I was recently asked these questions by a marketing major in college and thought I would share my answers with you.
1. Do you think that the retail formats Niche Marketing has created is a fad or will it endure the test of time?
It will endure the test of time. As the world's population grows, it becomes more and more difficult (expensive) to advertise to a general population and generate enough sales to earn a return on investment for advertising expenditures. There is just too much advertising noise to cut through to get to the general population. Therefore, the solution is to choose a selective niche market(s) that make up your "perfect" customers and focus all advertising on that niche market(s). You only want to spend advertising dollars on consumers that are a strong fit for buying your product/service. Otherwise you are just wasting your advertising money on consumers that have zero interest in your product. It is far more profitable to advertise to 100,000 ideal customers (or 10,000, or 5,000 or 1,000...) that are a perfect fit for your product than to advertise to 1 million people of a general, non-targeted, population. For example, if you sell high-end jewelry where the average price of your jewelry is $10,000, advertising to low income people and even middle class people is going to be a waste of advertising money because these consumers markets most likely cannot afford to purchase your high-end jewelry products. Therefore, you would want to focus your advertising only on high income individuals that may earn $200,000 or more per year or more. This can be done with direct mail marketing to contact lists of high income individuals, advertising in magazines read primarily by the wealthy, wealthy women in particular.
2.What are some disadvantages of creating a niche strategy for retailers?
None. Niche marketing was developed because it produces a far better return on investment than large scale general advertising (i.e., more profitable) and is therefore, financially far less risky.
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Consumer Rewards Program Scam
A mail order scam group has recently stolen the logo of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm (my company) and is contacting people stating they have won a consumer rewards program and they will be given a check for $8,000.00. THIS IS A SCAM. The scam artists send you a counterfeit check from Coppermark Bank and ask that you cash it to pay taxes on the money you have won. Then they ask you to send them money via Western Union to pay the tax bill. What happens is the check they give you to deposit in your bank is returned a week later as a fake check and your deposit is reversed. By this time you have already sent the scam artists the tax payment by Western Union and you have lost your money. DO NOT CASH THE FAKE CHECK THEY GIVE YOU AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE SEND THE COMPANY ANY MONEY.
Please note that the real Geisheker Group is a very reputable marketing firm that has had its identity stolen. Yes, identity theft can happen to businesses too. We at The Geisheker Group are working with the FBI and the Green Bay Police Department to catch these criminals.
If you received a check contact 1-888-495-8501 8-5 EST or visit www.phonebusters.com
Please click here to go to the real Geisheker Group Marketing Firm's website.
Please note that the real Geisheker Group is a very reputable marketing firm that has had its identity stolen. Yes, identity theft can happen to businesses too. We at The Geisheker Group are working with the FBI and the Green Bay Police Department to catch these criminals.
If you received a check contact 1-888-495-8501 8-5 EST or visit www.phonebusters.com
Please click here to go to the real Geisheker Group Marketing Firm's website.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Sears Brett Favre TV Commercial
As a resident of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Brett Favre evokes strong emotions in me between do I love this guy or do I think he's a bonehead for retiring and then un-retiring about 5,000 times now. I don't know, I just can't seem to make up my mind on Brett Favre.
Anywho, today I saw a new Sears Blue Electronics Crew TV commercial staring Brett Favre, and it was pretty darn good. Brett is as a shopper who is considering buying a new TV set. The Sears salesman explains that Sears does real-time price checking to guarantee the lowest price (hmmm, could this be a copycat marketing idea of Progressive Insurance price checking?). The reason for this new price checking system is to give Sears customer's the best deal and to help people who have trouble making a decision make a decision and stick to their decision. Brett Favre says, "those guys drive me crazy." Then Brett says "I'll take it" to the salesman to buy the TV. Then, a second later Brett says, "I don't really know..."
It was nice to see Brett make fun of himself and the Ad Agency for Sears to take advantage of this clever opportunity... even though they did copy the price check idea from Progressive Insurance.
All in all, a very decent TV commercial. It is both entertaining while focusing on a major consumer benefit. Kudos to Sears and your ad agency on making this commercial.
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
Anywho, today I saw a new Sears Blue Electronics Crew TV commercial staring Brett Favre, and it was pretty darn good. Brett is as a shopper who is considering buying a new TV set. The Sears salesman explains that Sears does real-time price checking to guarantee the lowest price (hmmm, could this be a copycat marketing idea of Progressive Insurance price checking?). The reason for this new price checking system is to give Sears customer's the best deal and to help people who have trouble making a decision make a decision and stick to their decision. Brett Favre says, "those guys drive me crazy." Then Brett says "I'll take it" to the salesman to buy the TV. Then, a second later Brett says, "I don't really know..."
It was nice to see Brett make fun of himself and the Ad Agency for Sears to take advantage of this clever opportunity... even though they did copy the price check idea from Progressive Insurance.
All in all, a very decent TV commercial. It is both entertaining while focusing on a major consumer benefit. Kudos to Sears and your ad agency on making this commercial.
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Intel Rock Stars Commercial
Here is another great example of a TV commercial that is both entertaining while providing a strong benefit message - The Intel "Rock Star" commercial.
In the commercial they show raving fans inside an office building as somebody famous walks through the building. There is rock music playing in the background and it makes you think the person causing all this excitement must be a major celebrity. And, in the world of technology, it is a celebrity - it's Ajay Bhatt, the co-inventor of the USB.
The tag line of the commercial is, "Our rock stars are not like your rock stars." Obviously the meaning of the commercial is Intel values technological innovation above all else, so if you want the best technology, choose Intel.
However, where this commercial falls short is it could have done so much more to involve its audience. It could have directed people to the Intel Twitter page, to their facebook page, to their website for a contest, and more. A big problem I see with corporate TV commercials is their lack of involving their audience to do more such as directing them to the company's social networking profiles, asking people to come to their website for a contest, offering a free white paper for download, etc. With there being so much interactive technology on the Internet, companies need to make use of it to create a truly interactive environment with their audience.
You can see the Intel commercial on youtube by clicking here.
To Your Success!
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
In the commercial they show raving fans inside an office building as somebody famous walks through the building. There is rock music playing in the background and it makes you think the person causing all this excitement must be a major celebrity. And, in the world of technology, it is a celebrity - it's Ajay Bhatt, the co-inventor of the USB.
The tag line of the commercial is, "Our rock stars are not like your rock stars." Obviously the meaning of the commercial is Intel values technological innovation above all else, so if you want the best technology, choose Intel.
However, where this commercial falls short is it could have done so much more to involve its audience. It could have directed people to the Intel Twitter page, to their facebook page, to their website for a contest, and more. A big problem I see with corporate TV commercials is their lack of involving their audience to do more such as directing them to the company's social networking profiles, asking people to come to their website for a contest, offering a free white paper for download, etc. With there being so much interactive technology on the Internet, companies need to make use of it to create a truly interactive environment with their audience.
You can see the Intel commercial on youtube by clicking here.
To Your Success!
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Marketing Strategies - Believability in Marketing
One of the big problems I see in advertising today, particularly on the Internet, is believability factor. When I see an advertisement, email, or sales letter that sounds too good to be true, I instantly ignore it. There is so much snake oil being sold in the world today, especially on the Internet, that when I see big claims made for anything, I ignore them as being junk.
For example, today I received an email with the subject line saying, "How to double your business." My instant response was, "yeah sure, BS" and I hit the delete key. Then I received another email with the subject line saying, "FREE CHEAT SHEET: My 10 Most Important Business Insights This Decade." My response was, "yeah right, if you are such a business genius, why are you sending out spam emails like this instead of having a cover story done on you in the Wall Street Journal?" Delete.
Many marketers seem to think that for their advertising to get a person’s attention, they have to make huge claims about their product/service being the best thing since the invention of the automobile and that it will change the world. The problem with that type of marketing is, NOBODY BELIEVES YOU! People are becoming so desensitized to big claims that they ignore them.
So, as a marketer what do you do? How do you mark your marketing and advertising more believable?
Well, first of all, stop saying what you have is the best the world has ever seen. It's not. And even if it was, people would not believe you. Every company says what they are selling is the best, so there is no believability any more. It is just corporate hype and goes in one ear and out the other.
The second thing you can do is tone it down a bit. Saying you can increase a company's manufacturing output by 6% over 10 months is far more believable than saying you will increase a company's manufacturing output by 50% in a week. The first claim sounds like it could possibly be true. The second claim sounds too good to be true, so it will in all likelihood be ignored.
Do not use whole numbers. An increase in profits of 6.2% sounds far more believable than 10%, 15% or 20%.
Another marketing tactic you can use is to include testimonials where your customers state how your product or service helped them. For example, “I bought the XYZ Widget from ABC Company and now my zipzopadoodler is not breaking down anymore and it is producing 3.8% more zibblyboos each month. Thank you ABC Company for making a great product I can rely on. Joe Doe, COO, Zibblyboo, Inc.”
And finally, use brief case studies that prove quantitatively how your product or service has helped a customer. It does not have to be long; 3-4 paragraphs is fine. The key is that your case study is believable and not over-hyped so your prospects can put themselves in the shoes of your clients and say, “I have that same problem and it sounds like this product/service is exactly what I need.”
To Your Success!
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
For example, today I received an email with the subject line saying, "How to double your business." My instant response was, "yeah sure, BS" and I hit the delete key. Then I received another email with the subject line saying, "FREE CHEAT SHEET: My 10 Most Important Business Insights This Decade." My response was, "yeah right, if you are such a business genius, why are you sending out spam emails like this instead of having a cover story done on you in the Wall Street Journal?" Delete.
Many marketers seem to think that for their advertising to get a person’s attention, they have to make huge claims about their product/service being the best thing since the invention of the automobile and that it will change the world. The problem with that type of marketing is, NOBODY BELIEVES YOU! People are becoming so desensitized to big claims that they ignore them.
So, as a marketer what do you do? How do you mark your marketing and advertising more believable?
Well, first of all, stop saying what you have is the best the world has ever seen. It's not. And even if it was, people would not believe you. Every company says what they are selling is the best, so there is no believability any more. It is just corporate hype and goes in one ear and out the other.
The second thing you can do is tone it down a bit. Saying you can increase a company's manufacturing output by 6% over 10 months is far more believable than saying you will increase a company's manufacturing output by 50% in a week. The first claim sounds like it could possibly be true. The second claim sounds too good to be true, so it will in all likelihood be ignored.
Do not use whole numbers. An increase in profits of 6.2% sounds far more believable than 10%, 15% or 20%.
Another marketing tactic you can use is to include testimonials where your customers state how your product or service helped them. For example, “I bought the XYZ Widget from ABC Company and now my zipzopadoodler is not breaking down anymore and it is producing 3.8% more zibblyboos each month. Thank you ABC Company for making a great product I can rely on. Joe Doe, COO, Zibblyboo, Inc.”
And finally, use brief case studies that prove quantitatively how your product or service has helped a customer. It does not have to be long; 3-4 paragraphs is fine. The key is that your case study is believable and not over-hyped so your prospects can put themselves in the shoes of your clients and say, “I have that same problem and it sounds like this product/service is exactly what I need.”
To Your Success!
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
Friday, September 04, 2009
Supply Chain Management 5 Deadly Sins
Retailers and manufactures alike have been making tough decisions in an effort to reduce cost during this difficult economic downturn. Leadership retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, Costco and Kroger have created highly successful business models based on the quality of the “consumer shopping experience”. They all use computerized automated replenishment to keep their shelves stocked with the best selling products consumers expect to find during their shopping experience. Leadership retailers use sophisticated consumer data base driven platforms that provides their Category Managers and Business Development Managers the hard data to design shelf plan-o-grams and 18 month business plans all designed to minimize out of stocks at retail. It is the manufacturer’s marketing and customer service organizations that set production and in-stock customer service performance targets for each of their individual products or stock keeping unit (SKU). Some of the largest manufacturer’s are artificially keeping inventories lower than normal in an effort to cut cost. However they may be costing themselves consumer sales at retail and encourage their consumer to try a competitive product.
1. Lowering customer service levels (targets) that will knowingly cause retail of stocks in an effort to save money on production and warehousing cost.
2. Inconsistent on time delivery and in stock performance standards by manufactures. These can vary widely by individual marketing, production and warehouse department.
3. Selecting shipping companies based on who can deliver at the lowest cost. They typically under perform with late deliveries. More and more retailers are assessing penalties and fines for manufacturers with late deliveries.
4. Supplying the sales organization with misleading or inaccurate information on inventory targets and product availability. The retailer needs make informed decisions. Nothing is more challenging than telling a key decision maker at a retailer you can’t supply a certain product and they hand you a receipt from a purchase they made on the same item at Wal-Mart.
5. Not being up front and honest with the retailer as to the duration of the supply cuts as products on long term allocation are often discontinued. This is done so the retailer Category Managers weekly in-stock performance scorecard is not negatively affected.
Most tier one retailers in stock positions are protected by manufactures. They may discontinue items manufacturers are unable to supply 100% of all orders placed, regardless of how well the product is selling. Wal-Mart, Target and other tier one retailers may have displays of a specific product on their floors while other tier two and three may be experiencing wide spread out of stocks on the same item and may be told that there is an “allocation” on the item. At the In-Store Marketing Expo, a leading Target Director stated that some 85% of all final purchase decisions are made in-store at the shelf. Planning for reduced inventory levels that will cause out of stocks at retail will not only lessen the quality of the shopping experience retailers are expecting to provide their consumer, it will cost the manufacture credibility with the retailer and most importantly provide a competitor the opportunity to sample a potential new consumer.
If you need help with supply chain management, please call Gary at (920) 265-9500.
To Your Success!
Gary Pawlovich, Executive VP of Business Development
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 265-9500
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
1. Lowering customer service levels (targets) that will knowingly cause retail of stocks in an effort to save money on production and warehousing cost.
2. Inconsistent on time delivery and in stock performance standards by manufactures. These can vary widely by individual marketing, production and warehouse department.
3. Selecting shipping companies based on who can deliver at the lowest cost. They typically under perform with late deliveries. More and more retailers are assessing penalties and fines for manufacturers with late deliveries.
4. Supplying the sales organization with misleading or inaccurate information on inventory targets and product availability. The retailer needs make informed decisions. Nothing is more challenging than telling a key decision maker at a retailer you can’t supply a certain product and they hand you a receipt from a purchase they made on the same item at Wal-Mart.
5. Not being up front and honest with the retailer as to the duration of the supply cuts as products on long term allocation are often discontinued. This is done so the retailer Category Managers weekly in-stock performance scorecard is not negatively affected.
Most tier one retailers in stock positions are protected by manufactures. They may discontinue items manufacturers are unable to supply 100% of all orders placed, regardless of how well the product is selling. Wal-Mart, Target and other tier one retailers may have displays of a specific product on their floors while other tier two and three may be experiencing wide spread out of stocks on the same item and may be told that there is an “allocation” on the item. At the In-Store Marketing Expo, a leading Target Director stated that some 85% of all final purchase decisions are made in-store at the shelf. Planning for reduced inventory levels that will cause out of stocks at retail will not only lessen the quality of the shopping experience retailers are expecting to provide their consumer, it will cost the manufacture credibility with the retailer and most importantly provide a competitor the opportunity to sample a potential new consumer.
If you need help with supply chain management, please call Gary at (920) 265-9500.
To Your Success!
Gary Pawlovich, Executive VP of Business Development
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 265-9500
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
Google Adwords Tips part 2
In my first post, Google Adwords Tips part 1, I discussed the importance of using the keywords people are searching for as your headline. In this post I discuss how to write the second and third line of your AdWords ad. As an example, we are doing to use the search "Bird Cages"as the basis for our ad.
1. The first line is the headline. Use search terms as your headline. So, for your headline you may want to have something like: Buy Bird Cages
2. Line 2, Give a benefit. Huge Selection of Bird Cages.
3. Line 3, give an incentive to click on your ad. Huge Savings This Month!
The key with writing successful Google AdWords ads is you want to get people excited about clicking on your ad. A way to do that is always understand that people only care about what is in it for them. So when writing your ad, put yourself in your customer's shoes and ask yourself, "what's in it for me?" Why will I get value from clicking on this ad?
Click here for Google AdWords tip 3--how to use negative words to filter out "lookers" so you are attracting quality customers to your website.
To Your Success!
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
1. The first line is the headline. Use search terms as your headline. So, for your headline you may want to have something like: Buy Bird Cages
2. Line 2, Give a benefit. Huge Selection of Bird Cages.
3. Line 3, give an incentive to click on your ad. Huge Savings This Month!
The key with writing successful Google AdWords ads is you want to get people excited about clicking on your ad. A way to do that is always understand that people only care about what is in it for them. So when writing your ad, put yourself in your customer's shoes and ask yourself, "what's in it for me?" Why will I get value from clicking on this ad?
Click here for Google AdWords tip 3--how to use negative words to filter out "lookers" so you are attracting quality customers to your website.
To Your Success!
Peter Geisheker, CEO
The Geisheker Group marketing firm
(920) 471-1638
"We don't help you compete, we help you dominate!"
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