Clientconnector’s Blog

Whether your goals to reach are for sales goals, employee or client loyalty, continuity programs can enhance your business.

It doesn’t take a marketing expert to know that the more times anyone sees  a marketing message, the more likely they are to notice it, and remember it.  Take for example, E-Trade ads that incorporate the familiar kids into different settings, or milk ads that picture different famous people sporting a milk moustache. Thanks to the consistency in the companies’ marketing efforts over a number of years, most people will instantly recognize the ads and the brands they represent.  You laughed at those kids didn’t you?

You don’t have to be a high roller to make the same concepts work for your company. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from the power of continuity. Whether you’re striving for  sales goals, employee or client loyalty, continuity programs designed to showcase you, and or your company can help achieve goals.

One of the most common types of continuity programs is one that shows client or employee appreciation by sending out related cards, and or gifts at certain intervals of time. The continual reminders of your company’s name and goodwill creates a positive impression with recipients.

But, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Developing an effective theme and selecting products that complement that theme are very important to making your program a success. And that’s where your promotional business manager comes in.

“The most effective programs are those that don’t replicate items or products in a row.”Carefully planned continuity programs can be used to influence all sorts of behaviors. Applying the concept to the workplace, companies can encourage employees to work at a high level and make their businesses more successful.

Some say that the client is number one, I feel your employee is number one.  When you have happy employees that feel part of a team, and valuable, and appreciated, then your clients will be happy.

Today’s shaky economy and unstable job market can leave many employees feeling anxious about their jobs. Budget cutbacks and fewer bonuses could cause top employees to start looking elsewhere. Did you know that employed people get hired 30% faster than unemployed.  You don’t want your employees looking elsewhere. While companies have no control over some of these factors, they can make employees feel more secure by showing their appreciation. The whole idea of an employee recognition program is to touch on the intangible, the non-monetary, the non-verbal area of what keeps employees happy and focusing on retention.  You’ve got to not only attract good people to your company, you have to get them trained and retain them. If you retain your good people, your overhead costs go down.

Continuity programs are key for the success of your business inside, and outside your company.  Do you have the key?

A lot of experts will agree that spending aggressively in marketing makes sense in a recession – but there’s a thought you will have to address. What if business is slow, and you don’t have the money to aggressively launch a new marketing campaign; but if you don’t launch a new marketing campaign, it’s hard to get business to pick up.

Putting that issue aside, now is a good time to get started. Consumer confidence is starting to pick up and there are signs that the recent federal stimulus is helping the economy see a start of a recovery.

So what do you do if you don’t have that extra money in your budget, but it’s time to start new marketing efforts?  Here are a few low, and even a few no cost marketing tactics you can start right now.

Ramp up an existing marketing program with your existing marketing program you currently are using or have used in the past and take a fresh look at it. Think out of the box about what you could do if you spent just 10% more on that program: not just more ads or direct mail pieces, but some new edge, offer, or special promotion. Consider utilizing a paper-bag like insert into the Sunday papers. Sure, the cost is more than their typical Sunday newspaper flyer – but it stands out as a fun, and creative piece.

Next take control of your online presence This may or may not be your idea of marketing, but more and more conversations and interactions with your company are happening online – and they’re not all going to be on your web site, if you have one. They may start with a blog, or a response you make to others promos

Stake claim to your local listing on Google, Bing, MSN, Yahoo, and other major search engines. The idea is to make sure you’re in control of what the search engines are saying is the truth about your business. If your business is covered by industry review sites like for instance a travel agency may be covered by Yelp, TripAdvisor, or other consumer like sites, make sure you’re registered on those sites as well, so you can respond to any potentially damaging review.

Another idea is to pick a, trade show, newspaper ad, mail piece , and or an online campaign – any single marketing activity – and come up with a creative way to spruce it up, make it stand out, making it your own.

If there are no sites that exist for your business, you will want to look for professional forums, associations, and other online hangouts where your customers are talking to each other. You may not be familiar with these places yourself, but they are out there, if you’re not at least paying some attention to them, you are missing out on a chance to build relationships.

Hope this information has helped you think a little more outside the box when it comes to marketing. And I will give you more ideas next time!

Like many of us around the world today I am thinking of how Michael Jackson was a part of my life.  I feel like I grew up with MJ, listening over and over to my favorite song Rockin Robin.  Talked to my sister Donna this morning and asked about her favorite song, and remembering for me growing up at a resort at the Lake of the Ozarks, and putting the quarters in the jukebox over and over to hear Rockin Robin.  Those were different times I think for all of us, we were young, innocent children seeing someone our age out thing having fun, and “one of us” per say.  Living at the lake there weren’t any black families, and we were told that our resort was one of the few that “allowed” ( I hate saying that) black people to come to a resort.  How sad that is to think it was ever accepted to not accept others to live life, and, enjoy time with their families no matter what their heritage is.  We were poor when we were growing up, but we didn’t know it. We listened to his music and smiled, danced, and celebrated life.  Sure some reading this will say……………poor? ~ you lived at a resort on the lake.  Yes we were poor, my parents spent their life savings to buy this resort, with 6 children to raise, and soon to be 7, and my father working at a lumber yard for .50 cents an hour.  So yes we were poor, but that’s not why I’m writing this.

I just wanted I guess to send my condolences to his family, Michael led a life in later years that I can not and will not condone in anyway, but that doesn’t take the pain from the family he leaves behind.  He was their brother, Uncle, son, and they now have a loss in their hearts.  He gave me good memories from my childhood, and for that I will say thank you Michael.  He does have a place in music history, and he will live on in that.  To his family I know your pain, and I wish you comfort and peace during this time of grief.

What is needed in a recession or any other time is smart marketing.  Also marketing is not just about advertising. One could cut the advertising budget but still come up with clever marketing initiatives around say price or packaging. Offers such as bundle pricing for companies, and also launching smaller pack sizes to get more people at the lower end of the market. Partnering with retail outlets to offer value say ‘ or this weekend only’ price downs could be useful. This is what really lacks not just in a recession. Good ideas.The result is that marketing suffers in a recession. Coming up with smart measurable ideas that need not cost lots of money is what will make business owners respect marketing not defending it.

You might have a direct mailer made for you with a bonus included from another company such as:  A dentist mailing out a birthday card to their clients with a coupon for a free flower at a local flower shop.  This is a great marketing bundle as the dentist is making the patient feel special by having a birthday card mailed, and the flower shop just got a possible new customer coming through their door with the coupon.  Have the partnering company pay a percentage of the cost of the mailing, as it is advertising for them also.  Massage Therapist can be a stress reliever for those that find going to a dentist, and or attorney a stressful visit.

Recently I met with a company that does senior respite care, and suggested they could market travel agencies. There are many baby boomers out there that want to and do take care of their parents, but need a break, or have to travel for work.  Senior care for those times are so important, as you want to know your loved ones are taken care of when you want and or need to be away.  One of their clients actually schedules a break from their aging parent that lives with them.  So the senior care company could partner with a hotel to give a discount to the caregiver that needs the break.

Partnering up for your marketing can help your marketing budget bottom line, and build possibly two businesses at once.  Who do you know that you could partner up with?  You might be surprised at who you could partner with that is needing the same as you, but just hadn’t thought about the opportunities available.