What marketing expert should you be working with for each marketing tactic that you want to implement? This is a short list to help you figure out who you need to call. In a larger business, it is typically the brand or product manager that writes the marketing strategy and plan and then oversees all the specialized experts who make it happen.  Here is a brief list of who to work with…

• Marketing Communications: could be an AD agency or just a graphic artist, copywriter and web designer. The Ad agency would also have a creative director that oversees the other 3 specialists. They create your identity, logo, brochures, website, packaging, ads (both online and off) and most materials. Can also create email newsletters. A direct marketing specialist would also fall into this category.
• Web site: web designer works on the visual representation, web developer handles ecommerce, community forums and other functionality, SEO expert gets your chosen keywords emphasized,
• Social Media: blog/community manager oversees blog content and responds to community members (blogger could also be in a different dept. like PR). Twitter and forum communicator.
• PR: gets feature articles written, product placements, press tours, press kits, press releases, speaker placement, quotes,and more.
• Event Marketing: identifies, schedules and prioritizes marketing events, creates booths, demos, etc.
• Channel Marketing: work with resellers, OEM, Affiliate managers and Evangelists: who get 3^rd parties to sell your products or services or use them in their own products
• Business Development & Sales – works directly with key customer accounts to close a sale.

This is most of the major categories of specialists. The ones you need to work with can vary depending on your type of business.

What other marketing specialists have you used?

Black Friday and Retail Marketing

Most people think that Black Friday is the hugest shopping day of the year. And, well, it may be if you are one of the large national retail chains that has a big budget to promote large loss leading discounts to hundreds of thousands of people. But, if you are a small local retail shop, it’s one of the quietest days of the year. Why? because everyone is out at the mall, chasing the deal. The consumer doesn’t actually get around to shopping local, until the last week or two of the month.

How do you compete?

As a small business owner, you DON’T! At least not head-on. So instead of going after the Black-Friday shopper, try an alternative.

There are a lot of customers that don’t like the crowds and rush of mall shopping. Send email or a personal invitation to your best customers and invite them for a private shopping event. Or, host a customer appreciation holiday event. Offer hot cider, hot cocoa and holiday cookies while they shop.

How do you add value to their shopping experience? What can you offer that the big chains can’t? Personalized service for one. A flexible and intimate shopping experience is another. Focus on your strengths and add a holiday twist.

Always go back and evaluate what your customer wants. Why do they shop with you? Focus on the customer and giving them the ultimate shopping experience.

And Happy Thanksgiving to you.

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Public Speaking

Public speaking is when you deliberately speak to a group of people in order to inform, influence, or entertain them.

The key to success as a public speaker is to be able to change the emotions of the listeners. This is why public speaking is often more effective than recorded audio or video or even streaming media.

In a live in-person format the public speaker is better able to “read” his audience and adjust to their verbal and nonverbal behavior, thereby being more effective. This is your opportunity to establish yourself as an expert, engage your audience and establish a relationship with them.

From there you will move them to the next stage of the sales process, whether it be buying an item from you immediately or simply signing up for your mailing list or handing you a business card.

Tips:

• Identify a topic on which you are knowledgeable. Create a presentation or speech. Have 2 versions of your speech or 2 topics. One should be short 20-30 minutes (for lunch engagements). The other longer, about 45 minutes (for keynote speaking).
• Find organizations of people who could benefit from your expertise.
• Get on their speaker calendar. Book the engagement.
• Start small and grow the group size.
• Start with a friendly audience, people you may know or are acquainted with.
• Get the list of attendees.
• Offer items for sale in the back of the room.

Places for Public Speaking:

• Chambers of commerce
• Professional networking groups
• Professional Associations
• Industry Conferences
• Industry Trade Shows
• Meetup.com Groups
• Guest speaker at colleges, universities and other schools
• Neighborhood groups, Recreation centers
• Free Universities, Parents groups, PTO/PTA’s, Community Center, Continuing Education Programs
• Home-based parties

Event Marketing

Events are a great way to create an emotional connection between your audience and your business brand. Host a live in-person event whether it be at a store, networking group, chamber of commerce, etc. It gives you credibility with your audience and engages your customer.

Here are some ways to get people to attend your event and some internet event marketing sites that may be helpful.

Ways to Get Customers to Attend:

• Go to the website of your Local newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and tv stations and list your event in their “events” or “happenings” section. Some print publications may need up to 4 weeks notice.
• Use Facebook events to announce your event and register people.
• Use Linkedin Events
• Send email or inbox mail to your connections on your social media sites
• Announce your event using Twitter.
• Include an announcement in your newsletter to existing customers.
• Print postcards and hand them out to clients. Hand them out at networking venues. Mail them to your customers or a targeted list of prospective customers.
• Announce your event on internet forums and newsgroups where your ideal customers are found.
• Host your event in conjunction with another one that will draw a crowd. Piggyback your event with another. For example, create a seminar, prior to a big industry conference. Speak at a monthly recurring chamber of commerce meeting which people attend anyway. Hold your retail event the same night as other merchants in your neighborhood, similar to how art galleries host a First Friday art walk. .

Resources:

• Eventbrite – Eventbrite is the leading provider of online event management and ticketing services. Eventbrite makes it easy for anyone to hold a successful event of any type and size. Eventbrite is free if your event is free. If you sell tickets to your event, Eventbrite collects a small fee per ticket.
• Yahoo – lets you post about events for free. Post about your event and let people know through yahoo groups.
• Eventful – Eventful is the leading events website which enables its community of users to discover, promote, share and create events. Eventful’s community of users select from nearly 4 million events taking place in local markets throughout the world, from concerts and sports to singles events and political rallies.
• Whatsonwhen.com – A directory of world wide events, hotels, packages, and flights.
• Zvents – Zvents offers a wide variety of solutions for Media Publishers and Advertisers. Provide your site’s visitors with an endless stream of local content powered by Zvents, or distribute your own local listings, including events and promotions, through the Zvents network. Leverage Zvents to target active, local customers.
• Meetup – Helps groups of people with shared interests plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world. Great when you want to create a recurring event.