The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

Making “hot topics” accessible for your audience

In her latest newsletter, Stephanie Helline from Strategic Design Studio took a hot topic, digital publishing, and made it accessible for her audience. She described what it is, why it’s important, and what the possibilities are—plus, included an example of how she did it for a client. Here’s an excerpt:

Digital Publishing  – You can do it too!

Are you participating in the tablet revolution? If you’re not—I bet you will be soon. Forrester Research forecasts that 35 million tablets will be sold in 2012. Will one belong to you? How many will belong to your ideal customers? Give a new user a tablet and they are swiping and interacting in no time. The colors pop, the type is crisp, and they’re pinching in the picture, flaring it out, and whooshing it left and right. Tablets are so easy—almost anyone can use them. Why? 

The touch screen makes all the difference. 

Using the basics, a simple touch, a quick swipe, the tablet is allowing your reader to experience your content in a more intimate way. It’s creating a new method by which you can meaningfully interact: by “digitally publishing” your communication materials. 

Why digitally publish? 

Well, if your target customer is three or older, you’ll want to digitally publish to be in front of them. And, you’ve already got the content! Repurpose it for this widely accessible communication vehicle. You’ve already invested in the development of the content, pushing it out via other avenues is cost effective. In the last issue of tactics we talked about trends, and the tablet is only getting more popular. It’s evident that if your market isn’t currently using tablets, they will be soon.

Read the rest…

 

Aiming to start a successful photography business?

Photographer Martha Retallick has just released the Freelancer's Guide to Starting a Successful Photography Business. It showcases more than 50 resources that will help freelancers learn professional business practices in photography, find photography buyers, and improve their photographic skills. Here’s an excerpt:

Of Pizzas and Photographers

There’s a joke that’s been making the rounds for years: What’s the differencebetween a large pizza and a photographer? The punch line is that the large pizzacan feed a family of four. Not the sort of adventure you’d like to subject yourspouse and two kids to, is it?

 And, if you’re getting the impression that making the transition from being anamateur/hobbyist to being a full time professional photographer isn’t easy, you’reright. This transition is made all the more difficult by:

1. Photography’s supply problem. There is both an abundance of images andpeople creating them. And they’re generating more supply all the time. Recallyour economics class that taught that high supply tends to drive down prices.(Think microstock photography here.)

2. The “love” problem. There’s quite an abundance of people who love takingpictures. In fact, they love photography so much that they’d gladly do it forfree. Which presents quite a challenge to those who wish to get paid for their work…

Fortunately, this eBook can help. The Freelancer's Guide to Starting a Successful Photography Business will introduce you to books, both printed and electronic, websites,blogs, online forums, and organizations to help you grow as a photographer and a business person. You will learn about:

1. Photography portfolios
2. Photographic sales and marketing skills
3. Photography contracts
4. Copyright registration
5. Buying vs. renting equipment
6. Photography workshops
7. Professional development

For more information, or to purchase the downloadable eBook ($15.00) click here.

 

Bryn says, “This marketing stuff isn’t hard, except…"

Last time I talked to independent journalist and copywriter, Bryn Mooth, from Writes4Food, she confessed to slowing down in December and paying the price in January. 

When I asked her, “What could you have done differently to avoid this slowdown?” Bryn said, “I should have put more effort into marketing in October and November.” 

Bryn realized, “This marketing stuff isn’t hard, except if you wait until you’re really slow and you’re desperate and have to do it all at once.” By plugging marketing into her calendar, and doing marketing steadily, she says, “It’s not hard, it’s not time consuming, it’s not overwhelming.” 

In this 19-minute interview, we talk about the actions Bryn has been taking to ramp up her marketing machine, with a special focus on how she’s using LinkedIn to: 

• Decide which groups to join

• Ask and answer questions

• Get introductions from her connections

• Turn connections into phone calls

See how her marketing efforts have paid off in just one month.

Listen here…

 

Why I am asking for your budget

Lisa Smith Youngdahl was a member of a Basic Marketing Group in 2010, and she is still regularly in touch with her group members for continued marketing support. She credits her buddies, Tricia Okin and Dianne Rohlkohl, with providing the fine-tuning help she needed for her latest newsletter, “Why I am asking for your budget.” I not only love the continued group support, but I also love the way Lisa addressed this common client question:

When a client approaches me about a new design project, I will ask what the budget is for this project. Often, the client is not prepared for this question.Why do you think I would ask this question?

a. I want to find out the highest possible cost the client willing to pay.

b. I have no idea what I'm doing, or how much to charge.

c. To help my client obtain the best value for what his business can afford.

Of course, if you think about it, c is the right answer. A good designer wants to help the client and create successful marketing that will help achieve the desired action. If the budget is known, the designer can offer cost effective options that will work within your price range. Having an idea of what you can spend will allow you to work with the designer to prioritize the strongest features you need that fit within your budget.

This process helps create an informed decision about what is the best choice for your marketing, and which might yield the best ROI.

If you feel lost determining a number, a rule of thumb is that 5-10% of your gross profit should be spent on marketing. A new business may need to spend more than an established one.

If you want to join a marketing group (where you might, like Lisa, find lasting marketing-buddies), see details here or fill out this form. There is a new group starting next week, and there is one spot open! 

 

What kind of copywriter can you be?

In this world where “content is king,” more and more of marketing is “content marketing.” With the need for content so vast—you can be a writer who specializes in exactly what a prospect needs, such as a web writer, content strategist, direct response writer or technical writer.  

Stacey King Gordon, from Suite Seven, started as just a plain “writer” in 1998, and now she’s a “content strategist.” An evolution happened during that time, in which she realized what type of writer she wanted to be—for herself and for her clients. 

In my first interview with Stacey, we talked about the process of renaming her business. In this interview, I wanted to delve deeper with Stacey to determine how the shift from “writer” to “content strategist” happened. 

She answers these questions: 

• Was there a gradual shift in perception or positioning?
• Where did the process begin?
• How did confidence play a role?
• How long did it take?
• What marketing outlets did you change first?
• How is she gaining recognition in the content strategy community? 

Stacey also talks about her new elevator pitch, why she was choosy about which portfolio items to show, and more… 

Listen to this 17-minute interview here.

 

Join me: Free Telesummit for Women, Feb 20-25th

On February 20th, I’ll be speaking at The Success Biz For Women Telesummit where I’ll be one of 12 marketing experts sharing secrets for success.

The invited speakers are from New York and Florida, and include fellow New York consultants, Liz Lynch and Wendy Weiss! 

My presentation, “The Only Marketing Tools You Need” will take place Feb. 20th at 8PM EST and will detail the most effective, efficient, and low-cost marketing tools, that when used together, can fill your pipeline with ideal clients. 

Here’s a short interview I did with Biba Pedron describing the highlights of what I’ll be talking about, including how to use LinkedIn. 

 

Check out the speakers and register here for this free event: www.successbizforwomentelesummit.com

 

Ready to position yourself as an expert? New group starts next week.

Our Marketing Groups are on the verge of a transformation. The “Advanced Groups” will instead focus on particular tools like thought leadership, using LinkedIn, defining your market, and doing direct outreach. 

First up, my new thought leadership group starts next week. If you’re ready to position yourself as an expert, this one’s for you. Two spots are left; email me if you’re interested. 

Over this 3 month group process, each participant will develop a plan that includes writing and/or speaking to a target market. You will develop topics, find venues and do the outreach to get the ball rolling.  

• Session 1. Developing the content. Brainstorm topics.
• Session 2. Draft blurbs for your topics.
• Session 3. Find outlets for your writing.
• Session 4. Find venues for speaking.
• Session 5. Draft proposals for writing and speaking
• Session 6. Outreach to initial prospects. 

Ready to learn the tools to become an expert? Email me for details.

 

Podcast: Bryn’s tax surprise

When it comes to taxes, are you deducting everything you can?

Bryn wasn’t. 

Bryn Mooth is an independent journalist and copywriter at Writes4Food. We’ve been following Bryn’s journey, and recently, we talked about taxes.

In the first meeting with her accountant, Bryn had a big surprise:

She had a percentage in mind for Uncle Sam, but says,  

“It was significantly higher than I expected… I knew that I needed to account for self-employment tax and social security; what I didn’t realize is that, as an independent contractor … I need to pay my income tax quarterly… When I was employed by someone else, it was sort of off my radar…”

Having to pay a much bigger percentage than she expected was a “rude awakening” for Bryn. Fortunately, she had built up a financial cushion before becoming self-employed. This cushion was a huge relief.

Now, Bryn has a different mindset. Going forward:

• She realizes that she can expense a lot more than she thought. All of a sudden, knife sharpening, food for recipe development, and props become expenses.
• Every time a paycheck comes in, half goes into a tax account (just to be safe). 
• Bryn is now very careful about keeping receipts and updating her spreadsheet on “Finance Friday.” This way, when she files next, her estimate will be more manageable and realistic. 

Listen to this 10-minute interview here.

Have you experienced any tax surprises?

For guidance when it comes to taxes, we adore June Walker, tax advisor for the self-employed. Read her guest posts on the Creative Freelancer Blog and check out here books,  Self-employed Tax Solutions + Five Easy Steps, and her free resources. 

Podcast: Are you paying the price for a checked-out December?

Bryn Mooth is an independent journalist and copywriter at Writes4Food.com. I’ve been checking-in with Bryn for the past 8 months (since she went freelance) to follow her journey, and last week, we did our first calls of 2012.

How did she do? Overall, 2011 “exceeded” her expectations. Bryn was pleased with the income she earned and the work she did.

But…

January is slow.

Why?

Bryn says she “checked out” in December. She put off doing things like following up on completed projects, “slacked off” on networking and contacting, and now, she’s “paying the price.”

What’s her plan of attack?  She says, “I’m starting from scratch, a little bit.”

Bryn has identified the kind of projects that really appeal to her, and in 2012 is going to actively pursue that kind of work. She spent the last week on LinkedIn building a list of prospects. Then, she’s seeing who in her network can make an introduction.

What she’s learning about the marketing process:

Like most freelancers, I’m not really good at it. Early in this freelance career… some things were landing in my lap… I was doing some networking and yielding some good projects. But I wasn’t doing as much of that as I need to be. I got busy. I kept thinking, I need to allocate some time to think about who my ideal prospects are and get that planning going, and I didn’t.  So, that’s what I’m doing now.

In this 11-minute interview, I suggested for Bryn a three tool combination to turn these prospects into clients:

1. Use LinkedIn to connect.
2. Use email to follow up.
3. Use the phone to make it real.

Bryn is going to do this—and we’re going to talk to her next month to see how she did.

How long does it take to take to turn cold (or warm) prospects that you find on LinkedIn, and turn them into actual clients?

Stay tuned to find out…

Did you miss the marketing pep talk?

Thanks to all 1562 people who signed up for my "marketing pep talk" last week, "The Only Marketing Tools You Need for 2012."

These 1562 people know that this year—less is more! I’m recommending no more than 5 marketing tools depending on what your goals are and how much marketing you already have in place.

Want to know exactly which ones and how to use them? For those of you who missed the pep talk, here are the links for the video and the pdf of the PPT:

• Mac Version: http://bit.ly/AjS8et
• PC Version: http://bit.ly/woFd3P
• PowerPoint Presentation PDF Format

And if you need some structure for your marketing, try the Creative Professional's Marketing Plan + Calendar for 2012. It comes in Beginner and Advanced versions.