MARKETING WITHOUT ADVERTISING CHECKLIST

1. My product or service is up to date and is the best it can be.

2. I have an open, visible, understandable and very generous recourse policy, which is clearly posted on my website.

3. I can clearly describe my business and so can most of my clients, suppliers, friends and employees.

4. My pricing is clear and complete and tells customers what they need to know about my level of expertise and my target clientele. The price allows them to tailor elements to their needs.

5. My business is open in its financial information, management policies, physical layout and operating functions.

6. My clients know as much as they want to know about my product or service, including the ways it is outstanding and unique. Referrals and evaluations from other respected people in the field as well as from customers are easily available and posted on the website.

7. Old clients and others who have lost track of the business can easily find it in countless listings, reference materials, Internet search engines and Web directories, and through neighbors and business associates.

8. I have a complete list with mailing addresses and phone numbers of my current and former clients as well as my suppliers, friends and interested parties. When relevant, referral sources are noted.

9. I have a current calendar of marketing events and regularly schedule activities of interest to which I invite my customers and other appropriate associates. Everyone who attends feels a part of my community when they leave.

10. I know how big I want my business to be and am prepared to handle growth created by my marketing. I am prepared and alert to cutting it off whenever a new customer gets better treatment than an old client.

Excerpted from Marketing Without Advertising (Fourth Edition), by Michael Phillips & Salli Rasberry. Berkely, Ca: Nolo Press, 2003.

Developing an Advertising Plan

I. Consider listings first

§ Yellow Pages, special sections, targeted directories

II. Who is your target market?

III. What is the sales potential of this market?

§ Budget often 20-25% of sales

IV. Match your media to your market

§ You may have more than one market—e.g., children’s toys

§ Compare media vehicles by CPM

§ Consider qualitative factors:

amount & nature of other advertising

quality of media vehicle

lifespan of media vehicle

degee of interest by audience

§ Frequency

V. You must be able to measure results

VI. Your message must be consistent with USP, brand

VII. Refine as results come in

Some Rules for Writing Copy

1. Emphasize benefits, not features.

2. Tailor your message to your audience?

3. Include a call to action.

4. Pay attention to layout.