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Are your marketing pieces doing what you want them to do? 

Whether you decide to create a one-page flyer, a postcard, a brochure or a multi-page Website, you need a plan in order to make your marketing piece as effective as possible.  Here are some ideas to consider…

 §         Develop a concept   

In other words, what is the purpose of this marketing piece. For example, here are some reasons to produce a marketing piece:

            To sell a product or service

To educate your audience

To establish credibility

To provide visibility for yourself and your product

To announce an event or a sale

 §         Sell the benefits  

No matter how great your product is, if the customer doesn’t think he needs it, he will pass. Example:  An insurance agent isn’t selling life insurance, he is selling security for the family members who may be left behind.

 §         Use bullets, images and headlines to… 

o       Capture attention.

o       Make the piece more interesting.

o       Make it easier for the reader to grasp your concept 

o       A bonus… headlines boost search engine optimization for websites. 

§         Include a call to action. Create a sense of urgency… If you don’t tell the reader what to do, chances are they will do nothing.   If you don’t create a sense of urgency, they will think about it until they forget it… §         Make sure the copy is well-written. 

If your message is not clearly understood and easy to read, you have wasted your time – and your money.  

 §         Create an eye-catching and professional looking design.   

We are all bombarded with information all day. Setting yourself apart in some way might just be the thing that gets your message heard and understood.

A Story…

When my uncle came back from World War II with all of the other young men, he needed a job.  He had only a high school education and had been away from the business world for four years.  

Luckily, his sister was a secretary and could professionally type the letter that he composed.  However, what set him apart and got him interviews was that he had her tape a penny to each letter.  The last sentence of his letter said, “It won’t cost you one red cent to talk to me.”  

He landed a job at Ace Hardware and ended up the Vice President of Marketing!

Why use a Professional Writer and Graphic Designer?

After all, you are the one who knows the most about your product or service.  You are also familiar with marketing copy and images. You have been bombarded from birth with marketing messages. You know when a marketing message works … and when it doesn’t. 

But do you know why?

You may know that colors play a large role in marketing ads. You may know that children prefer bright primary colors – reds, yellows, greens and blues.  But did you know that educated adults prefer more muted secondary colors?  So, if you are selling children’s books to their grandparents, the books should be colorful, but the advertising brochures should use a sophisticated color scheme.

You may know that logos should be eye catching and provide visual branding. But have you thought about the fact that logos might be used in a variety of ways in large and small formats, sometimes in color, but sometimes in black and white?   …that they must be eye catching without being too complicated?  …that they must be memorable, and, probably most important, they must visually describe and be appropriate to the company they represent?

You may know everything there is to know about your product and/or service.  But did you know that telling people too much is as bad as not telling them enough? Leaving things unsaid may pique your audience’s interest, but leave too many things unsaid and they may feel frustrated and go elsewhere for information.  

You may have heard that “white space” is a good thing in all printed materials. But have you figured out how to most effectively use the white space.  One sentence on an otherwise empty page can either look dumb or classy?  Do you know why? 

Copy that is too technical may confuse people and cause them to look for materials that better explains a product or service. But be careful…if you are too simplistic, people will feel you are talking down to them. 

You may have been warned to stay away from “jargon” or language specific to your industry – but you are immersed in your industry – can you always tell which words, phrases or acronyms are jargon?    

Website copy may seem fairly straightforward – pack the pages with keywords and wait for the search engines to find you. But did you know that Google and other search engines have refined their algorithms, and now look for copy that makes sense, reads well AND has good keywords and key phrases.  Using high-priced SEO and pay-per-click services might increase the traffic to your site, but if you don’t have cogent, helpful and valuable content, how many of the “hits” will be converted into customers? 

One final question.  What is your time worth?  You probably have the software on your computer to build a brochure, develop a website, design a logo and write marketing copy.  You probably even have the talent to use some or all of these programs.  But how much time will it take you to design a brochure, flyer, logo or website?  How much time will it take to write and polish your copy?  How much time will it take to make sure the formatting of your print and electronic pieces is correct? 

And how effective will your efforts be in converting those who see your marketing pieces into customers?    

Here is a link to an interesting article on color.  http://www.nightcats.com/samples/colour.html

Business people are hearing more and more about blogs.  Those who are not utilizing this powerful marketing tool are missing a golden opportunity to become a credible source of knowledge on their products or services.  Think about it.  When you buy something, don’t you want to buy it from someone who knows the ins and outs of what they are selling, someone who can answer your questions, tell you about the features and even some of the tricks to get more out of your purchase?  Your customers probably feel the same way.

You are probably passionate about what you are marketing. Why not channel that passion into a blog that is both helpful and informative.  Why not become the expert that people come to for information about your product or service?

One of the more powerful features of a blog is the “Comments” section. This is where you may get both good and bad feedback.  Someone may take you to task for some of your comments.  Sometimes, they may even be right, and you may learn something from them.  Even the most annoying person may have a valid argument or a good idea.  And worthy complaints deserve a decent response. 

More importantly, the comments section can be a source of testimonials from people who truly appreciate your efforts – you might even use some of them in your marketing materials.  

Finally, your blog can be a great source of information for someone interested in what you have to offer.  People today search the Internet hungry for information.  Much of that information is suspect or downright false.  Wouldn’t you rather have your customers come directly to you to learn about your products or services?  

Getting started is easy. You can start with a free blog from Google’s Blogger or from WordPress. 

http://www.entireweb.com:80/newsletter/archive/2008/ISSUE429.html

The above link is to a really good article about SEO - or for the non-techies among us, Search Engine Optimization.  I have been writing and designing websites since 1998.  It is interesting how times have changed.  When I started, I took a course at a local college to find out how to get higher ranking on search engines  (and some of the biggies were Alta Vista, Northern Lights, Dog Pile and MSN).  It is interesting that while the search engines have changed and the algorithms have changed, the basics have not.  META tags, including keywords and descriptions, are still important. But Content is King!  As it always has been.  Having well-written copy and a carefully crafted description will go along way towards getting higher ranks on search engines.  Once visitors arrive at the site, well-written content may turn the visitor into a customer! 

 A couple of newer SEO tactics mentioned in the above article are titles and fresh content. While these didn’t seem to matter as much in the past, they seem to be getting ever more important.  So if your site doesn’t have have a TITLE tag, have one added and if you haven’t updated the content, maybe it’s time.

One of my friends sent this to me yesterday.  I believe it will help explain how powerful branding can be.  Are you “branded?”  Even if you sell products for someone who has a brand identity, did you know that you can also “brand” yourself — a way to set yourself apart from the crowd? 

Click here: cramersweeney.com

Several years ago I was asked to help a young man and his wife market their cleaning business.  They offered general cleaning, window cleaning and small handyman-type services. At the time, they were dropping photocopied black and white flyers off on the doorsteps of local homeowners, but it wasn’t working.

They had successfully identified their target – middle class homeowners.  However, their flyer was not well written (English was not their first language) and not well designed. It was not generating the businesses they needed to survive.  They thought they needed a shiny color brochure or expensive door hanger to attract their customers. 

When we talked, I believed that their market might be more attracted to the fact that they did not have high overhead costs, were not overpriced, and would be accommodating to the specific needs of the customer. But they did need to look more professional. 

I kept their idea of a one-page flyer, black and white, that could be photocopied and left on doorsteps or displayed on the counter of the local DIY store. I then worked with them to craft the wording that accurately described their services and their philosophy.  The flyer was successful for them and enabled them to get their start.   

Every business has a target market. That target market will respond if approached in an appropriate manner.  I believe that finding the “voice” that speaks to the target market is key.  Small business owners with limited budgets should always carefully weigh their options before jumping into a high priced media campaign that might not be targeted correctly.

Welcome to my blog.  I hope to use this forum as a place to post (I hope) interesting and useful information, and to hear the comments of readers, who might agree, disagree or just be interested.