I've made a resolution for 2010 to be more consistent with my blog posts and to do them more frequently.
Rather than send out two or three marketing mistakes at a time, I've decided it's time to post a link to the article we've developed on avoiding marketing mistakes in 2010.
If you are a reader, thank you.
Download your own copy of our white paper at Avoid the 15 Biggest Marketing Mistakes in 2010.
Happy New Year from the entire team at Henry Russell Bruce.
Jim Thebeau
CEO, Henry Russell Bruce
Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, December 7, 2009
Avoid the 15 Biggest Marketing Mistakes in 2010
As a marketer are you prepared for the challenges of 2010? To be successful in our current environment you may want to look at things from a different perspective; turn it upside down and say “What if we … ?” Doing things the way we always have been done them is a sure recipe for getting the same results.
Adapting
Adapting to new market conditions, new technologies, new budgets and new ways to reach prospects and customers is critical to your success. Though not an exhaustive list by any means, we’ve put together a list of marketing mistakes to avoid in 2010.
This is the first of a series of posts on preparing for marketing in 2010.
1. Failing to plan.
If you don’t have a marketing plan, you will benefit by developing one. The value of such a plan is a) the think time you put into the content, and 2) that it is written down. At a minimum you should develop goals and objectives of what you need to accomplish, as well as strategies and tactics to complete each task. It should include a mixture of “push” and “pull” marketing strategies. A plan does not have to be long, but having it in writing and reviewing it on a monthly basis will help keep your efforts on track. A proven approach is to include a timeline that lists all your projects on a quarterly basis so you can prioritize them throughout the year.
2. Believing that brand doesn’t matter.
Your brand is what differentiates you from others in the marketplace. Honestly evaluate your brand differentiators and look for room for improvement. Think in terms of the benefits or results your products provide, not just a list of features. What do you do really well that others cannot? Clearly spell out the value you offer; even just one that substantially differentiates you from the competition – and promote it.
Jim Thebeau
CEO, Henry Russell Bruce
jthebeau@hrb-ideas.com
800-728-2656
Adapting
Adapting to new market conditions, new technologies, new budgets and new ways to reach prospects and customers is critical to your success. Though not an exhaustive list by any means, we’ve put together a list of marketing mistakes to avoid in 2010.
This is the first of a series of posts on preparing for marketing in 2010.
1. Failing to plan.
If you don’t have a marketing plan, you will benefit by developing one. The value of such a plan is a) the think time you put into the content, and 2) that it is written down. At a minimum you should develop goals and objectives of what you need to accomplish, as well as strategies and tactics to complete each task. It should include a mixture of “push” and “pull” marketing strategies. A plan does not have to be long, but having it in writing and reviewing it on a monthly basis will help keep your efforts on track. A proven approach is to include a timeline that lists all your projects on a quarterly basis so you can prioritize them throughout the year.
2. Believing that brand doesn’t matter.
Your brand is what differentiates you from others in the marketplace. Honestly evaluate your brand differentiators and look for room for improvement. Think in terms of the benefits or results your products provide, not just a list of features. What do you do really well that others cannot? Clearly spell out the value you offer; even just one that substantially differentiates you from the competition – and promote it.
Jim Thebeau
CEO, Henry Russell Bruce
jthebeau@hrb-ideas.com
800-728-2656
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Secret Power of Public Relations
Companies that are not using public relations are missing an essential communications channel to reach prospects and customers – and to build their brand.
PR opens a new door, a new channel: media coverage, usually at a cost lower than equivalent traditional advertising. And, it’s often seen as more credible than advertising.
Many PR practitioners believe that unpaid media (generally defined as editorial coverage generated in any medium) offers three to five times the credibility of paid media (advertising). This multiplier effect is based on the long-held belief that consumers regard news coverage as more credible than advertising.
The success of public relations is based on how it is implemented, given that it is a very relationship based communications tool. A large part of the value is in creating a good media relationship.
Simply sending out one news release will likely have a very small, if any, impact on sales or brand. Instead, create PR tools such as case studies, white papers, customer testimonial statements, educational articles and regular news releases for your Web site or distribution.
However, a well developed, ongoing public relations program can have a significant impact, because it increases your company’s visibility to the media and in the media. Recurring media mentions also boost your brand and top of mind awareness, especially if you are providing content of value.
How can your company implement an effective public relations program? To keep it simple, you can:
• Develop lists of media contacts (and their contact information) for key trade publications, business journals, blogs, Web sites or local media
• Reach out to media contacts to let them know who you are and what kinds of editorial content/industry expertise you can provide
• Create and distribute one news release per month on a newsworthy topic and include a link back to your Web site (releases are great for generating inbound links to your Web site, which improves your Google site rankings)
• Develop offers such as white papers, case studies or industry trend pieces that you can offer for free download on your Web site
• Distribute important news to your media lists as well as through national distribution services such as PR Web for as little as $200
• Integrate all your media efforts with social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others
The real secret for PR success is an ongoing program that creates editorial content of value and keeps your name in front of the media and starts establishing your company as a provider of industry expertise.
P.S. If you are interested, a recent Pew Research Center poll finds that television remains the dominant news source for the public, with 71 percent saying that they get most of their national and international news from television. Forty-two percent say that they get most of their news on these subjects from the Internet, compared with 33 percent who cite newspapers. Last December (2008), for the first time in a Pew Research Center survey, more people said they obtained most of their national and international news from the Internet than those who said that newspapers were their main source.
Jim Thebeau
CEO, Henry Russell Bruce
jthebeau@hrb-ideas.com
800-728-2656
PR opens a new door, a new channel: media coverage, usually at a cost lower than equivalent traditional advertising. And, it’s often seen as more credible than advertising.
Many PR practitioners believe that unpaid media (generally defined as editorial coverage generated in any medium) offers three to five times the credibility of paid media (advertising). This multiplier effect is based on the long-held belief that consumers regard news coverage as more credible than advertising.
The success of public relations is based on how it is implemented, given that it is a very relationship based communications tool. A large part of the value is in creating a good media relationship.
Simply sending out one news release will likely have a very small, if any, impact on sales or brand. Instead, create PR tools such as case studies, white papers, customer testimonial statements, educational articles and regular news releases for your Web site or distribution.
However, a well developed, ongoing public relations program can have a significant impact, because it increases your company’s visibility to the media and in the media. Recurring media mentions also boost your brand and top of mind awareness, especially if you are providing content of value.
How can your company implement an effective public relations program? To keep it simple, you can:
• Develop lists of media contacts (and their contact information) for key trade publications, business journals, blogs, Web sites or local media
• Reach out to media contacts to let them know who you are and what kinds of editorial content/industry expertise you can provide
• Create and distribute one news release per month on a newsworthy topic and include a link back to your Web site (releases are great for generating inbound links to your Web site, which improves your Google site rankings)
• Develop offers such as white papers, case studies or industry trend pieces that you can offer for free download on your Web site
• Distribute important news to your media lists as well as through national distribution services such as PR Web for as little as $200
• Integrate all your media efforts with social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and others
The real secret for PR success is an ongoing program that creates editorial content of value and keeps your name in front of the media and starts establishing your company as a provider of industry expertise.
P.S. If you are interested, a recent Pew Research Center poll finds that television remains the dominant news source for the public, with 71 percent saying that they get most of their national and international news from television. Forty-two percent say that they get most of their news on these subjects from the Internet, compared with 33 percent who cite newspapers. Last December (2008), for the first time in a Pew Research Center survey, more people said they obtained most of their national and international news from the Internet than those who said that newspapers were their main source.
Jim Thebeau
CEO, Henry Russell Bruce
jthebeau@hrb-ideas.com
800-728-2656
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