Don't just jab; throw a combination

Anybody who's ever followed boxing knows that jabbing alone won't win a fight. In order to score points with the judges and the referee, or to knock out your opponent, requires throwing effective combinations—relentlessly using both hands and all your weapons, like the cross, the hook and the body blow. Marketing your services is a lot like boxing—no one weapon alone will work. Not direct mail, not a website, not advertising or telemarketing, not free seminars to hot prospects, not even PR. Each, by itself, will produce little effect. However, use these weapons in tandem and BANG!—an explosion occurs. Not only is each effective in its own right, but together the whole far exceeds the sum of its parts. Here's what I mean. Take the following scenario: 1) You send out news releases every time a project is awarded (or completed), someone is hired, an award is won, the company or its employees are involved in a community activity, etc. The release includes your website address, giving people a chance to get some additional information about the firm. 2) You support your PR with a bit of advertising, informing people of the services you offer and where and how to find you. 3) When your direct mail package arrives, the prospect has heard of you (because of #1 and #2), so he or she looks through the material. You're no longer a stranger. 4) Your prospect receives a phone call from you (telemarketing). They've seen your PR and advertising, even heard from you through the mail. You're a player, a company to be taken seriously. They're happy to talk with you. 5) If they see you at an association meeting, chamber function or a trade show, you can bet they'll stop to talk. If the prospect hasn't already done business with you by this time, you've at least made a significant enough impression that when they need the service you offer, you'll be seriously considered. 6) Now, every three months you send them your newsletter, preventing you from dropping "out of sight, out of mind." You can add and/or substitute dozens of other marketing weapons in the above scenario, from site signs and truck lettering to brochures, athletic team sponsorships, seminars and speaking engagements, newspaper, magazine and trade journal articles and columns, Google ads, postcard mailings, advertising specialties, open houses and other events. The point is: Do lots of different things, do them continuously, and don't ever stop doing them, even when they're working so well you can barely keep up with business. Each marketing weapon complements the others, contributing to their success and the overall success of your strategy. That's why you can't simply do one thing, then abandon it when it fails—and it invariably will. Marketing success requires patience and persistence. The cumulative effect of what I'm suggesting is incredibly powerful—it's like a snowball rolling down the side of a snowy hill. Keep up this type of frontal attack and inevitably your arm will be raised in victory as your competition is counted out. But don't stop then—there's always another contender wanting a shot at your crown. David Wood is a copywriter, newsletter publisher and marketing consultant specializing in the construction industry, Deering, N.H.