Marketing Advice That Matters
A good content is the winner everywhere. Well thought-of and well-written content is inevitable for the success of your organization. This matters even more when you are into publishing. As a publisher, you may not have the necessary resources who can help you in developing the content for your next work. A content development company can come to your aid in such an instance. When outsourcing to publishing agencies that provides content development services, here are a few things to look out for.
What kind of content do they develop?
As a publisher, you would need to work with different kinds of content – books, journals, test assessments, reports, websites, DVDs, or a combination of all of these. The company that you outsource the work to, has to be comfortable and competent in the format of the content that you are looking to develop. An agency that is well-versed in handling all kinds of content needs is definitely a blessing, and can lead to a fruitful, long-term relationship.
What stages of content development are they involved in?
The publishing task needs the content or manuscript to move through different stages before it can actually be published. These could be the early writing or editorial process, the pre-production, production, and the final product. A good content development company is able to handle not one, but all of these stages without difficulties. They liaise with you, as well the writer(s), the editorial team, and the other members involved, to move the work seamlessly through all stages. They fix planning meetings to establish production plans for the upcoming publication. They work with the authors and the editorial team on content improvements, and establish a workflow that gives you the best publishing results. The developmental editors evaluate the manuscript, suggest improvements to the writing, and create an editorial style for the new publication. Content developers conduct manuscript surveys, and compile the results into a final report that helps fine-tune the copy. Once all stages are complete, they generate a complete manuscript for production, ensuring all elements for manuscript submission are included.
What is their experience?
A good content development company is definitely not a newbie in the business. They have to their credit, years of experience not just in content development, but also in copyediting, editorial proofreading, and maybe even publishing. They serve as the ideal resource for all aspects of the publishing process.
What other tasks do they help with?
While the actual task of such an agency is to develop copy and manuscripts, they may also step in to help with other tasks in the publishing process. These could be:
Content development companies can be a big boon to publishers, especially those who lack sufficient talent or infrastructure to get along with their new publishing project. Such agencies comprise of teams with highly qualified and experienced people, who can not only create copies and manuscripts, but also help in managing and running the project end to end.
Creative. Tactical. Bold. Thoughtful. The skills and characteristics of a great marketing team member are about as far-ranging as they come. That’s what makes it so challenging to find a good group of candidates to choose from when you’re hiring designers, developers, copywriters, social media mavens, and project managers. This is also why it can be a good idea to call on the help of a marketing staffing agency to help you fill out your roster.
It’s important to remember, though, that not all agencies are created equal. Some will provide significantly better service and results than others. Here are a few things to pay attention to when looking for a marketing staffing agency.
The Promise
What is the marketing staffing agency promising you in terms of services? Is their offer good value for what you’re paying? Before agreeing to work with an agency, make sure that you’ll come out better for it, and that they’ll provide you with something that you can’t easily obtain on your own.
The key is to know what you need. Maybe you need access to a larger pool of candidates than you’ve been able to find on your own. Or maybe quantity isn’t an issue, but you’ve been struggling to find quality candidates. Maybe it’s speed or a very specific skill set you’re looking for. Whatever it is, make sure that their promise match up with your needs.
The Track Record
There are plenty of marketing staffing agencies out there, but not all of them are worth your time. Before you come to an agreement with one, ask them for references. Expect them to provide proof of their success rate. If they can’t prove that they have a successful record with other organizations, don’t expect any better out of your dealings with them.
The Reputation
Of course, it’s one thing for a company to assure you that they’ve got the goods; it’s quite another for their clients or the industry to back up that claim. Clients and former clients will have no desire or motive to paint the agency in a more flattering light than necessary, so for a completely honest take, talk to others in your industry who have dealt with the agency in question. You’ll learn quickly if they’re as good as they say.
The Professionalism
A lack of professionalism, or any sign of disorganization, is a red flag when dealing with a staffing agency. Things like vague communications, delayed responses, key information communicated verbally rather than in writing, missed contract terms, and confusion or uncertainty about what they’re providing are all signs that you should run the other way! After all, the purpose of working with an agency is to take advantage of their systems, knowledge and level of organization. Anything less, you can definitely do yourself.
The Fine Print
Finally, as with any contract, always look at the fine print. Make sure you pay attention to every term in your contract; otherwise, you may be surprised to find that their services run out after a certain amount of time or number of candidates, or that they’re not obligated to provide a certain quality of candidate.
Concept testing is a great way for companies to get in touch with customers’ needs and generate innovative ideas when it comes to new product development. Here are some of the reasons why concept testing in new product development will help your company’s success.
What is Concept Testing?
Concept testing is the process of collecting qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate consumer responses to a new product development idea. Researchers rely on an array of methods to solicit customer responses, employing surveys, written statements, images, or graphics to gauge customer responses to a new product concept. The data collected provides companies and product manufacturers with important information that can save them time and money in the long run on development and marketing costs. In other words, concept testing in new product development essentially allows companies to ‘pitch’ new product ideas to potential customer bases, soliciting customer feedback and reactions.
Coming up with a new idea for a product is an arduous process in and of itself. Multiple ideas are pitched and thrown out while only a select few make it to the concept testing stage. Concept testing in new product development is an absolutely essential way for developers and researchers to determine what aspects of a new product need to be altered or eliminated in order to appeal to customers, allowing companies to cut down on unnecessary production, labor, and marketing costs.
When Does Concept Testing Occur?
Concept testing in new product development occurs before a product is introduced to the market. Thus, developers can work out any ‘glitches’ with a product before spending time and money on manufacturing and advertising costs. Concept testing doesn’t only allow for researchers to evaluate customer responses to the product itself, however. Researchers can also evaluate best practices involved in marketing and advertising campaigns. It’s important to recognize that concept testing focuses predominantly on the product concept or idea; it is not necessarily the same as marketing or advertising texting.
Concept testing in new product development also allows researchers and develops to stay attuned to changing market trends. Through the data collected, researchers can evaluate what types of products customers are interested in, or can identify an unfulfilled niche in product development, thus anticipating customer needs. Concept testing helps companies get closer to the customers they serve because customers will provide helpful and genuine feedback regarding the new product or service the company is pitching. As businesses and organizations look to launch a new product or invest in the development of a new product idea, concept testing is a valuable way for companies to identify the unique perceptions, wants, and needs of the intended market.
All Feedback is Good Feedback
Of course, some product concepts will solicit unfavorable responses, in which case businesses and organizations will have to go back to the drawing board, as it were, either tweaking their concept ideas based on the feedback provided, or scrapping the idea altogether. Few new product companies receive overwhelmingly positive reviews by test audiences, so the majority of concept testing projects understand that it’s a process of revision, revision, revision, until the concept is just right.
The feedback that companies and organizations get from concept testing in new product development aids them in creating the best possible products, or in investing in the best possible product idea to appeal to their customers. Sometimes, companies will research various markets, depending on how large a market-base they are looking for. Both small and large companies participate in concept testing because the advantages it provides far outweigh the expenses associated with it.
Competitive Markets
Businesses are perhaps in more competition with one another than they have ever been before. As the world becomes increasingly more globalized and online shopping is quickly becoming the norm, companies find themselves having to come up with new and smarter ways to develop and market new products. Concept testing in new product development helps companies differentiate between a good idea and a great one, helping them to offer customers only the best new products. It’s a consumer’s world out there, after all, and companies need not only to be accountable to their customers, but also to be highly aware of consumer perceptions, needs, and desires. The way that people do business has certainly changed with the onset of the new millennium, and companies must keep up with the trends in order to stay competitive.
Concept testing in new product development is a great way for companies and organizations to assess customer trends and desires when at the preliminary stages of a product’s development.
The landscape of the healthcare industry is changing. Patients play more active role in their care choices and you are required to provide them better information to help them make informed choices. But, how would they know until someone tells them? This makes marketing more important for your medical practice.
Medical marketing is not only about advertising your services. It also involves patient communications, fine tuning processes that will improve patient experience and adding a non-clinical perspective of patient care and services. Here are some tips for medical marketing services providers to develop a strategic marketing plan that will help medical practices.
Important Elements of Strategic Medical Marketing Plan
Your strategic medical marketing plan should have the ability to interact with your patients and potential customers on different platforms. Multi-channel marketing is the best way to communicate with your audience. Here are some important elements of the medical marketing ( http://www.ehow.com/list_7232478_medical-marketing-strategies.html ) plan you should focus on.
Responsive Website Design
A responsive website design means the site should respond to a user’s behavior and the device environment that includes platform, screen size and orientation. Today’s user accesses the internet from various devices that includes laptop, smartphones and iPad. The website should be able to automatically switch to suit the screen resolution, scripting and adjust image sizes accordingly. In other words, the website design should have the ability to adjust to the user’s preferences. The website should be easy to navigate even on the small screen.
Social Media Marketing
Hospitals need to take a deeper look at social media marketing to meet their target patient demographics. Several leading healthcare organizations are already using social media to successfully connect with patients. As per the Journal of Medical Internet Research, around 95% of hospitals are having a Facebook page while 50% hospitals have Twitter account.
The healthcare industry can learn a lot from the hospitality industry about using social media effectively and engage their customer base in conversation. There are several examples of using social media effectively to reach and resolve patient issues.
One such example is of Ohio State University Medical Center, which monitors Twitter and other social media platforms for posts by patients referencing their hospital and/or doctors. In one instance, one of their patients had posted complaint about wait time to see the physician. A staff member of the Ohio State University Medical Center responded directly to the patient on Twitter and contacted appropriate hospital staffer who arranged for a medical representative to meet the patient and diffuse the situation.
Email Marketing
Email lists are powerful tools of marketing for the healthcare industry. You can easily grow your hospital brand by offering content rich email marketing program on a regular basis. Your audience mainly includes patients, referring physicians and donors. The email marketing program can be effectively used to drive prospective patients to your clinic/hospital. It helps to inform and make people aware of the services you offer and stay visible until they need it.
Paid Advertising
Paid advertising aka PPC are good ways to save time and also effective to gain patients. There are several paid advertising tools such as Google AdWords, Facebook Local Awareness Ads, and LinkedIn Ads that bring more recognition, referrals and patients as well.
One of the good thing about PPC is you can always control the costs. Depending on your marketing strategy, costs can be as low as $1 per day with Facebook and $0.30 using AdWords.
Postcard Marketing
Postcards can be effective medical marketing tools. Direct mail marketing still holds importance in this digital age of marketing. The simple reason is today’s consumer is bombarded with too much digital marketing content and postcard come across as a unique marketing tool.
One plus-point of postcard marketing is despite inflation; postage rates are still affordable. Postcards are direct in their message delivery as there is no envelope masking the contents. You can easily gain the attention of the targeted consumer base by designing attention grasping, friendly postcards.
Marketing is important for every business, including healthcare and medical practitioners. And Medical marketing when done in the right way can have a direct influence on patient’s choice and also help in hospital branding.
Though non-profit organizations are not selling anything or don’t need publicity for their public service, they do need some marketing to reach their prospective donors and gather funds. And the best way to market the initiatives of a non-profit organization is to send out simple yet heartwarming postcards and newsletters. Hence, this direct mail solution is the most feasible option for any kind of non-profit event. In this article we are going to discuss how to use mail for fundraising events i.e. direct mail fundraising campaigns.
Why Direct Mail Marketing?
Direct mail marketing is one of the oldest but most effective means of marketing products, services and even non-profit initiatives. Postcards, newsletters, letters, brochures, calendars, flyers; there are a number of ways a non-profit organization can convey its message to its donors. It is preferred by almost all organizations even to this day, and the reason for direct mail’s everlasting success even during the times of emails, smartphones and social media is pretty simple; it is emotional. People have a certain emotional attachment to mail as it brings back the nostalgia of this once loved routine, eagerly checking for mails in mailboxes. In addition to being emotional, mails can also be customized, targeted, personalized and are cheap when compared to other alternatives like newspaper, radio and TV adverts.
Tips to Improvise Direct Mail Fundraising Campaigns
If your organization is hosting a fundraising event and if you are planning to send an invite to all your prospective donors via direct mail, follow the below mentioned tips to make it a successful direct mail fundraising campaign.
1. Preparing your Mailing List- Before you decide on aspects such as content, design, budget and postage, make sure you have a refined list of all the donors you want to reach out to. Based on their previous contributions and promises, prepare a refined mailing list that only includes those donors who are likely to donate this time. This increases your conversion rates, adds value to your fundraising event and also reduces the number of redundant mails and costs incurred.
2. Type of Direct Mail- As mentioned above, there are a number of ways you can convey your message using mail- postcards, newsletters, letters, brochures, flyers etc. In order to have a successful direct mail fundraising campaign, choose the type that will stand out in your donor’s mailbox. Your campaign’s primary objective must be to grab your donor’s attention and not end up as junk mail in trash. Attractive postcards and newsletters without envelopes are normally the ideal choice for fundraisers.
3. Outline and Design- With a bunch of other mail, your postcard or newsletter has to stand out and grab the reader’s attention in a few seconds. Outline of the entire mail piece, content distribution, its design, choice of colors, fonts- every little detail plays a major role in influencing your prospective donors. So in order to make your direct mail fundraising (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_mail_fundraising) successful, attention to detail and design is a must. Also ensure the paper quality is good enough to make the invite presentable and dignified.
4. Content- Though looks play a major role in grabbing attention, it is the content inside that makes all the difference once your mail gets picked up. Donors expect a lot of information such as the cause supported by the fundraiser, annual reports of the organization etc. Make sure to furnish every little information that’s worth mentioning and use bold fonts for headlines and other outliners.
5. Acknowledgement- Once the donors seem interested in the fundraiser and officially confirm their participation, it is a courteous gesture to send them a thank you card and acknowledge their contribution. Keep them well informed about the event and also mention how this contribution will further strengthen the relationship between the donor and the organization.
6. Contact Information- Lastly, to keep your direct mail fundraising campaign effective and successful, furnish the mail piece with all the relevant details, contact number & address and links to social media pages. Hand addressed mails are very popular in the non-profit organizations as they add value to the mail piece and make it look more personal.
