Occasionally, I will be called to repair or improve a client’s marketing program, which subsequently can increase revenues by 20 percent or higher while decreasing the cost of sales. Although it would fuel my ego, I cannot claim that my brilliance or superior technique was responsible for the results. Instead, it’s often housekeeping, or maintenance, that makes most of the difference.
There are many reasons why marketing maintenance takes a back seat in companies. Most marketing departments are strapped for time with new project deadlines that prevent them from fine-tuning existing programs. Turnover can be a problem, too. If someone who designed a catalog or built a website is no longer with a company, then it may not occur to the successor to refresh preexisting content. Other issues occur at the executive level. A change in a company’s mission or tagline will have a domino effect on marketing communications, disrupting consistency and necessitating updates on a large scale. Simple miscommunication in other cases may be the problem. There are times when a change in one department never quite makes it to the marketing department for updates.
Regardless of their causes, these glitches build up. They break critical connections between your customers and their purchase decisions. At some point, they begin to degrade the performance of the marketing tools you have in play. They can also reflect poorly on your company’s image, especially if they become too obvious and frequent. Although it may feel counterproductive, it pays you to temporarily cease work on current initiatives in lieu of assessing your existing marketing communications. The alternative is to outsource the assessment to a provider you can trust. In either case, the idea is to enable your customers to make the connection between their purchase and the value you provide, and then feel good about their decision.
Here are some of the areas in your marketing regimen that tend to get “messy” over time and thus require routine maintenance:
Lists
Mailing lists need vigilant attention, whether they are for email or sending via the U.S. postal service. When I was first hired as a marketing director for a commercial supplier, I was told that they had more than 30,000 customers to whom they sent quarterly catalogs. In order to better understand the customers on their mailing list, I asked the Accounting Department to give me a list of customers sorted by their most recent purchases. I then cross-referenced Accounting’s list with the mailing list. It turned out that only 10 percent of the customers on the mailing list had made purchases in the last three years. The rest were either invalid addresses or not being delivered to a viable prospect.
Email lists require attention as well, especially since they become obsolete faster than a brick-and-mortar address. Furthermore, it usually costs money to store email records, and many email marketing firms charge by address record. Therefore, you want your emailing list to be clean and lean. Lastly, a word of caution to those who rely solely upon social media platforms to deliver their communications: Your lists are at the highest risk of all. I have known more than one colleague or friend who has lost their entire list of thousands of followers because their accounts were hacked and consequently shut down by the provider. Validate your followers, backup and maintain them in a list of your own, and rest easier knowing that your customer base is in your control.
Mission
Have you reviewed your mission lately? Is it up-to-date? Can people understand your mission without thinking too hard about it? Can your workforce recite it? Donald Miller, author of Business Made Simple, offers the following formula for a good, short mission statement: “We will accomplish _____________ by________________ because of _____________.” The idea here is to have language that communicates your mission so clearly that it can be easily integrated into all of your marketing content. After all, your mission states why you exist and how you provide value to your customers. Isn’t that the essence of what you wish to communicate? And don’t worry about repeating your message too often. By the time your marketing staff grows weary of reading and hearing it over and over again, your prospects and customers are just beginning to notice.
Message
Throughout all of your marketing vehicles—brochures, posts, podcasts, videos, emails, and blogs—does your message get down to business? Does it communicate your value? Does it include a call to action? My colleague and business strategist, Ed Bogle, says that your marketing message needs to disrupt in order to engage your customer so that you can make an offer and ultimately sell your product or service. Without those elements, your marketing message is incomplete. As an industry, marketing has become laser-focused on metrics including impressions, views, and referring domains. While search engine optimization and SEO have tremendous value in terms of visibility, it doesn’t necessarily translate into sales. SEO along with a clear and compelling message dramatically increases your opportunities for new customers and greater sales. Make sure that your marketing considers both.
Graphics and Imagery
As humans, we are sensory beings. We respond viscerally to taste, touch, smell, sound, and sight. For most of us, images command our attention before and beyond words and sound. This is why a chart will dominate a page in a financial report and why a news headline will be accompanied by a photograph. Images and graphics are not merely afterthoughts or space fillers. They are much, much more. When chosen and positioned well, they are the first item of interest that draws a viewer into your ad or story. They should be as relevant and as telling as the copy that follows. In many cases, they communicate emotions that individuals desire or, in some cases, want to avoid.
Use images intentionally and purposefully, since they are often the first point of contact you will have with a prospect. As with all marketing elements, images and graphics may become less relevant or outdated over time. A number on a graphic that was good news when it was published may not be as good today. A photo that was socially acceptable five to 10 years ago, may not be regarded the same way now. The tags and subtitles that you use in your electronic imagery may need refreshment, too.
Brand Identity
The reason for having your logo and accompanying tagline displayed prominently on every piece of media in your marketing portfolio should be obvious. Unfortunately, it is not always the case. For example, I was working on a project at an organization that was in a debate about a recent change to its logo. Some in the organization preferred the old logo and refused to change it. Others adopted the newer version. Yet others, in an effort to stay neutral, avoided the logo altogether. The result was a mishmash of collateral that had no consistency in its identity. It was impossible to recognize that the materials originated from the same organization.
Your brand identity, especially your logo, is more than an icon or graphical signature. It should not be optional or subject to personal preference. It is a representation of the perceptions and values that it has earned from your customers over time. Manage it, protect it, and regard it as the valuable symbol that it is to your company and its customers.
Blogs and Newsletters
Electronic media makes it fast and easy to transmit communication to your customers and viewers. However, the process of drafting quality content remains a focused effort best handled by someone who possesses the skills to do it. Most companies, at one time or another, are inspired to create a blog or e-newsletter. Usually, the inspiration occurs when time is not an issue, or when someone on the team is really good at that sort of thing. As time goes by, schedules fill up, people move on, and the formerly active blog goes dormant. The problem in such cases is that you are leaving clues that someone in the past, maybe a long time ago, cared enough to communicate to your market. A smattering of clearly dated blog posts lingers on your website and divulges when the letters fell off. Unfortunately, this does not make a good impression on new visitors. If the content is still relevant and valuable, consider retooling the posts into pages that reside in a more permanent position. Or you can reboot your blog posts, update them and carry on with new content. But don’t leave your website looking sleepy and unattended.
The intention is not to dissuade you from writing a blog or creating a communications program. In fact, providing valuable information that distinguishes you from the competition is always desirable. Nevertheless, if you are uncertain as to whether you are able to maintain your blog or e-news series, consider different ways of scheduling the content. For example, write to your audience quarterly or even semi-monthly before you commit to monthly or weekly posts. Also, you may find it easier to keep the content valuable when a little more time exists between submissions.
Videos and Podcasts
Videos and podcasts may or may not be time-sensitive, depending on how you produce and schedule them. Of course, if you are doing a weekly podcast, then the same considerations apply to podcasting as they do to blogging. Additionally, working with dynamic audio and video involves other participants and introduces new challenges and potential distractions. Whether you are speaking or interviewing a guest, remember to tie the topic back to your company’s overarching mission. This doesn’t mean that you have to be all business all of the time, but the conversation should clearly convey its purpose to the audience and relate to your core values. Understand that your viewers’ time is precious, too. Make sure that when they launch into your video or podcast, their expectations are met. They should quickly recognize the relevance of your message. It should clearly pertain to them and your business and explain why you shared it. There are ways to reinforce the purpose of your video and podcast messages, as well. The title of your video or podcast is the most immediate way to convey its essence. You can also make use of image captions and subtitles to reinforce its purpose.
Forms, Profiles, and Links
Let’s face it, in our world of electronic communication, there’s always another form to fill out. Whether you’re creating a customer inquiry form or responding to someone else’s information request, forms are an important part of your marketing program. In many cases, they’re a step closer to transacting a sale. It’s a good idea to revisit the forms you create on a regular basis. Reading through them at a later date is akin to reviewing them with a fresh set of eyes. You may discover an opportunity you missed or find a better way to ask a question. Similarly, the profiles you complete for your business on social media platforms merit an occasional review. Make a habit of refreshing your information with new, up-to-date photos as well as completing or editing information that seems a bit vague. Be sure to check your links, too. Are they directing your customer to the best possible page? Do the pages contain outdated content? Does the page still exist? While checking links may be a simple task in and of itself, a slight adjustment, correction or improvement could mean the difference between someone who abandons your page and someone who becomes your next best customer.
Products and Pricing
When was the last time you looked at your products and pricing…really looked? Did you read the descriptions? The colors, sizing, and other product options? How about the photos? Were they clear and correct? Did they have captions? Whether you transact sales online or are strictly a brick-and-mortar establishment, your product information should be accurate and complete. Good product information is powerfully advantageous. Missing information will keep your warehouses full and seriously reduce inventory turns.
I once worked with a company that chose not to produce a price list for its customers. Instead, the company relied completely on its sales team to convey pricing information and options. The bottleneck that resulted drove customers to the competition or turned them off certain products altogether. If you sell products for a price, make sure the information is up-to-date and accessible. Hiding prices from your competitors will merely protect you from the business you might otherwise have enjoyed.
What I have shared with you may seem like boring and tedious work. Think of it this way: What if you knew that 20- to 30 percent of the revenues you earned last year were tucked away in the corners of your marketing cabinet? Would you take a closer look?
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