The Trojan Horse Marketing Strategy By Neil Armstrong Publishing Strategist

In today’s busy and ever-competitive marketplace, two things are becoming more and more apparent. Firstly, there are far too many organisations and individuals using digital platforms to target the same potential customers, leading to most messages being drowned out in a space that is far too noisy in which to stand a real chance of being noticed. Secondly, the cost of being in the digital realm and shouting louder and louder to be heard, as everyone shouts louder and louder to be heard, means that spend needs to go up to stand a chance of gaining some momentum and wiggle room, so that your voice can be heard.

Both of these factors mean that campaigns either become less effective or more expensive and in some cases both. This therefore creates a landscape where only the larger organisations with the bigger budgets stand a chance of maintaining any semblance of return on investment and the only real winners are the platforms themselves, with Google, Facebook and the likes growing exponentially while the gap between those businesses that have a stretchable budget and those that don’t grows into a chasm. If it’s not happening to your business yet, the chances are it will, sooner rather than later, so what are the alternatives?

Well, naturally, there are plenty of alternatives and plenty of rabbit-holes. For instance you could hire experts to make your digital spend more efficient, so that your smaller budget can punch above its weight. Obviously, you have to have the money to do that. Another idea is to explore other forms of marketing as part of a more diverse marketing mix. This might involve some spend in non-digital platforms and invariably more money in testing and research to evolve your marketing strategy into something more sustainable as digital prices rise. Again, you’d need plenty of spare budget to make this happen and like any plan, you’d need to keep a carefully eye on it as the marketplace changes to ensure the best ROI.

There’s a myriad of other marketing techniques, tactics and overarching strategies that you could employ to stay on track and, with a following wind, grow, but I’d like to broadly discuss one strategy that can deliver great results, while cutting through the noise, underpinning your positioning and can even pay for itself, giving you just as much budget as you’ve had before to play in the crowded digital social spaces.

I like to call this a Trojan Horse Marketing Strategy, because essentially, it takes some of the knowledge and assets that you already have and focuses them into a format that gets your message in front of people and into places that digital platforms can’t reach. In doing so, it makes its own presence felt, creating an environment where recipients of your message will definitely hear you and will take note. It shows your target audience that you are a leading light in your industry and even allows you to get your message in front of them, for little or no cost… a guaranteed winning marketing exercise, fully or partly funded that will tick all of your campaign boxes and deliver ROI like never before.

So what is this big idea? How can it deliver cheaper and better in a time where worst and more expensive seems to be taking hold? Is it made by Carlsberg?

Well, in short, it’s a proposition built around putting what looks like an industry independent or lifestyle-led publication (but is in-fact your own Company Magazine) at the heart of your marketing and lead generation strategy; giving you a huge competitive advantage within your marketplace. Where everyone is tussling for position and market share through over-crowded digital platforms, this striking, off-line, informative, high-end, quality magazine (which I call a Brochuezine) gives you the opportunity to directly target and influence your audience, while staking a claim as the market leader or positioning your business as the biggest and the best, whatever your current market share and whatever your budget.

In the search for cost-effective ways to steal a march on your competition, look no further than your own Brochurezine. If you're an SME, it can help you to punch above your weight, grab valuable market share and find new customers.

Medium-sized, enterprises can use a Brochurezine to underpin its position, grow its reach, innovate or put its brand in the marketplace to grow awareness and value for possible mergers, buy-outs or potential new contracts.

Larger organisations and corporations can demonstrate value and dominate a market by blitzing the competition, at the same time as showing knowledge, leadership and expertise to a growing, brand sensitive audience.

I’m an expert in branded communications. You can take it from me, the targeted soft sell works. Build brand communications and build brand awareness. Value and stature grows the order book but also establishes brands in leading positions and creates more brand equity, ultimately making your business worth more than it turns over.

Nothing shouts louder in the market place or impresses existing or potential customers better than your own magazine. Done correctly, this can get your brand, news, knowledge and proposition in front of new opportunity in a comfortable off-line environment that puts you ahead of the competition. It can also get your message into places that you couldn't get your brochure, such as hotels, restaurants, meeting places, business centres, lounges, doctors surgeries, coffee shops... the possibilities are endless… and not a pop-up ad or link to a competitor’s product is sight.

This Trojan Horse Marketing Strategy, places your own magazine at the heart of your marketing strategy, feeding your digital strategy and fuelling your other marketing tactics. Best of all? It’s low-cost or even nil-cost; if you get partner and supplier businesses on-board to contribute to the costs by paying for affordable display advertising. I can show any organisation a way to create and publish their own magazine, make it look like an independent publication, while highlighting your Company brand and knowledge leadership AND getting other businesses involved to help pay for the costs of production and distribution, should you want to open up the opportunity to others.

That means ANY business can afford its own magazine, not just the big players, ANY size of business can show market leadership and bat at a higher level, by utilising this strategy. A Brochurezine really is the vehicle that can get you through the door and remembered. I work with customers of all shapes and sizes from a local physiotherapy firm in Dorset and a recruitment company in Newcastle to an international hotel chain and a World-famous cruise business utilising this exact strategy. It can work for any industry and any size of business…

Brochurezines are perfect for:-

Introducing your business

Whether you’re an established organisation looking at new markets or a newbie business searching for a foothold in your marketplace, this will get you noticed and remembered.

Advising potential customers on your services/sector

Brochurezines need not be overtly ‘own’ branded. Instead, the magazine can look more like an independent specialist publication, or coffee-table publication, in which your brand features as a knowledge leader.

Informing customers and staff of products, services and organisational change

This format is a perfect way to involve and spotlight your people. You already have the personnel, stories and know-how to rock your industry from within your own organisation… It’s also a great way to show leadership and direction to staff and stakeholders.

Supporting marketing campaigns

By placing a Brochurezine at the heart of your overall marketing strategy, you can help to fuel great penetration in the digital realm and have something more unique to talk about across campaigns. The magazine then becomes the pinnacle of your customer communication strategy or the focus of new business growth initiatives.

Demonstrating thought leadership or particular excellence in your field

Showing that you are a thought-leader by sharing knowledge and advice in this format naturally positions your organisations at the top of your industry tree.

Engaging with suppliers and partner companies

A brilliant way on only to interact with your key suppliers and partners, but also some of them might like to get involved in the promotional opportunity and help cover your costs.

Use as a door opener or a leave behind for your sales team

There’s nothing more powerful than a Brochurezine when it comes to opening doors to decision-makers that you can’t get through in the digital realm, or leaving the right memorable impression at the end of a presentation. Brochures get filed away. Brochurezines end up on the coffee table, on the MDs desk or in reception.

Capturing your brand ethos and building brand awareness

Promoting your brand and growing your business stature equals more revenue, more growth and more value. The more brand awareness your organisation can prove, the more brand equity is created and the more the business value tangibly grows.

Giving away at events, exhibitions and networking opportunities

Your magazine goes to everyone! Attendees at events, visitors of exhibitions, around the table at networking meetings, to customers, suppliers and potential new customers alike.

Unique Distribution

Getting your brand and message into places that a traditional brochure can't infiltrate - this is the perfect Trojan Horse Marketing Strategy! Your Brochurezine is full of your business information, news and views, but it looks like an independent, professional, lifestyle-led coffee-table publication. This means you can get it into places and pick-up points that you can’t get your ordinary brochure into, such as hotels, waiting rooms, lounges, public spaces, restaurants… the list is endless!

So, if you think that your own Brochurezine could help you to reach new audiences while supporting your existing customer base and could even be partly or totally funded as a cost centre, drop me a line or give me a call. It’s free to talk and discuss the true potential in your Trojan Horse Marketing Strategy.

Call: 01202 287801 or 0794 156 9180 – email Neil Armstrong at [email protected] or visit www.villagemags.co.uk for more information or to arrange a meeting.