Thursday 24 February 2011

ROI - How do you achieve it?

The following blog is brought to you by BrightBlue Marketing team member: Candace Lopez Miller

What is the Return on Investment (ROI)? You should be asking this question if you are not!

Read on for ROI critical factors to keep in mind with your marketing efforts…

Obviously, the bigger the budget you have for “implementing” your marketing strategy, the quicker the speed of arrival at your set goals. In addition to budget, there are a few critical factors that will affect your ROI and speed of achieving your ROI.

Achieving ROI Critical Factors:

  1. Appropriate Resources:

    • People resources with proven expertise in their specific job role

    • Budget – Large budget vs. bootstrapping/home grown –the larger the budget, the faster you will achieve your ROI

  2. Value proposition – Unique and compelling

  3. Your pricing level –

    • Must be perceived as an ROI by your customers and potential customers. Be sure to always remember that all of your customers are looking at your pricing with THEIR ROI in mind.

    • The target market and your pricing must be aligned so it’s reasonably affordable to the target market

  4. Execution capabilities –

    • Sales – Capable of appropriate follow up and reasonable closing ratio;

    • Budget – Available funds to implement marketing activities such as buying lists, printing costs, sponsorships, compensate staff, etc. ;

    • Operational Processes – Legal contracts and/or terms of agreement have been developed, delivery systems built to efficiently process new clients, ability to smoothly deploy solutions and measure results (ROI).

Setting Your Expectations:
Your proposed plan of attack should involve a set of proven techniques integrated with new and creative ideas for going after new or existing markets. It is imperative to be innovative and out-of-the-box so as to stand out from your competitors. With innovation based on proven techniques, you can be confident in obtaining positive results.

BrightBlue Marketing can help you realize your desired ROI and beyond, but we also realize that success will require a clear road map, realistic expectations and goal appropriate resources.

-Candace Lopez Miller

Monday 14 February 2011

Got a marketing pain? Your remedy can be found in the 4 P’s of Marketing.

This blog is brought to you by BrightBlue Marketing team member:
Andrea Lamarsaude.

Got a headache? Aspirin or Tylenol should wipe it out. Tummy ache? You can’t go wrong with Pepto Bismol. But what about your marketing pains? Does strategizing for your social media campaigns have your head in a spin? Are your eyes crossing as you contemplate budget vs. your creative wish list for your next direct mail outreach?

Unfortunately there is no magic pill that will make these marketing aches melt away.

The best thing to remember when contemplating your marketing woes is not to get overwhelmed. Creating and executing a treatment plan (aka marketing plan) can seem daunting but to be successful in your business it's absolutely necessary that you do! Without your own personal marketing prescription it’s going to be hard to know which road will lead you to marketing recovery.

Laura Lake, an independent marketing consultant, social media marketing strategist and blogger at About.com recommends focusing on just 4 tactics for marketing success:

1. Establish a memorable and unmistakable brand identity: The secret to business success is determined by your ability to powerfully communicate your business with laser precision and your ability to deliver a clearly defined and consistent experience. 
In a nutshell... it's called branding, and, when done right, it ensures a thriving business with all the customers and profits you need. The secret is to establish a powerful brand identity that sings distinction. And establish that identity before you launch any marketing activities.

2. Create a deep connection with your core target audience - your potential raving fans! Who wants and needs what you have to offer? The only wrong answer is "everyone." 
In marketing, you get a lot more "bang for your buck" if you focus your spending on a well-defined group of people that you enjoy working with. The better you define this group, the more effective your marketing can be.

3. Design compelling offerings that pull customers in like a magnet. 80% of all purchase decisions are based on emotion. It's your job as a marketer to know how your customers want to feel and to get them to visualize how your services can meet their needs. People want to know, "What's in it for me?" Tap into the emotion and create offerings that touch your customers.

4. Craft A Personal, Workable Marketing Plan - Marketing is everything you do to make your product or service more visible, more desirable and more profitable. Your marketing plan will clearly define the big picture and provide focus and direction based on the 4 'P's of Marketing - product, price, place/distribution and promotion. 
Since 90% of small business owners do not have a plan, you'll have a leg up on your competition by crafting your personal, workable marketing plan to ensure that you reach your business goals.

Do you have a big marketing pain? 
One that makes you cringe and gives you fever? Have we got a contest for you! BrightBlue invites you to post a summary of your marketing migraine as a comment to this blog.

The person with the best answer gets a choice of a year’s supply of Band-Aids or a month’s free access to our Virtual Marketing Outreach Program (www.vmobrightblue.com).

We can take away your pain...

-Andrea Lamarsaude

Thursday 3 February 2011

Snail Mail - love it or hate it???

What does "snail mail" mean to you?

We are doing an informal survey asking you one question:
Snail Mail - do you love it or hate it?

We would also love to hear why.

Tell us your best Love/Hate story!