5 Words On Marketing

Mar – ket – ing, noun. The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.

The purpose of marketing, whether it’s printed on paper or displayed on an electronic device is to communicate.

A team consisting of a marketing strategist, copywriter and graphic designer can work to create marketing materials that truly deliver the message.

They can create visual and textual components that work in harmony. And when they do, the final product will attract, engage, communicate, educate and motivate.

Attract, Engage, Communicate, Educate, Motivate

One – Attract
Attract the reader. Graphics, images, colors and a clean layout are the keys to making a great first impression. If this step fails, chances are that it’s game over and the trash bin will receive another deposit.

Two – Engage
Since the reader has been drawn in by the graphics and layout, engage them with strong headlines that make them want to know more.

Three – Communicate
Now communicate the benefits of the product or service with strong, to the point copy. Keep it short and simple.

Four – Educate
Don’t stop. It’s time to educate. Show the reader how the product or service solves their problem. Let them know what’s in it for them.

Five – Motivate
Lastly motivate them to do something with a compelling call to action. Guide them through the steps you want them to take. It could be to call, to visit a website, mail back a response card, etc.

If a reader is successfully guided from attraction through to motivation, there’s a high probability that the communication will be effective and positively effect the bottom line.

So Attract, Engage, Communicate, Educate and Motivate

And now it’s time for one more thing …

Succeed

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This month’s article really hits home with me. Too many business owners think a logo is just a thing that can be pulled from a book of clip art. No, it’s way more than that. It’s the visual component of a brand, it represents the essence of the brand, the long term face of the brand. Here at GrooveMaster Graphics we take an approach very similar to that described in the article. A good logo that will stand the test of time also requires an investment in time and capital. I often talk about making a great first impression, a proper logo will make a great first impression time after time after time.

Read the article from Sesko Creative then let me know your thoughts. Have you ever commissioned the creation of a logo? Was your experience similar to that in the article? If not, what was it? Drop me an email and let me know.

We’re all faced with a seemingly infinite stream of decisions in our personal and business lives. I’d probably be categorized as a classic processor (maybe over-processor). So for me important decisions can be overwhelming. Of course we want to make the right decisions, but the process can result in slowing ourselves down, not getting things done.

This month’s ‘As Seen On The Net’ is about making important decisions. It offers some advice on ways to keep decision making from bogging us down.

Read the article by Nadia Goodman at Entrepreneur.com then let me know your thoughts. What kind of a decision maker are you? Snap, decide/adjust, over-thinker? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Regardless of the size of our businesses, we all need someone to sell our goods or services. At GrooveMaster Graphics it’s me. Like many small businesses, I don’t have a salesman schooled and gifted in the art, so I find information like this helpful.

At some point we do have to ask for the business. Having a plan and being prepared for objections is crucial to success.

I think a key, though minor point in the article, is to be prepared if a question you ask does not receive the reply you wanted. If properly prepared, we can turn that objection around and move closer to the sale.

Read the article by Geoffrey James on Inc.com then let me know your thoughts. Have you used any of these techniques? Which ones work for you? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Marketing is dead! You heard it here first, or maybe for the thousandth time. This month’s ‘As Seen On The Net’ by Bill Lee in the Harvard Business Review makes some bold statements about the state of marketing in light of the social media explosion. For example,

1. Buyers not responding to traditional marketing communications
2. CMO’s are not credible when it comes to generating sufficient business growth
3. Traditional marketing doesn’t work in a social media environment, or anywhere anymore

Personally I believe that a balanced mix of marketing tactics is appropriate. This assumes that you are truly marketing to your market nice, and doing it at regular intervals. This mix includes traditional print methods as well as web and social media strategies.

Read the article then let me know your thoughts. Are you marketing at all? Are you still using ‘traditional’ marketing strategies? Have you switched to the ‘new’ marketing? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Do you wear the salesman hat in your business? What’s your style? This month’s ‘As Seen On The Net’ covers relationship building as a path to sales.

Not being the ‘salesy’ type myself, building a relationship, trust, a comfort level first is more my speed. The article focuses on giving to the prospect in a generous way. Giving things that are beneficial their success. It avoids the pitch, close, pitch, close mentality. It’s a lengthy process, but can pay off in the end.

Read the article by Keith Ferrazzi CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight in the Harvard Business Review blog network. Then let me know your thoughts. What’s your style? Does it work for you? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Success. The meaning is probably different for each of us, but we know it’s good and we want it. Most of us have achieved it to one degree or another. But if we haven’t achieved what we’ve defined as success, why not? Perhaps our belief system is holding us back. Having read this month’s ‘As Seen On The Net’ article, I can see that there are some adjustments I need to make.

Read the article by Jeff Haden on Inc.com then let me know your thoughts on it. Does your belief system need an overhaul? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Branding comes up a lot in the e-Groove, so here we go again. Usually we talk about the effects of graphic design, but today we extend design to include product, packaging, interior, user experience and more. The article points out the ways design can affect a brand. Either creating over the moon, raving fans or frustrated and disappointed non or former customers. It’s an eye opening look at how design comes into play in more places than just marketing.

Read the article on Forbes.com by Adam Swann then let me know your thoughts on it. Are there ways that design of one kind or another could help your brand? I’d love to hear what you have to say.