Here are some ideas for which I take absolutely no credit.
Adams Hudson writes in his regular newsletter that he is in Washington, “talking to a group of dedicated HVAC professionals who are looking to get leads during this warm winter.” Of course he is speaking about Washington State on the West Coast, because those of us familiar with the other Washington know the story is much different in the nation’s capital.
” . . .for now know that when you are looking to generate leads, you must headline the customer’s strongest, most immediate desire. Then – why the offer exists; why it’s an opportunity, and – if it’s hard Direct Response – why it’s limited. The price is mentioned early if immediately valuable or late if it requires building. If there’s a guarantee, I put it nearest the price. Why? To minimize the fear and risk at the point anxiety is highest.
It goes in that order, because this is how you ‘pull’ the trigger. Sound simple? 80% of the ads I critique start with the company’s “greatness”, rarely build value or real benefits, throw prices out randomly, and fail to “call” the action. If any room is left over, a piece of equipment is tossed in just so everyone will KNOW it’s an ad. And we wonder why it fails.
And what are the triggers? Here you go. Copy this list. Paste it in your presentation book. Recite them ’til you know them by heart. Use them for everything: Getting your hotel room discounted or seeing why your teenager is a great manipulator or how to sell in less time, with less resistance…
The 7 most powerful sales triggers are: Fear, Guilt, Greed, Anger, Exclusivity, Vanity, and Salvation. Hit on 1 and you’ll get attention. Hit on 3 and you’ll get leads. Hit on 5 and you’ll get sales. Hit on 7 and you’ve got my job!
Hudson’s newsletter, and other services are a worthy addition to your resources list.
Meanwhile, Michael Stone, in his latest Markup and Profit Newsletter, reminds contractors to “take your pictures.”
May I remind you, again, to take plenty of before, during and after pictures of all your jobs. This will not only help you with your advertising, but will also give you a good track record of how you built the job. They can also prevent legal problems down the road about how and why something was done. Pictures are dirt cheap, and an ounce of prevention is worth several pounds of cure.
Here is an interesting report from Rice University about Facebook Fan pages. Mine is here (not that great!). I continue to find Tim Nagle’s RemodelBuddy to be one of the best for consumer-oriented contractors and also enjoy Chris Denby’s Markitecture page. for contractors, architects and engineers in the ICI market.
While the Rice study doesn’t relate specifically to the AEC industry, you may wish to consider its implications in deciding to open and maintain your Fan Page.
HOUSTON – (Feb. 18, 2010) – Companies that use the popular social-media site Facebook and its fan page module to market themselves to customers can increase sales, word-of-mouth marketing and customer loyalty significantly among a subset of their customers, according to new research from Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. The study is featured in the March issue of the Harvard Business Review.
Research for the article, “How Effective is Facebook Marketing?”, was conducted by Utpal Dholakia, associate professor of management at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, and Emily Durham, a Jones School alumna and founder of Restaurant Connections, a Houston‐based restaurant consultancy.
Dholakia and Durham surveyed customers of Dessert Gallery (DG), a popular Houston-based café chain. Prior to the study, DG did not have a Facebook presence.
The study, based on surveys of more than 1,700 respondents over a three-month period, found that compared with typical Dessert Gallery customers, the company’s Facebook fans:
· Made 36 percent more visits to DG’s stores each month.
· Spent 45 percent more of their eating-out dollars at DG.
· Spent 33 percent more at DG’s stores.
· Had 14 percent higher emotional attachment to the DG brand.
· Had 41 percent greater psychological loyalty toward DG.
According to Dholakia, the results indicate that Facebook fan pages offer an effective and low-cost way of social-media marketing.
“We must be cautious in interpreting the study’s results,” Dholakia said. “The fact that only about 5 percent of the firm’s 13,000 customers became Facebook fans within three months indicates that Facebook fan pages may work best as niche marketing programs targeted to customers who regularly use Facebook. Social-media marketing must be employed judiciously with other types of marketing programs.”
Dholakia said Facebook marketing programs may be especially effective for iconic brands, which appear to attract a higher percentage of their customer base as Facebook fans.
Finally, here is an observation from Sebastian Lessard at newhomealert.ca. in Ottawa.
Hi Mark,
I’m sending you this email as it may interest you to write more on this subject in your “construction marketing ideas” blog. It’s an exercise I had the pleasure of being introduced to in the “LEAD TO WIN” program I recently attended here in Ottawa, ON. I’m no writer, so this is simply an ideal you can run with and reword and reformat to your liking, if you think it’s worthy of a blog posting of course!
Dear Construction News & Report Group of Companies,
I’m writing today to express my thanks for the marketing services you have provided our company over the past 6 months. The combination of your print publications and online platform has yielded tremendous results for our Kitchen & Bathroom Cabinetry business. As a smaller business catering to both the homebuilding industry and the renovation industry, your low cost but effective advertising platform has allowed us to reach a target audience without having to spend a fortune in marketing.
In placing advertising in your print publications and banner ads on your website we have seen a spike in our website traffic, and an increase in leads inquiring about our products and services. We truly appreciate your dedication and efforts at building awareness for your platform as it directly translates into greater success for our marketing campaigns with your company. We will definitely continue using your first class services in the future and would recommend them to anyone needing help to strengthen their marketing initiatives.
Sincerely,
Satisfied Small Business Owner
Have you received a letter like this one from a client recently? If so you are probably enjoying great success in your advertising business and good on you! A letter like this one simply means that you know how to cater to your clients needs and you’re offering them solutions of value with your products or services. If you haven’t received a thank you letter from one of your clients lately, that’s alright too. You maybe enjoying success and your clients are too busy to take the time to thank you.
In the case where you haven’t received any thanks and your looking for answers on how to improve your business, here’s an easy exercise to do that will help you find answers as to what you need to focus on to improve your situation. Try and write yourself a Thank You letter from the perspective of what could be your most satisfied client. What’s the value proposition you are offering your ideal client and what positive impact has these products or services had on your client.
At the end of writing this letter you will have a clear sense of what your value proposition is or should be, and set you on your way to meet the segment market that will benefit most from this value proposition.
If this blog posting proves anything, it is this: Great ideas originate from many sources and it is always wise to keep your eyes, ears and mind open for fresh insights.
