2010 by admin.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was always one, surefire marketing activity a business could do to attract more business? The truth is, there are myriads of marketing opportunities out there, and any number of them could work for your business (i.e. an ad in a certain publication, a website revision, a new brochure).

But how can you know if any specific marketing activity will work? Before moving forward with a marketing idea, ask if it will:

• Create demand
• Command attention
• Build your brand
• Drive consumer behavior
• Change purchase patterns
• Increase revenue
• Work with other in-place marketing efforts.

If you can’t answer ‘yes’ to a majority of the questions, save yourself the trouble and say ‘no’ to the marketing activity.

- by Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Advertising, Sales collateral | No Comments »

2010 by admin.

When it comes to considering social media as part of a marketing strategy, most business people are of the same mind: it sounds like a good idea, but the specifics about its utility are vague. Is YouTube for you? Should you flirt with Flickr? And what in the world is Twitter?

Social media are marketing tools that use the internet to disseminate messages. These media are comprised of various online communities that, once you join, allow you to shift back and forth from being the audience to the author. Here are brief descriptions of a few of these social media outlets:
Blog – A personal online diary.
Flickr – Upload, share and view photos.
YouTube – Upload, share and view short videos.
FaceBook – eDirectory that allows you to create, view and share a personal info page.
Twitter – Mass text messaging of up to 140 characters
LinkedIn – Business networking site that allows registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business.
Digg – Discover, share and view content  from anywhere on the Internet.
- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Advertising | No Comments »

2010 by admin.

There are so many ways to spend your advertising budget, aren’t there? But before you commit one dollar to the activity of promoting your product or service, understand the three most important things about effective advertising.
1. What should you say? There are plenty of cute, clever, creative ads out there. These win awards for many advertising agencies. But what, exactly, do these ads say about the product or service? Before you go the way of ‘clever, cute or creative,’ ask if the message will tell your prospect, the person who should be buying from you, what your product or service does for them, why they should buy it, and why it is different from any similar product or service. And be sure to tell all that believably.
2. Who should you say it to, and how often? Is it better to say what you have to say to a whole bunch of people once, or a few people a number of times? You absolutely want to repeat your message to your prospect a number of times, in order to establish your product or brand in the minds of your audience. Look to maximize your budget with reach (who you advertise to) as well as frequency (how often you say it).
3. Where should you say it? You should exercise advertising options in both intrusive and passive media. Intrusive media is sound-based and includes radio and TV. Intrusive advertising does not require the prospect to process your message, rather, it intrudes into the prospect’s consciousness. These ads reach your prospects before they are ready for your product or service. A good follow up to intrusive advertising is passive advertising, and includes phone book ads, print ads, direct mail and billboards. These are points of reference that require the prospect to read and process information. Typically, these ads are used by a prospect who is already looking for your service.

by Amy Biemiller

Posted in Advertising | No Comments »

2009 by admin.

Avoid these three common mistakes made by countless corporate newsletters, and you’ll be on your way to producing a valuable marketing tool that develops deeper customer relationship.

• Don’t promote your product – Instead of promoting your product, tell about solutions that come from your product, For example, instead of writing about the large number of residential fire alarms your company sold in the last quarter, tell how 50,000 families have protected themselves against fire.
• Don’t write about internal goings-on – Instead of writing about how 100 employees enjoyed a lovely holiday bash in December, tell how 100 orphans enjoyed the secret Santa gifts company employees provided.
• Don’t profile employees – Instead of interviewing your employee of the month, interview your customers and have them tell why they like working with your employee.

– Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Employee Communications | No Comments »

2009 by admin.

With the economy in a mess, the human response to marketing messages has changed. The last thing anyone wants to hear about, and therefore will be less likely to respond to, are messages that are fear based (‘Don’t miss out!’ ‘Last chance!’). Consumers are now more likely to respond to messages of reliability, safety, and stability.

How can you market better in a tight economy?

To consumers: Target how your service or product will protect or increase the value of what a a person has or how it will increase their or their family’s comfort or safety. Includ einfo about how satisfied others in the community are with you, your service and your guarantee.

To businesses: Target how your product or service will help them do more with less. Unbundle products and services and price separately to show you are transparent and trustworthy.

- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, LightStream Group | No Comments »

2009 by admin.

Not every interview is a perilous journey through a minefield of potentially disquieting questions. But there are two types of questions you should always be prepared to answer the right way, to avoid shooting yourself in the foot.

What if… or What would you say if… - Any question that starts with ‘what’ and includes ‘if’ is a hypothetical question. Hypothetical is bad. You’ll already come prepared to the interview to discuss your ‘Must Air Points,’ so use those. Respond to hypothetical questions by saying “I can’t respond to a hypothetical question, but I can tell you that..” and then insert your Must Air Point.

So-and-so has said… - So-and-so may have said exactly that, about something completely different or in the context of a fuller answer. Your response to such a question should be “I’d like to read the full text of that comment before I respond.”

- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Media relations | 1 Comment »

2008 by admin.

Just how well are you communicating with your employees and customers? Not as clearly as you should, if you have no agreement on message.

Here’s a test: look at the communications coming out of the different departments in your company. Really look at the materials and read the message. Look at e-mail signatures, department intranet landing pages, the corporate website home page, the newsletter, your print ads, your sales kits? If the sales department communicates about value-added service, HR communicates about a caring environment, and marketing communicates about pricing, you have multiple messages and little clarity.

Pick a message, any message. Agree on it. Use that message in all your communications. You’ll achieve clarity, and a solid brand standard.

Posted in Customer Communications, LightStream Group | No Comments »

2008 by admin.

Professional speakers know the one trick to getting an audience to be receptive to their message: have a practiced, interesting opening. The practicing part is your own responsibility, and you are sure to understand the value of preparation. But how do you come up with an interesting opening?

Next time you need to address a group, choose one of these six sure-to-draw-attention openers:

1. Present a fact

2. Ask a question

3. Open with a challenge

4. Recite a quote

5. Tell a story

6. Introduce a displayed object

 –Amy Biemiller

Posted in Public speaking | No Comments »