Account Management Archives | Page 3 of 3

Placement: Why Is It So Important to Your Marketing Budget?

Posted on November 10, 2012 at 9:24 pm.

When it comes to advertising, the thought of where the ad is going to be placed in the magazine, newspaper, mailer, or even on the computer screen is often overlooked. Of course, the type of medium you choose for your advertisements is important, but placement can make the difference between the success and failure of an ad. Understanding reading patterns and how the human eye is naturally drawn to certain areas of a page or monitor is an important factor in getting the most out of your marketing budget.

With advertising, just like real estate, it is all about location, location, location. Generally, the farther forward in the publication your ad is placed, the more successful it will be. Placing the ad closer to the front page of the publication makes it more likely for the reader to come across your ad before they grow tired or distracted from what they are reading and close the pub before seeing your message. Placement on the right hand page is also crucial as the eye is often drawn to the right.

Many times this placement is considered “premium placement” and the print publication will charge an additional fee for a far forward, right-hand read. This may also be the case for a front page, back page or spadia style ad (a page wrapped around the front of the publication). Depending upon the charge, it may very well be worth it to pay for premium placement, as more readers will see your message. More readership lends itself to more phone calls, purchases, etc.

When placing your upcoming media, speak with the media rep about placement. Make it a priority and focus on a great placement as part of a well-negotiated rate. Many times, media outlets will help those out who ask for it at no additional charge to earn business and a long-term relationship.

Does your business need advice about media placement or help with rate negotiation? Epic Marketing has a team of talented account executives who specialize in helping our clients creating successful marketing campaigns.

CRM Software – Do You Need It?

Posted on November 8, 2012 at 9:26 pm.

Written by Epic Marketing

Customer Relationship Management, also known as CRM, is a vital part of every business. No matter the industry, every business has a group of past and current clients, as well as an audience of future clients that need to be reached. Effective customer relationship management is a strategy that spreads across all departments of a business, including everything from sales and accounting to customer service. While some businesses have an effective internal method of keeping their customer relationships organized, other businesses often miss out on new customers and profits because of their lack of detail with customer relationship management.

How CRM Software Can Help

The main benefit of CRM software is that it helps businesses share customer information in a group environment and gives an overview of all customer interactions. Not only can CRM software help manage customers on an individual level, but it also allows company administration to see activity with all clients, including appointment scheduling, web leads, follow ups, sales, marketing, email blasts, accounting, etc.

If you’re finding it difficult to easily find customer information, track leads, produce management reports, or view customer touch points across the different departments of your business, CRM software could be a great organizational tool to consider in boosting your business.

Choosing CRM Software

What used to be available only for large businesses with million-dollar budgets is now accessible to small- to medium-sized businesses for a fraction of the cost. Which software your business decides to use depends on the goals you want to achieve by using it. Make sure that the software you choose is simple and easy to integrate—because after all, what’s the sense in having it if your employees won’t use it? As business becomes more mobile, you may also want to look for software that incorporates remote and mobile access. But no matter the specifications, CRM software can make a big difference in customer retention and satisfaction, overall improving your bottom line.

The Value of Auditing Media Invoices

Posted on February 23, 2013 at 9:08 pm.

Written by John Huntinghouse

Up to 25% of all media buys are not fulfilled correctly! Advertisers are leaving thousands on the table every year because they don’t understand how to audit their media invoices correctly.

We recognize that business owners oftentimes find themselves spread thin in the day-to-day practices of their business. This is very common. Auditing every invoice that comes through and checking that they are correct in every way is just something that most business owners claim they do not have the time to do.

First of all, it is important that you have a very organized way to keep track of what items have been placed with vendors, what amount has been agreed upon for the marketing items you are placing, and exactly what you are buying. For example, if you are buying TV or Radio spots, you will want to specify when, where and how much you would like each spot to run for. That way, when you get your itemized report for the spots that ran, you can verify that each spot ran according to what you requested. Also, that they are the price agreed upon, and that they ran in the appropriate radio timeframes or TV show spots.

You may be thinking that this sounds like way too much work. But you would be surprised how many times we find errors with these kinds of buys and end up getting added value by receiving free spots for the next go around or whatever we can negotiate based on the error.

Another example would be if you decide to run a print ad. You will, again, want to specify what publication, date, price, and what kind of ad you are placing. When those invoices come through, you will want to verify that everything ran according to your specifications. There are times when vendors will tack on charges you are unaware of. Sometimes they may run the ad, but not in all the zones you specified. There are times when they change the date of when your ad is run and do not inform you. All of these things are unacceptable. For any kind of marketing you place, you should be informed if the vendor needs or would like to alter your original order. If your marketing is altered in any way, you should be given the option to cancel or ask for other options if what they want to do is undesirable. Oftentimes, the vendors are looking for availability, not necessarily what is best for your marketing campaign.

Simply put, the purpose of auditing your media invoices is to confirm that the intent of the objectives of the contract is being fulfilled to the specifications outlined. To do so could mean saving a lot of money that was misplaced when contracts were not fulfilled or gaining added value by receiving free advertising items or discounted items. At Epic Marketing, we audit every single spot, ad, run, impression, etc. to ensure our clients get everything they paid for. If your business could use help with media invoice auditing, give us a call today.

PR – The Public Perception of Your Business

Posted on September 21, 2012 at 9:39 pm.

Written by Epic Marketing

A news group recently estimated that the value of a 2-minute FREE segment on a local evening newscast is equal in effect to buying dozens of 30-second commercials. Public Relations is the driving force behind this exposure. It goes hand in hand with marketing, although there are significant differences. With PR, you’re trying to sell your practice to the media so they can in turn sell it to your target customers.

The following is an example from one of Epic Marketing’s clients:

A local plastic surgeon was seen in a magazine as a recipient of an award for excellence. A press release was developed and sent to the local media. A popular news station picked up the story and aired it on the evening news. The surgeon received dozens of calls and performed several surgeries. This same segment is now playing on his website and is still helping people make the choice to visit his office for cosmetic procedures.

Public Relations builds awareness of your business and its services, and will supplement any direct marketing and advertising efforts. This public coverage of your company will also make it appear larger and more established than it might actually be, which will advance efforts in driving new customers and even securing partnerships and funding.

As you know, most people now consult a search engine before making a decision on a purchase or even choosing a new doctor. When an article from a news source or a broadcast clip is found in this search, these provide inbound links to your website that increases your position towards the top of the search results. That coverage can also add tremendous credibility if you’re able to appear in a local news source!

So how do you create a unique story about your company that is worthy of PR?

1. Stand out from your competition. Embrace those things that make your company unique. Do you have four generations of family members working in the same business? Celebrate that. It’s worthy of attention. Do you offer a way of doing something that no one in your area does? Discover these differences. They could be newsworthy!

2. Testimonials. Ask for them! They boost your credibility and people will always prefer a personal recommendation from someone versus a sales advertisement.

3. Write a killer press release and send to local media outlets, (or have an ad agency with those contacts send the release—ahem, Epic Marketing). This release contains interesting information that highlights your business in a way that would spark the attention of a journalist. They’re always looking for a good story idea, especially from an “expert” in the field.

4. Hold a fundraising drive and offer something free at the event. Run a weird contest that gets attention. Attend a community event where you are a special guest. These are just a few ideas that you can do on your own, and relatively inexpensively, to improve the public’s perception of your business.

It’s important and worthwhile to diversify your marketing and PR strategies to grow your business in every wonderful way possible. If you’re clueless where to begin, let us help. We have public relations specialists at our firm that really dig this stuff.

Create Urgency in Your Message

Posted on July 9, 2012 at 9:51 pm.

Written by Nick White

There are several things that your advertising should convey in order to maximize its effectiveness. Creating urgency is one of the important ones.

If you are like most good businesses you have a great product or service but struggle getting people to actually pick up the phone and call? You might need some help in creating a little urgency or exclusivity in your advertising message.

Think of somebody you know who makes a purchase just because something is on sale. Or perhaps it was the last one available so they just had to buy it. Maybe you’ve even purchased something just because it was a good deal that you couldn’t pass up.

The fact is that most everyone acts with this behavior at some point. For some, they end up acting on the deal whether they actually need it or not, but for others, it was just what they needed to hear to get them to take action on a product or service they really needed.

The trick is finding the right context and message to generate this type of feeling from a prospective customer. An urgent message on its own isn’t as nearly effective as one that is used in the proper context the clearly shows how your product or service will affect your prospect. It’s important that your message connects emotionally with them and shows the potential benefits or downfalls of responding to or ignoring their challenges – not just an offer you’re trying to get them to act on.

When it comes to using urgent language in your contextual message, this can be done in number of different way. Most messages with a sense of urgency have to do with limited supply or exclusivity qualifications.

Things like:

First 20 people only
While supplies last
Call to see if you qualify
80% off this week only
Call us for this special offer
Only for serious buyers

Our marketing firm specialized in connecting with people in a why that creates emotion and a desire to buy products and services. Keep these tips in mind the next time you are thinking about what you want to say on your next advertisement.

Can all help to add urgency to your message. If your ads could use some help with connecting with prospects while using a sense of urgency, we can help. Contact Epic Marketing today to find out about our ad creation services.

The Importance of a Market Analysis

Posted on April 18, 2017 at 9:58 pm.

Written by Nick White

A complete market analysis is a cornerstone of a successful marketing and advertising campaign. All too often companies neglect to perform a thorough market analysis and are left to the bleak alternative of guesswork. Market analysis is a strategic management strategy that provides an analytical approach to answering some of your companies most difficult questions:

Who are our customers?
How competitive is the current market landscape?
How risky is entering this market?
How efficient are our branding efforts?

Most business plans start on a hunch that a product or service could sell or be beneficial to someone. That may have been enough to launch your idea off the ground, but in order to keep your business plans thriving, it’s important you get accurate and concise answers to these questions and to perform a SWOT analysis.

What is market analysis?

A market analysis is a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the external market and your internal resources. Thorough market analysis adequately assesses opportunity, value, risk, customer purchasing behavior, competition, and economic entry barriers and regulations.

3 Reasons Market Analysis is Important

This strategic management strategy does not tell you exactly how you should run your marketing campaign or position your company’s brand. However, it provides analytical insight that allows you to steer your company and brand around barriers or obstacles that could have impeded or completely halted your company’s progression. So, while there are many, let’s focus on the top 3 reasons market analysis is important.

1. Market Analysis Puts Your Customer First

Not long ago, Harvard Business School professor, Clayton Christensen, shook up the marketing world when he asked, “What job are people hiring your product for?” This simple question opened a door for those selling commodities to differentiate themselves from their competition.

The principle at play in Professor Christensen’s idea can be summed up in just one sentence,

“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill; they want a quarter-inch hole.” – Theodore Levitt

Once we discover that people are hiring our services or products we realize that our competitors are not always what we think. A morning bagel’s competition might be a fruit smoothie, or an ice cream sundae’s competition could be a pastry. These things are often competitors to the problem of morning hunger or late-night dessert, yet they are not always sold by the business you would generally consider your “competition.”

Market analysis allows you to optimize your service or product for the job your consumer is hiring it to do.

TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE INITIATED A REBRAND THAT RESULTED IN 6.5X WEB CONVERSIONS.

2. Market Analysis Forces Companies to Look Inward

Starting your own company or managing one is often accompanied by a dose of egoism. It’s difficult to look at your product or service offering from a truly objective perspective because of how much you have invested. Market analysis forces companies to look inward and ask, “Why would consumers come to us?”

Critically acclaimed author Simon Sinek prompts business owners to think differently in regards to how they sell. He says, “People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it.”

He asks us to compare the following sales pitches:

“We make great computers. They’re beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. Want to buy one?”

Versus:

“Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use and user-friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?”

This principle is especially important when your product or service is tied to the consumer’s self-actualizing vision of themselves. This benchmarking principle is more apparent in the apparel business than any other. Take the members of the surf culture around the North Shore of Hawaii, for example. Do you think they care how breathable the fabric of their t-shirt is? Or the thread-count of their hoodie? No. Their predominant want is to identify with a brand that helps them feel like their best self.

Market analysis forces companies to consider how their product makes their consumer feel and to what degree that feeling is driving the purchase decision.

TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE TURNED AN INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM’S BRAND FROM COMMONPLACE TO CONTEMPORARY

3. Market Analysis Helps Determine Your Unique Sales Proposition

Though they are not always semantically agreed upon, there are five ways a company can differentiate their product or service in order to make it appealing to customers. Market analysis enables you to determine which of these methods of differentiation would be the most effective way to enter the market through strategic control.

Brand- Companies differentiate themselves by brand by standing for something or associating their brand with a cause.
Ex: TOMS’ slogan is, “One for One.” Their initiative to give shoes to the impoverished and shoeless is built heavily into their branding strategy. This branding strategy seeks to resonate with empathetic people who can turn a common purchase into one that helps others.
Product- Companies differentiate themselves by product by positioning themselves as the highest quality product on the market.
Ex: BMW’s slogan is, “The Ultimate Driving Machine.” Their branding and marketing goals set out to position themselves as the best car someone can own in the minds of their consumers.
Service- Companies with organizational structure differentiate themselves by service by offering a one-of-a-kind experience for their customer; this is typically done by showing exceptional customer service.
Ex: Nordstrom’s mission statement begins with, “To provide outstanding service every day one customer at a time.” Nordstrom’s has been accredited for having an extremely lenient return policy, swift response time to customer inquiry via email and even social media. Their brand is built around treating their customers with care and they are therefore retained.
Price- Companies differentiate themselves by price by positioning themselves as the most affordable or even the most expensive.
Ex: Wal-Mart’s slogan is, “Save money. Live better.” After Wal-Mart introduced their price matching program, they successfully branded themselves as the most affordable grocer by doing just that, literally being the most affordable.
Audience- Companies differentiate themselves by audience by branding their product or services to specifically aid or benefit a certain group or type of person.
Ex: Whole Foods’ brand is reflected in their motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet.” Because their branding stands for healthy living, it often resonates with healthy people. Because of this people are often willing to pay more for the shopping experience.

Take a look at these two e-commerce Cheerio’s offers. Can you guess which one is from Wal- Mart and which is from Whole Foods?

Using market analysis to determine your entry point and your unique selling proposition is crucial for creating a sustainable business model.

Marketing analysis is the first step to making data-driven decisions in your business plan. Get in touch with our marketing team to see how we can assist you with finding your brand voice and your audience.

Marketing Psychology 101: How to Get Inside the Mind of Your Target Market

Some of Our Recent Work

Investing In Your Receptionist

Posted on October 25, 2012 at 9:30 pm.

Written by Jared Cannon

A good receptionist is one of the most vital components of marketing for your business. Receptionists are responsible for greeting customers, patients, clients, visitors and answering phone calls. They are also responsible for managing the affairs of the office and participating in many aspects of the business. The receptionist is usually the first point of contact for a customer and they leave the customer with a first impression of your business. They are key players in bringing new customers to your business, and such, it’s important to hire qualified professionals to take on these responsibilities. Once you have hired your receptionists, the most important thing you can do is to invest in them and their future with your company.

Here are a few ways you can invest in your receptionists and see a great return:

Recognize the Value of Your Receptionist

Recognize the value of your receptionist to your business. Receptionists are usually the most underpaid employee of the company. They are also the most undervalued employee. They deserve to be respected and treated well, to be regarded as business professionals, and valued for the difficult tasks they perform each day.

Show Your Appreciation

Show your receptionists that you appreciate them. But don’t just show them… tell them! Show them by regarding them as the professionals they are. Your appreciation will go a long way and will motivate them and help them to be excited about their job and about your company.

Provide Training and Continued Education

Now that you have hired business professionals, do everything in your power to train and educate them. Set the expectation that you are developing them as business professionals and integrate them into every aspect of the business. If you do this properly, your receptionists will possess a wealth of knowledge about all aspects of the company and will serve as one of your most valuable assets.

Incentivize Your Receptionist

If you are looking for exceptional performance from your receptionists, pay them well. If they are working for minimum wage, they will give you minimum wage performance. Pay them well to begin with, but when they have earned and deserve it, give them a raise.

Second, incentivize them. When they bring on a new customer, give them a bonus. By incentivizing your receptionist, you give them the drive to work hard at what they do and a reason to care about every customer that walks through the door. This will motivate them to put forth concerted effort every time they interact with a potential customer. Also, incentivize your receptionists by giving them advancement opportunities through an employee development program.

Intermountain Vein Center in Orem, UT is a great example of a company that truly invests in their receptionists. Heather Todd, Office Manager said,

“Our receptionists are vital to the success of our organization. They provide that most important first impression a patient gets of our clinic and the last impression as they leave. No one enjoys going to the doctor and our receptionists understand that. They are there to make sure our patients are as comfortable as possible, and part of that responsibility is to be able to answer questions that can help put patients’ minds at ease. Our receptionists undergo extensive training and education on venous disease and the treatment options available. At the Intermountain Vein Center, we make sure we work as a team and all employees are involved in the treatment process of each patient, but the receptionists are our star performers.”

There are various ways to invest in your receptionists, and every business should realize that receptionists have the potential to become one of their most valuable assets. Invest in your receptionists and you’ll realize a great return and the true value of your investment!

The Danger of False Advertising

Posted on April 6, 2012 at 10:00 pm.

Written by Nick White

In the healthcare industry, false advertising claims are not taken lightly. Recently, a prominent chiropractor and marketing consultant was fined $1.125 million in a fraud settlement for making unsubstantiated claims about the DRX-9000 traction device.

According to the filed complaint, the Danville chiropractor sold marketing materials to chiropractors nationwide that falsely promoted the DRX-9000 as “patented,” breakthrough medical technology, “approved by the FDA,” and “developed by NASA.” These claims were determined by officials to be false and that they preyed on a vulnerable audience. Additionally, he received sales commissions from the manufacturers of the device.

In today’s world, your competitors are waiting to file a complaint with your local DA for the smallest infraction. When it comes to your personal brand and livelihood, why leave the marketing responsibilities up to someone who doesn’t have your best interest in mind or who lacks the knowledge of federal and local advertising laws? Ultimately, the business owner is responsible, not the person or entity creating the marketing. Don’t put your business at risk! The use of unsupported content in your advertising material leaves the door wide open for lawsuits and fines.

Typically advertisers include deceptive or even false claims because they want to generate a better response. At Epic Marketing, we take every precaution to create content for our clients that is not misleading or illegal. Through our years of experience, we have learned how to effectively promote your business without putting you in harm’s way.

What Makes a Good Ad?

Posted on February 16, 2017 at 10:12 pm.

Written by Nick White

What is it that makes a good ad? Is it the pictures/video? Is it what is written or said? Is it the creative elements that cause you to feel something after you have been exposed to it?

We believe that a good ad is one that is written and designed to emotionally connect with its target audience. Once connected, your ad’s rhetoric strongly persuades its consumer to want the product or service. The individual recognizes a need for it and feels a sense of urgency until the purchase is made.

Nonetheless, this is all easier said than done. When you’re competing for ad space in 2017 there’s little vacancy for mediocrity. Anything short of disruptive or highly targeted ends up falling short. Here are some ad related statistics that will acquaint you with the advertising industry of today–

-In 2015, digital ad blocking grew globally by 41%.

-Approximately 90% of TV viewers report, “always skipping” ads on DVR.

–Adobe reports that only 8% of people pay attention to online ads, 16% for radio ads and 14% for billboards. Ads in apps and games bottomed-out at 5%.

There are a wide range of ad styles and each are appropriate depending on the product or service that is being offered. With that in mind, here are some things that, if done correctly, will improve the quality and response to your next ad:

Compelling Hi-Res Visuals

After experimenting with the effectiveness of online imagery, Dan Zarrella of Hubspot, reported that, “[A] 37% increase in engagement [was] experienced when Facebook posts include[d] photographs.”

Visuals are one of the first things people look at when viewing an advertisement. In advertising, the old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words” really fits. For example, you can probably think of some advertisements you’ve seen that are mainly just an image with little text. The ad visual should complement the ad headline, copy, and overall message.

Take a look at how we optimized images and responsiveness for a client website to increase web form conversions by 550%.

Effective Headline

Without question, digital advertisers are in the business of capturing attention. Though you may have put hours, weeks or even months into prepping the content that’s behind the click, your headline is what must compel them to do so.

In regards to the average Google searcher, Forbes reports, “it now takes people on average about eight or nine seconds to find the result they want.”

Moz also reports, “80% of readers never make it past the headline.”

We naturally search the internet with impulsiveness and impatience. When it comes to search engines, we’re anxious to get from A to B as fast as possible. We reserve our consciousness and focus for our destination and not the journey. So it would make sense that we ought to create headlines that cater to our naturally click-happy audience.

Because headlines are implicitly the first thing your viewer pays attention to, your headline should be attention-grabbing but should also encompass the overall message in a short sentence. Headlines can be thought-provoking, strictly informative, humorous, etc., but effective headlines have one thing in common: they all leave their reader wanting more.

Well-written Copy

If your headline and visuals have been effective enough to keep viewers reading, well-written copy will be the next aspect of your ad that will compel viewers to take action. If Moz’s report about 80% of users never making it past the headline is true, that means, if we read between the lines, 20% of users do make it past the headline.

So what now? Ad copy should be creative, concise and easy to read but also have compelling and relevant content. Avoid using jargon or excessive information that doesn’t contribute directly to the overall message of the advertisement.

Calls the Viewer to Action

Without a strong call to action, your advertisement probably won’t get the results you’re expecting it to. A call to action is defined as something in the ad that gives them an incentive to call or contact you now. Your ad’s call to action should be well thought out and defined. Make sure that your contact information is clearly visible and not surrounded by clutter. Though you may feel it’s important that your visitors become informed, have a positive branding experience with your company or visit a high number of pages, remember you ultimately created your ad so people can convert.

See how we helped a new york city client achieve 386 unique first-time callers in a single month.

Here are some key factors to consider when crafting your CTA-

– More than 90% of visitors who read your headline also read your CTA copy.

– Making CTAs look like buttons created a 45% boost in clicks for Create Debate.

– Emails with a single call-to-action increased clicks 371% and sales 1617%.

Overall, great advertisements connect to their audience and provide memorable, informative, and compelling content that get viewers respond to the call to action. Need help creating great ads? Contact Epic Marketing to find out how we can successfully boost your digital marketing campaign with great ads.

Value Proposition: What’s Yours?

Posted on December 29, 2011 at 10:15 pm.

Written by Nick White

If someone asked you what your value proposition was for your product or company, could you give them an answer right off the bat? If you answered “yes” to that question, you’re on the right track. If your answer was “no”, you’ll probably want to give it some more thought. A strong value proposition is essential for the success of any marketing campaign, and ultimately, for the success of any businesses.

What a Value Proposition is and Why it’s Important

A value proposition can apply to an organization or business as a whole, or for specific products and services. Essentially, a value proposition is a statement or message that shows why your organization, product, or service is the optimal choice above others on the market. It’s usually obvious to every business what it is that they do, or what product or service they provide. However, some businesses haven’t figured out why they do what they do, or why they sell certain products or services. A value proposition is important for marketing and selling to customers, but is also a key element in creating consistency within an organization or business.

Defining Your Value Proposition

According to marketing industry expert Neil Rackham, a value proposition should have four parts: capability, impact, proof, and cost.

Capability: Explain why your business is the most capable for the product or service you’re providing. Are you the most experienced, the newest, the biggest, most efficient, or most personable? Be able to show why your expertise makes your company, product, or service the optimal choice.

Impact: How will your business, product, or service have a positive impact on your customers? Explain how you have the ability to fill a need or solve a problem better than others on the market.

Proof: Be able to prove how your business, product, or service will have a positive effect for your customers. Remember that numbers, facts, and figures are the best way to show, not just tell your customers that you are the most qualified choice for what they’re looking for.

Cost: Pretty self-explanatory. Remember that transparency is always the best option for customer satisfaction. Hidden costs might bring in more revenue, but they will cost you customers in the long run.

Using Your Value Proposition

Once you have defined your value proposition, the next step is to implement it in your marketing and messaging. Be sure that you first implement it internally within your organization or business. It’s especially important that salespeople or staff members that are regularly in contact with potential customers have a clear and consistent understanding of your value proposition. After you have established consistent messaging internally, make sure your value proposition is clear to potential customers through your marketing and sales collateral.