September 8, 2010

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Does your brand tell a powerful story?

September 1, 2010 By Peter DeMott Leave a Comment

I have worked with Holland Advertising in Cincinnati with various clients over the years. I have appreciated our working relationship and I subscribe to their eNewsletter which had this article or blog post today called, “Does your brand tell a powerful story?”. I thought it was noteworthy and worth sharing with you as well. See link below the logo and pictures of the Holland Advertising staff.

logo1 Does your brand tell a powerful story?

Holland Advertising Staff Does your brand tell a powerful story?

http://hollandadvertising.com/index.asp?mid=100&mid2=370

It’s short but sweet. Here are a couple of the first sentences to wet your appetite:

“One of the best ways for an entrepreneur to get a leg up in this competitive climate and distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack is to tell your brand story.

Story is how we connect with one another. Wonder why the emerging social networking sites are so popular? The answer is because people crave the emotional and powerful connection that comes through telling a story.

The best brand stories are irresistible, compelling and provocative in a way that your target audience is going to hear, seamlessly and effortlessly. Telling that kind of brand story will position you and your company as a leader in the marketplace.”

I find this to be completely true when selling advertising in REACH magazine. Selling is not manipulating people and trying to corral them into saying yes, it is telling a compelling story. I have stories of success and failure that I share with my prospects from the many years that I have been an account executive/master seller/top performer/outstanding service provider or whatever you choose to call me.

I am unwilling to put together ads for clients that I don’t think will have a positive impact on their business. I work with our designer and with the client to come up with something that, from my experience will generate the type of response that they will be happy with. If my client suggests something that I think is a bad idea, I am not afraid to say something. This is one part of the story that I bring to prospects and clients that I present to.

If you are considering incentive marketing, you would do well to discuss your ideas with someone who have helped businesses to grow for over 20 years using Dayton’s most popular direct mail coupon magazine, REACH Magazine. If I think I can help you I will tell you how. If I don’t think the fit is right for you, I will also tell you and I might direct you to other avenues that are a better fit. In the mean time you will be more educated and able to grow your business based on our time together.

Peter DeMott, REACH magazine and The Big DEAL, Dayton area.

937-478-6222 or peter@photosbypdemott.com

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Customer Perception, Customer Service, Growing your business, More profits, more customers Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Business growth, Coupons, Dayton, Direct mail, eREACH Big DEAL, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, Internet marketing, Story telling, Tools for business, Your brand

Harness the power of group buying to excite consumers in Dayton

July 26, 2010 By Peter DeMott Leave a Comment

bigdeal logo final1 300x179 Harness the power of group buying to excite consumers in Dayton

I have prepared a pdf that explains The Big Deal clearly. If you don’t understand Facebook and Twitter, this document can help you understand how the Big Deal in the Dayton area can generate buzz for your business for days and weeks. It also explains how The Big Deal is guaranteed advertising.

You can read it online or download the pdf and print it out to share with others in your retail, service, or restaurant business.

https://www.box.net/shared/dlhds49v7e

On a personal note: My wife Patty and I have already visited two restaurants and purchased additional services after using a The Big Deal certificate. She is excited to receive her Big Deal each morning and has found it a fun and exciting way to try out new venues and services and restaurants. In all cases to date, we have purchased more than the face value of the certificate and have discussed our experience with many friends related to those businesses.

So far each business which I have signed up for The Big DEAL has informed me that on the day that their Big Deal ran, they saw a spike in activities on their web site and fielded many phone calls from eager consumers wanting to know more about their business.

After your Big DEAL runs, we provide you with a print out of all the certificates that have been purchased. In addition we give YOU a check for your portion of the proceeds from the event. How cool is that?

You can call me at 937-478-6222 to learn more about the program or to have me come by to sign you up. There is NO cost to sign up and run the program so long as we feel that your business and DEAL are appropriate for our audience of thousands of opt-in email subscribers and Facebook fans. Of course we get paid, but it is in the form of a portion of the actual sales so your success is as important to us as it is to you.

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Customer Perception, Growing your business, More profits, more customers Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Beavercreek, Business growth, Coupons, eREACH Big DEAL, Facebook, Facebook marketing, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, Internet marketing, Offers, Reaching consumers, Social Media, Social Networking for Business, Tools for business, Viral internet marketing, web site marketing

Today’s Big DEAL is REVEAL SALON in Centerville 7/8/10

July 8, 2010 By Peter DeMott Leave a Comment

Don’t miss your chance to get $60 worth of Salon services for $29 from a top salon and medical spa in Centerville:

http://www.ereach.com/bigdeal.php/4/alpha/OH/45301

bigdeal salonreveal Todays Big DEAL is REVEAL SALON in Centerville 7/8/10

Here is where you sign up to receive the BIG DEAL in your inbox:

http://www.ereach.com/signup/index.php/4/alpha/OH/45301

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Featured, Growing your business, More profits, more customers Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Business growth, Facebook marketing, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, Internet marketing, Networking, Offers, REACH Magazine, Reaching consumers, Target marketing, Tools for business, Viral internet marketing

Good marketing takes planning ahead for back to school

June 18, 2010 By Peter DeMott Leave a Comment

One thing that always frustrates us here at REACH Magazine is the business owner that calls us two weeks before our magazine goes out and wants to get into that issue. The problem is that we put it to bed (that’s printer lingo for sent it to the printer) the week before.

iStock 000010585912XSmall Good marketing takes planning ahead for back to school

Some types of business have “prime times” when consumers are more active in your category of business. Plan far enough ahead that you don’t miss critical deadlines and so that you are not rushed on your advertising decisions and development of advertising copy and creative.

Back to school is not just for school supplies

Many decisions about family involvements are made as preparation for school is happening. Sometimes a child going to school suddenly frees up time for mom to be employed or to take on volunteer work or other involvements. What sporting activities are our kids going to be involved in. Even though some of these decisions are made in September and October, if your business is effected by these decisions you will want to get out in front of your prospective customers early enough to prime the pump and get them thinking that you are one of the options.

Because of all the changes that happen in the back to school time period there are many businesses that are impacted significantly by marketing and advertising during this period.

Consider these businesses and how they might be effected by changes and plans that are made for back to school:

• Shoe stores

• Day cares / after school programs

• Clothing stores

• Technical schools / for mom’s coming back into the work force because their kids are now in school

• Dance Schools, Gymnastic Schools, Sports training, fitness, recreation

• Shipping stores (what did junior forget to take to college on move in day?)

• Computers, electronics

• Carpet cleaning and house cleaning

• Salons and spas

and more…

We are currently working on REACH magazine’s Back to school edition which will arrive in homes the first week of August. If you want to be in front of consumers with a compelling message and in the vehicle that consumers LOVE, please call me soon because we will put this issue to bed before you know it. Peter DeMott 937-478-6222

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Featured, Growing your business, more customers Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Business growth, Coupons, Direct mail, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, Offers, REACH Magazine, Reaching consumers, Target marketing, Tools for business

Some good lists of top 10 things you can do on the internet to get noticed as a small business

May 22, 2010 By Peter DeMott Leave a Comment

I subscribe to several other blogs about social media and internet marketing to feed me good ideas and keep me up to date. Both of these blogs are available as email subscriptions which makes it very easy to keep up.

Mashable is all inclusive and covers everything social media from the iPad and cell phones to YouTube and Facebook. When it arrives in my mailbox it starts with a list of links to each article so that you can scan the list and see what may be interesting to you and go straight to whatever interests you most.

TopRank is a bit more focused on SEO and getting noticed on the internet.

Here are three article links that I found informative and useful:

TopRank Some good lists of top 10 things you can do on the internet to get noticed as a small business

10 Easy Local SEO & Online Marketing Tips from TopRank

http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/05/local-search-tips/

7 Essential SEO Tips for Small Business from TopRank

http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/05/7-seo-tips-small-business/

mashable logo Some good lists of top 10 things you can do on the internet to get noticed as a small business

From Mashable, this is more in depth for the business owner willing to invest more time

10 Small Business Social Marketing Tips

http://mashable.com/2009/10/28/small-business-marketing/

Although social media is growing exponentially, I have to say that REACH Magazine is still powerful marketing for many categories of business. I have been in incentive marketing for over 20 years now, and have a long track record of matching up the right businesses for the right media and with the right incentive offers. There are many coupon venues in the Dayton market, but none of them have the rank and power of REACH magazine  (The Media Audit 2009) and for the right business, REACH can be a powerful lead generator or sale generator. Please feel free to give me a call to discuss your business and marketing in REACH magazine. Along the way you also get the information that I have found helpful in the realm of social marketing free of charge. In addition we now have a new viral internet marketing program for businesses trying to reach consumers in a new and interesting way with no up front investment at all. Peter DeMott 937-478-6222

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Featured, Growing your business, More profits, more customers Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Business growth, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, Internet marketing, Local SEO, Offers, REACH Magazine, Reaching consumers, Target marketing, Tools for business, web site marketing

The amazing secret about REACH Magazine in Dayton

March 24, 2010 By Peter DeMott 3 Comments

Two magazines The amazing secret about REACH Magazine in DaytonI love selling REACH magazine to businesses in the Dayton market because in the majority of cases I am able to help them get their name out and grow their businesses.

What baffles me though is how few business owners have any knowledge of how popular REACH magazine is in the Dayton market. When I go to networking events (this was at a Dayton Chamber event on 3/23/2010) I bring my camera and try to have a little fun. Randomly, I ask, “What do you think of REACH magazine?” Here is a typical example of the responses that I receive from Dayton area consumers:

ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS about REACH Magazine

It would not take much effort as a business owner to discover how popular REACH magazine is. You just have to be willing to ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS. If your current customers “LOVE REACH Magazine” wouldn’t it be likely that people who are not your customers yet might respond well to your being represented in the magazine?

Proof of REACH’s popularity and usage by consumers

When I talk with local businesses about REACH magazine, I don’t just rely of evidence such as this video clip. REACH magazine is a part of THE MEDIA AUDIT which rates TV, Radio, Newspaper, and Direct Mail magazines in the Dayton and Cincinnati markets. They actually do this all over the country in many medium to large markets. The information from their surveys is used by radio and TV to determine advertising rates based on shows and day parts. For REACH, we just use the information to powerfully show that REACH magazine is the most popular and well used coupon direct mail magazine in this market hands down.

Again, ask your customers

But, I think that many business owners are inundated with sales people showing them “data” to get them to buy something. Sometimes I just think they need to see something like this just to realize they need to look into something a little more closely.

Never purchase advertising by price alone – consider ROI (Return on Investment)

There will always be something cheeper to buy. Buying things because they are cheeper is not the best plan. Return on Investment is the critical issue when purchasing advertising. If you spend $50 and get nothing back from it, that was 100% loss. If on they other hand you spend $500 and get a 10 time return in measurable sales (depending on your type of business of course) then that more expensive advertising created a RETURN ON INVESTMENT or ROI, that advertising cost less than the $50 ad that had no ROI. This is critical to understand as a business owner, but too many times I hear the question, “how much does it cost” before the business owner has a clear understanding of what the advertising can do. Many make advertising decisions based on price alone rather than based on value and return on investment.

What happens when mom visits and tries to take someone’s REACH magazine?

Tell me what YOU think of REACH magazine. Your comments are welcome below.

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Customer Perception, Featured, Growing your business, more customers Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Business growth, Direct mail, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, REACH Magazine, Target marketing, Tools for business

Coupon Usage up by double digits

December 1, 2009 By Peter DeMott Leave a Comment

Double Digit Coupon Growth Continues

For the fourth consecutive quarter, coupon redemption and distribution continues to experience double digit growth. When comparing the third quarter of 2009 with the same timeframe in 2008, the industry saw a 29% increase in coupon redemption and a 10% increase in distribution.

growth chart2 Coupon Usage up by double digits

Source and complete article : CouponInfoNow.com Newsletter 12/1/09

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Customer Perception Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Business growth, Coupons, Direct mail, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, Offers, REACH Magazine, Reaching consumers, Target marketing, Tools for business

The most powerful word for small businesses

June 16, 2009 By Peter DeMott Leave a Comment

It is amazing sometimes to see how businesses make choices about how they are going to advertise to consumers. Some simple questions to your customers or even random people you meet can provide you with valuable information that can make a big difference.

I’ve been testing this with REACH magazine. I have been asking businesses to do a simple survey before we even have a consultation appointment. Go ask 5 people, “What do you think of REACH magazine?” When I meet with them they usually tell me that several said, “REACH Magazine, I LOVE that magazine, I use it all the time.” They then admit to me that they didn’t have a clue that REACH was so popular. If they didn’t do their homework, I will stand up and call out to all their employees…”Hey, what do you guys think of REACH magazine?” Again, the answers come flowing back in glowing terms. And again, the business owners are surprised… saying “I had no idea.”

I hear over and over, “coupons don’t work for our business, I’ve tried them,” only to find out that they built an ad with no understanding of where consumers are looking and of what consumers want (the incentive must have consumer perceived value in order to work). For the ones that listen, they are pleasantly surprised or even overwhelmed with the results of the right incentives in the right publication at the right time. 20 years experience and I see this over and over and over again.

I gave a consultation recently and after I asked my questions I suggested that the client not start until the September mailing time frame. “You don’t want me to go in your program NOW?” was his response. “No,” I said, “I think that it would be better for you to save your money for now and mail in our September and October editions, then again in late spring of next year.”  He then said, “Wow, I appreciate that you are not just trying to get me in the program now like all the others that I have talked to.”  I wanted him to advertise in the right publication at the right time with the right incentive offers to be as successful as possible so that he will come back again and again at the right times with the right offers and the right publication.

ASK is a very powerful tool. Put it to use and you will quickly be making more money as a professional, as a business owner. In my consultation appointment, I ask more than I tell because the more I learn about each individual business the better I can serve them and help them grow their businesses.

When you have done your homework, perhaps you may want to give me a call: 937-478-6222 or send me an email peter@photosbypdemott.com . Is it time for you to ASK me some questions?

Filed Under Advertising in Dayton, Customer Perception Tagged With Advertising in Dayton, Business growth, Coupons, Direct mail, Grow your business, Incentive marketing, Offers, REACH Magazine, Reaching consumers, Target marketing, Tools for business