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My Company Needs a Website
Every company needs a website - a final landing page for clients and prospects to find critical information about your company and a place where you build lasting credibility. One wrong step and your credibility crashes down along with any hopes of connecting your business with new opportunities. Feel like your already walking across a glass bridge?
Let's get something straight: building your website is going to be time consuming and will cost money.
A good website requires the vision of a marketing expert, the skilled hand of a copywriter, the eye of a graphic designer and the mind of a coder. All things come with a price and a good website is no exception. Choosing to eliminate one of these team players means someone else is going to have to do that job and you will pay the cost later. So look at your budget and determine which costs you can pare down and which are worth the investment.
Tip: you can get away with inexpensive photos and no one will know but bad copy will stick out like a sore thumb.
Let's break it down
Marketing Expert - your key visionary: This person on your team should be working to ensure that your site mirrors your brand image and business message. They will be reviewing website options, integrating your current marketing efforts, keeping the team and timeline on track and setting the stage for what the final site should look like. Without this team member, this job will fall on your shoulders - with all your normal daily work, do you really have time to take on this job?
Copywriter: Every site begins with an outline of all pages and the intent of the page for the site. From the outline your copy writer unearths keywords and important brand messages and builds them into website style writing - Note that web writing takes on a different style than printed materials so pick your writer wisely. If you don't have a copywriter, be prepared to write and edit your own copy at an average of four hours per page.
Graphic Designer: Websites need to be visual. With an average of less than 7 seconds per visit, a site relies heavily on images to grab the visitor's attention and encourage them to read more. Additionally the layout of the page, the colors and those really awesome images created in Photoshop all come from a good designer. No designer on your team means you're searching through thousands of stock photography sites and reworking the images in Photoshop to make sure their the correct size. Time could be anywhere from 20 minutes per picture to endless hours and you can forget any hopes you had for customized images.
Coder: We've all been told how simple it is to create our own sites with a template and a few clicks but the reality is a good coder makes the difference between an okay site and one that rocks. Remember, your site reflects your business and no one wants to be mediocre so why let your website take you down? A good web coder can go beyond the limits of a template and make your site truly reflect your brand.
Now that you have a better understanding of what goes into a good website, you should also have a clearer understanding of why a good site costs money and takes time. Once your site is up, you will see that your investment was worth every penny and every bit of the time you saved by having experts on your team.
At hYperstrand Marketing we have the team of experts you need to get your site launched or even redesigned - call us today for more information or to get started.
Marketing Consultants Provide Brand Consistency
All companies should strive for brand consistency, but a quick review of many small businesses (and even large businesses) marketing materials reveals that many companies do not practice brand consistency. As a marketing consultant it is imperative that I help teach customers the power of brand consistency.
Why brand consistency is important
Brand consistency, or the seamless retention of brand colors, symbols and logos, styles, fonts, philosophy, and attitude across all marketing mediums, helps companies establish a more powerful marketplace presence. A consistent brand image does not limit design, it fosters creativity: as long as brand constants are in place, you’re free to craft designs that reach specific target customer segments. Brand consistency facilitates customer engagement and interaction, helps create a sense of trust, and ultimately lends itself to increased awareness, sales and profits.
Why don’t companies practice brand consistency?
Several reasons account for why many companies do not practice brand consistency. Among them:
- small businesses do not have the funds to pay for professional design, so they wing it on every design
- as companies grow, more opinions and designers often added to the mix leaving design briefs open for multiple interpretations
- dated materials do not reflect more recent brand revisions but are still used to save on reprinting
- the lack of a formal brand identity convention (guidelines) and/or director
How a business benefits from learning brand consistency
Regardless of the reason for any particular client’s brand consistency shortcomings, a consistent brand image fosters their own profits, and an inconsistent image jeopardizes all the other branding they've done.
There are several ways businesses can increase sales by adhering to brand consistency:
- integrate branding into all client print, web and mobile designs
- develop client branding conventions
- hire one person to oversee all design work to ensure branding conventions are explicitly adhered to
It’s easy to see how a simple brochure design job could guide you along the wrong path if there is not a clear understanding of the brand identity. The investment of a marketing professional could potentially save you thousands in missed opportunities due to confused customers and mixed messages.
When sales are slow, focus on building loyal customers
| Given the economic roller coaster we are all riding, your marketing plan is critical to your success in 2013. At the beginning of a recession, it's pretty easy to figure out what to do: Reduce expenses everywhere but in sales and marketing. When business begins to pick up again, you have more difficult decisions to make. Choose the wrong ones and you might be in even worse shape. That's what INC. magazine's Norm Brodsky says. Brodsky is also the author of Street Smarts: An All-purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs.
Recovering from this recession is different. It doesn't seem to be much of a recovery, so caution is in order when hiring or gearing up for a rebound. Focusing on customers is the best use of your time. Many are in a recession mode and want to get as much for their money as possible. There is pressure to reduce prices, but many experts agree: don't do it. Offer additional services instead. Or hold a sale. Offer volume discounts for a limited time, but don't reduce prices. It's too hard to get prices back to where they should be after customers are used to paying less. Tips to building customers for life:COMMUNICATE WITH CUSTOMERSWhether it's an email newsletter, a monthly flier, a reminder card for a tuneup, or a holiday greeting card, set up a system for reaching out to the customers you already have. Remember that all of your messages don't need to be advertising -- some can be useful information or can serve the community. PROVIDE CUSTOMER INCENTIVESCustomer incentives give people a reason to return to your business. Coordinate your incentive program with your marketing efforts and make sure the incentive is appropriate for your target audience. You can use the incentive program to boost business during slow seasons and to promote new products. PROMOTE PRODUCT AWARENESSIt may seem obvious, but sometimes it's forgotten in the competitive hustle of the marketplace that knowing your own product or service is essential to growing your business. Make sure that your staff understands everything they can about your products and service, including old standbys that just keep selling. BUILD A REPUTATION FOR RELIABILITYYour company's reputation is closely related to the reliability of your products and service. The more reliable these are, the more likely your company is to have a favorable reputation.Be reliable, communicate clearly, honor your promises and warranties, and be considerate of your customers' time and concerns. PROVIDE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICEGood customer service means going the extra mile to meet customer needs. Customers remember being treated well, and positive customer experiences result in repeat business. |
9 Things Every Small Business Owner Should Know About Marketing
Are you a small business owner trying to accelerate company growth? If so, here are nine principles you should know about marketing to ensure greater success and drive ROI.
1. Empower yourself with knowledge. While it takes time out of your schedule, it’s important to conduct research on your industry, market, direct competitors and consumers. You can never know too much—and you can certainly know too little. Just as athletes prepare for the big game, marketing success requires countless hours of practice.
2. Know your budget. Identify the investment you want to allocate to your marketing. A good estimate is roughly five percent of your sales. It is critical to establish a budget, because this will allow you to properly and effectively plan your marketing.
3. Create an identity. As a company, your brand is one of your greatest assets. It communicates and connects with audiences, and creates passion for your business. Think of your brand as a spokesperson for your company: highlighting your promises and propositions to the consumer.
4. Formulate a plan of attack. Too many times, small business owners react instead of thinking about business implications, competitors and consumers. It is more fruitful to formulate a plan of attack, first. What media channels will you leverage to connect with your consumer? If you plan, your strategy will be more effective and your budget will remain efficiently intact.
5. Strategy is king. What is the message you want to convey in all marketing components? What service or value do you provide that sets you apart from the competition? This single-minded idea should live throughout all advertising deliverables for an in-sync marketing message.
6. Execute your strategy. How will you put your strategy to work? Print? Website? Online banners? Coupons and promotions? Radio? TV? Identify your deliverables and tools of attack.
7. Create campaign consistency. Present one face to the market and your consumer. This strengthens your brand awareness and drives brand recall. Ensure that all components of your advertising are consistent and cohesive so a story can be told.
8. Track. Measure. Record. Accountability is key, so remember to monitor and gauge the effectiveness of your budget and advertising campaign. By tracking leads via different media channels, you can identify those channels that give you the best ROI versus channels that need to be further optimized.
9. Improvise! By utilizing what you've learned from data tracking, you can change-as-you-go. Proper measurement helps you discover how to better spend your budget, which channels to remove from the media plan, and which channels to try in the future.
Article written by: Danielle Avenso, Senior Brand Strategist & Account Manager, NJ Marketing Agency Graphic D-Signs, Inc.
Monitor Your Online Presence
Intern Abroad
By: Lisa Caravelli
After finalizing your SEO, it's time to monitor how your business is being portrayed on the Internet. Monitoring your reputation and seeing how many people are talking about your business online is very important. Here are some great, free tools that only take a few minutes to set up.
Enter your business name or any other keywords, and Social Mention will show you all conversations from a wide variety of social networks. This allows you to view who's talking about you or your company on their social media websites. It also creates a list of keywords, hash tags, sources, and sentiments that are related to your search. They also give you the option to set up "alerts", like Google Alerts, but for social media.
This site is very similar to Social Mention, but it's a little more organized and user-friendly. They have each social media site grouped into it's own bubble with the results inside. It includes sites such as: Twitter, Wordpress, FriendFeed, Bing News, Google Blog, and Flickr. Another plus is that it has a cool robot/vacuum mascot and very clever slogan, "Inhale the Web".
Probably the most well-known tool, Google Alerts allows you to receive updates whenever your name or company is searched. The awesome thing about this is that it focuses on new and current content rather than old results. All you have to do is enter the search terms you're interested in monitoring, tell them how often to e-mail alert you, and you're good to go!
Twitter Search pulls all of its data from its own website using things like: keywords, #hashtags, companies, and names. There is zero waiting involved for the results and they are listed from most recent to oldest, so you always have the current information right when you need it. The best part is that you don't even need to have a Twitter account to get this information.
There are other premium website tools that help monitor your online presence, but you'll have to be willing to pay the price. Some are even as advanced enough to tell you what city AND building the search took place, freaky! For all other marketing and online presence help, contact hYperstrand Marketing.
Rock the Vote in politics and business
Every four years our great country encourages all legal residents to voice their opinion and vote for what they believe is right and best for our nation. Democrat, Republican or Liberal - we don't all get the results we hope for, but we all have the privilege, honor and right to vote.
What about your voice in business? Do you work somewhere that encourages ideas? Do you run a company and ask for opinions from your employees? Does your company welcome change and innovation?
Owner, manager or staff - when your voice is heard and changes are made it reflects your company values. It provides everyone an opportunity to work toward the collective good. Don't misunderstand, not every opinion is right for the company and not every idea gets put into action. The point is to encourage a free flow of ideas that reflect your corporate mission.
According to a survey conducted by Right Management on North American workers, as many as half of the respondents claim to make 20 or more suggestions each year and another quarter between 10 and 20.
How to generate quality ideas from everyone at your company.
1. Be clear from the start as to the goals and objectives of your company. Stress the importance of these and show how you are working toward them. This will allow everyone to see a clear path and provide better ways to help reach those objectives.
2. Encourage ideas and reward opinions. Showing that you value and appreciate new ideas is the number one way to bring about confidence and happiness in your staff. Remember, your staff is in the trenches and out in the field so they have a good handle on what will make improvements successful.
3. Hold forums and surveys that encourage open discussion. Not all ideas are clearly thought out, but discussing them can bring about new and successful ideas. The results of having employees feel valued for their insight is remarkable and will only encourage further idea generation.
Remember, a clear direction is essential as you don't want to be driven off your path by an idea that sounds great but never reaches your destination.
How to Create a Successful Visual Social Media Marketing Campaign: Case Study
The band Smashing Pumpkins decided to engage their fans through a visual social media marketing campaign.
The campaign was designed to draw in fans by asking various questions about the songs the band was about to release. The fans were asked to design visual representations or texts interpreting various titles.
The social media campaign, titled “Imagine Oceania”, was part of a promotion for the band’s new album “Oceania”. The challenge was initially posted through the photography blog JPGMAG.com and selected artists would have their artwork turned into limited edition posters signed by the band’s lead Billy Corgan, as well as the rest of the Smashing Pumpkins.
Additional fan art was exhibited on the band’s varied social media outlets. These included Storify, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
The visual social media campaign was designed to crowd source marketing by asking fans to participate, engage and share on social networks and the band would also reward the artists (their fans) by sharing their work on the band’s Facebook page which provides an audience of nearly 2.5 million fans.
So how can you make this strategy work for you?
#1. Target Tech Savvy Fans
The band targeted a digitally savvy audience. By posting the challenge on a photography blog, users who are already familiar with digital technology and art will be enticed into competing. Artists who are Smashing Pumpkins fans will want to participate for a chance to be recognized by the band they adore as well.
Below is the Smashing Pumpkins Fan’s images on Facebook for the Imagine Oceania Competition.
The key here is targeted marketing. Smashing Pumpkins knows a huge group of their audience are young, smart, and tech-savvy. So they built a communication channel specific for this group. Who are your customers? Can you create specific ways to engage them that takes advantage of their particular skills and likes?
#2. Offer Low Cost Prizes with High Returns
The prizes are valuable but not costly. Fans can have their art printed on demand and signed by the band. This will not cost very much for the band, but fans will appreciate the gesture. Additionally, the recognition received by some of the artists might eventually translate into actual work. There are positive incentives for fans to participate.
You may need to invest heavily in a prize, but don’t make your audience invest heavily. Keep it simple
- Have them sign up with an email address and some
- Provide basic demographic information.
- Ask for a survey response to be entered.
#3. Drive Engagement and Sharing
The campaign was designed to drive engagement and sharing. Fans are engaged by competing, and various blogs and sites across the net publicized the band’s challenge, for free! This is free advertising for the band. Advertising is also being generated by word of mouth. This is the best type of free advertising there is. No one can pay for this type of exposure.
Here is how they shared it on Twitter with a link to their Facebook page.
The point here is to make the event as exciting as possible. How can you differentiate your campaign from your competition? Can you involve customers in a way that makes them want to share what they’ve done with their contact base?
#4. Attract an Existing Fan Base
Smashing Pumpkins are making use of an existing fan base. Instead of just making an effort to engage new fans, the band is also renewing interest among its existing fan base. Some fans may not have been active. In fact, many fans may not have thought about the band for quite some time, but engaging an existing fan base can cause former fans to have a renewed interest. In turn, these fans will eventually recruit new fans who will join in the fun.
The power of this technique relies upon the trust built with current and previous customers. You don’t have to court and sell yourself to this group: they already know you. You get to skip the whole process of establishing a relationship.
In Review
In looking at the different social media platforms used, Smashing Pumpkins could have gained more social sharing traction by using Instagram for publishing the fan art and not just the photography blog which is a minor player online.
If you have a look at the bands Instagram account not one of the fans images for the “Imagine Oceania” competition was published on the mobile social platform. This was an opportunity missed as Instagram is a much bigger social media network of over 100 million users. This would have assisted in increasing the success of the campaign.
A good example of leveraging Instagram as a visual social media marketing tool is how General Electric used Instagram successfully to promote their brand.
A visual social media campaign has the potential to jump start fan interaction exponentially; so learn from Smashing Pumpkins and get your customers excited and sharing images about your business!
What About You?
What visual social media marketing campaigns has worked for your business. If you are a digital agency, what campaigns using a strong visual element have worked best and why?
Look forward to hearing your stories in the comments below.
Guest Author: Tara HornorTara Hornor has a degree in English and has found her niche writing about marketing, advertising, branding, web and graphic design, and desktop publishing. Connect with @TaraHornor on Twitter.
Read more at http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/10/29/how-to-create-a-successful-visual-social-media-marketing-campaign-case-study/#uezF0poG5WRscftv.99
Plan on Time Management
Intern Abroad
By: Lisa Caravelli
One thing that all small business owners have in common is their lack of time. It always seems like there's so much to do, and before you know it, it's already after midnight and you're still working! Time management is a crucial skill to have in business. As a full time student, I can relate to feeling like there's not enough time in a day. Because of this, I've put together a few tips I've learned along the way in order to better manage my time and efficiency.
1. Eliminate distractions: This may be the hardest rule to abide by. With your phone ringing, unread emails accumulating, and your family interrupting you, it seems impossible to have a quiet working environment. But, luckily there's a simple solution. Power down your phone, log out of your email, and lock your office door. There have been many times where I'd have to deactivate my Facebook so I could focus on writing an essay. By ridding yourself of all things that could possibly distract you and get you off topic, you'll get work done more quickly and efficiently.
2. Set a schedule: Every day I try to plan my day out and leave specific time slots open for certain things. Between going to school full time, trying to run my own business, and working a part-time job, my planner has become my best friend. Although it may seem a little tedious to plan everything out, it will keep you organized and most importantly, sane! Make a list of priorities that need to be accomplished that day and then set exact time slots for when you plan on doing them. If my color coded planner says that from 2:00-2:30 pm I have to study for management theory, you bet I'm studying. Even if I'm not completely finished yet, once 2:30 comes around, I force myself to stop and move onto the next thing. This system will guarantee that you will have time in the day to accomplish the things you need to do.
3. Plan ahead: The most stressed feeling is when something unexpected comes up. Did you completely forget about that meeting with the graphic designer that start in thirty minutes? By always looking ahead and not being improvident, you'll have less time conflicts and feel more relaxed. At hYperstrand Marketing's office we have a huge white board with all the things that are going on this week. This way, we're always informed about what needs to get done and we can schedule our time accordingly. I use the same technique to see when my classes are and other meetings. Visually looking at your schedule makes a world of a difference and keeps you organized.
What kind of things do you do in order to manage your time? Have any other good tips or tricks? Let hYperstrand Marketing take over your company's marketing so you can have more free time in your schedule!
Are your marketing pieces up to snuff?
Intern Abroad
By: Lisa Caravelli
Every year, my sorority hosts an event called Fall Fest to raise money for our philanthropy. There's always tons of food, music, a bags tournament, and even a root beer keg! This year our VP of Public Relations created a flyer to market the event and encourage people to show up and form bags teams. In order to really get the word out, all 84 members of us changed our Facebook profile picture to this flyer. I'm going to critique this flyer using two main questions that you should always ask your business' advertising. Here's what the final product was:
Does it appeal to the eye? This question really focuses on if it will attract people's attention. Key things to include are color choices, images, font style, layout design, etc. If an advertising piece is bland and boring, chances are people will overlook it. You want something that stands out, but in a professional way.
COLOR: As far as color choices, I think this piece is great. The variety of neon really pops out and would grab someone's attention as they were walking by. Neon is a tricky color because it could look childish if it's not used in the right way. But, for this event that's meant to be upbeat and fun, it works.
IMAGES: The dearth of images on this flyer doesn't make a huge impact. It would have been nice to see some Fall related pictures, though.
FONT: Moving on to font, it's interesting. I can tell that the creator was trying to catch people's attention by bolding only selective letters, but it could come off as sloppy. The font itself definitely adds character to the piece since it's not the typical Times Roman.
LAYOUT: One thing I love about this flyer is the layout! It's very 3D and not boring, evenly spaced. By altering the orientation of some boxes, it looks playful yet tasteful. The wooden background looks good because the wooden texture provides a strong contrast against the neon boxes.
INTERN RECOMMENDATIONS: If the title of the event is Fall Fest, then why isn't the theme of the flyer Fall related? The neon colors give it more of a summer feel than anything. When I hear Fall, I'd expect to see leafs, pumpkins, or even some sort of orange/red color scheme, and there's none of that. If you've specified that the event is having a specific theme, make sure to incorporate that in all of your marketing efforts.
Is it polished? By this, I mean have you revised it many times and made sure it's correct? As my literature professor always says, revise, revise, and then revise some more. It's crucial to always double check any kind of work you're publishing. Catching mistakes ahead of time will save you time and money, and also help keep your reputation high.
University of Texas is still trying to live down their "Department of Pubic Affairs"
typo that was distributed on all commencement programs at their graduation
ceremony. Not only was it embarrassing for the college, it also cost them extra
time and money to reprint all of the programs.
Misspellings are always the first thing you should check for before printing. Luckily, this flyer doesn't seem to have any evident mistakes.
Is the information accurate? You don't want your customers showing up on the wrong date. Is that price on your ad missing a zero? Someone is about to get a great deal! Make sure the info is correct and clearly stated so there's no confusion. The only thing confusing on this piece is when it says "the prize for the winning team will be a 50/50 split the pot cash prize". It seems like there's a word missing at the end there, and why is prize said twice? Most people who have been in a tournament before know what the pot is, and since it's a flyer, there's no need for a long explanation.
Overall, I think that this flyer was effective at catching people's attention and getting the word out there. But, like all things, there is room for improvement, including adding more elements that support the Fall theme.
What would you have changed about this flyer? Be sure to ask yourself both of these questions when producing any kind of advertising. If your business has an event coming up that needs advertising, let hYperstrand Marketing help!
Spooky Marketing Tips for Halloween
Intern Abroad
By: Lisa Caravelli
In 2011, nearly $7 billion dollars was spent on Halloween festivities all over the country! This makes Halloween the second most important holiday for retailers, right behind Christmas. Now is the perfect time to 'spookify' your marketing strategy. Take advantage of the opportunity to be playful and have a little fun! Here are some tips that won't scare your customers away:
1. Host a contest: Holiday contests are the perfect way to get people not only excited about the holiday, but also about your company. The best way to host these would be on your social media pages, such as Facebook. Encourage customers to post a photo on your company's wall of themselves, (or even their children or pets!) in their scariest, cutest, or most creative costume. Come up with a creative prize for the winner, such as a free consultation and a bucket of Halloween candy. This is fun for your customers and you!
2. Send out promotional items: Whether it's direct mail or e-mail, create a Halloween themed flyer that has coupons or other incentives. Include images of ghosts or candy corn with orange and other Fall colored fonts. Maybe your company is more playful and wants the background to look like dripping blood. Get creative! Other things that could be included are: safety tips for trick-or-treating, festive recipes, or pumpkin carving tips. By including those things, people are more likely to save the flyer and be reminded of your company every time they look at it, which will increase your brand recognition.
3. Create a video: Videos are an awesome way to attract and keep your customer's attention. Take this video, for example. It was made by Westlake Ace Hardware and got over 30,000 views, plus national media attention from a news channel. Not to mention the fact that it's just plain awesome! Creating entertaining and shareable videos, will draw lots of attention to your business, which is the whole point of marketing. The best part is that all you need is a video camera, creative idea, and killer costumes.
What are some things that your company is doing to utilize Halloween in your promotions? hYperstrand Marketing has a bunch of great ideas and tools to help you along. And don't worry, we won't suck your blood 
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween!
Sheryl Theisen
I have been in the marketing industry for 20+ years. I am the owner of a successful marketing company, a loving wife and a pretty good mom to some great triplets. hYperstrand Marketing focuses on developing successful marketing strategies that incorporate a variety of marketing tools that will enable clients to build brand awareness and grow market share one relationship at a time. Thanks for reading and I encourage you to share and follow my blog for ongoing marketing ideas.
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