Download This Timely Whitepaper Entitled: "Avoiding Marketing Mistakes during a Recession"
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Comments Regarding Whitepaper:
Like you, I worry about the effects the current recession will have on my company. So crafting a strategy to ensure continued success is top priority for me. I know the value of learning from my past mistakes and above all, learning from history.
I began examining the tactics used by companies in the past that allowed them to successfully navigate their way through tough times. What I found was impressive research on the topic and some great ideas on how to market and advertise my business in today's troubling economy. So I thought it important to share this information with you.
I organized this material into a brief whitepaper entitled 'Avoiding Marketing Mistakes during a Recession'. This paper includes research from firms like McGraw Hill as well as a study from Harvard University. Some of their findings will surprise you.
The topics covered in this paper include:
a) Advertising during a recession b) 5 business recession mistakes c) 5 steps to successful marketing during a recession
I also added a recent study completed at the end of 2008 describing the value of specialty advertising. With the need to find creative and cost effective ways to keep your name in front of customers and prospects, this study comes at the right time.
Please feel free to contact me at bob@mprinted.com and let me know if you find this content valuable.
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Event Marketing - Driving Prospect Traffic to Your Location
Imagine if... you just ran a promotion expecting 16,000 prospects and 178,500 showed up!
These are the kind of results that event marketers are achieving when they use a TrafficTickets™ promotion to attract new customers...increase sales...and improve profits. The TrafficTickets™System is your ticket to the highest prospect traffic levels you can imagine! It's not a scratch-off, it's not a match-n-win...it's Interactive Consumer Promotion Technology. It tells consumers electronically, visually what they've won-but only after they come to your point-of-sale display!
How It Works:
• Everyone's a winner. • TrafficTickets are distributed to consumers/prospective buyers through direct mail, newspaper inserts and/or handed out in-store or at marketing events. • Customers have to come into your retail store or trade show booth, visit the point-of-sale display and insert their game ticket to see what prize/discount they've won. • The game piece activates a light on the display, which indicates which one of the five prizes/discounts has been won. • Turnkey service includes production of promotional materials, distribution of game pieces and prize fulfillment.
Value: Higher response rate translates into higher ROI-plus, TrafficTickets™ promotion materials are very cost effective! Satisfaction: More than 95% of those who have used the TrafficTickets™ System say they will use it again and are extremely satisfied with their results. Built-in Security: System prevents fraudulent copying or printing by utilizing a specially patented ink process and multiple game card positions-creating a totally secure environment. Database Bonus: Barcodes can be added to the TrafficTickets for data collection and verification, enabling you to capture valuable consumer data for future use.
Case Study
Objective: New customer acquisition. Client: AmSouth Bank Strategy: Direct mail campaignTrafficTickets™ were mailed to 800,000 households surrounding 300 branches. Results: Client was expecting a 2% response (16,000 people). The promotion actually drove 178,500 customers to the branches. Program resulted in high conversion rates and the bank set a new record for most new accounts opened during any 6-week promotional period. View more case studies here.
Benefits In A Nutshell
• Drive consumers into retail locations and events • Increases sales • Improve brand awareness at point-of-sale • Acquire, retain and cross-sell customers • Launch new products/services, seasonal promotions, branch openings, trade shows • Effective anywhere you need to drive customer traffic
More Testimonials:
“We usually get 2-3% response when we run a consumer promotion; we were not prepared for the 14%+ response we got from using TrafficTickets.”
“We had people lined-up from opening until closing to see what they had won-our sales skyrocketed during and after the event”
“Before using TraficTickets our cost per credit application was 6 times more-they are a real winner”
1) Inflatable Ads: Helium inflated blimps, balloons and spheres are an effective and a cost-efficient way to promote an event, sale, or to simply increase the visibility of your company. Helium inflatables can be visible from several blocks or even miles away, depending on the size of the unit and the height at which is flown. Our blimps can be customized with imprinted logos or text and manufactured in a wide variety of body and fin colors. 2) Banners & Signs: Are an excellent indoor/outdoor advertising tool that will immediately increase exposure and visibility. The innovative design of our banners ensures continuous visibility of your logo or company name, and is easy for your customers to see. Banners and signs provide a classy, effortless way to promote your logo or brand name at events, store promotions, real estate sites, shopping centers, outdoor sporting events and other occasions. 3) Trade Show Displays: Can convert from a compact unit to an impressive 10ft graphic backdrop in seconds. Containing a one piece full color graphic panel made of wrinkle resistant poplin fabric. Free soft sided carrying case included.... Your full color / photographic design is dye sublimated on stretch-able fabric that zips securely in place over a sturdy Lt. weight PVC frame. These portable display kits includes frame of your choice and imprintable graphic panel based on supplied art convert your full color ad or company display information into an instant eye catching exhibit! 4) The Silent Salesperson - Embroidered Apparel: Why do I call these the silent sales persons? As the wearer of the branded apparel is seen around town, in elevators, at trade shows, in offices, the observer has the opportunity to read the name without asking who you work for. This also helps people keep on their best behavior because of the name identifier sewn into the shirts. 5) Desk and Wall Calendars: Advertising calendars have been perennial favorites for many years. While we continue to offer tried and true classics, the evolution of digital printing lets us offer great prices, low minimums and even personalized imprinting on custom full color items. Check out all of our cool products. We truly have something for everyone! 6) Memory Sticks: While others are splurging a bunch of money on conventional advertising like TV, radio, and newspapers, there are cheaper ways of doing so by targeting your preferred market in order to optimize your advertising dollar. More and more people cannot live without touching a computer even for a day. What better way to get your company's message across by giving away a free USB flash drive? After all, everyone could definitely do with more portable memory, and a USB flash drive is the perfect tool for the job at the moment. Did you know there are thumb drives that can hold as much as 8 gigs of memory? 7) Eco-Friendly Promotional Products: Earth-friendly business gifts given to clients and employees say you take an active role in ensuring a better world. Long-lasting reusable branded merchandise will help make a difference on the environment by reducing waste and saving energy. A thoughtful, high quality eco-friendly promotional products with your company name prominently displayed will deliver a lasting impact and provide a positive impression of your business. 8) Walking Billboards; the ever present Tote Bag: Giveaways at trade shows and conventions are important. No one ever turns down a free promotional pen or imprinted notepad; but branded merchandise like this ends up in a pocket, purse, or briefcase. What wandering customers and prospects need to relieve their bulging pockets and overflowing purses is a tote bag. Your logo will trek all over the convention floor, proudly creating brand awareness everywhere it goes. A custom tote bag calls out to a large audience, and it will certainly cause other attendees to ask where it came from. 9) Magnetic Ads: According to a study at Purdue University, the average American visits their refrigerator 22 times a day. So, your magnetic promotional product offers you around 8,030 impressions on a consumer each year. That's one of the lowest costs per impression of any item in our industry! Moreover, another popular and cost effective method to increase public exposure for your school sports team, your church, a charity group, or your business is the Car sign magnet. This as well as many other forms of magnetic ads are incredibly popular and offer the most inexpensive way to get noticed. 10) Achievement Awards: Recognition boosts people's esteem and performance. Recognition signifies that someone notices and someone cares. It satisfies a person's essential needs and leads to new motivation, improved performance and higher self-esteem. Bottom line, an organization that wants to be competitive absolutely needs to make employees feel valued so they perform their best work on a daily basis and stick around to make a continuous contribution.
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Interactive Marketing:
How To Tap Into Huge Potential!
If you’re not integrating interactive marketing tactics into your advertising mix you could be missing a big opportunity. More and more marketing dollars are shifting away from traditional media to the interactive marketing arena and with good reason. What’s more, if you're looking to reach a younger demographic, interactive marketing is especially important; it s one of the best ways to connect with hard-to-reach buyers aged 35 and under.
WebDecoder
WebDecoder products (created using a unique patented printing process) conceal a hidden message that can only be viewed on a website, in-store monitor, or digital television. When positioned over a computer screen, the game piece reveals a prize message, icon or other marketing message designed to generate immediate action. MobiDecoder
MobiDecoder gives you potential access to almost 50 million active users of the mobile web. Incorporating patented Hidden Image Technology, it delivers a digital game piece that the consumer must bring into a retail store or event location to be decoded. Multiple key codes can be used in a promotion to track responses back to specific advertising media and/or distribution outlets, providing valuable data for evaluating ROI. VirtualDecoder
VirtualDecoder lets you engage with a consumer without having to print and distribute a physical game piece. Targeted participants learn about the promotion via e-mail, direct mail, radio or other traditional media and are directed to visit a website. After providing their registration information, participants are served a virtual game piece on their display screen and use their mouse to drag the decoder over the imbedded hidden image area to reveal their prize or value offer. Online Game’s
Online games like this one developed for Act II popcorn get your targeted audience involved in a fun and impactful way. Aimed at increasing sales in the commercial vending channel, the game offered a chance to win $1 million. To play, consumers had to go online and register the freshness code found on their product package. Results were outstanding, with sales growing from 12 million to 16 million units during the nine-month promotion period.
A $55 BILLION BUSINESS
Interactive Marketing expenditures will reach $55 billion within the next 5 years. This represents 21% of all marketing spending.
Top Interactive Tactics:
• Search engine marketing
• Internet display advertising
• E-mail marketing
• Social Media
• Mobil Marketing
Sourse: U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast – Forrester Research
As budgets shift to interactive marketing from traditional media, overall advertising spending is decreasing. Marketers are focusing on interactive marketing tools that drive immediate response and sales, according to Shar VanBroskirk , VP and principal analyst at Forrester Research.
The Advantages of Local Promotional Products Showrooms
One of the best ideas I've seen in the promotional products business is the availability of local showrooms offered by Logomark in various cities throughout the country. My customers and prospects in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area love the idea as well. Anytime there is a need to visualized a promotional product that may fit well into a marketing campaign, we simply head down to our local Logomark showroom to view a broad spectrum of promotional items on display. Each time I visit the Logomark showroom with my customer or prospect, the knowledgeable Logomark rep. gives us the red carpet treatment. The first product display we visit in the showroom is the one we're considering for the current promotional campaign. But our visit doesn't end there; we then take a full tour of the showroom to gather more ideas which always proves helpful in organizing a successful promotional products campaign. We can even order branded merchandise samples right there in the showroom for immediate delivery.
Pictures on a Website are a good beginning, but nothing beats the actual viewing and handling of promotional products in the Logomark showroom. My prospects and customers can make immediate decisions about whether or not a particular promotional product will fit into their marketing campaign. The Logomark showroom saves on time and money. Waiting days on the arrival of a sample is no longer required and the cost of shipping a branded merchandise sample is avoided. So whenever I need help in generating solid marketing ideas, my first step is to take my customers and prospects to the Logmark showroom. Bravo Logomark!
Author: Bob Boggan, CMO and Partner at Mprinted.com, Inc. (http://www.mprinted.com/)
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Back by popular demand:
Quotes from Famous Characters
Take a moment to enjoy these insightful observations with present day application.
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." - Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784)
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968)
"I find the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have." - Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." - Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 - 1821)
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake." - Chess master Tartakower (1887 - 1956)
"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford, (1863 - 1947)
"Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called Ego." - Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)
"Don't be so humble; you are not that great." - Golda Meir (1898 - 1978)
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." - Ambrose Redmoon
