The Marketing Mix | official blog of the Marketing Mentor community

Podcast: What do art buyers really care about?

Recently I interviewed Scott Hull, an agent for illustrators who, when you ask what he does, says he, “links creativity to the corporate world." We talked a lot about how illustration has changed and who the new “art buyers” are.

He shared some interesting information for creatives and illustrators—especially when it comes to selling themselves to art buyers and agencies.

Scott believes that we’ve fallen short in marketing creative services and that what the new art buyers care about is: What value are you going to bring to me? How are you going to make my life easier?

So how can a creative sell themselves? 

Scott says: An illustrator can talk about the value they bring and the potential return on investment over stock illustration or photography. 

He also suggests emphasizing turnaround time. "The illustrator has the training and sense to convert concepts into a visual translation in 3-4 weeks. This is probably one of the biggest sales tools I have found.”

In this interview, Scott also shares his thoughts on: 

• Students coming out of art school, what should they do? 
• Can an illustrator directly approach an art buyer?
• Can an illustrator learn enough about ROI to persuade corporate decision-makers? 

Listen to this 14-minute interview on the Marketing Mentor podcast.

Don’t miss the free annual pep talk – Thurs, Jan 12th @ 3pm ET

What are the only marketing tools creative pros need this year? Find out on Thursday, January 12th at 3:00 PM ET. 

This hour-long webcast is free and in it, I will not only outline the simple “to dos” that will keep your pipeline full and your Marketing Machine humming all year long, I will also give you the kick in the butt you may need to get those to dos done! 

One of the tools I’ll highlight is LinkedIn and you’ll learn how to use this social network to get new clients, get the most from the groups and which “apps” are best. 

Get your 2012 started right—sign up now (even if you won’t be free to listen live; you’ll get the recording afterward) - http://bit.ly/yLkRos

It all started with a tweet…

When combined, the right marketing tools get you what you want. One good combination that worked for me is Twitter + In Person Networking + Email. Here’s how. 

One of my personal goals for 2012 is to speak at more schools and universities. I want to help equip student creatives with the marketing know-how they’ll need to make it in the real world.

I signed up to attend an event and saw that, Dr. John Maeda, the president of Rhode Island School of Design would be speaking. So I tweeted him (@johnmaeda) to say I was looking forward to hearing him speak. This led to a series of events that has me speaking in-person at RISD on Thursday, January 19^th. (Details here: http://www.risdcareers.com/programs/calendar/).

Here’s what happened:

1. I tweeted.
2. We met in person.
3. I followed up (with email).
4. I’m speaking at RISD.

The timing must have been right because when Dr. Maeda got my tweet, he went to Marketing-Mentor.com to find out more. I didn’t know that until, at the event, Iintroduced myself before I asked a question. He remembered me and said (in front of the whole audience) that he had sent my information to his head of career services.

The day after the event (remember, timing is everything!), I followed up with the head of career services—and now I’m speaking. And it all started with a tweet…

 

Does a simple contact management system exist?

This year, I’m trying to streamline the marketing process to make it more doable. That’s why I’ve simplified the 2012 Marketing Plan Bundle to include only the most effective tasks. One of the main marketing tasks in the bundle is direct outreach. But once you’ve reached out to these new prospects—how do you keep them organized? 

Cynthia Sterling, a member of my Advanced Marketing Group, recommends Bento:

I did research about 6 months ago, and most of the options seemed more complex to implement and manage than made sense for my business. I wanted something that I could customize and that could capture more information than Apple's Address Book, but didn't require a large time investment to set up and maintain. For me, Bento was the answer. I'm not formally trained in sales, and what I really wanted to track were notes about my interactions with the contact, when my last attempt and contact with them was, what that consisted of, and when I needed to follow up and how. And I didn't want to have to go to a whole separate database to track these things. Now, everything I enter via Address Book shows up in Bento and vice versa. 

It's from the Filemaker Pro folks, and is a simple database that has various templates you can use for all sorts of data. It's designed to integrate with Apple's iCal, Address Book and Mail. I was able to get a Customer & Contact Manager template. I had to ask specially for a version that automatically syncs with Address Book, but they do have one they'll give you. I ended up with a more robust database containing all the info already in my Address Book, and was able to add fields such as "subscribed to newsletter" or "received letter about (my company) change of ownership." You can link tasks to a contact, as well as emails, documents, etc and create any field you need in several formats. So, for instance, you could track all the people who find you via your lecture series.  

Do you use Bento? Do you have any simple contact management systems to recommend?

The only marketing tools you need for 2012

This week I’m highlighting the tools that can help you succeed in 2012. Yesterday I talked about accountability, especially the kind found in the Beginner Marketing Groups.

Today, I want to talk about a plan.

You need one in order to make progress.

For 2012, I re-invented the Marketing Plan Bundle to be as pain-free, simple and effective as possible, focusing on the tasks that create the biggest impact (especially social media and online marketing). Take a look. 

Follow it—and you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish in 12 months. 

Ready to simplify for 2012? 

Join me for this free webcast.

The Only Marketing Tools You Need for 2012
Thursday, Jan. 12th, 3:00 PM Eastern, Price: Free

In this free webcast, I will outline the simple "to dos" that will keep your pipeline full and your Marketing Machine humming all year long. Register here.

 

Need accountability to succeed in 2012?

If you don’t make marketing a habit—right now—it will be on the back-burner within two weeks. What kind of year will that make for?

If self-motivation is hard for you—then use accountability to keep you on track. One of the best ways to become accountable—to yourself, to your buddy, and to me—is to join the Beginner Marketing Group.

This 6 month process will get you in the habit of marketing your services. In 6 months, you’ll have a foundation for your marketing that includes:

• a clearly defined target market to focus on
• a list of your ideal prospects – real people you can work with – and the places to meet them online and off
• blurbs you can use to introduce yourself (and talk about what you do) in any situation
• insight into how to use social networking without wasting your time 
• a "one-sheet" that you can send when a prospect asks for more information
• an un-newsletter that reflects your business goals and speaks directly to your target market 
• a marketing-smart website that attracts and engages prospects
• a script to do direct outreach via LinkedIn, phone and email to your target market prospects
• a system for tracking your best prospects so you don’t forget what the last contact was
• actual, practical experience using all of these tools so you can continue with confidence 
• a step by step plan to connect with your target market

New Beginner Marketing Groups are starting next week and the week of January 16! Details here and sign up here.

Does it work? Here’s what past group members have said.

Read this blog post from an editorial freelancer who did it.

And a series of blog posts from various members.

Ready? Details here and sign up here. 

If you want more control over your business in 2012....

If you permit me to be a bit philosophical during this quiet week...here's what I'm thinking about.

There is very little in this life we can control. As a self employed creative professional, you have more control than many but the truth is, we can't control our business. There are so many other people involved that often we feel at the mercy of everying, including our clients, the economy, the weather....etc.

But even though we can't control our business, there is plenty we can do to guide it. And it seems to me that, if we do it properly and diligently, with a little bit of luck, we can move it in a positive direction of growth. That is my intention.

What I have both seen and experienced personally is that marketing gives a sense of control over my business. It allows me to say, "Here's what I want and here's what I'm going to do about it." The act of doing marketing, the email messages sent, the events attended, the LInkedIn connections made -- regardless of the effect or result of each effort -- is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy while it slowly fills my pipeline.

That is what is so beautiful to witness when I work closely with clients.

So if you want control over your business in 2012, I recommend making a commitment to make it a habit this year. (And if you need help with that, I, of course, am available. And our Marketing Plan Bundle can help too.)

A minimalist’s guide to planning for 2012

If you do nothing else this year, what should you do? 

Adelaide Lancaster, co-author of The Big Enough Company, asked a variety of experts this question for her article, If You Do Nothing Else... A Minimalist's Guide to Business Planning for 2012, Part 1.

When she asked me, I said: 

If you want a full pipeline of ideal prospects but have no time for marketing, do this: email marketing.

During the first week of January, take 2-4 hours and make a list of 12 tips that would be useful to your clients. Turn each one into a simple ready-to-send email blast. Then, on the first of every month send it to everyone in whose face you need to be.

If you do nothing else, this ongoing exposure to those who need to be reminded that you exist will keep you fresh in their minds and build a foundation of trust until their moment of needs comes around.

Read the rest here. (See what the technology, SEO and bookkeeping experts said!)

Adelaide is also the co-founder of In Good Company Workplaces, a learning center and co-working space for women entrepreneurs in New York City, where I give a monthly workshop. The next one is on Monday, Jan. 23rd. 

CFC 2012 – registration is open! Adelaide and Amy of In Good Company are speaking at CFC in Boston, June 21-22nd. Why not register this week and take the deduction for 2011?

 

2012 Marketing in 100 words

It’s easy to complicate your marketing with too many marketing tools. But if you want a full pipeline all year long, simplify instead. 

David Baker of ReCourses (follow him @recourses) recently tweeted, “Marketing plans should be 1 page long, each: short- and long-term activities. If done right, ALL are fun...w/o cold-calling.”

I can do it less than 100 words.  Here’s your marketing plan for 2012.

Choose 3-5 marketing tools (and no more) and do them diligently and persistently. The 5 recommended by Marketing Mentor in the 2012 Marketing Plan Bundle are networking (in person and on LinkedIn), an optimized “marketing-smart” web site, and high quality content that you disseminate through email marketing, speaking and writing. 

For more guidance, get the 2012 Marketing Plan Bundle. Not sure if you're beginner or advanced? Read this.

And if you have been meaning to join a Beginner Marketing Group, the next one starts January 17th. There are 2 spots left!

 

How to position your firm in 6 months (podcast)

Sometimes, all you need is a kickstart.

That’s all it took for Julia Nable, co-founder (with her partner) of SandorMax, to decide how to position their small Connecticut-based firm after 6+ years in business.

I met with Julia and Zoltan for a 2 hour consultation in June 2011 (almost exactly 6 months ago). Then, in early December, Julia wrote to tell me they’d made great strides with their positioning and their target market, healthcare and bioscience companies – and that they were accepted as speakers at a prestigious industry conference later this year.  

I was like a proud parent! Here’s how it happened.

First, like everyone else, they were generalists, until they came to the realization that this approach just wasn’t working. She said, “We were so broad that we were taking any work that came our way. We were too many things to too many people.”

They knew things had to change. That’s when they called me and we spent 2 hours hashing out potential positioning statements and possible markets to focus on. “At the beginning, our big fear was: How do we turn away business? I think that’s what everyone wonders at the beginning. What if someone calls and they have nothing to do with healthcare, do we turn them away?”

Julia likens their new approach to having a tiny herb garden instead of a huge farm. “Before, we had a gigantic farm. The manpower required to go after business was impossible. Now, with the small garden we’re nurturing, we can become experts in this area and create a prospect list we can actually go after. It’s contained enough that we can get a name in this area, and get high-level referrals through the community we’ve created with our clients. It’s something we can perfect.”

I asked Julia to share their positioning process so others who are struggling can see the small steps it takes. In this interview, Julia defined the process and the benefits so clearly. She also talked about:

• How, exactly, they chose their new market.
• The extensive research and competitive analysis they did
• How they retooled their website, and how they handled the projects that no longer fit their positioning
• How she found the industry-focused speaking engagement on LinkedIn.

Listen to this (14-minute long) interview and you will learn. And if you need a plan to follow, check out the just-released 2012 Marketing Plan Bundle.