Ideal Marketing Company Blog

Who do you know?

I’m a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell’s book ‘The Tipping Point’  which partly talks about how people’s behaviour can lead to large surges in the popularity of a new product.

In 1967 Stanley Milgram performed an experiment called “Six degrees of separation” which showed that average number of personal contacts standing between you and any stranger is six people. Duncan repeated the same experiment in which 60,000 people across 166 countries were asked to forward an e-mail via personal contacts to one of 18 target recipients. The results were astonishing. The majority of cases required only six steps and the message chains “did not rely on a few highly connected individuals”.

This partly goes against Malcolm Gladwell’s theory which states that different types of people have different types of influence: “Mavens” – experts in the field; “Connectors” – widely networked individuals; and “Salesmen” – passionately persuasive people.

Word of Mouth advertising is one of the oldest and most effective ways of communication as borne out by the 1967 Stanley Milgram and Duncan experiment, but I believe in Gladwell’s point that some people are key to making a message travel quickly and efficiency.

penny wise - pound foolish?

Marketing ways out of recession

I read a YouGov survey recently which showed that small businesses plan to increase their marketing budgets over the next 12 months inspite of the current economic climate.

Marketing is important for SMEs in UK as in a survey of nearly 1,000 small business owners found that 38% plan to invest more in marketing.

SME’s can be shielded from recession by reducing external costs and consolidating suppliers. Further protection can be given by bringing in-house traditionally outsourced speciality tasks, such as production of marketing materials.

The survey by YouGov reveals that only 40% respondents will bring professional quality marketing material production in-house and only a quarter said they’d be unlikely to do so.

“The survey results highlight how businesses are looking to reduce external costs through bringing printing requirements in-house, with the ability to produce professional quality print material themselves, rather than through an external supplier,” said Officejet Brand Manager, HP UK, Beth de Avila.

The survey also reveals that 79% of those businesses that advertise rely on printed and online advertising as their primary means.

Added to the information given by the same survey 40% used print as their primary form of advertising and 7% were with event based advertising.

“These results highlight how UK business owners are not panicking in their attitudes to marketing during the current economic downturn, and are budgeting for the long term as well as the short,” added de Avila.
“Previous recessions have shown that those businesses that market themselves well during fallow periods are significantly better positioned when the good times return.”

It also showed that 13% respondents spend more than 80% of the company’s marketing budget on print advertising and 27% spent more than half.

The research was conducted by YouGov and surveyed 943 micro, small and medium sized business owners from 10th – 12th June 2009.

Sales Growth

Direct Marketing simulates Sales: Survey

With majority of recipients making a purchase, Direct Marketing remains one of the best ways of generating sales as figures suggest.

Almost three-quarters of people who received direct mail advertising from a business responded while the success rate for television was ten per cent lower according to ExactTarget’s 2009 Channel Preference Study.
Print media channels such as direct mail is more popular among younger people.

Robert Keitch, chief of membership and brand at the Direct Marketing Association, told the website: “Direct mail has long been the most effective of all direct marketing channels, which explains why the medium still accounts for 25 per cent of all direct marketing spend.”

Also the consumers are more likely to respond to direct mail promotions.

PMDG Marketing Communications is launching a direct mailing campaign to encourage more Mexicans to cross the border to shop in Texas, according to Business Wire.

I still think that direct marketing is the most effective of all marketing channels and is still popular among the youth. This survey shows further proof that it still works for improving sales.

Marketing Seminar at the Angel Hotel

Free Marketing Seminar – November 2009

What can you do to minimise the marketing mistakes that can happen when you launch a new product, run an advert or send out a direct mail campaign? ‘12 Reasons Why Marketing Fails’ is packed with simple ideas that will help you to avoid the 12 most common errors that spell disaster for your next marketing campaign.

If you want to avoid the wasted money and missed opportunities for growth that can result, book your free place today.

You can also find out more about the ‘Marketing Mentor’ programme and how you can enrol in it for no charge as it is currently fully Government funded.

Details about the free Marketing Seminar at the Angel Hotel, Market Harborough

Date: Thursday November 12th at 5pm

Location: The Angel Hotel, High Street, Market Harborough

Duration: 5pm for a 5.15 start till 6.30pm

Parking: Free in The Angel car park behind the hotel

Please e-mail Helen@idealmarketingcompany.com to reserve up to 3 places or call 01858 44 55 43

Market seminars leicester

Special Seminar on Brand Development and Protection

The most valuable brand in the world is google with an estimated value of $100bn (source: Millward Brown report 2009), this is a staggering sum and google relies almost exclusivity on brand awareness to promote its business.

In the current economic climate customers are increasingly turning to trusted and well known brands whether they are seeking cheaper products at supermarkets such as Aldi or for new and exciting technology such as Apple.

As a business your brand is essential in a competitive market. This is why our second seminar in the series looks at how to protect your brand and how to develop your brand.

The Seminar will consist of the following two presentations:

Alastair Campbell, The Ideal Marketing Company:  Creating a Powerful Brand – What are the simple lessons that every company can introduce when looking at the critical area of branding?

Jason Hathaway, Edward Hands & Lewis Solicitors: Protecting your brand – trade mark registration, passing off and other related legal rights.

The seminar is on 24th September at the Leicester Space Centre starting at 8.00 am and will finish at 10am.

I would urge you to book early as we are expecting a good turnout.

To book a place please e-mail alastair@idealmarketingcompany.com

Thanks to Tara Carlile-Swift who sent me the following feedback from yesterday’s event:

“Once again Alastair’s speaking style captivated, inspired and challenged our audience who ranged from start-up businesses to established SME’s. His down to earth approach to marketing is refreshing. Our delegates left with real advice they can implement straight away – which is why Alastair’s style is so relevant in the current climate”

Tara Carlile-Swift

Tara Carlile-Swift
Founder – East Midlands Business Live! & New business live!

www.embusinesslive.com

We all like to complain about things from time to time.  This BBC page has a summary of the past 12 months most controversial and complained about adverts.

What I always find interesting about these lists is how some things which seem harmless to me WILL cause offence in others.  Also how some very uncontroversial products of service will rely on sex or violence to sell. Judge for yourself at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8020881.stm

Thanks to everybody from Quest who come to the marketing seminar I ran last night.  It was great to see so many people crammed into one room and I appreciate the feedback that I have had since.  Look forward to seeing some of you again.

Free Marketing Seminar at Hothorpe Hall

Well I’m pleased to say that I’m hosting a free evening seminar on February 9^th at Hothorpe Hall (just outside Market Harborough) covering 12 practical ways to make the most of the current climate by producing effective low cost marketing.

Previous events have proved popular both as a networking opportunity and as a way to gain new marketing ideas.

For full details on the event see:

http://www.idealmarketingcompany.co.uk/seminars.html

There is no charge for this seminar but places are limited and I should point out that previous seminars have been fully booked.

The event starts just after 6pm with the presentation due to run between 6.30 and 7.30 with further networking until 8pm.

To book your place (and bring up to 3 colleagues with you) please reply to this e-mail or call 01858 44 55 43

I’m looking forward to sharing these important ideas with you on Monday February 9^th

By the way at this event I’ll also tell you about a brand new funding package for the Marketing Mentor programme that I run.  That means if you find the programme of interest then it needn’t cost you a penny.

Marketing Mentor Seminar

Just come back from running a 1 day seminar at Hothope Hall which I host every other month as part of the Marketing Mentor programme.  The group were very inspiring and a real pleasure to talk to.  It’s important to talk to ‘real’ business people regulalry to see how far away from reality the media portrail the business world is.  A very positive ‘can do’ meeting with a number of people who are certainly going to have a great year in 2009.   It’s not all doom and gloom and this group will prove it in 2009.