Podcasts
Posting podcasts is a cost-effective and valuable method for educating your existing client base, attracting prospective clients and strengthening your brand with referral sources. Creating a podcast series distinguishes you and your business.
More women are the household CFO
According to an Allianz Life study 51% of women say their duties include serving as their family’s CFO. Additionally more married women (37%) report being their family’s primary breadwinner. 30% of the women said they depend on a financial professional for guidance and 75% of that group said they wish they had done it sooner.
Marketing to the affluent
Make all your marketing efforts to the affluent mirror the way they see and think about themselves. Develop, display and convey a position of expertise, good judgment, professionalism and competence. Present yourself as the most trustworthy of advisors.
Women have the purchasing power
91% of mail is picked up by the same person each day; 80% of them are women. And more than 80% of women make all purchasing decisions. When available, always mail to the female of the household.
You’re selling solutions, not products
No one cares about your widgets. What they care about are their own needs and wants. For instance: Mary doesn’t want a Medicare Supplement policy, but she does want full coverage should she become ill. So offer her the solution not the product.
Open with a Proposition
Consumers have short attention spans. Instead of building excitement toward your value proposition, open with it. This will attract the recipient’s attention and force you to see if your value proposition is worth sending to other potential customers.
Direct Mail vs. Email
80-90 percent of direct mail gets opened, only 20-30 percent of email gets opened on a good day. The response rate to direct mail pieces is 3.7 percent, as opposed to 2 percent mobile, 1 percent email, 1 percent social media, and 0.2 percent internet display, per Direct Mail Marketing Statistics for Small Business (Jan 10, 2017).
5 Marketing Ideas to Connect with Seniors
- Participate in community events
- Connect through local radio
- Get listed on both online and print directories or even the local Senior Newsletter
- Sponsor your own event and include a take-away info packet they can refer back to
- Get published, establish authority to show your expertise by writing an article or blog post on Medicare.
What’s in a Name
Engage your customers by giving a Name to your guarantee, discount or service program. It adds oomph to your message, costs you nothing and strengthens your branding, setting you apart from your competition.
How to Retrieve a Letter Mailed by Mistake
File a “Sender’s Application for Recall of Mail” with the Post Office. The service is free, but your chances are best if you file before the mail is collected from the mail box.
Social Login
More than 2 billion people (about 1/3 of the world’s population) use social networks. Allowing customers to register using one of their social IDs such as Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin can help make your opt-in experience faster and better, something that’s critical given the increase in engagement on smartphones, where filling out forms can be cumbersome.
Test New and Old Ideas
Test adding customer reviews to your landing page. Test emphasizing your guarantee on your website or in your next mailing campaign. Test adding the word “Free” to your advertisements. Testing ideas will show you which of these “little things” can make the biggest difference in your marketing efforts.
Establish Rapport
The longer the sales cycle and higher your product’s price tag, the more likely it is that you will need to invest more effort in establishing rapport. Ultimately, it helps you gain your prospect’s trust. That is why it pays to send a series of messages offering something of value such as an industry article, link to a podcast or YouTube video. Become your prospects ally first, and then ask for the order. Remember people buy from people . . . necessarily companies. And when all things are equal (price, quality, guarantee, etc.), people buy from the person they like the most. This is why establishing rapport is so important.
Ask to Be a "Back-Up"
It probably sounds counter-intuitive to most marketers, but when prospects already have established relationships with competitors, there is value in asking to be their second choice or back-up. Sooner or later, they will need one.
Differentiate Yourself
Help new customers comparison shop by differentiating yourself from your competitors and communicating the differences. Use comparison charts, customer comments and survey results to explain and support what makes you different.
