Print is Not Dead

Newspapers, magazines, brochures, and catalogs are not dead. It's true that cable television and the Internet has redirected millions of dollars away from traditional marketing, but there are very few times I can remember that the later have been totally abandoned.

Catalogs, especially, have come to mind recently with my home mailbox already becoming crowded with Christmas catalogs. From toys to clothing, to baskets of cheese, it's all there.

Many of our clients have catalogs since they've been with us for years and are used to doing business with a bundle of catalogs cradled under the arms of their sales force.

When approached with the question "Should we stop printing the catalog?", we like to test market a small section of the catalog online. More often than not, there will be some resistance from our clients' customers - "Why did you do that?", "Should I throw my catalog away?", and the ever-popular "Now I have to print out the catalog off of my printer."

I like to judge success by comparing the average sales order for both mediums during a certain time period. For our business-to-business customers, catalogs usually do better and the business-to-consumer customers find that online ordering is more popular. Are there exceptions? Absolutely. Test and test again to find out what works best for your business.

Most important, make sure your catalog is Internet compatible and vice-versa. When designing a new catalog, take advantage of the latest techniques that make catalog upload easy, and maybe interactive.

As the marketplace continues to change, customers are looking for the easiest way to buy. The question to ask yourself is this... "In my industry, are customers more apt to boot up the computer or thumb through a catalog to find how much my product costs?

Doing a Little House Cleaning

Received a wonderful call from a gentleman who runs a cleaning company. He asked for some ideas to boost his business other than expensive Yellow Page advertising. In a matter of a half hour the following recommendations were made. Which ones will work and which ones won't? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

1. Door Hangars - Can be used two different ways. The first being a “calling card” to neighbors that you are providing a service in their neighborhood or as a general solicitation to canvas areas that you do not currently service.
2. Website - Probably the most important marketing tool a business can have in today’s “on-line” world. I’d like to see a nice home page and five inside pages.
3. Referral Program - Institute a referral program that could offer a direct incentive such as a Home Depot gift card or a discount off of a future cleaning.
4. Brochure - A simple six-page tri-fold brochure (3.5”x8.5”) should describe the benefits of your service
5. Yard Signs - It’s imperative that neighbors realize that you are providing a service in their area. There are two versions that might work well. The first being a permanent sign, i.e., ADT, Brinks, or a temporary sign that is placed in the yard while the home is being cleaned and removed when the cleaner is finished. Customers may be offered a one-time discount to keep the permanent sign in their yard.
6. Direct Mail - Design a postcard that can be targeted and mailed to neighbors within a certain radius of an existing customer.

Business Search Engine Trends

Our office is buzzing with the news that our Philadelphia Phillies have won the 2008 World Series. Pitching rotations, infielding skill, and managerial moves have highlighted the conversations. Some have even arrived in team jerseys and red colored shirts.

I jumped on Google to confirm my hunch that many people we're searching for information about our beloved baseball team. I was right. Out of the Top 100 there were about 20 listings for Phillies, Philadelphia, team clothing, and Philly baseball. The #1 search term was "Mambo Cologne" and the last was "Phinally" (the Philadelphia way to now spell anything that begins with the "f" sound.) P.S. I don't know what Mambo cologne is...

Surprisingly, out of the Top 100 I quickly scanned, there were less than three entries that were business related. Most were about celebrities I'm assuming are pop culture icons, the presidential election, and web-related sites.

Maybe it's time for www.business.com to take seriously the web address they paid millions for many years ago. It looks like a glorified paid-per-click site. Until then business owners will have to utilize the "majors" such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN and dig deep into search results to find the best match to their business inquiries.

Product Tie-In

Our agency is located midway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. Right now we're in the throws of a potential World Series championship. If you are reading this today, October 27, 2008, there's a really good chance that the Philadelphia Phillies will be the champs come 11pm tonight.

Many brilliant business owners have capitalized on the buzz of the World Series. I am amazed at the creativity, and from a marketers point of view, their business ingenuity. Our local Fox news station has jumped on the bandwagon and at every telecast we see bakers who are selling Phillies' red cupcakes, office workers who are all dressed in red, and cheesesteak stands who have colored the orange/yellow Cheese Whiz to a bright blood red. I also enjoy the politicians who get in on the publicity bonanza... "if we lose we'll send you Philadelphia soft pretzels and if we win you'll send us Cuban sandwiches."

How can your business earn some valuable publicity with sports, holidays, and other cultural events that appeal to the masses? Here's a tip... the more bizarre, the better. Do you know of a unique way to cook a turkey? Does someone at your office look like one of the presidential candidates? Is there a special way you can tie-in your product with the Super Bowl XLIII? It will take place in Tampa, Fl., on February 1, 2009. The official blue and green logo represents the blue waterways and green landscape of the Sunshine state. The tagline is "Believe in Now". I can see many tie-ins already!

Go Phillies!

Create Some Buzz With A Poll

This year's presidential election is a good example on how to quickly generate publicity. All you need to do is create a poll/survey for your industry and submit the results to your industry's trade publications.

If I was a builder I would survey customers on what amenities they just can't do without. If I was a painter I would find out what colors are popular this season. If I was a private school I would survey parents and ask them what determined their decision to send their children to a private school. If I was a restaurant I would create a list of the most popular drinks ordered at the bar. The list is endless.

Editors love polls and surveys because they can be modified to fit any space they have available, i.e., if you send a Top Ten list and the editor only has room for a Top Five list, he can cut your submission to fit.

What survey can you take this month to generate some publicity for your company?

Frozen By Fear

Small business owners and entrepreneurs alike are afraid to do anything with either their businesses or "multi-million dollar" ideas with the economy being so unstable. But if there's anything that you should do right now is... something. Maybe it's not a good time to roll-out that new product line, or the timing isn't right to begin the infrastructure on your 20-lot subdivision, or you don't feel comfortable unveiling the most expensive item in your product line. But if there's one thing you should do with each of these projects is, as I've said above, is something. Why not do a small roll-out of the new product line to a very select group of customers? Maybe re-bid some of the subcontractor work for the subdivision to try to get better pricing. Is there a way to reduce the production costs of that expensive item? Now's the perfect time to sharpen pencils, incorporate Six Sigma (becoming more efficient), and tweaking plans to lower costs.

And even though these are difficult times, it's a wonderful time for entrepreneurs. If you can think of a better, faster, or unique way of doing business then people are going to flock to your doors. Still scared to do something? Why not work on the business plan? Form a networking group and invite members to share in the risk of your idea. Register the domain name of your new venture. As in the Nike vein...Just Do It.

What am I doing now? I'm making contact with old clients, reading efficiency blogs, soliciting new prospects, and taking some risks with small-scale promotions. It's working. I'm getting in front of decision makers and they're working me into their budgets for 2009.

Be Careful With Coupons and Discounts

Due to the tough economic times many businesses are trying to jump-start business by offering steep discounts and high percentage-off coupons. Be careful! Once you discount your product or service customers will expect these lower prices all the time.

You shouldn't get in the habit of sending out coupons on a regular basis, especially if you offer a premium product or service. I like to take the approach that if the customer asks for a discount I might entertain the request. I would never, though, make a broadcast offer. GMC is a good example. A while ago they were promoting "employee pricing" to boost auto sales, and lo and behold, when shopping for a new ride recently I overheard a customer ask for the discount even though the promotion was long gone. An argument ensued and the customer left shouting, "I'll come back when the discount is offered again!"

Am I saying that coupons and discounts do not have their place? They do. I look forward to my Harbor Freight coupon circular every couple of weeks and won't go shopping there unless I have coupon in-hand. Couponing is good here because the tools Harbor Freight sells are something I don't really need. I might be convinced to buy if the offer is enticing enough but I am never going to be a loyal Harbor Freight customer. I am only going to shop on price. If you think your business can survive on that kind of customer mentality then coupons and discounts are the way to go. Otherwise, you had better be selling value and charging what you are truly worth.

Drastic times do cause for drastic measures, but giving away your product or service at cut-rate prices may linger around a lot longer than you really want or anticipated.