HFTB Marketing Blog

Are you up to speed with the technological developments changing digital marketing today?

Image by deanj

Take a look at this incredible video that gives some interesting, if not daunting, perspective on the exponential nature of technological change in our world.

Click on the link below to take a look.

Launch the video

Thoughts on ways to leverage these trends in coming weeks on HFTB.

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New Marketing digital marketing

photo by jswieringa

Seth Godin had an interesting post on how new media, particularly blogging, is allowing the relative increase in leverage for individuals (the small), while larger companies, or brands (the large), are losing relative leverage.  Leverage in this case, is attention to, or eyeballs on, a company’s marketing efforts.

His point is that more traditional marketing tactics in most cases have a significant barrier to entry – a budget.  In other words, you needed cash to play in the big leagues.

With new marketing, or blogging in this case, this barrier has been largely removed.  And as a result, individuals have been empowered to get their message out, whatever that may be, brand related or otherwise.

He makes the case that this has made it relatively more difficult for big brands to garner eyeballs in the online arena.

Maybe. But I would add that while there certainly has been an increase in leverage for individuals, it doesn’t necessarily have to be at the expense of larger companies.

A great example of this is Scott Monty and Ford.  Take a look at his Social Media Marketing blog and you’ll see what I mean.  Ford, in recognition of Godin’s point, has Scott heading up their Social Media efforts.  In other words, they’ve found a way for the power of the individual in the blogosphere to create value for their (large) company.  And guess what – I’d be willing to bet there is a fairly significant budget behind it.

Individuals can, and often do have greater clout than companies when it comes to blogging and social media.  This is one of the aspects of new marketing that sets it apart from many of the traditional tactics that Godin mentions are inherently budget driven and therefore skewed towards larger companies. But using the power of the individual, as long as the integrity of that bloggers posts is maintained through honest and frank relatively unfiltered content, can be a powerful tool that large companies can incorporate into their new media strategy.

As blogging becomes more of a business (and yes, don’t kid yourself, it is), corporations that understand the nature of what is valued online and have the budgets to allow a Scott Monty to head up their efforts, can turn the trend of small competing with large to their advantage.

This is not to say that blogging will ever resemble television advertising with expensive budget barriers.  But as thought leaders such as David Meerman Scott, Brian Clark and Seth Godin get their new marketing messages through, and large companies begin to incorporate those strategies more and more into their marketing efforts, small may not be the new large anymore.

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New Marketing, Social Media, Uncategorized blogging, marketing efforts, new media, new media strategy, Social Media, traditional marketing tactics

What does your brochure say about your company (if you’re not there to explain it)?

So if a brochure is supposed to do the talking for you after you’ve left the sales meeting, do you feel comfortable with what your brochure is saying? Or do you feel the need to explain the brochure to your prospective client?

Talking to a brochure is one thing.  Explaining what the copy is trying to say or what the images are supposed to convey, another.

Often, brochures are an afterthought. Simply a listing of a company’s services with little about the real information your prospective clients are looking for – can this company really solve my business issue or personal need?

So what kind of a brochure is right for you? And how do you get your brochure read by your prospect?

First, it is important to understand where your brochure or leaflet fits into the selling process. Is the brochure to be used as a leave-behind, a point-of-sales piece or a sales support tool? The answers to these questions will dictate the type and length of copy or design elements used to communicate the message.

A travel agent, for example, should look to motivate its prospective client with images that convey the perceived need to getaway to faraway places. Thereby making it difficult for the potential customer not to pickup the brochure.

A professional services firm, on the other hand, needs to present a value proposition in a concise, easy to understand manner up front using a strong headline or title.

The cover of this piece should entice the reader to look inside with a title that conveys a strong selling point that articulates the service differentiator(s).

The headline should signal to the prospective client that this is not just another piece of generic collateral, but a brochure containing relevant and useful information about a service that can provide value to their business.

Copy length and layout is also important.

Copy should be long enough to explain the product or service thoroughly. Good copy tells the product or service story, with an intro, story development and a conclusion (which should take the form of a strong call to action).

It is good practice to make your copy, regardless of length, easy to read by using short paragraphs and sentences. Readers have a tendency to scan a brochure first. And if the text is long and unbroken, there is a good chance they will choose not to read the content.

Design of the physical layout should take into account how the brochure will be distributed. For example, if the piece is to be used for direct mail, it might be a good idea to make sure the format can be mailed at bulk rates, assuming proper space for content.

Creating a brochure that is useful to your client beyond the first read is also a good way to make sure your piece is kept instead of quickly discarded.

The travel agent might want to include a map of local hot spots in the piece. While the professional services firm could include a list of tips on tax planning for the coming tax year. Both provide a reason for the potential client to keep your brochure past the first read and therefore extend the useful life of your sales piece.

Last but certainly not least, the copy should build to the conclusion, or the call to action. Part of the call to action is giving ample space to your contact and purchase information. Make it as easy as possible for the prospective customer to take the next important step… buying your product.

While brochures certainly aren’t as sexy as some of the new marketing tactics and tools out there today, very few businesses can do without an effective brochure. And believe it or not, brochures have their place in today’s multi-channel marketing mix.

Just make sure to think “effective sales tool,” and leave the “necessary evil” moniker to accounting.

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Copywriting brochures, copy, Copywriting, Marketing, marketing collateral, marketing communications, marketing materials

I was in a meeting with a client the other day when the topic of lead generation came up.  Specifically, we were discussing ways to make an informational site into a more dynamic, lead generating site.

After a 10 minute spiel on why new marketing would be the way to go, my client looked at me and in no uncertain terms let me know that there was no way he could convince his boss that any of these “new marketing” techniques are worth shifting resources into.

Especially given the current business environment.

So when I saw this post at WebInkNow it caught my attention.  Some great ideas on ways to convince your boss (or client) that new marketing might be worth a shot.

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New Marketing lead generating site, lead generation, New Marketing

In a post last week I noted that many are shifting away from traditional marketing tactics in favor of online or “new” marketing tools in response to the economic downturn.  The thinking is that with less of a marketing spend companies can increase, or at least maintain sales through online channels.

Maybe.  But I would argue that to effectively leverage online efforts, companies must build their presence over time rather than simply shift to digital media tactics as a result of budget cuts today.  This is along the lines of the old “dig your well before you’re thirsty” idea.

Great chart on Sherpa that shows in some detail the apparent shift.  The accompanying article elaborates on the findings.

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New Marketing, Social Media digital media tactics, economic downturn, marketing in down economy, marketing spend, New Marketing, online efforts, Online marketing, sales, traditional marketing, traditional marketing tactics