Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
My all time favourite ads!
Bodyform – Whoooooaaaaaaaa – need I say more?
Salon Selectives – the 80’s was the decade of big hair!
Guinness – this ad scares me off Guinness
Renault Clio – Nicole???? Papa????
Carlsberg - Probably the best beer in the world
Wrigley’s – That memorable bus journey
Diet Coke – the best Diet Coke man ever in my opinion!
Lynx – do men really think the Lynx Effect works?
Nescafe Gold Blend – the best romance story of all time
Nike – I like the song more than the product
Milky Way – Making chocolate malty nougat macho
Fudge – a finger of fudge might be enough for kids, I need 5
these days!
Powerade – just because...Josh Lewsey
Land Rover official supporters of England Rugby – again just because...Josh
Lewsey
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Struggling with your marketing output? Have you considered outsourcing?
Many companies who opt to use external agencies find the
process a better use of cost and resources.
Do you have the capabilities to carry out industry
research?
Agencies can look at your strategies with a fresh eye and
will offer advice that is proven to work, not just the latest, greatest
marketing trend.
Projects are completed, on time and budget.
Agencies often have relationships with vendors so can
offer discounts on printing, merchandise and production expenses.
Do you have the capabilities to carry out industry
research?
Do you have marketing and PR knowledge?
An extensive network of contacts?
Do you have a budget and is it important to get an
external perspective?
The benefits of outsourcing marketing are infinite but
the key aspects to keep in mind are your budget, resources in terms of time and
skills force and the need for specialist knowledge.
I have compiled a list of factors to consider when
preparing an agency brief:
- Describe the project
- Describe your product
- What is required to meet your objectives?
- What are your assumptions, dependencies and constraints?
- What marketing issues is the brand facing/expecting to face in the near future?
- What brand competitor information is relevant?
- What competitors should the agency have a look at?
- What's the rationale behind the project?
- What benefits does it offer the consumer?
- What is the brand's communication strategy?
- What are we trying to say about the brand to our audience?
- What are its strengths? Its weaknesses? Its opportunities?
- Who will supply the evaluation/performance indicators?
- Is there an opportunity to cross-sell/up-sell?
- What are their needs that have brought them to the site?
- Why doesn't the current site meet these needs? Has research taken place?
- Is there any research the agency can look at?
- If applicable, supply a broad map of the content (with flow chart) for the project.
- Do you have any advice on the use of images/language?
- What's the audience's view on the current content (quality/relevance)?
- Should there be more interactivity?
- What level of accessibility must be maintained (level 1, level 2, level 3)?
- Are there any systems that must be used or involved in this project (like a database)?
- What will be the key measure of success?
- Is there anything that the site must tie into? An existing database? A CRM solution?
- What Legal requirements are there? For the logo? Copyright?
- Trademarks? Category legalities? Data protection?
- Are there brand usage guidelines that the agency can access?
- What is the budget? Is it including or excluding VAT?
- When should the agency present back?
Marketing for Small Businesses
Most small business owners find themselves in a marketing
role and don’t necessarily feel qualified or confident in making decisions. Before
investing in marketing you need to have an understanding of what features are
important, otherwise you can waste money.
Here are a few basics to get you started:
Social Media
The world of social media can appear daunting to some,
but it doesn’t take long to get up to speed.
Social media allows you to engage with clients and prospects
on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You can provide updates on your activities, current
newsletters or client projects. You can highlight your accomplishments in
digestible segments.
It offers a great insight into business and markets and
allows you to engage with clients without being intrusive. To encourage
engagement you have to interact so make sure you follow relevant and
interesting people so you can engage easily and offer advice where appropriate.
With any social media platform it takes time to build up
a presence however you need patience and commitment. Don’t expect a decent
following for at least 4-6 months.
Twitter gives you the opportunity to interact with
individuals who you might not normally come into contact with. If you are keen to connect with someone you can retweet
their content before you introduce yourself.
Facebook
The benefit of Facebook is that you have more space for
content and photos; therefore this platform is more suitable for larger content
pieces.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn enables you to interact with individuals and
companies. You can join groups and engage with discussions and polls.
Top Tips for Social Media
Make sure your social media profile is on brand so you
are identifiable to your existing customers;
- Search for keywords to find relevant information and conversations. You can also see who is talking about you or your company and engage where necessary, even if the comments are positive or negative;
- Plan ahead and set goals, know what you want to achieve and prepare content ahead of time – even if it is for tomorrow or next week it’s always good to plan;
- To encourage engagement and followers you can post competitions on your social media sites to win your services;
- Engage with the key influencers in your industry;
Events
Events can be large or small depending on your budget,
whatever your capabilities there is an option.
- Set up contra deals with local businesses and co-host events;
- Sponsor larger events to maximize publicity;
- Plan ahead by putting together an events calendar;
- Host educational events for SMEs (live or by webinar).
Website
Never underestimate the value your website can bring.
Your online presence is a powerful expression of your capabilities and success.
Potential clients will be comparing you to
your competitors and first impressions count.
The business card is dying out as the world becomes
digital. The first place people go to check you out is your website. It is an influential
sales tool so should be utilized.
Your website is a great place to feature case studies and
customer feedback.
The website should highlight how approachable you are so
make it easy for people to contact you. Include information on your team and
highlight their experience and capabilities.
To encourage engagement with potential customers offer
free advice through your website on smaller issues where possible. This service
can be promoted through your social media platforms.
Prospecting
To gain prospects outside of your immediate circle you
can look to purchase list from various sources:
- Companies House;
- The Electoral Roll;
- BT’s OSIS database;
- The Times Top 1,000 companies;
- Newsletter recipients;
- Consider swapping lists or doing joint ventures with complementary firms.
Engagement
There are many ways of engaging with clients other than
social media. Again, the important thing is to plan ahead to ensure you are not
bombarding clients with too much information. Space out your contact so as not
to annoy anyone!
- Newsletters;
- Contact local publications/blogs and offer to write a guest post for them;
- Promote client case studies and encourage referrals;
- Surveys;
- Polls;
- Recommend a friend offers in exchange for your services;
- Online knowledge hub with “how-to-guides” in downloadable formats;
- Engage with editors of trade magazines to encourage media coverage.
Merchandise
Finally, we come to the more fun aspect of marketing –
the free giveaways! The key is to produce something people don’t just throw
away. You want them to talk about it and you want their colleagues to ask
questions. Here are some ideas:
- Pens
- Mugs
- Key rings
- Stress toys
- Notepads
- Post-It Notes
- USB sticks
- Umbrella
- Refillable mints tins or cards
- Diary (request sponsorship from clients)
Or better yet combine a few ideas into one product a key
ring, USB stick and a torch!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
'Red lipstick is the stiletto heel of make-up'
'Red lipstick is the stiletto heel of make-up,' says Terry Barber, director of make-up artistry at MAC.
I love make-up but am not the most experimental. My day look is fairly natural with bronzer and pink blush, nude lips and black eyeliner with a flick. But to make a statement I love bold lips but struggle to get the right balance. As a general rule you should either accentuate lips or eyes, however, it depends on the occasion.
I began my career as a beauty therapist and always had a personal interest in make-up. As I've got older I know the products and looks that suit me so stick to what I know. I often do make-up for friends weddings which is so enjoyable. It's great getting involved with the behind the scenes action and you usually get a 9am glass of champers for your efforts!
My favourite make-up artist is Lisa Eldridge, her looks are simple and achievable, elegant and classic. She has video tutorials on her website which are great, you can watch as she applies the make-up on her own skin, which is often more useful.
Sali Hughes is also another great advocate of all things hair and beauty. She's a writer first and foremost and covers a great variety of interesting topics. The Guardian have a YouTube channel featuring her video tutorials which is definitely worth checking out.
I love make-up but am not the most experimental. My day look is fairly natural with bronzer and pink blush, nude lips and black eyeliner with a flick. But to make a statement I love bold lips but struggle to get the right balance. As a general rule you should either accentuate lips or eyes, however, it depends on the occasion.
Me working the red lipstick at a friends wedding.
I began my career as a beauty therapist and always had a personal interest in make-up. As I've got older I know the products and looks that suit me so stick to what I know. I often do make-up for friends weddings which is so enjoyable. It's great getting involved with the behind the scenes action and you usually get a 9am glass of champers for your efforts!
My favourite make-up artist is Lisa Eldridge, her looks are simple and achievable, elegant and classic. She has video tutorials on her website which are great, you can watch as she applies the make-up on her own skin, which is often more useful.
Sali Hughes is also another great advocate of all things hair and beauty. She's a writer first and foremost and covers a great variety of interesting topics. The Guardian have a YouTube channel featuring her video tutorials which is definitely worth checking out.
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