Monthly Feature – May

Leslie Stevens
Eclipse Marketing

www.eclipsemarketing.NET

Put Your Ass(ets) to Work!

Even the best-designed brochure is completely useless when it sits untouched in your warehouse. Get your literature into people’s hands. The longer you wait to distribute it, the longer it will take you to close a sale. Your opportunity cost is higher if you keep your brochures under “lock and key” rather than reprint more. Consider these 10 marketing campaigns to effectively distribute your literature:

Mail it – Build a well-targeted mailing list and send it to them on a regular basis. The more you communicate with the same customers, the more likely they are to respond. Your best list includes current customers, referrals and people you’ve contacted before. Don’t forget builders, architects and interior designers. Note however, you CANNOT use the same brochure for different target markets, e.g. end-customers vs. builders. Your message to them is different. You’ll need targeted literature that benefits them in different ways. Also, with respect to direct mail campaigns, keep your expectations in check. Direct mail response rate is typically 0.5% - 2% based on the list quality; however, you just need one sale to make your direct mail campaign worth it.
Put brochures on the back of your trucks – This new trend that has proven very successful. Purchase a plastic box with a latch lid. Mount it onto your truck and fill it with brochures. Put a decal next to the box that says "Take a brochure.” To attract attention, you’ll need some vehicle signage, such as a wrap, decal or door magnet. Vehicle signage works tirelessly for you day and night.
Stash marketing material in your trucks – Your installers should never go out empty handed. Brochures should be a part of the equipment list. Installers interact with customers and potential customers all day. They should always have marketing resources available when asked by a potential customer. Make sure your installers know to always have brochures loaded in the truck, as well as in the box mounted outside the truck.
Put your brochures on your showroom front door – Mount the same type of latch box onto the front door of your showroom. Often times people will stop by your showroom when no one is available to assist them. There’s no reason why someone should leave without proper information. Don’t let a potential customer walk away without your contact information and a description of your services. By offering potential customers a brochure, you’re telling them you’re on top of your game.
Include literature in your proposals – By now potential customers have probably already seen your brochure, but that should not deter you from including company literature into your proposal, nicely packaged in a professionally designed literature folder. Marketing materials add a polished touch, highlighting your attention to detail. In addition, your potential customer will now have a second brochure that they can show their friends or give out as a referral.
Make your brochure available on your website – Your professionally designed website should be informative and interactive. By offering a download link to your company brochure, potential customers are able to receive information that they can share with other decision makers. A low-resolution electronic file that can be used as a download shouldn’t cost you any more than the brochure itself. Make sure you receive an electronic file when you purchase your marketing materials.
Include download links in your e-newsletters – Just like your website, your e-newsletters should include a download link to your company brochure. Again, once you have this electronic file, there is no additional cost to make it available to everyone on your e-mailing list. If your brochure is hosted on your website, you can simply add a link to your e-newsletter. Your e-newsletter and website should be tied into one another.
Put your brochures in other businesses’ showroom – Be it an architect, interior designer, model home or high-end furniture store that sells couches that would fit nicely into a media center, make arrangements with businesses to distribute your literature. If you’re partnering with them, as you should be, offer them your brochure as a valuable marketing tool. Position it as part of your support package to facilitate their sales efforts. Offer point of purchase displays or posters to generate interest among customers and/or make it easy for your partners to get started talking about your electronic solutions.
Distribute marketing material at events – Never attend any event without your literature. This includes local Chamber of Commerce meetings, trade events that you exhibit at, such at the local BIA (Building Industry Association), your local Home and Garden Show, an event in your showroom, etc. This is your time to get information into potential customers' hands. They are expecting to walk away with material. If they don’t want to carry it, get their addresses and mail it to them with a personalized letter on company stationary.
Give everyone in your company copies – Everyone in your company is a possible sales person, no matter if it’s your receptionist, your office manage, installers, programmers, accountants, sales reps, etc. Everyone should have brochures easily accessible to him or her at all times. Every employee and partner should have a few copies stored in their home in the likely event they’re telling someone about their job. This will enable them to pass your brochure on, which might end up in the hands of a potential customer.

Brochures are a valuable resource, but only if distributed properly. The best brochure sitting in your warehouse is simply a waste. The ideal thing you can do is create it as quickly as possible and get it out there. Don’t hold up a brochure waiting for projects to finish or endlessly rewrite it. Furthermore, as you’ve just read, your literature campaign should be integrated into your overall marketing campaign. Your entire effort should work in a synergistic fashion and every campaign should connect with the other.

This article is provided courtesy of Leslie Stevens, President of Eclipse Marketing. Eclipse Marketing is a full service marketing and public relations firm servicing the residential and commercial audio/video and security industry. Eclipse Marketing provides electronic system contractors, manufactures and distributors with professionally designed and affordable marketing material. Eclipse Marketing is partners with CEDIA.

Leslie Stevens can be reached at leslie@eclipsemarketing.NET or by calling +1.949.363.5340. To learn more about affordable marketing tools available, visit www.eclipsemarketing.NET