Marketing Lessons From The Circus!

If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday”, that’s advertising.

If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion.

If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity.

And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.

If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have spending money at the booths, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s sales.

And, if you planned the whole thing, that’s Marketing!

- Unknown

How To Get Out Of Your Business And Into The World!

Do you have a question for the Marketing Department. Send it to Marketingguys@gmail.com We will be glad to answer it for you. A self employed business owner from California, USA, recently wrote to us with the following question:

Dear Marketing Department: I own my business, and I am the sole employee. So I don’t have much contact with the outside world on an ongoing basis. But I feel I need it. Do you have any suggestions on how I can get more social stimulation?
Self Employed

Dear Self Employed:
Have you ever thought of joining a local community service organization? There are plenty of them out there: like the Kiwanis or the Elks or the Lions Club. Our favorite is the Rotary Club, because it is such a great organization, and it is all over the world. Rotary does rewarding work locally and internationally. You will get the rewards of helping out the people in need, plus you will have the interaction of working with highly motivated people. And although it is not the primary reason for joining Rotary, Networking is for certain a great benefit of being involved. You will have contacts with people you can call on when you need their products or services and, in turn, they will call upon you when they need your help.

Getting involved in a service organization is not only good for your soul, but it will eventually payoff for your business. It should be a part of your Marketing strategy. You find out information on your local Rotary by going to www.rotary.org/

What is your Blog Marketing Strategy?

Blogs are taking over the world! They are the fastest growing component of the Internet, today, growing by 1,600,000 a day! They are not only a tremendous place to get marketing information; they are also an outstanding place to share marketing information.

Since you are reading this, you are aware of blogs, as this is one. But are you using them as a marketing tool for your business? You should be!

First of all, they can be used for research. There are several search engines you can use for blogs including Google, Icerocket, Technotita and Blog Pulse. Type in your product or service words related to your business and see what comes up. What is being covered on blogs will tap you into what current in your market. Then too, the beauty of blogs is that you can contribute to them. So when there is a topic that is related to your business, become a part of the chatter. In doing so, you are directing attention to your business and, in turn, marketing yourself.

The blog world is here to stay! It is quickly taking the Internet into a new dimension! Be part of the flow!

Hiring an ad agency can be like buying the whole cow when all you need is a glass of milk

The value of flexibility…

Crowley Design Associates (www.crowleydesign.com) is comprised of Patrick Crowley, owner and art director and that's it!
A versatile group of talent that spans all reaches of the advertising and marketing industry is "On-Call" and used only when needed. These specialists are brought in based on how well their individual skills and strengths match up with your unique marketing needs. Writer, photographer etc.

• Full service — Want a design agency that does it all? With Crowley Design Associates, there’s no need to hire an entire ad agency staff. Our hand-picked team of specialists can do the job just as well if not better…AND for less!
• 
  
• Just a project — Why buy the whole cow when all you need is a quart of milk? Crowley Design Associates, flexible, “talent-on-call” process is the perfect solution for those single projects when you want quality without the pricey “commitment.”
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• In-house direction — Have good talent on-staff but just need an extra shot of fresh creative ideas? Let Crowley Design Associates motivate your marketing people and help direct the big picture!
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• Brainstorming — Planning a brainstorming session to launch a new product or service? Let us sit in and offer creative input.

Is Your Business In The News Today? It Should Be! Make It Happen!

Businesses that want to promote their company should take a lesson from Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain. All three know that they succeed without good media coverage.

Increasing sales is critical to the success of any business. Unfortunately, more effort is put into organizing the company, then marketing the products. And one key marketing tool is media coverage. That includes newspapers, radio, TV and don't forget the web.

It Takes Effort
It take some luck but mostly it takes strategy. Remember: there are many other organizations competing for the same media attention. When it comes to media coverage, the other companies are the competition. So, you need to work at it.

How To Get Media Attention?
It starts with a good press release. And a good press release is not the most creatively written release. It is the most effectively written release. Why? Releases are meant to catch the attention of the reporter. And the editor or reporter who is determining whether to use your release is making that decision in just seconds. Seconds!

Keep It Simple
Therefore, it is critical that the key information in a press release is right up top, and easy to find. start by putting the most important information in the first paragraph and the least important information in the last paragraph.

What Is Most important?
The information that answers the question: who, what, where, when, and why? Just the facts: Then in the paragraphs that follow, you can give more details, quote your club president, tell how to get more information, etc.

Concentrate On The Headline.
Give your press release a headline. Keep it short (no more than 5-8 words). Make it interesting. Think about what makes your story newsworthy...remember the old adage: "If a dog bites a man, that is not news. But if a man bites a dog, that is news." Finally, make it local. Local media likes local stories.

Call
The next key step to press releases, which 99% of people fail to do, is follow the release up with a phone calls. Call the reporter within a week after you sent it. Call the reporter and tell the reporter that you are just calling to make sure he or she received it and you want to know if he or she wants any further information. That phone call gives you a reason to plug the event in person.

There are many ways to market an company, but if you can get the media to work with you, your company will be that much more easier to market!

NEXT: What should the press release look like and how should you send it to the media. Watch for the next edition of this column in this blog.

Considering Direct Mail? Make Sure It Does Not Go Sour By Sweeting Up The Offer!

Are you considering sending out direct mailers to prospective customer?

Remember that the key to any good direct mail is to get a response to an offer. And an offer is something you are providing for some sort of investment from the customer.

The important point to remember is that when you make an offer make sure that it is clear what you are offering, keep the offer something that is of value to your target market and make the offer something simple to get it.And don’t just offer your service or product. Sweeten up the deal!

Here are some sweeteners you can add to the deal:

Free Gift

Limited Time Introduction

Introductory Price

Relationship Discount

Trade-in Offer

Early Bird Discount

Free Trial

Last Chance

Long-Term Guarantee

Limited Edition

Enrollment Period

Money-Back Guarantee

Price Increase Announcement

Refunds and Rebates

Free Gift With Payment

Annual Membership Fee

Free When You Refer A Customer

Marketing Quote Of The Week

"Strategy and timing are the Himalayas of marketing. Everything else is the
Catskills. " Al Ries