Post Your Questions & Comments! We Want To Hear From You
Welcome!
I'm so excited to have this forum to share with you the daily issues we confront with our clients. My idea is to create a forum for us to communicate some thoughts and strategies that are important to us, our clients and their success. By using this forum to communicate with you, our hope is that we help your organization with your own marketing challenges.
*Cut us a break on any grammatical issues. We will be hammering away to provide you information. You may find a mispelling or two.
Michael Austin, Marketing Principal
ISSUE 1
Identify the prospect - their concerns, what they're looking for and how you can help them.
CASE STUDY
Recently we've begun discussing a possible relationship with a company that provides laser printer support and sells toner to their customers. Their clients include medium to large businesses with big banks of laser printers cranking out the copies. In discussing their challenges with the senior management team we identified the following:
- IT Managers were the primary staff who supported the laser printers - their problems and troubleshooting - loading
toner, etc.
- IT Managers - we agreed (and will prove with research data soon) - do not enjoy this facet of their job. When you
have to keep 10 locations / computer infrastructure / telephony infrastructure and support for 300+ staffers - the last
thing you want to have to deal with is laser printer stuff.
- Toner Sales Is Tough - China is flooding the market with low-cost toner replacements. Although their toner
replacements are cheaper, they most often don't last as long and the print quality can be suspect.
- Purchasing agents / accounts payable were the staff who ordered the toner.
THE MISSION
Increase client base and contractural relationships that have our client handling - on an on-going basis - all the printer issues for the organization including service, support and toner replacement / replenishment.
INITIAL ACTIVITIES
- Client Research - Conduct a study of the client base to prove our assumptions thereby justifying our initial creative
strategy (I'll get to that shortly).
- Web Design / Search Engine Optimization - As per the president, "We've never had a great web site. Coming up in
Google has only been a dream." Therefore, our interactive staff will be busy designing / developing the new site. SEO
activities will soon follow. The web site will be mission critical to the success of this program.
- All communications materials will direct our client base and prospects to the web site to learn more and order.
- CONTENT WILL BE KING and we will be developing a lot of it, differences in toner quality, using certified OEM
technicians for service versus the pick-up type people.
INITIAL CREATIVE
Hey sometimes we get a little ahead of ourselves and reveal some initial thoughts to the client about how to IMPACT and INFLUENCE the prospective client.
REMEMBER THIS EVERYONE
We all are exposed to more than 7,000 marketing messages a day - therefore you better be creative as hell to make any impact whatsoever. Get people to laugh, cry - SOMETHING - but get them involved.
OUR TENTATIVE CAMPAIGN THEME
"Toner SUX - Let Us Handle It"
RATIONALE
- To the IT professional that spent 3.5 years learning computer networking, infrastructure support and is on a 365-day
grind, dealing with laser printer issues and toner DOES SUCK!
- We envision hats, shirts and anything that will generate a smile from our prospects.
- Of course we'll trial this for a focus group before implementation but we think they will like it and CERTAINLY remember our client.
Out for now. Lemme know what you think.
Michael
I'm so excited to have this forum to share with you the daily issues we confront with our clients. My idea is to create a forum for us to communicate some thoughts and strategies that are important to us, our clients and their success. By using this forum to communicate with you, our hope is that we help your organization with your own marketing challenges.
*Cut us a break on any grammatical issues. We will be hammering away to provide you information. You may find a mispelling or two.
Michael Austin, Marketing Principal
ISSUE 1
Identify the prospect - their concerns, what they're looking for and how you can help them.
CASE STUDY
Recently we've begun discussing a possible relationship with a company that provides laser printer support and sells toner to their customers. Their clients include medium to large businesses with big banks of laser printers cranking out the copies. In discussing their challenges with the senior management team we identified the following:
- IT Managers were the primary staff who supported the laser printers - their problems and troubleshooting - loading
toner, etc.
- IT Managers - we agreed (and will prove with research data soon) - do not enjoy this facet of their job. When you
have to keep 10 locations / computer infrastructure / telephony infrastructure and support for 300+ staffers - the last
thing you want to have to deal with is laser printer stuff.
- Toner Sales Is Tough - China is flooding the market with low-cost toner replacements. Although their toner
replacements are cheaper, they most often don't last as long and the print quality can be suspect.
- Purchasing agents / accounts payable were the staff who ordered the toner.
THE MISSION
Increase client base and contractural relationships that have our client handling - on an on-going basis - all the printer issues for the organization including service, support and toner replacement / replenishment.
INITIAL ACTIVITIES
- Client Research - Conduct a study of the client base to prove our assumptions thereby justifying our initial creative
strategy (I'll get to that shortly).
- Web Design / Search Engine Optimization - As per the president, "We've never had a great web site. Coming up in
Google has only been a dream." Therefore, our interactive staff will be busy designing / developing the new site. SEO
activities will soon follow. The web site will be mission critical to the success of this program.
- All communications materials will direct our client base and prospects to the web site to learn more and order.
- CONTENT WILL BE KING and we will be developing a lot of it, differences in toner quality, using certified OEM
technicians for service versus the pick-up type people.
INITIAL CREATIVE
Hey sometimes we get a little ahead of ourselves and reveal some initial thoughts to the client about how to IMPACT and INFLUENCE the prospective client.
REMEMBER THIS EVERYONE
We all are exposed to more than 7,000 marketing messages a day - therefore you better be creative as hell to make any impact whatsoever. Get people to laugh, cry - SOMETHING - but get them involved.
OUR TENTATIVE CAMPAIGN THEME
"Toner SUX - Let Us Handle It"
RATIONALE
- To the IT professional that spent 3.5 years learning computer networking, infrastructure support and is on a 365-day
grind, dealing with laser printer issues and toner DOES SUCK!
- We envision hats, shirts and anything that will generate a smile from our prospects.
- Of course we'll trial this for a focus group before implementation but we think they will like it and CERTAINLY remember our client.
Out for now. Lemme know what you think.
Michael
I have a small automotive company. My greatest source of income is 'buyer representation.' We interview the client and develop a list of potential car 'fits' and then locate the car. Many of these clients are looking for higher-end luxury automobiles. We have a web site and some good seo positioning.
Any thoughts? I've responded to your Marketing Consultation offer but thought I would post the question in the blog as well. (Comment this)