2.) Make a list of topics for future press releases to use during the year and go beyond sending them to just the newspaper.  Pitch them to a radio or TV station and self-promote them on-line with social media.

3.) Have regular brainstorm sessions on new products and services; advertising concepts; taglines; social campaigns for on-line marketing; contest ideas and sales promotions; and review of what your competitors are doing and what you offer that is different from them!           [note: if you do not have anyone to brainstorm with be sure to consider hiring a marketing coach like Purple Diamond!]

4.) Set-up strategic alliances and partnerships.

5.) Set stretch goals and action items to achieve them for each month, quarter, year, 5 year and beyond.  Be sure you create an overall marketing plan, but be organized and disciplined to have a weekly plan of meetings and action items written down prior to the start of your week! PLAN for success!

6.) Update website on a regular basis and maintain an on-line strong social media campaign to drive traffic to your site. Consider launching a thoughtful email marketing campaign that draws attention and offers useful information so that you have a greater open click rate.

7.) Be sure to THANK your customers and offer excellent customer support. Consider having a special customer service fun event to invite your clients and top prospects to as a way to show them that they are appreciated! If your budget is small and does not allow for this be sure to at least take the time to send a hand-written note thanking them for their business.

8.) Attend networking groups, join the local chamber and participate in charitable organizations that give back to the community that your business belongs to.

9.) Know your numbers, measure results and ASK other business owners what they have used that has had a significant impact on their business.

10.) Work with a Marketing Coach who understands your market and what challenges you face and how to get you the results you need today!

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

So, how do you know if you are using your tagline effectively? First, check your website,

Purple Diamond Tagline

email signature, business cards, letterhead, creative ads, and all other marketing material and see which ones have your slogan or tagline.  Is the line listed 100% on all materials or is it MIA [missing-in-action]?  Next, when you are doing a 30 second elevator pitch do you end your pitch with the tagline for your business or slogan for the product you are promoting? This is another way of knowing how effective your tagline is. You should be comfortable saying the line and using it consistently.  Finally, do all your clients and many of your prospects know your tagline?  If not, you are missing one of the key ways to help your target market identify with your business with a simple phrase.

And, if you are still someone who is not sure of the importance of having a tagline for your company and wonder if it will have a great impact on marketing your business consider the lines you  have heard from local businesses and from national ad campaigns that use theirs consistently.  “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands” for M&M’s ,”Just do it” for Nike, “You’re in good hands with Allstate” for Allstate Insurance are just a couple of taglines that  I quickly remember.  My own tagline for Purple Diamond, “Success wears the Purple Diamond!”, tells my clients that our brand is “success” and that when they choose to work with Purple Diamond either as an advertising agency or marketing coach we are committed to helping their business achieve greater success!

All my best to your success!

Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

Is this just another marketing tool business owners are being asked to accept and add to what they are currently doing to remain competitive in their field?  It is if they want to be the early adopter to something that has great potential to help them lead in their market.  The downside of this is that not everyone has the application on their phone so the immediate gains from adding this to all your marketing material may not be seen today.  However, as more and more businesses are learning about this new marketing tool, downloading the free application to their smartphone, testing it and then brainstorming as to the various ways this could help their own business, the QR codes will populate quickly in advertisements and will become a tool that marketing departments  use daily.

If you are stuck in the past and slow to embracing technology, consider contacting a marketing coach or specialist who can help you get started on some exciting new tools for your business!

All my best to your success! ~ Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

Not all business owners like to have the spotlight shined on them, but they do know that in today’s competitive market your business depends on having creative marketing that gets you noticed in a positive way.  If you were the person in high school who rarely raised your hand in class and always wanted to blend in with the crowd, you will have to hire a top marketing specialist or work with a consultant to help your business get noticed in a positive way that leads to exceptional sales.   You will also need to be ready to listen to their ideas and empower them to take actions on behalf of your business.  “Original” marketing is called that because it is not something that your competitors are currently doing so it requires stepping outside your comfort zone and trying new ideas that may feel strange and awkward.   The key to success is to do something extraordinary and if you never try anything new with your business you will not discover what real potential your business has.

Beyond hiring specialists in the field of marketing, another tip to help you on your way to having effective marketing and advertising is to spend an hour a day reading marketing books, articles,  and blogs and attending seminars that will help you to stay current on what the trends are now and what forecasters are seeing for the future in your field.  Knowledge has always been key and one of the many reasons why the most successful companies require employees to attend educational trainings every year in their field so that they remain current in the tools and technology available to them.  Start the New Year off with a great marketing team that will help you create the most original marketing campaigns  and achieve the success you need right now!

All my best to your success~ Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

In addition to sharing in the cost of creating a TV campaign and/or video to share out via YouTube and other on-line sites, local merchants can create their own “One Stop Local Shop Event”.  Much like  a “Trunk Sale” or “Trade Show”, the merchants secure a location that is centrally located in their community with plenty of parking like a Hotel or Banquet Facility in which they welcome the community to one location to shop for the holidays.  They each have a table or booth and share in the costs of rental space and advertisement for the one day sale event.  Adding entertainment like the high school band or chorus to perform, along with refreshments, babysitting service and a gift wrapping will help to make the event a success.

Holiday sales are often what makes or breaks small businesses so do not sit quietly in your store and think that business will magically follow.  Use creative ideas  to reach your potential clients, price your products or services in-line with your market, and be sure that you are creating a marketing message that clearly states why your product is the perfect gift! Finally, be sure to reach out to a marketing professional or advertising agency to help guide you to create the most effective marketing campaign and secure the best rates for your advertising dollars!

All my best to your success! ~ Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

Today there are over 144 million blogs and many Bloggers quit within 2 years.  Why is a Blog important for your business today even if you are a small business in a local market? Well, it will definitely help to generate exposure for your business if you are also using other social media tools in which you promote it from and it will increase traffic to your website and business and increased search rankings.  You will generate qualified leads because they will know more about your business by your Blog posts and you will stand out in your field if you are the only one who is Blogging.  Business partnerships and connecting with other Bloggers is also a helpful plus for why you might want to have a business Blog.  Finally, my own Blog helped me to recognize what were the hot marketing topics that Business owners were interested in by watching the higher traffic to those articles.  I then used this information to adapt my services and product offering and marketing collateral to include this so that I gained more clients instantly.

It is important to have a strategy for your Blog and a business goal and metrics to measure if you are meeting these goals.  Other key points to consider before you launch your Blog: know your Blog topic or industry well, enjoy writing or have someone on your staff who is a decent writer, keep your Blog active even if it means having shorter Blog posts, use key words that support your marketing strategy and PROOF READ! Finally, be sure to thank those who read your Blog and ask them to share it with others.

Thanks for reading the Purple Diamond Marketing Blog~ Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

A cookie cutter approach to one of the most essential parts of your business with the belief that it will bring you instant paying customers is just like buying a lottery ticket today with the belief that you will win and have the money that week for your mortgage. The answers that were given to this question on Linkedin ranged from: email marketing, SMS Text Messaging, YouTube postings, social media marketing with Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, SEO [Search Engine Optimization]for your website, Cold Calling, Press Releases, Chamber Memberships and Business Groups, Creative Marketing Message that stands out, Cross Media Marketing, Ad Targeting, Get Bank Loan and Invest in Real Advertising, Blogs and Contributing to On-Line Discussion Groups,  Ad Swaps, Direct Mail, mail Articles to Prospects, no one tool works/target marketing is key, Analysis and Tracking with a good CRM system, Business Card, and Branding Your Business consistently with a clear message. [Note: some of the suggestions offered were from people who sold that one product so Purple Diamond has posted the list as what were offered and not what we believe you need to do.  Purple Diamond believes in a one on one approach in which your business is seen as unique and deserves your own marketing coach/consultant.]  There were even more suggestions than all the ones I have posted here, but what was clear from all the responses were that even the experts have their own thoughts about what is the best low cost method to market your business.  So, if there are so many different views from marketing professionals, how does a business owner who has never worked as a marketing professional know what is best for his business? My first response is to call in an affordable consultant, like Purple Diamond,  to help YOUR business that does not have ties to any one product and has knowledge to what is working in your area and for your industry.  But, if you are not comfortable with hiring a marketing coach, then please look to free services in your area like SCORE or ask key people in your circle of business friends to help you brainstorm ideas.  In my own area there are CEO groups that many of the local business owners have joined that give them direct insight in to what local business owners have tried and found useful.  Please do not leave marketing up to chance.  Today’s economy is one that requires skillful analysis and creative ideas that get results!

All my best to your success!

~ Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

In addition to the referrals from your direct clients, consider other strategic partners that can help send business your way.  For instance, if you know other businesses that already sell to your target market and are not direct competitors, you could approach them to be a referral partner to your business by offering them a fee for each referral they send to you.  This also works great if you approach non-profit organizations that are looking for ways to raise money for their organization and offer to give back to them a portion of your sales for every referral they send.  Anyone who has a school age child has seen this work extremely well for wrapping paper, magazine subscriptions and food products.  When my own children were in elementary school there was a local Chinese Food Restaurant that teamed up with the school and gave a portion of the entire night’s sales to the school. The school promoted the event and  sent home notices that Wednesday was the night to have dinner ordered from this local business.  The program was so successful that it continued to be a regular fundraiser event.

Look for connectors in your own circle of doing business as potential partners for referrals.  My hairdresser received a stack of my business cards when I first opened Purple Diamond to hand-out to  clients she had that owned their own business and was needing help with marketing or advertising.  In return, I gave her coaching on how to market her own business while she styled my hair. We both were happy with the arrangement.

Always be looking for new ways to develop and maintain referral partnerships.  The most successful businesses have adopted all of these techniques and continue to grow their list of clients  rapidly.  If you are not getting the success you need today in your business be sure to call Purple Diamond and see why our tag-line is:  “Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

All my best to your success ~ Charlene

Beyond the obvious of the “good-will”  and potential PR opportunity or marketing exposure a business gets by sponsoring a community event, it also helps to build a strong environment and richness to the community your business has made home.  When the community is attractive it draws attention from others and brings in the best candidates for positions that may open up in your business in future years.  The popularity of community organizations in your local area and their well attended events will also create excellent business networking opportunities for your business without you needing to travel a great distance to connect with key prospects.  The home court advantage of sponsoring the local community event that is only a few miles from your office helps you or your sales team to easily get prospects to consider stopping over to your office while they are in town or to schedule a tour of your company at a later date.   When people become familiar with an area and they associate it with a positive experience, they are more willing to return or do business in that area and that helps your business.

So, what does a company do if they do if they only have $2000 a year  to give to the community organizations  or  events or an amount that is considered small compared to larger businesses? You can choose to give that one lump sum to one event in a sponsorship or donation, or you can divide that amount up in to $100-$200 increments and donate throughout the year to more than one community group.  My advice is to reach out to more so that more groups benefit and connect with your business.

Also, do not discard the importance of volunteering your skills or physically helping during the actual community event.  This is a great way to get to know key people within these organizations and also to connect with some of the larger corporate sponsors of the community events.  Smaller businesses may not have the cash flow that some businesses have, but volunteering your time or giving a gift certificate or gift basket with your business name on it to be auctioned or raffled off at the event is a great way to be part of the larger picture and get the exposure you need to grow your business.

Finally, if you are actively helping the community and there is a chance for a photo opportunity or a press release to be sent please do not be shy about sharing this on-line and with the newspapers and other media organizations.  Put it up on your own social media networking pages like Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter and blog about it as I have done here.

All my best to your success~ Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”

1.)    Frequency is key!

Posting an update at least once per day  and adding  “friends / fans”  to your personal and business page must be on-going and with effort.  Do not wait for people to friend you….find them and invite them to YOUR page!
*Inspirational Quotes, Questions that create discussions, Videos from YouTube and Posting about important upcoming events are great fillers when you are struggling for an idea to post for your daily update.
2.)     NO controversial posts or comments to anyone who has posted something that can have a polarized issue unless they follow your brand for your business.
3.)    Interact with Others!
Happy Birthdays / Like button when appropriate and genuine comments to their posts.
4.)    Add photos and videos!

*People are drawn to pictures so if you have something you want people to notice be sure to add a picture with your post.
5.)    Need both a Personal and a Business Page!

Building a Fans page [or Business page] without paying for a Facebook ad requires building it through your personal page so you must have both to grow your followers! If you are worried about your personal content being seen you can choose to use the new privacy settings.  But, if you are on Facebook to gain more contacts and help market your business it makes sense to keep your personal page free from embarrassing pictures or content you would not share openly.  Remember, you are on the internet and even the best privacy setting might not keep people out so think before you post or upload a picture, but don’t avoid Facebook because you are afraid to be found.  It is more powerful than your website and if used well it can drive traffic to your website….it offers a great opportunity to promote your services on a larger scale because it reaches more people daily!
6.)    Use the Event page when you have an upcoming event.

7.)    Invite your friends from your personal page to your business page at least once every 2 weeks.  If you have been building friends you will have new people each time to send an invite to.
8.)    Don’t be afraid to ASK for your friends help and be sure to give help to others!
9.)    JOIN JOIN JOIN……the more business pages and groups you belong to the more your business gets exposure!
10.)    Don’t hand this important job off to your staff…this is one of the fastest and quickest way to make a warm sales call and it has replaced COLD CALLING in a huge way.
11.)     If you have a blog be sure to post active links to your blog AND your website on a regular basis.
12.)    GAMES do not send a great message unless you sell games!

There is a tendency to get caught up in to the games and surveys on Facebook, but it clutters your wall and takes away time for connecting with others and growing your contacts.
13.)    Early posting in the morning can have favorable results.
14.)    Don’t sell sell sell…….remember that most people run from salesmen so be sure to not come on too strong.  Be genuine and represent your business with a positive voice.
15.)    HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE & PATIENCE….this is a new marketing tool and has no exact numbers, but it is a great source that is still free and worth using!

If you are still struggling with Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter or you are not sure if having a blog is right for your business, consider hiring Purple Diamond for marketing coaching or a one on one consult.

All my best to your success! ~ Charlene

“Success wears the Purple Diamond!”