Marketing Ideas from MAG Participants
This is a collection of marketing ideas written by MAG participants. You are free to use them or adapt them to fit your business.
Ideas to Get a Lot More Attention
Rahisd Kotwal
We have a client who targets furniture manufacturers who turn over between $1M and $30M who aren't making the margins they could. (Average margin is around 1 - 2% and he can get them up to say 10 - 15%.
We created a free report “The 3 Keys To Generating The Profit You Want” – specifically written for Furniture, Wardrobe and Kitchen Manufacturers in Australia. It's about 12 pages and covers the 3 major areas they fall down in. We also got a USB stick made (photo attached) with a simple profit calculator embedded.The calculator allows them to put in their own numbers and see what margin they're really making rather than what they think they are.
Client then calls the company – gets the name of the owner. Then sends them the package in Overnight Priority Package.Then calls them within a couple of days to follow up.Only sends as many packages as he can make follow up calls for.
So far it's been pretty successful.Got about 30% strike rate of longer conversations - a couple of which have turned into business.About $30K each.
Another one I really liked (unfortunately didn't think of it), is a colleague got a really nice jewel encrusted elephant (about half the size of your fist). Costs him about $10 each. He sends it to business owners with a note that there's an elephant in the room that no one's talking about (obviously his service).I believe he gets about 50% the respondents requesting a meeting.
Creating a Powerful “Draft Document”
Geoff Kelly
Here is an idea I've used successfully for myself and clients for getting clients, prospects and even relative strangers engaged with me.
I first discovered this in corporate life, working for an Australian mining company that had an exploration project in the Philippines. We faced a massive disinformation campaign by all manner of NGOs in that country and back in Australia who wanted no further mining there. So they spread stories that we were having the army massacre local tribespeople in the mountains where we were exploring; that we were operating a massive open cut mine polluting the landscape and dumping toxic mud into rivers causing villages to flood and people to get sick and die. Simply telling people that we only operated three drilling rigs from a lone exploration camp failed to stem the flood those willing to confess our sins in the most extraordinary stories - all untrue.
It was important we ensure many key influencers and groups here and in the Philippines of the reality, given what they were hearing. So I commissioned a large information document, complete with detailed "see for yourself" answers to every question and claim being made. Because this was a fluid campaign with new questions arising regularly, we held back publication to deal with each one. But we took advantage of having a good draft and sent it to key people among our allies and even our foes asking for comment. That's when we learned the power of the draft. Because it wasn't some perceived final corporate greenwash, but "only" a draft we saw people getting very engaged with it - giving us more questions, correcting errors and nuances, and even adding slabs of new material. Many wanted to discuss, not just reply in writing. So I kept it as a draft for 12 months and it became a key and powerful engagement tool.
Post corporate I've used this principle of the draft for myself and my clients. For example, earlier this year I wanted to deepen my business coaching practice, so drafted an article on the eight steps to take to simplify building a business. I ensured it was a good draft, but stopped short of making it look slick and finished. Then I circulated it under customized cover notes to existing clients, prospects and others in my network. The result was many comments and conversations and meetings. Several clients told me they didn't know that aspect of my business (my other main practice is impact and influence for leaders, and for professionals and business owners). It lead to more work with existing clients and deeper and active relationships with others, some of whom are now clients.
A second idea adds to our discussion on today's call concerning referrals and how to appreciate one that leads to business. Most of the people I work with are professionals, business owners or higher-level leaders. They mostly don't want rewards. So what I do is ensure I thank them and keep them in touch with what happens to their referrals. But the deeper point is that I try to ensure that I have a giving relationship with my potential referrers - so I send them notes and articles customized to issues I know they are interested in. I want them to know I care about their interests and I'm there for them. Mostly they do the same for me. In that context when I ask for a referral it is mostly in the context of a strong reciprocal relationship that we have. So a thank you and feedback on what has happened works quite well. I've always loved the idea of handwritten notes, but don't like my handwriting – those automated writing programs still look a bit contrived to me too. But if you have a nice hand, a handwritten thank you card is fabulous – I don't think I've ever thrown out any I've received!
Inviting Colleagues to Events
Bill Ringle
A "secret weapon" technique that I enjoy using (and could use more often!) is to invite prospects to a business function as my guest.
Some may be asking, "Oh, like a free Chamber of Commerce network event?" to which I emphatically say, "no way!"
What I mean is a top-notch speaker or exclusive opportunity to meet a great group. The occasion has to rise to meet the standard of a "great event" not a "meh take-it-or-leave-it event."
For example, I extended the offer to meet Jim Collins to executives in my network who I knew loved Good to Great, and paid for their tickets. That made strong, positive impressions and helped us bond during the daylong event, making the investment proportionately favorable to the resulting business.
Another example is to invite people to closed events as my guest, where the fee might not be a barrier, but because of an alumni or client relationship or club membership, I have access that makes it more of a big deal.
It doesn't have to be business-related either – I've had great fun inviting business colleagues/prospects to meet at the US Open Tennis tournament each year in NYC. It's all about the opportunity to bond!
Another example is when I've given public talks to make sure every potential prospect (not everybody in my social media network!) received a special advanced invitation. Whether they came or not, this tactic has resulted in business because of the expert positioning.
Come to think of it, I will start to apply this idea of extending highly personalized invitations to VIPs to my webinars as well.
Who Do You Know Who?
Lois de Vries
I use this referral ask all of the time (I learned it from someone else) and I always get an immediate response: "Who do you know who?"
"Who (else) do you know who might be interested in sharing their content in the Sustainable Gardening Library?"
"Who do you know who is working on a zero-waste building at a public garden (university)"
"Who else do you know at (name of their university) who might be working on (type of project or program)?"
Sometimes they really don't know anyone, but by asking a very narrow, focused question you remove all the confusion that might be caused by asking a more general one like, "Can you think of anyone who might be interested in what I do?"
The Book Club for Actors
Rhonda Musak
Every 6-8 weeks I choose a playwright and several of the playwright's plays for attendees to read. I offer each book club twice – a Monday evening and Saturday afternoon – attendees choose either one and we meet either at a diner or a café, discuss plays over yummy food and I do research about the plays and playwright.
I'm on my 38th playwright and the Book Club for Actors has been an invaluable resource for building my business:
1) It gives me a no strings attached, value only invite option for any actor I meet – the only investment is to read the plays and purchase at least a coffee wherever we meet.
2) Because attendees have to actually read the plays, the book club acts as a velvet rope for those who are willing to do the work–and those are my ideal clients.
3) It provides new people an opportunity to connect with my students and it's an extra value for my committed students.
4) It helps me to stay on top of the many plays that I have to read. And it helps me to find material for scenes, cold readings etc. for my classes.
5) No matter how many people show up for a given meeting, it has proven valuable and the conversation has been compelling.
It's all around a win-win!
Powerful Networking and Getting Calls Returned
Amina Aitsi-Selmi
My tried and tested strategy has brought me a big ROI in various ways in my career. Some of the people I've known over the years have become mini-celebrities in the UK and when I feel there might be a good fit, I take the opportunity to go to their events/talks and make the effort to go and speak to them at the end to congratulate them on their success. When they ask how I'm doing, I let them know and it generally creates interest and connection and a natural opening to have a further conversation and perhaps explore how we might work together. The main testimonial on my website homepage is from one of these recognisable faces (a doctor and TV presenter) and it's helped things along.
Another one I was going to try but the person got back to me before I could try it was to ask for an address to which I can send them sunglasses because they must be on a witness protection programme (joke) and send a funny picture in the email.
It's based on a technique used by Patrick Bet-David to get an appointments with a high profile people and that he says has worked for him: He sends a box with one shoe in it and a note that says (paraphrase): “Now that I have one shoe in the door, may I have the opportunity to get the other shoe in?" See here for the original description. I thought that it was risky but excellent as a general concept!