The Two Most Powerful Words in Advertising

If you're reading this - you're wondering what they are? Before I give you the answer – let’s look at marketing the benefits of your service or product and the response of potential customers.

Many of the great marketing books written regarding tested direct response marketing were published several years ago. While the ideas of the gurus like John Caples and David Ogilvy remain valid, there are some changes when promoting in today’s market that need to be addressed so when you create your advertising and website headlines, you maximize your response.

The standard has always been to promote the “Big” benefits for your service or product to get the highest response.  Back then, using the words Free and New had great power and got people excited. 

[Infographic] 10 Ways to Split Test Your Marketing for the Outdoor Industry

Want more clicks on your website? Want more email subscribers?
Want more likes on Facebook? Not having success with your print advertising? Odds are you’re message needs fixing. How? Try split testing which means that you change just one aspect of your marketing to see how people respond. As you do this over and over - you will soon see what message gets the most return on investment!

Sold Out Season is the Premier Outfitter Marketing System offering do-it-yourself training through 5 phases of internet marketing including website positioning, SEO, Facebook, YouTube and email marketing. Like us on Facebook for free tools, offers and resources to grow your own business!

What Makes a Good Coupon? (And What Makes A Bad One)

Some people spend their whole marketing careers creating the definitive "Good Coupon" (ie: a coupon that brings the customer to you and yet doesn't cost too much in profit) and avoiding a bad coupon (usually a coupon that gets no response). Outfitters, guides and lodges can see a dramatic improvement in their profits by offering coupon or special discount. To make a good coupon, you need to think like your customers. What would make you save an offer and go use it? What kind of coupon calls you to check out that business if you've never used them before? What coupons do you pass on?

Pick A Service to Discount that your Customer is Actually Interested In
A coupon advertises a discount for a limited period of time on a service. You may have an low cost/high profit hunt or trip that you WANT people to purchase however if that's not the adventure that is currently bringing clients in the door, your coupon (unless a deep discount) is not going to be as effective.

Should I Post My Hunt & Fishing Trip Prices?

Pricing your hunts or fishing trips can be a tricky task for any outfitter but once you do decide on that magic number - you have to put on your marketing hat and decide when to show it and when not to.

Reasons you might want to 'HIDE' your prices from initial 'investigators'...
• You want to build an initial strong desire and demonstrate affordability - this is where your marketing is focused on the features of your product or service to dazzle a prospective buyer with everything they'll enjoy from the purchase.
• You want to show how the personal value of the product or service is greater than just the price value - this is where your marketing is focused on the emotional value of the sale and addresses the needs your potential customer has.
• You want to change the potential client's perception of the price - sometimes referred to as 'price conditioning.' - it can be tough but price conditioning is an art hihg end companies like Apple, Audi, Tiffany and Co. and Ethan Allen have mastered. Customers of these businesses believe that the special nuances of products purchased from them are WORTH the additional cost. It's still a computer, a car, a diamond ring and a chair that does the same things as the ones you could get at Kia, Kmart or RC Willey but their customers want to pay more because their perception of the price in terms of value is different.

Why Your Clients Lie...And How to Get them to Buy Instead!

Customers....we love 'em right? We're in business to deal with customers and clients (no customers = no business) but sometimes it can be frustrating figuring out exactly what they want. And just when we think we have our customers nailed down...they still don't book with you! What's the deal?

Problem: Customers...Lie!
Without sounding too harsh, ask a customer about pricing, competition, satisfaction and what they tell you...is probably not true. Why? As humans, we don't like confrontation and your customer is no different. Put someone on the spot and they are likely to give you the answer you want to hear. Most customers don't want to admit that your hunt or trip is too expensive or that they like your competitor better or that your specials are on the services they don't need.  They won't say a word but they also won't buy or re-book or refer. So what do we do?

How to Fix a Negative Review on Yelp

If you work with small businesses like us you start to recognize the cries for help when a usually spotless reputation shows the dark mark of an almost unspeakable villain...the unhappy customer.

"Yelp! I've Gotten a Bad Review - Now What?"

We understand your plight. Used to be that when you or your guide/wrangler had a bad day that affected a customer or a product malfunctioned - you only had to worry about who that hunter could tell in their circle of friends. Now with the advent of the internet and jumbo review sites like Yelp.com - you have to worry that one bad experience could haunt you for the rest of your career (or worse lead to the end of it)

So what do you do when your business gets a bad review on user sites like Yelp?

Using Font in Effective Website Design

Most people who come to your website will be looking for information which can include text, pictures and video. However, there are some important visitors you shouldn't forget about - search engine spiders. You will need ample text on your website pages to help with organic search engine optimization - but it will also play a strong role in your website visitors experience. The use of fonts will work alongside your color choices. A font can be understood as a collection of letters, symbols or numbers such as bold, roman, or italic characters. There are literally thousands of possible fonts available for standard design but you will most likely deal with a few common ones when it comes to website design, word templates, graphic designers and social websites like Blogger.

Only a handful of fonts are installed by default on both Windows and Macs as well as the internet. 

Consequently, these "browser safe fonts" find their way into almost every website out there. Here is an image from a screen shot from a Windows machine and a Mac (blue) to show the browser safe fonts and how they compare on each platform.

How Color Affects Your Marketing & Brand Message

Most outdoor guides and lodges don't have a full time marketing staff to manage their advertising and promotions. In fact - odds are...you do this yourself. You know your business inside and out but when it comes to marketing tricks, you might be giving off the wrong vibe if you aren't aware of the role that color plays in your marketing.

First impressions happen in less than 3 seconds - your marketing (which includes your brand, print media, website design and advertising) is no different!

Choosing the right look and feel of your brand is a critical step in your marketing foundation. Understanding how color will affect your brand and marketing message is key to making sure that your message is heard...and better yet - acted upon. The kind of colors and background you choose can have a strong or subtle impact. The wrong combinations - could be a disaster. 

Colors relate to Emotions - Emotions relate to Buying

Primary colors are intense to the eye. If you combine too many in an ad or website - you could be creating a design that is blaring and unpleasant to look at. On the other hand, if too many light or pastel colors are used - a person might skip over it because nothing stood out. So in this post - we've compiled some info about each color so you can be sure you know what your color choices are saying.