To sustain the growth of any distributorship, you must embrace digital advertising. It’s no longer my day and age, when your primary way to get clients was cold calling or going door-to-door. Those tactics won’t move you from page five of a search engine to page one—though investing in SEO is still wise. Today, the strategy is digital advertising, most often called competitor conquesting or conquest advertising.
Let’s assume companies such as VistaPrint or 4imprint are pulling business from your geographic territory. Your goal is to identify and place ads directly in front of people who have already demonstrated interest in those competitors.
When a potential buyer visits or opens a targeted website, your digital advertising activates. This puts your brand in front of them and gives them one or more reasons to turn to you instead. They’ll see your ads across multiple placements as they browse the internet, watch videos, read news sites, or open their social media.
Platforms such as Google Display Network, Google Demand Gen, Meta (Facebook/Instagram), and LinkedIn allow you to target people whose online behavior indicates interest in promotional products. You can reach individuals who have:
- Recently searched for promotional products
- Visited websites like VistaPrint or 4imprint
- Researched merchandise categories such as trade shows, safety, recognition, appreciation, or fundraising
Your ads then follow them as they continue browsing. I’m not the one to tell you how to execute every technical detail of this strategy, but many consultants can, and you might even explore barter if you find the right partner.
Build your campaign around your local service advantage. The Pyramid cites 16 compelling reasons for a buyer to establish a relationship with you, but prospects are oblivious to those advantages when they’re surfing for price and product. You must deliver your advantages directly to them.
Who is “them”? They are the companies within an hour of your office. You can expand the radius, but even capturing 10% of the business in your marketing region will put you on a winning trajectory. Your market includes business owners, office managers, HR professionals, marketing managers, event planners, schools, associations, and government agencies.
As for budget, allocate 10% of your net sales to advertising and promoting your business. It’s a rule-of-thumb number that hasn’t changed much in decades. It follows the axiom: marketer, market yourself. You can get a lot for a relatively modest investment if you work with the right digital ad agency or consultant who can guide you on placement. And when you taste success, do what any smart businessperson does—ramp it up.
Another number that has remained consistent over the decades is the cost of a cold call. It still hovers around $250. That’s not gas money—that’s the salesperson’s time and the return needed for one hour of their day.
58 years ago when I joined this industry you would needed comfortable walking shoes. Today, you need a comfortable desk chair, but walking shoes can still work.
Happy selling.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is a frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.