Archive for the ‘Marketing Collateral’ Category

Howdy! Hope you’re doing well!!

On Tuesday, I gave you a “Tackle it Tuesday” task – Gathering up all of your marketing efforts into one place. Now, for Thoughtful Thursday, I want you to take a moment and give some thought to your gatherings.

Grab a piece of paper and jot down the following questions and the answers to these questions:

• Does your marketing mesh with your current vision?
• Are you happy with what your message says?
• Do you need to revamp your message or your brand?
• Are there any additional places that you can be marketing?
• Any other ideas or thoughts that come to mind?

These will be the basis of your marketing plan for 2010. This will help to direct your sales vision. This information is crucial to your success in 2010!

Think…Think…Think…

And then let me know if you need help!

A

Welcome to our first Tackle it Tuesday. Every Tuesday I will be doing a post with the goal of tackling something (anything) that will help your business get ahead.

Today’s tackling goal: Gathering up all of your current marketing efforts.

If you are like most companies you should have a variety (even if it is a small one) of marketing efforts; this may include a combination of the following:

• Profiles on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn
• Links in online directories or other websites
• Print ads for magazines, newspapers or directories
• Collateral such as promo videos, brochures and business cards
• Giveaways like pens, magnets etc.
• Anything that has your company name on it anywhere, anyplace

Some of these items may be as easy to locate as your yellowpages book, your desk drawer or maybe your car (what do you mean you don’t have marketing materials in your car?!). Other items maybe harder to find.. Doing a search on the major engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN) will probably bring up items you didn;t even know where out there, so do that as well.

Perform the following searches in these engines and you’re all set:

1. Type the following in the search bar: link:http://www.yourdomain.com and press search.. This provides you with a listing of any site that has linked to you.
2. Search your own name “First Last” in both Canadian and American options
3. Search your business name “Business Name” in both Canadian and American options

(The reason for my use of quotations is this, if you type in your name as First Last, what the search engines will do is bring up any/everyone with your same first and/or your same last name in the search results. If you add quotation marks, the search engines limits the results to what is written inside the quotes; It will show your name only.)

Keep all of these newly found marketing methods in an envelope for now because I will guide you through another task (one that needs this info) on Thursday.

Have fun searching!!

Ariane

Happy September!

By now you should be back to school, back to work, back to reality :S Not always a good thing, but I personally like this time of year – almost like a fresh new page, you get to focus, you get to reconnect, you get down to business!

Last week, I wrote about a social media checklist, hopefully you had a chance to look them over and put them into action.. if not – check out the previous post to grab the checklists – getting your social media marketing methods into place..

This month, I have a ton of new stuff coming to fruition so it’s a great time to roll out a special!
Check out our partial Social Media portfolio and then Contact us today to get your Social Media Marketing in Gear.. and get your September Sales rolling..

September’s Social Media Mayhem Sale!

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Mike Samson, Twisted Sticker

Location: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Website: http://www.twistedsticker.com
Twitter: TwistedSticker
Facebook (Business): http://www.facebook.com/shmamberley?ref=nf#/group.php?gid=6375421897&ref=ts

The Entrepreneur Behind The Biz:
Having been in the label/barcode industry for 15+ years, circumstances allowed me the opportunity to launch Twisted Sticker initially focusing on our personalized labels. I am a work-from-home dad with a 10 year old son & 7 year old daughter. Twisted Sticker has now been going strong for over two years and I am very excited about the direction we’re going in.

[SinglePic not found]The Biz:
Twisted Sticker’s initial product offering was the personalized labels & iron ons. Sure, there are other companies offering a similar product but we wanted to change it up. My kids were never into the “cute & cuddly” designs so we wanted to offer something cool as an alternative. Many of the designs we offer are because of the kids’ input or input/suggestions from our customers. In addition to the personalized labels, we offer “business printing”. Many of the parents that were ordering the personalized labels started to ask if I can print other stickers & sizes etc. so we naturally started to offer a broader product range. We will shortly be launching an awesome new product line. The feedback we have had so far has been incredible and we are looking forward to being able to offer it on a regular basis starting August ‘09.

Why we shone a spotlight on it:
Twisted Sticker is a unique and fun company on an all round basis – offering 100% customisable stickers and labels, you are in charge of your order – right down to the color, quantity and even font styles. The customer service is bar none – Mike actually drove 2+ hours to deliver my order! I’m certainly not saying that you’ll get a personal delivery, but even throughout the entire design and order process, Mike stayed in contact with me to ensure that I was going to end up with a perfect end product!! Twisted Sticker regularly has customers supply their own designs, pictures or graphics and that’s one way they separate ourselves from other label/sticker companies. A happy customer contacted Mike recently with a testimonial that sums up who Twisted Sticker just perfectly…”Thank you for taking so much time to make it right. People like you are very rare these days. I think you are doing a great thing and I wish you the very best of luck.”

Know an Entrepreneur who deserves a Spotlight? (Maybe you??) Let us know!

Scrimp, Save, Penny Pinch, Budget, Cut Back – We’ve heard them all – It is after-all a recession.

I know we’re budgeting and scrimping over here and it seems to be working, but one thing I am not scrimping or cutting back on is my marketing.

Now is NOT the time to cut back on your marketing. Think about it, when all of your competitors ARE cutting back and scrimping YOU will be at the forefront.

So, how do you do that without the same cash flow as there was when we weren’t in a recession? Simple – think in an environmentally friendly way and implement the 3 R’s…

Huh?!

I know it sounds strange but let’s put it into action and you’ll soon be marketing like a pro – without spending more money!

1. REDUCE: Reduce the amount of wasted advertising and marketing dollars.

Take the time to revisit your original marketing strategy (when was the last time you did that anyways?!). Take a look and see what’s working (bringing in the bucks) and what isn’t (causing more grief than necessary)?

Look at the results carefully and compare them to the amount you spent on the campaign – was your bang really worth the bucks you spent? That is your guide to what to reduce – if you spent tons of marketing dollars, but the campaign only brought in a few inquiries – ditch it.. but if you spent a little and received orders – keep it..

2. REUSE: Say hello to an old marketing friend!

Take the winning campaigns from your REDUCING session and bring them back to life! If you notice that the design or copy is out of date (maybe you’ve rebranded) make some minor changes. Remember though, these are the campaigns that worked so go easy on the revisions. Maybe reinstate a specific discount or even a service – if it brought in sales – go for it!

3. RECYCLE: Dust off your hard work!

Chances are good that you have some old marketing material (brochures, biz cards, postcards, t-shirts) lying around gathering dust. Bring them out and use them! As with REUSE, bring back the base concept of the piece and if necessary make some minor changes.

Recycling the base design allows you to use the work that you’ve paid for (either financially or time spent) and ensures you don’t have to agonize over starting from scratch again.
*Tip: If you need to make revisions, be sure that you get a professional to do them. Paying a pro doesn’t seem like a great way to cut back, but trust me, they’re a pro for a reason. They’ll actually SAVE you money in the long run.*

The final step is another R but it’s not an environmentally based R..

REVIEW: Take a peek at your competitor!

Take a little look see at what your competition is up to.. if they’re staying quiet, make some noise. Host an event (it can be done affordably), do whatever is necessary to stay in the forefront of your clients’ and prospect’s mind!
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A final note on Marketing in the recession – there are plenty of freebie ways to get your name out there.. think about link swaps, web ads, networking groups and blogging. Of course you do need to have a branded message to participate.

I am offering a discount on all orders of a Web Ad Package – normally it is $95 for three main web ad sizes, but I’m going to knock off $20!

(offer expires at the end of June)

Send me an email (info@foundationstudio.ca) letting me know you’d like to order a discounted web ad package and we’ll get the process started to get your name out there!!

Wishing you a successful day!
Ariane

I hate spending money on marketing and advertising for my clients, hate it with a passion and really believe that paying money is just not the way to go… Sometimes however, forking out some dough is an evil necessity. I have contacted the best of the best in the marketing world – on topics like traditional media (paper, face-to-face marketing and good old fashioned flyers, biz cards etc.) and social media and e-marketing (Twitter, FaceBook, blogging and more) and asked them what their tips were; what did they offer to their clients in terms of marketing and saving money at the same time..
I received floods of answers for both mediums – some not so “great”, some redundant (so you know they’re tried and true) and some “really out there!” but fabulous… Jello Shots anyone!?
Read on for some money saving tips on how to get your name out there in the traditional methods and then sign up for our e-newsletter or follow me on Twitter @fdnstudio to be notified of our sequel on Social Media!!

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HARO

My personal favorite (and that of about 75% of my responses) is HARO (Help A Reporter Out). HARO is run by Peter Shankman – a visionary in regards to pairing media ops with sources.
The list (at http://helpareporterout.com) is FREE to join (doesn’t get any cheaper than that) and will give you tri-daily emails of who is looking to cover what story. A plethora of possibility!!
You do need to spend time honing your pitch, and you need to make sure you pitch to only those that asked for your type of pitch (you’ll get in trouble if you don’t) and you do need to stay on top of the emails (they come fast & furious).. I can say with the utmost of confidence that I have received client coverage quite a few times because of HARO – a definite go-to resource in my Fave tabs!!

SHOP-DROPPING

Maybe once a month I go to a local big bookstore in a nice area of town and tuck our business cards into books about pregnancy, in the section that talks specifically about Doulas and other labor support. Hits on our website are up!
Krysta
MilwaukeeDoula.com

FLYERS @ THE ATM

I do old-fashioned flyers on ATM’s and soft-drink machines.
Ilena Di Toro – Freelance PR Consultant

BIZ CARD DROP

Purchase business cards online but instead of name/phone/title/etc, use the provided fields to make it into an ad for your biz (just cause it says to put your phone number in a field, doesn’t mean you can’t put your business hours or slogan). Order 1,000 of them (for as little as $25) and leave them behind everywhere you go. Table tops at Starbucks, counters and toilets in public bathrooms, the library, food court at the mall, etc. Cost $0-$25 per 1,000 (some web sites will give you FREE cards if you allow them to print their name and web address on the back)

SEIZE THE CITY NIGHTS

Set up a digital projector outdoors and shine the image on the side of a building. Do this near freeway’s or around busy area’s of town. Works best at night. Cost: free if you know someone with a projector.
Jeff Martens – Co-founder
www.CitySpeek.com

TOLL BOOTH MARKETING

When you go through the toll booth, pay for yourself, and the next 3 cars…tell the toll operator you want to pay for the next two people and give them 3 cards….one for themselves, and one for each of the people behind you.

GAS GUMPTION

When you pump gas, stick some cards on the pump.
Maurice Evans, Business Coach
1-800-691-2WIN
http://www.NetworkingCity.com

FISH BOWL BOUNTY

You know the fish bowls at stores offering to choose a random card for a free lunch? Well, there are two ways to benefit from this. – 1. put your card in the fish bowl (hey, a free lunch is a free lunch, and who knows, the owner of the store might need your service) – 2. ask the store to let you have the losing cards each week/month which will generate a ton of free leads for you.
David E. Johnson
CEO and Co-founder of Strategic Vision, LLC

JELLO SHOTS ANYONE?!

I just spent about $25 making 200 jello shots to promote my blog. I went to Biznik meeting for entrepreneurs that was a ‘recession friendly BYOB’ and approached each person with the question “want a jello shot?” I brought a girlfriend, we offered whipped cream on the top of the jello shot (lots of whipped cream jokes) and then handled them a flier the size of a business card that I made by searching the clearance items at an office supply store (got a pack of 250 sheets of heavy dark pink card stock) printing at the office of my condo (free) and cutting at my local Kinkos (free). Cheap vodka, jello for .88 a box, and the plastic shot glasses and lids at a cash and carry story. Got a lot of attention and I noticed a spike in hits the next day.
MakeNooSense
www.single-in-seattle.com

TATTOO TANGLE

I run a skatepark so it’s tough to spread the word to the masses, we hit tons of non skateboard events all summer long and our most succesful grassroots approach has been temporary tattoos, not that they are all that novel, BUT, when you are at an event when it is scorching hot out and you have spray bottles of water, EVERYBODY will wear your logo. The cost was about $200 for 5000 tattoos, $3 per spray bottle, water was free, interns were free. It builds great brand awareness and based upon the number of kids rolling in the door for days after the event with our tattoo, we know it works since the tats only go out through events.
Beau Lambert
Rye Airfield “New England’s Premier Skatepark & BMX Track

THE REVERSE SALE

We have TEAMS of people walk in to the store and ask for the brand. By the 3rd query they start to ask where did you hear about the brand…answer: it’s all over the blogs. The word gets back to the buyer…. who then goes on the website and makes an appointment to shop the line.
Mercedes Gonzalez – Director
Global Purchasing Companies

EVENT AMBUSH

I have been helping homebuilders do inexpensive marketing for years. My best guerilla marketing tip is: Let your competitors advertise – and then join the party! Often, builders are clustered together on the same street or neighborhood in a “builder’s row.” When one builder pays money to advertise a grand opening, open house or some kind of traffic-generating event, they generally also festoon the exterior to alert passersby that something special is happening. I recommend duplicating their “celebration” with balloons of your own! The competitor draws the traffic – and you capitalize on it simply by tying balloons out front and looking like you’re part of the party! No dollars out of your pocket and you get some or all of their traffic.

Joyce Wilden
BUZZ Biz PR
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These ideas are certainly not exhaustive by any means.. an event is always a good choice, a press release sent to your targeted media contact will probably work (but not always) and of course your surest bet.. leads to our next article.. conversation (of the new or traditional age). Genuine interaction with your current or potential client will lead to the sale!!! Therefore, use these tips but mix them with the sound of your voice to back them up and you’ll have a marketing hit on your hands…

Have a tip we didn’t cover? Comment and give us some feedback.. we LOVE to share!

Have a great day!!

Ariane