If you Think It’s Just TV, Radio and Print,

You Need to Read this Article NOW!

From the Goddess of Marketing, Mary Ann McQueen Butcher, Red Carpet Marketing, LLC

There was a time when companies had very few media choices:  Broadcast Television, Broadcast Radio, Newspapers and Magazines.  I know because I was there and sold LOTS of TV time and sponsorships.  However, with the onslaught of technology, there are PLENTY of new choices and all of them allow you to use your marketing dollars more wisely so you can better reach your target customers.  As always, when your customers are aware of your company, your act, your practice, your products or your services, the odds go up dramatically that you will acquire new business (TRANSLATE:  SALES!)

That said, consumers are getting harder to influence as media clutter invades their lives. Just quickly review this list of marketing possibilities that don't include TV, Radio or newspapers.  They include:

• Blogs
• In-store displays
• Business to Business promotions
• Business to Consumer promotions
• Telemarketing
• Trade Shows
• Event Sponsorships
• Mobile Marketing
• Guerrilla Marketing
• Viral Marketing
• Mobile Billboards
• Podcasts
• Sweepstakes
• Online Social Networking sites like Youtube, MySpace, FaceBook and many more
• Public Relations including press releases, events, etc.
• Demonstrations, samplings and tastings
• Speaking Engagements
• Movie Theaters
• Search Engine Optimization

But Red Carpet Marketing knows that there are no blanket answers…no cookie cutter approaches.  Each advertising issue needs a custom solution.  The basics have to be done RIGHT.  Understanding the customer and understanding each medium (which varies from industry to industry) when balanced with your budget can give you the right formula for the right media mix!  This calls for highly integrated marketing. Remember:  NO ONE MEDIUM holds the key.

Let’s take Las Vegas local television:  Can you explain what separates all the attorneys that advertise endlessly on television?  Unlikely.  The use of TV is not for every organization.  Further, if used, a differentiator MUST be clearly communicated so the consumer knows HOW and WHY you are different.  It’s not as easy as it sounds.

So simply put, if you want your company – that includes the practices of doctors, dentists, lawyers, performers and any small business – wants to brand its identity, remember that a brand is a promise. And that promise means you will provide consistent, quality service all the time at any of your locations – from Brooklyn to Brazil!  It’s your reputation.  So take a look at these tips below and really THINK about you, your company, what you are trying to accomplish and who you are trying to target.  Here are the elements you should consider before calling Red Carpet Marketing.  If you need help with any of the steps below, just call us.  We’ll create or further develop what you do have:

Step 1:  Creative design solutions (the design, color, and content of your ads, marketing collateral and website enhance your brand equity, attract customers, and generate sales)

Step 2:  Web development (every product/service worth its name has a web presence these days, some have truly interactive, animated sites encouraging customer involvement)

Step 3:  • Viral marketing (vitally important in today’s age of social networking, tagging, podcasting, blogs, forums, wikis and what have you)

Step 4: • Television & commercial production, print media advertising (traditional media should not be overlooked IF your budget permit)

Step 5: • Corporate videos/Profiles (have become necessary elements of road shows, exhibitions and other promotional campaigns).  They can be multipurposed so you get the best BANG for your buck!

Step 6:  There are some interactive advertising agencies that have recognized the need of the hour - developing creative design solutions that employ user-centric investigation and involve critical and systematic thinking. User-centric means understanding of needs and priorities of end user; the clients' customers, their channel partners, users, and brand communities. So if you want to register your brand as one that is synonymous with customer loyalty, you must develop a complete package, keeping the customer as the prime objective and organizing product stories around the way they prefer to learn about, compare, select and confirm purchases, connecting brands and their experiences.

In closing, branding a person or a business is no longer simply about visual appeal. A graphic design firm cannot singularly position you as a brand just because it creates great looking visual solutions. As you know, there is much more to branding than just looking goods. A powerful web presence has become one part of the vital ingredients of a branding strategy.  When you develop the right media mix, you hold the key to building powerful brand equity.

NEXT WEEK:  SEO – NOT for the faint of heart.

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