Posts Tagged ‘marketing’
Changing content does drive better positioning in search engines
Today I came across this article on how and why changing content on a website can help benefit you in search engine positioning. The chart above is from the article and demonstrates how dramatic a result one can have with fresh content.
Bloggers influence grows, tops social media
Bloggers are influential. A study reports that 50% of those who report reading blogs, trust them for their evaluations of products. And of those using blogs to evaluate products, 52% of respondents said that blogs tipped their decision on which product to purchase at the time of their purchase.
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Developing A Personal Brand
Posted in marketing | 
Tags: ABWA Summerville, branding, Cheryl Smithem, marketing, personal branding, Shauna Heathman
Developing a corporate identity
This week we met with several clients who need a corporate identity. Each of them has been using some form of marketing materials to identify themselves and their companies. In most cases they’ve been using clip art and stock computer fonts in their business cards and logo.
While this may work for some, in the long run, you lack an iconographic presence that speaks for you when you are not there to speak about your company. In short, you lack a distinct, compelling way of communicating your brand message.
If you are establishing your business today, you need every advantage to set you apart.
No doubt you’ve crafted a strong position for your business or service; you’ve researched your competitors; you’ve researched what the market needs and then you use stock materials to present your company? You can understand the disconnect here.
There are a number of ways to have a corporate identity created. Some people are using internet based sites where for a very low price you can get a logo. But you don’t get the interaction with experienced marketing professionals who know your community, market and understand your USP.
We recommend you work with an experienced marketing professional who will assist you in bringing together all the insight you’ve gathered for your company, their professional experience in crafting successful brands and join it with compelling graphic design.
One of the clients with whom we met wondered what’s involved in creating a corporate identity. She couldn’t understand the cost / time involved and needed to actually see examples of how, for one prior client, we begin brain storming ideas, sketching up concepts, studying type, and then joining it all in ideas to present to the client.
A simple analogy is that of going to a custom tailor or couture fashion designer and asking for a bespoke creation. The result is a garment made for you, your measurements, with quality fabrics, excellence of cut, design and fit. When wearing such an item of clothing, you know you look good.
The same applies to creating your corporate identity. If it’s made to fit, to measure and just for you with the highest standards it is something that you know makes you look good, you stand taller, are more confident and are emboldened to do business, knowing your message is speaking without you having to open your mouth.
SWOT more than mosquitoes this summer
Everybody hates strategic planning…at least that is what I’ve heard. Most think it a dull and boring, dry exercise in tiny details. It can be an exciting look into a company’s future.
Many years ago, I learned a technique that is very popular and is a very simple way to begin your steps towards a strategic plan for your business.
It’s called SWOT analysis. The acronym stands for:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats.
The simple premise is that if you can enumerate all conditions that fit each of the categories you can begin to see your company or organization as a whole. You can understand that if you, “went away tomorrow” who would miss your services? You can comprehend you’re your competition’s offerings compare to yours. You can begin to be certain that your offerings and products fit your company’s reason for being.
Sure there are certainly more sophisticated planning processes, but this has worked well for me when working with clients.
The key is complete honesty with yourself, colleagues and all who participate in the analysis. The best experiences I’ve had with this include inviting each participant to list their observations under each category. Then everyone comes together to bring all their observations to the group.
Participants can then look at each item against the goal of the company and primarily the needs of the company’s customers/users. They must come first because if their needs aren’t being met, then the company will soon be out of business.
Generally work groups are then formed to create strategies to apply to each weakness, opportunity and threat.
Just realize that unlike mosquitoes, you can’t simply squash your issues.
Photo credit to mhoey at fickr creative commons
When is a plan not a plan?
It happens all the time. A client seeks and retains a marketing and PR firm for their counsel and implementation of plans.
The professional researches the market, analyzes the situation and drafts a plan with a unique selling proposition and positioning. The client reviews the plan and determines that only one of fifteen items is important to them; however, the fifteen items are all interdependent and support the client’s stated goal. The PR / marketing professional reformats the plan, frequently offering guidance that as reformulated the results may not meet the client’s goals. The professional ultimately implements the items that the client authorizes and then results aren’t what the client seeks.
Whose fault is this? The client’s or the professional’s?
When a client pays their hard earned dollars for PR and marketing advice, and then ignores what they’ve paid for and won’t undertake the campaign the way it is presented we should reformulate. The client must understand that reformulating the plan costs time and money…and many clients don’t feel they have additional amounts of either to sustain a second round of planning.
Not every client has all the resources to undertake everything we plan. We create plans that meet a client’s stated goals and resources. However, it is exasperating when we spend our time, wisdom, experience, energy and knowledge writing a plan that is ignored.
So, going into the planning process the client must be absolutely frank about what they can afford, sustain, and ultimately what budget resources they have to focus on their goal.
If you are a business who would like to retain a marketing and PR firm, analyze what and why you want to work with a firm. Understand what resources (money, personnel) you have and then be forthright with your prospective firm. Understand that when you tell your prospective counsel what you need, want and can pay for and then reject sound advice you have just wasted your money.
As professionals we must make sure we comprehend what a client is asking of us. Often we’d love to give them an “all in” project where every initiative we can think of is included, but if the client didn’t ask us for that we’re wasting our time and their money.
A successful marketing and PR initiative is one that is carefully crafted to be of use, return results and fit the budget. If the budget isn’t adequate to gain the desired results, let the client know that you can’t assist them. It’s hard to say, “No, thank you.” but sometimes it is worth it.
Harnessing your desire to be an entrepreneur
Yesterday we received an e-mail from someone who wrote, “I am looking for assistance in developing and marketing a video concept. I have the idea, but I am clueless on where to start.”
Also yesterday we met with a prospective new client who is planning to bring a new service to the Charleston, SC area. When asked to define the service and what the user would get in return for the fee, the prospective client had some but not all of the user benefits worked out. They had not completed their pricing structure and did not have a solid understanding of their costs as related to delivering the service.
What both of these people have in common is a good idea that may be highly marketable. What they need is research to learn about their prospective buyers, the market and how they will make money and manage their business.
If you are an entrepreneur who wants to offer a new product or service, starting with an idea is great, but then do your homework.
Define your target market. Who is your target customer? And as I was told many years ago, “The world is NOT your customer.” Your customer is some subset of people with unique characteristics. What do they need/want in their lives? Where do they live, what is their educational background? What drives them? How much do they earn? How often do they purchase goods or services in the segment that you want to enter?
Write a buyer profile that will help focus your thinking for your customer. Learn what your potential customers have to say about similar products and services. Read blog comments and user reviews in blogs or in the evaluation/comment sections of online stores. Get into your buyers’ head and know what makes them part with their hard earned dollars.
If you know that you will have more than one type of customer, segment your customers and create a buyer profile for each segment.
Undertake an environmental scan of what others (with similar good and services) are offering in your marketing region (both geographically and if you will be a web based only product, then on the web.) Learn as much as you can about their products, pricing and the benefits to the user.
Use your insights to guide you in further conceptualizing your service or product. You need a unique selling proposition (USP) which will distinguish you from your competition and which will resonate most clearly to your target market.
Begin to think like your target customer. If they don’t want what you’re selling, it does not matter what you say or how you say it, they won’t buy. Clearly define the benefits to your user. Will this make their lives easier, cheaper, faster, more simple? How? That is your key USP. Just because you think your idea is a good one is not a reason to go into business.
And speaking of business, create a business plan. This is your road map to guide you in the development of your product/service. This process is made easier if you undertake it with support and assistance. There are many who are available to do this including SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) who offer their services in many communities. Some people may find a business coach helpful. Don’t overlook The Small Business Administration (SBA) Business Information Center which is co-located with SCORE. Another small business resource is the The Frank Roddy SC Small Business Development Center of SC with centers around the state.
Develop a management plan. Who will keep your books? What systems will you use? How will you bill? Collect monies? Where will you be located? Will you need employees? Who will sell your products? Do you need to be web only or do you need a bricks and mortar location?
Begin with an idea, but then do the work to test your idea, create a plan so you know where to go with your idea and create a structure that will give you the support you need to build a business. And if you need help when you’ve undertaken these steps and are ready to bring your product to market, call me.
The value of PR to your brand
While putting on make-up, I reflected on the Maybelline mascara tube in my hand, “this is a really good mascara. It has a smooth consistency and goes on in nice even coats.” Two years ago I purchased my first tube after reading about it in a woman’s publication while cycling at the gym. I, like most consumers, trust more what third parties say about products and services. People weight what we call earned media more highly than advertising.
In a report out studying how brand value is supported by earned media, we learn that certain product segments gain substantially from earned media. Particularly striking is the finding that product purchases that depend on research before purchase receive higher value from earned media.
“Findings from the study reveal that that industries that sell high involvement products – where a buyer invests time and effort in deciding what to buy – have much higher correlations between media prominence and brand value than industries selling low involvement products, which are more likely to be bought on impulse.”
As a small business owner, if you sell products that require consumer evaluation prior to purchase (appliances, HVAC systems, automobiles, wedding planning to name a few) you can advance your business over your competitors’ business by embracing a public relations plan that puts emphasis on gaining earned media. And by the way, that no longer is limited solely only print media, but also includes electronic media, the Internet and social media.
Electronic media have a half life that is probably equivalent to that of radioactive elements. Just ask those whose businesses have been dissed or dumped in cyberspace. OR ask their competitors whose products have been featured in editorial space. What shows up when you Google your company? Stories from bloggers in your area? Newspaper articles helping readers learn how to plan their wedding? Who is being quoted or cited as an expert? It it’s not your company, it’s probably your competitor. You can impact what consumers learn about your company and its products.
How did they get there? They budgeted, developed and implemented a strategically designed publicity/media relations plan. Many have the time to do it themselves, others use PR pros. Either way requires time and money. It should be part of your regular marketing expense plan.
Don’t wait until you have a negative situation to implement a media relations plan that involves developing relationships with key media voices for your audience.
Research which sources carry the most weight and develop relationships with the right people behind the blog or by-line. Share news and information that would be of interest to the audience for each media source. Learn what stories are in the works or forthcoming. Set your company apart or your CEO apart as the expert in their field.
Provide the information in the most usable way. Stay on top of consumer trends and social change. Think of what is important to the consumer and provide information from your company to key media contacts that helps solve a consumer’s problem or issue. That will gain earned media and increase the value of your brand.
Also, don’t overlook the power of positive WOM (word of mouth.) It’s always been one of the primary deciding factors in all product purchases. In a small market like ours, WOM is more critical than earned media for services (doctor, lawyer, Realtor, financial advisor.) We trust who our friends say we can trust.
WOM has gone cyber too with the prevalence of sites like Angie’s List and The Little Black Book. Wal-Mart and Target provide online product critiques from consumers. You can buy a bed and rate it. Buy a sofa and rate it.
Provide a vehicle for and include consumer comments in your website so your customers can share their candid reviews of products and services.
The most up to date sites are built using content management systems. Small businesses can use the power of WordPress to build sites. WordPress comes with all the tools to allow comments, ratings, subscriptions to comments that a small business needs.
Worried about negative reviews and comments? Show them and turn them around with proactive monitoring and interaction in the comments. Post what you did to turn the negative into a positive. Transparency wins.
And so does your business with the power of earned media and WOM. Budget for it. Plan for it. Do it.
Posted in public relations |
Tags: marketing, PR, public relations, small business marketing, social media
Women over 55 taking over Facebook?
“The number of US women over age 55 using Facebook grew by 175.3% since September 2008, making mature females one of the fastest growing demographic groups on the social network, according to usage statistics released by independent blog Inside Facebook.”
It’s interesting to note that teens, formerly the largest component on facebook are now the smallest component.
How does one use facebook as a marketing tool? Many small business owners are successfully creating fan pages and friends groups and posting exclusive offers for members of the group. Facebook is one way to market socially at very low cost. Some have created applications to drive interactivity with items linked to their products or services. Creating applications has a higher cost than the old fashioned friend / fan page.
Best facebook marketing tips:
- Post exclusive events to your fan page
- Make sure your friends invite their friends to your group
- Post a flickr stream to your facebook page and be sure photos from your recent events are there for tagging
- Interact with the memeber of your fan group, noting their changes and updates and commenting on them to create a tighter sense of community.
When it comes to reaching women, it’s time to face facts; it’s facebook!
Marketing In A Recession – HubSpot
For those who have resisted creating your own content through blogging, white papers, podcasts, and video content, HubSpot makes great points about why we should.
The HubSpot presentation’s opening thoughts echo Seth Godin’s Permission Marketing treatise. The New Rules of PR and Marketing (David Meerman Scott) and core principles of old school PR (be the authority) join in current time to give us what we have now, the conversation age. If you have not read either of these books, I highly recommend them.
Enjoy these great slides. Good solid information that is right on point.
Posted in marketing |
Tags: david meerman scott, marketing, permission marketing, PR, recession, Seth Godin
