Atomic Penny

When was the last time you asked your customers , employees or providers the above question?  Often it is not what you do for your stakeholders but what you can do for them. Next time you have a conversation with one of them, take the time to ask.

You mak be amazed at what you will learn, and what you can do for those who depend on you.

POWER ON–Mark

As a small business, you want to create exposure for yourself in the community you are hoping to tap into. There is one way to create a buzz about yourself or your business. Charity! When I say charity, I don’t mean writing a check, I mean finding a charity and being a champion for its mission. You can do this simply and easily, but make sure you are willing to put them first, ahead of your own marketing and business desires.

I discussed this in my September 29, 2009 post regarding the NFL and the support for breast cancer awareness. This time instead of a national sports league, I want you to consider it in the context of what you as a small business owner  or marketing professional can do.

An example of this can be as easy as having a donation station for drop offs for the charity. Have the charity advertise your location(s) as drop offs. This gives donors the opportunity to visit your location and gives you the opportunity to capture new customers.

Imagine the exposure you will receive if you become the largest collector and contributer to the ongoing success of the charity. Everyone wins!

Cost becomes irrelevant as you support a local cause and help those in need. Find a cause you can support here. www.liveunited.org.

POWER ON–Mark

One of the principles we have at Atomic Penny is that marketing doesn’t need to cost a fortune. As a marketer, there is so much information out there, you need to find a way to cut through the clutter. Many times that means bigger, bolder,  brighter and longer. A marketing campaign can end up costing mountains of money with only the hope of a return to justify the money spent.

There are many tools out there, and many resources on the web such as Google Analytics for your website. But the most effective resource is experience. The experience of those who have been in the trenches is invaluable. There are a myriad  of tools and we can help you find them. Check out blogs or better yet consider perusing a blog aggregator such as www.marketing.alltop.com with an emphasis on marketing. Alltop provides a plethora of information for free, all you need is an open mind and some tome to read and interact. Another way to gain knowledge for free is to search for white papers from experts. All that will cost you is an email address.

Bottom line, make use of the tools and information available to you before you open your wallet. The time you spend will be worthwhile, and the money you save can be used in areas that need your attention.

Try low cost and high value-you will like it!

POWER ON–Mark

Atomic Penny, in conjunction with Adams G3 Collision Repair and UVU Athletics, is pleased to announce the First Annual Community Share Night on December 5, 2009. Community Share Night is being held to recognize the efforts of community organizations in the Utah Valley area. This event will be held at the UVU vs. San Jose State basketball game in the McKay Events Center.

The featured community organization will be Turning Point, and the Womens Resource Center a resource for non-traditional students who have faced hurdles in returning to school and rejoining the business community.

Additionally, local community organizations will be present to provide information pertaining to the services that are provided to the citizens of Utah County. Your partnership dollars will provide valuable assistance to these organizations.

As a local business, we are offering you the opportunity to be a part of this special event. Partnerships are being offered for a pre game dinner, 2 media timeouts (6 total partnerships) and halftime festivities. Partnership levels are:

• Time-out Sponsor  : $250 plus a  prize to be given away ($50 minimum value) 6 Available. Recognition during the time out, partnership information on handouts, opportunity to nominate community organizations.
• Pregame Dinner for Spotlight Organization and Sponsors: $500 (2 Available) Recognition at pre-game dinner, partnership information on handouts, opportunity to nominate community organizations.
• Halftime Sponsor $400 plus a prize to be given away ($50 minimum value) 2 Available. Recognition of Partnership during halftime festivities, partnership information on handouts, opportunity to nominate community organizations.

As partners, tickets to the game will be made available and you are encouraged to invite family, friends, and clients to this exciting event.

At halftime, there will be a special presentation courtesy of Adams G3 Collision Repair to a very deserving individual. Halftime sponsorships will assist us in bringing this presentation to reality.

All monies collected (with the exception of supply costs) will be distributed to participating community organizations.

Plan now to be a part of this exciting event. For more information and to sign up as a partner, please contact Atomic Penny at 801-995-5550 or via email at atomicpenny@gmail.com. Response requested by October 28, 2009.

Last week, I posted about using prizes as a way to earn engagement from new clients and customers. As a result we added fans to the Atomic Penny Facebook fan page, increased the number of friends on my personal Facebook profile, and obtained more connections on Linkedin. This system works, now the key  to using prizes is to maintain and increase your interactions through a rewards program.

Rewards programs can be run several ways, 1) rewards cards held by customers and swiped or presented, 2) punch cards, 3) tracking by companies by activity, 4) coupons given or sent through registrations, or 5) code entry by consumers after purchase. There are only five examples of rewards programs. The possibilities are endless for you to reward your customers. There are several keys to an effective rewards program that will enhance the experience for all involved.

A) Make the rewards program understandable. Do not have so many restrictions that a customer can never redeem the rewards for a premium. A good example of this are airline miles. There are so many restrictions and rules, many travelers choose to not use the miles instead of attempting to redeem them.

B) If you change the program, make the change beneficial  for the customer. Recently a grocery chain near me changed its reward program and required me to re-register. In reviewing the program, I determined it was no longer beneficial to me to change, and no longer participate.

C) Don’t make it a one and done. Be sure to enhance the program for long term customers. If not, you can have customers save for the premium, then choose to buy elsewhere due to the lack of continuing rewards.

D) Ask your customers what is important to them. Use surveys, comment cards and feedback sessions to determine if the rewards are valuable to a customer. If not tailor the rewards to the needs of the customer.

E) Make it easy to track. If a customer does not know where they stand in the rewards process, they will abandon the process. Customers need to feel valued and needed, or they will find someone who will value them.

F) Make it sustainable. When configuring a reward program, make sure you can sustain it for the long term. Make sure the revenue you use to support the program is figured into your marketing budget.

G) Don’t charge your customers a fee to participate.  Other than an initial process or membership fee, do not insult your customers to participate. If you do, unless the reward is exceptional, customers will go elsewhere.

Getting and keeping customers is essential to your business. Make sure you reward them accordingly.  More importantly, make sure your customers value the reward.

POWER ON–Mark

Remember mailing in box tops or UPC symbols in exchange for a prize when you were a kid? Redeeming multiple purchases for a premium incentive might seem archaic now, but the concept will never die. In fact, the advent of the Internet has replaced proofs of purchase with market data. Companies realized that obtaining the demographics and contact information of their buyers via online promotions was easy, cost-effective and invaluable.

People have received countless prizes and won innumerable contests simply by giving their name and email address to the business hosting the giveaway. So what key components of previously successful giveaways should you consider for your own online promotion?

First, you must determine your goal. For most, it is to obtain contact information. You might also want to increase blog comments, connections on a social network, downloads of an e-book, etc. The reasons are endless, but should all be considered when contrasting to the next concern — the reward.

Apply the basic principal of rewarding behavior. Issue a valuable prize that is worth participants’ effort. Moreover, make sure that the likelihood of winning that prize is plausible. Also, consider intermittent rewards to encourage consistent participation.

Lastly, make sure that the entry requirements are not too demanding. The more difficult it is to participate, the less reaction you will receive.

Here is a great article that houses several free or low-cost online tools that you might use for your next contest:
http://www.stay-comm.com/blog/2009/9/9/with-todays-online-contest-platforms-anyone-can-run-an-effec.html

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Make sure to enter the Atomic Penny social networking contest today! For every 50 people who join the Facebook fan page or LinkedIn group, I’ll randomly pick a winner to receive a $25 gift card to places like Best Buy, Fandango, or Amazon. The more people that join, the better your odds are of winning. The sky is the limit, so make sure to invite your friends!

POWER ON
Mark

My mother has had it twice, a friend had it once, another friend’s mother and sister had it and she had it herself (two survived, one didn’t), one more friend thought she had it, my sisters haven’t had it, my wife hasn’t had it either (thank goodness). If you aren’t aware of what “it” is, I’m referring to breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it’s a cause that many people, including myself, believe in very deeply.

Breast Cancer Awareness is also being championed by the NFL. In case you missed it, the NFL is “pinking up” many things. Pads around the goal post, players gloves, shoes, stickers even the cheerleaders and announcers are wearing pink. What a great thing to see. Support like this is creates widespread awareness, which will help fight this dreaded disease.

The NFL decided this is a cause to market using both the players and fans. It is a fantastic showing of support for all who have been touched by this disease.

“Cause Marketing” is one of the best ways to create buzz for your company. Watch a football game over the month of October, and see how the NFL does it — with class and respect. Most importantly, the NFL salutes those who have survived the disease, those who are fighting it, and those we have lost.  

For your next marketing campaign, consider championing a cause. It will help you and help all those directly involved. And when you help out people in need, you just feel so good; you may want to do it for free.

Tough guys wearing pink! What a great message.

POWER ON–Mark