KIWI Communications, Inc., a Marketing and Advertising Firm, Celebrates Ten-Year Milestone

KIWI Communications, Inc., a marketing and advertising firm, based in Orange County, CA is celebrating its 10th year in business helping clients promote their products and services through various marketing channels including social media marketing.

See the complete news release on PRWeb.

For more information about KIWI Communications, Inc., check out our Website.

• Follow us on Twitter.

• See us on Facebook.

• See how we are connected on LinkedIn.

• Sign up for our e-newsletter, KIWI News, at this blog site or on our Website.

Marketing Psychographics: Are You a Leader, Organizer, Explorer or Enthusiast?

Do you use psychographic assessments when you are developing your marketing plans? Do you know the personalities in your marketing department, your sales force, your product development team, or even your customers, for that matter? Well, here are four descriptive personalities that will help you assess in-house product teams as well as customer receptivity to your products or services.

Leaders

Leaders are characterized as being persistent, assertive, independent, and structured individuals who really enjoy being challenged. They are extremely competitive and strive to be first in everything. They usually excel at multi-tasking but can sometimes make decisions too quickly. They also lack diplomacy and are big-picture kind of people.

Organizers

Organizers are defined exactly as their personality trait infers. They are methodical, pragmatic and intellectual. They usually keep their feeling to themselves. They are very judgmental and critical of others. Organizers thrive on facts and data. Unlike leaders who make quick decisions, Organizers are very cautious in their decision-making, almost to a fault. They are perfectionists and can analyze things to death before a decision can be made.

Explorers

Explorers are visionaries. They like adventure and uncharted territory. They are not afraid of risks. They are very outgoing but have a tendency to hog the conversation. They are, in general, poor listeners. They can be very disorganized, impulsive, and lack follow-through abilities. They have large egos and are not very good team players.

Enthusiasts

These are the people pleasers of the bunch. Unlike the Explorer, they are good listeners, have an easy-going nature, and support their colleagues. They usually tend to be quiet and don't seem to voice their opinion very much due to the fact that they want to "get along" with everyone. They are quite loyal, very hard workers, dependable, and trustworthy.

So, what personality are you, your co-workers, or your customers? Use this personality assessment to help you analyze and understand others. And... develop your marketing campaigns around the personalities of your customers.

Article Writing: Ezine Article Tips

Have you or your public relations firm submitted articles to a trade journal? So, you're probably familiar with the process. But, have you submitted your articles online to an ezine? It's a great way to create awareness of your company. When you post your article to one ezine the chance of it being published by another publisher is great. So, your article can then go viral.

• Write a high quality, original article. Please no plagiarism. Write what you know. Write what your customers or prospects might want to know about your company. Publishing ezine articles can drive traffic to your Website. Article writing builds trust and credibility for your company and products.

• All the rules of good article writing apply to ezines as well. Start with a compelling headline. But make sure you use keyword strategies. This is mainly for the search engines so that they will index your article making it easier for your target audience to find you. There are several websites that can help you in choosing keywords. Use both upper and lower case letters in your article title. Don't use all caps. That's like shouting to someone. Keep your title to a maximum of 100 characters in length. And, of course, make sure your title relates to the content of your article. You want the reader to segue easily from title to article. There's nothing worse than promising something in the title and then not delivering it in the body of the article.

• The article body should be between 250 and 5,000 words. The optimum number of words is somewhere between 400 and 750 words. If your article is lengthy consider splitting it into two articles. Format the article in an appealing manner. Use bullet points, subheads, block quotes, etc. to make your article stand out. Keep your paragraphs between two and seven sentences. Make your article easy to read.

• Most ezine websites allow you to include a short bio of the author. This is where you can show your expertise. You also can pitch your company or products with a short one to three sentence encapsulation of how your company or product is unique. And you usually can include your website URL along with some sort of call to action or offer. Create a landing page on your website that is relevant to the article topic.

So, think about adding article writing to your mix of marketing tactics. It's just another way to create awareness and credibility.

Ad Copy: Keep it Short and Sweet

Do many of you get verbose when it comes to writing advertising copy? I know some of you will say that "my customers are highly technical and want a lot of information". Well, in an advertisement, you should tease the reader into wanting to find out more information about you. If you give them all the information they need to make a buying decision at one sitting, then they could very well rule your company out of the competition before you even get a face-to-face meeting with them.

I know I've been preaching to the choir about adding benefits to your ad copy, but don't add too many. Six is probably too many and two is probably not enough. So, settle on three to four benefits, three probably being the optimum. If you concentrate on three bullet points, this will force you to really focus and think about why you are the best in your business. Otherwise, your benefits will be "me too" benefits and won't show your uniqueness.

Another reason to keep your ad copy short and sweet is so that you don't have to use 6 pt. type. Your readers will appreciate not having to get out the magnifying glass to read your advertisement. Start out with a compelling headline, followed by a short explanatory subhead, and then the body copy with three benefits. Finally, close the advertisement with a call to action. Yes, you want the reader to do something (that is, call you, go to your website, inquire about your products, etc.) now that they've read your advertisement. Give the reader an incentive to accept your call to action by offering something of value to them. This could be a white paper, a free demonstration of your product, a free training session, or whatever your audience perceives is of value.

Keep it short. Keep it simple. Keep it sweet. The secret to writing great advertising copy.

Magic Bullet Marketing: Three Common Mistakes Marketers Make that Cause Them to Fail

Don't we all want to discover that magic formula for marketing our products? We all think marketing is easy. Just build it and they will come. Right? Wrong! Marketing is really all about letting the world know that you exist and that you have a product to sell. The best marketing tools won't do that for you unless you have clearly defined who needs or wants your products or services.

See the complete article on Buzzle.

Leads, Leads, and More Leads: Are You Following Up?

How many of you feel that your marketing efforts are doing a great job of generating leads? You probably are doing a great job as evidenced by the number of leads you are generating. But, what do you do with those leads after you've dumped them into your CRM database? Most marketing folks say, "Well, that's the sales reps job to handle." But, we all know that sales reps tend to call on only the most recent leads or former customers to whom they've sold products to previously. How do you increase your conversion rates for these "cold" leads?

• Qualify the leads. Determine what a qualified leads looks like to your company. And, don't just use the term "hot" because it is a "new" lead. Check to see how many of those aged leads remain viable and for what length of time. You may be surprised to find out that there is a high percentage of prospects that you can convert to customers.

• Follow up with these aged respondents. Send follow-up information, offers, or educational information. In other words, stop ignoring these people. You may be leaving money on the table.

• Don't get wrapped up in the chase. Even if you have done some follow up of these unconverted leads, don't get so wrapped up in chasing new clients when you've failed to court these aged leads to the fullest extent. You could send them an e-mail, a promotion, or an invitation to a trade show, if they fit that category. And speaking of categories, don't just dump all of your leads into one huge database. Do some market segmentation or clearly define other categories so that you can target your communications more effectively.

So, don't throw away those "cold" leads. Convert them to customers.

Mobile Marketing: The Trend of the Future

Can you imagine getting rid of your desktop computer altogether and just sporting a hand-held device? Sort of sounds like one of those "communicator devices" on the early Star Trek TV shows, doesn't it? Well, we may not be far off from that fantasy.

More and more people are using Blackberries, iPhones and the like to receive their news, get maps and directional information, or to download music. So, how can marketers use this mobile mania to market their products? Well, you do need to be careful, because of the high costs of receiving messages, some of your customers may not want to receive advertisements. So, tread with caution.

There are various ways you can purchase advertising. SMS advertising is commonly defined as "ad units that appear appended to other published content. The ad unit can either be static (no action can be taken by the end user) or dynamic (user can act on the message)" according to the Mobile Marketing Association. Think of SMS advertising in terms of text-based advertising on the Internet. Usually you are paying for ad impressions and are purchasing as CPM.

MMS Advertising, on the other hand is defined as "ad units that appear inserted into other content. The ad unit can either be static or dynamic (clicking through or responding)" according to the Mobile Marketing Association.

What seems to work today is couponing. Very similar to how people are using Twitter and Facebook. Specifically for retail outlets, couponing seems to be very effective especially if people have signed up to receive your company's information. Restaurants and retail stores have used this type of mobile marketing to their benefit. They can keep their followers informed of specials, menus, or sales programs.

Mobile marketing may not quite be the ultimate marketing tool yet but it is growing. Most of the phone company providers are also understanding the needs of their customers. So, they are designing data plans to help relieve their customers of sticker shock when they receive their mobile phone bills.

So, you may want to add this marketing tactic as part of your marketing plan. As with all of the new technology, it seems that you just have to experiment and try it to start feeling comfortable. And by testing, you'll know what works best for your company.

KISS: Simplify Your Marketing

Do you think marketing is complicated? Well, it can be if you make it that way. But, you really should simplify your marketing strategies. Here are a few things to remember when creating your marketing plan.

• Know your target audience. Make sure you are aiming for the right people. So many companies continue doing the same thing over and over again when it isn't working. Just because "we've always done it this way" doesn't mean the market hasn't shifted or changed. Stay on the pulse of what's happening in your industry and with the people who have bought your products in the past. Are they shifting to a new technology, a different product, or another supplier? Find out from your customers how the market is trending.

• Make an irresistible offer in all of your marketing material. Too many marketers simply state their product's features. Always answer the question for your audience "What's in it for me?". Get your audience to engage with your company. Offer them something of value. The valuable item will be different for each company. It could be a white paper, free product samples, or a free demonstration. You'll have to find out what your audience wants the most.

• Make your marketing consistent. I see it all the time with my clients. They'll start a marketing program for a few months, then lose interest. And then they wonder why their marketing isn't working. Placing an ad once or publishing one press release will not increase your company's visibility. A sustained and consistent marketing program will increase awareness of your company and its products. If you only have the budget to do one marketing program, make it the best you can. If you can only afford to do some press releases, then send at least one out per month. Or, if you can only afford to send out an e-newsletter, send it out to your mailing list at least once a month. But, make sure you are providing your readers with quality information. It is most likely that you have a pretty good in-house mailing list. So, utilize that contact information to the fullest.

Following some simple rules of marketing will do wonders to promote your company. Keep it consistent, follow a regular schedule, and keep your message clear.

The Feature Article: How To Get Yours Published

Many companies today are relying heavily on publicity to promote their companies and their products. But, there is more to public relations that just sending out a news release. Have you considered writing a feature article and pitching it to one of your trade magazines? Here are a few tips to help you write a great interesting article.

• Spend some time writing your article. Don't just slap something together and turn it in to the editor. This isn't a homework assignment. Do some research. Make sure your intended message is clear in the article but don't be self-promoting. Since you've worked hard at pitching the editor on your article, don't disappoint him/her.

• Try to write something that either educates the audience or entertains the audience. Your core message should be stated in the introductory paragraph. Feature stories generally range from 2,000 to 3,000 words so you don't want your message lost throughout the story. Four key parts of your feature article should be included: 1) quotes from people who are willing to be named in the article; 2) concrete examples of what your product actually does; 3) words that paint a descriptive mental picture; and, 4) information that is presented in a pleasing, interesting way.

• You can write an application story, that is, one that helps demonstrate how your product works. Or, perhaps you want to focus on the human side of the company by writing about a charity that the employees work for. Sometimes a historical perspective is a good feature article if the company is celebrating a major milestone. And, of course, case studies that describe a problem and offer a solution are also viable.

In any event, writing a feature article is another great way to get your message out to your public. So, take some time and think about what you want to say.

Does Direct Mail Work?

With all of the online advertising opportunities and the social media networking going on, does anyone still send out direct mailers via snail mail? Well, I'm somewhat of a contrarian, so I think this type of advertising still works. Even though you'll see some statistics that direct mail will fall by 38% in the next five years, I've found that some companies are really starting to embrace direct mail. And ... they are using some of the social media as a complementary marketing tool.

• Rather than spend a lot of money for complicated direct mailers of the past, many companies are sending out postcards at a relatively inexpensive price. And they are getting some phenomenal results. For example, you could send out a coupon postcard to your targeted mailing list and then also place that coupon on Twitter. For local restaurants, shops, etc. it's a great, cost-effective idea.

• For B-to-B direct mail is also a great way to stay in touch with your customers. You could send a postcard or mailer announcing an event, and then follow up with your customers with an e-mail, that is, if you have everyone's e-mail address. Since so many people now have the anti-spam software on their e-mail systems, even legitimate e-mails are not filtering through. So, the only way for you to contact your customers may be through direct mail. Many people are wary of placing their personal information online, so providing a business reply card with your mailer is a great way to increase your response rate.

• No matter what type of mailer you send out, make sure you have a compelling offer such as buy one, get one free, for example. And definitely target your audience. Don't just buy a list and mass mail. Make sure that your products meet the needs of the mailing list whether it is an in-house list or a purchased list.

So, if you are in the process of updating your marketing plan, make some room for direct mailers. You'll be glad you did.

Videos Can Be an Effective Tool for Promoting Your Products

Have you considered using rich media in your e-newsletters, online advertising, or even online news releases? Videos can be an exciting way to promote your company's products. And you don't have to pay a lot of money for a videographer to do it. Here are a few pointers for using video with your online marketing tools:

• Instead of the static banner ad, why don't you add a video clip to your ad. Or, post your video on YouTube and include a link to your video on your banner ad. We call ads utilizing video -- rich media ads. Rich media draws the attention of your audience. But make sure you are providing useful information and not just something fun to watch. You may get a lot of hits but no sales. So, always remember your audience when producing videos.

• You can also embed videos into your online news releases. Services such as PRWeb allow you to include videos as part of their service. A video gives editors a better understanding of the product you are announcing. Make sure your video is newsworthy, though. Your video could be a demonstration of the product, a testimonial, or some other interesting aspect of your product. People are visual and like to see what the product looks like. And, in this case, how it works.

• Of course, you can also post your videos on your Website. This makes them easily accessible. Promote your videos using other marketing tools, too, such as brochures, direct mail, trade shows, and even e-newsletters. You can archive Webinars, product demonstrations, or company news.

So, there are many ways that you can repurpose your videos. With a little imagination, creativity and editing, you can find many useful ways to promote your company using videos.

Content Tips for E-Newsletters

Do you scratch your head every time you sit down to write a new edition of your company's e-newsletter and wonder what you should write? Do you have writer's block most of the time? Well, here are a few tips to help you obtain great content.

Tip No. 1: Provide interesting information to your reader. Don't just write about recent company news unless you have a "hot" topic or product to write about. Look more to industry news, statistics, general trends, etc. to focus on in your next issue.

Tip No. 2: Provide tips and advice to your readership. Give them some "how to" articles. People are always looking to learn new information. Look to employees within your company to help you with these articles.

Tip No. 3: Reiterate a case study to show how a company solved a particular problem. But, again, make sure the case study is relevant to your customer base. Look to your customers to help you with a case study.

Tip No. 4: Add a short survey or opinion poll to your e-newsletter. People love to give their opinion on topics and enjoy seeing the results.

Tip No. 5: Make your e-newsletter fun. Of course, you may be dealing with serious subject matter, but a funny, humorous cartoon, anecdote, or quote may be just the thing to get your audience interested.

So, next time you have to sit down to write that next edition of your e-newsletter, refer back to these simple and easy tips.

LinkedIn: How to Get the Most Out of Your Social Networking Experience

I attended the AMA Kickoff Party last night where we had a most engaging speaker, Dorothy Gilbert, speak about the social media networking site LinkedIn. She profiled her experience as a user of this social networking phenomenon and provided tips to help the audience get the most benefit out of using LinkedIn. Here are a few tips that I learned from Dorothy:

Tip No. 1: Keep your profile updated. Dorothy mentioned that the most important part of your profile is the Summary and the Headline. Most of the people attending the session are marketers, so they should know something about writing copy. However, when we're talking about ourselves, it seems to be difficult to think of persuasive copy and our unique selling proposition. We just don't want to be a braggart. But, when networking and marketing your small business, especially if you are a consultant, you need to discover and communicate what you do differently from any other person in your same line of business. In other words, use the same good old marketing techniques to market yourself as you would use when marketing one of your client's products.

Tip No. 2: What is the optimum number of connections you should make? That was a big question in last night's session. Dorothy says it will be a different number for each person depending upon your goals. And speaking of goals, you should have some goals as to what you want to get out of your LinkedIn experience. How many connections do you think is enough? How long will it take you to obtain that many connections? Do you want to receive speaking opportunities? Do you want to gain a new client? All of these goals will take time so don't expect to do one thing and expect a flood of business to come your way immediately.

Tip No. 3: Set some rules for yourself regarding how you use LinkedIn. For example, one audience participant says that he has a rule to never accept a connection unless they show their connections. Some LinkedIn users control their privacy so much that no one can see much information on their profile, their connections, their work history, etc. This gentleman will send an InMail to the person and explain his rule. Sometimes it works and the new connection will change his privacy preferences. Other times people are bound by an agreement with their employer so they cannot show their connections. In any event, a dialogue is created and connections can then be accepted or not. Another rule may be that you only accept invitations from people you know or have met. This is a good rule because some people think that the more connections you have the better. They think they are having a contest to see who gets the most connections. I'm of the thought that you want good, solid, trustworthy connections. If you are sharing any information with your network, you want to make sure that they aren't abusing the information you share.

Dorothy added many more tips at last night's meeting. But, I hope these few tips that I shared here will help you get more out of your social networking experience.

How to Pitch a Story Idea

We all know, or should know, the value of public relations in promoting our company. But, the task can be daunting with over 6,000 magazines from which to choose. How does a company pitch an idea to an editor? Following are some tips that you can use right away:

Tip No. 1: Narrow down the number of journals you select. Start out by looking at the journals that come across your desk. What journals are your audience reading? There are several resources for you to review, such as Bacon's, which is the bible of the public relations industry. They have thousands of magazines and newsletters categorized by business and industry. So, start there to obtain a list of appropriate journals.

Tip No. 2: Know the magazine and know it well. There's nothing more offensive to an editor than calling to pitch an idea about a topic that isn't of interest to the magazine's audience. Also know the various sections/departments of the magazine. You should be able to target your feature article for a particular section of the journal.

Tip No. 3: Know the editors' preferred method of communication. In the past, most editors preferred a phone call or a paper press release. However, now with the advent of e-mail, many editors would prefer to be contacted electronically. If you're new to the p.r. game, always call and ask the preferred method. I actually have sent out surveys to a group of editors, whom I have worked with regularly to get the names, addresses, e-mails, phone numbers, and preferred method of communication. Most of the editors have responded positively to this correspondence but only if they know me and my clients well. I've even asked them to add additional editors, if necessary, for the various departments.

Tip No. 4: When pitching a story, try to focus on one idea. Only if the editor asks for other angles, should you push several other ideas. Don't use superlatives when pitching a story. Most editors want to know the facts. For example, how much savings an item has over the competition rather than just "a large amount of savings".

Tip No. 5: Never submit the same story idea to more than one competing magazine at a time. Only if the idea is rejected should you approach another editor. Most editors like exclusivity. They don't want to republish something that has already been out there. In other words, they want the scoop.

So, it's not that difficult to develop rapport with an editor. Produce results, follow their preferences, and respect their time will allow you to pitch a story very effectively.

Webinars: How to Engage Your Audience

Have you attended a Webinar recently? I get at least one invitation per week, it seems. And, I've certainly attended my share of them. But, what about your company? Have you ever thought about adding Webinars as part of your marketing mix? Using Webinars is a very good way to get a captive audience to listen to your message.

But, what is a Webinar? Well, it is short for Web Seminar. It basically is a one-way communication from the speaker to the audience with limited audience participation. However, some Webinars include text chat capability and a Q&A session. Most Webinars consist of a PowerPoint slide presentation with a keynote speaker and maybe one or two other speakers disseminating information about an engaging topic. Here are some do's and don'ts.

• Think of your Webinar just like you would any other seminar. Just because you don't have a "live" audience doesn't mean you shouldn't impart just as interesting information as you would with a face-to-face audience. The presentations should be delivered in a way to keep your audience listening. With a Webinar it is very easy for your audience to get distracted with other tasks at their office.

• Sell the event ... not the product. Too many times when presenting a Webinar businesses hype their company or product rather than offering their customers something of value or interest. Since your Webinar will most likely be 30-40 minutes in length, you'll need to make sure you are offering your prospective audience some knowledge or expertise that they couldn't ordinarily get.

• Track your results and refine your Webinar tactics. There's nothing worse than not learning from your successes or your mistakes. So, get some feedback from your audience and find out what you did right and what you can do to improve your next Webinar.

If you want more information on Webinars, sign up for my quarterly newsletter, KIWI News. There will be a full article on Webinars in the October issue. You can sign up at this blog. See the sign-up box to the right of this article. Or log on to our Website and create an account.

How To Create an Irresistible Offer

Too many marketers fall short of communicating that irresistible offer to their prospects. Yeah, they might get the features right, and some may even get the benefits right, but they never go far enough in answering the question for their prospects, "What's in it for me?". That's what I call the "advantages"... over the competition ... over other products, etc.

• You must offer a high ROI (return on investment). If your product or service is great, this is automatic. If you don't have a great product, then no amount of marketing or advertising will cover up that fact. So spend time on product development so that your product is made of the highest standards.

• Make sure you are offering your product to the right audience. If you're selling hairbrushes, you're not going to market them to bald people, are you? So, make sure you audience has a need, want, and desire for your product. Target your audience. No matter how great your copywriting skills are, you'll never sell to an uninterested target.

• Collaborate with a symbiotic company. If you're selling hairbrushes, perhaps you can team up with a hair salon, for example. You might offer the salon a percentage of sales for every hair brush they sell to their customers. You don't have to go it alone. Many companies are now collaborating to find new customers. It's a win-win situation if you choose the right collaboration.

• But, above all, make your message credible and believable. Too many marketers create offers that are "too good to be true". If that's the case, your audience won't believe in you or your product.

So, next time you're creating an offer in an advertisement, online, or any other medium, remember these points.

SEO: Do You Know Your Google Ranking?

Do you know the Google Ranking for your Website? Well you should know. Analyzing your Website is really necessary in this age of competition. You can get a free Keyword Friendly Report that shows you the number of inbound links, Google PageRank, keywords, etc. It's a very good report to have. You should review it with your SEO Manager or Webmaster. Just go to the Keyword Friendly Website and type in the URL of your Website. Within a few minutes you'll get a report.

The ranking system goes from 0 to 10. On average most Websites range about 3. Only the largest organizations will rank 8, 9, or 10. But how do you increase your Search Engine Ranking? Well, Google has a secret formula but we do know that it has to do with the number of pages on your site as well as the number of inbound links to your site. Google assumes that if you have links from credible sites that your site also is more credible. Here are the rankings and what they mean:

0 — You are not listed on Google. Most likely this is because you use Flash on your Website. Flash Only sites are invisible to Google. So, the recommendation here would be to only use Flash in the right places, that is, surrounding Google-friendly text or combining it with an XML Sitemap.

1 — This is a very poor ranking but you are listed. So, that's an improvement over a 0.Try adding more pages or getting more inbound links to your site.

2 — Poor ranking, but it shows that you are improving. So, keep trying, to get your site to the next level.

3 — Average. This is where the majority of sites rank. So strive to make your site even better. Over time, you should be able to push up to the next ranking.

4 — Above average. Your site is better than average but there is still room for improvement. But, be proud of your accomplishment.

5 — Good. With a 5 ranking, you are most likely to land on the first page from time to time during a Google search.

6 — Again, better than good. You will land on the first page of a search more often.

7 — If you are a small or medium-sized company, you should strive to have a 7 ranking. This is probably the highest you'll be able to achieve unless you are a very large corporation.

8, 9, 10 — You'll never make it to these levels unless you are a very large conglomerate.

Check your stats from time to time to see where you stand. Try some online Press Relations to get more inbound links. Add more pages to your site. Make sure your site includes keywords relevant to your industry. So, with a few changes to your Website you can make it more search-engine friendly.

Magic Bullet Marketing

Wouldn't we all like to have that magic formula for taking our marketing to the next level? I think most people really don't understand what marketing is all about. The common theory is "build it and they will come". Many companies just don't get it. They don't understand the value of really good marketing tactics. Marketing is really about crafting your message and developing your products with the right features for the right audience. It's also about having clearly defined marketing goals. Here are a few mistakes many companies make today that cause them to fail.

• Not clearly defining your target audience. Can you clearly define your ideal customer? Do you have a customer profile? And I mean a "real" customer profile. Not just what industry or title they have. Have you segmented your market using demographic parameters? Do you even have the basic information in your customer database such as name, title, company name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and Website URL? If not, start there by completing your data base with general information. Then add on additional information such as trade shows they attend, journals they read, buying habits, etc.

• Focusing on features rather than benefits of your product. How many of you can recite an abundance of features about your products or services, but don't have a clue how they benefit your targeted customer? Once you understand what the benefits of your products are and how they relate to your customers, you will be able to craft a message to communicate those benefits. But, I contend that you should go one step further and add the key advantages to the benefits. Your competitors may offer the same benefits. You will stand out if you also communicate the advantages.

• Executing haphazard marketing tactics. The key words in successful marketing are consistency and regularity. I work with many clients who haphazardly market their products. They'll send out an e-newsletter or a direct mailer, for example, once in a blue moon and wonder why their marketing program is not working. Or, they'll place one advertisement in one journal one time and wonder why they are not getting a flood of leads. Or, they send out one press release and wonder why they aren't getting a deluge of editors calling them to do feature articles on their company. They key to good marketing is to have a plan and to stick with it. Send out a monthly communiqué to your customers; otherwise, they may not remember you when it's time to buy.

So, you need to truly understand your target market, create marketing tools that fit your audience's needs and distribute those tools in a timely and regular basis.

Write an Effective Newsletter

Why should you add an e-newsletter to your list of marketing tactics? Well, it is a lot easier to grow your business through referrals from existing customers than to chase new prospects. If you currently have an good in-house list, then you should think of that list as a valuable asset.

• What does an e-newsletter do for you? First of all, it helps all of your customers, prospects, vendors, partners, suppliers, etc. to keep your company's name top of mind. It also provides an ongoing communication with these people. It allows you to promote your products or services. But, most of all, it develops relationships.

• Elements of a good e-newsletter: Keep it short and to the point. Divide your newsletter into small sound bites. Use bullets and short paragraphs. Add links to important information on your Website. Don't forget to add a sign up box and a forward box as well. And, don't forget to provide to provide a privacy statement. Let your customers know that you do not sell their information.

• How much time does it take to create a newsletter? Unfortunately, you can't just push a button and have an e-newsletter. It does take some thought as to content. But, insofar as the layout and creation process, there are many templates and companies that can help you with this. For a small monthly fee you can outsource the production of your e-newsletter.

Consider adding an e-newsletter to your marketing mix of tactics. It's an inexpensive way to keep your name in front of your customers. It provides credibility, shows your expertise in a specific industry, and promotes your business.

On-Line Advertising: Is it Right for My Company?

Do you sometimes feel like you're on the road to nowhere trying to decipher online advertising opportunities? Well, you're not alone. With all of the social media marketing, banner ads, rich media ads, article sites, ad words, blogs, podcasts, gaming, etc. etc. etc., it can be a daunting task to sort through the maze of available online advertising opportunities.

• What exactly is online advertising? According to Wikipedia, "online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web for the express purpose of delivering marketing messages to attract customers". Examples of online advertising include contextual ads on search engine results pages, banner ads, rich media ads, social network ads, online classified advertising, advertising networks, and e-mail marketing such as e-newsletters, just to name a few. And who knows what the future holds.

• What are the advantages of online advertising vs. print advertising? Your prospects have to wait until the journal is printed and "hits the street" for a print ad to be viewed. You usually have to provide the publisher your artwork files at least 30 days in advance. Whereas an online ad may take only a few days or hours to produce and it is up and running immediately and available for prospects to click on and view your offering.

• What about social media marketing? Does it work? Well the jury is still out on that regarding how it can be used to make money for a company. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal (Monday, August 3, 2009, Theory & Practice by Sarah E. Needleman, For Companies, a Tweet in Time Can Avert PR Mess) recently, many of the larger companies are using it for crisis management from a public relations standpoint. They can more easily detect if there are any negative comments floating around about their companies. Twitter, for example, has been used by Coke and PepsiCo to handle public relations issues, according to the article. This media helps them to become aware of an issue quickly and to address it immediately, thereby preventing an actual crisis.

My advice to my clients is to take the plunge and dive into online advertising. You can start slowly by initiating an e-newsletter. Also open a Twitter account. You can easily hire a marketing and advertising firm to help you with your online advertising if you're not yet comfortable with this technology. The more you use it the more comfortable you'll get.

Article : Perspective on PR: Building an Effective Communication Program Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - Biotechnology from Bench to Business

Article : Perspective on PR: Building an Effective Communication Program Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - Biotechnology from Bench to Business

Shared via AddThis

Enhance Your Website with a Few Good Marketing Tips

Almost every company today has a Website no matter how large or small they are. I think most people understand the value of a Website in today's market. However, do you use your Website as an electronic brochure? That was okay yesteryear but in today's social media and eMarketing environment you need to upgrade your Website to include some rich media. Here are a few tips to help you upgrade the usefulness of your Website.

• Have you started sending out an e-newsletter? If so, create a sign-up box and place it prominently on your Website. Some of the e-newsletter companies now offer an e-mail archiving feature so that visitors can view past e-newsletters to determine if they want to sign up for your e-mail list.

• Do you have any Webinars that you recently hosted? Don't forget to subscribe to the Record and Playback option from your Webinar service provider. That way you can place your On-Demand Webinar on your Website which will, in turn, increase visibility.

• Have you made any podcasts or videos? You can also add these to your Website enabling your visitors to subscribe to your podcast series.

Remember ... a Website is not a static marketing tool. It should be updated often. Re-purpose your other marketing tools by adding them to your Website. You will reflect a positive corporate image by letting your visitors know more about your company's products and services.

Exhibit Design Tips & Tricks

Is your trade show exhibit a bit worn or outdated? Many companies have cut costs by budgeting very little money for upkeep of their trade show exhibits. But, you don't have to spend a lot of money to update the look of your booth. Here are a few tips:

• Evaluate the trade shows you are attending. Look at your overall marketing plan and strategy. Are you attending shows that fit into that strategy? Or are you just going to a certain show "because we've always attended that show"? Are you taking the proper amount of booth space for each show? Can you downscale from 20 feet to 10 feet, for example? You can save shipping and drayage costs if you downscale.
  

• Spruce up your current exhibit booth. You can easily modernize your trade show booth with some updated graphics. Or consider purchasing some new carpet in a trendy color. Adding new lighting to your exhibit can also give it a bit of a makeover. Add some plants or flowers to make your booth more inviting.

• Choose colors for your exhibit that can give a psychological boost to your audience. Yellow is a good color to gain attention. Green has a positive and calming effect. Gold, silver or platinum always symbolize premium. Black represents power and confidence. And white, of course, signifies honesty and purity.

Trade shows are all about your company image. They are a good way to meet and greet your existing customers and make new contacts face-to-face. So, with a bit of imagination and a small budget, you can spruce up your trade show booth to attract new customers.