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Marketing – 2 Ways to Get Better Results for Less  - June 2008
The Pitfalls of a Marketing Video - February 2008
What is Branding and is it Working For You? - January 2008
How well do you Understand Your Workforce? - November 2007
What is Viral Marketing? - October 2007
5 Tip to Financial Success - September 2007

Marketing – 2 Ways to Get Better Results for Less -  June 2008

Marketing and advertising your business should be much more of a science than an art form. Creativity is important but it must be relative to your customers.

The goal of any marketing strategy is to be 20% different to your competitors and in doing so get your target audience to notice and contact you.

Here are some very simple tips to help hone your strategies and get a better return.

1: Research

Before you spend a cent, spend a month asking your current customers in the demographic you want to target, some simple questions that pertain to the marketing or media tools you are considering.

Do you listen to the radio? What station? When?
Do you read the paper? Which one? Which day?
What’s your favourite TV show?
Do you spend much time on the net? What do you use it for?

Getting to understand your current clients will help you to understand how to reach new clients in the same age group, demographic, sex, etc….

2: Don’t say the obvious

If your business name is the Happy Lotus Chinese Restaurant, don’t waste time telling people your menu, they already know from your name that you will have Chinese Food. Just give them the thing that makes you different to everybody else.

Applying these two rules to your next campaign will immediately give you a better chance of hitting your target audience and improving your return on investment.

Article supplied by Wazza Bray Managing Director Asia Pacific of LMG digital Media, to contact them Phone 07 5597 6888.

The Pitfalls of a Marketing Video - February 2008

There are specific reasons why a corporate communication video fails to get its message across. It has nothing to do with the size of the budget; however its problems may begin before the first call to the video production company.

1. We Should Do a Video.

A marketing video is a valuable sales tool and like all tools will only be effective if it’s used properly. Some companies commission a video without knowing what specific message they want to convey.
“We should do a video” is a great idea but not for reasons like: we have to use up the rest of this year’s budget, the Managing Director wants us to do one, or our competitors are doing one.

Without a specific message you’ll end up with a video that leaves your audience confused and an exercise that is a waste of corporate time and money.

2. Everyone’s a Scriptwriter

The most beautifully shot and expertly edited images cannot hide a poorly written script. The downfall of many a marketing video.

This problem often occurs because someone in the company office writes the script. Their ideas and words don’t translate into a sequential and meaningful narrative, resulting in a boring or overly long video that lacks meaning.

This inevitably ends up costing more in professional re-writes and editing. Professional corporate-scriptwriters write so that your target audience will understand the principal information you want to convey.

3. The Epic Video

It may not seem like a long time but in the world of marketing videos, 10 minutes is a long time. Not only are they boring but our modern day high-tech attention spans lose interest after a few minutes.
When we’re surrounded by sound bites and 30 second ads, the most effective marketing videos are those that are short and concise.
Rather than one long epic video, consider 3 x 3 minute ones. Your message will be more effective and your audience won’t be bored.

4. Where’s the Talent?

Good looks or a job title don’t guarantee good on-camera talent.

Companies often enlist their staff to convey their message in a marketing video. However, nerves and the inability to deliver the script naturally does nothing more than boost corporate egos. Even the most charismatic CEO or MD will look wooden if they deliver an unrehearsed and long-winded script.
Similarly, video scripts that require an amount of acting ability are more effective with professional actors. While it may seem like fun for the office staff, your corporate image will look more like an amateur high school revue. Not to mention the extra time and expense required to coach and film the staff.

Use professional talent to deliver your message in a polished and believable way. Only use your own staff if they will add impact to the video.

5. Shot Like a Home Video

Video footage shot from cell phones and home video cameras are not the quality that makes a  professional marketing video. Poor quality images, wobbly camera shots and careless editing are the fastest way to lose your audience and your message.

A marketing video becomes a reflection of your company or business so it needs to look polished, professional and be broadcast quality. This can only be achieved using an experienced production company.

A good video production company uses state-of-the-art broadcast quality equipment and is made up of a team of A-grade cameramen, highly experienced editors, scriptwriters and production managers.

6. Who’s the Audience?

When a marketing video tries to convey a lot of messages to a wide and varied audience, it’s guaranteed not to work. It ends up as a confusing and irrelevant program that will alienate the audience. A video targeting in-house staff rarely works on clients and customers and vice-versa.

Knowing the target audience ensures that the message is effectively conveyed. It is more beneficial to produce a video program for each specific audience than to attempt to cover them all in one single video.

By avoiding one or all of these marketing video pitfalls you’ll ensure the success of your next corporate video communication.

Article supplied by Angela Soutar from Soutar Video Productions, to contact them Phone 07 5526 7987.

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What is Branding and is it Working For You? - January 2008

Branding is a key to many businesses, but how many people understand what branding really is. According to Webster's Dictionary, a brand is defined as "a means of identification."  A Brand is something that will help people to identify your business and help you stand the test of time...and that's BRANDING!

Think about some brands that stick out in your minds -

I'm thinking McDonalds, Virgin, Coca Cola, and Clive Peeters even. The moment I say these words to you, you are already imagining their brand probably more than the products they sell. Some brands have reached a level of mass acceptance where they are used as action verbs, such as " Xeroxing" a document instead of copying it and " Fedexing" a package rather than mailing or posting it. And I'm sure you've used an Esky before not an Ice Box.

Now I'll explain why I'm telling you all this in a moment, but for now let's look at Logos - they don't have to be extravagant, amazing, even very good at all. Look at my last two examples. A big yellow M? The Red word Virgin. A lot of thought went into those ones didn't it??!! What about Coke..., Nike... Not very amazing huh?! But they work! The importance of branding is exemplified by the fact that when you hear Nike, you think athletics and "Just Do It." A great brand name and association has catapulted Nike to the top of its industry. And all with a glorified tick!

Basically - Sit back, take a look at your business, what direction are you heading in, where would you like to go, what kind of customers are you hoping to attract, are these the ones that are actually coming??

It's not that difficult, especially with the help of experts! Find a style, a font that suits your business and where it wants to go - and Stick to it!!! The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials--all of which should integrate your logo--communicate your brand.

Use it on your business cards, stationery, and invoices. Use those colours on your walls. Brand your Cars, your uniforms, and the front door; outside walls and place your A-frame out the front with the same image. If you think that's overkill, go to Macca's and have a look around. They use the same font, colours, and styles on everything. This is no accident! They spend millions on design teams to make sure this is the case. They trademark certain words so that no one else can use them! This means when ever you hear them you think of that company. This is big business.

Even if you don't want to be as big as Coke, or the rest of these make an impression, stand out from the crowd. Don't waste your money and be swept out of the way by your competition. You still want to eat tonight - right?! You didn't start a business to lose money?!

One last thing before I go, if you already have a logo, but don't know if it's really working for you, don't be afraid to change it! It may be scary but a change is as good as a holiday. And a fresh image can be just the injection of life your company has been searching for. The key here is to follow through and make the change in every aspect of the business. Keep it all aligned to the new look and conquer the world!

Article supplied by Angie Spall from Signxtreme, to contact them Phone 07 5572 9255.

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How well do you Understand Your Workforce? - November 2007

The shift away from traditional career paths (i.e., long tenures at the same company and lifetime-lasting careers), and work values (i.e., loyalty and work ethic) will accelerate in the coming years as the age differences in the workforce become more pronounced. All these trends in the population will conspire to force us to rethink —and indeed revamp —how we hire, manage and train employees.

Different Generations have different needs for their Career Goals, Life vs. Work Balance and Feedback. If you don’t maintain the right balance, you could be throwing away some of your most talented employees to someone else.

1. Career Goals
• Silent generation (Born 1900-1945): Build a legacy.
• Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964): Build a stellar career.
• Generation Xers (Born 1965-1977): Build a portable career.
• Gen Yers (Born 1978-1989): Build parallel careers.

Loyal to a fault, Silent generationers expected to build a lifetime career with one employer, or at least in a single field, and to make a lasting contribution.

Listening to the tick of the career clock, Baby Boomers find themselves questioning where they've been and where they're going. Yet the idea of having a stellar career is still utmost in the minds of many.

Intent on looking for career security rather than job security, Generation Xers believe it is critical to build a repertoire of skills and experiences they can take with them if they need to.

Gen Yers, who are just beginning to enter the workforce, have grown up multitasking, and believe that they will be able to pursue more than one line of work at the same time.

Once a manager has the different generations' goals in mind, it is critical to provide different routes to reach them. In particular, Silent generationers and Boomers tend not to have their career paths laid out in nearly the amount of detail they are expected to produce for the Generation Xers they are often supervising. Generation Xers, on the other hand, are constantly pulling out their career maps to double check that they are headed in the right direction. Unless managers are always looking over these maps with their Generation X employees, they won't be aware of the change of direction until someone who is paying attention comes along and steals the talented Xer away.

2. Life vs. Work Balance
• Silent generation (Born 1900-1945): Support me in shifting the balance.
• Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964): Help me balance everyone else and find
meaning myself.
• Generation Xers (Born 1965-1977): Give me balance now, not when I'm
sixty-five.
• Gen Yers (Born 1978-1989): Work isn't everything; flexibility to balance my
activities is.

Many Silent generationers have reached a point of financial and career stability where they are able to ask for more balance, yet they want the support and the approval of their employers in making the shift, including the transition to retirement.

With single parent households, growing kids, aging parents, demanding jobs, and retirement looming on the horizon, Baby Boomers have realised there simply isn't enough time to go around, and are asking for help in achieving a better balance.

Xers, the generation that brought balance to the forefront of today's workplace, aren't just carefree kids anymore. They have adult concerns, including young children, and want the time and flexibility to take care of them, perhaps better than they saw their parents do.

Gen Yers, the most over-programmed generation ever, have had the concept of balance drummed into their heads since birth by their Boomer parents.

Balance initiatives are one of the most strategic approaches for companies to attract workers, retain the workers they have, and reduce stress and distraction in their lives. But balance means something different to each of the generations so understanding different perceptions of balance is the key to success.

3. Feedback
• Silent generationers (Born 1900-1945): No news is good news.
• Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964): Once a year, with lots of documentation.
• Generation Xers (Born 1965-1977): Sorry to interrupt, but how am I doing?
• Gen Yers (Born 1978-1989): Feedback whenever I want it at the push of a
button.

The strong, silent types who made up a generation of Silent generation leaders weren't long on praise (they weren’t t even long on words), but when they said something about your performance, they meant it.

That worked fine, until along came the Baby Boomers, raised with the pop psychology of the sixties that said people should open up. The Boomers forced Silent generation bosses to sit down with them on a regular basis and let them know where they stood.

That worked fine until Generation X came along, asking for instantaneous, immediate feedback. We can only imagine what the Gen Yers will expect.

The generations clash about feedback style as well as format: formal vs. frank, verbal vs. written, e-mail vs. memo, on the spot vs. a set time. Put all these styles together and the feedback a Silent generation thinks is informative and helpful can seem formal and preachy to the Boomers and the Xers. Feedback a Boomer thinks is fair and judicious can seem uptight and overly political to a Generation Xer or a Silent generation. Feedback a Generation Xer thinks is immediate and honest can seem hasty or even inappropriate to the other generations. Clearly, the generations have not signed off on what the feedback contract is supposed to look like.

Many good employees are quitting traditional organisations because the older
workforce does not know how to manage them properly.

What does each generation need and want?
How do you manage different generational concerns?

To find out more, contact Travis from Jigsaw on 07 5559 0177 or e-mail travis@jigsawsmt.com for the full article and to learn how to manage a successful working environment.

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What is Viral Marketing? - October 2007

Put simply, viral marketing is a promotional strategy that relies on people - other than the creator of the message, to spread the message.  Just like a virus, the message is spread from person to person; ultimately reaching far beyond the originator’s direct personal contacts.

Hotmail is considered the viral marketing case study par excellence. A company that went from nothing to 12 million subscribers in about one and half years. It is a great example of the power of the internet to spread a message, but 15 years down the track, it is no longer enough to stick a tag on an email or eNewsletter and assume someone will forward it.

The wonderful and challenging aspect of viral marketing is that none of our friends, family or colleagues are stupid. The product and the message has got to earn its endorsement before we’ll hand it on.

It is important to track and analyse the data which you should receive from your eMarketing software, so that you who is reading your newsletter, what they are reading and what they are forwarding.  Armed with this, you can really start to drill down into your subscriber’s needs and wants.

So how can you apply viral marketing principles to your business?

1. Ensure your customers/subscribers have a great personal experience with your service or product. They are the people who will spread the message.
 
2. Ask. People like to help others out, but don’t ask every time and make the request personal.
 
3. Just for fun. Include something just because ... a comic, a brain teaser, a good news story.

4. Special offers or deals. Every one likes a bargain, but make the offer exclusive to your eNewsletter.
 
5. Interesting articles. People like good information, and they like to share it.

Article written by Helen Bairstow from Great Look E-Mail Markeing

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5 Tip to Financial Success - September 2007

Whether you have a home loan or not Wilson National have some clever tips for you to save money and remain ahead of the game in the current climate of rising interest rates.

1/ Budget – This is the most is fundamental to any financial plan, this can be your map to your financial goals. Make a list of your incomes, and expenses - it is important to include all foreseeable expenses like insurance, car rego, and your power bills and rates. By establishing a budget, it lets you look at your current situation, and plan a path ahead.

2/ Resist the shopping urge - Arguably through advertising, we have been conditioned to shop-till-we-drop, and this can be hard if you are on a tight budget, especially since Australians have become a give-it-to me-now pay later society. In your budget, no matter how tight, allow yourself to reward yourself when you reach one of your financial goals. This will make budgeting worthwhile and satisfying.

3/ Pay bills on time – If you are struggling to pay a bill, don’t ignore it - just because you have ignored it doesn’t mean the business whose sent it has too. Contact creditor and tell them of your circumstances, lots of customers do. The creditor, in some circumstances, can put in place a special plan for you. By doing this you are acting responsibly, and it is a positive move.

4/ Money in the hand – Ever noticed it is hard to part with hard earned cash when it is in your hand (or is that just me), compared to paying for something on credit card? Paying with cash is tangible, and there is more emotion attached to paying with cash – it will help with avoiding impulse buys.

5/ Shop around – If you have a loan, make sure it is competitive. Take home loans for example, banks are not necessarily the ones with the best rates and service, and often brokers use only a handful of banks on their panel, so be on your toes, and look for a loan with a low interest rate (and comparison rate) and be wary of any monthly or transaction fees associated with the loan.

By being savvy with your money you have worked hard for it, and by doing so you can position yourself for short, medium and long-term financial success.

Article written by Gordon Watson from Wilson National