Do you really know how to “Market” your business…?

There are so many people that just throw around the word marketing and really do not have a full grasp of what the word really means.

Think about it – ask yourself, how do you define marketing????

I read a book called “Mind Capture” by Tony Rubleski –in his book Tony states “Marketing is the oxygen of every successful business”. He is exactly right – I don’t care how great your product, service, or anything else is, if you do not market your business, then nobody will know about it – and if nobody knows about your business do you really think you will be successful?

OF COURSE NOT!

OK so let’s define what marketing is, in a nutshell – becoming known in your marketplace by building a memorable image or brand – getting the customer to remember you even when they don’t need your goods or services. When the time comes and they need what you have to offer you are the first one that pops into their mind.

But how do you do that?

• A memorable image – a genuine and honest belief in your product and/or service(s) and letting the world know what you have to offer.

• Repetition
• Becoming an expert in your industry

Study, learn, invest a little money in your business to become anexpert. Keep up with the trends and new developments.

• Define what makes you unique in your industry.

I can honestly tell you that it can be as simple as real customer service. The word customer service is thrown around so loosely – but I am talking about really caring about your customers, making sure that what they are getting is really something that they need. Being there when something goes wrong and making sure that you are on top of everything in a timely manner.

I am old enough to remember when someone gave you their word it was as good as gold – and you could trust what they told you was the truth.

That is a rare commodity in this day and age.

• A professional image – success always draws people to what you have to offer.

You must look successful in every aspect of your business from your business cards down to your website, blog, ads and everything you are projecting out on the internet, as well as print.

Make sure the graphics are all branded (look alike) from the colors, logos, verbiage, feel to the way things are presented. Create an emotional association (such as the feeling of success, happiness, or relief) that a customer forms with the product, service, or company.

• Surround yourself with the best to be the best.

Whoever you incorporate in your inner circle must hold the same values as you do – and all employees and even affiliates must uphold your high standard – one bad seed can be the down fall of your business, especially in the viral world of the internet.

• Know your customer

Who is it that you can help? How can you solve a problem or make someone’s life more enjoyable?

Do not tell me everyone – because that is not true. You must know who you are trying to attract – what does your perfect customer look like, what type of income do they have, what do they find valuable, where do they live and what do they read…

The more you know about your customer the faster you will get results.

• Do a little traditional marketing along with all the internet marketing, social media, and above all else network!

• Don’t be afraid to give away things of values, information, pearls of wisdom and help people – don’t give away the house of course, but I have found the more giving I am the more comes back to me.

If you doubt my words try it, you will be amazed!!

• Set Goals – and review them every morning. Did you know only 3% of people set goals and even less forget about them after they are set!

Now go out there and catch the world on fire!!

For help with a personalized marketing plan contact me

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design

Video Creation - 6 Basic Steps You Must Know...

How many of you have dabbled in or thought about creating a video and posting it on You Tube or some of the other video sites?

Even though I have a degree in multimedia it had been a long time, since I had really put together a multimedia piece - I love putting images, words and sound together to get an emotional effect, so this is a labor of love.

Recently I put together some promotional video's for one of my clients, I had so much fun!! I had to bone up on what it takes to make a good video - and quickly remembered I could not just jump right into the middle of the project and expect professional results...

You may be the most creative person in the world but everything has a process and creating a promotional video is no different.

You may be saying to yourself " What is she talking about??"...

I am talking about the process of creation - and there are some basic rules that apply to everything you create - it holds true on e-books, websites, Branding your business, graphic design, and yes video creation...

One of my video examples below...

The 6 basic principles of creating your ideas from scratch..

1. Brain storm - yes think about and write down all your ideas. Don't second guess yourself just write down the central idea. Is the video to entertain - market your business. Is it to advertise a product - or to position you as a leader in your industry? The sky is the limit
2. Write the script - It doesn't matter if you are going to be talking about a subject or using images and words to get people to notice you. You need to write what it is you are going to be seeing or saying on the screen. If you have ever taken a video production class you know that you story board your video - what are the scenes - what is going to be said - what type of music etc. This is the same basic concept, but it can be a lot more linier - and a bit simpler than a big video production (thank goodness). If you are going to be talking on camera - take the written outline and practice it in a mirror watch yourself. Practice, Practice, Practice...
3. Edit Edit Edit - and Edit some more. You want it to be perfect have another pair of eyes read the text especially if you are using the written word in your video.
4. Gather the pieces - what are you using? In my case I wrote the promotional text, gathered pictures that would be used - created a background - and decided what type of music to use in the background. If you are doing a video of yourself - what type of background are you going to have behind you - are you using any props etc. Please make sure that your background isn't you sitting on a ratty old couch stating how you make all this money - honestly it doesn't look believable (I have actually seen this!).
5. Format of the video (what type .avi, mpg4 etc) - it is important to understand what type of formats you need before shooting. Make sure you look at where you are posting the video and read the guidelines. Be careful of the compression techniques you use because you could end up with a grainy - low quality version once you actually post it on You Tube or other video channels.
6. Once the whole thing is put together - go through it and edit it with a video editor. Take a birds eye view of the production and see if you need to clip some of the video - take un-needed verbiage - or add things you left out. If you are posting the video for marketing purposes then you want it to be as close to professional as possible.
7. Upload - now you are ready to share your video with the world...

If you are just posting video's for fun and personal enjoyment then you would be able to relax a little and not worry so much - but no matter your reason for working with video have fun.

Even though I am writing about how to create a video from scratch - you can replace the word video with any project you are thinking about - developing a website - a marketing campaign etc.

Please feel free to comment and/or email me with any questions you may have...

Pamela Jacob - Artista Design