Bradford H. Nicoll -Marketing Communications

I know it’s a bit late, but Happy New Years anyway. I’m willing to bet you’ve got pile of resolutions that you’re trying to keep, and no doubt a fair number of them are business related. If you’re still working on them, you’re actually doing better than most. But if you’ve hit some snags, I’d like to help you out. I won’t add another marketing technique to work into your repertoire, there’ll be plenty of time for that next month. However, I will put something on your to-do list: take stock of what you did last year and be honest about what worked. Now, get back to doing those things. If you had success with a networking event, put it on your calendar right now. If people responded to an article you wrote, start writing a new one. You probably did something along these lines in December, then those insights got filed away as last year’s business and forgotten about. Revisiting those findings now when you can actually implement them will do a lot more to help you reach your goals than a vague resolution. An ongoing theme of this newsletter, if you’ve been reading it regularly, is getting back to fundamentals. Your resolutions don’t need to be any different. Increasing sales or growing your business doesn’t necessitate you becoming a fundamentally different person. Most likely, it just means keeping your focus and staying on target. Once you start picking up wins and getting into good habits, you can move your aim higher. Don’t worry about December, put yourself in a good position for February. Next month we’ll be taking a look at what proper research can do to improve your marketing and get better results.

Hopefully, some of the topics and techniques that I’ve been discussing will give you the tools necessary to improve your marketing. The important thing is to think critically about these ideas and then implement the ones that will deliver tangible results for your business. I hope you’ve enjoyed this month’s newsletter and wish you the best of luck in 2010. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Bradford Nicoll Bradford H. Nicoll -Marketing Communications 516.652.6530

So far, I've laid out two very important considerations for your marketing: getting people to pay attention, and making sure they know what to do next. Now we get to the challenge -figuring out why they should listen to you or do anything in the first place.

It's an overused phrase, but 'What's In It for Me?' (or WIIFM) is an important question to keep asking yourself. What is in it for you customers?

Naturally, you'd like to jump right to the end and talk about the ultimate, long-term benefits of your services. Unfortunately, potential customers want to get something right now. And that's where the offer comes in.

Believe it or not, people like getting free things. Giving people something for nothing is an unparalleled tool for getting attention, developing interest, and driving interaction. Just remember to keep a few things in mind to avoid a marketing debacle.

Like far too many direct marketing tactics, the lowest denominator (I'm looking at you, Slap Chop) has hurt everyone. Too many people screaming 'Free' to peddle their worthless wares has made all freebies feel like the setup for a scam. So, tread lightly and make sure you put the effort in to communicate the value of your offer and the integrity of your product.

Make sure that what you're offering embodies a product attribute that you want to draw attention to. If you are selling financial services and you want to be seen as dependable, don't give out something cheap, give something that will last. A truly great offer should embody your understanding of their concerns and give them something they really need.

The most basic, straightforward, and well-known offer is a Free Trial. The 'Free Trial' is a classic for a reason. It allows you to demonstrate your product while enabling people to put off making a purchasing decision. But, be sure that you don't give away too much and remember to put in place a mechanism that will make it easy for you to turn that free trial into a paying customer. Oh, and prepare yourself for a lot of freebie hunters.

Deciding on your offer has to be a part of a larger analysis of who your clients are and what motivates them. Just as you should be keeping an eye on what gets them to open emails, you should be observing what gets them to make decisions. Make sure your offer is inspiring.

Hopefully, last month's discussion about better subject lines has resulted in more people opening your emails and reading your marketing message.

Not to put a damper on things, but so what? High open rates feel good (believe me I know) but what does that really mean for your bottom line?

Last newsletter started at the very beginning, now I want to jump all the way to the end: The 'Call to Action'. Often seen as a 'Click here to learn more' button, the Call to Action is an essential yet often overlooked part of any marketing message.

In the short term, this makes getting something out of your marketing efforts possible. In the long term, it forces you to ask hard questions about why exactly you are communicating with your customers.

Your goals may feel obvious, but close examination of your past marketing may reveal that you aren't communicating those goals clearly. If people aren't sure what you want them to do, they'll simply do nothing.

When it comes to your business, you know (or should know) where, when, and how you actually close deals and money winds up in your pocket. As great as facebook and twitter are, there's no way for money to change hands, so it's not happening there. Odds are it isn't happening on your beautiful website, either.

For most businesses, some form of direct, face-to-face contact is necessary for the deal to close. The call to action must always be used to draw customers closer to the point where business actually gets done.

Remembering this will go a long way in making sure that your marketing budget isn't going to waste.

The call to action will form the basis for the next marketing element that is going to need consideration: the offer. The offer is the 'why they'll do it' that drives the 'what you want them to do'.

So, if you'd like to lean more, fill out this form to receive your Free one hour consultation.
I hope you've enjoyed this month's newsletter.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Since I spent the summer talking about strategy and the big picture, I'm going to spend the next few newsletters looking closely at the tactics of communicating with email.

And, what better place to start talking about email than at the start of the email: the subject line?

As with most things in life, the thing that is probably the most important usually winds up getting the least amount of attention. Which is unfortunate, because after all the time that you've put into crafting your message, it'd be a shame if it went unread for the want of a few interesting words.

So, what to do? Well, here are some basic guidelines that are worth keeping in mind and will help you avoid some common mistakes.

The most important takeaway? Cut to the chase. You can tell people exactly what's inside the email, or you can tease them a little; just make sure your subject line provides a clear and unambiguous reason to click.

But remember, these are only guidelines -they can't tell you what works with your customers.

To really get results, you need to find out what works (and what doesn't) for your audience. The best way to do that is simple enough; look at the numbers. Check previous emails to see what kinds of subject lines got responses and use those to narrow down the types of subject lines that you're going to try in the future.

Going forward, test out different subject lines and track the results.

This should help you clear the first hurdle of successful marketing -getting people to listen.

But don't think that a clever subject line will solve all of your problems. Establishing trust and developing a positive reputation are still essential if you ever want your email to be more than spam in the eyes of customers.

Next month we'll take a look at the 'Call to Action'.
I hope you've enjoyed this month's newsletter and are busy getting back to business.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Bradford Nicoll
Bradford H. Nicoll -Marketing Communications
516.652.6530
bradfordhnicoll@gmail.com

Sorry for the blog break, but I’ve been tied up with some other issues, including the ongoing name selection process. Suggestions still welcome.

I know it’s nice outside, finally, so I’ll be brief. I was going to write about an article that caught my eye, but while I was combing through the sites I usually visit for an appropriate article, I started getting IMd by a young man that I’d met at a networking event and subsequently accepted a facebook request from.

It was a short chat that let me further explain my company, and ended with an agreement to stay in touch and with me adding him to my newsletter list.

Maybe we’ll work together, maybe we won’t. But, it’s an important reminder that even if you don’t have a ‘social media’ strategy or any desire to build a company page, it’s worth being in those places.

At their most basic, social media platforms are (free) communications channels, and there’s no reason to close them off.