Build your business in a slow economy! Part 6

Create an effective, targeted marketing campaign!

Many companies make the mistake of calling a "promotional give-away" a "promotional marketing campaign". There is a huge difference. A give-away consists of putting your logo on an item and giving it to your prospects. That's it. A marketing campaign has a detailed process behind it and is designed to produce targeted results that you can track.

Before you select the item that you will be using in your campaign you need to ask yourself the following questions.

1. What do you want to accomplish with this campaign?
2. Who is your target audience?
3. What promotional product will attract my target audience, compliment the product/service you are offering and will entice my prospects to act?
4. What is your call to action?
5. How will you get the promotional product to your target audience?
6. Create a road map with the steps and dates necessary to pull off your campaign.
7. How will you track your results?

By taking the time to really think this through before you pick a promotional product and start you will create an efficient and targeted marketing campaign. If you need help creating a campaign and selecting a promotional product please let us know.

Promotions that get results!
Shana Anderson
Complete Workplace, Inc.
Milpitas, Ca

Success secrets for 2009!

With the downturn of the economy many businesses feel it's time to tighten their belts and focus on surviving instead of what keeps them in business. Businesses are closing every day. With these 4 easy steps you can ensure a successful new year.


#1-Plan your work and work your plan. Take time to plot out your marketing plan for the entire year. Include tradeshows, e-mail blasts, direct mail, etc. How often do you want to "touch" your clients? Can you work time in monthly to personally "touch" each of them? If not focus on your top 20%. Acknowledge their birthdays, send articles that pertain to their business. After each order and every referral send them a thank you card/gift. Ask yourself, what can you do to keep a personal relationship with your clients so they stay loyal to you. Are you using social networks for your clients to keep in touch with you? Make your list reasonable. Doing too much can give you paralysis.


#2-Make a list of 5-7 things that you will NOT do this year. These are items that aren't productive or work against your goals. Such as cleaning your office during normal business hours. Wasting time and energy on projects that produce small or no results. This list is as important as #1 above.

#3-Follow-up! It's important to keep your client abreast of the status of their order. If it is supposed to ship on Monday. Contact them on Monday afternoon and let them know it did with the expected arrival date and tracking number. Within 1-2 days of it's arrival contact your client and confirm that it was received and that they are happy with it. If they aren't do what it takes to fix the problem. Ensuring their satisfaction keeps them as your client! Fall in love with your clients and they will fall in love with you.

#4-Motivate your TEAM! Make sure your employees are on the same team. Getting them to buy into your vision is the only way your company can survive. Your employees are the only people who are more important than your customers. Take time to recognize the employees who make a difference to your company. Reward them. Up their benefit package, give them a bonus, a gift, an extra day off. So many possibilites that don't have to break the bank.

Implement these ideas a little and you will gain a little, implement them a lot and you will gain a lot. If you decide not to implement them at all you will get nothing.

Happy promoting,
Shana Anderson
Complete Workplace, Inc.
Promoting your business is our business!
www.CompleteWorkplace.com

Prospecting in a down economy

How do you successfully prospect in a down economy where every penny you spend has to count? Clear, concise, targeted marketing and spend your resources wisely.

In today's world you must build relationships. It's not good enough to mass market and hope someone steps forward. You must plan your work and work your plan.

Step #1. Who is your target audience? Define them. Who are they, what are their interests, how can you get their attention? Narrow down your target audience by location, industry, company size, etc. The best way to do this is to analyze your top existing clients and find out what they have in common. Then go after them.

Step #2. What is their biggest problem and how can you solve it? To figure this out you must think like them. What keeps them up at night? What problem do they have that wastes their time and money? Don't know? Ask them face-to-face or in a survey. What motivates them to make a buying decision? Remember, prospects never care about you or your company they only care about what you can do for them. When they see that you can provide solutions to their problems they will seek you out!

Step #3. What can you give away that has real value to your prospect? It doesn't have to be expensive. It is the perceived value that matters. In fact make sure it is low cost to implement, but has a high perceived value. The give away must be relevant to the prospect and must address their pain. What not to give away: a sales pitch, Free/discontinued products and services with lots of fine print and restrictions, etc. This will work against you. Remember at this stage they don't know who you are and if they get a bad taste in their mouth, they will turn and run, never looking back. The goal is to let the prospect get a taste of what you can do for them without giving it all away. When you genuinely care about your prospects well-being this comes through in everything you do and the relationship will start to be built. Focus on your prospects lifetime value not on the quick sale.

4. Stay in contact! Every month that you don't contact your clients you lose 10% of your influence. There are so many ways to stay in contact. A newsletter, e-mail, newpaper/magazine clipping saying "I say this and thought you might enjoy this article", cards (B-day, Thank you, etc.). The point is that it only takes a minute to do these and it means alot to your new client.

In summary, always give prospects more than they expect (service, value, time, energy, content, etc.). It will cost you a lot less than traditional advertising and will increase your profits dramatically.

If you would like some ideas that would help you get your foot in the door with your prospects please contact me. I would love to help you.

Wishing you success in your business,

Shana Anderson

Complete Workplace, Inc.

http://www.completeworkplace.com/