Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

The smart phone has had an incredible impact on modern marketing techniques.  It is no longer enough to use traditional marketing to the exclusion of online marketing.  Now, to successfully improve your business performance you must successfully integrate both options to create a total marketing strategy that drives sales.  When online shopping was only available at home on a desktop computer, it had a smaller impact on the market.  With the advent of one click purchasing and mobile access, it has become a significant part of the market share.  Mobile access also impacts in store sales.

Shopping Apps and How to Use Them

The well known phrase, “there’s an app for that,” has become much more truth than marketing exaggeration.  There are apps to perform an incredible variety of functions, and some of the more useful and commonly used apps are shopping apps.  They allow consumers to search for products, both online and in store, and locate the nearest retailers.  They don’t stop there, since these apps also allow comparison shopping.  Not only can customers locate the nearest store with the product, they can also locate the lowest price.  More consumers check availability online before heading to the store than ever before.  If your business does not provide that information, it misses out on a whole slew of potential revenue.

Sell Products Online to Improve In Store Sales

Even if your website never generates a direct sale, the addition of these shopping apps makes it critical that you post your product offerings.  Though sales may not come in directly, there are a number of ways for you to gain indirect traffic simply by having a sales website.  Shopping apps cannot provide your product information unless it is posted where they can see it.  Comparison shopping sites cannot display your fabulous pricing unless you are listed.  To gain access to the potential revenue form these daily searches, ensure that your business is online and listed far and wide.

The Internet must be integrated with other marketing strategies.  While traditional methods are inexpensive and require less administrative time, they make it easy to get lost in the shuffle.  Many people use the web for all their research needs, so if your company is not listed on the local business listing sites, the next time a consumer searches for your company they may not be able to find you, even if they are responding to a solid radio or television marketing campaign.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

As the fourth quarter rapidly approaches, it is time to ramp up your marketing and decide on promotional activities.  For many businesses, the last two months of the year are critical to showing a profit and customer appreciation can be a great strategy to pursue during this time period.  The winter season is all about giving, and promotional gifts can be a great way to remind customers about your store and offer them a nice “extra” when they include you in their Christmas shopping plans.

Unique Items Draw More Attention

Use the holiday season for inspiration and as the theme for whatever item you choose as a give away.  Try to stay away from boring and over used items like pens and magnets.  They are not particularly effective in convincing people to stop by.  A pen can be a great way to market a service business, but for a shop it is better to offer a free gift that people will enjoy using.  Pens and magnets are better for campaigns where the goal is to build awareness.  During the winter season some lovely items you could offer include: gloves, scarves, mugs, bottle openers or anything that reminds you of winter or winter activities.  Offering a free gift that suits the season will be much more effective than something that is non-specific.

Budget Conscious Shouldn’t Mean an End to Promotion

It can be tough to convince yourself to order promotional materials during a though economy, but that is the time to really dig deep and spend the money on advertising.  Promotional gifts are a great way to get your name out there, while also encouraging customers to stop by.  By offering gifts that are useful and winter themed, you increase the likelihood that they will actually be used, and you benefit from the resulting exposure.  Don’t bother spending a lot of money producing items that are not in keeping with the season, and find something that has a bit of fun.  If you produce a mug, make sure that your logo is not the only thing customers see.  Include a cute and fun piece of winter artwork or a nice holiday sentiment, so the item is more than just another advertisement.

Be creative, unique and fun with your promotions and enjoy the response as people seek out your store to get in on the good times.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

Mass postal mailings still have their place in today’s marketing landscape.  Although it is less expensive to send out email blasts, they do not provide the same result.  If you send out a mass mailing using printed media you will get a much better response rate.  While email blasts should also be sent out on a regular basis, it is important to recognise the different types of information that should be sent via mail versus in a digital format.  It is also important to remember that many people will never see your email as it will be picked off by spam filters.

• Printed Media will Be Seen

Mass mailings have a relatively low response rate, typically less than ten percent of the people to whom you are mailing will place an order, but that is still significantly greater than the response rate to email.  When you send out email blasts most people never see them.  Routine marketing emails quickly get marked as spam and shunted directly to the spam folder.  Many users never look at their spam folder before emptying the content.  It may be less expensive to use email marketing, but there are still expenses, and the limited number of orders that will result make it something of a lottery.  Printed media on the other hand, will be seen at least once.  When it arrives someone must pick it up and glance at it before tossing it in the recycling.  You have an opportunity to capture a sale with that glance.

• Appealing Covers are Critical to Direct Mail

Though most people decide in less than a second whether to keep a catalogue or other marketing mailing, they still have to at least take a brief look.  Companies have an opportunity to show their best to a potential client.  On the cover of whatever mailing you design there should be colour content that is appealing, and great sales advertised. A strong cover will get the recipient to open the brochure or catalogue.  Don’t mail too often or recipients will grow bored with your offerings.  An annual catalogue is of much more interest than one that is seen every month.

• Email Blasts Have their Place

Email blasts should be sent out with information that is current and product specific.  Don’t try to get an entire catalogue on one page.  Too much information in a single email means that it is more likely to get deleted without really being perused.  Instead of sending out daily or even weekly sale notices, consider a monthly campaign.  If you do more frequent emails make sure that they are short and concise.  Keep longer emails to no more than once a month.  Also, keep in mind that an email is not the same as a retail shelf.  Every inch of space doesn’t need to be crammed full.  There is no actual limit to the number of emails that you can send, so make them a little easier on the eyes.

No marketing strategy should be limited to one tool.  Both online and printed mail are still great opportunities to successfully market your products and services.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

As valuable as it is to use interactive media like websites and social networking sites, print media cannot take a back-seat in marketing. There are some things print media can do that just cannot be replicated on the Web. Many people get an emotional connection with things like catalogues, magazines and the hybrid magalogs, but they are not as connected with websites. Often, consumers are text messaging or on the phone, surfing the Web and listening to music all at the same time; making it hard to focus on advertisements on websites. Reading a magazine takes a bit more effort and concentration than browsing websites.

• Provide Portability to Potential Customers

Including print publications can increase readership, primarily due to its portability. Laptops and cell phones are also very portable, but are a bit more awkward to handle on trains or buses, in the bathroom or while in the waiting room at a doctors office. Continuing with the idea of portability, magazines do not require a particular service area or even power; candlelight will do for reading.

• Elicit an Emotional Response with a Content-rich, Visually Appealing Promotion

A strong, visually-appealing promotion with solid content will ensure that the brand stays with the person reading the magazine or catalogue By providing a print publication, consumers can make more of a connection with the information you have given them. Often, the success of a marketing campaign has everything to do with the way people respond emotionally to an advertisement or other promotional material. Just the act of holding something in one’s hand elicits some positive emotion because it brings people back to a more physically connected, slower-paced time.

• Combine Print Media with Online Media for a Successful Marketing Mix

The combination of print marketing and online marketing is a recipe for a successful marketing mix. Be sure to include links, on all your print materials, to your website, social network page (e.g., Facebook page) or blog. Use technology to your advantage with interactive media which can turn print pages into a virtual flip-book or interactive catalogue

Connect smart-phone-owning potential customers with your website, contact information, social network page, etc. by adding quick response (QR) codes to your printed materials.  Quick response codes make it easier for potential customers to get information about a product or service and for marketers to keep track of user statistics; it also drives traffic to their websites. These bar-codes are two-dimensional like their earlier counterparts, but look more akin to ink blots.

A powerful marketing strategy will be multi-pronged; not letting new technologies overshadow traditional tools like print media. One reason to include print media in the mix is that it still has an advantage over online media; evoking an emotional reaction. However, the two marketing methods can easily be put together through things like putting QR codes on catalogues and including links to online company resources.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker