I'm Sold, but I still don't get it!

Even if you use the product or service you sell, that doesn't mean you know what it's like to be a customer. The reason, is that most business owners or execs don't go through the buying process.

For example, General Motors executives who drive company cars. They didn't research the car online, they didn't shop around and talk to several dealers about it. They didn't have to trade off something else in their budget to afford the car and figure out how to finance it.

Furthermore, they don't have to worry about day-to-day ownership issues such as paying for maintenance or gas. In other words, our hypothetical executive might know what it's like to use a Cadillac, but he might not know what it's like to buy and own a Cadillac.

And that is why small business owners should:

1. Research your product or service online, just as your prospect would.
2. Go into a retail store and discuss the pros and cons with a salesperson.
3. Place an order online to see how soon it arrives, how the packaging looks and whether anyone from your company follows up.

The Point: You need to experience the entire process around buying it [whatever you're selling] to really understand your customers.

Your ROI's Sick? Don't Blame the Downturn!

Jon Miller wrote an interesting article for MarketingProfs last summer that deserves a second look. Its title: "The Definitive Guide to B2B Marketing in a Recession." ('Nuff said?) One point that stands out in the article is this: a downturn is no time to be faint of heart. Instead, Miller says, experience shows that those B2B firms that fare the best in queasy times are those that take specific initiatives. Among his suggestions:

Boost your lead-gen efforts. "Implementing even simple automated lead-nurturing programs can yield a 400% improvement in the conversion of qualified prospects into sales opportunities over time. "Companies that can do a better job of … developing early-stage prospects into sales-ready leads will be in the best position to thrive in a downturn."

Focus on your house list. "Activities that can help you get the most out of your existing relationships include conducting lead-nurturing campaigns, creating new content to offer to existing prospects, and cleaning and augmenting your marketing lead database with progressive profiling," he advises.

Focus your content on solid prospects. "Focus your offers on content that will appeal to someone who's actually looking for a solution," Miller says. "Examples … can include 'Top 5 Questions to Ask a Potential Vendor' whitepapers, buyers guides and checklists, [or] analyst evaluations."

The Point: Be brave, and go for it. Use tips like these to help focus your initiatives and keep your ROI healthy during the downturn.

Contact your Small Business Marketing Consultant today 678.495.6090 or visit our website: www.omgatlanta.com

Do-It-Yourself Email Marketing Tips for the Small Biz Owner

Most mom-and-pop businesses can't do much with email marketing advice that concentrates on sophisticated topics like multivariate testing, dynamic content development and data integration. For those who need entry-level advice, here are a few Do-It-Yourself Primers in plain English.

Be yourself. People frequent your establishment because they enjoy the environment, the way they are treated, the quality of your product, whatever the reason may be; your recipients need to feel the same emotion when they open your email messages. Your tone and word choice, for instance, will seem more authentic if they're similar to those your customers hear in person.

Use what you know. Appealing to the recipient by leveraging information you know about them extends that relationship to the inbox.

Offer an incentive. Because of the relationship most small business owners have with their customer base, the incentive tends to be perceived as a 'thank you' to a good customer and not just a ploy to get an email address or more business. But beware, the cost of list-building giveaways can add up.

The Point: You can do this yourself. One of the joys of email marketing is the fact that, by paying heed to a few insider tips like these, small business owners can see solid results.
Need help getting started with an Email Marketing Campaign? Contact us at 678.495.6090 or join our mailing list to receive more helpful tips right in your inbox.

How's Your Customer Service???

It looks like companies may talk the talk of customer service, but not that many walk the walk. As reported by Internet Retailer, the study's results show that, "Despite overwhelming agreement on the importance of the customer experience and subsequent word-of-mouth, senior marketers admit their companies are failing to take decisive, companywide action to integrate feedback from customers and their experiences into key business and marketing processes."

The study, "Giving Customer Voice More Volume," conducted along with Satmetrix, reveals that 38% of the execs surveyed say their companies have no programs in place to track or propagate positive word-of-mouth among customers. Plus, only 29% rate highly their ability to handle and resolve customer problems or complaints. Wow!

So, what's a good company to do? Here are a few ways to show you care:

1. Put a formal program into place to monitor and measure the "voice of the customer."

2. Develop an efficient system to collect, analyze and distribute customer feedback. In real time, if you can manage it.

3. Track your word-of-mouth on the Internet. Do it!

"Companies must become more sophisticated and committed to both leveraging customer experience as a key business metric and instituting companywide processes that drive improvement," concludes Laura Brooks, VP of research at Satmetrix.

The Point: Take better care of your customers. Remember: if they aren't talking with you, they may well be talking about you—across the Internet.

To hire an Outsource Marketing Group Consultant for Sales & Marketing and/or Customer Service coaching & training, contact us at 678.495.6090.

www.omgatlanta.com

Brand 'Em, and Let 'Em Roam Free

We are exposed to people interacting with their favorite brands every day—for instance, commuters drinking bottled water. Might these glimpses of others using common brands influence our own brand choices? This new research says yes.

These researchers asked consumers to focus on the faces of people in a "study" of a series of photographs. The photos showed people engaged in everyday activities like waiting for a bus. In some photos, however, the "focal person" was holding a bottle of a familiar brand of water. At the end of the "test," participants were offered a free bottle of water as a thank-you, and were given the choice of four popular brands.

Turns out, the participants who saw a high number of photos with a person holding a branded water bottle chose that brand from the four offered. But these researchers also pointed up some interesting additional facts:

1. The branding effect worked only when participants were not aware of having seen the branded bottles in the photos.


2. The branding effect failed when participants were shown too many photos with the branded bottles.

Conclusion: brand exposure works, but too much of it can backfire.

Randomness played an important role here, too: Exposure to others' brand choices influenced a consumer's choice when those others were "not associated with any particular group," the researchers said.

The Point: Brand away! Let a wide range of consumers interact with your well-labeled products. This may be your best form of brand marketing.

Source: "The Power of Strangers: The Effect of Incidental Consumer Brand Encounters on Brand Choice," by Rosellina Ferraro, James R. Bettman and Tanya L. Chartrand. Journal of Consumer Research, 2009.

For assistance with Branding your company, creating a logo or Advertising materials, contact an Outsource Marketing Group representative at 678.495.6090.

http://www.omgatlanta.com/