Event Lead Follow-up: What's the best approach?

Events are terrific places to gather qualified leads. The question is, "What is the best way to follow-up on those leads?" If you return from an event and you have a large number of leads then you are more limited as to the personable scope of the follow-up. Direct mailings and emails are your best bet, and then it is still virtually impossible to come across with a personal message. We do the best that we can and I suggest taking as many of the leads as possible and pulling them from your lead list and writing a personalized email or letter, or better yet a phone call to each of them.

Now if your lead list is smaller, say less than 50, then take the time to look at the companies website and any other information you can find before making the contact. This allows you to get very personal about their company and or product and is appreciated by the recipient. Your close ratio also will be higher. You don't need to even imply or state that you actually spoke to that person. Just acknowledge that you know they were there and you appreciate their presence and then tailor the rest of the message around how great they are and that you would like to invite them to view your services. By taking this approach, you are letting them know that you have already invested your time in them and common courtesy tends to prevail.

Our firm was at a local event this past weekend and I have only gotten to maybe 5 of the numerous leads that were collected and have already received 1 appointment. That is a 20% response rate, which is better than I had ever dreamed of, and it is all because I have taken my time in approaching these potential clients.

Choosing The Right Image.

Imagery is everywhere we turn. Sometimes it is appropriately chosen to convey the necessary message and at times it makes little sense. When our firm is designing a new advertisement, email campaign or video, we can spend days looking through images before we find one that fits the bill. That is how important the right image is.

What you want to think about first is what does the image need to convey? Is it an overall message? A feeling? A point of reference? Or is it backup to proving a point? There are a multitude of reasons why we choose an image. Once that image is chosen, make sure it fits with your original goal for what the image was to accomplish.

I tend to take a lot of pictures, no matter where I go, and they do come in handy at times. But when I don't find what I need in my ever growing library of images, then I turn to online sources such as ClipArt.com, Photos.com or other subscription services. They are not terribly expensive and if you are on a very limited budget then I suggest doing the shortest subscription they have (which typically is 1 month) and spend a few hours a week while you have it, downloading any and all images that you may be able to use in the future.

What you NEVER want to do is copy an image that you have not paid for. This can lead to legal battles and judgments that can destroy a small business. By using the subscription services or taking the pictures yourself, you maintain the right to use the images. Just keep your receipt for the subscription service and you'll be fine.

There are some free image sites out there but you need to read the fine print as most do not allow for them to be used for commercial purposes.

Making Your Brand More Than Just Window Dressing

Location, location, location. That is what we always here about retail businesses and it's true that your location plays an integral part of a successful business model. Once you have the location, the next logical step is how to address the appearance for the passerby impression. Great window dressing goes a long way to bringing customers in the door. But what happens after they are in the door? Or better yet, how do you attract those customers that are not just happening by?

Every business needs a strong marketing strategy and if you do have a great location and the proper window dressing, then use that as the base of your strategy. Build around that image by using it in your magazine ads, billboards and even email campaigns. There are a number of things that will happen once this is done. The first is that you give the impression of being larger and more solid than you may actually be (there is no need for customers to realize you are a new business). The second is that having a cohesive image sets a tone of quality, that automatically flows over to your product line(s). And finally we have the buzz that can be created by a solid marketing strategy. When a customer is drawn to your location because of an ad and then they see that your business is what they expected, they tend to talk about it. That is the best form of advertising you will ever get.

Do Small Businesses Have the Power to Survive an Estranged Economy?

When I first heard a few weeks ago that we were in an 'estranged' economy, it intrigued me but made little sense. But the more I think about it, that is exactly what we are seeing. It's not a typical recession, but with certain sectors so completely out of wack, it is just down right wierd. Typically, when oil prices sky rocket, we see up-pricing pretty much across the board, yet there are still industries that are able to leverage their buying power to keep their price points in check. The fast-food restaraunt industry is a good example of this. Granted, they are picking up those customers that are assumming that their regular restaturant may cost them more due to overall increases, but that is all the consumer is doing, ASSUMING. They may even drive further to McDonald's than they would their neighborhood pizzaria.

Small business owners need to take a lesson from the average consumer. They need to do a little assuming. Normally, I caution to never assume, but what may happen is that by assuming that the next time a key marketing componant is up for renewal (ie:magazine ads, commercials, video etc.)it forces that business to look at alternative means of getting their message across. In doing so, they not only educate themselves on various mediums of advertising and marketing, but may come across that unique venue that will propell their buisness or brand into stardom.

We are all looking for that one great message that gets the phone ringing and the product flying off of the shelf. So why not use this estranged economy to educate yourself, your consumer base (let's face it there was a time when I didn't think you could print on an egg)and grow your marketing strategy instead of stiffling it.

Who Is The Face of Your Company?

It's amazing when I think about all of these businesses that are struggling to grow their brand into an industry leader and fail to take into account the face of that brand. No matter how great your marketing and advertising are, there must always be a human element in the mix. For most businesses it is the sales force, the management and anyone else that has direct face-to-face contact with the consumer.

Those that are in visual contact of your consumer, MUST be presentable and have a pleasant personality. Remember, that typically, the first impression is made within seconds, and that opportunity can NEVER be achieved again. It doesn't matter if the person knows the product or service inside out, if they project a poor image for your company.

The only thing that is worse than projecting a poor image in person, is not projecting that image at all. I understand that there are many companies that are strictly web based and never see their target audience. But what happens is, your growth will stall if you are not in front of your consumer base on a regular basis and that means attending events and trade shows and building the human side of your business.

So I encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone and build that presence. Then you can feel confident that you are not missing a critical step in building your business or product into an industrious brand.

Ardynn Media Launches Xtremus Publishing Product

The Xtremus Publishing product is an eZine product that builds a brand, increases organic search capabilities, conveys fresh information and has the viral capability to outdistance anything available to small businesses today.

Viral marketing is what truly propels a business to that next level of branding and consumer recognition. In today’s technology soaked market place, it can be extremely difficult to find a technology solution that anyone can use to produce a product. Ardynn Media’s goal was to offer a solution that not only was the freshest technology available, but had the back end components, such as 24/hour support, revenue generating aspects and an extensive library of royalty free articles. This would allow the publisher to target their audience with the precision of a company that had a large in-house marketing team.

“The Center for Media Research, the Online Publishers Association and the Small Publishers Association of North America are all great resources for learning about how to tie in a publication with your existing marketing strategy” says Michael D Harris Jr, President of Ardynn Media. “They were all invaluable resources when we were developing the Xtremus Publishing product for the ‘business to consumer’ market. I highly encourage any business that is expanding their current marketing strategy to educate themselves on the over-all effectiveness of eZine products in the market place.”

Aside from the fact that the Xtremus Publisher product allows a business to stay in front of their target audience, it increases their presence on the internet and offers sharing capabilities by through RSS feeds. This combination of attributes is highly desirable in any marketing medium. To learn more about the Xtremus products, call 717.236.4148 or visit one of their websites at www.ArdynnMedia.com and www.MarketingWithArdynnMedia.com.

Marketing and Advertising in the Modern Age

With new marketing and advertising mediums seeming to appear on a daily basis, it can be extremely difficult for any business to keep up. The challenge becomes even more daunting when it comes to a small or niche business and their limited budget. Never the less, modern age communication options have put us all on alert and scrambling to decipher what needs to be done to build our businesses.

On the one hand, we have the tried and true mediums of getting our message in front of the target audience such as newspaper/magazine ads and billboards that work to some extent. While on the other, we have the inundation of website banner ads, video signs at the grocery store and mobile marketing capabilities. When you read the various articles that the media produces by the minute, and at times tend to also contradict each other, it makes our decisions that much more difficult. Every business has the exact same goal and that is to bring their product or service to market. What tends to be missed in this struggle for balance is exactly that…there must be a cohesive message that will imprint the consumer using traditional and electronic communication methods, while at the same time having their brand or product showing up in the least expected places in order to grow their business by having their brand remembered.

In the heart of Times Square there is a new interactive video billboard. Now everyone knows that Times Square has become a tourist destination for its advertising, but what made this billboard stand out was that the consumer provided the message at little cost …paying only a standard text messaging rate “When our Director of Sales pointed the billboard out to me, the first thing I thought was that the cost per impression to brand a business or product would be hundredths of a penny (depending on the size of the current crowd)” says Michael D Harris Jr, President of Ardynn Media. “What does this mean for consulting firms if the average person is shown where and how to advertise?”

Even though the purpose of the billboard was to act as an interactive form of entertainment and keep the audience there long enough to view the rotating promotion for the Spot Light Live Restaurant. The fact that thousands of tourists were taking pictures of the messages appearing on the billboard, which becomes a piece of take-away branding, is proof that this fresh and unique marketing medium works. But what we need to remember is that attempts like this should only be part of an overall marketing strategy and no matter how great a response a company gets from a particular medium, they still need to be well rounded and utilize multiple avenues of getting their message out there.

With the explosion of new methods to convey a company‘s message, how does a business owner sift through the bewildering options and information in order to find the best mix that will propel their business to the next level? One way is through designating a team member to becoming a marketing expert whose sole job is to keep up with the advances we see on a daily basis. Another, and probably more realistic way to accomplish this, is to hire an outside source to handle all aspects of your marketing and advertising. Not only are you getting expert knowledge and education, but they work for you and have your business’ best interest at heart. The latter has become more common as we continue to see outsourcing during this estranged economy.

No matter where your company stands on their marketing today, tomorrow will bring new challenges that must be faced. If you are not situated to face that change and adapt your current strategy on very short notice then you are hindering your company’s ability to fulfill its growth potential.

The act of getting dressed each day helps one company in their quest for viral marketing

While dodging rain showers at the American MusicFest this past weekend, I came across a young man that was encouraging people to register to vote. Since I have been voting from the time I turned of age, I started to dismiss him, but as he turned to catch the next passerby, I noticed something odd about his feet. His SHOES had fingers! When I asked about the shoes, he was more than happy to talk about them and the company that produces them. The only other instances I can think of where a consumer was so excited about a piece of clothing is those instances where someone has finally been able to buy themselves a very expensive designer label. He couldn't stop talking about how great they were (once you learned the trick of slipping them on) and even took them off and stood barefoot in the street to show us every detail of the shoe.

The shoe is contoured to your foot and provides a pocket for each toe. The sole of the shoe has, what I would call, tiny treads like on a car tire. They come in a number of styles and colors and are comparable in price to a good pair of running shoes. Vibram USA, which is based out of Concord, MA is run by Tony Post, President and CEO. Time Magazine named Vibram FiveFingers as one of the Best Inventions of 2007.

When a product has been designed and meets certain needs, then consumers often will tout it to their friends and family, but then you add the uniqueness that Vibram FiveFingers has to offer and you have an instant viral campaign with out spending advertising dollars.

I mean, I have been telling people about them for 3 days now and emailing over links to their website.

When Realtors and Others Give Up the Brick and Mortar

As the owner of a marketing and advertising consulting firm that targets all small businesses, in particular, the Real Estate industry, I totally agree with Davison from 1000Watt Consulting that the need is there for an increased presence on the web versus a brick and mortar establishment. What I recommend to clients is to look for ways to increase their web presence while adding additional revenue streams.

There are two very good products that allow virtually anyone to publsih their own eZine in no time at all. One is The FrogPond Publisher 2008 available at FrogPond.com or by contacting Susie Hale via email at susie@frogpond.com. The other is called the Extremus Publisher and is a product that we have just licensed to launch and information can be had by contacting info@ardynnmedia.com.

Both of these products have tremendous viral potential and the great thing is that they both have access to pre-written articles that can be used when a publisher does not have the time or the skill to write a magazines worth of information.

Not only is it suitable for any industry, but can have a broad or narrow target, depending on the desired effect of the publisher. The advertising banners are a great way to add revenue to any bottom line. The end result will be a higher Google ranking with more information that helps to build a brand or products credibility. When this happens, the consumer feels more comfortable with doing business with your business.

Let's face it, consumers do research and the # 1 source is the internet. So increase your presence and look at every possibility when making the move from brick and mortar to cyber space.

Small Business Owners: Don't Pass Up What the Real Estate Industry Has to Offer Through Inman News

One of the best places for a small business owner to learn the latest in marketing technologies is at Inman News' Real Estate Connect in San Francisco. This years 3 day conference takes place July 23-25th. Not only is it the perfect forum for Realtors and Industry Leaders to keep up to date on what technology facets have been developed to attract consumers, but it is also the ideal venue for small business owners from all other industries to learn some of the freshest marketing out there.

The Real Estate Industry has long been known for using the hottest marketing techniques in order to effectively compete for a consumers dollars. When we say dollars, we mean substantial amounts! With real estate being a buyer's market, Realtors need EVERY competitive inch to grab that toe hold on the average media home price of $206,200.

So if you are a Realtor, Industry Professional or any other small business, then you need to look into Real Estate Connect 2008!