Some business owners create their marketing strategy in January but many do not. The good news is if you own a business you can prepare your marketing for the rest of the year right now. That’s right! Why wait? By using an advertising and marketing agency, like ours, you can get it all done now without the stress. This way you can send a branded, thoughtful message throughout the year that is designed to attract customers and make the cash register ring, cha ching!, cha ching!.

Ads, email campaigns, website promotions, social media promotions, radio spots, direct mail, TV Commercials, etc. can all be created in advance and be scheduled so they are on auto pilot and ready to go.

Don’t be rushed into making poor decisions.

You’ve seen it before, salespeople come out of the woodwork, and right before a season starts, knowing that companies procrastinate and will now rush to “sign up” to get in on a “special deal” in time for the season (It’s probably happening to you right now.) These ads usually do not produce the results expected because they were not thought out and the company allowed the media to create the brandless, mass produced advertisement for them to “save time” and this usually leaves the company without any return.

Here are some of the many reasons to do it now:

1. In some media you can save money by getting in on before season ad inventory.
2. You’ll have more time to think about your ads and create a campaign that will be more effective.
3. You can do research to see who your customers actually are, what they read, watch and listen to.
4. You can work out deals with your suppliers to increase your per sale profit.
5. By creating your campaigns and advertisements early you’ll have more time to “work on” your business instead of “working in” your business.
6. You will experience less stress!

Looking forward to hearing from you.

If you want a “website money making machine” then it’s time to take it to the next level.

A sobering fact.

If you want your website to be successful you need a company that has extensive knowledge and experience in traditional and digital marketing strategies. You need proven techniques that work, not theory! Unfortunately, many website design companies have very limited, if any, knowledge of marketing and promotion and this is a huge problem and money waster. Before a website is created every marketing goal (online and offline) of your company must be explored. If you overlook this you will be throwing your money away, period.

Some important questions to ask yourself:

What do you want your company website to do for you?

Is your goal to generate leads, promote your company as an “expert source” or allow customers to make purchases online with a shopping cart?  What about mobile? Do you have a mobile website? Over 20% of all web searches are done through a mobile device. This goal will determine the direction of your website.

Is your website branded with your company image?

When you professionally brand your website it shows your customers you are a professional company. It helps customers remember you and compliments your traditional advertising allowing your marketing and advertising to perform better.

Who are your customers? Are you using behavioral marketing correctly?

You need to have professional, compelling copy combined with the right colors and images so your customers feel good about your company. Doing so also helps you move them forward in the selling process. In addition, the website navigation must be designed from the customer’s point of view.

Do you want your website to be found in the organic search results?

Ethical Search Engine Optimization (SEO) must be utilized. By not doing it right could accidently get your website banned by the search engines. In addition, an active blog will also help generate organic search engine traffic.

Do you want to be held hostage by your web designer?

If not, then you need the ability to easily make changes to your website without incurring more costs.

How are you going to get qualified traffic after the website is live?

It seems like there are hundreds of ways to market your company’s website but which ones are the most effective for your industry? Where are your companies potential customers? What are they reading, listening to, and who are they currently engaging with? You need to know.

Are you using Facebook and other social media venues effectively?

You can no longer ignore the power of social media marketing. Did you know there are ways you can accomplish your goals with minimal time and cost investment?

What is your video strategy?

Video is one of the hottest ways to promote your business online. If you are serious about your success then this is another tactic you cannot ignore.

The good news is that we have been answering these and many more important questions for our clients for over 16 years. Whether it’s a new website or a redesign you deserve the level of experience we provide.

Our one single focused mission is to create a “website money making machine” for your company. After all, the goal of your website should be to make your companies cash register ring…right?

This time of year advertising salespeople are out there in full force.  Especially the yellow page type media.  Many of our clients ask if we think that the yellow type books are still a good idea in this new digital economy and the answer is “it depends”.  You need to know if these types of ads are bringing in the revenue needed to pay for the ads and increase revenue.  In addition, if your customers use the web to find companies then it might be a waste.  Keep in mind that most people use these books to find new providers.  If you have done your job keeping your existing customers happy and informed then most will not go back to the book.

Many companies spend thousands of dollars per month on these types of ads and when you ask them if they are working the answer is usually an uncomfortable “We don’t know.”  The reason that they don’t know is that they don’t have processes in place to effectively track the effectiveness of most of their marketing especially the yellow page type ads.  Many companies think that if they put a coupon into the ad then that’s the best way to track.  And I am sorry to say it’s not simply because tracking means how much revenue did the ad bring in?  Not just in the initial sale but in the lifetime value of the customer.

If you need to save the money but still think you need to be in these types of books then here are 5 quick tips you could do this year.

1) Make the ad much smaller.  Keep the same information in the ad but make it an in-column ad.  White background to make it stand out. Many of the larger page ads confuse a person and if every competitor has a display ad then the entire page gets too cumbersome forcing people to run to the in-column area.  Personally when I look for a company in these books I always go to the in-column first.  What about you?  Also, by doing this, it might allow you to be in multiple categories and still save some money.

2) Put your website and a special toll free number in the ad to track the incoming calls and on-line inquires.  You should register a different domain name and direct them to a landing page where you track the stats.  Make sure that above the website address and phone number you place the words.  “For more Information Visit Our Website Or Call Us Toll Free.” (Without the quotes” “)  Also, these in-column ads will usually have your company name first.  That is ok but in the first bullet of the ad put what you do.  This will help direct the eyes to the ad.

PLEASE NOTE: Many of the yellow page type companies offer tracking.  Do your homework and look at the true costs before doing it with them.  Ask for references of companies that used their tracking last year and actually call them to see how they liked it.

3) Put a QR CODE in the ad.  Make sure that this is also a special website address that you are only using for yellow page type ads and track this as well.

4) When a person becomes a customer be sure you know how much they spend over their LTV (Lifetime Value) and how long they stay a customer.

5) Enforce a “how did you hear about us” policy.  Many companies have a staff member answering the phone.  In addition to the special toll free number your staff should always ask “how did they hear about our company?”  You could have this on the phone message pad.  Maybe you can make this a contest?  Make sure you explain how important this question is to everyone.  This way when you fire them for not asking they can’t say you did not tell them.

After tracking the amount of money you spend far outweighs the ROI then it might be time to pull the plug.

If you are in need of some cost effective advertising solutions that actually work then just give us a call.

Thanks and as always we welcome your comments.

The most important simple question to ask yourself when creating your marketing strategy for the New Year is “How can I do better?” This simple question should get your creative juices flowing. (So have a notebook handy.) There are many ways to do better and here are some to help you get started.

Re-evaluate Your Customers Demographics And Psychographics.

Many companies promote their goods and services in the wrong places to the wrong people. By understanding exactly who your customer is will allow you to laser focus your marketing and in addition to making the cash register ring it will save you money. There are tools available that make this process easy.

Re-evaluate All Of Your Offerings.

Look at your products or services. Is there anything that can be changed or added to make the offer outstanding? A money back guarantee? Offering premiums with the sale? Make it impossible for your customers to say no. Lower or if possible, remove all of the risk associated with buying from you. Use a professional copy writer to create compelling irresistible copy.

Freshen Up Your USP.

Look over your Unique Selling Proposition. Are you still unique? Does your USP kill the competition in a sentence or two? If not then it’s time to change.

Set A Flexible Budget.

There are many things to consider when creating a marketing budget. And using the old figure of 2 – 10% for ongoing marketing is just a rule of thumb. Consider everything that worked and did not work last year as well as how many new sales you wish to make this year, etc. Being flexible is also important as when you see a marketing tactic working it’s a good idea to tweak it and then put more money and time into it.

The famous saying “The evidence unmistakably indicates that you have to spend money in order to make money.” – Srully Blotnic is absolutely true. But I say “You have to spend money in the right places at the right time to the right customer to make a lot of money!”

Jump Into Digital Marketing.

You should use a combination of traditional and digital marketing and advertising. But now with modern technology there many digital cost effective solutions available.

For example: Do you only use a printed brochure? Why not create a multimedia PDF? Are you using letters of testimonials? You should use video on your website to supplement them. Are you taking advantage of the Mobile web? If you are sending letters to prospects did you ever think about scientific strategic, demographic and psychographic (There is that word again.) email marketing? Advertising in the newspaper? How about a targeted search engine Pay Per Click or a Facebook or LinkedIn campaign? Going to networking events? How about using social media to network effectively? The list is truly endless.

Do Something That Scares You!

Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is the definition of insanity. (Sorry but I went there.) This also applies to how you market and where you advertise. Change it up. Don’t be afraid to do something that will scare you. Take a calculated risk. Stop blending in! The good news is that most of your competitors do the same thing as well, always in the same coupon magazine, newspaper or radio or TV spot. Boring! Take them by surprise. You want to get your customers to act and using exciting creative Advertising and marketing will do that.

Fortes fortuna adiuvat – Fortune favors the bold!

Keep these things in mind when creating your New Year marketing strategy. If you need some “no sales pitch” help or ideas just give us a call or use our contact form.

You Will Have a Happy, Healthy and Profitable New Year!

As always your comments are welcome and appreciated.

Here is a great program one of our clients launched.  Click here to visit the site.

K9 Confections Cookies for a Cause program

Cookies For a Cause is a program K9 Confections launched in the hopes of providing special treats to animals in shelters. Through the purchases made by K9 Confections customers, it is possible for us to donate treats to shelters throughout the country.

The program is special to Ruth Kiser, owner of K9 Confections. Ruth’s “fur kids”, Rex and Niko, were found wandering the streets of Brooklyn, NY. They each weighed less than 50 pounds when they were found and spent almost a year in a shelter before finding their “forever” home with Ruth. But their lives are very different now! They have their own bedroom and nutritional treats in their tummies!

K9 Confections is dedicated to offering products that nourish and enrich the lives of pets – each treat is handcrafted, baked fresh, and hand packed. The company ensures the freshness and quality treats that pets deserve.

Imagine the difference you can make by warming the hearts and tummies of these dogs waiting to find their “forever” homes. Your purchase will help us continue with our goals.

EACH ONLINE ORDER WE RECEIVE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WILL ENABLE K9 CONFECTIONS TO DONATE TREATS TO LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTERS SO THAT THE DOGS WAITING FOR THEIR “FOREVER” HOMES WILL HAVE TO “BARK” ABOUT!!!

Have a happy Howl-a-day Season!

Click here to visit the site.

Imagine this…it’s the busiest time of year for your business. The phone is ringing nonstop. Yet you decide to only help roughly half of your customers.

That would be insane, wouldn’t it? Yet that’s exactly what’s happening to businesses that ignore, or fail to optimize their mobile presence.

Google estimates that this year, roughly 44% of last-minute holiday shopping searches will happen via mobile and platform devices. That’s a golden opportunity to introduce yourself to new customers—at the precise moment they’re looking for you.

Even if your business isn’t dependant on holiday shopping, a strong mobile presence has quickly become an integral marketing component. And in the future, mobile’s place in the marketing mix is only going to grow.

Here are 5 quick tips to make sure your business is ready for mobile:

• Be Ready—In mobile, you have one shot to make an impression. According to a Google survey, 61% of mobile users said they’d be “unlikely” to revisit a website they couldn’t access from their phone.
• Optimize—Make sure your sites & landing pages are readable for all mobile formats including iPhone, iPad & Droid
• Stay on Top—Ensure you’re only bidding for the top 2 positions on mobile search. If you don’t know how to do that, don’t worry. We do.
• Keep It Clean—Mobile marketing has to work on a small touchscreen. So make sure users can quickly & easily find what they’re looking for. Avoid overly graphic, flash-based animation. That’s for the web, not mobile.
• Think Small—Mobile marketing is the opposite of traditional advertising. It’s more personal, intimate and targeted. Instead of thinking about one mass target, think multiple “targets of one.”

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. Web Alliance International can help you optimize your mobile marketing. So when your customers are ready for you, make sure you’re ready for them. Contact us at 732-818-008 to get started.

Just because you lost the sale does not mean that you stop marketing to the prospect. You always keep everyone you come in contact with in the sales loop. You never know when the prospect changes his or her mind or if the company they choose over you went out of business or stopped servicing the prospect properly. It might be as simple as the other company raised their prices.  It’s even better if after a few months you call the prospect to see how everything is going.  Think about it.

You just never know and this is why you keep everyone in the loop at all times.

Use your business card like a mini brochure and make sure you have all your social media and links to your companies’ blog on the back.