Strategy 1.0: Micro web sites

Create Micro web sites for each specific marketing campaign you run. This strategy allows you to track results easily, and to connect directly to each of your targets markets with an articulate marketing proposition.

An excellent example of this strategy is Burger King's viral web site, subservientchicken.com. Instead of having to go to the more corporate, un-niched company site, you come the subservient site and make the chicken do you bidding (accomplished with a clever use Flash MX Pro from Macromedia). According to an interview conducted by Fast Company with BK executives, the site has helped to increase sales of the BK Tendercrisp sandwich by 9% weekly!

More importantly, a smaller, focused web site that revolves around just one product, service, niche or marketing message allows you to adhere to the the 3-Click Rule. This rule states that a visitor to a site should be able to find what they want (and purchase it) within 3 clicks of the mouse.

The ability to get to specific page in three clicks or less is much more difficult to accomplish when customers are directed to your bigger, perhaps more generic, corporate site. Every click beyond the third one can translate into lost revenues. Some research suggests a loss of as much as 33% revenue per additional click.

Customer service revolves around providing headache free, streamlined buying experiences. Creating a well-designed micro site reduces the likelihood that potential customers will get lost or frustrated.

Micro sites also can be more easily optimized to rank higher in the various search engines. In addition to higher conversion rates, you also get the added benefit of increasing the rank of your main site when you put links to it from your micro site. Since, these micro web sites are smaller, they don't have to be overly complicated or expensive to run.

Here's one of my choices for reliable, affordable web hosting. You'll also get a rebate when you sign up: Introducing $7.95 Hosting, Free Setup and $100 Marketing Rebate

Strategy 1.5: Use the right web design tools

You'll also want the tools to build, update and manage your site. The only web design tool I recommend and use is Dreamweaver. The entire family of Dreamweaver tools from Macromedia is outstanding, especially Flash, which offers a mind-boggling array of marketing applications like audio, video, interstitial ads, interactivity, presentations and more. Here are some direct links to Dreamweaver and Flash products:

Dreamweaver MX

Flash MX Pro

Strategy 2.0: Generate extra exposure and sales with an eBay storefront

eBay has changed the way the world shops. Its influence grows daily giving businesses of all sizes universal reach to audiences search for myriad products, goods and services. Instead of ignoring the phenomena, leverage eBay by putting up a storefront to sell excess inventory, new merchandise, used stuff or just to funnel prospects from small purchases to progressively larger ones.

The costs of running and maintaining an eBay store are nominal and the opportunity for revenue, awareness and new customers is unlimited. Start selling online today! Open a storefront on eBay!

Strategy 3.0: Pay per Click Advertising

Optimizing your site is always going to be an essential marketing strategy. The challenge is keeping up with the ever changing algorithms used by top search engines like Yahoo, Google and others. Enter pay-per-click. Lots of customers click on those sponsored links that appear the right side of the page on various web sites and search results pages.

Conversion rates for some companies employing a pay-per-click strategy have seen a 70% increase in leads and sales. The best part, you only pay for qualified traffic. If your ads have 10,000 impressions but only 5 click on them, you only pay for 5 clicks. That's 5 qualified prospects actively looking for whatever it is you're offering.

Studies published by WebTrends show that the highest clickthrough come from the MSN portal. The same study shows that Google ads are best for awareness, since less people click on the ads. Instead, the majority see the URL listed in the ad and manually type in the address at a later date.

My suggestion, experiment with solutions provided by the top pay-per-click networks. To start, begin with Overture, they have amazing bid tools that will actually show you how many people searched for a particular phrase or keyword in the last month. And their pay-per-click solutions are seen by 80% of the online population! It's an excellent chance to inexpensively spread your message to an infinite population of qualified prospects. Here's the link to Overture, plus a immediate $25 credit:

Maximize your marketing ROI with Overture search advertising. Sign up and get a $25 credit.

Strategy 4.0: Position yourself with a book

Imagine this. You and another business are competing for what could become a lucrative client. The prospect you're courting is qualified and requests more information. What do you send out? If you're like most businesses you send out the cheesy, boring brochure that looks like everyone else. You'll be lucky if it gets 3 seconds of their attention. So much for standing out in a crowd.

A better strategy? Publish a book. Book publishing is an ingenious way to ramp up your positioning power. A well-written, well-designed book not only gets your foot in the door, it communicates to the reader/prospect that you're an expert in your field, and that you're serious about your craft. With the advent of on demand printing and publishing, investing in a book won't wipe out your marketing budget.

Check out this recommendation: Allworth Press. Allworth Press specializes in publishing business and self-help books at excellent rates and exceptional quality. Click HERE for additional information and to get your book rolling.

Strategy 5.0: Read the top business publications to stay in touch with the market

While our time is short, that's no excuse not to read every day. Read publications that give you a wider perspective on culture, the marketplace and developing trends. Smart marketing professionals employ the C.A.S.E. Principle; Copy and Spin Everything! Take ideas and strategies from different industries and use the essence of what's working for them in your own efforts. Some publications are certainly better than others. A few recommendations.

Newspapers, read the Wall Street Journal daily. Consider the electronic version to get instant access to killer strategies and in-depth analysis of current trends. Subscribe now to The Wall Street Journal and get up to 8 weeks FREE

Magazines, my favorite, Fast Company. Every issue is packed with ideas, case studies and cutting edge information on succeeding in business in the marketplace. Don't miss a single issue.

Strategy 6.0: Drive sales using targeted, online email tools

Email, used correctly, is a powerful way to lower your customer acquisition costs and build sales, awareness and repeat business in a short amount of time. The best email results will come through the correct use of your house list. The second best results will come through opt-in lists of prospects with affinities and buying behaviors that mirror your current best customers.

With the myriad rules and compliancy issues surrounding email, outsource the implementation of your online campaigns. Be sure to use the services of a professional with a track record. There's no sense in trying to save a few dollars if all you get are headaches.

My recommendation: Topica provides over 4,000 customers with online marketing and sales tools that grow customer database and increase conversion rates. Their automated, turnkey solutions provide an advanced set of tools for advance email marketing technology, rich data storage for targeted messaging and automated messaging.

Drive sales with Topica's powerful Online Marketing and Sales Solution: try it for 15 days FREE!

Strategy 7.0: Make your web site and emails multi-sensory

The more senses you engage, the more you increase your odds of capturing, holding on to and converting your prospect into a buyer. People don't use one sense to process anything. They use several!

New technologies make connecting to the ears and the eyes easy. Check out this excellent service from AudioGenerator. It's exciting and will capture the attention of your customers on web sites, in emails and all of your online marketing options. Here's a sample.

I simply called a special phone number, recorded the message, saved it, went to the site and got the code, put the code on this page, and I was done. For about $1 a day, you can have as many messages as you want, on different web sites, on eBay, in your emails. This is excellent. Here's the link to sign up for the service, and see more applications:

Audio Generator

Strategy 8.0: Where are customers looking?

Smart marketers seldom follow the pack when it comes to capturing the attention of potential customers. Few people click on banner ads, pay attention to those expensive ads on the walls of the airports or even the marketing messages crammed between your favorite TV shows.

Instead, ask yourself where are your potential customers looking now? Where are they captive audiences for long enough intervals to notice and pay attention to your Primary motivational hook? What marketing mediums are going untapped or have yet to be used as marketing mediums? A few hot options:

T-shirts: First, lots of people wear T-shirts. In the last few months, they've made a fierce comeback as a fashion mainstay. Second, people are always reading other people shirts; front and back. These are excellent spots to broadcast a succinct marketing message that raises the awareness about your prodvicea (product, service or idea)

My recommendation is to do low-runs of T-shirts and have your staff (or existing customers) wear them in areas frequented by your target audience. Each shirt can be the same or have slightly different messages that translate different benefits and offers. Although your cost per shirt may higher than if you purchase hundreds at a time, buying shirts in lower volumes -- even one at a time -- gives your creativity room to flex its muscle.

Here's a great option: Spreadshirt Designer. This online T-shirt Printing service allows you to design and order clothing personalized with your own text, logos and designs. Spreadshirt Designer is currently available in eight languages.

Give prospects something creative to look at: Design your own T-shirt in real time and buy as many as you need online!

Another option: bathroom stalls. Can you say captive audience? How about, reading material wanted! I work with an agency that will put your message inside bathrooms across the US. The ads are maintained and updated as needed. If you're interested call 1-800-901-5040.

Strategy 9.0: Object Marketing

At least once a year my mailbox receives an envelope. But inside that understated envelope, waiting for me silently, is my free pen. Predictably, it's the first thing I open.

Why? It's the first piece that catches my attention. The child in me yells out "What's inside? What's the prize?!" My inner child craves that free pen, despite the probability that the imprint on the pen will have misspelled my name, or the name of my company.

As a marketing strategy, this internal reaction is a godsend. Because I know that I am not alone. An untold hive of consumers also receive their envelope with the pen...and they too tear open the package.

Including an object in your otherwise flat mailing piece is a hot strategy. It can be any sort of premium, preferably something related to your marketing message. Studies show that including a three-dimensional object can increase open rates by a whopping 80%. This increase in open rates will generally translate to an response rate increase of 2% to 8%. In a world of .25% response rate these kinds of increases are very smart.

So go ahead, think outside the envelope. Add something three-dimensional to your mailing piece and make object marketing work for you.

Strategy 10.0: Look at Customer Service as an extension of marketing

When you consider the soaring costs associated with acquiring new customers, it should make sense to the intelligent company that retaining customers —repeatedly getting them to choose you over your competition—makes for good marketing strategy.

Sadly, customers across multiple segments site bad service as the number one reason they look elsewhere. Price has little to do with why customers stay loyal. It's how they are treated.

In the absence of excellent customer service, what incentive do you give a customer to give you repeat business if you are unable to provide a consistent, friendly, convenient experience? If I'm not treated well by any service or product providers in a given category, then the only constant is finding a solution at the lowest possible price. You create your own demise.

Customer service requires us to treat people with respect and to interact with them according to their preference. Get inside their heads and walk in their shoes so that you can understand how and why they buy. That's why I suggest that you profile your best customers using psychographic tools like the SELF profile.

You give the SELF to a sampling of your best customers because your future customers are a direct reflection of your current customers. If you want to attract more of the same types of customers you have to decipher everything you can about the individuals who have a relationship with you already.

Using the SELF offers a proven method giving you instant insight into customer behaviors, motivators and how to interact with for best results. It also give you insight into yourself, helping you to see you strengths and potential weaknesses or limitations from a objective perspective.

Hundreds of books have been written about the art of customer service. One of the best pieces of advice I've found comes from the Nordstrom's employee handbook. Exercise good judgment at all times.

Isn't that the essence of providing great service? Do the right thing. While we're in the business of generating revenue, we generate revenue because someone trusts us enough to buy from us.

Even if you're great at delivering great customer service, is the rest of team? Everyone from top to bottom, left to right?

If the answer is no, train your staff easily with Through the Customer's Eyes. It's a complete customer service training and certification program delivered on a set of six interactive CDs.

People who go through the program can learn at their own pace while learning the essentials of providing great customer service. There are no user license fees, which means that everyone can be trained with the program. Additionally, employees upon completing the program can get certified through the International Customer Service Association for about $45 per person. You take the certification test online and become a Certified Customer Service Professional. It's an excellent point of differentiation to use in your marketing campaign, and valuable training at a great price.

Here's the link to get more information and to purchase Through the Customer's Eyes

Check back often. Strategies are added on a regular basis.

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