Imagination Technology

What a Little Re-Design Could Do for Your Brochure

Elements of Health recently asked us to redesign a brochure featuring the NAET allergy treatment program. Here's a look at the before and after.

 
 

Think of Marketing as a Tool

Instead of viewing marketing as a chore that simply must be done, think of it as the best tool in your toolbox. If there's a particular type of client or type of work that you prefer, use your marketing to seek out and find those clients you like to work with best. This gives you the chance to actively choose your clients, rather than waiting for them to choose you.

Marketing and Selling are Not the Same

Selling is more about the offering of goods and services, where marketing should be a focused plan to find and contact specific prospects. Selling focuses on the needs of the seller, where marketing focusses on the needs of the buyer. If you find yourself talking to a prospective client and you're talking about yourself or your business, chances are good that you're selling. Instead, describe your products and services in terms of how they benefit the buyer. This is true for every contact with a potential customer whether you're talking across the counter, placing an ad or sending out a postcard.

Counterpunch Your Competitor's Brand

What does it mean to counterpunch your competition? Develop your own brand based upon everything your customers hate about doing business with the competition. Just ask. When customers have complaints, they'll tell you. Ask what they don't like about other businesses in the industry (you don't have to name names), and what they would do to make their experience with your business perfect.

Let your customer give you the roadmap to success.

Be friendly. Keep working with you simple. Err on the side of the customer. Build long-term relationships, and do everything you can to keep the customers you have. In an economy like this one, letting your customers know how much they are appreciated goes a long, long way.

10 Reasons for Businesses to Blog

Have you ever wondered whether or not a blog could be good for your business? Here are a few reasons why a blog could be.

1. Blogs use simple software to publish to the internet. There's no special knowledge or training involved. If you can type an email, you can blog.

2. Content is still king on the internet, and a blog is an easy way for you to update the content on your website ... often.

3. If you're using other social media, your blog is the place where clients or customers will turn to for more information. It's hard to be successful in other social media outlets without a blog.

4. Search engines LOVE blogs. Search engines are looking for relevant, updated content. Give it to them.

5. A good blog can separate you from your competition. When it comes down to choosing between companies, those with the most relevant information often win.

6. Your blog is a great way to offer important information to your best customers without making a play for their wallets. Customers appreciate being kept informed without the sales pitch.

7. A blog is a great way to feature employees, or tell your own story.

8. A blog is one way to address customer concerns. Let your customers speak back to you directly through your blog.

9. A blog is a cost-effective way to keep current content or new product or service information in front of your customers.

10. You can use your blog to help build credibility that you are the expert in your field.

If you are ready to set up a blog for your business, visit us at www.imaginationtechnology.com

Identity and Branding. What do You Want Customers to Remember About Your Business?

Your business identity is whatever your customer can remember about your business. So what builds your business identity in your customer's mind? It's your primary marketing message which might come in the form of your business card, your logo, your tagline, or your skillfully delivered 30 second elevator speech to the perfect customer at the perfect time.

What elements go into a memorable company identity? Your identity needs to be clear and not confusing in any way. That means it should be obvious. Use plain, simple language to communicate who you are and what you do.

Your identity needs to be consistent. Your customers should see your company identity in every marketing piece, and every customer encounter. That means you can't fake it. Customers are really good at discerning who's giving them straight talk and who's not. Every one of your marketing pieces whether it be a sales representative at the counter, or a brochure you send in the mail should reflect your consistent company identity.

Your identity needs to fit within the means you're using to get the word out. It should grab your customer's attention, gain their interest, create a desire for your product or service, and get them to take action to reach you. All goals of successful marketing programs anyway, but the methods have to fit identity. If you're offering serious VIP services to exclusive clients, you might not want to pitch your company using a cheesy infomercial on late-night cable. And the opposite is true, too. If you're offering the lowest price and the best value, sending an engraved invitation would send the wrong message.

When was the last time you sat down to evaluate whether your marketing strategy was meeting your marketing goals? If it's been awhile. Give us a call. We'd be happy to help you evaluate what's working and what might be improved. www.imaginationtechnology.com

Why is Defining Your Target Market Important to Your Business?

Determining a target market is all about figuring out who buys what, why they buy what they're buying, and where they're buying it.

Ideally, you want the answer to be that your business is the best place to buy a particular product or service.

One way to ensure that outcome is to narrow your market into a tight niche and then provide the very best product or service that fits that niche market.

People like buying from experts, and the more time you spend refining your products and services for a narrow segment of the market, the more your expertise becomes known throughout that market.

Another benefit of niche marketing is being able to create more highly targeted marketing pieces. One misake many businesses make is trying to do too much with a single marketing piece. Buyers are more likely to buy if they receive a specific offer, targeted to their specific wants or needs using language that appeals specifically to them.

If you're ready to pursue a new niche marketing strategy, come visit Imagination Technology at www.imaginationtechnology.com

 

Why is Market Research Important to Your Business?

Market research will help you nail down exactly what is important to your customers. And if it isn't important to them, it shouldn't be important to you.

Market research lets you know what the competition is up to as well. If your competitors are doing something in the marketplace, shouldn't you be figuring out a way to do that very thing just a little bit better?

The more important element in figuring out what your unique selling point is (often called your unique selling proposition), is to figure out a benefit to your products or services that your competitors are unable to offer. This sets your business apart from the crowd.

The investment in market research doesn't often pay off in the short run, but it can pay off big in the long run.

So what might you want to research? How about new products or services your direct competition is not offering? How about new places to be seen in the media? How about new markets for your existing products? Or new technology that will help you better deliver your existing products or services? How about new partnership opportunities. If you're selling shoes, somebody's got to be selling socks, right?

If you're ready to meet the competition head on, but aren't ready to conduct the market research yourself, visit Imagination Technology at www.imaginationtechnology.com.