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What do you want people to remember about your enterprise? If you send out dozens of messages, it will be difficult for people to remember them. It is better to have a central message that is supported by a handful of key messages. Once you have decided what the messages are, keep repeating them throughout your promotional mix. Your promotional mix = all of the ways in which you promote your enterprise, i.e. website, advertisements, email marketing, social media. Key messages are important as they help to create awareness and word of mouth. They are part of your marketing strategy. The Marketing Compass has two key messages: * Impartial marketing advice & training * Find your marketing direction...

Free keyword research tool: https://ahrefs.com/keyword-generator Try: https://trends.google.com  ..as this shows information from Google itself....

You can set a KPI - Key Performance Indicator - for any aspect of marketing. A KPI is something that you can measure against an objective. Here are some marketing KPI examples that can be measured within a given time period (i.e. per month): Website KPIs *  New URLs added *  Website unique visitors (new versus returning) *  Website page views *  Average time on site *  Bounce rate Email marketing KPIs *  New subscribers *  Newsletter open rate *  Newsletter click-through rate *  Conversion rate (if appropriate) *  Subscriber engagement rating Social media KPIs *  Blogs written *  Facebook Likes, Comments, Shares, Friends added *  LinkedIn connections made + Likes, Comments, Shares *  Twitter followers gained + Likes., Comments, Shares Media relations KPIs *  Journalist conversations *  Press releases sent *  Articles placed *  Media interviews Customer KPIs *  Customers lost *  Customers retained *  New customers acquired *  Customer acquisition cost *  Customer lifetime value Bear in mind that there are over 300 promotional techniques and KPIs can be set for all of them....

A LinkedIn company page can be created for free and it adds to your credibility. If you created one some time ago, it would be a good idea to revisit it and check the contents and analytics. At the time of writing, there are over two million company pages within LinkedIn. When you hover over a members’ current / previous places of work, if there is an associated company page, you can click through to it. The company page includes a logo, a background image, a brief description of the enterprise and the number of employees who are on LinkedIn. If a company website address is included, you can click and go directly to their site. Company pages are a handy reference and buyers / new contacts will look and check you out. According to LinkedIn, 80% of their members want to connect with companies, in order to learn more about them and keep posted when they release news. A description of...

Your enterprise should have a logo. This does not have to be a complex design. When it is small, it should be easy to see and it should look crisp. Think carefully about the colours: one, two or three colours should be fine. Make sure that the colours work well with each other. You can find out by searching for: colour wheel Places where you can use your logo include: * Your website (top left) * Email signature * Social media profiles * Business card * Leaflets * Postcards * Advertisements There are quite a few 'free to use' logo creation websites out there. However, whilst it is true that you can design a logo there, you will probably have to pay to download a large file size version of your logo. If you would like us to connect you with a graphic designer, just ask....

MailChimp Automation is a free feature. Imagine having a marketing system which reacts automatically to customer behaviour. This is possible via MailChimp. MailChimp Automation (MA) combines the segmenting and scheduling tools. You can create event-based emails which are triggered by subscriber behaviour. This technology is known as ‘marketing automation’. If it is used intelligently and with discretion, it can attract customers, build your brand and generate sales. If it is overused, you may annoy customers and lose business. Within MA, you can create workflows and triggers which enable you to send a single email ('Welcome to our newsletter list') or a series of emails ('Here is the first part of the course that you requested.') An event could be, for example, a new subscription to your list. Or it could be a click within one of your campaigns. MC has included a number of workflows within the Automation section, in order to get you started. Alternatively, you can create your own customised...

Once you have set clear marketing objectives - you should decide on what you are going to measure within your marketing strategy and promotional campaigns. As the management guru Peter Drucker said: “What gets measured, gets done.” How do you know what’s working and what isn’t, if you don’t measure outputs and response rates? Here are some of the things you can think about, with regards to marketing metrics and measurement: Measuring marketing outputs Set targets for all 0f your marketing outputs, i.e. WEBSITE * Total number of indexed pages: initially, aim for 100 * Blog posts: number published per month + target wordcount * Unique Visitors per day / month * Bounce rate * Page impressions * Popular times of day to visit your website * Average time spent on site * Page views * Referral traffic i.e. traffic arriving from other websites * Backlinks NEWSLETTER * Subscribers, open rates, click through rates, bounce rates SOCIAL MEDIA * Twitter Followers, ReTweets and comments * Facebook connections, Likes and Follows * LinkedIn connections, conversations, meetings MEDIA RELATIONS * Number of media contacts *...

Ayoa offers free Mind Mapping software: https://www.ayoa.com You can upgrade to a paid version with more features, if you wish....

At any one time, most people have a number of needs. They need to eat. They need a new item of clothing. They need to get the train home. In other words, the need has to be fulfilled. Needs are limited in nature. On the other hand, most people have a series of wants. "I want a new car," they may say, although the one that they have is perfectly serviceable. "I want a new smartphone," just because the one that they own is starting to look outdated. Therefore a want is aspirational. Wants are unlimited. For example, you need a certain amount of money to survive in a city for a day. The money is required to pay for food and the most economic form of transport around the city. However, as you walk past the shops in the big city you may feel that you want the fashion designs, watches and consumer goods that you see there. A great deal of money is spent by brands trying to get...

What is your marketing offer? If you have ever seen the CEO of a supermarket being interviewed, they are quite likely to talk about their offer to their customers. Supermarkets spend a lot of money figuring this out, as there is a great deal of money at stake. Your offer might be based on fast response, outstanding service, a unique package of benefits, hard-won expertise or other factors. Whatever your offer is, it is important to be clear about it. Include your central offer within your Key Messages....

We have tried various online PDF editors, however, many of them now want to charge you for using them. The best option is to download the free Adobe PDF Reader, that allows you to edit PDFs. Also see: https://www.aidocmaker.com...

If you have competitors, how do customers see you in relation to them? Whatever the answer, this is your market position. What do customers think you do? What do they think you deliver? What do they think of your enterprise? What are you well known for? What words do they associate with your brand? If I rang some of your customers and asked them these questions, what would they say to me? How should you position your brand? For example, should you go upmarket or go downmarket? Should you be seen as reassuringly expensive or as cheap as chips? Are you focused on customer service, product excellence, price or something else? These are strategic business and marketing decisions. Every decision that you make affects your market positioning. Your actions speak louder than words, when it comes market positioning. Every time that your customers engage with your brand, their perception of your market positioning is either affirmed or challenged. Besides products and services, a key issue is human interaction. You can buy a great product and feel let down...

Press release distribution services include: eNewsWire - Free press release distribution, UK focus. IssueWire - Post your first press release for free. openPR - Free press release distribution service (limited to one per month). PR Fire - Includes a free option including no-follow links. PR Newswire -  Their website says: 'The industry’s largest and most trusted distribution network of media outlets, websites and social media channels.' Owned by Cision. Realwire - According to their website: 'Global press release distribution service specialising in the online media.' Responsesource - Offers a send and receive services for press releases. According to their website, they offer a 'fast, effective way to communicate your news and social feeds to journalists, influencers, and stakeholders.' Vuelio - Their website says: 'Based on your audience, you can send releases, publish directly to your dedicated online newsroom, post to social media or distribute over the wire. Use our tools to track, analyse and learn with engagement and coverage analysis tools.' If any of the above links do not...

Here is a press release ideas checklist: Company news Company launch (new startup) Anniversary i.e. 10 years in business Expansion i.e. new markets, new branches etc Office or factory relocation Milestones i.e. 10,000 products sold Financial news, i.e. turnover increase or new funding Acquisition or joint venture Major restructuring Corporate Social Responsibility Staff news New members of staff Staff news i.e. charity related, voluntary work, awards or new qualifications New manager / director / senior partner Training news, i.e new training programme Staff member is retiring after long service Inspirational story regarding a member of staff Working from home statement Awards Company, product or service awards Member of staff wins an award Product / service news Launch of new product or service Enhanced product or service Product or service being used in a new way Free trial being offered Free or reduced shipping Pricing going down or going up Discounts or special pricing news Unusual pricing, i.e. £1000 hamburger Marketing news New website: why you...

Each press release should focus on a single story. The writing style should be factual. Avoid superlatives and 'sales talk'. Here is a press release template: [RELEASE DATE] Press release: [TITLE] (Press release titles should be factual and focus on news value) Opening paragraph. (This is the most important paragraph. It is likely that some publications will only use this paragraph, so it needs to stand alone and tell the story). Second paragraph. (One key element only). Third, fourth paragraphs. (One key element each). Comment. (For example: John Smith, CEO and Founder of XYZ Company commented: "We are delighted to announce this new service....") Editors notes (emboldened subhead) Brief, factual description of your enterprise. Website address Spokesperson's contact name | email address | phone numbers...

Getting up in front of an audience and demonstrating your knowledge is an effective way of generating brand awareness and attracting customers. You are seen as a subject expert. There may well be other subject experts in the room, however, you will win the lions share of any business that is forthcoming. Publicity can be generated before, during and after a public speaking event and full advantage should be taken of this opportunity. As soon as you have been engaged to speak, ensure that you fill in any forms or requests for information provided by the event organisers. You will need to supply professional standard photographs of yourself for print and internet use. I have found that event organisers are grateful if you offer to write a description of your presentation, prior to the event. Ensure that this is benefit loaded. In other words, tell prospective attendees why they should come along and listen to your presentation. Prior to the event, ask the organisers how...

Here is a free to use QR code generator: www.qrcode-monkey.com...

Have you noticed that having visited certain websites, ads promoting products or services from that website follow you around the internet? This is called remarketing. You have probably seen 'Accept cookies' notices within websites. Sometimes, the notices are so large that you cannot read the content behind the notice. Therefore you either have to leave that website or accept cookies. Once cookies have been accepted, they are stored in the visitor's browser (i.e. Chrome). The visitor looks at another website (which runs ads) and they may see ads that relate to the previous 'remarketing' site....

A market segment = a group of people with shared needs. By segmenting your market, you will find it easier to communicate. You can create propositions, key messages, offers etc for each market segment. As your messages are in line with the market segment, you will get more response and make more sales. Here are two examples of market segments: * Independent professionals, working in the Thames Valley, looking for more clients (B2B marketing) * Fashion conscious 18 – 24 year old ABC1 women living in Chelsea (Consumer marketing) Ideally, you should use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management System) to manage your customer database and segments. For further information, here is a Wikipedia article....