MarketingMoment

Do you ever feel just a little bit jealous of the ‘big names’ such as Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield and Michael Port, all of whom are enjoying ‘the rich life’ thanks to all those passive income streams?

What’s their secret? Well, they all know their target markets inside out . . . and they all put a huge amount of effort into building and maintaining strong relationships with their audience.

That’s what a publishing an effective e-newsletter is all about…

Most people agree that producing an email newsletter has been the single best thing they have ever done for their business. One of my clients saw her sales increase by more than 350% when she started to publish an email newsletter — aka ezine — and many others have reaped similar rewards.

But that doesn’t mean all newsletters work, of course. In fact, many simply don’t deliver . . .  and never will.

After rewriting and critiquing a wide variety of customer, business-to-business and employee newsletters, here are the top five common mistakes that I have come across over the years, and more importantly, how to correct those problems.

1. Not setting — and sticking to — a schedule. A lot of newsletters fall through the cracks because people underestimate just how much effort and time can go into producing them. So the promised weekly newsletter becomes a monthly. Then its delivery gets later and later. Soon, it suddenly stops, only to be sent another after an unannounced four-month hiatus.

Ad-hoc newsletter marketing simply does not work. You will lose credibility with your readers if you don’t stick to your schedule. Most will lose interest in you altogether.

Needless to say, it’s imperative that you keep your commitment to your subscribers. Furthermore, for any ezine to succeed — that is, if it is to generate leads and ultimately sales  — you have to make it a priority. That includes publishing it on time, all the time.

BIG TIP: There’s no point scheduling a weekly ezine if you don’t have the resources to meet do so, or if pulling out all the stops means you’re going to produce a weak or ineffective newsletter. I’d suggest working out how long it takes you to write a couple of issues before you commit to a dedicated schedule.

2. Forgetting your readers. I’ve seen heaps of e-newsletters that are little more than one big pitch fest, or that keep boring readers with ‘we platitudes’ (”We offer unique, innovative solutions…” or “We have the biggest range of…” and so on) or ‘pseudo-news’ about the new member of the accounting team or the latest office day out. This is the kind of egocentric prattle we tune out from during face-to-face conversations. So you can imagine how busy the ‘delete’ key is going to be if you carry on sending out such dribble in your ezines.

The stark truth is that your readers are not really interested in you. Sure, they won’t mind hearing some of your news, but they certainly don’t want to be ignored.

Everything in your newsletter must answer the questions: “How is this relevant to my readers?” and “Why will this benefit them?”. Show readers that you DO care about them and that you have their best interests at heart by providing useful or interesting targeted content. Content that they actually want to read.

3. No compelling reason or incentive to sign up. When I first started producing newsletters, it was possible to simply put a “Sign up to my ezine” box on a website or post a message in a forum and have 100 people sign up.

Unfortunately, that stopped working a few years ago.

Today, you have to work harder at getting people interested in what you have to offer. One idea to try is dedicating an entire web page to actively encourage people to give you their email address in exchange for some form of incentive. Don’t forget to tell people WHY they should sign up and HOW they will benefit.

4. Ignoring the first rule of all marketing: Keep it simple. Too much waffle, too many sections, too much advertising, too much complicated content, too many changes from issue to issue… these are deadly sins in the world of ezine publishing.

Some of the best ezines I’ve come across are nothing more than singe-topic articles, around 700-1,000 words in length.

I recommend you start off with 90% valuable content (practical tips, useful resources, interesting stories) and include just 10% promotional material — where you toot your own horn — and work up to 25% sales copy, no more.

5. Ineffective subject lines. In order to get read in the first place, the words you’ve chosen for your subject line have to get past the spam filters. So be careful not to use too many words and symbols that are likely to be caught (including too many exclamation marks and words such as “special”).

Once it has passed the spam test and arrived in the recipient’s inbox, the job of your subject line is to get your reader to open your ezine. Incorporate a specific benefit that will pique your subscribers’ interest and motivate them to read the issue. Be as provocative as you can.

For example, one of my recent subject lines was “How The X Factor Can Help Your Business” — it proved to be one of the top subject lines I’ve ever used, garnering an impressive 72% open rate.

That’s not to say you can go wild with the subject line, making up fantastical offers if they don’t exist! It must accurately reflect the theme of or what’s inside the issue.

Put these tips to use in your next newsletter and you’ll have one that is friendly, non-intrusive, thought provoking, informative, capable of building a sustained relationship with your readers and, above all, leads to more business.

Adapted from “Newsletters that Build Customer Relations AND Fill Your Inbox with Orders” — http://bit.ly/6NYZGT

By Tracey Dooley, Copywriter | Creative Consultant

Online marketing not getting the results you want? 
Let Tracey teach you how to produce PPC ads, blogs and email 
copy that impresses the spam filters AND your readers: http://tinyurl.com/ywyucg

(Why struggle needlessly when you can get expert affordable mentoring and have fun attracting clients easily?) 

(C) 2010-12 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved

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As this is my first post of 2012, I have to officially say … HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope that this year proves to be the happiest and most successful year yet…

With a new year ahead of us, now is the perfect time to re-evaluate your business and mark out areas for improvement. In terms of your advertising and marketing copy, that could mean giving it a boost with a re-vamp. Sometimes, the smallest changes can yield the biggest results.

As for other areas, this week’s article may help. It’s the second part of an old favourite and you can find it here.

I hope you enjoy reading it, and please do post any questions in the comments box below … or, indeed, any other insights that may help other readers. Thank you.

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For this week’s main article, I want to turn back the clock to a feature I originally wrote for MediaMinister’s newsletter, Communiqué for Success. Although a few years have passed since, it is still as relevant now as it was then.

The two-part article takes a look at ten of the major lessons learned in marketing, and how they can help ANY entrepreneur or business-owner when the calendar turns to the next year.

You can read part one here.

I hope you enjoy reading it, and please do post any questions in the comments box below … or, indeed, any other insights that may help other readers. Thank you.

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You own a business. You want it to succeed (hopefully!). Your competitors (and there are plenty of them, mark my word) are constantly fighting for a share of the same market niche. And it’s getting tougher out there . . . So how do you ensure that YOUR products or services stay in the limelight?

The following article is one that I first wrote several years ago, but is as relevant now as it was then. It shows you how to get the ‘X factor’ for your business. Something that’s increasingly important in an increasingly tough business landscape. I hope you enjoy - and benefit from - reading it.

* * * * * * * * * *

This weekend I couldn’t help but turn on the TV set just in time to watch the inaugural episode of the latest series of The X Factor (I know, I know, but I am sure there is a hidden alto in me!). When one crushed hopeful stood on the stage and listened to what Simon Cowell had to say about his performance, I, well cringed more than usual.

This heartbroken contestant had just been told to jack it in. He’d tried out on another popular signing contest about six years prior, where he’d met then-fellow contestant and and most recent The X Factor judge Cheryl Cole. He didn’t make it then, either.

She, on the other hand, went on to join one of the world’s most successful girl band ever, Girls Aloud. And now this unfortunate chap was told that while he can sing OK, he simply does not have the ‘X factor’.

So what is that elusive ‘X factor’ and how it can help you attract more clients (and sales) to your business?

A Starring Role For Business?

On the hit TV show, it refers to a rare something extra that can’t be manufactured or bought. It’s that elusive, likeability ’star’ quality possessed by only a few . . . something that draws us to them . . . and takes them to the very top of their careers.

How does this apply to business (and, more importantly, YOUR business)?

Well, most of us have heard about the mysterious ‘X factor’ that will take our businesses to the next level. We all have one, whether we know it or not. There is something unique about each and every one of us, and each and every business.

You just have to discover what it is.

And there’s the rub. Most marketing managers and business owners do not know what it is about their business that makes it stand apart. They never find that elusive ‘X factor’.

Who Cares?

When I asked one of my mentoring clients, a life coach, why her business was different to the plethora of other life-coaching organisations, she replied: “I care. That’s what makes me special.”

Clearly, she’s very passionate about what she does, but like I said: “All life coaches care about their clients. That’s the very nature of what they’re about.”

“No, but you don’t understand, I REALLY care about my clients!” she retorted.

In the end, we worked out her USP (unique selling proposition) and she went on to attract not only more clients, but also more of the type of clients she prefers to work with.

Stand Apart From the Competition

Also known as the ‘point of difference’, the USP was coined by Rosser Reeves in the 1950s and later made popular by marketing genius Jay Abraham. It points to what it is about what your business, product or service that makes you stand out from your competitors.

Like it or not, every business has competition. So it goes without saying that it is incredibly important to your bottom line to be able to stand head and shoulders above them and offer your clients something that they don’t.

Everyone can ‘cold-brew’ beer. But the first company to offer ‘ice’ brews stood out - and made a small fortune, to boot.

What They Really, Really Want

What about you? Why should people choose YOU over your competitors? Worse, what if there really is nothing that differentiates you from everyone else — what do you do, then?

To get your USP, think about what it is about your product or service that makes your customers’ lives infinitely better. And if that’s too difficult, think about what your customers really, really want.

For the life coach I mentioned earlier, the majority of her clients wanted lasting, positive change. Some of them wanted to change careers. Others wanted to get out of a relationship rut. And still others wanted to take control of their finances.

Once you have pinpointed your customers’ ultimate wants or needs, you simply tie that into your USP. For example, if you’re a search engine-optimisation specialist, your clients would obviously want to achieve top-ranking results for their businesses or websites in the search engines. And let’s say you can not only help them do that, but can also prove you’ve helped clients achieve a number one spot on the biggest search engine, Google, in a few weeks. So your USP could be: “Getting you the #1 spot on Google in just 2 weeks.”

When you have honed your own ‘X factor’ — ideally boiled down to one short, compelling sentence — be sure to use it in ALL your advertising and marketing materials, including on your website, and also when you introduce your business to people. As well as being a powerful marketing tool, your USP will help create a brand in your prospects eyes - IF it is used often enough.

One final thought: Offer that all-important proof whenever possible . . . and ALWAYS deliver on any promises made with your USP.

By Tracey Dooley, Copywriter | Creative Consultant

Got your USP nailed down but having a difficult time marketing it? Then consider a ‘power coaching’ session. I can give you everything you need to know to create a compelling USP, positioning statement or marketing message that will appeal to the best customers for you — plus LOTS of other crucial techniques to help you fill your sales pipeline. You can read more about my marketing consulting programmes — including one-off sessions — at:

www.business-marketing-advice.mediaminister.co.uk

(Why struggle needlessly when you can get expert help and/or affordable mentoring and have fun accelerating your sales through credibility?)

(C) 2008-11 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved

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You may THINK you have the best product known to man (and woman)kind, but why is it then that you keep losing sales to a competitor with a weaker product that is more expensive?

How about the last time someone said, “Your client list is really impressive. We’ll definitely get back to you,” but never did?

Losing what should, by all accounts, be sure-fire, dead-cert sales can make even the most veteran of salespeople a little, well, bewildered. 

“What went wrong?” they ask, scratching their heads. Often, it’s the seemingly minor things that make all the difference…

Here are five ways you may be leaving money on the proverbial table — and what you can do to turn things around:

1. You Fail to Grab Attention

A poor advertisement will pull in more sales than a great one IF it is better targeted. By that I mean, knowing your buyer well enough to write a headline that calls out directly to her. Writing a headline is easy, but does yours REALLY want to make your prospects take notice and want to know more?

Most people sum up a story or list a feature in their headlines. But a headline that is too general or bland will not stand out or get noticed. To be effective, it should be specific to your audience. Try incorporating a benefit that will entice your readers to read on. Or ask a question, state a startling fact or statistic (backed up in the rest of your copy), or create some kind of intrigue.

Again, it all boils down to knowing what your customers want. An easy way to determine this is to survey your existing customers to see what attracted them to buy from you in the first place.

2. You Merely Inform, Rather than Build Desire

Desire is one of the most powerful motivators of all. Think about it, we all want to feel loved and accepted. Most of us want to do better, feel better, be better . . .  and will press that ‘order now’ button based on pure emotion, later justifying the purchase decision using logic.

The problem is if you don’t recognise these emotional wants and needs in your buyer profile, then you can hardly use them in your marketing message to connect with and so persuade your prospects to buy.

3. You Don’t Give People Reason to Trust You

The very act of buying can be risky, especially when done online. So you have to give prospects a reason to trust you. Offer them a money-back guarantee, if possible. Be sure you come across as authentic and professional. And certainly back up any claims you have made about your product, service or business. You can also show you walk your talk by using customer testimonials and case studies.

4. You Don’t Test Your Promotional Copy

Many people will go the trouble of writing content for their website, or copy for their sales letter, but not bother to test it. They leave it as it is. That’s fine . . .  IF it does a handsome job of selling for you. But what if it doesn’t? And even if it does, how do you know it couldn’t reap more sales?

The key to any and all advertising and marketing copy is to test, improve, and test it again. By doing so you can be sure of achieving the highest possible response rate.

5. You Fail to Ask For the Sale!

There is no point overcoming every other sales barrier, only to ignore the close. Every piece of copy should have a call to action — and every phone or face-to-face sales presentation should end by attempting to close the deal. So be sure to direct your prospects as to what they need to do next, why they need to this (what’s in it for them? What’s the big benefit?), how they need to do it, and by when.

NB: My blog post “Why People Will — and Won’t — Buy From You” lists more reasons why people aren’t buying your products or services, and gives 14 other reasons why prospects WILL become your customers. If you have any to add, or have any thoughts, please share with others in the blog post’s comments box.

http://bit.ly/ciNKLA

By Tracey Dooley, Copywriter | Creative Consultant

Not getting results? Let Tracey teach you how to write email copy that impresses the spam filters AND your readers: http:tinyurl.com/onlineROI . Having trouble with converting visitors into buyers once they get to your website? Check out Website Copywriting Secrets that Convert Web Readers into BUYERS.

(Why struggle needlessly when you can get expert help and/or affordable mentoring and have fun accelerating your sales through credibility?)

(C) 2008-11 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved

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Do you believe that Carlsberg is “probably the best lager in the world”? I mean REALLY believe it? Probably not. I’m not sure I do, either. But then, truth be told, my opinion is worthless, considering I don’t drink lager, or beer for that matter.

OK, I get the joke. The “probably the best” line — first used in the 1970s and evolving in many different directions over the years — is saying that Carlsberg drinkers are successful but enjoy having a laugh at themselves. Some would say that the slogan is taking a swipe at the advertising industry as a whole.

But, as refreshing as the original slogan is, it’s a difficult claim to substantiate.

If you are going to make a bold statement such as Carlsberg’s, then surely you need to have a product that’s good enough to back it up. This, however, is a major flaw in Carlsberg’s slogan. My other, better half — a fairly keen lager drinker — is adamant that Carlsberg is NOT the best lager in the world. He doesn’t really like it. Plenty others agree, he assures me, preferring the likes of Stella, Becks, Grolsch and, for the flat and malty beer brews, Hoegaarden and Erdinger Hefe.

Feel the Difference

Consider another outlandish claim: “The best a man can get”; can you tell what it is yet?  ;0) 

Apart from putting on a blindfold and seeing if you can feel the difference between Gillette’s twin-blade swivel-head razor and, say, the equivalent from Wilkinson Sword (er, blindfolded? No thanks! Imagine the agony of all those razor cuts!), one has to guess that Gillette is simply using its market dominance to fudge over the fact that it really isn’t the best a man can get. (Is it?!)

I’d have thought a new Ferrari might arguably have the edge for most men. But not according to Gillette. Nope, give your nearest and dearest a good shave any day of the week. Even if he does prefer another brand of disposable plastic razor.

Spread the (Believable) Word

So, would YOU get away with such blatant cheek? I’m willing to bet “no”.

For a start, you’re unlikely to be the market leader in your field. (Yet.) And I’d wager that you’d rather stick the razor in your right eye than spend countless millions advertising on an ‘airless’ claim.

So you’re left with only one choice: Show your target market PROOF of how your product or service will benefit them. Provide evidence such as facts and figures, awards, testimonials, case studies and so on. You do NOT have to have millions or thousands to do this effectively. Crikey, you can even get away with a shoestring budget and make an impact . . . while maintaining your credibility.

In the 21st century, cynicism is running at all-time high. Your prospective customers are not going to believe that you have the “best” this or the “greatest” that unless you can walk your talk. Really, they are not. Not on face value, in any case.

Show, Don’t Tell

A client recently told me that her company is the “Number one choice for offering financial advice.”

“Great!” I said, with an obvious air of flippancy. “Now prove it.” (I’m a LOT nicer than this makes me sound. Really. See my client feedback, if you don’t believe me!)

When I was a journalism student, my tutor used to repeatedly say that the key to a great story was “show, don’t tell”. After all, anyone can promise the best quality, service and reliability day in, day out. But your prospects won’t believe it until they either experience it firsthand or are shown evidence of some kind.

The best writers are able to get their readers to ’see’ the story, as if a personal movie was running in the reader’s mind. Authors don’t state that the main character was afraid, for example, but instead show through description the sheer terror running through the character. This same principle can be applied to advertising and marketing.

Think carefully about the messages you are sending to your prospects. And always, always back up your claims with benefit statements, testimonials, pictures of your product in action, quotes or stats from scientific-research studies and more ‘proof’ elements.

Be ruthless — push yourself hard: Be a “yeah, yeah, right” sceptic when you read every single sentence of your marketing message (and certainly BEFORE you send it out to prospects). What can you change to make your copy almost impossible to refute?

Any business can strengthen its advertising or marketing efforts by improving the credibility of what is being said or implied. And doing so doesn’t have to cost the equivalent of a fleet of yachts. Simply foster confidence in your prospective customers’ minds and the world is your oyster. Probably. ;0)

By Tracey Dooley, Copywriter | Creative Consultant

If you’re not sure how to create your most compelling offer or marketing message in the first place, then now is the time to take action. As well as offering worksheets and home-study tools, I can give you profit-multiplying advice and pointers on things you can do straight away to attract new business with my Powerfully Effective Marketing sessions. 

(Why struggle needlessly when you can get expert help from a seasoned copywriter?)

(C) 2008-11 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved

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Whenever I tell people what I do, the word ‘copywriting’ typically draws a blank face. If I follow up with the words “writing marketing and advertising material” there’ll be a flicker of recognition. Yet copywriting is a much, much bigger area, covering a large and rather impressive range of communications, including, but by no means limited to:

• advertorials
• annual reports
• brochures
• ebooks
• ezines
• fundraising materials
• marketing materials, such as flyers, invitations, posters, etc
• press releases
• radio or TV scripts
• sales letters
• speeches
• web pages
• and more.

Put simply, copywriting is the CRAFT of writing advertisements, direct-response sales letters and other communications used to promote, market, and sell products and services. It’s about motivating customer action through (usually, written) words.

Essentially, copywriting involves the process of turning words into cash. Selling your product or service through effective language. Online, it’s the equivalent of your best salesman. Your ’shop front’, if you like.

So it is certainly worthwhile getting to know all about copywriting (or at least the basics) so you can determine whether or not you are clearly communicating the VALUE of your product or service.

Whatever form it takes, copy has two traits:

1. The author of the piece remains anonymous (there is no “by” anyone to be seen).

2. The language used attempts to persuade the reader to do, feel, or believe something. It’s writing that gets things done: making sales, building leads, stimulating interest . . . and so on.

What’s this got to with you? Put simply, copywriting is one of the most expensive skills any solopreneur or business can outsource. And, worryingly, not all copywriters are created equal: I often get asked to work my magic on copy that a client had previously paid someone else to write in the first place.

With good copywriting, however, anyone can make a connection with their customers or potential customers. A connection that ultimately results in improved business performance.

And the best part?

You can do it yourself. You don’t have to be a great writer to write or identify great copy. And when you can recognise powerful copy you are able to get your message noticed, read and responded to.

That said, you will need a firm grip on the proven copywriting principles in order to write copy that is customer-oriented and customer-motivating.

Here then are some copywriting tips to get you started:

1. Before you write one single word of copy it’s essential that you define your product or service. This is so that you can appropriately appeal to and connect with your target audience. You do this by listing all the features and benefits of what it is you’re selling or offering, and then focusing on a one or several of the strongest ones.

2. Headlines sell. That’s a fact. So make sure you include a strong headline, and write it from your prospective customer’s point of view, not your own.

3. Make ample use of one of the most magical words you can use in advertising, marketing, promotional, or web copy . . . the word “you”.

4. Avoid ‘patting self on the back’ copy at all costs.

5. Ideally, your copy should address at least one of the six main human ‘motivators’: duty, gain/greed, love, pride, self-indulgence, and self-preservation.

6. Make sure you answer the WIIFM proposition. No matter how diplomatically you put it, there’s only question that your readers will be interested in: “What’s in it for me?” Or, rather, what’s in it for your reader? Why should your readers listen to you? Successfully answering that question can go a long way toward establishing a positive relationship, and help get your copy read — and acted upon.

7. Use specific, powerful and — most important of all — genuine customer testimonials (make sure you get permission first) to back up your claims.

8. Use the active rather than passive voice. In other words, make your subject do things rather than have things done to him or her. The copy reads more dynamically that way.

9. Follow the AIDA rule: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.

10. Overlook the grammar rules you learned at school. Instead, use sentence fragments, split infinitives, and contractions to make your copy more conversational in tone.

11. Don’t forget the ‘call to action’ – what do you want the reader to do after reading your copy? Ask! Better still, tell them.

So there you have it: As well as dramatically reducing your marketing costs, being able to recognise the fundamentals of effective copy will help ensure your message is something that prospects will want to read . . . and ACT upon.

By Tracey Dooley, Copywriter | Creative Consultant

Want More Detailed Step-by-Step Help, With Examples You Can Model? See my quick-start audio programme, “Better Writing Skills 101 - Write Your Way to Blockbuster Results and BOOST Business to Boot“: 

http://snipr.com/10sq8m

(Why struggle needlessly when you can get expert help and/or affordable mentoring and have fun accelerating your sales through credibility?)

(C) 2008-11 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved

Want to use this tip (or any article, tip or post on this blog) on your website, blog, a message board or in an ezine? Not a problem! But please give credit where it’s due. You MUST include copyright info above, along with the following:

Tracey Dooley is a freelance copywriter, editor and marketer. She also runs KingfisherCopy.co.uk. She has spent 18-plus years crafting compelling concepts and copy that successfully sell, inform, educate or entertain. Her expertise runs across many different sectors and her client list includes marketing agencies, a leading supplier of personal computers, semi-conductors and telecommunications equipment and the UK’s largest TV and interactive production company =====>  www.mediaminister.co.uk

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There’s no denying the ongoing obsession with social media. Love it or hate it, the social media movement has changed the way we shop, communicate and do business. It’s also expanded our online ‘reach’ — the number of people we connect with on a personal level (not to mention the speed at which a story can go viral on the web once it enters Twitter land). Some prononents even liken it to ‘the new TV’. But what about business? Is social media a viable business tool?

In one camp, there’s a resounding “yes!” You have to take control of your brand, supporters say, or someone else will do it for you. And that may not be in your best interests. The worst thing you want is for someone to be searching for a product or service that you provide, only to come across negative comments about you. So proponents of social media for business suggest using networks such as Facebook and Twitter to protect and boost your brand … and, at the same time, your search-engine rankings.

Other entrepreneurs and SMEs (small-to-medium enterprises) take a more cautious view. Some are watching from the shoreline to see how the social-media wave develops. Others lose no time in saying it’s a waste of time.

What it boils down to is this: social media WILL WORK for the right people in the right circumstances. And IF you’re going to make inroads, you’d better put in the effort. Not just in terms of learning as much as you can about your prospects, but taking the time to give them what they want and how best to deliver it via social networking. It’s a lot of work, but it can also be rewarding…

Last words: In all likelihood, your prospects are already visiting social-media giants such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. And if they’re not yet, the odds are that they soon will be. If your business does not have a presence on these platforms, you are missing some very valuable opportunities to connect, engage and build rewarding relationships with your target audience — let alone new markets. So it’s worth spending some time on social media, no matter how limited that may be. Finally, don’t forget to also consider other available marketing channels, including email marketing offline tools such as direct mail — these can work very well alongside social media … IF done correctly.

By Tracey Dooley, Creative Consultant | PR Guru | Marketing & Alliance Strategist

Need help with developing, executing or managing social -of-mouth marketing campaigns?
 Hop on over to my coaching page to bring your digital presence to life:

www.business-marketing-advice.mediaminister.co.uk

(Why struggle needlessly when you can get expert help and/or affordable mentoring and have fun attracting new business easily?)

(C) 2010-11 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved

Want to use this article (or any article, tip or post on this blog) on your website, blog, a message board or in an ezine? Not a problem! But please give credit where it’s due. You MUST include copyright info above, along with the following:

Tracey Dooley is a freelance copywriter, editor and marketer. She has spent 18 years crafting compelling concepts and copy that successfully sell, inform, educate or entertains. Her expertise runs across many different sectors and her client list includes marketing agencies, a leading supplier of personal computers, semi-conductors and telecommunications equipment and the UK’s largest TV and interactive production company. =====>  www.mediaminister.co.uk.

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When was the last time you took a long, hard look at your branding? What’s that? Branding is just for big corporations? Rubbish! It’s vital for ALL businesses. Really, every business, no matter how small, MUST have a recognisable brand. (Yours probably does; you may not just know it does.)

Moreover, it’s important to evaluate your brand from time to time — give it a ’spring clean’, so to speak. And with signs pointing to the country emerging from the recession, now is the time for us all to consider sprucing ourselves up with a bit of fresh branding — if only to let people know that we are still here . . . that we survived the economic downturn.

Now, before we go any further, let’s just get one thing straight: Your logo is NOT your brand. Rather, it is just ONE element of your overall branding.

So what exactly is branding?

Simply put, a brand exists in the ASSOCIATIONS your clients or customers have with it. And branding is about getting your prospective customers to see you as the ONLY one that provides a solution to their problem, want, need or desire. That means making sure everything you say, do or write supports that objective.

Here are six ways to help your business on the way to becoming a successful brand — whether you are re-vamping your current branding or just starting out:

1. Are You Conveying REAL Value? Is your brand ‘promise’ resonating with prospects and customers? Is it delivering the way you want it to? In other words, does the customer experience equal their expectation?

You need to make sure what you are offering and what you stand for are enticing enough to differentiate you from the competition. Think about what your target customers want from your product or service and that your competitors can’t provide. Then make a compelling claim about whatever it is and BACK IT UP to create brand trust and brand loyalty. And always, always deliver on your promises.

2. Are You Making the Best Use of Your Words? If you can clearly and compellingly communicate your value to prospects in fewer than 20 words, then skip this part. If not, read on.

Your words — those that you use on your website, in your brochures and for other branding materials — should establish a relationship with prospects by relaying the benefits of your product or service. These benefits can be emotional, functional or self expressive. So instead of simply stating you’re a life coach, for example, focus instead on what unique benefits you provide. It might be that you specialise in self-confidence coaching, or perhaps your USP (unique selling proposition) is that you also offer nutritional advice, thereby offering a distinctive holistic approach.

3. Are the Visual Aspects of Your Brand Making the Right Impression? Because the consumer mindset equates quality promotional materials with a quality product or service, it goes without saying that quality materials speak volumes about your business. It is not accidental that ‘posh’ or big-name restaurants have fancy signs, business cards and even menus; all reinforcing the same message of supreme quality. It would be difficult to sell a high-quality dining experience with homemade flyer stapled to a telegraph pole. In that vein, the look and feel of your branding materials should consistently, accurately and effectively reflect your brand and give it ‘life’.

NB: Before you change the entire direction of your design, take heed of an advertising adage that says by the time you are tired of your ‘look’, other people (including your prospects) are just starting to notice it. So don’t drastically change things. A simple logo change, but keeping the same colours, or modifying your slogan, may suffice in making your brand feel fresh without losing its original appeal.

4. Are You Up to Date? It makes sense to ensure all product information, pricing, ordering procedures, delivery policies, etc, are up to date. But you’d be amazed at how many out-of-date materials are out there. This morning, I followed a link to an elapsed (by two years!) limited-time offer being advertised. That sort of oversight can do more harm than good for a business brand.

5. Are You Being Consistent? Consistency is one of the best ways to establish trust in any marketplace. So make sure all your marketing materials convey the same look and feel — that includes your core messaging and the tone of your wording. Of course, they don’t need to be a complete match, but when viewed side by side your stationery, website and other materials should form a cohesive ‘family’. One that preferably has an appealing image and so is able to evoke the desired emotional response in your prospect’s mind. Remember, awareness and recognition are key drivers to a growing business.

6. Are You Social Enough? Recent studies have shown that the adoption by businesses of social media has more than doubled over the past year. Have you a consistent, relevant and distinctive presence on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter? I personally find Twitter to be one of the most effective ways to build my brands. With no less than three million ‘tweets’ or messages created every day and approximately nine million users, you really should give it a go — before the revolution is over.

Twitter enables you to easily monitor what is being said about you and your business via its inbuilt search engine. So if you come across inaccurate or negative information about your company, you have the opportunity of redress. And remember, everything you say and do on social media sites BECOMES your brand.

Many companies are increasingly using Twitter for creating or raising brand awareness, as well as reaching prospects by providing valuable links and information. If that sounds like your competition, why aren’t you doing the same? If you are, then perhaps it’s time to assess what is and isn’t working or even start something new altogether.

Branding is an essential tool in delivering company profitability. By periodically reviewing your branding, as well as your other marketing strategies, you should create a strong ‘personality’ that gets the right message to the right audience . . . which can ultimately lead to sales and business growth.

By Tracey Dooley, Creative Consultant | Editor | Copywriter

(C) 2010 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved
Got your USP nailed down but having a difficult time marketing it? Then consider a ‘power coaching’ session. I can give you everything you need to know to create a compelling USP, positioning statement or marketing message that will appeal to the best customers for you — plus LOTS of other crucial techniques to help you fill your sales pipeline. You can read more about my marketing consulting programmes — including one-off sessions — at:

www.business-marketing-advice.mediaminister.co.uk

(Why struggle needlessly when you can get expert affordable mentoring and have fun attracting clients easily?)

Want to use this article (or any article, tip or post on this blog) on your website, blog, a message board or in an ezine? Not a problem! But please give credit where it’s due. You MUST include copyright info above, along with the following:

Tracey Dooley is a freelance copywriter, editor and marketer. She has spent 18 years crafting compelling concepts and copy that successfully sell, inform, educate or entertains. Her expertise runs across many different sectors and her client list includes marketing agencies, a leading supplier of personal computers, semi-conductors and telecommunications equipment and the UK’s largest TV and interactive production company. =====>  www.mediaminister.co.uk.

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Picture by ‘julosstock’ via stock.xchng

Great news for all you salon owners out there who are fed up with costly, inconsistent marketing results and who want to spruce up their client numbers/spend. MediaMinister is now offering a £20 price break on flyer writing.

You know that standard shpiel that you see in the newspaper ads? The name of the salon and a list of services, with their contact information and maybe a nice photo or two and a discount… Well, chances are you’ve tried something similar and it didn’t work. Apart from being a costly mistake, you realise now that it was badly targetted and, worse, it sounded just like what every other salon is doing. BUT that’s not such a bad thing. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, makes mistakes. The important thing is learning from them.

I’ve spent the better part of this past year educating myself on salon marketing - what works, and what doesn’t.

If you’ve neither the time nor the inclination to write another failed advertisement, and want to see some real results, then ask me for help customising your next promotional piece today! Remember, I’m dropping £20 off the price of a salon flyer writing service if you order yours before the end of March.

“Brilliant. How do I order my ‘real results’ salon flyer writing service?”

Simply use the form on my contact page, send me your full details, project brief and any notes, drafts, background or research materials and we’ll take it from there. Or reply to this email for further information.

And remember, my clients are always covered by my personal guarantee.

Know someone who could reap the rewards of this offer? Great! Just let them know and I’ll take care of the rest. BONUS: If they invest in my creative services, I’ll pay you up to 33% of the sale. See my affiliate page for more info.

Offer ends 31 March 2011.

Please note: Orders are on a first-come-first-served basis. I may have to withdraw this offer at any stage, due to demand and my current client commitments, so be sure to get in there early.  

*NB: Other marketing activities are available as add-ons at reasonable prices. I may also be able to create a tailored package around your marketing budget to suit your specific business needs. Just ask.

PETIT PRINT: Offer valid until the end of March 2011 only. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offer for CfS subscribers only (you can subscribe here for FREE and your privacy is guaranteed at all time), and is based on a first-come, first-served basis. Be quick: I reserve the right to pull or modify the offer without notice if my schedule gets too busy.

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Want to use this in your ezine, blog or website? No problem! Just let me know. I’ll send you a short resource box/bio to include.