by IMC | Mar 27, 2013 | Blog, Digital Communications, Marketing Mix
Newsletters remain a low-cost way to highlight what’s going on in your business or a message that can resonate with almost an infinite number of constituencies, ranging from prospects to the media. Thanks to current technology, you can format it for any way you want to deliver it, including mobile. Here are 4 tips from Image Marketing Consultants.
Choose the right template. The look is everything. Invest the time in reviewing templates, compare what you assess as appropriate to what your competition is doing, then determine how you can differentiate yourself from your competition.
Focus on content. What you present should not be easily available in other contexts. For example, if a new bill is pending in Congress and all your competitors are presenting their analysis of it, you can add value by interviewing a variety of experts, ranging from those in law to those in recruiting. If the value is high enough, the media could be interested. Flag them on your approach and tell them why their own readers would find the content useful.
Create a community. People, even no-nonsense professionals, crave belonging, especially as part of groups important to their work. The group process is a means of exchanging information and insight and networking. Find out through direct contact, surveys, or focus groups what your audience needs to become a community, then provide it. That might be a mechanism, such as on LinkedIn, to facilitate presenting an issue, then opening the conversaton for input.
Be consistent. When launching your newsletter, establish a schedule you can maintain. Your objective is to have your readers look forward to receiving the newsletter. Your credibility will be hurt if you disappoint them.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, is available for complimenatary consultations on marketing, public relations, partnerships, special events, and social media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Mar 23, 2013 | Blog, Branding, Celebrations, Digital Communications, Marketing Mix, Media Relations, Online Video, Partnership, Short Form, Tactics
Even though here along the Northeast Corridor the weather for Easter probably will be chilly, those we at Image Marketing Consultants talk with plan to do something special outdoors. Yes, it has been a harsh fall and winter, Sandy followed by Nemo.
Your customers or, if you are a professional services firm, your clients want a fresh start. This is an opportunity for you to resonate with them emotionally by highlighting messaging, providing promotions, and sponsoring special events that assure them that the world is a good place to be and full of joy and opportunity.
The most simple way to do that, of course, is through your decorations. The impact of that could be profound if you invite the community to participate through volunteer work for fundraising or a contest. For example, a bakery in Central Connecticut can donate its window for those in the neighborhood to showcase their renditions of renewal and those enjoying the display can make contributions to the United Way.
More complex is to design promotions which help clients not only save on their fee with you but also improve their business operations. For example, the graphics firm will not only create a logo with a spring discount but also give a complimentary tutorial on the most effective designs for communicating your unique branding.
This season also aligns with your passing on your own good news. Send out a press release on how much your boutique has grown since the recession ended or the 10 new products you have launched. Create a video of a walk-through of your facility, explaining what the equipment does. Then you can place that in your Media Center on your website, Facebook, and as a link on your blog and Twitter account.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, public relations, partnership, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Mar 21, 2013 | Blog, Branding, Celebrations, Celebrity Power, Marketing Mix, Media Relations, Tactics
An example of that is how much public relations outreach piggybacks on Sheryl Sandberg’s message about leaning in. Here is a video of a panel discussion by TechCrunch female employees associated with the guilt which often accompanies “having it all.”
After you frame your message with these Leaning In keywords, the next step is to create a compelling narrative with text and graphics. For example, if your business is women’s fashion, then you show how your for-the-office attire gives professional women the look and confidence edge.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation about your public relations, marketing, partnerships, special events, and social media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Mar 18, 2013 | Experiential Events
Thanks to social media, be it Facebook or Google+, people around the world are used to being interactive. Therefore, when they come to your special event, it’s not wise to have them just sitting there. Instead, provide opportunities to involve them in ways that communicate the messages embedded in this special event.
Logistics firm William B. Meyer needed to develop its value statement with employees so it requested Image Marketing Consultants set up a special event for brainstorming and sharing ideas. Image Marketing Consultants had those attending on their feet, as SPECIAL MEETINGS reports, preparing desserts which symbolized values like creativity or integrity. That experience, especially the team work, made concrete the messages William B. Meyer needed employees to embody.
Another example of an interactive special event took place at the New Haven Zen Center on March 16th in its “Introduction to Zen” all-day retreat. The afternoon schedule had those attending divided into work crews. One team polished the wood in that Victorian building. Another cleaned the windows. One did yard work. And another cleaned up after the shared meal, served monastic-style. The objective was reinforcing the zen principle of seamless living, not separating oneself from the direct experience of being in the now.
People learn by doing and they bond, both with each other and the organization, in the process.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation about your special events, partnerships, marketing mix, public relations, and social media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Mar 14, 2013 | Blog, Digital Communications, Marketing Mix, Media Relations, Partnership
Social media is a powerful commercial tool for marketing, advocacy, fundraising, sponsoring special events, and selling. However, too often it doesn’t generate the expected outcomes.
One major reason is that the content, be it the landing page on the website or the text on a video for YouTube, has no call to action. You present your message but you do not follow that with what the audience should do next. That’s why even the most well-done content in social media isn’t converting to results.
That call of action could be to click or pick up the phone for a complimentary consultation. It could be to place an order for gold-plated earrings for which there is free shipping. It could be to scroll through the contact information to find your government representatives and then create your own email to tell them how you feel about a certain piece of legislation. It could be to donate $10 to the victims of a natural disaster.
When you don’t have a clear call to action, you leave your target markets hanging. They have no direction as to what to do next. And you have wasted this opportunity.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for your marketing, public relations, partnership, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
Newsletters remain a low-cost way to highlight what’s going on in your business or a message that can resonate with almost an infinite number of constituencies, ranging from prospects to the media. Thanks to current technology, you can format it for any way you want to deliver it, including mobile. Here are 4 tips from Image Marketing Consultants.
