Has Your Marketing Stalled? Company Reveals Five Simple Steps to Make Marketing More Proactive
Overworked marketing teams tend to live in a reactive state, producing materials as needed and just keeping their heads above water. Read these five simple steps and get proactive.
Fort Collins, CO (PRWEB) May 20, 2005 -- Overworked marketing teams tend to
live in a reactive state, producing materials as needed and just keeping their
heads above water. But it shouldn’t be that way. “In order to gain exposure and
increase sales, companies need a forward-thinking plan that creates
opportunities,” says Paul Nastu, President of PJ Writing Group LLC, a
Colorado-based marketing communications company. PJ Writing Group has five
simple steps that will make your marketing more proactive.
1. Call a
truce with sales--Take the head of sales out to lunch to find out the challenges
they face in selling. What are their pain points (not the customer's)? What do
they need from you to make their jobs easier? What are they hearing from
potential customers, and does it differ from what you hear? Share your knowledge
as well, but make a point of asking questions.
2. Try something brand
new--Most marketers have pet ideas they'd love to try, if only they had the
time. Make time for one of those ideas. Maybe it's a customer advisory panel, a
new premium on a direct response campaign, or your first email promotion. If
management won't sign off on it, suggest running a small test. When results
exceed your expectations, you can roll it out in a big way.
3. Collect
email addresses at every touch point--You may not have or need an email
newsletter, but you should still be collecting email addresses from every
customer. At some point, you're sure to want to include email as a marketing
avenue. If you foresee a specific use for the emails (newsletter, email
coupons), ask for permission to send that specific kind of marketing.
4.
Meet with customers face-to-face--Talking with real customers is often more
telling than the most in-depth survey or a focus group performed by a third
party. Make it a point to sit down with customers at trade shows, or get a
client contact name from someone in sales and just call them up for a chat.
(This is more than useful market research. You can also use customer anecdotes
to strengthen your position internally.)
5. Share market research results
consistently--Where do your research results live? In a drawer? In your head?
Not good. Come up with a consistent solution for sharing them. Launch an
internal newsletter, house results in a central database, leave them on tables
in the lunchroom, find other ways to constantly remind people that you have
tools to help them make decisions.
For more information on how to make
marketing more proactive, visit: www.pjwritinggroup.com
About PJ Writing Group LLC (www.pjwritinggroup.com): PJ Writing Group LLC provides
marketing communication services to clients that range from Fortune 50 companies
to startups in search of a unique identity, voice, and message. PJ Writing Group
LLC creates the right message, reaches the right people, and increases customer
base—whether targeting a local market or doing business nationwide.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb242248.htm