I'm going to tell you about some marketing tactics that every solo business owner can use to reach a broader market and ramp up online sales.
In fact, these marketing methods are so important and profitable that I'm going to do several posts in this series to give you some further ideas and examples of how to implement this strategy and hopefully I can get your creative juices flowing to think of your own promotions related to the niche your business works in.
But before we get into specific strategies, let me tell you exactly what "piggyback marketing" is and why it can be such a powerful sales tool.
You may already be familiar with the term or idea and may have even tried something similar. You may possibly call this strategy by a different name - I've seen others refer to it a "tag along," "free ride," and "insert marketing," among other descriptions.
The overriding principle is that you "piggyback" your marketing message with any of the following: a product, another message, a service, or a bill. Your marketing "piggybacks" with something else that is going to be delivered anyway and can be thought of as a "bonus" or gift by the prospect.
You benefit from doing this because:
1. The prospect is expecting to receive the letter, statement, or package and therefore will not trash it upon arrival. You can bet that your message will at least be noticed. Compare that guarantee to junk mail advertising that you receive that often gets trashed without even being opened.
2. Your message, in essence, is getting the benefit of endorsement by the sender. Since the prospect receives your marketing along with something else he expects, your message will pass the junk mail test. The sender may, or may not actually endorse what you're marketing - if he does, that's great - but if not, you will still benefit from having your message arrive with his. It's the principle of marketing by association and it's a powerful benefit.
3. Typically, the costs of delivering your message will be much lower; and in fact, could be nothing at all if you structure your campaign in certain ways.
4. The strategy will be minimally effective if your marketing audience is not targeted to your niche. The one big mistake that most businesses make when they piggyback is this: they try to market to a general audience that is really not the least bit interested in what is being pedaled.
5. In most cases, this strategy should be a lead generator and not a direct sales tool. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, as with all rules, but most often your greatest success will come when you give something away in exchange for the prospect's contact information. Once you know how to contact the prospect, you can begin to develop a relationship of trust and offer products that you know will interest him.
6. Position your message so that it will be seen as something of value. If you can, give the prospect a reason to hold on to your message. Be unique, creative, memorable, and give him something that he will receive nowhere else. You've seen those soft refrigerator magnets with the advertising printed on them, right? That's an example of something that the prospect has reason to hold on to. Calendars with advertising are another common example of a freebie that sticks with the prospect.
7. Piggyback marketing allows you to market to a whole new set of prospects other than those that are on your own contact list. Take advantage of the list building of others to get your message across.
8. Be aware that there are both paid services and do-it-yourself methods of setting up your piggyback marketing campaign. You will have to be the judge as to which works best for your business. If you are in a small or deeply focused niche, you may not have as many alternatives in the paid services category.
In our next installment, we mention the first specific implementation of the piggyback marketing method. Stay tuned!
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