WO2001099016A2 - Method and apparatus for providing marketing consultation - Google Patents

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING s MARKETING CONSULTATION

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The following application is related to the present application: "Method and Apparatus for Creating Marketing Vehicles", assigned United States Serial No. 1 D 09/704,296, having Attorney Docket No. 04826-00002, and which was filed on

November 1, 2000.

INTRODUCTION

The present invention is directed to a computer based marketing system, and, more particularly, to a marketing system that is focused on providing marketing is consultation services.

BACKGROUND Advertising companies have long used local and franchised businesses to increase participation for the local, regional and national companies requesting delivery of their advertisements. Providing consultation to customers regarding the types of advertising or

ΞD marketing vehicles that will meet their budget, address their needs, and help them compete in their particular market niche has typically been performed by sales representatives on a one-on-one basis. Such consultation is labor-intensive, and often not cost-effective for the advertisers when consulting with low dollar volume customers. Efficient businesses will either employ their own sales force or have independent agents

Ξ5 to interface directly with the customers. Having sales organizations adds to the total cost of doing business. As the number of sales representatives increases in relation to the total sales effort, there will be a limit to the size of account that can be economically serviced by the advertising company. More salespeople do not always equal more sales. Identifying which accounts or what size account(s) one representative can service is

3D complex and fraught with danger. Historical sales data frequently proves no help in constructing reliable future sales strategies. Predicting and identifying new or growing accounts becomes a challenge for organizations that offer highly competitive services which may require consultation regarding marketing products and services.

Some of the process has already been automated, such as having the business use a telephone to call in their request, having a sales representative enter information into the computer and allowing the business to fax or mail in a form, which would be entered into s the computer by the sales representative upon receipt. This process is well-known and very labor intensive. As a result, it is both inefficient and costly. Passing the information from one person to another manually is often unreliable and adds to the difficulty of maintaining the accuracy of the information or data. For example, when a sales representative is listening to the customer's request, what is heard and then typed may be

ID different from what was said and meant and may not match the intent of the customer.

Entering the data at the same time one is listening on the phone is prone to cause errors, such as misspelled words. Even with special attention to common errors, passing information through the phone and in writing from customer to the advertising organization may result in important details becoming lost or miscommunicated. In is addition, the time to complete the sales cycle often involves limitations on when the parties can meet, how long it takes to communicate the buyer's needs, how long it takes to create a beneficial proposal and how long it takes to complete the sale.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a marketing consultation system which reduces or wholly overcomes some or all of the difficulties inherent in prior known

ΞD devices. Particular objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that is, those who are knowledgeable or experienced in this field of technology, in view of the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of preferred embodiments.

SUMMARY

2S The increasing use of public and private computer networks in today's marketplace provides many advantages when compared to the labor intensive, one-on-one approach being used at the present time. The present invention provides a system and method to offer marketing consultation to customers, and, in particular, to new customers and lower dollar volume customers, or "value-customers," via a computer system. Such a service would not have been cost effective for advertising companies to offer via traditional sales methods. Importantly these value-customers can benefit from the value added consultation services that would have only been available to much higher dollar s volume because of the costs associated with sales servicing.

The present invention also overcomes the shortcomings that we see in the current labor intensive practices of today, by providing the local business owner direct access to the system. Using the present invention, the business owner (user) enters information regarding their business and advertising needs. Data pertaining to the user's business and

ID account is stored when the business registers the first time they use the system, for use in further transactions, thereby promoting efficiency and accuracy.

The advertising company benefits through lower labor costs due to the user directly inputting their own information. Fewer mistakes are made as the computer system stores all pertinent information for the business owner upon input of the is information. Higher satisfaction among business customers results, since they can access the system at their convenience. A broader reach is achieved in the marketplace as potential customers outside the usual marketplace now have access to marketing consultation services in a timely, cost effective manner. Thus, the present invention solves the long felt but unmet need of having sophisticated marketing consultation

ΞD services conveniently offered to businesses with smaller volume and/or budgets. It also allows sales to occur in various geographic areas and allows them to be efficiently serviced without human intervention.

In accordance with a first aspect, a computer system for providing marketing consultation includes a computer that receives input from a user and produces a

ES recommendation regarding types of marketing vehicles for the user to acquire based on the input received from the user.

In accordance with another aspect, a system for providing marketing consultation over the Internet includes a web site through which a user can enter information and obtain a recommendation regarding types of marketing vehicles to acquire based on the information entered by the user.

In accordance with yet another aspect, a method of providing marketing consultation over the Internet includes the steps of entering on a web site information

5 about a user's business, analyzing the information entered about the user's business, and displaying on the web site a recommendation regarding types of marketing vehicles to acquire based on the information entered about the user's business.

These and additional features and advantages of the invention disclosed here will be further understood from the following detailed disclosure of preferred embodiments. ID BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the appended drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram displaying the steps involved during operation of the marketing consultation system of the present invention. is Fig. 2 is a diagram displaying the steps involved in the entry of business information for a user of the marketing consultation system of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3A-E show a web page for the entry of business information for a user of the marketing consultation system of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagram displaying the steps involved in the entry of information Ξ D regarding the advertising needs of a user of the marketing consultation system of Fig. 1.

Figs. 5A-B show the content of a web page for the entry of advertising needs information for a user of the marketing consultation system of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows the content of a web page displaying a competitive analysis report generated by the marketing consultation system of Fig. 1. ΞS Fig. 7 shows the content of a web page displaying a demographic analysis report generated by the marketing consultation system of Fig. 1.

Figs. 8A-8B show the content of a web page displaying a recommendation report generated by the marketing consultation system of Fig. 1. The figures referred to above are not drawn necessarily to scale and should be understood to present a representation of the invention, illustrative of the principles involved. Some features of the marketing consultation system depicted in the drawings have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate explanation and S understanding. The same reference numbers are used in the drawings for similar or identical components and features shown in various alternative embodiments. Marketing consultation systems as disclosed herein, will have configurations and components determined, in part, by the intended application and environment in which they are used. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

ID A computer based marketing consultation system 100 in accordance with the present invention is shown in Fig. 1. In preferred embodiments, consultation system 100 is a web site, that is, a computer on which a web page is stored and from which the page can be retrieved by a web browser. The user can be connected to the computer either physically or via wireless communication, and, therefore, could access the system via a is personal computer at their home or business, or through a wireless device such as a two- way pager, a personal data assistant, or a cell phone. Any of various conventional browsers can be used, and the pages can be constructed using conventional web- programming techniques. A consumer can navigate to the web site directly by typing in a web page address on an address line, or through any other web site or search engine

ΞD providing appropriate hyperlinks to the web site. In other preferred embodiments, marketing consultation system 100 can be implemented on any other suitable general purpose computer.

Fig. 1 illustrates the steps followed by a user when visiting the web site. In step 102, a user enters the consultation system web page, and at step 104 is prompted to enter

ΞS information specific to their business. At step 106 the user is requested to rank a list of advertising needs for their particular business, in order of importance. Step 108 denotes the storage of business data information related to that user on the system. Step 110 denotes the access of a database of recommendations regarding marketing vehicles that is stored on the system. Marketing vehicles, as used herein, refers to products and services that a user can implement to promote and distribute their own goods and services. Marketing vehicles include, for example, direct marketing and advertising. Direct marketing refers to activities where a user directs efforts toward a target audience using . S one or more media for the purpose of soliciting a response by phone, e-mail, mail, or a personal visit from a prospect or customer. Examples of direct marketing include, but are not limited to, print coupons, on-line coupons and telemarketing calls. Examples of advertising includ, but are not limited to, broadcast media such as radio, television, and cable, and print media such as newspaper and magazines.

ID At step 112, the system provides a competitive marketing analysis that provides the user with information regarding their existing and potential competitors as well as their customers. At step 114 the system performs an advertising needs counseling session, reviewing, filtering, and analyzing the information entered by the user in order to determine how the user has ranked, or prioritized, their advertising needs. The system is performs an analysis based on the user's ranked needs and the business information regarding the user and its competitors, and provides an advertising needs counseling report at step 116. The advertising needs counseling report provides advice to the user on the types of marketing vehicles that will help them accomplish their goals, in light of their business position and that of their competitors. At step 118, the system performs an

ΞD analysis of the types of marketing vehicles which could be purchased by the user to suit their advertising needs and that match up with the recommendations of the advertising needs counseling report. At step 120, the system displays a product purchase recommendation report that lists specific products or services the user should buy in order to satisfy their marketing needs. At step 122, the user accesses a link to other web sites

ΞS that allow the user to purchase the marketing vehicles recommended in the purchase recommendation report at step 120.

Further detail regarding the step of entering business information 104 is shown in FIG. 2. At step 206 the user selects the applicable primary category of their business from a list. The list displays categories including, for example, automotive/transportation, retail, food, etc. At step 208 the user selects an applicable business subcategory to further define their particular industry, and may also be prompted to enter the services and/or products they offer. For example, if a user had selected food s as their primary business category in step 206, at step 208 they could choose from subcategories such as cafes, coffee shops, family restaurant, casual dining, etc. Thus, as the user first enters the web site, the system can begin to target its analysis and recommendations toward the user's particular industry. At step 210, the user enters their business address. At step 212 the system requests the user to answer questions regarding

ID the size of their business. Exemplary questions include the number of employees, number of locations, annual revenues and average sales. If a user indicates a large number of locations in response to the question at step 212, at step 214 the system indicates to the user that they should directly contact a sales representative for a personal consultation. At step 216, the user is prompted to enter information regarding their is previous advertising experiences, if any. The user could be prompted, as seen in step

218, to provide information such as, for example, the percentage of total advertising purchased for each different media (e.g., radio, coupons, newspaper, television/cable, Internet, Yellow Pages), and the amount expended for each different media. In step 220, the user is prompted to enter their advertising budget. At step 222, the system requests

ΞD information regarding the user's target customer. At step 224, the user enters information regarding their business objectives. At step 226, the system asks the user about their desired response to their advertisements, such as the percentage of customers receiving a targeted mailing the user would like to have actually respond to the mailing. At step 228 the system asks the user to enter information regarding how long they have been in

ΞS business. Step 230 prompts the user to enter changes they would like to make in their existing advertising strategy. In step 232, the user is prompted to answer questions pertaining to their competition.

Figs. 3A-E show an exemplary web page 2, illustrating a preferred embodiment in which a user can accomplish the task of entering business information into the system as required by step 104. The user is prompted by questions 4 to enter business information. In a preferred embodiment, questions 4 prompt the user to enter address information 6, and the number of miles 8 which the majority of the user's customers travel to get to the S user's location. The user is also prompted to provide information regarding their target audience 10, and the length of time 12 the user has been in business. The user is then prompted to rate the effectiveness 14 of advertising vehicles they have used, and to provide their advertising budget 16. The user is also prompted to enter the amount 18 a customer spends in a typical transaction, the user's average profit margin 20, and the

ID frequency 22 with which each of the user's customers purchases the user's products.

Other suitable questions to solicit appropriate business information will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

Each of the prompts on web page 2 may request the user to enter a specific answer, or select from answers provided by the web page. Web page 2 also provides the

15 user with the option jumping between different web pages of the consultation system.

Specifically, as seen in Fig. 3A, option 23 allows the user to access the business information input web page 2. Option 24 allows the user to access a web page 30, described in greater detail below, where the user enters their advertising needs in accordance with step 106. Option 25 allows the user to access a web page 32, described

ΞD in greater detail below, where the system displays a competitive marketing analysis in accordance with step 112. Option 26 allows the user to access a web page 34, described in greater detail below, where the system displays a demographic report, also in accordance with step 112. Option 28 allows the user to access a web page 36, described in greater detail below, where the system displays recommendations regarding marketing S vehicles in accordance with steps 116 and 120. Web page 2 also provides the user with a save option 38, allowing the user to save the data they have entered into the system for use at a later time.

Further detail regarding the step 106 of ranking a list of advertising needs is shown in FIG. 4. At step 302 the system requests the user to rank how important it is for their customers to buy more products. At step 304 the system asks how important is it to get new customers, while step 306 asks the importance of increasing business during slow periods. At step 108 the system accesses the business data information related to that user s which is stored on the system. At step 110 the system accesses the database of possible recommendations that is stored on the system. At step 112 the system analyzes the information entered by the user and displays a competitive market analysis. As part of the competitive marketing analysis, the system may display at step 314 a map, showing locations of competitors of the user, along with competitive business information, such as

ID the average advertising expenditures for businesses in that particular area. The system may also display, at step 316, a graph showing the user's advertising expenditures as compared to the industry norm. Additionally, the system may display, at step 318, a demographic profile of the area, providing information such as, for example, age, income, and male/female percentages of potential buyers. is Figs. 5A, 5B show the content of a web page 30 that provides the user with the opportunity to enter information regarding their advertising needs in accordance with step 106 described above. The user is provided with a series of questions 40 regarding their specific advertising needs. A series of answers 42 are available for responding to each of the questions 40. In a preferred embodiment, answers 42 comprise: a) absolutely must, b)

ΞD would like to, c) don't really need to, and d) don't want to. By selecting an appropriate answer 42, the user provides information specific to their business which the system uses in preparing a recommendation regarding marketing vehicles that will be appropriate for that particular user. In a preferred embodiment, questions 40 may ask whether the user would, or would not like/need to, for example: pull more customers from certain areas,

ΞS target specific kinds or groups of people, increase awareness of their business, establish their business's image, increase their customer base, educate people about their product/service, increase the frequency of their customer's visits, overcome a competitor, compete with a competitor offering lower prices, track advertising results, improve their return on investment, establish business on the Internet, increase average sales, get more customers during slow times of the day or week, and advertise a new location. Other suitable questions for determining a user's needs will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure. Web page 30 may also provide an s option 44 where users can directly enter information regarding any other area they feel needs to be addressed, but was not covered by questions 40.

Fig. 6 shows the content of a web page 32 that provides the user with a competitive analysis report in accordance with step 112 as described above. In a preferred embodiment, web page 32 provides a map 46 displaying the locations of

10 competitors of the user. Additionally displayed is a listing 48 of the user's competitors, displaying information about the competitors including, for example, their address, estimated annual gross income and number of employees. Other suitable information regarding competitors that could be provided by the system will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure. is Fig. 7 shows the content of a web page 34 that provides the user with further information from a competitive analysis report in accordance with step 112 as described above. In a preferred embodiment, web page 34 provides a demographic report 50 regarding the user's market area. Demographic report 50 provides data regarding potential buyers of the user's products and/or services. Such data may include, for

ΞD example, average household income, ratio of males to females, median age, percentage of renters, percentage of homeowners, and percentage of households with children. Other suitable categories of demographic information will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure. Demographic report 50 also preferably provides a comparison between the user's market and the United States market

Ξ s for each category of information provided.

Figs. 8A-B show the content of a web page 36 that provides the user with an advertising needs counseling report 52 in accordance with step 116 and a product purchase recommendation report 54 in accordance with step 120 as described above. In a preferred embodiment, as part of counseling report 52, web page 36 displays the user's answers 56 to those questions 40 which were ranked as high priorities by the user. Web page 36 also displays a recommendation, or marketing advice, 58 as to the general types of marketing vehicles that are most appropriate to address the highly ranked needs of the S user shown in answers 56. Product purchase recommendation report 56 displays specific marketing vehicles 60 which the user can purchase to satisfy their advertising needs. The system is programmed using an algorithm, or algorithms, to determine which marketing vehicles are most suited to the customer's needs. By comparing the answers the user has provided with a database of marketing vehicles, the system performs an analysis and D displays those marketing products and services which will most closely match the user's needs and budget. For example, certain products are available in a limited geographical area, and, therefore, will not be recommended to users trying to attract customers in locations outside that geographical area. Similarly, if a user indicates through their responses that they are trying to target a specific demographic segment of the population, is the system will recommend a marketing vehicle that can specifically target that market segment, such as a solo direct mail product that is separately mailed only to people within that market segment. Thus, the system efficiently evaluates the user's needs based on their responses and presents them with the marketing vehicles which most closely match their needs, incorporating in its analysis factors such as cost, ability to target a market

ΞD segment, geographical reach, etc. It is readily apparent that the present invention can easily be expanded to handle additional marketing vehicles as they are developed. New questions can easily be added to the web pages where the user inputs information regarding their business information and advertising needs, and the system can easily be reprogrammed to incorporate an analysis of the new questions in conjunction with the

ΞS capabilities and characteristics of new marketing vehicles.

Suitable marketing vehicles include direct marketing products and services as well as advertising products and services. Exemplary types of marketing vehicles which could be recommended include, for example, cooperative direct mailings having multiple coupons or other promotion offers in a single mailing, solo direct mailings, on-line delivery of coupons, print (e.g., magazines and newspapers), broadcast (e.g., radio, television, and cable), Internet, wireless (e.g., pagers and cell phones), E-mail, online displays, offline displays (e.g., brochures and flyers), and telemarketing. Other suitable s marketing vehicles that could be recommended by the system will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure.

The user is also able to click on links 62 to web sites where the user can purchase the recommended marketing vehicles. The user is also able to select an option 64 which provides a report detailing why a particular recommended marketing vehicle is a good

ID investment.

In light of the foregoing disclosure of the invention and description of the preferred embodiments, those skilled in this area of technology will readily understand that various modifications and adaptations can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. All such modifications and adaptations are intended to be

1 s covered by the following claims.

Claims

1. A computer system for providing marketing consultation, the system comprising: s a computer that receives input from a user and produces a recommendation regarding types of marketing vehicles for the user to acquire based on the input received from the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer further displays information ID regarding business competitors of the user based on the information input by the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer further displays demographic information regarding a market of the user based on the information input by the user.

is 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user communicates with the computer through a wireless device.

5. A system for providing marketing consultation over the Internet, the system comprising:

ΞD a web site through which a user can enter information and obtain a recommendation regarding types of marketing vehicles to acquire based on the information entered by the user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the information is entered by the user by Ξ 5 responding to a series of questions provided on the web site.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the information entered by the user relates to advertising needs of the user.

3D 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the information entered by the user provides a description of the user's business.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the web site further displays information regarding business competitors of the user based on the information entered by the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the information regarding business competitors includes a map showing a location of each competitor. s

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the information regarding business competitors includes information regarding gross sales of each competitor.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the information regarding business competitors 1 D includes information regarding the number of employees of each competitor.

13. The system of claim 5, wherein the web site further displays demographic information.

is 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the demographic information includes a comparison of the user's market and a market comprising the United States.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein the web site further provides a link to another web site providing the capability to purchase advertising vehicles. ΞD

16. The system of claim 5, wherein the user communicates with the web site using a wireless device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wireless device is one of a two-way pager, a personal data assistant, and a cell phone.

ΞS

18. The system of claim 5, wherein the marketing vehicles include direct marketing, and advertising.

19. The system of claim 5, wherein the marketing vehicles include advertising.

3D 20. A method of providing direct marketing consultation over the Internet, comprising the steps of: entering on a web site information about a user's business; analyzing the information entered about the user's business; displaying on the web site a recommendation regarding marketing vehicles to acquire based on the information entered about the user's business.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of displaying s information regarding competitors of the user.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the information regarding competitors includes a map showing a location of each competitor.

ID 23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the mformation regarding competitors includes information regarding gross sales of each competitor.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein the information regarding competitors includes information regarding the number of employees of each competitor. is

25. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of displaying demographic information.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the demographic information includes Ξ D a comparison of the user' s market and a market comprising the United States.

27. The method according to claim 20, further including the step of displaying a price comparison of recommended marketing vehicles.

Ξ5 28. The method according to claim 20, wherein the marketing vehicles include direct marketing.

29. The method according to claim 20, wherein the marketing vehicles include advertising.

3D

30. The method according to claim 20, wherein the step of entering information about a user's business is accomplished by providing questions to a user in order to identify their business needs.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein information entered on the web site using a wireless device.

s 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the wireless device is one of a two-way pager, a personal data assistant, and a cell phone.