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New Rules for New Media

I guess somehow it's no surprise that most conversations I have either with clients, friends and even family (goes to show how obsessed I am with this!) end up at the topic of new media and social engagement.

One thing I will say in following many of you on Twitter, is that it's unbelievable how many conversations I've tried to strike up...and can you believe this...very few have responded to them! It seems that some jewelers are so focused on spewing out their sales pitches and how awesome they are, that they neglect to use the medium for the benefits it can provide.

Now is when I wish I was doing a workshop with you...

I would ask, "So how do you see using Twitter and Facebook as different from traditional marketing?"....

Hands would raise. Some people might comment... "fewer results" one might say, "more work" might add another... (these are the responses I typically receive from jewelers).

Not only are the above answers incorrect, but they don't even touch on the benefits!

Here's the deal...social media IS and SHOULD be treated differently than how you handle traditional marketing.

In the past, advertising was and could appeal to the mass audience; it was one-way communication with the potential, existing and past customers; it was about selling; it was part of a campaign and it relied on creative that wow'd (for starters).

Now, with new media, you can target a specific audience; it's two-way communication with potential, existing, and past customers; it's about being authentic, providing credible information and building relationships; while campaigns can be part of the message, it's about delivering useful content that reaches the customer if, when and where they might need it.

So the next time you receive a direct message or a mention on Twitter, don't ignore it. REPLY! Be friendly, make connections and build relationships.

by renee on Nov 6, 2010 at 3:57 PM comments

What to do for a successful product launch

You have a fabulous product you want to launch, the following list of necessary steps will help you make this critical step in the process successful. It’s easy to overlook something important in the excitement, but such mistakes can cost you.

Know your audience. If you build it doesn’t guarantee that buyers will come. It’s one thing to have a good idea, it’s another to have an audience for that idea. Define your market clearly and have a clear understanding of their needs, how they can be reached and who your competition is.
What makes your product or business special? Once you know your competition, you must have a clear understanding of what makes your product different, the same, or better. You must be able to differentiate yourself or your product from other options aimed at your target audience.
Selling. Once you have all the details from above, it’s time to train your staff to sell. All the details above should be put together in a format that can make it easier for them to sell effectively, answer any necessary questions as well as feel comfortable suggesting the product. If it’s new, focus on only the one product so they are clear and focused.
Make sure you have enough product on hand, that the pricing is set, the displays are effective and that the promotion details are in place and clearly understood.
If you’re a manufacturer, make sure the distribution plan is in place before you send out press releases and advertising. Don’t waste money on promotion without understanding distribution and of course, inventory. Being able to react to customer demand while also replenish your stock must be planned out. It’s one thing to anticipate business and exceed expectations, but not have enough inventory to fill orders.
Plan how you are going to communicate your launch. If you want media publicity and/or to advertise, plan ahead as most have deadlines you’ll need to meet. Don’t wait or you won’t get the results you hope for. If you’re doing a PR campaign, you’ll not only need the time to make deadlines, but to follow up with the outlets as well.

If you want a checklist that’s more detailed, feel free to email me (renee@rubymarcom.com) and I can send you a pdf.

by renee on Oct 25, 2010 at 4:27 PM comments

Social media: are you getting the results you want?

I just returned from the Blog World and New Media Expo conference in Las Vegas. This conference doesn’t just focus on blogging, but on internet advertising, social networking, marketing experts, and on how well known name brands and celebrities use online branding and social media as well. This was the third year for Blog World and more than 5,000 people attended. This year the event was held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. It was a great opportunity to learn, network and grow.

Sometimes it’s easy to get stuck doing what you know and thinking it’s the only way. My own experience with working with new media is that I don’t often have the opportunity to speak with other professionals doing what I’m doing...to compare notes, exchange tips and develop ideas. This conference allowed me a chance to interact with like-minded individuals and come away feeling truly connected.

I’ve been watching how people are using Twitter and Facebook, and make no mistake, some are doing a fabulous job...but it’s an investment of both time and money. It’s alright to ask for help. We are treading into new territory - some of you for the first time - using this new media...I will never be an accountant, I don’t want to be. Recognize when you are out of your element and develop strategies to make what you’re doing most effective. Unless you make the investment to do it right, it will not give you the results you might expect.

by renee on Oct 21, 2010 at 2:42 PM comments

How does your logo stack up?

Whether you have a new business or an existing one, taking a moment to evaluate your logo and it's effectiveness is an exercise I would strongly recommend. This isn't something you need to send to an expect for feedback - you can do it on your own.

First, logos represent your brand image and communicate a lot about your company to existing and potential customers. It's often a first impression - visually - that your customer associates with your business. A logo should be something that you're proud of, that you feel embodies the vibe of who and what you as a company represent.

A logo is NOT something that should be taken lightly or changed frequently.

Now onto the concept of evaluating your logo...

1. Make a clean print out of your logo on white paper.

2. If you have weekly staff meetings, make this an agenda item to discuss, if not, simply approach a few employees with the logo and gather their honest feedback.

Ask yourself and your employees:

A. What is the first element of the logo that catches your eye?

B. Does the design meet the objective of representing your brand?

C. Is it memorable enough to leave an imprint in your memory?

D. Is the graphic easy to recognize?

E. Is the font easy to read?

F. Does the logo remind you or resemble anything else?

G. How does the logo compare to your competition - is it different or similar? (it should not be similar)

H. Would the logo be as effective void of any color - just black and white?

I. Would the logo stand out in a crowd?

J. Overall, does it look well-designed and have an aesthetic appeal?

3. Once you gather the feedback, ask a few customers who walk in as well. They will feel honored that you wanted their opinion and your evaluation would be incomplete without their comments.

If you have any questions about the evaluation process or any of the points I've made above, please let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

by renee on Oct 6, 2010 at 3:30 PM comments

Satisfying customer's emotional needs

I like to run. I'm training for a marathon, the Marine Corps in DC - will be my first full this Halloween. While I really enjoy running, I would hardly label myself a runner. For me that's reserved for, well, real runners. Maybe someday I'll feel that I qualify for that group, but for now, having only run a handful of half-marathons and local races...I think of my self as a semi-beginner.

There's this store that I frequent for all my running gear. While it's somewhat overpriced compared to elsewhere, it has successfully captured me via speaking to my emotional needs.

We all have needs. One is the need to fit into a group - to belong. Understanding consumer purchase behavior involves not only understanding how decisions are made, but also the dynamics that influence purchases. In this case, this store has developed a really effective strategy for reaching out and connecting with people like me who enjoy the sense of belonging they receive from being associated with the community, products and information they provide. I run with a group every Saturday that meets at the store, I've attended book signings and referred friends to the store and I've made new friends from interacting there as well. It's motivating to me to be part of such a community, I've learned from the elite runners and I've tried to motivate the newbies.

One might say that this is "tribal" marketing. Tribal marketing is a strategy that attempts to create social groups or communities that are centered around a product or service. The internet has made this not-so-new concept much more effective. In my running scenario, I receive a monthly email with tips, emails on runs to participate in or events the store is hosting. They are also on Facebook and Twitter. What they've done is responded to my emotional needs, where they've connected their product or service to their target audience (me) on the most basic emotional level.

So what does all this mean to you?

Don't ignore your customer's emotional needs. While what you have can fulfill customer wants and needs - what you're doing, how you're doing it that touches on satisfying emotional needs is just as important. The internet has made building and leading tribes easier than ever before. Before the internet, people would have spent a considerable amount of money to accomplish the sense of belonging they can create with a combined brick and mortar with internet approach.

The bottom line is that emotions drive our behavior; the world is driven by emotions. Rational thought leads customers to be interested but it is emotion that sells. If you can play to people's emotions, you are likely to get the sale when you may otherwise have not.

by renee on Sep 20, 2010 at 12:33 AM comments

Bad Service Adventure

My family and I were recently guests at a destination that shall remain nameless (Six Flags Great Escape Lodge - oops, was that my inside voice?!). We stayed for one night during the last week of July.

I sensed that it might not meet up the the rave reviews it had received from my cousin who visited in January early on in the adventure. The main attraction, the water park, was fun, but when I went to find a spot for my towels, I found cups, food and packaging debris and towels strewn all over the chairs and on the floor - like a bad college party. While I found it to be concerning, I passed it off because we arrived at the water park at 7pm and stayed until closing at 9pm.

The hallways, our room and the main areas are decorated as you might imagine in Adirondack-influenced lodge decor and are clean, spacious and well designed. After our stint in the pool, a shower was in order. Our shower had clearly not been cleaned as there was hair in it. It was disgusting. When I called for extra pillows, I mentioned this fact and the person on the other end seemed unfazed.

The next morning, we were really excited for the water park and were among the first families waiting for them to open the doors. Before going much further, my 3 year-old needed to use the facilities so we were the first patrons in. It was filthy. There was what looked like dust bunnies that had gotten wet scattered on the floor under the toilets. In the sink there was more hair and none of the soap dispensers had any soap. I wasn’t looking or checking to see if they were up to snuff at this point. I couldn’t avoid noticing. Since it was so early in the day and nobody else had seemingly used the facilities, I thought perhaps they forgot to clean them so I approached a woman in a nearby office at her desk to let her know. It turns out she had Superintendent on her name tag. I kindly interrupted a conversation she was having with another employee to let her know ad she literally freaked out on me. She went on to tell me that she herself had just cleaned that bathroom and that there was no possible way it was dirty. I asked her if she would like me to show her because things can get overlooked. She was unprofessional and inappropriate in her response - and I was standing there with my 3 year-old. Thankfully, she didn’t swear, but she was really confrontational. Then, as we headed back to where we let our towel, I ran into a guy who I noticed had Manager in his title on his name tag. So of course, I had to tell him about the incident with the woman and the cleanliness in the bathroom. He too was rude and responded very differently from what I would have expected. Almost as if he hated his job and really didn’t give a hoot. He didn’t apologize or tell me that he’d look into it (which is all I really wanted).

Finally, we were heading to the water slides and the time was about 9:20am at this point. As I’m walking to the slides, I see something bright orange scattered under a few chairs. At a closer glance, it was Goldfish snacks. Eegads! I was disgusted now and realized that this place was not clean. Now I couldn’t help but notice the filth under the chairs - wrappers, a soggy tissue, a band-aid. Yuck. In the end, we did have a lot of fun. The kids loved it. Thankfully, they use a lot of chlorine. My red burning eyes were evidence of that. It was sanitized at least!

At check out (yes, you had to wait in a long line to check out, as opposed to the more convenient express check out that many hotels offer) I explained my experience to the woman at the desk and like the other employees I had the pleasure of interacting with, she too gave me the distinct impression that she could care less, hated her job and couldn’t wait for the day to end. Not even an apology or an acknowledgment of my concerns and that they would look into it.

I know that was a long drawn out way to say this, but it’s critical to make sure that when customers approach you on any issue, that you come off like you care and appreciate their feedback. You don’t always need to offer a discount for a complaint, but you do need to acknowledge it and make the customer feel that what they say matters - it should. If team members on your staff come off like they don’t like their job, you need to address that too. Not only is it a bad attitude for business, but frankly, life is too short to work somewhere that you don’t like.

by renee on Aug 31, 2010 at 11:11 PM comments

Branding

Are you looking for your business to stand out from the rest of the pack or blend in? Do you want to distinguish your business from the competition? If you answered yes to either of the above questions, then developing an identity for your business through branding is the essential element you are probably missing.

By now, you’ve heard about branding. Many are confused by the term , but the bottom line is that through branding, you can establish an identity that will distinguish your business from your competitions. Consumers have so many choices before them. Positioning your product or business helps you stand out in the minds of your target audience. Well-developed and promoted brands make product positioning efforts more effective. When a customer is exposed to a brand they will develop images or emotions associated with of the benefits (or problems - if they had a bad experience) they get from using that brand. These associations help businesses gain a competitive advantage. For example, if a problem arises, a customer breaks a gold chain for example, in looking for a solution will they may automatically think of your brand as being the company that offers the solution to the problem?

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.”

Developing a brand is not something you can do overnight. In fact, it takes incorporating branding strategies into your overall marketing strategy and truly understanding your business goals and objectives to be successful.

A very basic explanation of branding is the use of a brand name and a brand mark. The brand name is the name we as a consumer would use when discussing a product, a group of products or a service. The brand mark is a design element that is associated with the product or service. It can be a symbol (a logo), a character, or even a sound, that provides the necessary stimuli for consumer recognition for the product.

More than visual, a brand is a vibe or a promise. It’s not a person (people die). It’s a feeling that people get about your business. The visual elements of branding reinforce the brand.

A brand is something that will be with your company for a long time. It’s like an identification for your business. Once you’ve decided on a look or a strategy, it’s not something to want to change. You want to build a brand that will exist for years to come. Making changes will compromise your brand, your customer’s recognition and your image. Make smart decisions int he beginning.

A good brand communicates a message to the target audience clearly and concisely. It helps to solidify customer loyalty via an emotional connection and by establishing your credibility.

If you want to be successful in branding you must fully understand the needs and wants of your current and potential customers. Integrating your brand strategies on any occasion you have to contact with existing and potential clients reinforces your brand.

It's important to research and define to effectively build your brand. After all your brand is the source of a promise to your consumer. A good brand is not something you want to be without.

by renee on Aug 31, 2010 at 12:04 AM comments

Good intentions

Have you ever hired an outside contractor? Have you been satisfied with the results? Hiring a outside contractor can provide a high level of expertise in a specific area without having to employ a full-time person. While this may seem obvious, here's something people often fail to recognize. The value that your contractor can provide is directly tied to your ability to find an equilibrium between bringing their talents forward and the degree in which you provide your own ideas on the project.

It's important that the person you hired has an understanding of the history your company relative to the type of project they were hired to do. It's in your best interest to coordinate a comprehensive overview of any materials, statistics and information prior to hiring your contractor. Also, be aware of what you felt was successful and what was not and why. Having this understanding will help you and your contractor to move forward with less time (and money) wasted.

When you're in the trenches, it's easy to assume you know everything there is to know about your business. It's essential that you have a clear understanding of what you hope to accomplish by hiring an outside consultant. These expectations should be provided to the contractor prior to beginning any project.

You also should have a keen awareness of who you are and how you function as a person. Are you the type if person who likes to micro-manage and have a say in all aspects of your business? If so, how will you feel to let go a bit and rely on someone else's expertise? Will you try to influence the contractor to implement your ideas and therefore, limit the development new approaches, thus, the contractor value and benefits of your monies spent. While your feedback is a critical part of the success, it can also hinder opportunities if you are so tied to your ideas that you close the door on your contractor's input. By influencing the process too much, you hinder what might have been provided. Make sure you're not creating a robot (someone who's just executing your ideas) but rather bringing their expertise and value to the table. Remember, their expertise is their core competency so don't overlook it by trying to push your ideas through. That's why you hired this person to begin with because if you could have done it on your own, as well, you would have.

If your super happy with the work, is it because they did what you told them to do by overwhelming the contractor with your opinion or because they truly provided the specialty you were originally looking for? In fact I would I argue that pushing the envelop with contractor to explore the mist innovative concepts will yield the greatest results (provided you hired the best contractor for your needs).

by renee on Aug 30, 2010 at 2:17 AM comments

Facebook Marketing: What can it do for you?

I saw a commercial where the company asked the audience to join them on Facebook, instead of mention their URLs on television commercial. While I would not suggest to overlook mentioning your website, I think that this illustrates just how powerful and fully adopted Facebook has become in both business and society as a whole. It’s a serious force.

In business, you’ll want to create a Fan Page as opposed to using your personal page. Also, don’t create a Facebook Group, they are outdated (they do not support Facebook Markup Language (FBML) or Facebook Apps, so they are not as interactive). First do a search and search for your brand or company and see what’s out there.

When you create your business fan page, choose a name that people will remember, and that clearly represents you. Ideally it should be the name of your business. Also, this name cannot be changed. You must have 25 fans in order to set up a username. It really makes accessing your profile a lot easier. Be sure and apply the username to your Facebook Page, not your personal profile.

You can customize your Fan Page and you should do so as much as you can. Upload a profile picture, and fill out the details about your business. If people are coming to the page, then they want to know more so use the profile to flesh out who you are, what you do, where to find you and more.

I’m not going to get into detail here about this (unless your comments want me to in another article), but you should be aware that you can (and should) create custom content that is appealing to customers and will stand out in the crowd as well as reinforce your brand. You do this using Facebook Markup Language (FBML).

In today's economy, Facebook can offer no or low-cost, creative and innovative marketing. With millions of users each and every day, Facebook is present in people’s daily lives.

Once you’ve created your own Facebook Business Page. Next you need to let everyone know that it’s there.
I would suggest first communicating the launch of your new Facebook Page with your existing customers, particularly if you have their email addresses. Let them know how to find you that you want their honest feedback on your product or service, and to reach out to you on Facebook. You may consider doing a promotion, for example, if they become a fan, they could receive a discount on their next purchase.

More tips on Facebook in my next post. If you have specific questions, please comment on this post.

By the way, since I’m giving all the information to you, I thought I should set up my own Facebook page - so I did and don’t have any friends yet :(

http://www.facebook.com/pages/RubyMarCom/116688138381420

by renee on Aug 17, 2010 at 3:04 PM comments

HOW TO: Twitter - part 2

First thing I forgot to mention in the previous article is that there is a distinction between a "follower" on Twitter and a "friend" on Facebook.

A Facebook friend - is more like a real friend, you can read about one another and see updates. Twitter, on the other hand is more like a peeping Tom. I know it sounds odd, but it’s not necessarily a reciprocal relationship unless someone you choose to follow, decides to follow you, then you can actually make real connections.

A good way to find people to follow is to:

Search for your real friends on Twitter
Ask a colleagues for their Twitter addresses
Search through your friend’s followers and see who might be worth following.
Tweet often and with good content.

What makes Twitter unique?

For starters, information is easy to find. For example, on Facebook, most people's information is viewable only by their approved friends.

What to post?

Once you start posting and attracting followers, you might begin to post details that elicit little response. On Twitter, you likely have never met or heard of your followers - also different from Facebook where you know your friends. The question becomes, who are these people and what information do they want to read?

A good approach to understanding is to look at your followers tweets. you might reply to some of them as well. Also, if you "retweet" (this is when someone finds your tweet interesting enough to send it to their followers preceded by the code "RT @rubymarcom."This can result in lots of new followers. If a tweet is retweeted say, 10 times and for each retweet, you gain 2 new followers, you might have 20+ new followers. Also, asking questions is another effective way to gain more followers. People love to give their opinion so ask interesting questions and you’ll likely get a few answers.

One trick you must do is if you want to post a link, use a link-shrinking service. I use http://bit.ly, it allows you to maximize the space you get (140 characters).

Just a heads up - when you reply to a tweet, using the @reply your tweet will be broadcast to all your followers. It’s basically a reply all function, but beware because you don’t want to start spamming people. You can send a direct message to another Twitter user with the Direct command. Enter d username message, and users will get your ping if they have direct messages enabled on their phone or IM account.

If you enter a Tweet with @username at the beginning of it, your message is understood as being intended for that particular person, although others will be able to see it. (However, @ tweets won't show up on your home page unless you are the intended recipient.) Be sure the person who you want to see your message is following you, or they won't get it.

Twitter is useful you can really get a clear picture of what people are saying about your brand. you certainly don’t need to commit to read each and every tweet - but rather engage when you can with whom you want.

Twitter Glossary

As you may have already noticed, there are lots of terms on Twitter that it can be confusing. You may want to check out one of the available Twitter glossaries online:

by renee on Aug 11, 2010 at 3:43 PM comments

Twitter Tips

So yesterday I wrote about the plan in relation to social media. Today I bring you Twitter. I see many of you on Twitter so I hope this will be handy for you.

Again, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of understanding your goals with all of this.

Everyone’s end-goal in using Twitter is to get people to follow them, correct? So start with completely filling out your user profile. If you don’t people will not view you as legitimate as are and will be less likely to follow you. Also, in completing the profile, make sure that you add an avatar (the little image associated with your account). Again, without one, people often don’t think you’re as valid. If you have a question about what to add for the Twitter profile, check out your competition and/or similar businesses. Make sure whatever you include coordinates with the brand you’ve already established. It takes several times for people to see your logo to associate what you do with your product or service - this is another chance to be recognized so make sure you take advantage of the opportunity and not waste it.

Don’t forget about your background. Again, this is a chance to add a branded touch to the look of your page and reinforce the image to your followers. If nothing else, create a Twitter background that resembles some element of your website (the colors, style or logo) By the way, you can add information on your background that isn’t covered in your Twitter profile. Email me (or comment to this post) if you don’t know how to do this or would like me to do a piece on a specific topic.

There are a two schools of thought out there, most people put their company as their account name (I do - my account name is @RubyMarCom) but where the difference comes in is that some people use their personal avatar and bio so as to build the company’s brand, while still associating a name with the business. This gives a name and face to the business. In writing this I might actually change my avatar. The other school of thought uses business logo for the avatar and the business information for the bio. It’s up to you.

If you have employees that are also on Twitter, you might want to help them help you promote your business. So they would have an account like SmithJewelersJC - maybe Jen Carter is the employee. Therefore the account is mutually branded. The avatar would have the person’s picture and the corporate logo. Again, I’m happy to explain further if necessary.

You will likely become known for providing content on specific topics. Twitter is considered a mini-blog, it’s a shorter and easier to spread form of blogging. Therefore, you want to post things on Twitter to deliver that content to your audience that they want.

You should have a marketing plan in place to acquire new followers. A few items to do: make sure you have your Twitter handle in your email signature, make sure it’s on your website - you can even add a button with a direct link, add it to your ads, your newsletter, on your business cards, on any promotional items, on anything your have printed for your business where you have your address and website.

The more people who follow you on Twitter, the easier it is to grow your community. Retweets and following other people are two essential ways to get new followers, but content is most important to make sure you produce consistent, quality tweets.

A word about content. I watch many of the posts from various stores. What I’m finding is of very little value. Think about what your customer wants to read. Social media is very different from traditional media. People want information and resources - not sales pitches. Post your fabulous sale - but not JUST your sales. Post information that is useful - how to clean a ring properly maybe. Little tips., fashion trends, new product announcements. People will begin to ignore you when they aren’t engaged. Lastly, read people you follow and interact with them - you have he chance to be more than a store- so build some relationships.

by renee on Aug 11, 2010 at 1:12 AM comments

Social media plan

By now you're aware of social media and likely understand that it can have an impact on your business, but are you implementing effective strategies that will give you payback?

Unfortunately, social media being as new as it is, is still challenging to measure. To ensure the most effective campaign, you should begin with a plan. You need to have an understanding of:

What social media strategies your competitors are using
Concise message that you wish to communicate
Whom you wish to reach
What is the goal for the campaign, do you want to increase sales of a particular product it service? To increase traffic on your site? In your store?

Social media strategies can be very effective, but require a lot of commitment in the form of time. While you may wish and hope for your campaign to go "viral" (that overused word that frankly isn't likely to happen) you need to set realistic goals to measure your success.

Look for a future articles and tidbits that will discuss different social media options and how to use them effectively. Take the time to do some research and if you don't understand something, feel free to ask. You can reply to this post or email me directly at Renee@rubymarcom.com

by renee on Aug 9, 2010 at 7:53 AM comments

Marketing vs. Advertising

This is an article I wrote for one of my clients (ARMS). It appeared on their blog on May 5, 2010. I think you might find it to be useful.

Oftentimes I hear people refer to marketing in a way that suggests they mean advertising and to advertising in a manner that reads marketing. If the two terms confuse you – you’re not alone.

Advertising: Tells a story and lures a customer. It’s a paid, persuasive and public announcement of a message by an identified sponsor. It’s non-personal presentation in nature with promotions aimed at existing and potential customers. Advertising is one piece if the puzzle. When you read an ad about a sale…communication that spreads news on your business is advertising. Advertising is not just buying an ad, it’s a process of planning and developing strategies to make your ad successful. Where your ad can be seen (placement), how often it will run (frequency) are a few questions that require serious thought before taking the leap. Newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and the Internet are mediums you can choose from to place your ads.

Marketing: Is the puzzle and involves planning what you want to do and with what mix of business activities with the intention to bring together buyers and sellers and ultimately facilitating the exchange of products or services. Basically to attract people to your business and hope that they buy. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy, yet all of elements must work both independently and together towards the bigger goal. Do not be mistaken, marketing is a process that is time-intensive as to be effective, research and planning should be comprehensive. Think of marketing as everything that you can do to reach out and interacting with existing and potential customers.

As previously stated, advertising represents one piece of the puzzle – one tool that can be implemented to communicate your business and attract customers. There are many more pieces to complete the puzzle. They include: market research, branding, media planning, pricing, distribution, customer service, and public relations – to name a few. You should know that advertising is usually the largest expense in most marketing plans – with public relations following behind.

by renee on Aug 5, 2010 at 6:32 AM comments

What's Your Marketing Attitude?

Did you know that most businesses will get 80% of their sales from 20% of their customers? This is why it’s important to know exactly who those 20% are and focus your advertising on that segment.

When developing a campaign, you want to find answers to who your prospects are, where they are, why, when, and how they are converted into active buyers.

LAos, what’s your competition doing? To successfully market your business, you must first understand where your company is in relation to the competition. How do you want your company to be perceived by customers? Image is important and having a clear understanding of the answers to these questions, enables you to position your business and marketing strategy accordingly. You don’t want to be the jack of all trades or everything to everybody. Instead, identify your customer and their needs.

Once you fully understand your market, you can package what you’re offering in a way that you know will appeal to your target customer and get them to achieve your desired end result. The closer you get to that desired end result, the better you’ll do in business. If you’re always focusing on meeting the needs of your clients, you’ll have regular business and things will run smoothly.

Lastly, it’s imperative that you communicate your business precisely and each experience a customer has should be consistent. Think of going to a restaurant for your favorite soup to find that they changed the recipe, would you return if you disliked the new taste?

Marketing can definitely be an overwhelming concept. You’re surely not alone if it seems confusing. If you know where to begin or how to focus your efforts, things will go smoothly and you’ll find success. On the other hand, if marketing tasks are getting pushed aside for lack of interest, appeal or ability to delegate, then keep in mind that putting off unappealing tasks can be the demise of your business.

by renee on Jul 23, 2010 at 12:33 AM comments

Website Confusion

I was meeting with a client about a series of postcards we're working on when he enthusiastically spun his laptop around to show me an image from his website. I couldn't help myself any longer. It's been a long time coming and his love for his website is clearly clouding his judgement.

It's ugly and outdated...nothing to rave about.

This is not a new subject between him and I, but one I've previously and ever so gingerly touched on. I know how much he loves this site and I didn't want to burst his bauble.

So I asked him why he's resisting the tack of redesigning his website. I told him it's old, dated, and not an image that effectively communicates the image or brand he's working so hard to convey.

He was crushed. I felt like I had just bullied him in the playground or something.

Then he went on to explain why he has the love affair. He said, "I get a good number of hits, it's working. Why change something that works?! Plus, I like it."

I understand. Believe me. My own website has been under construction for what feels like a decade. But when you've worked so hard to establish a visual relationship with your existing and potential clients, you want everything to coordinate. Today, people "check up" on the businesses they are considering doing business with by visiting them online. Sure, referrals are important but even they will visit your site and what they see will leave a first impression of your business before they ever walk through your door. In fact, if in the process of searching you out online, they either 1. had trouble finding you or 2. found a store with an easier to navigate and read website, they might skip visiting you altogether.

Here are a few facts:

According to a 2008 study, 75.9% US residents have internet access. about 90% of all internet users send or receive email. Given the many other variations in internet use among different age groups, it is notable that this basic communications tool is almost universally used. People age 70 and older are still offline with only 26% of Americans age 70-75 and 17% of Americans age 76 or older going online, Pew Internet & American Life Project says.
According to the 2009 Digital Future Report on internet usage (US), 40 percent of those age 66 and older go online — a level that has increased from 29 percent in 2000. The percentage of homes with three or more continues to increase. Now, 24 percent of American households have at least three computers. Not surprisingly, the percentage of households with no computers continues to decline; in the current study only 15 percent of homes in America do not have a computer

Finally, touching on his point that his site gets hits. When I pressed further, I learned that he had been reviewing the stats on his website to understand who is really visiting and to see any correlation between marketing efforts and increased visits. He was assuming it was driving traffic because people would mention that they looked at it before they visited. I have to wonder how many people visited the site and didn't come to the store.

The bottom line is don't assume. Use statistics to drive your decisions not passion. While you may have a fondness toward one thing, doesn't mean that it works. It may, but the numbers should always back you up. Lastly, maintain consistency in everything you do.

by renee on Jul 21, 2010 at 2:47 AM comments

Don't Ignore the Power of Email

Here's an article I wrote for one of my clients (ARMS). It appeared on their blog on May 5, 2010. I think you might find it to be useful.

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Communicating with your customers beyond when they stop in your store, is essential. Seems like simple advice, but quite simply, not everyone seems to do it.

Let’s start from the beginning. Are you collecting email addresses? I’m always surprised how many of you aren’t. It pays to cllect data and keep it up-to-date. If you’re like some of the jewelers I’ve talked to, asking for email is an inconsistent request and once the info is collected, it’s not used promptly so validating emails is postponed and postponed. Ultimataly, the effort is wasted and opportunities for further developing customer loyalty put aside.

Does this sound familiar?

Don’t let yourself fall into this trap. With only so many hours in a day, it’s understandable why people hestitate to add another task. but, this one is worth your time and before you know it, it’ll be habit. If you don’t own software for accurately logging customer data – including emails – then you should, but that’s a topic for another day. Suffice it to say, that such software will streamline your business life and make entering, editing and tracking customers and sales easy and accurate. On the most basic level, buy a guest book. Place it on the counter and ask guests to sign in and provide email. Then assign a salesperson to enter this information wherever you store client data (if what I wrote here still leaves questions for you – email me). This approach collects data from non-buyers as well as buyers. Another way to collect the data is at the point of sale. It’s not so much work to ask this simple question: May I have your email please? We often email customers about special events or promotions that we don’t share with the public.

However you collect this data…is up to you.

Now onto the emails. How would you like to know who opened or viewed your message, if they forwarded it to friends (and who), what interested in about your message and how many times they viewed it? Sounds great, doesn’t it? That’s the power of email. Information at your fingertips. If you send regular and meaningful messages to your customers, they will appreciate it. When it comes time to make a purchase..wh will they think of? You!

by renee on Jul 18, 2010 at 5:53 PM comments

Marketing Communications

Welcome to the Ruby Marketing Communications blog. Bookmark this page for information on how to make your marketing communications efforts the most effective. By this we mean, getting the most from the dollars you spend and having the greatest impact on your target audience. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at renee@rubymarcom.com

by renee on Jun 25, 2010 at 3:05 PM comments