by tradesmeninsights | May 2, 2013 | Marketing Tools, Public Relations
Here is a post from Rosemarie Ascherl, PR Foreman at Sonnhalter, discussing the value of PR. Small PR programs can yield big results.
The Value of PR
Don’t have the budget for an elaborate, integrated, multi-faceted public relations program? For smaller companies with more limited marketing communications budgets, a PR program that involves a minimal investment and enlists the basic PR tools can generate a huge return.
Measuring PR is a controversial topic, and the industry as a whole agrees that it is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately measure. Traditional metrics of volume and outputs, like ad equivalency and impressions, can provide a snapshot of the PR program’s effectiveness. Assuming the sentiment of the PR results is positive and the delivery is appropriate, right now these metrics are a useful indication of PR’s success. One could actually argue that completely earned space with credibility should actually be worth MORE than comparable ad space.
Of course, it is important to remember the media outlet’s relevance in reaching a company’s audience. While it can certainly be an “ego booster” to receive coverage in USA Today, many of our business-to-business [or as we like to call them, B2T, business-to-tradesmen] clients would be better suited to receive coverage in a targeted trade journal with a circulation of 3,000.
As an example, at Sonnhalter we have a smaller, long-standing industrial-focused client with a small PR budget. This client places a priority on PR initiatives over other marketing communication initiatives. In the past year, a basic press release program combined with a modest media relations effort garnered quite a bit of media coverage [if using the traditional metrics, it generated 1,000 percent of its PR investment], which increased brand and company visibility.
Recently this client acquired another company, and it turned to Sonnhalter for assistance in announcing this news to the industry. As its business continues to grow, so does its PR program. Proof that an effective PR program doesn’t always need a large investment.
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 23, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools
The following is a guest post from Kimberley Laws, a freelance writer and small business owner. She knows firsthand how tough it is to survive in the business world and hopes to use her writing to empower fellow entrepreneurs.
This may be tough to hear, but not everyone is going to love—or even like—your business and the products it offers. In fact, some may come away from your company hurling expletives like Yosemite Sam on crack. And, thanks to social media, these unhappy customers can now share their negative thoughts with a massive on-line audience.
But don’t panic. There is no need to wave the white flag or pull up stakes just yet. With a little know-how and a touch of finesse, you can turn these negative reviews into positives—and win over a new batch of clientele.
There is no need to surrender to bad reviews. You can reclaim your shiny on-line image.
Here is some negative review advice that can help restore your on-line reputation.
Get Acquainted With Social Media.
Many business owners are unfamiliar with the social media tools that are being used against them. How can you respond to a negative tweet on Twitter if you don’t know how to use it? You can’t. That’s why it is important to become adept at using social media platforms. You also need to become knowledgeable about the most popular review sites like Yelp and Angie’s list.
Mastering these internet tools will enable you to respond to unhappy customers and keep on top of future negative reviews.
To tackle negative on-line reviews successfully, you must embrace technology.
Image courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Computing_g368-Man_With_Computer_p34425.html.
Don’t Hit the Snooze Button.
You need to respond to negative comments quickly. Ignoring them will make you look like you don’t care, which serves to validate the original complaint. Delaying your response will allow others the chance to pile on further negative reviews—turning the proverbial molehill into Mount Vesuvius.
Don’t Be a “Right Fighter.”
This is not the time to make excuses or argue with an unsatisfied customer. It doesn’t matter who was right or who was wrong. As the owner of the business at fault, you must take full responsibility for what has transpired and apologize. A sincere “I’m sorry” will go a long way to mending the relationship. Plus, it will make you look like a caring professional in the eyes of those watching the exchange.
Who cares who is “right?” All that matters is that you get the complaint resolved.
Image courtesy of http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1095399.
Encourage the Happy People.
Customers seem to be much more motivated to share bad experiences rather than good ones on-line. Let’s face it—humans love to gripe. But it is important that you encourage your happy customers to share their joy as well.
Ask long-time clients to post a positive review. A barrage of positive feedback will make the negatives appear less important to potential clientele.
But never falsify a review. If you have to fabricate positive customer experiences, you have a bigger problem than a simple negative on-line review.
Encourage happy clientele to give you “two thumbs up” on-line.
Image courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Learning_g376-Students_Showing_Thumb_Up_p96826.html.
The best defense against a negative on-line review is, of course, to provide the best customer service possible in the first place. But even the most top-notch service provider can’t please everyone all the time. This is why it is so important that every business owner become well versed in the techniques for handling a bad internet review.
by tradesmeninsights | Apr 10, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Traditional Marketing
I don’t know why, but in some companies, sales and marketing hardly talk to each other, no less work together. Don’t they realize that they are on the same team? It’s a shame because by working together they can identify, qualify and close more sales. The answer is to open a two-way communication.
Marketing is (or should be) managing the conversations with potentials and helping move them through the sales funnel and then handing them off to sales for the close.
Ironically though, for marketing to move the prospect through, they need to address relevant issues and that’s where sales comes in. This will help build your credibility and hopefully shorten the selling cycle.
Sales are on the streets everyday talking to contractors and distributors. They know what’s keeping them up at night and can bring those issues back to you to develop content around. Sounds logical, doesn’t it?
I read an article by Mark Sherbin, Find Content Marketing Gold by Mining Your Sales Department that brought home some useful tips. Here are some highlights for marketing and sales to work together:
- Set up one-on-one and group meetings with sales
- Do your homework by reading CRM reports to see if there are valuable nuggets
- Send out an agenda prior to meeting so sales has time to think about responses
- Use “Go to meetings,” Google+ Hangouts or another service to get folks together
- Have regular meetings at least once a quarter
- Share content developed from the meetings with whole team
- Create files of new content that is accessible by sales
- Keep an open channel for communications
These are some good tips. What are you doing to ensure your sales and marketing teams are working together?
by tradesmeninsights | Mar 19, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Uncategorized
If you’re a manufacturer that either doesn’t use or think social media should be a part of your overall marketing plan, this webinar is for you.
We will discuss why social media is not only relevant but crucial to your overall marketing initiatives. I will be joined by Greg Habermann, COO of SageRock, a digital marketing agency and a strategic partner of ours. We will show you real examples of what manufacturers are doing right and give you tips on how you can too. We’ll focus on YouTube, Slideshare, LinkedIn and Blogs.
When: Tuesday, April 9th at 2PM EST
This webinar is available for viewing on our YouTube channel – click here.
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 27, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Social Marketing
When developing new content whether it’s for your blog or website, one of your goals should be to capitalize as much as possible on maximizing your SEO. We all want to grab our fair share and by making a conscious effort to incorporate our key words in everything we do, we’ll have a better chance.
An article by Mike Murray in Content Marketing Institute caught my attention. Mike gives us some good pointers and lots of support sites (mostly free) that we can use to help increase SEO. He’s even created a short checklist for us to reference.
Here are some highlights:
- Have I overlooked any key words
- Do key words match your business or targets?
- New page development – make sure to incorporate your most strategic key words.
- Review your site’s analytics to see how people are currently getting there. Are you using some of those key words in your content?
- Are you including a call to action? Does the reader easily know what you want them to do?
- Look at an internal link strategy that cross links between pages.
- Plan your content with a calendar to ensure your key words/phrases are being written about on a regular basis.
Let’s all try to work smarter as we enter a new year.
