Small Dog Creative Blog

Casting a wide net with your marketing efforts is a great way to spend your entire budget in one fell swoop. There are a few basic rules people tend to forget when they take this approach. The first one is that you should know your audience. The second is that is takes many impressions for someone to really remember you.

Most often the wide net stories go something like this:

“We ran this really expensive direct mail piece to 10,000 people and we didn't get a single sale from it."

There are two problems with this scenario. The first is that they didn't narrow down their audience to a target segment. The second is that a single impression, like a postcard or flyer, rarely gets a response the first time. Only on the fourth or fifth time do the calls start coming in. A smarter scenario would have been to choose a smaller, more targeted portion of your database -- say 2,000 -- and send them 5 different cards over the period of a few months. You still may not get any calls the first time, but you will start to see a positive turnaround after the third, fourth and fifth tries. 

Restating and reinforcing your message to your targeted and potentially interested audience is a tried and true marketing strategy, which, with enough effort and inspiration, will render results. Don’t give up after the first few tries -- these aren’t misfires, they are merely getting the ball rolling in the right direction. Think of it like rolling out the red carpet before the big dogs arrive. 

What started out as a gloomy day in Santa Clarita ended up being filled with firsts. I know it is important to take time to just enjoy the simple things, but it is easy to forget. 

I know this isn't a normal blog post for our site, but sometimes the best business advice is to take a break and let things slow down a bit. At the office, everyone is required to take lunch away from their desk (I break this rule more than I should). It can be hard to do this when deadlines are tight and days are long, but it is vital to have at least a little downtime. It allows us to do our jobs better.  

Earlier this week after the rain cleared up, my husband and I took our daughter out for a walk and a lesson in puddle stomping. Not that children need a lesson in getting wet, but it's good to let them know that it's okay to be silly. Sometimes rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty doesn't mean putting in extra hours in the office, toiling away. Sometimes it means slowing things down a bit and taking time to just enjoy life.

Thanksgiving is a great reason to get out the thank you cards and start showing your appreciation for the support of family, friends and clients. Thanking clients for their business and referrals is essential -- and easy to let slip though the cracks.

Here are a few ideas for thanking your clients at this time of year:

- Thanksgiving is the perfect time of year to express your appreciation. Thank you for your business, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

- This Thanksgiving we want to express to you our sincere appreciation for your confidence and loyalty throughout the year. We are deeply grateful for this and extend to you our best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving Day.

- During the holiday season, our thoughts turn sincerely to those who have made our progress possible. It is with much appreciation we say Thank You and Best Wishes for the Holidays and a Happy, Successful New Year.

And remember, just because you sent a Thanksgiving card doesn't mean you can't send a Christmas card too!

 

HERE'S THE TRUTH: The quickest way to bring in more income is to stop leaving it on the table! Yes, we’re going to talk about “the table.” The one that everybody and their dog is leaving money on.

The table is full of potential customers and clients - people who could turn into sales if they just got that little nudge, people who want to buy more but are waiting for that extra “thing,” and people who would be returning customers if they just had a reason to buy again. These people are all interested in what you have to offer, and have used your services in the past, but need a dash of that something special to bring them fully into the door again - and off the table.

All of these people are not just interested, but willing to spend money and become repeat clients. It’s up to you to provide that last piece of the puzzle, whether it’s a lucrative coupon, a friendly reminder, or a catchy advertisement.
Another truth many businesses tend to forget is that new sales don’t have to come from new faces. What often happens is that businesses instead spend large amount of time, money, and resources to generate a marketing campaign to try and lure new people in the door. The more savvy and ultimately wiser strategy is to work with what you already have - your clients - and use what you have at hand to make the most of the connections you’ve already established.

 

 

Going Back to Basics

HERE'S AN EXAMPLE: Let’s say you own a pet store. You have a decent storefront in a decent area, and plenty of people meandering about. A majority of your store is made up of displays of fuzzy puppies, leashes, collars, and dog toys. Way in the back, however, you have racks of dog food. You know that not many people buy or even are aware of your dog food, but you have it there for sale regardless.

  

So, now, how will you devise a way to increase your revenue? Make ads and rev up your website or social media page? Nope. That’s your time & money going out the doggie door. How about putting up a sign in your store about your wide selection of dog food? And when people are buying dogs and dog accessories, alert them to the fact they should also browse your dog food. Alternatively, you could give everyone who buys a dog 10% off dog food for life. This is how you turn a one-time client into a returning, or even lifetime, customer.

 

So put up that sign and start generating buzz about your lesser-known products and services. You can include it in your newsletters, host a pet event with tasty treats, have a sale, and so much more. The possibilities are endless once you stop trying so hard and go back to the roots.

 

The moral of the story: make the most what you have, using what you already offer and with people you’ve already connected with.

 

What's Next....

 

This month, try focusing marketing inward - hone in on your existing customers with emails, phone calls, thank you letters, freebies, and discounts. Work with what you have to attract more attention and interest. You will find it's much more cost effective and you can start getting some of your money off the table, and onto your plate.