Marketing Workshop

Myrtle Bank, Gairloch16th February 2012

What is marketing???

• Marketing - Creating, communicating, and delivering value to the customer.

• Marketing is not sales! Marketing is everything you do to reach and persuade customers. The sales process is everything you do to close the sale. Marketing creates opportunities, and sales brings about outcomes. Marketing focuses on long term concerns while sales is related with short term focus.

• Marketing will make your business seen and help identify your customers.

Marketing – What’s Included:

• Branding• Advertising• Printed Materials – Leaflets, business cards,

etc• Signage/livery• Public Relations (PR)• Website• Research• Feedback/Reviews• Social Media• And much more…

What is a marketing activity plan and why do you need

one…• The activity plan will help you to outline what is

happening within the business and set up timescales/deadlines.

• The plan will help you decide what your marketing budget for the year is – all businesses should have a marketing budget!

• The plan will help you keep on track throughout the year with your business goals.

• A marketing ‘activity’ plan is different to your overall marketing plan but both are important.

• Having a activity plan in place will almost guarantee better end results.

Marketing Activity Plan – Where to begin for your

business…• Brainstorm, brainstorm, brainstorm! Lay

out all ideas for the year on paper or post-it notes.

• Decide which marketing techniques have worked so far and write them down.

• New ideas? Write them down!• Decide what your goals for the year are

then write them down.• If any of your initial ideas don’t tie in with

your goals then put them aside.• Now you just need to create your plan…

How to create a basic marketing activity plan – No technical

terms or long strategies, just a

simple spreadsheet!

Market ResearchThere are two forms of market

research - primary and secondary. Primary research

involves collecting new information to meet your specific needs. Secondary

research involves analyzing information that already has been gathered for another

purpose.

Ideas for Market Research

• Watch your competition and take note – Chances are they have already done the research.

• Set up focus groups or attend networking events.• Surveys/questionnaires with current customers.• Use your customers to ‘test drive’ new

products/services and give feedback.• Social media – It’s free, it has very wide

demographics and people like getting asked questions so make full use of it’s potential!

• Use Google – It’s amazing what information you can find on the web nowadays!

Stand out from your competition!

• Be innovative• Do your research• Don’t be afraid to try new things• Keep up to date with the latest trends• Embrace technology• Have ambitions & strong ethics• Get involved/be part of your local

community• And of course…market yourself

effectively!

Don’t work ‘against’ your competition…work ‘with’

them!• Share experience, knowledge and skills.• Collaboration can make the end product

more appealing to the consumer.• Working together will build strength

rather than embedding weakness into the business.

• It will create new opportunities and open new doors.

Strong Branding

What is a logo?

• A logo is a design symbolising your business.• It’s a tool for instant recognition, your visual

identity.• It distinguishes you from your competitors.• It should reflect the essence/feel of your

business through the use of shape, font and colour.

• It can either be a graphic (symbol or icon) or a piece of typography where the name is the logo.

Why you should have a logo…

• It’s a way of your customers instantly recognising you.

• It shows that you are a legitimate, trustworthy and credible business.

• A logo can ‘say’ what your business is and does without actually describing it.

• A logo is a valuable symbol and it can add value to your business.

• It will allow you to stand out from the competition.

• A professionally designed logo will grab peoples attention.

What makes a good logo?• Simple – Keeping it simple with a logo is the key; you want it

to be easily recognised. Don’t try to use too many colours and make sure it remains eye-catching.

• Describable – If you can’t describe your logo then it’s too complicated! This comes back to keeping it ‘simple’.

• Memorable – Goes hand in hand with ‘simple’ and ‘describable’, you want your logo to be remembered, it needs to have impact but doesn’t need to be over the top.

• Versatile – Your logo needs to be recognisable across various mediums and applications. You should be able to use it in black and white and also be able to scale it down and still see it.

• Relevant – Your logo must be relevant to your business and your target market. This requires research into your industry, including making sure it won’t be too similar to close competitors.

• Timeless – You need to make sure your logo is still going to be relevant in the future and can cope with growth of your business. Avoid following trends and remember rebranding can be costly!

Using your logo in the right ways/places:

• Use the correct format for the correct purpose.• Use the hi-res version of your logo where

required; for print, etc.• Always use the most up to date version – if your

logo has been adjusted/developed over the years ensure it’s the same version on all channels at any one time.

• Have your logo set up in different formats for different uses – full colour, black and white, avatar, etc.

• An ‘eps’ file is the preferred logo format for designers and printers to work with/from.

Rebranding…When you should consider it:

• You’re planning major changes to your product or service.

• To improve the connection with your customers, you might feel you have lost touch with your key markets.

• If your competition has created a new logo that really stands out and shadows yours.

• Your logo or name no longer suits the style/feel of your business.

• Your logo no longer ticks all the ‘good logo’ boxes and needs updated.

Don’t forget…

If you are considering a rebrand make sure you communicate with your

customers and let them know what is going on; you need to let them know why you are doing it and how it will benefit them! You may even want to consider getting them involved in the

rebranding process by asking them what they would like to see.

Increasing Brand Awareness

• Ensure your logo is prominent on all marketing materials and the items are well designed.

• Support local charity events or become sponsors of bigger events.

• Look out for PR opportunities.• Have a good online presence – Website,

listings on other websites, social media, etc.• Advertise with carefully selected

publications.• Consider corporate gifts or merchandise.

Website Essentials…• Choose the correct domain name, avoid hyphens and

ensure you own .co.uk and .com• If possible get website built with a content management

system – allows you to do updates.• If you’ve got a website you should have an email address

to match. ISP email addresses (Hotmail, aol, BT, etc) can look really unprofessional and will weaken your brand.

• Keep content to a minimum…don’t overload it! Some people will close a website just as quickly as they opened it!

• Good navigation is critical, make sure you menus are clear and the website is well laid out. Have good links back to ‘home’.

• People do tend to head to ‘about’ pages first so make sure you get your content right.

• Website SEO (search engine optimisation) should be a priority so that search engines pick up on your website. Getting a professional to fully optimise your site is recommended.

• Make sure your website design reflects your brand. Generic website templates might work initially (Spanglefish, 1and1, etc) but won’t do your business or brand any good long term.

• Be careful with the tone of the content on your website. You may want to consider getting a copywriter to work through it.

• Every page on your website should add ‘value’, if it doesn’t get rid of it!

• Don’t distract your visitors with moving images, sound and scrolling text!

• Be careful with sizes of images you upload to your website.• Links and reciprocal links can be a great way of increasing

traffic to your website.

• Make sure you include your email address on the website as well as a contact form.

• If you have got business premises then make sure your full address and a map if possible are in the contact page.

• If you are using social media channels then make sure you have clear links from every page on your website.

• If you’ve got customer reviews display them! This can be done in various ways. Also include links to TripAdvisor where applicable.

• Ensure you include relevant privacy statements, website T&C’s, copyright, etc.

• Keep content regularly updated and relevant.• Blogs can be great ways of keeping website content

fresh.• Use Google Analytics to monitor how popular the different

pages are (bounce rate is important here) and adjust to suit.

• Back Up – Is your website backed up, if not why not?

Social Media

If you are using social media for your business then you must

ensure that you do it in a controlled, professional and

consistent manner! It must also tie in very closely with all other marketing undertaken for your

business.

Adverts – The do’s & don'ts• Don’t jump at every advertising opportunity you’re

presented with – carefully consider how you will track it’s success, what return you will receive and if the publication is reputable.

• All adverts should be carefully designed to reflect your brand, throwing together an advert in word won’t cut it! Keep it consistent with all your marketing materials and website.

• Make sure you include all important contact details in your advert and social media icons where applicable. Website!

• Your logo doesn’t have to be the main focus, questions as headers help to grab peoples attention.

• Don’t use too many fonts/colours/sizes in any one advert.• Avoid overloading the advert with content.• Be timely with content…it shouldn’t be out of date by time

the readers see it!

Strapline (Slogan) Quiz

• Just Do It• Sail the Loch, live the Legend• Every little helps• Simples!• Because I’m worth it• Finger lickin’ good• It’s good to talk• Discover more than just discounts…

Business Cards Basics• Your Name & Position (if applicable)• Business Logo• Strapline (if applicable)• Business Name• Contact Number• Email Address • Web Address• Business Address (if applicable)• Social Media Icons (If applicable)• QR Code (could link to newsletter sign up)

Print Techniques & Materials

• Digital Print vs Litho Print• Spot UV (shiny highlight effect)• Silk (coated, un glossy, high quality)• Gloss (glossy, can look slightly cheap)• Uncoated (no finish, can deepen

colours)• Recycled (coated or uncoated)• FSC (from a sustainable source but

cheaper than recycled)