You know that nothing happens immediately, but still it’s hard to send out your first marketing e-blast, write a bunch of blog entires, or tweet your first tweet and then wait for your inbox to be flooded with inquiries.
Here’s a little wisdom from a guide called Successful Advertising written by Thomas Smith in….wait for it….1885. In it, Mr. Smith says:
The first time people look at any given ad, they don’t even see it.
The second time, they don’t notice it.
The third time, they are aware that it is there.
The fourth time, they have a fleeting sense that they’ve seen it somewhere before.
The fifth time, they actually read the ad.
The sixth time they thumb their nose at it.
The seventh time, they start to get a little irritated with it.
The eighth time, they start to think, “Here’s that confounded ad again.”
The ninth time, they start to wonder if they’re missing out on something.
The tenth time, they ask their friends and neighbors if they’ve tried it.
The eleventh time, they wonder how the company is paying for all these ads.
The twelfth time, they start to think that it must be a good product.
The thirteenth time, they start to feel the product has value.
The fourteenth time, they start to remember wanting a product exactly like this for a long time.
The fifteenth time, they start to yearn for it because they can’t afford to buy it.
The sixteenth time, they accept the fact that they will buy it sometime in the future.
The seventeenth time, they make a note to buy the product.
The eighteenth time, they curse their poverty for not allowing them to buy this terrific product.
The nineteenth time, they count their money very carefully.
The twentieth time prospects see the ad, they buy what is offering.
Will you need 20 attempts before prospective clients knock on your door? Hopefully not. Using e-blasts as an example, we like to counsel clients on a series of 6 to 12 monthly blasts before they evaluate their effectiveness. One thing we can say with certainty, whatever mix of marketing strategies you decide upon, you’ll need more than one!
> If you need help with e-blasts, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
We are big fans of the e-blast! This marketing email is delivered to a large list of subscribers using software such as iContact or MailChimp (to mention just two of many options). The service is typically free or low-cost and is very easy to navigate and manage. Using engaging copy and eye-catching images, Lazzaro Designs has sent out monthly e-blasts (such as the one shown here, top) to highlight a service or a particular characteristic of our work.
A hybrid of a postcard and an advertisement, the e-blast is a cost-effective way to keep your name in front of clients and potential clients, as well as provide easy hyperlinks to drive traffic to your website and your blog. Lazzaro Designs has helped several clients create their own effective e-blast campaigns, as was the case for Consulting For A Cause (see bottom image).
> If you need help creating an e-blast, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
FINALLY, spring has arrived! And, just as you get the urge to shake out carpets and wash windows, use the time to clean up your Marketing “house.” Here are some chores:
1. Check that your fonts and type treatment match across all your printed stationery and business cards. If you use black for the address on your envelope, but a different color on your letterhead, make a note to change that before the next print run.
2. If you have a blog or news section on your website, make sure you update it. Take a moment to write in advance a few more entries. Make a monthly appointment to keep the writing up. Even brief entries are better than none or very outdated ones.
3. Proofread your website. You would be shocked how many typos and editorial inconsistencies we see! Tip: Take 10 minutes each day and read aloud one section at a time. Reading aloud is an excellent way to hear and spot errors that the eye just glosses over when reading silently.
4. If you or your marketing department take the in-house photos for printed communications, make sure the resolution on the camera is set at a high resolution, which ensures better print quality. Your camera’s manual should tell you how. Typically, you select “menu” and then “resolution,” “image quality” or “image size.” Choose either “high,” “best” or the largest pixel number shown. Press the “set” or “ok” button to lock in your choice. Tip: Taking high resolution photos eats up memory. Regularly download and/or erase images.
5. Scan and upload all the latest newsletters, brochure and other printed materials to your website.
6. Liven up your employee newsletter with a new feature–perhaps wellness tips, a closer look at a department or even a restaurant review of local lunch places.
Everyone wants a blog added to their website and with good reason. Blog entries are an excellent way to keep your audiences up-to-date on your organization’s developments or give your take on items in the news. They are also great ways to launch e-marketing that drives traffic to the blog. A new blog entry is a good reason to update social media sites, too. But, it’s worth stating the obvious: Blogs only work if they are written. There is nothing worse than going to a blog to see a blank “under construction” page or that the last entry is from a year ago.
Our writers have helped many of her clients avoid this moribund state. In some instances, they have written blog entries regularly (say, on a monthly basis) or, as in the case for one hospital system, edited clinician-submitted entries on patient wellness topics into blog-ready, compelling copy.
> If you need help keeping your blog up to date, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
