The professional association I work for is launching a new class and certification, but needs to start building the buzz with a teaser campaign. The course is for a Certified Project Manager. The benefits of the class is that people who complete it will become better project managers for the construction industry, saving their company money, giving better customer service, and develop better communication skills. Any ideas?
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Jay’s Answer: “Constructing Better Leaders”
Starting a new business venture retailing assorted gift lines including plush animals, costume jewelry, ladies resort style shoes, handbags etc. None of the products we will market are available in our city – so quiet unique.
Business name is – 3’s Company (The number 3 refers to our address – the company refers to numbers of people visiting our store. We also plan to implement a coffee shop into the mix to make it more of a social outing. ) – so wanting to appeal to group customers – i.e. friends or work colleagues out shopping together. Any direction you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
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Jay’s Answer:
I have a painting business, prime painting..focused more on high end customers right now..would like to get into commercial n public works as well..haven’t set up website yet..would like some help in expanding business and would like some ideas on a tagline. I work with builders and homeowners with vacation homes and 2nd homes..
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Jay’s Answer: It sounds like you need to create a strategy to attract more/different clients. Before you do so, you need to do a couple of things:
That’ll help you understand “the lay of the land”. Next, you need to determine how you are better/different from your competition and what you can offer that your competition doesn’t/can’t (and that your clients need or would pay for).
With this understanding, you can begin to create a marketing plan to focus on your new customers. This will include: advertisements, website, business cards, licensing, taglines, etc.
The clearer you are in who exactly you’re targeting and how you’re unique, the easier you’ll be able to spread your marketing message.
Photo by R e t o
You’ve just been asked to give a speech for an upcoming event. How do you prepare to give the speech for maximum benefit? You start by asking yourself these 3 questions.
What is it you want from your speech? Besides giving a speech that everyone loves, what are your underlying goals for giving the speech? Is it to get booked for other speaking opportunities, sell your latest video or book, get over a fear of public speaking, or impress someone? These goals can be as selfish as you wish. For example, if you’re trying to sell something, you’ll want to refer to it in your talk. Or, if you’re trying to look good for a publicity video, you’ll want to ensure that you’re comfortable talking into microphone.
What is it you want your audience to get from the speech? What specific piece of knowledge are you trying to impart? If you can’t concisely state this goal in a sentence (or two), then you don’t have a coherent message to share. Don’t assume your audience will figure out what you’re trying to share, or fall back and say, “everyone will get something from my speech”. If you can’t concisely articulate your message, how will you be able to tell if you’ve succeeded? By figuring out your clear message, you’ll be able to create both a powerful title and abstract for your speech that sets the stage for your presentation.
What is it you want the organizer to get from the speech? Speakers often forget to incorporate the organizer’s needs into their speech planning. Questions to ask the organizer: Is my speech part of a larger event? From the audience’s perspective, what will come before and after my speech (how can you smoothly transition to what came before to what follows)? What topics will other speakers be covering (you don’t want to repeat, but you may wish to echo their message)? What is the experience you want your attendees to get from the “larger” event? By incorporating the organizer into your goals, you’ll be making the organizer look good, which will later be helpful in getting referrals and future bookings.
When building your speech, refer to these 3 questions often. If you’re not satisfying these three goals, then rewrite you speech to incorporate them. As a speaker, you want to present a clear message, easily repeated, that creates synergy with your audience.
Photo by Steven Depolo
A local business made headlines for doing something small – eliminating pennies from their cash register. The store rounds all transactions to the nearest nickel – in their customer’s favor. They computed that the cost of the the lost income was balanced by the lost employee time of counting out pennies as change.
How can this help your own business marketing? Do something unexpected with your business to attract attention (and it doesn’t hurt to mention it to local media after you’ve been doing it for awhile – you never know when they’re having a slow news day). Here are a list of ideas to inspire your own unexpected business actions:
When marketing your business, instead of only focusing on your unique benefits to people, also consider the human experience of working with you. A great customer experience is often more remarked upon than a simple great business transaction.