Thou Shalt Market: The Ten Commandments of Marketing

Written by Jay Lipe


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Thou Shalt Not Cut Marketing Spending During Slow Times From 1980 to 1985, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies and their marketing spending. After 1985, McGraw-Hill concluded that those firms which had maintained or increased their advertising duringrepparttar recession in ’81-’82 boasted an average sales growth of 275% overrepparttar 120341 next five years. But those companies who cut their advertising saw paltry sales growth overrepparttar 120342 next five years of just 19%. When isrepparttar 120343 right time to market your business? Allrepparttar 120344 time.

Thou Shalt Honor Exiting Employees I once had a travel industry client run a report that showed where their new referrals came from. The second highest category was ex-employees. It turns out vacation shoppers were asking these ex-employees where they could book a Vegas package just likerepparttar 120345 neighbor’s they’d heard about, andrepparttar 120346 ex-employees were referring them back to their old employer. When you treat your departing employees with a dose of good will, they may just turn into your unpaid sales force and refer business your way.

Thou Shalt Thank Often Sadly, we live in an age of boorishness. But a savvy marketer can do his part to bring civility into an otherwise uncivilized world. Amongrepparttar 120347 countless ways to thank customers are thank you notes, gift certificates and appreciation lunches to name just a few. These thank you’s don’t have to be showy. Just make surerepparttar 120348 thank you is classy and considerate, andrepparttar 120349 kindness will eventually be repaid.

Sure, we all break these commandments from time to time and end up seeking forgiveness. But if you consistently break these Ten Commandments of Marketing, you risk an exodus-a customer exodus.



About the author Jay Lipe, CEO of EmergeMarketing.com and the author of The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses (Chammerson Press), is a small business marketing expert who helps companies grow faster. He can be reached at lipe@emergemarketing.com or (612) 824-4833.


The Top 10 Marketing Tools to Grow Your Business in 2004

Written by Jay Lipe


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#5 Key messages Remember back in English class how we were taught to write down a paper’s thesis before we wroterepparttar paper? This thesis statement wasrepparttar 120340 argument you wanted to assert-the central point ofrepparttar 120341 paper. Think of your company’s key messages asrepparttar 120342 thesis statements for your marketing. The next time you have to write copy for your brochure or website, identifyrepparttar 120343 three most important things that distinguish your company fromrepparttar 120344 rest. Then, write your copy so that these three ideas come through loud and clear.

#4 Results-oriented metrics Can you imagine a doctor examining a patient without a thermometer? Yet this is precisely how many growing businesses approach their marketing analytics. Without metrics to trackrepparttar 120345 effectiveness of your marketing efforts, decisions are just…guesses. Develop two or three key metrics (i.e. # of new leads per month, cost per inquiry, or sales calls per month) that measurerepparttar 120346 true health of your business’ marketing.

#3 Ongoing customer communication Your customers have invested a lot in your company already; time, money and emotional energy to name just a few. Keep in frequent touch with them and they’ll shower your business with repeat purchases, referrals and positive word-of-mouth. Use catch-up phone calls, email blasts or personalized letters to keep customers abreast of new products, promotions or just plain news.

#2 A marketing plan The cornerstone to any successful marketing effort is a marketing plan. A good one laysrepparttar 120347 groundwork for action by coveringrepparttar 120348 “whys” behind each task. It also helps break down a seemingly daunting effort into a series of more manageable chunks. And whenrepparttar 120349 phones stop ringing, it gives you something to go back to. You’ll never again ask “What should we do now?”

#1 A process for implementing your plan Developing a marketing plan is only halfrepparttar 120350 battle. Without a concerted effort to implementrepparttar 120351 plan, your marketing effort will fail. To avoid this common marketing mistake, use weekly project updates and quarterly checkpoint meetings to ensure your plan is successfully implemented. Don’t forget that proper implementation also hinges on havingrepparttar 120352 right person in place. Who is this person? In three words-a project manager. Without a deadline driven, nuts-and-bolts type atrepparttar 120353 helm of your roll out, you’ll drift like a rudderless ship.



Jay B. Lipe is the author of The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses, available at major bookstores and online at www.amazon.com. He is also the CEO of Emerge Marketing (www.emergemarketing.com, a firm devoted to helping small business owners improve their marketing. He can be reached at lipe@emergemarketing.com or (612) 824-4833.


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