Why is it that some of our society’s brightest minds have no idea how to translate their “no holds barred” skills from the courtroom to the public domain of marketing communication in a battle to win more clients?
Maybe they just don’t need the extra business, maybe they don’t know how, or maybe the truth is a combination of arrogance and ignorance steeped in tradition! If you want to know the historical reasons why the legal profession is the way it is when it comes to marketing and advertising then you’ll see an excellent exposé here:
http://www.law.com/jsp/llf/PubArticleLLF.jsp?id=1181207138051 by the (American) National Law Journal.
SMEs: A positioning strategy to play with the big boys
I am sure that you can put your hand on your heart and say that your new product or service is different and unique.
You have a point of difference that would convert a prospective customer in seconds. But how?
Here’s a checklist to ensure that you convert your prospective customers with the proper positioning strategy:
1. Look reputable:
- Have you got a logo that looks substantial?
- Do you have a tagline/slogan/positioning statement under your logo that communicates your point of difference?
- Does your website wow your customer?
- Is the content on your website relevant and proof read?
- Is all your marketing material consistent and themed?
- Do you have an office address and customer service number?
2. Build confidence:
- Do you offer guarantees and or warranties?
- Do you have testimonials from existing customers?
- Can you use the logos of existing customers to create instant credibility?
3. Get noticed:
- Do you have and regularly update a blog, to exhibit thought leadership and improve your SEO?
- Do you update your customers through email and LinkedIn/twitter/facebook?
- Do you have listings and or advertisements in business directories?
- How is your Google ranking?
- Do you do sponsored(Pay Per Click)advertising on Google?
- Do you regularly communicate through email and direct mail with your customers and new leads?
- Is your point of difference obvious and consistent in all your forms of communication?
To find out how we help our clients to play with the big boys, contact us now. We are a marketing agency and advertising agency, all in one and our website is full of information on brand identity and styling, content development and campaign development. By working on looking reputable, building confidence and getting noticed through the right positioning strategy, you’ll look just like a big player in your market, on a small budget. Remember ‘Perception is Reality’! We’ll help you to launch your brand successfully and maximise the return on your marketing investment.
How to avoid an expensive divorce from your marketing agency
If you’ve realised you can’t do all your marketing and advertising in-house, take action now.
It’s quarter 4 already and your plans for 2012 should be signed off and ready to implement. Most budgeting and marketing plan development for 2012 normally happens around September. But, it’s not too late.
The key to getting your marketing sorted is being a priority to the marketing agency and advertising agency that you plan to use. Before selecting an agency, consider this…
Are you going to be a big or small client to the agency? The truth is, if you are just a small account, you might not be a priority.
Choose an agency that is of a comparable size to your business. This way you will get the service you deserve, the attention you need and the outcomes you expect. At qubePartners, a marketing consultancy and advertising agency, all in one, we work with many small to medium size businesses that need a partner in marketing and advertising. Our business is an extension of yours and functions as your marketing department.
It’s about resourcing and experience, we have both! So, don’t think that using a big agency is the answer; firstly, they will charge you like a large corporate but will put your account down the priority list, because your business is small. It just doesn’t make any sense.
When you are too small to matter to the big boys, you’ll matter at our agency and we’ll make a big difference to your marketing results.
Are Your Briefs Embarrasingly Brief
Is your brief, too brief?
We are not talking about showing too much skin, but we are talking about improving your bottom line.
When you measure the success of your marketing project it is dependent on how well your marketing agency met your expectations. But, how do they know what you are expecting? It’s all in the brief!
Consider a dating site, you fill in the questionnaire and it doesn’t ask you some critical questions…what’s the likelihood that on your first date you’ll end up with Mr/Mrs. Right? Highly unlikely! Asking the right questions, leads to the right outcomes.
So, it makes sense that if you only tell your marketing agency half of what you really want them to do, they will never be able to fully meet your expectations. You don’t set out to withhold information from your marketing agency, but if they don’t ask all the right questions…. it’s not surprising that they won’t know your full expectations.
Take the situation of a B2B company, perhaps one with a smaller budget, chances are they have only ever completed a handful of briefs to agencies. Brief writing is hard to do and takes experience to master. At qubePartners, a marketing agency and advertising agency, all in one, we assume that our clients need guidance with completing their briefs. Our briefs are specific and detailed; they are simple, yet comprehensive and all online.
In many cases, the first step with our clients is not receiving a brief; we undertake a marketing audit or brand health check, a review of all existing communication and how effective it’s been or ineffective. Then we work on their advertising or creative brief collaboratively to reach a better return on investment.
Make sure that when using a marketing agency, they know you and your brand inside and out, and if the brief seems too brief, then it probably is!
See qubePartners resources for all briefing needs…
Recent Comments