I want to talk about a marketing effort that is incredibly important, yet, few of you ever put a lot of time, energy, or effort into it. It's called “branding”.
In fact, very few of you ever think of yourself, your practice or your business as a brand that you want to make famous in the community. With the absence of a brand initiative, you actually fail to position yourself and your business/practice (make an impression) in the minds of the people who live and work in your community.
The goal is to have people think of you, your business, your brand, and your logo in a split second. This is actually the dream!
If I mention Coca-Cola to you, you can quickly recall their red logo. And, I bet you still remember "Coke is the real thing". If you think about FedEx, you can quickly recall their logo and that they will absolutely, positively get your package there overnight.
Nike, you can think of their swoosh logo and their "Just do it".
Even though slogans may change, you can see the kind of impact that a consistent branding campaign can have on the mind of a consumer. You want the people who live and/or work in your community to think of you when they need you…in 3 seconds or less…and this is accomplished with consistent marketing that includes branding so you maintain that “top of mind awareness”.
My advice is to make sure that your logo and your slogan, or your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) absolutely penetrates the mind of the people who live and/or work in your community so that when they think of your product or service - they think of you.
Depending on what you do (product and/or service you sell), this process can take months or years. BUT, the great news is that 99% of your competitiors do not focus much on their brand.
You will start to see the effects of your branding campaigns/initiatives when people call you/come in to see you and say, "You know, I thought of a dry cleaner and I immediately thought of you because of your ads, or because of your logo". Pay attention to this.
Ask your customers how they found you. Track you marketing efforts to evaluate their success. And, watch what happens when you become the most recognized, most utilized business of your kind in town simply because you made everyone aware of you.
Action Steps:
1.Think of yourself as a brand
2.Get a logo, slogan, etc.
3.Become memorable
4.Penetrate the community with your marketing efforts.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Client Referral Systems
Hi, this is Dr. Len Schwartz and today we're talking about client referral systems. It’s one of the most cost effective (it costs you nothing) new client referral generating initiatives you can have in place. We're talking about 4 different things you can do today, right now, to get your clients to start to refer more people to you.
The first thing I want to talk about is client education systems. We all know that a consistent client education system and referral strategy needs to be in place, not monthly, not bi-monthly, but every single day with every single client. Not only to get your client to understand the value of what you do, but to have them refer people to you. Because, they want to help someone they know and care about with a particular problem. So, you need to commit to a daily client education system and referral program in your practice. Make sure you use research, because research resonates at the highest level with people. Besides, that takes you out of the picture. You become an objective communicator by using third party or cited research.
Number 2, let's talk about monthly events. How many of you give your clients a reason to bring other people to your office to introduce you to their friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors? If you’re not having monthly events in your office, you’re leaving a lot of new clients, a lot of money, and a lot of referrals on the table. So, make sure you commit, plan out your entire year in advance. Maybe, have Valentines Day parties in February, a back to spring in March, have an April fools in April…you get the idea. Think about what you can do through out the course of the year, and by the way, a monthly event may also be an internal lecture. Give your clients an opportunity to bring people to your office and introduce them to you.
Number 3, referral cards that you can send to their friends and family on their behalf, right from your office. Research and referral packets that you can mail or e-mail to your prospective clients or your existing clients that want you to send them to their friends or family members. These are all things you have to have in play, if you want to have a consistent new client / referral generating system in your practice.
Finally, phone calls! Have any of you ever talk to your clients about allocating certain amount of time during the week to communicate or get in touch with, or call their friends and family members on their behalf to educate them on how you might be able to help them with their problem? Something you might want to consider is putting this on paper, putting this in your office, educating or informing your clients that you do this on a weekly basis. Just opening up the door may give your clients a reason to tell you about a friend or family member that they have in mind that has a particular problem. Just putting that out their may generate a nice stream of referrals for you, and of course new clients.
The first thing I want to talk about is client education systems. We all know that a consistent client education system and referral strategy needs to be in place, not monthly, not bi-monthly, but every single day with every single client. Not only to get your client to understand the value of what you do, but to have them refer people to you. Because, they want to help someone they know and care about with a particular problem. So, you need to commit to a daily client education system and referral program in your practice. Make sure you use research, because research resonates at the highest level with people. Besides, that takes you out of the picture. You become an objective communicator by using third party or cited research.
Number 2, let's talk about monthly events. How many of you give your clients a reason to bring other people to your office to introduce you to their friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors? If you’re not having monthly events in your office, you’re leaving a lot of new clients, a lot of money, and a lot of referrals on the table. So, make sure you commit, plan out your entire year in advance. Maybe, have Valentines Day parties in February, a back to spring in March, have an April fools in April…you get the idea. Think about what you can do through out the course of the year, and by the way, a monthly event may also be an internal lecture. Give your clients an opportunity to bring people to your office and introduce them to you.
Number 3, referral cards that you can send to their friends and family on their behalf, right from your office. Research and referral packets that you can mail or e-mail to your prospective clients or your existing clients that want you to send them to their friends or family members. These are all things you have to have in play, if you want to have a consistent new client / referral generating system in your practice.
Finally, phone calls! Have any of you ever talk to your clients about allocating certain amount of time during the week to communicate or get in touch with, or call their friends and family members on their behalf to educate them on how you might be able to help them with their problem? Something you might want to consider is putting this on paper, putting this in your office, educating or informing your clients that you do this on a weekly basis. Just opening up the door may give your clients a reason to tell you about a friend or family member that they have in mind that has a particular problem. Just putting that out their may generate a nice stream of referrals for you, and of course new clients.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Direct Mail/Postcard Campaign
Hi, this is Dr. Len Schwartz. This week I'm going to talk to you about postcards. Not only do most professionals not utilize a direct mail or postcard campaign, but most don't realize how incredibly cost effective a direct mail or postcard campaign can be. A direct mail or postcard campaign can build your name, build your brand, build your fame, and most importantly, generate new clients. So, let's get started with the top 10 reasons why to use a direct mail / postcard campaign.
First, it is incredibly affordable and that's going to partner up with number 6, which is you can test a direct mail campaign, especially with postcards for an incredibly low amount of money. You can send out 100 postcards just to find out what kind of response you get. By the way, that's going to tap into the ability to test. Once you start testing for your direct mail campaign and you start to see the results you get, whether it’s from sending to a specific neighborhood or a specific section of your town, you can start to become really strategic with whom you send the direct mail campaign to. Plus, based on the response, you can decide to roll it out big or cut it out all together.
Number 2, your competitors have no idea that you are actually facilitating a marketing initiative know as a direct mail / postcard campaign. That may or may not matter to you, but it's one of the top 10 reasons.
Number 3, you get a chance to track, as I mentioned. But, know we are revisiting the whole tracking system, because most great marketers test and track all of the different components of the specific marketing initiative. I challenge you to do the same thing with a direct mail / postcard campaign.
Number 4, it's versatile. You can really use a direct mail / postcard campaign for everything from a special event happening in your office, to getting a chance to check you out, to becoming a new client.
Number 5, one of my favorite things: building your name, building your brand, and building your fame. You can use postcards, specifically the copies on the postcard, to not only invite someone to a special event in your office, but also to continue to perpetuate the brand that is you and your office.
We talked about Number 6 which was testing.
Number 7. You’re not going to waste people’s time. They have a chance to respond to a special offer on your postcard and you can have a special code on the postcard that they can call or reference, where they can get something from you.
Number 8, you’re not going to take up a lot of space and they always get read. Unlike a typical envelope, where they have to tear open and find out what’s inside, with a nice colorful postcard, you have a real good 60-75% chance they're going to take a look at that postcard (front and back) and find out more about what you're offering.
Number 9, again as mentioned with the testing campaign, it's inexpensive to print. You can really test with 100, you can test with 1000, or you can test with 5000 postcards and it's still relatively inexpensive, compared to other marketing campaigns.
Finally, Number 10, it's easy to hand in or redeem for special services, which again partners with the whole concept of having a redemption code. All of these things are married together to make for a super successful direct mail campaign using postcards.
Have a great day and I'll talk to you next time!
First, it is incredibly affordable and that's going to partner up with number 6, which is you can test a direct mail campaign, especially with postcards for an incredibly low amount of money. You can send out 100 postcards just to find out what kind of response you get. By the way, that's going to tap into the ability to test. Once you start testing for your direct mail campaign and you start to see the results you get, whether it’s from sending to a specific neighborhood or a specific section of your town, you can start to become really strategic with whom you send the direct mail campaign to. Plus, based on the response, you can decide to roll it out big or cut it out all together.
Number 2, your competitors have no idea that you are actually facilitating a marketing initiative know as a direct mail / postcard campaign. That may or may not matter to you, but it's one of the top 10 reasons.
Number 3, you get a chance to track, as I mentioned. But, know we are revisiting the whole tracking system, because most great marketers test and track all of the different components of the specific marketing initiative. I challenge you to do the same thing with a direct mail / postcard campaign.
Number 4, it's versatile. You can really use a direct mail / postcard campaign for everything from a special event happening in your office, to getting a chance to check you out, to becoming a new client.
Number 5, one of my favorite things: building your name, building your brand, and building your fame. You can use postcards, specifically the copies on the postcard, to not only invite someone to a special event in your office, but also to continue to perpetuate the brand that is you and your office.
We talked about Number 6 which was testing.
Number 7. You’re not going to waste people’s time. They have a chance to respond to a special offer on your postcard and you can have a special code on the postcard that they can call or reference, where they can get something from you.
Number 8, you’re not going to take up a lot of space and they always get read. Unlike a typical envelope, where they have to tear open and find out what’s inside, with a nice colorful postcard, you have a real good 60-75% chance they're going to take a look at that postcard (front and back) and find out more about what you're offering.
Number 9, again as mentioned with the testing campaign, it's inexpensive to print. You can really test with 100, you can test with 1000, or you can test with 5000 postcards and it's still relatively inexpensive, compared to other marketing campaigns.
Finally, Number 10, it's easy to hand in or redeem for special services, which again partners with the whole concept of having a redemption code. All of these things are married together to make for a super successful direct mail campaign using postcards.
Have a great day and I'll talk to you next time!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
What is your Competition Doing?
Hi, this is Dr. Len Schwartz and I have a really important question for you: "What is your competition doing?" My next question for you is, "Who Cares?"
So many of you call every week and the first thing you start to talk to me about is, how the other professionals in your area does this and how the other professionals in your neighborhood are doing that. Who cares? If all of you would put in as much time, energy, and focus in putting your own marketing initiatives in place, your own internal/external systems, strategies, concepts, tactics, and techniques in place; Then you wouldn't have to worry about what the other professionals are doing, because frankly there are so many people out there that don't go to a professional.
There are more then enough for all of you. Do yourself a favor; make a commitment to spending time and energy, in addition to money, in your own marketing on building your name, your brand, and your fame in your own community. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, because what they’re doing is of no interest to you.
It's all about you!
It's all about your practice and all about your ability to grow this year. If you need solutions, if you need answers, and you need some strategies that will really increase the size of your practice and number of new clients/referrals, give us a call 866-655-8502.
Until next time, have a great day and we'll talk to you soon!
So many of you call every week and the first thing you start to talk to me about is, how the other professionals in your area does this and how the other professionals in your neighborhood are doing that. Who cares? If all of you would put in as much time, energy, and focus in putting your own marketing initiatives in place, your own internal/external systems, strategies, concepts, tactics, and techniques in place; Then you wouldn't have to worry about what the other professionals are doing, because frankly there are so many people out there that don't go to a professional.
There are more then enough for all of you. Do yourself a favor; make a commitment to spending time and energy, in addition to money, in your own marketing on building your name, your brand, and your fame in your own community. Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, because what they’re doing is of no interest to you.
It's all about you!
It's all about your practice and all about your ability to grow this year. If you need solutions, if you need answers, and you need some strategies that will really increase the size of your practice and number of new clients/referrals, give us a call 866-655-8502.
Until next time, have a great day and we'll talk to you soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
