Matchey Marketing Blog

Do Typos Matter?

emilymatchey — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:11:11 +0000

Short answer: YES!

Am I guilty of making typographical errors from time to time? Of course! Nobody is perfect.

But, there is no excuse for laziness and sloppiness in your business and daily communications. Typographical errors in professional marketing materials are frowned upon. Wrong word usage and spelling errors make a person or entity look unprofessional and sloppy. Please take the time to re-read these types of documents and publications and have others review them, as well, prior to publication.

Don’t Miss On-Site Marketing Opportunities

emilymatchey — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:13:28 +0000

When you’re thinking about marketing strategies don’t forget to reinforce your message with on-site reminders. It seems simple, but it’s a strategy that is sometimes overlooked by businesses.

Are you advertising a lunch special? Reinforce the idea with an in-store poster or display. Have a special coupon? Make them available at the register or entrance and remind customers of the promotion. Promoting a new product or service? Highlight it in some special way at your location. Open new hours? Remind customers of the change with an outdoor banner.

Stay alert for simple additions you could make to your physical location to reinforce your marketing message, attract customers and ultimately increase sales.

Making the most of every marketing opportunity

emilymatchey — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:00:20 +0000

I witnessed a stroke of marketing genius over the past weekend at an area outdoor music festival and thought I would share it with you. The event had great corporate sponsors, several of which were radio stations from the immediate area and the nearest metro area (Minneapolis-St. Paul). Much of the promotion was planned and extremely well executed, but a chance opportunity stole the show in my mind.

One of the stations had large blow up balloons with their logo on them that were bouncing along in the crowd during various acts. During one of the most popular acts, the lead singer got a hold of one of these and held it for a few seconds-logo prominently displayed. I happened to be at the event with a colleague and we looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Marketing genius.” It was excellent publicity and a great marketing opportunity taken advantage of by the radio station.

That singular event stood out as a reminder to really think through the details when planning marketing for an event. The marketing folks for this radio station had really thought about their opportunities to market on-site at the event and their preparation paid dividends! Way to go 93X.

Who Could You Partner With?

emilymatchey — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:24:34 +0000

For any business, building alliances with similar, but not competitive, businesses can be a key to marketing success. One super advantage of such alliances is the opportunity for referral business.

So let’s say there are a couple of related companies, such as a jewelry designer, a clothing store, and an accessory store who serve the same type of target market. What if they developed a set of coupons for all three businesses that each of them gave out with every sale? Or how about a roofer, a landscaper, and a plumber? If coupons aren’t your thing, maybe an alliance to share leads is something you are interested in. For professional services such as banking, accounting, or legal services a lead sharing or referral reward might be something to consider. Or, join a local leads group to build your referral network.

Increase your exposure, meet new friends, and enjoy marketing success.

Missing the ask?

emilymatchey — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:03:16 +0000

A big part of my job is helping clients with lead generation for their various businesses. Cold calling can be a great strategy to add some new customers, but what about asking your current clients for more business? Your current clients already believe in you and like doing business with you.

So, what if your current client can’t do any more volume with you? Maybe they can help you find new clients. Maybe they know of someone you could call on or be serving. Don’t be afraid to ask for business.

So how do you ask for business? Just simply ask your clients for any recommendations they have of other businesses you might be able to serve. Tell your current clients, repeatedly, that you are always seeking new clients and welcome referrals. Of course you must continue to do an excellent job for your current clients. Just don’t forget to make the effort to ask for more business when you have the opportunity.

Images Sell

emilymatchey — Wed, 19 May 2010 15:49:50 +0000

For most businesses images help sell your product of service, yet many businesses do not have photos of their facilities, products, or staff available for promotional use. It is important to use professional quality images to promote yourself in advertisements, on your website, and in media.

Great photos can help attract new customers by building excitement and also introducing potential customers to your business. If it has been a while since you’ve taken business photos, perhaps you should consider updating your portfolio now.

What to write about?

emilymatchey — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:35:58 +0000

OK, so you have a new facebook page or Twitter account for your business, but what do you post? If you have a retail business post your daily or weekly specials at a minimum. If time allows and your product line is suitable, post recipes or ideas of what a client could do with your product. Ideas for crafts, parties, item maintenance, or seasonal topics all work.

You don’t have a retail business? How about posting tips, ideas, or announcing new clients or projects? It can be a challenge to get started, but once you do you should find that the ideas come more naturally to you.

Can spending on marketing save you money in the end?

emilymatchey — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:15:26 +0000

Are you spending thousands of dollars each year on marketing, but unsure about what is getting results for your company? If so, you’re not alone. Many companies have this experience, yet many are afraid to bring in outside assistance.

Did you know that working with a professional marketing consultant could actually save you money? Professional marketing consultants review your marketing expenditures, they meet with you to determine your goals, they interview you to get information on your customers, your best opportunities for growth and more. They work to organize your marketing plan for a period of time and provide strategies, reasoning, and measuring tools to help you track the performance of your investment in marketing.

You may end up spending a little money on a marketing consultant, but in the end you are likely to benefit. You can increase your results and even trim your marketing expenses if you employ the right consultant for the job.

Cheap and Easy Marketing Ideas

emilymatchey — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:00:24 +0000

Take advantage of your New Year motivation to put some cheap and easy marketing ideas into action.

Free website services–you thought you couldn’t afford to put together a website for your part-time or startup business. Guess what…it is easier than ever to do so for free. Search “free website” and you will be exposed to a number of sources that offer free templates and free hosting and even more options for a very small annual fee.

Blog–you read blogs, but you never thought about starting your own. Now is the time to create a blog to promote your business. WordPress.com is a terrific source to create your free or low cost blog!

Twitter and Facebook and more–if you are resisting social media for your business, now is the time to act. Set up a profile and put some news out there. Promote your specials, communicate with customers, and have fun! Consider an e-mail newsletter to promote yourself.

Letters or direct mail–if you haven’t used US Mail for your business, maybe you want to consider it in 2010. While you think about your business all of the time, most people don’t. Keeping your business at the top of your customer’s mind is easy to do with mail. Need new contacts? Ask prior clients for referrals. Offer a special deal or a reminder by mail. Target the mailing very specifically to save on costs.

Family and friends–if your family and friends understand the types of customers you are seeking, they can better help you find leads for your business. Who wants to help you more than your family and friends? Put together a brief, specific e-mail or letter and send it out to your nearest and dearest. Offer to reward them for referrals that turn into business.

Use these cheap and easy ideas to make 2010 a great year for your business.

Plan your 2010 Marketing Strategy

emilymatchey — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:58:55 +0000

Now is a great time to plan for a 2010 marketing strategy for your business. The year’s approaching end has many of us reflecting over the past months and considering our current situation. For many businesses, 2009 was a difficult year. How can you work towards a more successful 2010? Review, Revise and Renew your marketing plan.

Review the past year and be brutally honest with yourself about what has worked for you business in 2009 and what has not worked to promote you and your company. What has worked well? Is there something that has been difficult to do but paid dividends? Really think about all the efforts put into marketing and make some judgments about each effort.

Revise your marketing plan to spend more time and energy on methods that produce results. Don’t be afraid to let go of old ideas that aren’t working for you any longer.

Renew you marketing efforts by mixing in some new ideas. If you haven’t investigated social media, do it in 2010. If your website needs upgrading, do it in 2010. If your sales presentation needs polish, invest time and effort in 2010. Be on the lookout for new ideas that can keep your company marketing fresh and interesting.

Let’s make 2010 your best year ever!