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. (more…)
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?
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. (more…)
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… (more…)
I was reading an article recently about managing your personal brand on-line and it referenced the Online ID Calculator. The free calculator at onlineidcalculator.com measures your “Google quotient” based on how many relevant hits your name receives in a Google search. While I have Googled myself before, I never compared how I stacked up to what would be considered “digitally distinct.”
In my previous post, I highlighted five signs it may be time to rebrand your business. However, there are times when staying the course might be the best course of all.
When might a brand makeover NOT be advisable?
It can be difficult this time of year to concentrate on the business of your business. But the new year is just around the corner, and giving some thought now to improving your business in the year ahead will pay big dividends.
Branding is sometimes thought of as just the look and feel of a business, but it’s more than that. It also encompasses its value proposition and core offering. The decision to rebrand is a serious one and can have far-reaching consequences, both good and bad.
So, what are some signs that it may be time for you to consider a brand makeover your business?
“Um, so what is it that you do?”
Yikes! This is not the question you expect visitors to ask you at your trade show – can’t they see you have a booth with displays and pictures and handouts and swag? What more can you do to get your message across in a way that will connect better with your audience? Consider the answers to these five questions before your next trade show:
Do you leave getting your booth graphics designed until the last minute? Effective graphics come from careful preparation. Last minute preparation doesn’t leave time for a thoughtful approach, can incur rush charges that add significantly to your bottom line, and leaves no time to correct any mistakes or avoid production delays that may crop up. Nevermind the stress for all involved. Two months before a show is not too soon to get graphics preparation underway.And for more insight on how NOT to follow up with prospects after your show is over, read “Stop Exhibiting at Trade Shows If…”
New England Xpo for Business held it’s 2010 event on May 18 in Boston. I had attended in 2009 but I decided not to go this year. Big deal, right? But wait…
A week or two after the event, I began to receive follow-ups from exhibitors—emails and direct mail—saying they hoped I had enjoyed this year’s show and thanking me for visiting their booths. Huh?! HELLO…I WASN’T THERE. I didn’t sign up and then not go…I never did anything to suggest that I’d ever been in attendance. So why then am I getting these follow-ups? (And yes…they’re still coming!)
I have decided that they come from lazy businesses who never collected real attendance data from their exhibits, were working off the event’s mailing list, or worse, the attendance list from the previous year. It smacks of a basic lack of appreciation of the purpose of exhibiting in a trade show, or how to effectively follow up with those who actually showed interest in their goods or services. What a waste of their company’s time and resources!
On the other hand, if using a show’s general mailing list WAS their intent, what a lack of understanding of basic marketing to think that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to follow up would be an effective tactic. A piece targeting an actual visitor should be very different than a piece sent to someone who was invited. By all means, follow up with everyone if you want, but pay attention and target accordingly—it’s not that hard. Otherwise, all you really tell your prospects is that your attention to detail is lacking, or that you don’t care enough to even bother to find out who really visited you.
Unfortunately, trade show exhibiting is the Rodney Dangerfield of sales and marketing. Too many businesses don’t give it the time and effort it deserves in order to make it effective. As someone who’s worked with companies getting ready for trade shows, I can tell you that the usual process is to get a frantic call anywhere from a week to a month before the show, looking to get displays, collateral, etc. designed and produced in time, even if the show has been on their schedule for months. More effort is put into decided what swag to offer instead of training the staff manning the booth how to interact and draw in visitors. (Hint: it’s not standing with arms crossed, talking to the other person “sentenced” to manning the booth with you, and ignoring everyone else.)
Exhibiting at trade show doesn’t have to be like this, but it takes planning, strategy and commitment to make it worthwhile. There are companies out there who can help you with this; one that I know of is ExpoVantage. Exhibiting at trade shows isn’t cheap, so you want to make the most of it.
And to the exhibitors who’ve included me in their follow-up for the visit that never was: all I’m remembering is what a lame company they must be! Probably not the effect they were going for, huh?
Are you considering updating your business’ web site? What’s that you say…you still don’t HAVE a site for your business? Whether you’re planning a re-launch or a brand new site, here are some things to consider to create a better experience for visitors and a more successful web presence for your business.
Visit competitors’ sites and browse sites that visually appeal to you for ideas.
Decide what functionality you would like your site to have. Forms, shopping carts, analytics, etc. ideally should be incorporated into your site at the outset.
Will any graphics need to be specifically created for your site? Do you have files available for your logo and any other existing graphics you will need?
Think about what keywords people might use to search for your product or service. Sites like wordtracker.com provide information for search engine optimization. Use their free trial for an idea of how appropriate keywords will work with search engines. These words should be incorporated into your content and your page titles.
With a Content Management System, you can make content changes to the site yourself rather than relying on the designer to make changes.
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.
