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Welcome to the The Marketing Source e-newsletter! Our goal is to provide
you with real-world marketing tips that you can put right to work in
your organization or business. If you have any ideas for articles, please
send them along.
A Sweet Reminder: Timing is Everything
Hurry up! It's almost Valentine's Day and you only have a few hours
left to buy roses, plan dinner and pick out that perfect card. As you
do so, take heart - -you're not alone. Retail sales estimates for hearts
and flowers this Valentine's Day 2006 will top $13.70 billion. That's
a lot of chocolate hearts!
Did you ever think just for a minute of bucking the tide? That maybe,
just maybe, by sending your sweetie flowers on February 13th you'd save
some dough and she/he might enjoy receiving your romantic missive even
more?
Like love, in marketing and communications timing is everything. Timing
your messages means the difference of being heard, making your sales
projections and generally staying in the game. For every marketing strategy
you need to evaluate the "when". When you make some noise,
will it be timely? Here are some tips to make sure that every time you
talk to your target audiences you'll be just in time to be heard.
Option 1: Elbow Your Way In
Sometimes you have to push your way into the party. In the weeks before
February 14th, there's a reason our newspapers and airwaves are filled
with ads from florists, jewelers and chocolate stores. The stakes are
huge. But retailers aren't the only ones that need to pay attention to
timing. Every company and organization needs to time messages to correspond
to what is happening in the lives of its target audiences. Here are some
ways to make sure your message stands out.
Go Early
Lock people in early. If you are a retailer, offer a discount for early
buyers. Get your advertising out ahead of competitors (but not so early
that it's annoying!). If you are an organization promoting an event
or special initiative, the same advice applies: be out there early
and try to get your donors/buyers/users to commit to you early in the
process.
Little Extras
Make sure you are servicing your customers' needs. Remind them that Valentine's
Day is around the corner with post-cards or personal shopping offers.
Offer a rewards program that lets your customers earn points or bonus
gifts for holiday purchases. Make it easy for them so that when they
buy, they buy from you.
Problem Solve
Offer solutions. Think of ways to offer your target audiences convenience
and get what you want too - their attention. Example: If you want referring
doctors to know about your hospital's high tech treatment options,
offer them continuing education credits at your facility. You'll solve
their need to get their credits and you get what you want - awareness.
Option 2: Have Your Own Party
It's never easy to stand out. There's just too much marketplace clutter.
But sometimes you can create your own timing. Here's how:
Christmas in July
An ad agency sends gifts each year to clients celebrating the "Third
of July." An enterprising medical sales rep delivers popcorn tins
to doctors' offices in January - long after the overload of holiday treats
is gone. Last September we sent Mardi Gras King Cakes (normally available
only in February) specially made and delivered to cheer our New Orleans-based
colleagues in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Look for opportunities to
turn an everyday time of year into something more memorable.
Know Who Else is Planning What
Before you plan that big event or promotion, scan the competitive horizon.
If your city's annual celebration or another organization's annual
fundraiser is slated for March 1, don't plan yours for the same day
or even weekend. Try not to go head- to-head with the competition when
it's not necessary to do so.
Create Tradition
Have an annual sale. Host your fundraiser in May every year. Provide
a seminar series every fall. Making an event or promotion a tradition
lets you build a loyal base of customers or clients who want to participate
every year. It also allows you to plan ahead. And if you build a successful
event or promotion, people will start planning around your event so
they don't have to go head-to-head with you.
No matter where you end up on the calendar. . .
Do it early
If you are just starting to plan six or eight weeks before a promotion
or event, you're late! Start four to six months (longer if this is
a big event) ahead so you have time to think through the elements you
need. Media coverage requires lead time. So does producing good advertising,
brochures and print materials, as well as making web site updates.
Do it big
Make a splash. You are better off with one smashing annual event or a
few key sales events placed strategically through the year than with
a mish-mash of small events you can't adequately promote. Doing it
big doesn't always mean spending more, but it does mean doing it strategically
and allocating enough resources to make it pay off.
Timing is everything. Now go out and buy one of the 180 million roses
that will be sold for Valentine's Day, before you're too late.
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