If You Don’t Know Who You’re Marketing To

Are you able to close your eyes at this very moment and see the face of the people you’re trying to market to?

Do you know the kinds of things these people like? Do you know what images appeal to them, what products they have the most need for, and what styles of marketing will best grab their interest? How clear is the image you’re seeing? Do you know exactly who these people are or the image fuzzy, barely in focus, or not in focus at all?

So many companies are designing marketing material, paying for their color printing, coordinating the distribution of their advertisements, and they don’t even have a clear idea of who they’re trying to grab.

The reason is because they’re attempting to target every person possible. The market is the entire country.

The only time a system like that will work is when you have so much money for color printing you’re able to completely saturate the market with your advertising. And then it isn’t really the focus of your advertising that’s getting people interested but the sheer volume of what you’re sending out. If you fill up the market enough you’ll get people looking at you.

But is this the best approach? Is the money being well spent?

If you know the audience you can tailor the message to fit them. You can use language and images that appeal directly to them. The way you arrange your message to appeal to a middle aged suburbanite is not going to be the same way you tailor your message to fit a college student.

Each group has certain likes and dislikes, things that appeal to them in a way that doesn’t appeal to the other groups, and if you don’t know that you won’t be able to do the best job possible at gaining their attention.

Having a niche helps you to hone in on your market, but you don’t have to always have a small niche to do this. After all, if you wanted to target college students in general, you can create your message to best work for them, while still targeting all college students. That isn’t a small market, but it is a specific market.

The first step of any marketing campaign should be figuring out exactly who the target is and how you can best appeal to them. Do the needed research or else you’ll find your response rate lacking in relation to the costs of the marketing.

Remember :  the broader your audience the harder it will be to get your message right. A niche might be better for you if you find yourself unable to afford the kind of marketing you’d prefer for a large market.

The next time you close your eyes before a marketing push you should be able to completely visualize who you’re marketing to.

By Kaye Marks

Image by Martin Garnham

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in the business card templates and business card printing industry. Order business cards online with PrintPlace.com.

The Interior Design Resource Agency

The Global Leader in Business Information Resources for Interior Designers

Bringing You the Business Behind the Business of Interior Design

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Marketing Strategy for Brand Promotion

Brand is much more than a logo or a sign. Brand as the base of the marketing triangle.

Successful small business marketing can best be viewed as a triangle containing three essential elements: Brand, Package, and People.

Brand forms the base of this marketing triangle. Brand is the foundation your business is built upon in the mind of your client. When you rest a heavy load on a weak foundation, a crooked and cracked house is the inevitable outcome. It’s no different when building your business. A strong brand is critical to your small company’s long-term business health and profits.

Brand is really your company’s identity. Brand is the essence of your company--the who of your company in the mind of your customers. Think your clients pick up your company’s identity by osmosis? By that latest brilliant advertising slogan? Sometimes, but for most small businesses, new clients learn of you--and your brand-- from another client or from one of your employees.

Employees: The most under-utilized marketing referral source in small business today.

Weaving a brand banner that clients and employees can carry around and wave at the right time for you, unsolicited, is an ultra-effective way for your design firm to advertise. This brand banner must be easy to repeat and memorable. Your advocates will bear your brand banner because of the natural human inclination to share helpful information with other people.

Just remember, if you let that brand banner get soiled, ripped or grimy, then that’s the flag that’ll be out there flying for your business. That's not the impression you want to make. This is yet another reason customer service is so vitally important.

Brand isn’t your company logo, latest advertising slogan or catchy jingle any more than your best suit is you. The suit can improve your image, but even casual acquaintances will still recognize the essential you underneath. Brand is similar to integrity--if you’ve earned it, your small business can make errors along the way and still become very successful. Clients may not expect perfection, but they do expect attention. If they trust you to do the right thing by them, even when you mess up, you’ll boost your company's integrity and your brand. However without integrity, you can pour out thousands of advertising dollars to look great and sound slick, but still fail in the end because you are essentially anchored to nothing more solid than shifting sand.

Therefore if brand is identity, and your business marketing is built on referrals from clients and employees, then a critical next step is for you to understand just how it is that client perceives you. Like beauty, brand is in the eye of the beholder.

Remember: People (customers and employees) + Package (your Face to the Customer) + Brand (who you are) = Marketing Success.

By Craig Lutz-Priefert
Image by Editorial




Craig Lutz-Priefert is President of Marketing Hawks [http://www.marketinghawks.com], a firm providing complete marketing services to business. Craig also authors marketing advice on his blog, Funmarketer.

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The Art of Good Advertisement

Advertising is a necessary evil for every small business. As frustrating as it can be, you have to do it to continually bring in new clients and expand your design firm. If you are going to do it, you might as well figure out how to do it the correct way, right? Here are few tips to help you create the best possible advertisement:

Make it Appropriate

Your ad has to relate to your design firm in some way. It has to move the viewer toward the conclusion that you want him or her to make. It cannot be so off the wall that readers will be disappointed when they figure out what you are going for. The best ad is a simple ad that tells the reader exactly what you want them to know.

Make it Clear

As I said, the very best ad is one that gets its point across quickly and clearly. Do not try to be clever. More often than not, being clever in your marketing will backfire. Customers do not want to be fooled; they want to be convinced that they should buy from you.

Make an Impact

To be successful, an advertisement has to catch the reader’s attention in a fraction of a second. That means that it has to have an impact of your customers almost instantly. If you have been printing ads in black and white, consider trying a color printing project instead. Color is a good way to increase the impact of your efforts.

Make it Memorable

Just like your ads have to catch the readers’ attention quickly, it also must stick in the customers’ minds. Color, again, is a good way to make that happen, as long as you use the appropriate colors in the right amounts. You also want to use words that will stay with the reader.

Make it Original

Your advertising should not look just like everyone else’s. If it does, it is certain to fail. This is not the time to be a follower. Consider as many ways as you can think of to make your marketing materials stand out from the rest and make an impression on your customers. Be original and brave. Do not be afraid to try new things, even if they have never been done before. That is how great things – and new trends – happen.

Make it Effective

As you are designing your marketing materials, continually go back and ask yourself what your purpose is. What are you trying to accomplish with this piece? What are you trying to tell your customers? These are the things that you should always keep in mind, so that your ad always has a clear purpose. Remember to keep it simple and straightforward.

By Kaye Z. Marks
Photography by © Roxana Gonzalez




Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in color printing industry and its benefits for small to medium-scale businesses.

The Interior Design Resource Agency

The Global Leader in Business Information Resources for Interior Designers

Bringing You the Business Behind the Business of Interior Design

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Bang for Your Buck: The Business Card Brochure

Using Your Color Business Cards for Advertising

Color business cards are not just for developing your business contacts. In this day in age, you can actually print them for the sole purpose of advertising. Yes, this marketing material can in fact be tasked to do a little advertising for you. It is all about changing a few properties of this marketing tool, and using some additional elements to accurately create and deploy this kind of advertising material.

If you want to know how to use your color business cards for advertising, here are the tips on how to do it.


1. Print Business Cards with Marketing Messages 

The first step is to print business cards with marketing messages. You may think that there is absolutely no space for marketing messages but in fact, you can use the back of the material for extra messages.  If you are a little bit creative, you can also try folded business cards to gain additional precious advertising space. Whatever the case, be sure to add the proper advertising design on your business card that will encourage its reader to buy your products or avail of your services.




Folded Business Card Sample fromVistaPrint.com

2. Give Cards Out to Everyone That You Can

With your marketing tool ready, you must know how to distribute them properly. Have extra business cards handy at all times. If you see a colleague, family member or friend, do not hesitate to always hand them out with your advertising material. This spreads your advertising message within your social network, giving you a word of mouth advantage. Keep giving your business card until thay are all spent. The more people that carry your business card,  the bigger advertising opportunities you can get.



3. Leave Cards at Different Places

Besides actively giving business cards away, you can also try leaving them at select places. For example, you can leave them at certain public lobbies, or you can also include them with your public brochures and catalogs. By using this non-traditional method of giving away business cards, they basically act as small fliers, which are a perfect supplement to your marketing campaign.



4. Include Cards with Products and Other Items

Finally, you can also try including your them in the products, gift packages and other items you give to clients. By doing this, you can really boost your exposure to your current contacts ensuring that your advertising can reach your client  base and keep them interested in what you offer.



These are the things you can do to use your business card for advertising. If done well, they can be the perfect supplement in attracting people to read and understand your services.

By Kaye Marks

The Right Way to Build Your Design Firm

Large conglomerates have large advertising budgets allowing forays into all sorts of marketing avenues. Small businesses do not always have such luxuries. They must make every advertising dollar count. There are some universal rules, which apply to all small businesses attempting to maximize their advertising return on investment (ROI).

You Will Do Just Fine by Using One Line

The most successful campaigns have involved a catchphrase, which can efficiently convey your message in under 5 seconds. Verbosity and advertising do not mix. Repetition of the same catchphrase is required to essentially elicit a Pavlovian response. Studies have shown the average person needs at least ten exposures to a message in order for it to be retained. If you vary your message, you will never achieve the requisite impressions needed for success.

If You Want a Marketing Coup, It Better Sound True

Many consumers have become very cynical when it comes to advertising. Claims that appear too good to be true are often dismissed in the mind of the listener. You must ensure the claims you make sound realistic and believable. Backing them up with objective and independent evidence is the best option to ensure the claims proffered in your advertisements retain credulity.

You Will Know Best After a Test

Never dive head first into any given advertising strategy. Test several different methodologies and compare results. You are then in a far better position to allocate the bulk of your advertising budget, knowing where you are best ROI can be had. There is no reason to risk the bulk of your advertising dollars on an unknown outcome. Color printing has become quite economical allowing for multiple direct marketing tests.

Sales Will Not Get a Pop If They Can't Find Your Shop

All advertising must obviously include clear location or contact information. If it is not prominently displayed you might leave a prospect being intrigued with your product but having no idea where to find you. Today, it is required to display your web site address clearly. However, also still important are telephone numbers, address and other requisite basic information.

You Will Be Set Up For a Fall If You Try to Market to All

Small businesses should identify, define and sell to a niche market. This enables crafting your product or service to fit the needs of a small audience with specific needs. Advertising then becomes a lot easier knowing who you need to reach and what you need to say to them. Trying to be everything to everybody is not a winning formula. Drill down and focus on an undeserved smaller subset of your overall industry. Returns on advertising expenditures for small businesses are far more substantial for niche marketers.

These simple rules if followed will greatly enhance your advertising effectiveness. A small business needs to make every dollar count. Do not waste even one.

By Kaye Marks
Image by StockSource

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of developments in color printing industry and how these improvements can benefit small to medium-scale business.

The Interior Design Resource Agency

The Global Leader in Business Information Resources for Interior Designers

Bringing You the Business Behind the Business of Interior Design

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7 Do’s and Don’ts for Effective Advertising

There are so many ways to advertise these days that it is hard to know what options to use and how to use them. Here are some quick and easy tips to effectively advertise your business.

Do’s

Do be sure to book ahead for the holidays.

If you want to place a television, commercial or newspaper advertisement around the holidays, you need to get your ad in these places months ahead of time. Many businesses clamor to get their ads in around the holidays and will have to pay top dollar for it or take the least popular times if they wait too long.

Do keep your message fresh for the variety of media outlets.

Do not use the exact same copy for each type of advertisement you employ. You do want to keep the same message, but use different words for different media to get that message across. This way you will not be annoyingly repetitive.

Do tout your benefits, not your features.

People want to know what your product can do for them. This is what draws them in. They will learn about all your great features after you have garnered enough interest for them to walk into your store.

Do learn from other advertising campaigns, including your competitions’.

When you see an ad that really grabs your attention, take note and think about why.  What about it made you stop, look and take the time to read or listen? Ask others in your company or family to do the same. You can also ask what your co-worker’s favorite commercials are. They are bound to remember at least one. Write these down and see if you find a common factor that makes these commercials so memorable. Try to incorporate this factor in your advertising materials.

Don’ts

Do not advertise in one type of media.

To be effective, advertising has to be repetitive (but not annoyingly so! See above.) This is best achieved through different channels – newspaper ads, radio ads, brochures or other color printing pieces, flyers, billboards, and television ads, etc. The list is nearly endless. By advertising in a variety of places, you will get your message out to more people – the people that do not watch television, you will get through the newspaper. People that do not walk by your flyers will hear your radio ads.

Do not convolute your message.

Keep it simple and short. Do not add too many details. Yes, your service has all of these great benefits, but pick the top two or three and focus on those. If you add too much information, people will get confused or will tune your message out. Also, keep the layout simple by using easy-to-read fonts and limit the number of photos.

Do not forget to use your headlines.

In any print materials you have – brochures, fliers, letters, etc.- be sure to include your product’s benefits in your headlines. Most people skim before they read, so the way to draw them in to read your smaller ad copy is to attract them with your headlines.

By Kaye Marks
Image by Will Thomas




Kaye Marks is an avid writer and follower of developments in color printing industry and how these improvements can benefit small to medium-scale business.

The Interior Design Resource Agency

The Global Leader in Business Information Resources for Interior Designers

Bringing You the Business Behind the Business of Interior Design

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Effective Marketing Strategies: Advertising vs. Public Relations (Part I)

Marketing includes advertising and public relations among other strategies, can extensively influence the success of an organization. This article aims to familiarize the reader with the terms of advertising and public relations individually and then discusses advertising vs. public relations.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as the activities, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. The contribution of marketing, to the success of any business is highly significant. In fact, marketing has the power to determine the success of a particular product or service launched. Effective marketing involves application of many strategies, two of which are: advertising and public relations. We shall attempt to understand these two terms in the following discussion. Henceforth, in this article, the use of the term product will refer to both, a service or a product that is to be marketed.

Effective Marketing Strategy: Advertising

Advertising refers to any form of paid and impersonal presentation of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor.

Advertising Types

•Informative Advertising: This includes the advertisements that aim to provide the customer with information about the product. This form of advertisement informs the customer about the various features and the benefits of using the product.

•Persuasive Advertising: The objective of this form of advertisements is to persuade the consumer to buy a particular product or employ a service offered. It usually includes some attractive additional features or special offers that will further entice the customer to buy a product.

•Comparative Advertising: These types of advertisements, indirectly or directly, compare the product to be marketed with another of a similar type. Generally, when there are only a few (usually, two) major players in the market, one or all of these business competitors use this advertising strategy.

•Rememorative Advertising: Advertising done through this type is usually in case of a product that is well-established and has a strong-hold on the market. This type of advertising is used only to remind the consumer about the product.

Advertising Graph

•Growth phase: The function of advertising assumes immense importance at the onset or launch of a product. The advertising is usually in full swing in this phase. All the advertising techniques are put to use in this stage. Initially, informative advertising is employed. In the latter part of this phase, informative as well as persuasive advertising is utilized.

•Established phase: Once the product has established a standing in the market, a combination of persuasive, comparative and rememorative advertising is observed with informative advertising kept at its lowest.

•Declining phase: In this phase, the whole process of advertising is suppressed. Rememorative advertising may be used in isolated cases. If there exists any chance of revival of the product, a novel advertising approach may be applied.

Objectives of Advertising

•To generate awareness, about a product or a service offered.

•To inform the consumer about the various features of the product or service.

•To induce the customer to buy the product or avail the services offered.



Secrets for Good Advertising

•Repetition of advertisements

•Strategic placement of advertisements (including time)

•Target market considerations and segmentation while advertising

•Quality of advertisements

•Form of advertising

Both advertising and public relations can be used as tools for branding. It is important to remember that advertising or public relations alone will never comprise of the marketing strategy of an organization for its product. A combination of both is mandatory for effective business marketing and in order to ensure the success of a product.

See Part II of Ketaki's article where public relations strategies are discussed.

By Ketaki Borkar
Image by StockSource

Delivering Your Design Brand's Promise

As a designer, branding is a very effective element of your marketing. The key  element of your branding is the promise that your brand makes to customers and clients. It is this promise that attracts prospects and generates repeat and referral business from past clients. Unfortunately, poor business management and weak brand development often lead to broken promises, which inevitably drive clients to the competition.

What is a brand promise?

A brand promise tells clients that your product or services will meet their expectations. For example, the Starbucks brand promise tells consumers that the coffee they purchase at Starbucks on Wall Street will be same quality as the coffee they enjoyed in Monterrey, California. The brand promise of Williams-Sonoma tells their customers that gift cards bought on-line can be used to purchase the high quality goods at any Williams of Sonoma store anywhere. Consumers seldom care which barista made the Starbucks coffee... it's the Starbucks brand and promise of quality they are buying. Nor are they concerned about where they purchased their William-Sonoma gift card; it's the promise made by the brand.

Brand promises generate new business

Your brand promise tells clients that the services that they receive from you will meet your standards of quality. This is reassuring to clients and contacts, making it possible for them to hire you and refer others to you. It is this reassurance that will continue to generate new business.

Promises are not always kept

It's great when promises and expectations are met. Think about how eagerly you anticipated your last vacation and the joy of having the actual vacation exceed your expectations. On the other hand, how did you feel when your expectations were not met? It's probable that you were so disappointed that not only are you not likely to try the same vacation again, you won't recommend it to others.

Broken promises hurt you and your business

Your promises set standards that must be met continuously. Provided that you consistently meet these standards, you and your business will thrive. If however, your promises are not met, your business will start to suffer. Broken promises really annoy clients. They usually show their annoyance by taking their business to some one else. Instead of happily promoting a business that has pleased them, they will joyfully badmouth one that has displeased them. Some may even bad-mouth you and your work. There is an old marketing cliché that says if you please one client that person might tell some one else, but if you annoy one client, that client will tell 19 other people. Even the best promotion cannot eliminate this negative publicity.

What promise does your brand make?

Without a doubt it is necessary to make promises to clients. What are some of your most frequently made promises? Equally important, how consistently do you keep these promises? What is your brand promise? How will your services, which reflect your personal brand, satisfy clients? What benefits will they receive from you that they are unlikely to receive from your competition?

Consider these questions and see success by delivering what your brand has promised.

By Larry Easto
Image by



Larry Easto, best selling business writer and syndicated columnist, is publisher of http://www.real-estate-marketing-link.info For more information about brand promises, see http://www.real-estate-marketing-link.info/brand_promise.html

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Bringing You the Business Behind the Business of Interior Design

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Build Your Design Firm's Identity

Building a Business Identity

A business identity is the inspiration by which the business was born, the passion that keeps the business alive, and the dedication to growth. It starts at the heart of the business and defines what the business represents. Because this identity will play a major role in any future business decisions you make, it is extremely important for a new business owner to make defining the identity of their business their first priority.

The only way a business owner can effectively create an identity for their business is if they have a good sense of the message they want to portray. What is the business about, what is the goal, and how do you want potential customers to perceive the business? These are very important questions that any business owner should ask himself or herself before they begin to develop a marketing strategy. One of the best ways to answer these questions is by creating a business plan.

Though writing a business plan can take time and be tedious, it can also help you define the key elements of your business. It also provides you with a written record of your business philosophy and goals, which can act as a foundation for your business identity. Once you have a business plan in place, and the concept of your business clearly defined, you can begin to put the identity of your business on paper.

Everything you print reflects the identity of your business, from business cards, to direct mail postcards, letters to advertisements. These things say something about you, your business, and the goods and services you offer, so it is important that they reflect the business accurately. Let’s start with the basics:

Font

You may not think that the font you choose for your business name matters too much, but in reality it sets the stage for the rest of your marketing materials. Usually the business name is the first thing a potential customer sees when they look at one of your marketing pieces, so it is important that how your business name appears on paper reflects the image you want to portray. It is also important to take your audience into consideration when choosing a font for your business. If, for example, you own an innovative software company your first instinct would probably be to choose a font with a technical style. However, given that this kind of company can be intimidating to the average consumer, you may instead decide on a font that is a little less technical so as to project a more approachable image. In the same respect, if you were running a fun and creative business environment you wouldn’t want to choose a font that is uptight and stuffy because it wouldn’t accurately reflect the business as a whole. Even though it may take time to find the right font for your business name, it is worth the effort because it reflects your business identity and sets the stage for the rest of your marketing materials.

Copy

How you approach your customers in words can significantly impact how they view your business. The message in your marketing materials should not only be consistent throughout, but also take into consideration the audience you are approaching and the product or service you are advertising. If you were the owner of a romantic Inn, for example, you wouldn’t want the message in your marketing materials to be dry, dull and business-like. Instead, you’d probably want it to have a soft, almost poetic feel that highlights the more elegant aspects of the Inn. In short, the message you present to potential customers should reflect the business in both language and effect. If you’re not sure where to start, hiring a professional copywriter could be a worthwhile investment.

Logo

Having a logo for your business helps potential customers associate the business with a specific product or service. The logo you choose should stand out among other businesses in the same industry. Your logo doesn’t have to be fancy; it just has to be recognizable, clear and relative to your business. One important thing to ask yourself when developing a logo is whether or not the design has the kind of style that will carry your business through many years of change, trends, and growth. You want your logo to be timeless so that it can grow with your business as it begins to take shape and gain public recognition. This is one way your business will be recognized, so it helps to choose a logo that can define your business for years to come.

Graphics

Whether you’re a new business owner creating marketing materials for the first time, or somebody who is just trying to find their niche in an industry, you will eventually have to choose graphics to use in your marketing materials. Before you spend the time sorting through hundreds of images, it would be helpful if you had at least a basic style in mind. Do you want to use photographs or illustrations, images of objects or images of people? This may not seem important, but it is. Consistency is a key element when marketing your business, so whatever you decide to use for graphics should have a consistent style across all of your marketing materials. This will help communicate your business identity to potential customers, while building recognition for your business.

Your business identity directly impacts how you market your business. Whether you’re planning a large marketing campaign, or setting the stage for growth, every decision you make will reflect your business in the public eye. So whether you’re choosing a font for your business name, or the right graphic for your latest direct mail piece, always keep your business identity at the forefront of your decisions. It is the foundation by which your business was formed, and the drive that keeps it moving forward.

By  Jennifer McLynch

4 Tips for Using Greeting Cards in Your Marketing Campaign

A recent survey by Hallmark Business Expressions found that by sending business thank you cards, you can increase consumer loyalty. Approximately two-thirds of consumers surveyed said that when businesses send greeting cards to show appreciation for a purchase or referral, the consumers are more likely to do business with the company again. Almost 75% said that they appreciate the gesture and they feel like the company really cares about them.

A recent survey by Hallmark Business Expressions found that by sending business thank you cards, you can increase consumer loyalty. Approximately two-thirds of consumers surveyed said that when businesses send greeting cards to show appreciation for a purchase or referral, the consumers are more likely to do business with the company again. Almost 75% said that they appreciate the gesture and they feel like the company really cares about them.

So, you should print greeting cards and thank you notes for your customer’s next big purchase, or to celebrate the holidays. If you think you’re just adding to the pile of mail consumers receive everyday, consider this: Only 44% of those surveyed received a thank you card from companies after a major purchase.

Greeting Cards as a Bridge for Loyalty

Many factors predict customer loyalty, including satisfaction with the product and customer service, trust and length of purchase history, but a company that thanks their customers seems to bridge satisfaction and loyalty. And, why not send cards? They are fairly inexpensive, but they are an effective way to connect with customers and let them know you care.

You Can Send a Greeting Card Any Time of Year

You don’t need a holiday to send a greeting card or note; you can send them in the middle of June if you want! The holidays are a perfect excuse for sending a card, but holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving are busy times of the year for most people. If you want to send a card that is connected to these holidays, send them a few weeks or a month early. It’s not uncommon for people to receive Christmas cards the week after Thanksgiving!

Add a Personal Note to the Card

If you write in your own handwriting (not printed with a font that just looks like handwriting!) a sincere thank you note expressing your appreciation for customers’ business, you’ll strengthen that customer relationship more so than with a generic card that you send to everyone. Mention the product or service that was just purchased and let the customer know that you want their experience to be perfect and offer a customer service number (or even better, include a business card) for their reference.

You Don’t Need to Make an Offer Every Time

Many companies send out greeting cards with some kind of discount coupon or some other kind of offer. That’s fine if you’d like to do that, but it could taint your customers’ idea of your card. You don’t need to send them an offer every time. Just saying a nice thank you is enough for them to remember your company, your logo (put in on the envelope) and your brand. If you send an offer at every single mailing, you’re bordering on advertising, and you run the risk of people throwing away your card because they know it’ll just be another ad.

By Kaye Marks

Image by Grażyna Suchecka

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of developments in the print greeting cards industry and how these improvements can benefit small to medium-scale businesses.

The Interior Design Resource Agency

The Global Leader in Business Information Resources for Interior Designers

Bringing You the Business Behind the Business of Interior Design

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Planning Your Marketing Campaign for the Entire Year

If you want your marketing campaign to be successful, do not just think one project at a time. In order for you to be effective, plan your marketing campaign for the entire year, not just when you have a need for it. Expert marketers and advertisers would tell you that just like the seasons, your marketing campaign can gain publicity if you establish it according to the natural highs and lows of the year. Using a promotional rhythm that is based on the different seasons will help you keep an eye on your success every month for the whole year.

According to expert marketers and commercial color printing companies, there are two approaches of doing your marketing campaign for the whole year. One is to coincide the stories you already have with that of the particular times of the year. The media has a certain appetite for stories for each of the season. During particular times of the year, they look forward to specific stories that they would want to put in their magazines, newspapers, or even in their tv and radio programs. As a marketer and business owner, you need to be attuned with these quirks to be able to get your stories out there in the public.

The second strategy is to create new stories that will fit that of the particular event, affair, holidays and even seasonal events during the year. For example, if it is Christmas, your ad would be more effective if you can create your stories along the lines of the birth of Christ or the usual giving of gifts.

But before you go out and get your stories written, be sure to consider the proper lead time to get your stories out to the media and the public. It would be very easy to just go ahead and work on your story without even thinking about your lead time. The folly of that is that it can take you weeks and months to actually complete your story. That is why you need to understand the time frame of every story. Your Thanksgiving story should be turned in mid August if you want to meet the deadline. And it is the same with your Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year stories.

The bottom line is to have ample time to write your story and get them out way before the season or event is actually going to be celebrated. The right lead time can get you the exposure you need to promote your business effectively to your clients and prospects.

By Kaye Marks

Photography by Bobby Flowers

Kaye Z. Marks is an avid writer and follower of the developments in the color business cards and print business cards industry. Order business cards online with PrintPlace.com

The Interior Design Resource Agency

The Global Leader in Business Information Resources for Interior Designers

Bringing You the Business Behind the Business of Interior Design

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How to Publicize Your Publicity

"What you do with your media coverage is nearly as important as getting coverage to begin with."

 

I know some pretty smart business women.

Christy is one such smart cookie. A newspaper was featuring her in an upcoming article and she asked me for advice on how to make the most of it.

Mary contacted me when she had a blog talk radio show coming up and wanted to know how to maximize her media coverage.

Jaclyn had many photos of her experience at the TV station and wanted to know how to use them to promote her business.

These ladies all have a goldmine on their hands, even with just one media win. And they are all spot-on in terms of planning what to do to use these experiences to their maximum potential. I am an advocate of publicizing your publicity because what you do with your media coverage is nearly as important as getting coverage to begin with.

When you find yourself in the same boat, here is a list of some things you can do with your coverage:

1. Send an email with a link to your article or a recording of your interview to your clients and potential clients. Let them know that you thought they may be interested in seeing what you are currently involved in.

2. If you're more of a paper person, send a print copy of your article your clients, potential clients and partners, along with a short note, too. Let them know that you'd like to share a recent success and that you appreciate their business.

3. If you publish a newsletter or ezine, let your readers know that you were recently covered in the media and include links if appropriate.

4. Print off all articles and start a "media coverage" binder. Use this at tradeshows, events, in networking and to show to potential clients.

5. Send out a status update in your social media outlets saying something like, "I'm honored to be quoted in an article called (article title) in the newspaper today." Also include a link.

6. If you have a planned TV spot or radio interview, send out a status update letting people know where to go to see you or hear you.

7. Add a spot on your home page stating: "As Seen In" and add logos of places you've been covered. See my web site for an example.

8. Add your media coverage to your bio.

9. Send a notice to your membership organizations letting them know that you were featured in the media. Generally speaking, membership groups like to promote their members' successes.

10. If it's appropriate, you can include your media coverage in proposals.

11. Going to the radio station or TV station to do a live interview? Take along your camera and use it. Take photos of you by the news van outside, in the lobby or with the news anchor or radio personality. Use these images in your newsletter, on your web site and share them on social media.

12. Use your Flip camera to shoot video of you being nervous before your interview and also your post-interview "high." Share them in social media or place them on YouTube.

13. If you have even a few media wins, create a 1-minute video of your media coverage highlights and post it on YouTube. Add the link to your video to your online press kit. Some media outlets like to see where you've been covered before.

14. Send a short thank you note to the reporter or a congratulatory note to anyone else featured in the article that you'd like to pursue a relationship with.

15. Add a page to your online press kit about media outlets where you've been covered.

There are many ways to get the most out of your media coverage. The point is this: Once you are covered in the press, make the most of it.

By Meredith Liepelt

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing

Image  by Edyta Pawlowska

© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing Meredith Liepelt, President of Rich Life Marketing, offers a free report called "101 Ways to Attract Ideal Clients, Build Your List and Raise Your Profile," which can be downloaded immediately at RichLifeMarketing.com.

Raising Your Profile: Myths and Truths About Self Promotion

Are you feeling stuck when it comes to promoting yourself and your business? If so, you are in good company. A recent study showed that women fall short of men in the area of self-promotion. While this study focused on women in corporate America, I believe the same is true for women in business for themselves. Self-promotion tends to get a bad rap, particularly from women. But what is at stake is the likelihood of building a sustainable business.

Here are seven myths and truths about self promotion, which I prefer to call "raising your profile." It is my intention that these myths and truths will expand your vision of your profile-raising activities and practices. I hope that these myths and truths stretch your vision of what is possible for you as an authentic promoter of your work and the results you bring to your clients and customers.

Myth #1: It's tacky to self-promote

Truth: Let me be blunt here: If you are not out there actively promoting your products and services, you are not changing as many lives as you could otherwise. It's really as simple as that. There is nothing tacky about helping others. By letting others know exactly how you can help them, you are providing a valuable service to them. You are not doing any favors to yourself or to others by remaining "the best kept secret" in your industry.

Myth #2: It's so hard to promote myself.

Truth: Having a plan of action to raise your profile is extremely empowering. Your plan gives you a sense of clear purpose, and every activity builds upon the next. Before you know it, you'll leave a long trail of success behind you! And the more you put yourself out there, the easier it becomes. Trust me, the thought of attending a networking meeting or speaking to a group of even ten people used to make me shake in my boots! If you work on changing your mindset around this myth, you can create a major breakthrough quickly. It's like Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or can't, you're right." So instead of saying things like, "I can't possibly speak in front of a group," say this, "Speaking is fun and easy." Say it until you believe it and then look for evidence that this is true in your life today. It's there if you look for it. And then start small. Speak for your cat or your mom. Then a group of 3 friends and then finally, a group of five ideal clients at a casual spot like a Panera community room. Then, you're on your way!

Myth #3: It takes a huge publicity budget and years upon years to raise my profile

Truth: Come on! You're more creative than that! There are loads of things that you can do to become more known to your ideal clients. Some do require an investment, which is fine because you have to invest in yourself if you are an entrepreneur, but some are free or low-cost. For example, here are just a few things that I have personally done in the past few months, and you can too: wrote a book and held a successful book launch party, created an introductory CD to give to potential clients, been featured on TV and in the newspaper, been quoted in yet another business book and had a new headshot done. I am here to tell you that you don't have to be a rocket scientist to create the image and high-level profile you desire. All you need is a plan and the moxie to implement it!

Myth #4: I need credentials first

Truth: Unless you are a doctor, dentist or other business owner that truly does need to be credentialed, the letters you desire after your name are not a requirement. You are enough. If you want to be certified in your profession, then absolutely go for it! But don't think you have to wait until someone crowns you as an expert before you get started. By in large, people don't care about the ABC's behind your name. They just want to know that you can solve their problem.

Myth #5: "Promoting" myself means "selling" myself, and selling is bad

Truth: If you don't sell anything, then you are not in business. You have a "pretend" business or an expensive hobby. If you do not sell, then you are not enriching lives through your programs and services. Can we agree that your work changes lives? And that others need to know about you? If so, then it's time to let go of this obsession with not wanting to sell. There is no shame in charging appropriately for the important results you help your clients and customers achieve.

Myth #6: The best way to raise my profile is by being on Oprah

Truth: Ok, being on Oprah is a dream for many of us, myself included. However, being on Oprah is not a marketing plan! And many, many successful people have never been and will never be on Oprah. In fact, the vast majority of business people fit into this category. I don't know about you, but I would be perfectly happy having a wildly successful business and never being on Oprah. Now, I'm not a dream squasher, so if this is truly important to you, create a plan and get training and other media experience so you will be ready when Harpo calls.

Myth #7: If I'm worth my salt, my ideal clients will automatically come without a lot of promotion

Truth: This is so false. People need to hear your message between 9 and 27 times before they even remember your name, let alone buy from you. What that means is that you need to reach out to your potential clients up to 27 times before they even recognize that they have heard of you! How do you reach out? Through self-promotion activities like post cards, your ezine, phone calls, speaking and so forth. Even people who are slightly interested in your products and services need to learn that you are the real deal. They need to be convinced that you are credible and can help them solve their problems.

Action Step:

If you are like the majority of people who struggle with self-promotion, I encourage you to write out ten answers this question. In other words, fill in the blank at least ten times, although I'm sure you could fill this in at least thirty times. Be as specific as you can:

The results that others receive from working with me include: _________________.

Now, take your 10 answers and add them to the end of this sentence:

By holding myself back and not promoting my services, I am not able to help others _____________.

Get it?

By Meredith Liepelt
© 2011 Meredith Liepelt, Rich Life Marketing
Photography by Vladimir Mucibabic

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