How to Market to Different Generations

No two people are the same. If that’s true, can you imagine the difference in marketing to a 70-year-old male versus a 13-year-old female? Yikes.

That’s why you’ve got to be aware of the types of people you’re trying to reach and how.

Let’s talk about how your business can distinguish between different generations to achieve marketing success with your next campaign.

Step One: Know Your Demographic

The first step is to do some research to figure out who you’re trying to reach. If you don’t know, it’s time to collect some data. That doesn’t sound like a fun thing to do, but trust us when we say it will be fun when the return is worth it.

It’s actually fairly simple to gather that information from your customers.

Send out a mailing or email asking if your customers would be willing to disclose a bit about themselves to help you better fit their needs. You can even ask them the best way that they’d like to hear from you, which will help with step number two.

Step Two: Go Where the People Are

Ariel from the Little Mermaid proclaims that she wants to be where the people are, and you should, too. After all, your marketing efforts are dependent on the medium that your target demographic uses. You’ll need to figure out where your audience is in order to reach them.

For example, baby boomers still check the mail regularly, whereas millennials only check their mailbox once a week. However, be careful about how you interpret this information. Mailings might be more special for people who don’t receive it all the time.

Step Three: Make it ‘Wow’

No matter what channel you use, your marketing piece has to stand out if you want it to be noticed. Have a brainstorming session to take your marketing efforts to the next level.

If you’re doing a direct mail piece, consider alternate shapes, colors and sizes. If you’re sending an email marketing campaign, make sure the subject line stands out.

If you’re hosting a marketing event, make sure the small touches are different from other events you’ve attended.

People notice the extra touches, and it’s what can make or break your marketing piece.

Know your demographic, meet them where they’re at and then completely WOW them. You won’t be disappointed with your next marketing venture.

Agile Marketing: A Fresh Approach to an Age-Old Ta...

Agile Marketing: A Fresh Approach to an Age-Old Ta...: Just when you think you’ve tried everything, something new comes along. At first, you’re a little scared to try it because change is hard a...

Agile Marketing: A Fresh Approach to an Age-Old Tactic

Just when you think you’ve tried everything, something new comes along. At first, you’re a little scared to try it because change is hard and scary.

But then, sometimes if you embrace the change, great things will happen.

We’re still talking about marketing, aren’t we? That’s right—there are the tried and true tactics of marketing, but as the world evolves so do our tactics.

That’s why you should consider an agile marketing plan. It won’t be for everybody, but it might be for your business. Read about it and then decide for yourself.

WHAT IT IS

Agile Marketing sounds scary but it’s easy to understand when you consider the root of the words. Forbes.com recently described the process.

The word “agile” suggests that something is quick. Agile marketing is just that. Before you get defensive about not spending the proper time and care on your business’s marketing efforts, consider this—agile marketing simply takes a larger marketing plan and breaks it up into smaller “sprints.”

These sprints take place in small teams with everybody working toward the major goal.

WHY IT WORKS

Sometimes with big projects, it’s easy to lose focus. Have you ever been a part of a project that seems too big and far fetched to ever come to fruition? Many of us have been there. Everybody starts out energized and ready to tackle the project, but by the end sometimes you forget why you even started.

With agile marketing and different sprints, your teams will become reenergized with each new planning session and the end of each new sprint. Experts recommend sprints of anywhere from one to four weeks at a time.

HOW YOU CAN USE AGILE MARKETING

Try easing into agile marketing with your next campaign. Start with the overarching goal to accomplish, then narrow down how you’ll achieve that end goal with smaller sprints. Plan for the first sprint, and don’t forget to provide updates.

Remember, agile marketing is not for every business; but don’t be scared to give it a try just because it’s different.

Your business can benefit from all different types of practices. In order to break through and innovate, you might need to forge a new path.

Agile marketing might be a good option for innovation.

The power of embracing local marketing

You gotta think BIG. Or, at least that’s the thinking when you start to get into the marketing world. There are billions of people out there, so how are you going to reach them all?

The answers might be closer than you think. Before you sink your teeth into the big, wide world of marketing, consider taking a closer look into your own backyard. Today, let’s talk about the benefits of local marketing for your business.

Kristie Notto outlined some reasons that local marketing is a great option in a recent post for the Huffington Post. Here’s what she had to say.

Real-Life Relationships Rock

Who would you trust more—Sarah whom you’ve spoken on the phone with and lives five states away, or Sarah that you’ve had face-to-face conversations with multiple times and who you’ve networked with?

If both of these Sarahs are the same other than their location, you’d most likely feel more comfortable with the one you’ve met in person. Why? Face-to-face matters.

Building trust happens when you know the person. Communicating only via technology makes building those relationships a little more difficult. Thus, real-life relationships rock for business!

Word of Mouth Still Works

Again, it goes back to trust—would you more so believe a review you read online or your very best friend? Probably your best friend. If you’re marketing local, each customer that you turn into an advocate helps your marketing efforts.

You can even do promotions to encourage your true evangelists to shine. Offer free services or a discount if they refer a friend. Or, you could host a contest where your customers post online to reach all of their social media contacts. The person with the most likes could get a special prize. Get creative to get word of mouth marketing going in your local community.

Local Events Build Ties

Utilize what you have right in front of you—a physical location. If you truly believe in your business (which you should) then you’ll want your customers to see the awesomeness that is behind your company doors.

Host events in your community to help get your name out there. Invite customers to come to an open house or a special event where they can see first hand what you’re up to that week. You’d be surprised at how many people are curious about the inner workings of your company.

Plus, those face-to-face interactions help with the relationship building that we discussed earlier. Interaction is a beautiful thing for your marketing efforts.

EDDM is a cost-effective direct mail marketing solution for small businesses

What is Every Door Direct Mail?

EDDM is a cost-effective direct mail marketing solution available at Minuteman Press Las Vegas West!

It is no secret that direct mail remains one of the most powerful forms of marketing that puts your postcards, business brochures, flyers and any other advertising pieces right in your customers’ hands.

Minuteman Press is ready, willing and able to assist you in fulfilling all of your direct marketing demands, which is why we offer cost-effective direct mail and Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) services.

Today, the United States Postal Service has a gift for the small business owner. It's called "Every Door Direct Mail!" With an EDDM campaign, the Post Office has made it easy and more affordable for you to reach potential customers.

For approximately one third of the cost of a first class stamp per piece, we can send out 10,000 postcards, brochures, or large flyers to any carrier route. This mailing will be delivered to every door without needing a mailing list for the addresses. It's a wonderful way to reach a community to promote your products and services.

We are your Every Door Direct Mail partner from concept review and design through to printing and delivery.

Minuteman Press is ready, willing and able to assist you in fulfilling all of your direct marketing demands including EDDM services.

Step into your local center for a FREE consultation on how we can fulfill your custom direct mail marketing and advertising needs.

In doing so, you will not only be greeted warmly and given expert advice on your project, but you will also have the huge advantage of capitalizing on the insight that we have gained by serving the very same community you wish to target with your postcards, brochures, flyers and other promotional pieces.

With Minuteman Press and International Minute Press, you will get the personalized attention you deserve and the highest level of quality and service you will find anywhere.

Minuteman Press Every Door Direct Mail Services:

• Use our EDDM services for cost-effective distribution
• We’ll help you Geo-Target your message to your customers
• One-stop solution for all direct mail marketing products and services
• Reach 10,000 homes at a lower cost than traditional mailing

Contact us online for a FREE estimate,
call us on the phone, or see us in person for FREE Face-to-Face Consultations!

How to make sure your press release is noticed

Press Releases are a great way to reach all types of news outlets with your marketing message.

However, if they’re done incorrectly, your marketing efforts could end up in the trash before they ever take off in the first place.

Let’s explore some key tips that you should always remember when you’re writing for a news outlet and trying to get your story heard.

When to Use Releases

Press Releases should be used for special occasions. If you’re constantly contacting a news organization, your business will lose its luster quickly. But if you plan out when your press releases are a big deal, you’ll have more success.

Consider writing one for your biggest event of the year that impacts the community, or when there’s a huge change at your company that people would be interested in. Use sparingly, but always use press releases for big announcements.

Format Your Release

You never know what type of computer your recipient is using to open your emails. That’s why it is standard practice to paste the release (no more than one page) into the body of the email. No attachments, no hassle. Use a captivating headline as your subject line and make sure to add a “-30-” at the very end. This signifies that you’re done with the release.

Don’t forget to add a small blurb at the bottom of the release explaining what your company is and what it does. Never assume that the news outlet knows anything about your organization. Plus, this way you get to put your best foot forward.

Find the Right Contacts

The more you send out press releases, the more you’ll know about sending to the right people. Sometimes, news outlets are kind enough to tell you if you’ve mailed to the wrong person. Most times, they’ll hit the delete button if it wasn’t meant for them.

Make sure that you do careful research to find out the current person you should be sending your releases to.

Make People Care

The most important part of a press release is to remember that you might care, but you need to convince others to care just as much.

Find the angle that convinces the news organization that the community MUST know about what’s going on. Considering your audience is one of the best tips to remember for all of your marketing efforts.

Content marketing tips to build a following

For some, there’s nothing scarier than a blank cursor blinking on a page.

To others, there’s a level of excitement that comes from the same scenario. Even if you currently identify with the former, there’s an opportunity for you to change your tune to succeed with content for your marketing efforts.

Writing doesn’t have to be your strong suit to succeed at content marketing. Follow these tips to ensure that your content strategy is moving in the right direction.

Assert Authority

When you write about something regularly and publish it, you become an authority in whatever you’re writing about. Let’s be clear—these need to be carefully thought out instead of simply writing to write.

Do your research and come up with a calendar for what you want to say and when.

Build Relationships

The beautiful thing about content marketing is that you don’t have to always do it yourself. There’s an added benefit when you seek help from outside sources. That means you get a free pass that week from writing, so if you’re busy, you can simply edit and post.

It also means that you will build relationships with people in your industry. When you work with others, they’ll want to share what you posted on your site. That gets you free publicity.

Grammar Guidelines

There are rules, and then there are guidelines. It’s important to follow all rules of grammar, such as using the correct form of “to” “too” and “two.”

And then, there are guidelines. Will you use the oxford comma? Do you spell out the word “okay” or do you write it as “OK.”

There are tons of different rules that you’ll need to be clear on for consistency. Nothing messes up a good thing like inconsistent grammar.

Trust us… people notice.

Stick with It

In the movie Field of Dreams, there’s a famous line that goes, “If you build it, they will come.”

While that’s not entirely true of content marketing, it is a great place to start. 

First, you have to build it. But then, you have to consistently provide value with your content. While you should post on a regular basis, as a general rule of thumb you should only post if you have something to say.

Ask yourself if you would find value in the types of things that you’re posting to your blog or site.

If you would, proceed full speed ahead.