by JimRaffel on November 2, 2010
How often do you take an hour or so and convert all your projects into a larger written plan?
While I don’t have a set interval, looking back through my Moleskine notebooks I write it all down about four times a year. For me this is more than a writing goals exercise. It’s a visualization of how all the pieces fit together. This last incarnation (thanks to my Sketchnotes experience) ended up being the most useful yet, with lots of arrows clarifying the linkages of the many little bits.
While writing in and of itself helps me clarify my thinking the addition of Sketching took the most recent plan to a different level. Not only was the plan more clear to me but as I look back over the last six weeks I see that I have been able to watch it happen.
How you commit your plan to “paper” matters. I’m not saying the Sketchnote approach I’ve taken is the answer for everyone but I can tell you it’s done wonders for me. I listed four projects as the future. Two have been completed and the other two are what I’m currently working on. I found ways to make all the other items on the list “feed the future.”
The exercise helped me identify some square pegs i’ve been trying to fit into round holes in my plan. I’m working to turn a couple of those items into cylinders. The others I’m either not doing anymore or working towards not doing anymore.
Your turn, how to do convert all the little bits and pieces into a big picture that makes sense for you? Meanwhile it’s about time for update my plan.
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by JimRaffel on July 27, 2010
For small businesses, staying in meaningful contact with your customers regularly can be a challenge. Equally challenging is finding recurring revenue streams to smooth out business downturns when they occur. Micro campaigns address both these issues.
First, a definition. A micro campaign is a multi-touch campaign and reaches out to a small segment of your customers, past customers or prospects list. The message is tightly focused and only intended for this small segment. High response rates are further ensured by use of color, personalization and a combination of online and offline communication.
Four benefits of micro campaigns
Re-establish customer contact – There are inactive customers in your database that you have not done business with in a year or more. Oh sure, they’ve gotten the email newsletter, but they know that goes to everyone. A micro campaign will speak to their unique situation. The language of the communication makes it clear this is a special offer and conversation just for them.
Scrub the database – The reality for many small businesses is that we end up with more than one database. (Hey, lets be honest: some of the big guys have a worse problem with this than than we do!) Monitor the returned email and postal mail. A return from both probably means you can delete the contact. A return from only one means it’s worth some telephone followup to clean up the data you have.
Generate revenue – Who doesn’t like a special offer with their name on it and their own unique discount code – a genuinely great offer that is only available to them and a small handful of others (for a limited time)? The goal is to convert these past customers or prospects into current and active customers.
Expand the active customer list – Think about what adding a handful of active customers each month would mean to your business. At the end of a year you could easily double your active customer base. If you are doing most everything else in your business right, this will mean more sales and more profits. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but in twelve months a series of micro marketing campaigns will have you well on the way to doubling your active customer base.
Tomorrow I’ll discuss the execution plan I use for micro campaigns.
For now, what are your thoughts on marketing to small groups of customers or prospects?
Photo Credit
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While I don’t have a set interval, looking back through my Moleskine notebooks I write it all down about four times a year. For me this is more than a writing goals exercise. It’s a visualization of how all the pieces fit together. This last incarnation (thanks to my Sketchnotes experience) ended up being the most useful yet, with lots of arrows clarifying the linkages of the many little bits.
