Marketing Help Requested

[GordonJ]

Originally Posted by debbie

Jim,

I am trying to get bulk orders either for employee appreciation
or
customer appreciation
or
people using the item as a promotional tool..
Debbie

Hi Debbie,

My opinion is you are asking your booklet to be too many things. You are asking it to do too much, to work too hard.

I think the most profitable model is to use them as a "promotional" tool. Which could be a customer appreciation and employee appreciation thing too. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by those terms.

The booklet that most likely will earn you the most income, is one that a company can use to give to customers or prospects, that contains useful information relevant to the business.

Jimmy Krug's booklet to Credit Unions was about loans and financial things.

How do you "twist and turn" (as Phil might suggest)...your current booklet to match any of these targets?

I think with a different COVER. With today's printers, it is easy to create a glossy stock cover, either in 4 color or 2 color, and send at least TWO samples to the targets in questions. You let them know that you can custom create the COVER, which is four pages to be used by the company to put their logo, their contact information, an introduction, a mailing address...and all this without having to rewrite or edit the booklet.

NOW you have given your prospects a choice, and they are more likely to consider ordering from you if they can CUSTOMIZE the booklet to meet their needs.

How to reduce stress must be oriented toward their business however, so if you have several pages you can "slug" with industry specific jargon or give them industry specific suggestions, then you have a better product to offer.

Stress reduction for REALTORS. How to relax and thrive in today's economy.

Stress reduction for INSURANCE agents. Why today is the time to get your quotes going.

Stress reduction for BANKERS, Are you one of the 300,000 about to lose your job?

Stress reduction for Work From Home MOMS.

I'd think the actual techniques would be very similar, however, by addressing the industry, place, the time etc., and all done by having spots in the booklet that you simply use the industry you're targeting, might help out.

The KEY, I believe, to selling your booklets, is to target very specific industries...and when you do that, then the places to advertise become much clearer. TONS of things Realtors read. Same for Insurance types.

Whatever your target, they have newsletters, magazines, ezines, support groups etc. All places you can go fishing, IF you target them specifically.

There are about 100001 articles and such on "stress reduction". What makes yours unique? WHY would they be interested? What's in it for them?

When you differentiate yourself, and offer up something to HELP them, to solve their problems, to give them more business...then you start to get full cooperation. It is the old GIVE then Get principle.

Gordon Alexander