Milestone Marketing Part 5: Get The Word Out

Creating a Milestone Marketing Newsletter

A Milestone Marketing campaign is also a great opportunity to generate some publicity for your company. And a newsletter is an easy, inexpensive way to share the news and gain goodwill from your customers and vendors.

Write up a newsletter with a table of contents that includes the reason why you went into business, your mission statement and a timeline of key moments. Other ways to keep it interesting and engaging are:

• A description about how your industry and its services or products have changed.
• A photo of your original staff and one of your current staff – side-by-side!
• Key historic information that coincides with your first year in business such as the sitting president at the time; the most popular band or automobile (include the price!).
• Photographs of your first “office” or vehicle. And, if you have any photos of you with some of your initial clients, make sure you include those, too.
• Feature your most loyal employee or employees.
• A reprint of your original brochure cover or logo.
• Establish a scholarship or make a donation on behalf of your clients to a favorite non-profit or community school.
• Include a special milestone offer for a free consultation or a discount for referrals.

We can design, print and mail your newsletter for you and then show you how to use it as a real workhorse asset and can even handle the mailings for you. Not only should you include it in all of your mailings, product shipments, and billing statements, you can also hand it out when you call on customers. Make sure there are plenty available in your reception area and don’t forget to create a digital version to email to your customers, vendors and prospects.

For companies that don’t have the time to produce a newsletter, ask your Safeguard consultant about these full-color newsletters. They’re personalized throughout with your company name and Anniversary year. Mail them with your invoices, statements, or other business correspondence.

Photographs Tell Your Story, Too

As you begin to plan your Milestone Marketing campaign, gather any and all photographs that will help tell your company story. Look for photos of:

• Your first day in business.
• Your first office or location.
• Your first employees.
• The first check you received from a customer.
• Photos and news clippings.
• Key products or services you’ve introduced.
• Industry specific photos that help establish your timeline and provide context for how much your business has evolved.

Use these photos in brochures, special promotional flyers, press inquiries, newsletters and advertising. We have design services at our fingertips to create impactful campaign materials for you, as well as the production know-how and full-color printing services to make a quality job of it all.

Trade Shows and Community Events

This is the booth we helped our client, NEWSCO, create for their trade show.

If you participate in trade shows, be sure you order enough Milestone Marketing materials to distribute to attendees. Incorporate your campaign theme and graphics into your display and hold a special contest that relates to your milestone event. Special products, special pricing, and gifts or premiums will also help build excitement and drive traffic to your booth.

Another way to build awareness while fostering goodwill toward your company is to use your milestone as a reason to sponsor a community event or a non-profit or local school initiative.

Incorporating Your Milestone into Company Tours

Many businesses routinely take prospects and new customers on a tour of the company. Be sure to include your milestone story along the way by incorporating key photographs at appropriate stops (such as your first product on display in a manufacturing plant or a founder’s portrait as you enter a conference room.) Don’t forget to provide your tour attendees with your commemorative newsletter and a premium such as a hat or a pen.

Getting the Word Out on Your Website

Your website is a core component of your business and a 24 hours a day/7 days a week opportunity to promote your Milestone Marketing initiative. Additionally, email blasts and eCoupons are effective strategies for “pushing” your campaign out to your customers and prospects. Here are some actionable suggestions for taking it all online:

• Apply a digital version of your special logo and theme to your home page.
• Create a pop-up window, linked to the logo, that briefly tells your milestone.
• Story and how customers can become involved.
• Send out a series of email blasts to your customers and prospects. Include a contest, promotion or coupon to help drive response.
• Create a guestbook that allows customers and prospects to send their congratulations. Make sure you include contact fields for capturing their information. Add a thank-you confirmation page that allows them to sign up for future promotion alerts, special offers and new product or service announcements.