06 October 2008
Branding and promotional campaigns help create your brand or corporate image. It’s important to have a well designed identity that your target audience relates to.
Having a good designer assist you in the early stages of brand and identity development will save you time and money in the long term. Brand loyalty and the names and identities associated with it takes years to develop. When designing or making changes to corporate or brand identity, or running campaigns to promote your brand consider the purpose and implications.
The role of design, promotional and advertising agencies is to plan and implement advertising or promotional campaigns on a client’s behalf.
Guidelines for working with external agencies:
- Appoint people who are recommended to you.
- Appoint people who have portfolios that you can relate with and who have experience in your business sector.
- Agree on written briefs for all work. Break briefs down into phases. A brief should include the purpose of the campaign, your budget, your expectations and an indication of how you will measure the effectiveness of the campaign.
- Maintain a balance or a compromise between what you want to say and how the agency wants to say it.
- Keep the message simple.
- Don’t over-complicate the campaign with unnecessary mechanics and detail.
- Make sure you provide the correct copy (text) and/or brief to avoid additional charges on changes to artwork or promotion logistics.
- Small businesses should use agencies that provide all the services under one roof to avoid additional mark-up costs in bought-in services.
Posted in: Marketing Tips
29 September 2008
It’s that time of year again! Year-end functions, year-end gifts and summer hype!
It’s advisable to plan and budget for this time of year. If you haven’t done so already, don’t fret, you can still do quick planning. Planning and budgeting saves costs (no rush job billing and overnight courier fees). By planning you are ensuring that you maximise on sweet marketing opportunity!
While it’s important to consider budget, do not neglect looking at manageable timelines, branding and distribution. All these factors contribute to a well planned campaign - it’s the execution that matters!
Keep the following guidelines in mind while planning your promotional campaign:
- Define the objectives and purpose of the campaign.
- Determine a workable distribution plan to a targeted audience. Distribution of the gift is an extremely important factor and can make or break the campaign.
- Create a theme and stick to it! All literature and products being used for a promotional campaign should carry the same logo and have the same colour scheme.
- Develop a message to support the theme. This can be done in the form of a slogan - simplicity is the key.
- Select a promotional product that can be associated with the communication message.
- Don’t pick an item based solely on uniqueness, price or perceived value. The integration and the planning of the campaign are more important than the latest trends.
- Remember to include an element in the campaign to measure the effectiveness of the campaign. It’s important to establish return on investment.
The above mentioned steps will ensure a properly planned campaign. A well planned promotional campaign can have profound results.
Posted in: Gifting, Marketing Mix
22 September 2008
Check out Bev’s post on Ten common-sense marketing tips for busy entrepreneurs
I dare say that marketing a small business has never been more challenging.
Innovation, rapid technological development, increasing accessibility to technology and the wide spread adoption thereof have had far reaching consequences for the entrepreneur. It has not only presented small businesses with opportunities (and even advantage) in a global business landscape but also presented the challenge of reaching customers through increasingly fragmented channels.
Sir Winston Churchill once said, “It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.” Often small business owners fall into the trap of trying to outshine their competitors, reinvent the marketing wheel (with some outrageous once off campaign) and forget what is required. In today’s world where we are bombarded with information from every angle (sms, email and advertising for example) a clear well targeted message conveyed simply is often the most effective.
Sweet marketing simplicity in a world filled with possibility on a small business budget. Daunting or do-able?
Read the marketing musts here.
Posted in: Marketing Mix
01 September 2008
Promotional gifts can be used in more than one way:
- Trade show promotion
- Customer retention / appreciation
- Goodwill / Enhance Image
- Improve, reward and recognise employee performance
- Create awareness of new products, services and facilities
- Reinforce existing products, services and facilities
- Generate sales leads and responses
- Motivate dealers and retailers
- Promotional activities at festivals and events.
- Incentive table gifts at launches and functions
- Year-end thank you gifts
- Prizes for sporting events and golf days
Posted in: Marketing Mix
24 August 2008
Don’t market or advertise like a big business! Large companies have money to spend on brand awareness campaigns. As a small business you don’t have a massive budget and need to design marketing campaigns that produce sales (now). The promotional element of your marketing mix will be crucial. It is the one element that lends itself to direct results. Why not give it a go?
Posted in: Marketing Tips
20 August 2008
When advertising does the job, millions of people keep theirs. Good advertising doesn’t just inform. It sells. It helps move products and keep business in business. Every time an ad arouses a consumer’s interest enough to result in a purchase, it keeps a company going strong. And it helps secure the jobs of the people work there.
Posted in: Promo Points
17 August 2008
A good slogan can only grow from experience, and on the values gained from experience - find the right words to express the value by which we work.
Posted in: Promo Points
13 August 2008
We connect the unconnected: people. ideas, knowledge and events.
Promotional marketing is a mindset, an idea: a focus on connections between brands and consumers – connections in the form of experiences that are personally relevant, memorable, interactive and emotional; connections that will lead to increased brand loyalty and increased sales. It is about interacting in person and making your brand alive!
Posted in: Promo Points
