It does you no good to throw money at advertising if you have no way of measuring if it works.
Make sure you build into your campaign a way to track who is responding to your ads!
Here’s a list of ways to do it.
1. Print a coupon. Customer’s bring coupon into your shop – you know they saw your ad and responded. Track how much each of those visits made you.
2. Build a special URL – If you are web-savvy – you could do a subdomain – like Visit.HatcherMedia.net (It’s not real. Don’t bother. lol.)
You can track visitors – to see if your ad provokes a response. I did this for Open Arms Community Church with this special website we built or a campaign – http://www.secret.openarms.tv
3. Give a password –
This can work great for incoming phone campaigns – or even through the door point of sale customers.
The truth is – you need to come up with SOMETHING in your advertising that creates an opportunity for you to track it’s effectiveness. And if it doesn’t make back at LEAST what you spent on it – you need to consider whether it’s worth putting any more money into!
Tune in next week for Startup Marketing Basics: The Theory of Touches
It’s not easy to know where to invest your advertising budget when you are starting a business.
To be fair – I can’t tell you the best place without a good long conversation!
But I can give you some ideas that I’ve seen over the years. Hopefully they can apply to your situation!
1. CPC (Cost Per Click)
I recommend spending at least a minimal amount on CPC advertising – whether through Facebook or Google Adsense.
Usually Google Adsense has an introductory deal offering $50 or $75 free if you spend $25.
Grab it!
I’d encourage you to setup a facebook campaign with a minimum bid of $1 a day that promotes your posts – and if you can afford it, another $1 a day to get page likes. Maybe you can afford to run them all month long – maybe you do a week at a time when you can afford it!
2. Radio –
If you are going to spend money on Radio – I recommend one of two options:
News/Weather Sponsorship
or
Interstitials (when the DJ talks about your business during his shift – as through it’s a natural conversation)
Other than that – the truth is no one is listening to radio ads… unless they are EXTREMELY creative and well produced!
I also recommend paying for some slick production and/or a jingle!
3. Newspaper –
Newspaper INSERTS – that fall out when you open the paper are more effective than other ads. Splurge for full color printing on glossy stock! It will get noticed, and it will be make a difference.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WAY TO TRACK YOUR ADS!
Find out more about that next week when we talk about: Startup Marketing Basics: Measuring The Effectiveness Of Your Marketing
If your logo or your flyer is created with Comic sans and Microsoft Clipart – then you will look like a fly by night operation.
Good design gives you credibility. It makes people take you seriously.
I drove around town today, and as I looked at storefronts – I saw two independent office supply places. The first had their logo prominently displayed, and the logos of the brands they carried prominently displayed. Their logo matched in quality – it was attractive, catchy, and clean. The other – used some kind of stock lettering on their sign – and then had printed off pages on their door – and those pages were using a standard overused font, and couldn’t be read from the street. (Looking through their windows – the inside of their shop was a WRECK by the way.)
Then I drove by Staples…. and if I think about the outside of Staples, and the inside of Staples – the truth is that it’s no WONDER that people drive further down the street to buy office supplies! It’s gorgeous! I would rather support small town privately owned businesses – but most people don’t care about that. The average consumer is not conscious…. they go with the name they know – the are like moths to the flame of good design.
You can’t spend millions, like Staples has done – but you CAN learn from what Staples has done – and try to recreate it in a way that works for YOUR business!
Stay tuned next week for Why Design Matters: The Medium is the Message
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If you have ever thought that your design doesn’t matter – or more likely, if you’ve never really thought about the design you use for marketing – then you should ask yourself a few questions.
Why do successful companies pay millions of dollars to advertising firms – hire attractive models – spend countless hours getting their marketing right?
The truth is – companies who are making money are making it because they KNOW it matters.
Have you seen this commercial to get people to stop smoking?
Now – obviously they are not trying to sell cigarettes. But have you ever seen an advertisement for cigarettes? Since the beginning of time – tobacco companies have been using gorgeous women (often in objectifying ways) and rugged men (funny how we wouldn’t classify this as objectification) to peddle tobacco.
Why? Because the truth is – attractive design, attractive models, and gorgeous scenery works.
Billions are spent every year to fine tune this marketing process.
You don’t need to spend that money yourself to determine what works! You can look at how major global brands are spending their cash – and you can imitate that for your small business! Obviously, you can’t plagiarize their idea – but you can certainly look to it for inspiration.
Stay tuned next week for Why Design Matters: Design gives you credibility
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This is the most important thing you’ll ever do for your blog!
1. Defining your mission –
Make sure your mission identifies your target, and what you want it to communicate.
IE – My blog at Manlihood.com has this as it’s mission statement:
We are committed to equip, educate, and entertain men in a way that is engaging and fun.
Keep your mission statement simple, write it down – print it out – and memorize it. Everything your blog does should be GUIDED by your mission statement.
2. Vision –
This goes beyond your mission. This is what you hope your blog will accomplish. What you hope your blog will become. Keep in mind that monetization may be a part of this!
I’d like it if Manlihood.com could be a site with dozens of writers, and with several posts a day, and a weekly podcast. I’d like it to generate revenue from affiliate links and advertisers, as well as to promote books and products from my writers. I’m hoping that one day it can become an actual men’s magazine!
Is this a detailed vision? No. Does it have to be a specific vision statement? No. But it helps to have an idea where you would like it to go – and what you want it to accomplish.
MAYBE you want to be an author – in which case your blog should help establish you as an expert in your field, and showcase your writing styles, and to build your platform. Eventually you want it to become a communication and PR hub for your work, as well as a sales tool to sell your books!
MAYBE you have a storefront in a small town – you might be using your blog to help promote your products, and inform your customers of specials and savings. You could say that your vision is to grow to an ecommerce site, or just to engage your clientele and attract new customers as well.
3. Goals –
Write some goals for your blog. This could include content goals – ie – I hope to have three posts a week written and schedule for the entire year by the end of January.
They may include readership goals – I hope to have 100 visitors a day to my blog by the end of June.
Remember that goals need to be S.M.A.R.T.
S- Specific
M- Measurable
A – Attainable
R – Results-Focused
T – Timebound (give it a deadline!)
Stay tuned next week for So You Think You Can Blog? Make a Plan! Work Ahead!
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David Meerman Scott says in “The New Rules of Marketing and PR”
“Instead of one way interruption, Web marketing is about delivering useful content at just the precise moment that a buyer needs it.”
That’s the key! You’ve got to change your mindset when it comes to social media marketing… you are not trying to interrupt someone as they are reading the newspaper or listening to the radio or watching television….
you are trying to ENGAGE them in conversation at the moments they need it most.
LinkedIn is a powerful marketing tool that many people forget about.
It’s got even MORE power for entrepreneurs. Here is some advice for harnessing the power of LinkedIn to help you market your business ideas.
1. Get Started.
If you don’t have a linkedin profile, set it up – and get your resume online.
Start connecting with your contacts.
Start endorsing your contacts.
Upload a professional looking profile picture – NOT a company logo – as there is a DIFFERENT place for those.
This will help you gain some connections, so that the rest of your marketing efforts will get noticed.
2. Discussion Groups
There are groups centered around your areas of expertise. Join them, and interact with other people on them. When you post a new blog post on your website – SHARE IT in the relevant group. When you TITLE the group post, ask a QUESTION to get people to engage!
3. Leverage your employees.
You may or may not have employees or team members yet – but if you do – send them an email and ask them to share your blog post on their LinkedIn profile. It helps THEM prove their connection to your company, and helps YOU get your name in front of THEIR connections!
Many employees might feel uncomfortable sharing your posts on their private twitter or facebook accounts (they also might not. It doesn’t hurt to ask – just let it be their choice – and don’t penalize them either way.) The advantage with linkedin – is that the professional nature of the site makes them a little more prone to share…. Unless they HATE their job – in which case… you might not want them working for you ANYWAY… but that’s another blog post for another day.
4. Pages – not profiles.
You need to have your own PERSONAL LinkedIn profile – and then after that – you can create a COMPANY page. This will help you get your business content out there, and highlight customer recommendations and highlight your products and services.
Company pages also has a reasonable tracking system, so you can see what kind of engagement those posts are getting.
5. Connect.
I know we covered connecting with your contacts in the Get started section… but it’s a good idea to frequently run through your contact list, to see if you have anyone you can connect with! Keep it fresh, and don’t be afraid to send messages!
6. Status
You know how you update your facebook status? You can do the same on linkedin! Take some time to PLAN OUT and schedule a list of status updates to post to linkedin.
If you use HOOTSUITE – you can plan your posts out and schedule them in advance.
Just another way to keep getting your BRAND NAME and your OWN name in front of people that you want to do business with.
As Facebook has changed it’s algorithms drastically, Facebook pages are getting less traction, and personal accounts are getting even more notice than before.
So, depending on your business, you could leverage your personal network to promote or market… but you want to be careful!
Facebook is a little like church. If you stand up in the middle of the service and invite everyone to stop by your grocery store, you’ll get some dirty looks… because it feels a little, well… dirty.
I know my business survives on personal connections. Most of my business comes from a friend of a friend who saw my blog posts or facebook posts, and they referred people to me because of that. You CAN turn your friends into a referral marketing machine… but you want to do it carefully, or else you will turn them off.
So let me give you some simple advice for using your PERSONAL facebook to promote your business….
1. Don’t be a idiot.
Remember that everything you post matters. I shouldn’t HAVE to say that Saturday Night Drunken Selfies, and personal and family drama will hurt your public reputation, but it’s true. It can hurt your chances at landing jobs, getting into schools, and in promoting your business. Potential clients and customers WILL remember the things you posted on facebook.
2. Politics and Religion.
I won’t say that you CAN’T discuss these things publicly, but understand, that these discussions DO influence your friends opinions about you. If you are going to discuss them, do it with reason and compassion. Don’t bash or hate. And don’t post things that could be misconstrued as bashing or hating. Check your sources, and make sure you back up your claims with reasonable arguments… and that leads us to our next point…
3. Be NICE.
Take the time to say THANK YOU on facebook when someone does or says something nice. Send thank you notes, either privately or publicly(where appropriate) for things that happen OFFLINE as well.
Be sure to offer complements, encouragement, and hope.
4. Be authentic.
It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to express your feelings. It’s okay to BE who you are… but you want to make sure that your expressions are NOT overwhelming.
If you make a mistake, own up to it.
Be sure to demonstrate that you ARE a good person without tooting your own horn. And if you have to toot your own horn… you might want to spend some time working on the person that you are… so that you ARE a nice person… and not just pretending….
5. Josh’s Rule of Thumb.
You have five fingers, and one of them is a thumb. If you are going to use your personal account to promote your business… imagine your thumb is your business post (a “thumbtack” if you will) and your other fingers are real life stuff.
You should post a minimum of four or five real life posts (pics of your cat, inspirational quotes, and interesting discussions) for every one business promotion.
Some say this number should be closer to 1:7… and that might be more accurate… just make sure you don’t go past 1:4. If you do… your personal page starts to feel “spammy” and uncomfortable.
6. Be a good friend.
This should go along with being nice… but there’s a great blog post here that describes proper facebook friend ettiquete. It’s a great read.
http://mashable.com/2013/08/04/facebook-friend-etiquette/?utm_cid=mash-com-fb-main-link
7. Don’t overdo event and group invitations.
You can invite people to events… but you’ll want to be sure NOT to be too annoying with it.
As far as inviting people to groups… especially a group where you are going to market products to them… do it sparingly. It’s best to ask them first.
8. Be careful with tags.
NO ONE likes to get tagged in a photo they are not in. Unless it’s a photo of their grandkids….
but I don’t want to get a notification and then have a picture on my profile of your discount sneakers flyer. No one does. So tag people in photos they are in… don’t tag them just to make sure they see it.
9. Wall Posts – use sparingly.
You can share your blog posts directly on the walls of friends that you KNOW want to read it. Your mutual friends will see it too… but I would do it sparingly. Try to do it if they are already interested in what you are sharing…
10. Relationships are golden.
Remember the girl scout song? Make New friends, but keep the old… one is silver and the other gold.
If you have an existing relationship with someone… you want to do whatever you can to make that relationship stay. Tick them off with too much marketing, and you lose a friend.
You wouldn’t wear your sandwich board to their house for dinner… so make sure that your communication is NOT JUST about your business.
11. Don’t be afraid to invite your contacts.
When you meet someone in real life, get their business card, and look them up on facebook. Send them a friend request. Don’t be offended if they don’t accept… but adding them to your personal network can be a GOOD thing!
12. Don’t send game requests.
People hate them. ‘Nuff Said.
Besides… if you are working on your business, you shouldn’t have time for Farmville.
13. Do Post Often.
And do comment and engage on your friends pictures and posts.
A fresh post on your personal profile daily would be a minimum.
14. Klout
Facebook PAGES has insights to track and measure your engagement. But there isn’t an internal feature to track and measure how well you are using your personal page to connect.
I recommend signing up for Klout.com, which gives you some good metrics. You can use Klout to track a Facebook Page or a Facebook Profile, but at this time… it can only do one or the other.
Don’t get too hung up on your klout score… but you CAN use it to see how people are engaging with your content.
Son, You can learn something from EVERYONE. Take the time to listen to people. Everyone – even the crazy ones, or the ones that might not seem so smart, or the ones who are mean to you – have something to offer.
More important than my dad SAYING this, was they way dad MODELED this for me. Everyone knows my dad. Almost everyone likes my dad. Because he treats people like they matter to him. (BECAUSE THEY DO!)
This quote from Leo Burnett is great:
What helps people helps business.
Because it’s so true! Imagine the state of our economy if everyone who did business did it with PEOPLE in mind?
I don’t mean to get preachy or to sermonize – but the truth is – we need a moral compass guiding our business. We need to do business with the idea that “people matter” as a guiding principle. If we don’t – our success is hollow. I think of the movie “Wall Street” that played on an endless cable television loop when I was a kid. Those people treated each other terribly! I’m sure they were loaded with cash – and there are many who are loaded with cash who got their while acting like buttholes. But I can’t imagine that life would be GOOD if I did that. I can’t imagine my success would be worth it.
And then I think of Apple.
I don’t mean to be a fan boy. Forgive me for sounding as such. In fact… to qualify – I can’t stand the iphone.
But EVERY SINGLE TIME that I call Apple for support on my macbook – they go OUT OF THEIR WAY to make me feel special. I speak to a native English Speaker who can understand me. My time talking to computers is minimal. They always provide excellent service, and they convey to ME that it’s their pleasure to do so.
I also think of Chik-Fil-A.
I’m not a fast food fan. I’d rather eat at an independently owned place…. unless I’m near a Chik-Fil-A. Say what you want about their politics… but when I’ve never seen a teenage girl so HAPPY to feed me chicken and to clean up a spilled milkshake. In fact, she brought us a free milk shake to replace it, and apologized several times about the spill – despite the fact that WE spilled it! And then when I said “Thanks” – she smiled and said, “It’s MY pleasure.” (And I think the really meant it.
The best (and simplest) marketing you can do is just simply to treat people well. Do your business with the goal of helping people, and they WILL come back, and they WILL tell their friends.
How can you put people first in YOUR business? What are some things that might need to change in your business operations to make that happen?
