Define and narrow your market!
I took a long walk in the Hundred Acre Wood just now, with my trusty companions Herschel the schnauzer and Lorraine the blind black poodle. We kicked up some dust- the blizzards that caught us by surprise last week have melted into piles inside northern shadows laid down by Ponderosa Pine and Scrub Oak. Always a great place to mull over my issues.
And here's where I arrived: I am a bookstore, like Borders or Tattered Cover Independent. Only instead of offering mass marketed books, I offer personalized online books for motivated and creative people of all ages to publish.
So, Dreamweaver, are you going to suggest I study bookstore markets? Because they don't shut out children or youth or men or women or anyone. One book fits all because the book I sell is the story of their life.
And here's where I arrived: I am a bookstore, like Borders or Tattered Cover Independent. Only instead of offering mass marketed books, I offer personalized online books for motivated and creative people of all ages to publish.
So, Dreamweaver, are you going to suggest I study bookstore markets? Because they don't shut out children or youth or men or women or anyone. One book fits all because the book I sell is the story of their life.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Diana on -
After 6 years in my business,I wanted to narrow my market and discover new business avenues.
I recently joined my chamber and through this set up a meeting with a small business marketing expert.
She is well known in our area and used to be head of marketing for a major Chicago newspaper.
I believe in every town/county there is a different set of people that would enjoy/need all products more than others.
Working with her and learning more about the women in my county,we narrowed it down that I would be best marketing to working women 30-50.
Marketing "SPA 2 U" as a convienence for women on the go.
Offering a gift service.
Bringing gifts for themselves or others right to their work place.
Saving them a trip to the store during the day or after work.
GUESS WHAT?????
It is working already!!!!!
I made a pamphlet,brought it to HR of businesses and hospitals.
Women and men are ordering gift sets delivered during the day.
Nurses love it!
They work 12 hour shifts!
Business women love the products and the convienence factor!
I can deliver a gift they need for a lunch birthday by 11am.
All packaged and ready to go!
I can still do home parties,vendor fairs or meet with women one on one.
But,gift service to these women helped narrow my market and helps me be home at night with kids and hubby and make money all day long!
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Steinhauser on -
Diana,
This is inspiring! Thanks for sharing your success.
I think it takes a while to feel out the market, don't you? To get a sense of your product, how it works, how others respond to it. Then, when you are ready, the advice of someone like Dreamweaver can be of great assistance in narrowing your focus.
Good move on your part.
Barbara
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Permalink Reply by Dreamweaver on -
Barbara,
Don't shut out anyone. Open the right door.
Some writers write books and there are is a wide variety of genre. Some write poetry. Some write blogs and some carve on logs. (Sorry)
Your business is Heritage Makers right? It's not self publishing novels. It's a neat niche that gives people an opportunity to put their story together with their pictures or vice versa in a hard bound 21 page book, cards, posters and calendars.
Who is more likely to be most interested in recording their heritage? A man or a woman? Who is most likely to spend the money? Rich or poor or somewhere in the middle? Who is more likely to gain satisfaction from giving a creative gift? Who has the most time to follow through and stay with the project through completion? Who is the keeper of the pictures? Who is most likely to be the keeper of the memories?
What I am suggesting is define and focus marketing to that person. The one within the population as a whole, with the highest percentage most likely to be interested in what you offer with Heritage Makers. Sure it could be anyone, any age, any gender. Who and where and what is the most likely person? What is their why?
Let's say that someone is getting married and there's an idea that a Heritage Maker book would be better than just a wedding album. In the American culture, who would be most likely to spearhead that project? The bride? The groom? The mother of the bride or the mother of the groom? The father of the bride or the father of the groom?
From your site:
We are Storybooking
Story is at the heart of all we do. Stories provide a way for us to discover the rich heritage of which we are a part. With Heritage Makers unique online publishing process those stories can be preserved forever in custom hardbound books and projects.
So what about a personal storybook for that young boy or girl? Is the father more likely to come up with, be motivated by and follow through on the project or is it the mother? Is this young mother more likely to have the time and money or would she ask her father, or her mother?
Let's say we have a party in a big room with lot's of guests. There us usually one person or a group everyone eventually migrates to. Who is that person for heritage makers?
Find that person who is the most personally motivated and able and/or that person everyone is most likely to go to and you have your core market. Market to your core and the rest will come.
Dreamweaver
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Steinhauser on
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Thanks, Dreamweaver. Well said. The party illustration works. I see my go to person.
So tell us about your television show on Saturday. How did you get this started and how are you using television to market your PrePaid Legal company? How have you specifically targeted your market?
Alice, alias Barb
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Steinhauser on
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Okay, I've been looking online for retired women sites. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where might be the best place to advertise?
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Permalink Reply by Dreamweaver on
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How about the AARP online community? Wonder if you could just join and write your magic without paying for advertising?
http://www.aarp.org/onlinecommunity/
Cheshire
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Permalink Reply by Dreamweaver on
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Thank you for asking Mrs. Storyteller. I'll answer your question about my target market in another post. Allow me to answer the question about our television show if you will.
Pre-Paid Legal did a survey last year and learned that even after 35 years in business and listed on the big board since '86 (you have to be the best of the best to get there and stay there.) generally speaking, no one really knows what we do.
What I have found most useful is I can now call an attorney about all the little things that happen all the time to just about everyone. The $300 or even the $50 problem that was previously too small to call an attorney about and just costs time and money.
Most people aren't making legal decisions in those cases. It's usually a financial decision even when we know we're getting (fill in the blank)ed. Now I call the attorney and they blow it away. It adds up to a lot more in savings than I've ever spent for the service.
It's funny, there have been legal plans in Western Europe for close to 100 years, and today, in some countries (Germany, for one) 80% of the citizens are covered by some form of legal plan. Obviously there's a good reason for that level of participation. Yet in America, the most litigious nation on earth, a nation with 5% of the world's population and 50% of the world's lawyers, fewer than 2% of Americans have a legal plan.
According to the American Bar Association "More than half of all households have a legal situation right now." Either you or someone you know needs to know about this.
We are strongly endorsed by the President of the American Bar Association, the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the President of the National Black Chamber of Commerce and more current and former Attorney Generals than I can list.
Understand what we can do for you, your family, your business or for someone you know in the comfort of your home this Saturday April 19.
Pre-Paid Legal Media Spotlight Event
JUSTICE FOR ALL | ACCESSING THE PROMISE
Pre Paid Legal will be featured on truTV!
Justice for all is a nice idea, but does it really happen in our courtrooms when lawyer fees seem to be outside of the average person's budget? The majority of injustices never find their way into the courtroom. As life happens around us, there are times when unfairness rears its ugly head. The examples are limitless:
* a company denies a warranty claim
* a service provider overcharges a client
* a credit card company takes advantage of a person they claim to want to help
* and thousands more…
When it happens, perhaps we make a few calls, talk to a few supervisors, but sadly, most of us are forced to pay the fee of whatever injustice that day brought and move on.
It doesn't have to work that way.
More than 3 ½ decades ago Pre-Paid Legal became a pioneer in the legal industry and today provides access to justice for common, and not so common, life events to over 1.5 million members.
We invite you to watch Justice For All, Accessing the Promise, and discover justice for yourself.
On truTV
Saturday, April 19th
Please check local listings for program availability in your area.
11:30am Eastern
10:30am Central
9:30am Mountain
11:30am Pacific
Time and availability will vary. Be sure to check local listings for the programming provider in your area.
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Steinhauser on
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I can endorse PPL program from personal experience. My son had an accident a week after he received his license- he was avoiding a deer, they run rampant around our home- and we used Prepaid Legal to great success. So much so that he decided to get two more tickets and use PPL twice more... and then his older sister decided to total her car and use them and... arrggghhh. One child left to get her license. Anyway, for kids alone, this is a great deal.
And I didn't even hear about PPL or purchase it from Jerry... I found it on my own.
Barb
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Steinhauser on
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Oh this is so humiliating! I am already a member....
oooohhh yes. I'm old.
I'm melting... melting...
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Steinhauser on
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Hey Jerry,
Just finished watching your show on truTV. It was pretty impressive! I thought the focus on services, verified by true testimonials, was very effective. You had many big names supporting the business and made it almost a no-brainer to become a member. I was a bit surprised at the end, when the former Gov. of Mississippi all of a sudden invited viewers to join the business. It was a bit out of context and confusing, as the rest of the program was about the consumer. But the piece certainly did make a case for PrePaid Legal Services. In today's environment, this is like having health insurance- don't leave home without it!
Anyway, thanks for alerting me to this documentary and congratulations on a job well done.
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Permalink Reply by Dreamweaver on
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Thank you for watching. I thought they did a stellar job once again and added to the previous installments with a testimonial from a business situation.
And yes, they added the "if you want extra income" plug at the end last month and I cringe. I want people to watch and learn how valuable the service can be for them. What I don't want is for someone who needs the service to be turned off by the recruiting come on. It doesn't belong there. But alas, I don't make the decisions about free publicity.
I just give regular folks access to attorneys. It works!
Thanks Barb.
Jerry
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Steinhauser on
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It does work! Once again, I have proof of this in my life.
Again, this ended up in Spam. That upsets me. I guess I will have to check it more often and mark, "NOT SPAM" on you emails.
Thanks, Jerry, for caring about helping us regular folks.
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