I just wanted to share a link here to the Marketing Mix Blog, which this week included my February newsletter, “Go on a Date With Your Clients and Prospects” on their list of five creative Valentine’s Day newsletters. Thanks Ilise Benum and Marketing Mentor!
If you were getting ready for a first date, you would probably take a shower, splash on some cologne or spritz on perfume, brush your teeth, fix your hair and dress attractively. (If you wouldn’t do these things, you can stop reading right here, because what follows won’t help you!)
That’s great – you want to make a good first impression. But if you follow that with conversation that is all about YOU, the warm and fuzzy feeling will vanish pretty quickly. Your companion will leave feeling that you’re nothing but a conceited, egotistical person, and there will be no second date.
Less than a year ago, JCPenny (excuse me, that’s lowercase jcpenny now!) rebranded, using the winner of a contest for the logo design. Apparently that didn’t work out so well for the retailer, because tomorrow, jcpenny will be rolling out yet another re-branding effort. Who would have thought that holding a contest for a re-branding wouldn’t be as effective as hiring an experienced branding professional??! I’m shocked, I tell you.
So now, jcpenny has rolled out another branding effort, with a new logo design, along with a “simplified” pricing strategy (that, frankly, still sounds rather complicated to me). Read the rest of this entry »
Last summer my mother moved from her home into an assisted living community. Since her house would be empty while it was being renovated and on the market, I needed to get vacant property insurance, plus renter’s insurance for the assisted living apartment into which my mother had moved.
I called the local insurance agency she had done business with for 18 YEARS for her home and auto, and left a message for her agent to call me back. And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s that time of year, when we look back at the year drawing to a close to see what piqued people’s interest. These are the top 5 posts viewed in 2011; interestingly, all but one of them had been written before 2011.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!
Today’s guest blogger is business attorney Jean Sifleet, and she writes concerning the misconceptions about, and the possible penalties for, using content “found” on-line. To learn more about Jean’s firm, visit www.smartfast.com
It’s a common misconception that if you found it on the Internet, it’s free and you can use it. While information on the Internet is “public,” it’s not all in the “public domain.” According to Wikipedia,
Public domain comprises the body of knowledge and innovation (especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions) in relation to which no person or other legal entity can establish or maintain proprietary interests within a particular legal jurisdiction. This body of information and creativity is considered to be part of a common cultural and intellectual heritage, which, in general, anyone may use or exploit, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Only about 15 percent of all books are in the public domain, and 10 percent of all books that are still in print.
Sometimes content on the Internet is in the public domain and free to use, but frequently it is not. Penalties for infringing a copyright can include payment of statutory damages (between $750 and $150,000 per infringement) and attorney fees. Before you use content you “found,” it’s smart to check out the rules: What’s In The Public Domain?
In early July, my mother moved from her 55+ community condo into assisted living. And since July, I’ve been preparing her condo for sale. (Do I know how to have a fun summer or what?) It was entirely re-painted, with new carpeting, all new Energy Star appliances, and shiny new plumbing fixtures installed, among other things. Finally, the condo was staged so that it looked great and was ready for it’s debut in the real estate market.
Now, what would happen if that’s where I stopped? If I didn’t let anyone know that it was for sale, didn’t market and show it? If I assumed that buyers looking for a condo for sale would just somehow find out about it? After all of the preparation and money spent making it ready, that wouldn’t make much sense, would it?
In the past few years, there has been a proliferation of DIY logo sites. Pay a fee, choose an icon from a library, add your business name in a font you like, and presto – a logo for your company! No annoying designer asking questions about your business and your clients, taking (in your mind) a long time to come up with options, charging (in your mind) an outrageous fee. What could be easier or more cost effective than doing it yourself?
Before you check these sites out, let me tell you a little more about the business practices of LogoGarden, one of these DIY sites, where, for $79, it’s literally a steal to get a logo.
A few months ago I was reading the paper when I saw an ad for my bank offering a free iPad to any new customer who opened a checking account with them. “Wait a minute!” I thought, “I’ve been a loyal customer of this bank for years!” I’ve dutifully upped my minimum balance or signed up for direct deposit whenever their parameters for “free” checking changed. I pay bills and transfer money on-line- I’m practically an unpaid employee of theirs, doing all of the work that in-real-life tellers used to routinely handle. For all of this, I’ve been rewarded by my bank with…nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Certainly never an iPad. Read the rest of this entry »
My husband and I recently returned from a wonderful trip to France! Neither of us is fluent in French, but as you can see from these photos, you hardly need to understand the language to comprehend the beautifully designed storefronts and displays. They show you all you need to know about what’s going on inside! However, there were times when reading and understanding French stumped us, which brings me to chicken dancing in Paris… Read the rest of this entry »
Imagine the impact a compelling and powerful visual brand has on your customers. Now picture it used with your marketing collateral and your web site—all created specifically to attract and motivate your ideal clients.
I help professional service firms like yours (insurance agencies, law, accounting and engineering) bring your brand and message to life. Looking beyond the obvious for the custom solutions your business needs, I work with you to create marketing communications that resonate with your clients, prospects and partners, and support you in achieving your marketing goals.
