction.
It’s true in physics, and OK it’s slightly less true in business but bear with me.
In every downturn there are opportunities for those who are willing to look for them.
Today I noticed a local furniture store that was going out of business after 81 years. It’s sad and awful for the people involved, and you and I could spend a lot of time wallowing in an analysis of the terrible direction the economy is taking.
Or we could think: who can benefit from this?
It seem to me that even in the death of a furniture store there is opportunity.
Opportunity for:
- The owners of a furniture removal company, who can get a couple of trucks down to the store on Saturday morning and offer good deals to people who are scooping up floor samples and trying to balance couches on the back of their pick-up trucks in the rain.
- The owners of a van rental company, who can make quick, short-term rentals from the parking lot.
- A local interior designer who can offer a tip-sheet on how to make the new furniture work, or who can sell a booklet about design matters, or who can hand out coupons for discounts on her services.
What is going on around you and are you flexible enough to make it work for you?
Posted by JulieD on November 6, 2008 under How-To, Marketing, online |
Want to build a huge list of pre-qualified prospects? Take tip from the President-Elect.
In trying to figure out how Barak Obama won the election, the pundits agree that his organization was great a using new media to keep in touch with and build their base.
So how exactly did they get people to sign up?
One brilliant example came before Obama announced his pick for his running mate. The campaign gave people the chance to be the first to know who he had picked by signing up for text messages or an email — no more waiting around for traditional news outlets to tell them the news. All you had to do was give the campaign a way to contact you and you could get a jump on even the media in-crowd. Who wouldn’t love that?
Of course, this meant you were added to their database, but people didn’t seem to care because, pay attention now, they were getting something they valued in return.
Is there something you can offer your potential clients in exchange for their contact info?
Can you offer them a “buy one, get one 50% off” deal on their first purchase? Can you give them a free, exclusive, special report (or ‘white paper’) when they sign up for your newsletter? Can you give them something that will provide real value for them in exchange for their permission to keep in touch?
Create value, create releationships, create business.
Posted by JulieD on October 21, 2008 under Down Is Up, Marketing |
Food prices are rising because supplies are down and demand is up. A recent National Geographic Magazine article focussed on preservation of healthy soil as one of the solutions.
This might be good news for some businesses, if they can think and market themselves creatively.
Heavy machinery compacts the earth, so manufacturers who make huge, wide tires for the machines should see their products rise in demand.
Farmers use GPS technology to pinpoint where they should drive, to minimize damage to soil. Savvy GPS equipment and software firms, who pay attention to their customer’s needs, will be doing well, even if the overall economy is down.
Dirt as a growth industry? Did you see that coming? In every downturn there are segments of the economy that are still growing.
Has the changing economy created new customers for you? Probably.
How will you tell those potential customers that they need you? In a trade magazine article? In press releases? By running a special promotion or contest to raise your visibility? By direct mail?
Posted by JulieD on October 20, 2008 under Customer Service, Down Is Up, Marketing |
In a down economy, everyone is re-examining how they spend their money.
You could find yourself gaining business in these tough times if you position yourself as the best, mopping up all the customers your competitors are currently under-serving.
But only if you talk about how you can help.
Southwest Airlines hit the front page of my city newspaper’s business section today simply by saying they weren’t going to charge extra fees like all their competitors are doing (at least, not yet).
It’s not exactly news, it’s not even particularly good news, but by speaking out at a time when people are looking for ways to save money, Chief Executive Gary C. Kelly just made his company look like every traveller’s best friend.
(And, in a phrase that made me laugh out loud, he reinforced the company’s ‘maverick’ status by adding that they might consider becoming, “more like other carriers if, after thorough market research, customers told the company they did not mind paying the fees.” Yeah. That, and when hell freezes over and pigs become Southwest’s competition!)
Can you differentiate yourself from your competitors? Can you use it to get some non-news coverage, like Southwestern, or put out a special announcement to your client base? Is it time to add some content to your website or corporate blog? Maybe a direct mail piece or tip-sheet?
Keep talking up your business. Your customers are thirsting for good news.
Posted by admin on under Marketing |
Now is the time to reach out to your customers.
With uncertainties in the economy do you know where your customers are?
Are they sitting on buying decision? Are they waiting for someone, something to give them confidence?
That someone should be you, and it should be now.
Yes the stock market is down but your customers (most of them) are still doing business and still trying to figure out how to make money. You believe you can help them (or you should), so you need to reach out now, before someone else does.
Show them that:
- Doing business with you can move their business forward even (especially!) in tough times,
- Your product or service is amazing value for money,
- There’s an incentive to buy now (Can you add on a service? Offer a limited-time bulk discount?)
Don’t waste time worrying. Think of a way you can reach out to your jittery customers today, craft a message and send it out.
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You can reach your customer by phone, by email, by blog, Twitter or direct mail, but you’d better know what you’re going to say when you do. When you have decided what you business’s offer will be, contact JDWrite, to have a professional writer spend time crafting your message while you get back to business.
Posted by admin on October 15, 2008 under Marketing, online |
If Your Site Doesn’t Help Its Audience, It Is A Wasted Resource
AUDIENCE
Who is the audience for your website? You must know who will use it before you can design a useful site. Will your users be prospective clients or perhaps the press, both looking for information and ways to contact your company? Will your users be existing customers, who may need product support or ways to buy add-on services?
PURPOSE
1. What do you want from your website?
Is your website a tool to build your mailing list? If so, put a sign-up box on every page. Will it provide information on your services and products for prospective customers? Make the information clear and easy to find. Is the site’s purpose to sell products? Then make it easy for your customers to buy: invest in shopping cart support and put a ‘buy me’ button next to every item.
2. What do your customers want from your website?
Don’t forget to ask your existing customers (and your customer service staff) how the website might help them. Frequently Asked Questions and auto-responders that email information on request save time and money. Or perhaps your customers simply want a way to order more services.
GETTING THERE
Make it easy for your audience to find your site. Register a domain name that is easy to type. If your company name is long try a logical shortened form (e.g. BN.com instead of BarnesandNoble.com). Try not to use dashes (e.g. writing-world.com) because people will invariably forget to use them and end up at someone else’s site.
DESIGN
- Less is more - in all design matters.
- Navigation: don’t make visitors click through more than three levels to reach a page. Make sure your grandmother can find her way around your site. Could you use a blog or social networking site? Is that what your visitors are comfortable with?
- Typography: Limit yourself to one or two fonts and colors.
- Pictures: make sure pictures are no more than 72dpi and as small as possible for faster downloads.
Animation: just say no!
- Words: cut out half your text then cut out half again. People don’t read websites; they browse, looking for something to click on.
CHECKLIST
- Does your home page clearly explain what your business is and what customers can get from your site?
- Must-have pages: Home Page; Products & Services; About Us.
- Nice-to-have pages: Press Room; Testimonials; Feedback Form.
