7 ways to make the phone ring

A true integrated approach to your communications is what is needed to maximise the effectiveness of your PR and your marketing communications strategy.

An effective PR campaign is about raising the awareness of your company and brand(s) in the minds of the target market. However, in isolation, it will not make the phones ring. You must implement some basic marketing tactics at the same time to ensure any awareness generated is capitalised upon.

Here are some key marketing practices that are easy to implement, cost-effective and will increase the number of leads and hence return on the investment in a complete integrated communications campaign.

1. Find out who your customers are and what turns them on!
Many businesses think they know who their customers are and the reasons why they buy their product or services, most often though, they don't really know. Set up a free online survey through Survey Monkey and find out. This helps you focus your key messages to their listening.

2. Take a good, hard look at your marketing material!
When was the last time you looked at the information you send to people to sell them your product or service when they do enquire? Maybe it's time to take another look.

- Do the key messages reflect what your customers say when you ask them why they've used your services?
- Does your brand and identity reflect what you're about, what your company stands for?
- Do you have short concise statement that accurately communicates to potential customers what it is that you do?

3. Talk to the people who pay you!
Many organizations spend a lot of money trying to create awareness of their product or brand to new target markets. Why not start your marketing with your most precious, current customers?

- Do you have a database and if so what state is it in? Is it accurate and up-to-date?
- Do you have a system set-up to regularly communicate to your current customers to maximise up-sell and cross-sell opportunities?
- Do you have a specific referral program in place to encourage current customers to pass on the good word?


4. Review your website and Search Engine Marketing
- Does your website reflect who you are and is it written from the customer's perspective or the company's?
- Does your domain name reflect your company name so it is easy for people to find you?
- Is there a Google Adwords campaign in place to drive the right traffic to the site?
- Have you looked at content matching and blogging?
- What else can you do online to optimise your exposure in the media?

5. Track and measure marketing performance
- Are you tracking where all of your leads come from and comparing that to your spend?
- A simple tick-sheet used by your receptionist asking, "how did you find about our service?" and one online, will suffice as a way to track your marketing & communications spend.

6. Are you throwing money away!
- After point 5 has been put in place you can ask….
- Are you allocating your budget in the right areas? Where do you get the most leads from and, do these result in real sales?

For example, do you get your best leads from your Yellow Pages Ad? Have a look and see if this money could be better spent elsewhere?

7. Are you doing enough bragging!
- Are you too busy working in the business rather than on the business
- Are you attending events or looking at other opportunities, which allow you to communicate to people about your business?
- Have you got your 60 second "positioning line" on what you do and what you stand for 'down pat'
- Are your key messages seeded through all the material that is sent out in your PR and your marketing?


In an effective integrated campaign everything works together to drive enquiry and the customers or prospects are reminded of your key messages at each touch point with your company to encourage their positive response.

So get those phones ringing!