Good Ideas are Worth Copying!

In marketing, there are few original ideas.  Every designer or writer gets inspiration from somewhere. According to the author of Ditch the Dusty Widget every small business owner should adopt this strategy when it comes to developing their own marketing material.  She suggests:

In your “Best Practices” hard file, you should collect those types of marketing tools that spark ideas for how to market your own business, or that simply grab your attention and strike you as really well done. Even if the advertisement is for a furniture store and you sell fishing gear, keep the ad if it contains imagery, style elements, a unique offer or some other clever marketing technique that you could repurpose for your own needs.

In addition to hard copy, I recommend collecting websites as well. I have document where i post links to sites I consider worth saving.  Maybe they have a cool layout, fun headline, or maybe the site is just a great resource for inspiration and new ideas.

Save the good and the bad…  whether you are going to do the creative work yourself, or turn the project over to a professional firm, knowing what you like and don’t like on the front end will make the process much smoother, with the end result something you are really happy with.

Clients Want Shortcuts

In this day and age, we are all over stimulated and bombarded with information on every front.  Want more clients in this cluttered environment? Walt Goshert, small business marketing expert suggests creating building a step-by-step process into your marketing strategy that your clients will find you easy to work with and a refreshing change from the constant information overload.

Read more.

Lorraine Ball Talks with Alan Houser About Branding

This week Lorraine spoke with Alan Houser of the Creative Component about branding for the web and in general and how that should web design. In the lively 30 minute interview, she also answers questions from readers about brands in general, logos, web analytic and much more.

To hear the interview go to: The Creative Component

Marketing has been Re-Branded

Most marketers preach about the brand as a valuable corporate asset. Why? Because a strong brand gives consumers a way to identify your product, and helps them make quicker decisions on which product to buy when faced with an assortment of choices. A strong brand creates more sales, as shoppers lean towards the products the rest of the world is buying.

For an alternative opinion on the role of brands read this article by Brad Williamson.

Forget Branding, Invest in Relations

The majority of business owners could be headed for disaster this year. Small business does best when it acts like small business. It does poorly when it blindly attempts to copy big business. The results of an Ipsos-Reid poll in March, 2008, should scare you. See results and full article.

Electronic Promotional Coupons–the lastest way to advertise your business

As a small business owner there is normally a small budget for promotional strategies. Effective advertising at a low cost is a great way to promote your business while the recipient benefits too.

Click to find out some products what will spread the word.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Explained

Search Engine Optimization is complicated and it comes down to one question, what works best? I came across an article that explains everything a small business owner should know about SEO, because it is vital to grow on the internet and reach success.

Full article

Impact Customers Through Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing is about creatively impacting customers and works very well if done correctly. People share information to one another in a variety of ways, and in most cases trust what friends tell us about news and new products verses an advertisement. Learn about the buzz in the article by Diane Aull linked below.

Viral Marketing Workshop Article

What did you have for lunch, and other networking tips!

You return home after a networking event and empty your pockets, putting the business cards you collected onto the desk. What comes next?  If you are one of those people who organize them in neat piles, tied with a rubber band and a promise to get to them someday, just toss them in the trash!   Why – because people have a short memory.

What did you have for lunch? Be honest, do you remember what you had for lunch three days ago?  I bet you don’t.  And yet the interaction you had with you lunch was significantly more intimate, than the conversation you had at the networking event. So if you can’t remember what you ate three days ago, how can you expect someone to remember you a week later? When you come home from a networking event, you have 24 – 48 hours to follow up.  After that it is too late!  No one said this was easy.  Networking is work!  

Choose a few Great ConnectionsIf you have met quite a few people, sort through the cards, select one or two with whom you want to follow-up. Send an email or better yet a hand written card within 48 hours.  The note does not have to be long.  It should however, remind the person where you met, and open the door for a future conversation.   When evaluating with whom you want to follow up and stay in touch, think about what you can do for them.  Be fair, if you can’t see yourself ever referring any business their way, don’t waste their time or yours cultivating the relationship.

What Makes Good Follow Up? If you were asking good questions and really listening during your brief networking conversation, you probably have a few ideas.  Consider an article on a topic of interest or an electronic introduction to someone you think they should meet.  Do not use this first contact after a networking event as an opportunity for a sales pitch:

“Hi, I enjoyed meeting you and by the way if you are looking for____.” That not-so-subtle approach says “I am not really interested in you, unless you want to buy something.”  An experienced networker knows it may take a few conversations to move to the sale mode, but when you get there, you have a greater chance of success.

Want to learn more about networking?  Order a copy of Confessions of a Networking Junkie by Lorraine Ball