You Can’t Just Rest on Your Good Scents
At our local farmers market, one of the most popular vendors sells sausage. Their “trick” is that they cook up delicious samples for people to try. On Saturday, I was indulging when the vendor shouted something like, “Hey everyone, get your sausage samples here! Just out of the pan!” A woman next to me said to the young man, “Oh, come on, you don’t have to shout anything. These things sell themselves by now.” To which he replied, “No, I definitely do – people respond to that.”
It reminded me that even if you have the greatest product, you still have to tell people about it–and often. Many films live and die not by how good they are but how good their marketing efforts are. Here at SIPA we feel like our new SIPAwards program really captures what’s happening in the industry today, and we’re trying our best to get the word out this week. The deadline is Friday for entering, so please get your entries in if you haven’t done so already. Check them out here or below.
Here are six ideas for getting the word out even if your product does not waft glorious scents into the air:
1. Come up with an idea that coincides with a special day. I just read in the paper that Isle Inn tours is offering a deal where four travelers go for the price of three if you book a trip tomorrow on Leap Day, Feb. 29. Maybe you can have a special on the Third Thursday of every month or the First Friday. March Madness seems to be a popular “go-to” these days as it transcends just sports fans; Cinco de Mayo has also grown in popularity over the years.
2. Tweet at a particularly interesting time. At last night’s Daytona 500 race, NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski began posting status updates to Twitter, including his incredible racetrack view of the big explosion. He started the night with about 85,000 followers and ended it with close to 200,000. I’m not sure what our industry equivalent would be, or if there is one. But certainly tweeting during your webinars or when you’re covering an event is a good idea.
3. Run a poll, survey or quiz. We’re going to be talking a lot more about interactive content because you are seeing much more of it these days—and it’s a great way to get customers to engage with your content. You go onto Yahoo and they’re polling about driving habits. Rob Lawson at Credit Today runs a survey of the month where all you have to do is “click to participate.”
4. Run a “something” of the day on your website. It can be an interesting fact, a money-saving or making tip, a photo (National Geographic does that – today’s is amazing), a video (I’ve mentioned Kiplinger’s before), an event—anything to get people to keep checking in with you. Access Intelligence’s min online runs a feature called “This min ute” with multiple headlines and teasers. AIS Health runs weekly Web-only bargains.
5. A Business Advisers Blog for the firm Huntington Cooper advocates a different approach. They want you to listen first. “I believe that the people in our world today are longing for someone to listen to them and understand what they are dealing with in their life. THEY want to be heard,” the blog says. “…There are many ways to listen to the market (market analysis, surveys, searching online for those talking about their problem, etc.) and many ways to listen to an individual prospect (utilizing good questions, understanding the four different communication styles, active listening, etc.)…”
6. Get your word out on as many channels as possible. A blog called the Baby Boomer Entrepreneur wrote this: “The first few times someone sees your message its likely it won’t completely register with them. We all have marketing blinders we’ve built up over time – otherwise we’d be overwhelmed with the constant noise from businesses clamoring to be heard. It’s no different with your prospects…When it comes to marketing out of sight is definitely out of mind.”
*************************************************
Hollywood just had their Oscars and specialized
information publishing has the SIPAwards!
Excellence. Recognition. Respect. Success.
With 16 categories, there’s one for you!
Best Marketing Team, Marketing Campaign,
Use of Social Media, Editorial and Marketing Collaboration,
Rising Star, Investigative Reporting, Spot News or
Single News Story, Interpretative or Analytical Reporting,
Instructional Reporting, Scientific Writing or Technical Reporting,
One-Topic Special Publication, Blog or Commentary,
Use of Video, Most Improved Publication,
Online Community and New or Relaunched Website
But time is running out to enter!
This Friday, March 2 is the entry deadline.
Check out the brochure and enter today!
[text_ad]
