Today, I want to talk about three companies that have some of the best marketing practices and marketing campaigns in the world, as I see it. They might not win a lot of prizes for their marketing, but I know they make their cash register ring. And that is what matters most in marketing.
If you want to make more money in your business, I suggest you follow the advice and information I share with you below. Enjoy.
# 1 VistaPrint®
The first company, and probably the best one on this list is VistaPrint®. VistaPrint® is the king of business stationary, business cards, postcards, signs, magnets, door hangers, and just about anything else that you need printed for your small business. Here’s why I think they are so good at marketing.
As soon as you login to their website and create an order they immediately start recommending similar products that might interest you (up-sell and cross-sell). For instance, if you are creating business cards, they might recommend stationary, letterhead, coffee cups, car magnets, postcards and other things that are formatted similar to your business cards.
In addition, they also do limited time offers. These give really good deals and discounts that are ONLY good at the time you make your purchase. If you leave the website you miss out. Most of these offers are only good for 20 minutes or less after you make your purchase, so there is a sense of urgency.
Another great thing that VistaPrint® does very well is email follow-up. They almost bombard you with emails promoting special offers and discounts. It might put some people off, but I know this constant follow-up encourages lot of customers to return to their website and make additional purchases. Best of all, this is free advertising for them.
The final thing that I admire about VistaPrint® is that they often give you your first order for free, such as 250 business cards. They realize that customer acquisition is normally quite expensive so by giving you something for free, they will acquire a new customer and then they can follow-up to make additional sales (the real profits) on the back end.
Visit the Vista Print website.
# 2 Omaha Steaks®
The next company that really has their marketing campaign working well is Omaha Steaks®. I have purchased many products from their company in the past and really like them. Obviously, their products are good, even though they are typically more expensive than most of their competitors. But what they offer you is convenience. Where else can you buy a good steak that gets delivered to your doorstep?
Furthermore, Omaha Steaks® is awesome at following up via direct mail and email. Not a week or two goes by that you don’t receive something in the mail, or in your email box, with a coupon or special offer.
They also do follow up phone calls to check to see how you liked your order and to educate you about other things you might be interested in. Every time I make a purchase I normally get a phone call five to seven days later. Their customer service is professional, knowledgeable, and speaks great English.
The bottom line is their customer service is downright amazing.
Visit the Omaha Steaks website.
# 3 Amazon®
The final company that I think has its act together when it comes to marketing is Amazon®. Amazon® has one of the best up-sell and cross-sell programs in the world (might be a close tie with VistaPrint).
Whenever you are looking at a product, they recommend other products that you might be interested in based upon your recent searches and your purchase history. They also recommend products that other people purchased (who purchased the same product you are viewing).
Amazon also does a great job with email follow up, sending you several emails per week with specials, updates and other valuable information. Another great thing that Amazon® does well is offer free shipping! To me, that’s huge. You can even do their PRIME program and get your items in just 1-2 days!
Finally, their prices are amazing. They are normally the cheapest vendor I can find for the things I buy online. Sure, there are some items you can buy cheaper elsewhere, but not many! Combine that with the free shipping and no sales tax (in most cases) and it’s out of this world.
They are extremely customer friendly and offer a strong money back guarantee. The bottom line is they want their customers to be happy, so they make repeat purchases and refer other people.
Key Takeaway
You have to understand that everything your business does is marketing. From how you answer the phone, format your website, package your products, train your people, and what you wear are all parts of your marketing process.
The companies I mentioned above are the best in the world because (1) they understand and know their target market and (2) they have a systematic and effective marketing process. They know that great marketing leads to more sales and great customer service leads to repeat business.
Final Thoughts
If you own a business I highly recommend you shop at these three companies so you can buy their products and services AND study their marketing campaigns. Take notes of what you like and dislike about what they do. Take the good ideas and apply them in your own business. If you can do that, there is no doubt in my mind you will make more revenue and profit.
What are your thoughts? What companies do you think are the best at marketing? Leave a comment and let us know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Disclaimer: All names are registered trademarks. I am not affiliated with any of these companies.
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
What’s not to love about Amazon! They’ve definitely gotten me a few times with the product recommendations they offer based off of my search history or whatever I put into my basket. For me, it is the convenience and speed with which everything gets done. I get my items with free shipping in 1-2 days which for me (a highly impatient person) is huge! And the fact that I can usually save a pretty good amount of money is great too.
Yes, Amazon definitely has their act together. I enjoy shopping with them.
I have to throw another top ranked company into this list as far as marketing. Because they are so huge, we probably would have a difficult time duplicating their marketing methods, but Coca Cola is one of the Kings of marketing. They know how to make a drowning man thirsty, and they use the seasons to market their products.
As I said, we probably would not be able to duplicate Coke, but we can use many of their ideas and strategies.
Do you agree, or disagree. Why?
Yes, Coca Cola does a great job with their marketing.
Great list. Sounds like organizations are catching up to the ‘socialized’ world in which they need to function.