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Spring 2002
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Defining Your Target
Market |
So much money is wasted
every year on advertising products and services to people who
are not true prospects for a business. The first - and most important
- aspect of creating your marketing pitch should be defining
your target market.
In the 21st century,
mass media has been replaced by specific sources targeted directly
to groups of individuals. Cable television, websites and magazines
have well defined viewership that business owners can either
take advantage of or waste their money on. And it's not enough
to just use the proper media, the message is just as important.
All too often, a business
owner focuses on selling the aspects of his business that appeal
most to him. This would be great, if all of his prospects felt
the same way the owner did - and - if they all knew every aspect
of the business as intimately as the owner. This just doesn't
happen and it's the cause for many small business failures.
Many successful organizations
understand this premise and hire outside marketing and advertising
companies to promote their business. They rely on people outside
of their business to create a pitch for prospects outside of
their business. A marketing strategist is very familiar with
buying patterns and emotional purchases. They plug in the facts
of a business to proven strategies and it delivers the best of
both worlds.
Don't spend more of
your time trying to figure out why your campaign is not delivering
the results you expected. Hire an expert to do it for you. Smart
business owners can learn from their own mistakes, but truly
intelligent owners learn from the mistakes of others.
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Bob Pianka - Focused
On Your Profits |
It's not about being
a star. It's about putting together a mini television show that
delivers your message quickly and properly. Whether it's a sales
video to promote your products to your prospects, a  video brochure to explain
the benefits of using your company instead of the competition
or a showroom or trade show booth loop video, Bob has
the experience to deliver the goods.
His creative know-how
turns any subject matter into an interesting and compelling script.
Knowing what to say and how to say it will make or break any
video. Making the words and images come to life in a way that
will keep the attention of the viewer is paramount if you want
your message to get through to your prospect.
A sales video or video
brochure is a "salesman-in-a-box". It can be sent anywhere
for just the price of postage. It never has a headache, always
gets the message across the way you intend, and is the only way
to get an all-important live testimonial from a satisfied customer
in front of your prospect. That's the real power of video. If
you think you can't afford video, we'll show you how you can
put a sales video or video brochure in your prospects hands for
less than $10!
If your business is
direct to consumer, you should consider television advertising.
Yes, Bob has heard it before... "it's too expensive."
But what you don't know is that his volume purchasing power can
get your message on major cable channels like ESPN, CNN &
TNT for less than $20 per spot!
Using video will make
you money. Get your message in front of your prospects with the
most powerful medium available... television!
What matters most?
What your product can do for your customer or what your customer
thinks your product can do for them? It's a profound question
and there are circumstances where both are correct.
 Let
us start by saying, that at no time do we ever recommend you
compromising your integrity by lying about your product or deceiving
the public about the truth. What we envision is putting your
product in the best light possible.
If you are selling
baked goods like pies and cakes, you expound on the perceived
benefits provided by your items. They taste great, they look
great, and they set the mood for special occasions. Reality being,
they are not healthy and provide excess fat and sugar into the
bodies of those eating them. But it's not your fault if your
consumers are over-consuming your product, is it?
Why is Miller Lite
one of the best selling beers in the country if every published
beer expert says it tastes awful? It's the perception from the
television ads. It tastes great and it's less filling!!!
You see the same situation
with music, television shows and restaurants. They get a reputation
that distorts the reality of what is being sold. The leaders
tell their story to the masses and the masses follow right along.
The leaders, well respected individuals (or in the USA, celebrities),
promote usage of products and services and the public attaches
their perception to it. The same thing can happen to your business,
especially if you plan for it and make it happen.
You know the reality
of your business. What is the perception among your customers?
Do they love the benefits they get from your business or do they
feel being your customer is the lesser of two evils? Do you tell
them how to feel about your business or do you just let it happen.
It's time to find out! Once you know the wide array of perceptions,
you can focus on recreating the positive perceptions throughout
all of your transactions.
You know the rule;
If you have a satisfied customer they may tell their friends
about it, but if they're not satisfied, they'll tell everyone.
Manifest the positive perception and use advertising to spread
it throughout your community of prospects.
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Semiseriously Speaking
By Steve Armstrong |
17 Digit Dialing
Hits Broward County
Your phones, fax machines,
modems, security systems and speed dialers can all be reprogrammed
to accommodate the new ten digit dialing requirement. New habits,
though, are harder to break in. So to help you avoid the seventeen
digit phone call I'd like to present my top ways to help you
remember to dial ten.
#1 Use both hands.
This may be a little awkward on small keypads, but think about
it; two hands = ten digits. It's perfect. Seriously, you can
use the visual of two hands (ten digits) on a small keypad as
a memory peg to mentally connect the need to dial ten numbers.
#2 Never write the
area code between parentheses again. It's no longer phone-etiquette-ly
correct to set the area code apart from the rest of the numbers
and will instead be a reminder of the old way of dialing.
#3 Think of the "Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People" after adjusting for
inflation. They should be up to ten by now and that is your magic
number.
#4 Use both feet.
Similar to number one but with a much funnier visual.
#5 Think of Bo Derek
in her most popular movie role.
#6 Make TEN
an acronym for The Entire Number.
#7 Just after picking
up the handset start counting backwards from ten. Stop.
There you have it.
Seven (the old number) ways to help you remember to dial ten
digits for local calls.
Bring on the metric
system.
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