Marketing/Sales/Advertising
Leave a Lasting Impression
What is at the core of leaving a lasting impression? Customer Service. Good customer service leaves a positive impression, and bad customer service leaves a really long-lasting negative impression. It could mean the difference between keeping a client or losing a client. So how important is customer service as a small business owner? It should be one of your founding principles. It is at Monarch Media, and I have to give good customer service credit for helping us build and retain clients and advertisers. And here’s a secret…it’s pretty easy to provide good customer service. I happened upon Marc Kramer’s article “7 Ways to Improve Your Customer Service,” so I gave it a...
Read MoreWorking in Tandem: Does Your Magazine’s Content Drive Membership?
Ernie Smith’s article “How Your Magazine Reinforces Your Membership” in Association’s Now dives into how your association magazine can work in tandem to support your membership goals. Content is on everyone’s mind these days with so much content available, along with the best way to use it, display it, and share it. But first you should ask: Does the content within the pages of your magazine drive the association’s goals while engaging the members? You’ll likely think, “well of course it does!” But really, how do you know if this is happening? Poll your membership. Ask pointed questions regarding the content you provide them. Do they use it? How...
Read MoreWe Aren’t In Sales Anymore
I have to admit, I didn’t anticipate a career in sales, but here I am 16 years later still reaching out to people with our products and services. I have seen a lot of trends and changes occur in sales; some focusing on the latest technology, some focusing on smaller budgets, but the one that seems to be sticking around is the idea we aren’t really in sales anymore. We are in the business of building relationships. The Austin Business Journal recently published an article by Ken Cook speaking to the relationship-building part of sales. In the article, Cook uses an example of what the relationship model looks like. “Going forward let’s elevate the focus on relationships....
Read MoreSponsorship ROI
Has your company ever sponsored an event only to find you are amongst many other sponsor logos competing for the same attention from attendees? If you’ve been an event sponsor, you know what I’m talking about. More companies are measuring their sponsorship ROI which is challenging given the standard model of sponsorship benefits. For decades, sponsorship packages have been dictated by the event host or association: “Here is the price; here are the benefits. Would you like to sponsor?” With the resurgence of ROI, the standard sponsorship offering must change to a benefit that can be measured. Jeff Hurt goes into more detail about how the game is changing...
Read MorePrint Versus Digital – Can you have one without the other?
Do I need a digital offering for my publication? We get this question when talking with our association clients, and I happened upon a good pros and cons list on OmniPress. Daniel de la Cruz sums it up nicely. The most basic explanation to this question is this: Readers consume information differently, so having multiple options will reach across preferences, demographics and generations. Some information is better suited for print and other for digital, but have a nice mix of both. How do you determine which data is better received in print versus digital? Survey! As de la Cruz says, “Use surveys to gain understanding of how your membership prefers to consume content.”...
Read MoreLinkedIn: Curiosity is Key
With so many social media avenues available and new ones popping up constantly, I find myself wondering how to best use LinkedIn for business. It was curiosity that first led me to Facebook and LinkedIn and I’ll admit that today the only other social media platform I use is Pinterest. I like Facebook primarily for personal social media. Monarch has a Facebook page, so I now dabble in the business side too. Pinterest is my personal go-to place for ideas to spur my creativity—or make me feel really bad for not handcrafting my child’s valentine cards! It made the crossover into my business world when I needed inspiration and graphics for a recent speaking gig. And then...
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