07 Oct 09 New Duct Tape Marketing Class Starting October 26th
Starting on Monday, October 26th, another session of the Duct Tape Marketing Classes will be forming. This is a 12 session (10 group, 2 1 on 1 sessions) series of workshops designed to help independent professionals, Entrepreneurs and small business owners get more and better clients.
We are currently planning on meeting at Pizzeria Uno on Rt 9 in Wappingers Falls on the following dates, from 6PM to 8:30 PM.
October 26- #1 The Marketing Hourglass and how to use it
November 2- Your positioning statement
November 16- “Branding- what it really is, and really isn’t/ Getting your message across
November 23- Marketing Kits- How and why to build and use them
December 7th- Marketing Kits part 2:
December 14th- Advertising
January 4th- Public Relations
January 11th- Referral Flood, specifically how to generate one.
January 18th- Harnessing the Internet
January 25 – Search Engine Optimization basics
February1- Make up date in case of severe weather.
The two one on one sessions can be scheduled at any time you wish, on whatever topic you choose.
The cost of the class is a $500 deposit, and then $250 a month for the following 11 months. If you prefer to prepay entirely, I offer a 20% discount on the total amount.
I will need the deposits by October 19th to ensure that I have the materials for the class in time
Those Materials are:
Marketing Plan Pro (a $197 value)
The Ultimate Marketing System workbooks and CD’s (a $399 value)
Duct Tape Marketing- The Book (a $17.99 value)
Yes, The instruction I give is fully guaranteed- Meaning – If for whatever reason the strategy and tactics we discuss don’t help to significantly increase your business, I will buy back all of your materials and refund ALL of your money within 60 days.
Duct Tape Marketing- Simple, Effective, Affordable
Tags: advertising, Branding, Duct Tape Marketing Class, Duct Tape Marketing Class Subjects, Internet Marketing, Marketing Hourglass, Marketing Kits, Positioning, Public Relations, Refferals
30 Sep 09 What is the Least effective form of advertising?
Ask Professor Aimone:
Q- What is the least effective form of Advertising?
A- For small businesses, I don’t think that any particular tactic- be it radio, TV, websites, billboards, trade shows or newspapers is inherently wrong (ok, maybe yellow pages). What I do find the least effective form of advertising tends to be when people are trying to implement the wrong strategy. If your sole goal is to “Get your name out there” and to execute a “branding campaign” your marketing efforts will probably fail if you need results in briefer than a 2-5 year period.
There is a classic analogy of your marketing budget as a glass of water, and the goal is to fill it to overflowing. Nice analogy, and yes, when you blanket the area you do increase the chances that someone notices you. So what’s the problem I have with that analogy?
What happens to the advertising you’ve poured in if you can’t afford to fill the glass to overflowing?
How do you know before you start how big that glass you need to overfill is anyway?
When you pour advertising into the glasses, how do you know you are pouring it into the same glass?
Answers upcoming-
Have a Question on Small Business Marketing for Professor Aimone? Send an E-mail to Randy@AimOneMarketing.com, and if your question is chosen, you’ll receive a free gift (of up to a $125 value)
Tags: advertising, Branding, braning campaings, Duct Tape Marketing, Overfilled waterglass, Professor Aimone, Randy Aimone
01 Sep 09 Your Logo vs. Your Brand
Many people believe that their logo is their brand, and that they should make it as large, prominent and flashy to stand out from the crowd as much as possible- you know- to get noticed!
And that is why many advertisements fail.
What often gets lost in the ‘branding’ process is that your brand is much more than a cute logo, or your face, or how you write your company’s name. I work with many businesses that thought that if they displayed their expensive logo as large as possible people will walk/call/E-mail them and hand them thousands of dollars and say “Wow- you’ve got a very impressive logo- I couldn’t wait to give you my money! Thank you for taking it from me!”
So I ask you- how often have YOU had that conversation with someone you decided to do business with? Heck, when is the last time you paid more than a 20% premium on the “Brand Name” with no other clear differences? My guess is, as the savvy shopper I bet you are… is a long, long time ago.
So what is a brand really- and what builds up real, bankable brand equity?
A true “Talking Logo” is what your customers think when they think about your company. Hopefully, it is what you tell them your brand means- but many brands are simply what customers perceive you as. I know many people who pay a premium to the Sony name- Not because they spent an absurd amount of money on the font they write their logo with- but because the Sony name has a reputation for “Quality, innovative electronics.” So if I have a bit more money to spend on a TV/Computer/Game Console- I might choose to have a couple more features and slightly better quality that I expect from Sony as opposed to the other choices.
A graphical logo we have to be trained to understand, and associate with your brand. This takes countless repetitions and is very expensive to pull off… but for what purpose? If your graphical logo just means you need a size larger Yellow Page ad, billboard or newspaper ad- but the larger size isn’t getting you a single extra client- is it worth it?
Instead of spending time working with a graphical logo, try this instead:
Duct Tape Mad-Libs:
I think we all remember Mad-Libs from our childhood car rides- You just need to fill in the blanks for YOUR company:
I/We ___(Action)____ to/for ______(Target Market)___________ _______(Key Benefit)__________.
So your Duct Tape Mad Lib- if you are a Florist-
We create for homes and brides, delightful scents and images.
How do you know if you’ve come up with a successful Duct Tape Mad Lib?
After you answer the question of “What do you do?” with your Mad Lib, the next question you are asked is:
“How do you do that?”
Tags: advertising, Branding, Mad Libs