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Tip of the Month for December 1999 - Use All The Parts Of Every Advertising Media
Tip of the Month for November 1999 - Don't Forget To Make The Offer
Tip fo the Month - October 1999- Cell Phones are changing the ways we do business
Tip Of The Month For September 1999 - Repeat Business Equals Strong Business
Tip Of The Month For August 1999 - Follow Up On Mailings For Better Results
Tip Of The Month For July 1999 - Celebrate More Holidays For More Sales
Tip Of The Month For June 1999 - Spread Your Advertising For Bigger Response
Tip Of The Month For May 1999 - Advertising With Postcard Decks
Tip Of The Month For April 1999 - How To Advertise With Testimonials
Tip Of The Month For March 1999 - How To Get A Hot Mailing List Without The Cost Of A List Company
Tip Of The Month For February 1999 - We Love Our Customers?
Tip Of The Month For January 1999 - A Story of Priorities:
For 1998 Visitor Tips of The Month - Click Here.
Our Visitor Tip of The Month For December
Seven square inches. That's a pretty big advertising space that is usually left blank by most businesses. And it can be lower in cost. What is it you ask???
It's the back of your business card. Don't forget this important area of your advertising.
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Our Visitor Tip of The Month For November
In our business, we do a lot of print ads. One of the things I've noticed about most advertising is that the business talks a lot about what they offer but they never really make an offer. As a rule of thumb, we try to make our offer at least three or more times in each ad. Unless you ask the customer to buy from you why should they? Make them an offer they can't refuse three or more times.
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Our Visitor Tip of The Month For October
Maybe it's just because I now carry a cell phone that I've noticed more and more people driving while talking on their cell phones. Besides being more aware of drivers around me what does this observation have to do with business? Just this.
Before the days of cell phones, I can remember pulling up behind a business vehicle and trying to find any level surface, paper of some kind and a pen to write down the name of the business so I could call them when I reached a phone. Most likely I would forget to make the call or I ended up losing the number.
Not so today. With my cell phone my contact with a company is instantaneous. If you don't have your company phone number all over your vehicle, especially on the rear of the vehicle, you are missing big business. Get it done as soon as possible and watch the phone ring off the hook.
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For all previous Visitor Tips of the Month for 1998, click here.
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Our Visitor Tip of The Month For September
If your business is dependent on repeat business then keeping in contact with your customers on a regular basis is a must. If you haven't seen a customer for awhile send a reminder card to let them know you are thinking of them and appreciate there business.
If you don't hear from them right away, perhaps there is a problem. Try a personal courtesy call to the owner or buyer and make sure everything is ok.
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Our Visitor Tip of The Month For August
The next time you do a mailing and the response is less than expected. Take the time to call of few of your better customers and ask them what was wrong with your offer. Why didn't they respond? What could have been done differently or better?
If they have a better idea or a better promotion, offer it to them on the spot for their help.
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For all previous Visitor Tips of the Month for 1998, click here.
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Our Visitor Tip of The Month For July
In America our most treasured holiday in July 4th. It's the date we celebrate our independence from the British. It's a time of celebration and it's also a time to practice capitalism. This may be a good thing or a bad thing -- depending our your point of view.
The point is, many people expect sales to be tied to holidays. Christmas, Easter, Labor Day, Boxing Day (Canada). Holiday sales, for many businesses, can determine the difference between a good year and a bad one.
Why stop with just the major holidays? There is a holiday almost every day in most countries. Our local Federation of Fly Fisherman just finished celebrating National Fishing Week (the first week in June).
Separate yourself from the competition by having a sale a month. Make it fun and people will show up each month just to see what holiday you are celebrating. Put different items on sale and grow more business during the slow times.
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Our Visitor Tip of The Month For June
Ever since the first ad was placed, advertisers have pondered the question..."One big ad or several small ones." In the case of a one time event a large ad may be the answer because you always have a segment of the population that is looking for a sale.
Over the long haul, you may want to consider running several small ads throughout the newspaper to reach several targets. Some people never read the sports page others wouldn't miss it. You could advertise in several sections for the same price as a half-page ad.
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Our Visitor Tip of The Month For May
Asked that their name not be used:
Advertising With Postcard Decks
We've all received that stack of advertising postcards in a cellophane wrapper. Before we decided to go to the expense of doing this we contacted some or the local businesses and asked them how they worked.
We discovered that businesses that had coupons with offers had a higher response rate than those with just information about the business. We made a two sided card and put another business on the other side. If they went into our partners store, our partner kept the postcard and gave the customer a coupon for our store, and we did the same for them.
At the end of each month we would count up coupons and postcards and evaluate the program. Both businesses showed a 10% + increase in traffic due to our postcard offers. This more than covered the cost of our advertising.
Thanks for the great tip.
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Our Visitor Tip of the Month For April 1999 Come From:
Cory Custer
D.A. Davidson, Inc
Bozeman, MT
How To Advertise With Testimonials
When we receive exceptional service, we often write a letter of thanks to the firm that provided the service. This becomes a great advertising opportunity for our company.
Make sure you write the testimonial on your company letterhead. Each time the company shows your testimonial letter to one of their potential customers, your company name is exposed in a positive light. You are a company who takes the time to acknowledge good service therefore you probably deliver it too.
Cory, thanks for this great tip.
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Our Visitor Tip of the Month For March 1999
Asked that their name not be used:How To Get A Hot Mailing List
Without The Cost Of A List CompanyWe have found a proven way to promote our business effectively through direct mail. However, the down side was dealing with list companies. In addition to the cost of the list, we could only use it once. We didn't know from one list to the next if it was a good list or a bad list.
We finally realized we had the best possible list right under our nose. Our customer list. What better list than people who had bought our products and were satisfied. Best of all we can use the list over and over. The money we used to spend on lists is now applied to cut our postage costs.
Do you have a great business idea? We'd love to hear from you. Email: Click Here
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For all previous Visitor Tips of the Month for 1998, click here
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Our Visitor Tip of the Month For February 1999
Asked that their name not be used:We Love Our Customers?
Every year we seem to think that we must, at all costs, make sure all customers get a Christmas card from us. What happens is your card is pined to the door along with countless other cards (mostly from your competitors) and is lost in this mass mailing.
Why not postpone your card giving until Valentines Day (February 14th) and send out a "We Love Our Customers" card instead. You can include a personal hand written note thanking the customer for their business.
The best part is, yours will, more than likely, be the only card they receive. They may still pin it to the door, but this time it will be there by itself.
Do you have a great business idea? We'd love to hear from you. Email: Click Here
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For all previous Visitor Tips of the Month for 1998, click here
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Our First Visitor Tip of The New Year -
Tip of the Month For January 1999 Comes From:Carwin Dover - carwin@gomontana.com
Intentional Partnerships (Subscribe to his newsletter)What better way to start the New Year than with an analogy for setting the focus of your business for the next 12 months.
A Story of Priorities:
There is a great story about a seminar presenter who took a large jar and filled it with rocks the size of his fist. He asked the participants if the jar was full, and they answered, "Yes!"
He then added a handful of pebbles, which cascaded down among the larger rocks. Again, he asked the participants if the jar was full. Again, the group said, "Yes!"
The speaker added a handful of sand, which easily settled in among the rocks and pebbles. By now the audience was hesitant to say, "Yes!" when asked if the jar was full, but no one dared say there was room for more. It was at this point water was added!
The moral to the story of setting priorities is that you have to put the big pieces in first. If you fill your life with water, sand and pebbles, the big pieces will never fit!!
(This slightly adapted story was sent to Carwin from two sources -- his son's father in law, Jim and his favorite newsletter writer, Phil Humbert at peh@newdreams.com. Thanks to them for sharing!)
Thank you Carwin, for giving us all a lesson in setting priorities and a great start for 1999.
Do you have a great business idea? We'd love to hear from you. Email: Click Here
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For all previous Visitor Tips of the Month for 1998, click here
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©1998 Eagle
Marketing - 503 South 14th Street - Box 271 - Bozeman, Montana
59771-0271 - (406) 585-0219
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