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Marketing Made Simple
Volume. I, Issue 2 -- September 2005
In this issue:
 Off the Cuff... Listen Online!
Quotes
Is Your Marketing Plan Ready for an Update? Marketing Humor...Watch What You Put in Your Advertising...
Featured Download -- Unleashing the Idea Virus
What's New at Valley Virtual Assistants?
Off the Cuff...
Listen to Off the Cuff...
In my opinion, the iPod (or any MP3 player for that matter) is a great invention. The reason I say this is that with my iPod, I have access to so much more information. I'm talking about audio books and podcasts not to mention the multitude of music services available.
Now, access to both doesn't require an iPod. You can listen to them through Apple's free program, iTunes. But for me, I like to listen to them in the car or while I'm working on other things. Yes, I can read them, but why should I when I can listen to them at my leisure.
When I got my iPod, the first thing I did was search for marketing and advertising podcasts as well as downloaded Seth Godin's “All Marketers Are Liars” audio book. I was able to listen to both while I cooked dinner, checked email, drove to and from the store, etc.
While I think that podcasts are a different way to promote your business, I also think they may be a hindrance. For example, many of the podcasts I downloaded had such horrible audio issues I found them hard to listen to. It was more distracting than informative. Another problem I had was that when I subscribed (for free), I noticed the last time they were updated was in May. How can you expect to gain any new business or get return business when you aren't holding up your end of the deal? When I say “deal,” I'm speaking of the instance where you ask them to sign up for your podcast and; in return, they get valuable information.
The same holds true for anything that you are doing for your business, whether a newsletter, a blog, or even your website. People don't return to stagnant sites. Why would they?
Take blogs, for example. I use an aggregator to subscribe to various blog feeds I discover form time to time. I do this for two reasons. One, I'm never going to find the time to go back through my favorites (if I even remember to bookmark them) and see if someone has posted something new. I don't have the time. Some bloggers post three or four times a day while others post once or twice a week. It doesn't matter when or how often you post, as long as you are posting. The other reason I use an aggregator is that they are delivered right to my email. Thunderbird offers this with their software. Outlook offers a plugin so that you can get them delivered to your inbox. I can then read them on my own schedule. When I see that someone doesn't post often (and by often I mean at least once a week) I typically delete the feed. If they aren't willing to give me what they promised, I'm not willing to stick around.
That's not to say that you can't go on vacation, or take a break, or even suffer from blog depression; however, most people see that your posts are regular and if you're gone for a bit, they are more likely to be patient.
Distribute newsletters in a timely manner. If you promise monthly newsletters, don't send them bi-monthly or semi-monthly. Some visitors to your site may be intrigued by a monthly newsletter; and if they get two in one month, some may see it as a bonus, some might not. You could lose subscribers.
With your website, keep it fresh. Keep it updated and add new content. Give people a reason to bookmark it and continue to return. With my first site, it was a standard virtual assistant site. I had the about me page, what I offered, my rates, etc. I have a feature with my stat counter that shows me roughly how many people bookmark my site. With the addition of the resources and the blog, the number of people who have bookmarked it has nearly tripled. Why? I give them reasons to come back.
The key to successful marketing and, consequently, a successful business is to keep your business' name at the top of the minds of those you are trying to reach. By keeping things fresh, clean, and updated, you cannot escape them.
Until next time…
Heather
Quotes
"A product is something made in a factory; a brand is something that is bought by the customer. A product can be copied by a competitor; a brand is unique. A product can be quickly outdated; a successful brand is timeless."
Stephen King, WPP Group, London
"People don't really care how much you know until they know how much you care."
Mike McNight
"You don't close a sale, you open a relationship if you want to build a long-term, successful enterprise."
Patricia Fripp
"A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something."
Frank Capra
Is Your Marketing Plan Ready for an Update?
Copyright 2005 Bobette Kyle
With summer vacations over and schools back in session, marketing plan "season" is fast approaching. This is a time when you reflect on the effectiveness of your business marketing programs. You will be planning to improve performance of some marketing programs, discontinue some, and try others for the first time.
Each Marketing Plan is Unique
For those writing a marketing plan for the first time, it is important to know that there is no "magic formula" to an effective marketing plan. Formats and procedures vary widely, and your marketing plan will be one-of-a-kind.
Your company, customers, competitors, and suppliers interact to create a unique and ever-changing business environment. Because of this, your marketing plan should also be unique and frequently changing. What worked wonderfully for one company may be a dismal failure for you. What worked yesterday for you may not be the thing for you to do today. By thinking of your plan as a unique and perpetual work in progress, you can be better prepared to change direction when the business environment changes.
A Plan Makes a Profitable Difference
Ultimately, your marketing plan is a compass by which you navigate your day-to-day business. As opportunities arise or your business environment changes, the objective and strategies in your marketing plan will point you toward the best action. Without a marketing plan, you are guessing what might be best for your business. And dont forget to address your Web site in the marketing plan. Without a marketing plan your Web site may be a drain on your finances rather than a business builder.
Also, understand you do not need a marketing degree and a lot of experience to update or create a marketing plan for your business. Once you have a structure to follow, the rest is a matter of rolling up your sleeves and getting it done. There is no single approach to developing a marketing plan. There is a wide selection of books, toolkits, and software to help you through the planning process. Some approaches require a great deal of time and others are "quick and dirty." All can be applied to your business as a whole, an individual product, or your Web site.
So, in all the hustle and bustle of everyday business activities, dont forget to take the time to update an existing marketing plan or write a new one. Your future profits depend on it!
About the Author:
Bobette Kyle has been proprietor at http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com since 2002. For tips on how to make the marketing plan process go smoothly, visit http://www.MarketingPlanArticles.com and read "Tips to Help Calm ‘Marketing Plan Panic.'"
Marketing Humor
(courtesy of www.marketingideashop.com)
Watch what you put in your advertising...
An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of "I saw the Pope" (el Papa), the shirts read "I saw the potato" (la papa).
Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave," in Chinese.
Coors put its slogan, "Turn it loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer from diarrhea."
When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the U.S., with the beautiful baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what's inside, since most people can't read English.
Marketing moral: If you are planning to market your products in another country or language, make sure you understand the cultural system and the language.
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.
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Featured Download
Unleashing the Idea Virus
When I found out that I could get Seth Godin's "Unleashing the Idea Virus" online, for free, I was amazed. Why? In thinking about it, it's exactly what Seth is trying to convey. He's offering his book in PDF form and people are spreading the "virus". See what Amazon.com says about the book:
"Godin's Unleashing the Ideavirus entertains the reader while successfully setting off bursts of ideas along the way. Rather than marketing at the consumer, Godin's approach seeks to maximize the spread of information from customer to customer. The book provides the expected examples of successful ideavirus marketing, then develops a recipe for concocting your own ideaviruses. In order to show how to make your idea infectious, the book examines what makes a powerful 'sneezer', how 'hives' work, and applies the concepts of critical velocity, vector, medium, smoothness, persistence, and amplifiers. As Godin shows, the now-familiar idea of viral marketing is one very specific form of ideavirus marketing. Most businesses will not be able to engage in true viral marketing, but all can use the ideavirus approach."
What's more is that Seth offers a PowerPoint presentation as well, all to help spread the word!
Of course, you can still buy the book. Here's the link to purchase at Amazon.com.
If the eBook works for you, you can download it now here:
Unleashing the Idea Virus
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