MDC Group Inc’s Blog

Are Your Marketing Dollars Creating One-Time Customers Or Customers For Life?

New leads, let’s face it, they aren’t cheap. In most cases, you will get more return from your marketing dollars spent generating repeat business than from new lead marketing efforts. You still definitely need to have those new leads coming in, but you should also make sure that you’re not neglecting those who’ve purchased from you in the past.  With today’s digital marketing tools you can do both inexpensively and effectively.

Connection.  If you had to describe in one word why the Internet changed everything, it would be connection.  Business and personal relationships have changed due to the Internets ability to instantly connect people through email, websites, and social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

However, this global connection has created a problem for the local business in their local markets.

Why?

1.     Traditional print advertising is becoming less effective.

2.     Most people have thrown their Yellow Pages away and search online.

3.     Newspaper’s readership is down.

4.     With Tivo and DVR’s, many are skipping commercials.

5.     Search results are dominated by large companies.

6.     Searching for new customers?

Let’s face it, the Internet has become today’s yellow pages.  It used to be that a local business had to be in the yellow pages to be found.  Today, 97% of people who are online search online to find a source of local products or sources.  Eighty-two percent of online searches result in offline actions, such as a call or visit. Bottom-line - 6 out of 10 result in a purchase.

Did you know?

1.     97% of people with online access will research products and services online before they purchase?

2.     55% of all searches are done with an intent to buy?

3.     Of all local searches, 8 out of 10 will visit or call a store or business and 60% of those result in a purchase.

“I have a web presence you say?”

The real question is not do you have a website, but how are you driving potential customers to it?  Is it a tree in the forest?  It is hard to stand out in the crowd.  And believe me it is a crowd.  There are 1 TRILLION web pages today - and growing every day.  How can your products and/or services stand out when your potential customer is online searching?

A website and online marketing, such as Search Engine Marketing, are typically not inexpensive.  Or is it?  What if I told you it could be as little as a cup of Starbucks/day and with GUARANTEED RESULTS.  Stay tuned, let me show you how affordable it can be for your business.

“But I am in the Yellow Pages or the newspaper you say”.

Traditional advertising, in today’s highly competitive marketplace, has proven to be inefficient in helping many small businesses grow.  Newspaper and Yellow page readership continues to decline, while their cost to run ads goes up.  Google and other online search engines are today’s yellow pages.  The questions we have to ask ourselves are:

Why advertise in a declining market?  And

Why spend more money to reach fewer people?

Keep Your Best Customers Buying from YOU
Budgets these days are tight and it’s important to know both that your marketing is working and to capitalize on your repeat business. Your best customers didn’t become your best customers from one small sale. Being great at what you do is not always enough to keep the customers that you have earned.

Take Disney for example. They are the self-proclaimed “most magical place on earth” but their 2009 third quarter sales don’t reflect it. Revenue was down 9% to $2.8 billion, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Now they’re boosting their marketing efforts to their previous attendees to increase revenue. They know these families have shown an interest in the past, so Disney is “nudging” them to come again with Free Dining Plans, 3 nights free hotel stay incentives and the “play free on your birthday” campaign, just to name a few. They have the room to make these great offers because of the much higher response rate when promoting to their past customers.

With all of the competition out there today, you need to constantly remind your customers that you are the best at what you do. Direct mail paired with a consistent email campaign, such as an electronic newsletter (E-newsletter)  is an effective way to remind your customers about your products and services and how they’ve trusted you in the past!  And it can accomplish two more important strategies:

1.     Give to get.

2.     Front of mind marketing.

What do I mean by give to get?  Give away your best ideas and tips that are important to your consumers.  Any advice or tips on making the budget go farther in today’s consumer climate can make your communication piece valuable.  The result is that your mail or E-newsletter will become a “welcome guest” not an “annoying pest” to your list.

What is “front of mind marketing?”  It has to do with finding ways to keep your product and company in the forefront of your prospects/customers mind so that when they need what you do or have, they think of your company first.  In other words a prospect or a customer”

remembers you or your company.

remembers what you do.

is thinking about whether you can solve his/her problem.

would call you not the competitor first if they thought you could meet their need.

What is the penalty for failing to stay front of mind?  Someone else gets the business.  How do you stay front of mind?  There are active methods like sales calls; and passive methods like advertising and marketing such as direct mail or newsletters.

Front of mind declines over time just like many things in nature.  When you leave the prospect or they leave your store you immediately begin to decline in their front of mind thinking.  So to bring your company back to front of mind you need regular touches.  One inexpensive step (and it shouldn’t be the end all-be all) is a newsletter.

I know what you’re thinking, that’s a big task.  MDC Group can help.  We offer services that will do all the “heavy lifting” when it comes to creating and sending newsletters.  An E-newsletter program for as little as $199.95/month (check-out www.enewslettersmadeeasy.com ).  Couple this with our guaranteed first page Google ad presence for less than $200 (check-out    http://johnsr.putsyouonpage1.com/25 ) and you can solve to big marketing needs for very little investment.  Give us a call at 1-888-851-0466 x 104.