Magicdude Marketing

Marketing Lessons From Magicians

Email Marketing Works – Here’s Proof

March 22nd, 2010

Email marketing has become an integral part of small business marketing success.  Today’s small business owner understands the importance of using email in their business.

I talked recently about what type of information to include in emails to your customers and why you don’t need a website to launch an email campaign.

Today I want to stress WHY you should be using email.  With email you can:

  1. Direct customers to your website
  2. Announce your latest projects
  3. Target your audience
  4. Track who opens your email and what they’re interested in
  5. Get feedback from customers
  6. Crate a much larger impact on immediate sales and long-term relationship strength than traditional advertising
  7. Provide training
  8. Save money – no paper, printing, postage
  9. Increase sales – It’s easier to sell to existing customers than it is to find new customers
  10. Provide product support
  11. Build trust with customers
  12. Educate customers on consumer trends
  13. Put your business on autopilot with autoresponders
  14. Notify customers of current events
  15. Offer free or discounted products/services
  16. Measure results with tracking

Need Proof? Look At These Statistics.

The Ad Effectiveness Survey commissioned by Forbes Media in Feb/March 2009 revealed that email and e-newsletter marketing are considered the second-most effective tool for generating conversions, just behind SEO.

79% of consumers have signed up to receive e-mail at least from one company, according to Forrester Research, and two out of three people surveyed said they read e-mail every day of the week. (E-commerce Times)

E-mail marketing delivers a US$51.45 return on investment (ROI) for every marketing dollar spent, according to the Direct Marketing Association.

A survey of 55,000 consumers by Decision Direct Research revealed that the number of respondents that visited a Web site when they received an e-mail promotion increased to 62 percent in 2007. (E-commerce Times)

66% of those surveyed said they had made a purchase because of a marketing message received through email. – ExactTarget, “2008 Channel Preference Survey” (2008)

2/3rd of US Internet users surveyed said email was their preferred channel for written communications between friends. – ExactTarget, “2008 Channel Preference Survey” (2008)

Consumers who receive both email and direct mail on average contribute about $17 in revenue and $4 in margin per household.- Merkle “Driving Successful Email and Direct Mail Integration” (2010)

‘Social media ROI’ was an important buzzword for 36% of executives. – Anderson Analytics and Marketing Executives Networking Group “Marketing Trends Report 2010″ (2010)

58% of US Marketing Executives feel ‘Marketing ROI’ is currently the most important buzzword/trend to pay attention to. – Anderson Analytics and Marketing Executives Networking Group “Marketing Trends Report 2010″ (2010)

Email presently generates 21.6% of total revenue from campaigns. – Direct Marketing Association “The Integrated Marketing Media Mix” (2008)

Discussion

What would you add to the list of reasons you should use email?  Have you seen any interesting statistics that reinforce the importance of using email?  Please share your comments below.

Does Your Business Make Noise Or Make Beautiful Music?

March 19th, 2010

I was reading an old magic book the other day, “Tarbell Course in Magic”, published in 1927.  One particular paragraph really jumped off the page for me.  I would like to share it because I think it has a valuable lesson you can apply to your business.

    “There is a big difference between a magician and a man who does tricks.  One can give medicine to a friend but that does not make him a doctor.  Giving medicine is only a small factor.  One must be able to diagnose, so as to treat, and be trained for emergencies.  It requires years to make a physician.”

The author was making the point that the making of a magician is no different than that of other professional people.  A business owner must be trained in the mechanics of business, the alternate methods of operation, and be skilled in delivering the company’s product or service.  Background is crucial to success.  You must understand business and your customers.

A musician is not just a person who plays a piece of music.  He had to first learn the scales, then how to combine notes into harmony.  Proper timing is also important.  Studying music history builds an understanding of art.  Many individual elements create the “whole” musician.

Your business is much like the musical instrument.  A business owner must learn how to play the instrument.  One person plays a guitar and the audience cringes at the awful sound.  Carlos Santana plays his guitar and you immediately know the music comes from his soul, mesmerizing his audience with beautiful music, holding them spellbound for hours.  The difference – he spent hours on fundamentals to ensure he had a foundation on which he could build his unique sound.

One business owner sends an email to his list and 50% of the recipients unsubscribe because they feel it was spam.  Another entrepreneur sends an email, and customers rush back to his place of business or hurry to check out his website to get more information.

He is successful because he understands business fundamentals.  Things like It’s About Them, Not You or Customers Buy Benefits, Not Features.  He understands what marketing really means.  He also knows it’s important to be authentic.  All these pieces form the successful business.  Leave any fundamental out, and you start on a path to failure.

This sounds so simple, many will overlook the importance of the basics.  I often get caught up in the latest greatest technology or some cool new shiny object.  There’s a time a place for these things, but they won’t help if I don’t have a strong foundation to build on.

What are some fundamental practices you should be reviewing for your business?  Do you think it’s important or a waste of time?

Drive Your Customers Away With Email Spam

March 18th, 2010

It’s really easy to do.  Just send a sales message to everyone on your list, two or three times a week.  That should do the trick.  If that doesn’t work, throw in some emails that tell your customers how cool you are and why all your competitors are idiots.  If you really want to get creative, add some insults.  Tell them how stupid they are for not coming back to buy more stuff.  Maybe you could scare them into buying some stuff.  Tell them they will get wigetosis of the frilium and likely die if they don’t use your product or take your advice.

Sound ridiculous?  It’s not!  These tactics really work.  I see it every day.  I subscribe to about 100 email lists.  I see these tactics over and over again.  It’s crazy!  I’m living proof these type of emails get results.  They prompt me to unsubscribe. Leave. Bye-bye. I’m outa here. Don’t contact me again!

But you and I are smarter than that, right?  We would rather nurture our list and keep our customers coming back.  It’s easy to send spam.  Not as easy to stay in touch and provide value.  But that’s OK, because we know it adds to our bottom line over the long run.

I’ll be the first to admit I get stuck when trying to come up with new ways to add value with existing customers.  I consult with restaurant owners, chiropractors, and beauty salons.  Here are some ideas I have suggested for their email campaigns.  They don’t need a website to use the ideas.  As a general rule I ask my clients to send at least one email a week, two at most, to their list.  If I maintain the list for them, I have a strict rule of sending 3 to 4 “useful content”  emails before they are allowed to send a “sales” message.  These are messages that work, in no particular order of effectiveness

  • Tips, tricks, training on using a new product
  • Questions about what they like/don’t like about your product/service
  • Tell stories “A funny thing happened [on the blog], [in the store] today”
  • Employee spotlight mini-bio
  • Happy birthday
  • Calendar of upcoming events
  • Pictures of the staff and their families
  • Comments from other customers
  • Product use ideas from customers
  • Testimonials
  • Recipes (restaurant)
  • Exercise tips (chiro)
  • How to save time or money with something related to your service… without having to purchase anything
  • Holiday ideas
  • Invitation to comment on your blog
  • News in your niche
  • Have a prize drawing
  • Video tour of your office or store
  • Ask for customer photos to share on your website
  • Ask them to rate your emails

Conclusion

Provide value in your communication first.  Your customers will be more receptive to future offers if they know you care about them.

What would you add to this list?  What’s working for you?

St. Patrick’s Day – A Toast

March 16th, 2010

I don’t have a single drop of Irish blood in me. On March17th every year, you would think I was born and raised in Ireland.  I’ve been to Ireland.  It’s an amazing place filled with unbelievable beauty.  And the people of Ireland… the friendliest I have ever met.  Today is St. Patrick’s day.  Today I’m Irish.

The businessman inside me says get to work.  Help those small business owners get more customers in the door.  Sorry, it will have to wait till tomorrow.  There’s a parade coming and I hear the Guinness man calling.

If you’re as crazy as I am about St. Patrick’s day, please share your story in the comment section below.

St. Patrick’s Day Toast
Here’s to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold beer – and another one!

The Show Must Go On! – Be Sure You’re Motivated

March 15th, 2010

“I don’t feel like working today.  I’ve been really pushing hard lately.  I think I’ll sleep in this morning.”  Remember when you tried that on your boss?  I bet it didn’t work very well.  Sure, we all need a break once in a while.  Yes, it’s hard to stay motivated sometimes.  Yeah, I know, the world owes you for what you’ve already done.  Blah, blah, blah… Get over it!

If you’re a business owner, you made a commitment to serve your customers.  Entertainers probably understand this better than anyone.  A Broadway show does not get canceled because one of the cast members woke up with a runny nose.  David Copperfield doesn’t cancel a sold out show because he woke up that morning in a bad mood.  David Letterman doesn’t cancel a show because he would rather go to a baseball game that day.  The Show Must Go On!

Before you start arguing with me about the circumstances out of your control, keep in mind a good businessperson will usually have a ‘Plan B’ .  That is not the point of this article.  I’m talking about the commitment you made to your customers, and what to do when you just don’t feel motivated to follow through.

In many cases, just reminding yourself of your responsibility is enough to keep you motivated.  I’ll be the first to admit that is not always enough.  When you need that extra kick in the pants to keep you going, try some of these ideas:

  1. Look at why you are in business. If you find yourself unmotivated, and it happens a lot, you probably don’t have a big enough WHY.  Why are you in business in the first place?  Is it money?  Family commitments?  To change the world?  What are the alternatives if you don’t continue?
  2. Make it fun. There are no rules that say you have to always be serious when running a business.  Take time to play and be goofy once n a while!  Why not?  It’s your business.  You make the rules.
  3. Acknowledge the progress you have already made. It’s OK to pat yourself on the back.  Take a look at your past successes.  Think about the struggles you have already pushed through to get you to today.
  4. Reward yourself. A simple “atta-boy” is a great motivator.  You won’t always have someone around to tell you how good a job you have done.  Do it yourself.  Treat yourself to something when you have a breakthrough.  Don’t get crazy here.  You don’t need to take a trip to Vegas every time you make a sale!
  5. Remind yourself you are doing this for someone else. You probably wouldn’t be in business if you don’t like providing value to others.  Feel the sense of pride you get from helping your customers.
  6. Keep it simple. Why is it we want to complicate things?  It’s easy to become overwhelmed with tasks we have to do.  Are some of your daily tasks even necessary?  Could someone else do the ‘busy’ work for you?
  7. Get mad! What really pisses you off?  Use your feelings of frustration as a motivator to do something, anything that brings you closer to your objective.  Don’t just vent about it, do something.  Change something!
  8. Change you work environment. If you work at home, grab what you need and head down to Starbucks for the day.  Hang out at your kitchen table, instead of your office. Do something to change the scenery for the day.
  9. Picture your work already completed. Keep a vision in your mind what it’s going to feel like when you complete a task you dread.  When you catch yourself thinking about what you don’t want, picture what you do want instead.
  10. Create momentum. Science tells us that something in motion tends to stay in motion.  Each small success builds quickly and leads to great results.  Break your tasks into small steps to create the momentum.

Do you have a ‘Show Must Go On’ attitude?  What keeps you motivated?  What would you add to this list?

Magicdude Marketing

Marketing Lessons From Magicians