Marketing Communications Strategies and Tactics

Transcription

1 Marketing Communications Strategies and Tactics DO S AND DON TS OF PROMOTING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

2 What every company wants/needs Let s hear from you Are you ready? Who s going to do it? Exercise: audience & messaging Budgeting and priorities Discussion

3

4 Woof VIDEO

5 Every Company Wants Greater awareness Higher visibility Greater credibility More sales More sales Even more sales

6 Every Company Needs A compelling story A short way to tell it (elevator speech, brand position/promise) Customers A case study (optional) A budget

7 Are we in the right meeting?

8 Many Options Branding Advertising Public relations Conferences and Events Word of mouth SEO SEM CRM Social Media Etc.

9 Who is going to figure this out? You? CEO? Sales/marketing director? Advisory board or board of directors? Do you need an agency?

10 Where to begin? What do you do? Who do you think your customers are? What makes you different (your market niche)? Write your pitch.

11 Group Exercise What do you do? Who do you think your customers are? What makes you different (your market niche)? Write your pitch.

12 Advertising, PR, SEO, Social Media, Networking GETTING THE WORD OUT

13 Getting The Right Mix Healthy mix of paid and earned media Advertising, SEO, & Social = paid media Media Relations & Networking = earned media Most small companies can t afford to do everything How do you decide what to use to get the word out?

14 Advertising The action of calling something to the attention of the public especially through paid media. Examples Print Online Broadcast Outdoor Often begins with research to identify positioning and messaging that resonate with the target audience You control the timing and the messaging Requires persistence to break through the clutter

15 Public Relations Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. Also called earned media Examples Media placements & opinion editorials Events & stunts Corporate communications Crisis communications Community affairs Supports the brand position and messaging Third party credibility is powerful You can t control the timing or the messaging

16 Search Engine Optimization (SEO) The process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural" or un-paid ("organic") search results. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) includes paid search results Drives traffic to a website or other web presence The website must convert

17 SEO and SEM

18 Social Media Forms of electronic communication (social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Earned and paid media opportunities Misconception: it s free Consumers and businesses are undeniably engaged

19 Networking The exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically : the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. Examples: Face to face meetings Industry events Civic organizations Sponsorships Advisory board Critical for any start-up

20

21 Budget 10% of total sales and revenue (- Harvard Business School Professor, Michael Porter) Varies within industries and by size of company Some companies spend as little as 3% (-Inc. Magazine)

22 Costs Advertising Fees for creative development are charged hourly and as a set fee for projects 15% of the media budget as fee for media buying is also standard Can vary with the project and agency Public Relations Fees for services (writing, strategy, media lists, pitching and reporting) are organized as an hourly rate, retainer or set fee Can very with the project and agency

23 Costs SEO Usually an upfront fee plus a monthly maintenance fee Social media Advertising and sponsored content costs (CPC) Content creation and community management may require additional staff, agency support (Fee based) Networking Membership costs Sponsorship costs Time

24 Prioritizing Trust your instincts Test Measure Refine

25 Discussion