Advertisement Ideas: Do You Give Good Or Bad Phone?

Advertisement Ideas: You Give Bad Phone

This blog was inspired by a recent call I made to Arts Alive in Coral Springs to follow up on a voice mail message that I left.I was told I don’t recall, thus I stated why I was calling to set up an appointment to see how I could be of service and value through marketing and advertising. I was told I have A PR Company I answered okay I am not looking to be your PR Company I am looking to maximize your message by showing you what I have to offer through Life Publications. His answer was we aren’t interested. I said no problem can I ask you I was told no you are being pushy and this is the type of call we don’t want. I hung up and laughed because oblivisously this man missed the day they taught phone etiquette.

Attention Business People!!!! This is the phone learn how to use it properly so as to attract business as you never know who is on the other end.

On another call a business owner from The Funky Biscuit stated I do not get involved with the advertising and you will have to email my partner. This always strikes a nerve as we do not have to do anything we have the ability to choose to do things. This was a real turn off. I stated okay I’ll email your partner. A suggestion I have for those answering the phone, be courteous and open to receive and never tell someone they have to do anything instead state tahnk you for inquiring about that we handle all those requests via email or please direct this inquiry to our marketing director at his/her email address. Also think about it you may be speaking to someone who has some influence in the community, like myself who has a blog and decides to share a negative expereince or a positive experience with those that visit. Those visitors may know some people who would have become customers so your one negative encounter can have a rippling effect thus remember the way you act on the phone can impact your business. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Do You Give Good Or Bad Phone?

Advertisement Ideas: What Is Your Message?

Advertisement Ideas: What is Your Message?

Dee Snider the front man for Twisted Sister was booted off of The Apprentice last night as a result that his message on the box from The Walk With Walgreens Task not going over well with the 3 people who were deciding the winner.His idea to use words ending in ING was good however some of the words were negative and thus did not deliver the message that the executives were looking for. As I watched the episode unfold I thought before you do an ad campaign answer the question what is your message?

Having a clear easily understood message is a key ingredient in any form of advertising. For example Converse is known for its Chuck Taylor Allstars and this message is very clear

When you decide what your message is remember to keep it simple and appealing. If you were an athletic footwear retailer you may want to add your location, phone number, and a special offer. Also remember when you decide on the message that it is targeted for the audience you want to reach.

Advertisement Ideas: Failed Messages

I chose these three examples to show you that placement of your message is important and also that the wording of your message is important as well. When deciding on the message you want to utilize:

1: Think of the wording

2: Decide where you will place the message

3: Decide how you will maximize the message

4: Have several people check the message

5: Ask does this represent who I am and what I do appropriately

Would you eat here?

Talk about mixed messages!

Always check your spelling and grammar.

This week as you put a message together for your ad campaign be aware of what your message is.

Advertisement Ideas: How to Integrate Special Interests to Drive Traffic

How To Inegrate Special Interests to Drive Traffic

Define Your Target Audience

When you begin to advertise and market one asect to consider is how do I integrate special interests to drive traffice? When I mention special interests I am not talking about your interests but the interests of the target audience you are attempting to reach. I am very surprised by the number of so called business owners that when asked who their target audience is will say everyone. Wrong answer there is no way your business be it homebased or a brick and mortar structure will reach everyone. The key is to know your business and your best customer so as to crerate a strategic marketing plan that works.

Knowing who the bullseye is the 1st step to integrating special interests to drive traffic. One can not just blindly throw things out there in hopes to reach your target audience. You must define the audience. This is done by:

1 :Knowing who your product or service appeals to. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How to Integrate Special Interests to Drive Traffic

ADVERTISEMENT IDEAS: Wake Up and Market Yourself!!!!

Wake Up and Market Yourself!!!

How many times are you going to blame others, make excuses, and do the same thing over and over again expecting different results? It is time to wake up and Market Your Self. Think is there anything that you do that no one else can do? What is it that makes you stand out? What is it that truly makes you a leader in your marketplace.

In The Olympics the difference between a gold, silver, bronze or no medal at all is the fact that you reach down deeper inside and find something that no one else can do. In 1976 Bruce Jenner, won the decathlon and has been using that fame and his positive attitude to market himself ever since.Bruce Jenner captivated the world when he broke the world record and won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic games, earning the title, Worlds Greatest Athlete. Jenner has become a highly respected motivational speaker, sports commentator, entrepreneur, commercial spokesperson, television personality, actor, producer, author, and charity supporter. Audiences are captivated by ‘ unique Olympic, personal and professional success story.

Using the decathlon as an example think of ten things that set you apart from your competition and capitalize on them using them in all your marketing material.

Advertisement Ideas: Brand Yourself

Whatever business you have the key is to brand yourself and market yourself. When you find out what you have that no one else has you can capitalize on that and market yourself. For example I have a unique voice and come from a spiritual perspective and I also have great experience in marketing and media relations thus my tag line is The Spiritual Emcee Maximizing Your Message. What is that you are known for and what do excel in?I ask this question of my clients so as to create a tag line for them and then help them to market accordingly. I recently met with a women who was helping people to creat a better financial position for her clients and thus gave her the moniker of The Financial Fixer, another client was helping people to find happiness and create the life they were seeking and I named her business, The Happiness Way, and gave her tips on marketing and promoting.

One of the best people at branding is Donald Trump, like him or not he has built a strong brand and you see his image everywhere. You may not have the resources that he has, however you have resources that when used effectively will build your brand. To build your brand you will want:

1: Consistency- From logo design to advertising you want to convey the same message

2: Recognizablity- When someone sees your logo or your name they should be easily able to know it is you

3: Publicity- You will want the media to take notice of you so make PR a priority

4: Reaching Your Target Audience- Know who you want to reach and use resources to reach them

5: Promotion- You want to promote creatively and effectively so as to maximize your message

How Recognizable Are You?

When I say Allstate what do you think of? When I say Nike what do you think of? When I mention McDonald’s what do you think of? You may not have the budget of these big companies but you can use their models to follow. They all share one thing in common they developed a brand that most everyone recognizes. Getting recognition can be as easy as using a 3 foot rule and talking to people that are within 3 feet of you. You can also look into print publications that are synergistic to your goals and objectives and offer them content thus creating a following. You can create a blog and publicize it with information. You can utilize social media to gain recognition.

Think of ways you can stand out and build your brand. I often look at the set up of a business and ask what they are doing to drive business. I have this uncanny ability to look at a retail establishment or a home based business and come up with plans that will attract new business. For example I was at a Pizza place that had two TV’s and the owner was telling me how slow things were. I asked him have you thought about capitalizing on events like March Madness? He asked me what that was? I explained it is what the NCAA Basketball Tournament is referred to as. I explained that many offices have office pools where people pick their teams and if that team wins they win a prize. I suggest that he put a sign in the window Watch March Madness Here. I also suggest that he run a pool where patrons would fill out a bracket give him their name and email address and the winner gets a meal for 2. By be creative and using the resources he has The TV’s he could increase traffic to his restaurant.

I chose this calendar so as to plant a seed for you to consider what can you do in your business to create a buzz and attract client/customers. take August 1 Sports Day and offer a special to anyone that wears their favorite team shirt, ball cap, or jersey. You can get shirts made up like a jersey with your company name and if someone spends a specific dollar amount or higher they receive the shirt as a token of your appreciation. You could also do a chance drawing for sports memorabilia with the proceeds being donated to a charity. The more creative you are the more recognizable you will be. You could do in-business and external promotion. Think about an ad that Says Come Celebrate Sports Day at XYZ and spend $50 or more and receive one of our collectible jerseys. We will also have a chance drawing for (Insert Charity Here). Show your team pride and receive a 10% discount. Place this ad in your local publications, around the store, place it on your social media sites, your web site, record a commercial and play it on your voice mail.

This week think of ways you can wake up and market yourself.

Advertisement Ideas: It is not the economy it is you!!

I can not tell you how many times a day I hear I can’t donate because business is slow due to the economy? I hear I can’t advertise because business is off because of the economy. I hear things are tough, things are bad, I can’t, and simply I’m Not interested. When I hear these things I want to scream, IT IS NOT THE ECONOMY IT IS YOU. I want to scream this because I am someone who regardless of how tough things may be perceived to be I have solutions that are simple and easy to implement. I have this ability to walk into a business and come up with 3-5 ideas that when implemented will work. For example I walked into a hair salon it seemed to be a bit slow for a Saturday. I was there collecting donations for The American Cancer Society Relay for Life the receptionist said our owner doesn’t allow for that. I said okay and asked what does the owner do to attract business and the answer was nothing we rely on our regular customers. I then asked, are the stylists independent contractors or do they work for the salon. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: It is not the economy it is you!!

Advertisement Ideas: Why Use A Professional Voice

I am asked many times why should I use a professional voice when I have my own voice? The simple answer a professional voice adds credibility to all that you do. Often times I hear a commercial with the owners voice and I think why did his marketing people let him do this. There is a car dealership in Palm Beach that advertises and the gentleman comes on and his voice is very annoying to me and I think I am never going there. Then I think how many people think the same way. Sometimes even a professional voice can turn off potential clients so think about how someone sounds when you hire them.Let’s compare a few videos, tell me which one you would have chosen to use and why did you make this choice.

Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Why Use A Professional Voice

Advertisement Ideas: Is Your Plan On Par With NIKE

This is probably the most recognizable logo of all companies in the market place today? What are you doing to brand yourself?

Advertising Ideas: Is Your Plan On Par With Nike

I am often asked, How do I create a plan that will get me the results that NIKE gets though I don’t have a Nike type budget? The answer is to lok at what NIKE did in the beginning. Nike was first introduced to the world by Steve Prefontaine, whose coach specially designed running shoes for him while Steve was running for The University of Oregon. The shoes were seen and people began to inquire about them and the coach found a manufacturer. The name Nike was adopted as it comes from Greek meaning goddess of Victory. The SWOOSH logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. It represents the wing of the Greek Goddess NIKE. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Is Your Plan On Par With NIKE

Advertisement Ideas: Create a Buzz Like Gaga, Trump, and Sheen

Advertisement Ideas: Create a Buzz Like Gaga, Trump & Sheen

I am often asked how do a create a buzz in the marketplace like celebrities? To answer this I thought who are the top three that pop into my mind when I think of publicity magnets. I came up with Lady Gaga, Donald Trump, and Charlie Sheen. Who are the top 3 you think of? I then started to loom for the commonality in these 3 and saw the following:

1: Controversial -When you mention them it evokes an emotion that will stir conversation and create a buzz. There is an old adage in public relations that it doesn’t matter if people are talking good or bad about you what matters is that they are talking about you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Create a Buzz Like Gaga, Trump, and Sheen

Advertisement Ideas: Return Calls Are They a Thing of The Past

Telephones: A Key Tool to Success

In the last year and a half I have discovered that fewer and fewer people are doing business via the phone they are communicating via email, social media, and other outlets. The phone today is being used as a way to communicate through text rather than conversation. When was the last time you picked up the phone just to say hello to a client/customer and see how they are or what is new in their life. The use of the telephone is a key tool for success. Think about it when your phone rings how do you answer it or if it goes to voice mail what message are you portraying. I called someone the other day and received their voice mail it was hello this is leave a message. My suggestion is if you are using you phone for business then the message should be this is ____________ of ________________ with a little plug about your business so as to leave a great impression with the person calling, especially if that person ois reaching you for the first time. The telephone can become an awesome advertising vehicle as you can change your message on a regular basis and include your promotion/specials. You can have a short testimonial from a client/customer in your message. Another important fact is if you have on hold messages make sure you have information about your company that build credibility such as years in business, people you have worked with, and trends in your industry.

Advertisement Ideas: Return Calls Lead to Success

I have often said that when someone takes the time out to stop by your business and leave a business card or when someone calls your business and leaves a message return contact them as you never know who they may know or how they can help you. I often experience the lack of returned calls and wonder are they a thing of the past. For example I stopped by a school to introduce myself and offer my services as an announcer I left my business card and waited for a call back. After 2 weeks I called the school to be told they weren’t interested in my services and that they weren’t planning to have an announcer at their sporting events. As I hung up the phone I thought wow not a return call, no announcer for sporting events, and they wonder why their enrollment is down and their donations are down. The person who received my card probably didn’t think it was worthwhile to call me and thus lost out on an opportunity to enhance their sporting events and increase their fan base and donors. How many times have you not returned a call or reached out to someone for you didn’t think it was worthwhile? Think of all the times someone came into your business that could have been of service to your business and if you would have taken a moment to call them where it may have led. The person inquiring about working with you may be someone who is connected to others that can benefit from your product or services. For example when someone returns my call and meets with me for 15 minutes they have an ally to help maximize their message as I have a database of 170 media email addresses. Think about the person at the school that didn’t return my call and the benefit they could have had. I may have been someone looking to donate to a local school but since they didn’t call back they will never know.

Retun phone calls and contacting people who leave their business card at your place of business can lead to increbible success as you never know who someone is or what they can do for you until you connect with them. It is when youa re open to receive that you take your business to the next level. Several years ago NASCAR lost the Winston Cup Sponsorship and went looking for another sponsor. A new sales rep at NASCAR decided to reach out to SPRINT and left a message with The Marketing Director. The Marketing Director returned the call and within a few days signed on to be The Title Sponsor on NASCAR. Imagine if the marketing person at SPRINT didn’t return the call how they would have lost out on this opportunity. It may not be NASCAR calling you but it may be a well connected individual in the marketplace or someone known for networking or marketing and media relations calling and by not returning a call you may be missing out on an opportunity to build your brand and increase your revenue.

Advertising Ideas: The Art of Making Connections

When I leave a message on a voice mail it is my goal to get a call back so as to make the connection and be or service and value to the person on the other end. There is a true art to making a connection.

1: Know who you are calling- Do your homework, peel back the onion

2: Give them a reason to call you back- leave a nugget that will entice them to return the call

3: Be short and informative- The more concise you can be the better

4: Ask yourself would I return this call?

We all want to have our calls returned and we would expect that peoplewant to make connections.I was speaking to a leader of a charity and she said I return every call personally because I never know who is on the other end. she told the following to me one day I recived a call from a potential client who was seeking our services and I called to set up an appointment, it turned out he had a cousin who produced commecial videos, which led to me making a contact with the cousin and explaining that we had just helped his cousin and was wondering how much it would cost to do a video he said I’ll do it for free. We now have our video on endless loop and as a result have received more donations and been able to help more people.

The point is the next time you are left a card, a vocie message, or sent an email make the connection as you never know where it may lead.

Advertisement Ideas: Are You Leaving Money On The Table?

I am so amazed by the lack of proactive thinking that is going on in corporate America today and how much money is being left on the table. I was out searching for a position to help supplement my income today and I ventured to the local mall to speak to managers of retail sporting goods stores about hiring me. When I asked one about team sales, (bulk sales made to specific teams), he said they don’t handle that on a store level. My reaction and thoughts were WOW!!! You are leaving money on the table. I thought that because I announce youth football in my community and I know that there is big market for cleats, uniforms, tee-shirts, hats, and more and immediately thought what would it take for this manager to take a few business cards to the local park on a Saturday and hand them out and drive traffic to his store. Then again we are dealing with corporate structures where an executive sits in an office in a different part of the country making decisions that he believes will work. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Are You Leaving Money On The Table?