Advertising Impacts Your Choices More Than You Think

What made you choose to stop at Tim Horton’s this morning? (Yes, I said “choose to” because although you may think it’s just a normal part of your day, it is a choice.)  What made you by that particular box of hair dye or lipstick?  Think for a second about how much advertising really affects your daily purchases without  you even realizing it.

Let’s try an experiment.  Turn off your TV, radio and internet for a month.  Don’t look at a magazine, newspaper or any form of media for that time.  I doubt very many people could that for even a day, let alone a week or a month, or God forbid… a year!!

I’ve been doing a lot of family history research lately and I’m fascinated at how my ancestors lived their lives.  And as my hometown, the City of Timmins celebrates its hundredth anniversary this year, I’ve been interested in how people lived during that time.  A hundred years ago, my grandfather was a 3 year old little boy growing up on a farm just outside of Brodhagen, Ontario.  At that time, he didn’t have a TV, a computer, magazines or video games.  His parents were farmers living away from any sort of “city life” with really only the radio to keep them up to speed with what was going on in the world.

They went into town when it was necessary to buy what they needed.  That was it.  But, of course, once at the store, the manufacturers had their own “advertising”, like packaging to entice you to buy their product over another.  The store owner could have been having a sale, maybe to get rid of old product.  But unless my great-grandparents went into the store in the first place, they weren’t aware of the different products that were available or any sales that might be happening.  And if it wasn’t in the budget, they just didn’t buy it.

My great grandparents were not educated people.  In fact, even my grandfather only had a great eight education.  But even, today, with so many of us being much more highly educated, we’re not even fully aware of all the marketing activities companies do to entice us into buying their products.  That takes me back to our experiment.  If you lived like my great-grandparents did a hundred years ago, with limited access to media, how would your purchase decisions be different from how they are now?  Would you spend less?  Of course, this is only hypothetical because as we all know we can’t fully escape advertising.  But then again, do we even want to?

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Public Relations - A Key Component to Your Marketing Wheel

Public relations is an incredibly important part of your marketing communications plan.  It is essentially free advertising, done by journalists and reporters.  It is used to promote products, people, places, ideas, activities, organizations, and even entire countries!

The benefit to public relations is that it is more credible than traditional advertising.  News stories, feature articles, and events seem more real and believable to readers than ads do.

 Some of the public relations tools that you can use are:

·         Press releases
·         Speeches
·         Product publicity
·         Public affairs
·         Lobbying
·         Investor relations
·        Product Development
·         Special Events
·         Public service activities

Here’s where your marketing wheel starts to take place.  Remember that in the first blog of this series, I talked about your website being the centre of the wheel and everything you do needs to lead back to your website.  Your website is a great tool to use for public relations.  People search the internet for information, not necessarily to purchase something.  Using your website as a public relations tool gives your customers the information they are looking for.  If your company has appeared in the news, put a link to that newscast on your website.  Had an article written about you or your company?  Put that in there too.  Maybe your company just won an award.  That needs to be broadcast too.  All of this is giving customers information about your company, which is what they are really looking for.

 Your marketing team needs to have a great working relationship with journalists and reporters that represent your industry and your target market.   You need to know how they prefer to receive stories, whether it be by email or through a press release distribution site.  I have also just called up some of my contacts and asked if they would be willing to do a story on a certain topic.  If they have the time and they find it newsworthy, they’ll do it.

 Now, here are some tips when submitting a press release.  If you would like to submit a press release that will actually be effective

a)      Make sure you have something newsworthy to say
b)      Make sure your press release is professionally written
c)       Make sure it’s truthful and it isn’t an outright advertisement
d)      Make sure you are sending it to the correct place and contact person

So, remember to include public relations activities into your marketing communications plan.  It will help build your reputation without breaking your bank account.

Your Website - The Centre of the Wheel

In this article, the second of an 8 part series on how to build a strong marketing communications plan, I want to impress upon you the importance of a well-designed website.  Since on-line marketing is so important for any business nowadays, your entire marketing plan needs to be developed around your website.  As more and more people search on line for companies (instead of using a phone book) the most important part of your marketing strategy is having a website that clearly gives your customers all the answers they’re looking for.  Every other marketing activity you do needs to lead back to your website.

So, what does your website need to do for your company?  Well, I could go on for days and days about website optimization, but for now I’ll just give you the basics.  So, the answer to that question is, depending on the company and the industry the content will be different, but the main points that the website needs to be are:

·         Informative

·         Inviting

·         Interactive

Give me information:

Creating an informative website is the most important thing you can possibly do for your business.  When someone is searching for your company, the want all of the information they need right at their fingertips.  Remember that when people read stuff on the internet, they just scan it.  People do not sit and actively read word for word the entire page to find what they want.  So, it’s up to you as a business owner to make sure that you have provided all the information a customer could ever want to know about your business and make sure it’s right where they can find it.   Your content needs to be of high value to your customers, otherwise they’ll leave your website and search out a competitor.

Part of creating that content is making your website searchable.  Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is really important when developing the content of your website.  Key words that are important to your company, your industry and your market are what will help bring your website up to the top in search engines. (I will go into further detail about this in an upcoming blog about your overall on-line marketing activities.)

Invite your customers in:

Now, content is one thing, but the website needs to be inviting.  Like a good host, you would make your guests feel welcome in your home so they want to stay.  Think of your customers as your guests.  You want them to visit, but you also want them to stay for more than a few seconds.  Remember that your website also needs to accurately reflect the company image.  Creating an inviting website that clearly tells your customers who you are can be achieved by using some of the following tips:

·         Be consistent in your colours and fonts

·         Don’t clutter it up with too much stuff

·         Use a pleasing color scheme

·         Incorporate clear and easy-to-use navigation

·         Employ quick-loading graphics

·         Make sure your contact information is easy to find

·         Use simple graphics

·         Choose headings that catch the interest of your reader

·         Create a section for electronic news releases and media materials

·         Post success stories and testimonials (with permission, of course)

Talk to me:

And of course, once you’ve gotten your customer to visit your website, you ideally want them to interact with you.

·         Offer discount incentives for online purchase of products and gift certificates

·         Promote online appointment scheduling by offering package deals

·         Provide a way for visitors to give you feedback (e.g., a “Contact Me” form, direct e-mail link, or a survey)

·         Purchase a digital camera so you can take pictures at events and upload them to your site

·         Host regular Webinars

·         Offer free stuff, like a free estimate or assessment

So, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Marketing is not just advertising.  It’s about creating that memorable impression, by creating an experience that your customers are going to remember.  Your website is the centre of that marketing wheel.  It’s what’s holding the wheel together.  So don’t let your “wheel” fall apart with a poorly designed website.  Take the time to properly design it and update it regularly.

Messages from different promotional approaches all become part of a single message about the company.  So keep it consistent!

Marketing is not just Advertising

Marketing is not just advertising.   It’s about developing a brand, an image that customers will remember.  It’s about delivering a memorable experience.  Sure, advertising is a part of that, but so are a lot of other things.  In the next few weeks, I will be posting an 8 part series centred around creating that memorable impression.   This first post is an overview on how to create that memorable impression.

I often refer to what I call the “marketing wheel”.  (I’m not the first or only one to refer to it this way, nor is my “wheel” the only one out there.)  Here’s how it works.  Advertising messages from different media and different promotional approaches all become part of a single message about the company.  So, it stands to reason that marketing is not just about advertising… it’s about the entire package that the company portrays.  So, all of your marketing activities need to work together to deliver the same consistent message.

If you look at the “marketing wheel”, you’ll see that the company website is right in the centre of the wheel.  That’s because these days, if you don’t have a website, nobody is going to know you exist.  Think about it; when you’re looking for a company, do you still look in the yellow pages?  Likely not.  Instead you “Google” it.  So, your entire marketing communications plan needs to centre around your website.  Every other marketing activity needs to lead back to that website.

I love the advertising campaign for Franks Red Hot Sauce.  The old lady that says she “puts that sh#t on everything” is hilarious.  But think about that tag line and use it in relation to your website.  Put it on EVERYTHING!

Advertising is pretty self-explanatory, but a lot of people think that advertising isn’t important anymore because companies have so much more available to them on-line.  And it’s free.  Well, advertising is still extremely important.  Just remember that your traditional advertising needs to reach your intended target market and it needs to present that consistent image.  Your traditional advertising needs to lead your customers back to your website.

Public relations is a great way to get customers to trust you.  Anytime you have the opportunity to get in front of a camera or get an article printed in a newspaper or magazine, you have just solidified your place in the world as the expert in your field.  Make sure that your company spokesperson is articulate and professional.  Remember, you’re trying to create a positive image for your company!

Sales promotions and direct marketing are great for driving traffic into your business.  The downside is that they don’t develop that brand loyalty you want.  However, that’s not to say that they should never be implemented.  These are really important parts of the “marketing wheel”.  Once again, make sure the image you have projected in your website and in your advertising is carried over into your sales promotion activities.

Personal selling is by far one of the most important aspects to developing that brand for your company.  Your sales team needs to know exactly what your company mission and vision are and they need to live that every day.  The last thing you want is for customers to have a bad experience with a sales associate because they will tell a lot of people to never shop in your store ever again. 

And of course, on-line marketing is extremely important to your marketing plan.  15 years ago, this was not something that companies thought about.   Now it’s absolutely vital that you are able to be found on the web.  Remember that whatever you put on the internet stays there forever.  No matter how well you think it might be hidden, it can always be found, so anytime you post anything on the internet think about how that is going to reflect your image.

In the rest of the posts, I will start going into more depth about each section of the wheel, starting with the website.  If you take away only one thing from these posts, I want it to be this:

Advertising messages from different media and different promotional approaches all become part of a single message about the company.  So keep it consistent!

Is Your Merchandise Safe?

Sure, your store visuals need to look pretty, but have you really given much thought into the loss prevention side of merchandising? I recently met with a client for the very first time.  The instant I walked into that store, I noticed several things that needed to be changed; not for aesthetics purposes but for loss prevention reasons.  As soon as you walked in the door, there was short slat wall with a rack of pyjamas on it.  Now, the store has 3 levels to it and they generally only staff one employee at a time in there, so the opportunity for someone to step in that front door and swipe all of those jammies is huge. 

I hate to say it, but I’ve seen it time and time again, where people get desperate, especially at this time of year.  If they spot an opportunity to take something and think they can get away with it, they will.  Here are some tips for safeguarding your merchandise while still making your store look nice.

·         Don’t merchandise anything too close to the entrance of the store.

·         If your store is an odd shape, with sections that are sometimes difficult to monitor, consider filling that space with large signage, mannequins or decorative stuff like empty boxes wrapped like Christmas presents.  For example, if you have a sporting goods store, put a snowmobile in there.  Nobody’s going to steal that!  The point here is to put something in there that isn’t going to be easily swiped or if it does, there isn’t any monetary loss from it.

·         Keep the change room area free of displays.  Things can go missing from there very easily unless you have a staff member delegated to monitoring that area at all times.

·         As you’re going around throughout the day straightening things out, putting items away and organizing sections, do a quick check to make sure there aren’t empty spaces where there shouldn’t be, empty hangers or items stuffed under racks.  If there are, that’s an area that will need to be more closely monitored in the future.

·        Be careful where you put small, easy to pocket items.  I’ve seen stores with slat wall on the front of their cash desks.  Big mistake!!  Putting small items there is easy target for someone to easily slip it into their purse or shopping bag all while they’re casually chatting with the salesperson who is ringing up their actual “purchases”.

I could go on and on about loss prevention merchandising, but this gives you a good start in terms of things to think about when designing the layout of your store or place of business.  The majority of us would never dream to take anything from a store, but unfortunately there are people who do.  So you need to think like the thief when displaying product.  Think about how easy you’re making it for them.

One of the things I was most proud of when I was managing a clothing store was when our store was recognized from head office because we had the lowest inventory percent loss in the entire company.  Not only was my staff diligent about shipping and receiving product accurately to reflect accurate inventory counts in the computer system, but we were very creative in our visual merchandising strategies.  We sort of followed the visual sets sent to us by head office, but we always had to get creative because our store was an odd shape.  I was really excited to share with my staff the results from our inventory count.

You too can have the same results.  Take a few minutes to draw out a diagram of your store and decide where you want to position things.  When you’re done, step back and look at it from the thief’s point of view.  Adjust things accordingly and you’ll have a store that is a deterrent to thieves. 

The State of Customer Service in this Country

My personal opinion about customer service in this country is that it has been going downhill for years.   This past weekend was no exception.  My husband I decided to take our kids to the movie theatre.  We very rarely go to the theatre since it’s a little pricey for all 5 of us to go regularly.  Anyhow, I was flabbergasted at the complete lack of service, in fact lack of respect for the customers.  With this kind of service, I don’t plan on going back anytime soon.  In fact, According to American Express, 85% of customers have decided to never do business with a company because of poor customer service in the past.  That’s a lot of people!! 

Now of course when you go anywhere on a weekend, it’s going to be busy and you’re going to encounter teenage sales associates.  I get that.  After all, I was a manager for 10 years and some of my best employees were my students.  However, when we got to the movie theatre, there was line up a mile long.  We got in line, but the line didn’t seem to be moving very quickly.  After standing there for a very long time, the line suddenly split off.  I guess they had decided to open another cash window.  Maybe it’s just me, but really… on a weekend matinee with 5 movies playing that everyone wants to see, you’re only going to open one cash window with a slow moving teenager??  By the time we got to the cash, the teenager did not even look at us, he just told us the total and that was it.  No apology for the wait, no “Thank you for coming”, no acknowledgement what so ever.  Next we headed to the lineup for the popcorn.  Once again we stood there forever.  Once we got to the front, the teenager working this cash was taking his sweet old time, oblivious to the fact that there were 50 people still standing behind me.  Once again, no acknowledgement what so ever.  He just took our order, proceeded to have a conversation with another teenager working the counter, took my money and that was it. 

Now I’m not bashing teenagers (I have a 15 year old son), but what is with the level of customer service lately?  I’m not blaming the teenagers.  After all it’s likely their first job, so they have never had any training on how to be courteous.  (Don’t get me wrong, some of that is common sense and should have been instilled in them at home by now)  When I was a manager, the absolute number one priority in my store was customer service.  The stores I managed were number one in the district and the company for a reason… because we had repeat customers who wouldn’t think to shop anywhere else.

So, how have things changed in terms of customer service training?  Do you have a thorough training plan in place?  Do you have high expectations for your staff (teenagers or not)?  Remember, 85% of your customers won’t come back because of poor service.  Taking the time to adequately train your staff, follow up regularly with them and instill a sense of pride to be working for your company is well worth the time it takes to do that.  Remember that customer retention is so much easier and cheaper than customer acquisition. 

What's in it for me?

As I said in my previous blog, listening to your customers is an extremely important step to customer retention, but there is no way you’re going to remember everything about every customer especially what they’ve all purchased, how often and how much they spend.  That’s why having an accurate, detailed database is vital.  But, database marketing only works to build retention if the customer benefits from the retention strategies.  Which means that you can have all the information possible about your customer but if your marketing retention strategy doesn’t interest them, there’s no point in doing it.  So, really pay very close attention to the information you have and strategically design your marketing strategies from the customer’s point of view. 

So, what kinds of strategies work?  Well, that depends on your industry and your clients’ preferences, but here are some commonly used things that work well.

·         Membership cards

·         Welcome and thank you communications

·         Satisfaction surveys

·         Enhanced technical support with follow up satisfaction calls

·         Frequent Buyer Programs

Most importantly, as I’ve said before, listen to what the customers want.  Do they want free stuff?  A Frequent Buyer Program might be a great option.  Do they want to share their input on your products, services and company?  Having their voices heard might mean they’d take the time to complete a satisfaction survey.  But, get creative.  Personally, I use a referral program.  When one of my clients refers another client to me, the referring client gets 15% off their next purchase.  As most of my clients are owners of very small businesses, they are more than happy to save some money on professional services.

The key to customer retention is to ensure that you have developed a very comprehensive Integrated Marketing Communications plan aimed specifically at your existing customers, designed to build loyalty.  Have fun with it.  Get creative.  Better yet, ask your customers what they want and give them exactly that.