Mad 4 Blog

Last week, we answered some tough questions about handling gift-giving to clients and affiliates during the holiday season. Here are two more frequently asked gift-giving questions answered, with ideas and examples to help spark your imagination.

How can my gift stand out among many others during the holiday season?

Don’t Google “unique gifts for clients.” Seriously—now it is critical to think outside of the box. And you’ll also want to think very strategically about what gifts make the most sense in particular for your type of products and services—as well as your type of clientele. Just sending a gift, any old gift, serves as a mere token. It won’t get you the attention, fond remembrance and return business that you’re ultimately seeking. And trust us, if a high-ranking website told you about the coolest new client gifts for 2010, your recipient will probably already have four of them by Boxing Day.

How can I promote my business through my gift?

Practical gifts are especially useful when they’re doubling as a promotional tool. Every time your client reaches for your gift, he or she will think of you. Of course, you’ll have to go beyond branding a ballpoint pen. If its not practical, anything that’s exciting enough to make your clients tell someone else about the gift—even if it’s just their spouse or hairdresser—will get them talking and thinking about your brand.

You should also consider double-personalizing a gift. Instead of just embossing your company’s iconography on an item, add the recipient’s name and logo, too. This extra measure doesn’t just remind them of you—it reflects your partnership. Companies are more likely to hold onto the gift because it displays their name. And it shows that they’re a special client to you because you took the time to tailor a gift to them—rather than sending over one of a hundred generic, single-branded, you-centric items.

Two examples …

These days, technological gifts go a long way and are a little more exciting and cutting-edge than non-digital counterparts; for example, earlier this year we discussed the USB Insert. This flat device is an inventive way to share digital art, games and other media as a combination of advertisement and gift–and fits perfectly inside a card for easy shipping.

Our favorite recent gift was last year’s desktop Ecosphere, from Blue Ocean Press. We still enjoy watching these critters play around in their habitat, and it’s a great conversation-starter when clients visit our office. Plus, the long-lasting present ties in perfectly with the company’s brand name—bonus points!

Next week, we’re discussing the idea of giving the gift of charitable donations, including the benefits and opportunities available with e-philanthropy. Don’t miss it!

You may be surprised to hear the above statement, especially coming from us, but it is the simple truth. In good times and bad times, a large percentage of the marketing efforts you put out into the world won’t be as effective as you had planned. What makes marketing successful is the strength of your brand and the emotional connection of your unique message.

An important thing to keep in mind is that failure should not be seen as terminal. In the world of marketing, we tend to look at failures as part of a greater growth process. It’s important to understand what aspects of your marketing endeavors failed or succeeded and then analyze your results to discover why. Many marketing efforts are actually staggered, so that continual analysis/improvement is built directly into the process. Being able to adapt as you go is always a bonus, which is why we never recommend blowing your annual budget on any one tactic. Rather, you should seek cost-effective and well-rounded strategies that will allow you to explore multiple angles and make the greatest possible impact on your determined audience.

Good marketers know that success or failure can be measured in many different ways. For example, even if your conversions aren’t hitting the marks that you expected when you began your marketing campaign doesn’t mean that you haven’t connected with your audience. Every time you engage with prospective clients, you’re building up a bigger presence and allowing them to familiarize with your business and services. Naturally, we always want these impressions to convert to sales. However, the ultimate success of some marketing techniques may not be measurable in nickels and dimes; but by introducing your brand and opening a line of communication, you’re still accomplishing invaluable marketing connections.

As always, consistent and comprehensive marketing campaigns that approach niche audiences from multiple angles over time are the most surefire way to guarantee marketing results. At Mad 4 Marketing, we offer strategic insight that will allow you to enhance brand awareness and connect deeply with your audience through targeted messaging. To address every agenda–from rebranding your company to engaging in social media or even building a complete 360° campaign–we’ve got the talent and experience to help you achieve impactful, successful marketing.

Want to keep your business relevant with modern marketing? You don’t have to be a super-savvy website guru to do it. But there is one trick you must master: Balance.
Balance is the key to building a strong, successful advertising campaign now and in the future—no matter how the face of media may change. While everyone else is scrambling to keep up with the latest trends, you can build a solid and multi-dimensional campaign that will withstand the latest fads. Here are 5 ways to stay current and stand out:

1) Balance targeted, consistent messaging with multiple approaches.
Hit the same audience over and over with the same message—but from different sources. It’s not enough to use online analytics to geo-target web users without matching that data with local print and/or broadcast ads. Surrounding your prospects on all sides not only enhances brand awareness, but creates an aura of accessibility. Point-blank exposure then graduates into familiarity, leaving room for relationship growth in the future.

2) Balance traditional and non-traditional media.
Break up a series of weekly magazine fliers with a guy in a gorilla suit outside your door. Attention-grabbing techniques create a buzz which can be followed up by more conventional means of communication. Or use out-of-home opportunities (such as a billboard or bus stop ad) to remind passersby of an ad seen earlier on TV. By employing both classic and alternative tactics, you can appeal to more markets. Going all one way or all the other may create an unbalanced tone for your brand—or worse, you may miss out on one audience entirely.

3) Balance analytics/research with creative (be smart but stand out).
Many companies rely on number-crunching and perfectly placed ads to carry their message into the right market. But all the visibility in the world won’t help if you don’t have the compelling concepts and engaging visuals to back up your brand and catch the eye of potential clients. In the increasingly competitive world of marketing, it’s more important than ever to complement strategy with creativity when building a successful campaign.

4) Balance customer retention with customer acquisition.
All of your amazing, cutting-edge advertising across varied media with perfect placement and alluring creative won’t help if your message is simply aimed at new clientele. It’s important that you reward prior and current business with gratuity and acknowledgement, and devote a large portion of your advertising budget to customer retention. It’s much harder to woo a client once they’ve moved on than it is to nurture an existing relationship. Remember: satisfied clients have friends–and so do dissatisfied clients.

5) Balance accessibility/transparency with alluring content that draws return.
Everyone knows how important it is to be straightforward in today’s market. Potential customers expect businesses to be highly visible and transparent about products, services and goals. This is especially true of social media, where accessibility is paramount. However, putting it all out there doesn’t mean that your business shouldn’t have a hint of mystery and allure. Teasers about future deals and further information are a classic that will remain consistent even in the advancing world of marketing.