April 28, 2006
New to marketing? Consider adding a Work Plan to your repertoire. The Work Plan establishes your primary and secondary marketing goals and objectives. It is also the means by which to compile all of the necessary information about you and your company, determine what elements should become available to the media, outline any available market research, and agree upon your client communication procedures. Through this process, you will develop the essential foundation for your campaign.
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April 25, 2006
Even if you have the best product on the market, you need a way to set yourself apart from other brands vying for the media’s and the public’s attention. A new dietary supplement in pill form that supports heart health is one thing, it’s something else if you’ve developed a way to incorporate that supplement into a national brand of orange juice so that it becomes a ‘first of its kind’ category.
It may sound simple, but take a few minutes and write down what it is that makes your product unique and newsworthy. Keep this in mind whenever you think about your marketing. It’s easy to get caught up in creating ultra-creative marketing pieces and forget about what your main message should be.
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April 20, 2006
If you’ve ever watched The Tonight Show with Jay Leno you know one of his regular segments every Monday night is “Headlines”. The segment sure is funny, but who wants to be a punch line on late night TV? Every day, we see ads and marketing materials with spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors. While these can be quite humorous, well-written marketing materials can support your professional reputation. Invest in an AP Style Guide and refer to it often. And always ask someone unfamiliar with your project to proofread. A fresh set of eyes is less likely to gloss over obvious mistakes. Just a tip.
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April 18, 2006
Have reporters recently done stories about your company? Media placements are powerful because of their credibility. People believe what they see in the news. There are many ways to capture that power and extend the impact of your media placements. Consider doing a “Year in Review DVD”. Impress clients and prospects with a wrap-up of all the media coverage your company has received in the last year. This is also an ideal way to showcase TV and radio placements, and to highlight significant benchmarks reached during a media campaign. Or, how about producing a high-end brochure to draw attention to your biggest placements? Combine re-prints with valuable information such as sales graphs and customer feedback for a highly effective sales and marketing piece. Or, you might consider turning your best media placement into a one-sheet marketing flyer. It instantly becomes your perfect “handshake.” Include narrative text to draw attention to its significance. Make it suitable for custom framing so you can display it in your office.
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April 10, 2006
While walking around an expo last week, I saw exhibitors talking on cell phones, chatting with co-workers, eating, and worse: leaving their exhibit area unattended! I wondered why they were even there because they were putting barriers between themselves and their potential customers. Expos give a company a very targeted, but small window to reach potential customers. A skilled presenter in a booth will attract masses, pre-qualify them and send them right to the sales staff. Make sure you have some of your best sales professionals manning your booth at any expo you exhibit at. Time is money!
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