[WRE ADVISOR | BUSINESS]
He also mentioned online and offline. Tose spokes represent the many directions through which you can channel your company’s advertising, like social media, an app, print (magazines, brochures, post cards, billboards, the side of a bus), television, radio, event sponsorship, and more. It even filters all the way down to the smallest, and often most overlooked, component of your marketing efforts—your business card and your elevator speech. Now, this can get a little overwhelming,
so it’s also important to remember what might be the most strategic three words in marketing and advertising today: You Do You.
Whatever works most realistically within
your budget, your time, and your resources is what you need to focus on. As Nikdel pointed out: “At the same time, use common sense when choosing spokes. Tink about where most of your audience hangs out (i.e., what makes the most sense for your business) and focus your attention there. While you want to put out as many feelers as you can handle, you don’t want those feelers to go stale with neglect.” Often, quality over quantity is the name of the game, which is typically the result of
streets. Whatever travels from the hub to its intended receiver should be able to connect right back to the hub through design consistency and language that tells the same story throughout.
Choosing the Right Channels Do you have to pay to play? Sure, in some cases. Some exposure is bought and some is earned. A well-maintained Facebook page and Twitter handle, even an attractive Instagram account or YouTube channel, can be extremely cost effective (practically free) if you’re reaching out to the right audience
THE WARNING IS SIMPLE: TIMES HAVE CHANGED. THE VALUE OF A HANDSHAKE AND WORD OF MOUTH IS STILL A LOVELY PIECE OF THE MARKETING PUZZLE. BUT IT’S NO LONGER THE ONLY PIECE. AND WITH ALL OF THESE NEW PIECES LIES AN OFTEN UNSPOKEN RULE: DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS.
strategy meetings and work-shopping exactly what you want to say, how you want to say it, and who you want to say it to. Inevitably, your audience has needs, and you aim to meet those needs. But perhaps you’re fine with a simple, informational website; you don’t necessarily need to be a thought leader. And you’re okay with some light social media and maybe a print ad in select spots a few times a year. And that’s all perfectly fine. Just remember, those spokes are two-way
and have someone posting information or imagery that knows what they’re doing. Obviously, print, TV, radio, and sponsorship campaigns will cost money. But again, you’ll strategize that out and decide what makes the most sense and where you’ll likely get the most bang for your buck. Whatever the case, don’t just assume that one thing (a good website for example) is all you’ll ever need. Your spokes, in whatever form and function they exist, should be pushing your audience back to your hub—
which in itself is connecting them to your products and services on an emotional level through targeted writing and design. Within all of this, however, lies a
particular caveat—perhaps one of the biggest mistakes companies make … especially companies in industries where folks might feel like they don’t need to invest much time or money into marketing because their work speaks for itself, or they’ve gotten this far without it, so why bother?
Te warning is simple: times have changed. Te value of a handshake and word of mouth is still a lovely piece of the marketing puzzle. But it’s no longer the only piece. And with all of these new pieces lies an often unspoken rule: don’t settle for less. Make sure your website says what you want it to say and the writing is quality—no grammar issues or pages of useless information when it can be said in one sentence or paragraph. Make sure your design is clean, sharp, and speaks to the image you’re trying to project. If you’re going to blog, do it consistently and look for ways to differentiate yourself within your space. On social media, keep it simple, promotional, and visually stimulating with interesting pictures and targeted statements. And in your print efforts, visualize the invisible road that travels back to your website and, ultimately, your company. Ask yourself if this advertisement connects to your original hub visually and conceptually with the story you’ve created there. It’s okay to be overlooked by some who simply don’t require your services or need your products, but you don’t want to be remembered by all because your efforts to market yourself are a mess.
As Nikdel emphasized: “By making
some well-considered tweaks to your advertising, marketing, PR, and social media strategies, you’ll be much better equipped to manage your brand, build up its equity, and expand your audience. Te execution may require a little work, but the payoff is worth it in the end.” y
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JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
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