Ellis Communications, L.L.C.

Repetition and Variety in Marketing Can Generate Business
Even When Retailers’ Prospects Don’t Initially Respond

            As nutritional retailers use marketing to grow their business, it’s not unusual for them to grapple with two basic questions.  Do they need to create a high level of contact?  Should prospects be contacted again if they don’t respond to the first marketing effort?

            "The answer to the first question is that repetition is critical to effective marketing," says Martin R. Baird, president of Phoenix, Ariz.-based Nutritional Marketing.  "And if retailers go about their marketing correctly, they already have an answer to the second question."

            Baird offers the following seven tips to nutritional professionals on generating sufficient contacts in marketing and dealing with customers and prospects who do not immediately respond to their marketing message.

Number 1 - Marketing studies show that people do not remember a marketing message the first time they see it.  They may not even see the message at all the first time or two, Baird says.

Number 2 - It takes eight to 10 impressions before someone remembers seeing the message, Baird says.  It can take more contact than that before they act or consider action, he notes.

Number 3 - The marketing message needs to hit targeted prospects at a time when they think it’s important.  "People need to be exposed to your marketing message in a variety of ways and at a variety of times," Baird says.  "This increases the probability that you will reach them at the ‘right’ time."

Number 4 - Make four contacts a month using the following tools:  faxes, postcards from Amazingmail.com, other mailers, news articles mailed to them, testimonial letters and free reports. 

Number 5 - Four  contacts a month is a lot of marketing but retailers can get some relief with a method called flighting.  "If you’ve been in front of your prospects four times a month for six months, you could send a message every other week for a month - that’s flighting - and not see a huge loss in awareness,"  Baird suggests.  "Then return to your four-times-a-month schedule for two months.  Then flight for one month."

Number 6 - Retailers usually worry about a lack of response to their marketing for any or all of the following reasons:

• Whatever they’re talking about or doing is important to them, so it must be just as important to everyone else.
• They understand the benefits of their products and services, so they think others will, too.
• They don’t realize how little their target market knows or cares about their solutions.

Number 7 - If retailers do their marketing correctly, they already have a solution to the problem of a lack of response.  "If you have a high level of repetition in your marketing, your name and contact information will be at hand when that targeted person suddenly realizes they really do need and want your products and services,"  Baird says. "You have made it easy for them to pick up the phone and call or send you an e-mail."

Nutritional Marketing provides a variety of services to nutritional retailers to help them improve their marketing methods and increase revenues, including seminars and conference speaking engagements on such topics as referrals, marketing, goal setting and customer service. 

Nutritionalmarketing.com is the premiere Internet-based source for free marketing advice, information and tools for self-driven, success-oriented nutritional retailers who are demanding information that helps them market their business, meet the needs of their customers and increase sales.  It offers such services as a free weekly electronic newsletter, free reports on how to conduct different kinds of marketing and evaluation of retailers’ marketing materials that is provided at no charge when the critique is posted online for all nutritional professionals to read.  Nutritionalmarketing.com also offers an electronic forum where retailers can learn from each other by discussing common problems, sharing ideas and gaining new insights from their peers. 

Nutritional Marketing may be reached at 480-991-6421.