Feeling marooned, without a compass? Here's your 2012 marketing map!

It often happens that I’m invited to meet up with a friend or business colleague for coffee or lunch at a restaurant I haven’t been before. In order to make sure that I arrive on time and with as little stress as possible, I usually go online for a map and directions. As a backup, I have GPS in the car if needed. And that’s just to make sure that one little meeting goes well.

If you don’t have a marketing map for 2012, you’ll be arriving ‘late’ to many opportunities and missing dozens of others. If you don’t want to keep driving your business around in circles, hoping to arrive at your desired destination by luck, you need to get directions and follow them! You can start with the 2012 Marketing Calendar for small business or for salon and spa, or use 365 Days of Marketing to build a plan to use all of the marketing channels available to you – from traditional marketing to cooperative partnerships, social media, events, etc. – in order to get things moving in the direction you want them to go.

Excerpt, ideas from 365 Days of Marketing
November 6 is ‘Marooned Without a Compass Day’

The last thing you want is for your customers to be “marooned without a compass” while at your business, unable to find what they need:

• Be sure in-store signage is up to date.
• Create directory signs to be placed at eye level at the ends of aisles.
• Create signage to help customers choose the right products to use at home.
• Create signage and scrips for emails, social media, etc., that suggests products for home use as well as provides them with "You might also like..." add-on ideas.
• Make specific gift suggestions; tell customers what products make great gifts, and for whom they would make the best gifts.
• Create a floor map directory noting the route to the offices, departments, rest rooms, reception or other areas that visitors to your building most commonly visit. Post it in your entry, reception desk or waiting room, give copies to first-time guests, post it on your website or include it in an annual e-mail newsletter.

It’s only natural that from time to time you will need to reorganize or renovate:

• Draw up a new floor map following any remodel, renovation or re-organization project to e-mail and/or direct mail to customers and prospects, or one that can be handed to customers at the door or utilized at an open house event.
• Use this opportunity to draw attention to new products or services and hold an open house with door prize drawings, contests, entertainment and refreshments as well as product demonstrations, professional consultations and product sampling.

Educate customers as to products or services—solutions—you provide that they may not have been previously aware of, or which they may not have needed previously (but do now):

• Throughout the year, use your communications channels and events to put the spotlight on various products, services, departments, specialists, etc.
• Use your e-mail newsletter, blog, Facebook and other social media and your website to introduce new employees, products or services to your customers as soon as possible.
• Pair new items in promotions with best-sellers and clearly define their benefits in messaging across all of your communications channels.
• Create time-limited promotions to help fill appointments books for new employees or to support the launch of new products.

Create a formal mentoring or apprenticeship program within your business for your own employees, local students, adults in need of vocational training, etc. Help subsidize or provide resources for continuing education for your employees.


Partner with a local counselor, life coach or motivational speaker to hold a workshop on what people can do when feeling “marooned” or lost.  Compile a list of recommended reading, audio books and videos. Add some of the best titles to your retail or impulse buy offerings, or post them online.

Post links to local resources that would interest your most important or ideal customer types on your Facebook page, e-mail newsletter or blog:

• Create brochures listing local attractions, the best dining, entertainment and family recreation centers, activities for rainy days, options for hiking, swimming, golf, etc. and which also features relevant products or services.
• Solicit ideas and recommendations from customers and post links on Facebook. Send copies to local hotels, motels, car rental agencies, travel agencies, etc.

Work with marketing partners and local education institutions to hold a career or job fair for adults, college or high school students:

• Work together to establish job shadow and intern programs.
• Create a community support group for job seekers or employers, or set up a specialty job listing resource online.
• Invite your marketing partners to participate in regular meetings to discuss ways to “map out” pathways to improve local economic health in order to benefit independent businesses and the community.

Don't leave yourself 'marooned without a compass' in 2012: even though this is probably a busy time of the year for your business, set aside time to map out your route to success in the New Year!

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Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Do you want more creative ways to generate social media engagement -- for every day of the year? Check out 365 Days of Marketing, available on amazon.com or save $5 off the list price when you use the Code USH9VPJG and purchase on my site at 12monthsofmarketing.net.

Dispel all the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com.   With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients!

Happy Thanksgiving: Where did it all begin?

Sure, you’ve heard about the Pilgrims and the Indians and the first Thanksgiving, but that was just a dinner. Do you know how Thanksgiving, now officially celebrated on the 4th Thursday of every November, earned its place as one of the major US holidays?

11 December, 1620: 102 pilgrims disembarked the Mayflower at Plymouth rock after a rough and tempestuous sea journey of more than two months (66 days). Originally aiming for northern Virginia, they were blown off course by winds. That first winter, about 45 pilgrims died due to extreme cold. In the spring of 1621, led by Squanto, native Americans taught the pilgrims to grow corn, beans and pumpkins, which helped all of them survive. In the autumn of 1621, they invited their Indian friends and held a grand celebration to thank God for his favors. This communal dinner is popularly known as “The First Thanksgiving.” There is no evidence to prove if the customary turkey was a part of the initial feast. According to the firsthand account written by the leader of the colony, the food included, ducks, geese, venison, fish, berries etc.

During the 1600 and 1700’s, it was common practice for individual colonies to observe days of thanksgiving throughout each year. These were days set aside for prayer and fasting, not a day marked by plentiful food and drink as is today's custom. Later in the 18th century each of the states periodically would designate a day of thanksgiving in honor of a military victory, an adoption of a state constitution or an exceptionally bountiful crop.

October 1777: All thirteen colonies joined in a communal thanks-giving celebration commemorating the surrender of British General Burgoyne at Saratoga.

3 October 1789: The first historic proclamation was issued by President George Washington, declaring November 26 as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer give gratitude to God. Here is the proclamation:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being Who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have show kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3rd day of October, A.D. 1789.
(signed) G. Washington

3 October, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln issued a fresh proclamation calling for the observance of the fourth Tuesday of November as a national holiday.  In 1939, during the great depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the third Thursday of November to extend the Christmas shopping season and boost the economy.  After a storm of protest, in 1941 Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday in November, where it stands today.

It's interesting to note that most of the triggers behind our Thanksgiving Day history involve not times of great plenty and blessing, but times of great want and trials.  Perhaps as human beings we take the good times for granted; because it seems to be the bad times that bring our true gratitude to the surface. We may need to have tough stuff in our lives in order to truly appreciate all of the people and circumstances for which we should truly be thankful to God and others.  

Jacques Maritain said, "Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy," and 'thanksgiving' itself is a word of action.  To make the most of this Thanksgiving, as you celebrate with family and friends, as you brave the shopping hordes, as you eat to overflow and watch football, as you travel to see your favorite people, or as you simply rest and renew, be thankful and find ways to turn your gratitude into actions that benefit others.

Elizabeth Kraus
Be InPulse branding, marketing and design

An open letter to 2012 Holiday Shoppers

Before you set out on your 2012 holiday shopping adventure I wanted to point out that – just by doing what you’re going to do anyway (shop) – you have the opportunity to improve the economy.

Let’s face it, it’s pretty obvious that the government has neither the will nor the disinterested common sense needed to do the right thing when it comes to cutting spending and reducing the tax burden on small businesses – you know, the ones who provide the JOBS – in order to stimulate the economy. It’s pretty obvious that the 1% are not going to endow each of us with a portion of their riches (nor do I think they should). And it’s obvious that big business won’t, either.

So that leaves it up to you and me: It's the shopping choices we are about to make that have the ability to make the real difference.

I live near Auburn, Washington, a town of about forty thousand people. If each Auburn resident, aged 18 and over, spent just $10 a month more with local, independent businesses, the impact to the local community over the same 12 months would (estimated-ly) be well over 2.5 million dollars. Increase that number exponentially when you up the amount.

If you want more jobs in your community, spend (more of) your money with local, independent businesses. And seek out and ask for American-made products, whether you're shopping locally or online.

When it comes to holiday shopping, seek out local craftspeople and purchase truly unique gifts for your family and friends – locally-made jewelry, t-shirts and other novelty items, boutique retail items, home décor items, restaurants, or even give the gift of photography services, home renovation or handyman services, landscaping, beauty, spa and other services to those on your local gift list, rather than the same-old, same-old  you see in all of the chain stores.

You'll find lots of local, independently-owned businesses represented at events in your community in the form of holiday bazaars and festivals.

Ask your hair stylist, friends and family for local recommendations.

Use social media to find local gift shops, artisans and craftspeople.

Once you start looking, you're going to be amazed and inspired by the amount of talent and fantastic options that have been flying under your shopping radar the whole time!

And when your friends and family ask what you want for a gift, ask for gift cards, products or services from local, independently-owned businesses and entrepreneurs.  

Not only will more of every dollar you spend stay in the local community to be repurposed for additional local expenditures, locally-made retail and new JOBS (there’s that word again!) but there are other benefits that trickle down into your community as well.

Local merchants and entrepreneurs re-invest their profits not only in their own businesses, but they also provide direct support to your local schools, community arts, music and theater programs, charities, etc. Many local businesses even go one step further and seek out needy families to ‘adopt’ during the holidays or even all year long.

It’s not just that you make a difference by spending your money with local, independently-owned businesses (vs. chains). It’s that you make a real, lasting difference – one that benefits real people right in your community!

By all means, shop— and Shop local! 

***


Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Dispel all the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com. 

With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

Friday's 5 - Marketing Shorts and Sweets

I don't know what happened, I just realized that I didn't put up a Friday's 5 last week -- and that's crazy because for whatever reason, there are a lot of good marketing tidbits to share right now!

This isn't really marketing but it made me laugh:

But these are marketing, enjoy!

[READ] Facebook inspired tip jar

Speak to today’s online generation in a language they understand with the wonderfully clever Like Tip Jar. Sure to inspire happy curiosity in social networking aficionados, the Like Tip Jar may be just the thing to encourage a sharp rise in the amount of tips.

[READ] your story, your way

Chris Brogan makes a great point: People can understand details, instructions, facts, and statistics. They remember stories.

[READ] relaxed shoppers will spend more

A new study finds “that relaxed shoppers were willing to pay 15 percent more for goods than less-relaxed ones,” reports Kelli B. Grant in the Wall Street Journal (11/3/11).

[READ] customer loyalty costs as little as 32 cents

One little email and 32 cents transformed a satisfied customer to a delighted one. A business philosophy that goes beyond satisfaction can do that. How much time does your business spend delighting your customers in unexpected ways?


[READ] mommies part of your target market? 10 ways to engage
Moms have always been the pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow for marketers. But not until social media, have moms had so much power to determine the direction of brands and marketing campaigns from the ground up. If you want to sell to moms, you need to get it just right.


[BONUS!] dress your interior to impress your customers
For those inspired by inspiring design, a reminder that customers notice everything about your business, not just the products and services you provide. You have the opportunity to make every customer touch point special and outside of their expectations.

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Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Dispel all the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com. 

With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

4 Ways to Sell More Gift Cards this Holiday Season

Over the last couple of months I’ve been writing about “little white marketing lies” which are falsities many business owners tell themselves and others. These are things they often want to be true about their business but either don’t really understand or don’t want to do the real work needed to make them true.

Here’s one more little white marketing lie:
Your gift cards make great gifts.

In your mind, your gift cards make great gifts. You know the benefits and wonderful products and services that your business provides to its customers. But much like the illusion provided by the artist who created these graffiti stairs in a Toronto train station, it may be that you perceive something that others don’t or that just isn’t there. And if you act on your perception, you may find yourself stumbling forward and hitting the wall!

Don’t hit the wall when it comes to gift card or gift certificate sales. If your customers aren’t “seeing” your gift cards as gifts, change their perception.

Many people aren’t conceptual, meaning, you need to help them visualize how your gift cards become “gifts” and for whom they are best suited. If your gift cards are collecting dust on – or behind – the counter, these 4 tips are for you.

1. Make gift card suggestions specific. Use signage that draws attention to a problem or a person that would be a perfect gift card recipient:
• last minute gifts
• extra on-hand gifts for unexpected guests
• picky mother in law
• teen or tween
• the boss you need to impress
• co-workers such as your best friend at work, receptionist, security guard, etc.
• clients or vendors
• holiday party gift exchanges
  
  
2. Display or package your gift cards with illustrations or descriptions of the products or services for which they could be exchanged or which demonstrate the solutions they could provide.
   
   
3. Package your gift cards with best-selling retail.
   
   
4. Bundle gift cards with other items that are, in fact, “gifts:”
   
   • Gift-quality books (‘She’ is one of my favorites)
   • Men’s grooming or women’s beauty products or tools
   • Gift baskets
   • Chocolates or other goodies
   • Craft kits
   • Games
   • Novelty or unique retail items
   • Branded wares

***

Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Dispel all the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com. 

With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

Don't punish everyone for one person's mistake

As a business owner, have you had a few bad experiences which led you to create blanket policies -- things like:

• No cellphones
• No kids
• No loitering
• No food or drink allowed
• Customers only (restrooms)
• No use of social media on company time

Or have you even gone to the trouble and expense of hiring companies to lock down computer systems or install expensive surveillance tools in order to make sure that your employees know you're constantly on the prowl for a misstep?

This video is FUN and great food for thought. At a minimum, take a look at how your policies are written. They may well be necessary; but can you word them in a way that makes them positive statements or at least explains the necessity?


Don't punish everyone for one person's mistake from Derek Sivers on Vimeo.


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Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Dispel all of the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com.  With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

You're Too Cool for Facebook

I have a few acquaintances and even family members who think it’s some sort of badge of honor that they aren’t on Facebook. When we talk ‘business’ they lean back and with a disdainful look on their face proudly assert that they aren’t on Facebook, and they never will be. I read the dumb comments about how Facebook is just for grandmas to look at pictures that moms post and how “that’s all it’s good for.”

I’ve got news for you. If you’re too cool for Facebook, that’s your loss, and it might be a big one.

Why? (Soooooo glad you asked!)

The way I see it, two things are keeping you from realizing what Facebook is and how to use it for business success.

One, you’re ignorant. You don’t really know what Facebook is and why one out of every 11 minutes spent online is spent on Facebook. You have not taken the time to experiment with the tool yourself. You have not taken the time to read the multitude of articles available on how to use Facebook to make business friends and influence them.

Two, you’re lazy. Ok, lazy may be too harsh a word, but maybe you’re just “too busy” doing all of the other things that you’re doing to build business.

Here’s the thing.

Your customers are on Facebook. People in your community. Professionals who share your interests. Members of your target markets and ideal prospective customers. All on Facebook. Without you.

And all those moms and grandmas? Guess what? They’re the ones making 80% of the purchasing decisions.

Too cool for Facebook? It’s like you got invited to a party but decided you were too cool for the venue.

Your customers are there, and they’ll try to miss you. On the other hand, maybe they’ll simply make new friends!

***


Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Dispel all of the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com.  With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

Succeeding in the Deal-Centered Economy - November 14 Marketing Savvy Newsletter

	what you need to know before you 'daily deal'
	elizabeth kraus | 12monthsofmarketing.com
	Remember the "4 Ps of Marketing?" If price is not the real problem, why would you try to solve the problem by discounting? I'll tell you why: it seems like a quick fix, a bandage, a medicine that will take care of the symptoms. Covering up the symptoms when you're sick might be Ok, but in business, it can be deadly. [ go ]
	the real repercussions of discounting
	guest post by Darryl Manco at savvystylist.net
	Discounting may entice consumers to take advantage of a business's brand, but will the business brand be able to respond to the seduction that discounting encircles? Discounting has all the properties to be addictive as well as cannibalistic, and befoul businesses as well as the consumers that it bewitched. [ go ]
	dealer chic: consumer deals now a way of life
	trendwatching.com
	As deal hunting has become an integral part of daily life for millions of consumers, trendwatching.com thought it was time to dive into the drivers behind this trend and its long term impact on all B2C brands. [ go ]
	big businesses shy away from daily deals
	washintgonpost.com
	Business owners dream of making quick sales and luring scads of new customers in the door when they place those daily deal ads, yet big returns for small businesses have yet to materialize. And big businesses? With the clout they have, if daily deals were a 'good idea,' don't you think they'd be the first to expend the resources to jump in and make some money? Their sales are down too. But they haven't, and you should ask yourself why. The main reason cited why big businesses haven't jumped on board the daily deal bandwagon is this: fear of tarnishing their brands. Those few big businesses that are experimenting note that it's a very small part of their marketing strategy and is done in conjunction with their overall marketing plan. [ go ]
	7 easy tips to attract new customers before you discount
	noelbellen.blogspot.com
	Before you resort to undermining your own brand and profits with discounting (whether we're talking daily deals or your own internal clearance or anything-for-five-dollar-baskets — you know who you are!) here are seven easy ways to attract new customers and build true lasting relationships with them. [ go ]
	it's your reputation: handle with care
	entrepreneur.com
	Unless you take ownership and step up to accept responsibility your brand will diminish in the eyes of those who work with you and your company. And you can bet on it - they will spread the word. Here are 5 ways to manage your brand and protect your reputation. [ go ]
	let's get engaged!
	elizabeth kraus | 12monthsofmarketing.com
	The secret for small business (or any-sized business) success is not just attracting customers or getting one sale, it's engaging them over the long haul. Engaged customers believe they are part of something. They believe they are important to you and to your business. Apart from having a family or social connection to your business, the only way a client will become engaged will be because you deliberately plan and provide consistent client experiences that demonstrate to them, over the passage of time, clearly and unmistakably, that they are a unique, valued and vitally important person in your life, personally, as well as your business. It's not that they love you or even the products or services your business provides. It's that you've convinced them that they are important to you. Think about it in romantic terms. Would you 'engage' or commit yourself to a long-term relationship with someone if you didn't believe that they truly cared about you—enough so that they care about you more than themselves and put your interests above theirs? That's what it takes to stimulate engagement! Elizabeth Kraus | 12monthsofmarketing.com
Have you seen the new website? Check out the new design, find out what's available and what's coming next [ here ].

November 14 is Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day

November 14 is National “Loosen Up, Lighten Up” Day. If you've been procrastinating on getting your marketing in shape to 'loosen up' customer's purse strings and 'lighten up' your load by getting your business going this is the perfect time for you craft some special promotions and seek out some strategic marketing partners.

• Hold a special skin bar-happy hour focused on helping clients lighten up their complexions with proper cleansing and makeup preparation and loosen up wrinkles to reverse the signs of aging and fight damage caused by harsh winter and other environmental factors.
• Partner with a caterer or restaurant (and possibly with a party planner) for a special holiday party how-to happy hour (for both sets of clients) to provide healthy, light refreshments at a holiday-party class. Include complimentary makeup demonstrations or free touch ups and send clients home with retail makeup purchases and with the recipes for the light party fare, instructions on re-creating holiday 'tablescapes' and other entertaining tips which they can use to entertain their guests during the holidays.
• Partner with a local gym or fitness trainer for cross marketing; or work together to create a “loosen up, lighten up” promotion which includes fitness/diet/weight loss coaching and workouts to prepare for the holidays.
• Create a special collection of makeup and skin care products that help loosen up wrinkles and lighten up the complexion to offer at a special price.

***

Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Dispel all of the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com.  With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

What You Should Do Before You Daily Deal

Toward the end of his article, “The Real Repercussions of Discounting,” Darryl Manco made a very important point. In essence, he asks why you’re trying to cure what ails your marketing with the wrong medicine.

Here’s what I mean.  In marketing 101, you learn the "4 P’s" of marketing:

• Product (the products or services you sell)
• Price (what the buyer must pay in exchange for your products and services)
• Placement (where you will sell the products or services and the means by which you will get products and services to those places) and
• Promotion (how you will attract and persuade buyers).

The only time discounting is the right cure for your problem is if your product or service is priced incorrectly; in other words, it’s not worth what you’re asking for it. By discounting, you send the message that whatever is discounted does not have value equivalent to its normal price (i.e., its worth less than you said it was originally—and couldn’t this lead the buyer to question your integrity – as the price-setter – as well?)

So then, if “price” is not the problem, why would you try to solve the problem by discounting?

I’ll tell you why: it seems like a quick fix, a bandage, a medicine that will take care of the symptoms.

Don’t we often medicate ourselves that way? It’s like taking a sleep aid when you have a cold. Sure, you’ll sleep, but it does nothing to help fight the cold and make you better.

When you have a cold, that’s probably harmless. But in business, covering up the symptoms can be deadly.

Assuming that your products and services are, in fact, priced fairly and in accordance with their value, what problem do you really need to cure:

“Product” problems:

• You’re not offering what your current clients, ‘ideal client’ types and target markets really want or need

“Placement” problems:

• Your business is located in the wrong place for your product-price-promotion mix
• The way in which you provide these products and services (personnel, customer service, etc.) is not up to par; it doesn’t help stimulate repeat business, referrals, retention or customer loyalty

“Promotion” problems:

• You are doing little, if anything, by way of marketing beyond opening your doors every day, any marketing that occurs is by accident
• You have not taken the time to identify your ‘ideal client’ types
• You know your ideal client types but have done nothing to reach out to these target markets
• You don’t have anything that even remotely resembles a marketing plan and all your marketing ‘efforts’ are one and done attempts
• You don’t have any incentives for customer loyalty and referrals

Before you daily deal, identify the real problem. 

Once you have identified (and hopefully, dealt with) the real problems, if customer attraction is one of your top priorities, here are some things you need to remember before you daily deal:

Your location-based offer needs to be part of your overall marketing plan. It is not a substitute for a marketing plan. It should be one of many other tactics you employ in order to attract new clients.

If you do extend a location-based, deep discount, here are some things you need to know:

1. You will be selling a product or service at less than 25% of its regular price and its real value. Rather than discounting any one of your regular products or services, create a special product or service to offer. That way, your regular clients will not perceive that you’ve charged them twice as much as deal-buyers, nor will they be able to put a reduced-price value on your regular products or services.
2. Realize that your regular customers are going to be impacted. One, some may feel that you’ve been overcharging them for the same service or product you’re now willing to discount. Two, and probably even more importantly, if you have an influx of ‘new customers’ by way of daily deal purchases, the level of attention, customer service and product or service quality you impart on your regular clientele may suffer.
3. Getting a new customer in the door is less than half the battle. You should not expect that a large percentage of these daily deal buyers will ever become long-term customers. You need to plan to expend the same level of quality of care and customer service on these individuals – if not significantly more – than you do your regular customers if you hope to have them return a second time. You also need to be aware that:
   • Few, if any, will be among your ‘ideal client’ types or target markets in terms of where they live, lifestyles, interests, etc.
   • Few, if any, will live within an area local enough to your business for you to expect repeat visits. For example, my neighbor is a big groupon buyer when it comes to personal care services such as waxing; in many cases, the businesses she buys from are 45 minutes away or more. There is little, if anything, these businesses could do to persuade her to return and purchase their services at their regular price.
   • The vast majority will be motivated by price alone and will be unlikely to purchase your products or services (or add-ons while at their ‘deal’ appointment) at regular prices.
   • Most are using the daily deal sites to get what they would buy anyway at a deep discount. They are motivated by the discount, not the quality or type of product or service. When they leave your business, unless you “wow” them like they’ve never been wowed before, they’ll be thinking about the next deal they want to redeem, not about their next visit to your business.
4. You're going to wait a while for your money. Groupon holds funds sixty days (or longer) so don't count on this model for a quick influx of ready cash.

The fact is, a lot of business owners thought that groupon and other daily deal sites were going to provide a work-around for their real problems, or at least it would give them so many new customers that they wouldn't have to identify and do the harder work of solving their real problems.

There have never been shortcuts to doing things well in business – and there still aren’t!

The road to success, client acquisition, loyalty and referrals remains what it’s always been: knowing your customer, giving them what they really want and doing so in ways that exceed their expectations, over and over again.

If it’s time for you to do the work of creating a marketing plan, branding your business or building the employee culture you need to achieve lasting success, I’d love to help.

The only thing worse than doing something wrong for a year, is doing something wrong for a year and 1 day. It’s time to put your business and your customers first, return to the ideals that made you open your doors and do what you first set out to do!

***

Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.

Dispel all of the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com.  With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

Free publicity for military spouse-owned businesses!

Are any of you active military or spouses of military members?

There's a site that would love to help promote your services, products, brick-and-mortar, home-based business or cottage industry -- free of charge.

Niche USA is dedicated to promoting military and military spouse-owned businesses and entrepreneurs!


Check out Niche USA and tell your friends!

Let's Get Engaged!

The secret for small business (or any-sized business) success is not just attracting customers or getting one sale, it's engaging them over the long haul.

Engaged customers believe they are part of something. They believe they are important to you and to your business.

Apart from having a family or social connection to your business, the only way a client will become engaged will be because you deliberately plan and provide consistent client experiences that demonstrate to them, over the passage of time, clearly and unmistakably, that they are a unique, valued and vitally important person in your life, personally, as well as your business.

It’s not that they love you or even the products or services your business provides.
It’s that you've convinced them that they are important to you.

Think about it in romantic terms. Would you ‘engage’ or commit yourself to a long-term relationship with someone if you didn’t believe that they truly cared about you—enough so that they care about you more than themselves and put your interests above theirs?

That’s what it takes to stimulate engagement!

Elizabeth Kraus | 12monthsofmarketing.com

Getting the attention of deal-obsessed consumers

Monday’s marketing savvy newsletter is going to be all about the deal-centered consumer culture business owners are facing – be sure to subscribe, you’ll find the link on the right hand side of this page.

Elizabeth Kraus | Be InPulse branding, marketing and design

The REAL Repercussions of Discounting

Yesterday I shared an article across social media channels from entrepreneur.com, titled, Groupon, Other Deal Sites Not a Good Deal for Small Businesses which noted that not only were up to 80% of deal buyers already customers of the businesses whose offers they purchased, but more than half of them also said they'd have made the purchase without the discount. If you are determined to play the groupon game, do so with caution and set parameters to protect your business and its reputation.

Once posted, Darryl Manco (the owner of Dimension A Salon in San Francisco, CA and google-certified Internet Marketing Analyst who holds a masters in Internet Marketing) pointed me to an article he'd written which details what the real consequences of discounting are to most businesses. I asked if he would let me share this with you here on the blog and I'm so happy he agreed. His summary should open your eyes and make you think twice before significantly redefining your brand, your reputation and your business through discounting. Here's what he wrote:

The Real Repercussions of Discounting
11.10.2011  - Darryl Manco, Owner, Dimension A Salon


There seems to be buzzing these days among salons about doing the discount thing. Now, not all salons do discounts; however, for those that do, here are some concerns that should be weighted before diving in:


1) Diminishing ROI
    a. Erodes bottom-line return.
        i. Supply costs do not go down.
       ii. Fixed operation costs do not go down.
      iii. Variable operation costs go up.
      iv. Commission splits do not go down.
       v. Payroll costs do not go down.
      vi. Atrophy of brand reputation.

2) Target Audience Effect
     a. Traffic partner target audience assumptions.
        i. Business failed to clearly define their target audience.
           1. Failed understandings about psychographic traits.
    a. Broadened target audience’s focus is on the next best deal.
II. Brand reputation rot
1. Business is unable to satisfy unforeseen challenges due to misinterpreted target audience.
    a. Loss of exclusivity.
        i. Quality becomes compromised.
           1. Value collapses brand image.
           2. Business fails to roundup employee cohesion.
    a. Talent atrophy.

Salons that find reinvigoration in discounting are thus
redefining their brand’s worth.

Laura Reis (2010) affirms this by posing the question, “When was the last time a savvy consumer ventured into Bed, Bath & Beyond without a percentage off coupon?”

Yes, discount sites (aka traffic partners) can gloat that continuous discounting leads to increased abiding growth, but what they fail to disclose, is that price discounting does not lead to brand loyalty or even brand awareness.

This idea supported by Ellen Malloy’s (2010) belief that:

“Businesses risk the effect of devaluing their brand. This threatens the over all quality of the brand experience, and when over subscribed, leads to short-term demand spikes that momentarily increase revenue, but in the long-term overloads a business’s ability to meet consumer’s expectations.”

Words of wisdom to salons (or any businesses) that seek solutions:

• Examine how your ROI will be affected.
• Do masked business problems need addressed?
• How will discounting support the brand experience?
• If discounting becomes bulwark for the brand, than what does the brand in actually denote in the eye of the consumer?

Discounting may engender consumers to take advantage of a business’s brand, but will the business brand be able to respond to the seduction that discounting encircles? Discounting has all the properties to be addictive as well as cannibalistic, and befoul businesses as well as the consumers that it bewitched.

Resources:
Cohen, D. (2010, June 30). Groupon phenomenon bad for business?
Retrieved from [ reuters.com ]


About the author:

Darryl Manco is an agent of change for today’s beauty salon marketing frontiers. He holds a M.S. in Internet Marketing, and boldly participates in commanding his business, Dimension A Salon, with direct to consumer online marketing programs that impact ROI.

Little White Marketing Lie #8: You need a great logo to build a strong brand

An awesome logo is a thing of beauty and yes, it can be the trigger that reminds you of a great company.

It can just as easily be the trigger that reminds you of a terrible in-person or telephone customer service experience, of being ignored when you needed help, of waiting far longer than you should have for help, of getting the wrong answer or even the wrong product to meet your need or of any number of poor customer experiences.

No matter how cool, awesome or amazing the logo, how intriguing the ad copy or how compelling the offer, there is no direct correlation between good design and strong brands, really, at all.

The recipe for a strong brand is simple, there are only two ingredients: Reputation and consistency.

And there are no substitutes for these ingredients. To build a strong brand, you must earn the reputation of consistently exceeding customer expectations. Here’s what I mean:

Let’s suppose that my friend, Kathy, visits your business for the first time and she had a great experience. In some way, you exceeded her expectations in a way that was important to her.

She tells me about her visit to your business and I mentally file that information away. If I ever need that product or service, I’ll keep your business in mind or perhaps I’ll call Kathy and ask her for the name of your business.

Let’s further suppose that Kathy returns to your business three more times over the next few months. Each time, you provide her with a truly extraordinary experience – remember, that means that her customer experience exceeded her expectations in some way meaningful to her and is different and better than the competition. Each time, she tells me about your business again and encourages me to experience your business for myself.

Now you are building reputation.

Because of what my friend Kathy has told me, I now probably have a personal desire to visit your business. And even if I don’t visit your business myself, if others among my friends, co-workers or family have a need for what your business provides, I am probably referring your business to them based on the testimony of my friend. Even without experiencing your business personally, because of the consistency of experience my friend has had with your business, I trust you.

How will you exceed your customer’s expectations today – and tomorrow – and the tomorrow after that?

It won’t be done with your logo or any other aspect of design, it won’t be done by discounting and it won’t be done with any one-hit advertising wonder. To build a strong brand, the experience that your business provides must be more than your customer expects, in a way that matters to the customer and which is different and better than that of the competition.

On your own, or with your leadership team, make a list of the things that you believe characterize the customer’s experience at your business. For each of these characteristics, answer the following questions:

1. Does this exceed customer expectation or is this what they expect to be true when they visit our business (or any other)?
2. Does this even matter to our customers?
3. Is this different or better than all of our competitors?

You might find that it’s difficult to come up with anything about your customer experience that meets all three of these measures. In fact, I’d be surprised if you had many characteristics that survived all three comparisons. But don’t give up!

If it were easy, everyone would do it. Those businesses that find ways to do so will succeed in building a strong brand – no matter what their logo looks like. Those that don’t, wont!

***

Elizabeth Kraus | www.12monthsofmarketing.net


[ Subscribe ] to my e-mail newsletter.


Elizabeth Kraus is the author of the newly released 365 Days of Marketing and Make Over Your Marketing: 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa, available on amazon.com or 12monthsofmarketing.com.

Dispel all of the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com.  With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

Style, Strategy and Marketing Savvy - November 3

 Just in case you missed it -- the November 3 Style, Strategy and Marketing Savvy newsletter had some great links! 

little white marketing lie #7: marketing means talking about your business
Think marketing means telling people about your business? Think again; that's a little white marketing lie that can cost you. Find out what you should be talking about, instead. [ go ]


seven tips to recession-proof your retail
My favorite is number four: Get in touch with your customers (no surprise to my regular readers). Recession-proofing your retail involves changing the way you think about retail and setting out to create a retail center that actually appeals to your customers. Stock only high demand items, increase complimentary (bundled, add-on, etc.) offers and sell products that meet customers needs. Read the rest online. [ go ]


what younger workers want
Your employee culture is a critical component of your marketing plan; without the right team in place, all of the great ideas in the world won't happen. When it comes to the next generation of employees, you might be surprised to know that there are several job factors they value more than money. [ go ]


are you building a social brand or a social business?
In IBM’s recent “From Social Media to Social CRM” report, it was revealed that social media is already siloed within marketing, marketing communication, or public relations, accounting for 52%, 45%, and 42% ownership respectively. When we think about the primary function of each of those functions, it’s clear to see why the premise of many of today’s top social media best practices are marketing driven rather than market driven. [ go ]


10 tips to better content marketingFrom your website to email to social media and your blog, content is the name of the game in marketing and getting found online. Still, for most professionals, it's an area where they still need work. Here are ten tips that will get you on the road to creating content that is relevant to your audience, consistently and on a timely basis. [ go ]

(Shameless plug) Stuck for marketing content? 365 Days of Marketing has themed ideas for every day of the year (literally) plus more monthly and weekly themed marketing ideas for good measure. The one tool you need to jump-start your social media, email and in-store marketing and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.


most read on the blog this week: how to be your own media machine
Even if you're on a shoestring budget, you can still promote your business and expertise; but it is going to cost you in one area, and that is time. Here are some recommendations to help you build an integrated web, email, blog and social media marketing program. [ go ]


*** Elizabeth Kraus | www.12monthsofmarketing.net ***

For more, [ subscribe to email newsletters ].

Need social media, email and other marketing content? The 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies already has the schedule laid out for you for every month of the year, plus not only the how-to but also the content you need to carry out a strategic, effective electronic marketing plan.

Elizabeth Kraus is the owner of Be InPulse branding marketing - 12monthsofmarketing.com - and the author of 2012 Marketing Calendars, 365 Days of Marketing and Make Over Your Marketing (12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa). 

The happiest place on earth

Just posting this over on Niche USA (the site promoting military spouse-owned businesses and entrepreneurs) and thought it was just too interesting not to share here, as well.

For years, Disney has claimed to be the happiest place on earth.  That may be true, but it's not the happiest place to work.  According to a new survey, all four branches of the US Military ranked higher than Disney and other well-known companies renowned for their employee culture like Microsoft, Amazon, Zappos, Starbucks and Johnson & Johnson.

According to the CareerBliss study [ click here ] the ten most blissful places to work are:

1. Google
2. 3M
3. ABN AMRO
4. DTE Energy
5. Air Force
6. Qualcomm
7. Army National Guard
8. Marines
9. Navy
10. LSI Logic

The article goes on to say that the reasons military members are happier include factors like "...having a meaningful impact on the world, having true camaraderie with your co-workers and having the opportunities to develop skills..."

Read the article in its entirety at businessnewsdaily.com.

Elizabeth Kraus | 12monthsofmarketing.net
Be InPulse branding, marketing & design

Little White Marketing Lie #7: "We Should Talk About Our Business"

If you’ve been in business very long, it’s likely you’ve had to create scripts and write marketing copy for your website, advertisements, signs, postcards or other items which fall under the general heading, “marketing collateral.” And no doubt you’ve taken the opportunity to talk about the things you love most about your business, or the things you think other people would most appreciate.

But the truth is, for the most part, your marketing shouldn’t be about your business at all. Apart from your actual call to action or telling people where to obtain the solutions you provide, most of your marketing should ‘talk about’ your customers and prospects.

Ironically, you probably went into business in the first place because you wanted to provide solutions people need and want. But to look at most advertising and marketing copy, you would think that most businesses believe that they are their own reason for existing. Somewhere along the line, people lost track of what is really at the heart of each and every business: the wants and needs of their customers.

Effective marketing speaks to customer needs and wants. When you talk about your business, you’re more likely to be thinking from the standpoint of what your business needs and wants (customers and sales) vs. what your customers and prospects truly need and want.

Take time to make a list of the things that your customers most need and want (this may require that you do some market research) that your business provides:

• what problems do they have (that your business solves)
• what do they desire (that your business provides)
• what do they value in their customer experiences

Write marketing copy that establishes your understanding of their needs and wants – copy that puts you all “in the same boat,” so to speak. Once you have their attention and you’ve shown them that you understand what they really want and need, then point out how your business can meet those wants and needs. Design your marketing to talk not about your business or your own personal amazing-ness; instead, focus on the benefits the customer can expect as a result of using your products or services, and as a result of doing business with you.

Great marketing keeps the spotlight on the true star of your business story: the customer!

***


[ Subscribe ] to my e-mail newsletter.


Elizabeth Kraus is the author of the newly released 365 Days of Marketing and Make Over Your Marketing: 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa, available on amazon.com or 12monthsofmarketing.com.

Dispel all of the little white marketing lies that might be holding your business back - check out the 2012 Small Business Marketing Calendar: Little White Marketing Lies on amazon.com.  With hundreds of marketing ideas laid out for 2012, you'll get into a marketing groove and build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.