How to Manage Your Marketing Mix

Here's the deal: advertisement is not marketing. It's like saying you want to have a garden, but you're only willing to plant the flowers. Forget about watering, fertilizer, good soil, weeding and sunshine. You don't need them, right?

Wrong. And the same goes for generating revenue. Done in a vacuum, none of these tactics will get you what you want. For professional services - where your relationship with your target audience develops based on them trusting you - it's all about layering your "market touches" in a way that incrementally builds trust over time. Too much, too close, too soon, and you scare people off.

Instead, you have to know what strategy to use and when, based on clear objectives. Each strategy has a different purpose. Here's a quick look at how to make the right choice.

Advertisement is getting the word out about your firm through paid- for ads or commercials in the media, including print, radio, television and internet. You advertise to...

* establish awareness

* build interest in the market

* educate

* interrupt

* change attitudes about your brand or another's brand

* influence perceptions

* meet a longer-term objective (like raising awareness)

Advertisement tends to be very expensive. Done well -with good messaging, good design, and a big enough budget to be consistent over time - it can be effective. But blowing a big piece of your overall marketing budget on an ad or two is a HUGE waste of money.

Public Relations is getting the word out about your firm through the press, including articles about you (not by you) and interviews with you. These can appear in print, as a story in the media, and online. You use Public Relations to...

* build credibility (and sometimes trust) through a third-party (the press)

* move up a level in the eyes of your target audience and clients

* align publicly (i.e., with a cause)

* generate buzz (i.e., pre-launch)

* get "free" attention

Getting good publicity requires a knack for WIIFM-oriented messaging (What's In It For Me?). You have to pass the "who cares?" test every time. If you start a press release, for example, with "ABC Company is pleased to announce...," you're DEAD in the water. Good relationship- building skills with the press are also a must. PR is often something to crank up once you have the tools in place to "catch" the attention you'll garner, including a website laden with value and a decent keep- in-touch system.

Promotion is getting the word out through articles/ columns/newsletters that you write, talks you give, networking, sponsorships, events, committee work, referrals you give and get, follow-up meetings, thank you notes, and calls. You promote to...

* encourage your target audience to try you (i.e., visit your website for a valuable download, to subscribe to your free e- newsletter)

* invite your target audience to an event (real or virtual)

* give stuff away (trials)

* introduce a new offer

* meet a shorter-term objective (like fill a workshop)

* test new ideas (i.e., run a poll)

* invite interaction (i.e., to an online discussion forum)

Promotion tends to be the most effective way for professional service firms to build trust in the marketplace. The arsenal of options in your promotional toolkit is both extensive and affordable. Get a basic system of online and offline promotional tactics in place - anchored by a value-packed website to act as your "revenue hub" - and you're in good shape.

You also have tactical choices to make for each strategy: online vs. offline, print/graphic vs. audio/visual, live (in person) vs. virtual, and so on. Here are some rules of (green) thumb to guide you:

* deploy the WIIFM factor at all times

* unless you have the backing of a big corporate marketing budget, promotion and PR tend to be your smartest investments

* online is generally more cost-effective than print

* permission-based approach is a must for professional services

* don't randomly try tactics. Have a plan that moves your target audience from Stranger to Acquaintance to Friend to Lover to Loyal Partner (see my article, "How to Earn the Right" for more on this key success factor)

If you want awareness, interest, trusted advisor status, and credibility, you need all three strategies - Advertisement, Public Relations, and Promotion - in your marketing mix. For most firms, having a solid promotional strategy in place first is the smartest ROI. Add public relations and advertisement to the mix next, and your garden will flourish and grow.

(c) TurningPointe Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: "Marketing educator, Kelly O'Brien, is creator of the Create A TurningPointe! Marketing BootCamp. To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FR*E how-to articles and marketing reports, visit http://www.TurningPointeMarketing.com

---

4 Steps To Increase Your Job Sign Marketing

It's no secret that using a job site sign can... Read More

Get Personal: Letters vs. Direct Mail

One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal... Read More

Growing Your Business With Your Marketing Priorities

None of us have enough time in the day to... Read More

Creating a Marketing Plan for Your Website

Have you created a marketing plan for your Website? If... Read More

Time for Marketers to Clean Up Their Act!

Some years ago, a prominent Australian hi-tech company... Read More

Where to Find New Customers Using B2B Direct Mail

The challenge in business-to-business direct mail is knowing where to... Read More

The Use of Bar Code SMS in Mobile Marketing, Advertising, CRM

Anybody that frequents shopping malls are familiar with the bar... Read More

Comprehensive Marketing Details Not Found in Beginner Books

If this is the first marketing article you are reading,... Read More

It Takes Two - How to Cultivate Profitable Alliances

"Cross promoting with other businesses can give you a significant... Read More

Communication Breakdown - Dont Let It Happen To You

Do you have Communication breakdown?How are you communicating with your... Read More

The Seven Keys to Marketing Genius: The Complete Guide to Increasing Your Marketing IQ

How smart is your marketing? Do you follow the crowd... Read More

How Your List Affects Postage Costs

HOW YOUR LIST AFFECTS POSTAGE COSTS AND WHAT YOU CAN... Read More

How To Achieve Success With Your Own Money Making Newsletter

Writing and publishing a successful newsletter is perhaps the most... Read More

Communicating Our Attitude

The goal of successful marketing is to create long lasting... Read More

Why Great Companies Survey: Martian Logic!

If an alien civilization from Mars was planning a friendly... Read More

What You Must Know When Marketing Your Business

Marketing is both an art and a science. Anyone who... Read More

9 Highly Effective Marketing Tips

Here are 9 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to... Read More

Do this One Thing and Beat 85% of Your Competition!

Maybe you don't want to work that hard, or maybe... Read More

Have Something Good To Say

If you don't get this right, you can just forget... Read More

Set Your Business Apart With A Unique Selling Proposition

Unless your company has absolutely no competition now or in... Read More

A Pass / Fail Test for Any New Market

If you are considering entering a new target market, with... Read More

Your Elevator Speech ? Have You Updated Yours Recently?

Do you have an elevator speech? Does it get people's... Read More

10 Surefire Ways to Add Sizzle to Your Brochures

Businesses rely on brochures as their front line in communicating... Read More

The 7 Commandments of Marketing

Marketing is the key to success with any business, online... Read More

Competitive Research and Google

It all started out with an email message: "I am... Read More

Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From?

The following tips have come from a wide variety of... Read More

Budget Your Branding

It is very important to regularly monitor your advertising activities... Read More

T.E.A.M Profit

As you network and meet other business owners, keep this... Read More

Package Your Products for Thunder Thigh Women - Big Butts Too

Wake up women (and you men too). I think we... Read More

Marketing Strategy - Spell Out Your Unique Value

I attended a "Sales Focus" seminar a few years back... Read More

Pay for Performance Pricing Models for Search Engine Optimization

I do think that it is entirely possible for an... Read More

The Illusion of Print Mail Services

If ever there was a lazy way to easy profits... Read More

Celebrity Product Placement: A Primer

With more and more companies wanting to integrate their products... Read More