Friday, December 28, 2007

What is Targeted Marketing

Target marketing involves having to break your market into groups and then focusing your marketing campaign on one or a few of those groups. Targeted marketing then is concentrating your marketing campaign on a particular sector of your market and then putting all your efforts to reach your audience and making them understand your message.

Your message then should be relevant to your target audience. If you donʼt get your target right the first time, itʼs not uncommon for a business to refocus and regroup to identify the most appropriate target for your niche.

This just goes to show that when you go target marketing, you need to be precise with the audience that you would want to reach out to. It means having your message understood by your target clients. It has to be so clear that your target audience has no doubt in their minds that you are specifically talking to them. This means further narrowing down your target to reach a precise match.

The plus for targeted marketing, especially for small businesses, is that it can make your promotional efforts simpler, easier and more cost effective. With targeted marketing, you are able to narrow down your requirements, hence, the costs that go with it. Pricing and distribution are also minimized when you use targeted marketing for your business.

So do your research now and use targeted marketing to help you define your target clients.

Posted by sedated at 21:47:47 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Solicit Positive Response Through Colors

Colors are very important. In our life, at one point, we had to make several major decisions that have involved deciding on which colors to choose – your first house, your wedding motif, your first rubber shoes, etc. Colors color the world. Studies also have shown that colors in fact, sway the mood.

So if you are a good marketing strategist, colors would be your best bet.

Have you heard about the “Promo Products Color Theory?” If you have not, read on.

German poet Johann Wolfgang Goether observed and documented people’s behavior towards colors. This study paved the way for many contemporary color theories. Based on Mr. Goether’s original work, current studies show that particular colors evoke certain general feelings. For instance, black exudes power and formality while blue is relaxing. Red sends out a feeling of warmth and pink brings out the feminine side.

There are many variations but there seems to be common thread. Hence, in marketing campaigns (e.g. flyer printing, brochure printing, poster printing) colors would play a very important role. A splash of red would catch attention as it exudes excitement. White letters in a completely black poster would come out as a bit formal while a wide array of colors would appear to be playful.

Posted by sedated at 23:04:37 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Free is not Free!

Do you know what the most powerful word that elicits quick response in the marketing world is? We see it everyday; it’s the word “free”.

Just a word of caution though, this word is highly regulated. I mean, there are laws to ensure that this word is not abused. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has been mandated to oversee how you can and cannot use that word.

The following is a review of rules that might relate to how you use this word for your advertising:

  • You only get to use this word for three times over a year with at least 30 days in between.

  • If the buyer must buy another article to receive the free one, she must not be charged more than the regular price for the second article.

  • If there is a catch to the word, an asterisk or a small footnote is not appropriate.

  • The word “gift” or “bonus” cannot be interchanged with the word “free.”

  • If you are in doubt about the use of the word, always your lawyer.

If you thought the word free is free for any use in your flyer printing or postcard printing then you are in for a surprise. This word, because it is the source of many complaints, is a regulated word. Often, business owners get into trouble because of the misuse of this word. Remember, ignorance is not an excuse so do not tell me I did not warn you.

Posted by sedated at 23:01:42 | Permalink | Comments Off