Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

How Can I Diversify?

Posted by Anonymous on 6/11/2004 at 8:05 PM ET 125 Points
We have run a small advertising/marketing/pr business for the last 20 years. We are finding it harder and harder in today's world to find loyal, steadfast clients - even though we are very up-to-date with staff and technology. It's much more of a grind than we were anticipating at this stage, we are feeling worn down, how can we or should we diversify?
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  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 6/11/2004 at 8:29 PM Accepted
    Diversify by embracing the new technologies available to marketers – online and web-based technologies from email broadcasts to Search Engine Marketing to whatever the next big thing will be in multi-media interactive marketing. Keeping up is keeping ahead.

    Best of luck
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 6/11/2004 at 11:55 PM Member
    Would it be possible to provide more information related to your business? Perhaps a link to your web site (if you have one)? I don't have enough information to see if I can provide any useful info. Thanks.
  • Posted by telemoxie on 6/12/2004 at 1:55 AM Accepted
    My sense is that you are not beaten down by the marketing work, or by the fast pace of technology, or by the creative challenges, but you simply need more appointments with folks who are ready, willing, and able to buy the services you offer.

    Every day, it seems there are fewer and fewer folks who believe in the value of long term, sustained marketing. The "immediate gratification" of online campaigns makes "loyal and steadfast" campaigns and relationships seem so last-century.

    Here are two questions you might consider:

    1. Can you differentiate yourself by doing the same thing as everyone else?

    2. Does your company truly believe in a long-term, sustained approach to marketing?

    One of my favorite clients of all time was a very similar company to yours. I was given a list of twenty five companies, and was told, "These are my customers. They don't know it yet." My job was to identify the point of contact (if the "decision maker" was under 40, forget them, move on to the next prospect), send out material, and follow up. Six months later, we closed the largest company on the list.

    Not six minutes later. Not six hours later. Not six days later. Not six weeks later. Six months later. Zero sales for six months, but then we landed the big one.

    We differentiated ourselves with a long term, patient approach. And we didn't waste our time and energy chasing companies who would never buy from us anyway.

    Over time, we increased the size of the list, but never lost our focus on the specific types of companies, people, and projects which fit our business model.

    My company is uniquely designed to make these sorts of long term approaches affordable. I would enjoy nothing more than a chance to talk in more detail.

    Check out my profile, and my web site, and give me a call.
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