homebusiness/sellingmarketingandadvertisingtips

marketingandadvertisingtips
howtowriteastrategicmarketingplanorbusinessstrategy,marketingand advertisingtips,internetandwebsitemarketingtips
Thisisasimpleguidetomarketing,strategicbusinessplanning,advertisingandpromotionandsaleslead generation,forsmallUKbusinessesespecially.WithtipsandtechniquesforadvertisingandPR,fornon marketingmanagers,andformarketingandadvertisingprofessionalstoothisismarketingandadvertising madesimple.Alsosomeeasytipsonwebsitedesign,internetadvertisingandmarketing. Whilemuchofthismarketingtheorypagewaswrittenawhileagogenerallytheprinciplesapplyjustthe same,iffactmanyofthesebasicpointersaregoodremindersofsomeofthesimplethingsthatareeasyto overlookinthesemoderndistractingtimes. Incidentally,wherereferencesaremadetotheUKtherewillcommonlybeequivalentmethodsand processesandsuppliersthatareapplicableinothercountries. N.B.Spelling:mainlyforsearchreasons,UKEnglishandUSEnglishspellingsof organisation/organizationareusedonthispage.Asidefromthis,thepreferredUKEnglishspellingsare generallyused.Changethespellingsforyourownsituationifusingthesematerialsinteachingandtraining notes. marketingindex

afundamentalaspectofmodernmarketing
First,here'ssomethingthatisfastbecomingthemostfundamentalaspectsofmarketingtogetright, especiallyifyouwanttobuildatrulysustainablehighqualityorganisation(ofanysize)inthemodernage: Ensuretheethicsandphilosophyofyourorganisationaregoodandsound.Thismightseemabit tangentialtomarketingandbusiness,andratherdifficulttomeasure,nevertheless... Priceisnolongertheking,ifiteverwas.Valuenolongerrules,ifeveritdid.Qualityofserviceand productisnotthedecidingfactor. Todaywhattrulymattersisethicalandphilosophicalqualityfromthebottomtothetopinevery respectacrosseverydimensionoftheorganisation. Modernconsumers,businessbuyers,staffandsupplierstoo,aretodaymoreinterestedthaneverbeforein corporateintegrity,whichisdefinedbytheorganisation'sethicsandphilosophy. Goodsoundethicsandphilosophyenableandencouragepeopletomake'rightandgood'decisions, andtodorightandgoodthings.It'sabouthumanityandmoralitycareandcompassionbeinggood andfair. Profitisokay,butnotgreedrewardisfine,butnotavaricetradeisobviouslyessential,butexploitationis not. PsychologicalContracttheoryishelpfultowardsunderstandinganddevelopingfairbalancedphilosophy,especiallyinmeetingthe complexneedsofstaff,customersandtheorganization. Peoplenaturallyidentifyandalignwiththesephilosophicalvalues.Thebeststaff,suppliers,andcustomersnaturallygravitatetowards organisationswithstrongphilosophicalqualities. Puttingagoodclearethicalphilosophyinplace,andcommunicatingitwideandfarletspeopleknowthatyourorganisationalways strivestodothetherightthing.It'spowerfulbecauseitappealstopeople'sdeepestfeelings.Corporateintegrity,basedonrightand

goodethicalphilosophy,transcendsallelse. Andso,strongethicsandgoodphilosophyarethefundamentalsonwhichallgoodorganisationsandbusinessesarenowbuilt. Peoplemightnotaskortalkaboutthismuch:theterminologyisafterallnotfashionable'marketingspeak',nordoesitcorrelate obviouslytofinancialperformance,butbeassuredeveryoneisbecomingmoreawareofthedeeperresponsibilitiesofcorporationsand businessesinrelationtohumanity,andmorality,thenaturalworld,theweakandthepoor,andthefutureoftheplanet. Witnesstheantagonismgrowingtowardscertainmultinationals.Peopledon'trailagainstsuccessfulcorporationstheyrailagainst corporationswhichputprofitaheadofpeoplegrowthaheadofofsocietyandcommunitiestechnologyandproductionaheadofthe naturalworldmarketdominationaheadofcompassionforhumankind.Noneofthisisrightandgood,andtheseorganisationsareon borrowedtime. Peopleincreasinglyprefertobuyfrom,dealwith,andworkfor,ethical,rightmindedorganisations.Andwhetheranorganisationis ethicalandrightmindedisbecomingincreasinglytransparentforalltosee. Sobeone. Asidefromwhichwhenyougetyourphilosophyright,everythingelsenaturallyanchorstoit.Strategies,processes,attitudes, relationships,tradingarrangements,allsortsofdifficultdecisionsevendirectorssalariesandshareoptionsdarewesuggest. Anditneednotbecomplicated.Theultimatecorporatereferencepointis:"Isitrightandgood?...Howdoesthis(idea,initiative, decision,etc)stackupagainstourethicalphilosophy?" Organisationsarecomplexthings,andtheybecomemoreandmorecomplicatedeveryday.Agoodethicalphilosophyprovides everyonewithanatural,reliablereferencepoint,forthetiniestdetailuptothebiggeststrategicdecision. Soasyoustarttowriteyourmarketingplan,beitforanewstartup,ahugecorporation,oralittledepartmentwithinone,makesure youputa'rightandgood'ethicalphilosophyinplacebeforeyoudoanythingelse,andwatcheverythinggrowfromthere.

marketingindex
marketingandadvertisingdifferencesanddefinitions marketingplanningprocesshowmarketingfitsintooverallbusinessplanningandmarketing/businessplanninghierarchy marketingismorethansellingandadvertisingotherissuestoconsider branding,advertisingandpromotionsimpleandimportantguidelines typesofadvertisingmediadifferentmethodsandtheiruses. directmarketing,advertising,andthelawnotablytheUKDataProtectionActandPreferenceServicesfortelemarketing,fax,mail,etc. advertisingtipsand'tricksofthetrade'secretsofeffectiveprintedadvertisingandmaximizingadvertisingresponse. PRmakethemostofpublicrelationsusepressreleasesforfreeadvertisingandpublicity. newslettersforstaffandcustomers. websiteandinternetmarketingtipssimpletipsforinternetwebsitesandonlinemarketing. surveysandquestionnairesprocessfordesigningandorganizingemployeesurveysandcustomersurveys training/informationeventnewbusiness/enquirygenerationmethodaproveneffectiveprocessforgainingnewbusiness Seealso(onotherpages): businessplanningincludesfreestrategicplanningtemplates,samplesandexamples salesandsellingmethods,processes,theory,techniqueshelpfordevelopingsellingpropositionsandsalesstrategies businessnetworkinghowtotips,methods,ideas

marketingvsadvertisingdifferencesanddefinitions
Marketingandadvertisingarecommonlyconfused.Thisconfusioniscompoundedbecausemeaningsofbothcontinuetoevolve. Belowaredefinitionsofmarketing,followedbydefinitionsadvertising,andthedifferencesbetweenmarketingandadvertising. Firstlyit'simportanttonotethat:

Theincreasinglybroadnatureofthemarketingdefinitionsreflectstheincreasingdimensionsbywhichorganizationsengagewiththeir markets.Itistrulyfascinatingandhighlysignificanttoseehowthedefinitionsofmarketinghavechangedovertime. Marketingwastraditionallysimply'sellingproducts'(asifatatraditionaloldstylefarmer'smarket).Thetermderivesfromthismeaning. Thismeaningdevelopedsothatmarketingbecameanextensionofsellingameansbywhichtoidentify,design,andcommunicateor 'target'offeringstocustomers. Nowadayshowever,weknowthatcustomersmakedecisionstobuymanyproducts/servicesbyreferringtovastlymoreandwider factorsthansimplyproduct/servicefeatures,quality,availability,andprice. Nowadaysthemeaningofmarketingisextremelysophisticated.Agoodmoderndefinitionofmarketingmustacknowledgethatwebuy thingsinfarmorecomplexwaysthanwedidfiftyyearsago,eventenyearsago.Theinternetandsocialmediaaremajorfactorsinthis. Aboveall,marketingisareflectionof'themarket',andhowthemarketbuysandbehaves,whichespeciallyentailspeopleandsociety muchbroaderconsiderationsthanpurelyproductandprice.Asthemarketevolvesinsophistication,sodoesthewayinwhichwe understandwhatmarketingactuallyisandwhatitmeanstoconductmarketingwell. Herearethreeexamplesofhowthescopeanddefinitionofmarketingreachesmuchfartherthaneverbefore: Organizationalconstitutionmanycustomerswillnotbuyfromasupplierwhoseownershipisconsideredtobeunethical,greedy,or overlyprofitdriven,whereasmanycustomerspositivelyseekoutsuppliersconsideredtohavemoreethicalconvictionsandethos,such asmutualsandcooperatives,orsocialenterprises.Theseissuesarethereforenowunavoidablypartofmarketing,andwheremarketing failstoconsiderorinfluencethesematters,thenmarketingactivityispotentiallylessableandeffective. Organizationalprobity(probitymeanshonesty,uprightnessit'sfromtheLatinwordprobus,meaninggood)thisincludesissues suchasenvironmentalandsocialresponsibility,and'Fairtrade',etc.Seethe'4PPurposeProbitymodel'.Wheremarketingfailsto involve,addressandinfluencethesefundamentalsoforganizationalvalues,thenmarketingistoanextent(dependentonthe service/marketsector)disabled. Thepsychologicalcontracttherelationshipbetweenorganizationandstaffdirectlyaffectsmarketimageandcustomer service/relationships.Marketinghasfordecadesextendeditsreachtostaff(traditionally,forexample'internalmarketing'vianewsletters andstaffbriefings,etc)butnowadaysthis'internal'facetisimmenselymoresignificant.Organizationalintegrityandrelatedfailingsare nowmuchmoretransparent.Employer/employeerelationshipsarenowseenveryobviouslytoinfluencequalityandethicsofconduct andservice(forexample,scandalsfeaturingNewsInternationalprivacycriminality,insuranceindustrymissselling,and banking/investmentrisk).Assuchitisdifficulttoexcludeconsiderationssuchasthepsychologicalcontractfromthemarketing responsibility.

definitionsofmarketing
Herearesomedefinitionsofmarketing,oldestfirst,startingwiththe1922OED(OxfordEnglishDictionary).Theincreasinglybroad natureofthesemarketingdefinitionsreflectstheincreasingdimensionsbywhichorganizationsengagewiththeirmarkets,and consequentlyhowthemeaningofmarketinghasgrown. "Theactionofselling,i.e.,tobringorsendtomarket..."andalso,"Produce[verbmeaning]tobesoldinthemarket."(1922OED OxfordEnglishDictionary,paraphrased) "Theactionorbusinessofpromotingandsellingproductsandservices,includingmarketresearchandadvertising".(19982005 revised,moderndayOxfordEnglishDictionary) "Marketingisthemanagementprocessresponsibleforidentifying,anticipatingandsatisfyingcustomerrequirementsprofitably."(The UKCharteredInstituteofMarketing,CIM,officialdefinition2012.) "Marketingencompassesandincludesallorganizationalactivitieswhichinvolveoraffecttherelationshipbetweenasupplier/provider organizationanditsaudienceandstakeholders."(Businessballs.com,AChapman,2012)

definitionofadvertisingandadvertisement
Wenowseemoreclearlythatadvertisingisquitedifferentto,andactuallywithin,marketing: "Theactivityorprofessionofproducingadvertisementsforcommercialproductsorservices."(2005OxfordEnglishDictionary) Advertisementisdefinedas:"Anoticeorannouncementinapublicmediumpromotingaproduct,serviceorevent,orpublicizingajob vacancy."(2005OxfordEnglishDictionary) "Communicatingbyprintorelectronicorothermediatoacustomer/audience/marketaboutaproduct/service/organizationsoasto improvethedesirefororviewoftheproduct/service/organization."(Businessballs.com,AChapman,2012) (Extendingusefullyas:)"...Advertisingseeks,inmeasurable,costeffective,controllableways,togenerateenquiriesorsalesand/orto raiseawareness/perceptionsofasupplier/provider/organization,bypresentingmotivatingcommunicationstoanappropriateaudience." (Businessballs.com,AChapman,2012)

insummary
Marketingandadvertisingaredifferent. Marketingisanextremelybroadareathatincludesadvertising,notviceversa. MarketingalsoincludesPR,onlinepresence/activities,customerservice,selling/salesadmin(methodsandstructure/strategy),branding, exhibitions,sponsorship,newproductdevelopment,merchandising,surveysandmarketresearch,politicallobbying,andevenextends toethos,culture,training,andorganizationalconstitutionalissues,sinceallthisaffectstheimageandtradingstyleofanorganization orproduct/serviceprovider. Advertisingisfarmorespecificthanmarketingadvertisingisafunctionofmarketing,andbasicallyencompassesmethodsof communicationwithaudiencedesignedtoproducesalesenquiries,and/orimproveawareness/perceptionsof product/brand/organization.Advertisingreferstoprintedandelectronicmediathatispresentedonewayoranothertomarketor audience,includingpackaging,pointofsale,brochuresandsalesliterature.Advertisingincreasinglyextendsto'advertorial'in traditionalandonlinemedia,whichcombinesprovisionofobjectivehelpfulinformationandmoresubjectiveadvertising/endorsement. Advertising(whenproperlyexecuted)isthestatisticallydrivenandmeasurableimplementationofmarketingstrategy,viacarefully selectedcommunicationsmethods,targetedatpredeterminedaudiences. Advertisingisoneofseveralinstruments/meansbywhichmarketingoperates. Wemightalsoregardadvertisingasonemeansoftacticalimplementationofthestrategicaimsofmarketing.

marketingandbusinessplanningandfundamentalorganizationalphilosophy, purpose,values,andethics amodernplanningframeworkforabusinessororganization

Firstit'shelpfultorevisit,checkordefinethefoundationsofyourbusinessororganization.Whatareyourfundamentalaimsand values?Whatisyourultimatepurpose? Isyourunderpinningphilosophycongruent(consistent)withyourplannedbusinessactivities,operationsandaims?(Seetheleadership pageforexplanationofhowunderpinningpurposeandphilosophyaresoimportantforleadership,aswellasforstrategyand marketing.) Belowisasimpletemplateforcheckingthatyouhavethefoundationsandbuildingblocksinplace.Ifnot,thendecide(asfarasyou can,becauseit'sgenerallytheCEO'scall)whattheyshouldbe,becauseallgoodmarketingplansneedtohavesolidfoundationsfirst. Asregardsthefundamentalphilosophicalaspectsseethesectionsonethicalorganizationsandcorporateresponsibilityandthe PsychologicalContract.Theseconceptsaredeeperthantoolsandprocessesandmissionstatementshavingasoundphilosophy andethicalpositiondeterminesandprotectsthespiritandintegrityofyourorganization. Whenitcomestodefiningmoredetailedaspectsofmissionandstrategy,ofcoursethere'sdegreeof'chickenandegg'here:Howcan youknowyourMissionuntilyouvalidateitwithyourpotentialcustomers?Howcanyouestablishobjectivesandgoalswithout consultingandinvolvingyourstaff?Theselaterstagesobviouslyneedtobeputinplaceandrefinedwhenyouareinpositiontodoso withoutguessingorassuming,astheplanningdevelopsevenso,usetheframeworkasafirmremindertomakesureyoufillinthe boxeswhenyouareabledon'tleavetheseissuesfloatingundecided,ordefaultingbacktoXTheoryautocracy(whichtheygenerally dowhereavacuumexists).Ifindoubt,alwayserronthesideofwhatisgoodandrightandproper,whichisanothergoodreasonfor havingasoundethicalposition:italwaysprovidesareliablereferencepoint.Intheabsenceofeverythingelsetools,processes,clarity ofresponsibility(whodoeswhat),etchavingasoundandwellunderstoodphilosophyandethicalpositionwillalwayshelppeopleto makegooddecisions. Buildfromthebottomupwards.Consultandinvolvepeopleaffectedandinvolvedwhereverrelevant.Youwillseemanydifferent versionsandinterpretationsofthisframework.Theprinciplesaresimilaralthoughthewordsmightchange.Abusinessoran organisationisbuiltonvaluesandphilosophy.Increasinglyinthemodernage,customersandstaffarenotpreparedtosustain commitmenttoorganisationswhosephilosophyandvaluesaremisalignedwiththeirownpersonalideals.Tenyearsagoorganisational planningpaidverylittleregardtovaluesandphilosophy.Customersweresatisfiedwithqualityattherightprice.Staffweresatisfied withadecentwageandworkingconditions.Todaythingsaredifferent.Organisationsofallsortsmustnowcaterforamore enlightenedworkforceandmarketplace. Whenconsideringtheseplanningstagesstartfromthebottomupwards.Thiswillhelptoreinforcethepointthatplanningisabout buildingfromthefoundationsupwards,andthatthestrongerthefoundations,thenthestrongertheorganisationwillbe.

hierarchyofmarketingandbusinessplanningstages
Startatthefoundations(point1below)andworkupwards.

8.OurPerformance Indicators

HowdoourTargetsandObjectivestranslateintotheessentialmeasurableaspectsof performanceandactivity?Aretheseexpectations,standards,'KeyPerformanceIndicators' (KPI's),'ServiceLevelAgreements'(SLA's),etc.,agreedwiththerecipientsandpeople responsiblefordelivery? Howareourstrategiescomprised?Howaretheseresponsibilitiesandactivitiesallocatedcross ourfunctionsanddepartmentsandteams?Whodoeswhat,where,when,how,forwhatcost andwithwhatrequiredeffectandresult?Whatarethetimescalesandmeasuresforallthe actionswithinourstrategies,andwhoownsthoseresponsibilities? Howwillweachieveourgoal(s)?Whatneedstohappeninordertoachievethethingswe plan?Whataretheeffectsonusandfromwhere?Likeplanningagameofchess,whatmoves doweplantomake,why,andwithwhateffects?Howwillwemeasureandmonitorand communicateourperformance?Whatarethecriteriaformeasuringourperformanceand executionofourstrategies? Whatisourprincipalgoal?Whendoweplantoachieveit?Howwillwemeasurethatwehave achievedit?Atwhatpointwillwehavesucceededinwhatwesetouttodo?Goalscanchange ofcourse,andnewonesnecessarilyaredevelopedasoldonesareachievedbutatanytime weneedtoknowwhatourorganisation'smaingoalis,whenweaimtoachieveit,andhowits achievementwillbemeasured.Andagainallthisneedstobeagreedwithourpeople includingourcustomersifweareverygoodindeed. Howdowedescribewhatweaimtodoandbeandachieve?Whatisspecialaboutwhatwe areanddocomparedtoanyotherorganisationorbusinessunit?Doourpeopleunderstand andagreewiththis?Doourcustomersagreethatit'swhattheywant? Wherearewegoing?Whatdifferencewillwemake?Howdowewanttoberemembered?In whatwayswillwechangethingsforthebetter?Isthisvisionrelevantandgoodanddesired bythecustomersandstaffandstakeholders?Isitrealisticandachievable?Haveweinvolved staffandcustomersindefiningourvision?Isitwrittendownandpublishedandunderstood? TheVisionisthestageofplanningwhentheorganisationstatesitsrelationshipwithits marketplace,customers,orusers.TheVisioncanalsoincludereferencestostaff,suppliers, 'stakeholders'andallothersaffectedbytheorganisation. Ethics,integrity,careandcompassion,quality,standardsofbehaviourwhateverthevalues arearetheystatedandunderstoodandagreedbythestaff?Dothevaluesresonatewiththe customersandownersorstakeholders?Aretheyrightandgood,andthingsthatwefeelproud tobeassociatedwith?Seethesectiononethicalorganisationsforhelpwiththisfundamental areaofplanning. Howdoestheorganisationrelatetotheworld?Thisisdeeperthanvalues.Whatisthe organisation'spurpose?Ifitisexclusivelytomakemoneyfortheshareholders,ortomakea fewmillionforthemanagementbuyoutteamwhenthebusinessisfloated,perhapshavea littlerethink.Customersandstaffarenotdaft.Theywillnotbecomfortablebuyingintoan organisationwhosedeepestfoundationisgreedandprofit.Profit'sfinetoanextent,butwhere doesitfitinthewiderschemeofthings?Isitmoreimportantthantakingcareofourpeople andourcustomersandtheworldwelivein?Doestheorganisationhaveastatedphilosophy thatmightinspirepeopleatadeeperlevel?Dareweaspiretobuildorganisationsoftrulygreat worthandvaluetotheworld?Thestrongerourphilosophy,theeasieritistobuildandruna greatorganisation.SeethesectiononethicalorganisationsandthePsychologicalContractfor helpwiththisfundamentalareaofplanning. Ifyouareanentrepreneurorleader,oranyonecontributingtotheplanningprocess,think aboutwhatyouwanttoleavebehindyouwhatyou'dwanttoberememberedfor.Thishelps focusonphilosophicalissues,beforeattendingtoprocessesandprofit. Whateveryourphilosophy,ensureitisconsistentwithandappropriateforyourorganisational activitiesandaims.Yourphilosophicalfoundationsmustfitwithwhatisbuiltontothem,and viceversa.

7.OurTargetsand Objectives

6.OurStrategies

5.OurGoal(orseveral goalsinlargeor divisionalisedbusinesses)

4.OurMission(orMissions ifthereareseparate businesseswithinthewhole) 3.OurVisiondependent onvaluesandphilosophy.

2.OurValuesenabledby anddependentonphilosophy andleadership.

1.OurPhilosophy fundamentallydefinedbythe leadership. Whenthingsgowronginan organisationpeople commonlypointtocauses, problemsormistakescloser tothepointofdeliveryor typicallyinoperational management.Generally however,majoroperational orstrategicfailingscan alwaysbetracedbacktoa questionablephilosophy,ora philosophicalpurposewhich isnotfittingfortheactivities oftheorganisation.

Whenyou'vesatisfiedyourselfthatthefundamentalorganisationalframeworkisinplaceandthatyouhavegoneasfarasyoucanin creatingastrongfoundationthenyoucanbeginyourmarketingplanning.

marketingplanning

Carryoutyourmarketresearch,includingcompetitoractivity. Marketinformationshouldincludeanythingyouneedtoknowinordertoformulatestrategyandmakebusinessdecisions.Information isavailableintheformofstatisticaleconomicanddemographicdatafromlibraries,researchcompaniesandprofessionalassociations (theInstituteofDirectorsisexcellentifyouareamember).Thisiscalledsecondaryresearchandwillrequiresomeinterpretationor manipulationforyourownpurposes.Additionallyyoucancarryoutyourownresearchthroughcustomerfeedback,surveys, questionnairesandfocusgroups(obtainingindicatorstowiderviewsthroughdiscussionamongafewrepresentativepeopleina controlledsituation).Thisiscalledprimaryresearch,andistailoredtoyourpreciseneeds.Itrequireslessmanipulation,butalltypesof researchneedcarefulanalysis.Becarefulwhenextrapolatingorprojecting.Ifthestartingpointisinaccuratetheresultinganalysiswill notbereliable.Themainelementsyoutypicallyneedtounderstandandquantifyare: customerprofileandmix productmix demographicissuesandtrends futureregulatoryandlegaleffects pricesandvalues,andcustomerperceptionsintheseareas competitoractivities competitorstrengthsandweaknesses customerserviceperceptions,prioritiesandneeds Primaryresearchisrecommendedforlocalandnicheservices.Keepthesubjectssimpleandtherangenarrow.Formulatequestionsthat giveclearyesornoindicators(i.e.avoidthreeandfiveoptionsinmultichoices)alwaysunderstandhowyouwillanalyseandmeasure thedataproduced.Trytoconvertdatatonumericalformatandmanipulateonaspreadsheet.Usefocusgroupsformoredetailedwork. Bewaryofusingmarketresearchorganisationsasthiscanbecomeextremelyexpensive.Ifyoudothemostimportantthingtodoisget thebriefright. Establishyourcorporateaims. Businessstrategyispartlydictatedbywhatmakesgoodbusinesssense,andpartlybythesubjective,personalwishesoftheowners. Thereisnopointindevelopingandimplementingamagnificentbusinessgrowthplaniftheownerswishthebusinesstomaintainits currentscale. Stateyourbusinessobjectivesshort,mediumandlongterm. Stateyourbusinessobjectivesmindfulofthetradingenvironment(externalfactors)andyourcorporateaims(internalfactors).What isthebusinessaimingtodooverthenextone(short),twotothree(medium)andfourtofive(long)years?Theseobjectivesmustbe quantifiedandprioritisedwhereverpossible.Youmayprojectyouraimsorvisionforyourbusinessfurtherintothefutureofcourse, whichisfeasiblefortypesofbusinesswhicharereasonablemature,stableandpredictable.Forsuchbusinessessomepeoplemight regardfourtofiveyearsasmediumtermratherthanlongterm.However,lifeandworkandbusinessandtheworldaswholeall changefarmorequicklyandunpredictablythanintimespast,soinsomesectors(notablythoseseriouslydependentuponoraffected bymoderntechnology)it'squitedifficulttoimaginereliablywhatyourbusinesswillneedtobelikemuchbeyondfourorfiveyears.In themodernageit'snoteasy,andoftenisnotsensibleeither,toestablishveryspecificanddetailedaimsmuchbeyondfourtofive yearsintothefuture,especiallyifyourbusinessisinasectorthatispronetoexternalinfluences. Defineyour'MissionStatement'. Allthebestbusinesseshavea'missionstatement',oratleastaclearandrepeatabledescriptionofyourbusinessespurpose,fromthe standpointofyourproducts/servicesinyourmarket.Amissionstatementannouncesclearlyandsuccinctlytoyourstaff,shareholders andcustomerswhatyouareinbusinesstodo.Yourmissionstatementmaybuilduponageneral'servicecharter'relevanttoyour industry,butitmustalsosaywhat'sspecialordifferentaboutyourbusiness.Aimingtobe'thebest'or'theleading'provider/supplier, etc.,inyourchosensector/niche/territoryisagoodapproachtodefiningamissionstatement.Considerwhatyoucanbethebestat doingforyourstatedtargetmarketoraudience.Theactofproducingandannouncingthemissionstatementisanexcellentprocessfor focusingattentiononthebusiness'spriorities,andparticularlytheemphasisoncustomerservice.Ifyourbusinessismodernandgood youwillbeablealsotoreferenceyourorganisational'Philosophy'andsetoforganisational'Values',bothofwhicharereallyhelpfulin providingfundamentalreferencingor'anchoring'points,bywhichtoclarifyaspectsofwhattheorganisationorbusinessunitaimsto do,whatitspurposeis,andhowtheorganisationbehavesandconductsitself. Defineyour'Product/ServiceOffer(s)'. Youmustdefineclearlywhatyouareprovidingtoyourcustomersintermsofindividualproducts,ormoreappropriately,services.You shouldhaveoneforeachmainareaofbusinessactivity,orsectorthatyouserve.Undernormalcircumstancescompetitiveadvantageis increasedthemoreyoucanofferthingsyourcompetitorscannot.Developyourserviceoffertoemphasiseyourstrengths,whichshould normallyrelatetoyourbusinessobjectives,inturnbeinginfluencedbycorporateaimsandmarketresearch.Thetrickybitistranslating yourviewoftheseservicesintoanofferthatmeanssomethingtoyourcustomer.Thedefinitionofyourserviceoffermustmakesense toyourcustomerintermsthatareadvantageousandbeneficialtothecustomer,notwhatistechnicallygood,orscientificallysound. Thinkaboutwhatyourservice,andthemannerbywhichyoudeliverit,meanstoyourcustomer.Inthesellingprofession,this perspectiveisreferredtoastranslatingfeaturesintobenefits.Theeasiestwaytotranslateafeatureintoabenefitistoaddtheprompt 'whichmeansthat...'.Forexample,ifastrongfeatureofabusinessisthatithas24houropening,thisfeaturewouldtranslateinto

somethinglike: "We'reopen24hours(feature)whichmeansthatyoucangetwhatyouneedwhenyouneeditdayornight." Clearlythisoffersasignificantbenefitovercompetitorswhoonlyopen95. Yourserviceoffershouldbeanencapsulationofwhatyoudobest,thatyouwanttodomoreoftomeetyourbusinessobjectives, statedintermsthatwillmakeyourcustomersthink'yes,thatmeanssomethingtome,andmylifewillbebetterifIhaveit.' Writebusinessplanincludecosts,resourcesand'sales'targets. Yourbusinessplan,whichdealswithallaspectsoftheresourceandmanagementofthebusiness,willincludemanydecisionsand factorsfedinfromthemarketingprocess.Itwillstatesalesandprofitabilitytargetsbyactivity.Theremayalsobereferencestoimage andreputation,andtopublicrelations.Alloftheseissuesrequiresomeinvestmentandeffortiftheyaretoresultinadesiredeffect, particularlyanyrelatingtoincreasingnumbersofcustomersandrevenuegrowth.Youwouldnormallydescribeandprovidefinancial justificationforthemeansofachievingthesethings,togetherwithcustomersatisfactionimprovement,inamarketingplan. Quantifywhatyouneedfromthemarket. Beforeattendingtothedetailofhowtoachieveyourmarketingaimsyouneedtoquantifyclearlywhattheyare.Howmanynew customers?Limitofcustomerlosses?Salesvaluesfromeachsector?Profitmarginsperservice,product,sector?Percentageincreasein totalsalesrevenues?Marketsharerequired?Improvementincustomersatisfaction?Reductionincustomercomplaints?Response times?Communicationtimes? Writeyourmarketingplan. Yourmarketingplanisactuallyastatement,supportedbyrelevantfinancialdata,ofhowyouaregoingtodevelopyourbusiness. "Whatyouaregoingtoselltowhom,whenandhowyouaregoingtosellit,andhowmuchyouwillsellitfor." Inmosttypesofbusinessesitisalsoessentialthatyouincludemeasurableaimsconcerningcustomerserviceandsatisfaction. Themarketingplanwillhavecoststhatrelatetoamarketingbudgetinthebusinessplan.Themarketingplanwillalsohaverevenue andgrossmargin/profitabilitytargetsthatrelatetotheturnoverandprofitabilityinthebusinessplan.Themarketingplanwillalso detailquitespecificallythoseactivities,suppliersandstaffissuescriticaltoachievingthemarketingaims. BeingabletorefertoaspectsoforganisationalPhilosophyandValuesisveryhelpfulinformulatingthedetailofamarketingplan. Backtomarketingindex.

marketingismorethansellingandadvertising
Marketingprovidesthemeansbywhichtheorganisationorbusinessprojectsitselftoitsaudience,andalsohowitbehavesand interactsinitsmarket.Itisessentialthereforethattheorganisation'sphilosophyandvaluesarereferencedandreinforcedbyevery aspectofmarketing.Inpracticaltermsherearesomeoftheareasandimplications: Therearestaffingandtrainingimplicationsespeciallyinsellingandmarketing,becausepeoplearesuchacrucialaspect. Yourpeopleareunlikelytohavealltheskillstheyneedtohelpyouimplementamarketingplan.Youmaynothaveallthepeoplethat youneedsoyouhavetoconsiderjustifyingandobtainingextra.Customerserviceisacutelysensitivetostaffingandtraining.Areall yourpeopleawareofwhatyouraimsare?Dotheyknowwhattheirresponsibilitiesare?Howwillyoumeasuretheirperformance? Manyoftheseissuesfeedbackintothebusinessplanunderhumanresourcesandtraining,wherebudgetsneedtobeavailableto supporttheinvestmentintheseareas.Peoplearethemostimportantpartofyourorganisation,andthesuccessofyourmarketing activitywillstandorfalldependentonhowcommittedandcapableyourpeopleareinperformingtheirresponsibilities.Investinyour people'sdevelopment,andensurethattheyunderstandandagreewithwheretheorganisationisaimingtogo.Iftheydonot,thenyou mightwanttoreconsiderwhereyouaregoing. CreateaCustomerServiceCharter. Youshouldformulateadetailed'CustomerServiceCharter',orcustomerservice,extendingbothyourmissionstatementandyour serviceoffer,soastoinformstaffandcustomerswhatyourstandardsare.Whenyouhaveveryfewstaff(likeoneortwo)itispossible tocommunicatetheseideaswithoutnecessarilywritingthemalldown,butmorethanthisreallyrequiressomesortofwrittenrecordof thesestandards.Inanyeventitisgoodtobeabletoshowthesestatementsofintentandqualitytoyourcustomers.Thesestandards cancoverquitedetailedaspectsofyourservice,suchashowmanytimesthetelephonewillbepermittedtoringuntilthecallerisgets ananswer.Otherissuesmightincludeforexample:Howyoudealwithcomplaints.Howyouhandlesuggestionsandrequestsfrom customers.Whatyourwaiting/deliveryleadtimesare.Howmanydaysbetweenreceiptandresponseforwrittencorrespondence.These expectationsshouldwhererelevantalsobedevelopedintospecificallyagreedstandardsofperformanceforcertaincustomersor customergroupsoftencalledServiceLevelAgreements(SLA's).Increasingly,customersareinterestedtoknowmoreaboutthe organisation'svaluesandphilosophyastheyrelatetocustomers,togetherwithmoreobviousdetailedstandardsofcustomerservice. Establishacomplaintsprocedureandtimescalesforeachstage.

Thischartersetscustomerexpectations,sobesureyoucanmeetthem.Customersbecomedisappointedparticularlywhentheir expectationsarenotmet,andwhensomanystandardscanbesetatarbitrarylevels,thinkofeachoneasapromisethatyoushould keep.Donotsetstandardsthatyoudonotbelieveyoucanachieve. Rememberanimportantruleaboutcustomerservice:It'snotsomuchthefailuretomeetstandardsthatcausesmajordissatisfaction amongcustomers:everyonecanmakeamistake.Themostupsetisduetonotbeingtoldinadvanceofaproblem,notreceivingany apology,notgettinganyexplanationwhy,andnothearingwhat'sgoingtobedonetoputthingsright. Establishsystemstomeasurecustomerserviceandstaffperformance. Thesestandardsneedtobeabsolutelymeasurable.Youmustkeepmeasuringyourperformanceagainstthem,andpreferably publishingtheresults,internallyandexternally. Customercomplaintshandlingisakeyelement. Measuringcustomercomplaintsiscrucialbecausetheyareaserviceprovider'sbarometerofqualityandperformance.Youneedtohave aschemewhichencourages,notdiscourages,customerstocomplain.Somesurveyshavefoundthatnineoutoftenpeopledonot complaintotheproviderwhentheyfeeldissatisfied.Buteveryoneofthemwilltellatleastacoupleoftheirfriendsorrelations.Itis imperativethatyoucapturethesecomplaintsinorderto: Fixtheproblem,and/orexplainwhatyoucandotoaddressitandminimiseitsimplications,ifitcannotbefixed. Putcustomersateaseandgiveexplanationsandreassurancetothepersoncomplaining.Listenandunderstandwhatliesbehindthe complaint,sothatyoucanfixthesituation,notjusttheservice/productfault. Reducethechancesofthecustomercomplainingtosomeoneelse(friends,higherupinyourorganization,anindustrywatchdog, etc). Monitorexactlyhowmanydissatisfiedcustomersyouhaveandwhatthecausesare.Thisisvitallyimportantifyou'reregularly failingtodeliveryourmissionstatementorserviceoffer! Takeappropriatecorrectiveactiontopreventarecurrence.Thisgoesbeyondfixingtheproblem.Itmeansidentifyingthecause(s) andfixingthesecausalfactorssothattheproblemcannotariseagain.Failingtofixacomplaintallowsabiggerproblemtodevelop howeverfailingtoaddressthecausesofafailure/complaint,therebyallowingthecausetoremainandproducerepeatfailings,is unforgivable,andmayincertainseriouscasesbecriminallynegligent. Mostorganisationsnowhavecomplaints'escalation'procedures,wherebyverydissatisfiedcustomerscanbehandledbymoresenior staff.Thisprincipleneedsextendingasfaraspossible,especiallytoensurethatstrategicintelligentcomplaintsandconstructive feedback(allimmenselyuseful)arehandledbysomeoneintheorganisationwhohassuitablestrategicappreciationandauthorityto recogniseandactappropriately. Manyorganisationswastetheirmostusefulcomplaintsandfeedbackbyburyingorhidingthecomplaintattheinitialcustomerservice 'outerwall'.Complaintsandfeedbackaregolddust.Encourageandusecomplaintswisely.Fixthemfixthecauses,andinterpretthe causestolearnhowtomakeevenbiggerdeeperimprovements. ThereareimplicationsforICT,premises,andreportingsystems. IssuesofInformationandCommunicationsTechnologyalsorelatetoyourbusinessplan.Areyourcomputersandcommunications systemscapableofhandlingtheinformationandanalysisyouneed?WhattypeofCustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM)systemis mostappropriateforyourneeds?Cancustomersfindwhattheyneedtoknowfromyourwebsite(s)?Canstafffindwhattheyneedto knowfromyourcomputerisedsystems?Doyoursystemsprovidethedatanecessarytomakebusinessdecisions?Areyoursystems connectedwheretheyneedtobe,forexamplefinance,sales/service/orderprocessingandstock/storagestaffingandtraining, appraisalsandjobgrades?SmallcompaniesshouldtrytokeepICTsystemsminimalbecausecomplexICTandreportingisexpensive andtimeconsuming,butbiggercompaniesneedverywelldesignedICTsystems,otherwiseinformationandvitalbusinessdatabecome chaoticandunmanageable. Premisescanbeequallysignificantconsiderations,whichincreasewiththescaleofthebusiness.Istheresufficientspace,now,andto allowforgrowthandseasonalorotherpeaksofactivity?Isyourspaceandlayoutdesignedsothatitcanbeusedwell?Isthereception areaappropriate?Arethestafffacilitieshelpfultowardsmaintainingahappyandcomfortableworkingenvironment?Aretheresufficient meetingrooms?Isthedecorandthelayoutsuitableforstaffandcustomers?Ifcarparkingisdifficultwhatcanyoudotominimise negativeimpacts?Whoneedstobebasedinanofficeandwhoisbestbasedathome?Ifyourbusinessinvolvesaflowofproductsor parts,etc.,suchasashoporfactory,canthephysicalflowofproductsoperatesmoothly,orcanyoumakesomebigimprovements withasimpleredesignofflowandlayout?Thewayspaceisusediscrucialtoefficiency.Efficiencyequatestocostandquality.You shoulddesignandplanefficiencyintothewayyouuseyourspace. Reportingsystemsarecrucialformanagementandbusinessdecisionmaking.Itissaidthatifyoucan'tmeasureityoucan'tmanageit, andwherefinanceandbusinessperformanceisconcernedthat'scertainlytrue.Ifthere'sanaspectofyourserviceorperformancethat isimportantcanyoumeasureit? Howdoyoureportonitandinterprettheresults?Whoneedstoknow?Whoneedstocapturethedata?Whenyougetanewcustomer (foranongoingtransaction)doyouaskhowtheyheardofyouandwhytheychosetogiveyouatry? Communicationsandongoingcustomerfeedbackareessential.

Havinganopendialoguewithyourcustomersisvital.There'sadoublebenefittoyourbusinessinensuringthishappens: Youcananticipateproblemsandstayawareofhowyou'reperforming,ratherthandiscoveringdaysorweeksafterwards. Yourcustomersfeelbetterabouttheserviceyouprovideasaresultofthecommunications,orsimplybecausethechannelisopen, eveniftheydon'tuseit.It'sbasichumannaturetowanttobelistenedto,andtobekeptinformed.Inthiswaypeoplefeelthatthey matter,andthattheyarecaredabout.Ifyourcompanyfailstobuildthisopennessintocommunicationsstandards,thencustomers feelisolatedanduninvolved,andpronetoleaveandgosomewhereelse,wheretheyfeelmorevalued. Involvingcustomers(andstaff)iseasy.Itjusttakesalittlethoughtandcare.Forexampledeviseasimplefeedbackform.Itcandouble asapromotionaltoolaswellifit'smadeavailableonawiderscale.Theformcancarrydetailsofyourmissionstatement,serviceoffer andyourcustomerservicecharter. Businessiscompletelyandutterlydependentoncustomers. Nobusinesswouldexistwithoutcustomers. Sodesignandplaneverythingyoudowiththecustomerinmind,especiallythoseprocesses,premises,systemsand staffwithwhomcustomersdirectlyengage. Backtomarketingindex.

branding,advertisingandpromotion
Herearesomeguidelinesonbranding,andforplanningandmanagingadvertisingandpromotionactivities,especiallyforsmall businesses.(Theprinciplestransfertoverylargebusinessestoo,infactmanyverylargeorganisationsforgetorignorethesebasic rules,asyouwillseefromthefeaturedcasestudyexample).

branding
Brandingreferstonamingabusinessorproductorservice.Abrandwilltypicallyalsohavealogoordesign,orseveral,associatedwith it. Businessballsisabrand.Ithasanameandalogodesign. SoisCadbury(acompanybrand,althoughnowadivisionofabiggerone),andsoisMilkyWay(aCadburyproductbrand).Eachof thesehaveassociatedlogodesignsseveralactuallyfordifferentsituations. SoisGoogleabrand(sobigabrandandapartoflifeit'sbecomeaverb,'togoogle').Onitsmainwebpage,Googlecleverly,andfor fun,changesitslogodesignquiteoften,accordingtospecialeventsinthecalandar. SoisManchesterUnitedabrand(uponwhichavastmerchandisebusinesshasbeenbuilt).ThepoweroftheManchesterUnitedbrand issogreatthatittranscendsitssportandparticularlythenotionofa'localfootballteam'. Andsoincreasingly,yourlocalschool,hospital,andcouncilareallbrands.Brandsareeverywhere. IfyournameisJohnSmithandyoustartalandscapegardeningbusinesscalledJohnSmithLandscapeGardening,thenJohnSmith LandscapeGardeningisabrandtoo. Brandingispotentiallyacomplexsubjectbecauseitextendstointellectualpropertyandcopyright,trademarks,etc.,forwhich,ifyou areembarkingonanysignificantbusinessactivity,youshouldseekqualifiedlegaladvice.Whendoingsocontainyourambitionsand considerations(andyourlegalfeeexposure)sothattheyareappropriateforyoursituation. Thereismuchthoughthatyoucandecideforyourself,andcertainlyalotyoucandotoprotectandgrowyourbrandsothatit becomesarealassettoyou,ratherthanjustaname. Generalguidanceaboutbusinessandproductnames,yourrightstousethem,andwaysofprotectingthem,areprovided(fortheUK) viatheUKIntellectualPropertyOfficewebsite.Manyoftheseprinciplesapplyinternationally,althoughyoushouldcheckyourlocallaws forregionsbeyondtheUKandespeciallybeyondEurope. Asidefromthelegaltechnicalitiescertainbasicpointsshouldbeconsideredconcerningbranding: Brandnamesmustbemeaningfulandmemorableinapositiverelevantsense.Ideallyyourcustomersshouldassociateyour brand(s)withyourbusiness,yourquality,andperhapssomeotheraspectsofyourtradingphilosophyandstyle. Chooseyourbrandnamescarefully.Productandbusinessbrandnamescarrymeanings.Meaningscanbedifferentamongdifferent typesofpeople.Ifpossibletestpossiblebrandnameswithtargetcustomerstoseewhatthemarketthinks,ratherthanrelyingonly onyourgutinstinctonyourfriends'opinions. Ifyourbusinessisserious,andcertainlyifitisinternationalyoumustseekadviceabouttheinternationalmeaningofbranding wordsandtherightsandprotectionsimplicationsofthosewords.

Asageneralrule,butnotaconsistentpointoflaw,youareusuallymuchsafer(inavoidingriskofbreachingsomeoneelse'srights toabrandname)ifyouuseageneric(properlydescriptive)wordorphrasetobrandyourbusinessorproduct,thanifyouusea madeupname,oranywordwhichdoesnotproperlydescribeyourbusinessorproduct. ForexampleifyouopenapetshopinNewtownandyoucallit(giveitthebrandnameof)'NewtownPetShop'thenprobablythis willnotbreachanyexistingprotectedrightsbelongingtosomeoneelseinthepetbusiness.Ifinsteadyouwanttocall(brand)your petshop'Petz'or'FurryFriends'thenthereisastronglikelihoodthatsomeoneelsemightalreadyhaveprotectedsuchabrand name,whichcouldgiveproblemsforyouinthefuture,especiallyifyourbusinessbecomesbigandsuccessful,oryouwishtosellit oneday,oriftherightsownerhappenstobeparticularlyaggressiveinprotectingtheirownrights. Websiteswhichbytheirnatureareaccessiblegloballyleadtoadditionalcomplicationsinprotectingyourbrand,orinavoiding breachingsomebodyelse'sbrandrights.Acountrydomainsuffix,suchasa.co.uk,isgenerallymoreappropriateforasmalllocal business,thana.comsuffix,butargumentscaneasilymadeforsecuringtheequivalent.comdomainnameaswellasalocal countrysuffixwebsitename,ifonlyforprotectivereasons.Ifaparticularcomdomainnameisavailablethenthisgenerallyand logicallyindicatesthatnobodyelsehasagreatinterestinthatparticularbrandname(unlessthereareissuesofsimilarspellings).If indoubtyoumustresearchtrademarkregistersintheterritoriesconcerned(whichcancommonlybedoneonline),and/orseek suitablereliablequalifiedhelp. Ittakesmanyyearstobuildtrustandreputationinbrandednames(ofbusinesses,services,andproducts)somakingfrequent changestobusinessnamesandbrandnamesisnotagoodidea,andinsomecasesevenmakingasinglechangecanproduce surprisinglypowerfulproblems.Seethecasestudyexampleofineffectivebrandingandorganizationnamechangingbelow. Ifyoumustchangeabrandname,andtherearetimeswhenthisisnecessary,youshouldplan(unlesstherearestrongreasonsfor ceasingthepreviousbrand)atransitionwhichcustomersandthewidermarketplaceunderstand.Anobvioussolutionistophase thechangebymergingtheoldandnewbrandnames.TheUKNationwideBuildingSocietyisagoodexampleofthiswhenitjoined withtheAngliaBuildingSociety.ForseveralyearsthenewcompanywasthenbrandedtheNationwideAnglia,onlydroppingthe Angliawhenthemarketfullyrecognisedthechange.Commonlyexecutivesandagencyfolkmanaginganewbrandnameproject tendtooverlookthesensitivitiesofcustomerswhoknowandtrusttheoldbrand,andthisisespeciallyriskytocustomerloyaltyand businesscontinuitywhereverabrandwithastrongreputationisreplaced. Bewareofcreativeagenciesgivingyouadvicethat'smoreintheirintereststhanyoursandyourcustomers.Brandsandadvertising areprimarilycommunicationswithcustomers,theyarenotworksofartorthepersonalstatementofadesigner.Thecreativeaspect ofabrand(particularlydesignorlogo)mustbeofgoodquality,butthecreativeelementisnotanendinitself.Oftenthebest solutionisthesimplestone,becausecustomersunderstandit.Alwaysaskyourself"Willpeopleunderstandthis(brandorbrand image/communication)?Willitbemeaningfultomytargetaudience,anddoesittrulyfitwithwhatI'mtryingtodoinmybusiness?"

brandingandnamechangecasestudyexamplehownottodoit
ForverymanyyearstheUKgovernmentdepartmentresponsibleforbusinesswascalledtheDTIDepartmentforTradeandIndustry. TheDTIwasformedin1970.ItwasamergeroftheBoardofTradeandtheMinistryofTechnology. ThenameDTIwaseffectivelyabrand.Itwasagovernmentdepartment,butinallotherrespectsitwasamassivebranded organization,offeringvariousservicestobusinesses,andtoregionsandcountriesalso. TheDTIhadalogo,awebsite.Ithadstaff,amassivetargetaudience(ofbillionsglobally),customers(effectively,tensofmillions),a hugemarketingandadvertisingspend,includingnationalTVcampaigns,posters,informationsbrochures,andeveryotheraspectof brandingwhichnormallyoperatesinthecorporateworld. Theorganizationname'theDTI',wasanobviousandrecognisedabbreviationof'Trade'and'Industry',andthisdescribedveryclearly whatthedepartmentwasresponsiblefor. Notsurprisingly,theDTInamedevelopedextremelystrongbrandrecognitionandreputation,accumulatedover27years,survivingat leasttwoshortlivedattemptednamechangesduringthatperiod(eachrevertingtoDTIduetousercriticalreaction)untilthename (brand)wasfinallykilledoffin2007. Formorethanageneration,millionsandmillionsofpeoplerecognisedtheDTInameandknewitwastheBritishgovernment's departmentforbusiness.Manypeoplealsoknewthewebsiteifnotexacttheexactwebsiteaddress,theyknewitwas'www.dti.... (somethingorother)'. Simply,tensofmillionsofpeopleintheUK,andalsoaroundtheworldrecognisedtheDTIasBritain'sgovernmentdepartmentfor business. Forpeopleinbusiness,thisisaverysubstantialadvantageforanyorganizationtohave.Inacorporations,thissortofbrand'equity'is addedintobalancesheets,andcanbevaluedatmanymillions. Thenin2007thegovernmentfinallyforcedthroughanamechange,andtheDTIwasreplaced,with,waitforit... TheDepartmentforBusinessEnterpriseandRegulatoryReformBERR. Twentysevenyearsofbrandequityandreputationgone,justlikethat. BERRbecameinstantlythemostforgettable,leastlogical,andmoststupiddepartmentalbrandintheentirehistoryofgovernment

departmentnamingandbrandingcockups. Nooneknewwhatitstoodfor,noonecouldrememberwhatitwascalled,andnoonecouldunderstandwhatitwassupposedtobe doingevenwhenitwasexplained. Eventheterm'businessenterprise'wasanonsenseinitself.Whatisbusinessifit'snotenterprise?Whatisenterpriseifit'snot business? Andwhatis'regulatoryreform'inthecontextofbusinessandenterprise?Hardlycentraltointernationaltrade.Itwasabitlike renamingManchesterUnitedFootballClubtheTraffordBoroughPlayingFields,CaterersandToilets. NotsurprisinglyBERRdidn'tlastlong,anddulyin2009thegovernmentchangedthenameagaintoBIS(thedepartmentfor) Business,InnovationandSkills.Let'sseehowlongthisnamelasts.I'llgiveitayearortwoatmost. It'sonlytaxpayers'money,sotheenormouscostsandwastagecausedbythisrecklessnessandpoorlyexecutedstrategyarenot scrutinisedliketheywouldbeinabigcompany. Youcanperhapsbegintoimaginethecosts,lossesandotherfalloutcausedbychangingsuchawellestablishedorganizationalname andpresence,twiceintwoyears. Thecasestudydoeshoweverprovideawonderfulexampleofrenaming/rebrandinggonewrongonaverygrandscale.

availablemixofadvertisingmethods
Advertisingisacomplexandaneverchangingaspectofbusiness.Newideasandmediausesarebeingdevisedallthetime,andasthe advertisingindustryswitchesemphasisfrommediatomedia,andasnewtechnologiesandlifestyletrendsdevelop,sonewadvertising andpromotionalmethodsneedassessingandcomparingwithtraditionalavailablemethodsastowhichismoreorlesscosteffectivefor yourgivenpurposes. Forexamplethroughthe1980sand1990stherewasahugetrendtowardsdirectmail(junkmail),whichseemstoshownosignsof abatingmanyverylargeconsumerbrandsswitchedsignificantadvertisingspendingintodirectmail,oftenawayfromTV.TVonthe otherhandisincreasinglyattractivetosmalllocalbusinesses. Loyaltyschemesafundamentalaspectofretailadvertisingandmarketingdemonstratedsignificantsuccessratesthroughthe1990s throughtopresenttimes.Loyaltyschemesentailbuildingdetailedcustomerdatabases,whichenabletherewardingof,andveryspecific product/offertargetingto,customerswithinthedatabase.Customerloyaltyistraditionallyrewardedwithvouchersfortheretailers'own products,plusspecialinternalandexternaloffers,allofwhichcarryamuchhigherperceivedvalueforthecustomerthantheactual costtotheloyaltyschemeoperator. Internetadvertisingincertainterritoriesandforcertainsectorsisnowmorepopular(industryspend)thanTVadvertising,although sincethesemediaarenowgraduallymergingitwillbecomeincreasinglydifficulttomakeabsolutedifferentiationsbetweenthetwo media.Internetadvertisingrevenueseclipsedthoseofradioadvertisingseveralyearsago. Crucially,internetadvertisingisextremelyaccessibleandusableforverysmallbusinesseswhereasconventionalTVadvertisingis generallynotatall. Therearemanydifferentformsof(whatcanbedefinedas)internetadvertising(whicharefastgrowing/newlyemerging),notably: yourownwebsite(s)a'virtualbrochure'andsalesprocessonthewebforyourcustomers extendingyourownwebsitefunctionalitytoenabledirectcommunicationviaemailornewsletter,podcast,etc.,tocustomersand potentialclientswhohaveoptedintoreceivesuchcontact/materialsfromyou advertsonotherwebsites(notablyGoogle'sAdwordsscheme,althoughtherearehundredsofotherbigproviders/agencies)which maybeanythingfromtinytextlinksandcontextuallinksinrelatedmaterials,tobigvideobannersoraudioadsallofwhichcanbe targetedwithgreatprecision,(assumingyouknowyourtargetingcriteria..) linksandentriesofyourcompany'sdetailsoninternetdirectoriesandlistingswebsites(forexampleYell.com,andspecialistindustry news/listingswebsites) thepromotionandsaleandfulfilmentofyourproducts/servicesviawebsitessuchasAmazonandEbay thepromotionandsaleofyourproductsservicesviaspecialisedvoucherordiscountingwebsites,suchasGroupon thereviewandcommentsanddiscussionaboutyourproductsandservices,productlaunchesonwebsitessuchasAmazon,Ebay thedevelopmentofcommunity/usergroupsviasocialnetworkingwebsitessuchasTwitterandFacebook,extendingto product/servicenews,updates,andanyotherinformationyouwanttosharewithyouraudiencethroughsocialnetworkingchannels thedevelopmentofprofessional,businesstobusinesscommunitiesandusergroups,anduseofthesechannelsviaprofessionaland industryspecificsocialnetworkingwebsitessuchasLinkedin,andpotentiallymoreimportantlyviahighlyfocusedindustryspecific websitecommunitiesforyourownmarketsector blogsthatyoucanwriteaboutyourspecialism/sector/industry/products/services/etconthemajorbloggingwebsites,and/oron industry/consumer/lifestylespecificwebsites

articles(editorialsoradvertorials)andotheronlinematerialsthatyoucanpostorhavepublishedonotherwebsites videosandclipsthatyoucanuploadtowebsitessuchasYoutubeandVimeo(whichmaybeeducational,instructional, demonstrational,entertaining,orservesomeotherpurpose) andplentymoremethods/conceptswhichareemergingallthetimeontheweb. Internetadvertisingispotentiallyveryeffectivebecause: Itgenerallyenablesalotoftestingandfinetuning(oftargetingofmessage,'keywords',andaudience).It'salsovery'scaleable'and adaptableyoucanstartsmallandincreasetheactivity/spend/budgets,andchangeitinmanyways,asyoulearnwhatworksbest. Originationandsetuptimeandcostsaregenerallymuchlessthanforconventionaldesignandprintadvertisingmethods.Also,lotsof internetadvertisingcostsonlyyourtime.Ifyoucancreateinterestinghelpfulmaterials,orsimplyafewinterestingwordsonavery consistentenduringbasis,thenyoucanbuildausefulrelevantfollowingofpotential/existingclients,andindoingso,areputationand awarenessforyourbusinessandbrandtoo. Advertisingmethodschangewithlifestyleandtechnologydevelopmentslearnwhat'savailabletoyoulearnwhatyourcompetitors aredoing,whichisparticularlyeasyontheweb. Readaboutadvertisingmethodsanddevelopmentsandtrends.Historically(1980s90s)advertisingagencieswerecommonly'multi services'agencies,andsplittheiroperationstohandlethecreative,productionandmediabuyingprocesses.Nowadayshowever,multi servicesagenciesarefarlesscommon.Therangeofadvertisingmethodsissovastthatadvertisingagenciesarenowmorecommonly specialisedinoneorasmallnumberofadvertisingservices(typesofadvertising). Whetheryouworkwithanadvertisingagencyornot,learnaboutthemethodsthatareavailabletoyou,andkeepupwith developmentssoyoucanmakeinformeddecisionsaboutwheretoputyouradvertisingemphasis,andwhat'mix'ofmethodstouse.

choosemethodsaccordingtocost,targetingandresponse
Mostadvertisingcampaignscanbeanalysedattheplanning(before)andmeasurement(after)stagesintermsofcostperthousand, andifyouareseekingadirectresponse,itshouldbemonitoredaccordingtocostperresponseandalsocostperconversion. Conventionaldesignandprintadvertisingmustmorecarefullytakeaccountofcostoforigination(design),production(printingif relevant)andmedia(suchaslocalradio,displayadvert,listprocurementandpostalfulfillment). Generallyconventionaldesign/printandonlineyouwillpayahighercostperthousandforbettertargetedmethods,butinreturn youshouldexpectahigherresponserate,sothecostperresponsecanbelowerthancheapermethods. Chooseadvertisingandpublicitymethodsthatsuityourtargeting.Ifyouareasmalllocalproviderofdoggroomingservicesthereisno pointinadvertisingnationallyorinternationallyviatheinternet.Converselyifyoumanufacturehighlyspecialisedprecisionengineered surgicalinstrumentsthenyoushouldarguablybetargetingbuyersandusersonaglobalbasis,viatheinternetandprobably internationaljournalsandeventstoo. Organisationswhichofferadvertisingservicesareusually(onewayoranother)abletoprovidealotofinformationabouttheir readership/audience,ortoensurethatquiteaccuratecustomertargetingapplies.Youcanlookatotheradvertisersthatrepeatedlyusing variousmediatogaugehoweffectivelyit'sworkingforthem,whichwillprovidesomecluesastohowwellitmightworkforyou. Ifyouareconsideringanadvertisingmethodthatinvolvesareasonablyseriousinvestmentforyou,trytoavoidguessingwhetheritwill workornot,andinsteadresearchhowwellitactuallyworks.Youmightevenasksomeoftheexistingadvertisersifit'sworkingfor themandtowhatdegree.Orrunasmalltestorpilot,beforeyoucommittoabiggercampaign. Buildingevidenceofadvertisingeffectivenesscruciallytrackingandrecordingyourmedia,methods,messages,costs,andresults (responsesandconversionsandordervalues)isavitalpartofdecisionmakingandmanagingyouradvertisingandmarketingmix. Whyguessifyoucanbasedecisionsonexperienceandpreviousstatisticsanddata? Anylargescaleactivitymustfirstbetestedandtheresponsemeasuredforquantityandprofile. Sophisticatedadvertisersonlycommittomajoradvertisingprogrammesafteraccumulatingresponsedatafrompilotsandprevious campaigns.Theyavoidguesswork,andsoshouldyou.

design,productionandtheroleofexternalagencies
Theseprinciplesapplytoalltypesofdesignandadvertisingagencies,includingdesign/print,corporateidentity,PR,websitedesign, etc. Youradvertisingmaterialhelpstoformyourimage,somakesureyouarehappywiththedesign,howevermodestthestyleandusage. Usetypefacesandlogosinaconsistentway,andifyoucanaffordthehelpofagooddesignerearlythiswillsetthetoneandrulesfor usagelater,whichwillsavetimeandmoneyinthelongterm. Whenestablishinganewbusinessmanypeoplefailtoestablishagoodqualitydesignandimagearoundtheirname/brand.Ifyouare targetingadiscerningaudience,especiallywithapremiumproduct/service,itisnotagoodideatodosowithDIYbranding,(unless youareadesigner).

Ifyoualreadyhave(perhapsyoubuyabusiness)aperfectlysatisfactorybusinessname/branding/design('corporateidentity')don't changeforthesakeofit.Changeitonlyifthereisarealneedtodoso. Brandfamiliarityandloyaltytakeyearstobuild.Don'tthrowawayperfectlygoodbrandingjustbecausesomewellintentionedoverly enthusiasticagencypersonpersuadesyouthatachangeisnecessary. Whenmakinganychangeconsideryourrealpurposeandimplications. Considerandbewarnedbyexamplesinrecenttimesoflargescalecorporateidentitycockups,suchasBT(trumpetingfigure),thePost Office(callingitselfConsignia),andBritishAirways(multinationalaircrafttailfindesigns)allofthesecosttensofmillionsofpounds, yettheyallfaileddisastrouslyandresultedinexpensiverebrandingorreversiontotheoriginalidentities. Theroleofdesignandadvertisingagenciesisalsoconcernedwithplanningandimplementingadvertisingorpromotional'campaigns' onaclient'sbehalf. Thisadvertisingprocessstartswitha'brief'comprising:thepurposeoftheadvertising,howmuchyouwillpay,andwhatyouexpectto produceinreturn,includinghowyouwillmeasurewhetheritissuccessfulornot.Awrittenbriefiscriticallyimportantifyouareusing anoutsideagency.Advertisingisnotoriouslysubjectivecreativeagenciesareoftendifficulttomanagesomisunderstandingscan easilycreepinifyourcontrolisnottightenough.Seealsothetipsforworkingwithproductdesignersbecausemanyoftheprinciples aretransferabletoworkingwithadvertisingagencies. Herearesomegeneralrulesforworkingwithadvertisinganddesignagencies: Trytoappointpeoplewhocomerecommendedandwhohaveexperienceinyoursector. Agreeandconfirmwrittenbriefsforallwork. Maintainabalancebetweenwhatyouwanttosayandhowtheagencywantstosayit.Someagenciesandadvertisingpeopleare highlyskilledandcanbetrusted100%.Othersneedmanagingcarefully,especiallyintheearlystagesofarelationship. Don'tallowthemessagetobeovercomplicated.Simplicityworks.Usually'lessismore'. Agencieschargelikewoundedbullsforcorrectingcopy(text)oncethey'vestartedtheproject,andparticularlywhenthedesignis nearingcompletion,soensureyoucheckandcorrectallthewordsanddetailsyouprovidetoadesigneroradvertisingagencywhen theprojectbegins. Businesspeopleverycommonlyoverlookthisandassumethatfinepointsofdetail(whichonlyyouknow,andwhichtheagencycan't guess)canbeclarifiedorcorrectedorinsertedlaterinthedesignstage.Well,suchcorrectionscanofcoursebemadelater,butatabig costandnuisance.Adesignerisahighlyskilledperson.Itisawasteofhis/herexpensivetimecorrectingerrorswhichtheclient(that's you)could/shouldhavesortedoutbeforehandingtheprojectover.Iflateamendmentsfromtheclientinvolveundoingand restructuringthings(beitawebsite,orabrochurepack,etc)thenproject/campaigndeadlinesandbudgetscanbeseriouslydisrupted. Ifyouareasmallbusinesstrytouseanagencywiththeservicesyouneedunderoneroof(apartfromprintingwhichistraditionally separate).Someagenciescantendtomarkup(adprofitto)boughtinservicesquiteheavily,eg.,graphicdesign,photography.You'll alsofinditeasiertoestablishaccountabilityifyouragencyisresponsibleforthewholejob,ratherthanjustapartofit. Whereapplicable,untilyouaresatisfiedwiththeagency'sprintpricesit'sagoodideatoaskforanalternativeprintquotation,and checkwhatmarkuptheagencyaddson. Inthecaseoflistprocurement(formailingsandtelemarketingcampaigns,etc),displayadvertising,orleafletdistributionthrough insertsor'Doortodoor'delivery,checkwhethertheagencyisaddingamarkup(it'slikely),andifsothatyouarehappywiththis markup. Askthesamequestioninthecaseofanyotherprocuredservicesorproducts,eg.,promotionalmerchandise,exhibitionspace,etc.

advertisetobuildawarenessandtogenerateresponse
Withintheadvertisingpurposeyoushoulddefinewhetheryouseektocreatebrandawarenessortogenerateadirect response . Effectivemarketinggenerallydemandsthatyoudoboth,butonalimitedbudgetyoumayberestrictedtoconcentratingononeorthe other,sothinkcarefullyaboutwhatwillhelpmost. Differentmediaandmethodsarebettersuitedtooneortheother. DirectMailandinternetadvertisingareverygoodatgeneratingadirectresponse,asaremagazineandnewspaperadverts,andinserts. Posters,TV,radioandpresseditorialareallmuchbetteratcreatingbrandawarenessandbuildingcredibility. Ifyoudonothaveenoughcustomers,orinanyotherwayneedtoincreaseyoursalesandprofit,especiallyifyouarerunningasmall businessandhavetightfinances,thenyoumustconcentrateveryhardonadvertisingthatwillgenerateadirectresponse(salesand/or salesenquiries). Thereisnopointtryingtobuildbrandawarenessattimesofgreatfinancialpressure.Ifyouareundergreatfinancialpressure,you needsales.Youwillincreasesalesbyputtingyoureffortsintodirectresponseadvertising.

(Thisallassumesthatyouhaveprofitableproducts/servicestosell,andthatyoudonothaveaproblembeingpaidfor services/productsalreadysupplied).

uselanguagethatyourcustomersunderstand
Agoodadvertisingordesignagencyshouldautomaticallytakecareofthesefollowingissues,butifyouareamongthemany businesseswhichdonotuseanagency,thenyouwillbedoingthisforyourself. Inallofyouradvertisingmaterialtakecaretoseethingsandhearthingsformyourcustomers'viewpoint.Asaknowledgeablesupplier thereisalwaysatendencytowritecopyandpresentinformationfromatechnicaland'product/service'standpoint.Rememberthatyour customersareusuallypeoplewithoutsuchgoodtechnicalordetailedunderstandingofyourproductsandservices. Youmustthereforehelpthemunderstandthingsintermsthatreallymeansomethingtothereaderasitrelatestotheirneedsand prioritiesandchallenges. Focusonwhatyourpropositionsdoforthem,notwhatyourpropositionsareintechnicaldetail.Youshoulduseclearsimplelanguage. Donotthinkthatcomplicatedlanguagewillhelpbuildanimageofprofessionalismandintelligencethisgenerallyputspeopleoff. Yourexpertiseshouldbedemonstratedbyyourabilitytoshowthatyoucaninterpretandtranslate(sometimeshighlycomplex) productsandservicesintomeaningfulneedsandoutcomesandimprovementsforyourcustomers. Trulyeffectiveadvertisingandmarketingconveyscomplexissuestotheaudienceinamannerthatisinteresting,relevant,meaningful, andeasytodigestveryquickly. ThomasJeffersonsuggestedthat"Themostvaluableofalltalentsisthatofneverusingtwowordswhenonewilldo"andthisisagood maximforwritinggoodadvertisingmaterial. Ifyouorthe'copywriter'atyouradvertisingagencycannotachievethisinyouradvertisingandmarketingcommunicationsthenfind someonewhocan,oryouwillbewastingalotofyouradvertisingeffortandinvestment. Thereislittlepointinspendingalotofmoneyonaverywelltargetedandcosteffectivecampaign(online,ordirectmail,etc)ifwhat youcommunicatedoesnotmotivateyouraudiencetoreadandtakeaction.

translateyourproduct/serviceofferintomeaningfulcustomerbenefits
Havingdecidedthroughtheprocessesdescribedabovetofocusyourmessageonafewkeystrengthsofyourbusiness(your'service offer'or'proposition')youmustnowexpresstheseas'benefits'toyourcustomers. A'benefit'isatechnicalsellingterm.Abenefitisthegoodeffectthatyourcustomerobtainsfromyourproduct/service . Cruciallythecustomershouldknowthis,notjustyou,theseller. Thenatureofbenefitsinsalesandmarketingisthatthecustomerseesorfeelsorunderstandsthebeneficialeffect. Thisiswhatcustomersbuy.Customersdonotactuallybuyproductsorservicescustomersbuytheimportantthingsthatproductsor serviceswilldoforthem. Sogiveyourcustomersinformationaboutthebenefitsofyourproductsandservicesexplainwhatyourpropositionmeanstoyour customers.Howwillitmaketheirlivesbetter,ortheirbusinessmoreprofitable,morestreamlined,moreethicalandsustainable,more sociallyresponsible?Howwillyourpropositionimprovethequalityoftheirservicetotheirowncustomers?Howitwillmaketheir employeeslives'easier,better,lessstressfulwhateveryoubelievetobethestrongestmostrelevantandmeaningfulcustomer outcomes. Obviously,ifyourtargetcustomerisabusiness,thenthereareopportunitiesforyourservicestobenefittheirownstaffandcustomers. Theseareusuallyveryimportantbenefitstobusinesscustomers. Seethesalestrainingsectionforlotsmorehelpandtipsfortranslatingyouroffering,proposition,productsandservicesinto meaningfulcustomerbenefits.

advertisingmustbecostedandlinkedtomeasurableresponse
Becauseadvertisingissuchacomplexsciencetheonlyrealwaytobesurethatsomethingwillworkbeforeyoutryitistoreferto previousindicators,andifyou'venopreviousstatisticsorreliabledatathenrun'pilot'ortrialfirst.Startmeasuringtheeffectivenessof youradvertisingfromtheverybeginning.Keepdetailedrecordsofwhatyoudid,when,towhom,forhowmuch,andwhatresulted. Theresultsofcertaintypesofadvertisingcanbequitedifficulttomeasure,particularlywherenodirectresponseissought,(where followupsamplesurveysmightbetheonlywaytogaugeeffects),butmeasureeverythinginwhateverwayyoucan.Startinga businessandacompletelynewadvertisingcampaigninevitablyinvolvesabitofcalculatedguesswork,however,ifyoustartmeasuring andrecordingresultsfromthebeginningthenyou'llmakeyourtaskmucheasiernexttimearound. Modernonlineadvertisingmethodsusuallyenableveryaccuratemeasurementofadvertisingeffectiveness.

Keystatisticsandratiostobemeasuredinclude: costperthousand(potentialcustomersreached,withyouradvert) costperresponse costperenquiryor'lead'(basicallyaprospectivecustomerexpressinginterest) percentageresponses(enquiriesfromagivennumberofcontacts/customersreached) conversionnumbersandpercentagesandcosts(conversionofa'clickthru'toanenquiry/lead,orconversionofanenquiry/leadinto asale) Averybasicandoftenoverlookedmethodofmeasuringandrecordingadvertisingeffectivenessandresultsistoensurethatevery enquiryisgreetedatsomestagewiththequestion,"Howdidyouhearaboutus?"or"Howdidyoufindus?"Evenverylarge 'professional'organisationscommonlyfailtoinstillthisbasicprinciplewithintheircustomerserviceprocesses,andyetitisvery important. Youshouldmeasureadvertisingfromthestandpointofeveryparticularadvertisingactivity,method,orcampaign,andalsofromthe simplestandpointofeverysaleyoumake,whichofcoursecomefromavarietyofadvertisingsources. Thesedaysthereiseveryopportunitytoproperlyrecordandmeasureenquiriesandadvertisingresponses:ComputerbasedCRM (CustomerRelationshipManagement)systemsnowadaysofferrelativelyeasyandcosteffectivewaysofmanagingcustomerand enquiriesinformation.Makesureyouuseone.Thenyouwon'tneedtoguessastowhatformsofadvertisingworkbestforyou. Rememberalsothatadvertisingformsapartofyourbusinessplan,whichisaimedatbeingprofitable.Thisisespeciallyimportantwhen youradvertisingisaimingtoproducedirectresponsesandsales(ratherthanbuildingawarenessandreputation,etc). Ifyouradvertisingseekstogeneratecustomersandsales,butdoesnotproduceagrossprofitinexcessofitscost, thenyoumuststopitorchangeit,otherwiseyouareobviouslywastingmoney. Backtomarketingindex.

typesofadvertisingmediaandmarketingmethods
Priortoconsideringmethodsofadvertisingandmarketingitisimportanttoensurethatyouunderstandandadheretolocalcountry lawsrelatingtodataprotectionandcustomerrightsconcerningprivacyandoptoutofvariousmarketingmethods.Thisespecially relatestomaintainingandusinglistsandpeople'spersonaldetails,fortelemarketing,directmail,texting,faxmarketing(veryrarely usednowadays),andemail.Generallyprivateconsumersenjoymoreprotectionthanbusinesstobusinesscustomers.Seethenotes aboutlawsrelatingtodirectmarketingandadvertising. Smalllocalbusinesseswhotargettheirlocalcommunityoftenoverlooksomeverysimpleeasyandcosteffectivewaysofadvertising. Theselowcostmethodsarenotgenerallysosuitableforbigcorporationswithbigbudgets,buttheideascanbeveryeffective(and veryinexpensive)forsmallbusinessesandselfemployedpeopletargetingthelocalareawithsmalladvertisingbudgets. Hereisaquicklistoflocalverylowcostadvertisingideas,whichwithalittleimaginationandselectiveeffortcanbedevelopedintoa veryeffectivelocaladvertisingcampaign,whichcanproduceacontinuous'pipeline'ofnewbusiness: Postersinwindowsandonnoticeboards,andinstaffroomsoflocalbusinesses. Apromotionalstallatalocalcarbootmarketorcountyshow. Astallorleafletingpresenceatalocalrelevantgatheringorevent. Usingleafletsorbusinesscardsindispenserswherelocalpeoplesitandwaitorqueueorgather,forexample:doctors,dentists, vets,churchrooms,touristinformationoffice,outpatientsdepartments,library,nurseries,minicaboffices,forcesandservicessites (e.g.,police,ambulance,etc),launderettes,postoffices,newsagents,hairdressers,takeaways,cafesandbars,hotels,pubsand restaurants,golfclubsclinics,leisurecentres,etc. Reciprocalreferralarrangementswithothergoodlocalsuppliers,especiallythosewhoserveyourtargetaudiencewithdifferent productsandservices(whichenablesyoutobemorehelpfultoyourowncustomerswhentheyaskyoutorecommendother services). Regularlygivingnewsandinterestingpicturesaboutyourworktoyourlocalnewspaper(seePRbelow),orperhapsevenwritinga regularcolumnrelatingtoyourspecialisminthelocalfreenewspaperorparishmagazine. Offeringexistingcustomersanincentive(giftofsomesort,ormoneyoffyournextsupply)forintroducingafriendasanew customerforyou. Doortodoorleafletdistributionthroughthepostalserviceorothersuitableservice.(Thisisaparticulareffectivemethodifyour neighbours(USneighbors)arepotentialcustomers,andespeciallyrelevantforsmallstartupbusinessestargetinglocalconsumers.) Speakingatlocalnetworking/businessevents. Speakingorfacilitatingatthelocalschoolorcollegeforexamplewithbusinesseducationandpreparingyoungstersfortheworld

ofwork(whichgivesyoupublicityandbuildsyourreputation). Localtradedirectoriestypicallymonthlypublicationsdistributedtothelocalcommunity. Targetingspecialoffersatlocalbigemployers,throughtheirPRand/orHR/socialactivities. Whilemostofthesemethodsareforsmallcompaniesandlocalcampaigns,afewcancertainlybeadaptedandusedeffectivelybybig organizationswithsurprisinglygoodandcosteffectiveresults. Herearemoreadvertisingmethods,generallyforlargercorporations,campaignsandtargetmarkets,inmoredetail:

theinternet,websites,email,cdroms,dvds,socialnetworking,etc
Onlineandelectronicmediaarefastbecomingthemostflexibleanddynamicadvertisingmethodsofall. Manypeoplenowusetheinternetinsteadofnotmerelyinadditiontodirectories,newspapersandthetelephone,etc. Theinternetisthereforeacrucialandpotentiallyveryeffectivevehicleforadvertisingandmarketing. Partoftheonlinerevolution,thepopularityandreachofsocialnetworkingmedia/websitessuchasFacebookandTwitteralsooffervery inexpensive(butpotentiallyverytimeconsuming,sobeware)waystopromoteyourbusinessandofferings,togetherwithestablishing brand,reputation,credibility,audienceandfollowing,etc. Electronicandonlineadvertisingmedianotablyestablishingyourownwebsite(s)andonlineservices/productavailabilitycanbe expensiveandchallengingtooriginateandimplementinitially,butcoststendtobelowthereafter,andcanbeextremelycosteffectiveif sensiblyresearchedandimplemented. Onlinevideo(forexampleusingYoutubeandVimeo,etc)offershugelydiverseandexcitingopportunitiestorepresentyourbusiness andofferings,viamanydifferentstrategies,fromeducationalandinstructional,topresentationalandanykindofdramaticstagingor contextthatyoumightimagine(andcanaffordtoproduce). Emailisanextremelyinexpensivemethodofcommunicatingshortorquitelargemessagestopotentialcustomersalthoughneeds carefuldesign,organizationandimplementation,becausetheemailmediumisverywidelyabusedandinvolvesrisksandimplications thatcanbecounterproductiveifpoorlymanaged.Thesameappliestotexting,viamobile/cellulartelephonesystems. Astheinternetextendsprogressivelytomobilephones(smartphonesandtablets,etc)theopportunityandnecessitytomakeuseof onlineandwebrelatedmarketingmethodsbecomesincreasinglyimportantanduseful. Theinternetandemailprovideunprecedentedopportunityforradicallynewmethodsofpromotionandadvertising,suchasviral marketing,andRSS(ReallySimpleSyndication)ofeducationalorinformativearticles,newsgroups,forums,affiliationandpartnering arrangements,emailnewslettersandcampaigns,blogsandblogging,socialnetworking,andmanyothernewideaswhichappearmore quicklythanmostofuscanabsorb,interpretandimplement. Modernandemergingdigitalandwebrelatedadvertisingmarketingmethodsofferaudiencereach,precisionoftargeting,leveloffine tuningandcontrol,measurementandanalysis,andcosteffectivenessthatconventionaladvertisingmediasimplycannotmatch. Onlinemediatechnologiesnowofferhighlysophisticatedflexibilityfortheproductionandaccessibilityofsalesandmarketingmaterials brochures,productspecifications,etc. Forsomewhileithasbeenpossibletoproducesalesliteratureandbrochuresinuserfriendly(commonlyinteractive)digitalformat. Progressivelyevermore'featurerichness'canbeincorporatedintouserexperiencewhenaccessingmarketinginformation. Earlysophisticationofwebsitedesignenableduser'interaction'thishasnowmadewayfor'virtual'experiences.Suchdesignwas initially(aroundtheturnofthe20thcentury)veryexpensive,butgiventhatthecostofonlinetechnologyanddesigntendsalwaysto reducequitesteadilyandquickly,bytheendofthefirstdecadeofthe21stcenturyevenverymodestwebsitescouldrealisticallyfeature thesortofdesignanduserexperiencethatwasthestuffofsciencefictionfantasyagenerationago. Inresponsetotheonlinerevolution,conventionalprintedsalesandmarketingmaterialsofalltypes(fromnewspapersandmagazines, tobrochuresandbusinesscards)arebecominglargelyobsolete,ascustomerslooktotheinternet(viaphones,pc's,laptops,PDA'sand inthefutureTVtoo)forquick,uptotheminuteinformationaboutproducts,servicesandsuppliersofallsorts. Customerreviewsonlineofproductsandservicesandprovidersandsellers,etc.,arenowacrucialaspectofthemarketing,selling, buying,andcustomerserviceprocess. Socialnetworkingwebsites(FacebookandTwitterfromaround2010notably)havenowbecomeimmenselysignificantinthepublicity andmarketingofproductsandservicesandcorporations,andalsointhemanagementofcustomerrelationships,reputation,image, andespeciallypositiveandnegativereviews/opinions. Andasmoreagencies,technologycompaniesanddigitalmediaorganisationsdeveloptheirofferingsandtechnologies,sothecostsand timeofdesign,origination,productionandimplementationwillreducetolevelsthatwillshiftthebigmajorityofmarketing communicationsawayfromtraditional(printedandothernondigital)mediaintomodernelectronicandonlinemedia,digital information,andonline'engagement'betweencustomersandsuppliersofallsorts.

Internetadvertisinghasadvancedfantasticallybeyondtheearlydaysofsimpletradelistings,internetdirectories,and'payperclick' advertisingofferedbythemajorsearchengines.Suchsophisticatedmethodsarenoweasilyavailable,veryviable,andextremely relevantforverysmall'local'businesses,andareallexamplesofthisfundamentalshiftinmarketing. Taketimetolearnaboutandunderstandwhichofthenewdigitalmethodswillworkforyouandhow.Youwillbeexperiencingalready manyofthesemethodsasacustomerontheweb.Thinkabouthowitworkswhileyouareacustomer,andaskyourselfhowyoumight makeuseoftheseincrediblemethodsinsteadforyourselfasasupplier. Most,ifnotalloftheinformationyouneedisfreelyavailableontheinternettaketimetolookforitandlearnandensurethatyour businessexploresandimplementsthemanyverycosteffectiveadvertisingmethodsavailabletoyouviainternetmediaandthemodern digitalrevolution.

pressandpublicrelations(PR)
Thepressreleaseisthemostunderratedformofadvertising.Why?Becauseit'sfree,andmoreoverpresseditorialisperceivedbythe audiencetobetrue,whereasadvertisingofallalmostallothertypesisseenas'ohnoanotheradvert'andthereforeimpliesuncertainty orscepticism.Gettingyoureditorialprintedforfreeiseasierthanyoumaythink,andguidelinesforusingPRfollowinmoredetail below.TVandradionewspublicityworksinmuchthesameway,althoughmoredifficulttosecureandcontrol.Surveysand questionnairesprovideperhapsthebestopportunityforachievingvaluableandeffectivepublicity.Seetheguidelinesaboutsurveysand questionnairesbelow.

seminars
Creatinganinformativeseminarandinvitingyourtargetaudienceisanexcellentwaytoeducatethemarketandpromoteyourcompany andproposition.Thismethodworksespeciallywellinthebusinesstobusinessmarket,andwhereeducatingcustomersisappropriate, forinstanceifmarketinganewtechnologyorservicetoarchitectsandspecifiers.Itispossibletohavecertaintypesofseminars accreditedforCPD(ContinuousProfessionalDevelopment)byprofessionalinstitutes,whichprovidesanextraincentiveforprospective customerstoattend.

telemarketing
Usingtelemarketingstafforatelemarketingagencyisaprovenmethodofmarketing.Ifwellmanaged,telemarketingcanbean extremelygoodandcosteffectivemethodforgeneratingsalesenquiries,sellingproductsandservicesandmakingappointmentsfor salesstaff.Itisimportanttoidentifyagoodtelemarketingagency,andtothatensureyouraims,outlinescript,andcommunications processforenquirygenerationfollowup,areallclearlyestablishedandunderstood,bytheagencyandyourownstaff.AgoodCRM computersystemtomanagelists,data,followupandoutcomes,isnormallyessentialfortelemarketingistobesuccessfulonany reasonablescale,andgoodtelemarketingagencieswillalreadybeusingsuchsystemswhichhopefullywillinterfacewithyourown systems. Considerablecareneedstobetakenwhendefiningandagreeingthetelemarketing'brief'withthetelemarketingstaff,departmentor agency.Goodexperiencedtelemarketingstaffandmanagersunderstandwhatworksandwhatdoesn'tforgivenmarkets,typesof propositionsandproductsandservices.Listentotheiradvice. Generallytelemarketing'scripts'arenotagoodideaforhighqualitypropositions,norforprofessionalbusinesstobusinesscampaigns. Agoodtelemarketingagencywillworkbestbydevelopingtheirownapproachtomeetthebroadrequirementsofaproject'brief'and anoutlineofwhatyouwanttoachieve,andhowyouwanttoachieveit. Rigidscriptshavetheeffectoflimitingthenaturalstyleandcapabilitiesoftelemarketingstaff,moreovercustomersgenerallyfind scripts,whichquicklybecomeroboticandcharacterless,veryimpersonalandinsulting. Refertothelegalimplications(DataProtectionActandPreferenceServices)inthedirectmailsection. Consumersandbusinessesareprotectedbycertainrightsrelatingtodirectmarketingtechniquessuchastelemarketing,andyoumust ensurethatyouractivitiesadheretotheserules.

directmail
Someoftheprinciplesandrulesreferencedherealsoapplytoothertypesofdirectmarketing,including'doortodoor'distributionand telemarketingmethods. Directmailistheprocessofsendingyourmaterial(byitselforinasharedmailingwithotheritems)directtotheaddressofthe potentialcustomerbypost.Theelementswhichmakeupthedirectmailprocessarebasically: 1. amailinglistofnamesandaddresses(fromyourowndatabaseornamessourcedelsewhere) 2. theitem(s)tobemailed,andenvelopesorpackaging,ifapplicable 3. resourceorfacilityto'stuff'andaddressorlabeltheenvelopes/packaging(assumingyouareputtingtheiteminanenvelopeor packaging,whichofcourseisnotalwaysthecase) 4. andpostalcharges,whichdepend(intheUK)nowonthesizeandshapeaswellastheweightoftheitembeingmailed.

Thelasttwostagesareoftencalled'fulfilment'. DirectMailisgenerallyusedtogenerateadirectresponsefromtherecipientandwillcommonlyincorporateareplyorresponsesection withinthemaileditem. Asidefromthestrengthofyourproposition,responseratesvaryaccordingprimarilytothequalityofthelist,notably: thereliabilityofthelistdata(newcleanlistsobviouslyperformbetterthanoldoutofdatelists) andhowwell'targeted'thelistisintermsofyouroffer(howrelevantitistotherecipient). Directmailisnotaprecisescience.Seethedirectmailstoryforexample.Therearemanythingsthatcangowrong,andevenmore thingsthatareunknownandunimaginedbythecampaignmanager.Liketherestofadvertising,whetheradirectmailcampaignworks wellorpoorlyit'softenverydifficulttodiscoverwhatelementsneedtobechangedandhow:theproposition,themailinglist,the reliabilityofthefulfilment,thedayandtimeofdelivery,theresponsemechanism,somethingelse?Forlargeongoingcampaignsitis appropriateandcosteffectivetoconductfollowupsurveysofrespondentsandnonresponders,butforsmallerinitiativesit'srarely costeffectivetoattemptdetailedanalysisotherthantolookforobviousindicationsofsuccessorfailure. Adirectmailcampaignwhichproducesmorethana2%responseisnormallyconsideredverysuccessful.Lowerthan1%responseis moreusual.Youthenneedtotakeintoaccounttheconversionrate(theconversionofresponsesintosales),assumingthecampaignis designedtoproduceresponsesorenquiriesandnotsalesdirectly.Asidefromthequalityoftheresponses,whichisdeterminedbythe campaign,conversionratesalsovaryaccordingtofactorsoutsideofandafterthedirectmailactivitiesthemselves,suchasresponse handling,ITsystems,salesfollowup,etc.Itisthereforeimportanttojudgeadirectmailcampaignfirstonpercentageandqualityof response,andthenseparatelytoassesstheoverallresultsofthecampaignincludingconversionstatisticsandsalesvalues. Inexperiencedmarketeers(andmanyexperiencedonestoo)tendtooverestimateforecastedresponseratesfordirectmail,soa planningtipistobepessimistic(prudent,asaccountantssay),especiallywhencalculatingadvertisingviabilityandreturnon investment.Whenyoufirststateyourestimatedresponserateaspartofthefinancialjustificationforthedirectmailcampaign,next reduceitbyafactorof10(i.e.,reassessthecampaignviabilityusingononetenthofyourinitialresponseforecast).Ifthefiguresstill showapositivereturnoninvestmentthenyourcampaignmightwellbesuccessful.Ifnot,thenit'ssensibletorethinkthewholething. Yourowndatabaseofexistingandpastcustomerswilltypicallyproduceasignificantlyhigherresponsethanthatofalistsourced elsewhere.Listpricesvaryenormously,fromafewpoundsuptoseveralhundredsofpoundsper1,000namesandaddresses, dependingonvolume,howspecificthelistis,andhowselectiveyourprofilingcriteriaare.Youcanalsochoosewhethertohavethelist onlabels,oronadiskinacommonspreadsheetordatabaseformat,thelatterbeingmostcommonnow,andeasytoimport,if appropriate,intoaCRM(customerrelationshipmanagement)system. Mailinglistpricesalsovaryaccordingtothetermsofuse,notablythenumberoftimesthelistcanbeused(listrental),orwhether unlimiteduseispermitted,orwhetherthelistisbeingactuallyboughtoutright. Thesedaysforsmallbusinessesit'sveryeasyandcosteffectivetodoyourownoroutsourceamailmergedirectmail,campaign,using awordprocessingprograminconjunctionwiththelistofnamesandaddressesonaspreadsheetprogram.Largescaledirectmail campaignsarenormallybestmanagedviaaCRM(customerrelationshipmanagement)system.ContacttheDirectMarketingAssociation orcountryequivalentformoreinformationaboutprovidersoflistsandmailingservices,etc.

displayadvertising
Thetakingofadvertisingspaceintheeditorialsectionsofmagazinesornewspapers,asopposedtotheclassifiedsections,whicharea lessexpensive,andgenerallylowerperformingmethod.Allsignificantpublicationswillbepleasedtoprovideyouwiththeir'Media Pack',whichgivesfulldetailsofallthetypesofdisplayadvertisingavailable,forhowmuch,togetherwithlotsofinformationabout theirreadershipprofileandcirculation.Ifyouaretryingtogenerateadirectresponsefromdisplayadvertisingyoumayneedtofeature acouponofsomekind.Otherwisedisplayadvertisingisconcernedwithimagebuildingandcreatingawareness.Aswithother advertisingmethods,theuseofFreephonetelephonenumbersandFreepostaddressesallincreaseresponserates.

directorieslocaldirectories,YellowPages,Thomsons,etc
Thesesortsofdirectoriesremainusefulforlocaldomestic,consumerandhouseholdproductsandservicessuppliers,buttheir usefulnessisfastdeclining,andinmanysectorstraditionalprinteddirectoriesarehardlyusedbycustomers. Olderpeopletendtouseprinteddirectoriesmorethanyoungsters.Considerthisintermsofyourownproducts,servicesandtarget audience. Ifyouaretargetingyoungpeopleyoushouldquestionwhetherprintedadvertisingdirectoriesareworthwhileatall. Theshifttomobile/phonemediaandcommunications,awayfromtraditionalmedia,andalsoawayfromdesktopcomputers,hasbeen increasinglydramaticthroughtheearly2000s,andespeciallyfromthe2010s. Thatsaid,forcertainbusinessesincertainterritories,traditionalprinteddirectoriesstillhaveavalueandcanstillproduceenquiriesand orders.GenerallyabusinesstelephonelandlinenormallygivesfreeYellowPagesandThomson'sentriesunderasingleclassificationin eachlocalbook.Displayadvertsormoreentriesare(generally)chargedatvaryingratesaccordingtothecirculationnumbersofthe book(s)concerned.AboutahundredYellowPagesdirectoriesbookscovertheUK.Usuallythesesortsofdirectoriesarepublished

annually,onrotationatdifferentdatesaroundthecountry.Directoriescanbeeffectiveforgeneratingenquiriesforconsumer businesses,butarenotappropriateforalltypesofbusinesstobusinesssectors.Askyourselfwherewouldmypotentialcustomers lookforsuppliersofmyproductsandservices? Considerandseekoutlocalsmallerdirectoriesandtradesbookletsalso.Theincreasingeaseofpublishingmeansthatproductionof goodqualitysmallscalelocaldirectoriesisnowveryeasyforpublishersandmosttownsnowhaveatleastonelocaldirectoryor bookletlistinglocalsupplierswhichisdistributedtoallhouseholdsinthearea.Someofthesecanbeverycosteffectiveingenerating newcustomers.

directoriesinternet
Internetdirectoriesandspecialistsearchenginesareapotentiallyveryeffectivewaytoadvertiseandmarketyourservices,becauseso manycustomersnowusetheselistingstofindsuppliers.Manylistingsarefree.Someworkwell,othersdon't.Manylistingsarenot free.Againsomeworkwellandothersdon't.Askothersimilarsupplierswhatworksforthem.Testthelistingsyourselftoseehowwell theyworkandhowcommonlytheyfeatureinthemainsearchenginelistings,especiallyGoogle. Todiscoverwhatwebsitelistingsanddirectoriesyoushouldappearon,searchforyourownproductsandservicesusingGoogle. Includethetownorareaorothergeographicaldescriptionsinyoursearchphrasesinasmanydifferentwaysasyouthinkyour customerswould. YoushouldaimtobefeaturedontheinternetdirectoriesandlistingswebsiteswhichappearatthetopoftheGoogleresultsforthe searchtermsthatyourcustomerswillbeusing.

brochures,leafletsandprintedmaterial
Printedmarketingmaterialsofmostsortsaredeclininginsignificanceaspeopleincreasinglyseekandaccessinformationabout productsandservicesonline. Agenerationagotherewasnodigitaloronlinealternativetoaprintedbrochure.Nowthereareseveralalternatives,andinmany situationspotentialclientspreferthenewformatstotheold,whichcanrenderthetraditionalprintedversionunnecessaryoractually wasteful. Pleaseconsiderthistrendtowardsdigital/onlinewhenreadingthissection,andassessaccordinglytheextenttowhichtraditional printedmaterialsareessentialoradvantageousforyourvariousproductsandservices,etc. Someoftheprinciplesaboutreadabilityandpresentationapplyequallytodigital/onlinematerialsastoprintedversions.Otherfactors areirrelevanttodigital/onlinemedia. Brochuresandleafletscanbeusedforavarietyofpurposes,andcanbedistributedindifferentways.Agoodprintercanprovide examplesandcostings,andtheeasiestwaytolearnwhatworksandwhatdoesn'tistolookatotherpeople'smaterial.Theaimofa brochureisforemosttogeneratenewbusinessthroughprovidinginformationinawaythatappealstothereader.TheacronymAIDA (attentioninterestdesireaction)shouldbethebasisofitsdesign.Somebrochuresandleafletsarepleasingpiecesofart,buttheydon't achieveanythingforthebusiness,soavoidfallingintothistrap.Ifyouworkwithadesignerbesuretocontrolanyfancifultendencies andkeepthemessageandstyletothepoint.Toomuchspentonabrochurecangivetheimpressionthatyourbusinessisextravagant. Whenproducingleafletsandbrochuresthinkaboutthewaythattheyaretobedistributed.Ifitneedsanenvelopetrytoavoidusinga nonstandardenvelopesize,whichwilladdcostunnecessarily.Ifthematerialisrequiredasaninsertisitacceptabletothepublication? Isittobeavailablefromarack?Doyouwantpeopletoretainthematerial?Ifsoperhapsabusinesscardorplasticcreditcardtype attachmentwouldhelp? Therearethousandsofdifferenttypesofpaper.Letterheadsareusuallyprintedonto90100gsm(gramspersquaremetre)cartridge, laidorbond.A100gsmpaperisadequateforsinglesidedmonoorcolourprinting.130gsmisbetterfordoublesided.200gsmis minimumweightforapostcardformat.250300gsmisusedforbusinesscards.Heavierboardsareusuallymeasuredinmicronsrather thangsmbecausedensityaffectsweightmoreatthesegauges.Coatedmattandgloss'art'papersareusedforhigherqualityeffects, butaddtocost.Variouslaminationprocessesaddmorequalityandmorecost. Theprintprocessisactuallyanumberofseparatestages: 1. design 2. reprographics(nowacomputerisedprocesswhichproducescamerareadyartworkandthefilmfromwhichtheprintingplates aremade) 3. platemakingorelectronicequivalent(forlowquantities,digitalprintprocessesnowenablehighqualityprintingdirect fromacomputer) 4. printing 5. finishing(stapling,folding,etcifrelevant) Generallyitisnotpossibletoundoastageandreturntothepreviousonewithoutreoriginatingatleastthe previousstage,sotakecarewhensigningoffeachstage.Ifyourinstructionstoanagencyorprinterarenotcorrect youwillenduppayingforthetimetheyspendreoriginatingandamending,sothinkthingsthroughbeforeyoustart theprocess.

Reprintsaregenerallycheaperthanthefirstrunbecausethereprographicworkandplatesdonotneedtobeproducedagain.When youaskforaprintquoteaskatthesametimeforapriceperthousand'runon'you'llbesurprisedhowlowthiscostisinproportion tothemainquote.Thisisduetotheoriginationandsetupchargesbeingalreadyabsorbedbythemainrun. 'Fullcolour'printingusesthecoloursblack,red,yellowandblue,andrequiresaplatetobemadeforeachcolour.Monoprintingis blackonwhiteandrequiresjustoneblackplate.Eachcolourcanbetinted(ieappliedlessthan100%solid)tovaryingdegreesacross theprintarea,sowithgooddesignevenblackandwhiteprintingcangiveahighqualityeffect.Conversely,apoordesigncanmakefull colourprintinglookcheapandnasty.Ifyouwantsomethingclassierthanblackandwhite,twocolourprintingcanproduceamazing results,withoutthecostofgoingtofullcolour. Asarule,printingcostsreducedramaticallywithvolume.Digitalprintingmethodsareappropriateforlowvolumes,andfastbecoming viableforhighervolumes.Therearevariousprintingprocesses,whichareappropriatefordifferentpurposesandparticularlyvolumes. Ensurethattheprocessisappropriateforyourapplication.Asarulecolourismoreexpensivethanmono(blackandwhite),although digitalprintingisnotsosensitivetocolour/pricedifferences.

looseandboundinserts
Inserts,intheformofleaflets,brochures,orothermaterial,areprovidedbytheadvertisertothepublication,tobesentoutwiththe magazineornewspaper.Youhavetoproducethematerialstobeusedasinsertswhichincursprintingcosts,andthenpaythe publicationachargeforinsertion.Thereisabigeffectfromeconomiesofscale.Chargesvaryaccordingtoweightofinsert,howmany insertsperpublication,volume,thenarrownessofthecirculationprofile,andhowthepublicationisitselfdistributed.Responserates frominsertsarealmostalwayslowerthandirectmail,butinsertsareaveryflexibleandcheapmethodofdistributinganadverttoa targetaudience.Boundininsertscostextra,requirelongerleadtimes,andarefavouredbysomeadvertisersbecausetheydon'tfallout andconsequentlyareseenbymoreofthetotalreadership,whichcanbetwoorthreetimesgreaterthanthecirculation.

'doortodoor'leafletsandadvertisingdistribution
Largequantityleafletdropstoconsumerhouseholdsandbusinessaddresses,withouttheneedforenvelopesornormalpostalcharges, canusuallybearrangedthroughthepostalservices(thePostOfficeintheUK),sothatyourleafletisdeliveredatthesametimeasthe normalpost,oratothertimesofthedayifrequired.Demographictargeting,basedonpostcodesandpopulationcensusdata,is possibletoadegree,andthecostisofteninclusiveinthedistributioncharges. Otherspecialisedhouseholddistributorsprovidesimilarservices,sometimesincorporatedwithinlocalnewspaperdeliveries. Detailscanbeobtainedfromvariousdoortodoordistributionservicesproviders,andtheUKDirectMarketingAssociation. Ifyouarestartingabusinessservingyourlocalarea,doortodoorleaflets(orotheradvertisingmaterials,especiallythosedesignedto generateadirectresponse)remainoneofthemostproductiveandcosteffectivewaystoreachcustomersandtogeneratenewsales. Somepeoplestartanewbusinessandsitwaitingintheirofficeormanufacturingunitforcustomerstoappear,asifbymagic.Theywill notappear.Ifyoueverfindyourselfsittingwaitinginyourofficeforcustomerstoappear,or'busyingyourself'doingsomemore planningorbrainstorming,ormessingaroundwithyourcomputersettings,stopwhatyouaredoing,andinsteadgooutanddeliver someadvertisingleafletsintopeople'sletterboxes.Thiswillhelptomakecustomersappear. Asaveryroughrule: ifyouhaveagood,simple,relativelylowcostquickdecisionsalesproposition andyouhavedesignedaleafletwhichconveysthepropositioneffectively, then(veryroughly)every100leafletsyoudeliver(toyourappropriatetargetmarket)shouldproduceanewcustomer. So,imagineeverycoupleofhoursyousitdoingnothing,orsomethingunimportant,inyouroffice,youcouldinsteaddelivera hundredleaflets,andproduceanewcustomer.

posterssites(hoardings,taxicabs,buses,roadsidefields)
Foradvertisingconsideredaspublicinformationavarietyofpostersitesarefreetotheadvertiser,soitmakessensetousethesefreely, supportedbysomerecordsystemsoyoukeepthemuptodateandutilised.Othersitesvaryaccordingtonatureandcost,fromlarge roadsidehoardingstobuses,taxisandsportsgrounds.Anywherethatpeoplepassorgatherinlargenumbersisapotentialpostersite, andaswithprintedmedia,audienceprofileinformationisusuallyavailable.Newsitesarebeingdiscoveredandexploitedallthetime, suchassupermarkettrolleysandfloors,tablenapkins,publicconveniences,andthemediaextendsnowintocontinuousvideoatpost officesandfillingstationsforecourts,etc.

localradio,TV,cinemaandtheinternet
Otherformsoftargetedmediaadvertising,andnowTVandradioareincreasinglyusedbysmallerlocalbusinesses,althoughtight geographicaltargetingisobviouslydifficult.Costofproductioncanbeasignificantfactor.

Producingyourowninformationandmanagingecommerceontheinternetisnowviableforevenverysmallbusinesses.Forconsumer businesses,theonlineshoppingboombeganseveralyearsago:Ifyouaresupplyingconsumerproductsthatcanbeshippedeasily throughthepostoracarrierandyouarenotyetsellingviatheinternetIwouldurgeyoutocatchupwithyourcompetitorsandstart doingso,becausemanyofyourcompetitorswillalreadybedoingit. Ecommerceisnowfirmlyestablishedinthebusinesstobusinesssectorstoo,anditisbecomingincreasinglydifficultforB2Bsuppliers (manufacturersandwholesalersnotably)tocompeteandsurviveinthemodernmarketplacewithoutafullydevelopedandcohesivee commercecapability.

allbusinesstobusinessorganisationsshouldnowhaveawebpresence
Ifyouarelargeorganisationthenyouwilllikelyalreadyhavehadthisinplaceforseveralyears.Ifyouareasmallbusinessyoumight imaginethathavingapresenceontheinternetisnotimportant.Itis. Sophisticatedwebsitedesign,technology,functionality,andintegrationwithotherorganizationalprocessesarenowadaysverynormal aspectsofamodernwebpresence.Thewebsiteuserexperienceinbusinesstobusinesssectorsusedtobequitepassive,butitisvery activeanddynamicnow. Happilywebsite/onlinedesignandtechnologyhavebecomelessexpensiveandmoreeasilyavailablesincetheearlydevelopmentof webcommerce,butthescaleofpossibilitiesthatcanbeenabledviaawebsiteandrelatedonlinesystemsisabsolutelyvast,sogood projectmanagementdisciplineiscrucialforensuringsmoothandeffectivedevelopmentofsuchcapabilities. Attractinguserstoawebsiteremainsamajorandconstantlyevolvingchallengetoo.Thereislittlepointinhavingawonderfully engineeredandbrilliantlyintegratedwebsiteifnooneisattractedtovisitanduseit. Seethetipsforcreatingeffectivewebsites,particularlyaddressingtheissueofsitepopularityandGoogleranking,etc.

guidebooks,handbooksandnewsletters
Publishingyourowninformationmaterialispotentiallyveryeffective,andcostscanbereducedbyincorporatingrelevantsupporting advertisingfromotherorganisationswishingtobeassociatedwithyourservicesandtotargetyouraudience.GuidelinesforNewsletters followlater.(Remembernowthatelectronicmediaisabletoextendtheuseandpotentialofnewslettersfarbeyondtraditionalprinted media.) Alternativelyyoucanadvertiseinarelevantguidebookproducedbyanotherorganisation.However,becarefultoascertainaccurate detailsofcirculationandprofileifconsideringsmallorunprovenpublications.

opendaysandexhibitions
Theadvantageofpersonalcontactisthatyouactuallygettotalktoyourpotentialcustomers,whichdramaticallyincreasesthechances ofgettingyourmessageacross.Butthereisalimittohowmanypeopleyoucantargetandaccessusingthesemethods.Costsof preparationandorganisationcanbebig,andarerarelytransparentattheoutsetsobeware. EventsofthisnaturedoneverthelessoffergoodpossibilitiesforfollowupPRactivity,whichcancontributegreatlytobuildinga customerfriendlyimage.

wordofmouth
Personalreferralisunsurpassedasanadvertisingtool.Itcostsnothing,otherthanthecostofdelightingcustomers,andisthemost powerfuladvertisingofall.Encouragingwordofmouthreferralisthereforeagoodreasonforsustainingexcellentcustomerserviceand relations.Ifyourcustomersarethrilledbytheserviceyougivethey'lltelltheirfriends. Theinternethasincreasedthevolumeandvisibilityofpositivecustomerreferrals,reviews,recommendations,andalsonegative feedback,sothatcustomerreferralsandfeedbackarenowhighlysignificantinmarketing. Youcanencouragewordofmouthreferralsthroughtheuseofdiscountvouchersandcoupons,loyaltyand'friendsandfamily' schemes,introduceafriendincentives,andanyothermechanismthatencouragespeopletospreadthewordonyourbehalf. Socialnetworkingwebsitesenablecustomerreviewsandfeedbackonatrulyvastscale.Theimportancethereforeofdelighting customerswithyourqualityofproduct/serviceandcustomercare,hasneverbeengreater. Customersfrequentlybuyonlinenowonlyaftercheckingpreviouscustomerfeedbackandreviewsaboutproductsandsuppliers. Positivefeedbackisgenerallyonlysustainedbyofferinghighquality,inallaspectsofyourservice,includingcomplaintshandling.

networkingandclubs
Usingbusinessnetworkingmethodstodevelopcontactsandintroductionsisanespeciallycosteffectivemarketingmethodforconsumer

servicesandproducts,andmoreparticularlyforbusinesstobusinessservices.Avarietyofnetworkingopportunitiesexistinallsectors andregions,includingtradesassociations,chambersofcommerceandtrade,networkingwebsites,societies,clubs,breakfasts,lunches, events,andanywherethatpotentialcustomersandinfluencersgather,andthesystemswithinwhichtheycommunicateandsocialise. Useyourimagination.Alwaysbepreparedtospeaktoothersenthusiasticallyaboutyourbusinesstheworldisfullofpotential customers. Anincreasingnumberofnetworkingcommunitiesandservicesarenowtobefoundontheinternettoo.Exploretheseopportunities, keepinginmindtheparticulartargetaudiencesmostrelevanttoyouraims.

directmarketing,advertising,andthelaw
IntheUKtherearestrictlawsprotectingconsumers,andtoadifferentextentbusinesses,fromaspectsofdirectmarketingandother formsofadvertising.Othercountriesgenerallyhavetheirownequivalentlaws. Consumersandtosomedegreebusinessescan'optout'ofbeingsubjectedtovarioussortsofdirectmarketingactivities.IntheUKthis systemofoptingoutismanagedviatheprocessesandorganisationof'PreferenceServices'.Whenyouusedirectmarketingwhatever themethodensureyouareactingwithinthelaw,andhaveconsultedtherelevantPreferenceServicerules(orlocalcountry equivalent). Separately,theDataProtectionActintheUKcontainsimplicationsforstoringlistdataandusingcertainlists,notablyforprivate consumers,andforthemarketingofparticularservices(forexamplefinancialservices),andtherearesimilarlawsdealingwiththis aspectindifferentcountries,socheckthelawasapplicableforyourownsituationbeforebuyingandusinglists.Moredetails(forthe UK)aboutDataProtectionrulesareattheInformationCommissioner'sOffice.Youshouldadheretoyourlocallawsorguidelines concerningunsoliciteddirectmarketing.IntheUKtheseareexplainedbytheInformationCommissioner'sOfficeintermsofdirect marketingbyphone,electronicorpostalmethods.IfyouarenotintheUKseekequivalentadvice. Andasidefromthis,advertisingissubjecttoscrutinyandactionbytheAdvertisingStandardsAuthority(UK),andofcourseall advertisingandmarketingisultimatelyaccountabletothevariouslawswhichseektoprotectpeopleandorganisationsfromillicitor fraudulenttrading. Formoreinformationaboutgoodandacceptablepracticesinadvertising(andbyimplicationmarketingtoo)refertotheUKAdvertising StandardsAuthority,andthetheEuropeanEuropeanAdvertisingStandardsAlliance(EASA),whichrepresentsEuropeannationalself regulatoryandrepresentativeorganisationsfortheadvertisingindustryinEurope. Whetheryouaremarketingtoprivateconsumersortobusinessesandotherlargeorganizationsbefairandreasonable. Certainpracticesmaytechnicallybewithinthelaw,butarenotethicalorgenerallyacceptable,sodon'tusethem. Thinkaboutwhatsortsofdirectadvertising(especiallytelephoning,texting,emailing)annoysyouasacustomerorconsumer.If somethingannoysyou,thenitwillannoyotherpeople,andyouwouldbewisenottousesuchmethods. Itisbadbusinesstogainanewcustomeratthecostofinconveniencingoralienatingotherpeople. Aparticularexampleofbadbusinessandbadmarketingismaking'cold'telephonecallsandpretendingthatthecallisaboutasurvey, oran'opportunity'ratherthanbeinghonestimmediatelyaboutthepurposeofyourcall.Avoidthischeaplittletrick.Itwillloseyou morecustomersthanitwillwin. Alsoavoidthehighlydiscourteouspracticeofleavingmessagesonsomebody'sanswerphoneorvoicemail,askingforacallback,by onlystatingyournameandnumber.Salesorganizationswhousethistacticareunethicalandfundamentallyfearfulthatwhattheyare tryingtosellisnotgood. Thereisnolawagainstmarketingusingtheabovetwotactics,buttheyarecheapandnasty,annoyingandtimewastingand inconvenientpotentialcustomerswillrespondnegatively.Sodon'tusesuchmethods. Thereareplentyofpositiveeffectiveperfectlyethicalwaystoengagepotentialcustomersinsalesdiscussions.Thereisnoneedto resorttoanythingelse. Backtomarketingindex.

advertising'tricksofthetrade'guidelinestocosteffectiveadvertising
Hereareathemostimportanttechniquesforeffectiveadvertising.

1.Usethe'AIDA'structure/sequence
Remember'AIDA'(seeAIDAinsalesandselling).

AIDAisasimpleeffectivestructureforanysortofadvertisingorsellingcommunication/design.Followitalways. AIDAstandsfortheverystrictandreliablesequence ofstepsthatyourcustomers(andallofustoo)experiencewhenbuying something,especiallyforthefirsttime. EveryitemofadvertisingespeciallyanydesignedtoproduceasalesenquirymustbedesignedaccordingtotheAIDA sequencetobeproperlyeffective . 1. 2. 3. 4. Attentionfirstattractattention("Iwanttoread/listento/watch/explorethis..") Interestnextbuildinterest("Yes,thatmeanssomethingtome..") Desire ("Thiscould/willhelpmeandIwantit/toknowmore..") Action("Iwilltakethenextstep[phone/email/reply/buy]..")

TheAttentionpartisthebannerorheadlinethatmakesanimpressivebenefitpromise. Interestbuildsinformationinaninterestingway,usuallymeaningthatthismustrelatecloselytothewaythatthereaderthinksabout theissuesconcerned.YoumustthencreateDesire fortheaudiencethismustrelate/conveyyourproduct/servicebenefit(s)tothe readersothathe/shewantsthem.FinallyyoumustpromptanAction,whichmaybetocallatelephonenumberortocompleteand sendofareplycoupon.Advertisingthatdoesnotpromptactionisawastedopportunity.

2.Yourmainmessagemustbethemostprominent
Thebiggestpartoftheadvertmustbeyourmainbenefitstatement. Thisisthemain'attentiongrabber',andmustenticethereadertoreadon. Donotbetemptedtodevote50%oftheadvertspacetosomefancyartworkoraquotefromShakespeare,orsomeother'stylized' gimmick.

3.Offerasingleimpressivebenefit,quicklyandsimply
Researchgenerallyprovesthatwhereresponsesarerequired,thebestadvertsarethosewhichofferanimpressive,relevantbenefitto thereader.This'promise'shouldideallycontainthebusinessbrandname,takenolongertoreadthanisnormalforthemedia(direct mailisabout48seconds,oraboutfifteenwords)andbeclearlythemoststrikingpartoftheadvert.Thispointcannotbe stressedenough;youmustkeepitquick,simpleandtothepoint.Andthetrendisforeverquickerpoints:DavidLewis,an eminentconsumerpsychologist,says,"Copyisgettingshorter,andamajorfactorbehindthisisthatpeoplethesedayssufferfrom acuteshortagesofbothtimeandattention.Youngergenerationsareextremelyvisuallyliterate.Theyhavebeenbroughtupon computergames,sotheycouldn'tdealwithalotofpolishedcopy,eveniftheywantedto."Thinkaboutthevocabularyandlanguage youuseknowyourtargetaudience:asimpletestistoavoidanywordsorgrammarthatwouldnotbefoundinthenewspaperthatthe targetgroupwouldread.

4.Yourmessagemustbequickandeasytoabsorb
Useaclearlayout,clearfontsandclearlanguage.Donotdistractthereaderfromthetextbyoverlayingimagesorusingfancyfonts. Usesimplelanguage,avoidcomplicatedwords,andkeepenoughspacearoundthetexttoattractattentiontoit.Usesimpletraditional typestyles:seriffontsarequickertoreadthansansserif.(Fortnormalreadingdistances)useten,elevenortwelvepointsizeforthe maintextsmallerorlargerareactuallymoredifficulttoreadandthereforelesslikelytoberead.Lookatnewspapersandlibrary books,whicharealmostalwaysseriffontsoftentotwelvepointsize. Obviouslyforlongerdistanceadvertssuchasposters,usefontsizeswhichcanbeclearlyseen,giventhedistancefromwhichthe audienceseesthematerial. Avoidclutteringtheadvertwithfancyimages,coloursandbackgrounds.Makeiteasytoread. Forthesamereasonavoiditalics,shadows,lightcoloursreversedoutofdark,weirdandwonderfulcolours.Noneoftheseimprove readability,theyallreduceit.Usesimpleblack(ordarkcoloured)textonawhite(orlightcoloured)backgroundformaximum readability.

5.Involvethereaderusethe'2ndperson':"you""your""yours"
Refertothereaderas'you'andusethesecondperson('you','your'and'yours'etc)inthedescriptionofwhatyourbusinessdoesfor thecustomertogetthemvisualisingtheirownpersonalinvolvement.Describetheserviceasitaffectstheminawaythattheywilleasily relatetoit.

6.(wherepossible)Incorporatesomethingnewor!!NEW!!

Advertisingwhichfeaturestheword'new'prominentlytendstobemoreeffective. Generallyanofferingwhichis'new'ismoreappealingthanaofferingwhichdoesnotmention'new'(whichisbyimplicationold,same again,orknown). Simply,customersrespondbetterandaremoreeasilyattractedinitiallytoaconceptthatisnewororiginal.Ifthey'veheardorseenit allbeforeitwillbenosurprisethattheytakenonoticeatall.Soyouhavetoconsiderthiswhenyouaredevelopingyourpropositions andofferings,becauseit'snotgoodtocallsomethingnewifitisnotactuallynewinsomeway.Somehowyoushouldfindandbeable tooffernewnessororiginalityinyourproduct/servicesofferings.Thisrelatesfundamentallytoyourbusinessoffering(s).Themoreand betteryoucanbeseenasnewandoriginal,thenthemoreenquiriesandbusinessyouwillattract. Peoplemustbelievethere'ssomethingnewordifferentinyourofferingfromthestart. Therearemanywaystobenewandoriginal,forexample,(somemoreexcitingthanothers): 1. Bestprice/discount/cheapestnotespeciallynewororiginal,butbetterthannothing(forexample'budget'airlinesthriveon thisspecialsellingpointit'snotgenerallyagoodbasisforbuildingahighintegritysustainablebusiness,andtendstopressurise quality,staffandcustomerrelationships,butcanbeeffectiveinemergencies). 2. Bestvalue valuecanbedevelopedandexpressedinmanyways,cruciallyfromthecustomer'sstandpoint,andisabig opportunitytoinnovatenewandoriginalofferingfocusinggenuinelyonbestvalueisgenerallyanexcellentwaytobuildhigh qualitysustainablebusinessofferings. 3. Productorservicedesign/type/version/quality/innovationcanbeextremelyeffective,especiallywherethesupplierhas flairand/orcanaccessgooddesigntodevelopandmaintainproduct/serviceadvantageversuscompetitors(thisisofteneasier thanitseemsjustaskcustomerswhatparticularlytheywantandcannotgetfromcurrentproviders,andseektodevelopthese features/solutions) 4. Service/customercare/backup/supportqualityoftenoverlookedbysellersandmarketers,andamajoropportunityto createandemphasisenewnessandoriginality. 5. Availability/speed/location/delivery/convenience veryeffectiveifyouaretargetingamarketwhichrespondstothese factors. 6. Adaptability/universality/'translatability'/'internationality'potentialtofindnewness/originalityforofferingswhich haveawide/internationalaudience. 7. Durability/robustness/longlasting/warranty/guarantee canbeveryeffectiveinestablishingcompetitivesuperiority, obviouslywhereproduct/servicecanwithstandsuchanoffering(orwhereforwhateverreasonscustomerswillrarelyclaimforor actuallyexperiencelongtermproduct/servicefailingssomeproductscanevenveryeasilywithstand'lifetimeguarantees',in whichcasewhylimitwarrantiesto12monthsortwoyears?...) 8. Processofbuyingoftenoverlooked,theeasebywhichcustomerscanbuyandpayforproducts/servicescanbeahuge opportunityfornewnessandoriginality(forexample,convertingpaymentsintoamonthly'rental'orfixedpaymentplan). 9. Freestuffalwayshighlyappealingfreeaddons,freestarterpacks,freetrials,freebonus/loyaltyrewards,freegifts,etc. 10. Packagespackagingor'bundling'productsandservicesisabigopportunitytocreatenewnessandoriginalityandcanmake verygoodbusinesssenseforcustomersandsuppliers. 11. Style/image thereisvastpotentialtodevisenewnessandoriginalityinstyleforcertainmarketsespeciallyconsumer products/servicesrelatedtolifestyle/personalinterestthisdependsstronglyonthequalityofdesignandcustomerexperience. 12. Exclusivity/personalservice/loyaltyrewardingcanbeahighlydesirableoriginalfeatureinmanysortsof products/services. Therearemanymorepossibilities,sodeveloppropositions/offeringsthatarenewandoriginalorspecialorunique,andemphasisethis inyouradvertising. Askyourself,whyshouldpeoplebeinterestedifyourpropositionisnodifferenttoyourcompetition?Youmustemphasisewhatmakes yourservicespecial.PutasmuchemphasisasyoucanbehindyourUSPs(uniquesellingpoints),andeitherimplyorstatedirectlythat youaretheonlycompanytoofferthesethings. Aimtobethebestatwhatyoudooroffer,inwhateverway(s)youcandifferentiateyouroffering(s)fromyourcompetitors, meaningfullyandusefullyforyourtargetmarket. Againrefertothesellingarticleaboutdevelopinguniquesellingpropositions.

7.Yourpropositionoroffermustbecredibleandbelievable
TheUKAdvertisingStandardsAuthority(oryourcountryequivalent)wouldpreventyoufrommakingoverlyextravagantclaimsanyway, butyoushouldstillattempttomakeyourofferseemperfectlycredible.Thisisusuallybestaccomplishedbyexplaining'why'and'how' youareabletodothethingsyouareoffering,insupportofyourclaimsyoucanalsoincreasecredibilitybyshowingreferencesor testimonialquotesfromsatisfiedcustomers. Forexample,ifyouclaimparticularlygoodcustomerservice,thiscanbereinforcedwithanoutlineofyourpolicyonseekingcustomer feedbackandcarryingoutsatisfactionsurveys.

8.Peopleopenenvelopesfromtheback..

Thisisnotjustaboutopeningenvelopes.It'saboutoptimisingeverydetailthatyoucaninyouradvertisingmethods,sothatyoumake itaseasyaspossibleforpeopletoreceiveyourmessages. Concerningenvelopes,thisisasmallpointofdetailforpostaladvertisingcampaigns,buteverylittletechniquehelps,especiallyifyou areworkingwithbignumbers.Thisisimportantfordoublesidedsinglesheet/cardinsertsinenvelopes.Rememberthisifyousend anythinginanenvelope,orinstructamailinghouse,becausereadingthesecondhalfofamailedadvertmuddlestheAIDAsequence, andwastestimebeforethereaderseesthemainbenefitstatement. Similarpointsofdetailapplytoothermethods,forexample: Advertisingemailswhichcontainattachmentstendnottoworkaswellasemailswhichcontaintheadvertwithintheemailitself.It's aboutspeedandease.Peopleareputoffbytheslightestobstacles,evenextrasplitseconds.Peoplearealsoputoffbyriskand uncertainty. Thesubjectlineandsendernamearecrucialinoptimisingemailadvertising.Thinkabouttheemailsyouopenandreadhappily,and whichyouimmediatelydiscard,oropenandbecomeirritated.Beclear,relevantandhelpful.Avoidgimmicksandtrickswhichwill annoypeopleorwastetime. Doortodoorleafletsgenerallyachievebetterresponseratesiftheyaredeliveredatdifferenttimesandafterthemainpostal delivery. Windowposterssitedclosetodoorwaysworkbetterthanpostersfurtheraway.Lineofsightisimportant.Thinkabouttheflowof peopletraffic. Changing(otherwiselongstanding)advertdesignsimprovesresponses.Ifyourunrepeatingadverts,ordisplaythesamestyle postersforperiodsormorethanaweekortwo,changethecolours/colors.Otherwisepeoplebecomeaccustomedand'blind'tothe sameimage.Changingcolourisoneeasywaytokeepadvertsfreshandasattentiongrabbingaspossible.Peoplerespondtonew stimulusmorethanthefamiliar.

9.Uselowercasetypewordshapesarelostwhencapitalsareused
Peoplereadbyrecognisingwordshapesnotindividualletters,dodon'tuseuppercase(capitalletters)fortext,andotherthanfopr veryshortwordsnotforheadlineseither,ascapital/uppercaseletterstakelongertoreadandsoreducesimpact,overallreadability, andaudienceabsorptionrates.

10.Youradvertheadlineshouldbethreequartersupthepageoradvertspace
Positionyourheadlinestatementwhereitcanbeseenquickest.Donotputheadlinesattheverytopofthespace.Theeyeisnaturally drawntobetweentwothirdsandthreequartersupthepageorspace,whichiswherethemainbenefitstatementneedstobe.

11.Analysewhatyoucanbutmuchwillremainpuzzling
Advertisingisoftenreferredtoasa'BlackArt'becauseitismysterious,andisrarelyaprecisescience.Advertisingsometimesworks betterthanyouimagineitwill(althoughrarely..),andconverselyplentyofadvertisingfailstoworkaswellasyouexpectitwill.The DirectMailCampaignStoryisaamusingexampleoftheunpredictablenatureofadvertisingideasandmethods. Analyseandmeasureadvertisingaswellasyoucan,butnonotexpecttobeabletoanalysereliablyeveryaspectofyouradvertising. Someofitwillbeverydifficulttointerpret,andmanysalesyouachievewillbefrommixedanduncertainsources. Thisiseasytoappreciatewhenyouconsiderthatmanycustomersmustseeasupplier'sadvertisingseveraltimesbeforetheyfeel trustingandconfidentenoughtocontactthesupplierandtoagreetobuy. Customersgenerallytrytoavoidrisk,andresistchange.Manycustomersdislikemakingbuyingdecisions,particularlyifthesupplieris new.Thisiscalledinertia.Inertiaisdifficulttoovercomewhenyouareasupplierchasingnewcustomers,butitisahelpfulaidin retainingexistingcustomers,uptoapoint.Theroleofinertia,andtheneedforfamiliarity,aretwomajorfactorswhichmake advertisinguncertain. Oftenwecanidentifythedirectadvertisingprompt(aparticularadvert,leaflet,mailshot,etc)whichcausesacustomertobuy,but beforethistherecouldbeseveraldifferent'contacts'or'hits',bywhichacustomerseesandbeginstobuildawarenessanddesirefora particularsupplierorproduct. Consequentlyit'shelpfultothinkofadvertisingasacontinuousorganizational/companyattitude,ratherthanasinglecampaign. Youbusiness,whateveritis,andwhateverspecificadvertisingyoucarryout,isactuallycontinually'advertising'byyourqualityof productsandservice,yourcommunications,andanyoralloftheseotherfactors: yoursignage(onpremises,etc) yourvehicles(theirsignage,andtheconductofyourdrivers)

yourstaff(andhowtheytalkaboutyou,theiremployer) yoursuppliers(andhowtheytalkaboutyou,theircustomer) yourcustomersespeciallyhowtheytalkaboutyou yourpublicityinlocalandwidernewsmedia youractionsandreputationforsocialandcommunityandenvironmentalresponsibility andanyotherwaysthatyourbusiness/services/productsareseen Directresponseadvertisingattemptstogenerateenquiriesandsalesimmediately.Asidefromthis,variousadvertising,includingdirect responseadverts,instead/alsobuildsawareness,image,familiarityandtrustinbrandsandsuppliers.Wordofmouthreferralsand reviewsespeciallyhavethistwoprongedeffect. Afamousadvertisingquoteisthat:"Halfofouradvertisingiseffective,andhalfisnot,butwehavenoideawhichhalfiswhich..." (VariationsofthisquotehavebeenattributedtoWilliamHLever,EnglishindustrialistandfounderofLeverBrothers,18511925and alsotoUSbusinessmanJohnWanamaker,18381922andnodoubtothersaswell.) Thequoteisareminderthatadvertisingisverydifficulttomanagereliably,andthatimportantlyyouwillachievethegreatestsuccess bymanagingyourqualityineveryrespect,aswellasyouradvertising. Thereislittlepointinhavingabrilliantadvertisingeffortwhichgenerateslotsofnewsales,butthenlosingyourcustomersand damagingyourreputationbyfailingtomeetpromisesorsatisfycustomers'needsinotherways.Wemightseethisaspouringnew businessintoabucketwhichhasabigholeinthebottom,sothatcustomersleaveasfastastheyjoin. Aboveall,appreciatethateverythingyoudoinbusinesshasanadvertisingeffectfarbeyondisolatedadvertisingmethodsand campaigns.Soensurethateverythingyoudoisofgreatqualityandintegrity.Thentheneedtomeasurespecificadvertisingactivities, indeedtheneedtoadvertiseatall,willbecomefarless. Backtomarketingindex.

PRpublicrelationsandusingpressreleasesforfreeadvertisingandpublicity
PRstandsforPublicRelations.(A'pressrelease'isoneaspectofpublicrelationsactivities.Thepressrelease/PRinitialsaremerely coincidental.PRmeans'publicrelations'.) PublicRelations,orPR,generallyreferstothemanagementofyourbusinessreputation,usuallyviamediasuchasnewspapers,trade journals,theinternetandradioandTVifyouareabigcompany,orifyousomehowbecomeinvolvedinabigissueofpublicinterest. PRistypicallydefinedashavingtwomainaspects: 1.Theproactive managementofpublicityaboutyourbusinesstothepublicand/oryourtradeviadifferentmedia,and 2.Thereactive managementofpublicawarenessandopinionsaboutyourbusinessinresponsetoissuesofpublicinterestinwhich yourbusinessisonewayoranotherinvolved. Eachofthesetwoaspectsisexplainedseparatelybelow. N.B.Beforetheinternet,thereactive aspectofPR(item2above)wasoflittleconcerntosmallbusinesses,whereasthereactiveaspect ofPRhasalwaysbeenanextremelysignificantconsiderationforlargebusinesses.Howeverthegrowthofinternetsocialnetworking websites(sometimescalled'web2.0'i.e.,websiteswhichallowuserinteractionandpostings,etc)hasnowcausedevensmall businessestobemuchmoremindfulofreactivelymanagingpublicawareness,inadditiontotheearlierneedtoproactivelymanage PR.

1.Proactivemanagementofpublicity
ManysmallbusinessesfailtorealizeandexploittheamazingopportunitiesofferedbyPRspecificallygeneratingpublicityaboutyour businessthroughrelevantconsumerandtrademedia. Hereissomeusefulterminology: Copy'thecopy'isatechnicaltermforthecontent/writing/articlethatyousendorreleasetomedia(it'salsoaterminadvertising, whereitreferstothetext/wordsinadvertisingmaterials,hencethejobtitle'copywriter',beingapersonwhoisexpertinwritingfor advertisingthetermisverydifferenttotheterm'copyright',whichreferstotheownershipandprotectionofintellectualproperty). Release/Pressrelease asubmissionorcirculationofpublicitymaterialinfullusually'pressrelease'or'mediarelease' typicallyanarticleornewsstory,oftenwithapicture,diagram,table,etc.,writteninastylesuitableforthepublications/audiences targeted.Pressreleasesshouldbeofficialcommunications(obviouslyfromthebusinessconcerned),withmediaenquirycontact detailsforfurtherinformation(generallythePRagencyforbigcompanypressreleases,orthecompany/businessitselfifmanaging itsownPRactivity).

Editorialfactualstoriesorarticlesinpress/mediaasdistinctfromadvertising.Whenpressreleasesfrombusinessesappearin textbasedmediatheyareregardedaseditorialcontent,inthesameformasothereditorialitemswhichjournalistshave researched/reportedthemselves. Allnewspapers,tradejournals,consumermagazines,andnews/magazinetypewebsitesneedpressreleasesfromexternalcompanies withstorytotell,tohelpfilltheirpages.Localpapersparticularlyneednewssubmittedbythelocalcommunityortheyhavetopay moreforjournaliststogooutandfindnews.LookthroughyourlocalpapersandmagazinestospotthePRmaterialsubmittedby commercialorganisations.Thiswillencourageyouastohoweasyitistoprovide'news'storiesforthelocalpress. LocalTVandradioarealsoamenabletoPR,butthey'reabitmoreselective.NeverthelessconsiderlocalTVandradioastargetsfor yourownPRactivityforanybusinessstoryofsignificance,localinterest,or'noveltyvalue'. Researchandkeepanuptodatelistofrelevant(industryandlocal)editorialcontactnamesandnumbers,journalists,departments, emailaddresses,etc. PR'news'mustbesubmittedtothenewsdepartment(editorialdepartmentifit'samagazine)ofthepublicationconcerned.Increasingly onlinepublicationsenableonlinesubmissions,andtherangeofmediaoutletsvastnowcomparedtoafewyearsago. Thiswidechoicemeansyoushouldtargetyouractivitiescarefullylookforpublications,printedandonline,radio,etc.,whichofferthe bestaccesstoyourtargetaudience,withmaximumaudiencenumbersandterritorial/industrysectorcoverage. Emailisnowadaysthepreferredformatforsubmissionsofnews/editorialstories,butgiventheunreliabilityofemails,andthegenerally difficultnatureofdealingwithmediaevenunderidealcircumstances,itisgoodtofollowuporgivepriorwarningofemailededitorial releasesbyphoneortext.Persistenceisimportant.Expectasuccessrateofmuchlessthan100%.Intimerelationshipswilldevelopfor you,andjournalistsandothermediacontactswillrespondmorepositively,especiallyifyouareconsistentandhelpfulinyour communications,andsupplygoodqualitymaterialrelevanttotheiraudiences. Forbigcompanies,dealingwithveryhighprofilemedia(suchasnationalradio,TV,bigwebsites,newspapersandbigcirculation magazinesandjournals)toachievepublicityandexposureforyourpressreleasesandothereditorialstoriesisamatterofcultivating relationshipswithjournalistsandeditors.ThisiswhymostbigorganizationstendtousePRagenciestohandletheirmedia relationships,wherePRspecialistshavemanyyearsexperienceandlotsofcontacts. Ifyouareasmallbusinessandbecomeinvolvedinaverybignewsstorythenyouarestronglyadvisedtoenlistprofessionalhelpfrom areputablePRagency.Pressandmediaprofessionalscanbeutterlyruthless.Inexperiencedpeopletryingtomanageacrisisorother bignewsstoryareveryvulnerabletoexploitationandabusebyjournalistsandeditors. Ordinarilyhowever,ifyouareasmallcompanywithasmallbudget,andkeentotargetlocaland/orspecialisedmedia,thenyoushould beabletohandleyourownPRactivityusingyourownresources. Beawarethatthejournalistswillusuallyalter/edityour'copy'orrelease,sodon'tagonizeovertheprecisewording,butdoenoughto makeitinterestingandnewsworthy. GenerallyjournalistsareveryhappytodealdirectwithorganisationsratherthantheirPRagencies,sodon'tbeshy. Rememberthatpressreleasepublicityisfree.Allitcostsisyourtime,orwhatyoupayaPRagencytodoitforyou.Thiscanmakeit extremelygoodvaluecomparedwithconventionaladvertising. TakeeveryopportunitytousePRcreativelyandfrequently.It'sworthmanagingyourPRthroughsomekindofroutineorstandard process,tomaintainaregularandconsistentactivity,andwhichcanbedelegatedtoastaffmemberwhenandifdesired.Foralittle thoughtyoucaneasilyachievetheequivalentofthousandsofpoundsworthofdisplayadvertisingperyear,fornoadvertisingcost. Pressreleasepublicitycarriesmorecredibilitythanpaidforadvertising.Peoplearelargelyunawarethatmuchofwhattheyreadinthe localandnationalnewspapersisinfactcarefullyplannedPR.Theyarethereforemorereceptivetowardsitandmoreoverbelieveit almostwithoutquestion. Photographsimproveeditorial'takeup'by100s%.Thismeansthatpressreleaseswhichhaveanaccompanyinginterestingandrelevant photographarefarmorelikelytobeselectedandfeaturedbythejournalistandeditorofthemediaconcerned. Agoodphotographinsupportofapressreleasewilldramaticallyimproveyourchancesofpublication.Eitherprovideyourown,orif yourstoryisaneventthatyouwillbeinvolvedwithorplantostageyoucanaskthepresspublicationtosendtheirownphotographer. Doitnowoldnewsisnonews.Ifyou'vegotsomethingnewsworthydon'twaitortheopportunitywillbelost.Evensimplethingslike staffpromotions,qualificationsattained,hobbyachievements,staffjoining,babies,allmakeacceptablePRstories,andalwaysbeon thelookoutforthequirkyandunusual. Askforeditorialcoveragebeforepayingfordisplayadvertising.Ifyouplantopayfordisplayadvertisingorinsertsinanytypeof publicationalwaysaskbeforegivingtheorderifyoucanhavesomeeditorialcoverageasaconditionofplacingtheadvertising business.Manypublicationswillagreeatthisstage,andyou'llhavesomefreeeditorialtosupporttheadvert.Somepublications combinethetwoandsell'advertorial'featurespace,whichpurportstobenewsbutisreallyalargepaidforadvert. Surveysprovideexcellentmaterialforeditorial,andareusedbymanycompaniesforpublicitypurposes.Anybusinesscanorganizean interestingsurvey.Seetheguidelinesaboutsurveysandquestionnairesbelow.You'lllearnsomethingaboutyourmarketandcreatea significantopportunityforfreepublicity.Readnewspapersandmagazinesandyouwillsoonseeexampleseveninthenational broadsheets.

Alwaystrytopersuadethepublication/journalisttoincludeyourbusinesscontactdetails/websiteaddressineditorialresultingfrom yourPRactivity.Sometimesthisispossible,sometimesnotwhatever,includethesedetailsinyourreleaseandaskthejournalist/editor iftheycanappear.Manysmallpublications/mediaareveryhappytoincludethesedetailsintheeditorial,andthevaluecanbevery significant.Usuallyagoodstorywithaphotowilloccupyfarmorespaceforfreethanyouwouldbehappytopayinsteadfor equivalentadvertisingspace.

2.Reactivemanagementofpublicawareness
Briefyourstaffandhaveapolicyfordealingwithsuddennewsstorieswhichemergeontheinternet/inthemediainvolvingyour business,especiallycrisissituations. Ifyouareinasituationwhichislikelytoattractpressattention,thenyoumustensurethatyourstaffareawareofyourpositionsand policies.Ideallyappointsomeonewithstrongmarketingandcommunicationsexperienceandskillstobeinchargeofpresscontact,and channelpressenquiriesthroughthisperson,sothatotherlessablestaffarenotplacedinawkwardpositionsorforcedtocomment. Ifyouwonderwhysomanypeoplearequotedinthenewsmediaassaying,"Nocomment,"it'susuallybecausethey'vebeentaughtto doso,andarefollowingapolicy. Anystaffmemberwhotalkstothemediaaboutaseriousissue(involvingyourbusiness/organization)withoutpropertrainingand briefingisliabletomakemattersworse,whethertheoriginalstoryisgoodorbad. Ifpress/mediaattentionispotentiallythreateningtoyourorganization'sreputationandimage,particularlyifyouoperateinareaswhich haveamajorpublicinterestorarecontroversialforanyreason,itissensibleforseniorstafftoundergotraininginhowtodealwiththe media,especiallyincrisissituations.ManyPRcompaniesprovidesuchtraining. All'lowerlevels'ofstaffinlargeorganizations(i.e.,belowseniororexecutivemanagement)shouldbeinstructednottotalktomedia representatives/journalists,andtoreferenquiriesandrequestsforinterviews,etc.,toanestablishedproperlyauthorisedpersonor departmentintheorganization. N.B.Thisdoesnotaffectorunderminetherightsofemployeeswhomighthavegoodreasontoactas'whistleblowers'inraisingor publicizingmattersofcorporatewrongdoing.Organizationshaveadutytomanagepublicitysothatitisfair,ethicalandtruthful. Suppressingthetruthinmanysituationsamountstoacriminalact,andgreatcaremustbeexercisedbyorganizationalleadersin handlingthetransparencyofanymatterwhichcouldhaveseriouslegalimplications. Products,services,activitiesoforganizationswhichcanattractpotentiallyserious/threatening/difficultmediaattentioncertainlyinclude: Healthandsafety Theenvironment Localcommunity Equality,disability,racial/genderdiscrimination,etc Injustice Stressandillnessamongemployees Poorqualityandpoorcustomerservice 'FatCat'syndrome(directors/executivesenjoyinggreatrewardsandadvantage) Animals Children Quirkynewsstoriesproductsthatdon'tworkproperly,poorservice,corporatestupidity Thereareothers.Mediaisdrivenbywhatinterestsverybigaudiences. Readyourlocalnewspaperstoseethesortofissuesthatcreatebigheadlineslocally,andreadnationalpapersandnewswebsitesto seethesortofissueswhichcanreflectverynegativelyonorganizations.Therearemany. Withthedevelopmentofsocialnetworkingtechnologies,mediaattentionnowadaystendsto'swarm'inverybignumbersandmassive suddenwavesofmediainterestthataredifficulttopredict,andcertainlyevenmoredifficulttocounterifastory'goesviral'(which describesthemassswarmingandspreadingeffectofsocialnetworkingmedia. Backtomarketingindex.

newslettersguidelinesforproducingeffectivenewslettersforstaffor customers
Producingyourownnewslettersforyourcustomers,tradecontacts,localcommunity,etc.,isanexcellentwayofgivinginformation,

buildingreputation,credibility,trust,andanimageoffriendliness,canvassingopinions(andbeingseentodoso),andadvertisingyour ownservices. Yourchosenaudienceforanewsletterwilldependonyourtypeofbusinessandtargetmarkets.Logicallyyouraudiencewillbeexisting andpotentialcustomers,andothersyou'dliketokeepinformedandwithwhomyou'dliketodevelopgoodrelations. Newsletterformatsareextremelyflexibleandvariedanythingfromamultipagemagazine,toasingleemail.Newslettersmaybe printedorelectronicorboth,and'optedin'ornot(optedinmeansthatrecipientshavesigneduporagreedtoreceivethenewsletter, whichisusuallynecessaryforprivateconsumers,andisadvisableinmanysituationsanyway). Whilemanyoftheguidelineshererefertoprintednewsletters,thesameprinciplesapplytoelectronicmediasuchasemailsandpdfs. Thecirculation/distributionofnewslettersalmostalwaysrequiresalistofsomesort,thereforeproducingandcirculatinganewsletter generallyentailsbuildingadatabaseofrecipients(existingandpotentialcustomersandtheirdetails),whichisusefulformanyother purposes. Whenyoudesignandwriteyournewslettersrememberthatwhilethepurposeisessentiallytoadvertiseyourbusinessinapositive light,peoplewillwanttoreceiveandreadthemifthestyleandcontentisinterestingandentertaining. FollowthebasicrulesofAIDA,concentratingonthefirsttwoissuesofAttentionandInterest.Computertechnologynowmakesit veryeasytocreateaveryeffectivenewsletter,evenifyoustartwithaverybasicnewssheetorbulletin. Ifpossible,especiallywhenyouarecommittedtotheconceptandwishtoincreasescale,itishelpfultoengageaprofessionaldesigner forthegenerallayout,graphicsandbannerartwork. LargercompaniesgenerallyuseaPRagencytoproducetheirnewsletters,wherebiggerscaleandgreatersophisticationiswarranted. Invitecontributionsfromyourreadersasectionforreaders'messages'letters'or'letterbox'or'mailbox'isagoodwaytofillspace andmakethereadersfeelmoreinvolved.Thiscouldincludefeedback/commentsaboutformatandcontentofthenewsletteritself, whichwillhelptoconvinceyouhowandwhethertocontinuepublishingfutureissues. Committoafrequencyandsizethatyoucansustain.Ifyoucanonlymanageoneeverythreemonthssobeit.Don'tpromiseamonthly andthenfailtogetthenexteditionsoutontime,whichwoulddefeattheobjectofbuildingyourimage.Ifnecessarystartwithasingle page,andallowittoincreaseinsizeifyouseepositivereasonsfordoingso.Startbypilotingjustafewcopies,perhapsjustafew hundred,andincreasethedistributionasyourefineit. Adoptaformatandstylingthatisfitforpurpose.Basicrulesofadvertisingproductionapply.Keepitsimple,easytoread,andavoid anythingoffthewallorextravagant.Useaformatthatiscosteffectiveandamenabletoyourmethodofdistribution. Includephotographsanddetailsofyourstaff.Picturesofcustomersandotherpeoplewillhelpbringittolife.Publishingpicturesof staffisalsomotivationalforthestaff,providedthepresentationandcontextarepositiveofcourse. Includeoptimisticandhappystories.Keepthecontentandtoneverypositive.Youmustnotdistortfactsofcoursebutyoudohave somelicencetopresentissuesinawaythatwillreflectasfavourablyaspossibleonyourbusinessandyourpeople. Makeonepersonresponsibleorappointanagency.Oftenthemostdifficultchallengeinproducinganewsletterissustainingit.Itis extremelydifficulttocollectgoodideasandnewsforcontent,andifthereisnotaclearpointofresponsibilitywithschedulesand deadlinesthewholeexercisewillendupbeingrushed,perhapslateorincomplete,withtheresultthatithasapooreffectonstaffand readersalike. AmarketingorPRagencywilltakeonthejobforyouataprice,butevenwithexpensiveproductionsupport,gettingtherawmaterial isstillthemostdifficultpartoftheprocess,andneedsfirmplanningandmonitoring. Maintainaconsistentdesignandfeel.Consistencyofappearanceisessentialtobuildrecognition,awarenessandpositiveassociation withyourbusiness.Maintainconsistentcorporateidentity,logos,andtypestyles,andtrytodevelopaconsistentstructureofcontent too.Familiarityisabigaspectoftheappealandsuccessofregularpublications(thinkaboutnewspapers).Familiaritybuildsloyaltyand afeelingoftrustinthereader,andthisreflectsonthebusinesswhichproducesanewsletter.Ifthenewsletterstylekeepschanging, thenthebusinessproducingthenewsletterwillseemuncertainandchangingtoo. Relatethenewstoyourcustomersandtheircommunity.Keepinmindallthetimewhoyouraudienceis,andselectcontentwhichis relevantandpresentedinawaythatyourreaderswillwanttoreadit. Itmaybepossibleforyoutorecoversomeofthecostofthenewsletterbysellingsomeadvertisingspace,butbecarefulaboutthetype ofsuppliersyouincludesoastoavoiddetractingfromtheimageyouarepresenting. Ifyoucreateanddistributenewslettersinelectronicformatthenyouhaveexcellentopportunitytoarchivethematerialsonyour website,freelyavailabletoall,andsobuildupalibraryofusefulinformationforvisitorsandsearchersfaroutsideofyourown databaseorcirculationlist. Backtomarketingindex.

websitedesignandinternetmarketingtips

Websitesandtheinternetcanseemextremelycomplex,andoncertainlevelstheyare,butthefundamentalsaresimple. Havefaithincommonsenseprinciplesandyourownexperiencewhendevelopingwebsites,orbriefingadesignertodoso. Herearesomebasicrulesforgoodinternetandwebsitemarketing,andparticularlyforcreatingeffectivewebsites: Keepitsimple.Peoplewantinformationquickly,clearly,withnononsense.Rememberyourownfrustrationswhenusing unnecessarilycomplexwebsites.Makeyourownwebsiteeasytouseandtoconveyyourimportantmessages.Aimforsimplicityand easeofuseinallfunctionality. Theinternetandthewebsitemediumareideallysuitedtospecialisedproviders,suppliers,companies,etc.,sotrytospecialise andbethebestinwhatyouofferwithinthatspecialisationontheweb. Giveasmuchasyoucanfreeonlinefromyourwebsite.Especiallymaterialsthatcanbeprintedordownloaded,orinformationthat canbereadfromthewebpage.Technicalandfactualinformation,howtoguides,historicalbackground,andlotsofotherobjective referenceinformationrelatingtoyourproducts/servicesareallobviousvaluablefreethingsyoucanofferfromyourwebsite, althoughoddlymanyorganisationscompletelyoverlookthisopportunity.Businessestendonlyto'sell'ontheirwebsites.Butpeople usethewebmainlyforgatheringinformation.Ifyouprovideusefulinformationaboutyourspecialisms,yourwebsitewillappeal tomorepeople,anddevelopbiggertraffic,thanifyouuseyourwebsitemerelytopromoteandsellyourproductsandservices. Awebsiteisonascreen,butactuallyitshouldbedesignedratherlikeashop.Thinkaboutitinthesameway.Easeofaccessto whatpeoplewant.Productsorganisedinclearcategories.Supportinginformationshouldbeavailable.Avoidclutter.Makebrowsing easy.Haveaclearandcleanlayout.Theexperienceshouldbewarm,personalandwelcoming. Removeobstacleslikeregistrationsandpasswordrequirementsasfaraspossible.Thesearebarrierstovisitors.Shopsdon'thave barriersandregistrationrequirementsdothey?... Fancygraphicsandvisualeffectspleasemanydesigners,butnotcustomers.Overcomplicateddesignputspeopleoff,andgetsin thewayofreadingandabsorbingtheinformationthatpeopleareseeking. Lotsoftextisgood.Ifit'srelevantusefulcontent,searchengineslikelotsoftexttoo,butitmustberelevant. Keepinformationuptodate.Manysearchenginestakeaccountofpageupdatefrequency,soupdateyourwebsitefrequently. Offerwhatpeopleareinterestedin.Notwhatyouwanttopush.Theweb,andsearchenginerankings,aredrivenverymuchby users.Ifyouofferwhatpeoplewant,thenyourwebsitewillgrowinpopularity. Goodwebsiteswillbefoundbymostsearchengines.Providedalinkexistssomewhereonthewebtoyourwebsite,thensearch engineswillfindit. ThebigthreeUS/EuropesearchenginesareGoogle,Bing(exMSN)andYahoo.Googleremainsbysomeconsiderablemarginthe mostpopularsearchengine.Google'slistingsarebasedonGoogle'sverycleverrankingalgorithms,basicdetailsofwhichfreely availableatGoogle'sownwebsite.BeforeyouconsiderengagingawebsiterankingspecialistlookatGoogle'sownfreeadvice. Thereismuchyoucandoyourself,becausesomuchofwhatmakesawebsitesuccessfulconcernsthecontentonit,andthis remainsthebiggestdriveroftrafficmoresothantechnicalSEO(searchengineoptimisation)tacticsand'secrets'. Otherwebsiteslinkingtoyourswillcertainlyimproveyoursearchenginerankings,butbuildingasitethatothersiteswillwantto linktoisfarmorebeneficialthandirectingallthateffortinsteadintoa'reciprocallink'campaign.Reciprocallinkingismuchover ratedasawebsiteoptimisationtactic.Relevanthighqualitylinks(fromreputablepopularwebsites)aresignificantlymorehelpful. Havinghundredsofirrelevantlinksontinyunpopularwebsitescountsforverylittle. Searchenginesdowngradeordelistwebsitesthatusedishonestoptimizationmethodsorcheating,sodon'tresorttosuchmethods. Cheatingtypicallyentailsdistortingcontent,orestablishinginboundlinksusingspamorothernuisancetechniques. Measureandanalyseyourtraffic.Mostwebsitehostingsolutionsandprovidersnowincludetrafficstatisticspackages.Google Analyticshasbecometheindustrystandardtoolforwebsitetrackingandanalysis. Readblogsandnewslettersaboutwebsiteoptimisationtolearnaboutthetoolsyoucanusetodesignandmeasureyourwebsite's performanceinrelationtothewebasawholeespeciallywhatpeoplearesearchingfor,howusersfindwebsites,andwhatyou candotooptimiseyourownwebsite.AgainGoogle'sowninformationandtoolsareextremelyuseful,andoftenoverlooked. Ifyouengageawebsitedesigneroragencyfollowtheprinciplesforworkingwithanycreativeagency.Developyourspecification first(i.e.,especiallyprocessesandstructures,spellingandgrammarchecked,structureandprocessimplications)beforeyou engageadesigner,andthenissueaverycleardesignbrief.Don'twasteadesigner'stimefinalisingandcorrectingfundamental contentandmaterialissuesoncethedesignstagehascommenced.Designersarenotmindreadersyoumustdevelopclearideas ofwhatyouwantyourwebsitetobeanddo.Thedesigner'sjobistointerpretthisspecificationintotechnicalcodeandcomputer functionality.Yourresponsibilityis'what'thewebsitemustbeanddo.Thedesigner'sresponsibilityis'how'itbecomesthis. Backtomarketingindex.

surveysandquestionnairesforstafforcustomers
Ifyouemployand/orsupplypeopleitisimportanttoknowtheythinkaboutyourorganisation/business,andwhattheyneedfromyou. Don'tguessorassume,orworse,tellthem.Askthem.

Asurveyisthecommonmethodtodiscoverstaffandcustomerattitudes,needs,desires,problems,complaints,suggestions,etc. Manyoftheproblemsthatariseforbusinessesandemployerswouldnotdosoiftheleadershadaskedstaffandcustomersfortheir views,feedback,andsuggestions,etc. Surveysofcustomersareaveryimportantaspectofmarketing.Theyareveryrelevanttodevelopingproductsandservices,andthe businessororganizationaswhole.Surveysarealsoaverysignificantaspectofpublicrelations. Asurveyofcustomersand/orpotentialcustomers(stafftoopotentially)alsoprovidesanexcellentopportunitytoachievesomevaluable positivepublicityafterwards.Newsmediaandtradejournalsarealwaysverykeentopublishsurveydata(obviouslywhereprivacy, discretion,sensitivitiesofrespondentsarenotthreatened).Mediapublicationsandwebsitesareparticularlyinterestedinsurveyresults whichinformtheirreaders'understandingofissuessuchasconsumertrends,businessandindustryspecifictrends,lifestyle,the economy,andanythingelsereadersfindentertainingandinformative.Whereabusinesscarriesoutasurveyandsomeofitsfindings arepublished,thebusiness/organizationisreflectedinaverycredibleandauthoritativelight. Usuallyasurveyisbasedonaquestionnaire.Marketresearchcompaniescandesignandorganizestaffandcustomersurveys.Sotoo cangoodtelemarketingagencies.Youmightprefertoorganizeasurveyinternallyduetocontrolorcostsreasons,inwhichcaseit's helpfultofollowasensibleprocess.Evenifyouuseanagency,it'shelpfultounderstandtheprocess. Belowisaquickguidefortheprocessofcreatingandorganizingastafforcustomersurvey,orsomemarketresearch,basedona questionnaire. Allsituationsaredifferent,soseekotherideasfromcolleaguesandexternalpeople,andadaptyourownplansaccordingly. Obviously(butoftenoverlooked)todevelopaneffectivequestionnaire youmustfirstdefineexactlywhatyouwishto discover.Startbyestablishingtheinformationyouseektolearn,andthenbuildyourquestions,andselecttherespondents(which impliesyourformatandmethodtoo)accordingly. Brainstormingisausefulstart.Youshouldalsoconsultwithallinterestedpartiesinlistingyoursurveycriteria.It'salotofeffortto designandmanageasurvey,soit'ssillytomisssomethingimportantbecausetheearlyplanningstagewasrushed. Herearethemainstepstodesigningasurveyofstaff,customersoryourmarket,usingaquestionnaire:

stepstodesigningstaff/customersurveys
1. Decideandagreethepurposeofthesurvey.Definethefactsthatyouwishtoreveal.Keepitassimpleasyoucan.Thereisa temptationtoexpandsurveysintoadditionalsectorsandsubjects,butthisnormallydilutestheusefulnessoftheresponseandthe resultinganalysis.Ithelpstoconcentrateonthekeyissuesforyouressentialtargetgroup.Inthisrespect,surveyingisratherlike marketingandselling.Ifyouspreadyoureffortstoowideandthinyourresultswillbewideandthintoo. 2. Decideyourtargetrespondentsoraudienceormarketsectororstaffaudience.Ensurethatyourtargetrespondentgroupis relevanttoyoursurveysubject,andsatisfyyourselfthatyoucanidentifyandreachthetargetgroupviawhatevercommunications andsurveymethodyouchoose. 3. Decidethelevelofprivacyandanonymitywhichisappropriateforyoursurvey.Manysurveysworkbetterifconducted anonymously.Ontheotherhand,asurveyofbusinesscustomersgenerallyworksfarbetterifrespondentsareknownandgiven theopportunitytoexpressspecificviewsfromtheirownparticularstandpoint. 4. Decidetheminimumresponse(numberofcompletedquestionnaires)thatyouneedforausefulsample.Forbusinesscustomer surveysaminimumof100responsesisanacceptablenumberprovidedrespondentsrepresentasuitablecrosssectionofthe relevanttargetaudienceorcustomerbase.Consumersurveystendtorequireseveralhundredrespondentsforveryusefulresults. 5. Whenyouknowtheaboveitiseasiertodecideyoursurveymethod(s).Focusgroupsgenerallyachievethehighestandmost reliablefeedback,butaretimeconsumingtoorganise,andbytheirnaturearelimitedinscale.Themethodishoweververyuseful toaugmentlargersurveyactivity.Phoneorfacetofaceinterviewsproducequitehighresponseratescomparedwithpostalor onlinesurveys.Generallyelectronicsurveysdonotproducehighresponselevels. 6. Organizeyoursurveytoallowfortheanticipatedresponserate.Forexampleanticipatealowresponserate(between2%and 10%)ifthesurveymethodispassive,suchaspostaloremailorwebbased.Moreproactivemethodsliketelemarketinggivea higherresponserate(assumingthecontactlistisreliableyoucanworkonabout2050%responsefromthecontactlistandbe guidedbythetelemarketingagencyifyouuseone).Forgeneralconsumermarketresearchsurveysviastreetordoortodoor interviewsagainconsiderthatmostpeopledeclinetotakepart,andthereforeyoushouldbuildalowresponseexpectationinto yourplanningofnumbersandtime.Thehighestresponseratesarefromfocusgroups(basicallyafocusgroupisanarranged meetingofasmallgroupofpeople,forinterviewsanddiscussions,usuallycombinedwithaquestionnaire)whichbytheirnature enable100%response.Interestinglyamuchignoredopportunityforveryhighrespondingsurveysiscomplaintsand grievancesfromyourtargetgroup.Thinkaboutit...complaintsandgrievancesareanextremelyusefulsourceofvaluable feedbackandviews,whichideallyshouldbeincorporatedintoanysurveyproject.It'sawastenotto. 7. Decidethesurveymethod(s)email,internet,telephone,writtendocument,focusgroupdiscussions,streetsurveys,doorto door,orcombinationofthesewhateverwillfityoursituationandtargetgroupbest.Considerthereplymechanismifoneis required.Forexampleincludepostagepaidaddressedenvelopes.Orforinternalstaffattitudesurveysconsidertaskingsomeone toencourageandcollectreplies.Whatever,makeiteasyforpeopletorespond. 8. Considerincentivisingorofferingprizestosurveyrespondents,orevenapaymentespeciallytofocusgroupmembers.It'svery frustratingtoputthetimeandeffortintodesigningandrunningasurveyonlytofindthatyougetaresponsethat'stoolowtobe useful.Peopleareverybusyandmostlyarenotpreparedtogivetimeinrespondingtoquestionnaires,evenifit'sintheirinterests

9.

10.

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15. 16. 17. 18.

19. 20. 21.

todoso.Forpassivesurveymethods(forexamplepostalorinternalmail)expectresponseratestobelessthan10%.Sometimes theycanbelessthan1%.Businesscustomersurveysworkwellifpostalquestionnairesaresupportedbytelephoneintroduction toexplainthesurveypurpose,thenfollowedup('chased')bytelephonetooifnecessary. Designtheactualquestionnaire:Listtheindividualquestions/issues.Attheearliestpossiblestageithelpstobuildthesurveyonto aspreadsheetthisenablesdataandstructureandscoring,etc.,tobeorganizedmucheasierthaninatexteditor.Trytocreatea naturalfloworsequenceinthequestions.Useclosedquestions(yes/no)whereuseful,andoffermultiplechoiceanswers,and avoidgivingabiastothequestionsinfluencedbyyourownassumptions,ortheCEO'spersonalviews. Thencreatequestionsseekexperthelpwithwritingthequestionsit'simportanttogetthisright.Questionsthatseemclearto youmightbeconfusingtopeoplefarremovedfromtheproject.It'scrucialtoframethequestionsobjectivelyandclearlysothat theycanbequicklyandclearlyunderstoodbythereader.Clearquestionsalsomaximiseresponserates.Confusionandlackof relevanceinquestionnairesarebigreasonsforpeoplenotresponding.Effectivequestionnairesmustbeeasilyandquickly understood,sotestyourquestionsonsomeonewhoknowsnothingaboutthesituation,evensomeyoungteenagers(arguably themostdifficultaudienceofall),tocheckthatyourintendedmeaningisproperlyandquicklyunderstood. Deviseascoringmethodanddesignthisintothequestionnaireformat.Analysisofresultsisverydifficultandtimeconsumingif youfailtoconsiderthisproperly.Ideallyyoumustbeabletoconvertanswersintonumericaldatatomakeanalysisquickand reliable,especiallyifyoursurveyislarge.Ifindoubtseekhelpfromaspreadsheetexpert.Financedepartmentsinorganizations usuallycontainsuchpeople,whoareoftendelightedtohelpwithsurveyprojectsbecausetheyareinterestingandconnectedwith thecustomersand/orstaffsideoftheorganization.Spreadsheetsenableallsortsofcleveranalysisifyouknowhowtodoit,and ithelpsgreatlyforgoodanalyticalfunctionalityandstructuretobebuiltintothedesignofthespreadsheetfromthebeginning. Writeasuitablyappealingsupportingexplanationofthesurvey'spurpose.Alsotakecarewiththequestionnaireinstructions,and alsogivesomedetailsaboutthefollowupprocess.Peoplearemorelikelytorespondiftheycanseeandunderstandameaningful purposeandfollowupforthesurvey.Achievingagoodresponsetoasurveyisalwayschallenging,sothebetteryoursupporting explanationthenthebetteryourresponseratewillbe.Asurveyalsohelpstowardspositivestaff/customerrelationsitshowsyou areinterestedintheirviews,somakethemostoftheopportunitytocommunicateandexplain. Consideranddecideaboutpublishingthesurveyanalysis(orasummary),andhowbesttoconveyresultsandfollowupactions totherespondentsandotherinterestedparties.Thisisespeciallyimportantwithsurveysofemployees.Forcertaintypesof marketresearchorattitudinalsurveysconsideralsothePR(PublicRelationspublicity)valueandopportunitiesarisingfromyour survey.Subjecttorulesofprivacyandagreementwithyourrespondents,asurveycommonlymakesexcellentpresseditorialand publicity. Testthesurveyandmethod(s)withasmallsampleofpeople,preferablyrepresentativeoftheactualtargetgroup.Checkthatthe scoringandanalysiscanbedone.Thisisespeciallyimportantifthesurveyislarge,expensive,and/orcrucialtotheorganization's strategyanddecisionmaking.Theneedfortestingisoneverygoodreasonforplanningsurveyssufficientlyinadvanceofthe deadlineforgettingtheresults. Ifyoutestthesurvey,obviouslyrefinethequestionsandstructureandsurveymethodsappropriately. Runthesurvey.Monitoritsoperation.Don'twaituntiltheendtodiscoveraproblemthatyoucouldhavefixedatthestart.Ifyou useanagencychecktheirprogresssoonaftertheystart,andagainatsuitableintervals,dependingonthesizeoftheexercise. Againdon'twaituntiltheendtodiscovertherewasaproblemthatshouldhavebeenfixedatthestart. Chaseuptherepliesusingtelephonefollowupwherenecessary.Thisisanotherreasonformonitoringprogress:commonly responselevelsfailtobeashighasplanned,inwhichcasetheearlieryouareabletoaddsomeextraimpetusthebetter. Analysetheresultsandimplementfollowupactionsasappropriate,whichifappropriatemustinvolvegivingagreedfeedbackof resultsandoutcomestorespondents.Ifyouarestrugglingwiththeanalysisbecausetheformatwasbadlydesigned,it'sstillnot toolatetocallinsomehelpfromaspreadsheetexpert,ratherthanstrugglingonandmakingamess.Ifthedataisthereinone formoranother,agoodspreadsheetpersoncanoftenachieveaminormiracleandsavetheproject,orsimplysaveyouseveral dayswork. Writeupthereportfairlyandobjectively,andcirculateitasagreed,especiallyifitthrowsupafewnastysurprises,whichare actuallythemostvaluablesurveyresultsofall. Ensureallspecificcomplaintsandmattersarisingfromindividualcustomersarefollowedupreliablyandsatisfactorily. Reviewthesurveyprojectoverallandincorporatelessonsandimprovementsnexttime.

Tipagoodwaytounderstandhowtostructurequestionnairesandwritesurveyquestionsistoseehowotherorganizationsdoit. Lookatthevarioussurveymaterialswhichyoureceiveyourselfthroughyourletterbox,innewproductsthatyoubuy,atairportsand stations,inmagazinestheyareeverywhereonceyoulookforthem. Seealsothenotesondesigningandmanaginganemployeemotivationsurvey.Essentiallythisfocusesonunderstandingstaff motivationalattitudes,buttheguidelinesalsoincludeusefultechniquesandrulesforsurveysandquestionnairesingeneral. Thetrainingneedsanalysismethodsarealsousefulforunderstandinganddesigningsurveys,andtheTNAspreadsheettoolscaneasily beadaptedintomoregeneralquestionnairesforotherpurposes. AnotherexampleofaquestionnaireistheMultipleIntelligencesTestmaterialswhichprovidefurtherexamplesofhowtodesign surveyquestionnaires. Thepersonalstrengthsindicatorisanother(verybasic)exampleofasimplesurveyformat,whichisfineifthesurveyissmallanddoes notrequirealotofstatisticalanalysis. Whileanalysisandstructurearevitalinbigsurveys,ultimatelywhat'smostimportantissimplytakingthetroubletoaskforpeople's viewsaboutimportantissues,ratherthanguessingorassuming,ortellingpeoplewhatyouthinktheyshouldbe. Welldesignedandimplementedsurveysalwaysproduceapositiveeffectfortheorganization.Peoplewhetheremployeesorcustomers

thinkbetteroftheorganizationforbeingaskedandconsulted,especiallyiftheyseeyou'velistenedanddoneyourbesttoreact positivelytothefeedbackyou'vebeengiven. Backtomarketingindex.

runningtraining/informationeventsaprovennewbusiness/enquiry generationmethod
Designingandrunningafree(orverylow'token'cost)trainingorinformationeventisaprovenandveryeffectivewaytogeneratenew businessandcustomers. Themethodcanbeusedbyanyonewhoneedsnewbusinessandcustomersbylargecorporationsandevenselfemployedproviders. Designingandrunningfreetraining/information/experienceeventsisanexcellentwaytogeneratenewbusinessatanytime,andthe processworksespeciallywellintougheconomicconditions,whencustomerswanttosavemoney,andarelookingfornewideas themselves. Thismethod,withalittleadaptation,iseffectiveforallindustriesandalltargetmarkets:

training/informationeventmethod
1.Designatrainingcourseor workshoporother educational/informativeevent. Filltheeventwithusefulfacts,information,tips,techniques,statistics,methodology,advice, demonstrations,examples,andmaybeaguestspeaker/expertortwo.Seemorecontentideas below.Theeventyoudesignmustrelatetoyourproductorservice,andappealtoyourtarget decisionmakers/customers.Theeventcanbeanythingbetweentwohoursandacoupleofdays long.Generallytheeventwillneedtobebiggerandmorecontentrichaccordingtothesizeof customersandseniorityofdecisionmakersyouaretargeting,althoughtherecanbeexceptions. Themostimportantissueisthattheeventwillappealtoyourtargetaudience.Adaptthisconcept tobemoreofan'experience'orshowcase,orsampler,ifyouaretargetingconsumerswitha consumer/lifestyleoffering. Youcouldbuyalistoftargetcustomerstousefordirectmarketing,oruseanindirectmethod, forexampledisplayadvertsorinserts,orwebadvertising.IntheUKyoudonotneedtoregister yourowncompanyoryourselfundertheDataProtectionActforusingacustomerlist,unless, broadly,yourentorsellthelist,orareofferingfinancialservices.Moredetails(fortheUK)about DataProtectionrulesareattheInformationCommissioner'sOffice.Youshouldalsoadhereto yourlocallawsorguidelinesconcerningunsoliciteddirectmarketing.IntheUKtheseare explainedbytheInformationCommissioner'sOfficeintermsofmarketingbyphone,electronicor postalmethods.IfyouarenotintheUKseekequivalentadvice.Generallyagoodapproachisto buyalistfromareputablelistsupplier,ortouseanindirectadvertisingmethodwhichwillreach yourtargetaudience,andwhichisnotsubjecttopreferencerules.Bywayofclarification,a phonecalloremailisdirectmarketing,whereasanadvertorinsertinanewspaperormagazine, oracardinthelocalnewsagentswindow,areallindirectmarketing. Lookattheadvertising'tricksofthetrade'tohelpyoudothis.Selltheevent,notyour productorservice .Youradvertisingmustbeveryclearandconcise.Makeiteasyforpeopleto seeimmediatelywhatyouareoffering,whatthemainbenefitsofthecourse/eventare(ideallya singlestrongbenefit),andeasyforpeopletorespondandregistertoattend.Theeventshouldbe free,orofferedatalowpricesoastoreduce'noshows'(peoplewhosaythey'llcomeandthen don't).Myownpreferenceistooffertheeventfreeandminimizethe'noshows'bysomeother method.Theeventmustbeveryeasytogetto,ideallybypublictransport,andoffereasycar parkingforyourtargetaudience.Theeventdateandtimingsmustbeaseasyaspossibleforyour targetaudiencetotaketimeoffworktoattend.Forexampledonotstageaneventforfinance directorsatmonthendorfiscalyearend.Takeaccountofotherseasonalfactorswhichwould makethetimingofaneventanditscorebenefitmoreattractivetocustomers. Theserespondentsareeffectivelyenquirersorprospectsforyourproductorservicethinkabout ityouwillhavetheirattentionatyoureventforthedurationofyourevent.Ensuretherefore thatyourregistrationsystemenablesyoutogatherthenecessarycontactdetailsenablingyouto followupaftertheevent.Andensureyoulookafterthemverywellbefore,duringandafterthe event,becausethiswillreflectdirectlyonyourqualityasasupplierorprovider. Dofocusongiving:information,help,knowledgewhateverpeopleneed. Donotfocusonselling.Peoplewillbeattendingtolearnandtakeawayknowledge,ideas,etc.If yousellhardortoomuchtothemyouwillbebreakingthepsychologicalcontract,and

2.Decideasuitablemethodof advertisingyourevent.

3.Createanadvertisingmailer orothercommunicationsmethod forreachingyourtarget audience.

4.Setupyourmethodand systemforhandlingresponses andrecordingregistrationsof peoplewishingtoattend. 5.Runtheevent.

underminingyourownintegrity.Attheendoftheeventseekfeedback(useasuitablefeedback formandevaluationmethod)aboutthequalityoftheeventandwhatcouldhavebeenincluded additionallyorimproved.Duringtheeventtypicallyinthecoffeebreaksandlunchbreaks(if applicable)youwillbeabletodiscussandgettoknowwhatsubsequentbusinessdevelopment opportunitiesmightexistamongyourattendees.Theywillapproachyouwithquestionsand potentialwork/contractsifyouseemtoknowyourareawellandyouextendaprofessionaland reliableimage.Itisappropriateattheeventtoseekpeople'spermissiontofollowup.Ifyoufail toseekpermissionandthenfollowupanywaythiswillupsetsomepeople. 6.Followup. 7.Evaluateandrefine. Followuptheeventwithphonecallsorappointmentsasappropriate. Analysetheoutcomes.Refineyourmethodsandplanyournextevent.

contentideasforatraining/informationevent
Training/informationeventscanbeusedinthemarketingofanysortofbusiness. Herearesomesimpleideasforcontenttoincludeinatraining/informationeventusedforbusinessgeneration: tips tricksofthetrade methods demonstrations healthandsafetyaspects technologyupdates legal/law/legislationbriefings guestexpertspeakers 'howto'sessions 'sampler'experiences showcaseofsuppliers/products/services activitiesandgames(mustberelevantandenjoyablenotallareasareamenabletothis) workshopsessions handsonmakinganddoingandtrying,etc Theextenttowhichyousellyourownproducts/servicesatatraining/informativeeventdependsonthesituation.Themoreyoutryto sellatantraining/informationevent,thenthemoreyouwilldetractfromandunderminetheevent,andyourreputationasanobjective fairhelpfulprovider,sobecarefulinwaysthatyoumightchooseto'sell'atsuchevents. Asageneralrule,thebiggerandmorecomplex/expensivetheproduct/servicethenthelessyoushouldtrytosellitattheevent.Your aiminthissituationistobuildyourowncredibilityandtogenerateinterestforfollowupdiscussions. Ifyouaretargetingconsumer/retailcustomersthenyoucanincludeastrongersellingelementintheevent,inwhichcasepositionit suitablyinyoureventadvertisingmaterial.Inthissituationtheeventisarguablyclosertoa'party'concept,asusedandproventowork effectivelybylargebusinesseslikeTupperwareandAnnSummers,etc. Choiceofvenueisimportant.Youneedsomewhereflexiblefornumbersbecauselotsofpeoplefailtoattendeventsthattheyconsider tobefreeandofrelativelylowpriority.Somevenuesarepreparedtoofferspecialdealsforfirstevents,onthebasisthatifitworks they'llhavethechanceoffurtherbookings.Becreativeandadventurousinfindingpotentialvenues.Oftenanunusualvenuecanbea significantpartoftheattractiontotheevent.Negotiatewithyourpotentialvenuestoachievethebestdeal. Partneringwithlikemindedcustomersorsupplierscanbeusefulinrunningevents,andalsoinfindingsuitablevenues. Therearemanycommonfeaturesbetweenatraining/informationmarketingeventandagroupselectionrecruitmentevent. Ifyouareinthemiddleofthesupplychainperhapsthereisopportunitytopartnerwithalargeupstreamsuppliertostagetheeventat theirshowroomorfactory. Useyourimagination. Imagineandmaybeaskyourpotentialcustomerswhatsortofeventtheywouldfindhelpful. Runninganeventisawonderfulwaytoinvolvestaff.Involvementmotivateseveryonewhotakespart,andlightensyourownload. Ifyouareselfemployedandwanttodesignandrunanevent,anddon'twanttodoitalone,thenpartnerwithanassociateora supplier.

Insummary: Asuccessfultraining/informationeventwhich generatesnewcustomersandbusinesstendstobe promotedanddesignedsothatit: appealsstronglytoyourtargetcustomers,becauseit offersverydesirableandhelpfulinformation/experience/opportunities/trainingtoattendees,andwhich linksnaturallytotheproductsandservicesyouseektosellafterwards. Ifyouarereallysuccessfulindesigningandpromotingandrunningeffectiveeventsyoucanfindthattheeventitselfcanbecomea chargeable'product'foryourbusiness,orinsomecasesactuallybecomesthemainpartofyourbusiness. Inthemodernage,successfulsellingincreasinglyrequiresthesuppliertogive(knowledge,information,experiences,etc)beforeselling anything.Thistypeoftraining/informationeventmethodfitsveryneatlywiththemodernwayofworkingcooperativelyand collaboratively. Backtomarketingindex.

seealso
businessnetworkingmethodsandtips the'psychologicalcontract'helpfulphilosophicalandethicalfoundations coldcallinghowtotransformacompletepaininthebacksideintothrillingandjoyfulsuccess sostacPRSmith'sbusinessmarketingplanningsystem businessplanningwhichincludesfreestrategicplanningtemplates,samplesandexamples salesandsellingwhichcontainslotsofhelpfordevelopingsellingpropositionsandsalesstrategies ethicsinbusinesskarmaactuallyworks...begood,andyourbusinesswillbegoodtoo loveandspiritualityinbusinessgenuineempathyandcompassionareextremelypowerfulforces

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