Week 7 -- MKTG 6101 -- Stretch Your Bottom Dollar Without Sacrificing Effectiveness

Most people believe creating, launching, and maintaining a marketing campaign requires an endless stream of money. Not everyone can be Coke, Chase Bank, or Nike. Honestly, most companies have to spend their marketing dollar effectively and aren't marketing with a sea of money. Whether you are looking to improve or begin you marketing campaign, you can find effective ways to stretch your bottom without relinquishing quality. You can be just as effective as those larger companies with less money, and here are five ways to do just that.

1. Don't perpetually change your marketing campaign. A great way to stretch your bottom line is stick with your marketing campaign. Employees, family members, friends, and you may all be sick of your marketing campaign, but it only matters when your accountant says its time. Stay committed to your campaign for the savings!

2. Barter. In today's society, the barter system is basically nonexistent, yet it is alive and well in the world of marketing. TV and radio can be very expensive media outlets; however, these companies do accept services or goods in exchange. Say you sell cupcakes for a living, and the radio station provides birthday parties to disenfranchised children. Making an agreement to provide your cupcakes at retail price for payment will save you money and allow you to get your marketing done effectively. If the TV station needs new video equipment, find a way to exchange your cupcakes for video equipment. You may not have what they want at the beginning, but you can barter your way there.

3. Cooperative advertising funds. Larger companies will pay you to mention their products in your advertising, allowing you to allocate your money more effectively. Each company has different requirements so ask the vendors you use if they offer these services--most likely they do.

4. Use per inquiry or per order agreements. Like the bater system, media companies will arrange per inquiry or per order agreements in exchange for advertising space. How this work is for every inquiry or order you must pay the media company a set amount. Suppose five TV commercial for your car dealership will cost $250 each, and you offer them $250 per car sold (per order). If you only sell three cars, then you not only sold three cars but got $1250 in marketing for $750. And even if you sell twenty cars, you now know this is a strong way to sell cars, and you can change your payment method to a more traditional one.

5. Talk to your customers. This is the cheapest way to get information about your marketing. They will tell you where they found you whether that be through a questionnaire, face-to-face conversations, key codes, unique URLs, or online responses.

I hope you found at least one way to help stretch your bottom dollar without sacrificing effective marketing practices!

Week 6 -- MKTG 6101 -- Google Ads Final Review

Over the past week, I have been running a Google Ads campaign and the results are staggering. Electing to run an inexpensive campaign with a daily average budget of $4, my ads still received a large amount of attention quickly. With a $4 daily average, a customer is estimated to get 30-50 ad clicks a month (1-1.67 clicks a day). Google Ads customers only pay for ad clicks, and once the monthly max is hit, the ads stop. This can cause for fast results like I received during my campaign. Below are the results for the first day of my campaign.

The average expected ad clicks is around 1-1.67 per day (for a $4 daily budget), and I received 19 clicks in the first day. My ads had 894 impressions, which means my ads were shown 894 time to Google users. So, 2% of the ads shown resulted in clicks. Not bad for a budget campaign that was used for testing purposes.

And after one week...

After a week, 10,300 impressions and 196 ad clicks resulted in about a 2% click rate on ads. Although I believe I had success with this test run of Google Ads, I know I should finetune my ads and increase creditability through introducing ways to collect emails by setting up conversion. I believe a 5% click rate would be fantastic and is attainable. Additionally, the ads if unregulated will not stretch the month but rather exhaust themselves as quickly as possible--Google is in the business of making money after all. With a bit of work, my ad campaign for a new online store will allow for fast and steady growth. All and all Google Ads is a winner for EVERY business. Use it.

If you have been on the fence about using Google Ads, I would not hesitate because you are wasting valuable time that Google Ads could be working for you. Best of luck in your Google Ads adventure.

Week 6 -- MKTG 6101 -- Selecting the Right Method

Reaching your target audience is the main purpose of a marketing effort. As you may already know, there is not a one-size fits all approach to reaching a target audience because each company, product, as well as consumer are different. Know, really know, the target audience for your product, offering, or service. Examine their habits and lifestyles. Explore their world and truly understand it. Learn and pivot to dive into, possibly drive, innovation in your field. Hopefully, through all your examining, exploring, and learning you are able to select the right marketing methods for your target audience. However, if you have yet to figure it out, below are a few methods to help you select the right one for your marketing plan.

1. Newspaper--nothing wrong with using this seasoned method to reach your audience but use it wisely. Use it for news about your company. Invite a journalist to an event and have them write an article about the money raised for a local charity.

2. Magazine--if you are targeting males, place your ads in a men's health magazine. If you are selling toys, place the ads in front of parents by targeting magazines like Parents Magazine or Hip Mama, as well as children through magazines such as National Geographic Little Kids or Sports Illustrated Kids.

3. Online Marketing--anything from Google Ads to Facebook to Online classrooms are great ways to reach your audience. Use them correctly though. If you don't need or want a large online marketing plan, stick with social media platforms but update them regularly.

4. Emailing Lists--gather everyone's email. The larger the emailing list of your target audience, the better. Find ways to grow this list through surveys, email brochures, free information about your company, etc.

5. If none of these can help you, here are a few more ideas: canvassing, TV and radio, direct mail, outdoor signage, decaled give way items, and public relations.

I hope you are able to select the right marketing method for your company. To continue to reach for new ways to target your market!

Week 5 -- MKTG 6101 -- Implementing a Creative Marketing Approach

Have you ever begun a marketing campaign and fell flat on your face in the process? You had amazing advertising, and your store aesthetic was exactly what you envisioned, but the campaign was a failure. But you were committed to your campaign and brand, so why? Your customers really enjoy your offerings but still no sustained growth. A successful marketing campaign is not always about the best ads or the best offerings. It's about growth. And yet, all that effort and still no growth. At this point, you may be talking in circles trying to figure out why you failed. The answer is simple. You have missed your target audience--for one reason or another.

Even though you marketed on the internet, passed out business cards, ran radio and TV ads, as well as did a newspaper article and mailout flyers to local customers, you still cannot get the proper exposure if your marketing is not constant, at the wrong time slots, too fragmented, too concrete, etc. etc. etc. But let's say you are doing a great job of reaching your target audience, then the main reason you have not seen growth is maybe your marketing lacks a creative approach. Create drama in your campaign. And I am not talking about Jersey Shore drama. Here is an example.

I am building a Shopify store for animal toys and products. So, here are a few marketing examples I intend on implementing in my Shopify store to help create drama.

1. Upon their first purchase, I intend on sending a personalized letter to every customer thanking them for their business. This will set me apart from my competition.

2. For monthly subscribers and frequent customers, a personalized "Christmas" toy for the continued support will be given or gifted to each customer. It doesn't need to be much but something like this sets you apart.

3. I will be offering the ability to customize boxes and provide feedback. This will allow subscribers to personalize their own experience and get desired pet products each month. I will keep the reins on the number of offerings in subscriptions boxes so personalized boxes don't turn into an Amazon shopping cart.

4. Monthly or quarterly email newsletter--discounts and special offerings will be provided to the email list to give a feeling of exclusivity and involvement. My email list will also allow me to target customer who have not purchased in a while and send them a special offer or a personalized letter about exciting new offerings.

5.  Even though the majority of my business will be online, I will be hosting local events at dog parks handing out business cards and showing off samples. With something like this, consistency is important. Monthly or twice a month will be needed. It will also establish a community familiar with me personally--great additional marketing and will help your online presence with photographs and videos.

6. Lastly, I am tying all of my efforts into a strong cause. Not only will my products be environmentally safe, but I will be offering donations for the purchase of service dogs. The first person on my donation list is a personal friend who is a quad amputee. Attaching a strong cause like this is not only amazing for the people you are helping, but it also helps your image and relatability.

I plan on using all the above marketing to frame all my ads. I will place a sad dog against a happy dog. Customizable boxes vs. normal online pet purchases. Speak to the nature of the environment and speak about the importance of smart choices with your pets. Show older dogs enjoying our products, etc. etc. etc. What I am trying to accomplish is drama. Without my products, dogs aren't the same, and without dogs, humans aren't the same. So, take care of your dog and your dog will take care of you. Create the need for your product and be unique with how you align yourself with your customer. Best of luck on finding your own creative approach.

Week 5 -- MKTG 6101 -- Google Ads is worth it.

Learning a new software or program can be challenging, often daunting. Google Ads was such a program for me. I had always been interested in taking a dive into this offering by Google, but I saw it as scary and avoided learning it for some time. Recently, I dove into Google Ads and found the service to be quite the experience. Google Ads makes setting up an advertising campaign simple.

Before I launch my own store on Shopify, I wanted to practice and learn Google Ads. At first, I was a bit overwhelmed with the whole experience, but that quickly faded. The setup process went step-by-step and had tutorial videos and a quick help menu (although you didn't really need the help menu). Note, if you do not have a website and a Google account, you cannot begin. So, make sure those are in created before continuing. The first few questions are very straightforward.

You select keywords and a few images and boom you are done. The ads begin immediately after a quick quality check--to help reduce hateful and inappropriate ads. After the short setup (15-30 minutes if you don't need customer support), you will end up at a screen like this.

Although Google has not shown their numbers yet (less than hours 24 after setting up the Google Ads campaign), my blog I used for practice has tracked a large increase in traffic.

If you didn't believe before, you should now. I went with a very small budget on four dollars a day, and, within the day, I had more than forty visits to my blog. Helpful tool for your small business! Good luck out there!

Week 4 -- MKTG 6101-- Marketing: Challenge of Continuing

After a marketing plan is in effect, business owners, for various reasons, desire to stop their marketing plan for their company. They may view marketing as a gimmick or believe they have already reached the level of success they desire--they become too comfortable. No matter the reason, stopping your marketing plan is a bad choice. Whether you are a small/large business or a marketing agency, these ten reasons will help you to continue (or help your customers continue).

In Jay Conrad Levinson's book Guerrilla Marketing, he explains ten reasons why you should not stop marketing. As I was reading his ten reasons I realized, a marketer trying to attract new customers or persuade existing customers to continue their marketing effort can also use these ten reasons as valid defense of objections. The ten reasons for continuing your marketing effort are as follows.

1. The market perpetually evolves--new prospects are continuously entering your sphere of influence so keep your marketing going!

2. People forget about your company quickly--repetition and a continuous presence allow you to remain relevant to your customers.

3. The competition will be relentless--if you stop, do you think they will? Be realistic. They will not.

4. Your identity is strengthened through marketing--if you faulter, customers may see this as a sign of weakness for your business. Don't slip. Keep pushing the strengths of your business because it will strengthen your business.

5. Survival and growth are fueled by marketing--marketing shows customers that you exist or that you still exist. Let your customers know you exist.

6. Marketing enables retention--marketing helps you keep your customer loyal and allows them to refer others. Keep your marketing committed to retention--some businesses survive by word of mouth alone.

7. Morale is stimulated through marketing--Employee morale is affected by marketing. Dropping marketing can cause instability for your company. Imagine if Chick-fil-A stopped saying "my pleasure" after a customer said thank you. At least some employees would both find the change unsettling, and some customers may lose confidence in the Chick-fil-A experience. Stay committed for morale.

8. Continuing marketing can cause your company to outpace your competition who have stopped marketing--similar to reason #3, if you keep marketing, the competition who ceased marketing will be begin to lag. Stay ahead!

9. Operations continue because of marketing--without marketing, no one knows you exist. Marketing is the lifeblood of your organization. Literally.

10. Removing marketing will cause regression--you have already created (or are creating) a strong plan, invested money, spent time, and engaged with your customers. If you stop, you may have to even start your marketing again from scratch. Don't let your investments go to waste.

Hopefully, these ten reasons help convince you (or your customers) to continuing challenging yourself to market your business. Write these rules done and remind yourself whenever you have a moment of weakness in your marketing plan. Pivot and adjust but don't abandon your marketing effort.

Week 4 -- MKTG 6101 -- Seven-Sentence Marketing Plan

Have you ever wanted to start marketing your company or are just starting a company and do not know where to begin in your marketing journey? Well, The Seven-Sentence Guerrilla Marketing Strategy, in Guerrilla Marketing, is a simplistic marketing plan for your business; that is, you guessed it, seven sentences. This strategy sets out to simplify your marketing plan down to seven core ideas: 1) the objective of your marketing; 2) how you will achieve your objective; 3) marketing audience; 4) marketing tools to be used to achieve your objective; 5) your forte; 6) your identity; 7) the budget for your marketing plan. After reading those seven core ideas, you may be thinking, "that doesn't seem so simplistic," or "wow, I can do this!" Whether you believe you can do it or not, I am here to help with your journey into marketing. 

Below, I will be sharing an example of my own seven-sentence marketing strategy which I created for a Shopify store I plan on launching in the near future. You can use my seven-sentence guerrilla marketing strategy as a template for your own simplistic plan.

The objective of Pet Playpen marketing is for our online pet shop to increase our brand awareness & recognition, increase website traffic, and ultimately to generate online sales by selling quality pet products in assorted giftboxes. This is achieved by offering our curated pet giftboxes fully customized to satisfy the individual needs and preferences of pet owners and their furry friends. Our target market is pet lovers who are interested in monthly box subscriptions, fantastic gift ideas, and personalized gift boxes for pets. The marketing tools we intend to utilize include search engine optimization, email marketing, social media advertising, and influencer partnerships. Pet Playpen will be positioned to offer customizable pet giftboxes that are environmentally and pet friendly, for happier pets and a more sustainable world. The identity of our company is an environmentally friendly pet store committed to providing exceptional customer service and a seamless online shopping experience. Twenty percent of sales will be allocated for the marketing budget.

I hope this helps! Best of luck on your seven-sentence marketing plan!