New Study on Advertising MediaA new study by the PPAI conclusively finds that adding promotional products to your advertising mix can substantially increase your advertising effectiveness.
Though we all knew that already...it's nice to see it in the form of new research. In the study, adding a promotional product to the mix increased the favorable attitude toward the ad in all cases (up to 44%). Want to read the entire 55 page document for details? Check out the link!
http://www.ppa.org/NR/rdonlyres/4500D15A-91E0-4482-B9B4-A778758A86D7/0/RS8037PPAI_Report.pdf
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Customer Appreciation Event Announced!
Soaring For Success Customer Appreciation Event Date Set!
We are excited to announce the date of the annual Hasseman Marketing & Communications Customer Appreciation Event! Please join us on October 1st for food, fun, and great promotional ideas! The event will be held at a new and improved location--The National Guard Readiness Center! It's a bigger venue that will allow for more suppliers, more ideas and more fun. The theme this year is Soaring For Success and we hope that you will join us as we look to help you end the year strong!
So once again, mark your calendar for October 1st from Noon to 6pm for Soaring For Success, the Annual Hasseman Marketing Customer Appreciation Show! Please join us!
We are excited to announce the date of the annual Hasseman Marketing & Communications Customer Appreciation Event! Please join us on October 1st for food, fun, and great promotional ideas! The event will be held at a new and improved location--The National Guard Readiness Center! It's a bigger venue that will allow for more suppliers, more ideas and more fun. The theme this year is Soaring For Success and we hope that you will join us as we look to help you end the year strong!
So once again, mark your calendar for October 1st from Noon to 6pm for Soaring For Success, the Annual Hasseman Marketing Customer Appreciation Show! Please join us!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Think Big Marketing For Small Business
For those of you that have not heard, I am going to have a book published this year! I am very excited about this new venture and can't wait to see the finished product. The focus of the marketing efforts in the book are TARGETED marketing...something I am passionate about.
In addition, I have tried to make the book an easy to read style that will be great for busy small business owners. I will give you more details as it gets closer to publication...but just know that it is on it's way.
And get ready to Think Big!
In addition, I have tried to make the book an easy to read style that will be great for busy small business owners. I will give you more details as it gets closer to publication...but just know that it is on it's way.
And get ready to Think Big!
CoshoctonTV.com
As you may or may not have heard, Hasseman Marketing & Communications has launched a new venture recently called CoshoctonTV.com. We are very excited about this new opportunity to bring local video programming to any in (or interested in) Coshocton County. If you want to check out the site just go to www.coshoctontv.com and watch some of the local video. And of course we will be adding more and more as we go.
We are also looking for advertisers (of course we are!) and if you are interested please contact us. The ads on the right are only $100 per month and we are beginning to see some great traffic to the site.
So check it out and let us know what you think!
We are also looking for advertisers (of course we are!) and if you are interested please contact us. The ads on the right are only $100 per month and we are beginning to see some great traffic to the site.
So check it out and let us know what you think!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Power of Promotional Products
Saw this come across the email today and thought it was interesting!
The Archives of Internal Medicine published a comprehensive research study last week entitled "Effect of Exposure to Small Pharmaceutical Promotional Items on Treatment Preferences." The goal was to find out whether or not ad specialties influenced the attitudes of medical students toward the products that were being marketed.
The findings: Yes they do.
Distributors aren't surprised. "I think it's true. A lot of people at a lot of companies and businesses appreciate a gift," says Kathleen Patton, president of Foley Associates (asi/195770), who often lectures about the effectiveness of promotional products at colleges. Lisa Davila, president of Bdazle Promotions (asi/134454), agrees with the findings of the study about the impact of low-cost promotional items. "It makes complete sense," she says. "The more familiar you are with a brand, the more comfortable you are using it. The more you see a label or logo, the more it makes you feel warm and fuzzy."
Because of the tightening guidelines regarding the use of promotional products in the medical field, four doctors decided to attempt to find out if the restrictions were really necessary. Their premise was that you "often assume that small promotional items are unlikely to influence prescribing behavior," says the report. This attitude is, according to their findings, incorrect. They wanted to know: Do promotional products produce a more favorable attitude and do the policies against them work? The controlled experiment involved 352 third- and fourth-year med students at the University of Miami School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (where restrictive policies are in place limiting drug marketing). They were all exposed to branded Lipitor items without knowledge that they were part of a study. Fourth-year students at Miami had a more favorable attitude (by a score of 0.66) toward Lipitor compared to the control group (0.47). The scores were derived from an Implicit Association Test.
While the findings are powerful, the debate as to whether such influence is in fact harmful is an entirely different story, says Davila. "It's a double edged sword," she says. "There are plenty of products that work but they may not think of it. If it's an allergy medication, many of which are the same, which will they prescribe? Probably the one that's sitting on their desk [in the form of an ad specialty]. On the negative side, it could hurt smaller companies that have a good product and aren't spending on promotional products."
The Archives of Internal Medicine published a comprehensive research study last week entitled "Effect of Exposure to Small Pharmaceutical Promotional Items on Treatment Preferences." The goal was to find out whether or not ad specialties influenced the attitudes of medical students toward the products that were being marketed.
The findings: Yes they do.
Distributors aren't surprised. "I think it's true. A lot of people at a lot of companies and businesses appreciate a gift," says Kathleen Patton, president of Foley Associates (asi/195770), who often lectures about the effectiveness of promotional products at colleges. Lisa Davila, president of Bdazle Promotions (asi/134454), agrees with the findings of the study about the impact of low-cost promotional items. "It makes complete sense," she says. "The more familiar you are with a brand, the more comfortable you are using it. The more you see a label or logo, the more it makes you feel warm and fuzzy."
Because of the tightening guidelines regarding the use of promotional products in the medical field, four doctors decided to attempt to find out if the restrictions were really necessary. Their premise was that you "often assume that small promotional items are unlikely to influence prescribing behavior," says the report. This attitude is, according to their findings, incorrect. They wanted to know: Do promotional products produce a more favorable attitude and do the policies against them work? The controlled experiment involved 352 third- and fourth-year med students at the University of Miami School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (where restrictive policies are in place limiting drug marketing). They were all exposed to branded Lipitor items without knowledge that they were part of a study. Fourth-year students at Miami had a more favorable attitude (by a score of 0.66) toward Lipitor compared to the control group (0.47). The scores were derived from an Implicit Association Test.
While the findings are powerful, the debate as to whether such influence is in fact harmful is an entirely different story, says Davila. "It's a double edged sword," she says. "There are plenty of products that work but they may not think of it. If it's an allergy medication, many of which are the same, which will they prescribe? Probably the one that's sitting on their desk [in the form of an ad specialty]. On the negative side, it could hurt smaller companies that have a good product and aren't spending on promotional products."
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Marketing in a Down Economy
In recent years, we small business owners have seen some tough times. And many parts of the country have not been strong economically since before 9/11. In times like this, the first instinct of many small business owners is to cut their marketing way back…or out completely.
This is a huge mistake. As I once heard someone say, “Cutting out advertising to save money is like stopping your clock to save time.” If you are not constantly marketing your business, you soon won’t have a business to worry about!
During tough times, business owners are faced with tough decisions. Just be responsible…and be wary of making any drastic decisions when it comes to promoting your business. Now is the time to be even MORE targeted than ever before!
Increase Your Marketing…Increase Your Marketing Share
It may sound a bit crazy, but a down time is a great time to really increase your marketing presence! Most of your competitors will be looking for ways to scale back…and they will cut back their marketing. By increasing your marketing efforts, you can increase your marketing share during a tough time. And when the economy bounces back, you will be in a better position for real growth!
Don’t believe me? Check out this study for proof!
In a study of U.S. recessions, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results showed that business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged Significantly Higher Sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years, than those that eliminated or decreased advertising. By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn't keep up their advertising.
In addition, a series of six studies conducted by the research firm of Meldrum & Fewsmith showed conclusively that Advertising Aggressively during Recessions not only Increases Sales but Increases Profits. This fact has held true for all post-World War II recessions studied by The American Business Press starting in 1949.
So use this time of downturn to plant the seeds for future growth by increasing your marketing efforts.
Become More Targeted
Notice I said increase your marketing “efforts.” I didn’t say dollars. My entire marketing philosophy is about creating targeted efforts, and during a down time that targeted effort becomes even more imperative.
You need to make sure that each and every dollar you spend has an impact on your sales…and ultimately your bottom line. So now is a great time to re-examine the way you are spending your marketing dollars. If you need to cut, consider cutting the low-return marketing items you do. These are often your “habit buys.” Things like this might cost $25, $50, or even $100 per time and probably don’t really give you any return. If you are going to cut something…there’s the place to start.
Now that you have trimmed some fat by eliminating ads that don’t show returns, take that money and increase your efforts that DO generate success. By simply doing this one strategy, you will be pleasantly surprised by the return.
Create A Target List
Each business is different. But when you are re-evaluating your marketing efforts, I encourage folks to create a target list of customers they want to have. If you can’t name specific potential customers, then create the image of what your ideal customer would look like. Doing so will help you to focus your efforts. What would it take to make this person or business (and lots more like them) a customer of mine? Once you have a clear vision of the type of person you want—and what it would take to get them—attack that plan!
Re-Visit Dormant Accounts
When you are looking at ways to create new customers, you also need to consider ways to get old customers back! Sometimes they have stopped doing business with your for legitimate reasons…but sometimes not. Now is a great time to reach out an olive branch to those customers that used to don your doorstep regularly…and see if you can get them to return!
See the People
One of my early sales managers used to say that if you wanted to increase your sales, you needed to “see the people.” With all of the advertising methods, venues, and options, we can all fall into the trap of waiting for customers to come to us. It’s an easy trap to fall into, so don’t beat yourself up if you do it. But one of the best ways to jump start your revenue is to simply go out and “see the people!”
Business is often built on relationships. And you can certainly strengthen these business relationships by showing your customers that you appreciate them. My advice would be to make these visits a “thank you” visit. Obviously you want to use these opportunities to sell yourself and your business. But you will be surprised by how much business will come to you when you show your customers that you care about them…and their business.
There’s no doubt about it. Tough economic times are tough on small businesses. But by re-evaluating your marketing efforts, and making sure your efforts are more targeted, you can survive and position yourself for future growth!
This is a huge mistake. As I once heard someone say, “Cutting out advertising to save money is like stopping your clock to save time.” If you are not constantly marketing your business, you soon won’t have a business to worry about!
During tough times, business owners are faced with tough decisions. Just be responsible…and be wary of making any drastic decisions when it comes to promoting your business. Now is the time to be even MORE targeted than ever before!
Increase Your Marketing…Increase Your Marketing Share
It may sound a bit crazy, but a down time is a great time to really increase your marketing presence! Most of your competitors will be looking for ways to scale back…and they will cut back their marketing. By increasing your marketing efforts, you can increase your marketing share during a tough time. And when the economy bounces back, you will be in a better position for real growth!
Don’t believe me? Check out this study for proof!
In a study of U.S. recessions, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 companies from 1980-1985. The results showed that business-to-business firms that maintained or increased their advertising expenditures during the 1981-1982 recession averaged Significantly Higher Sales growth, both during the recession and for the following three years, than those that eliminated or decreased advertising. By 1985, sales of companies that were aggressive recession advertisers had risen 256% over those that didn't keep up their advertising.
In addition, a series of six studies conducted by the research firm of Meldrum & Fewsmith showed conclusively that Advertising Aggressively during Recessions not only Increases Sales but Increases Profits. This fact has held true for all post-World War II recessions studied by The American Business Press starting in 1949.
So use this time of downturn to plant the seeds for future growth by increasing your marketing efforts.
Become More Targeted
Notice I said increase your marketing “efforts.” I didn’t say dollars. My entire marketing philosophy is about creating targeted efforts, and during a down time that targeted effort becomes even more imperative.
You need to make sure that each and every dollar you spend has an impact on your sales…and ultimately your bottom line. So now is a great time to re-examine the way you are spending your marketing dollars. If you need to cut, consider cutting the low-return marketing items you do. These are often your “habit buys.” Things like this might cost $25, $50, or even $100 per time and probably don’t really give you any return. If you are going to cut something…there’s the place to start.
Now that you have trimmed some fat by eliminating ads that don’t show returns, take that money and increase your efforts that DO generate success. By simply doing this one strategy, you will be pleasantly surprised by the return.
Create A Target List
Each business is different. But when you are re-evaluating your marketing efforts, I encourage folks to create a target list of customers they want to have. If you can’t name specific potential customers, then create the image of what your ideal customer would look like. Doing so will help you to focus your efforts. What would it take to make this person or business (and lots more like them) a customer of mine? Once you have a clear vision of the type of person you want—and what it would take to get them—attack that plan!
Re-Visit Dormant Accounts
When you are looking at ways to create new customers, you also need to consider ways to get old customers back! Sometimes they have stopped doing business with your for legitimate reasons…but sometimes not. Now is a great time to reach out an olive branch to those customers that used to don your doorstep regularly…and see if you can get them to return!
See the People
One of my early sales managers used to say that if you wanted to increase your sales, you needed to “see the people.” With all of the advertising methods, venues, and options, we can all fall into the trap of waiting for customers to come to us. It’s an easy trap to fall into, so don’t beat yourself up if you do it. But one of the best ways to jump start your revenue is to simply go out and “see the people!”
Business is often built on relationships. And you can certainly strengthen these business relationships by showing your customers that you appreciate them. My advice would be to make these visits a “thank you” visit. Obviously you want to use these opportunities to sell yourself and your business. But you will be surprised by how much business will come to you when you show your customers that you care about them…and their business.
There’s no doubt about it. Tough economic times are tough on small businesses. But by re-evaluating your marketing efforts, and making sure your efforts are more targeted, you can survive and position yourself for future growth!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Great Article
It's been a long time since I have posted here...but here is a fantastic article I just read. If you are considering what to do with your marketing dollars this year...consider this!
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