The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

When to publicize your (almost) brand new blog

Marketing Mix reader Melanie Mize Renzulli, a travel expert and author of two guidebooks on Italy, created a blog to help market herself (and share great tips). Here's her problem:

It's in its infant stages right now, and I’m having trouble getting motivated to update it regularly (having a real infant at home right now doesn’t help either!). Nevertheless, I was considering mentioning my blog on a bulletin board that I frequent in order to drive traffic to my site and to get an audience that will supply me with ideas for writing. Does it make sense to drive people to my site if I don’t currently have a lot of content? I feel vulnerable showing people a work in progress, but know that I’ll never get anything off the ground if I’m not proactive.

First, after over two years of blogging (on up to three blogs at a time, regularly), let me assure you that the eternal quest for motivation is part of the territory; on my overwhelmed days, I call the process of blogging "feeding the beast." So go easy on yourself, establish a schedule you can stick to, keep a running list of topics you want to write about for when ideas don't immediately present themselves.

Learning things the second time around

Like most people who work together but don't share an office, Ilise and Peleg and I share a lot of stuff via phone and email. (Peleg and Ilise are down with the IM as well, but I hate it—too much pressure!)

Recently, Ilise shared an email with me she'd gotten from Pamela Joy Trow-Johnson of Art Passions Design, who addresses the need to keep learning—even (or especially) things we think we already know.

I've been in the design/marketing industry for 20 years as well as taught at one of the top design schools in the industry. So, one may ask, why did I buy The Nuts and Bolts of Running a Design Firm. Or, why would I purchase your Pricing and Marketing Secrets?  when I've been independent for a greater part of those years?

Well, you're correct in saying there are no secrets. I believe, if I can come away from what you have to share with only one new pearl of wisdom, it's well worth the time and dollars. We're in a business that requires understanding how people receive and act on information. How many times have we all encountered an answer or new direction to problem resolution in one form, such as, a seminar, then realize a colleague had shared that approach with you sometime ago? Or, the answer was in that book you bought last year but never got to it because the cover design was poor? Also, whenever we
have concrete expectations, we only look for information that vibrates to those expectations, therefore, overlooking other great information.

Exactly the point, Pamela! As Ilise pointed out in her last newsletter, there really aren't any "secrets" per se; all the stuff that's out there is—well, out there!

But it's important to keep our eyes and ears open for those same lessons in a different form. Sometimes it's a matter of hearing things again, only under different circumstances. Sometimes, you learn the lesson the second—or third, or fourteenth—time around.

Although I swear, I will never learn the lesson of IM...

Guest Post: The Sixth Essential Marketing Tool

Stories keep rolling in from clients and readers about the item in our newsletter of a few weeks ago—"The 5 Essential Marketing Tools to Grow Your Business", for those who missed it. First Alan Allard, with a great tie-in story about Thomas Edison; now a terrific addition from Susan Harkavy, PR consultant and proponent of Guerrilla Marketing for Designers:

I just want to add tool #6, publicity (editorial coverage). Third party testimonials from the media go far in establishing credibility and prestige for small businesses. And as you start to build up a stash of clippings, which you might be emailing around, posting on your site, mounting in a portfolio or including in your press kits and new business packages, your reputation is undeniably enhanced. 

How do you get that ink?  Generating press uses the same techniques as generating sales.  You start with a compelling product or service, define your audience, consider what that audience is most likely to read, and then put yourself in situations where you will be visible to the appropriate media. 

The most basic actions are contacting journalists directly through mailings and phone calls, participating in trade shows, pro bono and advocacy work, attending or speaking at conferences, entering or jurying competitions, and attending or hosting events. All provide opportunities to meet members of the media and talk about your business. As with sales, results come through the relationships you build with journalists over the long term.

Thanks, Susan, both for pointing the omission and all the great tips. Anyone else have a "must" marketing tool I "missed"? 

Guest Post: Watch out for those assumptions!

Another terrific story from a Marketing Mentor client, copywriter Eileen Sutton, this one on the danger of assuming.

Dear Ilise,

You once cautioned against trying to interpret silence. I learned that lesson well recently.

I had met Ted at a conference. He knew I wanted to write for a certain financial company, and he offered to put me in touch with his contact there.  I called him later that week and got the name.  Then, even though I am utterly compulsive about detail, and virtually never lose things, the information he gave me went into the ether and after a serious search I couldn't find it. Finally, weeks later, I threw in the towel and with some measure of embarrassment, wrote Ted again for the information.

He never responded. I was convinced he thought I was unprofessional, and the whole episode made me feel awful. Some time later, Ted approached me at a luncheon. He apologized for not getting back to me, and said he had been traveling and was busy. I laughed out loud, and told him about my inner dialogue when I didn't hear from him. He graciously invited me to email him again for the referral.

The moral of the story? Assume nothing. And always be willing to ask twice.

—Eileen Sutton, Copywriter
E.F. Sutton Creative

Thanks for sharing, Eileen. Anyone else make an assumption that turned out to be false?

Call for outside passions

Sheree Clark of Sayles Graphic Design is doing a presentation at the HOW Design Conference in Atlanta in June. 

It's called “Inspired by our Passions: The Pursuit of an Enriched Life” and the focus is designers' outside passions and how they help keep creative people fresh and vital (or at least somewhat sane). 

If you have a passion (or outside interest) that fits the bill and you want a little exposure to 3,000+ other designers, send to her (sheree -at- saylesdesign -dot- com) by March 15:

• A photo or portrait
• A representative shot of your work or your studio/staff
• A photo (or several photos!) of something to represent your passionate pursuit
• Some written background stuff about how it started, etc....Just some basics
• Other visuals – Whatever would help share your story in a visually interesting way...
• Also, a tip or two for others: what advice would you give someone with a unique passion? For example: How can someone discover a passionate pursuit?  Where do you find the time?

Also, she's looking for designers with a penchant for something out of the ordinary, outside of their business, such as black belts, talented musicians, horse trainers, collectors or those who are really involved in something that others gain encouragement from.

Guest Post: A Surprisingly Pleasant Introduction to Speed Networking

Today's guest post comes from Marketing Mentor client Mary McCauley of 5 Star Writing, who's sent us good linkage in the past and decided to jump in with both feet this time. It's a great lesson on what can happen when you venture out of your comfort zone, as well as an interesting story about a wild way to network.

When I had a chance to go to a speed networking event that would expose me to people in my target niche (the Technology Association of Georgia sponsored this particular event), I knew I had to go. I purposely hadn’t marketed myself since mid-November because I wanted the holiday to go by quietly and calmly. But now it was time to get back in the saddle.

In case you don’t know, speed networking is networking on steroids. You spend five minutes with a person before moving on to the next. The purpose is to convey your “value proposition,” listen to the other person communicate theirs, and see if you two either A) might be able to establish a business relationship or B) have contacts who could help that person along.

I’m not a shy person, but I find that my energy dwindles if I spend a lot of time with people. (This is actually quite normal for introverts, whereas extroverts find themselves energized by socializing. To read more about this, I highly recommend Marti Olsen Laney’s book, The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World.) Therefore, I tend to avoid those situations.

However, I’ve worked with Ilise long enough to know that resistance should often be ignored (step outside my comfort zone, just because it feels yucky doesn’t necessarily mean it will turn out that way, etc.). So I went.

And you know what? It wasn’t that bad.

Ask the Experts: Weeding out the tire-kickers, Part 2

If you don't even want to have a conversation with prospects who can't afford you, then use your web site to be the first filter.

Here's how: post a form prospects mist fill out if they want a proposal or quotation from you. If they're willing to invest the time in that, they may be serious. And if you ask about money on the form, they may be more likely to give it to you.

Here are a couple of examples:

My client, direct response copywriter, Bob Bly, has a form on his site that links from burst at the top of the homepage. That way, no one can miss it. The burst says: "Need great copy? Click here now:".

Another client, video producer, Don Forschmidt, links from his contact page.

And I don't know this firm but they have a very comprehensive (maybe a bit much) survey for prospects to fill out.

Anyone else doing something similar? And how is it working?

Ask the Experts: Weeding out the tire-kickers, Part 1

Last week I spoke to lots of clients who complained about wasting their time on prospects who can't afford their services. The problem is: they didn't know it until they'd already put in a lot of time, either talking on the phone or creating a proposal. Some even met in person.

That's why we highly recommend that you bring up the topic of money right away, on the first phone call, just to make sure you're on the same page.

How? You should always ask first what their budget is. But if they don't have one or don't want to give it to you, for whatever reason, then it's up to you to provide a price range for what you would charge to do what they need done. You could say something like: "A simple web site usually runs ($X,XXX, while a more complex one could be as high as $XX,XXX. How does that fit into your budget?"

It's actually very simple. Any language or other techniques to recommend?

Bright business advice from Thomas Edison

Marketing Mentor friend Alan Allard, President of Genius Dynamics, Inc., sent us a great story with an evergreen lesson about action—specifically, what keeps us from taking it:

When it comes to taking action, many people just don't...because they are guided by less than useful assumptions.  "Why go to the networking event, the last three were not productive." "Writing an article won't get me significant business."  "I don't think the client I'll be meeting with next will give me any referrals, so why risk asking?"

And the list goes on.

All are assumptions, and here is where "The Salt Test" comes in:  Thomas Edison is reported to have tested anyone he was thinking about hiring.  He would invite them to have a bowl of soup with them.  Anyone adding salt without first tasting the soup failed his test.  He didn't want anyone making decisions based upon unfounded assumptions.

The lesson for us?  The only way we can know what will happen by taking an action step is to take action and pay attention to the results.  Making unfounded assumptions without testing -- and then not taking action is the riskiest of all behaviors.

I call it "Premature Closure."  Making a decision without adequate information.

Excellent advice, Alan, and a great way to serve it up—with or without salt.

Are you being persistent or a pest?, Part II

As promised, here's my take on the question from Jennifer Neal, Managing Partner at K-9 Design, that Colleen addressed on Monday:

You want to keep in touch but you don’t want to be a pest. Where is the line between the two? How much is too much?  How often is too often?

Because each prospect is different, there is no rule to follow.  Your prospect will tell you (if you ask) what his or her preference is. But you can be on the safe side if you make contact monthly or every other month, depending on how close they are to being ready.

Frequency, however, is less important than relevancy.  When you keep in touch, to ensure that they are open to receiving your message (whether via email, voice mail, fax or in person), be sure to do it with something relevant to that particular prospect.

For example, if you know they frequently attend trade shows and you have a great article about making the most out of trade shows, send that with a short note, saying "Saw this and thought of you...". Ideally, it should be an article you have written, whether online or in print.  Or, to make an impression laced with credibility, send a profile of you in a publication.  But if you don’t have something impressive, any article of relevance will do.

An even more relevant way to stay in touch is to send a case study of a successful project you have just completed, or simply the highlights. Don’t get hung up on trying to find or create the perfect thing. It can be a tidbit, a resource, a tiny lesson you recently learned that they might benefit from.  In fact, less is often more. Remember: it’s simply an excuse to make contact with the goal of providing something relevant.