When I ask clients about their marketing goals for next year, I’m usually told, “Make more money.” Sometimes they may have a particular revenue goal in mind, but few are more specific than that.
There are only two ways to make more money:
(click on headline for more…)
In one of last week’s posts, I discussed how one garden center doubled sales largely by hiring someone who understood the value of promotion and knew how to do it well.
The other day, the same point hit home when talking to a friend who wholesales potted bulbs sold as gifts. Last Christmas, two of his clients, both prominent gardening catalogers with similar customers, carried the same gift basket. Company A included it in their catalog with hard-to-see photography, a pretty mundane headline, and almost no description.
Company B used dramatic photography, a powerful headline, and compelling copy. Not only did they put the item in their catalog, but they tested it as a featured item in their email promotions, and it flew off the shelves. Naturally, they continued the promotions, and they had a hard time keeping it in stock. The marketing manager dubbed it a home run.
Meanwhile, Company A is dropped the product this year because it didn’t sell well enough.
I chuckled when I heard the story. I’ve been getting newsletters from Company A for years with subject lines like “September Newsletter from Company A” while Company B’s newsletter subject lines always include strong benefits and calls to action.
I’ll bet you anything that Company A is bemoaning how tough it is doing business in today’s economy. Meanwhile, I’ve read that Company B’s business is up 40% in 2008. Sounds like a classic example of making your own luck!
Steve Cissel of 10-20 Media, a publisher of several online directories of lawn, garden and green products, has proposed an interesting idea: an industry campaign focusing on our “oxygen footprint.” In other words, promote the beneficial effects of gardening as an antidote to the much-discussed carbon footprint. For more details, take a look at Cissel’s website and forum.
Last June, a few dozen industry leaders gathered to discuss the possibility of a national advertising campaign to promote the gardening industry as a whole. See the Branchsmith Open Register Blog for more details.
What are your thoughts on the best way to foster more interest in gardening among the general public?
An article I read recently in Target Marketing reminded me of a lesson I learned from a business coach many years ago. The topic: the three types of buyers you’ll encounter when selling business-to-business products or services. Since each one is motivated by different types of appeals, it’s important to know how to sell to each one of them. The buyer types are…
I’m a stickler for tracking results. But sometimes I have to remind both myself and my clients that making sales isn’t always the only yardstick by which to measure success…
In the Summer 2008 issue of our newsletter, Let’s Grow, I argued that traditional catalogers better start embracing some new strategies if they expect to stay in business. Postage, paper and fuel costs coupled with the real possibility of “do not mail” legislation are stacking the decks against business-as-usual marketing.
A recent report by Forrester Research [...]
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