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  • Practical Marketing
  • About
  • Businesses We Serve
    • Healthcare >
      • Direct Primary Care Practices
      • Patient Satisfaction
    • Professional Services >
      • Client Satisfaction Surveys
    • Local Small Businesses >
      • Marketing Your New Business
      • Coaching
      • Customer Satisfaction
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Website Review
    • Name your new business eBook
    • Starting a new healthcare practice
    • Marketing your Business For Growth
    • Small Business Networking Groups
  • Client Listing and Recommendations

Marketing Tips for growing businesses

Three things I learned using LinkedIn’s polling feature

9/7/2020

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I recently tried out LinkedIn’s polling function, using a hastily written survey. The first hurdle encountered was the character limit on the answer options, and when I condensed the answers they were not as well balanced as the original ones.

​Learning #1:  Plan for short responses
 
As this was just an experiment to try out the polling feature, I forged on ahead to see what would happen. The first 5 responses came in the first few minutes. After that, it slowed, so I added a comment and sent a note out to a few connections to stimulate interest. Even then, after a week the poll only had 20 votes out of 431 views, a 4.6% response rate.
​
Learning #2:  Expect a low response rate


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Since no one chose the “Something else” option, if I were to do this again, I’d use five balanced answers with a neutral one in the center. I also learned that the poll was only  seen by first degree connections, so might not be a representative sample of the LinkedIn population.
But despite the flaws, the poll did seem to indicate a trend (20% option 2 vs. 80% option 3), which is in line with the advice from leading marketing blogs  -- for brands to emphasize messaging that shows support for their customers and the community during the current crisis. 

 
Learning #3  Though visibility on LinkedIn is important to your personal (and company) brand, not all exposure is positive. It’s a good idea to think about your target audience’s perceptions before you click that post button. 
 

 

Thanks for reading!     
​                                                   --- Nancy 
 
Do you agree?  Disagree? Have an additional thought?
Please post in the comments. ​

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Four Tips for Successful Virtual Event Sponsorships

8/14/2020

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As we noted in our last blog, virtual platforms offer many positive aspects for sponsoring/hosting business events. They can showcase your strengths and connect with prospects and customers -- even when you can't physically be in the same place.
​Just like face to face events, you’ll get the best results when you plan ahead, 
provide useful information and build relationships with prospective customers.   

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Four tips to make your event or sponsorship more successful:
When events that your organization normally sponsor go virtual, try these tip to increase your ROI:
​
1) Get the lay of the “land”
If possible, attend an event similar to the one you’ll be sponsoring.
Ask questions. This could be a new format for the event organizers, so ask about the opportunities, specs and requirements.  If you see something that could be improved, go ahead and suggest it, as their format may be evolving from event to event. 

Explore the format. Like live events, virtual events have booth sizes and display requirements; graphic specifications that need to be followed.  Also check out how the elements will be displayed – for example, where will the event management place video links? You'll want to check to make sure they don't interfere with your graphics.

Ask about the speakers and attendees. Due to the virtual format, speakers and audience demographics might be different than previous years. Does the event organizer have a list of who is expected to attend  so you can gear your information to the right audience? 

2) Plan for key elements to reinforce your brand and value proposition.
A virtual booth usually will include a main graphic with brand identity. Like a physical booth, you’ll want to include the main points of your product or organization's value proposition – usually 3 to 5 at most
so they are easily readable. To save time, you might be able to use the graphic you created for your trade show display.

​When possible, add a video with a personal welcome message and introduction from a key team member or officer that a customer would normally meet.  It doesn't replace a handshake, but will give your booth a more personal touch. 

Some sponsorships will have places where visitors to your virtual booth can download documents. Carefully consider what information would be useful to someone interested in your company. Depending on your industry, useful content for your target market could include company overviews, FAQs, capabilities outlines, white papers or product brochures. It’s best to limit the content list 3 to 5, so you don’t overwhelm the visitor. Have them clearly named so the visitor can identify what they are once they have downloaded them (and hopefully remember why they wanted to read them!). 

3) If you are presenting, plan to insure a pleasant and enjoyable experience for your audience free from distractions like overactive backgrounds or intrusive noises. Plan for interaction -- become familiar with the interactive tools the event organizers provide. It's also helpful to have someone help you watch for questions and audience reactions while you are speaking.

4) Build relationships -- before, during and after the conference.  
If the event organizer has an email list, request it. Due to GDMP laws, many organizers will no longer share lists but some offer messages services. If you do this, make sure you have an interesting message with a call to action. Or you (or your business development team) could use LinkedIn (or another prospecting tool ) to build a list of five to ten key prospects you’d like to connect with. See if you can find something you have in common that might make them interested in meeting you. Send a message on LinkedIn saying something like, “Are you planning to attend [conference] this year? I had been hoping to meet you there, as we’re both [common interest], I thought it might be interesting to chat. Since the event is going virtual, I thought I’d reach out to see if you were interested meeting [via zoom or using the conference's virtual rooms].”

If a Chat function is an option, don’t miss out on the opportunity during the conference -- plan to have it staffed, at least during prime hours.  Even if it’s not busy you don’t want to miss that live person who would  like to make an inquiry.

Follow up with the individuals who visited your booth.  Use your CRM and depending on the size of your list, segment or prioritize your follow up emails. Personalize your high priority prospects with any information you gained from the event or other sources. 

Thanks for reading! 

 How is your organization adapting their event strategy?  If you have comments or additional tips, please leave them in the comments. 

If you like our content here, follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter. 

 
 
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8 Ways to Appreciate Your Customers

11/18/2019

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Do your customers know that you appreciate them?  

Listening to your customers while making sure they receive excellent products and services is essential to building a long-lasting brand. It’s a year-round job! Any season is a good time for customer appreciation, but during the holidays, taking time out to thank your customers is a nice way to let them know you appreciate them.
What's the best way to do this?  
It depends on your business situation and who your customers are.  Start by thinking about what you know about your customers and what they might value or enjoy, then scan the list below for ideas.  


  1. Send a card by direct mail – if you have an extensive customer list, this non-invasive method of appreciation works well in a world where people get too many emails. The card may also help refresh their awareness of your business. 
  2. Give an unexpected reward  – if you are in the retail or service industries, you can email or mail VIP specials, include small extras with invoices, or surprise them with "customer appreciation" discounts given at checkout.
  3. Write a note – if the majority of your business comes from a few customers or clients, a thoughtful handwritten note can make a very positive personal impression. 
  4. Give a book – is there a book that has been especially helpful to you?  If your customers are other business owners or managers, a book can be an insightful gift. Writing a personalized note inside or adding a bookmark adds a nice touch.
  5. Send a smile – send a funny card, tell a joke, or share a heartwarming good news story with your thanks. 
  6. Send a treat – nice items to eat are almost always a hit, but take into account your customers' food preferences when possible.  For instance, are they into losing weight?  Vegetarians? Gluten-free? Love sweets or coffee?  
  7. Take key customers/clients to lunch or coffee – or if they prefer, bring it to them! Depending on the size of their staff, you can offer to include everyone in the office.  Make it casual, fun and if appropriate, stay a while and ask about their plans.  It's a great opportunity to listen and get to learn more about their businesses as well as them personally. You might even uncover additional ways you can be of assistance to them. Word of caution: Be conscious of their time -- the holidays are often busy times for people both personally and professionally!
  8. Try a gift card or “raincheck”– for customers who are too busy to take time out this time of year - send a gift card or schedule for January.​​

If you decide to send gifts, select ones that are consistent with your brand values. For example, if your values include supporting the local community, choose treats from non-profits or gifts from local artists or businesses. In the Triangle area, Life Experiences, Inc offers wonderful brownie and cookie trays for your office or key customers. The artists at StarworksNC offer unique glass, pottery, and woven gifts.  For those environmentally minded, the World Wildlife Fund has an array of choices. Or instead of gifts, you could offer to donate to a charity of their choice.​
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 Thank you for reading!  We appreciate our readers and wish you a Happy Holiday season. 

As a customer, what type of customer appreciation do you value most? 
Do you know of a non-profit with ideas for customer gifts?  Please feel free to share the links in the comments. 



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How to Generate Ideas

3/6/2018

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Need more ideas for your business?  Try these tips. 
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Change is rapid, constant and challenging to keep ahead of – products and marketing strategies that worked last year may not be as effective this year.

Implementing the same strategies as in the past may keep your business treading water, but new ideas are needed now more then ever for you to compete and engage with your preferred customers.

The need for creative ideas can span a wide range of possibilities and topics. Depending on your business type, market dynamics, target customers or stage in the product life cycle, your challenges may include ideas for new names, taglines, products, services, promotions, content or social media posts.

Whatever your objective, following the tips outlined below can help you generate that golden nugget you are looking for!


​1) Clearly define the problem, challenge or objective – write a single sentence which states what it is you are trying to get ideas around. This may sound basic, but getting clarity can help spark ideas. 
 
For example, if you were looking for new products you might start with why. Has your current product line stopped growing due to a gap in the offering or a feature it is lacking? Maybe you have received feedback indicating a characteristic of your offering is either unattractive or even annoys your customers?  This allows you to focus on how you can address these known challenges.

 
​“Simple can be harder than complex:
You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.
​But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
​– Steve Jobs
​
​2) Set a timer – generate as many ideas as you can in short bursts of time. We’re talking 10 – 15 minutes here.
If you’ve eve been in one of those meetings that go on and on, did you notice as time goes on creative productivity decreases? 
The timer also gives you a constraint, which research has shown helps with creativity.

Try to do a couple of these sessions without evaluating or reiterating things from previous sessions.
You can do this on a screen, paper, on a white board or a flip chart, whichever makes you feel most creative. 
 
Here is how it may play out - if you are trying to generate a new name for your business, start with a clear idea of what you want the business to be.
Then, on a flip chart, write down all the words you can think of that describe or relate to this concept. Once you have your initial list, search to see if there are additional words or ideas from brands you admire even if they are unrelated. 
Then have fun making combinations of the words on your list and see how they sound.
For example, let’s say you’re designing a logo and branding for a holistic medical practice. You think of successful companies that have branding that emulates some of your practice's characteristics. Apple’s success in branding pops into your mind. That gives you the idea of fruit -- and maybe an unique image of a person combined with a super fruit like apricot or pineapple . . . remember at this point, there are no bad ideas, record them all without judging.
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​“Ideas come from everything”
- Alfred Hitchcock
 



3) Be patient -- If ideas don’t flow, walk away.  Work on something else, get a cup of coffee, or go for a walk outside. Getting away can help relax and free your mind, letting your subconscious mind have a turn to work on the challenge. 
​
​"The air is full of ideas. They are knocking you in the head all the time. You only have to know what you want, then forget it, and go about your business. Suddenly, the idea will come through. It was there all the time." - Henry Ford
​
​4) Observe and Gather -- You have heard of hunter-gatherer. The creative you is now an Observer-Gatherer!
​Keep your eyes open and notice things around you.  Whenever a lightning bolt idea hits you – no matter what the topic – gather it up and save it. Useful techniques for this are to use Evernote, One Note, send yourself an email, or go retro and carry a little notebook. Do whatever works best for you - but do it – after just one month you will be surprised at the number of really cool ideas and original thoughts you will have collected!
Ideas are like shooting stars

​​
Great ideas can be like shooting stars –
capture them when you get them – jot them down –
​ and review them at a later date.

 

5) Bring others into the mix -- if you work with the team or have trusted friends, colleagues or advisers, share your ideas with them and get their reactions. Often, people that aren’t directly involved with the challenge can raise good questions and contribute novel ideas.
 
Tip: Create an evaluation free zone (or times) to share and discuss ideas. When you are trying to get good ideas, there are no bad ideas. An outlandish or crazy thought might not be so crazy with a few tweaks.

 
​ 
“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.”
- John Steinbeck
​
​6) Finally, if you work with a team, conduct a structured brainstorming session. This can be a very effective process in generating creative solutions. There are process parameters and session ground rules that should be followed – if done correctly it is amazing what your team will come up with!  Here are a few guidelines to get you started:
Invite open-minded, energetic positive people.
Don't allow criticism or editing of ideas; encourage participants to:
  • Build on each other’s ideas
  • Combine elements in novel ways
  • Bring in ideas from other situations or industries that are totally unrelated
  • Stand the idea on its head –try reversing or turning the idea upside down
  • Add humor – it stimulates creativity!

​“The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.”
​- David Ogilvy

Author’s note: I love brainstorming and idea generation. As a marketing professional with a background in team dynamics, I’ve lead many brainstorming sessions to generate new product concepts and solve persistent or sticky problems. It works, it’s fun and truly more minds are better than one when it comes to creative problem solving.  
I hope these tips will be helpful for you.
Please comment or send me additional thoughts or experiences -- and thanks for reading!
Nancy 

Great idea generation usually results in more ideas than can be used. The next step is prioritizing and selecting ideas. If you need help with that, read our next blog or contact us to see how we can help your business grow. 


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Do you Really need a New Website?

4/17/2017

3 Comments

 
Once again someone has asked when you are going to get a new website. You're definitely not excited about spending the time and resources it would take to get it done.
 
Do you really need to do it?  It's an important decision – in this digital age, your website is a critical part of your business’s success. It’s often the first—and in some cases the only—interaction customers have with your business.

Answering these questions might make your decision easier ...

​
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​Is your site:
  1. A great representative of your brand?
  2. Fast loading and easy to navigate?
  3. Mobile friendly?
  4. Attracting needed traffic?
 

 Why are these important?
​
1) A great representative of your brand?  Because first impressions are important -- you should evaluate if the site makes the impression you'd like. Has your target market changed since you launched your site?  If you’re not sure, try asking recent customers or prospects what they think of your site.
 
2) Fast loading and easy to navigate? As companies grow, they often add pages to their websites. Adding pages that way can create a site that is difficult to navigate. Customers may become frustrated if loading is too slow or it takes too many clicks to get to their information.  You can check if this is a problem with
Google's free analysis.

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​3) Mobile friendly – Mobile is becoming increasingly important. Over half of internet traffic now comes from a mobile device. If you love your site, it may be possible to transfer the content to a template that looks good on both a PC and mobile phone (responsive design) at a lower cost and effort than building a new site.
 

4) Attracting needed traffic?  Your website might be fine, but you can generate a higher ROI by enhancing the digital strategy that drives traffic to the site.  A digital strategy can include complementary components, like SEO organic traffic, Adwords and / or Bing Ads for paid traffic, content marketing and social media.


Thanks for reading!
​
​Broad Reach Marketing provides practical, effective solutions to connect with your customers.  
If you’d like to discuss any of these points or find out more,
contact us !
​
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The Nitty Gritty Rebranding Checklist

2/1/2017

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This is the third and final blog in our series of three focusing on rebranding a business.
The first blog, “When is Rebranding the Answer?” concentrated on the questions to ask and situations where rebranding may be the strategically right thing to do for renewing or expanding your business.
The second, ” So You’ve Decided to Rebrand- What’s Next?” focuses on the process of researching and defining your new brand. 
Our final blog, "The Nitty Gritty Rebranding Check List" is just that - a tool developed to assist you as you go about your re-branding effort. 
  

   
                                 
The Rebranding Checklist

 
Phase I – Creation
 Complete your market research
Gain Feedback - Inputs from:
                         Critical Customers
                         Clients
                         Employees
                        Management
                        Key Stakeholders
Re-define your positioning
Gain Stakeholder Consensus on Re-Branding Profile
Finalize your new strategic direction:
                        Clear Vision Statement
                        Company Culture & Values Statement
                        Clear Marketplace Value Proposition
Finalize Creative Logo tag line and styles that represents the organization as defined above
 

 
Phase II – Internal Re-alignment
 Employee / Management Education and Consensus:
                       Why the new emphasis – What’s in it for the business and them
                       How it affects everyone behaviorally
                       How the change will be measured
 

 Phase III – Non Web-based Re-alignment
Marketing Collateral:
  • Brochures and Sell Sheets
  • Presentation / Video Templates
  • Printed Customer Appreciation Items
  • Partner / Membership Listings
  • Business Cards / Letterhead
  • Note cards
 Business Process & Internal Documentation:
  • Invoices, Estimates and Sales Order Templates
  • Phone Messaging 
Signage:
  • Office / Building
  • Billboards
  • Trade Show Equipment
  • Vehicles 
  • Uniforms
                                        
Phase IV – Web-based Re-alignment
  • Business Directories and Directions
  • Social Media Accounts
  • Partner Listings
  • Website Editing:
                        Content
                     Images
                     On-page SEO: Titles, Keywords, Meta Descriptions
                     RSS link
                     Analytics
                     Opt-in form for Email Newsletter

 
Phase V – External Notification
                                                                           Who to Contact              How to Contact
                        Customers
                        Clients
                        Vendors
                        Contractors
                        Regulatory Bodies
                        Others
 
Notification methods may include:
                        Written Notification (letters, forms etc)
                        Email
                        Social Media Announcements
                        Meetings

                           Launch Luncheons or Festivities
 
Thanks for reading! 


Contact us for a free copy of this checklist (spreadsheet format).
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If Rebranding is the Answer, What Are the Next Steps?

1/17/2017

3 Comments

 
 This is Blog 2 of a three part series on Rebranding. The first post is "When is Rebranding the Answer?" 
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It’s the beginning of a new year and you plan to make some changes to your business. And one of them is to  rebrand as you revitalize or expand.
 
So what steps do you need to take? As you work through the process of creating a new brand, please keep in mind the definition of a “brand” as defined by Seth Godin:
 
          “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that,
          taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or
          service over another.”

1) Understand your current image
 
Using that definition, the first step to successful rebranding is finding out what current customers, employees and key stakeholders REALLY think of your organization and the brand that represents it.   
 
When gathering this feedback, pay particular attention to:
  • How their perceptions correspond to the vision and values of your organization and your desired image.
  • What they like about the current branding, what they feel conveys a positive image that aligns with their experiences.
  • Areas to change – aspects they feel are not aligned with your values, operations and current or planned offerings.
 
2) Identify Brand Characteristics
 
Once the feedback is collected, the next step is to identify the key characteristics of the new brand.


  • Brand values – Do you want to convey Innovation? Trust or security? Honesty? Quality?   
  • Brand Attributes – the “personality”
    • Conservative or progressive?
    • Urban or outdoorsy?
    • Casual or professional?
    • Funny and playful or serious?
    • Big or small?
    • Leader or underdog?
    • Stylish and fashionable or functional and practical?
    • Thrifty or affluent?
    • Outspoken or reserved?
    • Dynamic or stable?
    • Predictable or surprising?
    • Stable or fluid?
 
  • Negative brand attributes -- such as “boring” and “inflexible” -- are also important. Think about if they can be projected as an asset  (for example, a hotel without amenities can be billed as "no frills" or "just what you need, nothing more") 
  • Underlying organizational changes – if you are rebranding while making operational or product improvements, how do you want to reflect this?
  • Constraints – for example, a rebrand of a division of an existing company may need to follow a predetermined color pallet, shapes or style.
 
The output from this analysis will be a statement of brand attributes.


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3) Get Creative
 
Now the fun begins! Set up a brainstorming session to generate options for the desired brand name, logo, tag-line and/or other branding symbols.  Then, keeping in mind target customers’ demographics and perspectives, narrow the brainstorm list down to 2-3 potentials. Even if you hire an outside agency, be sure to invite key employees, management and stakeholders to participate in this process – they can be sources of creative ideas and their participation will help to increase buy-in and support.
 
 
4) Check Availability 
 
Sometimes everyone’s favorite option isn’t available, so be sure to check the availability and suitability of the final choices.
  • If the rebranding includes a new name, check if the name and a usable URL are available.
  • Think how the new “look and feel” to be used – what channels and how it will work in practical applications, such as on shirt, trade show booths, etc
 
Here’s an example of what can happen if you skip this step.
A local Pesticide company wanted a new look to reflect a change in management. The old branding included a dark brown logo of a tank. The updated look included lighter colors, predominantly yellow. Seemed like a good change. But when they implemented the new branding, they ordered new yellow shirts for the service crew. Unfortunately, the shirts showed dirt and sweat easily; the technicians disliked them for this and customer impressions were poor. After a while, the company listened, reversing their decision and returning to brown shirts, but this could have been avoided by involving key individuals in the rebranding creation process.

 
 
5) Test
 
When selecting your new brand, remember to test before full implementation takes place.
Does the new brand convey the right message?
Is the tag line appropriate? 
Does the logo have a hidden (unintended) meaning or symbol? 
Testing may seem time consuming, but even well established companies have made the mistake of not testing and incurred embarrassment and negative impacts. 

What can happen:
When Airbnb unveiled this logo, it generated a wave of criticism for its design.
Some likened it to a triangular paperclip or something else unintended. 

 
6) Plan Implementation
 
Finally, the devil is in the details! Take the time to plan for every aspect of implementing the new brand. The best branding is consistent; therefore updating everything customers come in contact with is important. Often it is advisable to include a “soft launch” before announcing your new brand.
 
Our third and final blog entitled the Nitty Gritty Rebranding Checklist will include a handy list of common items to update during your implementation phase. Please watch for it! 
 
Thanks for reading, and as always comments and additional thoughts are appreciated.  If you have questions concerning your rebranding efforts please contact us!
 
 




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