The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

MYOB is back!

A couple weeks ago, I did a free mentoring session with a designer who ran a 10-person firm and had plenty of work in the studio. More business wasn’t what she needed! But she was looking for help on back end systems to make her business run more smoothly and efficiently.

Luckily, I could recommend that she attend the 2010 Mind Your Own Business Conference in New York City this October 12 – 14th.  (Presented by HOW magazine, in partnership with David C. Baker of ReCourses, Inc.)

I went to MYOB a couple years ago in San Diego and my favorite session was the Live Agency Review where David Baker sat on the stage with the owner of a pre-selected design firm whose financial records, day-to-day business practices and management style he’d examined in depth. Then, he proceeded to identify this firm owner’s successes, mistakes, and best of all, the opportunities he should seize. All you could do was wonder what he’d say if it was you in the hot seat!

Like the Creative Freelancer Conference (save the date for next year, June 23-24 in Chicago), MYOB is also a networking bonanza! You’ll get the all-too-rare opportunity to spend “quality time” with your peers and put all your heads together to focus on nuts-and-bolts problem-solving and big-picture planning.

Here are some highlights from this year's program:
•    Inc. Editor-at-Large, Bo Burlingham's keynote, "Companies that Choose to be Great Instead of Big"
•    Profitability expert, Darryl Salerno on "Managing for Profit"
•    Marc O'Brien on "Making Your Agency's Website Irresistible Prospects."

To see the complete list of expert speakers and targeted sessions, or to register today, visit MYOBconference.com.

Is your business out of sight?

Is your website “out of sight, out of mind?” Do you know how many people are visiting your site each month? Have you added new testimonials or made updates recently?

If not, use this post as a reminder!

And if summer is coming to an end – and you still don’t have your website ready – I have a new Website in a Week group happening August 16-23rd. If you join, you can have the marketing-smart content for your site finished before Labor Day.

If your site isn't “getting done” by itself, and you need some accountability, this one-week, accelerated group is perfect. Details here or fill out this form.

Does your email say "open me"?

We love email marketing. We love Emma for email marketing. And we love Emma’s blog for email marketing best practices. We love them so much we offer a partner discount of 20% off “everything Emma.” 

On the Emma blog, Matt McCutchan shares five effective subject lines that defy conventional wisdom – and they really do! Even though they might go against the rules, they stood out in his inbox and made him open the message. He says:

If you’ve ever seen tips for writing an effective subject line or maybe even attended a conference about email marketing best practices, you’ve probably been advised to abide by a certain set of tried-and-true principles.

First, the experts often say, include your company or brand name so that the mailing becomes instantly trusted and recognizable. Next, keep it short to make the most of the fixed space for subject lines in most email clients and webmail applications. And lastly, use the subject line to highlight the most important part of your campaign message and get your readers to click.

These are great guidelines and are always a helpful place to start. But it’s worth going your own route sometimes, too. I’ve recently noticed five subject lines in my inbox that have seemingly ignored or temporarily kicked conventional wisdom to the curb, yet still grabbed my attention…

See them here: http://myemma.com/blog/2010/07/16/subject-line-remix/

If you need to create an email newsletter – we can't recommend Emma highy enough. Use Marketing Mentor code “MM0701” when you sign up and receive a 20% discount.

The perfect project for summer: finish your freakin' website!

Is your marketing on hold because your web site isn't done?

Then now is the time to get it done. Our do-it-yourself course, Website in a Week, gives you step-by-step assignments to create "marketing-smart" content that engages your ideal prospects and clients.
 
All you have to do is follow the directions and by this time next week, you'll have a site ready to hand over to a web designer or post yourself.

Plus, there’s a bonus if you download "Website in a Week" by Midnight tonight (Friday, June 25th).  You will also receive Web Sites That Work, an 80-minute presentation (you get the mp3, transcript + PPT) with examples of what works and what doesn't on actual web sites of creative professionals.
 
Download it here today.

So many cards. So little time.

Ever return from a conference with a million business cards and no plan of attack?

On the Creative Freelancer Conference Linked In group, I started a discussion about how the heck to organize your follow up when you come back to a trade show or conference. Here are some highlights:

Luke Mysse said:

The first thing I did this time is write notes on people’s business cards as I met them. I've heard of people doing this and it works like a charm. No way would I remember every conversation from this weekend but those little notes jogged my memory when I set out to connect with people later. I'll be using this for other networking events from now on. So simple but it works...

Second I sent emails to people saying thanks and asking them to connect with me on my other social spaces such as Linkedin and Twitter. I love that most of them responded with the same info so we can keep this community alive.

Third is that I'm only going to add the people to my address book that I do make real connections with. I don't want to build a giant list, I would much rather have a smaller more concentrated list of contacts...but that's just me.

Mark Duebner said:

I went through all my cards and searched everyone on LinkedIn and Facebook, and sent out invites/friend requests.

Each night I also sent a daily wrap up to all my Tribe members from CFC#1 who could not make it to Denver. It was a way to make them still feel connected to the energy of the Conference and also make them a little sad and jealous that they were not here! These reports were a big push to get them to commit to Chicago in 2011, especially since that is where it all started.

Lisa Youngdahl said:

I've entered all the cards into Batchbook, and in most cases, was able to connect on Twitter and/or LinkedIn. I made it a priority to do it this week while I could still remember which face went with what name.

Do you have tips and tricks? Contribute yours here or on the LinkedIn Group.

And save the date for the next Creative Freelancer Conference! It’s June 23-24th in Chicago.

Are you making money by using freelancers and temps?

In the latest edition of the Creative Business Newsletter, Cameron Foote talks about Profiting from Freelance & Temp Creatives. Here is an excerpt:

Workload and the means to handle it can occasionally get way out of balance, necessitating extra help. But assigning work to outsiders raises possible problems, not the least of which are ensuring quality and profitability.

It could be because you’ve downsized, and business is beginning to pick up again. Or maybe you’re overloaded but unsure how long it will last. Or maybe you want to avoid, or at least delay, going the employee route altogether.

Whatever the reason, work flow is under water, and you’re not ready to hire permanent staff. So you need to hire an outsider to help get things done. But you also can’t afford to lose money or control of quality…

This article covers:

•    Being prepared
•    Where they’ll work
•    Taxing Issues
•    Making Money
•    Controlling Quality
•    Protecting Vital Interests

Also in this edition, The Coming of Age for Electronic Marketing amd What Do You Own? And When Does It Matter? In addition, you will get advice on special rates, retainer overtime, employee pay, valid sign off, forced collaboration, downturn causes, spec response and photo use.

Find out more about the Creative Business Newsletter or sign up here: http://www.creativebusiness.com/

P.S. In addition to way cool networking, know-how, and inspiration – all Creative Freelancer Conference attendees get a free 6-month trial subscription to Creative Business – which includes the incredible newsletter devoted to creatives as well as unlimited phone and email support.

World’s Best Subject Line

If you're like me, you probably strain over what to put in the subject line of your e-blasts. You ask yourself:

"What will compel people to open it and not delete it?"

"How do I make sure my email passes safely through spam filters?"

"Is there anything I can do to make sure people know it's from me and not some freak in a dingy back room in Karachi?"

Your subject line, and your attribution line—you know, the "from" of your email—are worth straining over. Because if that adage "if they don't read your headline, they won't read your ad" is true for print (and it is) it is 100 times truer with subject lines.

In the case of subject lines, the listless, the over-hyped, or too-familiar end up being trashed before they even have a chance to become an email—or worse yet, they spur people to opt out or tag everything from you as junk.

Let's not let that happen. Here are some tips I've learned from writing emails for the likes of Audible.com, CENTURY21, and last week's Thinking Creatively Conference.

• Keep it to 69 characters (including spaces)
• If you have to go over in characters (long subject lines display, but not as well) put the important stuff first.
• Don't be redundant; put your company name in the "from" line and don't repeat it in the subject line.
• Try packing a benefit to your recipient in the subject line
• Action verbs are best, e.g., learn, see or start.

Rather than writing a general line about all the great stuff inside the email, highlight one exciting detail.

For more tips like this, sign up to receive Conrad’s newsletter “a little something from backpocket copywriter” at www.backpocketcopywriter.com/tips.htm

 

Do you pull numbers out of your....?

Welcome to Week 30 of my adventure as a member of the Marketing Plan Group. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a website copywriter, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning from my group experience.

Now that my group is getting down-and-dirty with our numbers, I’m beginning to realize how much I pull numbers out of my… let’s say… imagination. All sorts of numbers. Pricing numbers, timing numbers, goal numbers. And I’m not the only one! One of my group members says she knows the amount in her bank account, but somehow, when left alone with her imagination for long enough – it changes. (She gets richer!)

It’s actually pretty hilarious. We never realized this was happening until our group got serious about numbers.

So, my poof, thin air approach isn’t proving to be the most accurate, especially when it comes to how long things take.

For example, how long does it take to write a blog post, make a research call, or write a bio for a client? Do you know? Or do you half-know and half-guesstimate, like me? If you don’t seriously, meticulously track your time, it’s likely you’ll be astounded by the discrepancy between what you think it takes, and what it really takes.

Turns out, writing a brochure takes a hell of a lot longer than I thought.

Are you using the poof, thin air method of tracking time? Do you really track your time, or do you guesstimate?

Take this little challenge with me: I propose that those of us out there, who may not be the most dedicated of time-trackers, take this week to obsessively track our time. Every second of it. (I’m using the time-tracking feature in Freshbooks. Function Fox is another great tool for time-tracking.)

Yes, even those “quick” email responses, “quick” phone calls, or “quick” changes. Cuz guess what? They add up. They really add up!

Are you with me?

Stay tuned… Next week, we’re making our proposals better.

Resources to help you manage your business

Have you heard about The AIGA Center for Practice Management?

The AIGA Center for Practice Management provides resources to help designers with the daily management of their studios. We address a broad range of internal business and operational issues, giving creative professionals important tools for success.

They cover topics like new business development, legal issues, project management, finances, HR, business plans & more.

Here are just a few of the useful articles written by Shel Perkins -- who will be speaking on the Art of Pricing at the Creative Freelancer Conference in June (register by April 15th and take advantage of the early-bird discount): 

• The Employee/Employer Relationship at Design Firms
• Be Smart About Student Internships
• Pricing Strategies for a Value Driven Industry

Check out what they have to offer here: http://cpm.aiga.org/

Can you fill in the blanks?

Welcome to Week 28 of my adventure as a member of the Marketing Plan Group. In my posts, I talk about my voyage down the road of self-employment as a website copywriter, my achievements and roadblocks along the way, and what I’m learning from my group experience.

Time for a little fun with numbers! Think of it as numeric Mad Libs. Ready? Fill in the blanks for your business:

My monthly financial goal is _________.

When I look over my past projects, I can see that my average amount billed per project is _______. This means I need _____ projects per month to reach my goal.

Estimates

Last month, I did _____ estimates. The number of estimates that got accepted is _____.
This means, my average estimate acceptance rate is _____.

This means I need to do _____ estimates per month to reach my monthly goal.

Getting there

To create this number of estimates per month, I need to find prospects. Here’s how:

• I will attend _____ networking events.
• I will send a newsletter to _____ prospects.
• I will spend _____ hours per day/week social networking.
• I will write _____ blog posts and/or _____ articles.
• I will make _____ research calls.
• I will reconnect with _____ prospects.
• I will comment on _____ blog posts.

If you’re not finding enough prospects, to create enough estimates, to get enough projects – then you need to up your marketing efforts. Yep, it all comes down to marketing.

Did you fill in the blanks? Did you learn something you didn’t already know?