Tips For Marketing Your Brand at the Local Level
2006 FEBRUARY 10 | BYBy ART FIORDALISO
TMCnet.com Special Guest
There are times when smaller mom and pop or specialty retailers could use a little help with their marketing efforts. After all, they’re focused on sales and running a small business—they’re not necessarily specialists in advertising and promotion.
Traditionally, it was easiest for a small business to advertise in local newspapers. The paper’s salesperson would do all the work—often even creating the ad and handling the paperwork. But that was just for print ads. Other advertising, such as direct mail, was viewed as something too complicated or too costly. How would the small retailer create the piece? Who would they mail it to?
Today, much of that has changed thanks to the Internet and new technology. It’s now possible for local retailers to create ads and promotional materials, in real-time, as they sit in front of their computers. They don’t even need to set foot out the door.
But how technologically savvy does the local retailer need to be? Does he or she need to be well-versed in the latest graphic design software in order to create an ad or promotion? Not necessarily. Today, many large companies offer their retailers online access to corporate-approved templates that can be easily customized by clicking on selected areas. By doing so, they can add pertinent data, like store name, location and sale information. Better yet, when these online ad creation tools are paired with digital asset management technology, retailers are really empowered. Armed with this additional tool, they can also choose from an extensive digital library of promotions, logos and graphics from which to create an initiative.
But even a templated piece created online and ready to go, needs to get out the door. So what’s the next step? The next step is getting the finished piece in front of the right audience—that’s where media placement and fulfillment come in.
How will the local retailer get their campaign out? With on-demand technology. This new technology puts the power of print production and media placement at their fingertips. Many Fortune 500 companies are using it. With on-demand, local retailers can choose how and where their print pieces will be fulfilled. They can complete their projects in the comfort of their own home or office and utilize technology to print and/or distribute their initiatives. On-demand provides local retailers with true one-stop campaign fulfillment with the click of a computer mouse.
Maybe a real-world example will illustrate how quickly, easily and effectively this new technology works.
Recently, we worked with a large auto manufacturer to streamline their marketing process. In the past, this company’s dealer level marketing was punctuated with time-consuming administrative tasks, such as coordinating with their agency to obtain creative for promotions, getting corporate approval on individual pieces, working with a print house to fulfill orders and sometimes having to hand stamp mailers with local information. The process was time-consuming and, at times, laborious. But there was a solution that was simple, fast, gave the dealers more choice and delivered high-quality campaigns to customers in days instead of weeks.
Our solution for the auto manufacturer was a customized Web portal where dealers could go to design, customize, and decide how to print and fulfill direct mail pieces and other marketing materials. With just a few mouse clicks, the savings of time, money, tire tread and shoe leather was realized.
In less than 12 months, 100 percent of the dealers were using the portal to access creative assets, customize advertising initiative and execute direct mail campaigns. In this case, we were able to create a successful Web portal for thousands of dealers, field marketing personnel and the agency of record. The portal was a centralized source for sales and marketing information for the retailers, the manufacturer and its representatives.
But, the story doesn’t end there.
Since January 2004, the Web-based marketing tool has facilitated more than 4,500 direct mail campaign orders for the auto manufacturer with more than 8,100,000 individual pieces produced.
Try it yourself
Want to implement your own local marketing solution? Here are some tips for marketing directors that will increase marketing at the local level:
• Consider providing a Web portal where local retailers can go to design, produce and distribute promotional materials with just a few clicks of a computer mouse.
• Provide corporate-approved online templates for promotional materials that can be easily customized by retailers. Templates save time and aggravation. Customization is key because it allows the retailer to target the message to their audience, meet your brand standards, and yet make the piece their own.
• Make it easy for mom and pop retailers by providing digital assets online. By housing them online, all materials are up-to-date and obtainable anytime.
• Give retailers an easy way to track co-op dollars online in real-time. A reporting feature will enable retailers to see exactly where their marketing dollars are going.
• Create an action plan to provide the above items for your retailers. It should take less than 90 days to fully implement.
Arthur Fiordaliso is a solutions industry expert. For almost 30 years, he has helped spearhead new technology for the advancement of co-op management and trade marketing programs. Since 1994, Fiordaliso has helped his company become an unrivaled leader in Web marketing solutions. These solutions provide clients and their partners with easy, cost-effective, proven technology that pushed corporate messages down to the local level while improving the overall management process. For more information, visit http://www.pbmarketingsolutions.com or call 800-488-2124.