Last year whenever we looked at our beautiful plum tree, we tasted bitterness – not the sweet taste of plums we had hoped for . . .

A late spring frost had taken out most of our crop. Thousands of promising little orbs that we had been celebrating in May just blackened and fell off.

Our neighbor up the road, who makes a living off of his orchard, noted this unseasonable chill was a tough blow to his fruit business.

And he wasn’t the only one hit by the late chill. Our friend, Wendy, with whom we partner in raising pigs told us she had lost a hundred or so chicks to the late drop in temperature.

And this was on top of losing almost a full litter of piglets when the mother pig rolled over on them as they snuggled close. Wendy confessed she had literally broken down in tears at this event.

However, as bad as each of these small tragedies were, each of us had backup plans that compensated a bit. Our friend with the orchard had a stellar peach crop (the blossoms came a bit later).

Wendy had a good herd of beef cattle growing fat on her pasture.

And while the plums didn’t come through, we had some nice strawberries and our pear tree stunned us with its heavy load.

Farming teaches you one thing in stark terms – diversify or fall prey to nature’s whims.

Marketing isn’t much different . . .

3 Benefits Of Multichannel Marketing

In marketing, too, you’ll fare better if you don’t keep all your eggs in one basket. (Surely a bit of wisdom coined by some farmer who didn’t see the rock in his path!)

When you diversify, you create a stronger safety net for your business, bottom line. But there’s more to diversifying into other channels than just safety. Diversifying your marketing can also bring you stronger results and more credibility.

Over the past few months I’ve written magalog copy, print newsletters, online ezines, website pages, SEO copy, social media copy, autoresponders, sales letters and video scripts.

My clients are eliciting response through a variety of formats.

For the record, the web hasn’t taken over. Email is not dead. And yes, people still read a solid letter they can hold in their hands.

Why Go Through The Expense Of Direct Mail Marketing?

As MaryEllen Tribby and Michael Masterson write in their rich book, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways To Make Millions For Your Business,

If you embrace multi-channel marketing, you will see improvements in your business almost immediately. And those improvements will continue at lightning speed, transforming your business into something much greater than it is now. How big and how fast it grows is up to you.
- MaryEllen Tribby and Michael Masterson, Changing the Channel

The trend is huge. The time is right. Your future is unlimited.

If you’re doing pretty well online, why go through the challenge and expense of print? Because many marketers I know who focus on print find they just can’t make the same money they make in the mail when they shift to online. Sure, it takes testing, precision and refinement. But when done well, it works.

As marketing expert Dan Kennedy explains, one disadvantage of online is that it’s so easy to compare you with someone else . . . and then forget about you as they click away into oblivion.

Offline, your sales letter sits there on the counter, tucked into a pile, nagging them to take a look. It might even take a trip in a totebag to soccer games or the office. And unless there’s been a strange mail quirk, your letter isn’t usually sitting right next to one of your direct competitors.

Boost Your Credibility By Being Everywhere

In addition to diversifying your reach, multi-channel marketing solidifies your credibility.

Your landing page becomes that much more potent when your prospect also hears one of your radio ads and then finds a special mailing from you in their mailbox.

It’s like volume in geometry – it takes 3 different dimensions to describe volume (length, width and height). When you market in multi-dimensions you make your company feel 3-dimensional. Certainly – people tend to subconsciously reason – if you’re advertising both here and there, you must be real enough to make the investment. You must be a solid company.

3 Ways To Diversify

So without further ado, here are a few ways to diversify your marketing.

And please note, each new form of marketing comes with its own special bonuses as well . . .

If you’re busy optimizing your site for search engines . . . dive into social media.

Social media can
· Bring you another source of free traffic
· Boost your search engine rankings
· Provide you with a wonderful place to test headlines for online and offline promotions
· Help you research your market.

If you’re working your email list but would like to see some stronger response . . . try a snail mail piece – a printed free report, bookalog or CD.

As much as kindles and online are all the rage, people still hold onto these tangible mediums if done well. If you craft your free piece with good information skillfully interwoven with the right sales messaging, a hard copy free report . . .

· Feels even more like a free gift to your prospects, solidifying your position as a trusted resource
· Sits on the counter, coffee table or on your desk staying top of mind with your prospect
· Is easy to lend to a visitor, friend or family member and harder to get lost like electronic files do.

If you’re busy working the mail but feel like your website isn’t keeping up . . . consider a site content audit and build your site to keep up. A good website can complement your offline business. It can . . .

· Bring in markets you hadn’t tapped before. With a nice mix of social media and SEO you can find people looking for your exact solution who are not on the mailing lists you tend to rent.
· Strengthen your relationship with your current customers. While a strong acquisition piece may build your customer base, easy access to information and shopping online may help you make them more frequent buyers.
· Strengthen your marketing by making it easier for customers to leave testimonials and easier for you to test headlines and offers

Obviously this exercise can go on and on and on . . .

Oh yes, and a little warning: Don’t make this an exercise in trying to keep up with the constant stream of what’s hot in marketing. You’ll very quickly start to feel overwhelmed by the new arrivals on the scene.

Every day there are new reports, new data and new innovations.

The point of this is not to bite off more than you can chew. Nor is it to fret that you’re not doing the latest and best thing that everyone else seems to be doing.

The latest is not always the best. In my last post I talked about a tried-and-true marketing method that has been used for eons and can work both offline and online.

The point here is to diversify. Carefully choose one or two new arenas to add to your marketing mix and then start integrating them into your marketing.

Don’t worry if they’re the best ones.

Don’t worry that you’re not doing everything the next guy seems to be doing . . .

Just worry about trying a few new forms of marketing, integrating them into your current marketing mix and making the most out of them.

Because there’s a second lesson that fits with both farming and marketing . . . it can sometimes take a few tries, refining your process through testing and experience, to fully enjoy a good harvest.

Last year was a devastating blow to us plum-eaters here at Surprise Farm Hill . . .

But we didn’t give up. This year we pruned aggressively, gave them some beautiful manure and a nice mulch of chipped wood.

As summer rolled around we carefully tended them with two organic sprays to control for fungal disease and the plum curculio.

And when July rolled around, our sturdy little tree was literally dripping with plums. We ate steadily and still couldn’t keep up with the harvest.

My freezer is filled with plum sauce ready to grace our yogurt and pork chops this winter. Now that’s a lesson I thoroughly enjoyed!

Want a whole bunch of ideas for diversifying your marketing so you can beat this bad economy? Check you my free report, 18 Ways To Beat The Bad Economy With Strategic Health Copywriting And Marketing.

Just sign up here and you’ll get it delivered to your inbox:

The majority of B2B websites in the nutrition industry make a deal-killing mistake right on their home page. It’s rampant. And it’s deadly.

It squashes leads. And it can rob your outstanding business of its distinction, tossing you and your sales team back into the morass of websites and businesses vying for your prospect’s attention.

What is it?

It’s that little button on the top right hand side of most websites that says, “Request a Quote.” Sometimes it appears in the only slightly less destructive form of “Speak To A Sales Representative”.

Why This Button Devalues Your B2B Nutraceutical Business

Seemingly innocuous, these little options are stealing your business away from you.

How could that be? Isn’t this what most prospective customers want when they come to your website? Isn’t this the best way to get them to contact your sales team?

Yes . . . and no.

Yes, it’s true that many of your prospects are interested in getting a bunch of quotes and comparing them to decide who to go with.

However, you don’t want to let this become the game.

And ultimately, your prospects don’t really either.

See, by putting this button on your website, you’re letting your quote define who your business is in your prospect’s mind. You’re letting your business be reduced to just another number. And you’re letting the value of your business – all your products and/or services – be defined by the cost of your goods and services.

When you let this happen you’ve already lost the online game. Because ultimately someone else online will probably offer goods and services for a better price.

And by making this the only incentive for getting in touch with your sales team, you’re letting price become the center of the whole lead nurturing and negotiation process.

Furthermore, you’re only inviting people who are close enough in their purchasing research stages to ask for a price to get in touch with you.  B2B sales cycles are tremendously long and only getting longer. By only focusing on people who are ready to get a quote, you’re missing out on the majority of your leads.

How This Button Hurts Your Prospects Too

For your prospects, this button does them a disservice because in reality, they want a lot more than just a price. They want help in making a decision.

It’s a rare major purchase decision that hinges only on numbers. Your prospects are interested in issues like quality, service, availability, and supportive research. They are worried about missing important considerations that factor into their decision. They are nervous about proposing a solution to decision-makers at their company without all the bases covered.

However, you can change the whole setup and become a super hero in the process.

You can change your business from being defined by price. And instead make your prospect value your business based on a much richer set of criteria.

You can even make price become a somewhat tangential factor in whether your prospect decides to pursue working with you further.

And you can position your business as a valuable partner in problem-solving way before price becomes even a part of the conversation.

Instead of inviting your prospect to get in touch with your sales team to get a quote, offer to help solve your prospects’ problem and help them in their decision-making.

How do you do this?

The Alternative That Will Bring Leads Who Value You

Replace that troublesome Request-A-Quote button with a compelling white paper offer.

Something like:

“6 Questions You Should Always Ask When Deciding On A Contract Manufacturer”

Or “Four Ways To Make Your Superfruit Product A Success”

(Actual white paper titles I’ve used for clients.)

Right on the top right-hand side of your home page (where the request a quote button usually lurks), advertise your white paper and ask your prospect to opt in so you can send them this valuable information.

Essentially, offer to help your prospect solve their problems instead of focusing on the sale and the price.

I’ve done this for my clients with rewarding results. In this troubled economy, one of my clients just reported an increase in leads of 20%. And especially nice, these leads were already pre-sold on my clients’ services.

You can do the same.

Avoid the price war and price discussion. Get rid of the quote-request button.

Use a white paper offer to get into the meat of the conversation – how you can help solve a prospective client’s business problems.

When you make that the hub of your interaction, you help your clients solve their business problems. And as a consequence you help your business grow.

Take this advice and use it to create a recession-busting dynamic duo using your white paper and website. Find out exactly how to do this in my free report, “How To Turn Your Website And White Papers Into A Recession-Busting Dynamic Duo”.

Sign up right here to request it:

This Sunday, while we were in the middle of applesauce making, our neighbors stopped by to pick up our goats.  They’re keeping them a few days to breed their does.

We can’t say we’re sorry to see them go.  They’ve been noisy . . . and incredibly picky eaters.  All those myths about goats eating everything are not true.  They won’t eat grass or apples.  And seem to have a yen only for fruit trees and raspberry bushes.

Truth is, the other goat owners in the neighborhood look at us somewhat askance since we don’t raise goats for milking . . . but for meat.  It doesn’t matter that chevon (goat meat) is the most widely consumed meat in the world.  Or that it’s one of the healthiest.  Or even that it’s milder tasting than lamb.

It’s just that it seems so strange to eat goat meat.  I’ve changed a few minds with a potluck contribution of curried goat, made according to recipes bestowed upon me by my husband’s aunt and sister. A few bites and all doubts are gone.

But I can’t cook curried goat for everyone.

My husband hit upon the best way to help people understand that goats can be multi-purpose livestock.  When we first moved into this neck of the woods, he was invited to join a four-wheeling excursion sponsored by the Swamp Stompers, a local off-road club.  Although he prefers taking these old logging roads by mountain bike, he had a good enough time.

But then came this awkward moment . . .

Just as everyone was relaxing around some barbecue, it came up that he liked goat meat.  Immediate silence.  Just like in those westerns when someone says the wrong thing in a saloon and the piano player, the chatter, the clinking glasses all stop on a dime.

“It’s a lot like venison . . . in fact,” continued my diplomatic husband.  And all the noise started back up with some backslapping to boot.  Since then, that’s all we’ve had to say to explain our odd choice of food.

There’s an important copywriting lesson in this story.

While people are drawn to the new and exotic, people are also wary of the unfamiliar.  Like goat meat.  And these moments of wariness can turn into roadblocks when it comes to selling your product.

Your job is to keep the excitement of the new alive, but also calm down the Nervous Nellies.  And the best way to do this is to use analogies, similes, and metaphors.

Yep, back to English 101.  These two wonderful rubrics of grammar will move your copy forward big time.  Just as a refresher, these are all ways to use some creativity and compare something that is unfamiliar to something that is familiar.  Usually you’ll use the words “like” or “as” somewhere in the process.

For example, the health benefits of acai berries are intriguing.  But they don’t give you that usual berry flavor you’d expect from a berry.  So explain that it tastes like chocolate.  And with the funny-sounding goji berries from Ningxia Province in China you might say it tastes like a mix of carrots and raisins.

Even if these points of references aren’t exact, they serve their purpose.  They provide a jumping off point into familiar-seeming waters.

The same is true with health concepts.  Don’t throw a bunch of technical terms at people that sound like something from Planet Mars.

For example, don’t explain that macrophages’ phagocytosis is responsible for the uptake and degradation of infectious agents and senescent cells.  Who can get their mind around that?

No, explain that macrophages are like the vaccum cleaners of the immune system, sucking up unhealthy cells and unwanted trespassers.

Give your readers something they can relate to.  Which is easier for you to understand?  Phagocytosis or vacuum cleaners?

Put this tactic to work and your prospects will read your next copy with that comfy, confident feeling a good analogy brings.

Please add your insights below . . .

Oh, and by the way.  I’ve included my curried goat recipe at the end should you be able to get a hold of some good local chevon.  It’s worth looking for . . .

Curried Goat

1. Wash 3-4 pounds of goat meat with a little distilled vinegar and water.  Pat dry.
2. Rub meat with the mixture:  1 bunch fresh thyme, 1 chopped onion, 5 chopped scallions, 3 T Blue Mountain Curry (or other West Indian curry mix*), ½ t salt, pepper.  Let sit for at least a half hour on the counter.  Ideal if you season it and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
3. Put meat in a Dutch oven with a little cooking oil.  Shmoosh a 4 whole pimentos (allspice seeds) and toss them in.  Add a whole scotch bonnet pepper (careful not to let it pop open), a few thin slices scotch bonnet pepper or a scotch bonnet pepper sauce.  If you can’t find any scotch bonnet you can use habanero pepper.  Add just enough for your spiciness tolerance.
4. Put it on medium-low heat until it’s reached a nice steamy simmer and then turn the heat down to a simmer.  Let it cook slowly for at least an hour until meat is tender.  I like to cook it all day in the slow cooker. In the last 20 minutes, you can add a few cubed potatoes as well.

Serve over plain rice or rice and pigeon peas.

*Note:  West Indian curry mixes taste different from the Indian ones.  I think it’s due to less fenugreek and more coriander.  You can use an Indian one but it will taste differently.

Dietary Supplement and Health Marketers Take Note:

The Natural Marketing Institute just completed a survey of over 3500 baby boomers.  And they identified a major shift in the baby boomer market place.  (see press release below) Most important to note:

1.  Because of the current economy, the baby boomer market for “fountain of youth products that are hip, cool or trendy” have decreased dramatically.

2.  Baby boomers are more careful shoppers, looking for store brands for example – “Perceived value vs. real value”.  And they are looking to stay closer to home and do more for themselves.

3.  Baby boomers are shifting from consumption to sustainability with a focus on how they can reconnect with aspirations and a commitment to the larger good.

Lessons you can take from this:

1.  Link your “fountain of youth” products to how baby boomers can continue to do the things that have meaning to them – volunteering, family, cooking at home for themselves, etc.

2.  Underscore the value in your product.  Note what distinguishes you – the attention to quality ingredients, the research behind your products, and the manufacturing oversight, for example.

3.  Highlight your commitments to sustainability.  If you plant trees for each order, use green energy, employ developmentally disabled workers, buy from cooperatives in the third world, talk about it.  But make sure you document it well and get certification where appropriate.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information contact

Nancy White

Natural Marketing Institute

215.513.7300, ext. 225

nancy.white@NMIsolutions.com

Economic Volatility Creates Changing Boomer Paradigms

Harleysville, PA – March 19, 2008: Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), the leading market research and strategic consulting firm specializing in health, wellness and sustainability, today revealed findings from NMI’s 2009 Healthy Aging/Boomer Database®.  NMI has been tracking multi-generational attitudes and behaviors, with a specific focus on Baby Boomers, via this annual study since 2005.

While the global economy continues to affect most generations, Boomers feel the most affected by the economic downturn and are also the most pessimistic about the duration of the downturn. This has led to shifting Boomer paradigms which will impact all businesses and organizations that are trying to reach this influential segment of the U.S. population.

In essence, Boomers are reevaluating their overall relevance and making the shift from consumption to sustainability, in part by searching for renewed aspirations in their lives. Four out of five Boomers believe that they have made a positive contribution to society, while a similar number state that balancing home and work life is important in their lives today. And over half of all Boomers believe they live a more satisfying life by having fewer material possessions and that finding a purpose in life is more important than making money. Look for this paradigm to continue to gain momentum based on a variety of external factors, including the economy.

What about retirement? Compared to 2008, more Boomers indicate that they will be working after retirement – with only a third saying they will stop working entirely. While the majority will work because they want to stay active, economic realities such as not having enough money to retire comfortably and maintaining current lifestyles factor into that decision. Based on NMI’s research, it is clearly evident that more Boomers will be “trading off” rather than “trading up” – they’re staying home more, dining out less and buying more store brands instead of name brands. This leads to another paradigm of perceived value versus real value. Boomers looking for the next fountain of youth remedy or products that are hip, cool and trendy have decreased significantly since 2006.

According to NMI Managing Partner Steve French, “More than any other consumer segment, Boomers are recalibrating their lifestyles as they reset the scales after decades of dualities — highs and lows. This generation desires ‘The Middle Way’ – defined as a lifestyle approach grounded in comfort, safety, sustainability and moderation. Boomers now seek new types of control and balance across their lifestyle.”

Conducted in January 2009 among 3,500+ general population U.S. adults, including 1,320 Boomers aged 44-63, the data from NMI’s Healthy Aging/Boomer Database® is nationally representative, balanced to the U.S. Census, and has a margin of error of +/- 1.8%  For more information, visit NMI’s website at www.nmisolutions.com/healthy_aging.html or contact NMI at 215-513-7300.

###

NMI is an international strategic consulting, market research, and business development company specializing in the health, wellness, and sustainable marketplace. For more information on NMI’s proprietary research reports and services, visit NMI’s web site at www.NMIsolutions.com.

They were in ecstasy.  Muscular snouts deep in the rich forest soil, stirring up pine needles and grubs galore.  Their tails moved back and forth with pleasure.  We had returned home from a bike ride to find our pigs had taken advantage of a weak electric fence and moved on to new territory.

We tried everything to get them back in.  Melon scraps, fresh sumac leaves, pleading and commands.  Finally, my husband and I were forced to use raw might against these obstinate 140-pounders.  I pulled a rope looped around a foreleg and he pushed from behind.

We pushed and pulled them, joining them in muddy pig glory on the other side of the gate (of course the muddiest part of the pen).  And to add insult to injury, after each roundup I had to reach into the ooze and carefully work the rope off of the pig’s foot as the errant diner lay there panting with exhaustion.

That night we went through dish soap, baking soda, salt, vinegar. Only an enzyme cleaner got the smell of pig off of us.

Just like me, you want to keep out of the mud – the FDA mud that is. And as tough as it is, because of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), you cannot let your customers dig into everything and indulge their every curiosity and question. You can’t talk explicitly about all that your products can do to help them.

This makes things particularly difficult when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).  Because while you can’t talk about “diabetes” or “Alzheimer’s” in your sales materials, those are the very search terms your potential customers are using.

Now some of you may be saying, but so many supplement websites use disease terms – why can’t I?  How are they getting away with this?

I’m not going to get into this discussion right here about the consequences of being noncompliant.  Pam Magnuson covers this beautifully in her course and landing page on FDA-compliant copywriting.  But suffice it to say, the FDA is increasing its vigilance and this is something worth paying attention to.

But what you can do is this:

-         You can mine the tail of your key words by building content around more FDA-neutral search terms like “blood sugar levels” or “healthy blood pressure”.

-         You may also be able to pull in some good traffic with search terms that address benefits like “strong memory” or “healthy joints”.

-         And you can continue to extend your reach with deeper benefit references by talking about “senior exercise” which may pull in people concerned about arthritis or “losing belly fat” for people who are also concerned about pre-diabetes or diabetes.

But you also want to be able to tap into that core traffic.

And this is where I take advantage of the “2-click rule”.  According to noted FDA attorney, Marc Ullman, you can talk about diseases, post relevant research, and more as long as it is insulated by two clicks from sales materials that specifically references your products.  In the interim page, you can have some generic information about an herb or supplement, but no brand-references.

So draw your traffic with good articles or free reports that use their search terms – “heart disease” or “cancer”.  And even though you can’t make a sale right there, if you have an opt-in, you can get back to them with an email follow-up that is integrated with other content you send to your list.

But there’s another benefit to this as well . . .

(And this is for you if you’re not marketing nutritional supplements as well . . .)

Not only does this tactic help out with the FDA but it works fantastically to build credibility and good will.  If you have followed internet marketer Frank Kern’s map to success, he takes advantage of this same tactic – give give give great information.  After you’ve established a strong relationship, where they feel indebted to you and eager for more information, you can bring in a sales message with tremendous results.  Your prospects will be even more primed to receive it.

A Word of Caution: While there is room with free reports to discuss diseases, it’s not an absolute safe zone. The 2-click rule is not law, just standard practice.

The FDA may conclude that the intended use of your free report is for marketing purposes – even if it is insulated – and send you one of its infamous letters about selling an unapproved drug.  You have to consider carefully the context of how you’re presenting this report, the report itself and how you use the list you build with it. Make sure that you stay heavy on the information side of things with mailings to this list.  And some companies, to play it safe, have created separate “information library” websites to further insulate their publications from being connected with their marketing activities.

Bottom line, you should always evaluate your publications with a lawyer who specializes in FDA legalities.

Please add your insights on this tricky issue below in the comments.

And if you’d like some help on developing SEO-rich content – both tip-toeing around disease claims and discussing diseases full force, keep my services in mind.  Email me at sarah@healthymarketingideas.com and we can set up a time to discuss your business, your goals and your website.

For some ideas on cost-effective marketing in addition to SEO, see my latest report, 17 Health Copywriting Tactics for a Tough Economy.

Just this morning I read through another article (this one in the NYTimes) panning the supplement industry. 

Essentially it said that there’s very little that distinguishes one vitamin brand from another.  And it goes on to quote Consumer Lab’s Tod Cooperman in saying that most manufacturers short-shrift consumers when it comes to ingredients. 

Finally, it contains a few doctor-certified statements dismissing the need for supplements if you exercise and eat right.

The original article is here: (Please note, if you leave to read this, come back and see my suggestions for marketing in this context)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/05/health/05patient.html?_r=1

As a supplement marketer, it’s frustrating to see this.  As a person who has seen the difference supplements have made in the health of my family and friends, I’m outraged.  Especially when there are so many authoritative statements out there about the benefits of chemotherapy in stopping cancer or the way the flu vaccine will protect you from the flu.

So how do we counteract this as marketers with products that really can help people, despite the prevailing media coverage.

Here are my suggestions:

1.  Provide thorough explanations about how your product works and the research that backs it.  In some cases you may want to include citations.  In general, you should provide some specifics about where the research was done or published.

2.  Discuss your manufacturing practices and ingredients criteria.  If you’re using proprietary processes or ingredients, highlight them.  Let people understand the quality that goes into your brand.

3.  Use testimonials.  Yes, the FTC has cramped our style a bit when it comes to testimonials, but we can still use them judiciously.  So provide these great witnesses to the fact that, yes indeed, your products do make a difference.

4.  Provide a generous guarantee and make it clear to the skeptics that you put your money where your mouth is.  If they are not satisfied from personal experience within a certain timeframe, they are welcome to send it back.  Now what kind of dishonest business, stuffing chalkdust in its capsules, would provide this kind of return policy? 

5.  Of course, many supplements don’t create dramatic effects that consumers can easily notice.  That’s partly why they are so good for your health – they don’t bludgeon your body, creating side effects, like pharmaceuticals do.  Explain this to your customers, explain how the often-gentler effects of supplements can take time to help your body get back in balance and for you to see the effects.  Give them some perspective on how supplements work.

And finally here’s the tough love one:

6.  Don’t use hype.  For your business and for the industry as a whole (upon whose health your business depends), don’t go overboard.  Don’t say things without evidence to prove what you’re saying.   With the internet and social media, news of false claims will catch like wildfire and burn you badly.  Solid claims provide the basis for a solid relationship with your customers.  

And the whole industry benefits from each drop of credibility we add to the mix – which, in turn, benefits you.

What tactics do you suggest?