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Posts for November 2011
How your workforce can market your business
November 30, 2011
For companies of every size, from small start-ups to huge corporations, marketing is an essential part of modern business. But for small firms that don’t have a large marketing budget, there are simple steps you can take to market your firm effectively. Most are very easy to put into practice, with a little help from your staff.
Business cards
In some sectors, business cards and associated paraphernalia are common place, however in others they’re not, so encouraging staff to have some printed with their job title and the logo of the company can give them and the company a more professional air.
Signage
If your business supplies company cars or vans to staff, an understated logo and contact info panel on the sides mean that when the cars are about town, the company is getting free exposure to new customers and clients.
Mechandise
Merchandise branded with the company insignia and details can be used to promote the company, even by people not directly involved with the company, such as suppliers and potential customers.
Social networking
Although social networking can be a barrier to productivity in some cases, there are professional networking sites like LinkedIn that can present your company to wider world in a business-like way. By giving tuition to employees on the best practice of some of these networks, your business can look more professional on the web.
Events
Organising events and fundraisers for charity and getting staff involved is a great way to get the company name out there while also giving something back to the community. Try to find events already underway, such as a fun run, where you could enter a company team in.
Daniel N is a UK-based blogger who writes about business and marketing. He works for Search Laboratory Ltd.
Getting the most out of your LinkedIn group
November 28, 2011
LinkedIn groups are a superb place to connect and collaborate with existing communities that have a shared interest, raise your personal brand and create thought leadership. However, it’s not place to jump in feet first and sell your products or services. Let’s get that straight from the get go.
For me, LinkedIn is about building influential connections, but to do that you have to bring something to the group. Simply being there isn’t enough. Here are ten tips on getting the most out of your LinkedIn Group.
It all starts with listening
Once you’ve joined the group, browse the current discussions and listen. Digest what people are saying, how they’re saying it, how they interact with each other. This will give you insight into the group etiquette before you get stuck in. It will also give you an idea of what people are genuinely interested in. This insight can be hugely valuable.
Share and share alike
If you stumble upon some gems of knowledge within these discussions, like or share them with your audience. The person it came from will love you for it and your audience will appreciate a cracking piece of content. Promoting and connecting like this through LinkedIn can really help to build your own influence.
It’s networking Jim, but not as we know it
You know when you attend networking events or conferences and you work the room, easing yourself into conversations gently? Networking online is pretty much the same. Start with listening to current conversations and if you truly feel you can add something to it, ease yourself in. If you can’t, then stay out of the conversation until you have something interesting to say. And whatever you do, don’t try to sell your stuff. It won’t work.
Build authority
This follows on nicely from the previous point. Your aim is to build your authority and influence around your specialist subject, product or service. So create thought leadership by only commenting when you can add true value to the conversation and show people you’re an expert at what you do. This is the bit that sells by the way.
Take it outside
Once you’ve established a rapport with group members through discussions and you think there’s a valid reason to connect with them outside of LinkedIn, connect (you can use the group as your reason to do this). Tell them you love what they said about X and would like to chat about it further over the phone, skype or coffee. Or tell them that you have something that could help with the current issue they’ve been discussing and would love to talk to them about it. Just make sure your reason for connecting is relevant. There are enough spammers on LinkedIn, don’t become another one.
Take the lead
Once you’ve got the hang of how groups work and what the members are interested in, think about starting your own discussion. Again, make sure it’s relevant. Taking the lead in this way can give you great kudos when done right.
Give a little respect
If you disagree with people, debate but don't get aggressive. We all like a bit of passion, but there’s a fine line between passion and being offensive. Unfortunately because people are hiding behind laptops, computers and mobiles, they have a habit of speaking first and thinking second. Try to use an internal edit button and if you’re feeling angry, step away until you can objectively respond. It’s hard to come back from an explosive outburst in online communities, so remember your reputation is at stake here.
You’ve got to be in it to win it
Participating in groups can take time and if you’ve been involved in a discussion or started one, you need to check back and respond. The email settings can help you with this and will notify you when people respond, which should prompt you to return and engage.
Create word of mouth
The more you engage through the group, the more people will remember you. As you build your reputation and influence through the group other members will be more likely to recommend you or your products/services to other people. This, my friends, is gold dust.
Do not sell
Have I said this enough? OK, good.
Gemma Went is a Marketing Donut expert contributor and a marketing and social media consultant.
It’s packaging, it’s wacky - welcome to the world of wackaging
November 25, 2011
It all started with Innocent Drinks, those crazy guys and their wonderful flights of fancy on their packaging. Cheeky, chummy copywriting was their thing.
And now everyone wants to “do an Innocent”. Now wacky wording on packaging — or wackaging as it is now dubbed — is alarmingly prevalent. And the jury is out on whether it is indeed big and clever. Or is it, in fact, completely annoying?
What do you think?
To see some of the worst offenders, check out Guardian journalist Rebecca Nicholson’s brilliant blog at Tumblr — http://wackaging.tumblr.com/.
I have to admit, there’s one example that I do like. It’s on the Pret A Manger Still Lemon Aid bottle. It says: best served chilled (as indeed we all are). This at least has some wit and intelligence and it’s relatively low-key.
Other examples are not so subtle. There seem to be two distinct ends of the spectrum with this wackaging malarkey. At one end, you’ve got the cheeky chappy approach — it’s a bit Jamie Oliver, a bit lovely jubbly. Take a bow M&S with your “Purely Pineapple goes large”. That is like a bad case of dad dancing if ever I saw one.
Then there’s the cutesy stuff that frankly makes you want to stick your fingers down your throat. Step forward food brand Ella’s Kitchen with this copy that just begs to be delivered in a baby voice: “My Dad made a promise to me and my brother that he would only use stuff in our products that is natural, is pure and helps make us healthy. I told him everything also has to taste great and he agreed! Ella x”
The bottom line is that these brands are trying to talk to us like they are our best mates. And that’s a mistake because they are not, they’re businesses. And however much they may claim to be terribly cool and right-on, let’s not forget they are actually in the business of making money.
But worse, if our mates talked to us like some of these wacky brands, we’d probably drop them faster than you can scoff a Broderick’s Belgy Nicker Nutty Drippy Drop. Now that’s a chocolate bar that is simply screaming, “I’m wacky, me!”
Enough already.
Rachel Miller is the editor of Marketing Donut.
Five tips for successful marketing at Christmas
November 24, 2011
You don’t need me to tell you that Christmas is a prime selling time for many businesses or that it is exceptionally competitive. Inspired by the Christmas feeling and as the fight for attention, footfall — or traffic — and conversion has begun in earnest, what can you do to ensure your marketing stands out for Christmas?
Should you be doing anything differently? I don’t actually think so. There may be marketing gimmicks that apply to the festive period but they won’t be effective unless you’ve got your marketing foundation rock solid. Here are five top tips to achieve that.
1. You’ve heard this before — if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This is so true that these tips are actually more relevant for Christmas 2012! Well before Christmas you should be clear about exactly what you are going to do, and when, in order to achieve Christmas marketing success — call it your Christmas marketing action plan if you like. Exactly when you should have your plan ready, and when you should be setting it into motion, is not an exact science because it depends on so many variables.
2. You’ve got to know your target market like the back of your hand. This is really important because who your target market is will affect what actions you carry out. For example, successfully marketing to male and female children between the age of eight and ten for Christmas will be drastically different to successfully marketing to women in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties for Christmas. And yes, you’ve got to be that detailed if you want to make a positive impact on that Christmas crowd. Knowing your target market should affect a whole host of things like choice of packaging, colours, typography, communication tools, tone of voice, route to market and timing to name but a few.
3. Marketing for Christmas brings an added complication – you’ve got to understand who is buying. Is your product or service going to be bought as a gift or not? If it’s a gift then it’s not as simple as marketing to people who buy things for themselves. Suddenly you have multiple audiences. Using one of the examples above, not only are you marketing to women in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties, you’re also marketing to their husbands, partners, friends and relatives or put more simply – those likely to buy them the gift you are marketing.
4. So how do you market a Christmas gift to multiple audiences? Each group will require a different message and approach. In the example we’re using, the women in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties need to know they want your product or service for Christmas. So much so, they may even buy it for themselves (nothing wrong with that), or use every trick in the book to ensure they get it for Christmas! Additionally, you’ve got to successfully communicate to those buying the gift that it’s worth getting for the women in their lives.
5. For Christmas especially, benefits are everything, features are nothing. In the stampede for Christmas sales, you’ve got to quickly and simply communicate why your product or service is better than a competing one. It’s quite astounding how many companies fall down on this. For example, a quick Google search of hair straighteners threw up many features but no benefits. Brand X straighteners included “ionic technology that emits the most negative ions as possible”. So what? The benefits of this aren’t obvious and it’s your job as marketer to speak the language of the people you are selling to. After more digging I’ve found that ionic technology means heat is used to heal damaged hair. I now know that damaged hair is positively charged and the negative ions bond with your hair, sealing broken cuticles and infusing moisture. This results in shiny and healthy hair. Now are you more interested in Brand X straighteners? I want these Brand X straighteners now I know this! So, where’s my Christmas wish list? You know, the one I’m going to accidently leave lying around...
Sara Drawwater is an expert contributor to Marketing Donut and runs her own creative consultancy Something Beckons.
You can design a logo for your business
November 24, 2011
Your company logo is a visual representation of your business. It should embody everything you stand for as a company and evoke a sense of trust.
In some situations, a logo will be your business’ only representation — the only chance you have to impress. This makes the design of your logo all the more important, so what’s the best way to get yours?
In order for it to work for your business, your logo doesn’t need to cost the earth. And it doesn’t need to be complex either. In fact, you can design a great business logo yourself.
What makes a great logo?
Some of the world’s most well-known logos (Apple, IBM, Puma) all have one thing in common: simplicity. So, keeping it simple is definitely something to aim for when designing a logo.
Just like a headline in an advert, your logo may only have a few seconds to catch someone’s attention, so the simpler it is, the more likely someone is to see it, remember it and recognise it in the future. A simple logo is versatile too, so it can be applied across a range of media and be scalable to any size.
Great logos are just like any other great design — they don’t date easily. The golden arches have been around since the 1960s. But creating a timeless logo is not your only goal. Your design needs to be unique to stand out from the crowd, but this doesn’t mean it has to be loud or garish.
Creating a professional logo is quick and easy
It’s a good idea to have a go at designing your business’ logo yourself. With the right graphic design software, anyone can design a simple, unique and timeless logo. You don’t need to be tech-savvy — you just need to know your business inside out.
Vector illustration software equips you with all the tools you need to design a great-looking logo that is memorable, scalable, and professional. If you’ve never used this type of software before, don’t worry, there are lots of video and online tutorials available to help you get to grips with the software and glean design tips.
It’s cheaper than hiring a designer
Taking it upon yourself to complete the job will be cheaper than hiring a designer to do it for you. Unless you know a designer that owes you a favour — and most of us don’t — you could spend hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds getting a designer to create your logo. That’s not the sort of price most start ups and small businesses can always afford.
Something else to think about is that logos will evolve, and when it’s time for yours to change, you’ll want the process of revamping it to be as cheap and painless as possible.
You might be apprehensive that, because you haven’t spent a lot of money, the end result won’t have a great impact. But just because a designer charges a large amount for a logo, it doesn’t necessarily mean that logo will perform better than the one you design. A good example of this is Adidas. Their logo was designed by the founder, Adolf “Adi” Dassler.
Experiment until you get the right result
As a small business owner, experimenting and having a go yourself offers too many benefits to ignore. Even if you’re not happy with the end result, you can go back to the drawing board and create another design whenever you need to.
Simon Monahan is the product marketing manager at creative software developer Serif.
For more guidance on creating an identity for your business, read:
- Design marketing materials without breaking the bank
- What is graphic design?
- How to write an effective slogan for your business
Forget you - think them
November 24, 2011
Forget you and forget your standard sales presentation.
Let me explain. All of us have our own unique way of perceiving the world. This map has been created from the moment you were born to this very day; all your experiences have gone into the pot and created your map. Nobody else will have had your experiences in exactly the same way. They will have had their own experiences and will perceive the world in their very unique way.
So what does this mean to you and importantly how can you use this to increase your sales?
It’s really important to get into the map of your potential client, really understand them, their problems and desired objectives. Only then can you deliver an offering that is irresistible and create the desire to buy from you.
Why is it then that so many people pitch their offering before finding what the buyers “map” is?
This causes so many challenges when it comes to sales:
- You get objections
- Not everything you pitch will be relevant
- You may leave relevant information out
- You’re not able to close based on the map of the buyer so closing is more random.
It’s so much more effective, and actually easier, not to start with your pitch. Start by asking well-crafted open questions — any that start with who, what, when, where or how. Avoid “why” questions as they can seem confrontational. Find out what’s going on in their world, from their perspective. Do they want to solve a problem or do they need something to move them forward.
Forget what you think they need until you’ve got every last scrap of information from them. Then you can tailor your pitch exactly to their needs, using their words, values and beliefs.
It’s also crucial to use “you” language. This is so much more engaging and shows that you are really in their space — their map! Whenever you use “we”, “I” or your company name, you are in your own map and focusing on yourself, your offering or your company.
The benefits are enormous:
- No objections because you’re only responding and not pitching
- More engaged buyers because you’re focusing on them
- Greater depth of information from your “you-focused” open questions
- A more tailored close
- A higher conversion rate and more sales.
One more thing — give your buyers lots of time to answer, really listen and pause when you think they have stopped. It’s often in these pauses that you’ll get the golden nuggets of information that make all the difference!
Leigh Ashton is the author of iSell and is a speaker, trainer and coach.
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