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Jan
25

Making Their Mark

By Scott Alberts · Comments (1)

When I was first contracted to create a logo design for Via-Cell, their idea was a genie, possibly emerging from a lamp, holding coffee, food, and other goodies that can be ordered “via” their “cell-” phone and web-based system. I went to work sketching what I hoped would become the next Chester Cheetah, Tony Tiger or Michelin Man.

Via-Cell LogoUnfortunately, a lot of the logo design process consists of sketching out what DOESN’T work. In this case, the primary use of the Via-Cell mark would be tiny, used on app button-sized and even smaller icons, including bookmark icons and buttons within their own application.  We had to whittle away the details and – despite my Illustration-loving ways – to arrive at a simple, recognizable Icon that would still embody their brand: a Magic Lamp that brings your wishes with a touch. (Their marketing tag-line at the start was even, “Your Mobile Bazaar.”)

Their web site went online recently, and they hope to expand rapidly beyond their Woodside, CA neighborhood. The system utilizes no special software or dedicated equipment and works entirely through the internet.

A recent article in Website Magazine cautions e-commerce entrepreneurs: “Keep Your Graphic Designer on a Short Leash.” Ouch! It wasn’t a case of reigning in their renegade Artist, it was an experience we shared as we zeroed in on the brand and its end-use. Note that the Via-Cell Site is also designed to communicate the process at a glance, without reliance on text or even English-language proficiency). Point-of-sales pieces for merchant use are being developed with the same quick, visual message.

Stages Of Logo Development

Stages Of Logo Development

Well, at least Via-Cell has plenty of  ideas ready at hand should they decide to develop a Mascot or “The Animated Series.”  K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Scott!

If you’re interested in more articles like the one referenced above, consider signing up for your own copy at Website Magazine, and see what industry professionals are talking about.

No doubt, you’re being bombarded right now by every sales call imaginable, most of them trying to sell you either search engine optimization (SEO) services or advertising space. Since the second week of January, our phone has rung daily with someone selling one or the other.

Advertising is SalesmanshipSince, like most of us, you’re probably considering your next purchase of ad space, let’s focus on advertising today. Yes, it’s a HUGE topic, so we’re going to take it back to its most basic premise: Advertising is Salesmanship.

Let us emphasize the point. The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. It is profitable or unprofitable according to its actual sales. It is not for general effect. It is not to keep your name before the people. It is not primarily to aid your other salesmen.

“Treat it as a salesman. Force it to justify itself. Compare it with other salesman. Figure its cost and result. Accept no excuses which good salesman do not make. Then you will not go far wrong.” ~ Claude Hopkins, Scientific Advertising

This is an especially important point for the small business owner to remember. We can’t afford to waste dollars with advertising campaigns meant to spread awareness of our businesses. Before we consider any advertising campaign, we’d better be reasonably sure that we’re making a good investment, one that will make the cash register ring repeatedly.

Mr. Hopkins goes on to say, “There is one simple way to answer many advertising questions. Ask yourself, ‘Would it help a salesman sell the goods?’ ‘Would it help me sell them if I met a buyer in person?’”

Remember that when a salesperson calls on a prospect, he or she is speaking to one individual. Do the same in your advertising … focus on one typical buyer, not the mass of people you hope will buy your product or service. When composing your ad, speak to the one man or woman who is likely to want what you sell.

Dan Kennedy No BS Direct Marketing BookDan Kennedy lists 10 rules for advertising in his book, “No B.S. Direct Marketing: The Ultimate, No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing for Non-direct Marketing Businesses.” (Don’t you love that title?) I have them taped to the wall directly above my monitor and I refer to them often. I won’t repeat them all here, but I’ll give you a preview:

  • Rule 1. There will always be an offer or offers.
  • Rule 4. There will be tracking and measurement.
  • Rule 5. Whatever brand building occurs will be a happy by-product, not bought.
  • Rule 9. Results rule, period.

For Further Reading:

Most of the things we do for our businesses, we do out of habit. We have some people that we call, we have direct mail sent out, we post coupons on Merchant Circle, or we post to Google Local online for decent SERP placement and reviews. Those things aren’t enough, and you probably know it, yet when asked what you’re doing for your business, you probably mention those things with an air of ‘I’m doing what I ought to be doing.’

You probably don’t need a marketing coach or a ‘guru’ to help you market your small business, but there are a few things those guys are doing right that you shouldn’t ignore entirely. They seem to know just how to center attention around themselves, and while that never denotes authenticity, having others in your field recognizing your efforts certainly can appear that way. Just how do they do that?

basketball coach in huddleHere’s where the ‘guru’s’ have it, and even though I’m not a ‘guru’ or a marketing coach, I’m going to share it with you free of charge:

They know how to muster up credibility.
Marketers usually blog. They post something about what they do, and they comment on other marketer’s blogs, start conversations, and drop links. How is this practice good for you? By the time their would-be clients get to their site, they have plenty of others in their field endorsing their endeavors. That’s not actual credibility, but it is perceived credibility, a good start. Take some time every day to build relationship with others in your field by leaving a conversational comment on a competitor’s blog designed for response.

They know what promotions, offers, and Web site traffic is working for them.
It’s not enough to just throw information on a page and hope it does well. It doesn’t take complicated algorithms to figure it out, either. If you’re not tracking your efforts and traffic with (at least) Google Analytics, you have no real idea if you’re reaching who you want to reach.

They engage in social media.
Yeah, it’s a time-suck. But even so, limited engagement on social media sites is actually a smart way to engage local traffic, if your local city and state are part of your profile or username. Getting used to it is half the battle. Once in, you’ll enjoy short conversations with others and your list will naturally build over time. If you do more than just post your specials, that is. Respond to ridiculous situations that makes you laugh, or drop your own personal thoughts about a thing here and there. (Advice: Stay optimistic. Why follow a grump?)

Photo Credit: NeeDeeAh’s! Photostream on Flickr

Related Post: Why The Social Media Experts Are Smarter Than You

When it comes to traditional print media, you really have some great choices in business brochures. So much to choose from means flexibility and options, so you should take a little time now and again to refresh your memory.

Types of Business Brochures

Example of a Full Color Flyer BrochureFlyer Brochure: Usually a one sided, 8.5 x 11 inch brochure designed on the front for inexpensive rendering. These can be produced from sell sheets or direct mail letters that typically sell your idea or promotion strongly through copy, print design, or both. These can be set out in bulk for viewers to grab or they can be handed out, but if folded, sealed, and addressed can be part of your bulk mailing campaign. Smaller fliers are often inserts or hand outs with a dynamic message and contact information.

Two Panel Brochure: Available in sizes 8 x 9 to 11 x 17, these are simple, allow four pages of text and design, and can offer larger text space in the page area than three panel or accordion style brochures. Professional design consideration is a must. With so much space to cover in full glossy, and the expense involved in creating these well, it simply isn’t worth it to self-manufacture when you want professional results.

TriFold Brochure Z-Fold (accordion style): These have style and an interesting manner of information disbursement. Usually a hand out or insert, these are done on a heavier brochure paper and include all pertinent information, relying on short bursts of copy and images.

Example of a TriFold Barrel Style BrochureTriFold Barrel Style Brochure: These are similar to the Z-fold, but fold in thirds toward the center with the left side over the right. Traditional and convincing, these can be direct mailed, handed out, or stacked for bulk disbursement. Once again, deciding what goes where and how makes this a professional endeavor.

Four Panel Brochure: These are sized anywhere from 8.5 x 14 to 11 x 25.5. Larger and dynamic, these are no cheap date. Full glossy paper and professional design are a must to get this right.

Gate Fold: A gate fold is something you might see at an assisted living facility, or possibly a sales vehicle for an expensive exercise machine. Larger backside folds in from both sides to resembling a hug. These are printed vertically or horizontally, always heavy paper, always full glossy.

Remaining are the Double Parallel Fold, Parallel Map Fold, and the French Fold. All are larger and vary only in their viewing and folding sequence. These also require full glossy, heavy paper and professional scoring. After that expense, you wouldn’t want your beautiful brochures to come up flat due to poor copy or graphic design.

Make sure that everything leaving your company represents you in the best possible light. Sometimes you only get one opportunity to invite your customer into a conversational situation where you can influence the sale of your product or service. The right brochure with the right message and graphics can be the difference between that conversation happening, or not. Sales media should be carefully considered. If you have decided how you want to proceed or would like additional consultation about your professional brochure options, contact us today!

We’ve been talking quite a bit about content marketing between Express Marketing Memo and our blog here at Zero To Sixty Marketing. By now you’ve probably got a good idea about what content is, basically:

  • the milk in the jug
  • the words in the paragraph
  • the  media that gets your expertise from your company to the   public who will be buying your service or goods.

Content marketing is not sales and it’s not advertisement. It is, however, the most effective way to promote yourself online. Certain names have always been associated with certain products or services, and like branding, content marketing promotes you over time through reputation.

Content Marketing Options

What vehicles you decide to use are completely up to you, however, some are more effective than others and even that depends on your market, and how often you can or should communicate with them. We recommend:

Content Marketing Packages

Every circumstance is unique. One company may need all of these services on a regular basis, another may only need the holes filled in that they cannot get to or have no personal interest in doing themselves. One company may need articles submitted for them, another may only need their blog updated. Some businesses can easily find the time to provide and distribute their own content.

When figuring out what your company’s particular needs are, keep in mind:

  • How much time do you have to devote?
  • What is your writing and computer skill level?
  • Is your target market local?
  • What is your marketing budget?

Many times answering these questions will help you decide how to proceed. No matter what you decide, you’re not alone. We hope the information we provide on this blog will have you up and running successfully in no time. What solutions work best for your company?

Photo Credit: kellypuffs on flickr

Related Posts: Marketing: The Times They Are A-Changin’

Twitter is absolutely blowing the socks off of rapid fire communication right now. Want in, but think its too difficult or time consuming? I’ve got a few quick steps to get you ‘twittering’ in practically no time at all!

  • Sign up for an account at www.twitter.com. Your profile and picture are important, so take some time to think about how you want to be seen out there.
  • “What are you doing right now?” doesn’t mean “I’m eating pizza,” or “I’m watching TV.” Be friendly and for your first post, its perfectly fine to say, “I’m just starting to tweet, want to meet people in the ____area,” or “I’m looking for people in the ___business.”
  • You want to follow people who also know interesting people. Since you don’t know anyone yet, we suggest @ShariV, @skhamilton, @geraldvoigt, and @scottalberts. We have existing relationships that you can tap into to start your own following.
  • Make sure that you acknowledge your new followers with a “Thanks for following me” direct message or response with the @ sign.
  • Go ahead, be choosy! You won’t like everyone, and you don’t have to follow everyone following you. Look at their profiles and websites.
  • Twitter itself is not real efficient for interactive conversations while doing other things. If you intend to multitask, as I do, I suggest the twhirl desktop application so that you don’t miss important things, but can weed out uninteresting things while you work.
  • Decide how long you want to interact, and stick to it. Announce yourself with a “Good Morning!” tweet, and excuse yourself with a “I’ve gotta get back to work” tweet, or something on that level.

You don’t have to be on every day, and you don’t have to be on all day. Community Marketing Blog advocates using twitter only 60 minutes a week! I’m sure we don’t need to tell you to watch the language if you’re marketing. Manage your tweet time and you’ll find this a most valuable tool!

Was this useful information? We’d love to hear from you!

When sales decline, budgets tighten and typically, the first area to be scrutinized for cutback is promotion and marketing. Part of the magic of marketing is the ability to create perception. Businesses must create and maintain a perception that they are critical, viable and resilient.

An example of this is your local auto dealership. Even when sales are in a slump, they continue to run weekly ads in local newspapers. Why? To maintain their customers’ perception that things are just fine. Of course the automobile is an intricate part of the American psyche. Give the perception that the local automobile dealership isn’t viable and the ripple effect can reach far and wide.

If your business wasn’t perceived as resilient, what would your customers likely do? Keeping customers aware of your products, services and existence is crucial especially during tough times. When the situation improves, you’ll be clearly visible as the “go to” resource that is ready to meet the customer’s needs.

We’re not advocating a continuation of a full speed ahead, spare the expense approach. You will have to adjust and tweak to work within a leaner budget. With the right strategic mix, the perception can be maintained that you are viable and ready to serve. Do not let your customers lose sight of your business. What’s the saying…”Out of sight out of mind.”

Remember that your customers’ perception of you IS your brand. Your brand image is far more than your logo, store front, and marketing collateral. It’s how your customers and potential customers perceive everything about your business.

So when the budget belt tightens, a sound marketing strategy is key to both short and long term business goals. Perception can work for or against your company. Make sure to keep it working for you.

Can you afford not to?

Email symbol.As business owners, we work hard to create the perfect picture of ourselves and our company. Call it branding or call it perception, either way it all boils down to getting the details right. One such detail is your email address.

If you have a company Web site, it is in your best interest to utilize your URL where ever you can, especially in your email address. You’ve invested time and money to build your business, establish your brand and create your Web site, so why not carry that professionalism and pride into your email address?

A recent search in a through a professional directory yielded many names, phone numbers and email addresses, but not a single Web site address. For those email addresses utilizing their corporate URL, this was not an issue. But way too many listed email addresses @hotmail or @yahoo or @aol.com.

When an email address ends in @hotmail.com instead of @mycompanyhere.com, what is the perception of those on the receiving end of your email? One thing is for certain, this doesn’t portray the level of professionalism you’re striving for elsewhere.

When that personal email address is also used on your written correspondence and business cards, it amplifies the problem. Add “missed opportunity” and “technically challenged” to “less than professional.” You’ve missed an opportunity to repeat and emphasize your corporate URL, and made it easier for contacts to forget who you are.

So do yourself a huge favor. Don’t make a business etiquette faux pas by using a generic email address to conduct official business. Set up your email to utilize your website URL.