How Can I Launch My New eMarketing Consultancy?

Starting Out

I’m 21 years old and I live in El Salvador. In my country e-marketing strategies are just starting to emerge. Because I’m actually getting my e-marketing certification, I want to brand my self as an e-marketing consultant before some one comes ahead.

I need help in the following matters:

1. The penetration strategy (which tools can I use and what strategy can I follow)
2. The name for my e-marketing consultant firm. I have one name in mind It’s Oh-brighty, and the slogan I’ve been thinking of is: brighty minds, brighty solutions.

I would like to have some feedback about the name and the strategy… It will be very appreciated.

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Jay’s Answer: The name should appeal to your prospective clients.

  • So, the first question: WHO are they? Business size? Location? Niche/Industry?
  • Next: WHAT do you do? Websites? Email blasts? PPC campaigns? Online surveys?
  • Finally: WHO are you current competition and HOW are you different/better than they are?

These basic marketing strategy questions will help you to start to focus your business correctly.

As for your possible name “Oh-brighty” – If your name doesn’t clearly identify what you do, then your tagline will have to educate them. Your tagline doesn’t help (and echoes the ambiguous name “brighty”).

You might name yourself simply as “eMarketing Consultants” – it makes what you do more obvious. Or “Web 2.0 Marketing”.

What Are Creative Names/Taglines For A Construction Company?

Names + Taglines

We are searching for a creative name/tagline for a new construction company. This is a one man operation, no job too big or small. The new housing market at a standstill, maintenance, repair & remodel are the focus of this business. Our birthname is too common and we prefer play on words.

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Jay’s Answer: Generally, you want your business name/tagline to focus on the key benefit you offer – some words that will connect with your target audience. Given your request:

Names:

  • Build-it, Fix-it, Remodel-it
  • Hammered Homes
  • Castle Construction
  • The Home Artisan
  • The One Man Remodel Band

Taglines:

  • Everything From a Room To a Mansion
  • Nailing Your Construction The First Time
  • We Listen, Measure, Cut, and Build Your Dream
  • From Dog Houses To Castles
  • Completing Your Home Vision

How Can I Direct Market A Roofing/Construction Company?

Publicity, Services

I am assisting a roofing/construction/remodeling company with their marketing efforts. Our plan is to Direct Market to residences around our jobs and I am wondering what is the best way to go about doing so. I would like to use a combination of: doorknob hangers, canvassing/direct selling (door to door), sales letter, post cards, etc.

I am struggling with when to do what. Typically, our roofing jobs take anywhere from 1-3 days. Roofing jobs are good potential leads for our construction and remodeling services. So, how would you proceed? I am trying to map out a strategy.Send a postcard first? Then a hanger, followed by Direct Selling? I am aware that it takes a few impressions to score a lead.

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Jay’s Answer: Basically, you’re trying to create a referral as-if your client talked you up with their neighbors. So, if Jane Smith hired you, then you must be good! If you can get Jane Smith to agree to using her name in your promotion (in exchange for compensation), even better.

For your jobs – show before/after pictures. The right image will get people to think, “I want that also”. Have high quality images on a website brochure.

Combine your pre-job announcement with a strong offer, for example: “Since we’ll be in your neighborhood, you can $ave even more”.

For more involved jobs, offer to host a party for your client in exchange for them inviting their friends to see how much nicer their home is. Make it a very low-key presentation, simply having a sales rep there and answer questions, schedule consultations, etc.

Is My T-Shirt Blog Effective?

eMarketing

We have just started a blog (www.coupleshop.blogspot.com) selling couple tee and basically i need your help to advise on the following:

  1. Feedback on whether the blog is attractive? If not what are the areas that we can improve in?
  2. How can we get more visitors to our blog?
  3. We are also looking for distributors around the world but we do not know how to go about it. Is there any website that we can post an ads?
  4. Are our products attractive? Is it price reasonable?

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Jay’s Answer:

  1. Your blog needs some work. I’d suggest that instead of showing the packaging and the t-shirts flat on a white background, show them being warn by an attractive couple that are having fun. Since the site is for selling, make it obvious. A strong banner, clear pricing (don’t ask people to email you an order – create an online order form, or as as a minimum, use Paypal to handle the order processing for you), clear return policy, etc. I wouldn’t expect a business to have a url for a blogspot. Invest $50-$60/year to get a domain name + hosting for your business. Also, put the images on your own site, don’t use photobucket to display them.
  2. You have some statistics (StatCounter), but I’d use an analytics program to give you more information, not just counts. Where did visitors come from? What were they searching on? To get better ranking organically, you’ll need links to your site from other high-ranking sites. List your site with various directory sites. Also, consider posting responses to couple-related blogs adding real value, but also a link to your site.
  3. Here’s one online resource for distributors: Tradekey. Also, consider putting your images on self-publishing sites such as CafePress. Let them handle everything – you don’t have to even print the shirts!
  4. As for price, I don’t have a clue what it costs in local $ (I’m in the United States), so I can’t comment.

What Is A Good Headline For A Valentine’s Day Jeweler Ad?

Names + Taglines, Publicity

I am having trouble coming up with something original for a flyer for a Valentine’s Day Marketing Campaign. The Product Is good quality Sterling Silver Jewelery, and the target audience is 20 to 55 yrs
We do not sell diamonds or gold so nothing along those lines either. Also the store is not located in the most affluent of areas – So it will include a voucher for 20% of all sets in store.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Silver Is The New Gold
  • Impress Her and Save Money.
  • Show Off Her Beauty With Silver.

What Is A Good Campaign Name For an Incentive Program?

Names + Taglines

I am set to launch an incentive program. The incentive program’s audience is the sales force and the purpose is to generate increased sales and motivate and reward them for hitting and EXCEEDING their targets. This program will consist of several promos (annual drive and tactical campaigns). I need one generic campaign name that will embody all of these promos – like an overall theme. I want the name to have an easy recall & smart/witty. The prizes range from cash, trips, GCs.

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Jay’s Answer:

  • Super Sales Me
  • Hoist Your Sales
  • Sell-By Dates

Fishing For Business?

Creative Business Ideas

Caught fish image
Photo by RichardBH

Imagine sitting on a quiet lake in the early morning. You’ve been out on the same boat, on the same lake for a week, but you haven’t yet caught anything. Today you take out your favorite lure, attach it to your line, set the bait, and cast your line. You wait a little bit, feel a slight tug on the line. After a long struggle, you reel in your catch and see it’s a big bass. Why did that fish bite your hook today?

If you could, you could interview your fish. What attracted it to your lure? What was it doing before it noticed it? Why didn’t the other fish grab it first? Was it hungry for the lure, bored, or feeling something else?

Of course, you can’t interview a fish. But the same experience is what most businesses go through. Businesses create a lot of marketing, and wait for the phone to ring. When it does, they’ve begun the process of landing a new client.

When someone contacts you, do you know what made them reach out to you? Was it a recent review in your local newspaper? Did their friend recently use your services? Was it recommended on Yelp? Did your website come up on the first page for a Google search?

After someone contacts you (and especially after they’ve become your client), you must find out exactly why they made that first contact. Since there’s no easy way to find out why people don’t contact your business, you must attempt to hone in on those that do. If one person needs your services, then others will also.

In many cases, your clients won’t know exactly what triggered them into making contact. You might hear, “I’ve been thinking of contacting you for a while…”. Ask them specifically if they saw your Yellow Pages ad, newspaper review, website, pay-per-click ad, signage, or talked with someone who recommended you.

Collect this data and notice the trends. What do your “better” clients have in common? What sparked them into action? Then do more of what worked, and less of what didn’t.

When you need to fish for clients, use a marketing strategy that you know works for your business.

What Do People Hear In Your Marketing?

Creative Business Ideas, Starting Out

Photo of ear
Photo by Sudarshan Vijayaraghavan

At a business mixer when someone asks you, “What do you do?”, tell them and then immediately ask them a question. “What did you hear?” And listen to their response.

We spend a lot of time creating our elevator speeches, memory hooks, taglines, headlines, and copy but we don’t spend enough time finding out if what we say is what’s being heard.

Start by asking interested strangers to tell you how they perceive your marketing message. Begin by asking them to repeat the message verbatim. Can they? If not, what words to they remember?

If you message includes either “technobabble” or vague “business-speak” it’s highly likely it sounds impressive when you say it, but no one outside your company will have a clue why specifically they should hire you.

Speaking simply might sound unsophisticated, but your message will be heard and understood short-term.

If you’re fanatical about ensuring your message is retained, re-contact people you meet and ask them, “What does my company do?”. You are trying to measure if your message stuck. If it didn’t, you have a second problem: your message isn’t remarkable enough to be kept in your prospect’s mental filing cabinet.

Crafting a message that is both clearly understood and memorable is an skill you need to develop in your business. Otherwise, you are wasting your time and money trying to attract new clients.