Category: Marketing

With the rise of YouTube and podcasts,
knowing how to look good on tv
is a must have skill
for the smart self promoter. 

The basic rules are 
not to wear black or white
(harsh on skin tones),
or red or orange
(these colors bleed). 
Stick to solid colors
as small patterns create a moiré pattern
and large patterns are distracting
(as are dangling earrings and glasses in a shirt pocket). 
Plan ahead as to not blend into the background and 
dress for the hot lights
(using dress shields if you perspire easily). 

Yes, a lot of do’s and don’t’s
but a tv spot can be a turning point
in a career or business. 
It is well worth the preparation.

With the holiday seasons come parties
and plenty of opportunities for networking. 
But that can be a challenge for
those of us who are introverted or shy.  

My favorite trick? 

I volunteer for a task
(usually door or registration duty). 
When I’m focused on a task,
I don’t have time to be nervous.  
I have an excuse to approach people. 
I look like a leader. 
Best of all,
everyone ends up knowing my name. 

Which is what networking is all about.

I’ve watched the 30 second commercial spot
for Charlie Wilson’s War about 30 times. 

I still have no idea what it is about. 
I know Tom Hanks is in it. 
Along with Julia Roberts and
a bunch of other award winning actors. 

Other than that, nothing. 

This commercial sells the actors,
not the movie, and
there are many places
(tv, internet, live, other movies)
where I can see them.

Don’t let your spokespeople
become your product.

Birds do it.
Ants do it. 
Humans do it. 
Swarm. 
A pack of individuals moving in one common direction. 

Researchers have found that
individuals within a swarm have
“to balance two instincts:
to stay with the group and
to move in a desired direction.” 
This direction can be guided
by just a few leaders,
simply by disrupting the balance. 

What does this mean?  
Reach these leaders and
you direct the swarm.   

I received an email from a spa recently. 
I don’t remember what it said but
I certainly remember how it made me feel. 

The sentences within the email
were long and flowing,
using peaceful and calming words. 
Simply reading it invoked feelings of relaxation.  
Days later, I still associate
that spa with those feelings. 

Why am I mentioning this? 
Because mood in communications is important. 
It is part of branding. 
It creates an emotional bond
between the business and the prospect. 
And it sells product.  

Be conscious of the mood you’re setting.     

I’ve received a few emails about
ClientK’s What I’m Reading section
on the sidebar. 
Most are dismayed that
I “caved” into promoting Amazon.  

Actually advertising income isn’t
why this blog is an Amazon affiliate.  
I didn’t sign up for the cup of coffee 
the earnings could buy me every quarter.  

Why did I sign up? 

Because it is the easiest way to display book covers. 
There is no need to get permission from each publisher
to display the cover art. 
Amazon has already done that for me. 

Look at your affiliate system. 
Is there a way, other than cash,
to encourage referrals? 

With the fancy tech tools available,
it is often easy to forget
what you’re truly marketing. 

Authors spend time promoting their blogs
instead of their books. 
They attend courses on video production
so they make a mini movie and
put it on YouTube. 
All to promote their print book
to readers. 

And authors aren’t the only ones to do this. 
I’ve seen companies so swept into
a charitable giving program that
they promote the charity more than
they promote themselves. 

So step back and ask yourself
“What am I marketing?”      

According to the September issue
of The Financial Post,
the most common misconception
at an estate sale is
“That the goods and the setting go together. 
Often several people’s property
is sold at once,
in a house that’s rented for the occasion.” 

That is deliberate.  
A good setting increases pricing.
Pricing is also relative. 
Surround a lower priced object with
higher valued goods and
it will sell for more.  

A couple years ago,
I could contact a site owner and
have my banner ad up on their site
the next month. 

No longer. 
It is November and
I already have my spots reserved
for my May book launch. 

Why? 
Because space on the popular sites is in demand
and sells out quickly 
(especially with eBook authors wanting
to advertise where their readers are… online). 

So you may wish to re-look at
the online marketing lead times for
that new 2008 product launch and
adjust for the changes in the marketplace. 

I’m currently taking two on-line classes.  

Class A started off with a bang. 
Day One, the prof offered a free critique
of any taglines or back copy. 
I sent mine in,
happy that I had already recouped
the cost of the course with
the value of that critique. 
After that, any other information
(and there was a lot of it) 
was bonus. 

Class B was more traditional,
a lecture with questions asked
at the end of the course. 
I had to wait for my information and
I’m still not sure if I got my money’s worth.  

If you have a choice between 
giving a freebie
at the beginning
or
the end of a relationship, 
choose the beginning.
Add value right away.