| |
| |
|
Marketing Resource Center |
|
|
|
Professional Marketing
Have you looked for marketing advice on the internet recently? There is no shortage of self-proclaimed 'gurus' from which to choose. But what kind of advice are they shilling out? Too often, it's over-the-top hype, blatant commercial ad copy and other tips designed for selling an inexpensive product to the general public. When your target market is other businesses or involves a costly product or long-term service, these methods can be not only ineffective, but also often counter-productive. A more refined, image-conscious approach is required. Professional marketing does not mean old-fashioned, traditional or boring. What it does mean is consistently viewing the big picture and the overall image you want to project. Yes, this sounds very similar to branding in traditional marketing. In a corporate or conservative climate, however, the techniques are more subtle and strategic. Very few CPAs use a catch phrase like "Don't squeeze the Charmin!" Marketing is communicating. This communication consists of making your prospects aware of your existence and establishing a professional, esteemed public image of yourself and your product or service. Only after this foundation is successfully laid do features and benefits become part of your marketing program. These two components should be factors in all activities, even those you may not have thought of as marketing. For example, how are telephone calls received at your office? Are they answered by a person or machine? How many times does the phone ring before it is answered? What are the first words heard by the caller and in what tone are they uttered? This is often the first contact a prospect will have with your business and can set an indelible impression of you and indicate how you do business. Similarly, what does your business card say about you and your business? If your target market consists of corporate buyers at Fortune 500 companies, do you really want to have a tie-dyed neon pink pattern and a marijuana leaf as your logo? Does every communication from your office exhibit your professionalism? Are your letters, brochures and emails grammatically correct? Do you proofread all documents? Do you carry your business cards with you at all times? Do you introduce yourself to others and actively participate in industry associations? Do you dress in a style similar to that of your prospects? Do you remove your sunglasses from the top of your head and take the gum out of your mouth before calling on a prospect? These are all factors in creating your professional image. They communicate an impression of the quality and value of you, your business and your product or service. This communication is professional marketing. Meredith L. Hamilton
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Is Your Marketing Working... That is the question, you should be asking yourself. Many feel that it is I'm sure. Writing To Overpower Your Competition "We don't have any competition. We're a truly a one-of-a-kind company. The Value of a Customer The Driver of All Marketing EffortsYou need to determine what the value of a customer is to your company. Answer the following questions:How much will the average customer spend with you per year?A = _____________If you provide quality service and products, how many years can you expect to keep a customer ?B = _____________What is your gross profit, as a percentage of revenues?C = _____________The value (V) of a customer is:V = A X B X CWe learned with our network consulting company that the average life of a customer was about 2 ½ years and the average yearly expenditure was around $10,000. Funnel Your Way to Marketing Success A funnel is a good way to think of the marketing process. The top is very broad and consists of using mass marketing techniques. Finding Your Niche: What Do You Want To Be Known For? In my experience, there are two kinds of small business owners: one that knows whom their market niche is and utilize it, and another who tends to waiver or not want to "set in stone" their target market. With the latter group, I always probe for more information: Why don't you want to choose a specific target for your product/service? Time and time again, the response is the same "I don't want to limit my profits by only catering to a few. Prepare Your Communications For Growth As the American economy emerges from recession, many businesses are now reexamining their marketing materials and realizing that their communications are outdated, ill-prepared for the return of a robust, competitive, growing economic environment. Strategies developed to survive hard times are often the wrong ones for profiting in good times. Trade Show Exhibit Booth - 7 Tips to Improve Yours Once you have decided to participate in a trade show, half your work is done. The other half starts with exploring ideas on how to get the maximum out of the event both in terms of brand building as well as sales enquiries. How to Write Fundraising Letters That Motivate Donors To Make Donations to Your Non-Profit Motivating strangers to give their money away is one of the hardest jobs around. It's difficult to do face to face. Questioning the Data of Demographic Off The Shelf Marketing Products I have been working on a direct mail campaign for our team in many areas and we are finding that the yellow page listings and business list CDROMS contain so many closed companies that we are spending too much on the mailings which are opened a little less because of the anthrax scare. Even customized lists are of little value. Mail Orders Most Common Mistakes THE GREAT MAIL ORDER MYTH There are a number of totally unrealistic beliefs about the mail order business. To belive in any of them can be dangerous to your pocketbook. The Dare-To-Be-Different In Marketing Checklist There is a big payoff in being different. When you accept "what is" you place yourself in the category of "sameness," and people don't buy sameness. The X Factor So you've invested more time than you ever believed possible on your website and in optimizing the pages for the search engines. Having sacrificed weekends and holidays, you've ensured that your site ranks in the Top 10. Name the Top Cable Network When Cable began as Community Antenna Televisionin 1948, all it did was collect over the air TVsignals and send them down a cable.When Cable networks began, so did Cableadvertising. In Sickness And In Health I recently drove by a business that had a sign out front that read "Closed due to illness". This meant that the cash flow would stop until the owner was able to return to work. Good Marketing Pays for Itself Most companies ask themselves this question: "How much will this advertising cost us?" when they should actually be asking themselves this: "How much will it cost not to do this advertising?"If your company spends $1000 per week on marketing then you could save $1000 per week by not doing any marketing. That is true but it is the simple and shortsighted view of the situation. 2 Step Marketing Do it Right.I receive postcards all the time. Budget Your Branding It is very important to regularly monitor your advertising activities in the process of brand building, to realize how much they are contributing to the bottom line. Expediting marketing expenses wouldn't generally lead to a stronger brand name. Package Your Products for Thunder Thigh Women - Big Butts Too Wake up women (and you men too). I think we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Good Marketing is Like a Bad Habit You know those bad habits we get. Like raiding the chocolate biscuits during late night TV shows. What The Heck Is An Eponym, And What Does It Mean For Your Brand? Today I've decided to share with you a new word that recently made a special appearance in my daily life: eponym. It is pronounced (EP-uh-nim) and I have to be frank, but I was somewhat at a loss when I saw it.
|
| home | site map | Advertising Articles |
| © 2006 |
