Throw Out That Old Marketing Pie

By Joel Black on 01/11/2012

Did you make a marketing pie like I did last year? You know, a little online marketing, a little off-line marketing, a dash of Facebook, a teaspoon of Twitter and threw in a little post card mailing just to see if it taste better.  How did that turn out for you?   Mine kind of taste a little bland!

2012 Marketing Efforts

So what do you do this year?  Throw it all out and start over.  This time make cookies!

This year Im focusing on my current clients.  I want to build better relationships with the core group of clients that we have.  By starting new programs geared to our current clients, we can help them better market themselves and we can focus on what we do best. So far, the 11 days of the new year have been great.  Ask me again 354 days from now and Ill tell you how it went.

What is your big marketing push this year?  Leave your best tip for the new year.  Im going to be blogging about the top ten marketing efforts for 2012 over the next 10 weeks, and I will use your tip and give you a link if you leave a good one.

Thanks to Mya with Sting Communications for tip #1, “focus on establishing longer-term relationship with a few clients by providing them with a diversified range of relevant services. I plan on introducing market research in emerging markets or among ethnic groups into my array of services“.  I plan to get more into the longer term relationship discussion soon, as thats in my top 5!

Ron Wilbur, a Twitterer with 24.000 followers, comes in with tip #2, “People in your target market are the only expert.  Try to know them better than you know yourself“.  That’s great advice.  Who of us really know our clients well enough?  Obviously Ron does with 24,000 followers.  But for us normal people, we have to work at it a bit.  Ill expand on some strategies in the coming weeks.

Tip # 3 came in today during a lunch meeting with my friend Brad Hartman. “Market to people in your own field.”  I though to myself, how did I overlook that?  For example, we are in web design and graphic design.  There are graphic designers out there that might can design an awesome website, but might not be able to build and code it.  We could be their partner.  We should market to them, and I know exactly how to!

Thanks to the peeps over at 48HourPrint for tip #4, getting personal and marketing to your current clients. Datalicious – this year is all about using your customer data to drive sales. Your customer database is a treasure trove of information you can leverage to get the right offers in front of the right people at the right time. Personalize your communications with your customers – in email AND in print  – and show that you truly know what they want (and need).  It’s easy (and affordable) to produce personalized postcards that include your client’s name, and to provide coupon codes and discounts that vary depending on your customer’s preferences, past purchases, or geographic location. Research shows that leveraging this kind of information in your campaigns can greatly improve response rates (and ROI). Make your data work for you this year!

48HourPrint.com is a leading online provider of award-winning printing and mailing services for small businesses, graphic designers, and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States and Canada. They offer 40 print products for your marketing needs – from postcards, business cards and brochures to newsletters, catalogs, door hangers, bumper stickers, magnets and more. Check out their special offers here: http://www.48hourprint.com/specialoffers/ or follow them on Twitter @48hourprint today.

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