by IMC | Dec 4, 2012 | Blog, Branding, Credibility, Tactics
The curtain will be going up on 2013.
There’s optimism in the air. Retail sales, especially online, are strong. The housing sector is picking up. And the aftermath of Sandy will be generating plenty of work. Therefore, you are asking Image Marketing Consultants how you can capture this momentum for 2013?
We have been warning you about not rushing to introduce too much “new and improved” too quickly. WordPress learned from Facebook’s stumbles to move slowly and carefully in providing users with change. Too much change can overwhelm customers.
But, of course, too little change can send the wrong signals. Among them are:
- The organization doesn’t care and isn’t digging around for what customers want.
- The organization is set in its ways, feeling entitled to the business it has.
- The organization is out of touch with shifting realities.
A useful exercise is monitoring the competition. How much change have they put in play and how does that seem to be working out? If it’s retail, you can observe the traffic. If it’s professional services, you can follow the trade media about new accounts and analyze the tone of its communications. Does the organization sound desperate?
That context provides you insight about what you might change and what to put on hold, for now. Change always represents risk. But not changing, of course, is equally risky.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation for marketing, partnerships, public relations, special events, and social media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Oct 18, 2012 | Blog, Branding, Celebrity Power, Marketing Mix
Celebrity spokespeople such as Lance Armstrong can lose their hero status. Advertisers such as Nike then race to drop them. However, that does not mean that the marketing mix will no longer include a celebrity presence.
Sure, there is a risk that the sports icon or film star will become involved in a scandal. However, their instant ability to draw attention to a brand, product, service, or cause is too powerful to overlook.
It was artist Andy Warhol who connected the dots. Warhol saw that society had come to frame experience in terms of familiar images such as Jackie Kennedy. Marketers took it from there. They recognized that even hinting at one of those familiar images in their promotions would get the right kinds of attention.
No, celebrity spokespeople are not going away. Instead marketers likely will construct campaigns in which there are also other props such as fictional characters, contests, special events, and partnerships. That “hedges” their promotional investments in case the celebrity falls from grace.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you for a complimentary consultation for Marketing, Partnerships, Public Relations, Special Events, and Social Media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Oct 8, 2012 | Blog, Branding, Credibility, Media Relations
Opinion-editorials (op-eds) are a standard way organizations, private sector and nonprofits, inform the public about issues. That’s done as a service to society.
For example, a family restaurant presents research about what kinds of dinner conversations develop children’s confidence and public speaking skills. However, this exposure in the media can simultaneously enhance the restaurant’s brandname, bring in new business, and confirm in the minds of the regulars that they have selected the right place to dine.
At one time, op-eds, which are really commentaries, were only published in mainstream media. Those include local and national newspapers and magazines, public service announcements on radio and television, and trade publications. To get that placement, back then you had to pitch to the editor or producer that the topic and point of view are something the public needs to know about. The same thing applies now, only that there is more competition to be heard.
That means that your pitch must be custom-made to stand out from all the others approaching particular editors and producers. And that must be done on an exclusive basis. Ask that media property to get back to you in 10 days so that you can then try somewhere else. If rejected, then finetune the pitch for another member of the media. Some media outlets want to see the completed op-ed, not the pitch. Find that out. Often the media provides submission guidelines or contact them about preferences.
The good news today is this: Because of social media, you can also publish them on your own blogs, online videos for YouTube, and as a guest commentary on others’ blogs. Yes, you can do both. You can have your point of view on safe driving for teenagers published in THE HARTFORD COURANT and on your own and others’ sites. But each has to have a different angle.
The challenge is to attract readers or viewers and have them share the op-eds with others. Here are 5 tips from Image Marketing Consultants on how to make your commentary “sticky”
Be topical. Tie in your op-ed on safe streets with a holiday like Halloween.
Have a provocative headline, first sentence, and first paragraph. This provides incentive to busy readers and viewers to check out the commentary.
Present in the public interest. Frame everything to be useful to the public, not to promote your organization.
Include enough information. From all your data and arguments select out the most persuasive. Too much will overwhelm.
Create new value. This might take the form of a survey you have done that has surprising results. To do that survey you might partner with a business school or professional services firm which would welcome publicity.
Once your op-ed is published or is broadcasted, repurpose or recycle it for pitching to other media for interviews, emailing to prospects and clients/customers, embedding in your media center on your website, posting on your Facebook page, and creating a shortened URL for tweets.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, invites you to a complimentary consultation on Media Relations, Marketing, Partnerships, Special Events, and Social Media kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Sep 11, 2012 | Blog, Branding, Tactics
The quickest way to stumbling and falling for a small business is to set out to be the “next” whatever. That might range from the next Panera to the next LinkedIn.
In the tough world of afternoon television we see that dangerous tactic being played out in shows which position themselves to be the “next Oprah.” Katie Couric’s debut of “Katie” yesterday might have fallen into that trap. The reviews aren’t good.
The reality is that those great brands like “Oprah” took years to build. That happened through continual experimentation. It wasn’t born one day. It was through trying and failing, trying again and failing and learning from the experimentation that it developed its uniqueness and became stronger and stronger.
Effective marketing, whether you’re a bakery in West Hartford, Connecticut or Apple Computer in California, has always been about developing that special connection between your business and all your constituencies out there, be they customers/clients, employees, the media, and vendors. That’s where the focus is, not imitating models.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations for marketing including advertising, public relations, partnerships, social media, and special events kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Aug 24, 2012 | Blog, Branding, Credibility
“What a dumb thing I did and it was a risk I didn’t have to take.”
That’s a regret we at Image Marketing Consultants are hearing more often. That’s because just about everything, ranging from the economy to social norms, is in flux. That means that much of what involves public interaction involves some degree of risk. Of course, it’s not possible to avoid all risk. Play it “too safe” and you can come across as inauthentic.
Yesterday, we at Image Marketing Consulting listened to a webinar that proved puzzling. The expert who presented material about media, from the get-go, used industrial-strength profanity. The audience numbered over a 1000. Therefore, we have to assume some of them might have been quite turned off. One of our staffe noted that the presenter’s credibilty was deep-sixed by that incredible lack of sensitivity about who might be in the audience.
Here are 3 tips from Image Marketing Consultants on how to approach risk in smart ways:
Know the audience. It might consist of one, the job interviewer, or a 1000 as with the webinar. Research their values, especially social norms and the organizational culture. Then align what you say and write with those. The best salespeople do exactly that. They call it “mirroring” the prospects.
Trial-run everything. In marketing, even small businesses test out several kinds of email communications before they launch a major campaign. In your head or on a piece of paper a certain approach may seem great. In reality it could fail to resonate or offend those you can’t afford to irritate. Find trusted allies you can run material by and role play for.
Everything changes. Just because a tactic worked last month or in a robust economy doesn’t mean it will be effective today. That’s why it’s shrewd to investigate the mood of the audience. If the company just lost a major defense contract and you are trying to sell your products to it, you will have to frame your sales pitch accordingly.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultants for Marketing, Partnerships, Advertising, Public Relations, Social Media, and Special Events kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com, 203-404-4868.
by IMC | Aug 21, 2012 | Blog, Branding
One reason major religions endure for centuries is that they are slow to introduce change. Human life has always been uncertain. Religion provides comfort and inspiration precisely because it provides a setting in which followers know what what to expect.
So, when we at Image Marketing Consultants noticed that Facebook was systematically making so much change in its features we viewed that as possibly a red flag in both its business model and operations. Human beings can handle just so much change.
That’s why we advise you to do whatever you need, ranging from branding to policies and procedures, “right the first time.” Once you put it out there, your prospects, customers, and clients are likely not to welcome change. Therefore, please take the time to think through and test out what seems to be the best practices for your business.
Kate Sirignano, founder of Image Marketing Consultants, provides complimentary consultations on Marketing, Partnerships, Advertising, Public Relations, Social Media, and Special Events kate@imagemarketingconsultants.com,
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