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Miller Marketing & Advertising Newsletter
Before you commit to any advertising program,
before you rest satisfied, relying upon your current customer base,
before you allow your business to fall victim to current economic trends
… remember that
Marketing
Matters.
It
is to you, the business owners and entrepreneurs, that we at Miller
Marketing & Advertising dedicate our newsletter, to help you explore
marketing techniques — the new as well as tried and true. We welcome
your ideas and appreciate your continued enthusiastic support of our
efforts.
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Marketing
Insanity
One
of the definitions of insanity is: doing the same thing
over and over again and expecting a different result.
Throughout the last 20 years we have observed that many
businesses are trapped by one form of marketing insanity
or another. Here are a few common examples of marketing
insanity that we have seen. Do any of these apply to your
business?
1)
The
business operates without a marketing plan or budget.
Then, at every year-end review, they are surprised that
(A) the profits were not what they should have been, or
(B) they spent more on marketing than they thought.
2)
The
business does operate with a marketing plan and budget,
but doesn’t monitor its progress. Then, at every
year-end review, they discover they didn’t do half
the things they wanted to, and their sales show it.
3)
The
business works from last year’s budget, making only
inflationary adjustments. Then they forecast a large increase
in sales because they have great ideas this year, only
to find out they do not have enough money to do them.
4)
The
business changes all of their marketing, every year. If
the previous year didn’t go well, they realize they
need to change something, but they’re not quite sure
what should be changed. So they change their look, their
markets, their media and/or their message. Then they market
themselves aggressively, work hard, and yet their sales
still disappoint.
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The
key to developing an effective marketing plan is to create
a new plan each year, keeping the elements that have proven
to be effective, eliminating what hasn’t, and incorporating
promising new marketing activities. In planning for the upcoming
year, remember to budget for special projects, new products
or anticipated market changes.
The challenge is to evaluate your current activities objectively
and to bring in fresh ideas, insights, and unbiased, professional
opinions. This is where Miller Marketing & Advertising
can help. As marketing professionals, we can help you develop
a new, well rounded, effective marketing plan. By entrusting
the execution of this plan to experienced marketing professionals,
you achieve a consistent marketing effort and avoid the inevitable
‘starts and stops’ caused by your internal staff
getting too busy to focus on your marketing.
Now is the time to prevent marketing insanity for 2005. Plan
thoroughly and appropriately for next year’s success…
today! |
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…
Call
Miller Marketing & Advertising at 631.736.4300
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Changing
Your Marketing Message
Consistency is the key to successful
marketing. Establishing a consistent advertising program maintains
powerful branding. But changing your selling points doesn’t
have to mean changing your target market.
There’s always been a vast difference between the concerns
of a healthy economy and that of a weak one. A few years ago,
when the economy was strong and growing, businesses were willing
to invest in systems and equipment, which helped improve or maintain
quality. With a change in the economy, the key may now be Return
On Investment. Selling to the needs of your market now means changing
the key selling point in marketing messages from quality to ROI.
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It is fine
to change your sales message to address the concerns of your target
market. You need to keep your focus on your customers’ needs,
and your company needs to fulfill those needs to be successful.
The key is to address your customers’ changing needs while
continuously maintaining a powerful identity and consistent advertising
program.
Miller Marketing & Advertising works with each client to create
powerful branding and a consistent marketing program while simultaneously
adjusting marketing messages to meet the changing concerns of each
target market. |
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…
Call
Miller Marketing & Advertising at 631.736.4300
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Networking
As Part of Marketing
Networking is an important and
effective part of marketing. If you look at marketing as promoting
your business, then it’s obvious that networking is a part
of marketing. When you are networking, you are interacting with
people and making an impression on them. Therefore, if you network
with the right people, networking is an important and effective
part of marketing.
There are people who may not agree with this statement. Some salespeople
and business owners say they have tried networking and have gotten
nothing from it. After having further discussion with these people,
I question if they were really networking or just attending meetings.
The key word in networking is work. Just because you attend a
meeting does not mean people will either want to refer - or do
business - with you. As in any other sales or business endeavor,
it is up to you to make it work. There are a number of basics
you should take into consideration when networking.
1)
What
are your goals and objectives? This can be different for everyone.
Some people are looking to make sales, others are looking to
broaden their horizons and to learn, and others may be looking
for vendors or strategic partners. There can be as many goals
and objectives as there are people networking.
2)
With
whom should you network? The answer to this question depends
on what you are hoping to accomplish and who your target market
is. There are almost an infinite number of groups or organizations
you may want to consider. Do your research and look for groups
that best match your target audience. If you would not run an
ad for liquor in a child’s magazine, why would you try
to network with gym owners if you were selling Twinkies? Is
it possible you could make a sale? Yes, but it’s not likely
it will produce what you want it to.
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3)
How
do you effectively network? Networking is all about relationships.
Attending meetings is a starting point, but how well can you
get to know someone at a meeting? You need to meet with people
on a one-to-one or small group basis to really build relationships.
This is why large organizations like the HIA or LIA encourage
you to join a committee. I recommend you take this one step
further and seek people who you feel could be compatible networking
partners, and meet with them one on one.
4)
If
you do not give, why should you receive? Networking, like any
relationship, is a two-way street. I have seen too many people
try to network and complain they never get any referrals, but
when asked what referrals they’ve given, it turns out they
haven’t given any.
Effective networking is work.
There is a lot more you can do to improve the effectiveness
of your networking than the few things listed above. At Miller
Marketing & Advertising, we know how to incorporate effective
networking into your marketing plan.
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Submit Your Articles
Feel free to submit any articles in
Microsoft
Word, Quark Xpress, or Simple Text format (300
words or less, please) for our consideration to clientservices@miller-mktg.com.
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Sign
Up & Networking
If you think you - or someone you know - might
benefit from future full color versions of our
eblitzes or newsletters, please email name,
company name, and email address
to clientservices@miller-mktg.com.
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List
Removal
@2005 Miller Marketing & Advertising;
Distributed via our email list.
If you would like to be removed from
our list, please email us at
listremoval@miller-mktg.com.
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