These are the 5 questions you must answer

before you can know how soon

your ads will start working:

By Roy H. Williams the Wizard of Ads

Q. 1: What percentage of the noise made in your category – in all the different media combined – is being made by you? This is your Share of Voice.

Q. 2: What percentage of the population will actively be in the market for your product or service this week? This is your Product Purchase Cycle.

Food has a very short Product Purchase Cycle. The shorter the Product Purchase Cycle, the quicker your ad campaign will reach maximum ROI.

Cars have a medium-length Product Purchase Cycle. The average American trades cars every 180 weeks (42 months.) Consequently, 0.55 percent of us will buy or lease a car this week. (Does this mean that anyone who advertises cars is wasting 99.45 percent of his investment?)

That’s right; 180 weeks (42 months) is a medium-lengthproduct purchase cycle. What do you suppose is the Product Purchase Cycle for HVAC system replacement? Engagement rings? Furniture? Products with longer purchase cycles require more time for their ad campaigns to ramp up to their full potential.  These campaigns usually show poor results during the first 90 to 150 days then begin to deliver increasingly good results until the growth curve begins to flatten out about halfway through the Purchase Cycle. If the purchase cycle is 10 years, the campaign will start slow, then generate increasingly good results until it levels off in about 5 years. You will then have to continue advertising just to maintain the market share you’ve achieved. If relevant new information is not injected into the campaign at this time, the advertiser will become frustrated and disgruntled and begin to say things like, “Our ads aren’t as good as they used to be,” or “I don’t think we’re reaching the right people.”

Q. 3: How many people will ever be in the market for this product or service?  What percentage of the public will ever consider this product to be relevant?

 Q. 3: How many people will ever be in the market for this product or service?  What percentage of the public will ever consider this product to be relevant? A high percentage of the public will someday need a refrigerator, furniture, HVAC system replacement and an engagement ring. The best strategy for advertisers such as these is for them to use relevance and repetition to become the provider the customer thinks of first and feels the best about. But what about fine formal china, such as Royal Doulton at $100 per place setting and the solid silver tableware that accompanies it? What percentage of today’s public will everbe in the market for these?

Q. 4:  What degree of credible urgency does your ad contain? Is there any reason for the customer to take action now? You can shorten a Product Purchase Cycle by making a strong offer that is time-limited or quantity-limited. If you create a once-in-a-lifetime offer for a product with a long purchase cycle, you’ll likely move a number of people into the market who would otherwise have purchased at a later date. If your offer is powerful and credible, you’ll see great success. But don’t take a good thing too far; the more often you do this, the less well it will work. Sadly, the success of this “urgency” technique makes it highly addictive. Almost without exception, the advertiser who makes a once-in-a-lifetime offer will choose to make a similar, once-in-a-lifetime offer within a year. Soon his “sale” ads lose all credibility and his customers will begin to ask, “When does this go on sale?” God help us. We pushed a good thing too far and we’ve trained the customer NOT to buy unless we’re promoting a massive discount. 

Marketing is tricky. It almost makes you want to hit yourself in the head with a hammer sometimes, doesn’t it?

Q. 5: What is your Competitive Environment? In other words, how well are your competitors known?

How good are they at what youdo? Your ads are not the only ads your customer will see and hear.

Is a competitor making a more powerful offer than you?

Share of Voice can be purchased. 

Share of Mind must be earned.

Share of Voice is the percentage of noise in the marketplace that is yours.

Share of Mind is the mental real estate you have purchased in consciousness of your customer.

Share of Voice times Relevance equals Share of Mind.

Frequent repetition of your ads will earn you a higher Share of Voice. But a big Share of Voice times zero Relevance equals zero Share of Mind and zero results.

Most advertisers talk in their ads about what the customer should care about, what they ought to care about, instead of what they actually care about.

If you remember nothing else from today’s memo, remember these two things and you’ll do well:

1.Clarity is more important than creativity.

2.Relevance is more important than repetition.

NOTE:  I did NOT say that creativity and repetition don’t count.

Sell on.

Roy H. Williams

http://www.rhw.com/

Tips for increasing your Facebook FanLike count!

http://www.marketingprofs.com/short-articles/2452/five-ways-to-boost-b2b-fan-engagement-on-facebook

10 Great Tips for getting the most out of Social Media

http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/technology-web/2012/01/09/how-to-divvy-up-social-media-responsibillity/

How to sell anything using social media

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2012/01/05/how-to-sell-anything-using-social-media/

Who’s afraid of social media and social networking? You are!

http://www.gitomer.com/articles/ViewPublicArticle.html?key=ajcdMibak3O22ofrk%2FKXOA%3D%3D

Getting found on the internet is a challenge. You can’t just add a places page or website and wait for the customers to find you. The “build it and they will come” method only works in the  movies. And having  Google change how it ranks websites on a regular basis makes it even more challenging.

Good News.. each year David Mimh, a web designer and Local Search blogger in Portland – conducts a survey of the most important Local Search Ranking Factors. Here are his findings:

1. Physical Address in City of Search (PLACE PAGE)
2. Manually Owner-verified Place Page (PLACE PAGE)
3. Proper Category Associations (PLACE PAGE)
4. Volume of Traditional Structured Citations
   (IYPs, Data Aggregators) (OFF-PLACE/OFF-SITE)
5. Crawlable Address Matching Place Page Address (WEBSITE)
6. PageRank / Authority of Website Homepage /
   Highest Ranked Page (WEBSITE)
7. Quality of Inbound Links to Website (OFF-PLACE/OFF-SITE)
8. Crawlable Phone Number Matching Place Page
   Phone Number (WEBSITE)
9. Local Area Code on Place Page (PLACE PAGE)
10. 10. City, State in Places Landing Page Title (WEBSITE)

Notice how important the Place Pages have become? They are the top 3 factors and are included in 3 of the 4 website references.

The Places Pages are free too. All you need to do is submit your information -  Include Google, Bing, Yahoo and other. For more information on how to get listed check our blog on Local Search Marketing.

Can they Find you on the Map

When they Google you?

If not, we can help.

Why Local Search Engine Opitimization?

Customers today are using Google to find services and products – no longer do they pick up the Yellow Pages to find a local service or product. Here are a few of the current statistics from online researchers:

• 73% of all online activity is related to local content
• 82% of local searchers follow up with a phone call or visit you business
• 66% of Americans use local search to find local businesses
• 54% of Americans have replaced phone books (Yellow Pages) with Internet and local search.

We can get you PERMANTENTLY featured on the Top Local Search Destinations.

Here is what we will do for you

• Permanent* listings on the TOP local search destinations that reach customers 24 hours a day. With our quick-turn around, you’ll start seeing new customers almost immediately
• One-time setup.  No monthly fees.  No renewals
• Fully optimized business profiles including images, keyword descriptions and business contact information placed on the top Internet sites where people are already searching for your services.
• Comprehensive Summary of Service detailing where we have placed your business and how to access it for future review / updating.
• On average, 50-75 local customers will see your business every day with about 1% of customers contacting you.  Actual performance may vary by industry and city size.
• Over 75% of our customers report a ROI within the first 30 days

Why it works

• Our service provides up to 5x more exposure for businesses than a print phone book and provides exposure via traditional computer searches and the rapidly emerging mobile search market (Searches initiated via iPhone, Google Android Phone, Blackberry, YP.com, etc.).
• We have chosen the local search sites specifically because of how well they perform in organic search results on Google, Yahoo and Bing.  In many instances, an optimized local search listing shows on the first pages of search engines for a wide variety of relevant keyword searches.
•  The listings are permanent and require no recurring cost to the business (As of January, 2011 – subject to change based upon each individual site’s terms)

Dominating the local Directories for Free takes a few tricks

1. We collect your business data like website address, your name and business name, photos etc.
2. You pay the $399 Submission fee
3. We make a slideshow video for you and submit to you tube
4. We hand post your business on the top 100 localized websites with photos and the you tube video
5. Your rankings on Google maps increases because you have more citations than your competitor
6. Your rankings on most directories is increased because you have more data on your listings than your competitor
7. You get more calls , you make more money and everyone is happy
8. You get 100 High PR backlinks to your site.
9. One-time fee (No renewals or subscriptions)

Our Local Search Engine Marketing service complements any marketing effort, online or offline, and works regardless of whether a business has a website or not.

Click here to request information

Service provided by

When they search for WHAT you do,

they get MILLIONS of results!

When they search for

WHAT you do WHERE you do it

they FIND YOU!

It’s true, you do want more money don’t you. If you are like me you spend an unhealthy amount of time thinking about it. You spend most of your days trying to attain it. You build your business in a effort to have more of it. Without it you could not survive. Think of all the good things you could do if you had more discretionary income.

Rabbi Lapin, in his book “Thou Shall Prosper”  speaks to how the Jewish people have consistently over time prospered. He points out that  Jews represent only 2% of our population. That would mean that correspondly only 8 Jews should find themselves on the Forbes 400 list. But each year we find 60-100 Jews on this prestigious list.

I have to ask myself how that can be?  There are many theories about how the Jews accomplish this, many are popular and perhaps derogatory in some cases.

The rabbi dispels these :

1. Jews learned how to make money because of natural selection:  The theory suggested that over the centuries Jews have been persecuted and enslaved. The poor Jews were unable to bribe there way to freedom were caught and killed. Rich Jews were able to buy there freedom escape and survive and then be free to breed. To take this theory seriously, Lapin suggest a “Money Gene” unique to Jews would be required and then retained in the Jewish gene pool. Only problem DNA research has yet to produce evidence of such a gene.
2. Jews Cheat to get ahead: To accept his theory one would have show that cheating is a long term advantage in business. But history has show that dishonesty only pays off in the short-term.
3. All Jews Belong to a Secret Network: This theory depends on the idea that Jews always love each other and constantly seek to help each other. Any large group of people who support each others interests could prosper. But like most groups of people – Jews argue about everything – Lapin shares several famous stories including about Katzenberg and Eisner (Disney) infamous courtroom arguement that boiled down to Katzenberg remarking ” I hate that little midget”
4. Jews are Smarter than Everbody Else: If you’ve spenyt anytime in bsuiness, you would notice that IQ is mostly irrelavant in business success. In fact being super smart can be detrmintal. Just as a low IQ can be bairrer for success so to can a super high IQ.

Lapin’s Recipe

You don’t have to be Jewish to learn from the lessons of wealth that have been apart of Jewish tradition culture for centuries.  Making money is not so different from other interests we pursue. We spend time on hobbies or going to the gym. These activities don’t have the same impact on your life as learning how to increase your ability to make money. When you are able to produce wealth it suffuses every aspect of your existence.  Gaining wealth is about increasing wisdom. And rarely does someone become wealthy without acquiring social skills.

As we move through Lapins book you will see that realationships are key to our success. You will also see that his take on how and where to develop these realationships is different from how perhaps you have learned to develop them. It has been eye opening for me.

My first business was a very prosperous enterprise . I was only 10 years old and had few needs. But they were important. How to fund my growing collection of Superman comics and Mad magazines.  I had one of the first recycling businesses. I was green before green was cool.  I collected empty coke bottles from local construction sites and turned them in  to Mr.Henderson at the Buyrite Supermarket for 3 to 5 cents each.  A dozen empties would provide for my needs of a 12 cent comic and 25 cent magazine.

Things change as time goes on. There are still constants like death, taxes and buying Superman comics. Today, I still have my own business but my needs go beyond Superman comics and Mad Magazine. And a successful business is more complicated than negotiating the price of a returned coke bottle.

I am always seeking to learning to improve my business and and my abilities.  To that end I am continually seeking  new ideas and new ways to look at everyday work.  A book about the success of Jewish people in business was recommended to me . In Thou Shall Prosper – The Ten Commandments of Making Money,  Rabbi Daniel Lapin shares the source of both practical and spiritual financial wisdom and time-tested knowledge found in the ancient Jewish faith and culture. In other words, how is that the Jews seem to be so successful in business? 

I this excellent book , three general subject areas are covered: self-help, personal finance and career development. The Rabbi offers advice in a series of commandments on “making money” where he sprinkles in Jewish wisdom. There is a great deal of useful advice that will prove especially timely for many business professionals.

The underlying theme of this book is that wealth creation is fundamentally virtuous because it creates wealth and prosperity for your neighbors. Addtionally he stresses the value of money and why it is such an important element of society. His suggestions range from the subtle such as how to carry yourself to more profound concepts such as never aiming to retire.

I will attempt to offer snippets of advice from each of the 10 chapters over the coming weeks here on the Coffee News website.

Here are the chapters headings which are also the 10 commandemnts of making money:

1. Belive in the dignity and Morality of Business
2. Extend the Network of Your Connectedness to Many People
3. Get to Know Yourself
4. Do Not Pursue Perfection
5. Lead Constitantly and Constantly
6. Constantly Change the Changeable, While Steadfastly Clinging to the Unchangeable
7. Learn to Foretell the Future
8. Know Your Money
9. Act Rich: Give Away 10 Percent of Your After-Tax Income
10. Never Retire

Check back often as I will be adding a summary of each chapter as I complete them.

Advertising is a great idea. But it works best when it is a part of a comprehensive marketing plan. I have read numerous books on marketing and seen several lists of marketing ideas. Here are 42 of the best of those books and lists.

42 Marketing Ideas

Small Business Marketing is hard

1. Get a professional website.
2. Add a blog to your current website. Regular articles speak volumes more than just a brochure.
3. Join your local chamber of commerce.
4. Join a Networking group like BNI.
5. Create unique business cards and hand them out whenever you can.
6. Give people two business cards, one to keep and one to give out.
7. Write and submit articles related to your field.
8. Add a signature block with your contact information on all outgoing e-mails.
9. Write a regular e-Zine or newsletter.
10. Write guest articles for other peoples’ publications.
11. Give away a free report or whitepapers.
12. Get a laptop skin with your business name on it.
13. Learn to write great headlines for articles and emails.
14. Publish case studies after finishing successful engagements.
15. Ask for referrals from past clients.
16. Write White Papers and distribute them among your clients and colleagues.
17. Write and submit Press Releases for every notable occasion. Don’t ignore local newspapers.
18. Post your business cards on bulletin boards.
19. Donate magazines and books to libraries. Write in your firm’s information on the inside cover.
20. Remind clients of important dates. If you are an accounting firm, be sure to remind your clients when their taxes are due!
21. Ask current clients how you can improve. Then, Implement their suggestions.
22. Forward articles of potential interest to your clients.
23. Write letters of congratulations to other local business owners on their success.
24. Optimize your website with high ranked keywords to attract search engine attention.
25. Give out key-chains or pens with your company name on it.
26. Get on the morning show of your local channel by offering to share tips related to your profession.
27. Create how-to videos and distribute them through Youtube.com.
28. Mentor newcomers in the field. You never know where they will be tomorrow!
29. Volunteer at a favorite charity. Network with fellow volunteers.
30. Give away t-shirts with your business name and website on it.
31. Donate prizes to charitable organizations or radio giveaways.
32. Create and distribute a podcast on the topic of your choice.
33. Create a mastermind group with fellow business owners.
34. Join a Rotary Club  Lion’s club, or Kiwanis club.
35. Be a matchmaker, i,ntroduce people to others who might be able to help them.
36. Follow up with potential clients.
37. Handwrite thank-you notes.
38. Focus on specific clients and specific projects. Carve out a specialty niche for yourself.
39. Get a .com or .org website address.
40. Collect testimonials whenever you can.
41. Get a professional photo taken. Use it with all your materials.
42. Remember birthdays and major occasions in the lives of your clients.

That depends on your Product Purchase Cycle.

by Roy Williams
Founder and President of The izard of Ads
Entrepreneur.com’s “Advertising” columnist 

The length of the “ramping up period” your ad campaign will require before you begin to see results is determined particularly by:

The Product purchase cycle:
How often is the customer in the market for this product?

Due to the fact that we eat more often than we redecorate, ads for restaurants yield results much faster than ads for new carpet or furnishings.

If people buy your product once a week, don’t expect your ads to return a profit during the first week. If people buy once a month, don’t expect to break even on your advertising during the first 30 days. If your product selling cycle is longer than two years, you can expect to lose money on your ads – even if they’re good – for the first four to six months. You’ll start pulling ahead during the second six months. But your real growth won’t happen until you begin reaching that same group of people for a second year.

Solution: Commit to an ad campaign commensurate with your product selling cycle.The longer your product purchase cycle, the more important it is that you plant your message before the customer, before the customer is actively in the market for your product.

The simple-minded counter-argument of an overly anxious advertiser is, “But someone out there is ready to buy my product today. I want to reach that person and get his or her money today. I’ll worry about tomorrow’s customer tomorrow.

This advertiser is like the hare in that timeless fable in which the patient but relentless tortoise wins the day. The cheerful tortoise doesn’t expect to win the race in a day, a week, a month or even a year. His goal is simply “to become the name customers think of immediately and feel the best about when they finally need what I sell.” The longer you stay with your plan, the greater your likelihood of winning the race.

Here is the place to find out about how to market and advertise your business. These articles feature important information about how Coffee News works and what you can expect. 

The Marketing 101 Blog is a collection of “News and Notes for Friends of Coffee News“. Originally intended as a tool for Coffee News clients on the strategies and benefits of advertising, Marketing 101  has grown to include information for the business person on Networking, Management, Customer Service, as well as Marketing and Advertising. Marketing 101 is designed to be a short read… a primer or outline of strategies that the business manager/owner can immediately put to use.

Be sure to check back often, as we will continue to add to this Blog.

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