How to Create a Marketing Plan Inspired by the Olympics

National pride swells at the Olympics. Amateur athletes find new heroes, and Americans take their passion for sports and athletic competition to a whole new level. This Friday marks the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games and we’re beside ourselves with excitement. But our enthusiasm is more about your business than it is about the games.

As professional marketers we’re passionate about spreading the word. That’s why the Summer Olympics have us dreaming up new ways for you to promote your products and services.
Trademark and sponsorship issues make any mention of the official Olympics a no-no for your marketing plan. But don’t swear off the games just yet. Use them as inspiration to liven up your marketing strategy. Keep reading to learn how to infuse your marketing plan with the spirit of the Olympics.

For the Love of the Game

The Olympics demand national attention every four years because there’s an event for everyone. From basketball to badminton, synchronized swimming to weightlifting, the Olympic games are so diverse that they appeal to every kind of audience member.

Think of your business’s suite of services as the event list at the Olympics. One offering will fit the needs of one customer, but not another. Your goal is to match up the right product with the right client.

Game, Set, Match

Direct mail works because it forges connections between your business and its prospects or customers. It’s the best way to help your leads find their perfect match. A personalized direct mail campaign initiates a relationship between your business and your prospects. It’s a way to introduce your company and subtly show leads that your products will solve their challenges.

You’ve got to do your homework before inventing the perfect direct mail piece for your dream prospect. Get the most out of personalized direct mail by referring to solid data first. With data to backup your piece, your marketing campaign will be worthy of a gold medal.

The Winning Combination

Champion swimmer Michael Phelps has already won sixteen gold medals, and he’ll surely earn more at the London Olympics. There’s a lesson in Phelps’ training schedule for the games too: he doesn’t just workout in the pool. Phelps also logs long hours in the weight room.

Model your business’s marketing campaign after Phelps’ hybrid training regimen. Your direct mail piece can start the conversation with prospects, but coordinated signage and other promotional pieces may close the deal.

When you get hooked on watching the Olympics in the coming weeks, keep an eye out for competitive wisdom to shake up your marketing plan.

You can read more print, marketing, and design blogs on our website : Minuteman Press News Archive

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Let the Customers Do the Work With User Generated Content

Recently Google shared that 70% of brand content is created by consumers. And that’s a good thing if you have loyal customers, because Google tells us that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know. So maybe it’s time to show the people who trust your company just how much you trust them. Put some of the marketing responsibilities in their hands. That may seem like you’re giving up control, but through the use of User Generated Content (UGC), you can involve your customers to have them help do some marketing work for you. Here are some ways that you can use UGC to boost your credibility and business:

Get Their Feedback

One of the easiest ways to use UGC is to simply ask customers how you’re doing. You can set up a place for feedback on your website or you can even ask customers to fill out a short response card in person. Either way, you’re gathering UGC that will help you better understand what they want. Surveys are another great way to check up on your customers. Make sure to specifically target what you’re trying to find out before you send out the survey. By asking concise and direct questions, you’re sure to get helpful answers. Then, you can use the information you gather to show prospects what other customers thought of your company.

Be the Buzz

In order to market yourself using UGC, you need your customers to talk about your company. Social media is a great way to utilize this aspect of UGC. If you’re not already using social media, maybe it’s time to add it to your marketing plan. Social media puts you where your customers are playing. Once you have your social media in place, pose questions where your followers can reply. Make sure the questions spark discussion for the best responses. On certain sites, followers will be able to tag you in a post where all of their friends will see that your customers are talking about your company. Another great way to get them talking is to post articles in a blog that you can share on your website and in social media. Leave a section for comments so customers can react to your posts.

Monitor the Conversation

Once you provide opportunities for UGC, you need to remain involved in the conversation. If you’re asking questions, conducting surveys or allowing for comments on your blog posts, you need to monitor and reply back to your customers. If you’re not involved in the conversation, they will stop leaving comments because they feel that it is not worth their time.

And don’t forget, even if you’re not actively involved in a UGC plan for your business, customers are still talking about you online. An easy way to check out what’s being said is to set up Google Alerts. With this service, you’ll receive an email when the keywords you’ve selected, such as your name our your company’s name, are mentioned on the web.

You can read more print, marketing, and design blogs on our website : Minuteman Press News Archive

Minuteman Press
4185 Sunbeam Road, Suite 100 • Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Phone: 904-733-5578 • Fax: 904-733-6568
sales@mmpjax.com

Must-Have Mobile Apps for Marketing Professionals

Boost your mobile marketing with some supercharged business Apps.

By now, we all know there’s an app for that. Mobile apps let you play games, track your workout or keep up with the news. While mobile apps continue to generate fun for everyone and make life a little easier, they shouldn’t be overlooked for business use as a marketer. What once took hours to acquire or produce can now be found at your fingertips in a matter of seconds. So what are you waiting for? Here are the top must-have mobile apps for marketers. Don’t miss out on your chance to better reach clients and to get easy access to information on your latest marketing endeavor.

Social Media All In One App

With all the social media sites popping up, it’s hard to keep track of the posts you’ve made and which site you made them on. But with social media aggregation apps like HootSuite or Alternion, you can manage all the sites in one place. These apps gives you access to popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and LinkedIn, among others. Most even allow you to check and send emails directly from the app. Take control of the social media dashboard and jumpstart your social media marketing campaign. Start with the free mobile app to maximize your social media presence today.

Optimize Your Search Rankings Apps

With an SEO app, you can easily monitor your websites’ search engine ranking. Try the app called SEO Ranking by Leon Huang. The app costs $2.99, but you’ll be able to insert unlimited websites and unlimited keywords for your rankings. And with a five star rating and the title of a top 50 iPad business app, it’s proved its value. There's also SEO Automatic by JAH Media, LLC. As a free app, you'll be able to check your SEO rankings on major Engines but only the paid version allows emailing of the reports to any address. With these great apps you’ll love the SEO data available right on your phone or tablet.

Apps for Analytics

Every marketer knows that one of the most important concepts to figure out is how your clients respond to marketing materials in hard numbers. After all, if you get a great response then you’re doing something right with your marketing. With a mobile app called Analytics App by Inblosam LLC, you can have access to more reports and data from Google Analytics. The app costs $5.99, and it gives you access to 55 reports. If you don’t want to spend money on an analytics app, try the app Analytics by Applidium. This app takes your current Google Analytics account and gives you live info direct from Google on your smartphone.

You can read more print, marketing, and design blogs on our website : Minuteman Press News Archive

Minuteman Press
4185 Sunbeam Road, Suite 100 • Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Phone: 904-733-5578 • Fax: 904-733-6568
sales@mmpjax.com