And that’s not all! What Marketers Can Learn From Billy Mays?

Late night infomercials lost one of their star voices this week with the death of Billy Mays, the memorable pitchman for products like OxyClean and OrangeGlo. With his trademark catch phrases, memorable voice and loud enthusiasm, Billy was a master marketer. So, in honor of his passing, here are some lessons all marketers can borrow from Billy.

Hi! Billy Mays here -- Be excited about what you have to offer and catch the audience’s attention

Hard water deposits, soap scum, calcium and rust, not a problem -- Show consumers what your product can do for them

Unlike other products – Show what’s wrong with the competition’s products

I’m not done yet – Bundle products to offer complete solutions and add value

Call now and I’ll throw in – Create a sense of urgency and ask for the sale

Now that’s the power -- Have passion for your product and say it with style and enthusiasm

Want to see how the master pitchman does it? Watch a collection of Billy’s best infomercials from infomercialaddict.com at http://tinyurl.com/n8bo5f.

Fulfillment Power: Using collateral for sales

It never ceases to amaze me just how many businesses forget to leverage their fulfillment package, whether it’s print or electronic, to help bond with customers and gain continued sales.

Here’s my viewpoint:

I’ve just ordered a widget. I can’t wait for it to come. I’m soooo excited. Finally, that nice brown box comes in the mail and anticipation builds up. I open the box and see…

…a packing slip and my widget.

Just like Debbie Downer on Saturday Night Live…"whaa, whaa, whaaaaa."

Wow, talk about letting the air out of my excitment balloon.

Now, what I would have liked to see and actually expected to see (maybe it’s because of my direct marketing background) would have been a nice, warm and fuzzy "thank you" or "welcome letter." Something from someone of importance…the CEO, the Director of Client Services, whomever. And a simple, personable note letting me know they appreciate my purchase and my continued business.

What’s also nice is getting a special new customer appreciation offer, such as a special discount or coupon certificate or code to use online. I’d also like if the widget company threw in a catalog of all their widgets. Since I’ve ordered one, I may need to order again and they’d be right there to help me out.

Doesn’t that just make good business sense?

Here are some simple ideas, when applicable, for print and electronic fulfillment that helps encourage sales and customer lifetime value:

1. Personal Welcome or Thank You letter
2. Catalog (whether it’s for newsletters, products, or services. It could highlight all products OR current top sellers).
3. Cross-marketing flyer (a flyer highlighting a current hot product OR a natural, synergistic up-sell from the product ordered).
4. Coupon or special discount offer (or if electronic, coupon/promo code for online ordering).
5. Free sample (Women may remember Avon used to include tiny little lipsticks or perfume with their order. This approach is similar, could be a small, economy/sample size product OR bonus report or download access. Customers love, love, love freebies!).
6. Renewal (in publishing, this is called "renewal at birth". If you’re selling a subscription service, include a renewal order form with your first issue).
7. Friends and family savings (another coupon for customer to pass on to friends or family. This encourages viral/word of mouth marketing).
8. Packing slip with product return label/instructions

As most marketers know, the first 0-30 days is when a client is red hot. Don’t leave them cold. Leverage this time frame with your correspondence and turn your fulfillment pieces into another way to monetize sales and relationship build with your customers.

It's about the preparation...

Greetings and Happy Friday!

This week, I had the pleasure of taking my son to a showcase baseball camp in Omaha, NE. The camp was for 96 invited and selected student athletes from ages 15-17. He was one of 8 athletes that were 15 and the rest were 16 and 17.

We also had the opportunity to attend the College World Series games between Texas and LSU. What an amazing experience.... even with the 112 degree heat index!

As I watched the showcase camp of up and coming baseball players and also what were arguably the two best college baseball teams, I noticed striking similarities.

The warm-ups drills....the same
The time need to warm-up...the same
The coaching slots...the same
The positions....obviously the same

What was different? Their approach and preparation!

The college athletes did everything with a single purpose...get better and win the game. Passion. Yes. Focus. Yes. but both teams had it....the difference between everyone was preparation and then ultimately the execution.

The college athletes did everything with a purpose and they realized that "how" they practiced is how they play...and warm-ups and practice is the perfect place to practice the perfect execution and not just at game time.

So, my story for today....make sure you prepare EVERY day like it is the world series...when you finally get to the "game" (or have a customer come in) you and the entire team are ready for flawless execution, based on every one's perfect preparation!

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

The Future of the Season Brochure

For decades now, the most revered communications tool of most performing arts organizations has been the season/subscription brochure. We spend weeks if not months toiling over copy, getting images, crafting pitches, working with designers, going to press checks and coordinating with mail houses. Once finished, it is the holy grail of marketing collateral for the rest of the year -- the piece that we take to conferences, show our donors, give away at outreach events and mail to everyone we think has even heard of our organization. And for years, this strategy has been virtually untouched, even while the world around us has changed rapidly. Isn't it time we question whether or not there is a better way?

My biggest problem with season brochures is that we try to pack into one piece messages for all of our separate target audiences: full season buyers, partial season buyers, single ticket buyers, annual fund donors, capital campaign donors, genre specific audiences, etc. For example, a partial season subscriber who prefers musicals and gives at a $50 level each year will receive the same brochure as a full season buyer who prefers serious dramas and gives at the $1,000 level each year. Each target audience looks for different things in our organizations, and we should customize our communications to each group.

Recent advances in printing technology and online communications have made customizable communications much more affordable, but most of us, fearing change to our detriment, still print tens of thousands of one brochure and mail them to all of our target audiences over and over again until those list segments stop producing.

The way we talk to renewing subscribers vs. new subscribers, multi-buyers vs. single buyers, musical lovers vs. drama lovers, and donors vs. non-donors should be different. So why are we addicted to the season brochure? is it our love for crafting one primary brand-driven piece that we can roll out like a turkey at Thanksgiving dinner?

This year Arena Stage has experimented with ordering significantly fewer primary subscription brochures, and then augmenting our direct mail campaigns with five targeted mini acquisition brochures for some of our larger audience segments: musical lovers, drama lovers, locality buyers (we have venues in Virginia and DC), event driven purchasers and our African-American patrons. Each group has a specific relationship with Arena Stage, and should be communicated to in a tailored fashion. I have even heard of colleagues at different organizations creating customizable online brochures for different target audiences.

Communicating to the masses with one overall brochure packed with several different messages is a way of the past. I still foresee the use of a season brochure as a branding piece, but as a sales piece, I believe there are better options out there. The proof will be in the pudding as they say, and as we get the results in for our targeted mailings, I will share them.

Website: Online Brochure or Resource?

As online, email, and social media are becoming increasingly popular by the second, more people that ever are being directed to your website.  What impression does your website portray of your financial institution?  Are you managing your visitors' online experience?  It’s time to take a second look at your website in the eyes of your visitors.

Here are a few questions to determine if you are effectively communicating to your visitors and making your website a resource to them.

10 Website Audit Questions:

1.    What is the immediate impression perceived from reading the home page?

2.    Does the visitor determine which product(s) best suits them or are they directed to the best-suited product(s) for them?

3.    Are product features communicated as relevant consumer benefits or described in financial lingo and acronyms?

4.    Is relevant timely information on financial topics available?

5.    Is up-to-date information about the financial institution available?

6.    Are easy-to-use financial tools readily available? (i.e. Budget Planning Tool, Home Affordability Tool, Home Inspection Checklist, Financial Calculators, etc.)

7.    Do the financial tools have a "next step" that directs them to an employee?

8.    Are the appropriate features in place to contact an employee by email, phone, or online submission form?

9.    Why would you revisit this website?

10. What is the final impression after leaving the website?

Creating an online experience instead of an online brochure can ultimately exceed consumer expectations, encourage interaction, and increase return visits to your website. In the virtual world we only have a few seconds to make an impression – let’s make it a great one and WOW our website visitors!

Good Luck! 

Jamie

Tweeting for Leads: Building your Twitter Presence

Unless you’ve been in a cave the last year or so, you’ve likely heard of Twitter.

Twitter, or "Tweeting", is a way to connect with like-minded people by broadcasting short, headline oriented messages into the Twittospher. Then, those interested in what you have to say and want to hear more will "follow" you.

Twitter is a great outlet for information as well as a way to promote your business, newsletter or blog and build your prospect database. Many companies, publishers, entrepreneurs and others have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon to leverage this hot social networking outlet. But unless you’re a celebrity or someone that already has universal name recognition … and groupies … getting individuals to opt in and "follow" your messages could be challenging.

So here are some tips to start building your presence on Twitter:

1. Promote the heck out of your Twitter URL (http://twitter.com/youraccountname). Remember, at this point, if you don’t have a notable name and a built-in audience the goal is to drive targeted traffic to your Twitter home page so people can follow you. Remember to include your Twitter link in your emails (as an autosignature). Cross-market it in your newsletters and other correspondence. Mention it in your bio, bylines or editorial notes (whether you’re a public speaker, on your PowerPoint slides, in press releases, article directory postings – virtually any place your name is). Link to it on other social networking sites from your Linked In, Facebook, and MySpace accounts. Add it at the closing in all your business proposals. Have it printed on your business cards. And of course, have it some where prominent on your website or blog. The mention is simple, "Follow me on http://twitter.com/youraccountname."
   
2. Make sure you have a keyword rich and relevant Twitter bio so the right people can read about you and follow you. Text is limited, so pick your descriptive keywords carefully.
   
3. As far as content, keep your Tweets frequent, useful, relevant and entertaining. Don’t just spam messages. It’s transparent and will have a negative effect. Make people want to hear from you. Your headlines should be engaging and provoking, linking to the full article on your website or blog.
   
4. Follow the right people yourself. Many Tweeters have the mentality, you follow me, I’ll follow you … it’s reciprocated. So as you’re following other like minded individuals to expand your interest and knowledge base, they’ll typically return the favor and follow you, thereby helping you build your presence.

You'll see, with a combination of the above and a little time, you'll build your Twitter following. My clients have been implementing these tips and are enjoying steady growth on Twitter.

Oh, and by the way, I too just started Tweeting...you can follow me at http://twitter.com/PrecisionMktg !

Happy Tweeting!

The Death of the Postal Service???

Good morning...

It's Monday. The 1st day of the week and the day when most bills arrive at your home or office. I read an interesting article today (http://tinyurl.com/kuvy7p) about the pending "death" of the US Postal Service

Sound familiar?

In the past decade, people have called for the "death" of paper money, checks, the branch, and banking in general. This all reminds me of the famous announcement of Mark Twain's demise, that was premature.

Today, there are more bank branches than ever before, banking is evolving and changing...while it is true that the number of checks written has fallen precipitously, they are still being written.

So, is the post office dead? I think not. Perhaps it's current status and structure is surely dead, but as a process, certainly not.

We have much to learn about people and process...people always win out. Banking is still a relationship business and the post service is still about creating a written connection between people. That will evolve but not die! Banking still uses and needs the written word to connect to our customers and direct mail (in its many formats) will be a part of that for a long time....Twitter, Facebook, texting, etc. will continue to evolve and grow, too, but the written word on printed paper will survive. Sounds like a history speaking, doesn't it??

Here's to capitalizing on the changes and putting the written word together with our customers for a long time!

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

Affiliate Marketing Must Have's

Affiliate marketing has been a viable way to help build anciallary revenues by having someone else marke your products.

You can go about this through affiliate networks, such as Commission Junction or LinkShare, or simply start an affiliate program on your site and track with affiliate software like DirectTrack.

But before you start, make sure you know the critical elements to help grow your program:

1) Promotion. This is where you're promoting your program on targeted locations as well as recruiting affiliates to market your program. You'll want to make sure you list your program on all the top affiliate directories, networks, forums, associations, bulletin boards, websites, listings and blogs. You'll also want to leverage free classified sites such as Craig's List as well as social media sites like LinkedIn. And of course, don't forget to create a powerful news release on the program's launch.

2) Site Awareness. It will be hard to promote your program to a site that doesn't have a decent traffic rank or web traffic. If your site has poor traffic, a professional affiliate marketer will look at it as a lost opportunity. It will only make his job harder.

3) Online Store. Make sure you know which are your best selling and most universally appealing products. Those are the ones you'd want to have in your affiliate program. You should also have varied price points. You don't want to pick prices too low, as after the affiliate split, there won't be anything left. And you don't want to pick prices too high, as since most of these leads are cold, it will be a harder sell. A good range is $69 - $300.

4) Affiliate Rewards. Decide if you're going to pay out per lead (CPL) or per sale. Decide if you're going to have a flat commission rate OR a tiered system. Do your competitive research and see what other, similar affiliate programs are paying out. Some of the best performing programs on the Web are offering 25% of the product price.

5) Analytics. Make sure you have a robust reporting system. You'll want the ability to track underperformers and super affiliates, and reward OR incent accordingly. You'll also want to know which creatives are performing the best and worst, and of course, how many sales and leads are coming in as well as how long the lead is staying on the file and their life time value (sales).

6) Keeping In Touch. Top affiliate programs often have a newsletter or ongoing communication to keep their affiliates engaged...up to date on latest products being offered, special sales incentives, updates to program terms, and other newsworthy notes.

Affiliate marketing can help with most all of your online marketing objectives ... lead gen, sales conversions, web traffic, branding and buzz. Not having one could be detrimental to your business.

If you need assistance with your affiliate marketing plan, visit http://www.precisionmarketingmedia.com/.

New Online Competition

If your institution provides small business loans, have you heard of Kiva yet?  If not, it's worth a look at kiva.org.  

This non-profit organization, founded in 2005 to help entrepreneurs over seas, launched today to help lend money to needy US small businesses.  To date, Kiva has half a million lenders from more than 185 countries who have lent more than $75 billion with a 98.35% rate of repayment - according to the company.

Any average Joe can lend the small business of their choosing as little as $25.

It's truly "people helping people" - sound familiar credit unions?

Sure, these are loans that the Wachovias, Wells Fargos and Bank of Americas won't touch.  But to community banks and credit unions who rely on local mom-and-pops, we should keep an eye on this.

Take care,

Eric

A WOW Experience.....

Good Monday morning...and a great day it is!

This past week, I was in Florida and had the occasion to visit a Publix grocery store. For those that have never visited...it is worth a trip south to visit a store. EVERY Publix I have ever been to has the same characteristics-- the same customer experience:

• Very bright and cheery
• Staff at every turn offering help
• Easy to navigate stores
• Helpful signage and information
• A broad selection

Now....most stores can lay claim to the same items...however, as with all banks and credit unions, the true difference lies with the execution and the staff!

My most recent experience is a capstone class in empowering staff and delivering the customer experience. My request was pretty simple...but I was still wowed! I went to the deli department and asked for three items (1 1/2 pounds each of two deli meats and one cheese). Instead of making me wait (with my children) the most helpful clerk asked me if it was OK, if I went ahead and shopped and she would have it ready for me, when I was ready--- remember, she asked ME if it was OK!

About 5 minutes passed and I was tapped on the shoulder 3 or 4 aisles over from the Deli. It was the deli clerk! She said,"I have your items ready for you and to make it easier, I went ahead and thought I would find you." She found ME in the store. Now, that is service....beyond expectation.

The lesson is simple. Empower your people. Tell them the basics...make the customer happy (and that does NOT mean lower prices, cut rates, etc....the meats I bought were MORE expensive than the sale items)...it means truly understanding HOW we can help a customer with three basic needs...save time, make time or make money!

Is your staff ready? Are they WILLING and ABLE?

Take a look around....

Cheers!

Bruce Clapp

SEO for PDFs...here's what you need to know!

There's a misconception out there that search engines don't read (spider) PDFs.

They do. Of course, HTML pages are faster to index than a PDF, but they can be indexed. The trick is to know how to set up the PDF to make sure you get maximum pick up by the search engines.

Here are the top 5 tips to help make sure your PDFs on your website are optimized for search engines...

1. Make sure each PDF file is text based and has the correct document properties set up. When the search engines spider a PDF, they extrapolate the text from the information fields within the PDF ... so it's critical what meta data and keywords you have in these fields. The important fileds are: author, document title, description, file size and modificaiton date.
2. Remember to tag the PDF and use anchor text and links within the file. Just as SEO best practices tells us for a website, this method is also viable for PDFs. In addition, make sure your links are not burried deep within the PDF file. Have them at the root level ... easy to find for search engines.
3. If you have a large PDF file, consider breaking it into smaller relevant groups, sections, chapters, etc. These sections should be tagged accordingly with accurate, relevant keywords. This is not only reader friendly for humans, but also for search engines, since as I mentioned, it takes longer to spider a PDF than HTML.
4. Check the PDF file format version number and make sure it's readble by search engines. Typically, the version to use is Acrobat 5/Adobe XMP (PDF V. 1.4 or 1.5).
5. Finally, make sure the reading order in your PDF is logical and flows. Again, this is user friendly for humans and search engines. However, your reading order, for a search engine perspective, will give you an idea of what will be displayed in organic search results. To do this, when your PDF is open, select Advanced-Accessibility-Add Tags to Document. Then select Advanced-Accessibility-Touch Up Reading Order. After you do this, the reading order of the PDF will be displayed.

So if you have PDFs on your site already, it's a good idea to review them to make sure they were originally set up correctly for search engines.

Don't let your PDF content get overlooked ... optimize it today!

What's A Nursery Have To Do With Financial Education?

Actually, not much (well, maybe a little).

However, I made my annual spring visit to my local nursery to beautify my property and provide an expensive meal for the marauding deer that wreak havoc on anything I try to plant.  Anytime I buy something at this nursery I am treated to an unrehearsed tutorial on everything I could possibly want to know about the care, feeding and nurturing of the deer food I'm about to plant.  On the drive home I suddenly realized that I get more of an education from my nursery store than I ever received from my bank in the last 20 years.  Something's wrong with that picture.

Considering the financial quagmire we continue to be engulfed by, where many people are afraid of any type of investment, why aren't banks falling over each other to provide free financial education to both retail and business customers and prospects on the merits of prudent financial habits?  Instead of gathering dust after 3:00 pm, why aren't more bank branches teeming with people listening to bankers educating them on everything from commodity products to saving for college, retirement and everything else in between?  Why aren't bank websites, which tend to look like electronic product brochures, carrying more financial education so that people feel like they have some of the necessary information to make sound decisions on where to put their hard-earned money?

It seems like we have been talking about this forever.  But now is the time for more action.  The customer or prospect that we work hard to educate today may just be the long-term customers that we all need to remain viable and prosperous tomorrow.

Nick Vaglio, CFMP

What have you done today?

I heard a radio ad yesterday that was profound in its simplicity.  The ad simply asked:

"What have you done for your marriage today?"

Wow ... it really makes you think.

Today's posting is simple ...

"What have you done for your brand today?"

It's important not to forget that we need to nurture our brand (and our marriage) every day.

Take care,

Eric