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Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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501
KILLER
MARKETING
TACTICS
to Increase Sales,
Maximize Profits, and
Stomp Your Competition
Copyright © 2010 by Tom Feltenstein. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United
States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any
form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission
of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-07-174409-6
MHID: 0-07-174409-6
The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-174063-0,
MHID: 0-07-174063-5.
All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after
every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the
benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such
designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.
McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales
promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us
at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the
subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering
legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is
required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
—From a declaration of principles jointly adopted by a committee of the American Bar Association
and a committee of publishers
TERMS OF USE
This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its
licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as
permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work,
you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works
based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it
without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and
personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be
terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.
THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO
GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS
OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY
INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR
OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or
guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation
will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or
anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages
resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information
accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable
for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the
use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such
damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such
claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.
KILLER
MARKETING
TACTICS
to Increase Sales,
Maximize Profits, and
Stomp Your Competition
Copyright © 2010 by Tom Feltenstein. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United
States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any
form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission
of the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-07-174409-6
MHID: 0-07-174409-6
The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-174063-0,
MHID: 0-07-174063-5.
All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after
every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the
benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such
designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.
McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales
promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us
at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the
subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering
legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is
required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
—From a declaration of principles jointly adopted by a committee of the American Bar Association
and a committee of publishers
TERMS OF USE
This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its
licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as
permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work,
you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works
based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it
without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and
personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be
terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.
THE WORK IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO
GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS
OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY
INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR
OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or
guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation
will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or
anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages
resulting therefrom. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information
accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable
for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the
use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such
damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such
claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.
Admin- Admin
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:20 pm
Contents
Preface: Marketing Is a Way of Life vii
Acknowledgments xi
1 Planning the Battle—The Basics 1
2 How to Choose the Right Tactics 3
3 Ten Steps before Launching Any Promotional Tactic 7
4 Must-Do Business Tactics 11
5 Marketing to Your Internal Customers 55
6 Grand Opening/Reopening Tactics 61
7 Four Walls Promotions 71
8 Zone Merchandising Tactics 77
9 Existing Customers 91
10 New Customers 105
11 Promotions for Charities and Churches 117
12 Civic Tactics 133
13 Direct Mail and Ads 143
14 Staff Incentives 153
15 Miscellaneous Tactics for Retailers 185
16 Cards, Coupons, Tear-Outs 197
17 Community Tactics 211
18 Students and Their Families 225
19 Leisure Time Tie-Ins 245
20 Service and Professional Businesses 251
Preface: Marketing Is a Way of Life vii
Acknowledgments xi
1 Planning the Battle—The Basics 1
2 How to Choose the Right Tactics 3
3 Ten Steps before Launching Any Promotional Tactic 7
4 Must-Do Business Tactics 11
5 Marketing to Your Internal Customers 55
6 Grand Opening/Reopening Tactics 61
7 Four Walls Promotions 71
8 Zone Merchandising Tactics 77
9 Existing Customers 91
10 New Customers 105
11 Promotions for Charities and Churches 117
12 Civic Tactics 133
13 Direct Mail and Ads 143
14 Staff Incentives 153
15 Miscellaneous Tactics for Retailers 185
16 Cards, Coupons, Tear-Outs 197
17 Community Tactics 211
18 Students and Their Families 225
19 Leisure Time Tie-Ins 245
20 Service and Professional Businesses 251
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21 Restaurant, Food-Service, and Beverage
Companies—Within Your Four Walls 265
22 Gift Certificates 293
23 Theme Nights 313
24 Drive-Through Tactics 323
25 Outrageous Ideas 327
26 Nonprofit Tactics 331
27 Opening Anniversaries 343
28 Holiday Tactics 351
29 Thanksgiving and Christmas Tactics 385
30 Quick College-Year Promotions 395
31 E-marketing 401
32 Digital Media Tactics 413
33 Social Networking Tactics 421
34 Marketing Measurement Tactics 431
Index 439
vi ✹ Contents
Companies—Within Your Four Walls 265
22 Gift Certificates 293
23 Theme Nights 313
24 Drive-Through Tactics 323
25 Outrageous Ideas 327
26 Nonprofit Tactics 331
27 Opening Anniversaries 343
28 Holiday Tactics 351
29 Thanksgiving and Christmas Tactics 385
30 Quick College-Year Promotions 395
31 E-marketing 401
32 Digital Media Tactics 413
33 Social Networking Tactics 421
34 Marketing Measurement Tactics 431
Index 439
vi ✹ Contents
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✹ vii ✹
Marketing Is a
Way of Life
Since the publication of 401 Killer Marketing Tactics in 2005, the emergence
of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Flickr,
along with the proliferation of corporate Web sites and blogs, has radically
altered the landscape of modern marketing. These new media channels
have become powerful new resources that now allow businesses to
reach highly targeted audiences in engaging and informative ways that
had never been possible. Today’s most effective digital marketing campaigns
facilitate dynamic ongoing dialogues between businesses and the
individuals they serve. In this personal and informal platform, successful
marketers have the unique opportunity to really listen to what their customers
are saying and then respond quickly and decisively to best fulfill
their needs.
To ignore the power and potential of these new social media channels
is to risk the peril of being left out of the conversation, freeing your
customers to forsake you for your competitors.
Much of the new material I’ve provided in 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
consists of exciting new stratagems that will keep your customers
returning repeatedly to be part of the conversation, while establishing
your business as a viable player in today’s digital marketing landscape.
Preface
Marketing Is a
Way of Life
Since the publication of 401 Killer Marketing Tactics in 2005, the emergence
of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Flickr,
along with the proliferation of corporate Web sites and blogs, has radically
altered the landscape of modern marketing. These new media channels
have become powerful new resources that now allow businesses to
reach highly targeted audiences in engaging and informative ways that
had never been possible. Today’s most effective digital marketing campaigns
facilitate dynamic ongoing dialogues between businesses and the
individuals they serve. In this personal and informal platform, successful
marketers have the unique opportunity to really listen to what their customers
are saying and then respond quickly and decisively to best fulfill
their needs.
To ignore the power and potential of these new social media channels
is to risk the peril of being left out of the conversation, freeing your
customers to forsake you for your competitors.
Much of the new material I’ve provided in 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
consists of exciting new stratagems that will keep your customers
returning repeatedly to be part of the conversation, while establishing
your business as a viable player in today’s digital marketing landscape.
Preface
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The marketing battle is hard, unrelenting work, but it can also be
fun. It costs money, but any business or organization can afford it, no
matter how small its budget, how unique its activity, or how ferocious
its competition.
Furthermore, you should think of marketing your business and yourself
as a way of life, not as an expense. That’s how it was a century ago
when Mr. Miller at the general store remembered every customer’s
birthday with a lagniappe, a small gift of appreciation. That was marketing
at its most fundamental and effective. Since then, we’ve forgotten
the wisdom of it—we’ve become impatient and allowed ourselves
to think too big.
Today most companies spend huge sums on advertising, with ever
diminishing returns. Fewer and fewer people notice ads anymore because
they’re everywhere, even on a piece of fruit, and therefore are as invisible
as wallpaper. Like bombing campaigns, advertising makes you feel
as if you’re accomplishing something, but it can’t win the war. The competitive
battle is won in the streets, in your neighborhood, and within
your four walls. And the prize is not a sale but a relationship.
“The only reason to be in business is to create a customer.” This quote
by Peter Drucker, author and father of American management theory,
should be posted on every cash register and every telephone in every business
in the land. Creating customers, not just generating sales, is the
focus of this collection of promotional tactics I’ve assembled during three
decades working with hundreds of companies, large and small. You don’t
need all these tactics, just the right ones at the right times.
Everything I’ve learned about how to grow a business began at the
knee of Ray Kroc, the man who founded and built McDonald’s. As a
marketing executive at McDonald’s in the 1970s, I had the privilege of
watching how commonsense practices—treating your employees as
allies, making your customers feel important, keeping your place of business
clean and welcoming, being a good neighbor—always win out over
flashy, expensive media campaigns.
viii ✹ Preface
fun. It costs money, but any business or organization can afford it, no
matter how small its budget, how unique its activity, or how ferocious
its competition.
Furthermore, you should think of marketing your business and yourself
as a way of life, not as an expense. That’s how it was a century ago
when Mr. Miller at the general store remembered every customer’s
birthday with a lagniappe, a small gift of appreciation. That was marketing
at its most fundamental and effective. Since then, we’ve forgotten
the wisdom of it—we’ve become impatient and allowed ourselves
to think too big.
Today most companies spend huge sums on advertising, with ever
diminishing returns. Fewer and fewer people notice ads anymore because
they’re everywhere, even on a piece of fruit, and therefore are as invisible
as wallpaper. Like bombing campaigns, advertising makes you feel
as if you’re accomplishing something, but it can’t win the war. The competitive
battle is won in the streets, in your neighborhood, and within
your four walls. And the prize is not a sale but a relationship.
“The only reason to be in business is to create a customer.” This quote
by Peter Drucker, author and father of American management theory,
should be posted on every cash register and every telephone in every business
in the land. Creating customers, not just generating sales, is the
focus of this collection of promotional tactics I’ve assembled during three
decades working with hundreds of companies, large and small. You don’t
need all these tactics, just the right ones at the right times.
Everything I’ve learned about how to grow a business began at the
knee of Ray Kroc, the man who founded and built McDonald’s. As a
marketing executive at McDonald’s in the 1970s, I had the privilege of
watching how commonsense practices—treating your employees as
allies, making your customers feel important, keeping your place of business
clean and welcoming, being a good neighbor—always win out over
flashy, expensive media campaigns.
viii ✹ Preface
Admin- Admin
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:22 pm
Whether you’re starting a new venture or your business has been
around for generations, chances are that you’re reading this because your
competition has more marketing experience or muscle than you. But that
fact can work in your favor. Marketing techniques change quickly, and
most of your competition will be relying on principles that have been out
of date for years. You will be amazed at how many simple, affordable,
and effective marketing tactics your competitors ignore or don’t even
know about.
If you’re willing to forget what you think you know for a few minutes
and plunge into these pages, you can outwit and outmarket the hotshots
and the big guys. You’ll do it by building a broad and loyal customer base,
which will ensure a long-running, profitable business.
While some of these tactics may not suit your particular activity, you’ll
find more than enough of them that will fit and work well. With true
commitment, careful execution, and continuous follow-up, they will
work their magic, and your business will flourish.
Tom Feltenstein
West Palm Beach, Florida
Preface ✹ ix
around for generations, chances are that you’re reading this because your
competition has more marketing experience or muscle than you. But that
fact can work in your favor. Marketing techniques change quickly, and
most of your competition will be relying on principles that have been out
of date for years. You will be amazed at how many simple, affordable,
and effective marketing tactics your competitors ignore or don’t even
know about.
If you’re willing to forget what you think you know for a few minutes
and plunge into these pages, you can outwit and outmarket the hotshots
and the big guys. You’ll do it by building a broad and loyal customer base,
which will ensure a long-running, profitable business.
While some of these tactics may not suit your particular activity, you’ll
find more than enough of them that will fit and work well. With true
commitment, careful execution, and continuous follow-up, they will
work their magic, and your business will flourish.
Tom Feltenstein
West Palm Beach, Florida
Preface ✹ ix
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Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:23 pm
✹ xi ✹
Acknowledgments
It is with great thanks and appreciation that I acknowledge the contributions
of the following marketing experts and longtime strategic business
partners of mine, who provided an immense amount of new information
for this revised edition. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your
knowledge, wisdom, and time. Without your invaluable assistance, this
new edition would not have been possible. Please take a look at their Web
sites, and you will see many of the strategies and tactics in action.
Brad Kent, President and CEO of SmartLeadsUSA
SmartLeadsUSA (www.smartleadsusa.com) creates custom direct marketing
strategies designed to exceed your company growth expectations.
SmartLeads provides targeted direct mail campaigns for nearly every consumer
and business market and manages all areas of direct marketing
including mailing list acquisition, progressive direct marketing plans, and
individual direct mail fulfillment. This cutting-edge direct mail marketing
firm manages these campaigns for worldwide corporations as well as
small business clients and can furnish small requests of 50 to several million
targeted mail pieces per drop.
Acknowledgments
It is with great thanks and appreciation that I acknowledge the contributions
of the following marketing experts and longtime strategic business
partners of mine, who provided an immense amount of new information
for this revised edition. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your
knowledge, wisdom, and time. Without your invaluable assistance, this
new edition would not have been possible. Please take a look at their Web
sites, and you will see many of the strategies and tactics in action.
Brad Kent, President and CEO of SmartLeadsUSA
SmartLeadsUSA (www.smartleadsusa.com) creates custom direct marketing
strategies designed to exceed your company growth expectations.
SmartLeads provides targeted direct mail campaigns for nearly every consumer
and business market and manages all areas of direct marketing
including mailing list acquisition, progressive direct marketing plans, and
individual direct mail fulfillment. This cutting-edge direct mail marketing
firm manages these campaigns for worldwide corporations as well as
small business clients and can furnish small requests of 50 to several million
targeted mail pieces per drop.
Admin- Admin
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:23 pm
Greg Seei and Leslie Allison-Seei, Partners of
Robust Promotions LLC
Robust Promotions LLC (www.robustpromotions.com) was born in July
2006 after 18 months of collaboration between leading experts in all areas
vital to the development, execution, and implementation of promotional
gaming and incentive marketing programs for small to large businesses.
Robust Promotions provides a diverse and innovative array of customized
scratch cards and sweepstakes promotions, along with complete printing
services. Recent clients include Checkers Drive-In, Coffee Beanery, El
Pollo Loco, Mobil-To-Go, Red Hot & Blue, The Tan Company, and
United Parcel Service.
Stephen Farr-Jones, President of ADM Marketing
ADM Marketing (www.multiunitmarketing.com) is a full-service direct
marketing specialty firm focused on building customer loyalty for its
clients. ADMM’s services are centered on customer identification, acquisition,
and retention programs designed to identify, understand, and communicate
with local store customers on a one-to-one basis. ADMM strives
to help its clients develop and execute strategic direct marketing campaigns
that maximize customer acquisition and retention rates and
increase average spending by integrating multichannel consumer information
including demographics, transactional data, and lifestyle data
into the direct mail and e-mail campaigns they do for their clients.
Tony DiRico, Founder and CEO of Profit Hunters International, Inc.
Profit Hunters International is a company providing comprehensive business
solutions to recruit, hire, train, develop, and retain a company’s most
valuable assets—its people. Centered on the Winslow Profile &
Reports™ behavioral assessment system for “Employee Selection &
Employee Development,” the assessments provide employers with information
used for hiring, promoting, succession planning, management
development, training, motivating, retaining, and other employment
xii ✹ Acknowledgments
Robust Promotions LLC
Robust Promotions LLC (www.robustpromotions.com) was born in July
2006 after 18 months of collaboration between leading experts in all areas
vital to the development, execution, and implementation of promotional
gaming and incentive marketing programs for small to large businesses.
Robust Promotions provides a diverse and innovative array of customized
scratch cards and sweepstakes promotions, along with complete printing
services. Recent clients include Checkers Drive-In, Coffee Beanery, El
Pollo Loco, Mobil-To-Go, Red Hot & Blue, The Tan Company, and
United Parcel Service.
Stephen Farr-Jones, President of ADM Marketing
ADM Marketing (www.multiunitmarketing.com) is a full-service direct
marketing specialty firm focused on building customer loyalty for its
clients. ADMM’s services are centered on customer identification, acquisition,
and retention programs designed to identify, understand, and communicate
with local store customers on a one-to-one basis. ADMM strives
to help its clients develop and execute strategic direct marketing campaigns
that maximize customer acquisition and retention rates and
increase average spending by integrating multichannel consumer information
including demographics, transactional data, and lifestyle data
into the direct mail and e-mail campaigns they do for their clients.
Tony DiRico, Founder and CEO of Profit Hunters International, Inc.
Profit Hunters International is a company providing comprehensive business
solutions to recruit, hire, train, develop, and retain a company’s most
valuable assets—its people. Centered on the Winslow Profile &
Reports™ behavioral assessment system for “Employee Selection &
Employee Development,” the assessments provide employers with information
used for hiring, promoting, succession planning, management
development, training, motivating, retaining, and other employment
xii ✹ Acknowledgments
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Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:24 pm
issues. The applicant selection programs assist organizations in selecting
the best available applicants for any position from entry-level clerk to
chief executive officer. The employee development programs enhance
the performance of current employees by focusing on their behavior and
performance in their current positions within the organization, thereby
increasing sales, productivity, and profits while reducing labor turnover.
Chris Husong, CEO and Founder of Real Voice Media
Real Voice Media (www.realvoicemedia.com) will work with you to
develop a comprehensive social media engagement strategy that humanizes
your brand, brings you closer to your customers—and brings your
customers closer to you. Real Voice Media helps to expose your brand
exponentially to your ideal audience by communicating and building
strong relationships using your “real voice.” In addition, they dramatically
improve your social media results with advanced marketing programs
including transactional and triggered messaging, as well as precise
testing matrices.
David Wolk, President of Goodway Group
Goodway Group (www.goodwaygroup.com) is a third-generation, 80-
year-old marketing services company that owns and operates four ad networks:
Beep! Automotive, Sway, and IvyPixel. With more than 30 years
of specialized experience in retail marketing, Goodway provides cuttingedge,
turnkey marketing campaigns on a local, regional, and national
basis for the retail industry and also serves education and government
clients. The company is dedicated to targeted marketing and is on the
vanguard of one-to-one communications featuring print, digital, interactive,
telephony, and emerging media.
Dee Burks and Liz Ragland, Owners of TAG Publishing, LLC
TAG Publishing (www.tagpublishers.com) is a full-service publisher
specializing in working with entrepreneurs to expand their businesses.
Acknowledgments ✹ xiii
the best available applicants for any position from entry-level clerk to
chief executive officer. The employee development programs enhance
the performance of current employees by focusing on their behavior and
performance in their current positions within the organization, thereby
increasing sales, productivity, and profits while reducing labor turnover.
Chris Husong, CEO and Founder of Real Voice Media
Real Voice Media (www.realvoicemedia.com) will work with you to
develop a comprehensive social media engagement strategy that humanizes
your brand, brings you closer to your customers—and brings your
customers closer to you. Real Voice Media helps to expose your brand
exponentially to your ideal audience by communicating and building
strong relationships using your “real voice.” In addition, they dramatically
improve your social media results with advanced marketing programs
including transactional and triggered messaging, as well as precise
testing matrices.
David Wolk, President of Goodway Group
Goodway Group (www.goodwaygroup.com) is a third-generation, 80-
year-old marketing services company that owns and operates four ad networks:
Beep! Automotive, Sway, and IvyPixel. With more than 30 years
of specialized experience in retail marketing, Goodway provides cuttingedge,
turnkey marketing campaigns on a local, regional, and national
basis for the retail industry and also serves education and government
clients. The company is dedicated to targeted marketing and is on the
vanguard of one-to-one communications featuring print, digital, interactive,
telephony, and emerging media.
Dee Burks and Liz Ragland, Owners of TAG Publishing, LLC
TAG Publishing (www.tagpublishers.com) is a full-service publisher
specializing in working with entrepreneurs to expand their businesses.
Acknowledgments ✹ xiii
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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Books are the ultimate marketing tool for organizations or individuals
wanting to raise their profile with the media and take their sales to the
next level. By providing bestselling writing coaches and ghostwriters, they
walk business owners through the process to produce a work of impeccable
quality.
xiv ✹ Acknowledgments
wanting to raise their profile with the media and take their sales to the
next level. By providing bestselling writing coaches and ghostwriters, they
walk business owners through the process to produce a work of impeccable
quality.
xiv ✹ Acknowledgments
Admin- Admin
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Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:24 pm
✹ 1 ✹
Planning the Battle—
The Basics
Without promotion, something terrible happens—nothing!
—P. T. BARNUM, circus impresario
This book is a working manual of promotional ideas and programs for
your business, based on the guiding principle that everything you need
in order to grow your business is within your four walls and your neighborhood.
This is a gold mine of tactics (the building blocks of the marketing
plan of any organization) that when selected, assembled, and
tailored by you, will help you meet your specific objectives. They work
best when they are executed consistently as part of an overall plan of
action that is intended to last from several months to a year. I strongly
recommend that you develop a firm marketing plan before you begin
your promotional activities.
When I sit down to speak with new clients, they are often surprised
when I start off my marketing discussion by talking about their internal
customers, better known as their employees. Employees’ lives are
enriched when they sense commitment and caring from those whom
they work for and with. When their work is fulfilling, they become your
partners in business. Without the support and buy-in of your employees,
all the slick advertising and creative promotional ideas in the world will
never achieve the results you seek.
1
Planning the Battle—
The Basics
Without promotion, something terrible happens—nothing!
—P. T. BARNUM, circus impresario
This book is a working manual of promotional ideas and programs for
your business, based on the guiding principle that everything you need
in order to grow your business is within your four walls and your neighborhood.
This is a gold mine of tactics (the building blocks of the marketing
plan of any organization) that when selected, assembled, and
tailored by you, will help you meet your specific objectives. They work
best when they are executed consistently as part of an overall plan of
action that is intended to last from several months to a year. I strongly
recommend that you develop a firm marketing plan before you begin
your promotional activities.
When I sit down to speak with new clients, they are often surprised
when I start off my marketing discussion by talking about their internal
customers, better known as their employees. Employees’ lives are
enriched when they sense commitment and caring from those whom
they work for and with. When their work is fulfilling, they become your
partners in business. Without the support and buy-in of your employees,
all the slick advertising and creative promotional ideas in the world will
never achieve the results you seek.
1
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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Your internal customers should be involved in your total marketing
effort, not simply by doing what you want them to do the way you want
them to do it, but by soliciting their input on the tactics you want to
implement. A truly devoted employee is one who honestly believes in
the company and is faithful to its mission and its products or services.
This book includes ideas dedicated to helping you partner with, motivate,
and reward your staff in order to achieve maximum results.
The tactics in this book are based on decades of successful promotion
planning experience. They are targeted to specific audiences made
up of the members of your community you should be trying to reach:
those within your local trading area, or roughly a 10-minute drive from
your front door. Whether you serve food or install carpeting, sell cars or
fix teeth, run a hospital or run a pet shop; whether you’re big or small,
independent or part of a chain; whether you’re in the suburbs, a shopping
mall, a downtown, or a hotel, you’ll find tactics that you can either
use off the shelf or adapt to fit your own situation and budget.
Avoid trying to shoehorn a tactic into an insufficient budget. For
example, suggestions for print or radio advertising are to be used only if
your budget can sustain an effective media schedule. If a tactic involves
four weeks of advertising and you can afford only one, it might be better
to choose a different tactic that costs less.
As you plan your activities, be sure to record all materials needed, the
steps necessary to undertake the promotion, and the costs involved. Maintain
a precise promotional calendar to help keep you current, properly
budgeted, and on schedule.
Promotions should be exciting, enjoyable experiences for your
customers, your staff, and you. Keep this goal foremost in your mind.
Your own enthusiasm and showmanship will add an air of electricity that
will buoy your staff, reenergize your existing customers, and attract new
customers.
2 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
effort, not simply by doing what you want them to do the way you want
them to do it, but by soliciting their input on the tactics you want to
implement. A truly devoted employee is one who honestly believes in
the company and is faithful to its mission and its products or services.
This book includes ideas dedicated to helping you partner with, motivate,
and reward your staff in order to achieve maximum results.
The tactics in this book are based on decades of successful promotion
planning experience. They are targeted to specific audiences made
up of the members of your community you should be trying to reach:
those within your local trading area, or roughly a 10-minute drive from
your front door. Whether you serve food or install carpeting, sell cars or
fix teeth, run a hospital or run a pet shop; whether you’re big or small,
independent or part of a chain; whether you’re in the suburbs, a shopping
mall, a downtown, or a hotel, you’ll find tactics that you can either
use off the shelf or adapt to fit your own situation and budget.
Avoid trying to shoehorn a tactic into an insufficient budget. For
example, suggestions for print or radio advertising are to be used only if
your budget can sustain an effective media schedule. If a tactic involves
four weeks of advertising and you can afford only one, it might be better
to choose a different tactic that costs less.
As you plan your activities, be sure to record all materials needed, the
steps necessary to undertake the promotion, and the costs involved. Maintain
a precise promotional calendar to help keep you current, properly
budgeted, and on schedule.
Promotions should be exciting, enjoyable experiences for your
customers, your staff, and you. Keep this goal foremost in your mind.
Your own enthusiasm and showmanship will add an air of electricity that
will buoy your staff, reenergize your existing customers, and attract new
customers.
2 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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✹ 3 ✹
2 How to Choose the
Right Tactics
At the beginning of most of the promotions and tactics in this book is a
statement of the objective. This is the short- or long-term effect that the
tactic is designed to achieve. Once you have created your marketing plan
and decided upon your objectives, you should then choose from among
the appropriate tactics.
In alphabetical order, here are some objectives to consider:
✹ Awareness. This is the first step in bringing in new customers. The
potential customer must know or be reminded of your existence, your
location, your product or service, your price range, and what makes
you different from the competition.
✹ Building a mailing list. This involves collecting the names and
addresses of all customers who walk through your door. You will
use this list time and again to implement many promotional activities.
Do everything you can to collect this information, and maintain
and update it continually.
✹ Community goodwill. This is the creation of a positive image of
your business or organization in your community. No matter how
large or small your business or organization may be, you put out an
2 How to Choose the
Right Tactics
At the beginning of most of the promotions and tactics in this book is a
statement of the objective. This is the short- or long-term effect that the
tactic is designed to achieve. Once you have created your marketing plan
and decided upon your objectives, you should then choose from among
the appropriate tactics.
In alphabetical order, here are some objectives to consider:
✹ Awareness. This is the first step in bringing in new customers. The
potential customer must know or be reminded of your existence, your
location, your product or service, your price range, and what makes
you different from the competition.
✹ Building a mailing list. This involves collecting the names and
addresses of all customers who walk through your door. You will
use this list time and again to implement many promotional activities.
Do everything you can to collect this information, and maintain
and update it continually.
✹ Community goodwill. This is the creation of a positive image of
your business or organization in your community. No matter how
large or small your business or organization may be, you put out an
Admin- Admin
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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image that reflects on you positively or negatively. Promotions
aimed at community involvement show your genuine caring
and sharing.
✹ Excitement. These are promotions that make you stand out from
the crowd. Exciting promotions will create a loyal customer base.
✹ Frequency. These are promotions geared toward establishing your
business as the place to go in your category. Bringing in new customers
and keeping the old ones is important, but once you have
gained customers’ loyalty, the goal is to keep them coming back as
often as possible.
✹ Generating PR. Public relations, also called publicity, is an effective
and inexpensive way to get your message out by getting the media
(radio, television, newspapers, magazines, Web sites) interested
enough in what you are doing to tell their audiences about it. Once
you’ve been noticed the first time, it becomes easier to get press
attention for future promotions.
✹ Generating traffic. These promotions are designed to attract people
into your operation. People may be coming in simply to pick up an
entry blank for a contest, but it’s likely that they will make some
purchase as a result, either then or later.
✹ Image. This involves the perception the public has of your business.
Is it a fun place to take the kids, a special occasion destination, a
place the community can count on for special events, a business
that makes customers feel like family? The image you have established
in the community should drive the promotions you choose.
If you want to change your image, choosing the proper promotions
can make it easy.
✹ Increasing sales. These are promotions that are designed specifically
to build a higher check (and a higher profit) per customer through
the suggestive selling of add-ons or selling up to higher-priced products
or services. Many of the staff incentives you will find in this
book are also designed to increase sales.
4 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
aimed at community involvement show your genuine caring
and sharing.
✹ Excitement. These are promotions that make you stand out from
the crowd. Exciting promotions will create a loyal customer base.
✹ Frequency. These are promotions geared toward establishing your
business as the place to go in your category. Bringing in new customers
and keeping the old ones is important, but once you have
gained customers’ loyalty, the goal is to keep them coming back as
often as possible.
✹ Generating PR. Public relations, also called publicity, is an effective
and inexpensive way to get your message out by getting the media
(radio, television, newspapers, magazines, Web sites) interested
enough in what you are doing to tell their audiences about it. Once
you’ve been noticed the first time, it becomes easier to get press
attention for future promotions.
✹ Generating traffic. These promotions are designed to attract people
into your operation. People may be coming in simply to pick up an
entry blank for a contest, but it’s likely that they will make some
purchase as a result, either then or later.
✹ Image. This involves the perception the public has of your business.
Is it a fun place to take the kids, a special occasion destination, a
place the community can count on for special events, a business
that makes customers feel like family? The image you have established
in the community should drive the promotions you choose.
If you want to change your image, choosing the proper promotions
can make it easy.
✹ Increasing sales. These are promotions that are designed specifically
to build a higher check (and a higher profit) per customer through
the suggestive selling of add-ons or selling up to higher-priced products
or services. Many of the staff incentives you will find in this
book are also designed to increase sales.
4 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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image that reflects on you positively or negatively. Promotions
aimed at community involvement show your genuine caring
and sharing.
✹ Excitement. These are promotions that make you stand out from
the crowd. Exciting promotions will create a loyal customer base.
✹ Frequency. These are promotions geared toward establishing your
business as the place to go in your category. Bringing in new customers
and keeping the old ones is important, but once you have
gained customers’ loyalty, the goal is to keep them coming back as
often as possible.
✹ Generating PR. Public relations, also called publicity, is an effective
and inexpensive way to get your message out by getting the media
(radio, television, newspapers, magazines, Web sites) interested
enough in what you are doing to tell their audiences about it. Once
you’ve been noticed the first time, it becomes easier to get press
attention for future promotions.
✹ Generating traffic. These promotions are designed to attract people
into your operation. People may be coming in simply to pick up an
entry blank for a contest, but it’s likely that they will make some
purchase as a result, either then or later.
✹ Image. This involves the perception the public has of your business.
Is it a fun place to take the kids, a special occasion destination, a
place the community can count on for special events, a business
that makes customers feel like family? The image you have established
in the community should drive the promotions you choose.
If you want to change your image, choosing the proper promotions
can make it easy.
✹ Increasing sales. These are promotions that are designed specifically
to build a higher check (and a higher profit) per customer through
the suggestive selling of add-ons or selling up to higher-priced products
or services. Many of the staff incentives you will find in this
book are also designed to increase sales.
4 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
aimed at community involvement show your genuine caring
and sharing.
✹ Excitement. These are promotions that make you stand out from
the crowd. Exciting promotions will create a loyal customer base.
✹ Frequency. These are promotions geared toward establishing your
business as the place to go in your category. Bringing in new customers
and keeping the old ones is important, but once you have
gained customers’ loyalty, the goal is to keep them coming back as
often as possible.
✹ Generating PR. Public relations, also called publicity, is an effective
and inexpensive way to get your message out by getting the media
(radio, television, newspapers, magazines, Web sites) interested
enough in what you are doing to tell their audiences about it. Once
you’ve been noticed the first time, it becomes easier to get press
attention for future promotions.
✹ Generating traffic. These promotions are designed to attract people
into your operation. People may be coming in simply to pick up an
entry blank for a contest, but it’s likely that they will make some
purchase as a result, either then or later.
✹ Image. This involves the perception the public has of your business.
Is it a fun place to take the kids, a special occasion destination, a
place the community can count on for special events, a business
that makes customers feel like family? The image you have established
in the community should drive the promotions you choose.
If you want to change your image, choosing the proper promotions
can make it easy.
✹ Increasing sales. These are promotions that are designed specifically
to build a higher check (and a higher profit) per customer through
the suggestive selling of add-ons or selling up to higher-priced products
or services. Many of the staff incentives you will find in this
book are also designed to increase sales.
4 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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✹ 7 ✹
3
Ten Steps before
Launching Any
Promotional Tactic
You could open this book to any page, pick a tactic, and give it a try. However,
that’s not making marketing a way of life, and it won’t get you to
use these promotional tactics in the most effective manner.
There are a number of steps you should go through, even if you think
you already know what you’re doing, to ensure success each and every
time. In doing so, you may be surprised by what you will learn about your
business, the people you’ve hired to work for you, and your role and perception
in the community.
✹ Determine objectives. Is your goal to stimulate trial purchases by new
customers or to stimulate more frequent purchases by current customers?
Are you aiming to increase your average transaction, enhance
your image, boost employee productivity or morale, stimulate community
awareness, or a combination of these? These are all important
goals, but you need to determine which ones you want to achieve first,
second, and so on, and which are most easily and effectively executed.
✹ Be specific. If your objective is to get new customers to try you out,
what is a reasonable goal—an increase in new customers of 5 percent,
10 percent, or 15 percent? Would it be reasonable to shoot for
3
Ten Steps before
Launching Any
Promotional Tactic
You could open this book to any page, pick a tactic, and give it a try. However,
that’s not making marketing a way of life, and it won’t get you to
use these promotional tactics in the most effective manner.
There are a number of steps you should go through, even if you think
you already know what you’re doing, to ensure success each and every
time. In doing so, you may be surprised by what you will learn about your
business, the people you’ve hired to work for you, and your role and perception
in the community.
✹ Determine objectives. Is your goal to stimulate trial purchases by new
customers or to stimulate more frequent purchases by current customers?
Are you aiming to increase your average transaction, enhance
your image, boost employee productivity or morale, stimulate community
awareness, or a combination of these? These are all important
goals, but you need to determine which ones you want to achieve first,
second, and so on, and which are most easily and effectively executed.
✹ Be specific. If your objective is to get new customers to try you out,
what is a reasonable goal—an increase in new customers of 5 percent,
10 percent, or 15 percent? Would it be reasonable to shoot for
Admin- Admin
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an increase in customer frequency from three purchases a month to
four? If your objective is to increase your average sale, what is a reasonable
increase based on your current pricing? If your objective is
employee morale, how much can you reduce employee turnover by
running this promotion?
✹ Be realistic in your goals. Success is rarely achieved in one fell
swoop. Remember, this is a way of life. Each incremental improvement
builds on the last. If you get too ambitious, you and your staff
will quickly become frustrated and disappointed, and you will be
less enthusiastic next time. Set your goals high enough to make a
difference and low enough to have the best chance of success.
✹ Set your strategy. Once you’ve established your objectives and
selected some tactics, you must decide how to make those tactics
successful. What can you afford, and how can you maximize your
results?
✹ Consider various aspects. Consider such aspects as timing; frequency;
capitalizing on local events; seasonal population variations; competitive
challenges that call for extra effort; variable costs of materials,
labor, and real estate; and other factors that are unique to your situation.
✹ Create a plan. Create a carefully thought-out plan for each promotion,
and make sure that each promotion is slotted into its proper
place in your long-term objectives.
✹ Zero in on your target. What type of customer does your business
attract—upscale, blue-collar, families, singles, ethnic groups? Ideally,
the group or groups that are predominant in your neighborhood
(within a 10-minute drive of your front door) should be most
attracted to your concept. Once you’ve zeroed in on your target
audience, review your tactical options and pick those that would
most appeal to that audience and would be the most appropriate.
✹ Calculate your payout. Almost every promotional tactic that is
intended to increase sales should have a measurable result and produce
a profit. You should know how many new customers you need
8 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
four? If your objective is to increase your average sale, what is a reasonable
increase based on your current pricing? If your objective is
employee morale, how much can you reduce employee turnover by
running this promotion?
✹ Be realistic in your goals. Success is rarely achieved in one fell
swoop. Remember, this is a way of life. Each incremental improvement
builds on the last. If you get too ambitious, you and your staff
will quickly become frustrated and disappointed, and you will be
less enthusiastic next time. Set your goals high enough to make a
difference and low enough to have the best chance of success.
✹ Set your strategy. Once you’ve established your objectives and
selected some tactics, you must decide how to make those tactics
successful. What can you afford, and how can you maximize your
results?
✹ Consider various aspects. Consider such aspects as timing; frequency;
capitalizing on local events; seasonal population variations; competitive
challenges that call for extra effort; variable costs of materials,
labor, and real estate; and other factors that are unique to your situation.
✹ Create a plan. Create a carefully thought-out plan for each promotion,
and make sure that each promotion is slotted into its proper
place in your long-term objectives.
✹ Zero in on your target. What type of customer does your business
attract—upscale, blue-collar, families, singles, ethnic groups? Ideally,
the group or groups that are predominant in your neighborhood
(within a 10-minute drive of your front door) should be most
attracted to your concept. Once you’ve zeroed in on your target
audience, review your tactical options and pick those that would
most appeal to that audience and would be the most appropriate.
✹ Calculate your payout. Almost every promotional tactic that is
intended to increase sales should have a measurable result and produce
a profit. You should know how many new customers you need
8 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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in order to cover the costs of your promotion. How many of those
new customers must you convert to regular customers to consider
the promotion a success? If you do your homework ahead of time,
you’ll be able to tell how realistic your objectives are and what, if
any, adjustments are necessary for next time.
Improving employee morale or improving the image of your business
is more difficult, but not impossible, to measure. Ask yourself,
or your bookkeeper or accountant, “What does it cost us to hire and
train a new employee?” or “How much traffic will an improved image
generate?” In most cases, you can find a way to track the results of a
promotion.
Remember, if you can measure it, you can manage it. Or, as Yogi
Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might
end up someplace else!”
✹ Check the calendar. You shouldn’t be mailing announcements
today for a promotion that starts tomorrow. You don’t need New
Year’s noisemakers delivered in January. Leave extra time to make
sure that each element of your promotion is in place in time. Leave
time for creating, producing, and implementing each element.
Make a promotion calendar or schedule showing each phase, and
pad the time a little to allow for the inevitable changes and delays.
✹ Refine your products and services. Be sure that the service or product
you offer is right for your target customers—that you’re offering
the right varieties, with the most customer appeal, the right
pricing, and the right presentation. Keep track of what is most
popular, what’s producing the most sales, and what’s producing
the largest profit margin.
Compare what you know with what your competitors are offering.
Survey your customers by questionnaire or one-on-one conversations.
Take the temperature of your market, and be a good listener by leaving
your ego and your preconceived ideas out of it.
✹ Polish the brass. Go a step beyond your regular maintenance procedures.
Make sure that your selling, operating, and customer areas
Ten Steps before Launching Any Promotional Tactic ✹ 9
new customers must you convert to regular customers to consider
the promotion a success? If you do your homework ahead of time,
you’ll be able to tell how realistic your objectives are and what, if
any, adjustments are necessary for next time.
Improving employee morale or improving the image of your business
is more difficult, but not impossible, to measure. Ask yourself,
or your bookkeeper or accountant, “What does it cost us to hire and
train a new employee?” or “How much traffic will an improved image
generate?” In most cases, you can find a way to track the results of a
promotion.
Remember, if you can measure it, you can manage it. Or, as Yogi
Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might
end up someplace else!”
✹ Check the calendar. You shouldn’t be mailing announcements
today for a promotion that starts tomorrow. You don’t need New
Year’s noisemakers delivered in January. Leave extra time to make
sure that each element of your promotion is in place in time. Leave
time for creating, producing, and implementing each element.
Make a promotion calendar or schedule showing each phase, and
pad the time a little to allow for the inevitable changes and delays.
✹ Refine your products and services. Be sure that the service or product
you offer is right for your target customers—that you’re offering
the right varieties, with the most customer appeal, the right
pricing, and the right presentation. Keep track of what is most
popular, what’s producing the most sales, and what’s producing
the largest profit margin.
Compare what you know with what your competitors are offering.
Survey your customers by questionnaire or one-on-one conversations.
Take the temperature of your market, and be a good listener by leaving
your ego and your preconceived ideas out of it.
✹ Polish the brass. Go a step beyond your regular maintenance procedures.
Make sure that your selling, operating, and customer areas
Ten Steps before Launching Any Promotional Tactic ✹ 9
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
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are attractive; that your physical space is clean and tidy; that any
background music appeals to your audience; that unpleasant
sounds or odors are neutralized; that fading paint, broken door handles,
and any other flaws are corrected. It all sells, even sparkling
bathrooms. You may not see the grimy windows or the litter
because you pass them every day and they’ve become invisible, but
your customers will.
✹ Check the logistics. You can execute your tactics with minimum
difficulty by making sure that you have the technical know-how, the
space, and the resources to handle the promotion without disrupting
customer service or staff efficiency. Plenty of otherwise successful
promotions have been ruined by insufficient or poorly trained
staff, poor product quality, or equipment failure.
Practice run-throughs, when appropriate, to help iron out any
kinks and increase the chances of a smooth promotion.
✹ Cheerlead. Hold a team meeting of all your employees and explain
the objectives, the rationale, the implementation, and the fun of
your upcoming promotion. Let employees know what is expected
of them, what is in it for them personally, and how much you care
about their job satisfaction and feedback. They are your customers,
too, and you should work just as hard to earn their loyalty. It’s the
right thing to do, and it pays.
✹ Plan your analysis. Successful promotional activity is a learning
process. You take lessons away from each effort, and you build on
them. Setting specific objectives allows you to measure the success
of your promotion. For example, before your promotion even
begins, you might prepare brief customer and employee questionnaires
that you can use afterward to solicit reactions. Review every
aspect of your promotion, and gather the information you need to
make your next promotion even more effective.
10 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
background music appeals to your audience; that unpleasant
sounds or odors are neutralized; that fading paint, broken door handles,
and any other flaws are corrected. It all sells, even sparkling
bathrooms. You may not see the grimy windows or the litter
because you pass them every day and they’ve become invisible, but
your customers will.
✹ Check the logistics. You can execute your tactics with minimum
difficulty by making sure that you have the technical know-how, the
space, and the resources to handle the promotion without disrupting
customer service or staff efficiency. Plenty of otherwise successful
promotions have been ruined by insufficient or poorly trained
staff, poor product quality, or equipment failure.
Practice run-throughs, when appropriate, to help iron out any
kinks and increase the chances of a smooth promotion.
✹ Cheerlead. Hold a team meeting of all your employees and explain
the objectives, the rationale, the implementation, and the fun of
your upcoming promotion. Let employees know what is expected
of them, what is in it for them personally, and how much you care
about their job satisfaction and feedback. They are your customers,
too, and you should work just as hard to earn their loyalty. It’s the
right thing to do, and it pays.
✹ Plan your analysis. Successful promotional activity is a learning
process. You take lessons away from each effort, and you build on
them. Setting specific objectives allows you to measure the success
of your promotion. For example, before your promotion even
begins, you might prepare brief customer and employee questionnaires
that you can use afterward to solicit reactions. Review every
aspect of your promotion, and gather the information you need to
make your next promotion even more effective.
10 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin- Admin
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Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:28 pm
✹ 11 ✹
4 Must-Do Business
Tactics
Whether you’ve just invented a new product on your kitchen table and
are ready to build a business around it, are involved in a mature business
that needs a kick in the pants, or your business faces a competitive threat,
there are some basic steps to take first. In the following pages, you’ll find
some steps that are obvious and some that you might not have considered
as important as they are. Take the best, and leave the rest.
You’ll also find a menu of the various basic tactics that most businesses
use successfully. Use these pages to familiarize yourself with the tools at
your disposal.
Think of this process as basic training for your marketing battle or the
systems checklist before launch. The marketing way of life requires us to
constantly reexamine, reconsider, and reinvent. If you absorb the information
in these pages, you won’t have to guess which tactics will work
best for you. You’ll know.
1. Have a Business Plan
How well do you know your business? If you’re like many busy entrepreneurs,
managers, and owners, you might have trouble answering some
basic questions, such as:
4 Must-Do Business
Tactics
Whether you’ve just invented a new product on your kitchen table and
are ready to build a business around it, are involved in a mature business
that needs a kick in the pants, or your business faces a competitive threat,
there are some basic steps to take first. In the following pages, you’ll find
some steps that are obvious and some that you might not have considered
as important as they are. Take the best, and leave the rest.
You’ll also find a menu of the various basic tactics that most businesses
use successfully. Use these pages to familiarize yourself with the tools at
your disposal.
Think of this process as basic training for your marketing battle or the
systems checklist before launch. The marketing way of life requires us to
constantly reexamine, reconsider, and reinvent. If you absorb the information
in these pages, you won’t have to guess which tactics will work
best for you. You’ll know.
1. Have a Business Plan
How well do you know your business? If you’re like many busy entrepreneurs,
managers, and owners, you might have trouble answering some
basic questions, such as:
Admin- Admin
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Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:28 pm
✹ What are your business’s greatest strengths and weaknesses?
✹ What are your biggest challenges and opportunities?
✹ Who are your current customers, and why are they patronizing
your business?
✹ Who are your competitors’ current customers, and why are they
patronizing their businesses?
✹ What changes or new programs would have the greatest potential
to boost your sales?
If you haven’t already done so, you should develop a business plan
based on facts, not hope and speculation. Prayer may comfort your soul,
but it is not an effective promotional tactic.
Facts include customer attitudes, as measured by a questionnaire or
survey; employee attitudes, also measured by a questionnaire and by
interviews; an analysis of your sales, broken down by product or group
or category or time of day or time of year and measured against previous
months and years; an analysis of profit margins, broken down; the
demographics of your market area; your competition; and so on. You
can never know enough about your business. Measure it so that you can
manage it.
Out of all this information comes a blueprint for building your business.
Use it regularly to be sure that you are headed in the right direction.
Build your marketing plan into it. Be sure to include both top- and
bottom-line goals and objectives—and stick to them!
2. Declare Your Personality
Every business, like every individual, has its own unique character—its
own brand personality. Coca-Cola is “The Real Thing.” Pepsi, on the
other hand, has positioned itself as new and hip: “The Choice of the New
Generation” or “Generation Next.” Southwest Airlines is in the freedom
business, and Ben & Jerry’s sells earth-friendly ice cream.
12 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
✹ What are your biggest challenges and opportunities?
✹ Who are your current customers, and why are they patronizing
your business?
✹ Who are your competitors’ current customers, and why are they
patronizing their businesses?
✹ What changes or new programs would have the greatest potential
to boost your sales?
If you haven’t already done so, you should develop a business plan
based on facts, not hope and speculation. Prayer may comfort your soul,
but it is not an effective promotional tactic.
Facts include customer attitudes, as measured by a questionnaire or
survey; employee attitudes, also measured by a questionnaire and by
interviews; an analysis of your sales, broken down by product or group
or category or time of day or time of year and measured against previous
months and years; an analysis of profit margins, broken down; the
demographics of your market area; your competition; and so on. You
can never know enough about your business. Measure it so that you can
manage it.
Out of all this information comes a blueprint for building your business.
Use it regularly to be sure that you are headed in the right direction.
Build your marketing plan into it. Be sure to include both top- and
bottom-line goals and objectives—and stick to them!
2. Declare Your Personality
Every business, like every individual, has its own unique character—its
own brand personality. Coca-Cola is “The Real Thing.” Pepsi, on the
other hand, has positioned itself as new and hip: “The Choice of the New
Generation” or “Generation Next.” Southwest Airlines is in the freedom
business, and Ben & Jerry’s sells earth-friendly ice cream.
12 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 155
Join date : 2011-10-16 -
Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:28 pm
What’s your business’s character? And how can you tap into the positive
aspects of your business’s identity to improve your marketing?
You may think you know your business’s personality, but many business
owners and operators either don’t know theirs or have forgotten it in
the distraction of everyday business. Nothing is more basic than the idea
or mission that defines your business’s reason for being.
Your unique selling proposition must be precise, and you should take
some time to write it out. It describes your exact position in your market
and category. It describes the clear and compelling promise that you
make to your customers about the benefits to them that are delivered by
your product or service at your business.
Your brand personality captures the feel of your business and the psychological
bond you want to establish with your customers. By remaining
faithful to the core brand personality in your tactical programs, you will
solidify your position in the minds of your potential and current customers.
A brand personality statement sets your business apart by identifying
how customers feel about you, how you differ from the competition, and
how your physical surroundings emphasize your personality. To develop a
brand personality, you can begin by creating a working list using such factors
as age, gender, emotional qualities, intelligence, sense of humor, and
any other characteristics that identify a unique quality of your business.
In developing your brand personality, you must find inherent drama
in your concept—the reasons people want to patronize your business.
Then translate the drama into meaningful benefits: a good time, quality
service, quality products, speed, comfort, convenience, expertise, a pleasurable
atmosphere, and value. Finally, state those benefits as if you were
describing a real personality—in as many words as you need—to round
out the character of your business.
For your exercise in developing a brand personality, you should condense
your thoughts into descriptions and then into a short essay of three
or four paragraphs. This is hard, and you may want to hire a writer to do
it for you, or someone you know who can look at your business objectively
and articulate what he or she sees.
Must-Do Business Tactics ✹ 13
aspects of your business’s identity to improve your marketing?
You may think you know your business’s personality, but many business
owners and operators either don’t know theirs or have forgotten it in
the distraction of everyday business. Nothing is more basic than the idea
or mission that defines your business’s reason for being.
Your unique selling proposition must be precise, and you should take
some time to write it out. It describes your exact position in your market
and category. It describes the clear and compelling promise that you
make to your customers about the benefits to them that are delivered by
your product or service at your business.
Your brand personality captures the feel of your business and the psychological
bond you want to establish with your customers. By remaining
faithful to the core brand personality in your tactical programs, you will
solidify your position in the minds of your potential and current customers.
A brand personality statement sets your business apart by identifying
how customers feel about you, how you differ from the competition, and
how your physical surroundings emphasize your personality. To develop a
brand personality, you can begin by creating a working list using such factors
as age, gender, emotional qualities, intelligence, sense of humor, and
any other characteristics that identify a unique quality of your business.
In developing your brand personality, you must find inherent drama
in your concept—the reasons people want to patronize your business.
Then translate the drama into meaningful benefits: a good time, quality
service, quality products, speed, comfort, convenience, expertise, a pleasurable
atmosphere, and value. Finally, state those benefits as if you were
describing a real personality—in as many words as you need—to round
out the character of your business.
For your exercise in developing a brand personality, you should condense
your thoughts into descriptions and then into a short essay of three
or four paragraphs. This is hard, and you may want to hire a writer to do
it for you, or someone you know who can look at your business objectively
and articulate what he or she sees.
Must-Do Business Tactics ✹ 13
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 155
Join date : 2011-10-16 -
Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:29 pm
What’s your business’s character? And how can you tap into the positive
aspects of your business’s identity to improve your marketing?
You may think you know your business’s personality, but many business
owners and operators either don’t know theirs or have forgotten it in
the distraction of everyday business. Nothing is more basic than the idea
or mission that defines your business’s reason for being.
Your unique selling proposition must be precise, and you should take
some time to write it out. It describes your exact position in your market
and category. It describes the clear and compelling promise that you
make to your customers about the benefits to them that are delivered by
your product or service at your business.
Your brand personality captures the feel of your business and the psychological
bond you want to establish with your customers. By remaining
faithful to the core brand personality in your tactical programs, you will
solidify your position in the minds of your potential and current customers.
A brand personality statement sets your business apart by identifying
how customers feel about you, how you differ from the competition, and
how your physical surroundings emphasize your personality. To develop a
brand personality, you can begin by creating a working list using such factors
as age, gender, emotional qualities, intelligence, sense of humor, and
any other characteristics that identify a unique quality of your business.
In developing your brand personality, you must find inherent drama
in your concept—the reasons people want to patronize your business.
Then translate the drama into meaningful benefits: a good time, quality
service, quality products, speed, comfort, convenience, expertise, a pleasurable
atmosphere, and value. Finally, state those benefits as if you were
describing a real personality—in as many words as you need—to round
out the character of your business.
For your exercise in developing a brand personality, you should condense
your thoughts into descriptions and then into a short essay of three
or four paragraphs. This is hard, and you may want to hire a writer to do
it for you, or someone you know who can look at your business objectively
and articulate what he or she sees.
Must-Do Business Tactics ✹ 13
aspects of your business’s identity to improve your marketing?
You may think you know your business’s personality, but many business
owners and operators either don’t know theirs or have forgotten it in
the distraction of everyday business. Nothing is more basic than the idea
or mission that defines your business’s reason for being.
Your unique selling proposition must be precise, and you should take
some time to write it out. It describes your exact position in your market
and category. It describes the clear and compelling promise that you
make to your customers about the benefits to them that are delivered by
your product or service at your business.
Your brand personality captures the feel of your business and the psychological
bond you want to establish with your customers. By remaining
faithful to the core brand personality in your tactical programs, you will
solidify your position in the minds of your potential and current customers.
A brand personality statement sets your business apart by identifying
how customers feel about you, how you differ from the competition, and
how your physical surroundings emphasize your personality. To develop a
brand personality, you can begin by creating a working list using such factors
as age, gender, emotional qualities, intelligence, sense of humor, and
any other characteristics that identify a unique quality of your business.
In developing your brand personality, you must find inherent drama
in your concept—the reasons people want to patronize your business.
Then translate the drama into meaningful benefits: a good time, quality
service, quality products, speed, comfort, convenience, expertise, a pleasurable
atmosphere, and value. Finally, state those benefits as if you were
describing a real personality—in as many words as you need—to round
out the character of your business.
For your exercise in developing a brand personality, you should condense
your thoughts into descriptions and then into a short essay of three
or four paragraphs. This is hard, and you may want to hire a writer to do
it for you, or someone you know who can look at your business objectively
and articulate what he or she sees.
Must-Do Business Tactics ✹ 13
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 155
Join date : 2011-10-16 -
Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:29 pm
4. The Color of Success
When you are designing your selling, work, production, or other business
spaces, color should play a major role. If you haven’t painted your
walls in a long time, your old color scheme may be sending an unintended
message—that your business is a tired concept that’s out of date.
Walk into any business today that has a color scheme of burgundy and
gray and you know immediately that nothing exciting has happened there
since the 1980s.
I once helped an independent linen store that was selling the latest
linens, towels, and curtains in all the new colors but whose walls hadn’t
been repainted in decades and that still used black and white for its
brochure. We repainted the store and put together a color catalog, and
the linen store’s sales jumped 10 percent.
Color palettes change with fashions, and certain colors are associated
with particular moods. Blues and greens are emotionally soothing and
physically cool. Reds, yellows, and oranges are emotionally exciting and
physically hot. A doctor’s office, where patients may be upset or nervous,
should opt for cool or soft colors. A nightclub should opt for hot or bold
colors. Color should be an essential element in developing your brand personality.
Check out your competition to see what they’re doing. A professional
can also help you choose the colors that are right for your business.
5. Logo Logic
The graphic symbol that represents your business should reflect the identity
you’re trying to project. To be effective, it must be readable, clear,
and bold. Your logo should not look like another company’s recognizable
image unless that is an important aspect of your product or service.
If you’re in the business of selling sports memorabilia, for example, your
logo might benefit from using a typeface that mimics a sports team’s.
Must-Do Business Tactics ✹ 15
When you are designing your selling, work, production, or other business
spaces, color should play a major role. If you haven’t painted your
walls in a long time, your old color scheme may be sending an unintended
message—that your business is a tired concept that’s out of date.
Walk into any business today that has a color scheme of burgundy and
gray and you know immediately that nothing exciting has happened there
since the 1980s.
I once helped an independent linen store that was selling the latest
linens, towels, and curtains in all the new colors but whose walls hadn’t
been repainted in decades and that still used black and white for its
brochure. We repainted the store and put together a color catalog, and
the linen store’s sales jumped 10 percent.
Color palettes change with fashions, and certain colors are associated
with particular moods. Blues and greens are emotionally soothing and
physically cool. Reds, yellows, and oranges are emotionally exciting and
physically hot. A doctor’s office, where patients may be upset or nervous,
should opt for cool or soft colors. A nightclub should opt for hot or bold
colors. Color should be an essential element in developing your brand personality.
Check out your competition to see what they’re doing. A professional
can also help you choose the colors that are right for your business.
5. Logo Logic
The graphic symbol that represents your business should reflect the identity
you’re trying to project. To be effective, it must be readable, clear,
and bold. Your logo should not look like another company’s recognizable
image unless that is an important aspect of your product or service.
If you’re in the business of selling sports memorabilia, for example, your
logo might benefit from using a typeface that mimics a sports team’s.
Must-Do Business Tactics ✹ 15
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 155
Join date : 2011-10-16 -
Re: Tom Feltenstein - 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin Sun Oct 16, 2011 10:29 pm
Colors should be consistent with what you have chosen for your business.
Use your logo wherever possible—on matchbook covers, communication
boards, direct mail, letterhead, shopping bags, and so on.
A consistent image-creation program ties all of these elements
together to create excitement, freshness, and the mood that’s appropriate
for your type of business.
6. It’s All in the Business Cards
A business card is a miniature advertisement that doesn’t have to compete
with any other ads or editorial content. It’s usually handed from one
person to another, so you know that the content is being read. Spend
some time creating a card that will enhance your image, leave a positive
impression, and tell your story in a few words.
Business cards can double as mini-brochures, especially if you have
them done on folded stock so that you get extra space to tell your story.
And tell the story—hours of operation, special features, even a photo,
if it makes sense. If you’re a family business that’s been around for
decades, say so.
One of the most successful marketing tactics is to make sure that every
employee has his or her own business card, right down to the person who
sweeps the floors. Marketing to your staff is every bit as important as marketing
to your customers. The members of your staff are your marketing
ambassadors. Encourage them to use their cards, to give them away every
chance they get. Suddenly you’ve got a salesperson in every barbershop,
gas station, and family event in your neighborhood. This will make your
staff feel important, valued, and loyal.
7. Stationery with Staying Power
If you do direct mailing, the look and feel of your stationery can be a
powerful marketing tool. This is another area where you should consider
hiring a professional. Your stationery conveys the overall character of your
16 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Use your logo wherever possible—on matchbook covers, communication
boards, direct mail, letterhead, shopping bags, and so on.
A consistent image-creation program ties all of these elements
together to create excitement, freshness, and the mood that’s appropriate
for your type of business.
6. It’s All in the Business Cards
A business card is a miniature advertisement that doesn’t have to compete
with any other ads or editorial content. It’s usually handed from one
person to another, so you know that the content is being read. Spend
some time creating a card that will enhance your image, leave a positive
impression, and tell your story in a few words.
Business cards can double as mini-brochures, especially if you have
them done on folded stock so that you get extra space to tell your story.
And tell the story—hours of operation, special features, even a photo,
if it makes sense. If you’re a family business that’s been around for
decades, say so.
One of the most successful marketing tactics is to make sure that every
employee has his or her own business card, right down to the person who
sweeps the floors. Marketing to your staff is every bit as important as marketing
to your customers. The members of your staff are your marketing
ambassadors. Encourage them to use their cards, to give them away every
chance they get. Suddenly you’ve got a salesperson in every barbershop,
gas station, and family event in your neighborhood. This will make your
staff feel important, valued, and loyal.
7. Stationery with Staying Power
If you do direct mailing, the look and feel of your stationery can be a
powerful marketing tool. This is another area where you should consider
hiring a professional. Your stationery conveys the overall character of your
16 ✹ 501 Killer Marketing Tactics
Admin- Admin
- Posts : 155
Join date : 2011-10-16 -
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