Bigger Profits Without Spending an Extra Dollar!
Savvy Marketing Online and Off

by Emanuel Rose
Marketing Consultant, Business Advisor, WebMerchant Services Partner

One question is ALWAYS on the mind of eCommerce merchants - 'How can my business get more attention and more exposure. . . and thereby more sales?' 

Whether you are moving online from a brick and mortar or starting out online and branching out toward trade shows or other marketing methods, you are always on the look out for 'do it yourself' and low cost methods of efficiently leveraging your exposure as you grow your business.

You are working on Search Engine Optimization and Promotion strategies; you are paying for effective campaigns such as Overture and Google ad placements; you are working on your link popularity and affiliate campaigns; you are building your mailing list and sending out well-targeted newsletters. You may even have some unique marketing angles because of your specific niche.

Yet you just KNOW you can do more to get exposure. 

Your suspicions are correct!

It is possible to make a few simple adjustments to your current marketing and sales program and increase your bottom line substantially. There are 3 ways to increase your profit:

1. Increase the number of customers/clients buying from you. This is the obvious area of development and where most people spend their marketing resources.

2. Increase the average transaction value. This method means bundling products, adding services and solving more of your customer/clients needs each time they buy from you. For example, don't just sell shoes, but bundle in a second pair of laces, socks and a jar of shoe polish. 

3. Increase the frequency of purchase. Here, you are putting you customer/clients on a program of buying. If you are selling personal training, don't sell 1 session, buy 8 or 16 at the same time. This decreases your selling time and increases the likelihood of success for your client.

Marketing, sales and advertising can be nebulous areas of any business. While they are essential to the long-term growth and viability of a company -- online or brick and mortar -- very few businesses give them the time, attention, focus, let alone the scientific approach they deserve.

The most crucial element that must be included in your existing program and any new program is TRACKING!!!! If I could yell this to you right now I would! I'll say it again just to make sure you got it: TRACKING!!!! 

Track the results or every ad, the source of every sale, the offer that got a client to buy! I am constantly amazed by my clients who don't know where their sales come from, but 'If I had to guess…..' Guessing is not adequate. Take the guessing out of it. Track it and know how well your marketing/advertising dollar is working for you. You must know what your Return On Investment is for advertising if you are to efficiently allocate your marketing budget.

EXERCISE
Take 5 minutes to create a spread sheet or email me and I will send a simple template that tracks your client, referral source, dollar amount of purchase, your cost of the product and the offer they responded to. With that information, you can begin to analyze what is happening with your marketing/sales programs.

Online and offline marketing have the same goal-telling people about your products and services. Marketing is the act of telling suspects, prospects and customers about the outcomes they will receive by doing business with you. 

All marketing pieces should highlight the benefits, value, protection and fulfillment of selfish needs and desires your product/service is going to help them achieve. For instance, if you are a health club, you are helping people live longer, feel better, and develop self-confidence. These types of benefits are the root of your company's Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and should be highlighted in all of you marketing and promotional materials. 

Marketing is not telling the world about how fast your machines are or how great your facility is, but it is telling your target market how your product will benefit them. 

EXERCISE
Take 3 minutes right now to list what is unique about your company, its products and services and what needs and desires you fulfill for your clients.

Prospect Lists
Potential clients are people that resemble your current clients. You have two customer lists, those who are currently doing business with you and those who have done business with you in the past. Your 'A' list are people and companies who are most likely to do business with you. Your 'B' list are people who you would like to do business with, but that may take more time to develop a relationship. You should also create a 'Friends and Family' list as a compilation of all the people you know who will help you by referring business to you.

Take 15 minutes to track down current and past customers addresses. Also compile list of 25 'A' list companies you would like to work with or research a mailing list company that has a list that fits your target market.

Offers
Create special offers, if you are a health club, don't just sell memberships, but sell a membership, a shirt, a work out video and 4 personal training sessions. This way you have a specific series of products 'bundled' together that help the client get the results they want. It is all one price and they don't have to figure it out on their own. Now, put that offer into a flyer or a letter and mail it out to your lists. Keep track of the offer, the package and the number of pieces sent and the results. 

EXERCISE
Spend 1 hour developing 3 offers to use, 1 each of the next 3 months. Be sure to include 3 or more services that are related to each other. Write the offers up in a letter or flyer and the first offer to your newly compiled lists.

Advertising
There are a few essential parts to every ad: a headline, the body that highlights features and benefits, the specific offer, the call to action and then the contact info.

For example, let's use a cruise to Mexico as an example:

7 Luxurious Days at Sea!
On Board Entertainment
24 hour Room Service
3 Beach Stops!

If you book in the next 2 weeks you will receive room upgrades, 2 t-shirts and Dinner for 2 on the last night.

Call 800 555 1212

Headline-Grabs attention of the reader:

7 Luxurious Days at Sea!

Body-Highlights features and benefits:

On Board Entertainment
24 hour Room Service
3 Beach Stops!
Offer- 7 Days/4 Nights $295/pp

Call to action:

If you book in the next 2 weeks you will receive room upgrades, 2 t-shirts and Dinner for 2 on the last night.

Contact Info:

Call 888 888 8888 extension 125

Ads need to be quick, to the point and directed to your target audience. 

EXERCISE
Take one of your recent ads and rewrite it with these key concepts in mind. Then send it out to your mailing lists and track the results.

If you are one of the few who followed through with the exercises in this article, email the results to me and I will be happy to respond with comments and/or suggestions. I am also available for consultation via email at Emanuel@WebMerchantServices.com 

Emanuel Rose is a Marketing Consultant who has worked with hundred's of companies streamlining marketing, sales and customer services systems. He has worked in numerous industries including textiles, manufacturing, and digital media. He believes that growth comes from developing systems that inherently encourage innovation and experimentation.

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