The other day, I had a consultation with a chiropractor who had just spent thousands of dollars on “branding.” Gorgeous logo. Snappy website. Beautiful, glossy brochures.
And not a damn thing to show for it.
That’s why he was calling me.
“Your problem is that you’ve spent so much time and money creating an ‘image’ that you’ve forgotten what people are really hungry for,” I said. “And that’s a solution to their problem.”
I told him, “Folks don’t care what your logo looks like. At the end of the day, there’s only one thing that’s going to pay your bills, and it ain’t ad agency gloss. It’s creating actual value for your patients and prospects.”
This is a mistake I see small business owners make all the time: investing time, effort, and energy into “branding” that just doesn’t work. Unless you’re a Fortune 500 company, or loaded with excess millions to blow on advertising, the idea of trying to “get your name out there” is basically useless—kind of like throwing a couple of teaspoons’ worth of water into the ocean and hoping someone notices.
Nope, small businesses have to build brand awareness the old fashioned way—by serving, and satisfying, customers...one, two, and three at a time.
So what can you do to avoid the fate of my overly image-conscious friend I told you about? Here are three sure-fire rules of thumb for maximizing your marketing dollars.
1)—Spend at least 50% of your marketing budget internally. Yes, you read that right. At least 50% of your marketing budget should to go solidifying your relationships with your existing customers. Keep in constant contact with them. Make offers. Send newsletters and birthday cards. Marketing to your existing customers is usually up to 10 times more profitable than marketing to a cold list—so capture as much revenue as possible from the investment you made to get those customers in the first place.
2)—ALWAYS test. Undoubtedly, you understand the value of tracking results to measure the response you’re getting to your marketing—but what about testing? This is one of the best-kept secrets in marketing…and it can make you a TON of money.
Whenever you run a new ad or promotion, always create two versions—and test one against the other. For example, if you’re running a newspaper insert, buy 20,000 inserts and run 10,000 of one version against 10,000 of the other. Or if you’re sending a direct mail piece, send one message to half your list, and a second message to the other half. Then track results to see which is more profitable. Whichever one wins becomes your new “control”—and then test future marketing pieces against it.
There are two important things to remember when testing. First, NEVER, ever change out your control until it gets beaten…even if you’re “in the mood” for a change. And second, ALWAYS try to beat your control! As you do, your response rates will creep steadily upward, and you’ll find you’re “genetically engineering” your marketing for ever-increasing success!
3)—Test Ugly First. Some of the most successful marketing campaigns have been ugly. What do I mean by that? I mean they don’t have that slick “Madison Avenue” feel, but they get results like gangbusters. NEVER spend the money to “gloss up” your look and feel UNTIL you’ve tested and proven a message that gets results.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Katie Langston
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