Every time I teach a class, whether it be in Word, InDesign or Publisher, I always include a section on fonts…how they’re used and abused. A student of mine sent me the link below. Hilarious!
Networking is probably one of the most powerful (and inexpensive) marketing tools you can use. Because networking is not one of my stronger suits, I went in search of networking professionals and found Shirley Makela, former Director of Membership Services at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. Read the rest of this entry »
For many small business owners, the thought of “positioning” seems ridiculous at first. We tend to associate this part of the strategic planning and marketing process with large corporations. However, positioning provides small business owners with a realistic vision of where they stand in the market, and the most direct way to reach their best potential customer. Read the rest of this entry »
Your key message is an essential part of your positioning. It is the single idea that you are trying to get across – the one thing that will encourage customers to buy your product instead of someone else’s. It’s not necessarily about what you do, but how you do it.
To really understand how this whole concept works, turn it around. Listen to, read or watch one of the major company’s key message. Television commercials are probably the best medium to illustrate this point. Have you ever watched a commercial and thought to yourself “I don’t get it”? You can pretty much guarantee that if a key message does nothing for you, it’s because it was never intended to. Read the rest of this entry »
Sooner or later the day will come when you just won’t have time to take care of all your marketing needs because you’ll be so busy globetrotting and taking care of your customers. So, who do you turn to when you have to get that big promotion rolling? We’ve already talked about how a graphic designer can help you out. There is also another alternative which works well for business people who don’t feel they have a flair for marketing.
An advertising agency can provide you with everything you need in order for your large (or small) promotions to be highly successful. Ad agencies are considered full service providers. In other words, an agency will handle everything from coming up with marketing and promotional strategies to putting together the tools and setting the plan in motion. Read the rest of this entry »
Consistency is the simplest marketing concept there is: Visual Consistency means “keep everything looking the same all the time”. Consistency in Actions means “do what you say you’re going to do – every time”.
Don’t let the simplicity factor fool you though. Consistency ranks right up at number one on the business owner’s Most Important Things To Remember list. Read the rest of this entry »
