Archive for the ‘PR/Marketing’ Category

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Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Craft Fairs & Art Shows As A Marketing Tool

If you’re just starting your product business, arts & craft shows, gift fairs, etc… are a great way to test the viability of your product.  You will get instant valuable feedback, even if that feedback is zero sales. Also, selling at these types of events is a relatively inexpensive way to gain visibility, build a customer base, and promote your online store. 

Start at local farmers markets and annual shows in your city, and if you get favorable results, expand your reach.  You can get a comprehensive list of these types of events from Craftmaster News. The annual subscription is $48.95 and includes 6 bi-monthly printed issues of the publication, e-mail updates of the latest event information, and online access to their entire database of events (updated daily).  And maybe you can split the cost with one or two other business owners, to make it even more affordable.

The list includes arts & crafts shows, street fairs and festivals, county fairs, state fairs, home and garden shows, farmers’ markets, antique & collectible shows, music festivals, car shows, holiday gift fairs, and more.  There are two separate lists, one covering the Western U.S. and another for the Eastern U.S.

Once you’re up and running, you need to get the word out about your product.  I think this is a good way to go for some businesses.  Try a local event first, and if you see some marketing benefits, check out the Craftmaster News list.  You have 30 days to cancel, so it’s as low-risk as you’re going to find.

Posted in PR/Marketing, Selling | No Comments »

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Listen To The “Experts” But Don’t Lose Sight Of Your Path

Whether it’s marketing, social networking, PR, or sales, there are a lot of experts out there. And every 12 to 18  months, a new star is born.  Everyone worships at their altar – for a while, anyway, until the next “business genius” steals the spotlight.  I believe many of these people have a lot to offer. Their experience and knowledge gives them a certain perspective, and this insight helps people who are trying to get their business up and running.

But I believe we all need to be selective when taking the advice of others.  Not necessarily everything someone else has done will work for you.  Your business and goals are unique, so an approach that propelled them toward their goal could actually put you on a detour away from your goal.

So how can you avoid that?  Get clear on what you want your business to look like and what you want it to do – for you and for your customers.  Once you know what this means for you, step onto your path with confidence.  Then you can easily determine what will assist you in reaching your goal.  There is so much good advice out there, but treat it all like a buffet or dim sum. Take only what will work for you.

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Posted in Approach, PR/Marketing | No Comments »

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

You Need To Have A Website & ChooseWhat.com Makes It Easy

If you already have website, go back to what you were doing. If you don’t, there is a site that can help you get set up. Like anything else that’s new to us, setting up a website can be intimidating, and frustrating. If you have a business, though (any kind of business) you need to have a website. It gives you credibility, and will help you market your product or service. There, your customers can find out about your company, get contact information, etc...

ChooseWhat.com offers a “build-your-website” option that is incredibly easy to use. You start by selecting an “information only” site ($9.99/month) or a web store ($24/month). You are then literally stepped through the process. The price includes a domain name.  And the first 30 days are free, so check it out before committing.

Here’s what you’ll see:

Get Started.
a) Create a free account.
b) Choose your layout and color scheme.
c) Choose your domain name.

Add Pages to Your Website.
a) Customize your Home page.
b) Customize your Contact page.
c) Add supporting pages

Create Logical Navigation.
a) Create main navigation links
b) Create secondary navigation.

Enhance Your Website (optional steps).
a) Customize your header and logo.
b) Change your layout.
c) Change your color scheme.
d) Get your website listed in search engines
e) Add images, video and other multimedia.

Everything in this guide is straightforward and easy to understand. As you click on each task, you are given a full, clear explanation of what you are doing, and why. You should be able to create your website in an afternoon.

Having an online presence is so important. You are missing out on opportunities each day that you wait. So give it a try, because the need for a website is not going to go away.

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Posted in PR/Marketing, Small Biz, Web/Tech | No Comments »

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Don’t Get Ahead Of Yourself

Getting caught up in the excitement of starting your own business can cause you to get ahead of your self.  It’s a common mistake, but you may pay dearly for it.

Starting a business is part hard work, part lots of fun.  Unfortunately, in the beginning, there are bigger doses of hard work – getting your website up and your shopping cart in place, registering for tax ID numbers, not to mention preparing your product or service.  So it’s understandable that people want to jump into the much more satisfying activities of marketing and PR, but don’t take these steps until you’re ready.

First, if you hire a marketing or PR person before you’re ready, you’ll be wasting your money and their time.  And, second, even if you’re doing these things on your own (I love DIY!) you could be caught with your pants down, so to speak.  If clients, journalists, and sponsors coming knocking before you’re ready, you will look amateurish and create a reputation for being unreliable.

I once jumped into a marketing opportunity before I had my vendors lined up. A huge order came in from this and I suffered a sleepless week getting the work done for my new customer, with the added pleasure of paying a subpar vendor a fortune for a “rush” job.

If your dream client/PR contact called you, would you be ready? If the answer is, “Yes, but I just need to ______”, then the real answer is no.

I get it. It’s thrilling to go full steam ahead, but you have to make sure you have something to offer before inviting the world in. It is easier to build a strong reputation from a clean slate, than it is to repair a damaged one. So clean house, get your ducks in a row, or whatever other metaphor you would like to use, then get out there and show the world what you’ve got.

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Posted in PR/Marketing, Small Biz | No Comments »

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Stand Out With Your Message

Stand Out With Your Message from Beth Andrus on Vimeo.

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Posted in PR/Marketing, Uncategorized, Video | No Comments »

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Flattery Will Get you Everywhere

Flattery Will Get You Everywhere from Beth Andrus on Vimeo.

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Posted in Approach, PR/Marketing, Video | 2 Comments »

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Video As A Marketing Tool

I can feel some of you cringing as you read this, but I think you should at least consider incorporating video into your marketing plan.  Video can be used in a lot of ways, and it’s very effective. That’s one of the reasons HSN and QVC are so successful. They are constantly connecting with their customers with conversation and demonstrations.  Video can do the same for you.

I love fresh pineapple but never bought it because it’s such a mess to slice up.  Then I came across a video of the Vacu Vin pineapple slicer.  The 2 minute demonstration showed how easy it was to use, so I purchased one.  It worked as promised, and now I would try other products from this company.  So, if you have a product that has a function you can demonstrate, video is a great way to go.

If your products that don’t lend to an instructional video, you can still show your products in motion, whether you sell apparel, makeup or jewelry. This also gives your potential customers a chance to get to know you.  And if your company offers a service, video is a great way to build trust.  People will start to develop a relationship with you before even meeting you.

Getting started is easier than you may think.  You don’t have to spend a lot to get a decent camera, and they all come with software so you can do some basic editing.  Then you can set up a YouTube channel and link from your blog, or you can put your videos on Vimeo and imbed the videos in your website, which is what I do.  Here’s a list of other video sites, if you’re interested in doing a little research on your own.

If you’ve never done anything like this before, practice. You will definitely get more comfortable with each try.  In the beginning you may feel embarrassed watching yourself, but keep practicing.  Sometimes I still cringe a little, especially if my lighting is bad, but I re-do it if I have time. (You can find a few examples where I ran out of time – not good, but, oh well.)  Like anything else, the best way to get started is to jump in with both feet.  Let me know if you have any questions.

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Posted in PR/Marketing, Small Biz | No Comments »

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

AwardSync Will Help You Get The Attention You Deserve

As we all know, PR and marketing plays an essential role in the growth of your business.  One thing that surely brings attention is a special honor for your company. Awardsync is an online resource that lists awards programs.  Whether you are posting and promoting awards programs, or looking for award programs for your company, registering is free.

As you market your company, it definitely helps if you have something that sets you apart in your field.  An award as one of the top new eco-friendly companies, for example, adds to your company’s positive reputation and builds your customers’ confidence is what you have to offer.

Make sure you only submit for award programs that are appropriate for your company. This will enhance your chance of winning.  Also, make sure the award program reflects the values of your company. Winning just to win is not the point.  The potential award should strengthen your brand identity. You can read more at AwardSync.com

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Posted in PR/Marketing, Websites | No Comments »

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

Lessons From Dominos Pizza’s Ad Campaign

I know almost everyone has seen Dominos Pizza’s new ad campaign.  The company is painfully honest about people’s comments about their pizza, which include comparing the crust to cardboard and the sauce to ketchup.  They are offering a 100% money-back guarantee on their new and improved pizzas.  They also have a website with a live feed of Twitter comments about their new pizzas.

The internet is filled with people’s opinions about this approach and its potential success or failure.  This may or may not help the company overcome its many recent PR nightmares.  But it has been reported in The Brandweek Buzz Report by YouGov that Dominos’ positive buzz score has increased from 2.3 to 35.3 (out of 100), since the campaign began.  Whether this leads to a permanent shift in perception for the brand is yet to be seen.

What is interesting, though, is that Dominos is taking this risky approach.  I think they realized they had to.  Since the dawn of man, bad news has always traveled a million times faster than good news.  Dominos experienced this with the unfortunate YouTube experience last year. Maybe that social media lesson is what led to their current campaign.

Beyond the stark honesty, they are actively incorporating social networking sites into their ad campaign.  While many large corporations have a presence on Facebook and Twitter, the communication is frequently one-way – toward the customer.  Dominos is encouraging communication from the customer, and they are acting upon what they are being told.  As things continue to evolve, companies are going to have to interact this way.  If a customer feels screwed over, trust me, everyone that follows them and has friended them, will hear about it.

By going on the offensive, Dominos is giving the customer (or potential customer) the chance to support them with positive comments.  If that’s what happens, it will should help Dominos, because a third-party endorsement carries a lot of weight.  If it goes the other direction the damage will be huge.

The world is continuing to change.  Keep this in mind when making decisions or reacting to problems.  If your company does everything right, people may tell their online community, but if you do something wrong, they will tell them.

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Posted in PR/Marketing | No Comments »

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Honor Your Customers

I can not emphasize strongly enough how important it is to honor your customers.  There are many ways to do this, but they all boil down to respect and “doing unto others”. 

Consider what it means when someone buys your product or service.  We all earn our money by expending our time and effort.  There is a personal aspect to the money we earn, and that frequently gets overlooked.  When we buy something it is actually an exchange of our time and effort for someone else’s time and effort.  Keep in mind that it is a privilege to have someone as a customer, and honor them.

purchase

I will be addressing different “must do’s” over the next few months, but for today:

Keep Your Word 

If you promise shipping within 48 hours, ship within 48 hours.  If you are inundated with orders (congratulations) and you have to work until 4:00am to ship everything within 48 hours, do it.  If you say you will finish a project by a certain date, do it, even if you have to hire help and work around the clock.  It may cost you, but the next time your bid will be more accurate.

And if you have a contest, treat the winner with the same amount of respect as a paying customer.  The purpose of the contest was to bring attention to your business, and whether it brought the results you expected or not, the winner is entitled to what you promised.

I know there can be circumstances beyond your control.  A shipment gets hung up in customs, or your mobile dog washing van breaks down.  If something comes up, try your hardest to figure something out.  In the words of Tim Gunn, “Make it work.” 

If there are no immediate solutions, get on the phone to your clients or customers right away.  Do not put them in a position of having to ask you what’s going on.  It is your responsibility to come through for them.  And whatever you promise on that “I’m so sorry” phone call, whether it’s a new delivery date or a ½ off coupon for their next purchase, make sure you can come through.  Your reputation might not recover from two let downs in a row.

I’m writing about this because I had a couple of frustrating experiences during December; one with a huge company and the other with a small company.  On one occasion I cancelled my order and will not go back there.  On the other, I let the order stand because I need this product and it would take too long to go somewhere else. But I will never do business with this company again. 

Don’t risk losing your customers. They’re hard to get, but easy to keep, as long as you treat them with respect.

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Posted in PR/Marketing, Selling, Small Biz | No Comments »

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