Routinely I have conversations with others in my industry about the status and impact the economy is having on their businesses. We’ve decided that the success or failure of a business stems from several factors. Where there’s visual evidence that others in an industry you belong to are working, you can reasonably assume there’s enough work for you.

A quick way to determine if your business is competitive within your industry is to see what your competition is doing. A quick stop at the local supply distributor(s) is an easy way to find out. If your competition is in regularly purchasing materials necessary for their job sites, then you can assume they are working.

If you don’t see anyone from the competition and the salesman climbs over the counter to greet you, then you can also assume no one has been in purchasing from them. Such indicates that consumer demand is down and the economy is equally affecting everyone.

So you discover that several of your competitors trucks are at the distributor all stocking up on parts. This should tell you that you have a problem. Time to investigate, but where to start?

The source of the problem could be in how you market your business. Time to compare what your competition is doing with what you are doing to attract and retain customers.

Maybe that’s not what’s happening. Let’s set aside the external marketing for moment. Are you getting referrals from existing or previous customers? If not, why? Were these customers satisfied with the work performed? Are your employees representing the professional image, performing quality workmanship and showing customer appreciation that you, as the owner, would?

Your employees should be your best marketing resource. If they extol excellence and value, then your customers will become your best advertisers. If they don’t, those employees are destroying not only their reputation but the owner’s as well.

Train for the task as well as the marketplace. Teach your employees how to do the job right as well as how to present themselves and your company. Marketing starts inside the company walls, not outside. That comes second, because if your staff isn’t in the same mindset and invested towards success as you are, then you’re stalled at the starting line.

No matter how much time, energy and money you spend marketing you and your business it will all be offset with catastrophic effect if your employees only care about getting a paycheck.

Things a little slow? Are your employees out advertising your business by attending trade shows, calling on perspective clients, open houses, community meetings or knocking on doors handing out literature? If not, maybe they should be.

What exactly is the purpose of your brochure? Do you want a certain reaction from its readers?

Yes, you want more business. But for your brochure to be truly effective, you’ll have to break that down. More business is the the long-term goal. What steps will a reader have to make in the short-term for that to happen?

Look at it like this:

• They need to pick it up
• They need to read it
• They need to be interested
• They need to be affected
• They need to know what you want them to do. Call? E-mail? Visit your website? Fill out a return postcard?

Most brochures that are sitting in a stand on a counter or set out on an accent table don’t get read. They don’t. They’re still an incredible marketing method, but you only have a one in 10 chance that out of the brochures read, you’ll even get business from them. That means you need to grab and captivate your audience quickly, and then you very specifically need to guide them through the entire piece without making it feel like a chore.

Hint: Men and women process information differently. Most men scan – not read – full context information.

How will you make sure he understands that what you offer matters to him?

• Be precise
• Be bold
• Speak directly to him, and
• Use graphics

Most women, on the other hand, read emotionally. She is more likely to respond to humorous or insightful messages – messages that give her perspective validity.

• Address the circumstance
• Use sarcastic, cynical or endearing humor, and
• Provide a cure

When you provide products or services that don’t cater to a specific gender, the tone, content and graphics yield better results when they’re more personal, and speak to the need a consumer has that would cause them to require your offering.

Whether selling to men, women or both, make it clear what you expect them to do with their newly-acquired information. Don’t let a sale slip through your fingers because you thought your product or service was more important than the consumer. Then request a phone call or website view so they can get more information on solving their problems.

Do you take gender into account when drafting marketing materials for your company? What did I miss? Let me know in the comments below, and feel free to hit reply in our newsletter for a personal response.

The simple answer is, “No.” Still, you’ll get conflicting opinions when it comes to how you should be reading a barrel roll trifold brochure. Accordion-fold brochures are much easier to figure out, but when faced with two panels at the same time, like the barrel-fold allows, you’re left wondering what the brochure creator’s intention was. The first two panels are a no-brainer, right? Front cover, inside front cover … then what does a reader do? Open the flap to reveal the inside of the brochure to continue reading panels left to right? Or read inside the cover, then the folded flap, then the inside?

OH, brother …

When planning brochure designs, this is an important thing to consider. It can take far too much time to ponder when a deadline is hanging in the balance, so the thing to do when designing one is to decide how much of the information flows easily together on the two or three inside panels, depending on whether the business brochure is three or four panel. If you have enough information between images and text to populate the interior panels smoothly, then you can break down the rest as follows:

• Cover – Only one purpose, to entice the reader to pick it up and open it – that’s it. It should include color and image. I like text as well.
• Back center panel – 1/2 populated with text or image, 1/2 contact information including contact name, company name, phone, fax, email, and Website.

So what goes on the right side folded flap? Since it will be seen the minute the brochure is opened, it could introduce the subject matter. It might, however, be the last thing read, so it can also be an exit. I think it should either be compatible with the information on the inside cover or contrast entirely with it. In that way you’ll be able to direct your reader’s attention to where you intend it to go. A contrasting folded panel causes the reader to want to open it up to see the inside and come back to the folded panel later. If the text on that folded panel is a continuing thought or theme to the inside cover panel, it will be natural to read it before opening it up to reveal the inside.

Scott Alberts says Shari and I are both wrong to refer to them as a three or four panel brochures, when they really have six to eight panels en totale …

We stand corrected Scott, thank you.

Is there a right or wrong way to read a brochure? Well, don’t read it upside down:p)

Your thoughts?

If you’re a smaller residential service company, chances are you create your own fliers and marketing materials. It’s likely you create your own business cards and order your invoices and time cards from a company that also offers t-shirts, baseball caps, and embroidered name tag button-down shirts. It’s affordable. You get to have the appearance of a legitimate company and no one selling you pricey services and telling you how your message needs to sound to your clients. Certainly, these things are important for you to stay in control of your costs and your reputation.

Or is it?

If it’s all you’ve got, think again. All of those things do agree with your service van that you’re in business, but does it say, “I’m the only one who will treat you fairly and you should deal with me because I can give you the best service and product, guaranteed.”

Whether you realize it or not, the time you spend coming up with ways to cut marketing costs may very well be the slow death of your company. You may not agree, but if I’m right, ‘lone-wolf’ marketing is far more expensive than using a professional with an eye for detail and a flair for the right words and strategies.

There are many cost-saving methods of getting your message to your potential clients. This blog is dedicated to teaching small companies how to market effectively at reduced costs. Don’t get the idea, however, that you’re better off with a half-hearted, single-minded approach. No, what we advocate is that you learn new, aggressive strategies being used by professionals now with the understanding we impart to you through this blog, and have the polishing done by experts who care about your holistic success. Do what you can do well, outsource the rest.

The difference is clearly financial – but it’s more than that. Consider what Dan Kennedy teaches in No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs (NO BS): if you are in business to be a restaurant owner, caterer, pool service owner, electrician, or plumber, your services doing that are what make your business valuable. Although necessary, the time you spend marketing brings less value to your company than doing what you get paid to do. You will get more bang for your buck when you hire someone to help you bring that quality to the table. Each part of your business should be handled by the people who handle that part most effectively.

Say you’re a florist, for example. You own a brick and mortar shop on the corner and business between holidays is slow. Maybe you employ three others who do various things, like delivery, floral arrangements, and bookkeeping. Between all of your employees and yourself, you’re capable of handling large volumes of business because each can play a part in floral arrangement as well, as long as the finished product is inspected, approved, and re-arranged as necessary by the experts who know this stuff.

Stay with me here.

In another instance, an electrical service has been in business for almost two decades. You hire the electricians who go out on the job, you estimate the large projects, oversee and troubleshoot, and ultimately hold the responsibility for the job being done correctly. Say you manage a team of six, each with their own service vans. You’ve probably got an office manager and receptionist who handle the phones, scheduling, and payroll.

In each of these scenarios, each member of the team brings value to their position. Each player has a financial value in the company and a direct interest in their particular part. They get paid first. Overall company performance and income for the business owner is based on everything above that overhead.

Is the best use of company dollars to pay the delivery driver to answer the phones, or the florist to make deliveries? The best way to utilize electrical technicians isn’t to schedule team members, or do the payroll. Your company makes more when you can charge hourly for skilled work on the job, right? Of course. The right people need to be bringing the money in. It wouldn’t pay the bills to spend company money like that.

What is your dollar value per hour? What do you have to bring in for your company to show profit? If you are doing all of your own marketing, you’re not making money doing what you do best. Time is money. If marketing is what you do best, why not do that for a living? If you only promote your company with limited skill-set, and not for a living, aren’t you short-changing yourself?

There are plenty of things you can do for yourself, don’t get me wrong, but pay for the professional advice and outsource the things that may be taking away from your bottom line. Those same hours are worth more when the right people are on the right job. In the long run, you DO pay for marketing, and you may be paying far more than you can afford when it doesn’t bring in the desired results. Go through our Do-It-Yourself pages, check out our Small Business Acceleration Packages, and look at our Services page for a la carte options our company provides to augment or overhaul your current strategy. Need more information? Call or email us today and see how we can help you get the most out of your marketing dollar.

Ever Wonder If Your Press Release Is Getting Picked Up?

You’re not alone. While writing a press release is only half the battle, getting it picked up and read continues to haunt industry professionals everywhere. This doesn’t have to be the case, say the authors of Press Releases Designed For Effect. Not only will recognizing new dynamics re-energize your small business marketing campaign, but here at Zero To Sixty Marketing, we believe working smarter includes producing better results in less time.

Pamil Vision’s 13-page white paper on press releases is an enlightened perspective on both traditional use and newer methods of distribution. Small business owners, this is good news. You’re no longer limited to writing releases that are only read by news media journalists and columnists, now your information needs to capture the attention of professional bloggers and online readers. While some journalists still prefer a traditionally structured media release, many are finding online resources valuable for finding their information as well. Recognizing the shift in today’s communication and public relations campaigns makes a big difference to the size and geographic location of your audience. The authors of this informative white paper clearly explain the differences between the way we’ve written press releases before, and how to do it better now when considering an online audience. If you’re mindful to steer clear of industry noise, you can tackle actual newsworthy issues much more effectively with an understanding of where your target will find that information.

For example: Take into account both SEO and your social media strategy for promotion. Should you decide to take your release to the online world, recommended, you will have to use your keyword phrase in your title, and limit the length of your title to 60-100 characters. Social media exploits like Twitter and Digg only allow a certain character length in their submissions, so leaving room for the reader to comment and send on is integral. Furthermore, using keywords in your attention-grabbing title causes your release to be seen where new media is trained to search in those arenas using keywords. This method gets the information out to more people faster than traditional press releases.

The rules have changed, and small businesses need to know it. The information here is fully resourced and credible. I found the do’s and don’ts listed here for comparison a helpful and easily understood ‘cheat sheet’ for the independent and small business press release writer.

Getting your story in front of the right people still requires newsworthy content adhering to Associated Press style guidelines. It should be well-written with correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. A small business press release should avoid hyperbole and emphatic expression, while still appealing to the interest of your reader. Transparency necessary before is even more integral now with a savvy reader and viral marketplace. You won’t get away with incorrect facts or poorly drawn conclusions. Consumers want the truth, not keyword-stuffed hype that reads more like an advertisement. Pamil Vision’s white paper takes the press release writer through the thought processes and steps that, if followed, causes his newsworthy item to be broadcast to the specific readership necessary for success, whether using traditional or online distribution methods.

I give this paper 5 stars, and strongly recommend it as a ‘cheat sheet’ in your marketing arsenal. You can pick up your copy here:

Pamil Vision’s White Paper: Press Releases Designed For Effect

If you stop to think about it, we’re all marketers. We all have something to sell and we need to market it, whether product or service. Narrowing the focus of your newsletter to your particular niche will increase your bottom line – whether you’ve got a huge list, or not. Your email marketing list is an important feature, don’t get me wrong, but look at it this way:

Not everyone who goes into a store is looking for the same thing.

What is the strongest thing you offer, and who wants it? Your list can be divided up in such a way that your message targets the particular group who has already shown interest in a thing, or is in the category of someone who may not know that your product or service is their remedy.

The templates shown on AWeber for newsletter design are a nice way to present your message, and it does impact on your readership to a degree, but the most important thing will always be the content specific material that is provided in it.

Kaye Z. Marks says it this way in her article titled, Where Is Your Marketing Attention Focused?,

If you send out a mass mailing to everyone you can, odds are the people who will take interest are the same people you could have specifically targeted from the beginning instead of wasting money sending something to all the people who did not have interest.”

She’s absolutely right. Some of you stop here for information on marketing your small business by yourself, others want to know if they trust the claims about our services that we make. As our list grows, so will our specific newsletter offerings to each separate group of readers. Posture yourself through AWeber by using sign up forms and your first welcome responder email template to find out just where their needs are.

A great newsletter takes much forethought, but the right tools make all the difference.

Related Posts:

So, What Goes In A Newsletter, Anyway?

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

Flyer 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.

TriFold 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 giving you the nuts and bolts breakdown of SEO, and we want to make sure you have access to some of the easiest keyword research tools out there. We’ve been using Wordtracker for several years now, but I’ve only recently started using this tool myself. A couple of years ago I had tried it and thought it difficult, but then again I had very little working knowledge about how to use the tool, and they’ve improved the experience for the researcher (you) by leaps and bounds. Anyone can figure this out.

First, make sure you take the tour. I don’t remember taking the tour, if they offered one on my first try years ago, but I’ve taken the tour since then and now think that it’s very helpful and can’t imagine trying to use it without taking the tour. I like things spelled out.

Wordtracker Tour

Very basically, there are four steps that you’ll be walked through in more detail:

• Enter a keyword (one you’ve chosen off of the list we worked on in the last post)
• Find the actual search traffic volume for your keyword
• Evaluate competition for the word
• Export results, and
• Research again from your list

While you’re there, take a look at some of the blogposts in the Wordtracker Academy. I thought Lyndon Antcliff’s post on social media was a really great breakdown for any business owner.

Using Market Samurai Keyword Research Tools

Another keyword research tool is Market Samurai. The 30 Day Challenge kicked off on August 1, but you can still get in. Shari and I have both taken the 30 Day Challenge, consisting of video tutorials and introductory versions of several Internet marketing venues, and have come away inspired and empowered. Neither of us has been able to complete it, however, and it’s pretty time intensive alongside a busy work schedule. We just keep going back! Give it a try, tell us what you think.

With this tool, you have access to every level of SEO information; link strategy comparisons of your competition, and a rank tracker tool that does exactly that, tracks your rank and so on. Complete introductory information is available with this system as well.

I don’t want to give too much away with either of these tools because I’d really like to see your unbiased comments on both.

In our next posts, we’re going to show you where and how to use these keywords that by now are excellent choices. Was this post helpful? Have you used Wordtracker.com or Market Samurai? Tell us what you think of these tools in the comments below!

Throughout the year, I receive requests from groups and organizations seeking product donations and sponsorships for events. These events are primarily related to the hobby industry, more specifically to scale modeling. I support as many events as possible, but there are times I simply toss the request in the trash because the request was written by a boob.

Some authors come across as simply begging. Others don’t know the name of their own organization or how to spell it properly. A word of advice: If you’re running a first-class event, take the time and effort to send out first-class marketing materials, even if all you’re sending is simply a well-worded letter.

I produce quality products, therefore I want them represented in like fashion. Any event that has a well-documented history, is represented by a reputable organization or promises to promote my products will get consideration of my support. If the request for support is of poor quality, what does that say about the event itself? If you are going to invest the time and effort … Do It Right! Don’t send out materials that won’t paint you in the best light. Have several sets of eyes review the materials for flaws…especially the spelling of your organization’s name!

Many an event has failed to launch because of amateur promotional materials. Even when operating on a budget of nothing but good will, those willing to spend the time to do the work can do a first class job. If they aren’t willing or able, then find those who will and can.

Bottom line: if your event marketing materials are of poor quality, the perception conveyed is that your event is not worth supporting. After all, your potential sponsor is also looking for something in return…brand awareness and new customers.