Hello, with the market being down, I am looking to catch my potential clients with a really good phrase that describes my dedication, willingness to help and service they are bound to have with me.
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Jay’s Answer:
I started my own business called StudySmart Academy, I teach students how to study as their individual brains prefer according to the Assessment they would have taken. It is for any age starting from 10 years up.My main market is 14-18 years of age. Schools are seeming impossible to get into as there are so many people constantly approaching them with something. How else do I reach these ages if schools wont let me in? Most methods of marketing&advertising isn’t targeting my market. In my town people dont want to help as they wan all the students to themselves even though I am the only person doing what I do-so no affiliations yet. Ive tried newspaper, flyers, banners, competitions. Thing is that when I reach parents they purchase the program & the students grades improve, so my problem is definitely reaching my Target Market when schools arnt letting me in. I feel I have done all possible but need some opinions.
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Jay’s Answer: Word of Mouth is the key. If your program works, then you want to have parents recommend your services to other parents.
Sponsor a child’s sports team, getting your logo on their jerseys.
Finally, you’re key benefit isn’t making learning fun — it’s getting students better scores. That’s why parents would enroll in your program.
I’m starting my pet sitting business next month. I have a couple of fliers already printed and ready to go but I was trying to come up with one that is a little more eye catching to people that may not automatically look at bulletin boards. I came up with the idea to have a little dog yelling through a megaphone the word “Attention!” in big red letters across the top of the page. I want to have something to the affect of “vacation season is quickly approaching- line up your pet sitter now” but i’m having trouble wording it. Any ideas?
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Jay’s Answer: Instead of (or in addition to) putting another flyer on the bulletin boards, contact your local travel agents, AAA, etc. When people are planning to go away, make your offer stand out.
I work at a health club and have been tasked with putting together a launch plan for the opening of an area within our gym that targets seniors.
I seem to be stuck on a few matters
– name for this (sub) club
– how to gain awareness/effectively promote our seniors club
Any ideas on the above as well as on marketing to baby boomers in general would be greatly appreciated.
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Jay’s Answer: It depends on what you intend to do internally with the club and your demographic (besides the age). For example, are you targeting people with poor mobility, senior athletes, new retirees, people living in assisted living, rehab patients (from a stroke, etc.), etc. Also, are you targeting men and women, upper-income bracket, middle-income, etc.? Once they come in, what’s special about their program? Do you have senior trainers who understand older bodies? Do you have large print on your machine and other instructions for older eyes? What about the music that’s playing? Extra seating?
Finding the seniors depends on your specific target. It may be connecting with your local senior living center, service clubs (Rotary, Lions, etc that may have a more senior membership), or a local mobility-assistance store (that sells canes, walkers, wheelchairs, etc.), etc. If there’s a senior fair in your area (where a number of vendors get together to show options for local seniors), that might be another great option.
Names: Body Masters, Senior Strength, Live Longer & Stronger.
I run a membership site that provides marketing tools for loan officers. I recently began performing live demo’s using GoToMeeting.
The demonstrations have been a big hit for me, in that the conversion ratio is nearly 40% (Quite substantial in this industry) and prospects love the idea of seeing a demo before joining.
However, the drawback is that the demo’s are quite time consuming, and hosting demo’s to more than 1 person at a time seems to drastically reduce the effectiveness, as prospects don’t ask many questions, and are a bit withdrawn knowing others are on the line.
So here’s my question:
Could you offer some advice regarding a potential compromise. In this case, an automated demo? Perhaps a flash movie, or a PowerPoint video showing screen shots, with screen capture of a walk-through of the site?
I feel that there are 2 things to consider here:
1 – An automated demo would allow me to capture emails as they “register” to see the demo. This is a plus. Next, it would allow me to distribute the demo on a much more extensive scale, and I of course, could dub some great audio walk throughs to accompany the video.
2 – Here is the “but.” I feel that this method of delivery of the demo would water down its effectiveness. Without the personal attention and live feedback I can provide, I feel the conversion ratio would be diminished, and there is not quite the same level of urgency. There’s something to be said for 1 on 1 salesmanship.
There you have it. My current decision to be made. I realize web metrics come into play, but I don’t have a whole lot of captured data to go off of, as this site was not a major focus of mine for the last 6 – 8 months.
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Jay’s Answer: Consider your positioning. For example, what is the lifetime value of a new client? $1000? $100,000? The more valuable they are to your organization, the more effort you should expend to woo them.
Likewise, does your company tout it’s great personalized service? If so, then a 1:1 demo shows that from the get-go.
You might have people who are interested in your services answer a few questions, and direct them to a prerecorded small demo that focuses on their needs (if you can group your prospects into various categories). Then, schedule a follow up, either via demo or a simple phone call to discuss their specific needs after seeing the video.
I’m developing a business plan for a new business and am looking for an ad campaign/marketing angle for 30 second radio spots.
Our company will sell categorical listings of construction/repair companies whom we have pre-screened, and whose work we determine to be consistently above average, to homeowners and business owners who are actively looking for someone to hire. The price of a listing is still being considered, but we thinking they’ll start below $30 for the cheapest categorical listing (probably be handyman/small jobs and repairs) and could top out around $100 for the most expensive listing category (maybe home building/extensive remodeling general contractors).
The benefit of using our service will be that customers are not shooting blind and gambling with an important decision and a major investment. The company’s working name is Bravo Company – Independent Referral Service.
I’m looking for an ad/angle that appeals to people who
a) try to be careful with their money
b) realize that there are good contractors and bad contractors out there
c) are trying to get the best work for the best price
d) cannot afford to pay for the premium, top-of-the-line contracting companies
I know that many times people find good contractors through word of mouth, but sometimes they can still be hard to find. Also, our company follows contractors through job after job to evaluate their usual results, whereas word of mouth referrals are generally based on one or two people’s experiences.
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Jay’s Answer:
Child’s voice:
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
Pick a contractor by the toe.
If he hollers let ’em go.
My mother said to pick…
Voice over:
No clue on who to hire for your next home repair? Bravo eliminates the guesswork. Our pre-screened contractors will save you time and money, and most of all, worry. Call 1-800-555-1212.
I’m working in a shipping company. I am to decide on what days of the week we should advertise our services on our local newspaper to gain optimum benefit/attention. I have decided to advertise on two English newspapers and two Chinese newspaper due to the fact that most shippers look out for these papers for shipping schedules that are being published in them. So, how do i go about in deciding which days of the week we should advertise and how often to gain optimum benefit ?
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Jay’s Answer: Take a look at a week’s worth of the papers and see who’s advertising on which days to find your local pattern.
Also, consider placing the shipping information on your website, so people can find the information quickly online, and immediately think of your business. Advertise this online shipping information in the newspaper as well (esp. on days when the shipping info isn’t printed: “Looking for shipping info? Go to: shipping.mycompany.com)
I am finally pursuing my passion as a natural hair stylist. I am very good at what I do (braiding, extensions, locs, etc) so why am I scared to step out and do this full time?
Well, I am hoping to open a beauty salon with booth rentals. I hope to rent to a cosmetologist, esthetician, and a manicurist. Renting to this professionals will make my salon a full salon because people can come and not only get their hair done but also get a facials, manicure and a pedicure.
The rent will range from $120 to $250 per week, the professionals buy their own products and bring their own clients. They only pay me for the space they are occupying.
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Jay’s Answer: Don’t simply create “another” full-service salon. Yes, you want great, friendly, mature professionals renting from you. Yes, you want a great vibe when people come in. But more than that – target your audience better than your competition. For example, for busy female execs – guarantee that they’ll be in/out at a certain time, or their service is free. Or, have young girl days, where the music and vibe is better suited for them. Or, a man’s makeover day. The full-service part of your business is more than the sum of the services you provide – it’s the feeling they get when they’re with you, and how they feel when they leave.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. I am doing a seminar for moms as a way to get my name in the community as a resource for families when counseling is needed. I have spoken on many topics in the past. I would like to appeal to these moms as a resource for their general needs or more specific needs. The working title is Creating Balance in your Life as a Mom. I also need 4 – 5 bullet points to attract moms to this seminar. I currently have Improve Your Time Management; Eliminate Distractions; Finding a Routine that Maximizes the Potential for Your Family; and Giving Your Own Needs the attention they deserve. I would like something that is more catchy or would attract the most moms possible! Thank You!!
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Jay’s Answer: Moms with children at different ages have different specific issues (toddlers vs. lower-school vs. high-school vs. college-aged).
“Creating Balance in Your Life” isn’t motivating. Contrast this to: “Have More Fun In Your Life”, “Play More With Your Family”, “Increase Joy”, “Feel More Vital”, etc.
Adding a new service to existing successful business. Looking for ideas on how to best introduce the service of prepared heart healthy & diabetic meals – we worked with local hospital to develop idea/menu. I want to target working adults who are caring for their parent(s) and those who are looking for healthy food option. Meals are gourmet but low fat, sodium, calories. I’m going to plan an open house to introduce new line of food. Who do invite and how can I advertise inexpensively? I need help to develop a marketing plan to make this aware to home health aides, doctor’s offices, and busy caregivers.
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Jay’s Answer: Sponsor lunch/dinner talks and serve your food to them.
Don’t forget dietitians, small grocery stores, local gyms, and even PTA.
If it tastes good, and people believe that eating it will help their health, it has the right price point (“what is your health worth?”), great testimonials (like Jared, the Subway guy – “eating this food has lowered my BP and made me enjoy life again”), and you’ve done your positioning homework (knowing about your competition), then you have a good start.