Here are some surprising stats:

• 90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know
• 70% trust opinions of unknown users!
• 61% of people rely on user reviews for product information or research before a buying decision is made.

Thanks to Bazaarvoice (http://www.bazaarvoice.com), you can find more great stats here: http://www.bazaarvoice.com/resources/stats

BUT, how do you get those reviews. Do you ask for them? Is it okay to talk about it with your clients? This is a question that we were asking ourselves. How do we get more reviews and is it appropriate to ask for them?

Here are our thoughts:

1.  Asking is okay! Here are some creative ways to ask. http://www.getelastic.com/asking-for-customer-reviews/

When we wanted some video testimonials on our website, we asked several of our customers if they would participate. When they said yes, we made sure they were comfortable with good munchies, some good drink and good company. Check out the results: http://www.fullmoondesigngroup.com/testimonials.html

2.  Direct customers where they need to go. Make it an easy task to review you and/or your products. If you want them to review you on Facebook – send them there. Same with Yelp or your own website.

3.  Make it timely. Don’t wait too long before asking for feedback. Amazon is a great example of this. They will submit a request for product review within a week of you receiving your shipment. That way it’s fresh on your mind.

4.  Thank them. Feedback is valuable information for you and your company. Whether good or bad, that conversation and engagement with a customer is priceless and you should thank them for that!

We recently produced a customer service card (http://ow.ly/d/4wL) for one of our customers, Arbor Auto Works (http://www.arborautoworks.com/) and we thought it was such a great idea, we are designing one for our clients!

So, if you own a business, what are the ways you have asked your customers for reviews and feedback?  And, what kind of results have you gotten?  Or, if you are not a business owner, have you ever written a review as a customer?  Tell us your stories.  We’re interested in learning more.

While we are on the subject, do you have an experience with Full Moon Design Group to share? We’d love your customer reviews:

Facebook: http://budurl.com/facebookrevs
Google: http://budurl.com/googlerevs
Yelp: http://budurl.com/yelprevs
City Search: http://budurl.com/citysearchrevs

Email marketing is fast.  It reaches customers almost immediately and responses typically occur within a matter of seconds to a matter of days.  No long term waiting for measuring the success of the campaign.

Business can also tailor different messages to a variety of audiences and through the results of each campaign they can better understand what works and what doesn’t.  Tracking the success is easy and businesses can discover areas of improvement and refine their messaging as they grow.

While email marketing is cost effective, it is far from easy.  If not done properly or used inappropriately, the effects can backfire in both a loss of customers and being placed on black lists as well as having financial repercussions with fines from anti-spamming laws.  You usually have only one chance to make the right impression.  Once your target “unsubscribes” or lists you as a spammer, you will be gone from their in-box forever.

The fact that the cost per contact is incredibly inexpensive makes email marketing extremely appealing to businesses, but also to those annoying spammers as well.  The activity from spammers that don’t follow the rules make it much more difficult for the legitimate marketers out there to reach their target audiences.  But even with its limitations, email marketing is still more effective than its Internet marketing counterpart and is an effective tool in reaching target audiences.

But to be effective, email marketing involves time to develop.  Professionals are usually hired to write and create the emails.  There are a lot of rules and regulations that professional marketers can help businesses through.  Hiring a professional is well worth your time and money, especially considering the cost effectiveness of email marketing.  When developing these campaigns, experience should outweigh the cost.  Don’t use inexperienced writers or designers, because in the end, their mistakes could cost you more than the difference in the price.  You have to remember, is losing customers due to a bad email campaign worth the cost?  Is the cost of legal fees for not following the rules worth the discounted rates you receive by amateurs that are still learning the ropes?  No.  This is one of those areas where, if you go it alone, good luck – You will need it.  If you hire a professional (that’s us!), your return will be obvious in the end.

And if you do take on this task, remember this:  The time and effort it takes you to develop the campaign yourself has a cost of its own.  While you are working on this, you are not working on your core business and you are using your customers as guinea pigs to your learning curve;  we can do it faster and in the long run, less expensive than you can do this yourself.

In the next post, we will discuss those rules and regulations.  Then you can decide if it is a task on which you are willing to gamble your business.  In the mean time, if you have questions or want to learn more, feel free to give us a call: Full Moon Design Group 512-428-9072

Two of our recent campaigns yielded typical results, though “typical” in both instances made these companies’ investments worth every penny.

Pool Doc sent out 1,200 postcards to a targeted audience.  His investment yielded over 20 new clients (and counting!), most with annual service contracts.  Total ROI was 150% in the first month for a phenomenal projected total of 2900% (yes, you read that right) for the year.

Green Collar Operations also had great success! With 5,000 mailers sent, they have already closed one deal and have booked 30 more estimates.  They have a proven track record of closing 40% of the estimates they place and they project a 1000% return on their investment. No kidding.  Go Green Collar!

A successful direct mail marketing campaign can depend on a number of factors, though the two primary components are (1) determine who you want to reach; and (2) develop your messaging to effectively grab your audience’s attention. Full Moon Design Group can help you access quality database resources and demographics, so that you can target the prospects at whom you are aiming both effectively and precisely, and create a strategic message that resonates with your audience and calls on them to act.

The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages but you should be aware of them all before making your decision.  So what are the Pros and Cons of direct mail?

Pros of Direct Mail:

1. It is one of the easiest forms of marketing out there.  Direct mail marketing has been used for a long time.  The process is in place.  You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but you do have to know who your target audience is.

2. You can target a large audience or a very specific demographic.  You are behind the wheel and can control who receives your message and who doesn’t.  FMDG can help you develop a quality mailing list.

3. You have full flexibility of your messaging.  You can tailor your messages to specific groups or keep it consistent across all audiences.

4. Each direct mail marketing campaign is measurable.  Direct mail makes sending measurable discount codes easy.  You can track the success each time you send it out.  You can send out different codes for specific groups and can measure the success according to those different target audiences to see which ones respond to each messages.

5. You can test a promotion on a small scale before committing a huge budget.

6. You can strengthen your brand and your message with each mail distribution.

7. Direct mail is delivered directly to the person.  You know that they receive it and you know that at least the brand recognition factor is strengthened, even if it goes right in the trash.

8. You can put as little or as much information in your mailer as you want.  Whether it is a simple postcard or a full envelope with company information, coupons, etc.  You tailor the mailer to fit your needs.

Cons of Direct Mail:

1. Direct mail is often considered to be junk mail. Seldom does a one-shot mailing have the desired result. You must have a long term, well thought out marketing plan.

2. Direct mail is still popular, so you have compete for attention.  FMDG can develop the right image for your mailer to get noticed.

3. There is a high cost per contact, but the return is higher.

4. You have to maintain an accurate mailing list or purchase a high quality list from a valued source.  While this is true, it is also part of your initial investment.

5. Green factor.  More paper means less trees.  FMDG encourages the use of and offers recycled paper and earth friendly inks.

6. Direct mail is snail mail spam, but it is not seen in as negative a light.  Though competition for attention is still high, you don’t have to fight through 10+ per day (if you are lucky!) advertisements on male enhancement drugs, rich dignitaries trying to get money out of some unheard of 3^rd world country, or the multitudes of other unwarranted emails.

Marketing professionals like Full Moon Design Group know how to increase visibility and the likelihood that your message will be seen and heard.  They are knowledgeable on ways to decrease the risks and environment impact.  They can develop the right implementation plan for your business so that your message gets to the right people at the right time.

They will coordinate your mailing with other advertising methods to significantly increase your return and will help you track your campaigns so you can see the ROI of every dollar you spend.

For assistance with your marketing strategy and direct mail campaign, visit www.fullmoondesigngroup.com or call 512.428-9072.

Thoughtful planning and consideration need to go into the process, but the effort can be daunting and outright overwhelming.

Here’s a good solid approach that just about any business can follow and be successful with when entering social networking.

1. Make the commitment and decide your time commitment. How much time you are willing to commit to be consistent with your participation?  The benefits of social media do not happen overnight.  They take time.  Making this commitment and sticking to it is the only way to ensure success.  Be realistic.  If you think you can only commit to an hour a week, then a blog may be the way to go (We like WordPress).  Got 2 hours? Why not establish a Facebook page as well.  As you become more familiar with each new site, you will find natural efficiencies occur and you will have more time to add more sites to your repertoire.

2. Monitor and listen and follow. Sometimes this is the easiest step and it will get you used to what is being said, by whom it is being said and the intricacies of engaging in those conversations.  This is often overlooked, but can be one of the most important steps you should take.  It gives you insight to your audience and will give you opportunities to be involved before you start blasting your message.  Technorati is a great tool for finding who is talking about what.  It’s free and you can search just about any term or group of terms and get a list of blogs or blog posts that pertain to those terms.  You can even find blog rankings and other pertinent information so you know who the industry influencers are no matter what industry you are in.  Follow the people who you find interesting.  Find industry experts and follow their conversations.  Learn what they do, what they talk about, who they follow and follow those people as well.  The more people you follow, the more you will learn.

3. Define your objectives and determine your measurements of success. What do you hope to gain by becoming active?  Brand awareness? Better customer service? Increased sales?  Specifically state your goals and you will have a way to measure them and determine if your efforts are worth the time.  Will you measure success by the number of “followers” or “fans”? or will measure success by the number of posts or comments to your blog?

4. Do your research. Who is your audience? Where (which sites) do they reside? Why should they listen to you (i.e. what do you have to offer)?  Without this prior knowledge and understanding, you are basically taking a shot in the dark hoping to hit your target… oh after you’ve been twirled around until you are almost sick with dizziness.  Yep. That’s a good analogy. If you start spattering off about nothing in particular to no one (or everyone) in particular, the chances of people taking your seriously are pretty slim.  Or they may just tune you out completely.  Take your time to develop the right ideas, but hurry up already…  The world is waiting.

5. Establish a strategy or game plan. Don’t just start blasting anyone and everyone with no process or purpose.  Develop a schedule.  Develop a theme. Get organized.  Brainstorm topic ideas that you have knowledge of, have an opinion about, or want to learn about.  This last one is important, because not everything has to be about what you know.  It can be about what you don’t know!  There is nothing wrong with asking for advice from your audience.  This can lead to trust and open communication because people want to feel needed and they like to offer their “solicited” advice.

6. Monitor comments/conversations. It’s not just about your message.  It’s also about what other people are saying and topics they are discussing when it pertains you or your business.  And there are always dissenters out there that need to be addressed.  The only way you are going to know about these is to keep an eye on what is happening on the sites where you have a presence.  There are easy to use monitoring tools out there. Check out Hootsuite.  It’s a good one for monitoring and integration (plus a lot of other really cool tools.  We’ll get to this in a later post).

7. Determine time frame for measuring success. I’ll say it again: The benefits of social media do not happen overnight. However, you must track your progress as you go.  Remember those goals?  You have a starting point.  Now, how fast are you going to get there with the relation to the time commitment to which you have agreed?  What is working?  What is not?  What is necessary for consistent imaging of your brand?  Will you measure each of these by the week, by the month, by the quarter?  No matter what measurement scale or time frame you decide, make sure you are consistently measuring the same thing over a longer period of time.

8. Adjust as necessary. Not every site works for every person or business.  Only you can determine how best to use your time and how effective that use of time is on obtaining your goals.  Don’t be afraid to start something new, but think twice before you stop participating on a site.  Make sure you have used it effectively and for an adequate amount of time.  Most importantly: make sure your audience isn’t left hanging.

Of course, not everyone has the time to get in and get started or keep the time commitment to an appropriate level.  Full Moon Design Group has professionals that are experienced in helping clients engage with their customers on a variety of platforms.  We can help integrate your social media strategy into your overall marketing strategy, no learning curve involved.  We can guide you through each step or we can manage your strategy from start to finish.  We take your comfort level into consideration and develop the right plan for you and your business.

Want to get started?  Give us a call.  512.428.9072

Tip #1:

Attend networking meetings.

royblumenthal

The best business relationships start face-to-face. Plus, most networking meetings occur during meal time…and since you have to eat, you might as well be meeting prospects as well. Networking opportunities surround you! The first place to look is your local chamber. Then you will want to ask fellow members where else they network and interact with other businesses owners. Another outlet is to find something that you have a passion for, like a non-profit group or arts group. Get involved and build those relationships. You could network morning, noon and night if you really wanted to! But don’t forget, it’s all about who YOU are (See Tip #4) and what YOU have to offer.  What you get in return will soon follow.  NetworkInAustin is a great Austin resource to find networking opportunities around town.

Tip#2:

Matt Hamm

Utilize social media outlets. Currently, most social media sites are free. This is a great time and place to establish yourself as an industry expert. First, most companies are still not using these outlets to reach their customers.  Those that are, may not be direct competitors. If they are direct competitors, then that’s even more reason to make your presence known.  Second, you have friends and colleagues and they have friends and colleagues, and so on. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. are all great places to share your knowledge and they are where most people (2010 stats and facts) these days reside online. People are hungry to learn – hungrier now than they’ve ever been before and they usually turn to their immediate networks first to find the information they seek.  Make sure it’s you that they are getting their knowledge from! (and having a presence on these sites actually helps your SEO!)  Not sure where to start?  Call us:  512.428.9072.  We can help.

Tip#3:

Ask for referrals. This is something that we all forget to do and it should be the easiest task of all! Pick out your top clients – especially if they are always raving about your products or services – and ask them if they can introduce you to some more prospects. You will find that your happiest clients are more than willing to help you in growing your business…You just have to ask! Quality referrals most often come from those with whom you have already done business.  Full Moon Design Group knows this and we are rewarding those who think of us and send business our way.  We recently launched our 2^nd Annual Referral Reward Campaign.  Our rewards prove to our clients that we appreciate their confidence in us.

Tip #4:

Ensure that you have a memorable identity.

matthew solle

It’s simple – marketing is consistently getting in front of prospects with a consistent look and feel on a repetitive basis. Your business brand or identity is the foundation that you will need to build credibility in the marketplace. If you are going to seek business from your competitors, you better make sure that you look like you have a business. No self-designed business cards that you have printed on perforated stock from your local office supply store…nope…not allowed! You need exceptional quality assets to let your audience know that you can provide that same quality in the products or services you offer.  Not sure what I mean by brand/identity? Take a look at Full Moon Design Group portfolio section to give you more of an idea:

http://www.fullmoondesigngroup.com/portfolio.html

Tip #5:

Make sure you have a website. If you don’t, now is the time. The web is no longer a luxury for businesses…it’s a must. Times are changin’ folks and your website is no longer your online brochure. It’s a place where people are looking to learn more about you, your clients, your culture. They want to interact and learn from you. Blogging, videos and pictures is what’s hot for websites now. The time and money that you invest in your website will pay off in the end. Think about it…your site is working prospects when you are busy at that networking lunch (see Tip #1) or sound asleep in bed! But websites aren’t cheap, you say… Or are they?  Full Moon Design Group has websites starting at just $500 – sites that you can change content on your own (and we’ll show you how!) and blog and feed into those social media outlets of which you are now a part (re: Tip #2).  Take a look at a few samples below:

www.jbaustin.com/
www.austinecofence.com/
www.hillcountryhomeimprovements.com/

Social Media really is all about exposing yourself.  It’s about getting yourself out there, engaging people in conversations and telling everyone about your business.  Think of it this way:  Remember the 60-second elevator speech that has been ingrained in every business class or networking function you have attended?  With social media, you are in the biggest glass elevator you can imagine and you have 60 seconds (or in Twitter-verse – 140 characters) to get people’s attention.

The great thing is that it’s your elevator.  Everyone knows it’s your elevator and they are choosing to ride on it.  You can just ride that elevator up and down as many times as you want.  Every time the elevator stops and someone gets on, you get tell them about what is going on, what is new today.  And  you don’t have the keep saying the same old 60-second speech that you’ve been trained to memorize and spout out at the drop of dime.  You get to change it up, you get to get new ideas out there, and you get to get feedback about those ideas.

And your audience is always changing.  You will have some people who ride the elevator often, others that only ride it on occasion, but not matter what, there will always be a different mix of audience in attendance at any given time.

The trick is to know what mix of social media outlets to use for your given business or industry.  For some business professionals, LinkedIn is the perfect spot to make those professional connections.  For others, Twitter and Facebook are the places where their core audiences reside.  While still others go beyond the Big Three and use everything from YouTube and Del.icio.us to Slide Share and blogs.  There are hundreds of potential sites and each one has its own unique demographics of visitors.

Full exposure is all about integrating your social media strategy with your overall marketing strategy so you are reaching your audiences everywhere they reside.  The Full Moon Design Group can help you design your marketing strategy and integrate your social media strategy so that no matter where your audience is you are fully exposed.  Give us a call.  Expose Yourself!