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Contents 1 Introduction 2 Part 1: The Duct Tape Foundation— The Way to Sticky Marketing (Help Them Know, Like, and Trust You More!) 2.1 Chapter 1: Identify Your Ideal Client 2.2 Chapter 2: Discover Your Core Marketing Message 2.3 Chapter 3: Wake Up the Senses with an Image to Match Your Message 2.4 Chapter 4: Create Products and Services for Every Stage of Client Development 2.5 Chapter 5: Produce Marketing Materials That Educate 2.6 Chapter 7: Get Your Entire Team Involved in Marketing 3 Part 2: The Duct Tape Lead Generation Machine—Turning Stickiness into a System That Works for You (Help Them Contact and Refer You More!) 3.1 Chapter 8: Run Advertising That Gets Results 3.2 Chapter 9: Direct Mail Is an Ideal Target Medium 3.3 Chapter 10: Earned Media Attention and Expert Status 3.4 Chapter 11: Ramp Up a Systematic Referral Machine 3.5 Chapter 12: Automate Your Marketing with Technology Tools 3.6 Chapter 13: Turn Prospects into Clients and Clients into Partners with an Advanced Education System 4 Part 3: Getting on a Roll! (Find Out What Works and Do More of It) 4.1 Chapter 14: Commit to Your Marketing with a Plan, Budget, and Calendar

Introduction

So you want to know how to end the marketing struggle? Most small business owners are good at what they do, but not good at marketing what they do — and that’s a problem! But the bottom line is that no matter how much you love or hate marketing, every business is in the business of marketing.

Why? Simply because your business will not continue to exist without a way to reach customers. Marketing is simply: getting people, who have a specific need, to know, like and trust you.

Many small business owners fall prey to “copycat marketing”. Because they’re unsure of what will be most effective, they simply copy the kind of things that others are doing. In fact, if you were to open the phonebook and look at business ads, chances are that all of the ads in the same category all say basically the same thing.

The problem is that copycat marketing isn’t usually effective; because you’re just copying someone else’s bad marketing that was never effective in the first place! Besides, copycat marketing doesn’t allow you to tell your own story.

But there is an alternative. A useful and “sticky” strategy works just like Duct Tape. This system transforms you from a novice into marketing pro that turns every piece of mail, every phone call and every interaction into an effective marketing tool. This marketing guide will help get you there.

Part 1: The Duct Tape Foundation— The Way to Sticky Marketing (Help Them Know, Like, and Trust You More!)

Chapter 1: Identify Your Ideal Client

The Ideal Prospect If you learn to identify the right clients for your business then you will no longer have to work with jerks, which saves you time and frustration. You can choose to attract clients that value what you have to offer. It’s not about snobbery; it’s about survival. Clients who don’t respect the value you bring, don’t pay on time, and don’t do their part will drag your marketing business down faster than any other business dynamic.

Let History Guide You Initially your efforts will be made in defining and focusing on your Ideal Prospect or leads. So how do you know who is an Ideal Prospect? It helps to look at your company’s past experiences. What kind of people has your company attracted up to date? Which ones ended up being profitable and mutually beneficial relationships?

Physical Characteristics You’ll want to note Physical Characteristics like what are your Ideal Prospects ages, employment status, gender, occupation, income, and education levels. Or for commercial clients: demographic characteristics include industry, number of employees, business type, geographic scope of business, and revenue levels.

Emotional Characteristics You’ll also want to look at emotional characteristics. Psychographics is tougher to identify, but can be very helpful. Here you are looking at your prospects values, fears, desires, and goals.

What’s the Problem? Unless there is a need or a problem then you don’t have a market. Have you clearly identified what the need is? What problem is your client trying to solve when they purchase your product or services?

No matter what you think you are selling, it is the customer who ultimately decides what you are selling. Does it all come down to the fact that you are selling peace of mind, status, or pain relief? Chances are that it does.

Location, Location, Location It might be helpful to plot on a map the location of your current clients. Is there a trend, a pocket of activity? Are some geographic areas more productive or have a large target market concentration?

How Clients Make Buying Decisions You have to know how your particular clients make buying decisions whether by consensus, gut feeling, or impulse. You’ll want to tailor your business educational system to fit.

Best Ways to Reach Them Look at what the best way to reach your target is. Is there a trade magazine, an association or mailing list that serves this market? How can you network with this market? Add these details to your marketing spreadsheet.

The Value Factor You can’t make a business out of people who should want your product, even if they do need your product. In other words, they have to know they want it. Does the market you are targeting value what you have to offer enough to pay a premium for your expertise? If not, you may be targeting the wrong market, or targeting the market in the wrong way.

Is It a Viable Market? It’s now decision time. After considering all of the prior factors, you have to decide if this particular market is big enough and values your services enough to be viable.

Think Narrow It’s a good idea to have a narrow and specific market niche, so that you can tailor your message and products in just the right way, for just the right clients.

Those who specialize in a niche market have the advantage over generalists who also claim to serve this market —along with every other market.

My Dirty Little Marketing Research Secret If your target audience is men and women in the 25-54 age range, then the popular magazine People is a goldmine of information about what your clients want to fight, find, gain, have, give, or embrace.

No, you probably don’t care what Mary Kate Olsen is up to either, but more people read People than any other magazine and that makes it relevant if you want to know what people are interested in. Read issues every now and then with marketing in mind to get ideas about what people care about.

More than One Segment It may be that you have two distinct market segments that are drawn to your products for different reasons, or perhaps your different products appeal to different market segments. Either way, you can define your ideal market by defining the market’s specific need. Steve Job defined his market as “people who didn’t want to carry around 10,000 CDs”. That happened to be a lot of people. What need do you address?

What’s on Your Refrigerator? You don’t always feel comfortable asking a client to reveal their intimate secrets like “What keeps you up at night?” But in order to get a deeper understanding of your Ideal Prospect you can ask sneaky questions that reveal a lot without making anyone too uncomfortable. Such as: What is currently on your refrigerator; what kind of car do you drive; your favorite books; or your favorite song?

These tidbits, believe it or not, can help you assemble a deeper picture of your prospects.

The Ideal Prospect Profile Now take what you’ve learned, up to this point, and start creating your Ideal Prospect profile. Write one or two paragraphs that describe your ideal client as if you were describing someone sitting next to you.

Here’s the basic equation for writing these two paragraphs: Physical description + What they want + Their problem + How they Buy + Best way to communicate with them = Ideal Prospect.

If you have an ideal prospect profile in hand then sales calls become more like you auditioning them, and you’ll start to be able to easily identify whether this prospect is ideal for you or not.

The Client Profile Tracker You may have been thinking, “But I don’t really know that much about my clients, or at least not enough to describe my ideal client.” Here’s how to fix that. The Client Profile Tracker is a form that you create to keep track of as much information about a client as possible. It goes far beyond basic contact information. It is a place to record personal information as well as hobbies, interests, and family and school information. Why? Because on an individual level it will help you develop a better relationship and provide greater value to the client, but on a collective level it will help you understand and customize your overarching message to fit the description of your target group.

Do not send a form to collect this information. You collect this information by paying attention to the things they say and do, by asking timely questions when the opportunity presents itself and then notate your findings in his or her profile.

Prospect List Building Once you know what your Ideal Prospects look like, it’s time to go out and get a marketing “goldmine” by acquiring a contact list of these prospects. Find or purchase lists that likely represent your ideal prospects. Once mistake many small business owners make is that they ineffectively focus their attention on millions of people, when they may only need 20 really good customers to be successful.

Database Marketing Here’s an example of how it works. Let’s say you ran an ad this week in a trade publication read by your Ideal Prospect. The ad offers a free report titled “The Top 10 Things You Must Know Before You Buy X”. As a result, a few dozen people called a toll-free number to order their free report. The names and addresses of those people are then emailed to your marketing assistant who loads the information into your ACT database, assigned the intro marketing letter task to each, and then printed and mailed off the letters. Each new prospect was also added to your newsletter list and distributed to your sales people for follow-up phones calls.

Popular database marketing programs are ACT, GoldMine and Maximizer. They allow you to automate many of the marketing processes and delegate efficiently to others in your organization. Web-based solutions are also growing in popularity like Sunrise from 37 Signals and SalesForce.com. Consider purchasing and using one of these powerful programs.

Chapter 2: Discover Your Core Marketing Message

Stand Out in a Crowd It is critical for the small business owner to find a way to stand out. You must discover and commit to something that allows your firm to differentiate itself from others in the minds of your prospects. Your claim must be powerful — even if you have to alter an aspect of your business to do it. The next step is to create a core message that allows you to instantly communicate this difference.

Get Out of the Commodity Business If your prospect can’t tell a clear difference between what you offer and what your competitors offer, then they will default to price. Price is a terrible platform to compete from. There will always be someone willing to go out of business faster than you.

The difference can’t just be about quality, good service and fair pricing—those things are expected. The difference needs to be in the way you do business, in the personal touches, or in the fact that you offer a transforming experience.

The Core Message Process Here are the steps to creating a Core Message:

• Discover, capture and commit to a unique position
• Create a Marketing Purpose Statement
• Turn your purpose statement into a Talking Logo
• Craft a simple Core Message to use in all of your marketing

Ways to Capture a Difference The author relates the story of a home remodeling client of his who was having a hard-time competing for high-end lucrative jobs. Even though they could do higher end work, they also did handyman type of work, which made the market look at them more as a construction company than a design-oriented remodeling company. When his client understood the distinction that the market was making they changed their name and started referring fix-it type jobs to referral partners. In less than a year they had a new image and no longer had trouble competing for the most profitable jobs.

Another way to capture a difference is to have an astonishing guarantee—a promise that no one else in your industry would dare make. An astonishing guarantee will turn heads, generate buzz, and creates a higher mission for your company to live up to. Look for holes in what the competition offers. If no one in your industry is addressing a particular problem then grab hold of that opportunity to market as the one business that does.

The author relates the story of Smile Dental Spa in Tuscan, Arizona that rewrote what a dental visit is like by having and office that looks like a spa resort and offering relaxing spa services for all genders and ages before, during, and after dental services. There are a lot of ways to get creative to position yourselves as the welcome alternative.

Your Clients Know Best You might already have something valuable to position yourself with that you’re not tapping into. Call 10 or so of your past clients and ask them some questions like:

• Why did you hire us in the first place?
• What do we do that others don’t?
• What’s missing from our industry as a whole?
• What could we do that would thrill you?
• What do you find yourself simply putting up with in this industry?
• What would you do if you owned a business like ours?

Many times your clients can describe what you really offer even better than you can.

Look to the Competition for Clues Study your competition. Look for what they lack, so that you can fill the gap.

What You Really Sell You don’t sell what it is you claim to offer. You sell what the eventual buyers think they are going to get from your product. For example, an insurance agent doesn’t sell policies; they sell peace of mind. Chiropractors don’t sell spinal adjustments; they sell pain relief.

Capture the Core Message A defined core message is something you use in all of your marketing. You can call it your Marketing Purpose Statement.

Your Marketing Purpose Statement This is your rallying cry. This sums up how you want to be perceived in simple, plain English. This is a one-paragraph statement about what you aim to do and have the customer notice. It’s not just a goal, but also an overriding purpose for your entire business. This Marketing Purpose Statement will become your filter for every business decision you make — does it bring you closer to this statement? Put the statement up in your office, or on every PC screen in your office.

Have You Identified the Enemy? This isn’t about being negative; it’s about healthy competition. Small business owners usually don’t have a “Goliath” they are up against like Apple was with Microsoft, but it is useful to have a cause. Your cause might be to rid the world of bad advertising one ad at a time, or ensure that no one will ever be afraid to go to the dentist again, or prove that tax preparation can be enjoyable!

The Talking Logo—What You Really Do for a Living A Talking Logo is a short statement that quickly communicates your firm’s position and forces the listener to want to know more. When asked, most people answer the question “What do you do” with a title or name of an industry, which doesn’t really answer the question satisfactorily.

People don’t want to know what your firm does; they want to know what your firm does for THEM. For example, an architect looking for contractor clients shouldn’t answer the question with “I’m an architect”; they should answer with, “I show contractors how to get paid faster.”

When asked, “What do you do?” other job titles can be replaced with Talking Logos like: “I create permanent memories.” “I make losing weight easy.” “I help rich individuals slash their taxes.” “I show young; married couples how to retire richly on what they are currently making.”

Here’s the equation: Action verb (I show, I teach, I help) + target market (business owners, homeowners, teachers) + how to X (solve a problem, meet a need).

After all, whom would you want to do business with: someone who just wants to sell you his or her services, or someone who wants to show you how to make more money or solve problem X?

Talking Logos may be a bit vague at first, so when they ask, “Really, how do you do that?” Then you follow up with your supplemental answer. For example, the architect could answer, “Well, we have developed relationships with every zoning board in the metro area and can make sure that your projects don’t get hung up by red tape, helping to assure that you get to that first pay faster.”

Your Core Marketing Message This is a short statement that becomes your marketing message workhorse, and clearly demonstrates the benefit of doing business with your firm. Think FedEx: --“On Time Every Time or It’s Free”.

Here’s another example using the architect:

• Marketing Purpose Statement: We want to be the architect that shows builders the only way to work with architects in design/build contracts.
• Talking Logo: We help design/build contractors get to the first pay request faster.
• Core Message: “The Contractor’s Architect”
• How to Communicate the Difference

So, now you have your Marketing Purpose Statement, your Talking Logo and your Core Message defined. Now all of your advertising and promotions should be shouting out that message.

Chapter 3: Wake Up the Senses with an Image to Match Your Message

The little things are big when it comes to small business. Most small businesses do not give the visual aspects of the firm the attention that it deserves. First impressions are vital, because they’re often the only chance you get. Having your own sense of style can support all of your marketing messages.

The Elements of Identity Aside from the name of your company and your logo, all of your other “elements of identity” such as: stationary, forms, telephone manner, signage, business cards, employee attitudes, sound, attire, fax covers, web site, and so forth are all an opportunity to support (or detract from) your company’s style.

The Role of Your Identity Elements Your “IE” should clearly identify your company, appeal to your target market, differentiate your firm, and support the most important aspect of your Core Message.

What’s in a Name? The name of your firm should be chosen with at least one of these in mind:

• Is it clear what your firm does? (Bob’s Electric isn’t as powerful as Bob’s Electric Repair.)
• Does your firm name differentiate you from others in your industry?
• Does it have a favorable association within your target market?

What Does Your Logo Say? Here are the elements of a good logo:

• It is not trendy, but rather has lasting value
• It is distinct, but not confusing
• It appeals to your target market
• It supports your core message
• It is legible, and understandable

Can You Attach a Visual Metaphor? Colors and powerful images can help build up your identity.

Seek Professional Help- When you look for a logo/graphic designer, make sure you communicate the following:

• A description of your ideal target market
• Your Core Message and supporting messages
• Ways you plan to use the Logo
• List of colors/shapes that have either a positive or negative connotation in your industry
• Examples representing your competitors, or the industry as a whole

After the logo is developed, ask your designer to complete a package for other things you might want to use your logo on such as:

Letterhead, business cards, envelopes, thank-you cards, memos, invoices, fax covers, agreements, and sales presentation templates.

Your Identity Standards Once you have established a look and feel for your printed materials, make sure to pass on this set of “graphic standards” to everyone in your organization including: exact color usage, type styles for ads, letters and forms and where logo files are stored. This will help slow the inevitable misuse and inconsistent use of graphic elements, which will give your image elements a more consistent look.

The Telephone, Your Voice Mail & Email The way your phone is answered sends a marketing message. Prepare a script and set of standards for receiving calls that everyone sticks with. Create a script for your voice mail that also reinforces your marketing message. Create and e-mail template that is complete with contact information and marketing message-based signature and makes sure everyone uses it. Don’t use wallpapers and gimmicky clip arts.

Sights, Sounds & Smells Even if your clients will never see your work environment, it should look like they will. Set standards for your place of work—even if it’s a home office—as though a new prospect might show up at any minute.

Dress Dress, like everything else, can either add or detract from your marketing message. A good rule of thumb is to always dress just a little better than your target market.

Your Mini Billboard Your business card can act as a mini billboard if you use it to convey your message, and can even generate leads by including an offer for a free report on it.

Here are some ways to use your business card as a low-cost marketing machine:

• Always carry them with you
• Hand them to anyone you meet in a business setting and ask for one of theirs in return
• Put them in everything you send out like invoices, letters, etc.
• Give them to anyone who asks for your phone number or e-mail address (your child’s teacher may not need your services, but they may have a neighbor or relative that does).

When people ask for your card give them two and ask them to pass that along to someone who might need the services you offer.

Look for unique ways to distribute your business card (partners might let you place them at a reception desk, put them on community bulletin boards, etc).

Process as a Marketing Tool When you find systems that work, your next task is to clearly document how that system works so that new employees and everyone in your organization can easily pick it up.

Give your systems and processes a name, and they will become valuable marketing assets for your company. Like your sales calls system could be called “Our Two-Step Internal Seminar”…

Naming simple systems may seem like overkill, but it forces positive marketing activities and reinforces your Core Message and brand.

An Identity Audit Much of your company’s identity is experienced on a non-conscious level. Walk through your business with heightened senses. How does it smell, sound, look? Call your own business and have them send you a fax, something in the mail. What is your experience? Do the same with competitors’ businesses. You can also get opinions from your customers on ways to improve.

Chapter 4: Create Products and Services for Every Stage of Client Development

A Different View of Products & Services Too many small businesses develop and try to market only one core offering. This is limiting from a marketing perspective. Marketing should be more like dating— first a movie, then dinner, then dancing, and then maybe get married and have a kid. You want to move your target prospects along a logical path toward a group of offerings geared to address the various stages of client development that will be reviewed in the next section.

The Client Stages Defined

• Suspects—List: people who fit your target description
• Prospects—List: people who have responded to an offer for more information
• Clients-List: people who have tried your product/services
• Repeat Clients—List: People who have upgraded or purchased more
• Champions—List: people who tell others and sell for you

The Marketing Funnel Turned Upside Down— The Marketing Hourglass Your marketing should be shaped like an hourglass. Not only do you try to funnel in new clients, but you also broaden and expand your service opportunities for existing clients.

Marketing Offers by Stage You want to create and promote offers that act as paid marketing tools to first turn suspects into prospects, and then prospects into customers. Free or low-cost information and workshops can attract prospects, build trust and move them toward a buying decision.

Marketing Offer for Suspects Offers like free reports, guides, books, and newsletters with titles like “Tax Slashing Secrets of the Rich Revealed” or “12 Ways to End Back Pain Now” can be effective marketing tools for suspects.

Marketing Offer for Prospects Once a suspect requests your free materials, they are now a prospect. At this point you will want to offer them a low-cost or trial service with a low enough barrier that they will let you get your foot in the door. You may have to create a new introductory product that you can offer at a low price.

Your Clients Become Premium Clients Your clients will need opportunities to become Premium Clients by offering upgraded services, premium membership offerings, upscale consulting agreements, or service and product agreements from you and strategic partners.

Here’s what it looks like:

• Suspects: Free newsletter, workshop or Tele-seminar
• Prospects: $79-$149 Self-study training courses
• Clients: $500-$2500 Group Training Program
• Premium Client: $25,000-$40,000 Annual Engagement
• Champions: Promote group training/strategic partners

Ways to Create New Services & Products One of the most effective ways to market a service offering is to turn some aspect of that service into a product. In this manner, you can give a complicated, “invisible” service a name, package and a fixed price. You want to give your clients something of value that is easy to use and understand. It gives you a leg up over competition that is fuzzy about what they really offer.

Extend a Product Conversely, you can extend a product by attaching a service that goes along with that product.

Package Your Knowledge Few things enhance your expert status more than informational products that show or tell prospects how to do something.

Joe Crisara created a promo for his heating and cooling business called “The Oldest Furnace Contest.” $400,000 in extra sales later he decided to start a second business teaching others in his industry how to capitalize on similar promotions.

Bundle and Package You can create a new offering by bundling products together at a reduced rate. Sometimes it makes sense to bundle services with strategic partners when the bundle offers more appeal than might otherwise exist on your own.

Offer Levels of Service You can logically break down your service offerings into Gold, Silver & Bronze for upgraded services at higher prices.

License Your Knowledge Many successful small business owners have found that they can ultimately increase their product offerings by allowing other businesses to learn their success formulas. If you’re a dry-cleaner, for example, and have discovered how to create impressive repeat business, you might be able to sell your knowledge to hundreds of dry-cleaners across the nation.

Write a Book Chiropractor Matthew Kounkel found that writing a book opened up new mediums of marketing for him. Suddenly he was on the radio, in newspaper features, had speaking engagements and now prospects see him as an expert in his own field.

Look for Holes in the Hourglass What products and services do you need to have in order to offer your clients something at every stage of client development?

Price Is a Function of Value Most small businesses do not charge enough for their products and services. If you can successfully educate your prospects on why your products and services are worth more, then you can give yourself a raise by raising prices. For the most part, you will want to reserve your premium products for highly qualified clients that know, like and trust you. They will expect to pay a premium for premium products and services, and if presented correctly then they will feel privileged to do so.

Chapter 5: Produce Marketing Materials That Educate

Educate, Don’t Sell Done well, marketing can eliminate the need to sell. No one likes to be sold, but everyone likes to buy. Create a set of materials that provide an education for readers— an education that makes them feel like buying.

The Marketing Kit The marketing kit is a collection of carefully crafted, individual pages of information that help you present the best possible case for why a prospect would buy from you. The kit format allows for personalized inserts, updateable inserts and data tailored to the client’s individual needs.

Create a custom pocket folder and then create an attractive template sheet to be used when you print your individual pages in-house. That way you get the benefit of offset color printing for your base sheet.

Your kit should at least contain: You case statement, your difference summary, your ideal client/customer description, your marketing story and your offerings. Lost cost design templates from firms such as StockLayout (www.stocklayouts.com) might be able to do the trick.

Your Case Statement Your case statement needs to address the following:

• A statement of a frustration, challenge or problem that your target market faces
• An image of what life is like when the problem is solved
• How they got here in the first place
• A path to follow
• A directed call to action

Your Difference Summary Use this page to convince them how different you are, and shower them with the benefits and special touches you provide. If you’ve studied your competition and what they don’t do, then make the fact that you “DO” -do it a real point.

Your Ideal Client/Customer Description People feel comfortable when they know they’ve come to the right place. Describe why your ideal market typically hires you— what’s going on that makes them reach out for your product or services. Then outline the results they typically enjoy when they engage in your services. This description makes your services substantially more attractive to the people who fit your description of an ideal client.

Your Marketing Story Tell your funny, heart-wrenching or entertaining story of how you got started in business. Stories build rapport and trust. Your story should include:

• Client—stories that show to the reader through a client story the value of doing business with your firm
• Who: Stories that allow the reader to connect with you or the company
• What: Stories that tell what your firm does and why
• Where: Stories that indicate where you’re heading
• Values: Stories that illustrate slogans like “we try harder”
• Lessons learned: Expose the human side of you and/or your company

Your Product/Service Offerings This page outlines your services, products and packages available with clear descriptions and the detailed benefits of each.

Case Studies By offering case studies you help your reader envision they themselves getting relief.

Case studies should include:

• The situation
• The problem
• Your Solution
• The result

Involve Your Clients in Telling the Story Have your client help you write the case study. This not only helps you resell them on the value of being your client, but it will improve the story. Set up an interview where they know the intent is to enlist their help in writing a case study. Then have them answer these questions:

• What solution were you seeking when you hired us?
• What did/do we provide that you value the most?
• What has been the result of working with us?
• What would you tell others who are considering hiring us?

Now package what you learn into a one-page document, and do the same with about 10 other clients.

Testimonial Proof Third party endorsements add proof that you do indeed deliver. Collect quotes from real clients and create a page titled “See What Others Have to Say about Us.” You may also want to photograph your client using your product or associating with your brand.

A Simple Way to Get Great Testimonials The best way to get a great testimonial is when your client tells you what a great job you have done. Pounce on this moment of truth. Once trick is to purchase a two-column business card holder and ask your pleased customer for two of their business cards. Ask them to write a testimonial on the back of one as if they were referring your firm to a close friend. Then display the two cards next to each other, the one without the testimonial face up, and the other with the testimonial facing up. Soon you’ll have a great collection of testimonials to show others that are really authentic because they’re written on the individual’s business card! Also you can transfer them to other materials later.

FAQ’s Some of your prospects will come to you with very specific questions. If you can answer them satisfactorily then you will likely get the job. Go over the types of questions you receive from prospects and clients either in person, over the phone or in emails. Make sure your marketing materials address the persistent ones.

Client Lists Having a list of clients is a way to show who else trusts you.

Processes and Checklists Create checklists and flowcharts that show your prospect how you do what you do, and keep your promise to them to deliver. Documented descriptions also help justify why you charge a premium for your services.

Articles Have your written articles for publications, newsletter, etc? Include relevant reprints & press clippings.

Something for Everyone You may wonder — will everyone really read this stuff? The short answer is “no”. Some will read every word, some will skim, while others will simply take solace in the fact that some information is there, if they feel like looking at it.

What most prospects really want to know is:

• How you work— your process, case statement, FAQ’s
• Results you achieve— case studies, testimonials
• Who you know— client list, case studies
• What you know— process description, articles

Web Content That Educates You can take your marketing kit and transform it into great content for you web site as well.

One Way to Get All of this Done A Marketing Kit is a LOT of work, so don’t try to do it all in one day. If you’re not much of a writer then try just creating a basic outline for each page, then try talking into a tape, or you can have someone interview you on tape to get the information out of you. Then you can hire a copywriter to put it all into well crafted written form. Get someone to edit and proofread it, and consider getting feedback from several ideal clients.

How to Use Your Marketing Kit Marketing Kits are not intended for mass direct mail. They are effective; however, if you have generated a lead and want to proceed to fully educate the prospect for why they should do business with you. Many of your competitors will not have anything near as comprehensive as a marketing kit, so you can use that to your advantage. Here are other ways to use it:

• Mail it to leads prior to a sales call.
• Use it to educate your referral sources.
• Leave it behind after a sales call.
• Produce it in a downloadable format to store on your Web site.

Thinking Beyond the Basic Kit Format Victor Gonzalez of the Logic of Success collected mini-video clips, reviews and testimonials from past speeches, etc… and turned it into a simple 5-page Web site that he then put on a CD-ROM so that it could be visited offline with all of the links still active. He mailed out 1200 in simple sleeve-envelopes. His idea was that if people weren’t going to his website, he would send his website to them.

He spent $3200 on the project, and got 15 speaking engagements out of it with an average of $2500 plus travel per booking. Not a bad ROI.

Chapter 6: A Web Site That Works Day and Night

The Purpose of a Website The primary purpose of a Web site is to act as a toll to integrate and connect all of your marketing communication and education, and to allow your visitor to begin the task of more easily knowing, liking and trusting you.

Benefits of a Content-Driven Site:

• Awareness — today many suspects start their search for products & services online
• Shorten Selling Cycle — with a rich content-driven Web site, your prospects may feel that they can trust you. Some prospects will find everything they need on your website and will be ready to do business with you the second you show up in their office.
• Access to Your Information — a web site gives prospects convenient access to your marketing kit. You can and should direct prospects to your site to acquire such information.
• Tool to Refer Your Business — a website allows referral contacts to share a lot about your firm by directing referral prospects to your site.

When creating and refining a Web site it’s not a bad idea to get some professional help, but it’s not a good idea to abdicate the task altogether or you’ll just end up with is an expensive, useless site. What you want to do is go to a qualified designer with specific instructions, and make sure they understand your ideal target client, competitors, Core Message, identity elements, and any Web sites that you like when you first visit with a prospective designer.

A Word about Design Keep your site simple. You want a professional website that is focused on getting your content found and read. Many designers tend to over design. You need to balance the need “to look good” with the need for search engines to find your site and visitors to consume content.

Page Layout Start each page with a powerful headline. Follow with a highlighted introductory paragraph that grabs readers and guides them into the rest.

Simple Navigation Have the designer use CSS techniques to create a text-based but visually interesting navigation links. Create links to every page and add text links within every page to make it easy to jump from one point to another.

Shoot Your Web Designer if They… Suggest flash intro pages, because these are just pretty works of art that add no real value and can’t be read by search engines.

Suggest frame pages, because these sites often present right-side navigation in one frame and then main content in another, which hurts your ability to be found by search engines.

Suggest templates, because while they are generally cheap, they are usually heavy on images and don’t allow you to match your Web site look and feel to your other identify elements.

Blogs and Additional Sources of Content

Blogs These diary-style web pages have become very popular in tandem with business web sites. Blog software allows you to easily update content, and build a relationship with a loyal audience, giving them a reason to come back to your site often.

The most effective blog is one that focuses on your expertise and on some important aspect of your industry or special that will attract search engine interest and develop a following that cares about that topic.

Resource Center Create and display content and links to other industry resources.

Article Directories There are online article directories that allow you to search for topic-specific articles and reprint them on your site. The can add depth to your content make it easier for search engines to find you.

Syndicated Content Feeds Many web publishers allow you to easily syndicate ever-changing content via RSS feeds.

Creative Commons Content A Creative Commons license is a tool that lets content creators place conditions on their copyright. Often you can use their content. Yahoo has a Creative Commons search directory.

Basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tips Even if you never deal with it directly, it’s important to understand the vocabulary and the importance of different features, so that you can communicate effectively with your web designer.

Keywords You need to know what terms your target market uses to find products and services like yours. There are databases that track this information. Your Web page content, titles and headlines need to contain the most important search terms. There are many keyword database tools out there to assist you.

Title Tags These are part of the HTML code of every page. Search engines use it to categorize what the page is about. Don’t waste or misuse this feature. Don’t use “Welcome to Bob’s Used Cars”, use “The Greater Muskogee Area’s Best Deals for Used Cars Are at Bob’s” because that is closer to how someone in the Muskogee area would search for a used car place, since they many not know the name of Bob’s place.

Links to Your Site Search engines give sites higher ratings if other sites in your related industry find it worth linking to. You may want to trade links with like-minded businesses, but only use sites that actually would be relevant to your business and target market.

Anchor Text Hyperlinks Use description text for your links if possible instead of generic stuff like About Us or Home.

Use Heading Tags HTML uses a series of H or heading tags. H1 is for the most important headlines and H2 for subheads. Use headlines that are rich in keywords. Most designers understand how these tags style a page, but they don’t automatically know how important they are in playing the search engine game.

Create Site Maps Site maps help search engines know how your site is organized.

Local Search Is Here to Stay People now use the web to find local services like they used to use the phonebook. If you want to do any local business then make sure that each of the major local search engines—Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and Ask.com—all have your business listed. Each engine has its own process for registering.

Local Title Tags These are important, so make sure it reads like “Your-Firm-Name Kansas City’s oldest bakery”

Local H1 Tags You’ll want the keywords for your site and location to have H1 tags like “The Best Baked Brioche in Peoria, Illinois”.

Content Add your local address and contact information prominently on every page.

Local Internal Links You’ll want your internal links to be local friendly. Instead of “Accounting Clients” use “Omaha Accounting Clients.” Using your city’s name can improve local search results.

Local External Links Another strategy for local-oriented businesses is to build a local resource section on your Web site, and then invite businesses that you link to, to link back to you as well. Include the name, Web site address, brief description of the site, and the city and state of your listing.

Chapter 7: Get Your Entire Team Involved in Marketing

Marketing is Everyone’s Job Since every business is essentially a marketing business, then it’s not a far stretch to understand that marketing your business is the job of everyone in your firm.

Every single person in your organization is marketing, for better or for worse, every time they have any kind of contact with a client or prospect. So, it’s a good idea to train all of your employees to meet your marketing expectations. At the company ‘Conference Calls Unlimited’, they streamlined everyone’s marketing responsibility by focusing on priorities like: 1) make customers happy, 2) make prospects happy, and 3) make each other happy.

This focus worked wonders, and soon calls and emails were being answered more promptly, and the work environment was consistently fun, productive and inspiring.

But keep in mind that you can’t hand off all marketing responsibility to staff. They will do what you do more readily than they will do what you say. You’ll have to sell everyone on the idea.

Create a Marketing Roundtable A marketing roundtable is a formal internal committee that meets to review and move marketing decisions and actions forward, and to raise the overall level of internal marketing awareness.

Routinely Educate You must routinely educate your staff about:

• Your ideal target client description
• Your marketing purpose
• Your Talking Logo
• Your Core Message
• Your marketing kit

Make it part of the hiring process to emphasize your focus on marketing. You might want to even put your emphasis on their business cards with a supplemental title like “Customer Service Fanatic”. Fill your employee manual full of information about your core message and include your marketing kit information. Hold quarterly all-staff meetings to share current marketing initiatives. Let different people deliver a presentation on different elements of your marketing kit, because people can learn best by teaching.

Have your staff practice using your Talking Logo on each other. So if you have an electrical contractor firm, when your head of operations is at a cocktail party he naturally responds to “What do you do?” with “I make home builders look brilliant.”

For small businesses the telephone is often the portal to the prospect world, so everyone in your firm should be trained on how to communicate your core message on the phone.

External Marketing Training If you rely on outside vendors and partners to deliver some of your products or services, then you need to make sure that they are living up to your core message as well. You might want to give them a “this is how we do it” type of guide, so that there is no confusion about how you expect them to treat your clients and handle issues.

Your New Marketing Business Kick-Off If after reading this book you want to make some changes, make sure to make a big deal of it, so that people know about and expect the changes in advance. Build hype for it, and at the kick-off reveal your new look, logo, marketing kit and whatever else you’re implementing. Think: “balloons, T-shirts, cake and logo apparel”. You want the changes to be something to celebrate, not dread.

A Marketing Board of Directors Consider getting some external clients, vendors and partners, and maybe a community member or two to meet on a quarterly basis to review and comment on your marketing plans and progress.

Part 2: The Duct Tape Lead Generation Machine—Turning Stickiness into a System That Works for You (Help Them Contact and Refer You More!)

In your high-school physics class you learned that it takes a lot of force to put something into motion, but once it’s in motion then it takes a lot less force to keep it moving. This applies to marketing exposure as well.

You’ll want to deliver your Core Message in as many ways as possible including:

• A referral promotion
• Advertising promotion
• Public relation promotion
• A speaking promotion
• Writing promotion
• Newsletter Promotion etc.

Like duct tape, the more you apply, the stronger it will hold. The next four chapters will focus on how to generate leads.

Chapter 8: Run Advertising That Gets Results

Why Most Advertising Doesn’t Work An effective ad promotion can generate a flood of new business, but since most small business owners don’t use effective ad promotion (they use copycat advertising) they incorrectly assume that it’s because advertising doesn’t work. An advertisement is just salesmanship in print.

The Image Salesperson Almost every ad in any publication is image advertising, sometimes referred to as awareness advertising, which only gives you a picture to look at and a bit of information. All it really tells people is that you have a logo, a fact or two about your company, and your phone number. Imagine if that’s all your salespeople gave prospects when on a sales call.

The idea is that from here on out, you will only place direct response ads that represent your best sales presentation times 1000.

A direct response ad, like a good salesperson, does the following: Gets an appointment, offers proof that you can provide a solution, shares facts, and makes a very specific offer or defines next steps. So how do you accomplish all of that in a 2X3” ad?

Introducing Two-Step Direct Response Advertising Step one: You offer something at no cost, or very low cost. The point isn’t to make a sale but to start a relationship.

Step two: Your prospect responds to get his or her free how-to guide, tip sheet, industry insider scoop, or other valuable information, and you market to this group like crazy.

Your special report is full a reasons why they should hire you, so you know they are a highly qualified lead that already knows a lot about you. This group is also ready for your marketing kit.

Usually all they have to do is go to a Web site or call a number and part with a little basic information, and what they get in return is what they’re hoping to be some very valuable information.

The Benefits of Two-Stepping

• You can run a small, inexpensive ad because it’s your free report that will do the talking.
• The whole process can be automated, so that your time and energy are left free to focus on the prospects that have already demonstrated they are interested in what you have to offer.
• It’s very track-able. Every time someone calls or visits a Web page to get a report, you can track exactly where it came from, which helps you negotiate advertisements and fine-tune your budget.
• Because the value to the reader is very high and the risk is low, you will generate a much higher rate of response to your ads, and if educated properly, many of those prospects will eventually become clients.
• Your sales calls will be more productive because your prospects are already educated about the value you offer.
• This effectively eliminates the need for cold-calling. Those who are remotely interested will come to you.
• The use of special reports, tele-seminars, articles, and how-to tip sheets differentiates you from the competition and elevates your “expert status” within your industry.

What the Heck Should You Offer in Your Two-Step Ads? You’ve got to offer more than a thinly veiled sales brochure, or your efforts will suffer. You want to offer something that prospects will perceive as truly valuable. Human nature dictates that people want things that help them avoid pain or trouble.

Let them know you’ll help them avoid pain with titles that pertain to your business like:

• The Legal Tax Cuts Your Accountant May Not Even Know About
• How to Squeeze Every Last Drop of Value From Your Attorney
• Professional Mover’s Secrets to Packing
• How to Be Sure You Pay the Absolute Lowest Health Insurance Premium
• How to Create a Flood of New Business in 7 Simple Steps

The title needs a touch of drama in order to grab the reader’s attention. This 8-12 page document is sometimes referred to as a white paper, which can be printed and mailed or housed on a Web site as a PDF and downloaded on request.

But don’t limit yourself to white paper if you think there’s a better way to market what you do, such as a tele-seminar, audio CD, workshop, recorded phone message, or e-mail series.

Power Tip Hot topic tele-seminars can also feature information from related fields of interest by you interviewing other experts. This is a great way to form strategic partnerships and referral programs. Most companies that offer conference calls offer recording services as part of the package, so you’ll have that recording to use on your Web site or as a promotional CD, etc.

If the thought of an 8-12 page report scares you then just rough out a good topic, include the 10 or so points that you want included and then hire a good freelance writer on a Web service like www.elance.com to finish it up for you.

Free vs. Paid In some cases it is better to charge a small fee, which will make the prospect perceive it as more valuable. This will limit the response, but the response that you do get will be from highly qualified prospects. This could be for offerings like a book or a package of audio CDs from past tele-seminars etc.

Sampling Similar to the grocery store sampling on Saturday mornings, it is valuable to just get your product into people’s hands one way or another in the form of a sample pack, or a valuable audit or evaluation. You can let them try before they buy.

Offer Value Offer something of value and people will respond. It’s also a good idea to assign a dollar value of worth to your offering even if you’re giving it away for free. If you offer a workshop, for example, make sure that it is known to have a $79 value. Then OVERDELIVER on that stated value. Don’t worry that you’re giving away too much. This will position you as an expert and will be more than your competitors’ offer, and it will also build rapport and trust.

A Word about Cold-Calling Using the Two-step system you shouldn’t have to cold call, but if you do anyway then make sure you do it as follows:

“Hi, this is Bob Smith with XYZ consulting. If I had a ten-page report that shows business owners thirteen little known ways to dramatically cut their cost, would you be the person I should send that to?

A call that offers value instead of a sales pitch will get a better reception. Send the report and follow up in a week. This makes your prospecting time much more valuable.

Elements of an Effective Two-Step Direct Response Ad If you have to make a choice, pick ugly and simple over breathtaking and clever but that makes the prospect wonder, “Now what is it that you’re offering?”

You don’t have to be entertaining or clever. A confused prospect is no prospect at all.

The Duct Tape Marketing Ad Formula Headline— This is the heart and soul of an effective ad. It’s the audition for the rest of your ad, since the decision about whether they will read the rest of your ad will be made in one to two seconds or less. This is where you will spend the most time. The best headline gives some aspect of the offer you will make or the name of your Ideal Prospects, such as:

Free report reveals legal tax cuts that most accountants don’t even know about. Or Headache sufferers finally get relief from a pain—free report that provides little-known steps.

Benefits—Don’t talk about what’s in the report, talk about what problem it solves, and what they’ll get or have when they read the report.

Proof—Tell readers about someone who made a brilliant discovery or avoided an awful mistake as a result of the information you’re about to share. You can use happy client testimonials for this.

Offer—Depending on your business the free offer can be different things like a class, or a contest, as long as it gives a reason to act.

Call to Action—Tell them clearly what they need to do now. Make it easy to do. Offer different ways to take advantage of your offer, such as the option to dial a toll-free number or visit your Web site. Remember to state the dollar value of your free offering. Don’t worry if your ad is word heavy—your logo won’t mean much to the reader at this point anyway. If there’s room, you might want to show a picture of the free offering.

What Forms of Advertising Make the Most Sense for Your Business? The best form of advertising for your business is simply the one or ones that work. Look at advertising from a return on investment standpoint. You want bang for your buck, and here’s how to know what works:

1. Target your ads. Make sure the advertising you choose targets a good portion of your ideal market.
2. Test your ads. Your best performing ad is your control ad that you stick with as you try to outperform it with new ads.
3. Track your ads. In order to track ROI, you have to be able to track which ads your lead comes from. There are simple software programs that can do this for you. All you have to do is code every ad or mailing with a different URL. Telephone based tracking systems allow you to give a different number in each add that ultimately redirects to your main number, but lets you know which ad it stemmed from. Or you can use a low-tech approach like coding direct mail ads with different key codes or extension numbers, or simply having the reader note where they heard about your ad, either online or over the phone.

You can also run A/B split tests where you send identical offers to two different lists, or send half of one mailing list an offer with one headline and the other half an offer with the other headline. Then keep the winner and pit it against an ad with some other different element (like the offer itself or price value).

The Advertising Research That Really Matters Don’t be impressed by a salesman who promises that millions of people will see your ad. What matters is whether your target market will see your ad. Particularly in “free subscription” publications they may boast of high distribution numbers, but actually have few that really read it.

Ask your clients what publications they read and value over others and you will likely find some surprising trends. Another helpful thing is to call a handful of the ads in the medium you are considering and ask them—business owner to business owner—if they are happy with the results. Be wary if they aren’t allowed to speak directly about ad results.

Creating a Small Business Advertising Plan Beware of media salespeople who will get their numbers by telling you anything they think you want, and promise once in a lifetime offers if you act now.

Contact the media outlets that you believe serve your target market and ask them to send you a “media kit”. You then use this collection to analyze your options. You can create a simple spreadsheet to log the majority of possible opportunities. The spreadsheet should contain the name of the medium, contact info, distribution/subscriber numbers, cost of ad, and a calculation of the cost of ad per 1,000 listeners, readers or views — in the ad world this number is known as cost per thousand or CPM. (M is the Roman numeral for 1,000). Always compare CPM, because a low cost ad might actually be more expensive than a high cost ad if you compare the CPM.

Typical Small Business Advertising Opportunities —Pros & Cons Network television—high impact, but expensive and becoming less effective with other mediums growing in popularity.

Cable television—offers more ability to target niche markets and demographics. Company’s like Spot Runner (www.spotrunner.com) will even make a professional commercial for you from a customizable template for under $500.

Radio—can be a good tool for sale of promotion announcements with the right station. Public radio is less cluttered and offers a well-educated, higher income bracket demographic, and while you don’t get an actual ad, you do get an advertiser friendly mention as a sponsor that identifies what you do as well.

Local newspapers—can be a good choice for retail businesses, but can be a difficult medium to target your demographic for other businesses. Sometimes alternative newspaper or publications offer more targeted marketing.

Business newspapers—in some communities these can help you communicate with business-only markets, but make sure you can measure the results.

Magazines—are probably the riskiest choice because it’s generally expensive, and have a 90-day lag, but it can be high impact, and even national magazines like TIME, Fortune, and Newsweek offer regional advertising options. Don’t run this ad unless you have a proven winner.

Yellow pages—people come to you wanting what you offer, but your ad is surrounded by competitors. This form is losing traction to Internet alternatives, but if you do use it make sure that your ad offers a compelling reason to call you other than to get a price quote.

Outdoor—Billboards have limited appeal for most small businesses, but if ran in conjunction with other forms of advertising they can be an effective direct response vehicle, or used to announce a new product or trade show.

Direct mail— is likely the best option for most. You can purchase targeted mailing lists and control who gets your message. Small tests allow you to quickly confirm what does or doesn’t work.

Telemarketing—ineffective on its own, but can be useful as a follow-up to direct response ads.

Internet—offers new and ever-changing ways to advertise, especially since people are using it as the new yellow pages. Pay-per-click ads from major search engines allow you to test messages and headlines quickly and can be targeted to local terms and geographic areas. Even if PPC doesn’t generate you enough leads, it’s a great testing ground because you quickly get feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

Neighborhood—coupon ad packs, flyer distribution services and other co-op services might make sense for your business, but you always have to ask: Who does it target, and how much does it cost?

Create Your Own Advertising Vehicles—there’s no limit to the different creative ways you could advertise anywhere and everywhere.

Strategic Partnerships—sometimes it makes sense to co-market with a business than compliments your own.

Chapter 9: Direct Mail Is an Ideal Target Medium

Why is Direct Mail an Ideal Target Medium? When done right, direct mail offers both the ability to target a specific market and provides a high return on investment.

Imagine that you’re a homebuilder and you get two pieces of mail from a home stereo equipment provider. One says, “We have the home audio products your customers want”, the other says: “Homebuyers in Platypus Creek are demanding whole-house stereo & we’ll show you how to profit from that demand.”

Which one would you call? Try to always start with direct mail campaigns and then branch out from there when you identify winning ads. Rule of thumb is that if it does well in direct mail, it will do well in other more expensive forms of advertising.

Personalization Builds Trust Direct mail allows you to personalize everything you send out to the degree that you want.

The Perfect Testing Platform Direct mail also offers the best opportunity to test and track efforts. You can send 100 pieces and accurately assess whether you will meet your advertising goals. You could send 100 pieces to 5 different mailing lists and see which one works best. It’s low-risk, inexpensive and quick response, which makes it ideal for testing.

The List If you mail the right message to the wrong people, your message will fail. Look at your options. Can you buy a list that strongly reflects your Ideal Prospect? Mailing lists generally fall into two categories: public records and enthusiasts. You can shop for both. A publication called the Standard Rates and Data Service (SRDS) list over ten thousand mailing lists of all shapes and sizes for rent that let you customize the demographic you want.

The Perfect Mailing List Compiled lists and purchaser lists both have value, but the perfect list is a combination of both. Start with a list from a source like InfoUSA that meets your strict demographic profile. Then find a list from a magazine or catalog from SRDS that demonstrates a purchasing or enthusiast behavior that matches your offering. Then merge the lists to find prospects that reside on both lists—these are you ideal targets.

Your Hot Suspect List Once you’ve done your research you can load up these hot suspects into your ACT database. Then plan ahead in your budget to mail this list 6 times in the next 6 months, and keep track of your response and follow-up activities. Make sure the group size is manageable, for some a list of 500 is going to be adequate at first, and you can always expand your list as you go.

A More Qualified List It is always best to mail your marketing letters to the most qualified person in the company to purchase your product. It’s worth your time to call ahead and make sure you’re sending it to the right person. Most receptionists will provide a name when asked.

Your Sticky Sales Letter—Don’t Leave Home without It A sticky sales letter is always a work in progress.

Sticky Sales Letter Formula Headline—Even your sales letter needs a good headline, or you don’t stand a chance. Place it directly under the salutation in 18 or 24-point type and do one of the following:

• Ask a compelling question: “Do you know why…?”
• State your offer: “Free report reveals 101 ways to…”
• Identify the target: “Mechanical engineers find that…”

State & Stir the Problem—Right away let the reader know you understand their problem and frustrations with it. Detail the damage in terms of money, time, frustration or status their problem is causing.

Paint a Hopeful Picture & Solution—Begin to reveal what life would be like, or what it’s already like for others like them and then start layering on the benefits of your solution.

Answer Objections—answer the concerns that you know prospects have had in the past.

Make an offer—Offer your free report, workshop, CD, etc, or your low cost info product.

Create a Call to Action—Tell them how/why to contact you for this offer.

PS. End with P.S. This is called the second headline, because it’s the second most read part of a letter. Your P.S. should restate your offer or main benefit.

Writing Is a Master Marketing Skill A good marketing assistant can and will write well. Some people think they can’t write, but they can if they just get the ball rolling. You can always have someone edit your writing.

Create a swipe file, or a list of letters and offers you receive and hang on to for ideas of what works vs. what doesn’t. You might even want to get yourself on a direct mail list in order to get some of these letters. Write in a conversational style; maybe even include a good story. Write in active voice or have someone edit a passive voice to be active, and use sub-headlines so that those who prefer to skim your letter will have their eyes fall on the right spots. Then pretest your letter for readability by reading it out loud, making sure a 12 year old understands it, and getting feedback from your best clients or prospects.

Your Sales Letter Package Outer Envelope—while there are variables in different industries the rule of thumb is a #10 standard envelope, laser personalized, featuring your logo, return address and a real stamp works best. Real stamps seem to work better than getting a mailing permit, but you can test this and find out for yourself.

Great Things Come in Small Packages Postcards are an inexpensive way to supplement your primary offer with attention getting messages every month for a year. You can also use them for special client offerings, coupons, news announcements & new product announcements.

The US Post office has become a great resource for small businesses. You can go online and design business reply cards and envelopes.

Hand-Written notes are good old-fashioned marketing tools that can be fun to write and get a good response.

Lumpy Mail Always Gets Opened Some prospects are nearly impossible to reach with regular mailings, but they will open “lumpy mail” like boxes, balloon arrangements etc. If regular letters don’t work in your niche, then you could try something like hand delivering or mailing a colorful flyer with a Hershey’s bar attached. Try to connect your lumpy mail to an item that is a metaphor for your core message.

Repetition A good campaign usually involves 3 installments. Each piece should build on the last. Maybe you could send the lumpy piece first and let them know more is to come. People like a good mystery, but by the 3rd letter make it very clear what the call to action is.

How Much for Those Lumps Lumpy mail can get expensive, so be selective about whom you use it with, and always keep ROI in mind when doing so. When done right, it will bring in new clients.

A Consistent Contact Strategy You’ll want to consistently make contact with your “A” list prospects (those that responded for your free ad) throughout the year, because you never know at what point they’ll be ready to buy. You’ll also want to follow-up with a phone call every now and then.

Reactivate the Long Lost Customer You can tailor your new sticky sales letter to target former customers. Let them know about the new and improved you and that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get their business back.

Chapter 10: Earned Media Attention and Expert Status

Defining PR for the Small Business In 1983 Paul Hartunian carted off some construction debris from the Brooklyn Bridge and sold chunks of it with certificates. The stunt landed him on every talk show, and news channel. He now has a multi-million dollar PR firm.

Public relations activity for the small business consists primarily of gaining positive mention of your company or your products in newspapers, magazines, news shows, newsletter, Web sites, and journals read by some portion of your target market.

Why PR is so Powerful PR can help with lead generation because it makes your firm seem more credible. People are wary of advertising, but love a good story. A full-page ad in a magazine is expensive, but a full feature story about your business is free. It offers great Brand building and helps you connect with your target, and it resells your current clients, and even your staff, on how great you are. Reprints of articles also supply you with powerful marketing material.

The Keys to Positive PR Target your sources by making a media prospect list, and make sure you read those publications so you know what kind of stories they publish. Start small, and build relationships with editors and reporters by sending useful trends and information in your area of expertise. Be consistent and your efforts will pay off. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because one press release didn’t do much for you, that a subsequent one won’t either. Also, try to become a regular source of quotes by building a relationship with one or two reporters who can always call you when on a tight deadline whenever they need a quote.

What Makes a Good Story? Self-interested attempts will fail. You have to ask yourself if your story pitch is interesting, entertaining, informative, or useful. Have real news to share, and try to be the first to break the story. Everyone loves “the first ever to…” stories. Do have something unique to promote, and outrageous guarantee, technicians in tuxedos, or anything else unheard of? Do you have the foresight or a scoop on a coming trend—even in another part of the country—that might be of interest? Do you have a local angle on a national story? Have you overcome big adversity? Do you have a people story, maybe your company softball team has won or lost every game in 10 years, or maybe your firm repaired old houses for a charitable organization etc. Have you solved a common problem for your target industry that is noteworthy? Can you make an argument that goes against a current fad/perception in your industry? Media people are taught to present both sides of an issue, so if everyone is saying X, then they’ll welcome a chance to feature someone who says Z—just make sure it really is a good argument or you could end up looking foolish.

Your Media Prospect List You may want to create or buy a database of media contacts and store this in your ACT database as well. With a bit of Internet research you can likely compile your own. Radio and TV stations often feature talk shows and news digests that are hungry for new stories. You can include newsletter publishers, chambers of commerce, trade associations, clubs you are a member of, and even universities you attended.

When you pitch it, call whoever you think can cover the story and ask, “If I wanted to submit a story idea about design trends in commercial building (or whatever your idea is) would you be the person I should send it to?”

The PR Toolbox—Creating Sticky Pitch Letters, Press Releases, and PR Kits

The Pitch Letter Don’t waste a word. Hit journalists with your best shot in the first sentence as to why the angle on your story is worth their attention. Customize it to their readership, and prove that it’s a good fit for their media firm.

The Press Release Keep your press release to one page and focus on one topic. You aren’t writing a story for them, you’re getting them interested in why they could write a great story about this topic. The press release is the workhorse of your PR arsenal.

How to Format a Press Release Editors usually skip press releases that are not in the proper format. Here’s how to format one correctly:

For release—up top state when it can be released with either “For immediate release” or if it’s time sensitive then the date and time when it can be released.

Contact information—at the bottom of the release put “For more information” then state your name, direct phone, and email address.

The headline—as you now already know, 90 percent of all advertising effectiveness rides on the headline. Write 5 or 6 attention grabbing headlines and then see which one grabs at you most the next day. A typical headline would be “ABC Construction Wins Award for Project, whereas an attention-grabbing headline would be more like, “Local Contractor Outguns the Big Boys, Steals Coveted Prize”

(The author supplies several full-length examples of good press releases.)

Your Publicity Kit Here are the essentials of a good publicity kit that you should always have on hand.

Backgrounder—this gives a full history of your firm.

You Core Message—this highlights the primary benefits of doing business with you. This is where you promote how your firm is different. Stick to facts and stay away from hype.

Service descriptions—Describe the specialized services your firm offers.

Process descriptions—describe any unique processes that your firm has implemented like a 24-point daily job site clean-up routine etc.

Case Studies—Outline the specifics of some recently completed projects. Don’t sell, inform.

Founders—include a page or two on each of the firm’s owners or partners, including industry background and experience.

Photos—each founder of the firm should have a recent 5”x7” black and white print or high-quality digital photo on hand at all times. In your press kit you may also want relevant product photos.

The Duct Tape Marketing Pitch and Release Program You can use the release as bait if it’s just an announcement type release on distribution services such as PRWeb, but this isn’t usually the best route for feature stories. Some journalists like getting a quick phone pitch. If it’s a big story then target one reporter at a time with a powerful pitch letter and press release giving them the opportunity to be the first, or to have exclusive access to the story. Then move on to another if they’re not interested. Then follow-up by telephone to confirm they got it, and make sure you add some interesting detail or fact that was not in the release—that keeps them from being irritated by your call, since they’re probably busy.

The Media Interview

Here are some things to keep in mind if a reporter does call you for an interview:

When a reporter calls to schedule an interview find out the nature of the story he is working on, who the audience is and when he expects it will run. That will help you prepare. Don’t wing it. You need to communicate your company’s core message in a compelling manor. You want to script very quotable core message “bites”. Break the ice and build a little rapport by asking the reporter a question about them. Redirect to your core message when necessary with comments like: What’s important to consider…What we can take from this point is…You might also be interested in knowing…etc.

Don’t panic if you get a question you aren’t prepared for. Simple explain that you don’t have an answer for them yet, but that you will get it to them. Then follow up with it. Also, make sure to leave them with powerful last words when they ask if there anything more you’d like to ad at the end of the interview. Prepare a takeaway that will help your story by providing where they can find more information like your website, contact information and other relevant information sources.

Writing Articles for Publicity You’re an expert at what you do, so chances are that there is a magazine out there that would welcome an article about your expertise. Published articles are very credible tools for your referral sources

Chapter 11: Ramp Up a Systematic Referral Machine

People love to give referrals because it feels good to help others grow their business, and it makes them look smart, so don’t be afraid to ask for referrals. Referrals offer great ROI, since they bring you more qualified clients who borrow trust from the referral source, and have fewer issues regarding price because they tend to value your services more.

What you need to do is make everyone who has contact with your firm so happy that they are dying to tell others about their experience.

People refer businesses that make them feel good. People also want to pass along information about a good buy, deal or experience because it puts them in the position of being the smart friend in the know.

Rules of Referral Marketing Referrals only come to those who deserve them, but you want to introduce the idea of referrals up front. Ask for referrals early on when clients are still enchanted with you, because later on they will naturally forget about some of the value you brought to them.

Educate your referral sources about what you want, what your core message is, and let your referral sources know your process for how you will contact the referral and follow up with them. Some people are reluctant to give referrals because they’re wary about what you’ll do with them. Make sure they’re comfortable with your system.

Make it easy for them to refer you by suggesting what they could tell their friends and family. Give them some business cards and other materials that might help them refer you. If they know someone on your target list, you might want to ask them to specifically refer you to that individual.

Follow Up! Let them know when you contact one of their referrals and how it went, especially when that referral becomes a client. The more your referral sources feel like they are succeeding at helping your firm prosper, the more eager they will be to continue. Thank your referral sources in genuine, meaningful ways.

Reward Your Sources Some industries do not allow you to rewards referrers, but most do not. You can offer lower prices, gifts, or free product. Maybe you can publicly thank them at a referral appreciation dinner or refer business back to them.

Again, ask for referrals when you hear your clients saying positive things about your service, that’s a natural time to ask if they know someone else who might likewise benefit.

The Simplest Referral Tactic on the Planet If you tell clients up front that one reason why you offer amazing services at such a low price is because you expect all of your clients to refer at least 3 new clients to you within 3 months. If they commit to it upfront then most people have no problem coming up with referrals for you. Make sure they know that your company thrives on referrals, and you treat everyone referred to you with great care and service.

Consider offering a partial of full refund for your services to people who successfully bring you new clients.

A Referral by a Different Name Consider making strategic referral partnerships with others in your industry. For example, a plumber could agree to give out an electrician’s coupon when on a service call, and vice versa.

You can ask referral sources to send letters of endorsement about you to their client databases, and let them keep a portion of the revenue. The best way to get what you want is to give. Get in the habit of referring others and they will do the same for you—keep that in mind while networking. Online referral networks like Ryze and LinkedIn are also gaining in popularity.

Speak and Grow Opportunities Workshops and unpaid speaking engagements are both great strategies for gleaning referrals. Tell your audience that everyone who drops their business card into a bowl will get something of value sent to them (your free report etc).

Chapter 12: Automate Your Marketing with Technology Tools

There are marketing automation tools that allow for mass personalization. No matter what your industry is, makes sure that you embrace the Internet.

A Lead Capture System You can use your Web site to capture leads by offering your free report etc. for a bit of their information like email address. If you send readers to your Web site then it is often a good idea to create landing pages created specifically for your ad promotion, so it is easy for them to fill out the form and get their free product.

Auto-responders Web-based services such as Aweber.com or software programs can make it easy to auto-respond. The information they send is preloaded, so that they automatically send out a welcome letter a few days later after the reader fills out the form and downloads the offer. It can be a short note thanking them for downloading your report and making a new offer.

Chapter 13: Turn Prospects into Clients and Clients into Partners with an Advanced Education System

What Happens When the Phone Actually Rings? So a hot prospect calls in, now what?

1. Discovery— find out if they are indeed your Ideal Prospect.
2. Presentation— present your offer. It might be helpful to use a quasi-scripted presentation, so that any employee can do it.
3. Transaction— start the “first purchase” transaction process by taking the order, deliver the good or executing an agreement, such as make an in-person appointment.

Say Thank You to No, Too When you get a prospect that emails you “No thanks, we’re going to go with XYZ Company instead”, resist the temptation to hit delete. Instead hit reply and graciously thank them for considering you and include something of value, like maybe an article on the subject they were most interested in. Then hit delete. They will appreciate your graciousness and it will keep the door open for marketing to them in the future.

Part 3: Getting on a Roll! (Find Out What Works and Do More of It)

The Power of Positive Expectancy You’ve heard it before, but it really works: people who expect good things get good results. If you expect your clients to be happy with your services then they will be. If you expect your clients to share referrals, they will. If you know your direct marketing piece will bring in prospects, then it will. Keep doing what works, and do more of it. Always be on the look out for new approaches.

Sure you need good marketing tools to back you up, but positivity is powerful.

Chapter 14: Commit to Your Marketing with a Plan, Budget, and Calendar

Set Marketing Goals and Communicate Them Little has been written about the importance of goal-setting in regards to marketing, but it can be very powerful if you:

1. Truly want to accomplish you goal
2. Believe that it is possible to accomplish
3. Put it in writing
4. Detail the benefits of achieving the goal
5. Set a deadline for achieving the goal
6. List what stands in the way of achieving your goal
7. List what skills, knowledge, and people you will need to assist you
8. You must have a plan to accomplish the goal
9. You must constantly revise your plan
10. You must make a commitment

A Word about Your Time Time is money. Be careful that you’re not spending your valuable time doing things that will not increase your income. It might be helpful to take one day and track how you spend every minute to get an idea if the activities you participate in are money generators or not.

Make It a Game — Have Rules and a Way to Win Get your team involved. Consider offering incentives and bonus money to those who —within the capacity of their job— contribute to happy customers.

Tell the World Where You Are Headed Don’t be shy about letting your clients, employees and prospects know about your aspirations for your firm. Stating your goals creates clarity and action. If you know where you want to be in 5 years, then put that out there for the world to see, so everyone—including you—knows where you’re headed.