KIWI News, a Newsletter for Marketing Professionals, Gets a Facelift

KIWI Communications, Inc., an Orange County, CA marketing and advertising firm, redesigns KIWI News, a newsletter for marketing professionals, offering creative ideas, innovative marketing and advertising solutions, tips, and hints to help companies market their products more effectively.

See the entire press release on PR Web.

Sign up for the newly redesigned KIWI News Marketing Newsletter at our Website.

A Guide to Better Photography

With all the latest advances in digital photography, we all think we can take photos like the pros. Right? Well, there is more to product photography than you think. You need to have a basic knowledge of composition, lighting, and know how to tell a story. Here are few tips to get you started.

Composition: What is it? A simple definition is the act of composing the product you are shooting in the viewfinder. It's really more than point, shoot, and click. It's a visual process of organizing several elements into a pleasing arrangement. You also want to convey a message about your product. Even though composition is a subjective matter, there are a few rules to follow:

• Keep it simple. Avoid cluttering the set with non-essential accessories.

• Understand the rule of thirds. It's one of the most well-known principles of photography. Imagine your image broken down into thirds both horizontally and vertically so that your image is divided into nine parts. When you look through the viewfinder these imaginary lines will help you to place any point of interest along the intersected lines to bring balance to your photo. You don't have to always have your subject dead center in the middle of frame.

• Fill the frame with interest. Place your product contextually with the appropriate environment. You might not want to have your scientific instrument outside under a tree. It might be more credible if it is in a laboratory setting, for example.

• Choose your background wisely. Should you use white or color? Are you trying to make the shot dramatic? Or should you rent a studio backdrop or just find some colored cloth? Again, there is no right or wrong decision. It just depends upon what you are shooting and what message you are trying to convey.

Remember ... good, high-quality photography is a key element to selling your products.

Tapping the Social Media Opportunity

If you are new to social media marketing, take it slowly and take a few steps at a time. You don't have to become an expert on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other social media network. Good marketing is good marketing whether you're doing print advertising or online advertising. So, all the basic fundamentals of good marketing still apply to social media. The technology may have changed but the basics haven't. Here are a few tips that may help you jump into the pool of social media.

• Make your website a destination for your target audience. Your page rank is mostly determined by how many pages you have on your site and also how many inbound links you have; not necessarily by how many websites you link to. Google and other search engines look at your site as being trusted if other reputable sites are linking to your site. So offer items of interest on your site that other sites might want to link.

• Advertise on the blogs of interest to your customers. Do you know what they are reading and why? Start your own blog and advertise it. Place banner ads on sites and blogs of interest to your customer base. Add rich media such as gaming, videos, surveys, etc. to your online ads.

• Use social media yourself. If you're not familiar with social media, open a Twitter account, start your own blog, or sign up for one of the social media sites such as LinkedIn. Try it first. Then start using it to promote your company. But, be careful. No one likes a spam artist/scam artist. So, only provide information of value to your target audience. You can show that you are an expert in your field but you shouldn't blatantly solicit sales in a discussion forum.

Remember .. technology is with us to stay and we must adopt it; but, also use the new technology wisely. Good old-fashioned marketing strategies still work but you just have to modernize them with new tactics.

Develop Informative Brochures

Do you have a clue as to what information you should include on your company brochure? Is your brochure ineffective? Are you reaching your target market? Here are a few tips to help you when writing and designing brochures.

• Always answer the question, "What's in it for me?" from the perspective of your target customers. Don't focus on just the features of your product or service, but also understand the benefits to the customer. What does your product do that your competition doesn't. What problem does your product solve? Go one step further and think of the "advantages" of your product not just over the competition's product but also over other type of products.

• Make your business stand out from your competition. You can create the most beautiful, glossy brochure of all times. But, it's not just the eye-catching graphics that will make you stand out from the competition. How can you differentiate your company or your product from your competition? What do you do best? Do you have excellent customer service, shorter processing time, excellent after sales support? Think about it and promote it within your brochure.

• Know your audience. You need to write your brochure in the style of your audience. If your audience is highly technical, for example, you will want to produce a more conservative and technical brochure. If you are targeting a youthful audience, you might want more modern language and graphics. Otherwise, they may perceive you as a "dinosaur".

Think of your brochure as an investment so be sure they are effective in gaining new prospects, informing your existing customer base about something new or creating a positive corporate image.

Question of the Day

Do you think Barack Obama did a good job of marketing/selling his healthcare plan to the American public? Please comment from a marketing perspective not whether or not your agree or disagree with his healthcare plan.

Print Advertising is Still Viable

Have you given up on print advertising? So many marketers seem to think that the only way to market themselves is via the Internet. While online marketing tactics seem to be the wave of the future, print advertising is still viable. Here are a few tips for you to consider when planning your advertising campaign:

• Your ad begins with a plan: Do you understand your target market? Do you know which trade journals specifically are directed to your target audience? Do some research and choose several highly targeted journals. Analyze the media kit information or ask the media rep to provide you with an analysis. The main point is that you must understand your target market and you must choose journals that hit that target.

• Copy drives the creative: How many times do you start with the design of the ad without any thought to the copy content? Probably most of the time. Turn it around and write the copy first. What are the features, benefits, and advantages of your product or service? Don't think about how great your company is but think about how does your company's product offer solutions to your customers' problems. Then have your designer work on the layout, format, and creative portion of the ad to coordinate with the copy points.

• Basics of a good ad: Your ad should consist of a headline, a subhead, body copy, and a call-to-action plus graphics that correspond to the copy. And, don't forget to place your corporate identification on the ad. So many ads these days are not adding any contact information except for their Website. Many people need that warm feeling that you're a legitimate company so they want to see your corporate logo, address, phone number, and Website. Your headline should be compelling and attention grabbing. The subhead relates to the headline and should answer the question for your audience "What's in it for me?" The body copy relates to the headline and subhead and is written around the specific objective for the ad. And, don't forget the call-to-action statement. Too many ads forget to ask for the reader to do something. Make an offer of a white paper, sample of your product, or something deemed valuable by your target audience.

Remember ... advertising doesn't cost ... it pays for itself ... it is an investment. Print advertising still works. You just need to follow the basic rules for success.

Social Media Marketing 101 Educational MIB Offered by KIWI Communications, Inc.

Orange County, CA marketing and advertising firm offers a series of Marketing Information Bulletins (MIBs) on social media marketing and other related topics to help companies market their products more effectively.

See the complete news release on PR Web.

Sign up for Marketing Information Bulletins at the KIWI Website.

Good Old-Fashioned Marketing Skills Should Still be Learned

How many of you feel your marketing efforts have become so complicated especially with social media, eMarketing, and other online advertising efforts? Well, why don't you get back to basics. Use the KISS method (or keep it simple, for short). Good marketing should be good marketing no matter what the delivery method is. So, go back to the basics.

• Know your target audience. Who are they? Can you write a one sentence description of who you are targeting? What are the demographics of your group? What is the average age? How much education have they had? Or add other demographics important to your particular product or service.

• Know your market's likes and dislikes. Do you know your target market's preferences? What do they like? What do they dislike? What problems do your products or services solve?

• Have a good marketing plan in place. Do you have a formalized marketing plan? If not, you should write one. It will help you strategize which direction you should take insofar as marketing your products.

Most marketers seems to skip putting a marketing plan together; but, it will be one of the most valuable tools of all. You can't steer a ship without a rudder. So, don't try to market your products without a plan.

Question of the Day: Agency Selection

How do you handle the marketing in your company?

• Is it all accomplished in-house by your marketing staff?
• Do your outsource?
• Do you hire a full-service ad agency?
• Do you hire multiple freelancers or specialized marketing companies such as an SEO company, a web designer, or a direct mail expert?
• Or are you a DIY kind of marketer?

Inquiring minds want to know. Please comment.