You have most likely heard the adage, “It costs less to retain a customer than it does to replace a customer.” Yet, after a thousand phone inquiries I’m still waiting to hear, “We need help with a retention program.” Have you calculated your customer retention ratio? Depending on your industry, it costs three to 10 times as much to replace …
Done right, PR can be an effective promotional tool
One of the most powerful and credible ways to promote your company can also be the least expensive. Done right, public relations can generate awareness, improve your public image and stimulate sales. But first, you have to get covered. Before you get started, it’s important to understand the function of public relations. It is used to either manage a crisis …
How to Integrate Social Media to Your Marketing Plan
Part 5 of a 5 part series
Social media marketing is like planting a garden…it doesn’t bear fruit immediately. You have to sow the seeds and cultivate the garden for an extended period before reaping the harvest.
How to Integrate Social Media to Your Marketing Plan
Part 4 of a 5 part series
Step 3 – Create your content. The key difference between outbound and inbound marketing is, outbound involves selling and talking; inbound, specifically social media, entails sharing and listening. If you use social media to blatantly sell, you’ll lose your connections, fans and followers. The key to engaging content is it must be compelling and captivating. Based on your market’s interests, …
A 12-step program for marketers in denial
It seems like there is a 12-step program that addresses every conceivable ill. Following is a 12-stepper for owners and manager suffering from any affliction causing problems in their marketing. Before we go any further, you first must admit that you have a problem. “Hi, my name is Andrew, and I’m a myopic marketer.” There…that wasn’t so hard. Let’s face …
Reverse engineer sales and marketing to move inventory
By Andrew Ballard Growth Strategies One of my pet peeves is the term “sales and marketing” because it is a misnomer. It doesn’t matter whether you sell a product or a service, reverse-engineering the “sales and marketing” process can significantly increase your sales revenue. Before illustrating my point, I’ll give you my definitions of “sales” and “marketing”: Sales is the …
How to Integrate Social Media to Your Marketing Plan
Part 3 of a 5 part series
Step 2 – Integrate your tactics. Begin this step by reviewing the objectives (what you want to accomplish) and strategies (how you position and promote your brand) in your marketing plan. Then brainstorm how you can align social media tactics to your existing marketing. A simple exercise is create a two column flip chart with all of your current marketing …
An effective elevator pitch can escalate sales
by Andrew Ballard It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in, an effective elevator pitch can lead to new sales opportunities. Many claim to use this technique to stimulate a sales conversation, yet few actually make the transition from pitch to profit. Let’s examine a few elevator principles. An elevator pitch is that intriguing sound bite intended to peak …
How to Integrate Social Media to Your Marketing Plan
Part 2 of a 5 part series
Step 1 – Choose the best channels. There are literally thousands of social media outlets (most are niche networks). For Business-to-Business (B2B) companies, LinkedIn and blogging are the most effective. For Business-to-Consumer (B2C), Facebook and Twitter are preferable. In a recent study conducted by B2B Magazine the “big three” social media channels being used by business are LinkedIn (72%), Facebook …
How to Integrate Social Media to Your Marketing Plan
Part 1 of a five part series
An increasingly popular growth strategy is to engage in social media marketing. For many businesses, there is confusion on how to do so effectively. The most common complaint I hear is “I don’t have the resources or knowledge to do social media.” Fueling that complaint is the belief that social media is an isolated marketing tactic…it’s not! Your social media …