FOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING PLAN

With 2016 quickly approaching, make this the year you put a marketing plan in place and start measuring your success.

It’s one of the first things I ask my customers. Unfortunately, I don’t always get a response.

Anytime someone is considering advertising with Hardwood Floors, I’ll ask, “What do you hope to achieve?” Or, “What is your marketing goal?” The response to that question serves as the starting point for our conversation and helps me guide you to the right products. However, most of the time the customer hasn’t clearly outlined what they hope to achieve — whether it’s brand recognition, driving traffic to their site, lead generation, becoming a thought leader in the industry or all of the above.

Nearly every marketer I speak to knows that advertising helps their company. They know that reaching the Hardwood Floors audience can help drives sales. But as for the specifics? Many haven’t gotten that far. And that’s what I wanted to address in today’s blog.

Below are four recommendations to help you get started on your new and successful 2016 marketing plan.

1. Creating a Marketing Plan Helps You Maximize Your Investment

As Ben Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That’s not to say you’re bound to fail without a marketing plan. But having a plan will help you stay organized. It will lay out your key initiatives and a road map to achieve them. It will make your workflow more efficient. It will allow you to target key dates and maximize special promotions and trade show exposure. And best of all, it can help you maximize your investment and track the ROI. If you go into the year with a set plan and a set budget you can find advertising resources to make the most of that budget.

2. Outline Goals and Create a Plan Around Those Goals

Is your company looking for more awareness in the market? Are you looking to grow market share? Boost sales of a particular product? Improve the perception of your brand? Become a thought leader in the industry? Different companies have different objectives. Knowing what you’re trying to accomplish will help you narrow down your advertising options and find the solutions that are right for you. See what’s worked for some of the industry’s top brands in our Advertiser Success Stories.

3. Integrated Marketing is the Best Approach

It’s important to remember that different prospects engage with different forms of media. Digital marketing receives a lot of buzz and at Hardwood Floors we’re working hard on some advanced technology to make your digital advertising more effective. Yet, there is a large segment of our audience that only reads the printed magazine. In fact, 93% of professionals surveyed in a 2013 study by Martin Akel and Associates said that print publications are still a “desirable way” to access information. Also, in a 2015 HF readership survey done by Readex Research, 82% of respondents said the number one way they keep up to date on industry products is trade publications and websites.

Whether your advertising plans include Hardwood Floors or not, we recommend using an integrated approach — making your brand visible in print and online — to ensure you reach the entire market and not just a portion who chooses to consume one form of media.

​RELATED:Why Marketers Can’t Ignore Trade Media

4. Determine How Success Will Be Measured

Perhaps the most important part of your marketing plan will be measuring its performance. This will vary depending on your marketing goals and the product mix in your plan. Common measurables for our advertising partners include number of impressions their ads receive, traffic to their website, growth in social media following, clicks on web ads, or open rates and click-throughs on Custom E-Mails. We can help you test different types of messaging and determine what is most successful for your brand.

With a new year just around the corner, it’s important to start thinking about your plan for 2016. I’d be happy to speak with you about your specific objectives and help determine the best path forward. In the meantime, happy planning!

WHY MARKETERS CAN'T IGNORE TRADE MEDIA

In an earlier blog I recommended David Meerman Scott’s book, “The New Rules of Sales and Service” and explained how it advocates selling through storytelling.

Many marketers already know this, but they’re making one critical mistake. They think they can tell their story and reach potential buyers on their own. It’s a comment we hear occasionally: “Why would I advertise? We have an email list of customers, a website with great information and a social media following to blast our message to.”

Nothing wrong with that.

But what about those buyers out there who don’t know you? The buyers who aren’t on your email list, visiting your website or following you on social media? I hate to break it to you, but there are tons of them out there! And many of them are turning to their industry’s trade publications to guide them through buying decisions.

But rather than take my word for it, here is some powerful data to consider:

In an independent study, media consulting firm Martin Akel & Associates surveyed business professionals across 27 different industries, including marketing, manufacturing and retailing.

A few facts from the study that lend credence to the power of trade media:

• 98% of business media users say they rely on trade magazines and websites to make purchasing decisions.

• 95% of professionals surveyed say they value advertisements in professional media when looking for solutions and which vendors to contact.

• 92% of survey respondents have taken an action* in the last 12-24 months as a result of seeing an advertisement in a professional magazine or website.

• Survey respondents were six times more likely to recall advertisements from professional media (online or in print) than any other resource.

*Defined as visiting an advertiser’s website, contacting a sales rep, sending an email to a vendor, visiting their show exhibit or purchasing a product.

​As I said in my last blog, it’s crucial to be telling your brand’s story and giving potential buyers information. But you can’t go it alone. Trade media is a great way to continue to tell your company’s story and expose that story to thousands of new prospects — prospects with real buying power.

FIVE TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL CUSTOM E-MAIL

When you deliver the perfect message directly to the perfect qualified audience, great things can happen. That’s why we’re seeing more and more customers opt for our Custom E-Mail solution.

Gone are the days of simply “blasting” anyone and everyone. Today our customers can target the exact prospects they want to reach and craft a message that inspires those prospects to take action.

We’ve worked with hundreds of customers over the years to send successful Custom E-Mails. Here are a few tips that lead to the best results:

1. Determine Your Purpose

Everyone has a different reason for sending a Custom E-Mail. For example, if you’re looking to drive direct sales, your messaging and call-to-action will be different than if you’re simply announcing a new brand initiative.

If you sell a product with a long sales cycle, it may not be feasible to expect prospects to make a purchase based off one email. However, enticing them to learn more about your product with a video or whitepaper can be a good way to move prospects further along your sales funnel.

Think about the objective of your email and make sure your content supports that objective. If the goal is click-throughs, a clear, concise call-to-action is important.

Also consider taking advantage of our targeting capabilities. With a custom list, you know the exact prospects you’ll be reaching and can tailor your message to have the most impact.

2. Optimize Your Subject Line

Your subject line has the biggest impact on the success of your email. The best email in the world won’t do any good if no one opens it.

We’ve seen that the best subject lines offer value to the recipient, rather than just a sales message. In fact, the most successful subject lines rarely include brand or product names.

• Instead of: Discounted flooring now available from Brand XYZ!

• Try: How to increase your wood flooring profit margins
  

• Instead of: Brand XYZ introduces the new ProductName123

• Try: Discover the new product your customers will love
  

Subject lines that tend to perform well include words like “Why,” “How” or “Avoid,” or indicate numbered lists, such as “5 tips to build a better business.” Still struggling? Check out subjectline.com to get a free evaluation of how strong your subject line is, based off of best practices.

Test, test, test (and we can help you out there!). Subject line testing can help you learn what types of subject lines work best for your target audience. Just give us your two subject line options and we'll perform an A/B subject line test for you. Step it up a notch and try our Champion Blast option, where we perform the standard subject line test to 20 percent of our audience, let it settle in market, then send the version with the better performing subject line to the remaining 80 percent of the list.

These are just a few examples. Contact me to discuss specific ideas and suggestions for your campaign.

3. Use Engaging Media

Videos and other interactive media are driving click-throughs better than anything else. This is a clear trend we’ve seen develop in the last year or so.

Emails with a prominently displayed video will encourage the opener to click-through to view it. Other media options driving engagement include whitepapers, infographics, photo galleries or customizable “build your own product” interfaces.

Not everyone’s goal is to drive clicks. But if yours is, enticing the recipient with content-rich media is a good way to do so.

4. Consider the Length

It can be tempting to put your entire sales message into the body of the e-mail. And with the right layout and supporting imagery, this has worked for some customers. But typically, keeping things concise is best — especially with professionals who are on-the-go. Remember, roughly half of your e-mail openers will be on a mobile device. Keep the message clear and concise.

5. Think About Your Landing Page

You’ve piqued the curiosity of your prospect with a great subject line. Your call-to-action inspired them to click-through. Now what?

Does your prospect land on a page that’s mobile friendly and supports the messaging in the email? Are you doing anything to try to capture the prospect’s name and email address?

Not every Custom E-Mail needs to drive web traffic. But if that is the purpose of your send, consider what happens when the prospect gets to your site and what you want them to do. Does the email link directly to the corresponding product page or will the reader need to navigate from your homepage? Is there an easy form to complete for more information?

These are just a few tips to help you make the most of your Custom E-Mail. Of course, every business has different objectives and circumstances. If you’ve purchased a Custom E-Mail, or are considering it, talk to me about how to make the most of the opportunity.