I am opening cake /deli shop and I need a name! Want catchy but not corny!
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A to Z: Appetizers to ‘Zerts
Bakery-Fresh Sandwiches
Bakerdeli
The Sandwich Garden
All Cakes Come From Heaven
The Sandwich King & Bakery Queen
The Sandwich & Bakery King
Cake-atessen
Delicakes
Lunch…and Dessert
Delicious cakes … Starting with Deli
Past research in my company (Residential HVAC) suggests that our business slows during the months of August and September. My question is, will advertising encourage responses during our “slow season” or will it go unheard because people simply aren’t buying during this time?
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I would suggest offering a different service to your customers: year-round maintenance. Let’s say a typical service call costs $100 during the busy season. This new service would cost $75 (call it HVAC insurance) and avoid problems during the “high season”, peace of mind, etc.
So instead of telling the “same old story”, you’re telling about something new, something to separate you from your competition.
I’m a massage therapist. I don’t have a business name — just my own name. Would a biz name help?
On a card, do I need to say more than “therapeutic massage”? I don’t really specialize. Mostly I’ll give the cards to people I meet, but a few I’ll leave with network friends (hairdresser etc).
Maybe “Convenient appointments at your home or office?”
Benefits: Less stress – better health?
Less stress = more productivity?
Here, massage is a word-of-mouth game in a super-saturated market. My position is: I’m not cheap, but I’m good. (Cheap) massage franchises are kicking private massage’s bottom.
Do you feel there is any benefit for adding something to the cards or having a collateral piece with health info — like office ergonomics or something?
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You don’t need a collateral piece. People choose health-related professionals based on word of mouth and not ads in the paper (unless it’s an emergency).
As a general masseuse, it’s hard to stand out with all the other general masseuses. Do you specialize in spa-type (feel good) massage? Releasing pain from overuse? People in chronic pain (or just weekend warriors)?
A business name wouldn’t hurt, but I wouldn’t expect it to matter much, either. A tagline would be, at this point in your career, probably too generic (unless you start to specialize).
What you need is to generate more referrals from people who you “touch”.
The recent Guerrilla Marketing Weekly Intelligence (from Guerrilla Marketing Association) wrote: “The way to ask for referrals is with complete honesty. Just say that referrals can be very valuable to your business and that you need the person’s help. Tell them that as referrals can benefit your business, you know that your business can benefit the customer’s associates and acquaintances. Then, ask for names — just a few names to make it easy on your prospect. Giving you three, four or five names is not that big a deal.”
I need help with a local dental practice. We are trying to build this practice and need suggestions or ideas to build more patients. Mainly quality patients.
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The first question is, “How are you different from all the other dentists in your area?”.
Do you have advanced training in something special? Do you specialize in children? teens? pregnant women? seniors? Do you speak multiple languages in the office? Are you a holistic dentist? Does your office provide a “spa-like” environment for the patients?
Assume that everyone who wants a dentist in your area already has one. Why should they switch to you, someone they don’t know (yet)? Perhaps you guarantee no waiting? You accept all insurance? You offer a new method of reducing pain? Preventative care? You need to provide a compelling reason to have people choose you because of something that annoys them about their existing dentist.
Getting people new to your area is a slightly different process – they don’t know anyone, so it’s W.O.M with the neighbors unless you’re part of the “welcome to our town” package.
I have had my travel business for over 6 years now, but I never could come up with a great tagline. I would love to get your opinions. My company name is Darlington Travel Center. I specialize in cruises, accessible travel and destination weddings and honeymoons. My agency is full-service.
I am trying to design a great yellow page ad, too. I have never done that before. Any suggestions as to what I should include in the ad? The one I have had since the beginning is a basic 5 line ad. Now I am going to probably upgrade to a Quarter Column Ad.
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Your ad should highlight your specialties (cruises, etc.) – what makes you unique in your area. Don’t forget a website reference in your ad.
I have looked up marketing on the Internet countless times, and everyone wants to sell you something. I don’t care what kind of a tip it is like yellow page ad or flyer tip. Just something to get people to call. Or is there a web site I could get free information about marketing?
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If you already have clients, then ask for referrals.
When you’re working, make sure your vehicle/clothing clearly has your name + contact info.
After you’re done working, go door-to-door and distribute flyers on the same block (your neighbor at 123 Main Street is using us, and we’d love to have you as a client…)
Target new home owners. Welcome them and give them a gift of a free consultation, etc.
Talk to existing lawn people. Perhaps they have too much work or there are jobs they don’t want and would be happy to pass along to you.
Talk to your local garden center. See if there’s a referral board there.
Hold a free class on “How to Make Your Lawn Easier To Care For” (for example). Really give value. The point is that you’ll position yourself as an expert in their eyes.
It was suggested to have some of our testimonial ads made into posters and I’ve invited technical staff to work at focus groups which helped but that doesn’t cover the other departments.
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Posters alone won’t do much. Ideally, you want your customers to be in front of your employees and tell them how what they did mattered to their lives (so it becomes more than simply selling to meet quotas).
Given the size of your organization, you might consider creating a video of what made a difference in the lives of your customers. Close ups of the people talking. Emotional content. The videos could be available for internal downloading and/or a group showing (followed by a discussion).
The posters would be of the people in the video – so the static words don’t get ignored – they reinforce the emotional punch of the videos.
I am getting ready to order the marketing giveaways (pens, brochures, etc.) for a senior expo/trade show. The booth will be for a Skilled Nursing Facility. What have you found to be the best economical and productive form of giveaways?
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Unique and useful gifts. I would think about pens that are easy to hold with arthritic hands, brochures printed in larger fonts for older eyes, new pill holders, and and other things that make an older person’s life a little bit easier
Rather than focus on the giveaways, make sure that your booth clearly markets what makes your facility different/better than the others. Train your staff to reinforce this message. Marketing materials (including giveaways) should likewise reflect the message.
I have been in the insurance business for a while. I have a handful of associates that are in the same situation that I am. We are looking for a more effective presence on the Internet regarding mortgage protection insurance. We have tried all the “free” posting ideas (i.e. Craigslist, etc.) but we’re looking more toward directed interest in this particular product.
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Last month Overture listed the relatively low number of 2764 searches for “mortgage protection insurance” (contrast this with 1.7 million searches for “mortgage”) Not surprisingly, if people aren’t searching for it, they won’t find you.
The key is to determine who is your target audience (people with mortgage) and what problem you solve (avoiding foreclosure of your home when you die).
People don’t look for insurance regularly – they think about it when they have a big lifestyle change: a marriage, a divorce, a birth, a death, a new home, an inheritance, and at tax time (when meeting with financial advisers). Therefore, it would make sense to create a series of marketing pieces that help people at these times:
“How To Ensure Your Marriage Is Financially Strong”
“10 Financial Tips for New Parents”
“Keep Your New Home In the Family”
These educational articles would be published on your website, in article banks, local magazines, etc. The purpose is to provide genuine information, with a link back to your site for more information.
I have a heavy machinery business and I desperately need a slogan…here is what we do…road work, land clearing, site work, hauling, ponds, shredding. Our clients are commercial property owners, ranchers, and small property owners. Any ideas would be very much appreciated.
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We love playing with big toys.
Kids love us. You will too.
When a shovel simply won’t do.