To Give or to Get – Henry Ford #thinkbigthursday
#thinkbigthursday is our day to dream for something bigger than what we’ve got! So we’re gathering advice from people who have done more, gone farther, and we’re thinking big!
Blog
Pinterest Interests: What Marketers Need to Know via Social Media Examiner
Pinterest Interests: What Marketers Need to Know via Social Media Examiner
Pinterest can be a GREAT way to drive traffic to your website – if you use it right. The folks at Social Media Examiner have this great article with some tips and tricks. Check it out.
Businesses whose products or services don’t neatly fit into one of these categories have to do additional searching on Pinterest to find relevant pins to share with their followers and new boards to follow.
The answer is to follow interests, and the pins come to you.
Startup Marketing Basics: Which Marketing Should You Pay For?
It’s not easy to know where to invest your advertising budget when you are starting a business.
To be fair – I can’t tell you the best place without a good long conversation!
But I can give you some ideas that I’ve seen over the years. Hopefully they can apply to your situation!
1. CPC (Cost Per Click)
I recommend spending at least a minimal amount on CPC advertising – whether through Facebook or Google Adsense.
Usually Google Adsense has an introductory deal offering $50 or $75 free if you spend $25.
Grab it!
I’d encourage you to setup a facebook campaign with a minimum bid of $1 a day that promotes your posts – and if you can afford it, another $1 a day to get page likes. Maybe you can afford to run them all month long – maybe you do a week at a time when you can afford it!
2. Radio –
If you are going to spend money on Radio – I recommend one of two options:
News/Weather Sponsorship
or
Interstitials (when the DJ talks about your business during his shift – as through it’s a natural conversation)
Other than that – the truth is no one is listening to radio ads… unless they are EXTREMELY creative and well produced!
I also recommend paying for some slick production and/or a jingle!
3. Newspaper –
Newspaper INSERTS – that fall out when you open the paper are more effective than other ads. Splurge for full color printing on glossy stock! It will get noticed, and it will be make a difference.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WAY TO TRACK YOUR ADS!
Find out more about that next week when we talk about: Startup Marketing Basics: Measuring The Effectiveness Of Your Marketing
Watch that Ego #thinkbigthursday
#thinkbigthursday is our day to dream for something bigger than what we’ve got! So we’re gathering advice from people who have done more, gone farther, and we’re thinking big!
5 Ways to Promote on Facebook Without Being “Overly Promotional” via PostPlanner
5 Ways to Promote on Facebook Without Being “Overly Promotional” via PostPlanner
Fantastic article to help give you some ideas about using Facebook to promote without crossing the line into “really annoying page that I need to unfollow” territory.
Facebook marketers need actionable tips to keep getting exposure in the news feed while converting fans into loyal customers.
5 Ways to Promote on Facebook Without Being “Overly Promotional” via PostPlanner
Startup Marketing Basics: Zero Budget Marketing
Starting a business can be daunting – and so many people start their business by bootstrapping their operations – or starting with as little as possible in investments and loans. The problem is, because they start with nothing – and their budget is next to nothing – they often neglect marketing – and it can cost them dearly.
I do not advocate operating with a Zero Budget when it comes to marketing. I think you HAVE to put a little cash in to get anything out.
However – let me give you some ideas for ways to get some leverage when your cashflow is low.
1. Distribute Flyers, Brochures, and Business Cards.
I know – those things cost money – but many times – people have printed them up – and then left them sitting in a drawer! Go hand them out!
Where can you find people who need your service or product? If you are a business that serves other businesses – just go door to door -and drop them off, letting them know you are available to help with whatever your services you provide! (Look out for “No Soliciting” signs – it doesn’t mean you can’t drop it off – but it might mean you need to approach things differently!)
2. Follow up on your old leads!
Did you have someone that expressed interest – but then the communication ball got dropped? Just go through your phone log, email, or facebook messages to locate the people that were interested, but changed their mind, or didn’t pursue you!
3. Send a press release!
This takes some creativity – to find an event that is newsworthy – and it’s easier in small towns than large ones – but newspaper/radio coverage is some of the best free advertising you can get! If you are a startup – sometimes newspapers will offer a free article announcing your new business. (Of course – they want to try to sell you advertising – and it might just be worth it!)
4. Social Media
Facebook is starting to limit the visibility of your posts unless you pay for advertising – but social posting is still a good way to start connecting!
5. Think outside the box!
Do something outrageous, or creative, or DIFFERENT that gets people to notice you! Car dealers tie balloons on their cars – so that you notice them when you drive by. What can YOU do to get someone’s attention? Dress up in a monkey suit? Offer free samples to people walking by on the street? Make a pot of chili and bring it during lunch break to that client you are trying to land?
If you want some more ideas about “Zero Budget Marketing” – let me encouarge you to check out “Free Advertising Secrets” – a series of blogs I did in 2014. http://hatchermedia.net/tag/free-advertising/
Tune in Next Week for Startup Marketing Basics: Part 2 Which Marketing Should you Pay For?
How Logos are Done – this video shows the whole process! I love it!
This video is fantastic. Please forgive any language he might use – but this is what logo design looks like. I use similar methods – and I’d love to help you out. Let me know what you need! mail@joshhatcher.com
Aaron Draplin Takes On a Logo Design Challenge from lynda.com on Vimeo.
Most logos aren’t designed in fifteen minutes, but most designers aren’t Aaron Draplin. Aaron’s a Portland fixture by way of the Midwest, the owner of Draplin Design Co., and an advocate of “blue collar” design: design that works. Here he takes our logo design challenge, creating a dozen iterations of a logo for a fictional construction company. Not inspired? Just wait. Watch as he sketches, brings his ideas into Illustrator, and tests and tunes the different iterations. The logos Aaron creates prove design can elevate any company or brand. Along the way, he provides tips for freelancing, finding inspiration, and providing clients context for logos that won’t just live in PDFs.
Why Design Matters: It’s worth paying someone
I know I might sound a bit self serving in saying this – since I make my living from people who pay me to do graphic design.
I’m okay with that.
But I want to point out that I’ve seen so many people who think they want to save some cash and do it themselves – and they’ve just made a mess.
Designers like myself have worked for years to learn the ropes… to learn what works… to learn what looks good… to stay current on trends… to know the software…
Sure, you could do it yourself – as you could attempt to do your own plumbing yourself!
But from my experience of doing my own plumbing – many hours later – covered in poo – I still needed to call a professional to come in and take care of it.
Jon Acuff has a great blog posts you should read about Paying Designers.
http://acuff.me/2014/04/906/
