Four things you need to know about your prospects

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four things marketers need to know about their prospectsDo you have high hopes for your marketing campaign? Of course you do, why would you put time, money and loads of effort into a plan that you expected to fail? With great idealism you look forward to the moment when the leads start rushing in. The problem is, they don’t. So what went wrong?

Most marketing pieces make one classic mistake – they don’t address the consumer’s problems. If you don’t present them with their problem, do prospective clients have an incentive to respond? Before you plan your next email campaign, direct mail piece or online campaign, consider the following…

Four things you need to know about your prospects:

  1. They are skeptical. Chances are they’ve had bad experiences and been burned by others making promises in the past. You have to earn their trust.
  2. They want professional guidance. If they knew how to do it they wouldn’t be searching for answers in the first place, d’uhh! Offer a little bit of knowledge and detailed instructions on how to take the next steps. Continue reading →

Groupon: Google, you can’t have everything

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Groupon rejects Google takeoverSo the latest buzz is, of course, all about the two big G’s: Groupon vs. Google.

It’s a battle for the new business age. An interesting duel that has no doubt left Google with a bitter taste in its mouth after Groupon’s rumored rejection of the search monster’s $6 billion bid.

Take a second to think about what I just said – Just two years into existence, this rookie online local marketing phenom has built an empire that Google (which pretty much runs the world at this point) is willing to offer $6 billion to own. Which means that the nice people at Google probably think Groupon is worth even more than that – or at least to them it would be.

They may still publicly be going through negotiations, but we think the subtext sounds a lot more like this…

Groupon: Na na nana na! No deal!

Google: Well sh*t!!

Continue reading →

How your Common Sense is hurting your Marketing Sense

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Little Caesars Slogan MarketingThere was a great article posted this week on Ad Age by Al Ries that really hits a point most people do not understand about marketing.  That point is the difference between common sense and marketing sense.  While both are crucial to business operations, you cannot run your operation without one or the other.

Everyone remembers the “Pizza, Pizza” slogan of the 90’s used by Little Caesars, but what most people don’t know is where they are today.  They are virtually invisible.  Ranking as the second largest pizza chain in 1994, they are now sitting in 4th well behind the current leaders Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.

What happened to Little Caesars is simple. Continue reading →

Are you lovin’ McDonald’s 24-year promo campaign?

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mcdonalds monopolyFor 24 years now, McDonald’s has used one of the most popular promotional games that will always seem to get people excited.  This genius marketing idea lures people in with the chance of winning cash prizes, cars, vacations, gift certificates, as well as free food.  It is extremely rare to see a promotional contest last this many years but I have a feeling this one is here to stay.  Over the past few years the prizes have been getting larger and larger with the top prize being $1 million.  This has only added to the hype as you can see advertisements about the monopoly game on TV, billboards, and hear them on the radio.

Students at the University of Michigan have gotten involved as they created their own blog about their McDonald’s Monopoly experience.  They have vowed to keep track of their game pieces and statistics based on the winning percentages of each item they purchase.  They want to find out if the more expensive items have a greater chance of winning as well as testing McDonald’s claim that one in four wins.  Bargaineering, a personal finance blog, has even posted tips on how to win with the McDonald’s Monopoly game.

What is most exciting for the players is the vast amount of prizes offered by the game.  McDonald’s has teamed up with EA Sports, Wal-Mart, Ford, Beaches Resorts, and several other companies to offer a wide variety of prizes in the U.S.  The contest ends today, so if you’re looking to get that $1 Million top prize good luck.  Although, the guys at University of Michigan say the cheapest item you can get a game piece on is a 24 cent medium water…happy hunting.