marketing Archives - Motivational Speeches and books by Snowden McFall

Buy Stock Photos? Don’t Make this Mistake

Buyer Beware

I’ve been buying stock photos for over two decades, back when one photo might cost $1000 to use. Nowadays, most people buy from royalty-free stock photo houses, and I have also been doing that for years. As an author, I understand intellectual property rights and protecting artists, photographers,writers, etc. I know how it feels to be ripped off, as some stole 1/2 of one of my newsletters and inserted into their blog. (Try copyscape.com)

So imagine my surprise to get a nasty email from a lawyer saying I owed over $600 for a photo I had used on my blog 5 YEARS AGO!!! I was shocked, called them immediately, and apparently one of the photos was not in fact royalty-free, but rather rights-protected.

I then went back to all the sites where I had bought photos searching for that one. Hundreds and hundreds of photos. Could not find the purchase date or license agreement. In fact, some of the photos I bought years ago were not even there any more. There was no way around it- I owed the money. Yikes!!!

Here’s What I Learned:

• Every time I now buy a photo, I print out the photo picture and licensing agreement number and I keep it in my business records.

• At the end of each post of newsletter, I put which company I got the photo from. The one above is © Iluzia | Dreamstime.com – One Hundred Dollars Photo

• Whenever possible, use your own photos and copyright them.

• Do not repost photos from Facebook®- you do not know where they came from.

Don’t get caught with an expensive bill. Protect yourself!

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Dramatically Improve Your Brand

How to Improve Your Brand

I recently had the honor of serving on a panel on marketing for Women Business Owners. It became clear that many people don’t understand what their brand really is. Here are the core elements, some of which you may not have considered.

(photo by Erica Benson)

• Corporate Identity

This includes:

your logo

logomark

theme line

corporate colors (PMS, CMYK, RGB)

font (no more than 2)

graphic standard

photos always associated with your company.

In the logo below, the top graphic is a logomark. The logo is the entire graphic with the words attached.

• Theme line / positioning statements In the logo above, which we designed for Selander and Assoc, the theme line “Where People are as Important as the Numbers” tells you who they work with and the next line tells you what they do. Your positioning statement should do the same thing, with some kind of adjective or positive tone.

• Consistent corporate image everywhere Same colors, same font, same artwork, same theme everywhere. In my logo below, the red (PMS 185) and purpley blue colors(PMS 2685) are always used and show up in all my marketing .
Be sure yours is consistent in:

ads

brochures

websites

ezines

business cards

social media

videos

podcasts/ radio

commercials

car wraps, truck art

signage

promo items, shirts, mugs, etc.

• Public behavior of you, your co-workers and your employees A post of your people drunk at a bar may lead prospects to think your company is unreliable. If you behave badly in a public setting, it can ruin your image. (Think Reese Witherspoon.)

• Customer service complaints Handling customer complaints is also part of your brand, which is whyyou should monitor social media or have an RSS feed with the company name and product names.

Anytime a complaint shows up, try to resolve the situation in a positive manner. And if the comment is on google maps, ask happy satisfied customers to comment there.

Recently a large company blithely opened a Facebook page inviting feedback only to have hundreds of angry and dissatisfied customers rant about their lousy service. They took the page down.

Your brand is so much more than just your logo. It is the image and visible presence of your business.

Remember, it takes years to build a reputation and minutes to destroy it.

If you have any questions, email me at orders@firedupnow.com. (For those of you who don’t know- I own a 30 yr ad agency, too.)

Happy marketing

Snowden

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, please go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

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Unlimited Choice is NOT a Good Thing…For Your Business

Have you ever been to a restaurant with a huge menu? I have and it just frustrates me because there is too much to focus on.

Most of us think that “more” is always better. But recent research indicates that is not the case. In the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick, cite several researchers demonstrating that too much choice paralyzes buyers.

• Too many choices overwhelm Iyengar and Lepper share several studies where too much choice is “demotivating.” A gourmet store featured a line of exotic, high quality jams. Customers tasted samples and received a discount coupon to buy a jar. 6 varieties were used on one trial; another featured 24 varieties. 30% of people in the 6 choice trial bought the jam; only 3% of people with 24 varieties bought the jam.

What does this mean for you and your business ?

• Limit the options If you have a variety of services or products, cut down on the choices. Make them no more than 6, if possible. Make it easy for buyers, patients and customers to decide.

• Be crystal clear about the value they will receive. Differentiate between each option so they can choose what it exactly correct for them.

The old KISS method applies here. Keep it simple & straightforward.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

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Marketing Tip- How Often to Contact?

Once Every 6 Weeks

Clients frequently ask me to create their marketing strategy and their marketing materials. But I always want to know how they are going to implement the strategy and follow-up using the marketing materials.

One suggestion is to use the “once every 6 weeks” rule. With existing clients and prospects, be in front of them somehow, once every six weeks. Communicate something of value, whether it’s an article you have written or read that is relevant to them, a phone call to check in on them, a birthday card, a newsletter, a brochure, a lunch date, an email update or ezine. Stay in front of them once every six weeks and be of service.

Always provide value and give more of yourself each time. And never burn bridges- you have no idea where that CEO will end up or that salesman you spurned will relocate. It’s a very small world and you want everyone you touch to be better off from your interaction.

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To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Your Competition Could Get You More Business

Know Your Competitors and Partner with Them

As Thomas Friedman wrote, the world is flat, with increasingly expanding Internet markets worldwide. For a long time, some industries eschewed their competition and worse, bad-mouthed them. But in the world of present and future, collaborations and partnerships can go a long way towards success and profits.

Research your top 10 competitors extensively. Find our what makes your company unique and what they do that is unique. Get to know them and see where you can refer business to each other or provide value to each others’ clients. Have lunch with them or call them on the phone. Share industry knowledge. Collaboration through affinity or affiliate marketing is mushrooming; be part of the trend and do more for your customers in the process. Your competitor may just give you your next lead.

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

Fire Up Your Networking with the Two Pocket Rule

This Simple Trick Helps Organize Your Contacts

As I have been getting to know the Jacksonville, FL, community, I have attended hundreds of networking events, and this community takes its networking seriously. At most events, people pass around their business cards, and often exchange cards while socializing or nibbling on appetizers.

That’s where the two pocket rule comes in. Wear a blazer or jacket that has at least two pockets. Stuff the right pocket with your business cards. Fill the left pocket with business cards of people you meet. That way, the two are easily sorted when you get back to the office.

Also be sure to write notes on the back of a card after you have met someone, especially if you learned pertinent personal information, such as their hobbies, family members, or upcoming events. That will give you great information to reference when you next contact them.

When you get back to your office, take the cards out and sort. Use either an electronic business card scanner or plastic card sheets and notebooks. Anyone you promised to share something with or send something to, do that and make notes of it on the card or contact sheet. If they are a serious prospect, put them in your contact/ database management system.

Next- think about how you can add value to their lives. What article, information, contact person or problem can you solve for them? Who can you connect them to that will help them. Don’t try to sell yourself- simply add value.

And never forget that handwritten notes have a huge impact because they are so rare in today’s world.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference.

Fire Up Your Marketing with Genuine Testimonials

Use Longer, Meaningful Testimonials for Impact

We’ve all seen the phony sounding TV commercials with hackneyed phrases that don’t ring true. That is not good advertising. It turns us off. What is highly effective is the use of authentic customer testimonials which are highly specific about the value received.

At Brightwork, my ad agency, we regularly call our clients’ customers to ask them the right questions to ascertain this value. That often will yield powerfulmarketing information that the client was not even aware of. Then we get written permission from the customer to use the testimonial in all marketing for the client, noting that no compensation will be provided for this usage. That legal document can be important. Real testimonial quotes like these can make a substantive difference in your Internet presence, brochures, direct mailers and websites.

Consider this one, for example:

“I’ve worked with a dozen realtors and Sue Bird is by far the best. She constantly stayed on top of every detail in our deal… She saw the entire transaction through from start to finish…even staying in touch after the sale tobe sure I was satisfied. In a day when incompetence is rampant, Sue is refreshing. Her confidence and knowledge made me feel comfortable. She has great expertise and I will definitely use her again.” Dan O’Brien

Some people think short one liner testimonials are better- such as ‘Sue did a great job.” I disagree. Meaningful testimonials which speak to value received are much more powerful. Consider this with your marketing- and here’s a tip- have someone else interview your clients. It’s difficultto do this effectively for yourself.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting without permission and author reference.

Fire Up Your Marketing by Sponsoring Events

Marketing Tip: Event Sponsorships

Clients often ask me about unique ways to market themselves with good return. One approach is to sponsor an event or cause that you believe in, which has an audience of people who might use your business. Companies whose primary target market is women might pick the American Heart Association Go Red for Women events, Breast Cancer events or Women in Business Awards events.

If you have an ill family member, you may want to sponsor an event that will support research. The key is to be sincere, get actively involved at the event, and make sure you receive good value for your sponsorship, such as logos, ads in programs, recognition, etc. It can be a great way to market yourself, and more importantly, to give back.

It is also a great way to engage your employees. If there is a sick employee that everyone wants to help, perhaps you do a fundraiser event around the cause that represents their illness. Or get everyone together and help build a house through Habitat for Humanity. It’s also a tremendous stress reliever to do something for someone less fortunate. Everyone can connect something with meaning and purpose and it increases morale and positive feelings all around.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication 
or reprinting with permission and author reference.

PR Can Fire Up Your Marketing!

PR is a Great Free Way To Increase Visibility

PR can be a terrific way to build visibility and credibility for your business. Many publications are looking for good articles and real news, so make it easy for them. When you send in press releases, be sure to write them strictly as facts, no advertising.

Include the 5 W’s: the who, what, why, where, when, in the first two-three sentences. Always provide contact information and put a quick summary about the business in the last paragraph. Have an interesting headline or grabber. And if you have news that is worthy of a more in-depth article, make it easy for the reporter. Have a great hook. Tie it into national news or something timely. Keep your bullet points succinct and always be gracious with reporters.

Be sure to write the reporter a thank you email or note after the article is published. If you get enough articles out there, you could become a source to reporters. Two national media outlets featured me as an expert on burnout: Investors Business Daily and Fox News.com. The best part? They found me on the Internet and contacted me about their articles! Success Magazine did a story on my new book Stress Express! 15 Instant Stress Relievers. The same thing can happen for you.

To sign up for Snowden’s ezine newsletter on stress, happiness, marketing and motivation, go to: https://firedupnow.com/firedupemailregister.html

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication without permission

Fire Up! Your Local Marketing

If you have any kind of business that depends on local traffic, such as a restaurant, insurance company, retail store or more, you will want to improve on your local presence through many newer vehicles. Be sure you have a listing on Google Places (it’s free) and be aware that people can put reviews there. Get listed on Yahoo! Local. A few directory sites to consider are Local.com, 411.com, LocalEdge, and Ziplocal. And one of the more popular social media sites is Foursquare, where people log in when they visit your establishment. The most frequent visitor becomes the “mayor.” Be consistent with your message, brand and map on all these sites and your visibility and traffic will increase.

 ©2011 Snowden McFall All Rights Reserved. No duplication