Thanks to the development of cell phones and tablets, we have the opportunity to reach someone in seconds. And with access like that, it just may be a great way to reach your customers.

Most companies are utilizing mobile technology in a variety of ways, but many have yet to take it to the next level. Many of the traditional marketing methods such as direct mail and point of purchase support the mobile environment. Most times having a mobile version of your website created is all many businesses need. But other businesses can benefit from building a mobile app. Here’s how to get started.

Why It’s Easy
If you’re willing to put some money into developing your mobile app, then it’s probably best to hire a developer, especially if you what to have complex functionality for what your customers will do with it.

If you require limited functionality or simply want to display information, a specialized mobile website that is set up to run like a mobile app can save a lot of time and money. This usually is far less expensive than a full app and based on how you want to distribute it, you can bypass some if the headaches and red tape needed in order to have your app downloadable from iTunes, or the Android or Blackberry app stores.

What You’ll Get
There are a variety of marketing advantages when it comes to having an app for your business. Anytime your customers download the app it’s good for your business, as long as you’ve created a trustworthy app that functions properly. You’ll be able to reach the growing audience of smart phone and tablet users who download a variety of apps for different reasons.

One advantage to having an app that is fully downloadable is that this kind of app can be accessed in places without Internet once they are downloaded. If you store company information and things your customers would need to know on the app, they can have access to it anytime as long as they have their device with them. Creating an app may not be just for your customers either, as you could build apps that help make your employees more efficient in their job, especially if you have some workforce in the field.

Is It For You?
If you’re struggling to maintain other technology friendly marketing strategies, an app might be too extreme of a move for your company. However, if you’re ready to try something new, the possibilities are endless when it comes to making your own app. From internal company use to on the go information for your customers, an app could provide opportunities you’ve never had access to before. If the funds and the timing are right, it’s definitely a venture you may want to investigate.

Are Mobile Apps or Mobile Websites better? This could be an age old question but neither platform has been around that long. This chart is from a study showing what people prefer to use when working with smart phones. The answer to the above question is apparently… “It depends.” Who said marketing is easy?

This is an article from a US Postal Service Newsletter. I didn’t write this but it seems that the Postal Service’s Every Door Direct Mail program has been very successfully received, especially in restaurant industry.

EVERY DOOR DIRECT MAIL: NEARLY 1 BILLION SERVED

The Postal Service’s Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) has been “wildly successful,” especially with the country’s top fast-food chains, says Paul Vogel, USPS president and chief marketing/sales officer.

EDDM offers simplified addressing, enabling mailers to use delivery route information, instead of names and exact addresses, to reach targeted groups in specific geographic areas. The number of EDDM mailpieces delivered since the program’s inception in March 2011 is approaching the 1 billion mark.

According to Vogel, USPS is currently working with several fast-food companies to test EDDM in various markets. These businesses have taken advantage of the benefits of EDDM — fast production turnaround, total neighborhood saturation and the ability to mail at a local Post Office — that make it easier and more convenient to reach customers and potential customers through direct mail.

Many “mom and pop” restaurants as well as other small businesses, such as dry cleaners and automotive parts shops, are using EDDM and mailing multiple times because they’re getting better response rates and greater customer traffic. EDDM also has been embraced by several national printing retailers. These companies are bundling EDDM with printing services and say that EDDM is helping to increase printing sales.

“From burgers to donuts to pizza, fast-food retailers are increasingly seeing the benefits of using EDDM to market their menus and other promotional materials in the neighborhoods where their stores are located,” said Vogel.
]]> http://marketingfocus.wordpress.com/2012/01/24/every-door-direct-mail-is-wildly-successful-says-usps/feed/ 0 marketingfocus http://marketingfocus.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/what-every-retail-business-website-needs/ http://marketingfocus.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/what-every-retail-business-website-needs/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:13:27 +0000 marketingfocus http://marketingfocus.wordpress.com/?p=266 Continue reading →]]> By Rich Lewis at Burlington Press
www.burlingtonpress.com | www.burlingtonpresswebservices.com

If your business sells to consumers, here are the things you need to have on your website:

1. Contact information including your address. The address doen’t just show where you are, but having a physical location adds legitimacy to your business.
2. Also adding legitimacy are testimonials. People love to by from places that other people endorse.
3. If you have a physical location to serve your customers an interactive map that people can use to get directions is important.
4. A complete and easy to follow list of your products and services.

Of course there are variations to the above based on the type of business you have, but these are the basic things that let your customers and prospects know who you are, what you do and why you are so great.

Push the Envelope
You might find that your company has been doing the same marketing for years, simply because that’s how it’s always been done. If that’s the case, it’s time to question your company’s tactics. There’s one certainty: things change. And such is the case with marketing. There are a variety of new marketing mediums you can incorporate into your marketing strategies. Take a look at how your competitors are using new tools like social media, variable data printing and QR codes. Then determine how you may be able to use them to grow your business.

Figure Out What Works
It’s great to know what is working from the past year’s marketing plan. One of the easiest ways to do this is to simply ask how you’re doing. Seems simple, right? That’s because it is. You can conduct surveys online, make phone calls or even ask customers in-person.

Once you gain feedback from your customers, you have to actually listen. It can be difficult to hear that something you thought would be a promotional success didn’t work out as well as you had planned. But remember that it’s better to make a change to your marketing for the betterment of the company’s bottom line.

Be Positive
When considering a new marketing plan, it’s important to consider your Return on Investment (ROI). According to Web Pro News, it can be beneficial to look at each marketing activity individually and determine if you had a positive ROI rather than evaluating a comprehensive budget. If not, it’s time to implement a new strategy for the places that are lacking. Keep the positive ROI activities the same, or think of ways that you can improve them.

I spend a lot of time reviewing articles and blog posts to keep up with what is going on in the ever-changing world of marketing for small business. One of my favorite things to read are the lists. You know, 10 best practices for… or 25 reasons why… They are great summaries of a number of ideas and focus in on what could be a vast topic.

Recently I read a list of 30 predictions for social media marketing in 2012. What I thought would be a really interesting topic turned out to be kind of boring. Thirty experts in social media were asked to give their perspective on marketing in the New Year.  They all seemed to say basically the same thing. I will provide you with a summary of that article in a little bit.

Social media marketing is different from other forms of marketing because the consumer drives it. With direct mail, advertising, etc. you tell your customers and prospects about a particular product or promotion and hope they go out and buy it. With social media the idea is to get your customers and prospects to become a fan of your company, products or services and then possibly buy something and then recommend you to their social media network.

In the marketing world, we love to measure the return on investment (ROI) and with most forms of marketing it is relatively easy to do that. However, Social Media is not like most forms of marketing. No matter what some experts will tell you, ROI is difficult to measure. How many likes on a Facebook page turn into a sale? Social media is about building good will, sharing insights and expertise in order to start a conversation with your customers and a create a new level of comfort and trust.

Now for that summary of what you can expect in 2012 with social media.

1. Social media is still growing, changing and expanding. The big players like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin are treading in each other’s territory.
2. With the addition of new players like Google+ and specialized networks, social media continues to become more complicated.
3. Because of the changing nature of Social Media, it is not necessary to be everywhere on social media but to be where it is matters and to be consistent and engaging.
4. Content is more important then ever. I always thought it was the most important thing and now others are coming to the same conclusion. A lot of these social media experts are a bit younger then me so I guess they are still learning this.
5. Don’t limit your content to just words on a page. It is wise to consider communicating visually with video and photos. Some people receive information better visually. Plus it is no longer necessary to spend tons of money on video production. Simply speaking into a camera will be well accepted if what is said is interesting.

This summarizes what a lot of experts in social media are telling you to expect in the New Year. You may notice that it is mostly plain old common sense. Using common sense isn’t new, but it should be applied to every great new “innovation” in marketing.

A New Years Prayer: Grant me the skills to master all weapons of war and the wisdom to create a life where they are never needed.

I thought of this after a meeting with a client. We were in dispute over a bill and as a result it was not paid. As we discussed this issue I knew I had the upper hand. The job was for a website we built and I could have easily just said, “Pay your bill buddy or the site gets shut off!” If I used this tactic, I would have quickly walked out with a check. However, this doesn’t take into account the other side’s feelings and understanding at the time. It would have most likely left the client feeling like they were strong-armed and taken advantage of. They probably would have started looking for another marketing company or at least started to speak ill of us to what could be our perspective clients. Add to this the damage that can be done with social media and you might start to see that this little victory could ultimately become a defeat.

As we talked, we uncovered a misunderstanding in our original agreement. He was a reasonable guy and we ended up coming to a conclusion we both agreed with. There was no need to threaten, no need to play the ace up my sleeve. It took a lot longer but we both left the meeting shaking hands and starting to plan the next step of our relationship together.

If negotiation is war, I had the ultimate weapon to win it. But after devastating my opponent I would not have won their hearts and minds. After the negotiation is over, you have no control over what the other party will do. Our military just ended a long tenure in Iraq because of this fact. We can argue over whether this war was a success, but did it cost us more then it could have if we used a different set of tactics?

So I guess my new years resolution is to try and think through things I do when dealing with other people. I will try to learn what the other person’s perception is and us that to forge an agreement instead of using any means at my disposal to get what I want. In the words of Dale Carnegie, “Learn to see things from the other person’s perspective.” Have a Safe and Happy New Year.

The biggest problem with QR codes is that they are really cool. Their second biggest problem is that they are very easy to create. So now we see them everywhere on billboards, brochures, posters and more. I was at a museum exhibition and there were QR codes on the walls that could be scanned in order to get more information about the art.

Why is this a problem? The coolness factor and ease of use makes it too easy to jump right into using them without any forethought as to the result.  QR codes are designed for use with a mobile device. If that is the case, why do most QR code scans take a user to a desktop formatted webpage? Sending a mobile phone, especially a smaller screened Blackberry, to a desktop webpage is inviting a less then stellar experience with your website. If fact, it is inviting a really bad one by providing the user, who is your potential customer, a lot of frustration as they try to read the content and click on tiny buttons that require surgical skills to reach.

The use of mobile devices for web browsing is growing at a rate that is almost too quick to measure. It is estimated that 40% of all web searches are done on a mobile phone and by next year it probably increase to more than 50%. Add to that the fact that 100% of all QR code scans are done with a mobile device and you might see a problem if you are not providing your web content in a mobile friendly way.

QR codes can be a really great and inexpensive marketing tool. But don’t use them the wrong way. What is really cool and really easy might end up as really bad and really difficult if your web site is not easily viewable on the device that scanned the code.