With 2009 winding down, now is a great time to either consider a video before the end of the fiscal year...or plan for a project with the new budget. Here are some quick tips to help ensure an effective video that is on time and on budget!
1) Have a vision with what you want in advance. So many people have no idea what message they want to portray or what they want it to look like. Though you need to leave it to the professional to make it work, you having an idea of what you want will help them create what you want...on the first try!
2) Use Faces to Sell the Vision. People's eyes are naturally attracted to faces. Use closer shots to really show the emotion of the video.
3) Use Testimonials to tell the story (when appropriate). If you can get your clients to tell your story for you, it's very powerful. They have no agenda in the video, so their story can have more credibility and be more powerful.
4) Keep it simple...keep it short! Make sure the video is not just interesting to you...but to the viewer. Get your message across and then give them an opportunity to contact you. Our attention spans are very short these days. Remember that when you are creating the video!
Need more great tips like this? Check out the book Think Big Marketing For Small Business today! If you are interested in a video production project, please contact us at (740) 622-7429!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
9 Lessons from the Lemonade Stand
I was out looking for brilliant marketing tips to share and came across this article. It is simple...and so true. Sometimes we make it too hard. Let's take this lesson from the 9 year old!
The other day my daughter, Sophia, announced that she wanted to set up a lemonade stand.
Seeing as how I didn’t really want to spend the better part of my weekend selling lemonade, I tried to talk her out of it by showing her how much she’d need to spend to buy the lemonade mix, get the cups, that sort of thing.
Regardless of my best efforts, there was no changing her mind. She wanted to go into business and there wasn’t anything I was going to do to stop her.
So as I succumbed to my role as venture capitalist in her first business startup. I decided that at the very least, this would be a great chance to teach my daughter about counting money, basic business principals, that sort of thing.
We sat down with a pad of paper and started writing the business plan.
It didn’t take long before Sophia, becoming completely exasperated with my efforts to teach her about price structure and ROI, looked up at me and said:
“But Daddy, I just want to give it away. Our neighbors are so nice, I just want to give them the lemonade.”
Wow! What do you say to that? She hit me with a complete game changer that I didn’t expect.
Suddenly, the lemonade stand had taken on an entirely different meaning.
So we put away the business plan, she drew up a sign and my wife helped her mix a pitcher of lemonade.
Just as we were about to open for business, Sophia came in from the back porch with a sprig of mint she had cut from a pot.
“Can we put mint in the lemonade?” she asked. “I want to make it extra special.”
And with that, on a Sunday afternoon in a quiet neighborhood, she was open for business.
Within a few minutes, one of our neighbors who had heard about the project came over with 50 cents to buy a glass of lemonade. Twice the price my daughter was originally planning to charge.
“But it’s free” Sophia told her.
“That’s OK. I want to pay you for the lemonade”, she replied.
Not knowing what to do with the money, Sophia put it in a cup and set the cup on the table (where everyone could see it).
Before long, more neighbors came by, each one giving her at least 50 cents. When a car would pass, she would jump up and down and scream, “Free lemonade” hoping they would stop.
For the most part they didn’t. However, at one point, one did and the driver handed her three dollars for his glass of lemonade – 1,100 percent more then if she’d gone with her father’s suggestion of 25 cents per cup.
By the end of the day, Sophia had made a whopping eight dollars at her “free” lemonade stand.
When it was all said and done, I realized that although my original business lessons didn’t stick with my daughter, I learned a lot about marketing.
Here are nine lemonade stand tips that you can use to market your services:
1. Give people something for free and they will feel obligated to return the favor
When you help someone, it creates a natural desire to return the favor. As a web designer, provide helpful tips on your blog, participate in forums offering advice and helping non-designers, share ideas on Twitter. In doing so, you’ll not only build trust, but also develop relationships with potential clients.
2. Give potential customers a taste of your offerings
Offer free themes or templates with an easy upgrade to “pro” versions. Provide free stock graphics that hint at potential identity or branding packages while demonstrating your creativity. Just be sure to make it good. When users are excited about the base product, they are much more likely to upgrade.
3. Make it “Extra Special”
Don’t just offer lemonade. Put in that extra sprig of mint. Make everything you do something “extra special” and clients will take notice. Not only will they come back for more, they’ll tell their friends.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Tell Your “Neighbors” (Network!)
One of the first things my daughter did when she opened her stand was run next door and tell the neighbor. After getting his lemonade, he called two other neighbors to tell them about the lemonade stand – both of whom came right over with “donations”. Don’t be afraid to tell friends and colleagues about your services. You never know, they may talk to your next big client later that day.
5. Do What You Need to Do to Be Seen
It wasn’t enough to just put up a sign. My daughter’s advertising consisted of jumping up and down screaming “free lemonade” at passing cars. While it might seem extreme, it worked. How are you “screaming” about your business?
6. Be Persistent
Even though most of the cars passed by, my daughter didn’t give up. Finally, after many failed attempts, one of them did stop—doubling her income for the day.
7. Build Anticipation
My daughter’s first customer knew about her project and was there as soon as it opened. Don’t just launch your new web site, let people know it’s coming. Drop hints, show them screen shots, make them look forward to the big day.
8. Find Good Partners
My daughter’s little brother kept drinking the lemonade – not the best partner. However, her friend from down the street was out there with her jumping up and down screaming, doubling their advertising efforts.
9. Advertise Your Popularity
Once my daughter’s cup started filling with coins, people were more likely to “donate”. Don’t be afraid to advertise your popularity. Place download counters, comment counts and subscriber numbers in prominent places. Just make sure the stats are high enough to warrant a little bragging.
The other day my daughter, Sophia, announced that she wanted to set up a lemonade stand.
Seeing as how I didn’t really want to spend the better part of my weekend selling lemonade, I tried to talk her out of it by showing her how much she’d need to spend to buy the lemonade mix, get the cups, that sort of thing.
Regardless of my best efforts, there was no changing her mind. She wanted to go into business and there wasn’t anything I was going to do to stop her.
So as I succumbed to my role as venture capitalist in her first business startup. I decided that at the very least, this would be a great chance to teach my daughter about counting money, basic business principals, that sort of thing.
We sat down with a pad of paper and started writing the business plan.
It didn’t take long before Sophia, becoming completely exasperated with my efforts to teach her about price structure and ROI, looked up at me and said:
“But Daddy, I just want to give it away. Our neighbors are so nice, I just want to give them the lemonade.”
Wow! What do you say to that? She hit me with a complete game changer that I didn’t expect.
Suddenly, the lemonade stand had taken on an entirely different meaning.
So we put away the business plan, she drew up a sign and my wife helped her mix a pitcher of lemonade.
Just as we were about to open for business, Sophia came in from the back porch with a sprig of mint she had cut from a pot.
“Can we put mint in the lemonade?” she asked. “I want to make it extra special.”
And with that, on a Sunday afternoon in a quiet neighborhood, she was open for business.
Within a few minutes, one of our neighbors who had heard about the project came over with 50 cents to buy a glass of lemonade. Twice the price my daughter was originally planning to charge.
“But it’s free” Sophia told her.
“That’s OK. I want to pay you for the lemonade”, she replied.
Not knowing what to do with the money, Sophia put it in a cup and set the cup on the table (where everyone could see it).
Before long, more neighbors came by, each one giving her at least 50 cents. When a car would pass, she would jump up and down and scream, “Free lemonade” hoping they would stop.
For the most part they didn’t. However, at one point, one did and the driver handed her three dollars for his glass of lemonade – 1,100 percent more then if she’d gone with her father’s suggestion of 25 cents per cup.
By the end of the day, Sophia had made a whopping eight dollars at her “free” lemonade stand.
When it was all said and done, I realized that although my original business lessons didn’t stick with my daughter, I learned a lot about marketing.
Here are nine lemonade stand tips that you can use to market your services:
1. Give people something for free and they will feel obligated to return the favor
When you help someone, it creates a natural desire to return the favor. As a web designer, provide helpful tips on your blog, participate in forums offering advice and helping non-designers, share ideas on Twitter. In doing so, you’ll not only build trust, but also develop relationships with potential clients.
2. Give potential customers a taste of your offerings
Offer free themes or templates with an easy upgrade to “pro” versions. Provide free stock graphics that hint at potential identity or branding packages while demonstrating your creativity. Just be sure to make it good. When users are excited about the base product, they are much more likely to upgrade.
3. Make it “Extra Special”
Don’t just offer lemonade. Put in that extra sprig of mint. Make everything you do something “extra special” and clients will take notice. Not only will they come back for more, they’ll tell their friends.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Tell Your “Neighbors” (Network!)
One of the first things my daughter did when she opened her stand was run next door and tell the neighbor. After getting his lemonade, he called two other neighbors to tell them about the lemonade stand – both of whom came right over with “donations”. Don’t be afraid to tell friends and colleagues about your services. You never know, they may talk to your next big client later that day.
5. Do What You Need to Do to Be Seen
It wasn’t enough to just put up a sign. My daughter’s advertising consisted of jumping up and down screaming “free lemonade” at passing cars. While it might seem extreme, it worked. How are you “screaming” about your business?
6. Be Persistent
Even though most of the cars passed by, my daughter didn’t give up. Finally, after many failed attempts, one of them did stop—doubling her income for the day.
7. Build Anticipation
My daughter’s first customer knew about her project and was there as soon as it opened. Don’t just launch your new web site, let people know it’s coming. Drop hints, show them screen shots, make them look forward to the big day.
8. Find Good Partners
My daughter’s little brother kept drinking the lemonade – not the best partner. However, her friend from down the street was out there with her jumping up and down screaming, doubling their advertising efforts.
9. Advertise Your Popularity
Once my daughter’s cup started filling with coins, people were more likely to “donate”. Don’t be afraid to advertise your popularity. Place download counters, comment counts and subscriber numbers in prominent places. Just make sure the stats are high enough to warrant a little bragging.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Advertising Tax Breaks In Jeopardy
Three U.S. senators have introduced legislation that would eliminate the federal tax deduction on advertising for prescription drug medications. If passed, the bill would significantly increase the cost of advertising for pharmaceutical companies, possibly leading to smaller marketing budgets. "Health care spending is out of control," said Sen. Al Franken, one of the sponsors of the legislation along with Sens. Sherrod Brown and Sheldon Whitehouse. "This bill represents a small but significant step towards reining in unnecessary health care costs."
The bill, called the "Protecting Americans from Drug Marketing Act," may be attached to the much-debated and sweeping health care reform legislation, although it may also be proposed as an amendment to be reviewed by the entire U.S. Senate. Franken estimates that eliminating the tax breaks would bring close to $3.5 billion a year in revenue to the federal government. However, the American Advertising Federation (AAF) estimates that disallowing the deduction would raise the marketing costs of drug companies by up to 35%. According to AAF, the advertising industry provides $6 trillion in annual sales in the U.S. and 21 million jobs.
The introduction of the legislation will likely complicate the already $829 billion health care reform bill, creating friction between legislative committees and pharmaceutical companies which continue to lobby for reduced government restrictions. If the bill passes, it would alter the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which has been the subject of lengthy recent discussions on Capitol Hill. In fact, earlier this week, leaders of several marketing and ad specialty companies spoke to legislators to ask for even further tax exemptions tied to the 1986 code. That lobbying effort is being driven by The Incentive Federation, which is hoping Congress will include wellness award tax exemptions within the health care reform bills.
The bill, called the "Protecting Americans from Drug Marketing Act," may be attached to the much-debated and sweeping health care reform legislation, although it may also be proposed as an amendment to be reviewed by the entire U.S. Senate. Franken estimates that eliminating the tax breaks would bring close to $3.5 billion a year in revenue to the federal government. However, the American Advertising Federation (AAF) estimates that disallowing the deduction would raise the marketing costs of drug companies by up to 35%. According to AAF, the advertising industry provides $6 trillion in annual sales in the U.S. and 21 million jobs.
The introduction of the legislation will likely complicate the already $829 billion health care reform bill, creating friction between legislative committees and pharmaceutical companies which continue to lobby for reduced government restrictions. If the bill passes, it would alter the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, which has been the subject of lengthy recent discussions on Capitol Hill. In fact, earlier this week, leaders of several marketing and ad specialty companies spoke to legislators to ask for even further tax exemptions tied to the 1986 code. That lobbying effort is being driven by The Incentive Federation, which is hoping Congress will include wellness award tax exemptions within the health care reform bills.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Study Says Great Recession is Over
A survey of key economic forecasters shows the nearly two-year-old U.S. recession is likely over, based on recent growth trends. The survey data, released by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE), predicted real GDP growth expanding at an annual pace of 2.9% over the second half of this year. "The great recession is over," NABE President-Elect Lynn Reaser said. "The vast majority of business economists believe that the recession has ended, but that the economic recovery is likely to be more moderate than those typically experienced following steep declines."
The NABE survey, conducted in September, predicts an economic rebound of 2.6% in 2010. Much of the anticipated turnaround is drawn from an expected rebuilding of business inventories, following a lengthy period of reduction of unsold goods. While certain data is positive, respondents still don't expect a rapid economic recovery, largely because of high unemployment figures.
Additionally, analysts expect the U.S. dollar to weaken further this year and into 2010, but did not see this trend as an obstacle to rising demand for imports. The survey also found economists do not think inflation will be a barrier to growth, with the Federal Reserve expected to keep interest rates low. "The good news is that this deep and long recession appears to be over, and with improving credit markets, the U.S. economy can return to solid growth next year without worry about rising inflation," said Reaser.
Despite current and anticipated future growth, the recession label will not likely be lifted soon. The National Bureau of Economic Research, which is viewed as the defining voice in officially dating periods of economic stress or expansion, typically takes several months to make determinations. Beginning in December 2007, the current recession is the longest of its kind since the Great Depression.
The NABE survey, conducted in September, predicts an economic rebound of 2.6% in 2010. Much of the anticipated turnaround is drawn from an expected rebuilding of business inventories, following a lengthy period of reduction of unsold goods. While certain data is positive, respondents still don't expect a rapid economic recovery, largely because of high unemployment figures.
Additionally, analysts expect the U.S. dollar to weaken further this year and into 2010, but did not see this trend as an obstacle to rising demand for imports. The survey also found economists do not think inflation will be a barrier to growth, with the Federal Reserve expected to keep interest rates low. "The good news is that this deep and long recession appears to be over, and with improving credit markets, the U.S. economy can return to solid growth next year without worry about rising inflation," said Reaser.
Despite current and anticipated future growth, the recession label will not likely be lifted soon. The National Bureau of Economic Research, which is viewed as the defining voice in officially dating periods of economic stress or expansion, typically takes several months to make determinations. Beginning in December 2007, the current recession is the longest of its kind since the Great Depression.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Mentioned in Advantages Magazine
I was flipping through the new Advantages Magazine (a publication for the promotional products industry) and came across a familiar face! Check it out!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Trade Show Marketing Mistakes: Ten Tips on How to Avoid
1. Have A Proper Trade Show Marketing Plan: Having both a strategic exhibit marketing and tactical plan of action is a critical starting point.
2. Have A Well-Defined Promotional Plan: A significant part of your marketing includes promotion - pre-show, at-show and post-show. Most exhibitors fail to have a plan that encompasses all three areas.
3. Use Direct Mail Effectively: Direct mail is still one of the most popular promotional vehicles exhibitors use. From postcards to multi-piece mailings, attendees are deluged with invitations to visit booths.
4. Give Visitors An Incentive To Visit Your Booth: Whatever promotional vehicles you use, make sure that you give visitors a reason to come and visit you. With a hall overflowing with fascinating products/services, combined with time constraints, people need an incentive to come and visit your booth.
5. Have Giveaways That Work: Tied into giving visitors an incentive to visit your booth is the opportunity to offer a premium item that will entice them. Your giveaway items should be designed to increase your memorability, communicate, motivate, promote or increase recognition of your company.
6. Use Press Relations Effectively: Public relations is one of the most cost-effective and successful methods for generating large volumes of direct inquiries and sales.
7. Differentiate Your Products/Services: Too many exhibitors are happy to use the "me too" marketing approach. Examine their marketing plans and there's an underlying sameness about them.
8. Use The Booth As An Effective Marketing Tool: On the trade show floor your exhibit makes a strong statement about who your company is, what you do and how you do it.
9. Realize That Your People Are Your Marketing Team: Your people are your ambassadors. They represent everything your company stands for, so choose them well.
10. Follow-Up Promptly: The key to your trade show success is wrapped up: Trade show leads often take second place to other management activities. The longer leads are left unattended, the colder and more mediocre they become.
2. Have A Well-Defined Promotional Plan: A significant part of your marketing includes promotion - pre-show, at-show and post-show. Most exhibitors fail to have a plan that encompasses all three areas.
3. Use Direct Mail Effectively: Direct mail is still one of the most popular promotional vehicles exhibitors use. From postcards to multi-piece mailings, attendees are deluged with invitations to visit booths.
4. Give Visitors An Incentive To Visit Your Booth: Whatever promotional vehicles you use, make sure that you give visitors a reason to come and visit you. With a hall overflowing with fascinating products/services, combined with time constraints, people need an incentive to come and visit your booth.
5. Have Giveaways That Work: Tied into giving visitors an incentive to visit your booth is the opportunity to offer a premium item that will entice them. Your giveaway items should be designed to increase your memorability, communicate, motivate, promote or increase recognition of your company.
6. Use Press Relations Effectively: Public relations is one of the most cost-effective and successful methods for generating large volumes of direct inquiries and sales.
7. Differentiate Your Products/Services: Too many exhibitors are happy to use the "me too" marketing approach. Examine their marketing plans and there's an underlying sameness about them.
8. Use The Booth As An Effective Marketing Tool: On the trade show floor your exhibit makes a strong statement about who your company is, what you do and how you do it.
9. Realize That Your People Are Your Marketing Team: Your people are your ambassadors. They represent everything your company stands for, so choose them well.
10. Follow-Up Promptly: The key to your trade show success is wrapped up: Trade show leads often take second place to other management activities. The longer leads are left unattended, the colder and more mediocre they become.
What a Great Event!
A great big Thank You to all of you who had the chance to attend the annual Hasseman Marketing Customer Appreciation Event. We think it was the best one yet! We hope that everyone who attended got some great ideas and are ready to kick off this 4th quarter with a bang!
Didn't get a chance to make it? Check out what all the hubub is all about! Here are some video highlights of the event at CoshoctonTV.com!
Didn't get a chance to make it? Check out what all the hubub is all about! Here are some video highlights of the event at CoshoctonTV.com!
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