Tag Archives: Whispers

Small Business Marketing Combines Experts With Personal Execution

Posted on by

One of the toughest challenges of marketing is connecting the creative process to techniques that maximize the promotional results. Most smart, passionate small business owners know their businesses better than anyone, but they lack the specific knowledge to channel that energy into marketing success.

The Internet and Web 2.0 are bringing these savvy entrepreneurs all of the tools to execute a world-class marketing plan. Unfortunately, there is still that missing piece–knowledge.

Old school marketing firms and ad agencies are trapped in business models sustained by big retainers, long-term contracts, and little accountability. This is a recipe for good money chasing bad execution, in an economy that can’t afford it.

In contrast there are some emerging options, provided by more innovative marketing firms. Leveraging Internet tools, social marketing, and new mobile techniques these new marketing firms are specializing in strategy and expertise, leaving execution to their clients.

Here are a few hints to save you money and squeeze the most out of your marketing spend:

1. Find Experience

Look for firms with talent and proven experience. Survey their impact on the Internet. Ask associates for referrals and references. An effective Internet marketing firm should be easy to find.

2. Pay for Expertise, Not Execution

Chance are you are heavy on smart people, while light on marketing expertise and budget. So, find a marketing partner that will work with you to balance that mix. Look for specific how-to advice and guided strategy. Then do the heavy lifting yourself.

3. Look for A La Carte Services

Don’t pay for the whole marketing department when you just need a few targeted services. Look for coaching and expertise in copywriting, press releases, and campaign management, not managing your message or “communications.” You probably have better knowledge of your target market any way–and how to get their attention. Ask (and pay) for only what you need to get it done, and nothing more.

4. Discard Retainers for Pay-As-You-Go

Retainers are for multi-national, Fortune 50 companies. Pay only on performance, as you go. This more closely aligns a marketing partner with your goals and objectives, while minimizing your long-term risks.

5. Results are the Final Measure

Bottom-line sales and revenue producing results are the most important objectives of any business, but particularly a small or medium-sized business. This is why you may find great marketing firms willing to let you employee their expertise, while giving you the responsibility and savings for implementation and measurement. This assures that their services are credible and drives immediate value.

Find do-it-yourself marketing options for your next ad or marketing campaign. Hire expertise and retain execution and measurement. You get to lead the marketing charge, giving you more for you marketing dollar.

A Marketers Guide to QR Codes

Posted on by

The much talked about QR Codes have proven to be an excellent and power marketing tool in the digital space. It not only opens doors to creativity, but it is also extremely effective considering the number of people that are now moving on using smart phones.

The reason behind its reigning popularity is because of its reach and also because it is among the simplest codes to create. It is essentially designed on the principal of bar codes and can contain much more information than the conventional bar code.

These codes have the capabilities to link users to large amounts of contents and URLs for the sake of effective marketing communication.

Many brands around the world are using QR codes fully fledged and have found it to be an extremely useful tool in meeting their marketing goals. Here are some interesting ways in which marketers chose to use these codes to link audiences to relevant information:

1. Payment Receipts:

Payment Receipts are a simple yet interesting medium where brands can print their codes. This is not yet commonly in use, but they definitely make for an innovative point of contact to engage audiences with smart phones.

2. Labels of Products:

This can be effectively implemented especially in the fashion retail sector, where information such as washing instructions, information on fabric quality etc can be stored onto the code.

3. Mails to Customers:

An elementary option is placing a brand’s QR Codes, is printing them on direct physical as well as well as e-mails to customers through which you can direct them to relevant pages with more comprehensive information.

4. At the Store:

There are a number of opportunities presented at a company outlet or store where one can place these codes. Shop windows, billing counters, display racks are some of the popular options.

5. Buses and Metro Trains:

Inside of and in the sides of public transport such as buses, trains and even taxi cabs are effective options to put up your QR codes. These could be coupled with some print advertisement and cab be effectively used to link users to your company URL. Many brands even choose to go the extra mile and print these at the back of every seat to ensure maximum exposure and reach.

6. Seminars and Business Conferences:

Information such as conference itineraries as well as relevant corporate data can be stored on QR Codes and communicated with attendees of seminars and conferences. If you are a stall owner at some such convention, you could further engage with audiences by providing links to pages specific to your business.

In addition to this, marketers can guide their clients to place these codes across a various number of platforms depending on their objectives and type of business. For example, business cards are a universal medium to exploit one could also print them on newspaper ads, prescriptions in case of medical professionals, etc. Professionals who are not necessarily backed by a brand can effectively make use of this system to engage with audiences by linking them to their social networking pages and profiles across the internet.