High Efficiency Marketing: Making the Best Use of Your Time
As Argentum's 10th anniversary year comes to a close, we want to thank you for helping us reach this point. Whether you've referred us, acted as a sounding board, hired us, clicked through to read our newsletter, or supported us in any other way, please know that it has all been appreciated. Thank you!
This year's client roster has included not only all 30 businesses that participated in the New Venture Challenge at University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, but also companies ranging from MightyVine, a start-up hydroponic tomato greenhouse to Rise Baking Company, a sophisticated private equity-backed B2B baked goods roll-up that has made four acquisitions to-date.
At this time of year, companies are often finishing up their marketing planning for the coming year. Read on to learn some shortcuts to help you be as efficient as possible with your marketing time. There's a 2-minute video with helpful rules for keeping your market research on point, tips for leveraging and retaining brand ambassadors, and a short list of criteria for quickly assessing unsolicited marketing opportunities.
The Care and Feeding of Your Brand Ambassadors
One of the Techstars companies I mentored this summer, Pak'd, delivers healthy custom lunches to your door. Targeted at moms, Pak'd has had a lot of success using a "Mombassador" program in the Chicago area as part of its launch.
I was recently having lunch with Rebecca, one of the co-founders, when she asked me for advice about managing and maintaining ambassador communities.
I've seen too many instances of start-ups that felt obligated to create a community as part of their marketing plan, even when they weren't sure how or why it would help their business. So I started by asking Rebecca about the program's objectives.
During a Research for Entrepreneurs workshop at Chicago's 1871 Tech Incubator, we talked about four market research rules you should know. They're good to keep in mind whether you're developing a discussion guide for a 1:1 interview or conducting a SurveyMonkey survey.
Have I Got a Deal For You! Evaluating Unsolicited Opportunities
Some of my clients find it challenging to say no to unsolicited marketing opportunities, especially the ones that sound pretty cool and take advantage of the latest and greatest technology.
At the risk of sounding jaded, I've been receiving marketing solicitations for over 20 years, and while the technology might be different, the opportunities are awfully similar.
My goal is to help my clients not waste their precious time chasing after most of these opportunities. But I also want to teach them how to do a rapid initial strategic assessment in case something they receive is not only exciting but relevant.
