With more marketers considering online tools to grow sales, your agency should consider how it’s reaching out to prospects on the Internet. In his article, “4 Pointers for Building Relationships with Your Prospects Online” on RainToday, author and sales advisor Charles H. Green offers advice on how to build relationships, and get new business, using the Internet.

While he covers issues such as maintaining a Web presence and blog commenting, he leads off his article discussing one of the most important aspects of building business online: The Web site. Likely, in the age of Googling, your agency’s Web site will be one of the first introductions a prospect gets to your agency. Make sure it delivers! Pictures, services offered, bios-be sure it includes everything to both inform, and positively impact, a potential client.

Green emphasizes that when it comes to the Internet, “less is not more-the web is great at removing the constraints of physical space.” He emphasizes the importance of personalizing the site with stories and any other bits of information that may form a bond with a prospect. Remember – you never get a second chance to make a first impression, especially when it comes to your Web site.

Public appreciation for the arts remains the vanguard of white and often older consumers according to the latest study from the Wallace Foundation. This 125 page report emphasizes the importance of training children who will later become adult consumers of arts.

The report indicates “[m]arketing campaigns are typically designed to promote access to arts events by mitigating the practical barriers that prevent individuals who are inclined to participate from doing so. But such campaigns are typically ineffective at increas­ing the participation of people with little interest in or knowledge about the arts.”

The report goes on to discuss improvements that are being made by arts organizations to expand consumer interest and these include:

• Symphonies and museums are increasingly offering adult education programs linked to specific exhibits and performances to build attendance.
• Nonprofit organizations offering programs and instruction in dance, music, art and drama are filling a role previously filled by public schools which no longer offer these programs.

These organizations often need help to effectively market their programs and agencies could increase their own visibility while assisting arts-related nonprofit in reaching their goals. Have any new arts organizations opened in your market area recently?

[Source: Cultivating Demand for the Arts, Wallace Foundation Release, September 2008]

Westerville, OH, November 13, 2008 – Three-quarters of recent television, audio, and home theater equipment purchasers ranked online product reviews and comments from other shoppers as having some or significant influence on their buying decision, according to the Fall 2008 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey.

Consumers were also influenced by information from blogs, manufacturer, and store Web sites prior to buying.

The Ad-ology survey also indicates consumers consider quality, price, and availability the most important factors when purchasing TV, audio, or home theater equipment.

“Considering the importance consumers place on quality, it’s no surprise that product-review Web sites are a major influence on their purchases,” said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research. “Manufacturer Web sites list technical specs, but consumer reviews give real-world experiences – what happens when you get the set home – that consumers feel they can trust,” Smith said.

Despite doing online research for these products, the study shows 80.3 percent of consumers still prefer to purchase TV, audio, and home theater equipment in-person at a store.

Other key findings from the survey:
• One-third of recent TV/Audio/Home Theater purchasers were somewhat or significantly influenced by blog content
• Newspapers, television, and magazines were the most influential traditional media types
• Twenty percent of purchasers say sports marketing is a somewhat or very important factor in their buying decision
• Older consumers (ages 55 to 64) place importance on factors such as product availability, store reputation, and location

The Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey is conducted quarterly by Ad-ology Research to study on- and off-line media influence on buying decisions.

The full report covering “Media Influence on Consumer Choice: TV, Audio, and Home Theater Equipment,” can be purchased online through Ad-ology. The 54-page downloadable report is $495 and features 24 data charts, consumer-spending estimates by market, and additional marketing insights.

Human resources management and financial services firms face a double challenge when it comes to promoting employer-sponsored retirement plans. The firms must first convince the employer that the extra expense associated with the plan is worthwhile and then they must convince employees to participate. When designing marketing materials, it might help to share Employee Benefit Research Institute findings on this topic.

Top level data indicates the following:

• Private-Sector Firms Which Sponsor a Plan 52.7%
• Employees Who Participate 42%
• Public-Sector Employers Which Sponsor a Plan 83.3%
• Employees Who Participate 75.4%

Higher levels of employee participation are associated with:

• Older employees
• Highly paid employees
• White employees
• Male employees

In 2007, participation rates increased to 65.6 million employees, reversing declining participation rates in 2005-2006. While most employer-sponsored plans mean extra company expense, some alternatives allow employers to limit contributions during low or no-profit years. At the same time, partially funded company plans, especially those tied to profit-sharing, may help firms attract and retain talent.   Marketing materials that clearly and simply spell out costs and benefits to employers and employees may help businesses that sell and administer plans to increase revenues.

[Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute Issue Brief, October 2008]