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All Aboard!! Don't miss the train to your marketing sucess! Visit Marketing Grand Central for intermittent doses of Marketing and VA news! |
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Valley Virtual Assistants 3700 Antietam Drive 540.904.2505 |
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Marketing Made SimpleVolume. I, Issue 3 -- October 2005 In this issue:
Listen to Off the Cuff... October has been such an exciting month! Fall is in the air; the holidays are right around the corner; Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer went on sale; and I was able to attend my first conference for Virtual Assistants . I was excited about the conference for many reasons. I was eager to meet other VAs as well as associate with a few VAs that I've gotten to know very well over the past several months. Mostly, though, I anticipated the marketing opportunity that was before me. This month, I'd like to spend some time sharing a few ways that I've marketed my business in hopes of sparking the creative energy for your marketing efforts. With the addition of the conference to my schedule, I was able to implement many tactics that I don't normally use. I could have easily just packed my bags, boarded the plane, arrived in St. Louis , and taken it easy for the weekend. But I spent roughly $400 for the weekend; and if I had just “shown up,” I would've wasted almost every penny. It wasn't an accident that the book was released just days prior to the conference. What better place to market this book than at a conference where “how to market your business” was a topic discussed time and time again? I donated a copy of the book for the door prize drawing and went one step further when designing the entry blanks (see below).
I designed these entry blanks with business cards that I bought at the local office supply store. Notice how the entry blank is detachable, so the information about the prize can be kept. The contest participants now had the information to purchase the book if they weren't the lucky winner. How else did I market my business? I had to think “outside of the box.” What did the other attendees need to know about me? They are all Virtual Assistants, so what set me apart? I decided to hone in on another “specialty” of mine – blogs. Becki Noles of Virtual Accuracy and VA Training and I had the opportunity to host the “Blogs, Blogs, and More Blogs” table during lunch. With blogs becoming more popular, many VAs wonder how a blog can increase their business presence. Becki and I created a handout called “Blogging Basics” to give out to all of the conference attendees. This was another marketing tactic to establish ourselves as experts on the subject. Presenting blogging techniques with Becki was not the only joint venture I was involved in while at the conference. I also joined Danielle Keister of The Relief to help her promote her new Gritty VA wear. Are there any other businesses you can partner with to gain mutual benefit? Networking was a given when it came to marketing. I made a conscious effort to talk to every attendee. I wanted to get to know them and learn more about their business. I'm always looking for quality VAs for myself and other business owners I know. As soon as I wrap up this month's edition of Marketing Made Simple , I'll be sending a personal note to everyone on the list just to touch base with them. I'm fortunate to have made new friends at this conference. Now think about your own marketing tactics. With the holiday rush soon upon us, many of us will get caught up in the marketing that others push on us. (I'm not just talking about the influx of sales flyers – think about the marketing pressure our kids apply at this time!) Also, use the holidays as a time to reach out to your current customers and clients. It takes much less time and money to keep a client than it does to gain a new one. Before the holidays overwhelm you, take the time to start implementing new marketing techniques that you have learned recently. Incorporating these new ideas into your marketing plan will ensure that you don't reach that “state of emergency” during the busiest time of year. After all, you have enough to worry about with all of your holiday planning! Until next time... Heather
I need your help!I'm working on my next book as well as starting a Q&A section for Marketing Made Simple that will launch next month! Please email me your 3 biggest questions about marketing. You will receive credit in the newsletter and/or the book with a link back to your site. The questions will be formatted in this general manner: Heather Jacobson from Valley Virtual Assistants asks:
Please email your questions to heather@valleyva.net. Be sure to include your name, business name and URL so that I can give you proper credit. If you DO NOT want your name or company name to be included you will need to let me know. I look forward to answering your marketing questions!
Quotes "Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation."
"There is more similarity in the marketing challenge of selling a precious painting by Degas and a frosted mug of root beer than you ever thought possible." "Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing." "A recent government publication on the marketing of cabbage contains, according to one report, 26,941 words. It is noteworthy in this regard that the Gettysburg Address contains a mere 279 words while the Lord's Prayer comprises but 67."
November Sales Dates
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Disclaimer
Valley Virtual Assistants welcomes articles and suggestions from our readers. If you have information that you feel will be a benefit to our readers, drop us an email . We cannot guarantee that all submissions will be accepted for print. Valley Virtual Assistants will notify you via email if and when your article will appear.
All written information included in Marketing Made Simple is the opinion of the individual author. Readers agree to hold Valley Virtual Assistants harmless for its content. Most article writers are not attorneys or accountants and the content should not be construed as legal and/or accounting advice. If an article is written by an attorney or a CPA it will be clearly stated in the byline of the article, however please consult your legal counsel and/or CPA firm before utilizing the information contained herein.
We appreciate you taking the time to read Marketing Made Simple. If at any time you wish to unsubscribe please go to Valley Virtual Assistants and follow the unsubscribe instructions.
Subcribe to Marketing Made Simple and receive 10 Inexpensive Marketing Tactics delievered to your inbox absolutely FREE! Marketing Made Simple is Valley Virtual Assistant's monthly newsletter packed with simple marketing tools to enhance your business!
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8 Easy Lessons in Affiliate Marketing If you want to get started in Affiliate Marketing, Ian Herculson does a great job at paving the way! |
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We want to hear from you! Do you have a marketing article that you'd like to share? Are you struggling with aspects of your marketing plan and just want some advice? To submit your article, email me and make sure you include a bio with a link back to your site. (After all, this is free and simple marketing!) If you have a question about marketing, you can email me and I'll take the time to get you an answer. All questions and answered will be featured in an upcoming issue. |
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What's New at Valley Virtual Assistants? We've got BIG news to share! Making Dollars Out of Cents: 101 Tips for the Frugal Marketer was released this month!
You can get your copy here. Don't forget to sign up for the affiliate program so you can earn money too! Also, I will be appearing on WAHM Talk Radio the week of October 24th to promote the book. Make sure you head on over to check the interview out! (I even give away a few tips!) |
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Introducing the Blog Mavens... Becki Noles of Virtual Accuracy and VA Training and I have teamed together to help with the blogging bug and provide you with a roadmap of the blogosphere! If you're thinking about blogging but aren't sure how to get started, or you are blogging now and want to learn how to drive more traffic to your blog, check out the programs offered by the Mavens! We're also offering a link exchange! For more details head on over to our links page! |
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(courtesy of Building Brands) Brand-naming: Even Coke can get it wrong
Coke's second brand-naming attempt was more effective, using a different set of characters to present 'ko-kou-ko-le', which can be loosely translated as 'happiness in the mouth'. Coke isn't the only company to have had problems in brand-naming in new markets: In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan 'Come alive with the Pepsi Generation' came out as 'Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead'. Also in Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan 'finger-lickin' good' came out as 'eat your fingers off'. And there have been disasters in other markets too… When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, it was apparently unaware that 'no va' means 'it won't go'. Ford had a similar problem in Brazil when the Pinto flopped. The company found out that Pinto was Brazilian slang for 'tiny male genitals'. Ford pulled all the nameplates off and changed the car's name to Corcel, which means horse. |
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