What is Happening

At Miller Public Relations, we have been about marketing and public relations long enough to see the following cycle occur too many times to count:

• Your company or practice spends hard earned money on generating leads through mass marketing, social media, events, etc.
• Leads are generated and loaded into a spreadsheet or even high-tech CRM software.
• The “urgency of the now” causes those leads to remain dormant in that document.
• Finally someone says, “I guess we ought to contact those leads,” and calls 20 percent of them in the best-case scenario. (The percentage is based on the newest business statistics as what the best of the best do.)
• These leads generate little conversion so the sales force abandons the remaining calls.
• The other 80 percent of the leads never receive any care or nurture from the sales team, account managers, or patient liaisons.
• The executive team or board complains, “Our marketing dollars are not generating enough ROI. We are going to cut marketing budgets.”
• The marketing cuts cause initial lead generation to shrink even further, with only 20 percent of those leads being properly nurtured, dropping revenue further.
• The executive team fires the marketing director, agency or responsible party with the wishful thinking that grass is greener with this new marketer.
• Return to step one and repeat.

In today’s compressed economy, every lead generated is more valuable than ever. When clients and patients can research the good, bad, and ugly of your company with the click of a mouse, capturing a lead is more challenging than ever. Yet the primary goal of business remains the same–to generate profit by selling more products or services.

A Way Forward-Sorting Your Leads

Most of the time the sales force gives up calling leads because they are provided raw contacts with little or no qualification. Perhaps names were garnered for a giveaway at a publicity event yet many of the captured names are not in need of the services you offer. The sales force quickly realizes this, and upon yielding little fruit, abandons calling the remaining 80 percent of the leads, even though some of them may be solid leads.

At Miller Public Relations, we realize this is a problem for many businesses and work to make sure all means of lead capture for our clients includes some type of qualifier to separate hot leads from cold or warm leads. We have seen this help our clients filter leads more easily into one of four buckets:

• Hot—this lead is deep in the buying cycle and ready to make a decision.
• Example: I am going to get all-laser LASIK from somewhere.
• Warm—this lead is on the front-end of researching the decision.
• Example: I want to do something about my eyes. I am tired of using glasses and want to know what my options are, but I am not entirely sure what should figure into my decision equation.
• Cold—this lead qualifies and is need of your service or product but might not be aware of their need or the availability of your solution.
• Example: I wear glasses or contacts.
• Disqualified—these leads are not candidates for your product or services. Do not spend resources here.
• Example: I have 20/20 vision OR My income is very low and I don’t qualify for credit or payment options because of my credit history.

In one case, we helped our client sort a pursuable lead from a disqualified lead by placing a simple sentence under their online form: Our executive anti-aging health program is not covered by insurance or Medicare. This instantly moved many of the leads they were getting into the disqualified bucket. Many leads wondered if the program was covered by insurance or Medicare and weren’t going to participate if it wasn’t. These stopped filling out the online form or calling. Thus, every lead generated was now much more likely to be in the buying cycle and worth a follow-up. This energized their sales team dramatically.

As you create your lead capture systems, two determinations need to be made about your lead qualifier:

• Be precise. What are the one or two most important qualifiers that indicate a hot or warm lead? Study your ideal client, customer, or patient and prioritize what qualifiers and indicators make them ideal. What do they all have in common? This becomes your single greatest qualifier for sorting your leads into the right bucket.
• Be concise. What is the simplest way for the user to indicate his or her qualification and position in the buying cycle? No one wants to fill out a 37 field online form or endure a two-page survey when they are only at the front end of a decision. Garner your information with as little taxation on your lead’s energy as possible.

Nurturing Leads

Each of these lead buckets requires a different type of follow-up, but all leads must be intentionally nurtured. Few leads will simply self-select their way into being your client when there is so much market competition calling for their attention.

The Hot Bucket

Distinctive based marketing is key for hot leads. These yes-folks have decided they are going to buy a TV, have LASIK, purchase insurance, etc. The only question is who is going to meet their need. You must have a clearly defined message of distinction to set you apart from all of your competitors. You must show them how your solution will benefit them to a greater degree than your competitors’ solutions.

Many times a hot lead will have done research and know exactly what he or she is looking for in a service or product. At times, they may have a blind spot in their selection criteria you can bring to light

The Warm Bucket

The warm lead needs help in helping them select the criteria that he or she should be considering in their decision. Oftentimes, they realize their need but have no idea of what solutions or options are available. Using sales and marketing that centers on the “have you considered” question or the “you want a ____ who ______” statement greatly aids in moving them more deeply into the buying cycle and towards you as their provider.

Example: So Mr Smith, you are suffering from cataracts. Have you considered that all laser cataract surgery is now available in which a laser is used to perform many features of the surgery that used to be done with a blade? Many times the patient will not know this is available and will make the mental note to make sure any surgeon they are going to select has the technology available to do laser cataract surgery. You just excluded much of the competition by helping the patient define his criteria.

The other classic example of this marketing strategy is the “20 Questions to Ask a Plumber Before Hiring Them“ model, in which questions are created to help the warm lead establish the criteria they need to make their selection. Of course, this criteria exactly matches your offerings. (This is done honestly, as you have obviously selected to offer your product and services in the manner you do for a reason. You are simply pointing out that reason to the prospect.)

Warm leads can be ideal when you are given permission to guide the criteria conversation you can lead them right to your doorstep.

The Cold Bucket

Leads buy when they are ready; not when you or your sales team want them to. That is reality.

No one can predict the exact moment in time when someone is ready to buy what you sell. That being said, research has revealed that all salespeople place a subjective follow-up date on when THEY think a prospect will be ready to buy what they sell. This is unwise because if they salesperson guesses wrongly in this all or nothing proposition by even slight margin, the sale is lost. How is this overcome?

For the cold lead who isn’t ready yet, a strategy many call drip marketing can be utilized. Drip marketing is communication sent, or “dripped,” as a pre-written set of messages to customers or prospects over time. These messages often take the form of email marketing, although other media can also be used. Drip marketing is distinct from other database marketing in two ways: (1) the timing of the messages follows a pre-determined course; (2) the messages are dripped in a series applicable to a specific behavior or status of the recipient.

By dripping the benefit and value your product and service brings to a targeted group of people matching some degree of pre-selected criteria to your offering, you ensure that as they move towards the buying cycle, you will be in view.

Conclusion

Leads are called leads precisely because they must be led to your service or product. They typically don’t appear out of thin air, they must be genuinely and honestly nurtured. In order to best accomplish this, you must determine if a lead is first qualified, and if so, are they a hot, warm, or cold lead. An experienced agency like Miller Public Relations can help you determine your core qualifiers and message then in an effective way as you capture leads. There is both an art and science to this process. So begin nurturing your leads and watch those leads convert into clients, customers and patients.

- Jordan P. Fowler

These days, there are daily deal sites just about every direction you turn online. Through Groupon, LivingSocial, Google Offers and a seemingly endless list of others, consumers are promised discounted prices and vendors a big return. If you’re hesitant to jump on the daily deals bandwagon for your business, your reservations may be founded. To help you make the right choice, we’ve outlined 4 questions to consider when deciding whether Groupon is the right route for your business.

1.      Who is your target audience? First things first – is Groupon even reaching your consumers? Chances are the answer is yes; however, do yourself a favor and do your homework. Not all promotions, media, creative tactics, etc. work for all brands, so first start by making sure the demographics make sense.

2.      As an advertising tool, how does Groupon affect your brand? For just a moment, let’s set aside all thoughts of sales and focus on the marketing results Groupon delivers. First, you’re receiving immediate brand awareness. With over 22 million subscribers in North America alone, there is simply no denying that if nothing else, Groupon draws attention to your brand. Next, ask yourself, “What is a discounted rate saying about my product or service?” Take a look at your competitors’ marketing tactics and pricing. When it comes to marketing and business, it often pays to think outside the box; yet you should still be somewhat leery. A Groupon ad is probably ill advised if it has the possibility of devaluing or lessening your brand’s reputation down the road.

3.      Does your business rely on repeat customers? We’re sure you’ve heard the common argument that Groupon fails to build customer loyalty, but don’t rule it out just yet. Think about your product.  Do you rely on repeat customers or is your business a one and done sort of deal? If you’ve already concluded that Groupon won’t lessen your brand’s reputation, then this marketing giant just might be the answer to your search. On the other hand, if you’re dependent upon repeat customers, such as a spa or restaurant, you may want to assess the quality of your business before committing to a daily deal. Ask yourself, “Am I confident with my company’s level of customer service that I can generate repeat customers at my standard retail rates?”

4.      When it’s all said and done, will you turn profits? Remember, all that glitters isn’t gold, so don’t get caught in the hype. To be successful, your deal needs to be mutually beneficial for you and the consumer. Are 1,000 potential customers really worth it if you net a significant loss? Is Groupon worth your time if you are unable to offer a deal that pleases the crowds? Probably not.

Unfortunately in marketing, the answer is not always so cut and dry and Groupon, recently deemed the fastest growing web company of all time by Forbes, proves just that. When reviewing these points, your best bet is to go with your intuition.

As a business owner and/or consumer, what have been your experiences with Groupon and similar daily deals offers?

- Christina Hohman

Read the official press release from the US Chamber of Commerce here.

Serving great clients like Virginia Eye Consultants  is a joy and a passion!

One of Miller Public Relations’ valued clients is the USMD Prostate Cancer Center. We strive to keep abreast of all the latest prostate related news, including emerging studies and meetings. To aid us in this, we have a Google Alerts set on “prostate cancer” to notify us when anything new is published on the web. Today’s notice was interesting. From the same medical study results, here are the various headlines that were gathered by Google Alerts:

• Prostate cancer screening study adds to debate over PSA tests–CBS News
• Study finds PSA testing cuts prostate cancer deaths–Philadelphia Inquirer
• New data fuels debate over prostate cancer screening–Fox News
• Updated Study Underscores Prostate Cancer Screening Saves Lives–MarketWatch
• Prostate Screening Isn’t Saving Lives, Study Finds–Huffington Post
• New Study Confirming the Need for Prostate Cancer Screening…–MarketWatch
• Prostate cancer screening isn’t saving lives, study finds–USA TODAY
• Prostate Cancer Screenings Questioned–CNN
• PSA Test Cuts Prostate Cancer Deaths — at a Cost–WebMD
• PSA Screening Reduces Deaths From Prostate Cancer, Study Finds–BusinessWeek

In a day of tweets, sound-bytes and short attention spans, headlines matter. For some, it is the extent of their reading.

On the average Web page, users have time to read at most 28% of the words during an average [web] visit; 20% is more likely. (source)

Therefore, writers should give great care to their composition of a headline. Depending on their primary news source,  a headline reader would be more apt to get an annual Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test if they read Business Week or Market Watch. A Huffington Post reader might be tempted to blow off the annual test. Perhaps WebMD has the most balanced headline taking into account the life saving importance of catching prostate cancer early coupled with the expense and risks of treating latent prostate cancer that would, most likely, never cause death. (Consequently, this is one of the reasons why USMD Prostate Cancer Center offers their Active Surveillance Program, to vigilantly track prostate cancer’s progression, balancing the benefits and risks of treatment for their patients with early, slowly progressing prostate cancer.)

As copywriters, we need make sure our headlines are:

1) Truly balanced and fair to the information they are presenting. People will see past a hyped headline quickly and bail out on the following copy as soon as they think they are being played.

2) Concise. Keep the main point front and center.

3) Attention grabbing by revealing their relevance to the reader. In this case, most males in America don’t want to die soon, especially of prostate cancer, so using “death” in the headline copy was a wise choice

So writers and readers be alert. The old adage holds true, consider the source. And, well, consider reading past the headline, too. Your life just might depend on it.

Jordan Fowler

In a recent NPR report, David Linden, a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, stated:

It helps to consider how the brain looks for consistency and predictability in even a mundane event like reaching for a cup of coffee. Long before your hand reaches the cup, your brain starts making predictions about everything from how much force will be required to lift the cup to how the coffee will taste.

Once the brain makes its predictions, it starts to “use sensory information as it comes in to compare the prediction with what actually took place,” Linden says.

You grasp. You smell. You taste.

If the cup’s weight and the coffee’s flavor match the predictions, your brain declares victory. If not, it tries to figure out what went wrong.

The same thing happens when a client, customer or patient encounters your brand. Not your brand as a logo or color scheme or website, but your brand as their experience in reality as compared to the experience their brain predicted they would have. If they expected their doctor’s office would be clean with a courteous staff and you deliver that experience, the body actually releases dopamine, a chemical reward of good feeling for the brain toward your brand. If they had to wait longer than expected or were treated unprofessionally, the brain makes a deep mental note of displeasure that the experience did not match what the brain predicted.

The Lesson

Striving after excellence in every aspect of your brand is not an end in itself. Rather, in striving for excellence you are seeking to surpass the brain’s predicted expectations and launch a chemical reminder to the customer, client or patient that your product or service is exceptional. Here are a few examples of branding at which the brain makes predications and sets expectations:

• The ease of finding needed information on your website.
• The décor and cleanliness of your store, office or practice. You expect a hole-in-the-wall joint to have concrete floors and industrial fixtures. You don’t expect that of a surgical specialist’s office.
• The quantity of time they will get with you as their doctor, salesperson, or representative.
• The quality of that time. Were you engaged and in the moment?
• Your subsequent availability to answer questions and concerns about your service, product or procedure.
• The cost they expect to pay for a service, product or procedure.

Avoid the Mismatch

If there is a mismatch between their expectation and a lowered reality, dopamine levels in the brain actually drop. This is what could be deemed “bad brand aftertaste.” We have all eaten something that had an unpleasant aftertaste and most of us didn’t go for a second bite. The same is true for our brains. A bad brand aftertaste usually results in a “no” decision by a client, customer or patient. It ensures they won’t repeat the experience with us, but will seek an experience that better matches their predicted expectation somewhere else. It often leads to them broadcasting their displeasure with your brand to friends and family, and with social media, their megaphone of discontent just got much bigger.

While exceeding their expectations at every point possible, make sure their experiences with your brand do include enough of a predictable pattern match to their brain’s expectation that they can relate to it. If you are too outside the box and haven’t managed the way your customer will predict their experience, your creativity can actually backfire on you.

This actually happened in Boston years ago. In an attempt to introduce the concept of the telephone, a novel idea was constructed where theater goers in both Boston and New York would watch a play, and afterwards patrons could walk to the front of the theater and pick up this new invention and talk to someone in the other city about their thoughts and feelings about the play. Cool brand development? Not so much. The idea was so beyond anyone’s predictable pattern of expectation regarding the product brand that exactly zero patrons participated in the exercise.

The morale? Exceed expectations but have enough of the familiar that the brain says, “YES! This is exactly what I was looking for!” This is the making of a strong brand.

- Jordan Fowler

VEC Blue Ribbon Press Release (pdf format)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Cyndi Miller
cmiller@millerpublicrelations.com
1209 Hall Johnson Rd,
Colleyville, TX 76034
Ph: 817.281.3440

Virginia Eye Consultants One of 75 Small Businesses Named U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Ribbon Award Winners

Washington D.C—March 7, 2012 —Virginia Eye Consultants, a leading vision care center headquartered in Norfolk, VA, was selected as one of seventy-five companies across the country named Blue Ribbon Small Business Award® winners by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Virginia Eye Consultants and other recipients were recognized for their dedication to the principles of free enterprise and their contributions to restoring jobs and prosperity.

“The recipients of this year’s Blue Ribbon Award excelled in business amid great uncertainty and thrived despite difficult economic times,” said Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber president and CEO. “More important than profits, their successes have provided much-needed jobs and hope to the people in their communities.”

The awards program, sponsored by Sam’s Club®, honors companies, like Virginia Eye Consultants, that demonstrate excellent business practices in several areas, including strategy, employee development, community involvement, and customer service.

This year’s 75 Blue Ribbon winners were selected from a record number of nationwide applicants and will be honored at America’s Small Business Summit 2012, which will be held from May 21–23 in Washington, D.C. On March 15, Virginia Eye Consultants will be in the running to be named one of the seven award finalists. One finalist will be named the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year during the summit. The winner will be presented with a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the U.S. Chamber.

Blue Ribbon businesses are also eligible for the Community Excellence Award, which will be decided in March through online public voting.

 # # #

 The expert team at Virginia Eye Consultants has been providing exceptional eye care to patients throughout Virginia for more than 30 years and is dedicated to helping each patient achieve optimal vision results. With the world’s most advanced technology and a team of committed eye experts, their many areas of expertise include cataract surgery, ophthalmic plastic surgery, corneal transplantation, refractive surgery and general eye care. A dedication to teaching, research and surgery has earned Virginia Eye Consultants an outstanding national reputation in the field of eye care. For more information about Virginia Eye Consultants visit www.virginiaeyeconsultants.com or call (757) 622-2200.

Below, we’ve listed some of the main differences you’ll find with the new Facebook Timeline.

Cover Photo

Although it’s called a cover image, it’s probably unlike any “cover” you’ve ever seen. Facebook has set certain guidelines on what is prohibited and therefore it acts more as a backdrop than anything else. Here’s what your cover photo can’t have:

• Contact info
• The words “share” or “like”
• No pricing or purchase info

Profile Picture

Your main picture must be square and at least 180 pixels wide. Due to the size image, we highly recommend you chose something simple, such as your brand logo.

Posts

Do you especially like a specific post? Well, now you can make it stay awhile. Facebook Timeline allows you to click the pencil button to pin the post to the top of your page’s timeline.

Direct Messaging

This is by far our favorite thing about the new Facebook. You are now able to privately message fans and vise versa. Maybe you’ve started a public conversation online and now need to pass on or receive some personal information such as a phone number. The new messaging feature makes it that much easier for your brand to cater to your consumers’ needs.

Layout

Photos, likes, apps and maps are at the top of the new page. Photos must remain in the first position, but you may decide the order of the ones that follow.  As you can see, there are only four spots visible without clicking the arrow, so choose wisely!

Admin Features

Facebook has made it easier to manage your page by combining your stats, such as new likes, notifications and insights in one handy spot, called your Admin Panel, right at the top of your page.

Which updates will best help your brand increase audience communication and overall consumer satisfaction? Do you think the new features benefit the consumer and provider equally, or one more so than the other?

1.)  First and foremost, blog about a topic you’ve known and enjoyed for a while. Arguably, the worst thing you can do is choose a topic in which you aren’t decently knowledgeable and 100% committed.  Deciding on a topic you enjoy, such as your favorite hobby, makes it much easier for you to WANT to produce regular content.

2.)  Be sure you include a striking title. This is the very first chance you have to catch your readers’ eye – so go ahead and make it count! Why should people choose to read your blog over the 1,000s of others written on the same topic?

3.)  Use an informal tone. Tell your message as if you were talking to a good friend and don’t be afraid to let your personality shine.  Whether you select a humorous, cynical or lighthearted tone, as long as it’s genuine, you’ll attract the right audience.

4.)  Include a call to action. When writing, keep in mind that people turn to blogs for motivation, guidance and opinions.  A successful blog should share valuable information that moves the readers to participate and encourages communication of BOTH conflicting and likeminded opinions.

5.)  Write your content in press release format. As discussed earlier, you have limited time to catch and hold your audiences’ attention.  To ensure that the meat of your blog is ingested, begin with your most significant points, just as you would in a news release.  Reread your post when finished to make certain all ideas are relevant to the reader AND the main theme.

6.)  Get creative. When it comes to YOUR blog, no one knows YOUR message better, so don’t limit yourself to common standards and practices.  While tips such as these are meant to improve the delivery of your message  - they should not serve as a step-by-step manual.  Not all suggestions work for all bloggers.  Don’t be afraid to try something new.

7.)  Include lists and bullets. If you have not yet noticed a reoccurring theme, we’ll say it once again. Time is of the essence, especially when it comes to catching your readers’ eye.  Most people tend to skim instead of taking the time to read each post thoroughly.  To dodge this obstacle, use bullets and lists.  The easier the good stuff is to find, the better chance of your audiences reading, finding value, and ultimately sharing your blog.

Think we missed something important?  Tell us what you’ve done to maximize your blog’s wow factor!

Miller Public Relations is pleased to announce its most recent addition, Social Media Specialist and Account Executive, Christina Hohman. Christina joins MPR from Charleston, SC, where she graduated with her Master’s of Art in Communication from the College of Charleston. Before relocating to Charleston, Christina attended Marshall University in Huntington, WV, and obtained a double B.A. in Economics and International Affairs.

While pursuing her graduate degree, Christina discovered her everlasting love for social media marketing. While in school, her research favored social media over traditional marketing because of its “bottom up” effect. She claims, “Social media gives companies with diverse budgeting needs an equal opportunity to market – as long as you have the creativity and knowledge to generate a viral message.”

Christina considers herself to be somewhat of a nomad. Due to her father’s engineering profession, she has lived in over 10 cities in 7 different states, including North and South Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, and multiple locations in California and Texas. Having lived in Corpus Christi, TX, well over 10 years ago, Christina is excited to return to her Texan roots.

In her spare time, she enjoys playing contact sports, specifically soccer, and fundraising and volunteering for charitable causes. Having run her first full marathon (yes, that’s 26.2 miles!) within the past two years, Christina is eager to hit the ground running in the Lone Star State. This time around, she’s admittedly looking to tone it down a notch by participating in a half marathon. Welcome to the MPR team, Christina!

Fast forward to today. For my most recent TV purchase, I went to the Internet and researched the specs, editorial and user reviews on the television options that were in my price range. I looked at my favorite sites, including Amazon and New Egg pouring over the reviews. I even asked my Facebook friends their opinion. Plasma or LED? 720 or 1080? Audio quality? Was it a good value? How long did it last? Would they purchase it again? I also looked to see if it was cheaper online than at a retail store (remembering to account for shipping). None of this was possible pre-World Wide Web.

We now use multiple sources before making a consumer decision. In fact, the average shopper used 10.4 online sources to make a decision in 2011, up from 5.3 sources in 2010.

This new research-reviews-before-purchase approach is applying more and more to small items. 3M, makers of products like Scotch Tape, opened up reviews on their website, not knowing what to expect. They received over 3,000 reviews.

Why has this all changed?

One word, availability. The time and effort required to acquire a product or service review is now drastically reduced. Finding what others think is the best tape is as easy as doing a quick search in Google or Amazon. This is a far cry from attempting to track down a past issue of Consumer Reports that had our particular item we were researching (no longer necessary as CR is now online).

What should I do as a company selling a product or service?

Be your own reviewer. Provide your customers specific information and specs on your services and products offered. See what features reviewers like and emphasize those features on your site, in advertising and through Social Media.

Have a third-party research your product (this can be a formal research company or simply a friend). What do they want to know that is difficult to find? What did they not know that they are glad they now do? How would they summarize your product to a friend?

Consider allowing product and service reviews on your site. While many companies are hesitant to put reviews about their product online, 80 percent of online reviews are positive and most consumers expect to see a few negative reviews or their suspicion actually rises.

Monitor your off-site reviews. Even if you don’t have reviews on your own website, there are tons of other sites like Yelp, that allow others to express their opinions. Make sure you are monitoring these reviews and interacting when appropriate.

In Conclusion

Today, it’s even more important than ever to influence consumers’ decisions as they do their own research on your service or product online. Don’t fight the research-reviews-before-purchase approach, join it.