Time for a Spring Spruce-up!

Spring has finally sprung and traditionally, it’s a time that many people think of clearing out the clutter in the garage or basement. Why not initiate a spring spruce-up of your business marketing?

The best place to start is by taking an objective look at your existing brand and/or logo. Is your logo old and outdated? Is your marketing material inconsistent? Now may be the time to enlist the help of a graphic designer to create a fresh and new image that clearly enhances the look of your business. 

When was the last time you updated the pictures you have on your social media profiles and web pages? If they are more than six months old, it’s time to post new ones. You may want to consider having your photo taken by a professional photographer.

And while you are at it, why not freshen up your data on all your social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter? Your business is constantly evolving and your social media should reflect those changes.

Haven’t taken the plunge into the internet marketing realm yet? Now may be the time to explore your social media options and make the commitment to maintain your internet presence. 

Is your website or blog in need of an overhaul?  If you don’t have a website, landing page or blog, this could be the perfect time to consult with a web designer to explore your options.

What are you doing to drive traffic to your website, blog or other social media sites? Do you send out an e-newsletter on a regular basis with “links” directing your readers to your website or blog?

All of the elements above can be included in a Marketing Strategy. Does your company have such a plan in place? A Marketing Strategy is a living document that changes monthly, weekly, and even daily, as your business evolves and adapts to your business environment. If you are currently without a marketing strategy or business plan, now is the time to create one.

I would be delighted to help you explore any of these options and welcome the opportunity to meet with you face-to-face to discuss new ideas and answer your questions on how to brand and expand your business.
 

Brand to Expand Your Business

If you have been following my blog, you can see that I'm well into my 90-day Marketing Makeover. I have reworked my marketing plan as well as defined my target market and feel confident to move on in the process to review my company branding.

Again, your niche has to be fine-tuned and well-defined before you can brand your company. Marketing Expert, Beverly Cornell-McGlynn, in our 2010 M3 radio interview, asks the question, "If your business brand was a person, what would he/she look like?" http://bit.ly/UXhDKZ

According to www.entrepreneur.com, the definition of “branding” is “the marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products.” Sounds simple enough but what does this mean exactly?

A memorable brand starts with your company logo. Do you have a logo that is old and outdated? Does it convey the proper image you want to present to your target market? One of the best investments you can make in your company is to enlist the help of a professional graphics and design company to create your logo and company image.

In a 2010 M3 interview, Linda Kleist, Marketing Director at Identity Graphic Design, points out that your logo can help or hinder the business, as it is the first impression that you project into the world. It comes from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be. It is the "it" factor" that sets you apart from your competition.  http://bit.ly/TpExhX

After you have that symbol that reflects your business, the logo and brand will then carryover into your promotional materials such as business cards, brochures, website, blog, social media pages, etc. In our interview, Diane Krueger, the Brand Identity Artist at Contagious: Cure of the Common, goes into more detail. http://bit.ly/V2xXua

Coca Cola, Nike, McDonald's, Craftsman are just a few of the most famous and easily recognized brands. Because they have built powerful brand recognition, when stacked up against their competition, they can charge more for their products and consumers will happily pay that higher price. When your brand is consistent and strong, it brings added value to your company's products and services that raise you above your competition, especially a company that may not have invested in the strategic branding of their company.

Once we have the logo and brand in place, we can move on to getting the word out about our products and services. 

Have You Found Your Niche?

Last  week during the first week of my 90-day Marketing Makeover journey, the focus was on updating my business plan and marketing strategy.  Did you do that for your business as well? Did you find that you had trouble creating your marketing strategy? Or did you notice that the one you had in place isn’t working for you anymore?

If so, the problem is most likely that your target market isn’t clearly defined or your original niche market has changed.  This is crucial, especially when planning your internet marketing strategy to achieve optimal marketing success online.

Perhaps in the beginning you thought that all you needed to do was to build a website and people would automatically be drawn to the site with credit cards in hand to buy your product or service. The hard truth is that in order to reach some level of financial success on the internet, you have to do all you can to get your message in front of your target market and get them to even notice you in order to buy what you are selling.

By definition, “target marketing”, or “niche marketing” as it is also called, is the strategy of identifying your  potential clients by segments, such as age group, geographic area, business industry, etc., and gearing your marketing efforts to one or more key segment.

To refine your niche market, you need to ask yourself a number of questions including:

·     Who is going to buy my product or service?

·     Are my clients limited to a certain industry or demographic? Or can anyone be a potential customer?

·     Does my business appeal to residential or commercial consumers? Or both?

·     Is my business limited to a local geographic area?

·     What is unique about the services or products my company offers?

·     How is my company set apart from my competition?

Once you have clearly defined your specific target audience, you’ll realize a number of benefits.

·     You’ll be able to maximize your marketing budget. You’ll know where you need to focus your efforts to find your niche customers. 

·     You are able to tailor the content of your website specifically to your target market. Using keywords pertinent to your niche, the content can then be optimized for search engines so that your potential customers can easily locate you online.

·     You’ll also, in turn, be able to search for blogs and related sites that are catering to your market.

·     You are able to develop new products or services that focus more directly on the needs of your refined group.

And now that you know who your marketing efforts are directed toward, you will be able to better develop your company brand.

NEXT BLOG POST: Branding Your Company

Marketing Tip #25 - Want to be Taken Seriously?

Do you have a Hotmail, AOL, Gmail or Yahoo address on your business card? Do you want to be taken seriously in your business? When people notice those addresses, they immediately think “cheap.”  If you’re just getting started in business, you can be excused if you don’t yet have a website. But it only takes a minute to buy a domain name for about $10 (GoDaddy.com or Namecheap.com), connect it to a Blogspot or Wordpress blog, and pay about $9 a month for hosting. 

Out With the Old and In With the New!

There is no better time than the year end to do an overhaul of the marketing you have in place for your business. Below is a checklist of things you can do to give your business a fresh, new makeover for 2012:

1. A Marketing Strategy is a living document that changes monthly, weekly and even daily as your business evolves and adapts to your business environment. When was the last time you updated your plan? Don’t have a marketing strategy or business plan in place? Now is the time to create one. Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Marketing expert Sandy Barris discusses the value of creating a marketing plan in an interview from July 2010 at http://tinyurl.com/dx7yu9c.

2. Does your company have a memorable brand or logo? Or is your logo old and outdated? Do you need to enlist the help of a graphic designer to create something fresh and new that reflects your business. Diane Krueger, the Brand Identity Artist at Contagious: Cure for the Common reminds us that a company’s logo is the starting point of the entire corporate image. http://tinyurl.com/c5v7ll7

3. Are your marketing materials consistent? Does your logo or brand carryover onto your business cards, brochures, website, blog, Facebook fan page, etc? Linda Kleist of Identity Graphic Design talks about the importance of consistent branding. http://tinyurl.com/csmcc99.

4. Are your social media sites up-to-date? When was the last time you updated your profiles and contact information on Linkedin, Facebook, etc? Is it time to post a more current photo? Are you getting the most from your social media efforts as you market yourself and your business? Marketing and social media expert, Beverly Cornell, covers the whole gamet of social media’s do and don’ts. http://tinyurl.com/bw8fu62.

5. How long has it been since your website was updated? How many hits are you getting to the site? Not a lot? You might want to have a professional revise the content, adding key words that will get you found on search engines (SEO) such as Google. Kevin Van Dette, President of Affordable Website Specialists, talks about all this and more in his 2010 interview. http://tinyurl.com/d572lny.

6. Do you currently have a blog? Is a blog right for you and your business? Are people reading or listening to your blog? Corey Perlman, author of "eBootCamp", describe blogging in concise and easy to understand language. http://tinyurl.com/ctnc4g8.

7. What are you doing to drive traffic to your website, blog or other social media sites? Do you send out an e-newsletter on a regular basis linking to your website? In a second interview, Corey Perlman gives tips on how to use e-newsletters as an effective marketing tool as well as a means of keeping yourself in front of customers and business associates. http://tinyurl.com/744wrdh

8. How current is the information in your database? Over this past summer, I purged my database of the old and outdated contact information. I was shocked as to the extent of job changes, out of state moves, and businesses that had closed in the past year. You probably will be amazed too.

Have a Happy New Year!

Maurer Marketing Minutes #34-Aaron Beals-Ring Ring

Maurer Marketing Minutes #34-Aaron Beals-Ring Ring

 

Aaron Beals of Ring Ring LLC, promotes creative marketing through toll-free vanity telephone numbers. These numbers are effective as a branding tool to make your advertising memorable no matter what media you are using: internet, radio, television, newspapers or magazines. He can be reached at aaron.beals@ringringllc.com. 866-RingRing or visit his website at www.ringringllc.com.

Direct download: MMM-34-Aaron_Beals-RingRing.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #33-Diane Krueger-Contagious! Cure for the Common

Maurer Marketing Minutes #33-Diane Krueger-Contagious-Cure for the Common

Diane Krueger, the Brand Identity Artist at Contagious: Cure for the Common reminds us that a company’s logo is the starting point of the entire corporate image. The logo should be used with continuity across all your marketing materials and puts your identity in front of your clients and potential customers. She also talks about dressing up your work environment with your logo and company philosophy.

Follow Diane on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Novi-MI/Contagiousa-cure-for-the-common/125874684090303 or contact her at 248-219-5520 or visit her website at www.contagiousllc.com

Direct download: MMM-33-Diane_Krueger-Contagious.mp3 

Maurer Marketing Minutes #31-Linda Kleist-Identity Graphic Design

Maurer Marketing Minutes #31-Linda Kleist-Identity Graphic Design

According to Linda Kleist, Marketing Director at Identity Graphic Design, business owners need to pay close attention to their visual brand. “Brand” is a buzz word and in this case, represents the face of your business. Your logo can help or hinder the business, as it is the first impression that you project out into the world. You can reach Linda at 586-558-9795, email Linda@IdentityGraphicDesign.com or at her website www.IdentityGraphicDesign.com.

Direct download: MMM-31-Linda_Kleist-Marketing_Director-Identity_Graphic_Design.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #30-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages

Maurer Marketing Minutes #30-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages
In Part 3 of our three-part interview, Beverly Cornell, Marketing and Social Media Director at Mango Languages, discusses what and what not to share on social media sites. She encourages users to share their “human” side, as well as reflecting their business personality as well. You need to know who your audience is and provide engaging content to interest them as followers. Contact Beverly directly at 248-254-7450 ext. 824 or email Beverly.Cornell@mangolanguages.com or visit Mango’s website at www.mangolanguages.com
Direct download: MMM-30-Beverly_Cornell-Mango_Languages.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #28-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages

Maurer Marketing Minutes #28-Beverly Cornell-Mango Languages
If your business brand was a person, what would he/she look like? Beverly Cornell-McGlynn, former Marketing and Social Media Director at Mango Languages, encourages business owners to put “fun” in their marketing effort. She says that by capturing your unique business personality in promoting your service or product, you will catch the attention of potential clients in a big way. The marketing strategy she instituted at Mango is a prime example. Contact Beverly at beverlyrcornell@gmail.com.
Direct download: MMM-28-Beverly_Cornell-Mango_Languages.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #26-Dan Walker-“The Customer’s Way”

Maurer Marketing Minutes #26-Dan Walker-The Customer's Way
When Dan Walker wrote and published his book, “The Customer’s Way”, he began to build credibility in his field and set himself up as an expert. The book, which presents a novel approach to building better customer relations, has become a marketing tool for informing his clients exactly what he does as well as being an informative and fun way to deliver his message to all his business constituents. Dan can be reached via email at dan@riversendconsulting.com, or by phone at 248-770-2554 or visit his website at www.RiversEndConsulting.com.
Direct download: MMM-26-Dan_Walker-Author_of_The_Customers_Way.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes 23-Mark Besh-Visual Impact

Maurer Marketing Minutes #23-Mark Besh-Visual Impact

Mark Besh, multimedia expert and Principal at Visual Impact agrees with our former guest, Kevin Krason, that video is becoming the most important media to get your company, product or service message noticed and ranked higher on the search engines. Mark talks about the benefits to business owners in using video to reach their customers and how to get the advertisement seen by the virtual community. Mark is happy to hear from you at mbesh@4vis.com or 248-548-7000 or visit his website at www.4vis.com
Direct download: MMM-23-Mark_Besh-Visual_Impact.MP3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #16-Brandon Vanno-Digital IQ Graphics

Maurer Marketing Minutes #16-Brandon Vanno-Digital IQ Graphics
Branding expert Brandon Vanno, president of Digital IQ Graphics, knows that your company logo should reflect what your business is and does at its core. It is your identity, meant to grab attention and be recognizable at a glance. Most of all, he adds, it helps you to stand out among your competition. Do you have a logo that matches your tag line? Is your logo working for you? See samples of Brandon’s work on his website www.digitaliqgraphics.com or call him at 248-663-1874 or email creative@digitaliqgraphics.com.
Direct download: MMM-16-Brandon_Vanno-Digital_IQ.MP3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #14-Bob DiTomasso-Shot by Bob

Maurer Marketing Minutes #14-Bob DiTomasso-Get Shot by Bob
Bob DiTomasso, owner of Robert DiTomasso Photography, has two taglines that are examples of pure branding genius: “Get Shot by Bob” and “for a price, I’ll shoot your relatives”. It’s humorous, memorable and gets a lot of attention at tradeshows and networking events. In our interview, Bob talks about how using the slogans have increased his business and some of the reaction to it. See samples of his work at www.GetShotByBob.com. He can be reached at 248-941-4859 or email info@GetShotByBob.com.
Direct download: MMM-14-Bob_DiTommaso-Shot_by_Bob.mp3

Maurer Marketing Minutes #6-Patrick Karbon-ALP Music

Maurer Marketing Minutes #6-Patrick Karbon-ALP Music

According to Wikipedia, a jingle is defined as a memorable short tune with or without lyrics that is used in radio or television commercials and usually associated with an advertising slogan. Or, as in the case of ALP Music, used in motion pictures as well. Patrick Karbon, VP of Marketing, tells how their company produced jingles for the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival and for an upcoming movie production. Can a jingle become part of your brand? You can reach Patrick at 313-445-0597 , email pat.karbon@alpmusic.com, visit their website at www.alpmusic.com.

Direct download: Patrick_Karbon-ALP_Music.mp3