Internet Marketing: E-nuff...

Looking back on my Internet marketing tips the last few weeks reads like alphabet soup: SEO, SEM, PPC, PPS...

Let me toss in one more acronym: PBE. That's Permission-Based Email. It's basically what you're reading right now. You've given me permission to email you my marketing tips every week. In return, I hope that by getting to know me and my thinking, you'll choose to work with my firm. (Or keep working with us!)

As the "Prime Minister of Permission Marketing", Seth Godin, explains PBE: Consumers today are bombarded by "interruption advertising" in home and out. To grab a prospect's attention, you need to get their permission. The best way to do that is to offer them something of value -- either tangible or intangible. Once they've "opted-in", you can begin establishing a relationship. "By talking only to volunteers, Permission Marketing guarantees that consumers pay more attention to the marketing message," says Godin. "It serves both customers and marketers in a symbiotic exchange."

Godin knows what he's talking about. He was a VP at Yahoo! in the late 90's, where he successfully developed and implemented his theory and wrote the book "Permission Marketing : Turning Strangers Into Friends And Friends Into Customers".

Speaking of friends -- thank you for reading my weekly tips.

More on email marketing next tip...

Branding: Yee Ha!

Young & Rubicam, developers of the Brand Asset Valuator(R), see four phases of branding: differentiation, relevance, esteem, and knowledge. Y&R generally work for consumer mega brands like AT&T, Sony, Colgate and Ford. However, the same principles apply to small and b-to-b brands.

Branding may seem costly. But, big spending isn't needed to build a brand -- consistency is. You're building a name. It takes time. The first thing you need to do is be different and stand apart. You also should be relevant -- ask, "Is this important to my prospect?" Then, according to Y&R you need to build respect. I agree. When you're building a brand, you're also building trust. And finally, you reach the knowledge phase. You're a recognized expert in your market.

Often clients come to me for help building an ad. My real job, however is to build sales. And the best way to do that is to brand your product. I guess I'm a little like a cowboy. My job is to drive your cattle home -- not the other guy's. So I brand it to separate yours from the others.

Sorry. Gotta run, pardner. There's a doggie goin' astray. Yee Ha!

- Phil Sasso

Brand Positioning: Boxed-In

"Look, you can design your own tissue box at mykleenex.com," Beth announced last night while she read her email.

I just stared at her.

"Isn't that cool?"

"I never really said to myself 'Gee, I want a box of tissue with PJ's face on it"." I retorted.

"Wouldn't it make a fun gift?"

I thought of the toilet paper dolls with crochet skirts my wacky aunt used to make as gifts in the 70s.

"I guess it does sound like a funny idea," I said. "But look, they're oval shaped."

"So you can only use Kleenex oval boxes," Beth explained. "They're the only ones with oval boxes."

"And they cost more, right?"

"A lot more. How'd you know?" Beth asked.

"Because it's a premium pricing strategy," I explained. "Once I invest in a box holder with your face on it, I can't really throw it out. So to use it, I need to buy more pricey oval-shaped Kleenex boxes."

"But they're so cute," Beth replied.

"Would you be willing to pay more if they were ugly?"

The final catch? The custom boxes cost $4.99 each -- plus $6.00 shipping. And they appear to be an actual box of Kleenex tissue, not a box holder as I first thought. So, when you're done, you toss it. A big price to pay to stare at a picture of a loved one while you battle hay fever.

However, I give Kimberly-Clark credit. They've found a clever way to solicit a hefty fee for a product most think of as a commodity.

Make a special edition of your product and people will pay a premium for it. I've seen everything from a gold-plated collector's edition Snap-On torque wrench to U2 iPods with engraved signatures. It's all based on the same strategy: Create a custom or limited edition product to make your customer feel special and they will pay for the privilege. I think the gold-plated torque wrench was more than twice the price of an unadorned version. And would you really use it to seat spark plugs on a greasy engine? But technicians snapped them up -- no pun intended.

How can you create a special edition, custom or premium version of your product or service? Don't think it's possible? Drop me a line, I'll give you my thoughts. Be the first to stump me and I may even send you a customized Kleenex box -- adorned with my smiling mug!

-- Phil Sasso

GOT A MINUTE? Listen to my new 60-second audiocast at allmarketingmatters.com or search "Phil Sasso" in at Apple's iTunes Store.

Sampling Home Run...

We went to a minor league baseball game and came home with a loaf of Sara Lee's new White Wheat bread.

I found bread a funny thing to give away at ball game. But I guess most people eat bread. And it was a great way to get people to try their new product.

Look at the math: let's say the bread costs them 25 cents a loaf to make, not counting marketing and distribution costs or the cost of waste.

And let's assume the company paid the ballpark a dime each to hand out the samples.

That puts a full loaf in each prospect's hand for less than the cost of a first class stamp.

Perhaps they could have got more exposure for that 35 cents each in TV or Radio commercials or Newspaper or Magazine ads.

But they would not have been able to make the same impact.

I'm sure I saw ads or read PR about the new bread. I may have even made a mental note that I wanted to try it.

But with all of life's distractions, It never really made it to our grocery list.

Here was someone handing me a loaf of bread to try at my convenience. How could I forget that?

If I liked the bread I would be sure to remember to put it on my shopping list. And even if I didn't like it they got my full attention. Unlike an ad which I can skip over. If I liked the product, the marketing worked and I'd buy more. If I didn't like the product, no amount of persuasive marketing could get me to buy it.

How can you get your prospects to sample your product? If it's inexpensive and consumable, think about events where you could give away samples. If it's an expensive product, how can you demonstrate your product to more customers? Just getting a prospect to see your product does not guarantee a sale. (You can't always bat .1000). But when you connect with the right customers, if can help you hit one right out of the park.

And it didn't hurt Sara Lee that everyone was feeling good that the home team won.

- Phil Sasso