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Phone…Part II

May 3, 2009

Tags: albany advertising, albany lead generation, Albany marketing, albany telemarketing, banis
Categories: Business Development, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Marketing Message, Marketing ROI, Strategy

Consumer telemarketing has achieved the unfortunate reputation achieved by used car salesman, carnival game operators, and Bernie Madoff.

However, to reach the communities you’ve built over time – your customers, prospects and other contacts – using voice to deliver your message can be both courteous and extremely effective.

The people on your lists expect that you will engage in ongoing communication with them by virtue of your relationship. So you’ve already received their permission to contact them. That makes you compliant with CAN-SPAM and perfectly OK to pick up the phone.

Boston College did just that. Well, sort of.

Kickoff

The Boston College football team had a strong 2007 season, eventually going on to its first ever Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title game. The game was set to take place on December 4, 2007 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Great news. Except that the Eagles clinched their spot only two weeks before the ACC Championship game. BC had just two weeks to sell as many tickets as possible and ensure solid support for a game taking place 1,160 miles away.

They needed to drum up support from alumni and get fans to travel down . And they needed to do it quickly and cost-effectively.

Nothing like the spoken word

Boston College used an automated voice-messaging solution to target more than 115,000 season ticket holders and alumni.

They had their star quarterback Matt Ryan record the message, explaining the historic event and the sense of urgency to participate – and then offered up a call to action. Even if fans couldn’t come, they asked them to donate their tickets to a Jacksonville-area charity to help fill the stands.

The response was immediate, with ticket sales flying through the roof on the day of and the day following the message’s release. In all, close to 5,000 tickets were sold, with more than 400 purchased and given to charity.

In the end, Boston College was able to ensure it was well represented in Florida and managed to profit $200,000 from a campaign that cost $10,000 to launch.

The phone is alive and well my friends – it’s just living a different existence in your marketing mix. It’s extremely cost effective. And it can work very well when delivering a timely message.

Have a particularly important piece of news to deliver? A once in a lifetime sale? A special event you don’t want people to miss?

Use voice. But don’t use it too often. Like endless jabbering from the person seated next to you on the plane – it loses its charm quickly. Then it’s just annoying.

[case study was reported on Marketingprofs.com]

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Love The Ones Your With

April 19, 2009

Tags: Albany, albany advertising, Albany marketing, Albany Sales Leads, Albany Social Media, Branding, recession marketing
Categories: Advertising, Brand/Reputation, Business Development, Courage, Customer Focus, Decision Making, Marketing Blueprint, Strategy

Driving down I-75 in Ashworth, Georgia you can find what’s claimed to be the world’s largest peanut. I know what many of you are thinking – “Who cares”, right?

A giant peanut may not be your definition of fun, but for many others it may be just the right fit.

Millions of Americans take in one or two of the hundreds of quirky roadside attractions each year. The family roadtrip wouldn’t be the same without it. Neither would sales at the gift shops and local merchants surrounding these landmarks of kitschy architecture. They bet their livelihoods on it.

Albany Marketing - World's largest peanut

Business owners are often worried about alienating some portion of the marketplace. “If I focus my marketing towards older customers, that’ll put off the younger end of the market, won’t it?”

Maybe, maybe not.

One thing’s for sure though. If you try to be all things to all people, then you’ll be nothing to nobody. To be successful in your marketing efforts, you’ve got to stand for something. It takes a little courage. But think of it this way.

Square peg, square hole

If you were looking for the best steak in town, would you think first of your local diner or of the place with the picture of a cow out front? Diner’s have huge menus – there’ll be a steak there for sure. But the place with the cow and all the cars in the lot tells you that this is where your red meat craving will be satisfied.

Creating a business of excellence is naturally exclusionary. Developing your detailed expertise, your customer service, even your accounting process is all tailored to fit the unique relationship you have with your customers. It’s not meant to fit every type of customer.

Competing in a crowded market, especially in more difficult times, requires you to focus on the segment of the market that’s the best fit for your business. There are 300 million people in the United States. Almost 30 million businesses. And a couple more outside our borders.

For most, capturing even a small fraction of their market will constitute a huge success.

So don’t worry about pleasing everyone, it’s not possible. It’s not even desirable. Be who you really are. Be authentic. Strive for excellence – and you’ll attract your kind of people.

You’ll be more profitable and happier for it too.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Survive and Advance

March 22, 2009

Tags: albany advertising, albany lead generation, Albany marketing, saratoga marketing
Categories: Business Development, Courage, Customer Focus, Lead Nurturing, Sales Process, Strategy

I don’t know if you’re a college basketball fan, but in case you missed it (hard to do); it’s March Madness time again.

Each year as the calendar points towards spring, a field of 65 college basketball teams square off to determine the national champion. And every game is sudden death. Win and you play on, lose and you’re season is over.

It’s a fine, if dramatic, metaphor for what you face every day. Jim Valvano, the late coach of North Carolina State coined the phrase “survive and advance.”

No kidding.

Where are they coming from?

Even as some competitors are shutting their doors, others are still advancing. And some of the survivors aren’t the same competition you’re used to seeing.

The CEO of Dollar Stores recently said that he is seeing customers in his stores that were once regulars at Target. Former Macy’s customers are now helping to create big sales at WalMart.

Seen the deals at Caribbean resorts lately? They’re cheap. That’s because Wall Street execs are staying home or loading up the Volvo station wagon and crying their way to the dude ranch. It’s creating business for more cost-effective lodging such as owner rentals.

And that doesn’t count new competitors from around the globe showing up on customers’ desktops.

Even as the field of traditional competitors narrows, the overall competitive landscape is actually getting more crowded. That puts a premium on focus.

Among many other factors, advancing depends on your ability to:

protect and defend your customer base,
finely tune your target prospects and your marketing message,
choose your allies wisely. It’s never been more important because the margin for error has narrowed.

Focus on your sales funnel. Recognize that the number of steps to completing a sale have increased…and take longer. Have a plan:

- Define specific target names and locations: attack your competitors
- Fine tune your relevant message and call to action
- Be ready to “welcome” inquiries
- Use a series of messages to move them closer to a meeting or visit
- Make targets an offer and ask them to take action
- Ask for the business and be ready to adjust
- Make a client – and nurture the rest
- Continue to communicate to your clients
- Thank clients for their loyalty and ask for referrals

Keep focused. Keep moving forward. Survive and advance.

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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So Bad…Yet So Good

March 1, 2009

Tags: albany advertising, Albany marketing, beating the competition, guerilla marketing, marketing strategy, recession proof marketing
Categories: Advertising, Business Development, Courage, Strategy

Two notable pieces of economic news last week: Warren Buffet’s firm, Berkshire Hathaway, lost $11.5 billion last year in net worth, And the Dow Jones has slipped below 1997 levels.

Each year the “Oracle of Omaha” writes a much anticipated review of all things economic. In the letter to his shareholders just released this morning, Mr. Buffet warns, “the economy will be in shambles throughout 2009 – and for that matter, probably well beyond.

For clear-headed marketers, the news is good!

[To see the text of Warren Buffet's Letter to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders - Click Here]

Thriving In Chaos

Stunningly bad economic headlines are reported by the news media with gusto. Nothing succeeds in the media like bad news. (Maybe they should worry about their own precarious financial positions instead.)

Despite the screaming headlines, business is still going on. Sales are being made. Success is still attainable.

Video game retailer Gamestop posted record sales in 2008 and expects to open 400 new stores in the next 12 months in spite of the recession.

[see article here]

You say, “of course video games are doing fine, the kids spend all their money on them.”

OK, how about tires? The automakers are on life support and dealers are dropping like flies, but Capital Region business Adirondack Tire Centers is opening a new location in Queensbury.

What’s the secret? They don’t accept “Can’t.” They focus on building their own business, not on the river of negativity flowing from the media and, most importantly, their competition.

Your call to action

Commitments to marketing and advertising programs have nearly disappeared. Local cable TV ads can be had for a song. Direct mail statistics are showing a huge drop in numbers.

I did a quick hand count of the number of ads, not including real estate and business card ads, in two issues of The Capital District Business Review. Here’s what I found:

Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2009 - 32 pages and 21 ads

Dec 5 – Dec 11, 2008 – 40 pages and 41 ads (less than 90 days ago)

Competitors in every business are in lockdown. Associations and non-profits are in a panic. They are losing their visibility.

And that’s why you should get aggressive. You’ll have the playing field nearly to yourself.

A couple of guidelines to add to your marketing handbook:

Protect and defend your current customers.
Create a well defined target list of potential new customers and communicate why you’re especially relevant to them right now.
Communicate your message to them using multiple cost efficient tactics and make an attractive offer.
Don’t stop communicating to your growing sales pipeline, sales cycles are longer.
Stay focused.

Sure, overall times are tough. Warren Buffet is right, 2009 is a bear. Don’t hibernate.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

Comments (0)

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Phone…Part II

Kickoff

Nothing like the spoken word

Survive and Advance

Where are they coming from?

So Bad…Yet So Good

Thriving In Chaos

Your call to action