Quik Tip Tuesday: Savvy Seasonal Marketing

August 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment

It’s that time again.

It’s time for school age children to begin dreading every sunrise, and for the parents of said children to begin the countdown…

Yes, my friends — it’s back to school time.

For the record, I never minded back to school time when I was growing up — but that was primarily because I loved the thought of getting new paper, pens, and various and sundry organizational school supplies (strange, but true — explains a lot, doesn’t it?).

Last week I had the rare pleasure of having possession of the remote control. During my cursory scanning of the channels, I happened to catch a Staples commercial that employs some of the most savvy back-to-school marketing that I have seen in quite some time. In trying to locate this clip, I came to find out that this commercial isn’t new — in fact, it originally aired in the 90s. It just goes to show that when you have a great concept, it will often stand the test of time.

Aside from giving you a nearly-midweek-chuckle, why am I sharing this? Well, I’m glad you asked. This commercial is a fantastic (and brilliantly creative) example of how you can cash in with seasonal marketing. There are certain times of the year when it is easy to tap into the collective mind of society — and whether you are underscoring the shared joys (such as the holidays), or the shared headaches (tax season) — a bit of creativity can often make your message resonate even stronger.

Without ruining the clip for those who may not have seen it, I will set it up just by saying that I swear I saw my folks do a similar dance when I was young…and I sincerely doubt it was because my mom was hopped up from sniffing markers.

I’m just sayin’…

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Filed under MARKETING ESPRESSO · Tagged with back to school, marketing strategies, QUIK TIPS, seasonal marketing

Quik Tip Tuesday: Spank the Competition with Superior Service

June 30, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment

A funny thing happened while I was shopping at the mall over the weekend.

John needed to get a couple pairs of blue jeans, so we headed over to JCPenney. They were having a sale on his favorite brand, so we knew exactly where we were headed. I say this only to explain that we weren’t on a typical Traci “let’s look around” kind of mission. We went in with a plan, and we stuck to it.

In the short time between entering and exiting the store, we were greeted by no less than FIVE sales associates. I’m not talking about your standard, “can I help you find something?” that comes off fake and creepy — I’m talking about a genuine, look-you-in-the-eyes-and-smile greeting. There was something immediately different about the way in which they greeted us, and we immediately noticed.

I worked at JCPenney in high school and college — in fact, it was my very first “real job.” This was back in the day when James Cash Penney (for whom the chain is named) appeared in the training videos. Mind you, that has been MANY moons ago, but even so — I knew that there was something different here.

And it was really nice. In the eternal words of the late Billy Mays, “but wait! There’s more!”

We left the store and headed out into the food court for lunch. We decided to grab a quick sandwich at Chick-Fil-A. While placing our order, a food court attendant brushed past us to place a stack of trays on the counter for the CFA folks. The clerk taking our order apologized profusely for “the intrusion.” We laughed, replying that it would take more than that to offend us, and left the counter moments later with our order, and a slight smile still on our faces.

While we were enjoying our lunch, another Chick-Fil-A employee asked if we’d like for her to refill our beverages. Get out of Dodge! I couldn’t believe we were getting that level of service in a crowded mall food court.

Minutes later, we headed out of the mall, but the discussion as we headed to the car was all about the many examples of great service we’d received during our brief visit.

The Takeaways:

In a tough economy, price is often removed from the equation. The huge discount retailers will often match prices on popular items. If the product is identical from multiple retailers, and you’ve removed the price barrier — what’s left? Service. Focus on providing the customer with a better experience, better service, or a better value, and you’ll win their loyalty.

Create a better buying experience, and leave an impression on the customer. In tough times, customers hold tight to the wallet. If they are going to open the wallet to make a purchase, you want them to feel GOOD about it, not experience buyer’s remorse. In each of the examples I noted, we walked away having noted that it was a positive buying experience. We felt good about making the choice we made.

Yes, times are tough, and they may get worse before they get better. But, consumers will still have needs to fill. If you want to be the retailer they choose to fill those needs, start finding ways to make yourself the obvious choice. Offer value-added services. Offer superior service. Create a better experience.

Do that, and your customer walks away happy, comfortable and evangelizing your business. In the end, you’ll get more mileage out of that than a good pair of blue jeans.

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Filed under MARKETING ESPRESSO, SALES TECHNIQUES · Tagged with customer service, QUIK TIPS, sales techniques, selling in tough economy

Quik Tip Tuesday: Avoiding Fake Check Scams

June 23, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment

It’s an unfortunate fact — some checks just aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. And how’s this for a sobering statistic — millions of Americans fall victim to fake checks every year and lose between $3,000 and $4,000 each.

In tough economic times such as these, small business owners don’t want to get stuck for $4.00 — let alone adding a few zeros to that amount. Fortunately, there are some precautions that you can take in order to insure you aren’t left holding the bag.

While this first one should be obvious, it certainly bears repeating — be cautious about accepting checks (even cashier’s checks) from people you don’t know.

When selling goods or services on the Internet, consider online payment systems or escrow services rather than accepting checks. In the past, you could configure your account settings with Paypal in order to prevent buyers from using online checks; however, I have received several this year despite those settings. I phoned Paypal’s customer service department to gain some clarification on this, and was told the following:

Users CAN specify they wish to block e-checks for payments accepted through their own websites, as well as through eBay. However, if the buyer is sending you money from an electronic invoice, or via the “SEND MONEY” tab of their account, they may send you an e-check despite your payment preferences. The only way around this if you were to have a purchase link or “remit a payment” link on your site that would bypass this glitch.

Call or visit the bank on which the check is written to determine its authenticity before accepting or depositing the check.

Avoid using funds before a check clears. Banks may be required to make funds available before a check has cleared, but it can take up to several weeks before a check actually clears.

Never accept a cashier’s check for more than your selling price to pay the excess to a third party identified by your customer. Despite the fact that this is an often-used tactic that has been given lots of coverage in the media, consumers still fall prey to this scam even today. Don’t let it happen to you!

The Consumer Federation of America’s Fake Check Task Force provides additional online resources at www.fakechecks.org and at www.consumerfed.org/fakecheckscams.

Fighting Fake Checks
If you think you’ve received a counterfeit cashier’s check, official check or money order, contact the issuing bank to report receipt of the check and to verify authenticity. Look up the bank contact information because the information on the check is probably fake.

To look up a bank’s official Web site or address, visit www2.fdic.gov/idasp/main_bank find.asp. In addition to contacting the appropriate bank, contact the following authorities:

General scams-Call the Federal Trade Commission at (877) FTC-HELP or file a complaint at www.ftc.gov.

Internet-based scams-Submit a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.

Mail-based scams-Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at (888) 877-7644 or file a complaint at postalinspectors.uspis.gov.

If your complaint involves a national bank and you cannot resolve the problem with the bank, visit HelpWithMyBank.gov to submit a complaint.

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Filed under MARKETING ESPRESSO, SMALL BUSINESS NEWS · Tagged with avoid frauds, avoiding check scams, internet scams, QUIK TIPS

Word to Your Momma…and You, Too

June 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but the headlines in the news don’t exactly give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Here in the Midwest, many towns have been hit hard by the fallout from the automotive industry. Many businesses in our area are direct subcontractors — and their recently announced closings have left literally thousands of people without a job.

These days, it isn’t enough just to have a degree, or years of experience under your belt. The bottom can drop out of a market — any market – at any time, and you could be left picking up the pieces.

Just about every day I receive emails from folks who are looking for a way to support themselves on the web. It’s times like these that spawn a whole new breed of internet entrepreneurs — ones that are determined to never let themselves, or their families, be vulnerable again.

Unlike many starry-eyed newbies that head to the web in the modern-day equivalent of the gold rush, you know that there are no real shortcuts.

There are, however, some opportunities that far exceed others. And I’d like to highlight one that you may simply be overlooking.

Do You Have a Way With Words?
If you answered “yes” to that question, keep reading.

What you may not know is that there is a little-known, yet highly-lucrative market for those with a talent for the written word. The direct-response industry represents $2.3 trillion dollars annually — and writers are being handsomely paid to create the same letters that land in your inbox each and every day. I’m talking about letters that persuade you to donate to charities, take out trial magazine subscriptions, and purchase all manner of products and services.

These letters earn millions of dollars for the companies that send them – and
anywhere from $40,000 to $200,000+ per year for the people who write them.

How do I know? Because I’ve written some of them.

Freedom to Set Your Own Hours & Rates
There is something incredibly liberating about knowing that you no longer have to
punch a time clock. You can work as much or as little as you wish — and still enjoy the financial freedom that others can only dream about.

If you don’t consider yourself “a writer,” don’t worry — you can still take advantage of these unprecedented opportunities. If you are able to write in a simple, conversational style, and follow some simple techniques, you can claim your share of the lucrative freelance writing niche — a niche that can eliminate the stresses of the daily headlines for good.

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Filed under MARKETING ESPRESSO, SMALL BUSINESS NEWS · Tagged with direct response writing, freelance opportunities, help for writers, QUIK TIPS, writing careers

Quik Tip Tuesday: A Better Way to Clickbank

May 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment

If you are doing affiliate marketing, chances are you are familiar with Clickbank. In the past ten years, Clickbank has paid out over one billion (with a B) dollars to their clients. Affiliate marketers can select from tens of thousands of digital products to market, in just about any niche you can imagine.

Sounds great, right?

For me, the only real downside is the Clickbank marketplace. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to get your hands on the hottest new product in your niche, you may or may not be able to find it easily.

Now, don’t get me wrong — that hasn’t stopped me from using Clickbank. And, these comments are my own personal opinions (it’s my blog, after all), so your mileage may vary.

Often the most common-sense keyword searches don’t yield the results you’d expect, and you can quickly burn up precious time attempting to wade through the pages and pages worth of products available. I don’t know about you, but I am simply not willing to invest that kind of time when I have a to-do list that stretches for miles. I knew there had to be a better way.

There is. It’s called CB-Analytics.

It isn’t the most attractive site in the world, but it works like a charm. You can quickly view products released this month, or even today — with only a few clicks. You can view all the standard metrics that you would normally use to weigh an affiliate opportunity at Clickbank, so you aren’t giving up any of the functionality. You can even set up your CB Analytics page to render your personalized affiliate links for you.

Now, as much as I’d like to take credit for passing along today’s tip to you, I want to tip my hat to the gal who shared this marketing gem with me. She’s none other than Jen Ledbetter, aka Potpie Girl. Jen is the Georgia mom who created the One Week Marketing Plan.

As a mom, Jen knows a thing about stretching a dollar. Who better to conceptualize a system that literally allows you to start from NOTHING, and build a thriving web business — one that can help you acquire those little “extras” that so many families are struggling to enjoy in these tough times.

Jen isn’t some out-of-touch “guru” that hires out a ghostwriter to create her materials for her — one who’s only involvement is to slap her name on a product and pitch it to her list. Jen is out there, in the trenches — just like us. She knows the struggles you face, the frustrations, and the incredible sense of feeling overwhelmed by the noise in the marketplace. She’s been there.

If you are looking for a way to ramp up your affiliate marketing activities on the cheap, giving Jen’s One Week Marketing Plan a look is well worth it.

She offers no-nonsense tips you can take to the bank.

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Filed under HOW-TO, MARKETING ESPRESSO · Tagged with affiliate marketing, clickbank, one week marketing plan, QUIK TIPS

Quik Tip Tuesday: Save Time and Money

October 21, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment

A company has developed a new approach to small-business lending. The company-On Deck Capital-looks at the performance of the business, its bank activity, transaction data, business credit and other data to evaluate its overall health. To learn more, visit www.ondeckcapital.com.

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) offers savings and tax benefits to Americans in the military. For more information, visit www.SaveAndInvest.org or www. tsp.gov or call the government’s Thriftline at (877) 968-3778.

To offer small businesses and office professionals more variety and selection, Staples recently introduced “Post-it Brand Shops” in all of its 1,400 U.S. stores. These shops provide one of the widest assortments, with over 150 Post-it products. For more tips, visit www.StaplesPostItShop.com.

Submit your favorite tool and resource links to us for posting on Quik Tip Tuesday – if we use your tip, we’ll publish your suggestion, along with a link to your website.