|
|
| Marketing Information |
|
This Information Brought to you by TopWebProducts, knowledge is power. |
|
|
Corporate Branding and Trade Shows - 8 Tips for Marketing Managers
Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the appearance by your firm should be a continuum of your entire marketing including advertising, public relations and events. While you may introduce a new product or showcase a service, many firms make mistakes by not connecting the overall corporate branding with the show. How can an exhibit staff person be up to speed on what the company is doing? BEFORE THE SHOW ???? 1. Make sure you have information about the exhibit ? what is in it, why it is there ? before the show. Not the day before but as soon as you get your assignment. The exhibit manager has the responsibility to make sure the exhibit is on time and looks great - among many other duties. The marketing team decides the theme, products highlighted and rationale. 2. Read your company and division web sites. Sure, there are lots of pages but there are hidden nuggets in there that you may have forgotten or may be new to you. Here's what you may not know ? attendees who are serious about meeting with you ? well, they will check your web site. Best to be as informed as your prospective clients are. 3. Read all the promotional materials that you will hand out. If an attendee has a question while at the booth, your answer will not be ? DUH? 4. Know what is in all the demonstrations. Are there cues to expand on the demo? Clues as to how to lead a conversation? Listen carefully and make your life easier. 5. Read advertising in your trade publications. What does your firm promote versus your competitors? Can you explain the differences? 6. While reading the trades, look for articles and releases about your company. Check your online press release section or ask the PR department about releases sent before the show. 7. Understand the role of your firm if a sponsor of an event. 8. Ask. Ask. Ask until you get answers that satisfy you. Your goal is to make you the best representative for the company you can be. Having an understanding of the broad marketing aspects before the show makes your firm well branded at event. Julia O'Connor
Check out the many ways to use this and learn about all the
aspects of each form of this that is available. Explore and learn
from all that is given here. There are many uses for this
in all of it's forms. For your use from TopWebProducts. |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Preventive Marketing Offers Small-Mid Sized Business Owners An Ideal Way To Maximize Their Results As the owner of a creative services boutique - I have realized that at least 9 out of 10 prospects/clients have suffered from one or all of the following (very detrimental) symptoms of trying to grow their businesses: Ditch Coupons Before Customers Ditch You Everyone wants to feel like they're getting a good deal. Merchants often attempt to capitalize on this desire through coupon offers, rebates, and "special discounts." Coupons have become the promotional drug of choice to woo more business from new and old customers alike. Unfortunately, coupons can destroy customer relationships almost as fast as they are made. After The Mailing Is Done, What Happens Next? If you're doing any sort of marketing effort, whether it's getting news coverage or sending a postcard, you must be prepared for what happens next. If you're sending postcards promoting your business, and you have people working for you, tell them that you sent the card. There's nothing worse than having your customers, postcards in hand, coming into your business and being greeted by an employee who says "Huh? What special promotion?" Fortunately, there's any easy way to solve this problem. Here's an idea from one of my postcard marketing workshop participants: Whenever she has a mustn't-be-ignored announcement for her coffee house staff, she puts it in their pay envelopes. So, in a nutshell, chance favors the prepared marketer. Writing Guarantees that Sell "This offer is good but can you guarantee it." How to Run a Successful News Release Program Marketing public relations gives you cost effective ways to reach your audience. The trade-off, however, is time. It takes time to develop and execute public relations programs. It can take time for these programs to yield rewards. The Anatomy of Hype On a copywriting board I frequent, someone expressed bafflement that several respected marketers criticized the tone of a sales page he wrote. "Why did they apologize to their subscribers while linking to my pitch? This approach sells," he said. Real Estate Investing - Writing Killer Postcards to Attract Motivated Sellers! So many of you have been telling us that you're ready to get started investing, but "you can't find any deals! and what are the steps and secrets to finding great deals?" Some of you have even written asking us if there still ARE any deals left? OF COURSE there are! We find them all the time. But you ain't gonna find them looking at for-sale ads in the paper, for-sale signs in the yard, or by concentrating solely on short sales, foreclosures, REOs and agent-listed properties. Packaging Made Frozen TV Dinners Possible I was saddened to hear of the passing of one of the food industry pioneers Gerry Thomas, One of our unsung heroes credited with invented a "package" the frozen TV dinner that literally changed the way we eat. Never mind that it was considered by nutritionists as a step backwards, his invention still made a major shift in the food and food services industries. In fact foodservice was in the early stages of product development when the TV dinner was first introduced in the. (turkey with corn bread dressing and gravy, sweet potatoes and buttered peas - sold for about $1 apiece and could be cooked in 25 minutes at 425 degrees.) How to Save Thousands on Your Marketing Marketing can be expensive. It doesn't have to be, but sometimes you will spend more than you should. Usually you'll realise this after you've done it. But here are two tips that can save you thousands of dollars. Discovering The Benefits That Hook Your Prospect Benefits! They're what marketing is all about. No doubt you've heard the mantra over and over: "Benefits, not features.. Benefits, not features." The Importance of a Marketing Plan There aren't many things in life that you would get into with out a plan. Marketing is no different. Your overall marketing plan should cover about a six month period, and should be made up of weekly and monthly marketing schedules. Polishing Your Translation Style - Marketing Your Services You have read part 1 & 2 of this article series (see below for link). And, you are probably asking yourself "what else is there to say about improving one's translation style?" The answer to that, my friends, is the most important part of the message. Let's for a moment consider our profession from the perspective of the client. You have a translation project that needs a translator. You pull out all the stops: you hit the search engines; post on translation directories; you even call in a few favours asking for a reputable professional translation service. In short, you get the "word out." Pretty soon you have around a hundred (probably more) potential candidates. Then, based on your translation project criteria, and other priorities and considerations, you cull the list down to 10 candidates. The surviving candidates bring the exact same qualifications and benefits to the table. At this point you do an in-depth analysis on each potential candidate, and the material you have gathered on that candidate. So, here is the question: Who do you commission to take on your translation project? Part 3 of this article series answers that question. Applying the lessons of part 1 & 2 of this article series will put you in the final line up. However, although you may be the most accomplished professional in the business, it does not necessarily ensure that clients will contract your services. It is as simple as that-brutal to be sure, but the truth none the less! Here is where you get to ensure that you are not one of the "other nine." Let Your Reputation Precede You We are all somebody's client-no pearl of wisdom there, I am afraid. However, think about the time-and we have all experienced this at one time or another-when you made a major purchase decision for a particular product or service without the usual angst. It just seemed the most obvious thing to drop the "green", or money, on the table. You were totally comfortable with your decision. Why was that? Dell (computers) was my experience, and not because Dell produces the best computers, either. For me, it was because their reputation for quality, and quality of service preceded them. What is the lesson that can be applied to translation style? Deliver on the promise. Always deliver client projects on time. Better yet, don't just beat the deadline-deliver the project with time to spare. If for some reason, an act of God hopefully, you will not be able to deliver on time, let the client know in advance. The response may not be pretty, but it will be appreciated. And, whatever you do, do not come up with a lame excuse! Of course, nobody sets about a project intending to miss the deadline, and yet many do. You can avoid the "unavoidable" by not accepting projects with unrealistic or impossible deadlines. Negotiate a more reasonable deliver date, or simply refuse the job altogether-your reputation will not suffer. Working within your abilities is important, too. Do not accept material that you have little or no expertise knowledge about because then you will definitely end up making lame excuses. And finally, always make sure that you will be working within your abilities by evaluating the source text before you accept the project. Check it out yourself-do not take somebody's word that it is a business text. Take a page from Dell's operations manual-make your clients feel comfortable by developing a reputation for delivering more than you promise. You are already standing tall in that line up. Operate like a Professional to be a Professional Start by knowing your client. That is, do some preliminary research on your client before submitting your material. This is important for a couple of reason. First, your research will manifest itself in the proposal submitted, and the client will definitely pick up on it. The message is powerful: this candidate is interested enough in the job to "go the extra mile!" Second, you are playing at a psychological level-you are appealing to a universal sense of vanity. Everybody likes to feel important enough to be "researched." I recently received an email from a freelance translator. This person had skillfully worked an original phrase from an article that I had written into the resume. Now, you just have to know that I took a closer, longer look at that resume! What can I say, I'm only human. Too much sweat? Apart from the obvious benefits, you may discover some interesting information. For example, your research may turn up a pierce of information that will land you at the head of the line up. Alternatively, you may discover that your client has a history of not making payments in which case you probably want to remove yourself from the list. A word of caution is in order. When working research into your proposal, be subtle and forego the flattery. Professionals know how to listen to the client to understand what is required. Have you ever thought about the difference between "listen" and "hear?" And the "buzz" that comes with a reputation as a good listener-pure gold! One hears it all the time: these guys knew exactly what I wanted, and they got it right! Apply your listening skills and let your reputation precede you as a professional that gets the job done right first time. You will be rewarded many times over with repeated requests for your services. The job does not start until the paper work is complete! You need a contract that is detailed, and you need an agreement on that contract before anything happens. At a bare minimum, your contract should have clauses cover pricing, terms of payment, limitation of liability, delivery of product (service), dispute resolution, termination of arrangement and confidentiality. Now, some may think that a contract at this point will scare a potential client away-quite the contrary. It speaks loud and clear of "professionalism!" In addition to protecting yourself, you are dealing up front and honestly with an issue that is of obvious importance to the client. And, at the same time you are providing transparency. For example, the clause on pricing will tell the client upfront how much your services will cost and how those figures are arrived at. There is no greater turn-off than a "black box" pricing structure-lurking sticker price shock at its worst! Records. There are a number of very affordable project management software packages targeted at translators that do a good job of organizing and storing business records. E-mails, faxes, invoices, contracts, purchase orders, receipts, source files and translated files should all be stored. Some would say that this is a good business practice, which it is. I would argue that this is essential to being a professional. Organizing and storing records will ensure that clients get a prompt response to inquiries. In addition to lending an aura of professionalism to your operation, stored records are a great source of information when your business grows to the point where data mining becomes feasible. Plan for the future now! I am a repeat customer of Dell. All our hardware (laptops, desktops, and servers) are Dell machines. As our business growths, there is a continual need to upgrade. How do I know what components to purchase? I simply log into my Dell account and enter the product number of the machine I need to upgrade. Every single information record about that machine is accessible-now that is business record keeping! Of course, not everyone has deep pockets for a state-of-the-art system, but you get the message. How long should you keep records for? In some countries, you are required by law to keep business records for a certain period of time. If you employ a project management software tool you essential have the option to store records forever (recommended). At a minimum, store records for at least one year. Communicate like a professional. This is a vast topic that I could never do justice to, and in an article of this length, I also run the risk of losing the original message. Allow me, instead, to focus on written communication since this is probably the most common form of communication that you will have with clients, and in most cases, it will be the first communication that you have with a client. Your writing abilities either are one of your greatest assets, or one of your greatest liabilities. That's it. A Japanese friend found herself in the un-enviable position of having to e-mail the entire company alerting them to an error she had made on a project that she was the lead project manager for. This was a critical error on a major project on which everyone had been slaving away for months. Tempers were very short. She asked for my input. I immediately realized that she was so stressed, and in such a hurry to fire off that e-mail that she had not done the best job she could have done on format, grammar or style. I explained to her that normally people would overlook such issues as trivial, but in the current situation, she would probably be put to the stake! We re-worked the e-mail several times, took a lazy dinner, and then re-worked it some. How did her colleagues respond? In her words "Oh... it was good response!" Written communication is incredibly powerful. Take writing courses if you have to. Definitely re-work everything that clients get to read until it is perfect. And remember this, once it is out there, it becomes a permanent record that you have no control over (i.e. can not edit) for ever. You can dominate the line up by projecting an image of a true professional. Researching the client, listening carefully to identify what the client wants, tying up (legal) issues that are of concern to the client, employing project management tools, and communicating in a clear and concise manner all serve to focus that image and polish your translation style. Do Not Make Clients Look For You Getting referrals, putting out resumes, working the phones, and pressing the flesh are marketing approaches that I am sure you are employing to stay on the client's radar. What more can you do? If you maintain visibility by employing any of these approaches, then like the rest of us, occasionally you drop of the client's radar. How does this happen? Well, physical addresses change, as do phone numbers, when you move. Maybe your e-mail address changed with your new ISP that you got a great deal on. Or, simply, you changed your e-mail provider because you were unhappy with the service. Do you even remember all the places where you have posted your contact details? The point is this: your hard work at staying visible is all for naught because the client will not be able to contact you about a proposal during this transitional phase, if at all. An internet web site offers a permanent solution. Most professionals shy away from a web presence for a number of reasons. They assume that the cost is too prohibitive, that they do not have the technical skill requirements, or that the commitment is too great. This could not be further from the truth. Unfortunately, these misconceptions may be preventing you from harnessing the full potential of the web to grow your freelance business. A web presence is within anybody's reach! What are the possibilities? Your internet address, or domain name, will never change, which means that you will have a permanent sign pointing to your office door. You will always have the latest version of your material in front of the client that can be accessed from anywhere at any time. In effect, you will be open for business 24/7. A web presence will not only stabilize your income, it will provide the opportunity for growth-planning for the future. Stay accessible to clients, stay in the line up. Who Do You Do Business With Let's revisit that major purchase decision that we happily made a while back. Sure, the product (service) came with a good reputation, the operation was professional, and we did not have to look too hard for it. In other words, even before we made the purchasing decision, we were already quite comfortable with the idea of making a purchasing decision. In effect, we were already "pre-sold." However, pre-sold is not quite the same as "sold." That fleeting interval between pre-sold and actually making the purchasing decision-laying out the green-is where it all happens. Sales people refer to this as "closing the sale." And sales people know that in order to close the sale, the client must not only feel comfortable with the deal, but must also like the person making the sale. Surprised? Do not be, you do it all the time, and so do your clients! All things being equal, we buy from those we like. That bears repeating: 10 candidates offering the exact same qualifications and benefits, and clients will always go with the professional they feel most comfortable with and like. I am afraid that there is not much that can be done about character-we are who we are. But, there definitely are some things that you can do to improve your "likeability" ranking. A good, positive attitude attracts clients. Clients do not want to work with professionals; they want to work with professionals that project a positive attitude. Just as we avoid colleagues that are unpleasant to be around, so do clients avoid contracting professionals that do not project the right attitude. Show appreciation for having the opportunity to work with a client. Send a card, nothing fancy or expensive, with a personal and original thank you message. You should try it-it works wonders. Have a genuine interest in your client's best interest. Share you insider knowledge of the industry with your client. When you can not take on a job (maybe you have enough work, or are not qualified for that particular subject matter), reach out to your network and forward the job to a colleague. You can also point clients to web sites that can handle their translation project. Clients appreciate these small acts of kindness, and they certainly do not forget about them! After completing under graduate school in Japan, I returned to Zambia briefly to help in the family business. We made it a policy to recommend customers to establishments-even if they were competitors-that most likely carried the product that we could not provide. Did customers ever appreciate it! They ended up coming around more regularly and making more purchases. Not only that, but even our competitors started referring their customers to us during stock outs. Of course, we made sure not to run out of stock too often-clients also have businesses to run? The customary caution is not to introduce the client to a nightmare. A good rule of thumb to follow is to never introduce the client to a product (service) that you yourself would not layout money for. When clients like you, you are the line up. Conclusion Ultimately, the success of your translation style can only be measured by the number of your clients, and the number of projects that those client entrust you with. That is very much a function of how successful you are in making your clients feel comfortable with your deal-as defined by reputation, professionalism and visibility-and by climbing in the "likeability" rankings. Why You Dont NEED a Marketing Plan If you pick up a copy of the November 2003 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, you'll see my Web site listed on page 10, along with a good amount of promotional copy. Cause-Related Marketing Altruism. Corporate responsibility. Philanthropy. These are often used to describe cause-related marketing, an activity in which businesses join with charities or causes to market an image, product, or service for mutual benefit. What Are People Buying Online? Benefits, that's what! How To Recover Your Almost Customers You'll always need to find new prospects for your business. But don't overlook the prospects you already attracted. Many are close to buying. Use these four simple procedures to convert those "almost customers" into paying customers. How Can I Get Name Recognition? Some of the ways in which to get your "name out there" are to call your local television and radio stations, and ascertain whether there is a medium you can get your name in. A very good source are public stations that hold auctions, at which you can donate your services. Talk shows, both radio and television. Do something to get yourself noticed and send it to them. For example, we sent a fax to the television and radio stations that for anyone who was unemployed we would do a typeset resume for only $10. Channel 13 came out and interviewed us, and we were on their 6 p.m. news program. Brainstorming Techniques as New Product Development Strategies When developing new products and strategies, coming up with unique ideas is often a struggle. It is one of the reasons why, in any industry, there is so much repetition. One way to generate new ideas and "get the creative juices flowing" is by completing brainstorming exercises using props. There are several ways to incorporate brainstorming into a new product development session. Two of my favorite techniques are skimming business publications and utilizing goodie bags. Who are Those People Youre Selling To? If you're in the IT business, that's an important question. Quick Postcard Design Tips I've seen many a marketing postcard that just has too much information on it. Too many words set in tiny type is an all too common problem.
|
| home | main | site map |
| TopWebProducts © 2006 |