Marketing Tips for the New Year
Written by Shirley Lichti for The Record, December 19, 2001

Let’s face it. Most of us are creatures of habit. We eat the same thing for breakfast every day, return to the same entertainment hot spots week after week and read the same magazines month after month. And when it comes to our business habits, we fall back on the same marketing techniques year after year, too.

In 2002, resolve to do something different. Try something new in your marketing campaigns. I’m not suggesting change simply for the sake of change. But ask yourself how well previous marketing efforts have worked for your organization. And if the results have been less than optimal, remember that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Trying new ideas doesn't mean you have to blow the budget. You can do something as simple as organizing a meeting with colleagues outside of your company or industry and trading ideas on what worked, what didn’t and why. Be sure to take one good idea back to the office with you so you can try it out.

While not all of the following ideas will work for every organization, here are a variety of ideas to consider in the new year.

Read a new book
This won't cost a cent if you borrow it from a colleague who has recommended it, or from your local library. You might choose a book on marketing strategy. Or perhaps you are more interested in tactical help, such as how to use telemarketing techniques more effectively or how to create a killer direct mail piece.

Take a course
With three universities and a community college nearby, there are plenty of marketing courses available. If you don't feel you have the time for a credit course, there are others that run for shorter periods of time through continuing education as well as private training organizations.

Advertise in a new publication
Check out a small weekly newspaper or a theatre program guide. Be sure to give it a fair chance though. You’ll need to run your ad several times to get high enough frequency to be effective. Running an ad only once is setting yourself up for failure.

Evaluate sponsorship opportunities
Bear in mind that sponsorship is not for every company, but under the right circumstances it can make a lot of sense. Opportunities available range from sponsoring a local sports team to being a major sponsor of a conference or trade show.

Conduct focus group research
Yes, it can be expensive. However, the insights you gain into your target market, or feedback on your products or service, can be well worth the investment. Alternatively, you could informally poll your customers to get this information, but you’ll get better, more objective results using professional researchers.

Try a new form of communication
If your organization has never done a direct mailing, a sales promotion or a contest, this might be the perfect time to try. Make sure you really understand what drives customer behaviour first before you select the type of new program to put in place.

Search the Internet for Web sites with marketing tips
Use the Google search engine (found at www.google.com) and key in "marketing tips." You may have to spend some time sifting through the results, but once in a while you find a site like Jay Conrad Levinson's Guerilla Marketing (www.gmarketing.com). Or look at www.cpamarketingtips.com, a U.S. site with marketing and sales tips for certified public accountants. Still more sites offer tips on graphic design, web design and online business. Many of these sites allow you to subscribe and receive free marketing tips on a regular basis.

Explore a new trade show
You'll want to ensure that the target audience matches yours. And be warned - to get the most benefit out of any tradeshow involves a lot of careful planning up front. You'll also need a plan in place to follow up leads generated at the show in a timely manner, otherwise the leads get cold and your investment is wasted.

Change your sales force incentive plan
If your product or service is sold via sales people, ensure that they are motivated to perform at the highest level. Having spent time as a commissioned sales rep, I can ensure you that if you want your sales force to focus on a particular product or service, put the proper incentives in place. You'll get their attention.

Track results of campaigns
Far too often companies focus on creating and implementing a campaign, but spend no time at all determining what worked or how well. Granted, this is the least glamourous aspect of marketing. Yet it's crucial in determining what's effective and what isn't so you can improve future campaigns.

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