Blog Archives
New Email Marketing Newsletter for PRofessional Solutions
David and I were pleased to work on PRofessional Solutions‘ latest marketing project, a new email marketing campaign. The inaugural edition of the monthly newsletter, Smart Solutions, is packed with public relations tips for annual meetings, conferences, and Capitol Hill Days.
Thanks for checking it out and sharing it with your colleagues you think would enjoy it. And please contact us if we can help you with your email marketing plans.
A spoonful of measurement helps the marketing show results
It may sound a little “Mary Poppins,” but when I think about my approach to measuring marketing and social media results, I think of it as a “spoonful of measurement.”
Like many sensible options, it’s just enough for what I need to track, not more. I wanted to share my approach because I think it’s a practical one for sole practitioners, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations on a budget. Read the rest of this entry
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Public relations ethics: remember to disclose client relationships on Twitter
Most public relations agencies and professionals I observe on Twitter are conscientious about disclosing client relationships when tweeting. It’s easy to do: all you have to really do is add the hashtag #client to the tweet. Like this:
However, one prominent D.C. agency’s employees have been really missing the boat on this. They keep tweeting about their clients, without disclosure, e.g.:
They do this a LOT.
So what’s the big deal? Read the rest of this entry
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Advertising Tips from Fletcher Prince
Image via Wikipedia
This year, as you make your marketing plans, I hope you are allocating money for advertising. While advertising may be the most expensive component in the marketing mix, it is often highly effective.
There are two upcoming opportunities to expand your knowledge about advertising opportunities in the DC area. One is the local ADDY awards, which will be presented by the DC Ad Club in mid-March. This is the perfect occasion to scout out the agencies that are producing award-winning work. The other is DC Ad Week, which will occur in mid-September. You have the opportunity to hear from nationally known experts in advertising at DC Ad Week, and learn about the latest trends and best practices.
Of course, David and I hope you will work with us this year. As you consider your advertising options, here are some “Do’s and Don’ts” to keep in mind . . .
DO
- Integrate your marketing, public relations, and social media campaigns to complement each other. We can help you plan your integrated campaign.
- Examine where your competitors are advertising, and the frequency.
- Invest in professional graphic design for display advertisements.
- Use cost-effective email marketing. It has the highest ROI on the dollar of all marketing channels, according to the Direct Marketing Association
- Email marketing: $40.56
- Internet, search: $22.24
- Internet, display: $19.72
- Social networking: $12.71
- Mobile: $10.51
- Catalog: $7.30
- General advertising: $5.24
- Use search engine advertising, especially if you have numerous competitors.
- Target workday commuters with drive-time radio spots and Metro bus/rail ads.
DON’T
- Skimp on advertising! This is the most common mistake we observe.
- Assume Twitter and Facebook updates can replace the results of paid advertising.
- Run small, lower-price ads in many outlets. Larger ads get noticed.
Defining your marketing objectives
If you run a business, or help manage a nonprofit organization, you may be considering a number of tactics this year, such as starting a Facebook Page, recording YouTube videos, creating a new brochure, or revamping your website. And these are all good plans.
However, one of the basic, initial tasks you have to tackle is defining your marketing objectives, as well as your target audiences.
Here’s a quick list of some typical marketing objectives. Review this list — or expand it — when you are in the planning stages of your next project.
With this tool, we hope to . . .
- Increase sales or donations (quantify, if possible)
- Obtain more repeat business
- Match or stand apart from our competitors
- Promote our expertise and successes
- Launch a new product or service
- Persuade people to make a lifestyle change
- Win acceptance of a viewpoint
- Replace ineffective or overly expensive marketing approaches
- Report developments or innovations
- Manage crises or repair reputations
- Reduce communications risks and information leaks
- Attract and retain quality employees
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Marketing Tips from Nicole Wanzer, Washington Business Journal
Nicole Wanzer, Washington Business Journal
I have enjoyed getting to know Nicole Wanzer, who is an advertising representative for the Washington Business Journal. If you’re interested in discussing your advertising options, I recommend you contact her. You can meet Nicole in person at the Book of Lists Celebration this Thursday night at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
Recently, I asked Nicole about the marketing advice she shares with her diverse group of clients.
Here are some of Nicole’s excellent tips
- Think about who your ideal audience is. Who are you trying to send a message too? Then strategically place the ad to target your audience.
- Think about your objectives and carefully determine how you will measure your ROI before you launch a campaign.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s important to have a good marketing mix.
- Don’t be complacent. Technology and social media are forever changing and forcing us all to rethink our marketing and advertising strategies. Be open to change and stay current.
Related articles
- 4 Media Relations Tips from Jennifer Nycz-Conner (video) (fletcher-prince.com)
Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: A Calendar Full of Opportunities
2011 is winding down and it’s time to plan for 2012. You can start by identifying important 2012 event dates for your marketing efforts.
Sometimes all you need to create an actionable plan are the right tools. I like to use a large erasable wall calendar that shows the year at a glance, myself.
Marketing Calendar Templates
Here’s a monthly marketing calendar template to download. Here’s another version: marketing_calendar. This marketing calendar is more detailed and in a spreadsheet format.
Fletcher Prince Helpers
Monthly marketing ideas will be featured throughout 2012 on the Fletcher Prince Blog. We’ll publish ideas for creating marketing content that your company can produce and distribute online, via email, and in print.
As you plan now for 2012, be sure to add your company’s milestones, special events, and conferences.
Share your yearly marketing planning strategies in the comments.
Check out These Resources
- Your Marketing Strategy for 2012: Invest in the Basics; Refine What You Have (fletcher-prince.com)
- Your Marketing Strategy for 2012 – Avoid 10 Common Pitfalls in the New Year (fletcher-prince.com)
- Set up an editorial calendar for your website content (marketing.yell.com)
- Step Eight: Plan Your Calendar and Budget (chipmacgregor.typepad.com)
- 3 Steps to Your 2012 Content Strategy (personalbrandingblog.com)
- Top 15 Content Marketing Predictions for 2012 (junta42.com)
Your Marketing Strategy for 2012 — Avoid 10 Common Pitfalls in the New Year
When prospective clients ask me how to achieve visibility for their new or existing business, I generally make similar recommendations. My advice would also apply to managers with nonprofit organizations, associations, and government agencies, as well.
Although my advice is sound and practical, I struggle with convincing some people of the value of my recommendations.
When planning and executing marketing strategies, the biggest and most preventable mistakes I observe are
(1) Skimping on needed marketing and public relations activities, even when the resources are available and the services are affordable. I have never seen a client who spent too much money or too much time on marketing.
(2) Failing to create or stick to even the most basic marketing and public relations plan. Being disorganized in their business practices.
(3) Postponing sales-generating marketing tactics when their business is doing well.
(4) Neglecting to update their websites, social media platforms, and public relations and marketing materials — sometimes for several years.
(5) Procrastinating until the last minute to launch promotions or public relations outreach. Not understanding the amount of time it takes to build a campaign.
(6) Abandoning marketing efforts before they have a chance to obtain results. Having unrealistic expectations.
(7) Fearing to make a change, or try a new tactic. Refusing to consider new options that are working well for their competitors, from a lack of familiarity with those options.
(8) Omitting the important step of reviewing and measuring their past efforts, a step that would help inform their goals and decisions.
(9) Disregarding the value of informed, external opinions and constructive criticism, even from customers. Clients can’t always “see” that their website looks disorganized, or that their marketing materials are outdated and ineffective. They are too “close” to it.
(10) Assuming too much. Taking on too many projects at once, or attempting too ambitious a project. It’s better to keep it simple, and sustained.
No one is perfect. Everyone lapses on following through on marketing plans sometimes. The important thing to identify now is: reviewing these pitfalls, can you see whether you put obstacles in the way of your success? Can you identify any patterns? Did you do the best you could do, or did you let fear, disorganization, or unrealistic expectations hold you back?
Looking back at 2011, what could you have done differently? What can you do differently in 2012?
My message for sole proprietors, businesses and nonprofits as we move into 2012 is this: you can’t complain that no one asked you to dance if you didn’t bother to put on your best clothes, or even come to the dance.
You have to make an effort if you want to see results. And that effort usually involves an investment of resources. It will cost something, but if your business model is sound, or your nonprofit organization is worthy, wise marketing choices will make a difference.
Marketing works when you work it. There is no magic to marketing or public relations, and there are very few shortcuts. Marketing your business or nonprofit takes effort and dedication, over time.
The end of the year is a time to regroup and plan. Now is the time to analyze your position, look at what your competitors are doing, and measure the results of your past efforts. It is time to set actionable goals, create a plan, and dedicate a budget to making that plan happen. You need to decide what you will handle yourself, what you will delegate to staff, and what you will contract out to smart, hard-working people who can help you.
Best wishes to you for a prosperous new year.
Agencies need to post more YouTube videos
Number of Videos: concentrate your efforts on optimization
More than half (65%) of leading public relations and advertising agencies on YouTube have fewer than 25 videos on their Channel.
One global firm is the exception and has the most videos in the group by far, with 288 videos on their Channel.
However, the agency does not have the most combined views for its 288 videos. They’re essentially getting a low MPG for their videos.
Number of videos vs. number of views is an important distinction. Yes, it’s good to have lots of videos, but not if it gets in the way of optimizing the ones you have already produced, or producing more compelling content people want to watch.
These findings were derived from an analysis of 100 leading public relations and advertising agencies and their activities on YouTube.
Related articles
Related articles
- Harness the Power of YouTube, Professional Communicators (fletcher-prince.com)
- Get More Views for Your YouTube Videos With This Checklist (fletcher-prince.com)
- Run a YouTube Channel Diagnostic (fletcher-prince.com)
How does the quality of your video reflect on your brand?
Image via CrunchBase
Imagine this scenario. You are an executive at one of the most successful public relations or advertising agencies in the country.
You have an employee that you thought would show great promise. At first. But now that employee shows up to work in sloppy, wrinkled clothes and dirty hair. Bad breath. The employee uses inappropriate language and behavior in the office and at client meetings. The employee doesn’t seem to understand what your agency represents and what you are trying to do, and makes irrelevant comments that embarrass you in front of prospective clients. The employee is so unsteady, you sometimes wonder if he/she is drunk, anyway he/she wavers a lot, and it’s hard to understand what the employee is saying. You are starting to suspect that you may be losing the interest of prospective clients because of him/her, after all, she is at nearly every client meeting.
It’s just awful, but you don’t want to fire this employee because you are still hoping he or she will start working hard and show some results for your company.
That would be insane, wouldn’t it?
Yet, 64% of the leading public relations and advertising agencies on YouTube I examined this month have uploaded video that is of such poor quality, I feel it detracts from their reputation and image. But YouTube video, even bad video, gets prominently featured in search results. So, that “sloppy” video is what your potential clients see, just like that “sloppy” employee in the make-believe scenario.
Incredibly, these agencies do not take down these videos. It’s as if they think the video will somehow start working for them, or delivering benefits to their clients, when all the evidence is to the contrary.
To make this judgment call as I reviewed these YouTube Channels and videos, I took into account the agency’s revenues and resources (these were all top-billing, high-reputation firms with major clients).
I considered these questions
- Would the agency probably upload video of a similar quality for a client? Does it seem apparent that they did the best they could do, given their resources and claims of digital expertise?
- Was the content of the video on message, interesting, informative, useful, and relevant? Did it enhance the agency brand, or detract from it?
- Did the video have at least minimally acceptable levels of production value: informed and articulate participants, audio you could hear, titles you could read, lighting on the subject, steady camera work, evidence of basic-level video editing.
- Were the agency’s uploaded videos in compliance with YouTube’s terms of service, importantly copyright guidelines?
I was generous in my subjective assessment, and yet, only 36% of agencies were uploading what I would describe as acceptable quality video, and that is not to say, excellent quality video.
In this group of acceptable quality video producers, there were a few excellent videos here and there, but they were the exception rather than the rule.
My point is that public relations and advertising agencies do have the resources to better represent themselves and their expertise on YouTube, but choose not to. I would be curious to know the reason why.
