Sometimes I’m hired to develop a promotional plan for a growing company. But after I dig around a little, I learn that the company’s promotion isn’t the problem. The real problem is that the company suffers from poor service.

For a company like this, spending money on promotion is like pouring fine wine down a sinkhole. A complete waste.

If your company’s service stinks, fix that first. It’s your ultimate deliverable and outweighs any promotional efforts. Provide first-rate, top-of-the-line, I’ll-get-that-for-you-right-away service, and then worry about how to promote it.

May your marketing emerge!

   Jay Lipe
   CEO, Emerge Marketing LLC

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Recently, I had the pleasure of working with the folks at the University of Minnesota’s Extension Service. The marketing team I worked with there needed to develop a successful marketing plan that would help build the Extension’s Food Safety Program business. This program is a leading provider of food safety training and certification courses to small businesses, schools and institutional food service outlets.


    Challenges

   When the team contacted me, the members—Kathy Brandt, Anita Dincesen, Dr. Joellen Feirtag, Dr. Bill Schafer and Connie Schwartau—told me they were looking for help developing a comprehensive marketing plan that would:

      •   Set identifiable goals and targets for the business.
      •   Segment the program’s audiences and develop a communications plan to deliver key messages to each segment.
      •   Identify marketing mistakes currently being made and assign specific action steps to correct them.
      •   Clearly outline step-by-step strategies, tactics and timelines.
      •   Detail each person’s responsibilities to accomplish successful implementation.

   Solutions

   What I ended up delivering to these great folks were:
      o   5 Market planning sessions that helped the team arrive at a consensus on target audiences, strategies, marketing tools, and key messages.
      o   5 phone interviews with customers to generate a market perspective on the program’s strengths and weaknesses.
      o   A comprehensive Marketing Plan detailing strategies, tools needed and budget projections.
      o   A 12-month marketing calendar that established all the next steps to bring the plan to life.

   Benefits
   I spoke recently with Anita and here’s what she said she and the team ended up after working with me:
      •   A great set of tools to use in future marketing efforts
      •   A deeper appreciation of marketing and an understanding of its impact.
      •   A clear direction for the organization’s marketing efforts.

   I look forward to working with the team again as my contract was extended into 2005…

               “Emerge was the first company I’ve worked with that promised and delivered on all of its outcomes—on time!”
               Anita Dincesen
               University of Minnesota Extension Service


      Does your company need a plan to jumpstart your marketing efforts? Contact me at (612) 824-4833 or lipe@emergemarketing.com.More information about the Extension Service’s Food Safety Program can be found at http://www.extension.umn.edu/foodsafety/


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Emerge Marketing specializes in …
             •   Marketing plans
            •    Market research& analysis
            •   Speaking & seminars
            •   Marketing books & resources
             •   Marketing assessments
            •   Interim marketing assignments

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Speeches & Seminars in 2005 …

“When do you raise your prices…and How?”
Feb 9, James J. Hill Library

“10 Tips to Improve Your Brochure”
Feb 10, TwinWest Chamber of Commerce

“The Marketing Toolkit to Grow Your Business”
Feb 16, The Learning Annex

“How to Publicize your Book”
Mar 16, The Loft

“If I Had to Do It All Over Again; 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Marketing Your Book”
Jun 2 , Publishers Marketing Assn

If you (or someone you know) is looking for a marketing speaker, please contact me at (612) 824-4833 or lipe@emergemarketing.com.

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Emerge helps launch new online store for Games by James
Recently, I, along with an associate, helped launch an online store for Pointview Inc., owner and operator of six Games by James brick-and-mortar retail stores in Minnesota and Iowa. This retailer of board games and puzzles wanted to generate a whole new revenue stream and increase their brand presence online.

Deliverables
During the summer, we began by developing a Website Assessment with recommendations on:
            •   A web host
            •   A shopping cart system
         
   •   Site structure and usability
              •   Website copy
              •   Search engine optimization

Then in October of 2004, we launched the www.GamesbyJames.biz  site that now carries over 500 different board games and puzzles. As most of you know, launching a site doesn’t guarantee visitors. Creative marketing does. So we delivered the following marketing efforts to drive traffic to the site:
            •   Pay-per-click advertising
            •   Search engine optimization
             •   Email marketing campaigns
             •   Online Publicity  and            •   Link building campaigns

Results
How is the site doing? Since the site’s official launch, over 30,000 people have visited and placed well over 2,000 orders! All in under 90 days…and sales continue to skyrocket.

The benefits to Games by James of having this online store are enormous. The company has generated a new stream of revenues and customers. And the vast majority of sales are coming from outside Games by James’s existing store trading areas, so retail sales are not being cannibalized.

Tens of thousands of new visitors learn about the Games by James brand each month and the number of subscribers to the company’s newsletter has doubled. Almost overnight, the Games by James brand has developed a national prominence.

It’s safe to say that this retailer has found a new “store” of profits.

Need help getting your store online?Contact me at lipe@emergemarketing.com. Curious about the great, new GamesbyJames.biz online store? Visit www.gamesbyjames.biz


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Check out my new
“Smart Marketing” Blog Looking for up-to-the-minute marketing advice? Visit my new blog at http://emergemarketing.com/blog Every day (or two) I’ll update my Smart Marketing blogwith another valuable tip to help you grow your company.

Here are some of my recent posts:
•   The worst marketing advice I ever got
•   3 reasons your marketing sucks
•    One website tool sure to tick off your visitors

If your business wants to start a blog, contact me at (612) 824-4833 or lipe@emergemarketing.com.


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3 Sure-fire ways to drive traffic to your website

Collect email signups on your home page and publish an e-mail newsletter.
Submit articles to online magazines and newsletters.
Launch a Pay-per-Click advertising campaign.


Need help with any of these? Contact me at lipe@emergemarketing.com, (612) 824-4833 or through www.emergemarketing.com

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Top 10 Warning Signs You Need a Marketing Plan

10. Customers keep saying “We haven’t heard from you in a while”
9. Each of your company’s marketing materials looks different.

8. You spend most of a meeting explaining what you do.
7. Prospects would rather talk about your competitor.
6. When asked what makes your company unique, the room gets quiet.
5. Your banker keeps stopping by to “get a handle on things”
4. Your heart races when someone says “Tell me about your company”
3. Your administrative assistant handles your marketing
2. Her sister designs your brochures
1. Her son runs your website

          If this describes you, email me now at lipe@emergemarketing.com and I’ll send you a free copy of my article “The 10 Commandments of Successful Marketing.