To begin we need to first understand what the term ‘marketing’ really means, so let’s look at marketing in simple dating terms:

You see an attractive girl at a function. You go up to 
her and say: “I am very rich. Would you like to have dinner with me?”

That’s Direct Marketing.

Or perhaps you go up to
 the same girl and say: “I am very rich. Would you like to have dinner with me!” She then gives you a nice hard slap on your face.

That’s Customer Feedback.

Or one of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: “He’s very rich – have dinner with him.”

That’s Advertising.

Or you go up to 
her, get her phone number – then you call the next day and say: “Hi, I’m very rich – will you have dinner with me?
That’s Telemarketing.

Or you get up
and straighten your suit, you walk up to her and pour
her a drink, you open the door and then politely ask her to dinner”

That’s Public Relations.

Finally the girl walks
up to you and says: ”You are very rich – will you have dinner with me?”

Now that’s Brand Recognition.



We should all strive for brand recognition in our businesses but to do this especially during tough economic times we have to stay front of mind with our target market. An interesting statistic is that brands that continued to advertise throughout the second world war eventually became the market leaders in their field when the war was over. In an economic downturn don’t cut or worse still eliminate your marketing budget – instead, just get a little smarter with it. To help, here’s part one outlining “5 creative strategies for marketing your business and retaining your brand recognition during tough economic times”.

First up, how to stand out from your competitors. In tough times we need to first get ‘back to the basics’.  We need to focus on one core product that we do really well and better than any of our competitors and then do it even better!

It is important to always remain true to our brand. In a Readers Digest poll during 2008 of the world’s most trusted brand revealed that: ‘… the most important thing to a customer is a brand being true to its promise’.
Leading global brands like Coca-Cola remain true to their brand – wherever you go in the world the coke generally tastes the same and the branding remains consistent - and that brand is now worth over $60 billion US.

To remain true to your brand you need to remember what business you are in. Sounds simple but it’s probably not what you think – for example if a baker in the bread making business or Bunnings in the hardware business?
The answer is no – in fact we are all in the same business and that’s the ‘problem solving’ business.


Customers today like they always have, buy on ‘emotion’. We need to identity what that emotion is and then become the ‘panadol’ for their headache. You should always strive to continually educate your customers and prospects to understand, appreciate and desire the benefit of the product or service you sell over that of your competitors. Focus on your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and make sure everyone knows about it. Make your USP believable and above all, measurable.  FedEx used to have the USP ‘We own our planes’ and almost went out of business – until they come up with ‘Absolutely. Positively. Overnight’.  Now that’s believable and definitely measurable.

Next time we look at how making small changes to your marketing can bring you big results.

Tony Eades
Creative Director
www.thebrandmanager.com.au

It’s a fresh new financial year so to give your business a much needed facelift let’s start on the surface with your logo and branding.  Do some research and source your main competitors – online and offline – and print out their logos, take note of their marketing message, their Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and their positioning.  Now compare your logo, brand and USP to that of your competitors – does it clearly stand out, does it feel fresh and modern or old and tired and if you were a potential customer would it be inviting to you?

Now let’s go deeper into your organisation.  If your USP says that you are more ‘innovative’ or ‘reliable’ than your competitors then you need to back this up throughout your business.  Test the effectiveness of your USP across all areas from point of sale to customer service, your brochure copy to the way you answer the phone and down to your ‘elevator pitch' – the 30 second ad that sums up what your business is all about.

Finally you need to be realistic about your makeover budget – how much will you invest in your new look?  An upgrade of your existing branding can cost between five and twenty thousand dollars depending on the size of your company whilst new brand development can cost in excess of thirty thousand dollars and involve market research, new signage across your operation and a re-design of your website.

A business makeover allows you to freshen up your position in the marketplace, re-energise your sales team and shake up the competition.  It strengthens your brand by aligning everything together with a common theme and message together with re-focussing your marketing strategies to achieve better returns and support long term growth.

"Walking the talk", "practicing what we preach" are common clichés in business and in life. Here is a cool story -

A woman approached Gandhi and said, 'Master, tell my boy to stop eating sugar." Gandhi looked at the chubby six-year-old boy and replied, "Bring him to me again in four weeks time." The woman was surprised but did as she was told. Four weeks later, she brought the boy again. Gandhi looked at him forcefully and said, "Stop eating sugar." "Why didn't you tell him that a month ago?" the woman asked. "Because four weeks ago I myself was eating sugar."

If you are a leader or parent or teacher, or coach (anyone who wants to influence or have others follow) etc. then it is important to remember this concept and the story. People follow those they trust and whose behaviour and actions are congruent.

Kids, students, players, employees they notice everything. Especially the things we don't think they will. If we want to influence and to lead then we need to "walk the talk". We've all seen how not doing so can go massively and painfully wrong - sportsmen, politicians, actors or anyone in the public eye that presents themselves in one way and then behaves in another. The fallout is uncomfortable for everybody. The same is true for what we might see as the smallest of inconsistencies - we lose their trust, they rebel or just switch off.

Our thoughts and actions occur within a frame of reference. A frame of reference unique to each of us because it is based on our beliefs, values, experiences, culture etc. Our actions include the things we do (or not) and the language we use as well.

When we make a decision about the advice we want to give or how we want to influence someone or something we do so based on our experience, knowledge and skills i.e. our frame of reference. The recipient of that advice or direction does the same thing in deciding what they will do with what they hear and see from you, only it’s based on their own frame of reference.

Who do you want to be? Do you want to be the person that gives out advice and directions they don’t believe in enough to do it themselves OR do you want to walk your talk and be a role model?

Sometimes it's not easy to do, I remind myself that trust is easy to lose and much harder to regain than it is to retain.

“If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant; if what is said is not what is meant, then what must be done remains undone; if this remains undone, morals and art will deteriorate; if justice goes astray, the people will stand about in helpless confusion. Hence there must be no arbitrariness in what is said. This matters above everything.” ~ Confucius

You can follow Therese Wales on Twitter or find out more at Blog Dare and Up To You’s website 

When times get tough we need to become smarter about how and where we spend our marketing dollar.  Imagine if you could double the potential audience for your product or service whilst halving your marketing spend.
Well the good news is you can and it’s a lot easier than you think.

As a business you have core audience or demographic for your product or service – put simply this is merely the type of customer that is more likely to buy from you.  For example, let’s say that you are a trendy menswear retailer and your demographic is 18 to 30 year old males.  Now think of other non-competing businesses who would also share this demographic, like a new fitness club, travel agency, computer shop or a restaurant perhaps.

Interestingly these businesses like you spend their entire marketing budget trying to attract these customers.  So why not approach one of these businesses with an innovative direct mail or print advertising campaign where you share the costs?  For example, you as the menswear store join forces with the fitness club and offer ‘complete new you package’ where you receive a three month fitness membership, personal training session and a new outfit for one great price?  Both businesses share equally in the promotion yet halve their marketing budget.

But wait, there’s more!  Now you have halved your marketing budget it’s time to double your reach.  Your business and that of the non-competing business should have an active database of customers that you communicate with regularly through store promotions, direct mail and e-newsletters.  So why not cross promote?  In the example above the menswear store would offer an introductory, one month free gym membership exclusively to its database and in return the fitness club would offer its members a 20% exclusive discount on any purchase made at the menswear store.

So just by thinking a little smarter you can literally double your potential customer base and at the same time reduce your marketing spend by as much as 50%.

Brand launches – what’s new from our customers?

It’s been a big month for creating new business brands and we are proud to give you a taste of some of the exciting new corporate identities to hit the market …

Corporateyes

Brief:

To assist in the creation of a new business model and brand for leading corporate consultant, Linda Sirol.  Linda’s niche to corporate coaching, executive training and management is her hands-on, personal approach.
We developed the ‘Corporateyes’ brand around this together with the positioning statement, ‘Focusing on your business optimisation’

Solution:

WOW Fleet Consultants
www.wowfleetconsultants.com.au

Brief:

With a 30 year career in fleet management from across Australia, New Zealand and the UK, Keith Cormican was ready to go it alone. His no-nonsense and efficient approach needed a brand that had a point of difference – something that would demand to be noticed.

Solution:

 

Keith’s comment:

“The feedback from the website has been great!”

The Corpsych
www.thecorpsych.com.au

Brief:

After 25 years with same business name and brand, Dr Michelle from Interactive Life Skills was ready for a change.  Having grown from a small psychology practice to a multi-level human resource organisation, she wanted a brand that was both creative and corporate.

Solution:

Dr Michelle’s comment:

“WOW WOW and more WOW.  You continue to wow me Tony!!!
I LOVE this website.  It looks GREAT!”


If you would like to discuss your brand and how we can perhaps a little of the ‘wow’ factor please phone 1300 55 30 33 or email Creative Director, Tony Eades.

When Kristen approached us prior to setting up her new business brand, she was involved in a number of areas, including family and employment law, human resources and training workshops. Through an initial briefings it was decided to create a 'global' brand feel with 'Gower Group' and then under this would feature Gower Legal, Gower HR and Gower Training.

Here is a preview of the new branding and how it has been applied. Best of luck Kristen with your new business in 2010!

Double your reach with half your marketing budget

by Tony Eades  Business Marketing Specialist When times get tough we need to become smarter about how and where we spend our marketing dollar. Imagine if you could double the potential audience for your product or service whilst halving your marketing spend. Well the good news is you can and it’s a lot easier than you think.

Interestingly, these businesses like you spend their entire marketing budget trying to attract their customers. So why not approach one of these businesses with an innovative direct mail or print advertising campaign where you share the costs? For example, you as the menswear store join forces with the fitness club and offer a ‘complete new you package’ where you receive a three month fitness membership, personal training session and a new outfit for one great price? Both businesses share equally in the promotion yet halve their marketing budget.

But wait, there’s more! Now you have halved your marketing budget it’s time to double your reach. Your business and that of the non-competing business should have an active database of customers that you communicate with regularly through store promotions, direct mail and e-newsletters. So why not cross promote? In the example above the menswear store would offer an introductory, one month free gym membership exclusively to its database and in return the fitness club would offer its members a 20% exclusive discount on any purchase made at the menswear store.

So just by thinking a little smarter you can literally double your potential customer base and at the same time reduce your marketing spend by as much as 50%.

Free variable data printing this month

Add up to three fields of information for free, like a name, title and company name or address, to your marketing materials like brochures, flyers or invites. Hurry offer is for April digital print orders only! Here’s a sample of some of the great digital printing specials available …

Full colour printing on 100gsm laser stock, folded to DL or A5 – prices include GST and delivery (artwork supplied) …

By Tim Hoopmann

One size fits all

Using the latest advanced technology and logistics DesignShop can now design and print a full range of products for client’s offices worldwide.

Creating a fresh new look

 

Did you know ... Design Shop has a full creative team who can breathe new life into your brand. Our design team can give your company a fresh new look.

Start surfing the web and collect a list of your favourite websites, logos you feel stand out on supermarket shelves or business cards that demand attention. For just $125 an hour our design team can give your business a professional makeover. Or, you can visit our LogoShop where you can create a customised logo in minutes using our easy, flexible and automated system – based on the same process top design firms use.

	No design experience or special software skills required.  Start by selecting from hundreds of professionally designed templates, then modify the design, change the font and select the colours – there's even a selection of various pre-designed colour themes to help you get the colours just right!

LogoShop is your key to creating the most important part of your business marketing – your logo.  Your whole business image, branding and marketing will be built around your logo, company colours and the theme you choose.

When you have completed your logo you will be able to download it in a format that can be used for printing and presentations – plus your new design is saved on our server and automatically imported to each new shop that you visit.

With LogoShop you have the power to create the next big international brand! 

Visit www.designshop.com.au/design - create a log-in, select 'start a new design', click continue, then LogoShop and follow the steps through to 'design it now' where you'll launch DesignShop's free online Design Editor.

Business turns to YouTube

The following edited article by Ed Charles was recently published in The Australian newspaper showing how some smart businesses are using YouTube as a slick marketing tool ...

Marketing fads come and go but YouTube and the internet look as if they are here to stay. YouTube is about rich, interesting content rather than rich video productions.This makes it an ideal medium for small to medium-sized business, according to Sydney-based social media consultant Laurel Papworth.Australia is behind the US in using Web 2.0 applications. 

But small companies are warming to cheaply made YouTube clip.

The article cites examples of Australian companies that have used YouTube to promote their products with amazing results.For example, a Sydney-based boutique beer company posted an eye-catching promotional video on YouTube with a link to its own website.   Some months they now receive a staggering 1 million hits on their site – the lion’s share of which are directly related to the video.

YouTube is one of the most cost-effective ways to host and distribute video on the internet. 

But there are limits to using YouTube. For instance, any single video uploaded has to be under 100MB which, depending on quality, limits lengths to 5-10 minutes.Laurel Papworth says for full effect businesses should spread their message where they have social and business connections.These could include a traditional website, blog, Facebook, MySpace or forums.“You wouldn’t create a video and put it up on your Facebook page and just hope to be discovered,” she says.

Translating English into plain English ...

Website design terminology can be quite confusing for many small business operators. But a basic understanding of technical terminology can help you make some good design decisions.

Think inside the box ... Brand Manager In A Box is a one-stop shop for all small business marketing needs. There are special design templates to suit every application. For the licensed club and hospitality sector we offer a wide range of design and print services.  There are dozens of templates to ensure your business stands out from the crowd. Now you can design custom-made flyers for: Cocktail specials  Thursday/Friday drink or food specials Karaoke competitions  Trivia and poker nights  Entertainment – comedy/ band night  You can now even design your own beer coasters! There’s also standard office stationery including: Letterheads Business cards With compliments slips  Or perhaps you need an advertisement to promote your next event. Brand Manager In A Box offers advertisement templates in various sizes for magazines and newspapers. Test drive Brand Manager in a box by calling 1300 55 30 33 or emailing info@designshop.com.au