Spring 2011
PROVIDING GUIDANCE & CREATIVITY Tina Frost, TFI President and Graphic Designer
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elcome to CREATE every day. A quarterly publication created with whimsy by Tina Frost, Inc. (TFI). CREATE every day is a graphic and marketing resource designed to educate, excite, enlighten and entertain. The short and sweet articles contained in this issue help provide insight into the intriguing, ever-evolving and challenging world of marketing.
LOOK INSIDE THIS ISSUE FOR:
As a small business owner myself, I too am challenged by where and how to spend my marketing dollars in order to get the best return on my investment. But as the great advertising mogul Morris Hite once said, “There is more money wasted in advertising by under spending than by overspending.” And what I live by and tell my customers is that, under spending in advertising is like buying a ticket halfway to Europe. You’ve spent your money but you never get there.
• TO TWEET OR NOT TO TWEET
So, I challenge you to put this concept to the test in your business. The more you market, the more business you’ll get. Whether you market using direct mail, email marketing or even pay-per-click ads on Google or Yahoo, know that marketing does bring results when done consistently and on purpose.
• THE MARKETING PIECES YOU NEED
Take care and remember, all the best creations begin with a doodle.
• PLAN. MEASURE. ADAPT.
Tina
• HOW TO CLOSE 50% MORE SALES • THE MARKETING BUDDY SYSTEM
• WHO THE HECK IS TINA FROST?
SOME GOOD SOUND MARKETING ADVICE?
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on’t you wish in our current business climate you had someone to turn to for advice on effective marketing? I’d like to give you that opportunity. I’m just a phone call or email away. In just 15-minutes I can offer sound marketing advice with regards to your marketing efforts and collateral. There is no cost or obligation to buy, I am simply offering to help you understand how effective marketing materials, together with a well-executed marketing plan can increase your bottom line. If you’d like some sound marketing advice...give me a call.
Tina Frost, Inc. | www.tinafrost.com | 919.671.3963
websites... HOW TO CLOSE 50% MORE SALES
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tudies by Forrester Research estimate” that approximately 50 percent of potential sales are lost because users can’t find information and that 40 percent of users do not return to a website if their first visit was a negative experience.” In essence, the usability and navigation of your website could determine HALF of your sales! If that doesn’t make you reexamine your site, I don’t know what will. Think about it for a minute. When you receive a promotion for a product or service you’re interested in, what do you do to get more info? Do you call, show up or visit the website? Think about your own experiences. When you check out a website--what makes you feel good about the company and what makes you think they’re a little sketchy? Is your site creating a good experience for your visitors? There’s only way to find out: get an outside opinion. I understand how difficult and frustrating it can be to get a website done in the first place, only to find out it’s not very good. But a website is absolutely, hands-down your number one tool in your marketing arsenal so make yours great and make it visible!
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The only thing worse than having a bad website…is not having one at all. If your company falls into one of those two categories — don’t get defeated, we offer professional website development that can: • Expand your customer base • Convert visitors into customers • Increase awareness Why don’t you give us a call. We’ve helped plenty of others and we can help you! TFI | 919.671.3963
CONSIDER THE BUDDY SYSTEM
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ere’s another great marketing tip: Use buddy marketing to promote your business. For example, if you send out brochures, you could include a leaflet and/or business card of another complimentary business, which has agreed to do the same for you. This gives you the chance to reach a whole new pool of potential customers. For additional information on the materials referenced within this publication please visit the following websites: www.tinafrost.com www.bdanirizzo.com www.rachelkendall.com www.wakedocs.org www.dankendallphd.com
Spring 2011
...collateral i
BECOME AN EXPERT
TO TWEET OR NOT TO TWEET Not sure how to use Twitter to market your business? Really not sure what you should even tweet about? Here are 12 simple ideas of things you can tweet about. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Your free report or white paper with a link Articles you’ve posted online or on your blog Events you’re hosting, speaking at, or going to Current events or newsworthy items Inspiring or humorous quotes ( you can even quote yourself) 6. Thoughts on the latest ad, marketing, product or business you’ve seen 7. The latest good book you’ve read or movie you’ve seen 8. Links to other people’s articles, audios or videos that you enjoyed or found helpful 9. Your own questions, whether business-related or general interest 10. Quick and helpful tips 11. Whatever you’re thinking at the moment (it’s better to tweet about what you’re thinking than what you’re doing—but that’s okay too) 12. Retweet other people’s useful, interesting or humorous tweets
know it’s hard to believe, but advertising is not always the best way to market on social networks. Actually, becoming an “Expert” in your field may be just the ticket to get heard. People crave valuable content, and offering reliable, epert advice can be as niche as the very products you’re selling. By blogging, tweeting, sharing, and updating about things relevant to your industry you can build credibility in your field. Whether you’re selling specialty cookies or enterprise software, you probably have significant expertise that you can share with potential customers. You can write how-to articles, create educational videos about your products in action, or post pictures and tweet out commentary from an industry trade show. Every piece of content you post online — whether on your blog, your Facebook Page, or on a third-party site — has the potential to boost your brand and drive search results and traffic at very little or no cost. And don’t forget about YouTube. YouTube is an often overlooked platform for building low cost, high impact content. A small investment in a consumer-level camera and editing software, and a bit of time learning the basics of video production can pay out big in the long term.
www.tinafrost.com
HITTING THE TARGET
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ostcards (when done right) can yeild a great retun on your marketing investment and is one of my favorite go-to marketing tools. Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in a targeted market. People will read a postcard when the message is brief and to the point (and don’t forget to use an eyecatching graphic.) A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your website thus generating a great return on a small investment.
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PLAN. MEASURE. ADAPT.
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single marketing effort works all the time for every business, so rotate several marketing tactics and vary your approach.
Your customers tune out after awhile if you sing only one note. Not only that, YOU get bored. Marketing should be fun, so take advantage of the many opportunities available for communicating your message and value to customers. But don’t be arbitrary. You should plan carefully and get feedback from your customers so you can adapt your efforts accordingly.
LOGO’S
NEWSLETTERS & MAGAZINES
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ver the years, I’ve been asked repeadly how often a company should publish their newsletter. And to that, I only have one response– No matter how often you publish it’s vital you keep your commitment to your readers. If you tell them they’ll receive your newletter every month, make sure you live up to the promise, or you’ll loose credibility with your readers. And with that said, did you know it costs six times more to make a sale to a new customer than to an existing one? You can use newsletters to focus your marketing on your current customer base. If you’re watching your marketing pennies then consider an online version of your newsletter (much like the one you’re reading). There is truly a marketing glass slipper for every Cinderlla company out there. You just have to find the right fit to stay in front of your customer.
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company’s logo speaks volumes about the company. A well designed logo should set the tone for the business, be visually appealing and memorable. But on the flip side, a poorly designed logo can make a company look lazy, old-fashioned, or simply less attractive. A good logo design should look good wherever it’s placed but a great logo design can stand alone and is always recognizable.
www.tinafrost.com
...marketing
5MARKETING MUSTS A
side from reaching OUT with ads, direct mail, social networking and pulling IN leads and sales — what else is included in your marketing mix? Every experience along the way in the sales or due diligence process is part of your marketing. Here are five things you should implement now:
1. First Impression. Your receptionist is the first person anyone calling your business will speak to.
How has he/she been trained to answer the phone? Have you recently listened to ensure your company’s first impression is a great one? Find out if he/she is genuine, upbeat and helpful in directing customers to the right person or solution.
2. Customer Service. Your customer service largely determines whether or not new customers will be repeat customers. This applies to any industry, whether you are a doctor, accountant or real estate agent — the background folks at your office can cause you to lose clients or even better can keep clients coming back. Are you aware of the experience your clients are having with your team? Tracking this can be as simple as sending a survey to your customers asking them about the service they received from your staff. 3. Cleanliness. Go around your office, store or showroom and look at it through the eyes of someone seeing it for the very first time. Is there dust you hadn’t noticed before? Some sprucing up may be in order, you’d be surprised at how much a first impression can affect your prospects’ buying decision.
4. Appreciation. If all the people in your organization show appreciation to your clients for their business, you’ll have happier customers who will come back again and again.
5. Go the extra mile. Give more than what is expected. Are you doing this? Do your customers finish a transaction and feel like there is no way they would EVER go somewhere else? Every time I visit my salon, I feel like I’m the only one there, I’m greeted by name, given a beverage and never have to wait. Make your customers feel this way about your business.
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branding... COLLATERAL MARKETING ITEMS EVERY SMALL BUSINESS NEEDS
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ver time, you’ll want to provide information about your company to a variety of different people: employees, investors, existing and potential clients, and possibly the media. Your company’s success depends in part upon how well you communicate this information. This, in turn, may depend upon how well you prepare collateral items, ranging from company and product marketing materials to biographies of key employees. Every business should always have the following items on hand, current and ready to distribute. 1. Company fact sheet. Potential investors, employees, analysts, and media people should be able to learn important facts about your business with a quick look at your fact sheet. A company fact sheet should include the following information: • Date the company was founded • Location of headquarters and any affiliate offices • Names and brief backgrounds of founders and upper-level management • Contact information •
Brief mission statement
2. Product/Service fact sheets. Keep a fact sheet on file for each of your products and/or services. A product/ service fact sheet should include the following: •
The product’s function
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Distinctive features
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Comparison to similar products on the market
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Quality level
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Reliability
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Cost
3. Biographies on founders, senior management and key employees.
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Bios should include: •
Current photograph
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The person’s education
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Relevant experience
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Awards and/or honors
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Publications that feature the team member or the team member’s work
4. Mission statement. A mission statement can motivate and direct employees; it will also give new hires an idea of how your company works. You can also show the statement to potential investors, lenders, or members of the media. 5. Graphic file. There will be times when you need to access your company logo or a graphic file used in a print ad, business card, flyer, etc. Be sure and keep these graphic files in a easy to access, central location. 6. Business card(s). Each and every employee, regardless of their station should have a business card in which to promote your business. 7. Press kit. When you open your business or launch a new product or service, consider sending out a press kit. Press kits are also handy to pitch your business at a trade show. Your kit should include the following elements: •
Folder with your company’s logo
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Personalized letter pitching your company, product, or service
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Company fact sheet
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Product/service fact sheet
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Press release
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Articles written about your company
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Business card
www.tinafrost.com
...creative
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ARKETING. Simply stated, marketing is everything you do to place your product or service in the hands of potential customers. You can have the best idea, product or service on the planet, but without continual and savvy marketing you can go completely unnoticed. So don’t be afriad to step out of the box and try a new marketing technique. I’m a firm believer that improvement means change.
“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember: ameteurs built the ark; professionals built —Anonymous the Titanic.”
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e’ve heard it time and again... beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
As a graphic designer I’ve been trained to connect outstanding esthetics with proven marketing practices. If you want to take your business to a whole new level, be easily found by new customers, get referrals from previous customers, and chosen over your competition; then, you can’t just keep doing the same old thing and expect a different results.
A great graphic designer can kick up your marketing efforts and help you stand out in the crowd!.
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tina frost, inc. Tina Frost, Inc. specializes in graphic images for use on web pages, print media, and multimedia presentations. We create high quality graphics using the latest graphic design technology. Our team can provide graphic design, web and design research, search engine optimization and marketing services. Utilizing traditional and electronic art production, we can design your online presence and business packages including: • Logo designs • Web site, web graphics, and web page design • Banner designs • Search engine marketing and optimization • Website hosting and site analysis • Consulting • Print and graphic design services Our commitment to our customers is to provide the highest quality graphic design, photos and web design services. We can handle all aspects of your project from initial concept to final production. We have the latest graphic design software and extensive design education and experience. Our customers include Physicians, Real Estate Brokers, small businesses and non-profit organizations. Tina Frost, Inc. • www.tinafrost.com • 919.671.3963
WHO THE HECK IS TINA FROST? Well, I’m a graphic designer and a creator of whimsy. As the owner of Tina Frost, Inc., my team and I create websites, snazzy logos, impressive magazine layouts, clever business cards, witty newsletters and cool marketing materials along with the occasional odd t-shirt design. If you have a specific question about our graphic design services or you fancy a chat give us a call at: 919.671.3963 or if you prefer email send to: tina@tinafrost.com CREATE every day is published quarterly by the Marketing Department of Tina Frost, Inc. Please direct comments or requests to: Tina Frost, Editor 919.671.3963 | tina@tinafrost.com www.tinafrost.com CREATE every day Spring 2011