marketing for designers
DESCRIPTION
The full deck from my last presentation about marketing for designers and how to ensure that the right people know about your work without losing sight of your real passionTRANSCRIPT
Marketing for Designers.
Ann DeOtte Kaufman
marketing professional, designer, bike rider, entrepreneur, interpretive dancer, sun seeker, and founder of Iva Jean, a bike fashion and lifestyle brand
How do you ensure that the right people know about your work without losing the focus on your real passion?
Agenda
Overview of marketing
Quick audience survey
Building a plan
- Know your value- Choose your audience- Storytelling- Bringing it to life
Q&A
Marketing
1. a: the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market b: the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service2. : an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer
5 Ps
Product (or Service): You want a product that stands out, above the fold, has a unique selling proposition.
Price: The price must be competitive, reasonable, and fit the budget and income ranges of the market to which it is intended.
Place: Where you will sell this product, be it in a store, at various public venues, or online.
Promotion: Advertising and promotional action plans are necessary for any product or services’s success.
People: The focus of marketing has shifted from being product centric to relationship centric.
Product vs service marketing
Product Marketing - Tangible items - selling something you can touch. Furniture, bikes, lighting.
Service Marketing - Intangible - selling a result or an outcome. Architect, graphic designer, interior designer.
Marketing tools and venues
Print materialsPresentations / SpeakingSponsorshipsEvents / open housesConferencesAwardsPress releases / articlesNewsletters
WebsiteBlogSocial mediaAdvertisingDirect Mail (print or e)Pop-ups / installationsWord of mouth / ambassadorsLoyalty programs
Building a marketing plan
Vision and goalsWho is your ideal customer (niche market)What is your value or selling propositionMarketing materials / web plan / social media / advertisingHow to reach new customersExisting customer relationshipsSales vs marketing expenses
What about you?
Building a plan
Know your value
Have a clearly defined value proposition, one that every single one of your employees understands and ultimately, one that your customers truly appreciate.
Until you can firmly offer a solid reason for why we should buy from or hire you over everyone else, you’ll compete on price.
Analysis
PEST Analysis: PoliticalEconomicalSocialTechnological
SWOT Analysis: StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats
Seven ways to think about defining and refining your core value proposition.
1. We know you2. A better way 3. One of a kind4. Access5. Savings6. Convenience7. Design
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com
Warby Parker
Eyewear maker Warby Parker was conceived as an alternative to what the founders felt was the overpriced and bland eyewear available today. The company designs their line of glasses, works directly with the manufactures and sells it’s line of prescription and sunglasses directly to the end consumer. In an effort to take on an entrenched $16B industry, they created a fixed price of $95 for all styles, ship out up to 5 pairs for no cost test drives prior to purchase and donate a pair of glasses to those in need for every pair sold.
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com
Crushing combination
Savings, access, convenience, design and a better way all rolled into one value proposition.
Knowing your audience
Having a well-defined target market is more important than ever. Small businesses can effectively compete with large companies by targeting a niche market.
No one can afford to target everyone.
For example, an interior design company could choose to market to homeowners between the ages of 35-65 with incomes of $150,000+ in the Seattle, Washington. To define the market even further, the company could choose to target only those interested in kitchen and bath remodeling and modern styles.
This market could be broken down into two niches: creative professionals and young families.
How to define your target market
Look at your current customer baseCheck out your competitionAnalyze your product/serviceChoose specific demographics to targetConsider the psychographics of your targetEvaluate your decision
http://www.inc.com
Choose specific demographics to target
AgeLocationGenderIncome levelEducation levelMarital or family statusOccupationEthnic background
http://www.inc.com
Consider the psychographics of your target
PersonalityAttitudesValuesInterests/hobbiesLifestylesBehavior
http://www.inc.com
Evaluate your decision
Are there enough people that fit my criteria?Will my target really benefit from my product/service? Will they see a need for it?Do I understand what drives my target to make decisions?Can they afford my product/service?Can I reach them with my message? Are they easily accessible?
http://www.inc.com
Storytelling
In an environment where you don’t stand a chance to win anybody’s attention without some magic, a good story might save you and your brand from oblivion.
http://www.forbes.com
A good story beats a good lecture.
http://www.forbes.com
A story must stand on its own.
Reveal something personal and unknown about the person or brand.
Tap into a specific emotion – whether it be fear, desire, anger, or happiness.
Take people on a journey where there is a transformation between the beginning, middle, and the end.
http://www.forbes.com
Branded content
Blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment.
Video, games, music, television, blog posts, online resources.
Bringing it to life
A marketing strategy or a plan is of no use if they are never implemented or tracked.
Set goals and metrics
New retail shops carrying your productsNew customers or clientsPercentage of repeat businessReferralsPR mentions
Choose wisely
You don’t have to be in every major channel, just know why you are, where you are.
Consider your message and your audience before you determine your plan.
Ladies & Gentlemen
Message: product designers with a mix of resourcefulness and nostalgia, the studio builds objects considering yesterday’s values reinterpreted for current times.
Audience: young, creative professionals and families living in mid-size to large cities.
What they chose
Blog and social mediaHigh quality photographyPartnerships with lifestyle blogsDesign organizationsPop ups and installations
Wholesale to design shops in major citiesRetail available online
Tools of the trade
CalendarSpreadsheetsDatabases
Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Deltek, Constant Contact, Salesforce, Access
Social media and online toolsHootsuite, Tweetdeck, Wordpress, Expression
Engine, MailChimp, SurveyMonkey)
Measure your success
Google analyticsSocial media analyticsCheck in with people after events,
track new contacts, leads, etcCRMSpending vs revenue
Everybody is a marketer.
Resourceshttp://inc.com
http://forbes.com
http://ducttapemarketing.com
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog
http://tomfishburne.com
http://www.core77.com/reactor/05.06_lerner.asp
http://somedesignblog.com/category/marketing-for-designers/
http://blog.howdesign.com/design-resources/pricing-and-marketing-for-designers/
http://www.gomediazine.com/design-articles/design-industry-insight/6-essential-marketing-tips-for-designers/
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/marketing-ideas-design-firms-1465.html
http://alltopstartups.com/2011/09/16/10-goals-of-an-effective-marketing-strategy/
