OCTOBER, 2013
WHY A PERSONAL BRAND SHOULD BE IMPORTANT TO YOU FOR MARKETING YOUR BIZ
The Most Important Content Marketing Channels
I recently did a presentation at a national conference on personal branding. Although the session was hosted by the women’s organization of a larger association, everyone was invited. Both men and women filed into the hotel ballroom, eager to hear what I had to say at 4:00 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon - in very hot and humid weather. I was impressed. As I had suspected, most participants were not familiar with the new buzzword’s meaning. And, after all, it is a rather new term. In the past, we used to call our personal brand our ‘style,’ as one participant put it, our reputation, or our image. Well, it’s all three... and more.
Without going into details here that’s why there’s a cover story inside - people came up to me afterwards to thank me. The more senior professionals recognized that personal branding was beyond them at this stage in their careers. But, some expressed interest for their adult children. And, for those in the earlier and mid -level stages of their careers, they were intrigued. During the presentation, when I discussed the benefits of personal branding, one businessman indicated that it could be of value to him as a salesperson. And, indeed it can. After all, people buy from people, not necessarily companies. Which brings me to your marketing needs. Your customers, whether you market to consumers or other businesses, are often making their purchasing decisions based on the relationship and service they receive from YOU and your team!
The superlative outcome is when customers have such memorable brand experiences, they return to buy again and then rave to others. Much of these positive results stem from the personal brand that you convey consistently over time. Are you trustworthy? Are you professional? Do you look ‘the part?’ Do you know your ‘stuff?’ And, that’s what the cover story is about this month and why we have passion for this topic. Check it out, as well as the other contents. Let us know what you think our new digital magazine format. Best regards,
Elaine Fogel President and CMO
Integrated Marketing Solutions for Nonprofits and Businesses ABOUT | SERVICES BUSINESS MARKETING SOLUTIONS
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SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT Published by: Solutions Marketing & Consulting LLC 14001 N. 50th St. Scottsdale, AZ 85254 602-380-7230 866-658-9933 Copyright Š 2013 Solutions Marketing & Consulting LLC Some rights reserved. This newsletter may be shared in its entirety through its direct URL. No part of the content may be copied in any way without our permission... or else. We publish this newsletter for the benefit of our clients, colleagues, and others interested in marketing, branding, and customer orientation. Heck, even uninterested people are welcome to read it! Opinions expressed here are our own, based on many years of slogging away at marketing and branding. The content is intended to inform and inspire those who have any involvement in marketing a product, service, or company. And, of course, it also serves as a marketing vehicle for our company to demonstrate our thought leadership, talents, available services, and passion for helping organizations succeed. Why else would we do it? If you have any beefs with the content, feel free to keep them to yourselves, or if you must, you can tell us by e-mailing: info@solutionsmc.net.
COVER STORY: WHY A PERSONAL BRAND SHOULD BE IMPORTANT TO YOU FOR MARKETING YOUR BIZ
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The Most Important Content Marketing Channels
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On the BLOG
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Other Resources Just for You
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Marketing Definition of the Month
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Specials, Discounts, & Deals on Promotional Products and Custom Printing
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Use Simple Fonts for Better Marketing Results
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Professional Speaker
TOPICS: Branding Cause Marketing Content Marketing Copywriting Customer Service, Engagement, Retention Internal Marketing Marketing Communications Marketing Strategy Social Media Read the PRAISE for Elaine’s speaking presentations! SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
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WHY A PERSONAL BRAND SHOU By Elaine Fogel
First things first: What is a Personal Brand? In my opinion, there’s no difference between a business brand and a personal one. It’s everything about a company, organization, product, service, or YOU! Your personal brand includes your skills, personality, behaviors, values, experiences, words, attitudes, and image. And, even though your personal brand may be experienced differently by your various networks, it is still YOU. You’re probably freer with your family and friends than you are with your work colleagues. That doesn’t mean that your personal brand changes. It should still be authentic and consistent. You’re just going to filter certain elements of the brand for certain groups. In other words, you may not want to behave the same way when you’re out with friends as you would with your colleagues or boss. And, if you do, you may want to re-assess!
Why Should a Personal Brand Be Important to You? For starters, It helps build your credibility and others’ levels of trust in you. Why would people do business with you unless they felt you were honorable? Your personal brand demonstrates your expertise and leadership skills. When you demonstrate that you really know what you’re talking about, people will flock to you.
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SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
ULD BE IMPORTANT TO YOU FOR MARKETING YOUR BIZ
If you’re eager to reach your career objectives, then having a defined personal brand plan can help you achieve them. No strategy... no guaranteed results. People with well-established and strong personal brands attract others more easily. What do you want to be known for, and who do you want to attract? When you have a positive personal brand, your level of influence increases. People want to know what you think. They seek your input and value your opinions. When you have developed a personal brand that engages others, your level of selfconfidence soars. And, let’s face it. When you’re marketing a business, you want to feel confident about yourself, in addition to your company’s products and/or services. Your personal brand is an asset you bring with you wherever you go - whether you change jobs, change locations, or change titles! So, call it whatever you want. Your personal brand is all about you and how others perceive you. That’s why it’s so important to marketing your business.
Would YOU do business with YOU?
READ THE BLOG POST AND COMMENT! Could your company benefit from a presentation on personal branding? Check out Branding You! Identifying and Communicating Your Personal Brand. SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
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The Most Important
Marketing Channels
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SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
By Elaine Fogel
Content marketing is HOT! It’s not new, but it sure is hot. The funny thing is, content has been around for eons. We called it by other names, but it was still the same thing. Information, stories, articles, presentations... Now, with the multitude of digital channels available to us, content marketing has taken on a life of its own. A recent study by Skyword and Unisphere, and reported by MarketingCharts, reveals the most important marketing channels for business content. The survey, which polled people from the United States and Canada, represented large organizations with more than 5,000 employees, as well as a significant contingent of small-tomedium-size businesses.
Here are some of the findings:
MarketingCharts.com
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Tried-and-true content distribution vehicles such as company websites and email campaigns are seen as the most essential for content marketing, rated as either extremely important or important by 88% and 73% of survey respondents, respectively.
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7 in 10 believe that it’s important to distribute content through public relations channels, while two-thirds concur with respect to using social media.
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Product-related content is currently seen as the most critical, rated extremely important or important by 77% of respondents.
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Best practices and thought leadership are next (each at 71%), followed by industry (57%) and corporate (56%) news.
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Articles (82%) are the most commonly shared content on social pages, followed by video (60%), photos (54%) and press releases (54%).
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About half of respondents are creating original content for social media channels, with an additional 30% planning to or under development.
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A slight majority are posting 1-10 content marketing assets per month across social media channels and a plurality 46% are posting fresh, original content on a weekly basis.
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The most oft-cited challenge to improving branded content marketing is producing targeted, relevant content to engage audiences (66%), followed by producing enough content (53%).
Does your business have a content marketing strategy?
SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
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Preferred Terms for LGBT Customers It doesn’t matter whether you work for a business, nonprofit, or government agency, you’re likely to have LGBT customers (unless you live in Russia). It’s important to use their preferred terms when you refer, and market to, these communities.
Why 35 Million American Adults DON’T Use the Internet We are so spoiled in the U.S. that when we hear that 15% of the adult population over 18 do NOT use the Internet, we are shocked. That means roughly 35 million adults are not online.
Does Marketing Keep You Up at Night? You’re Not Alone! It’s official. If you’re worried about marketing your business, you’re among friends. A new Adobe study highlights the anxiety many of us experience when it comes to marketing. The results can either make you feel better… or worse!
6 Tips for Finding Prospects on LinkedIn Excellent article from Social Media Examiner.
FREE Sound Effects If you use sound effects for presentations, podcasting, or other marketing purposes, here’s a site that has more that 450,000 sound tracks covering every imaginable sound category - and is the world's largest publisher of professional sound effects, royalty free music and production element libraries.
FREE Headline Analyzer This free tool will analyze your headlines to determine the Emotional Marketing Value (EMV) score. Reaching your customers in a deep and emotional way is a key to successful copywriting, and your headline is unquestionably the most important piece of copy you use to reach prospects.
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SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
“Brand Loyalty”
Brand loyalty is the degree of customer commitment to a brand expressed through repeat purchases and word-of-mouth referrals, regardless of the marketing messages and influences of competing brands.
SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
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Each month in our newsletters, we include a few specials from our promotional product and print suppliers. There are tens of thousands of product options in all price ranges. Trying to find the "right" promo product on your own can be a daunting task. There are so many online sites, how do you know which ones are credible? Besides, most online companies don't offer marketing consultation to share ideas, help you develop a creative campaign, or suggest ways to achieve your objectives. We do! If you like saving money, sign up to receive our separate Specials, Discounts, & Deals emails. We take advantage of our suppliers' discounts and closeouts and pass the savings onto you! (Available in the U.S.A.) As always, I’m here to assist you. Feel free to email or call me from anywhere in the country. Thanks!
Allen Fogel Vice President
REUSABLE WINE WRAPS Great for holidays and anytime gift giving! Available without an imprint - blank only - ask us about printing custom gift tags that you can attach. You can't get a better deal on this quality of bottle bag! This bottle wrapping is environmentally friendly and can be set aside for secondary use when the celebration is over. The flock pouch comes with a drawstring closure. Product Colors: Red, Black, Blue Size: 13" H x 3½" W x 3½" D Minimum Quantity: 100 units
PRICE WAS: @$3.59 - 4.14 NOW ONLY: @65¢ (100- 2499 UNITS) @62¢ (2500+)
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SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
REUSABLE SOFT LOOP HALLOWEEN BAGS Want to make an impression on Halloween night? Supply these bags to your employees and customers for their kids and grandkids. Talk about raising awareness for your brand! Size: 10” W x 15” H / No Gusset Stock design on front. Imprint: 6” W x 6” H, one color, black only Minimum Quantity: 250 units 100% Recyclable, Low Density “GLOSSY” Polyethylene Plastic Bag
PRICES: 250
@54¢
500
@50¢
1000 @46¢ 2000 @44¢
Don’t wait!
SPECIAL! No Set-Up Fee! FREE black-color imprint!
5 working days lead time!
4-SEASONS SHOULDER BAG What an affordable gift or giveaway! This reusable satchel-type shoulder bag has ample capacity for everyday use. Made of rugged, all-weather 600D polyester with non-woven trim, it has a zipper closure on the main compartment, side pouches, plus an adjustable, padded shoulder strap. Size: 15½" x 3½" x 13" with a 3½'' gusset Colors: As shown Imprint: Front 7" x 5.5" / Back 9.5" x 7" Minimum Quantity: 50 units
REGULAR PRICE: @$5.29 - $5.92 NOW ONLY: @$3.97 all quantities
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SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
MINI JOTTER NOTEBOOK ORGANIZER Perfectly priced for conferences, meetings, and giveaways! With its bold color cover and silver spine accent, this mini jotter has a snap closure, large inside pocket, matching color spiral bound, and 70-lined page jotter pad inside. It also comes with a matching petit translucent color ballpoint pen. Size: 4¾" H x 5" W x ¾" Imprint: 1¼" H x 2¼" W Price includes one color/one position silkscreen imprint. Colors: as shown Minimum Quantity: 100 units
PRICE WAS: @$4.99 - 6.99 (depending on quantity) NOW ONLY: @$1.49, all quantities!
VISIT OUR ONLINE CATALOG FOR PRODUCT IDEAS. OR, SAVE TIME AND LET US RESEARCH FOR YOU!
STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW... We've got access to thousands of closeouts and specials!! Tell us what your marketing objective and budget are and we'll make recommendations!
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Promotional product set-up fees are additional, unless otherwise stated.
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We always ship at the lowest possible cost unless you require speedier delivery.
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Taxes charged to Arizona deliveries only.
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All Specials, Discounts & Deals are available while supplies last. Act fast to take advantage of these amazing prices!
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We also carry regularly-priced promotional products and can do almost any type of custom printing. Just ask us for a quote.
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We also offer graphic design and direct mailing services.
SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
USE SIMPLE FONTS FOR Better Marketing Results! Keep it simple! Haven’t we heard that one before? Even though scientific research demonstrates varying results, there’s some consensus on which font styles work better for print and electronic use. Since one study shows that people are highly sensitive to feelings of ease or difficulty, but are much less sensitive to where these feelings come from, we can assume that difficult font styles can make their comprehension harder. This may affect their ease and comfort level in responding to your calls to action and marketing messages, simply based on the typography you use.
Some Popular Sans-Serif Fonts • • • • •
Arial Century Gothic Franklin Gothic Gill Sans Tahoma
So, what can this mean to your marketing efforts? Some Popular Serif Fonts • • • • •
Bell MT Baskerville Old Face Bodoni MT Cambria Times
It’s safer to keep your font styles simple. If you stick with easy serif fonts for print body copy, and sans-serif fonts for digital content, you’ll make marketing messages easier for your audiences to read and take action.
that may earn us a buck or two... It doesn’t add up to a meal a month, but we keep trying.
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SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT, BUSINESS EDITION, OCTOBER 2013
solutionsmc.net info@solutionsmc.net In Phoenix: 602-380-7230 Toll-free: 866-658-9933 (Mountain Standard Time, GMT -7)