Ho; ho; ho. It really is getting down to the wire for purchasing holiday gifts, and saavy businesses are tapping into the urgency. This morning I received the following from amazon.com:
Down to the Last Minute?
Give A Magazine Subscription
Dear Amazon.com Customer,
Because you've purchased books or other media from Amazon, we thought you should know that there's still time to give a thoughtful and personal gift this holiday season. Amazon offers over 90,000 subscriptions at tremendous savings, and you're sure to find a magazine for everyone on your list. Plus you can print a gift card from your browser for any magazine on our site. It's the perfect way to announce your gift.
Clever message, timely distribution and attention grabbing headline and graphics. We've seen how mastering these 3 key elements explode sales and profits for boostyourbottomline.com customers, and we're delighted and honored to have the opportunity to work with small business around around the world as they master our proven, step-by-step program that guarantees more customers, bigger profits and a business they can brag about. Looking back at 2006, we see quite clearly that we too have created a business we can brag about. And it's all based on our Fast Track to Marketing Mastery program at http://www.boostyourbottomline.com/fast_track.
Being organized spitfires, there's no pressure for last-minute holiday gift purchases. We're sitting back to enjoy it all. Our wish for our loyal customers, subscribers and new boostyourbottomline.com friends is for a healthy, happy and safe holiday and a remarkable 2007!
© 2006 BoostYourBottomLine.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
Friday, December 22, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Snag Attention With A Postage Stamp
Imagine sending snail mail using a postage stamp that features your logo and tagline. What a way to stand out! Make this simple yet powerful tactic part of your marketing in 2007. It's easy to do. Order personalized postage stamps at http://www.stamps.com. Why send business mail any other way?
© 2006 BoostYourBottomLine.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
© 2006 BoostYourBottomLine.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Holiday Networking For Fun and Profit
Tis the season for parties, gift giving AND networking. While many small business owners think December is a time to put marketing on the back burner, we think otherwise. Holiday gatherings can be a good time for service business owners to market. Why? One of your key tactics is networking, and networking is a natural during the holiday season. What a great opportunity to meet old friends and colleagues, discuss how the year went and share goals for the upcoming year. Here are some tips to help you navigate holiday events and make them work for you:
1. Go to the party prepared. Find out a little about who will be attending and their connection to the host(s). Bring business cards but hand them out by request only. If someone intrigues you, ask for their business cards so that you can follow up after the event. Remember that most holiday gatherings are festive social events. As such, make it a point to socialize with at least half dozen people -- a few you know and others you'll meet.
2. For those you know, find out how they are and how business has been this year. Sprinkle a few comments into your conversation to gauge interest. For example, when asked "What's new?" reply with a concise, yet intriguing, response such as "I just heard that my chapter will be one of 30 featured in an upcoming book." If the person's eyes glaze over, move on to another topic. But if they ask about the chapter and book, continue the conversation, making sure it's a give-and-take exchange. For those you don't know, ask questions about their holiday plans, what they'll do in their free time, and whether they'll spend any time working their business. Strive to make a connection.
3. Spend more time asking questions and listening than talking. This really is THE KEY to effective networking at parties. Think of the 80/20 rule. Listen 80% of the time; talk 20%.
4. Have a strategy for staying in touch. What good does it do if you connect with someone and they don't hear from you again until the next holiday gathering? Don't fall into the rut of suggesting you get together for lunch. Instead, and if appropriate, say, "You know, I have something I think you'd enjoy receiving. I send a monthly newsletter with red hot marketing tips. If you give me your card, I'll put you on my list."
5. Keep an open mind. If you're in the right place at the right time, you could make some very profitable business connections. If nothing happens right away, at least you've sowed some seeds for the future.
6. Have fun! Your positive, relaxed attitude may win more prospects than if you hard charge your way through the event.
© 2006 BoostYourBottomLine.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
1. Go to the party prepared. Find out a little about who will be attending and their connection to the host(s). Bring business cards but hand them out by request only. If someone intrigues you, ask for their business cards so that you can follow up after the event. Remember that most holiday gatherings are festive social events. As such, make it a point to socialize with at least half dozen people -- a few you know and others you'll meet.
2. For those you know, find out how they are and how business has been this year. Sprinkle a few comments into your conversation to gauge interest. For example, when asked "What's new?" reply with a concise, yet intriguing, response such as "I just heard that my chapter will be one of 30 featured in an upcoming book." If the person's eyes glaze over, move on to another topic. But if they ask about the chapter and book, continue the conversation, making sure it's a give-and-take exchange. For those you don't know, ask questions about their holiday plans, what they'll do in their free time, and whether they'll spend any time working their business. Strive to make a connection.
3. Spend more time asking questions and listening than talking. This really is THE KEY to effective networking at parties. Think of the 80/20 rule. Listen 80% of the time; talk 20%.
4. Have a strategy for staying in touch. What good does it do if you connect with someone and they don't hear from you again until the next holiday gathering? Don't fall into the rut of suggesting you get together for lunch. Instead, and if appropriate, say, "You know, I have something I think you'd enjoy receiving. I send a monthly newsletter with red hot marketing tips. If you give me your card, I'll put you on my list."
5. Keep an open mind. If you're in the right place at the right time, you could make some very profitable business connections. If nothing happens right away, at least you've sowed some seeds for the future.
6. Have fun! Your positive, relaxed attitude may win more prospects than if you hard charge your way through the event.
© 2006 BoostYourBottomLine.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
The Power of A Billboard
While we always pay attention to marketing messages, I was never so happy to see a billboard with the message I needed in that moment. You see, last Sunday I was driving from Chicago to Ann Arbor with my mother and sister. We stopped for gas and my sister fell and broke her wrist. Bad. As my mother and I followed the ambulance to the hospital in St. Joseph, Michigan, I noticed two billboards along the way:
Lakeland Medical Center
board certified Emergency Room physicans
Wow! I had no idea where we were going but I wanted it to be someplace with board certified doctors. That credential gave us some piece of mind as we navigated the stressful situation.
The power of billboards is to remind. They rarely do the whole selling job but they're great at reminding someone about you and your business. In our case, it did the job to ease some stress.
The secret to billboard success: fewer words are best. Remember that drivers are zooming by your billboard, and too many words are impossible to read. Stick to your core message and say it in as few words as possible.
By the way, the Lakeland Medical Center ER doc and nurses were superb in meeting our immediate needs and referring us on to an orthopedic surgeon. On Friday my sister will undergo surgery to have a plate and pins inserted in her wrist. Thank goodness for board certified physicians!
© 2006 BoostYourBottomLine.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
Lakeland Medical Center
board certified Emergency Room physicans
Wow! I had no idea where we were going but I wanted it to be someplace with board certified doctors. That credential gave us some piece of mind as we navigated the stressful situation.
The power of billboards is to remind. They rarely do the whole selling job but they're great at reminding someone about you and your business. In our case, it did the job to ease some stress.
The secret to billboard success: fewer words are best. Remember that drivers are zooming by your billboard, and too many words are impossible to read. Stick to your core message and say it in as few words as possible.
By the way, the Lakeland Medical Center ER doc and nurses were superb in meeting our immediate needs and referring us on to an orthopedic surgeon. On Friday my sister will undergo surgery to have a plate and pins inserted in her wrist. Thank goodness for board certified physicians!
© 2006 BoostYourBottomLine.com
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
Friday, December 01, 2006
Jewel-Encrusted Cheesecake, Anyone? Absolutely!
The "Neiman Marcus Christmas Book" will arrive soon. We're breaking open the piggy bank this year to order the 4-lane bowling alley, complete with professional lessons, for the office. This starts at $1.45 million dollars. It just so happens that the coupon-cutting and sale-shopping we did over the past 11 months netted us $1.4 million. We'll just dip into the company till for the remaining pocket change. It's a write-off, right? Strike!
Who buys this stuff? Not us. Who cares? We should. Anyone who markets a business should take note. Neiman Marcus gains a ton of brand awareness from this catalog - increasing overall sales.
As the years progress, SHOCK and AWE are the necessary ingredients for successful Holiday promotion. Paper, airwaves, and all things media become more cluttered with messages of Holiday cheer. It takes more creativity than ever to get attention and resulting sales.
Do you have Holiday marketing that shocks your target audience to attention and awes them to purchase?
If you're a retailer:
Place a burglar in your display window, with a sign: "Steal Your Gifts!" Give customers 25¢ for every dollar they spend right now. Customers pay the ticket price now, but get the discount certificate for use during their birthday month (thus, "stealing their birthday gift"). Not only do you get an immediate, higher ticket sale, but you get the customer back in your door.
If you're a service:
Holiday time is down time for most service businesses. Send a "Happy Holidays" message that announces a free or discounted trial of a new service.
If you're business-to-business:
Invest in a new name tag: Scrooge. Call on your clients, and see how a simple accessory can take you to a new level in your conversations. You may find that your clients hate all the Holiday hoopla, too. If you're completely energized during December, try a name like this: Blitzen.
If you're a manufacturer or wholesaler:
Mail your December invoices in a box with some mistletoe and a note: "We appreciate our relationship with you. Join us in kissing a loved one, and be thankful for family, friends and freedom this season."
Just remember: SHOCK and AWE. Jewel-encrusted cheesecake may be beyond your best customer's budget (and bad for their fillings). But it's good for your bottom line.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
Who buys this stuff? Not us. Who cares? We should. Anyone who markets a business should take note. Neiman Marcus gains a ton of brand awareness from this catalog - increasing overall sales.
As the years progress, SHOCK and AWE are the necessary ingredients for successful Holiday promotion. Paper, airwaves, and all things media become more cluttered with messages of Holiday cheer. It takes more creativity than ever to get attention and resulting sales.
Do you have Holiday marketing that shocks your target audience to attention and awes them to purchase?
If you're a retailer:
Place a burglar in your display window, with a sign: "Steal Your Gifts!" Give customers 25¢ for every dollar they spend right now. Customers pay the ticket price now, but get the discount certificate for use during their birthday month (thus, "stealing their birthday gift"). Not only do you get an immediate, higher ticket sale, but you get the customer back in your door.
If you're a service:
Holiday time is down time for most service businesses. Send a "Happy Holidays" message that announces a free or discounted trial of a new service.
If you're business-to-business:
Invest in a new name tag: Scrooge. Call on your clients, and see how a simple accessory can take you to a new level in your conversations. You may find that your clients hate all the Holiday hoopla, too. If you're completely energized during December, try a name like this: Blitzen.
If you're a manufacturer or wholesaler:
Mail your December invoices in a box with some mistletoe and a note: "We appreciate our relationship with you. Join us in kissing a loved one, and be thankful for family, friends and freedom this season."
Just remember: SHOCK and AWE. Jewel-encrusted cheesecake may be beyond your best customer's budget (and bad for their fillings). But it's good for your bottom line.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Marketing Spitfires Holly George and Leslie Hamp publish Marketing Blast, a monthly ezine filled with red hot strategies to blast your business to the next level. If you're ready to jump start your marketing, make more money, and stay on the fast track to business success, get your F.R.E.E tips and Marketing Mastery Success Kit now at www.boostyourbottomline.com
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