Social Entrepreneurs: Image Marketing Consultants Talks About Doing Good To Do Well

More businesses may be writing into their mission statement how they plan to change the world.  This is becoming the era of the social entrepreneur.

Doing good to do well has become so recognized as a winning approach that THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE featured the thinking of Wharton professor Adam Grant on how giving gets you ahead. The incentive is clearly there for you to frame your vision in terms of making the world a little bit better place.  The new missionary forces are business people who leverage their know-how to do good.

One way to become a social entrepreneur is to create a program for hiring youth this summer.  Likely they are not looking for the money as much as for the experience.  So, you don’t have to pay them a king’s ransom, only pay attention that they are learning.  You might be their first mentor for the world of work.

Another way is to partner with a non-profit with a niche mission related to your business.  Maybe that non-profit provides pro bono coaching in financial literacy and you are a financial-planning group.  You can donate the time of a few of your planners.

A third way is to invent an app for the smartphone which empowers Everyman and Everywoman to accomplish something in their lives which they couldn’t.  An example would be how to resist overeating.

Doing good means investing in hope for the human race.  That resonates after the tragedies of Newtown, Connecticut and the Boston Marathon.

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, 202-404-4868.

Niche Marketing – Image Marketing Consultants Explains How To Hedge

There are trends and there are fads.  In your business you have to hedge your bets that your popular product or service will turn out to be a mere fad, like $4.50 gourmet cupcakes, and not a trend like nonfat milk.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that the bubble has burst on cupcakes, with Crumbs Bake Shop stock sinking from $13 per share to about $1.70.  Not only is the Crumbs chain but also bakeries across the nation are experiencing significantly depressed demand.

That’s why Image Marketing Consultants warns about the risks involved in niche marketing.  Sure, specializing in a one product or service has been profitable and a tactic to establish a strong brand identity.  However, given the rapid changes in the marketplace, especially consumer preferences, businesses shouldn’t bet the ranch.  They can introduce complimentary products and services, as has PepsiCo.  They can also, under another brand, diversify, keeping the brands separate, as has News Corp.

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.

Cutting Marketing Costs – 3 Tips from Image Marketing Consultants

With the recovery comes opportunity.  So, companies are focused on marketing.  Some will be rebranding to reach new kinds of customers and clients. Some will be launching new products and services.  And some will be trying to sell more and/or at a higher price than before.  The rub is that marketing costs can be expensive.  How can you cut yours?  Image Marketing Consultants has these 3 tips.

Partner.  To get its initiatives in the digital wallet off the ground American Express has found partners such as Wal-Mart.   They pool resources, ranging from know-how to distribution channels.  That not only saves money and spreads the risk but also increases the odds for success.

Place small bets. With so much turbulence in the economy it’s downright reckless to bet the ranch.  Try out a number of strategies and tactics in small ways.  JC Penney bet the ranch on its anti-discounting strategy and lost out big time.

Reward. Both research and experience show that customers and clients want to be thanked for doing business with you.  Companies such as Discover which structure their loyalty rewards programs right are growing faster than those with no or ham-handed programs.  Rewards don’t have to cost much and, since they reduce churn, they can save on marketing costs.

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.

 

Push Selling: Straight Talk From Image Marketing Consultants

A few weeks ago a successful upscale restaurant leveraged a push selling tactic which probably was counterproductive to its branding and long-term business.  For a week it promoted a special of two meals for $25, including any choice of its award-winning made-on-the-premise designer desserts.  Although in the depth of the economic downturn this restaurant had struggled, for the past 18 months it had been thriving.

From marketing experience, Image Marketing Consultants knows that such steep discounting will bring in business but those who try the restaurant out are unlikely to return as regulars.  They can’t afford the standard premium prices.  In addition, the regulars get to thinking if they want to be associated with a bargain basement.  Some might not return if their dining experience had been marred by crowds who didn’t know how to comport themselves in an elegant setting.

Admittedly, many enterprises had to discount during hard times.  But as the economy shifts from recessionary to growth, they have to be mapping out strategies and tactics to transition from push selling to those based on a differentiated product or service. The risk is losing the bottom feeders, which might not be a bad thing.  To keep the doors open during The Great Recession, all business might have been welcome.  Now, it’s wise to remember the 80/20 rule.  That is, that 80 percent of profits usually come from 20 percent of the business and 80 percent of the headaches come from customers and clients who are probably contributing least to the bottom line.

Pricing sends a powerful signal. Make sure it’s sending the right one about your brand.

Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, welcomes you to a complimentary consultation about your marketing, partnership, public relations, special events, and social media needs kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868,

 

Your Customers Want Good News, Explains Image Marketing Consultants

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.

 

Leaning In, Not Leaning In – Leverage Topical in Your PR, Hammers Image Marketing Consultants

Public relations, at least the successful kind, operates by brainstorming for the angle which is likely to get attention and then experimenting with tactics to communicate that message.  Now that search engine optimization (SEO) is so important, the angle which has the most potential is the one which leverages what’s topical.  That includes using the names and issues associated with it as keywords, for SEO purposes.

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.