The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same

Sorting through old files, I recently came across a copy of my January 2004 Marketing Briefs newsletter to printers. I was struck by how different (simpler) things were then. No mention of SEO, social media, content marketing or even email (we launched that in the Spring of 2004). At the same time, I was struck by how much things had not changed. These are the same fundamental ideas that need to be at the core of your marketing strategy today. Planning and commitment to execution have always been the keys to marketing success.Simple Marketing Ideas that Printers Should ConsiderDon't view marketing as a department.From receptionist to delivery person, every person plays a pivotal role in your marketing. Good companies are successful at creating a customer-centric culture.Observe the 90-day rule.Every client and prospect should hear from your company at least every 90 days. Good marketers shorten this to every 30 days. If you're not making meaningful contact at least every 90 days, you run a high risk of having your message drowned out by that of your competitors.Always feed the sales funnel.Leads become prospects, prospects become customers. The amount of prospects you generate is proportionate to the amount of leads you are able to input into your sales funnel. The amount of customers you generate is proportionate to your ability to promote your value proposition with your prospects. Having a structured, systematic approach to this will yield the greatest results.Stay committed.Marketing doesn't take time off, and it's not something to be relegated to the “when I have the time” category. You need to structure the time or delegate the tasks to someone else who then needs to structure the responsibility into their time. Marketing works. But to reap the rewards, you first need to commit yourself to the tasks.Know when to market.Always! Research showed that companies who maintained or increased their marketing efforts during a recession averaged subsequent growth rates that were14 times greater than those that cut back or eliminated their marketing.If you're struggling with your marketing or just have a question or thought you would like to share, feel free to reach me anytime. pat@greatreachinc.com.Source: "10 Commandments of Marketing" by Jay B. Lipe on marketingprofs.com