Posts from — March 2009

I was surfing the Web the other day and stumbled on a bra dryer.  I can’t post the picture here (copyright issues), but it looks like a mesh sports bra or workout top.  The idea is (apparently) to strap a bra inside it and it will dry faster or not lose its shape or something.

Trouble is, it only seems to come in one size, and well, women come in lots of sizes.

Also, for you guys out there, bras can be hand-washed, hung up to dry, and forgotten about.  Drying them faster is NOT a pressing problem.

I point this out not because I want this blog to regularly focus on underwear, but because the men who came up with this contraption never stopped to do any research to see if anyone wanted, needed, or cared about their product.  Yes, successful products (say the iPhone) can often come from a product nobody KNEW they wanted (until they saw one).  But this, this is just silly.

Before investing time, money, and effort in a new product or service, check and see if there’s any interest.  Show potential vendors a prototype, do some market research.  Google the problem.  Check with users.  Find out their reactions.  Is it wow?  Or is it are you kidding??!!

Photo:  hoyasmeg

Here’s a quick way to see if your marketing is effective. Go to your Web site home page. Or, pick up a brochure, leave-behind, or any other marketing material you have handy. Read the first paragraph.

Start counting

See how many times it says, “me”, “I”, or “we”. Then, count how often it says, “you” or “your”. The “you’s” and “yours” should greatly outnumber the “we’s”. If they don’t you’re focusing too much on yourself and not enough on your customers.

Check your competition

Now, go to a competitor’s Web site. Read the first paragraph. Can you plug yours in? Are they significantly different? Does your site say anything special about you? Or, does it use language like “leading edge technology company” or “fostering health education and education activities for Southern Michigan since 1996″? Is the wording interchangeable? Is it clear from the first sentence exactly what your company or organization does?

Now, go back and rewrite the paragraph. Read it out loud. Better yet, read it to someone else (preferably someone who doesn’t work for you). See how much better that sounds?

Image: Marionaire

It’s the last Friday of the month, so it’s time for Freebie Friday. This month’s edition will tackle the difficult (and ongoing) problem of estimating email response rates. If you check the Q&A on LinkedIn, Marketing Professionals or other business forums, you’ll see lots of questions about response rates. What open rate will I get? How many people will click on my link? What will my conversion rate be?

They’re tough questions, and you’ll see lots of answers (including mine) saying that “it depends.” Not that I (and my fellow responders) don’t want to be helpful, it’s just that the results you will get depend on lots of different factors (list you use, what you want people to do, what they get for doing it, the words and design you use, even time of day). Too many options for a one size-fits-all answer.

However, there are some things that will help. Each year MailerMailer analyzes thousands of marketing emails and puts out a report with detailed statistics on open rates by industry, click-through rates, time of day and lots more.

A few highlights from 2008:

Open Rates
General Small Business: 16.49%
Education/Training: 15.76% (largest gain over 2007, when it was 13.76%)
Government: 25.6%
Nonprofit/Trade Association: 14.6%

Click Rates
Religious/Spiritual: 6.66%
Real Estate: 6.35%
Transportation/Travel: 4.65%

Click Rate by Format
Text: 3.24%
HTML: 2.83%

Opens by Subject Line Length
Under 35 characters: 19.64%
Over 35 characters: 14.83%

Get the full report at MailerMailer Report

Alicia on Marketing Professionals said, I need a domain name, and I’m having trouble finding one. My niche is fitness…can you help?

The reason she’s having a problem? “Fitness” by itself isn’t really a niche. A niche would be fitness for lawyers, or for baby boomers, or new moms.

Why a Niche Matters

Say, like Alicia, you want to start a gym. If you decide to focus on new moms, you could target sites run by mommy bloggers to get the word out. Have day care for the kids while mom exercises. Or, offer “mommy and me” classes so both child and mom can exercise, have fun, and play together. Your domain name might be stayfitmoms.com

Or, maybe you want to concentrate on stockbrokers. A fitness center geared to them could open very early (for a workout before the market opens), have TV screens playing CNBC or Bloomberg TV, offer massages to relieve stress, etc.

A gym that targeted baby boomers might focus on changing, aging bodies, offer nutrition help, or 20 minute workouts for busy people.

Once you have that, you can start telling your story and the rest of your marketing falls naturally into place.

Find Customers More Easily

Instead of looking for everybody and anybody, you concentrate on “your” market. You know who they are, and they’ll know who you are. You’ll be “the gym for mommies,” instead of just “the gym down the block.”

Try it.

Photo: Daniel Philpott

Step One – Attention

First, get your prospects’ attention. Your promotion won’t work unless your target audience stops and reads (or listens to) your message.
For instance, let’s say you’re selling a solar-powered furnace. Trumpet the savings that your customers enjoy by purchasing your product. For example, “Cut Your Heating Bills by 75%!”

Step Two – Interest

Address their interests and outline the problem. In this case, the homeowner’s interest in saving money, and frustration with high heating bills. Then, you can tell them about your solution.

Step Three – Desire

Discuss the benefits customers get by using your product. In this case, a solar-powered furnace cuts costs, eliminates reliance on foreign energy sources, and frees you from the whims of large oil companies.
“You’ll stay comfortable and warm all winter long, for only pennies a day. And, there’s a backup system in case of too many cloudy days.”

Step Four – Action

Now that your prospects want to learn more about your product, tell them what to do. Ask them to call now, mail a form, etc.

All Together Now:

Imagine you’re standing in front of a room full of women and you put up a big sign that says:

Free Manhalo Blahnik shoes!

Since this is an imaginary room full of mostly women, I bet that would get their attention.

Now why?

One,  you said FREE – everyone likes free stuff

Two, you said shoes to a room full of women and women love shoes.

Three, you said the free shoes were famous designer shoes – and they were FREE

Four, you told them where to go to get the shoes (go that way).

Now, you try it. Share your ideas here.

Photo: extra noise