MVA Gives Advice About Customers

It's been awhile since anyone's been able to blog for Mountain Valley Advertising because we have had tremendous success in the past few months. We've been so busy trying to keep up with the influx of orders that have been coming in and with the new addition we're building on; a two-story addition. But we've realized we were doing something right and have learned a lot this past spring.

And what we've learned is that business is all about its customers. How to get them, how to get them to pay for your products and how to keep them. Sounds simple but that's all business really is. Getting that to happen, then, is the hard part - the part that so many people have such a hard time doing. But watch out, I'm about to give you some really helpful advice.

To get more customers, get them to your website. Ask for referrals, find new places to advertise. Getting customers is half the battle. Then you need to get them to buy more often from you. To do that, send your main customer base promotional offers that are time or quantity limited; get them to act now instead of later. Then move them from one product to the next...

The next step is to get them to spend more per each transaction. Adding value to your already existing products is a great suggestion. As well as up-selling or cross-selling other products; offer payment plans for the really expensive ones and there is always the option of increasing your fees and prices. The last step is to keep your customers. It is more expensive to attract new ones than to keep existing ones. And here's how: send out surprise bonus gifts, send holiday or birthday cards, thank people for their business, get them to give a client testimonial claiming their loyalty to you and last but not least, if you go above and beyond for them, they'll stay with you. Always.

Good Marketing is All About Telling a Story

And tell a story, you must. If you are quickly trying to sell something to someone, they may not listen. They may not care. But telling them the story of why they need something will make them listen because no one wants to be left out of the loop.

And the story doesn’t have to be a long one. It doesn’t even have to be a good one. But it has to grab their attention (like any good marketing or advertising does), and once it does, they will at least stay with you until you are done. So the first step is to tell that story!

Next, you need to make them remember your story. Make it fun, creative, valuable, interesting information. Useless information does nothing for anybody.

And remember to do your homework before you spend the money. If the information doesn’t speak to the kinds of people who come across your ad, it won’t matter how much info they consume. Target your ads to the venues you’re advertising in; subway riders aren’t going to see outside billboards.

Something Else That’s Tricky

I tell you, the more I see that can be done via the computer, the more I am amazed. Coming from someone who didn’t get a TV in his home until well into high school and his first cell phone at 63, it’s incredible what can be done these days. And even though I’m not too sure how it’s done, I highly recommend hiring someone who does.

My biggest technical accomplishment of late is actually this blog. Of course my son-in-law set it up and then showed me how to log in and post, but I’m still very proud of myself. And I think it's things like graphics and cool website design that make an enormous difference when trying to stand out against the competition.

So, like I said, if there is no one doing that for you now, it’s something you need to have. That is, if you want to stand out. Which I, again, highly recommend.

Free, Helpful Advice from Mountain Valley Advertising

Some friends of mine were asking why we’re blogging and what it’s all about. I told them that it was to start creating a buzz about our brand. And then I got to thinking that if we did ever get loyal readers, what would they get out of our little blog? So we’re going to start giving out tips about the advertising, marketing and printing industries. After all, isn’t that where our expertise lies?

Even though we are an advertising agency and want you to come to us for assistance, we realize that not everyone has the ability to pay for this kind of service and, being a small business ourselves, understand the need for free help about these industries. So without further ado:

A great way to get cheap assistance for small projects are freelancers. They do require payment but it’s not usually very expensive as most are just looking for experience and portfolio building projects. This is a great avenue for someone who is too busy to create a pamphlet, flyer or whatever else on their own. Even if it’s not exactly what you were looking for, it’s something, and you can negotiate the price. Just one piece of advice this time. Stay tuned for more in another post.

Spend Smart, Not More

Hi, it’s Angela; creative director for Mountain Valley Advertising. As I am a creative person, thoughts and ideas come sort of naturally to me. It’s not as important to be creative with your message, as it is to get your message across, creatively. You never want to confuse the consumer. In fact, you want to make your point as precisely as possible.

The ability to be remembered is also an essential ingredient when it comes to advertising. And if you’re not at least trying to accomplish that, then I wouldn’t waste your money. It can be very expensive to advertise in the ways and areas you want and if your ad isn’t targeting the right people or rather, getting noticed by the right people, you are wasting that money.

So, don’t squander profits on an educated guess. Be sure that you know who you want to target, where those people are, how to get their attention and how to get them to remember you.

Tricky, Tricky, Tricky

Business can be tricky. The industry itself changes everyday, so why we think our outlook shouldn’t change, I don’t know. There are ongoing adjustments to the market and trends that tend to fluctuate. You have to be vigilant when you own a business; you have to have stay current.

And that’s easier said than done. Even if you are a very diligent business owner, you could wake up one morning to a completely different marketplace. Ransacked by a now different business temperature, you start to fall behind.

One way to avoid this problem before it starts is to advertise! If the above scenario were to really happen, but you had advertising to fall back on, you’d be far better off. Advertising is the tool that lets your name exist. Think about it. How many businesses are out there that you’ve never heard of? And when you did hear about one, it was through an advertising medium.

Apply that same thought process to your company’s objectives and it won’t matter what’s going on in the economy or how tricky the business marketplace gets. You’ll be covered because your name will be on consumer’s minds. And that’s really the best place to be.

If I Can, You Can

Hey, yall. Sandra here. I wanted to get in on this new blog thing by writing a post for all you non-technical people out there. Now, I have to say that our website is so easy to use that it makes me rethink everything I thought I knew about computers and such. The term is user friendly, I guess, and we definitely have that all locked up and in the bag! You just click and go – it couldn’t be easier.

My question is, is this how it’s always been and I am just so behind the times? Having a very technically savvy daughter and an even more technically savvy son-in-law, I feel out of the loop most times, although I’m slowly getting to understand more and more. And the Internet craze is starting to make more sense.

I do know how to work the printers, though; in case you were starting to write me off for a stupid old lady. And I figured out how to post on our blog page! Anyway, I wanted to say that I think there is hope for the people who consider themselves technically challenged, as I did for the longest time. Hang in there, friends. If I can do it, anyone can!