SEARCH

Content marketing is your friend. You can attract attention and interest via your blogs, social posts, and other forms of information, but a different kind of content can be particularly effective in convincing prospects to become customers. Here, at the bottom of the sales funnel, you’ve identified a handful of prospects who have moved from interest and desire to action. You’re definitely a front runner, but you have to let these strong leads know what sets you apart from the competition, your unique value, and what’s it like being your customer. Here’s where different varieties of content will be your key in turning “hot” prospects into new business. Testimonials and Customer Reviews. You already have customers, right? Reach out to them about advocating on your behalf on how you’ve solved their printing needs. Besides addressing printing needs, these advocates can highlight your value-add contributions, including brainstorming, guidance, cost savings, and customer services. This can …

There is never a bad time to plant a seed…even in the winter. Let’s say you’re walking through Home Depot in search of a new snowblower. Walking towards that department, you come across this odd-looking curved saw at the top of a long pole. You’ve never seen such a thing and you ask a local clerk what it’s used for. Come to find out, this is the kind of thing used to trim the branches well above your head. In fact, it telescopes up to over 20 feet. “Cool,” you think, and you continue your journey. Roughly a year later, a windstorm comes through and damages the trees in your yard. Surveying the mess, you realize most of what needs to be cut is out of your reach. That’s when you remember your trip to Home Depot and that funny-looking tool with its unique capabilities. The seed that was planted has bloomed and brought you benefit. Just like harvesting a garden, harvesting your inkjet printing sales can only happen if you plant seeds. Now is the time to throw some seed down. Talk to your …

If people in marketing are being honest, a big percentage of their job is guesswork. Done by the book, customer profiling and focus groups give clues as to the need and direction the company’s target market is headed. Soon thereafter, new products and services follow and a marketing message is created. Not everyone follows that game plan, however. On one end of the spectrum you have navel-gazers who spend countless hours studying, analyzing, and crafting a message. On the other end, there are the Steve Jobs-types who will claim they know the market better than the market knows the market (famously, Jobs never asked. He told). But, regardless of how they got there, once a message is formulated, there is no guarantee it’s the right message. It is not unusual for a new initiative to tank even after great care has been taken prior to its launch. Wouldn’t it be great if marketers could test out a message before going all in? For example, Chevy car executives would not have been embarrassed …

If 2020 had a theme, it might be “Expect the Unexpected.” I don’t know of one company that has seen this year go according to plan. Many have faced unprecedented challenges. A few have benefitted from offering the right solution at the right time. Most of us have had to pivot in some way, and not one of us knows what 2021 will bring. So how are we supposed to craft sound marketing strategies, with all of this uncertainty?  My advice: think of this planning season as an invitation to get back to basics. Keep it simple by sticking to these 4 steps.  Choose one high-level marketing goal.  A good mantra during times like these is, “Focus.” Whether you need to build brand awareness, generate more leads, or increase customer satisfaction and retention, choose a single must-complete, high-level goal for 2021.  Use this goal as your North Star all year long. As you consider new projects or marketing activities during the year, ask yourself whether they will help you achieve your goal. When …

In previous blogs about successfully working the sales funnel, we’ve examined, first, various tactics to make people aware of your existence (top of the funnel), and then ways to spark their interest in what you have to offer (mid-funnel). Now, let’s turn our attention to converting interested buyers into confirmed customers … AKA, the bottom of the sales funnel.   Here, our old friend email can really shine, but its approach fundamentally changes when working to convert prospects into customers.   Email debuted nicely in the mid-funnel. Here, you’ve built an email list of those who viewed blogs and other content from you website, or commented on your social posts. You’ve asked them to register to access other smart content, such as expert guides, white papers, and webcasts, all of which demonstrate your ability to solve their problems and needs.   But now you’ve identified a select few who seem like really warm leads. You’ve done that from the your lead-scoring data collected by CRM …