I can’t tell you how many potential clients have no marketing budgets or strongly believe that spending $$$ on marketing is expensive; a cost rather than an investment for their business.

Well, let’s just see.  Here is some shocking news for all you non-believers.

A list of 12 comparisons among common consumer products and services:

1. Facebook Page = what is cheaper than free?
2. Website = cheaper than a copy of your favorite magazines.
3. Business Marketing plan = cheaper than a lightweight road bike.
4. News release about your business = cheaper than a pair of running shoes.
5. YouTube business video = cheaper than a canister vacuum.
6. Banner = cheaper than 2 pairs of your favorite wedge or slip-on Croc shoes.
7. Business Logo = cheaper than two hours with your plumber.
8. TV ad = cheaper than a set of four used tires and will go farther.
9. Musical jingle = cheaper than a bachelor party weekend.
10. Radio personality at your event = cheaper than upgrading to a new smart phone.
11. 200,000 new encounters in 20  minutes = cheaper than a oil change.
12. Marketing consultant = cheaper than a divorce lawyer!

Every minute that passes in real time, 60 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.  More video was uploaded to YouTube in the past month than to the three big TV networks in the past 60 years.  Also, the average viewing session is 15 minutes.

If you have a business, you need to have a presence on YouTube.  Below are just four amazing benefits.

1.  It’s free.  Besides your investment of time, making and uploading videos is completely free on YouTube.  Is the Yellow Pages free?  No!  Is a billboard free?  No.

2.  Content is powerful.  In the online world, content is king and that would make video content the king of kings.  Remember, the trend in going to the internet these days is that people would rather watch something than read something online.  Find a business.  Get an answer.  Solve a problem.  Support a nonprofit.

3.  Potentially Viral.  If your video is creative or funny or informational enough, it has the potential to go viral.  That means that potentially thousands of other people will be sharing your video with their friends or family.  That’s exposure to your business from an infinite amount of people.

 4.  Gives you a face.  Having a video gives potential customers a face.  It shows them you’re really a nice person that knows what you’re talking about and how your business can serve them.  Camera shy?  No problem, we can make a PowerPoint video and still show your stuff.

With all these benefits we can help you with YouTube marketing.  Our prices are very reasonable.  Initial consult is FREE! Here is just some of our recent work for small businesses and nonprofits in one Colorado community.

TWEEDS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL3v92h_pBQ

COWBELLS

THE CELLAR DOOR

POPPY MADISON JEWELRY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRHmB-dHyKM

SYMPHONY ABOVE THE CLOUDS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct99mMpO0QA

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5WO_CoBRVk

2012 NATIONAL SECURITY INNOVATION COMPETITION

When people hear the name of your business or nonprofit, they conjure up a set of impressions.  These thoughts influence how they think, act and buy.

Try this:  Think Levi.  Mercades. Apple. Ford.  Perini & Associates.

Those mental images that you are seeing define their brand. YOUR  brand resides in your customer’s mind as a result of  ALL the impressions made from “touch points” or encounters with your name, your logo, your marketing messages, and everything else that people see and hear about your business and/or nonprofit.  We believe that a customer must experience 7 touch points before any action takes place.  Action being a decision to support or purchase, for example.

Something as basic as your business or nonprofit address contributes to how your brand is perceived.   For example, a recent client had “609″ in their business name.  Doing so provided a mental image of mystery and wonder.  It was really numbers associated with their physical street address.  My point here is that every time someone walks into your business and looks around, visits your Web site, posts on your Facebook page, meets a staff member, or glances at a broadcast or hears a radio ad, that person is forming impressions that leads to a mind-set about your business and/or nonprofit.

You can be a powerful brand by remembering these guidelines  All which we agree with fellow marketing experts:

• Knowing the brand image that you want to project

• Having commitment and discipline to project your brand well

• Spending what’s necessary to get your message to your target market

• Managing your marketing so that it makes a consistent impression that etches your desired brand image into the mind of your target prospect

Remember, consistency builds brands.  So make sure you have a consistent look about your brand, project a consistent tone in all communications and for darn sure be sure you are consistent in your products and services.

Brand is everything.  Polish it.  Guard it.  Never let it out of your view.

Rebuilding a tarnished brand is expensive and risky.  So, protect and project your brand in the marketplace.

Successful marketing is both science and art.

I know this after 30+ years in the public relations industry.  The art comes from instinct that is developed from successful past performance in developing relationships.  Strong relationships drive business success.  The science comes from the use of  measurement; the tracking and reporting of results to clients.  It’s much easier today to provide measurement to clients.  We can thank the new tools available to professional PR/marketing consultants, like myself, as the result of both technology and the consumers’ use of the internet.

Here’s a recent case in point.  A client requested, in the restaurant industry, that we use eMail marketing to build a customer base.  We developed an eMail marketing newsletter and promoted it via customer feedback cards as well as through the client’s Facebook page and website.

We started with zero subscribers.   After only 4 months that number of subscribers was at 400 with less than 0.1 percent unsubscribing.  Based on feedback from customers who came to the restaurant we know that the eMail newsletter was read.  Great results by any measure.  That’s the science.

The art is in the frequency and the information provided to those subscribers.  Many businesses, in my view, over produce electronic communications with customers.  They tend to send out too many blasts.  And, they often are too wordy with little to no value added to the reader.

A second case.  A business wanted to have a company Facebook page.   In their view, Facebook would help create awareness about their business.  We agreed that Facebook might achieve that result but only with due diligence and properly using Facebook as it was intended to be used.

Company Facebook pages are NOT for all companies.  Let’s be clear.  Building a Facebook page is one thing.  Keeping the conversation going is another and more difficult task that is often forgotten after the initial photos and videos are uploaded.   Again, the science was in measurement.  Here are the numbers.  Within less than a month the company had nearly 100 fans.  A significant growth cycle for such a small business in a rural mountain community.

The art was how we got that amount of fans quickly.  Our secret:

1. Quality of the posts.

2. Engagement in conversations.

3. The amount of information provided to fans in a timely manner that the fans found useful to them.

Here is one last example about the science and art of marketing.  A client wanted honest and open feedback on their business.  Now, this sounds fine, but will they (the owners) act on what they hear especially when it might be negative?

In today’s world it seems that everyone wants a freebie or at least a discount.  Am I right?  In the end everyone believes that their time is valuable.  I can appreciate that.  Most people  believe that they should be compensated for advice.  Again, being a consultant I can definitely understand.

So, taking advantage of this current consumer trend, when it comes to buying behavior, we designed a very simple feedback card that went to the heart of the key elements in the business.  We also added an incentive.  A 10% coupon for return business; a way of thanking people for their time and providing constructive feedback.  The science was in the easy design that produced a large number of cards being returned.  The data collected on those key elements was easily tabulated and shared with owners to make changes. More than 30% of those who purchased from the business filled out the card.  Industry standards are more in the 4-6% range.  Again, great validity to the respect for the business and the willingness to provide open feedback.

Now, the art comes in understanding the comments and having trust to make the changes.  The business owner personally reviewed the requests and informed workers.  Where and when possible changes were made quickly and trends indicated that complaints from the past were not being repeated.  Some comments required a financial commitment by the owner to fix, i.e. “business is always too cold.”  Understandably that will take time to repair facilities but the owner is aware and has it on a near-term “To do” list as resources warrant.

Yes, you can measure results from public relations practices.  However, it has to be integrated into the overall business strategy — upfront — and acted upon in a timely manner to be of value.

Seek a professional public relations consultant when wanting to promote your business as they can guide and measure results for you.

It’s Spring Break!

For many public schools and colleges across America, traditionally this week usually means traveling with family or friends.  However,  the week can also be a great time to do a little Spring cleaning or starting fresh with new experiences and ideas.  How about we use this week to start fresh with new tools on how to  promote your small business or nonprofit?

Which of these public relations tactics do you use to promote awareness of you company or nonprofit?