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Map Marketing

March 24, 2001

Even the most effective business plan can leave you high and dry without a targeted marketing campaign. Companies both large and small dedicate a great deal of resources to the production of high quality advertising collateral.

Colleges and vocational schools produce thousands of talented individuals who understand demographics, psychology, graphic design, and everything else needed to put together hard-hitting ads.

OEM and ODM companies are direct marketing experts-they know their customers, and they know where to find them. These behind-the-scenes, non-branded companies work hard to make sure they connect with the major businesses that will help them reach that next level of success.

But something’s missing here. How do the major companies get out of the minor leagues? What separates a fast-food chain like McDonald’s from the relatively less successful Wendy’s? And perhaps the most important question: Is there something small- and medium-sized business can learn from the big boys?

To answer the last question first: yes, small- and medium-sized companies can take away valuable lessons from the success of major companies. A lot goes into making a company a success-McDonald’s has famously introduced the concept of standardization. It costs them extra to use Idaho potatoes in their Chinese franchises’ French fries, but they consider this a worthwhile investment.

Their lesser-known secret to success is something called “map marketing”. Groundbreaking research techniques have produced data-maps that can analyze areas by labor specialization, income, age, traffic patterns, and a host of other criteria.

McDonald’s uses these maps to powerful effect, and in fact many other major companies simply follow McDonald’s franchises when opening a new branch. But the secret’s out, so how do ambitious small- and medium-sized business owners stay ahead of the curve?

The best strategy is to utilize the Internet to create a marketing campaign built around your business. Map marketing is a great way to stretch your advertising dollar-it makes sure your marketing budget is put to the most effective use possible.

You wouldn’t sell space heaters in west Texas, and you wouldn’t sell Dodgers memorabilia in San Francisco-so make sure to get the data and avoid being left in the dark. If you want a clear path to putting your business on the map, look into map marketing.

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Vertical Marketing | Comments Off

IYP Consulting

March 1, 2001

The exposure of internet yellow pages continues to grow. Yellow pages are renowned for their ability to reach people who are searching for products in their local area.

As more business continue to ship throughout the world, it becomes more viable to advertise to specific regions of the country, or even nationwide, to reach people searching for your specific products and services.

Internet Yellow Page usage is more frequent than print: 2.2 times/week for internet yellow pages vs. 1.4 times/week for Print (The Kelsey Group)

Internet Yellow Page annual referrals are projected to grow by 144% over the next 3 years while print yellow pages are expected to decline by 2.5% annually. (The Kelsey Group)

In 2001, 1.9 billion was spent in online advertising. That number is expected to be close to 7 billion by 2006.

Over 71% of Internet shoppers research products online before buying them in a physical store according to the UCLA Center for Communication Policy.

Jupiter Research predicted that 30% of all retail purchases will be influenced by the internet.
There is a large variety of advertising options from an individual city, state, region, and national. Each of these exposure types has a significant cost difference.

There are several large Internet Yellow Page directory listings. It is very expensive to advertise in all of the Internet Yellow Page directories, and many companies can’t afford to advertise in all of them.

A national ad on one Internet Yellow Page can have the same cost as a premium state listing on multiple Yellow Pages.

We will work with you to determine your advertising goals and help you gain the most exposure for your advertising dollars.

We offer campaign tracking options for your Internet Yellow Page advertising campaigns to ensure their cost effectiveness from year to year.

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Dental Marketing

March 1, 2001

Seven years of medical school. Two years for the DDS. A few more years for a specialization in maxillofacial surgery or endodontics-and they still won’t call you a doctor. Still, you can handle it. What you can’t handle is no business. And if you are a dentist, you probably already know that one of the hardest parts of the job is getting patients in the chair.

People want someone they can trust to take care of what’s important to them, and as hard as many people find it to locate a reliable mechanic, the stakes go up when you’re rolling the dice with your oral hygiene on the line.

Dentists nationally and around the world have taken pains to take the pain out of locating a quality dental practitioner. Independent certifications, marketing consortiums, and an ever-growing recognition of the importance of a good bedside manner have done a lot to make sure patients show up twice a year-but how do you make sure they show up at your practice?

Cut through the anonymity of print yellow pages and other directories with a quality website that can really show what makes your practice special. Most professionals know that good web-page design is essential for successful Internet marketing, but end up being puzzled by the absence of new business.

What’s missing from the Internet marketing strategy of far too many dentists is the means to make sure that their quality web-site and services reach the people who need to see it. A dental practice is a local business, so it’s important for a successful office to connect with as many people as possible in its community.

Search-based online advertising drills straight to the root of the problem-it makes sure that the money from your practice you devote to attracting new patients is spent only on reaching prospective patients. If someone searches for “Sacramento dentist” they’re likely to have to sort through newspaper articles, college websites, and other unrelated miscellany before locating your website.

The good news for dentists and patients alike is that with search-based online advertising, locating new patients for your dental practice doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth. This exciting new form of marketing could be just the thing to ensure that the word gets out about the quality dental work your office can offer.

A comfortable office, interesting and current magazines, and a friendly, competent office staff with the capability of putting patients at ease in this notoriously frightening environment are all essential parts of a dental practice, but without a successful marketing strategy, you’ll find yourself talking to an empty chair.

Written by Brad Geddes aka eWhisper · Filed Under Vertical Marketing | Comments Off