Are You Part of the "Big Game?"

Posted: 02/02/18

Once a year, the entire country (well, almost) gathers to watch two super teams do battle, and to enjoy the commercials that play amongst the action. This year, a 30-second spot costs more than $5 million, and that doesn’t include creative and production costs. While you may not be part of that big game, if you’re not effectively marketing your company, you’ve benched yourself from the really big game -- the one that decides your bottom line -- while your competitors battle to score your customers.

If your goal is new business, then you have to do the research, scout the opportunities and come up with a winning strategy that stays within your budget. Each play call comes with its own risks and rewards, and you need to consider them all when setting up your game plan. 

• Defensive Line: Directory and Review Sites: Your first foray into online local marketing should be to claim your listings on the major sites, confirm and correct your company information, add promotions on the sites that allow it, and keep a constant eye on your reviews. Pro Tip: While most sites are free, you can quickly find yourself sacked by hours of updates and ongoing monitoring of dozens of directories.

• Special Teams: Service Finders: Following Angie’s List and Home Advisor, Google is rolling out new “Home Services” listings, which will certify to the customer that your company is reputable. Pro Tip: These types of services may eventually replace direct referrals, but they will also take a premium on every lead or job they deliver, and often require background screening of your company and your employees. 

• Offensive Line: Digital Display, Search and Social Media Marketing: Did you know that you can target digital advertising campaigns to consumers within a 1-mile radius around your business? You can go much further, as well, of course, and these cost-effective tactics allow you to deliver your message to the very customers you want to reach. 

• Moving the Chains: Email and Direct Mail Marketing: Email marketing is often less expensive, but direct mail gives the consumer something tangible to hold for the future. Both let you target recipients by the home value, household income, age of home, and many other filters, and can be pinpointed to specific mail delivery routes of a few hundred recipients.

• Calling an Audible: Local Cable TV or Radio: Targeted broadcast marketing is often a power-play, especially if there is a station dedicated to local news. Pro Tip: You have to watch out for spreads and spills, though – strong stations may have high costs and your ads may be seen or heard by thousands of people outside your service area. 

• Line of Scrimmage: Community Newspapers: Community papers often cover only one or two towns, but also can be part of a larger group that offers discounted placements in surrounding neighborhoods, so you can cherry-pick the areas in which to advertise. Because the circulation is small, prices are reasonable; and because these papers cover high schools, community organizations, and the area’s police blotter, they are often more closely read than the major daily papers. 

If it seems like there’s a lot of ground to cover, that’s because there is. But just as the team owner delegates to his GM and coaches, business owners should call on marketing professionals to tackle the stats. Are you ready to go for the End Zone? Contact PriMedia at 800-79-MEDIA and let us get you into a game that really counts – your business success!