I see more companies waste precious advertising dollars by making the same simple mistake.  Their ads don’t brand them.  By branding, I mean differentiating them from the competition.  If you think by running an ad with your name on it you are  branding, let me enlighten you – you’re not.  Ask yourself why the consumer would choose you over your competitor.  If there isn’t a clear reason, your ad isn’t working as hard as it could. 

The basic principle of branding is to find something that differentiates you from your competition.  Your product/service may be better, cheaper, faster, safer, softer, more effective, etc.  If you can’t find a way that your product/service is different, make one up.  That may sound ridiculous, but it’s absolutely critical because without differentiation, you’re just another (fill in product name here).  This principle holds even truer when you have less money to promote your brand.  It comes down to this:  Do you want your ad to say “Hi” or “Hi, you’ll like us better than our competition because……”.   

Here are three ways to critique your ads:

1. So What? – Look at your ad from the consumer’s perspective and ask, “So what?”  If you can’t answer the “what” part, your ad isn’t working hard enough.  You can make it a lot stronger and more valuable by finding a differentiator. 
2. Is It Mine? – Ask this simple question – can I put my competition’s logo on my ad and have it still be true.  If the answer is yes, you need to differentiate yourself. 
3. The Duh Factor – Does your ad tell the consumer anything other than the obvious?  For example, you’re a donut shop.  If your ad doesn’t at least hint at why your donuts are better, fresher, lighter, healthier, tastier, more convenient, etc., then in the consumer’s mind, you’re just another donut shop.

Whatever your differentiating message is, scream it from the rooftops in every medium you advertise in.  Otherwise, you’re just wasting your money.  Sure, you can argue that you got awareness and visibility, but that ad costs the same whether you add a strong branding message or not.  It’s your money – make that ad work as hard as it can. 

Social Media is all the rage. You hear about it everywhere. As a business owner, you may be asking yourself, “Is it worth it?” Social Media is a marketing tool. Much like the other media you use (TV, Radio, Print, Outdoor) it is a way to reach new customers. The main difference between Social Media and traditional media, is that with Social Media, your audience can respond. It creates more of a conversation and actual interaction. This interaction is priceless when it comes to creating a relationship with your customers. With traditional media, there is no conversation, just a dissemination of information from one side. Social Media allows you to get to know your customers and find out what’s important to them. Think about it. In the past, we’ve paid good money for surveys and focus groups to uncover this exact information. Now, we can get it for free!

Besides promoting your brand, another benefit of Social Media is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your website. By updating content online through your blog and social media, you lead consumers back to your website. Search engines love it and rank your website higher and higher with increased news, information and traffic.

Now, as a business owner, you’re very busy running a successful business. And although Blogs, Facebook and Twitter are free services, your time is valuable. That’s why we created Social Buzz – our Social Media Package. Yes, it’s important to participate in these conversations and build these relationships, but most of you simply don’t have the time to sit down and write a blog entry or Facebook post. Because you are our client and we know your business, we can do it for you. We’ll set up your blog page and give it your brand. We’ll create your Facebook and Twitter accounts and we’ll confer with you on content. Then we create it, post it and voila, you’re out there introducing yourself to new customers and building better relationships with existing customers. If you’re not sure about Social Media and would like to learn more about it and the benefits it holds for your business, give us a call and we’ll set up a FREE one-hour Social Media Consultation. Call Cowtown Marketing at (913) 649-4040.

November is upon us.  What have you done to prepare for next year?  The new year is a fresh start.  Everything you did this past year provides insight and knowledge as to how to do it better next year.  Don’t let that information go to waste.  Take a critical look at the  strategies you used this past year and take the time now to improve or change them.  Crunch some numbers, talk with employees, clients, customers and co-workers.  Gather all the useful information you can and start making a fresh plan for the coming year.

Look at past promotions.  Were they successful?  If so, you may want to do more to promote them.  If they were lame, definitely don’t repeat them.  Don’t continue to spend marketing dollars on something that isn’t paying off.   Brainstorm.  Send out customer surveys.  Out with the old and in with the new.  But don’t procrastinate.  Look at this as an opportunity to improve your sales and learn something that will help you improve your future strategies. 

This doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking, but it does require dedication.  Set a goal – 2 weeks to a month to collect and analyze new information.  Only then can you make informed, intelligent decisions.  Don’t forget your marketing partners.  They can provide invaluable information about trends in the marketplace, consumer behavior, new technology, etc.  Remember, they’re doing the same thing you are, but on a wider scale and with various products and services. 

Bottom line – get your information together, analyze it, make some decisions for the new year based on that analysis and make a plan for implementing those decisions.  That way, you’re not starting at square one come January. 

If you need any help in the collecting, analyzing, planning or execution areas, please call Cowtown Marketing.  We offer a free one-hour marketing consultation.  (913) 649-4040.