Marketing Tips

Archive for April, 2010

If At First You Dont Succeed Try Try Again

When I was growing up my parents often encouraged me to try something more then once. One of the best lessons occurred when I tried to ride a bicycle.

I was 9 when we moved to the suburbs. Coming from Brooklyn I had never ridden a bicycle. Unwilling to admit to my new friends I didn’t’ know how I borrowed a bicycle got on; rode briefly and then I fell.

Ok so I actually rode directly into a mailbox suffering multiple minor scrapes and a huge blow to my ego. But I got up got back on thought about what I did wrong and tried it again and again. Today bicycle riding is still one of my favorite activities.

There is a lesson here for small business owners. Your first marketing attempt eMail or direct mail may not necessarily generate the results you hoped for. Instead of abandoning the strategy get up review what you did make changes and try it again.

For example with both direct mail and Email campaigns consider remailing. There is much research which says the second contact may actually generate more responses and inquiries then the first.

Sometimes people are simply too busy when your correspondence arrives. The email drifts to the bottom of the in box. The postcard or letter is buried at the bottom of the stack of junk mail.

Resending it may allow it to arrive at a more convenient time. With eMail I recommend scrubbing your list before you resend. This involves creating a new group which does not include anyone who opened the first email before you resend. This is only possible if you are using an email tool which allows you to track your open and click through. While there are many viable tools we use Constant Contact because it is both affordable and easy to use.

With direct mail you have no way of knowing and research actually shows response rates go up with a second mailing as people who were intrigued but did not act on the first offer call after the second one arrives.

Also there is a possibility your mail was not opened because your tag line wasn’t compelling. Consider a modification before you try again. Or consider splitting your list and testing two tags the first time. Then follow up with the one which received a more positive response.

Marketing is trial and error. There is no exact science and what worked a year ago may not work today so you have to keep practicing!

If you want to enjoy bicycle riding you have to try and try again. If you want to “enjoy the results of your marketing you must do the same thing!

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;A 20year veteran of corporate America Lorraine Ball teaches business owners across the country how to use creativity and

planning achieve exceptional results. An accomplished marketer she has won regional and national communication awards. Her articles on marketing networking and business development have been featured in Contracting Business New York Forum and ACHR news. Her books The Entrepreneurs Notebook and Confessions of a Networking Junkie are popular resource for business owners across the country. Active in the Indianapolis business community Lorraine is the President of Rainmakers and a member of the Board of Directors for the Network of Women in Business. Her monthly networking newsletter Business Notes from Roundpeg is distributed to more than 4000 local professionals and her blog www.indybiz.com is rapidly becoming a must read for local business owners. Lorraine holds an MBA from the University of Texas and a BA from Queens College City University of NY. She has been on the faculty of University of Indianapolis Marion College and the Indiana Institute of Technology. Today as the founder of Roundpeg she helps business owners find a Starting Point for growth and change.

How Writing Radio Can Help You Become A Better Writer

Knowing how to write and write well is a skill that will come in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in say copywriting you’ll be that much more ahead of your competition.

Of all the different types of writing I’ve done in my life and believe me I’ve tried practically all of them writing radio has made one of the bigger impacts on my writing style.

Below are three ways writing radio can help strengthen your writing style. Oh and these tips will also help you write better radio copy too.

1. Follow the rules. Sometimes rules are good especially rules that force you to write a certain way. Think poetry mastering those rules can have an amazing effect on your writing style. Rules require you to slow down and think to analyze your word sentence grammar punctuation etc. choices. And that can be very beneficial to your development as a writer.

Radio is short. You have to write something that fits into a 30 or 60second slot. Not a lot of time or a lot of words. In that 30 or 60 seconds you need to capture the listener’s attention explain why they should be interested in buying what you’re selling then let them know what you’d like their next step to be. Oh and did I mention you need to have the business name in there at least twice and probably a tag line as well? And don’t forget about music. Or sound effects.

Now the beauty of this is once you’ve mastered radio rules you can apply it to all sorts of things. A 30second pitch for your business you can tell people at networking events. A 15second introduction before a speech. A quick product spiel for your voice mail. A 15second pitch for your novel to spit out at agents and editors at writers’ conferences. The possibilities are endless.

2. Forces you to write tight. Remember radio is short. Yet there’s still a lot you have to shove into it. So what’s the solution? Absolutely no extra words allowed.

Be brutal. Cut out anything you don’t need. In fact radio is where I first learned to start cutting “that” out. Most “thats” you don’t need and nothing shows you this like radio.

Here’s how I write radio. I start with a first draft. I read it over. I think it’s pretty good I have all the salient points in there. I read it out loud.

Now the fun begins.

Usually it’s too long. You see I time myself reading. So I have to start chopping words.

When you have to make a script fit into a certain time frame it’s amazing how many words you suddenly discover can be deleted. Or replaced with simpler shorter words. Or how many sentences can be trimmed. Or phrases made more concise.

As you can imagine writing radio has really honed my editing skills.

3. Writing for the ear. Writing for the ear is different than writing for the eye. The eye is far more forgiving. Oh that sentence is a bit too long but it’s okay. Hmm yes I do see that awkward phrase but I’m fine with it.

Not the ear. The ear is brutal. It’s like one of those headmasters from a Dickens’ novel standing in front of the classroom with a stick and banging it every time a student stutters on an answer.

The ear catches everything sentences that are too long and don’t allow you to take a breath; sentences that don’t flow properly; long complicated fivedollar words that twist the tongue in a knot and much much more.

Focus on writing shorter sentences. Simpler sentences. Vary your sentences. Use simple words.

And that’s just plain good old writing advice no matter what you happen to be writing.

Creativity Exercises Write a Radio Ad

Now it’s your turn. Time to sit down and write a radio ad.

First choose something you want the ad to be about. Maybe one of your products or services. But choose only one. More than one and you’re just asking for trouble. Rule of thumb one message per ad. No more. Otherwise you run the risk of losing your target market. Pick one message and make it very simple and very clear.

Now do what I do. Write the ad. Start by keeping it under a general word count 100 words for a 30second ad and 190 words for a 60second spot.

Finished your first draft? Great. Now read it. And time yourself. Those clocks on the computer desktop are great for this.

What you went over your limit? Better start cutting. See how many words you can take out and sentences you can tighten. Or replace words and phrases with something shorter.

Now read it again. Still too long? Or maybe now it’s too awkward. See previous paragraph. Keep repeating until you end up with something that sounds smooth and fits in the allotted time.

About the writer:  Michele PW Michele Pariza Wacek is your KaChing! marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC a copywriting and marketing agency. She helps entrepreneurs become more successful at attracting more clients selling more products and services and boosting their business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level visit her site at http://www.MichelePW.com. Copyright 2008 Michele Pariza Wacek.

How To Submit A Demo Video That Sells

You want to make sure you leave a lasting image on the minds of the hiring companies. They may not hire you immediately and it may be months down the road but if you put together a professional and entertaining video clip that portrays you as an expert in your field then they will remember you!

• Have a comfortable and warm background setting
• Your demo video should always show you speaking within the first minute or so of the video; you want to catch the audience and the energy they are generating such as clapping laughing listening carefully and possibly jotting down notes
• Your first anecdote or presentation needs to be the most important thing you have; you only have 23 minutes to WOW the attention of the hiring company meeting planners associations organizations and groups
• Show yourself open on the platform; dont hide behind anything
• Energy is the toughest thing to capture on film; create energy with your body movements use the stage fully and pitch your voice firmly
• Try to tape the type of audience that you enjoy the most to work with
• When taping make clear what you are an expert on and use your best stories
• Show your excitement about the topic you are speaking on
• Use a little humor
• Tape at least 6 10 minutes long
• Keep any oneonone interviews short
• Avoid taping empty seats or things that may be distracting
• Use music underneath your presentation to add energy

Your video tape / CD / DVD cover

• Packaging: should be very attractive with a fulllength picture of the speaker
• Top: the title / topic of your program should appear notably
• Middle: leave a blank space reaching to the bottom this is where you will attach an eyecatching label with your contact information
• Bottom: the speaker’s name should go across the bottom of the cover
• Back: list 3 or 4 of your best testimonials keep them brief

About the writer:  Wendi McNeill has been opening doors of opportunity for speakers since 2002. She is the founder of Charli Jane Speaker Services providing coaching and services to help speakers grow their business and build a stronger platform. To learn more about Wendi visit her online at http://www.CharliJane.com