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PR Mama: Marketing to Go! July 2006
In This Issue PR Mama Perspective Let's talk about what you're really saying Targeting Your Market Maribel Hernandez defines common marketing terms that we all need to know. 12 Deadly Communication Sins of Advertising JoJo Tabares shares some simple rules that will help you avoid the most common communication errors. Two Little Words with Such a Big Impact Donna Murphy reminds us of the importance of saying "thank you."
PR Mama Perspective People may not always believe what you say, but they will always believe what you do. I saw that phrase on a poster years ago, and it has always stuck with me. As you are planning your business marketing, it is so important to make sure that your actions line up with your advertising. Remember when Burger King used to say that you could have things your way, right away there? That slogan conveyed an emphasis on customer service. Have they lived up to it? Companies striving to reach the homeschool market need to communicate a strong message that will help them stand out in the marketplace, and then they need to be committed to walking the walk. Homeschoolers have very high expectations for companies as well as themselves. They want an exceptional product at a competitive price with personal customer service. What does that mean to you? It means that you need to do your homework. Read the blogs to see what homeschoolers are discussing. Conduct some surveys on your site to find out what really matters to your customers and how you can better serve them. Check out The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine to see other ads and to keep up with your competitors and the product reviews. Show that you are interested in more than just the homeschoolers' pocketbooks. Offer to speak to local groups about your area of expertise. Show them how you can help them. Be a visible presence at homeschooling conferences. And always treat them the way you would want to be treated. A great product combined with exceptional customer service will leave a lasting impression on the homeschool market and go a long way toward establishing you in the minds of your target audience. Many homeschoolers are still shopping for curriculum right now. Don't just tell them what makes you special; show them. They'll be sure to let their friends know about their experience! Now, let's get down to business. Nancy Carter, Editor PR Mama: Marketing to Go! Targeting Your Market    By Maribel Hernandez Marketing is a very exciting but broad subject. Each market carries with it peculiarities, and so does the homeschool market. What is good for one homeschool market segment may not necessarily apply to all homeschool market segments. Understanding marketing terms enables you to analyze marketing issues with coolness of mind and courage. In this way, you can choose and pick aspects of marketing that best suit your needs. Keep your marketing efforts focused and result-oriented by increasing your understanding of these basic marketing terms. Market: The activity of goods, products, and services between buyers and sellers. As the homeschool market expands to meet the needs of homeschoolers, so will the goods, products, and services they offer. In the homeschool market there are books, magazines, newspapers, curriculum, flash cards, games, kits, tutorials conventions, seminars, and workshops. You name it, someone's already cornered a piece of the market. Homeschoolers continually add to the homeschool marketplace. Market Segmentation Prioritizing: Focusing on the segment within a market that will be most interested in your product. A segment is a portion of the whole. Try to find a focused portion (segment) within a market that specifically applies to your product, service, or curriculum. In this way the bulk of your marketing efforts will be well spent on that segment until your needs change. Market Positioning: The careful positioning of your books, products, and service. Positioning seems to suggest to me that it's more of an ability or skill to spot the best way to position or showcase your wares. A man may position any product, but it will only be as good as the problem his product can solve. Market Solution: Solving a problem for the consumer. When a mother buys a blanket for her baby, what she really buys is warmth for her baby. So in a practical way, positioning is done best when you integrate with a solution. It includes solving someone else's problems using your products, books, and services. In like manner, if a writing curriculum will solve a writing problem a student is having issues with, the mother and father will want to purchase that writing curriculum. Market Research: A systematic collection of data such as trends, plans, pricing, product, and the like. When you do your market research, you should have a good picture of your market landscape. This should include a comprehensive evaluation of your realistic strengths and weaknesses, as well as your target market needs. Ask yourself some questions. What areas are already heavily niched? What area has gone unnoticed in homeschool markets that you could fill? Market Networking: Networking with others for mutual benefit. Every man is worthy of his labor. When you give your labor to someone who agrees to network with you and he does not reciprocate your kindness, it speaks poorly of the person's character. If all he wants from you is free products, you may need to rethink who you should network with. However, networking with others is a great opportunity that can lead to many new venues you had overlooked. This will depend on the extent of your involvement when you network. Market Attractiveness: The appeal that a market has for companies. The homeschool market has become attractive to many outside markets that have little to do with home educating the family. Thus we may see a flurry of activities in outside markets as they cross over to homeschool markets. They will reposition their product, book, or service in order to make it fit or make it attractive to homeschoolers. Lack of proper advertising and marketing campaigns can be a huge downfall for a home business. Manage your marketing campaign within your budget. Consider vertical markets that overlap with yours. Position yourself for success by deliberately targeting the market that will bring gain to you! Maribel Hernandez is co-founder of Alternative Phyto-Med Formulators (APMF). She and her husband, Pete, have seven children, ages 3-22, reside in Texas, and do homeschool college at home. The Hernandez's blog emphasizes the trivium applied to family medicine from a biblical worldview. Learn the importance of a Christian medical education at home by visiting www.APMFormulators.com. Join their Private e-list. 12 Deadly Communication Sins of Advertising    By JoJo Tabares You don't have to be a marketing genius to be able to spot a bad ad. Every consumer can pick them out; they are the ones that annoy us. They interrupt our day and waste our time. So why should we even have a discussion about bad ads? Because identifying a bad ad is what our customers do. We, on the other hand, are often oblivious to the miscommunication a bad ad can send to our customers! As small business owners, we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what a good ad is. Finding the best possible combination of words, concepts, and persuasion for each audience/venue is a daunting task, and I don't pretend to be a marketing expert. However, as a communication expert, I know well the consequences of annoying a customer with salesy hype at the most inopportune time. By following some simple rules, you can avoid making some of the most common business communication errors. Error #1: Being an Uninvited Guest Generally, an ad, sales pitch, or sales call is an unwelcome interruption for our customers. Even if they sign up for a double opt-in eNewsletter, they are interrupted by their daily email to find our communication awaiting their immediate attention. We small business owners need to be sensitive to that. If we are to persuade this potential customer to take a look at our wares, we must communicate that what we have to offer is worth the interruption. Our first mistake is merely assuming that all of our customers are eager to see or hear what we have to say. When we understand that we are merely an unwelcome interruption to their day, we can begin to tailor our message accordingly. First we need to capture their attention in the headline. This headline must be tailored to the specific group of potential customers to whom you are speaking. Make sure that it addresses their needs! In an effort to sell more widgets, we small business owners tend to want to appeal to a wide range of customers. Think about how you like to be addressed. Do you like to be spoken to as if you are one of the masses? Or do you appreciate it when someone takes the time to find out what you need? We will discuss the body of the ad later on. Another common error of being uninvited is to post an ad on an email group like Yahoo inappropriately. Many groups do not allow ads at all. Some groups allow ads only on specific days. To post an ad on a non-ad day is almost an unforgivable sin. Spam is a big issue for people these days. It is vital to get to know your groups before you begin posting in order to avoid making a very bad first impression. Most of these ads don't get read at all. They are quickly deleted, and sometimes members will email the moderators asking that justice be done! Be careful not to leave a bad taste in your customer's mouth, or you will not eat of the fruit of success. Bad press travels ten times faster than good news and about a hundred times as often! Along these same lines is the dreaded sales follow-up phone call during the dinner hour. If you call your customer on the phone, always be sure to call at a convenient hour. Don't call during dinner! Yes, you will be sure to catch her in, but an old sales proverb goes like this: Hungry customer with dinner waiting is not in the market for whatever it is you sell! Error #2: Hyping It Up Today's consumer is very savvy! People can spot hype a mile away--unless it is their own! Too much glitz and glam can make your company, product, or service sound too good to be true. Just as I began writing this article, I got a phone call from a salesman who told me that I had been chosen to win a free computer, $1,000 shopping spree to some website I never heard of, a cell phone, and a $500 something or other! I didn't listen that closely as I replied, "Yeah, sure!" Nobody gets something for nothing, and your customer's mind will not let go of the feeling that you are going to take her for everything she's got. So maybe you don't call your customers and offer them a thousand dollars' worth of your products free, but have you ever sent out an ad that made outlandish-sounding claims? "Make $2,000 your very first month!" or "You will never need another ...." While these claims may be true and certainly do catch your customer's attention, they do not lend credibility to your company and are dismissed immediately if not sooner. US Subscriptions: 19 FREE GIFTS Whether you are new to our magazine or a long-time subscriber, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine has an incredible offer that you won't want to pass up! In the past, we couldn't offer the renewing subscribers the 19 free gifts - those were only for new customers. But for a limited time only, RENEWING subscribers get all 19 gifts (over $200 value), too! I'm a new subscriber…what do I get? With your paid two-year subscription to TOS you'll receive: •A 2-year/3-year subscription to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine •19 FREE gifts for you All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase Online Or, call 1-888-718-HOME Already a subscriber? Renew now and receive: • Two or Three more years of your favorite homeschool magazine and 19 FREE gifts (valued at over $200)! All this for ONLY $39 for 2 years and ONLY $59 for 3 years Click Here to Purchase! Or, call 1-888-718-HOME The first 3,000 two-year or three-year new subscriber or renewing your two or three year subscription, you will receive (by USPS mail) NINETEEN free homeschooling gifts. But you don't get four gifts - you get 19! And yes, even the shipping is paid for - and you are not required to buy anything again - EVER. Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (US Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts Error #3: Feigning Ignorance Have you ever posted something on one of your business email groups knowing that it probably isn't allowed, but you didn't want to take the time to ask? When caught, we usually say something like, "Oh! I am so sorry. I didn't realize that wasn't allowed!" Now sometimes we truly have no idea that a certain rule exists, but many times we secretly hope we will get away with it and rely on the kindness of people to forgive our little sin. Be careful! I have seen people do this once too often, and it can backfire in a big way. The Internet is a surprisingly small world. Many of your group members are also on other groups with you. Once they get to know you, you have a reputation. It's wonderful to have a reputation for being honest, trustworthy, kind, uplifting... But a reputation for posting "Ooops! I didn't know ..." emails will catch up with you. Error #4: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire! I hope nobody reading this article is making a practice of lying to their customers, but I have seen spam come through with subject lines like "Knew you would appreciate this site!" and "How are you?" Anyone who knows me knows that I most certainly wouldn't appreciate a website that sells pornography, so when I open an email to find this website link, I am a little miffed to say the least! This is an extreme example, but I have also seen subject lines that have nothing whatsoever to do with what they are selling. Most people find it offensive to open an email titled "Re: your inquiry" only to find an ad for something that they had never inquired about. If you do send out emails, for whatever reason, keep your subject lines pertinent to your message. Error #5: Loooooooooong Sales Copy There is a controversy over this among the marketing gurus out there, but in my humble opinion, long sales copy only sells to men and then only when they are deeply interested in that subject. If you market to women, keep it brief! Most women are busy wearing many hats: wife, mother, housekeeper, babysitter, career woman ... Most of the women I survey say that they don't have the time to read long hype-y sales copy that doesn't reveal what is being sold until the very end. Most women like short and sweet ads that grab their attention and give them a way to find more information when they have the time to do so. Error #6: Grammar and *Speling* The written word has always required proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, but in recent years email has become an accepted form of communication with our customers. Email is generally a more informal communication prone to incomplete sentences, abbreviations, and typos. These are all generally accepted as appropriate among friends and coworkers, but not, however, for customers! Misspellings, typos, and bad grammar all tell our customers that we don't take the time to do things properly. Done enough, it can make a message almost unintelligible! One of the most basic mistakes I see is not creating paragraphs. Nobody wants to read one long run-on sentence. When the eye sees a two-page sentence, it sends a message to the fingers to hit that happy delete button. Skip lines between thoughts to make it easier for your customers to follow you. You don't even need to indent anymore. Block paragraph style is perfectly acceptable these days. Bright Ideas Press In 1992, Maggie Hogan started Bright Ideas Press. Soon, she and her husband Bob began having way too much fun writing, creating, and finding practical, fun, and affordable homeschool resources. Visit them at www.BrightIdeasPress.com - home of the award winning series: The Mystery of History and the Christian Kids Explore science books. Error #7: Trite Right Nothing says blah like "Great!, Fantastic!, Superb!, Marvelous!, and FREE!" These words are so overused that they no longer hold any meaning for people. Use unique words when you describe your products or services. "Marvelous" can mean almost anything! These are typical sales words. They scream "I WANT TO SELL YOU SOMETHING!" Don't use them. Error #8: Shouting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Speaking of screaming, don't use all caps, and don't use a barrage of exclamation marks. Marketing copy with a large quantity of words in all caps (or a sea of exclamation points!!!) gives the impression that you are an amateur. Nobody wants to pay an amateur. They want a professional. International Subscriptions: 19 FREE GIFTS Whether you view your subscription as a gift for yourself, a homeschool conference delivered to your door, a professional journal, or simply a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with other homeschool families around the world, subscribe now to insure that you are in the first 2,000 and receive this incredible International Subscription Homeschool Gift Pack! One-Year International Subscription: Receive four issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine delivered directly to your door and 19 FREE gifts from our generous sponsors. Subscribe now! Only $38! And we have an additional gift for two-year and three-year subscribers! Two-Year or Three-Year International Subscription: Receive eight issues of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the 19 free gifts, AND our Secrets of Successful Homeschooling e-book! Subscribe now! Only $69 for 2 years and $83 for 3 years! These special offers will expire soon, though. Subscribe or renew today so you don't miss out on this opportunity! Three easy ways to subscribe! Subscribe online Call 1-888-718-HOME Mail your order to The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC PO Box 10 White Pine, TN 37890 Promotion will sell out fast! - TOS Staff (International Residents Only) Click Here to View the FREE Gifts Error #9: Not-So-Covert Mass Mailers Convenience is not the mother of success. Sending out the same ad to all 35 of your Yahoo groups might be easy, but it doesn't inspire confidence in your company, and here's why. You may forget to make sure that each one of your 35 groups allows ads on that day. We already talked about the consequences of that, but if they see that you have blanketed all of your groups with this *spam*, members are more likely to take offense at being one of the "little people." You will likely convey that you are there just for Ad Day and not as a contributing member of the group. If you create a group in your email client for mass mailing your ad to all of these groups, the return address on the email (Acme Mailing List vs. Yahoo ABC Group), these members may suspect that you have harvested their email addresses for mass mailing purposes and could report you for violating spam laws. See how long your small business lasts then! Your customers want to be treated as special. Tailoring your ad or marketing message to a specific group can make all the difference in your success! Error #10: Have Some Wine with That Cheese Be careful to look over your marketing message for anything that might seem unprofessional for your industry before it is sent out. Have you ever looked at some of those infomercials and cable TV commercials? Some of them make my daughter cringe. You may be a small business with a small budget, but you don't want to give the impression that you are a cheesy, cheap company. Error #11: Pushy Post Script Once you have made your point, back off, buster! It is one thing to bring home a point; it is quite another pushy matter to pound your customer over the head with it. You goal should be to present the information so that the intelligent thing for your customer to do next is to call or visit your site to get more information. Long sales copy with different fonts, colors, sizes, and six PSes is an insult to their intelligence. If you can't make them interested enough to want more information in five pages of ad, you won't succeed by adding a P.P.P.P.P.S. Error #12: What in the World IS This? Another area of controversy is the website or sales letter/call that gives a long, involved presentation before it ever gets to the point of telling you why you are listening. Many of us will not stand still long enough to read a book unless we believe it will be worth our time. If you can't tell me who you are and why I should be interested, I may think you are hiding something or don't have a case. Don't waste my time. Additionally, email ads with no signature are likely to be filed in the eRound file. Surprisingly, I see a good number of email group ads come through on Ad Day with no company name, no web address, and no signature of any kind. You should program your signature line in your email client (e.g., Outlook) to appear on all of your communication to your groups, but especially on your ads. Not only can't they order if they can't find you, but they won't remember you when they are looking for that item. More importantly, they won't get the impression that your company has staying power enough to want to find out what you left off. Remember, make your communication easy to follow and tailor it to the individual as much as you can for best results. JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication. Her Christian and humorous approach to communication skills has made her a sought-after speaker. JoJo's articles have appeared in various homeschool magazines and websites such as Dr. Laura.com. Her Say What You Mean curriculum is endorsed by The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine and her eBook, Say What You Mean When You're in Business, has been used by direct sales leaders and small business owners alike. For more information, please visit www.ArtofEloquence.com or www.homeschoolblogger.com/CommunicationFUNdamentals/. Two Little Words with Such a Big Impact    By Donna M. Murphy As you continue to operate and grow your business through its various seasons, you should never underestimate the value and impact of a sincere "Thank You." No matter how you say it, or how often you say it, "Thank You" is always appropriate when your customers: 1. DO BUSINESS WITH YOU If you don't have customers, you don't have a business, right? Every time your customer needs a product or service, he has a choice. Help him to choose you. It's very easy to take loyal customers for granted, but go the extra mile for that loyalty. Thank them for choosing to do business with you. 2. OFFER YOU A COMPLIMENT (PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL) Receiving a compliment can be unusual in the fiercely competitive world of business. However, when a customer offers a compliment about you or your business, don't turn into Bashful. Accept it graciously and follow up with a heartfelt "thank you!" 3. MAKE YOU SMILE Acknowledge when one of your customers makes you smile. Send her a "thank you" to let her know that you appreciate her ... down to the very smile. 4. TRY A NEW PRODUCT OR SERVICE It takes a brave consumer to try something new. Most people are frugal about their money and want to know they are getting a good return on their investment. New products or services can feel risky for a customer. Ease his concerns by thanking him for daring to try something new or different. 5. OFFER A COMPLAINT Ouch! You mean "thank" your customers for complaining? Absolutely. When a customer tells you she is not satisfied with a product or service, essentially she is offering you a second chance to make it better. Instead of running off to lick your wounds, use the situation as an opportunity to win your customer back. Thank her for bringing the problem to your attention and assure her that you will make every effort to rectify it in the near future. Then follow through! 6. RECOMMEND A FRIEND OR TWO Reputation can be a tricky thing. Many businesses pride themselves on their good reputation. So, you can imagine how unsettling it can be when your customer recommends someone else to you. If you deliver and follow through, then your loyal customer looks good and you have potentially won a new valued customer. On the other hand, if you don't, well then .... Either way, send a thank-you note to let the referring customer know that you value his recommendation. 7. OFFER COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS It feels good to know that others listen to you. When you thank a customer for her comments and suggestions, you are sending her the message that you are listening. It says that you value her opinion, and it can give you an opportunity to improve upon your existing products and services. Out of all the important tools for establishing customer relations, this is by far the most important. Customer service ranks high on the consumer satisfaction list. If you are not thanking your customers, chances are you're losing them. It's a simple gesture that doesn't take much time or effort. It is truly amazing how two little words can have such a great impact. Donna M. Murphy is the owner and creative director of Spiritually Restored (www.spirituallyrestored.com), a SOHO mail-order crafts and publications business. Donna is a seasoned writer and a self-published author. She also works as a freelance production design specialist offering copywriting, copyediting, and publication design services. Remember to email me at PRMama@TheHomeschoolMagazine.com with your suggestions for upcoming issues or to have your company highlighted. We hope that we've helped to equip and encourage you. Be sure to visit us online at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/PR Mama, and we'll see you in your inbox next month! Have you enjoyed this issue of the newsletter? If so, you'll want to take a look at all of the free e-Newsletters TOS offers to guide and encourage you during your homeschooling journey. Be sure to stop in to see which ones are best for you and your family! Click here for more information: www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com/devotional_door/subscribe.php You may forward this e-Newsletter to your friends in its entirety.

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