by tradesmeninsights | Oct 2, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
We’ve talked many times about the importance of having a mobile strategy when wanting to reach the professional contractors. Their office is a jobsite and they need to be and stay connected. Mobile is changing the way we reach these important people.
A recent article by Bob Oord in marketingprofs outlines the explosion in this market and ways we can maximize our efforts there. An amazing stat is that their usage has doubled in just 1 year! The integration of mobile apps with CRM and business intelligence has changed user expectations.
TOP MOBILE TACTICS TO CONSIDER:
- Responsive website – so it can be read on any device
- Mobile-friendly campaigns – optimize landing pages.
- Mobile advertising – can be tailored by location, time and device so take advantage of them.
- Mobile email – make sure your HTML can be read properly on these devices.
- Mobile apps – apps let you secure a prominent presence on your customer’s device.
Please note that a recent report by Forrester, “Don’t Confuse Tablet And Mobile Marketing,” a B2B marketer needs to differentiate between smart phones and tablets. Smart phones have a much smaller screen for content experiences and is used “on the go,” while tablets are used more at home and in the office offering rich content opportunities.
If you liked this article, you might want to read:
Mobile Marketing to the Professional Tradesman: What are you Doing?
Why Mobile Marketing is Important for the Professional Tradesman.
by tradesmeninsights | Oct 1, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
Most of our efforts are in generating new customers, but what about the current ones that are paying the bills? The number varies but it costs a lot more to get a new customer than to retain an existing one.
Do you know what a customer is worth to you? Think beyond this quarter or even this year. Think about the last 5 years. How much stuff have you sold them? More importantly, if you come out with something new, where are your best chances of selling it? To someone new, or to someone who knows, likes and trusts you?
I recently read a post in MarketingProfs by Rafe Gomez comparing an experience he had when taking his 11-year-old daughter to a rock concert and how the band delivered on the “customer experience.”
Here are some of his insights on how we can make the customer experience better, resulting in better loyalty and ultimately more sales:
- Deliver outstanding quality – from a great quality product to courteous customer service and user-friendly literature.
- Understand what your customers want – don’t assume to know what they want – ask them.
- Connect with them – direct relationships are the most important and the most challenging. Always think WIIFT (What’s In It For Them). Be sincere and upfront with them. When communicating with them, don’t always be selling. Try to help solve a problem even though it might not, in the short-term, result in a sale to you.
- Under promise and over deliver – exceed your customers’ expectations, then do it again!
- Don’t sit on your laurels – Yes, you have some neat products, but instead of sitting there and just doing the same old same o, innovate. If you don’t, someone else will.
Now these points probably aren’t a revelation to you, but when was the last time you focused on your customers and said THANK YOU!
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 25, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
When you start to develop an internal email database for marketing purposes, what are the protocols you should follow? Beyond your existing customer lists, you normally get addresses from trade shows, ad leads or possible contests you are running. Should you just assemble them and start emailing?
A recent article by Karen Talavera in Marketingprofs contends that the “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” might not be the way to go.
There are several reasons she states, among them email addresses go bad, people change jobs and companies change internet providers. Permission is granted to a brand or company, and if they don’t hear from you in a timely manner, they may forget that they gave you permission. Karen suggests you consider the following:
- Remind people how they got on your list
- Give them a reason for staying on the list
- Let them know what types and frequencies they might expect from you.
She also notes that after the first email to get rid of any non deliverables so you don’t get caught in any spam filters.
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 18, 2013 | Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
Here is another reason Suppliers should think about the value of joining a buying group. The trends are that they are starting their own meetings which means lots of quality time with distributors. Here are the details:
Lockport, NY – NetPlus Alliance, a buying group for industrial and contractor supplies distributors, has opened registration for its first annual group meeting. The event is scheduled for March 16-18, 2014 and will take place at the M Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The group’s first stand-alone gathering will engage NetPlus distributors and suppliers through one-on-one business meetings, networking and educational breakout sessions.
M.K. Morse, ORS Nasco, Proto Industrial Tools and Walter Meier will host the breakout sessions that will deliver product knowledge and sales opportunities to NetPlus distributors in a classroom style setting. Dan Judge, NetPlus Alliance Chairman and CFO spoke on the value of these sessions. “The breakouts were an idea that came out of our advisory meetings last fall. These sessions will give our distributors something to take back to the office: product knowledge and new sales opportunities.”
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 11, 2013 | Marketing Tips, Traditional Marketing
Email is still a preferred marketing tool, especially in the B-to-B space. The key to success is having a plan to build relationships with your audience whether they are existing customers or potentials.
To be successful, you need to pay attention to your audience, the messages you’re sending out and not be so self-promoting. Marketo has published Top 10 Tips for Better Email Performance. It’s a quick read and gives you the basics you need to be successful. Highlights include:
- Don’t talk at people, but rather create a dialog.
- Segment your audiences and the messages for each.
- Automate where you can. It makes life easier for you.
- Mix it up – days you send them out, use of surveys or a fulfillment piece.
- Make sure it can be delivered. Check to ensure that there’s nothing that might prevent your message from being delivered.
If you’re going to make the effort, let’s make sure you’re getting the most out of it!
If you like this post, you may want to read:
Why Email Marketing is so Important in Lead Nurturing to the Professional Tradesman.
Benchmark Report on Email Marketing Sheds Light on Priorities and Challenges to the B-to-B Markets.
by tradesmeninsights | Sep 10, 2013 | Marketing Trends, Traditional Marketing
Sonnhalter is deeply involved with the professional tradesmen. We recently updated our overview of the Plumbing market. The purpose of the document is to give the reader a quick snapshot of the industry and its players for the balance of 2013 and what to look for in 2014.
Included are association and buying group contacts, training firms, best practices, codes and standards, online resources, trade shows/meetings and media publications. A free copy for download is available. Click here to sign up.
