Scary Marketing Stories: Don’t Let This Happen to You!
Marketing failures cause goosebumps worse than any Stephen King movie. Without a solid marketing strategy in place, your revenue could be as lifeless as a zombie.
For this Halloween, we’d like to share some scary marketing stories, and even more important, how you can avoid frightening problems that can spook clients.
So take a seat near the campfire, and we’ll begin…
Batty Branding
Sometimes, you just want a quiet evening at home, binging on the latest Netflix series. For convenience sake, you cook a microwave meal. But which brand do you choose? You have Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine, Colgate…
…wait, what?
Believe it or not, at one time Colgate actually expanded its brand to include packaged meals. (Don’t believe us? Check out the pictures.) Needless to say, it wasn’t a success, because the image of whitening toothpaste just doesn’t complement Salisbury steak, but it’s a perfect example of the terror that ensues when you don’t know your brand.
Your brand is much more than a logo; it’s also a reflection of your business philosophy. Everything you do, from the way you answer the phone to your customer experience to your letterhead colors should contribute to this overall mission.
If you are inconsistent, the brand becomes “watered down.” The key is consistency. Know what you do well and center your messaging around it. Avoid any self-inflicted wounds by expanding the brand to areas that may not be successful. (Unless you really want to chow down on that Colgate vegetarian lasagna.)
Nightmare on Yelp Street
Your business prides itself in providing stellar service of the highest quality.
Then terror strikes.
Someone has left a bad review on Yelp or some other major review site.
Not just a bad review. A horrifying one. One so bad, small children have to leave the room before reading it aloud.
Don’t think it could get any worse? You only have three reviews, and since the bad review was the most recent, it’s just hanging there in cyberspace.
Reputation management is more than dealing with negative reviews–it means soliciting positive reviews as well, so you can build your online reputation. Some businesses make the mistake of placing all their effort into removing negative reviews instead of seeking newer, better ones.
It’s also important to respond to negative reviews. This shows the reader that you have at least made an effort to address the situation.
If you find you don’t have time to run a business and keep pace with all the review sites, Proclaim can help you respond to negative reviews and solicit positive ones using proven techniques.
The call is coming from inside the house!
The terror of a creepy phone call is even worse when you realize it’s sucking the lifeblood from your marketing budget. To solicit calls for appointments or estimates, you may consider running a pay-per-click campaign. Do that and the calls start rolling in…right?
It’s not enough to get calls or clicks; you need to get the right kind of calls and clicks.
To do this you need to look at your lead to customer rate which will help you determine your ROI (return on investment). This ensures you’re reaching the clients most likely to use your services.
Remember to track your conversion rate and lead to customer rate regularly. You may get 50 calls, but if only 2 of them lead to a conversion, then talk to your ad strategist. He or she can help you determine when to make adjustments in ad targeting to drive better ROI.
Take a close look at your campaign to find out how much you’re spending to get those 2 customers. Need help? Use this handy calculator.
The Best Defense
A silver bullet. A cross and wooden stake. Daryl from “The Walking Dead.” These are all things you want by your side during a scary confrontation with Halloween spooks. But to fight off the dreaded scary situations of marketing, you need a team of professionals who are ready to amplify your message. At Proclaim, we think outside-the-box, and are ready to tailor a marketing plan to help our clients.
We’re also skilled at fighting zombies. You know, just in case.
Want to learn about successful marketing strategies? Check out the following articles:
Five Marketing Myths You Need to Stop Believing
Four Marketing Terms All Practice Administrators Should Know
Established in 2000, Proclaim Interactive is an award-winning, think-out-of-the-box digital marketing agency located in Wilmington, NC. Proclaim Interactive provides website design, social media management, SEO and general marketing services designed to amplify clients’ messages. Contact us for more information.
