Marketing: Artillery for Sales
A small business has many ways to generate awareness of its products and
services, and all are expensive! It is therefore critical that small business owners
devise a marketing mix that best reaches likely purchasers. This can hopefully be
thought out in great detail and then modified over time, but the initial plan is
especially important: Its success could bring abundance to the small business,
but failure could result in wasted money when the firm is most vulnerable.
There are four parts to this effort:
1. Determine the Unique Selling Proposition of your small business
(as described in Chapter 1).
2. Define your target market.
3. Decide upon the message to these customers.
4. Choose the best media to deliver the message.
Determine Your Unique Selling Proposition
How to determine the USP of your small business was discussed in Chapter 1.
The USP is the nexus of your business. This must be resolved before proceeding.
Define Your Target Market
This should be easy. Simply write down the characteristics of your most likely
customers.
Choose the most important metrics and forget the others. Your target cus-
tomer base may include age, gender, profession, income level, residence, reading
interests, hobbies, university, etc. Or, if you are selling business-to-business, you
might consider company size (revenues, number of employees), type of com-
pany, number of workstations, etc.
A few examples:
A pizza restaurant in a small town targets hungry people within delivery
distance of the shop.
A titanium-dioxide distributor targets companies within 500 miles
that produce white products—anything from paper to paint to cast-
polymer products such as white countertops (titanium dioxide is a
chemical whitening agent).
A company producing small motors targets model-airplane
enthusiasts around the world.
A computer services firm offering backup services targets small
businesses in the $500,000 to $50 million revenue range, within a 50-
mile radius.
An aircraft valuation expert targets banks, lessors, and insurance
companies involved in commercial aviation, as well as aircraft
operators and owners worldwide.
A sporting equipment retailer targets families with children of
school age and the directors of sports leagues (Little League
Baseball, AYSO, etc.) within the county.
It’s not complicated to define your market. If this part of the effort gets
bogged down, then you’re probably going in the wrong direction. Defining the
market is actually the easy part. Reaching the market, which we discuss later, is
more difficult.
Decide Upon the Message to These Customers
Now that the Unique Selling Proposition and target market have been consid-
ered, it’s time to decide upon the message itself. It will then be easier to decide how
to deliver the message. We assume here that your small business is interested in a
direct-response advertisement (that is, the prospect will buy something now) rather
than image or branding ads, which create or reinforce awareness.
During this time, you will decide how much to say about your product and
services, and this will help determine the best advertising media. If the message
is very short and simple, a billboard, yellow-pages ad, or post card may work. If
much needs to be said, a complete mailer, brochure, or television ad may be the
best delivery medium.
In all cases, the use of images such as photos, drawings, charts, maps, etc.,
should be included whenever possible. Images attract attention in ways that words
cannot. Notice, for example, that newspaper ads for grocery stores present doz-
ens of common items such as batteries, trash bags, and paper towels, and include
color photos. Why is the photo necessary? Everyone knows what batteries look
like. Technically, the image is not needed—but well-placed images attract atten-
tion and increase sales.
We will review two types of ads: AIDA and Announcements.
AIDA
Many ad agencies use a simple but effective method for producing advertise-
ments: AIDA. This technique is a great tool for bringing attention to ads and
converting lookers into buyers, regardless of the media used.
Small differences in ad content can make a huge difference in pull rates.
AIDA provides a structure for constructing the ad to draw a direct response.
AIDA is an acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
Attention
Ads must begin with an attention-getter, directed at your target market. Fear
is always popular; so is appeal to an interest (for example, vacation spots or
antique autos) or a surprising statement. Drag prospective customers into the ad
by hooking them on your attention-getting device. This is a good time to be loud
and abrasive—but keep it short.
Here are a few examples:
Cool your computer to ensure peak performance and stable operation.
(Plays on fear; we will develop this ad later.)
Mortgage rates at five-month lows!
You deserve the smell of new car leather!
Lose 6 pounds per week without dieting!
Less Money—More Options on our newest models!
These headlines catch your attention. Make a list of some other headlines
that will catch the attention of your target audience, then ask around to gain a
consensus on which is the best.
Interest
Interest is created by describing one or more benefits your product or ser-
vice offers that will improve the life of the buyer. Remember, customers buy on
benefits not on features, so stress the benefits.
When a CPU overheats as your old fan fails, your computer will expe-
rience problems right away. Much slower performance, malfunction,
noises, and even fire can spell the end quickly. Beat the heat with the
AsterTech.FX-D2000A CPU Cooler. Running with an ultrapremium Xidec
permanently lubricated dual ball-bearing fan makes for trouble-free
operation and twice the life of other ball-bearing fans.
Here, we again stress the problem to generate attention but then build inter-
est in a credible solution. Note that no one cares about “ultrapremium Xidec
permanently lubricated ball-bearing fans”—that is merely an impressive sound-
ing feature. The benefit is “trouble-free operation and twice the life…” and that
solves the problem.
Desire
Build desire by making your offer compelling. This is the time to describe
free shipping, bonuses (for example, “free adapter included—normal retail price,
$4.95”), guarantees, endorsements, etc., to seal the buying decision.
Continuing our example from the previous section:
Since 1999, over 825 Value-Added Resellers nationwide have insisted
on using the FX-D2000A in every machine they install.
Comes with industry-best two-year warranty.
From Palm Chemical—the leader in quality industrial resins.
Note that these statements are not time-related; they build interest and a
desire to own the product, but do not compel the buyer to do anything now. But
the call to action is coming.
Action
The purpose of the ad is to convert the ad-recipient into a customer right
away. It’s futile to hope that the prospective customer will remember your ad
and come back later. Great ads close with a call to action—immediate action.
Without a call to action, shoppers will keep on shopping and the next competitor
will close the deal instead.
Examples:
Order by (week + 1) and get free shipping!
Buy now and get a $25-off upgrade coupon for our next model
(which buyers may fear is coming soon).
Sign up by January 31 and receive 256MB of extra memory—for
free!
Limited quantities, so act now!
The call to action is the most important part of your ad.
Announcement Ads
Announcement ads are easy, compared to AIDA-structured messages. An-
nouncements assume the audience is already shopping for your product or ser-
vice, so the message gets right to the point. In other words, attention and interest
are not so important here. The purpose is to inform and call for action.
A good example is shown on page 59.
A 2" × 3.5" ad like this was seen in a trade magazine for computer resellers.
The seller ran similar ads for four products side by side. Computer resellers
have a continuing need for this type of product, which is resold to their custom-
ers. Thus, there is little need to convince resellers of the need to purchase tape
storage devices—this is assumed. Announcement ads get right to the point and
assume the buyer is already looking for this type of product.
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Amber and green front LEDs
Call StorageDudes at 800-555-5555 or see www.StorageDudz.com
Advertising people are not usually enthusiastic about announcement ads be-
cause they don’t require as much creativity, but they can be very effective
when used in the right places and repeated frequently. They are normally short,
simple, and in a specific format. Announcement ads are used most often in
trade publications or professional situations where other formats would not be
appropriate.
A few final tips on writing an advertisement:
Consider the appropriateness of the AIDA and announcement formulas for
every piece of sales collateral now in use at your small business. In addition, use
these techniques to develop all new ads. This may take some time, but the differ-
ence in response rates generated by great ads as opposed to mediocre ads can be
dramatic.
Finally, look at the ads produced by your best competitors—yours should
probably not deviate too far from them.
Choose the Best Media to Deliver This Message
Once the ad content is determined, picking the vehicle to deliver your mes-
sage to a particular market becomes much easier. If the message is complex, a
letter with a brochure or catalog might be required. “Sam’s—the largest selec-
tion of commercial electrical supplies in Kern County” (announcement ad) is
complete in itself, so a billboard, yellow-pages ad, or post card mailed to a care-
fully selected mailing list could yield great results.
Of course, we determined our target market earlier, so this makes media
selection that much easier. Once again, an overall theme here is that the plan
should probably not differ greatly from what your most successful competitors
are doing.
The advertising world has been kind in offering us limitless opportunities to
spend money and reach various target markets. This includes everything from
bus-bench ads to T-shirts to browser pop-ups to Google AdWords (Google is a
registered trademark of Google, Inc.). They show a lot of variety but have one
thing in common: All are expensive.
We review a few of the most popular ads here:
Direct Mail
The science of mailings includes four key variables: what to say, what to
send, whom to send it to (mailing list), and when to send it. Many great books
have been written on this subject, but the topic is reviewed here in enough detail
that small business owners may construct a good program.
Advertising people say that mailers have a success rate of around 2 percent
to 5 percent, but the real low-end answer is 0 percent. That’s right: It’s actually
possible to spend a lot of money designing and mailing thousands of mailers and
end up with zero extra revenues.
The easy solution is offered first, for those who have a little more money and
a little less time: Find a mailing house and outsource the whole job. Companies
that specialize in this area will advise your small business on how similar projects
have worked for related companies, and thereby determine whether a simple
post card will work or whether a large envelope with a four-color letter, glossy
brochure, postage-prepaid reply card, and other enclosures are necessary. These
companies can also acquire mailing lists and perform labor-intensive tasks such
as adding mailing labels, folding, stuffing, sealing, stamping, and sorting (sorting
by zip codes is required to get better postal rates). These tasks may seem simple,
but they can cause huge headaches for small business owners who are accus-
tomed to other types of work.
To find a local company that specializes in turnkey mailing projects, ask around
among printers, designers, and list brokers. These people all seem to know each
other, and many have worked together before. A printer, for example, will refer
you happily to a mailing house with the expectation of getting the print job.
If outsourcing the job is not an option, here is some more information on
doing the direct mailer internally:
What to Say
Fortunately, you’ve already accomplished this part, as described earlier in
this chapter.
What to Send
Most small business owners should concentrate on simple mailings, such as
large post cards (my favorite), form letters produced in Microsoft Word or a
similar program, or a mass-mailed brochure. If the sales situation is simple, the
piece will call upon the recipient to buy. In more complex situations, recipients
can be encouraged to call a sales rep rather than read a large and complex assem-
blage of printed items.
This story is short, but the stress
caused by a simple newsletter mail-
ing will be easy to understand.
I worked with a small business
that published a newsletter every
two months for a group of database
users. We wanted the December
issue to be mailed in late Novem-
ber, in advance of the holiday
crunch.
The project got off to a rather
slow start, and the text was not ap-
proved until November 20. But the
printer needed five days to produce
the piece, which, of course, was
really 10. The printer claimed that
this was because he had to wait for
us three times as we approved the
design copy, which was partially
correct. Unfortunately, “November
issue” was still printed on the
newsletter.
Blinded by wishful thinking, the
management expected that the
printed newsletter would be in the
mail within a day after printing was
finished, but clerical people needed
to be found who could add labels,
stamp, seal, and sort into postal
containers. Everyone was busy on
another big project, so the news-
letter was temporarily shelved.
On December 11, everyone was
assembled to begin again, but then
someone asked, “Where are the
mailing labels?” The newsletter was
mailed to an internally developed
mailing list that resided on a com-
puter somewhere in the company,
but only the systems administrator
knew exactly which mailing list file
to use, and he was out of town until
December 16.
On December 16, the list was
printed, but the folding, stuffing,
labeling, sealing, and stamping op-
erations took longer than expected.
Clearly, the mailing could not reach
the post office before December 21,
and that was too close to the holi-
days.
Management was then faced
with two bad choices: (1) mail on
December 21 and expect that most
newsletters would be trashed by
readers who were on holiday until
January, or (2) mail on January 2
for receipt around January 9, and
hope readers would not notice the
November date printed on the news-
letters.
The “November 63” option was
finally selected, and the mailing fi-
nally went out in early January, de-
spite additional delays in
coordinating the tasks required to
organize the work among vacation-
ing employees.
Note that when form letters are produced, an additional complication arises
where the letter to Mr. Gray must be placed in the envelope addressed to Mr.
Gray, and not in the envelope for Mr. Blue. This may seem simple, but when
thousands of envelopes and letters are lying around in boxes at your small
business—and some letters did not print correctly and some envelopes were
ruined—headaches will result and the project can stall.
Since the message is known, the issue here is reduced to finding a designer
who can create a piece that will attract the target market. After you approve the
piece, the designer turns over the computer files to the printer. Printers often
work with designers, so ask for a referral.
Who Gets It?
There are basically two sources of mailing lists: internal and purchased. The
best results will be obtained from internally developed lists, where previous cus-
tomers and contacts are culled from one or more databases. However, these lists
are often not large enough. If that is the case, supplement the internal list with
one from an outside source.
Utilizing mailing lists purchased or rented (good for one mailing only),
direct or from a list broker, are quick ways to get your mailing to thousands of
new customers. Databases (lists) may be purchased or rented directly from sources
such as InfoUSA, the Harris Directory, Dunn & Bradstreet, and other compa-
nies. Many trade magazines also sell or rent their subscriber lists to vendors with
relevant products and services, so this may be the best source for specialized
small businesses.
InfoUSA (www.infousa.com) allows customers to select and sort lists in
various ways (for example, health services companies in the 312 area code,
with 10 to 999 employees, sales from $1 million to $500 million, and an A or A+
credit rating). The list can then be purchased with a credit card and downloaded
immediately.
Finally, most lists these days are delivered in the form of a spreadsheet or
similar (for example, tab-delimited) computer file, so someone at your small
business must be familiar with this format and understand how to use it to pro-
duce mailing labels, print form letters, and load the data into related programs
such as ACT (contact management programs, described in Chapter 14).
Pricing will vary greatly, depending upon the list quality, quantity, and extra
information required (such as telephone number, fax number, title, department,
SIC code, etc.) and many other factors, but as an order of magnitude, expect to
pay about $0.10 to $1.50 per name. Don’t acquire the list until it is needed, be-
cause a portion (maybe 2 percent to 10 percent) of the names will already be
outdated, and as the list sits on your computer, unused, the situation will only
grow worse.
A firm able to help in acquiring, importing, and producing mailing lists and
mailers is described at http://www.ant91.com/InfoUSA.htm.
When to Send It
Most small business owners will be able to determine for themselves the
best times to send various mailing pieces. Sporting goods companies, for ex-
ample, know the seasons in which their products are purchased, and plan ac-
cordingly. Allow large amounts of slack time because mailing projects always
seem to take longer than expected, and a late mailing can be a complete waste of
money (for example, a ski equipment mailer sent in April; yes, it can happen).
Budget for repetition, because almost all experts agree that response rates
increase after recipients see a similar ad several times. Once again, watch what
your successful competitors are doing: If they send out a large format card every
quarter, consider sending a larger format post card every quarter, too.
Publicity and Public Relations
Good PR is often the least expensive and most effective means of generating
greater awareness of your product or service—and getting lots of new business.
Publicity (free publicity is what we really mean here) in this context means
getting print or broadcast coverage of your small business as a news item, not as
an advertisement. Good publicity is better received by prospective customers
than advertising because the seeming objective of the story is to inform or inter-
est and not to sell, and because information disseminated by the media as news is
perceived as more credible than advertising.
Editors of trade magazines, newspapers, and local radio and television news-
rooms have a ravenous and continuing need for stories that will be of interest to
their audience. Therefore, they will be receptive to your suggestions. On the
other hand, most are sensitive about being duped by businesses into releasing
stories that are thinly veiled advertisements. If your small business can properly
disseminate news of interest and cooperate with the media, the benefits to your
bottom line may be huge.
Many small businesses prefer to retain a publicity agent, who should constantly
inform relevant media outlets about new developments at your company. PR agents
normally know exactly who to call, what to say, and how to spin mundane events
into something exciting. This can mean quick, effective results for you.
Otherwise, always be on the lookout for any kind of information that could
be of interest to the media, even if you have to dress it up a little. Then, write
a press release. A press release is a short (one- to five-paragraph) article de-
scribing what is going on and utilizing the standard who-what-when-where-why
format. Popular themes are: how the world will be a little bit better because of
this development, fear (always popular), or how a local company is making a
splash elsewhere. Creative PR releases may yield important results.
Here are a few other points to keep in mind:
If the press release is event-related, be sure to send it out at least two weeks
before the big day to get maximum exposure.
Be sure the press release includes contact information such as the name,
telephone number, and e-mail address of your PR person. This makes it easy
for the media to call for more information.
Most press releases quote the president or a top officer of the company.
Most press releases offer a short company description at the end.
Sample Press Release
The following press release may not be entirely serious, but note that it does
have all the elements needed to interest editors and producers. This item would
be released to industry sources, such as trade magazines.
* * * PRESS RELEASE * * *
SkoolTel Announces New Telephone for In-Class Use
Educators Expo, Washington D.C., August 30
SkoolTel® today unveiled its newest product, an apple-shaped cell-
telephone for the desktop with a small but high-resolution graphics
screen, aimed at the high-school student market. The new SkoolTel
Rotten A+® model boasts a 2-inch active matrix LCD monitor,
understands Morse code (entered when students tap pencils), and
operates in “dead mode” - meaning it dumps all memory and appears
to turn off in less than 10 milliseconds after students tap a small,
playful-looking worm on the top of the unit.
The Rotten A+ model will be especially popular with students who rely
upon cheating to improve their grades.
Pricing & Availability
The new Rotten A+ will begin shipping worldwide in mid-August—just in
time for the new school year—and will retail for $199.99 in leading
consumer electronics outlets. See www.skooltel.com to find an
authorized SkoolTel retailer nearby.
The new Rotten A+ also ships with:
2-inch LCD with 1680-by-1050 pixels
1.8 GHz 64-bit PowerXX5 processor
iCheat AV, an easy-to-use desktop video-conferencing solution
customized for in-classroom usage
128-bit encryption technology to keep test administrators at bay
AutoClass Networking, which automatically and silently connects all
students in the classroom using high speed CheaterNet, 802.12
wireless connection protocol
The entire GlobalBook Encyclopedia, current year edition, so that
students may look up just about anything in seconds
Invisible, wireless earpiece and microphone
AC Adapter and batteries
Everything needed for the modern high-school test-taker is included
right out of the box.
“The Rotten A+ will raise the bar for all students, because test scores
will improve dramatically,” said David Reebar, SkoolTels’s senior vice
president of worldwide product marketing. “With the entire system,
including a gorgeous 2-inch display, all shaped like an apple sitting on
the student’s desk, even teachers will love it.”
Formed in 1999, SkoolTel ignited the multi-use cellular-telephone
market for students with the Crabby II. Today, SkoolTel continues to
lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning products. SkoolTel
is also spearheading the digital music revolution with free music
downloads of major artists to cell telephones with its “Crabster” music
download service.
Press Contacts:
Derick Sheeter
SkoolTel
(800) 555-5555
dericksheeter@skooltel.com
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information, visit Skootel’s,
www.skooltel.com, or call our Media Helpline at (408) 974-9288 x101.
SkoolTel, the SkoolTel logo, Rotten A+, iCheat AV, Crabby II, AutoClass
Networking, and CheaterNet are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of SkoolTel. Other company and product names may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
-
The press release can be fine-tuned a bit for local media by using the same
text as above but adding the following paragraph:
Skooltel, an area firm employing 55 technology workers, is making a
mark on the national scene. SkoolTel is improving the educational
system by helping high-school students all over the U.S. improve their
test scores.
The first press release should be sent to a well-researched list of industry
experts. It’s worth a few phone calls to find the appropriate contact person at
major trade publications, research firms, Internet sites, etc.—and keep this list
updated.
The second press release is sent to the local media, including television, ra-
dio, and newspapers. Again, keep the list current and send the press release
directly to the appropriate contact, not simply to the newsroom.
Press releases will eventually generate great publicity, goodwill, and increased
revenues for your small business.
Promotional Items
The use of free promotional items such as pens, mouse pads, kitchen mag-
nets, yo-yos, stress balls, T-shirts, and zillions of other devices can be effective if
the message is extremely short, or if the objective is to reinforce a message that
is developed in detail elsewhere.
Promotional items may travel far and wide, and you never know where they
will end up. Many also have very long lives and can bring new customers to your
small business years after distribution.
Some items are more effective for a particular demographic group, such as
golfers or office workers. However, many end up with the children of the in-
tended recipients, which may be of limited value to your business.
If you are considering promotional items for your marketing mix, contact a
company that offers these products. Most will ask about your intent (for ex-
ample, “We are giving these away with brochures at a trade show,” or “We put
Monopolizing the Show
I once exhibited at a trade
show where vendors competed
furiously for attention from at-
tendees. The most successful
gave away increasingly expen-
sive promotional items, and
the most popular of all was a
well-known board game that
had been customized from its
original 1930s format to a mod-
ern, industry-specific theme.
The game was a big hit, but
the savvy exhibitor did not just
hand it out. Interested attend-
ees had to sit and listen to a
well-produced 15-minute dem-
onstration of the company’s
services and pass a simple
test before they were handed
the coveted box.
The exhibitor had no
trouble filling seats for each
presentation, and making at-
tendees “earn” the game in-
creased the perceived value of
both the prize and the
company’s services.
these in the bag of every customer at check-
out”), give you a catalog offering hundreds
of different items in various colors, sizes,
etc., and then advise on what may work best
in your particular situation. A graphics per-
son will advise you on what message can be
effectively applied.
Customizing the design and producing
and shipping these items will take at least
three weeks, so plan for a month. Although
these giveaways are free to your custom-
ers, they are hardly free to you: Expect to
pay from $0.25 for a cheap pen to maybe
$10 for a good coffee cup or calculator. In
most cases, printing, setup, and design
charges are additional.
Most small businesses do not have wide-
spread name recognition, so the short mes-
sages imprinted on promotional items
should be used in conjunction with other
devices if the products and services offered
are not apparent. For example, hand out a
brochure with the promotional item, or
make the items available to customers only:
They already know your business but may
need a reminder when it comes time to pur-
chase in the future. On the other hand,
“Tommy’s Tire Shops” need not be con-
cerned with developing the message since
the company name says it all.
Print Advertising
Print ads are the basis of all other forms of advertising.
Print ads, in this sense, mean newspaper, magazine, or trade-journal place-
ments, in contrast to brochures (described later). Although newspaper adver-
tising is not a great growth area, an increasing number of specialty trade
magazines serve just about every possible niche and interest of every possible
industry in every geographical region. As a result, the number of print adver-
tising choices available to small business owners continues to increase. Since
print ads can be expensive to produce and run continually, the big question is:
Are they effective?
It takes a lot of time and money to get the answer to this question. Many
companies have experimented with many publications over long periods of time
(repetition is important). Further, many potential buyers have become accus-
tomed to looking in specific publications when certain products and services are
needed. For many small businesses, the answer is simply to see where your most
successful competitors are advertising and then do the same.
Note also that there is a big difference in expected results from newspapers
as opposed to magazines or trade journals. Newspaper ads enjoy a shelf life of
only one day. Results can be expected almost immediately: If the phone does not
start to ring within 24 hours after release, it’s not going to happen. Magazines or
trade journals, in contrast, may have a shelf life of several months, as they sit
around in waiting rooms, on conference-room tables, and in the briefcases of
interested but busy executives.
In addition, newspaper ads are normally black and white, while print ads in
trade journals and magazines are usually in high-resolution full color. This re-
sults in better quality and impact, but higher design and production costs.
Timing of your ads is also of critical importance. In advertising, timing is
everything. A newspaper ad run by a toy store in January will probably not do
well. In contrast, an ad for an industrial products distributor describing the avail-
ability of the new HotHead welding gun in the very issue that names HotHead as
the most advanced gooseneck-design 400 amp welding gun on the market, should
draw a much better response.
Timing requires advance planning. The time required to design and approve
a printed ad and send it in an acceptable form to the publisher may vary from an
absolute minimum of two weeks to three months.
Speak with your advertising rep to learn more about this. While some reps
will say just about anything to get the business, others will suggest upcoming
special issues or insert sections designed to attract special groups. Also, learn
about production schedules, printing deadlines, and discounts for a long-term
commitment. Repetition pays. And repetition pays.
And also, repetition pays.
Company brochures may be the best overall way of describing to prospective
customers the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) of your small business, although
the usefulness of this marketing device is sometimes questioned. The purpose of
brochures is to give the prospective customer the warm, fuzzy feeling that your
small business is for real and can be trusted to deliver, whereas most other media
focus more on messages that issue an immediate call to action (“Buy Now”).
Consequently, brochures may be most needed in more complex situations, where
the products and services offered require real trust from the new customer be-
fore a sale can be contemplated. Or, the prospect may need to know more about
the exact USP of the seller.
A distributor of mail-order point-of-sale (POS) devices, for example, may
need a brochure to communicate to prospective customers across the country
that the seller is a large, established firm. Seller credibility is needed here, since
POS orders may be large, and if problems occur, an entire store may need to halt
business until the right equipment arrives. Here, a brochure with a picture of the
huge warehouse, a company history, a 1945 black-and-white photo of the founder
(the current president’s grandfather), and the normal feel-good statements (“The
customer is our number one priority”) would accomplish this purpose. Note that
the brochure does not contain an immediate call to action.
On the other hand, a company selling similar devices primarily from a retail
storefront most likely does not need a brochure. The living brochure is the store,
its employees, and its inventory. Printed hyperbole will not work as well here
because customers easily can see the real situation.
A brochure is normally a four-color production on high-quality paper stock
(read: the most expensive type of printed collateral) and requires a significant
amount of time to develop and print (read: design expenses not cheap). Because
of this, most companies design brochures to last a long time, even though spe-
cific products may change much more frequently. For this reason, most bro-
chures focus on the company and its USP, values, history, founders, and
clients—and not on specific products, services, and pricing. When prospective
customers need more specific information, then catalogs, spec sheets, line cards,
customized proposals, or other marketing materials are used.
For small business owners in some industries, a well-designed, high-quality
brochure is mandatory. In other cases, the usefulness of brochures is sometimes
questioned because few prospective
actually read them. As with
Websites, it’s too easy to end up with “company propaganda,” overstating the
firm’s credentials. Many readers become bored when every brochure they read
describes how every business is the best at everything.
Also, many adept sales reps sense that they are being turned away politely by
prospective customers who say “Send me a brochure and I will call you back
later.”
Look around. Most doctors, attorneys, CPAs and other professionals do not
use brochures, even though the business relationship requires great trust from
clients. In most cases, theses professionals prefer to sit with new clients for a
while and sell themselves.
Small business owners should think carefully about the value of brochures
before investing in this potentially important, but potentially useless, marketing
device.
Newsletters
A newsletter can be an inexpensive and effective way of reaching your target
audience, but when should it be used, and what can you say so that readers don’t
think it’s just another advertisement?
The purpose of newsletters is to generate goodwill and serve as soft reminders
that your small business offers certain products and services. The goodwill part
is accomplished by including articles and information of genuine interest to pro-
spective customers. These articles should answer questions and address con-
cerns picked up by your sales force or customer service reps. The newsletter
may also include direct ads.
For example, I once worked with a small business that offered a popular disk
storage subsystem to its medium-sized-business customer base. Many current
and prospective customers were asking if this device could be connected to more
than one server. The small business wrote an article in its newsletter laying out
customer options in a straightforward manner, including the pros and cons of
each choice, without any sales hype. The newsletter was well received and gener-
ated a number of calls.
Newsletters don’t need to be long and complex. My favorite format is a folded
11" × 17" sheet, resulting in a four-page newsletter where each page is a standard
8.5" × 11". This can be folded in half again, and half of one page can be used for
the mailing area (postage, return address, and mailing label).
As the name implies, newsletters should be sent regularly (for example, ev-
ery two months). If the newsletter conveys information of real value to your
target market, it may be read and passed around to others for some time. Other-
, it will be treated as just another advertisement. Useful newsletters are
often valued by readers, so to gain new contacts, be sure to include text such as
the following:
Address Additions, Changes, and Corrections
Want to receive Teramarkets? Just send us your name, title, business
address, and telephone number, as shown below. Already receiving
Teramarkets? Make sure we have the correct name and address
information for you and your associates. Please check the mailing
label (below), write in the corrected information (or additional names
to add), and fax back the entire page to (555) 820-6361.
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