BlogBloghttp://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2010-01-26T18:49:05ZSquarespaceA New Year and a Fresh Starthttp://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2010/1/26/a-new-year-and-a-fresh-start.html[Your Name Here]2010-01-26T18:48:06Z2010-01-26T18:48:06Z

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
]]>Offers Too Good To Refusehttp://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2010/1/14/offers-too-good-to-refuse.html[Your Name Here]2010-01-14T17:20:56Z2010-01-14T17:20:56ZSo 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.

]]>What Happens to Your Emails?http://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/10/26/what-happens-to-your-emails.html[Your Name Here]2009-10-26T11:43:55Z2009-10-26T11:43:55Z

]]>Does This Subject Line Work?http://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/10/8/does-this-subject-line-work.html[Your Name Here]2009-10-08T11:36:01Z2009-10-08T11:36:01Z

]]>Another Use for Social Mediahttp://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/6/25/another-use-for-social-media.html[Your Name Here]2009-06-25T13:15:23Z2009-06-25T13:15:23ZAt their most basic, social media platforms are (free) communications channels, and there’s no reason to close them off.

]]>What to Say and When to Say ithttp://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/6/1/what-to-say-and-when-to-say-it.html[Your Name Here]2009-06-01T10:59:39Z2009-06-01T10:59:39ZGetting someone to listen to your message is hard enough. Getting someone’s attention and then taking their thoughts to a topic that they aren’t already considering is exponentially harder.

]]>Identity: Buy One or Build One?http://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/5/26/identity-buy-one-or-build-one.html[Your Name Here]2009-05-26T12:54:28Z2009-05-26T12:54:28ZAnyone that is serious about building a future for themselves needs to build ongoing partnerships. Becoming a company is an important step in that process.

]]>Let's Not Forget About Strategyhttp://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/5/18/lets-not-forget-about-strategy.html[Your Name Here]2009-05-18T10:47:28Z2009-05-18T10:47:28Z

]]>What do your prices say?http://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/5/11/what-do-your-prices-say.html[Your Name Here]2009-05-11T10:40:33Z2009-05-11T10:40:33ZSetting prices is probably the hardest and scariest part of building your own business

]]>Value: Saying It vs. Communicating Ithttp://www.bradfordhnicoll.com/imported-20090825182725/2009/5/4/value-saying-it-vs-communicating-it.html[Your Name Here]2009-05-04T10:37:20Z2009-05-04T10:37:20ZShouting ‘value!’ at anyone and everyone within earshot is not the same thing as Communicating value.

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