Publicity for 2009

Happy New Year! Key word here folks is HAPPY! 2008 has definitely been a trying year for our country and our economy. Most likely your business has felt the effects in some way. However, let’s not dwell on what has already been done, but rather on the realistic marketing solutions you can do right now to ensure 2009 moves in a more positive direction.

Assess Your Image
Reception is perception when it comes to the overall look of your company. Are you portraying a quality company in the appearance of your facility? Does your website effectively reflect what type of company you are, the services you provide and why you are better than your competitors? Are uniforms, work attire, company trucks, etc presentable? Are you being confused with your vendors or even your competitors? Be honest with yourself and seek the unbiased advice of a third party to determine what’s working and what areas need to be addressed.

Build or Enhance Your Arsenal of Sales and Marketing Materials
Your marketing materials should extend further than simply a business card and handshake. Be ready to respond to networking opportunities, inquires, requests for information, events, advertising and other marketing opportunities. The needed pieces will depend on the scope of your business. Here are a few considerations:

Logo
Proudly display your logo on all of your collateral, but maintain a consistent look every time. If your small business doesn’t have a registered logo such as Nike’s recognizable “swoosh,” keep in mind your font, sizing and color choices when you present your company name. This same style and theme should be carried out from your business card to your brochure, to those polo-style shirts and fancy coffee mugs you gave your customers during the holidays.

Business Cards
Easy and inexpensive. It’s a no-brainer that all businesses should have a business card for every professional that deals with your customers. Consider making a small investment in better paper stock or utilizing your business card to give more information about what you do, not just a way to contact you.

Website
A website should not only look good, but more importantly, work for you to sell you and your business. Access to the Web is part of everyday business for most people. Rather than call a salesperson, prospective customers would rather go online to identify companies that meet their needs. Downloading a product spec sheet from a website is also much quicker than waiting for the mailman. Don’t put the task of creating your website in the hands of the boyfriend of your wife’s cousin’s daughter who calls himself a “designer.” It’s too important not to trust the guidance and work of a professional.

Flyer or Brochure
Make sure your sales and marketing collateral is up to date. You may fall habit to continually using obsolete materials that are way past their shelf life simply because of the initial cost to print them, or you simply haven’t found the time or energy to generate new materials. Like a good website, your pieces should not only be aesthetically pleasing, but work for you. Your content should clearly Illustrate what you do and how you can be a solution to your customers’ needs.

Postcards
Postcards are extremely inexpensive to print and require less postage than a standard envelope. Plus, you can customize your mailings, such as applying a label announcing a timely event or sales incentive, or use the postcards as handouts at events.

Seek Alternative Ways to Reach Your Customer
Some marketing tactics work; others clearly do not. Now is the time to take an honest look at your current methods for retaining customers and generating new business to determine what stays, what can be modified to work more effectively, and what simply needs to go. For example, you may be running an ad in a publication your customer is sure to read, but notice the big bucks spend on the design and placement of this ad is not directly driving sales. Assess the situation and the reasons for the lack of response. Would a better focus in the ad make more of an impact or should I apply these funds into a direct mail campaign?

Network, Network, Network
When business is good, focused networking seems be nonexistent. Get out from behind your desk and the comfort of your Blackberry and seek out events where you can meet (in person!) potential customers or partners. Not sure where to start? Check out local groups such as your chamber of commerce or industry associations or seek out relevant events to attend such as tradeshows, training events or seminars.

Build or Enhance Existing Partnerships With Your Vendors and Partners
If you are noticing a change in the bottom line of your business, other related companies are probably feeling the pinch too. Collaborate with companies and other individuals to mutually beneficial ways to find new customers, develop new products, find alternative sources of business, etc.

When it comes to tradeshow booth graphics – Less Really is More!

When you decide to rent that expensive piece of real estate in the convention center at the next tradeshow, consider these tips to maximize your image and get the most return for your buck.

Attendees walking the tradeshow floor are over-stimulated with the sights, sounds and overall bustle going on. As they walk by, you are competing with a sea of other booths, the Laker Girls appearance at the back of the hall, and the incessant noise of a product demonstration in the booth next to you. Your booth has to convey what your company does in a way that will effectively resonate with your target customer. And… as they hurry through the aisles, you have less than 4 seconds to do so.

Many companies adhere to the idea of filling every possible space in their booth with text, graphs and images in an attempt to explain EVERYTHING their company does. The result is simply a wall of clutter that gets unnoticed.

Why is less actually more? Think about your commute on the freeway. As you are speeding by at 90mph (er, I mean lawfully following the speed limit), your view of the skyline is scattered with miscellaneous billboards encouraging you to buy a new car, take that cruise, or switch to a lower APR. Notice how many words are on a billboard. Really take a look at the headlines and you will find that most contain no more than seven words. These advertisers have paid a lot of money to be a part of your scenic view and they truly understand the idea of getting a message out… and getting it out quickly. You can apply this same logic to your tradeshow booth- You are the billboard, and the foot traffic is hurrying by. You have just moments to get their attention so that they either remember you and follow up, or hit the brakes and engage in a discussion.

Avoid the marketing jargon in that big, bold headline across your booth. Rather, tell your customer what you do and more importantly, show them that you are the solution to the challenge they are currently dealing with. Keep in mind the event’s focus and who will be making their way through the aisle. Next, use easy-to-interpret images to convey your message. Finally, enhance your sales efforts through your booth graphics by including uncomplicated text, graphs, images, etc that your sales team can reference as they explain the benefits of your company’s products or services. You are on your way to portraying a positive and professional image. Now let’s talk about publicity AFTER the big event. To be continued…

Website Publicity

When it comes to your website, “If you build it… they will come” only applies if they can actually find you on the Web. As millions of people each day turn Yahoo, Google and other search engines to find everything from an affordable plumber to great steakhouse, it is important that your company’s website not only appear in relative searches, but rank high on the list. Generally, an individual will select from the top 10 or 20 results listed from their search. Higher ranking = more visitors to your website and more opportunities for sales.

Search engine optimization (SEO) companies have sprouted up, mastering the ever-changing technologies used to rank specific websites. The price range for these services run the gamut depending on your specific business; however, there are few things you can do right now to ensure your website is in the running:

Keywords. The content throughout your website should be rich in the keywords and phrases that your potential customers would query in their search. Assess your existing content and consider bulking up on keywords and even adding additional pages and content to include further terms. Use keywords in the names of your pages and the individual images within the website.

Use metatags within your code to offer a description and further keywords for the search engines to find.

Create links within the pages of your website and if possible create links with other coordinating websites. Reciprocal links are ideal – If a search engine finds a keyword on your website and your website links to another website that also has this keyword and also links back to you, this further affirms the credibility of the keyword as applicable to your website and will push your rankings higher.

Build your presence on the Web. Extending your presence on the Web should help increase traffic to your website and aid in SEO. Look for opportunities to submit to online directories, link exchanges, blogs, etc.