Cornelia Luethi's marketing blog

How To Install WordPress #4

2011-04-07T10:26:00.010+12:00

OK, so you've got a domain name and set up a hosting account for your new WordPress website (explained in my previous post).

What next?

For this, I'll be following the instructions on the WordPress website: http://codex.wordpress.org/Installing_WordPress

(You need to install WordPress itself first, before you install Thesis or any other themes.)

The installation instructions web page looks so long I have doubts that their "famous 5-minute installation" really will take 5 minutes! I'll time how long it takes me to do it and will write the steps I've taken as well.

1. Download WordPress

Here's the page where you do that: http://wordpress.org/download/

Unzip the downloaded file and save it on your computer's hard drive. (I've saved mine to the C-drive, in "Program Files".)

OK, that's the easy bit. It gets a bit trickier now.

Time elapsed so far: 8 minutes

2. Install WordPress onto your web host

I'd suggest ignoring the instructions on the WordPress website, they are VERY confusing and I've wasted a heap of time trying to follow them.

Instead, this video is really helpful:

Time elapsed so far: 46 minutes (told you I'd wasted a lot of time!)

Uploading the files by FTP to my web host took approx. 12 minutes (on broadband).

I wasn't sure whether I was uploading to the right folder, as both the video and WordPress instructions are vague on this. In my cast, I uploaded to the "htdocs" folder.

Has it worked? Nope, not yet. I tried going to my website and got an error message:

Error establishing a database connection

I suspect I've done something wrong in the wp-config file, but I'm not sure what. So I've contacted my hosting company for assistance. Last time I asked them a question, it took them 5 days to respond! Hopefully it'll be quicker this time! And that's why I haven't named or recommended my hosting company on this blog ;)

Time elapsed so far: 64 minutes and website is still not up- and-running! I'll keep you posted...

5 Days later...

Yippeee, I've finally received a reply from my web host! I had one setting wrong in the "wp-config" file (the MySQL hostname), but it all seems to work now. :)

I now have a screen that looks like this:

Ohhhh, so from now on it's meant to take 5 minutes!! D'oh!

But first of all, I'm going to refer back to WordPress Defender on how to set up the username and password so it's as secure as possible... done!

Now I have this screen - the log-in screen:

And now, my first glimpse at the back-end of WordPress. This is where you create all the content etc.

And this is what the actual website looks like at this stage:

(Note this is pure WordPress, I haven't added a theme yet.)

Onto the next step: choosing and uploading a theme...

How To Find A Host For Your WordPress Website #3

2011-04-07T10:13:00.003+12:00

Before you can get your WordPress website up-and-running, you need to have it "hosted" somewhere, i.e. the programme and files need to sit on a server (special computer) that lets the world see your website.

There are many different hosting companies, and their services and charges can vary. Many charge for this monthly.

If you've taken the hint in my previous post and read WordPress Defender, you'll know that you need to ask your potential hosting company some questions about their service before you buy from them.

These go above and beyond the recommendations made by WordPress, which you can find here:
Hosting WordPress: server requirments - http://codex.wordpress.org/Hosting_WordPress

NB: You'll also need a domain name for your website. You may or may not already have a domain name. If you don't have one, your hosting company may offer the registration service, which usually has an annual charge.
What's a domain name?

It's the website address. For example, the website I'll be building with WordPress will be at www.westie-terriers.com.

So www.westie-terriers.com is my domain name, which I pay for annually, as well as the hosting charge.

What To Do Before You Install WordPress #2

2011-04-07T09:56:00.004+12:00

Keeping Your WordPress Website Secure

As mentioned in my previous post, WordPress has many benefits.

But it has a downside: it's so popular that it's an easy and common target for hackers.

Being informed and prepared is a good idea, so before you do anything else, you can take measures to ensure that your WordPress website is set up in a way that's as secure as possible.

I'd suggest you check out WordPress Defender: it's a very helpful eBook. I've bought my copy, and I'll be implementing the techniques it suggests as I progress.

So yes, go and read more about WordPress Defender :)

PS. If you're wondering why anyone would want to hack your website - it's because they can. That happened to the author of WordPress Defender, and it's why he wrote this ebook so it less likely to happen to you.

How to set up a WordPress website #1

2011-03-25T17:06:00.009+13:00

I'm about to set up my very first Wordpress website.

Follow my trials and errors, as I'll be posting useful links and resources on the way!

Why use WordPress?

I love how it's a future-proof and very flexible website infrastructure. There are lots of "plug-ins" that give these websites a wide range of functions. And it's inexpensive to do so.

WordPress started out as a blogging platform, but these days it's a perfectly respectable way to build an entire website. Have a look at the Showcase page on the WordPress website to see what I mean.

What is a WordPress theme?

WordPress websites need a "theme". There are free ones available, but I've heard that many of these are badly coded (i.e. will cause you issues), and some even have malware coded into them (i.e. virusy-things that will give you BIG headaches).

So along the way I'll be choosing a theme and blogging about that aspect too.

Why should you read this blog?

There are dozens, if not hundreds on blogs about WordPress. Most of them seem to be written by techie types who are into programming and other geeky stuff. I'm not. While I'm web-savvy, I haven't the fogiest about programming.

So I'll be trawling through all those other blogs, and either linking to useful stuff, or writing my own posts here - in plain English!

Who should attempt setting up this kind of website themselves?

You don't need to be a programmer to do this.

But you need to be confident with computers and technology - and willing to learn. At the very least, know how to upload files by FTP.

Be prepared to ask your web host questions, and to research stuff on the internet.

If you're not keen or willing to do that, but would still like a WordPress website, I'd suggest that you find a good website designer that'll do that for you. NB: this is NOT a service I offer, I'm just writing this blog to help people who are looking for non-techy instructions :)

Why One Day Offers Can Both Boost And Kill Your Business

2011-03-07T11:33:00.002+13:00

For decades business owners have wanted a magic wand for their marketing: the quick, easy, cost-effective campaign that brings scores of new customers through the door with zero effort and minimal cost.

Till now, that’s never existed (despite what’s been promised). And now, it appears that this really is possible... or is it?

The new marketing superstar: One Day Offers

There are now scores of websites offering this new promotional or advertising model. In New Zealand, there’s Dailydo, Spreets, 1-Day and Grab One to name but a few of these websites; more and more appear to be springing up all the time.

These websites all work in pretty much the same way: you offer your product or service at a ridiculous discount; they put the offer out to their database; and you pay for a percentage of the deals sold. Some of the models may vary, but that’s the basic crux of it.

Finally, an advertising model that’s based on success!

This is what’s really good about these One Day Offers; you only pay based on the success of your campaign. In the current economic climate, small businesses are struggling to find the budgets for advertising. So these success-based models are brilliant in that regard: you only pay for what you get.

Best of all, the One Day Offers can give a small business a very sizeable cash flow injection, when the company makes the payment for all the one day offers.

What’s not to love?

Love can make you blind... so don’t get too blinded by these campaigns.

The punters don’t love you

The people who buy the One Day Offers are punters – people who take a punt on things... they’re definitely not customers. Remember, someone who buys from you once is NOT a Customer – they are a Shopper. Shoppers flit here and there till they find the perfect supplier (or else they’ll keep chasing deals). Someone is not a Customer till they have bought from you twice.

Beware of the bargain hunters

The people who buy the One Day Offers are bargain hunters. Some people can be addicted to getting “bargains”; other people use this is a means of saving money in tough times.

Therefore the One Day Offer business model actually discourages customer loyalty... they may even breed disloyalty. Pinning too many marketing hopes onto these bargain hunters could be a risky marketing tactic – especially if you’re not supporting these campaigns with customer retention strategies.

Customer retention strategies are vital

Of course, many business owners hope that at least some of these bargain hunters will become regular customers. But you need to work at that. Out of sight becomes out of mind all too easily – not just with your bargain hunters, but your existing client base too.

If you don’t keep in touch with your clientele, it’s easy for them to assume that you don’t care about them, or don’t value them. So the chances of them defecting to a competitor becomes much greater. (They may even have a punt on a One Day Offer themselves!)

Therefore it’s absolutely vital that you work hard at making sure every Shopper and every Customer comes back again and again and again. And you have to work at that. It means that everyone in your team has to have top-notch sales training, with well-planned processes and scripts in place to lure these Shoppers back for a repeat purchase.

You’ll need to have sound marketing initiatives in place too around customer retention: that includes things like newsletters, text reminders, social media updates, loyalty cards, courtesy phone calls – whatever is appropriate to your business.

Regular customers are the lifeblood of your business

Regular customers keep your business alive. This is where the real marketing gold lies – in having as many loyal customers as possible, who love your business so much, they’ll send all their friends to you.

Best of all, these are people who are wiling to pay full price – they’re not just there for a bargain or a discount. It’s these regular customers who make your business profitable. And it’s up to you, as the business owner, to keep an eye on those profit levels.

Measure your marketing campaigns

If you want to know if the one day offers are doing your business a favour or costing you money, you need to measure. And the way to measure these campaigns is to look at the number of punters who become regular clients.

The bargain hunters simply cost you money; it’s the people who come back who are vital to success. Make sure you crunch some numbers so you can measure the Costs versus the Benefits of the campaign.

Avoid eroding your profit margins

While the bargain hunters might keep your staff nice and busy and give you a convenient cash flow injection, don’t forget that they are buying from you at a discount. And discounting does nasty, terrible things to your profit margins.

For example, if your current profit margin is 40% and you discount your price by 30%, your sales must increase by 300% to keep the same profit margin.

Only by measuring and crunching your numbers will you be able to see what’s really working – and what isn’t.

Summary

By all means give these One Day Offers a go – but don’t become over-reliant on them; you need to have additional strings to your marketing bow.
Have strategies in place to try and convert these disloyal bargain hunters into loyal, ongoing customers. This requires planning and working hard at consistent implementation.
Measure the success of these One Day Offer campaigns in terms of repeat business. Did the influx of punters make up for your eroded profit margins – or did the campaign cost you more than you thought?
Don’t forget your existing clientele, who pay full price for your product or service. This is where the real marketing gold lies.

Remember, there are rarely (if ever) magic wands when it comes to marketing. And even though these one day offers provide a good advertising model they could actually be costing you far more dearly than you may think.

Marketing Articles for The Drippy Tap's Pre-Launch

2010-12-17T11:01:00.004+13:00

If you're looking for marketing articles that you can use in your business-to-business marketing, now's a great time to invest in a year's membership of The Drippy Tap, as there's 10% Pre-Launch Discount.

Premium Members who join by 24 December 2010 will get access to the archive of marketing articles before Christmas!

... Perfect for putting your marketing-related New Year's resolutions into action!

What will these articles be on?

The articles are written to be of interest to your customers, i.e. SMEs who want to grow their business. So the topics include a range of subject including marketing, sales, customer service, copywriting, websites, design, and general business topics.

Here's a sneak preview of what will be available for Premium Members next week:

Is Your Website’s Contact Us Page Actually Deterring Prospects?
How To Stop Those Cliff-hanger Endings In Your Sales Meetings
4 Simple Tips On Giving Your Customers A Worry-Free Buying Experience
What Do The Colours Of Your Logo Say About Your Business?
Do You Assume That Everyone Who’s Bought From You Is A Customer?
Have You Re-Aligned Your Marketing Tactics For Today’s Challenges?
Is Your Business Card Harming Your Image?
How To Use Positive Language For Positive Results
Why Do Some Prospects Dither For So Long – And Then Back Out?
Should You Really Bother With An FAQs Page On Your Website?
Does Your Marketing Splutter Like A Smoky Old Engine?
How To Implement A Mystery Shopping Campaign That'll Motivate Your Team

If you join as a Premium member with the 10% discount, the price per article (including the Quick Tips) is just US$3.11 per article!

I've personally written all these articles myself, so you can be assured that they're top quality and professionally-written.

Plus there's a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can sign-up with confidence.

Want these articles?

Become a member of The Drippy Tap here: http://www.thedrippytap.com/services.htm

Be quick, the 10% Pre-Launch Discount expires on 24 December 2010!

Do You Struggle To Find Time For Your Marketing?

2010-12-16T12:55:00.003+13:00

Web, Design, PR & Marketing Professionals & Business Consultants:
Do You Struggle To Find Time For Your Marketing?

Chances are, you’re always telling your clients they should send regular newsletters or post regular blog updates.

And you have every intention of doing so yourself.

But you just get too busy, and it never quite happens.

Where do the days go?

Somehow, the days are so busy working on your clients’ projects that you never seem to find the time for your own marketing. The days turn into weeks; those weeks turn into months; and a year later very little has changed!

But here’s the thing. It doesn’t actually take very much to do these things. Well, not if you’ve got some handy, cost-effective resources to help you...

Imagine a drippy tap.

(Or a drippy faucet, if you’re American.)

Each drip doesn’t seem to have much of an effect by itself.

But over time, these drips can fill a container – to the extent that it’s over-flowing.

That’s what your regular client communications are: a refreshing drip. The drips should be interesting and add value. They help you stay at the forefront of your customers’ minds.

“The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.”

- Lucretius

When your customer is ready to buy, chances are it’ll be you that they call.

Because you’ve been drip drip dripping them useful information.

But how do you do drip-feed valuable information regularly –
in a way that’s convenient AND affordable?

Here’s your solution...

You are emailed a selection of fresh articles each month, that you can use as you wish.

That’s right, you can buy a non-exclusive licence to use quality, professionally-written articles without fear of infringing copyright.

(Stock photography libraries have been around for long enough – this is a similar idea, except it’s for articles.)

You can tweak those articles, or use them as they are. Use them for your:

Newsletter
Blog
Website resources
Social media updates
Information sheet library
Networking group speeches
Whatever you like, provided it’s for marketing your own business. See the Terms & Conditions for more details.

... Keeping in touch with your clients and prospects has never been this convenient!

Who is this for?

Anyone in a marketing-related industry who communicates with their clients in English. That includes:

Marketing consultants
Business consultants and business coaches
Graphic designers and advertising agencies/companies
Web designers, web developers and online marketing companies
PR companies and PR consultants
Copywriters.
Any business-to-business organisation, whose clients are interested in business and marketing articles.

Won't it be obvious I'm using 'stock' articles? Will my clients see other businesses using the exact same articles as me?

Licence numbers are limited to 0.04% of businesses in each country. (Yes, we've obtained official national statistics and crunched the numbers.)

That means that there's very little chance that your clients will notice. It's very similar to using stock photos on your website.

Remember, you're welcome to edit the articles to add your own messages and personality if you wish.

Great value

You get a year’s supply of articles for about the same price as it would take a copywriter to write you just one article.

Wondering what the articles will be like? Read some samples here >>

A whole year's worth of articles for the price of one!

Find out more about The Drippy Tap's article service >>

The fastest five years ever?

2010-11-29T17:51:00.002+13:00

Last week I got an enquiry from a prospect who'd put her business on hold for 5 years due to personal reason.

That caused me to reflect just how much has changed in 5 years:

... We've gone from boom times, through a recession, to a new economy that is unpredictable and volatile.

... Technology (especially the internet and Google) have transformed consumer behaviour. The way we research products and services has changed dramatically. Printed directories are seriously struggling. Therefore having a website (and a good website at that, with Attraction and Conversion factors nicely covered 0ff) is more important than ever.

... Prospects and customers are probably more demanding than ever: and it has never been so easy for them to compare you against your competitors.

... Social media has become HUGE. And many business owners are wanting to jump on the bandwagon without understanding it, or are too scared to go anywhere near it!

It's a brave new world out there. Has your marketing adapted?

That said, many of the "old" pillars of business still hold true:

-- Having a plan is a good idea: just be prepared to review it and update it regularly.
-- Good, old fashioned customer service is NEVER out of fashion.
-- Working consistently and diligently usually does pay dividends, provided you keep an open mind and open eyes to things going on around you.
-- One person's problem is another person's opportunity!

Small changes, big results

2010-06-04T13:56:00.003+12:00

I read an interesting article at the hairdressers today, I think it was in Marie Claire magazine.

4 women had to do one new thing repeatedly, each day for 30 days.

These challenges were quite simple, but still required thought on how to achieve this within a busy schedule.

One woman had to wear red lipstick every day. The result: she felt more confident, and got lots of compliments - people responded differently to her. She started taking more pride in her appearance in general, and feels empowered.
One woman had to phone her mother every day - and she wasn't sure if this would be a good or bad thing for their relationship. The result: she understands her mother a lot better, and have a closer relationship - more like friends than the mother/daughter roles.
One woman had to eat all her meals off a real plate. The result: she thought more carefully about her diet, but the ongoing change is that she and her partner are eating their breakfast together every day. These 10 minutes spent daily with her partner has improved their relationship, and the quality of their everyday lives.
One woman had to meditate every day - something which she found difficult to do. The result: not only did it help her manage her stress levels, but her approach to life is a bit more "zen".

Apply the same approach to your marketing...

Yes, we'd all like to have a slick marketing machine that we can just rev up quickly and easily!

But it takes time to achieve that.

So just do one thing consistently. It'll become quicker and easier over time. And once you've mastered that, add another small but manageable task to your list.

What sort of things could you be doing?

Posting to your Facebook page each week.
Writing an article every fortnight.
Phoning an existing client (or lapsed client) - 1 call a day.
Write one thank you card every week.

Most of us are guilty of putting these types of tasks off - often week after week. And then we feel guilty about it, and we write it off as being a "bad idea" anyway to make ourselves feel better.

But just think what kind of changes you can achieve by doing something small.

Rome wasn't built in a day, so don't put yourself under the pressure of trying to do that.

Just one small thing at a time.

Small changes over a sustained period of time will lead to big results!

Do you ever feel like you're chasing your tail?

2010-03-27T15:51:00.005+13:00

Yes, I'm now presenting marketing techniques at small business workshops and seminars!

Do you feel like you’re working harder than ever – but not getting ahead?

Running a small business is hard work: there’s all the admin, sales, marketing and management to do – as well as your actual job.

Perhaps you're struggling to:

Get more customers through the door?
Convincing those customers to buy from you?
Get the best performance out of your team?
Maintain - or grow - your profit margins?
Have a good balance between work and life?

It's hard having to do all of that.

And how do you even know where you're going wrong, so you can fix things?

Introducing Business Soda...

It's about helping you identify the missing ingredient that'll help you rise to the top.

Rather than having to attend dozens of seminars, Business Soda is a group of experienced business professionals each bringing a different ingredient to your business success.

To sign up for obligation-free updates and info, please complete the form on the home page of the Business Soda website.

Above: Cornelia Luethi took the hocus-pocus out of marketing at the first Business Soda workshop earlier this month.

Full day training seminar on Friday 30 April 2010

Each of the 5 Business Soda team will be equipping you with new skills and techniques at this interactive full day training workshop.

Where: 25 Bath Street, Parnell.

How much: There’s an Early Bird Discount: it’s just $295 till midnight Friday 16 April 2010.

From 17 April 2010 the price will be $395. Prices include GST.

Amazing value... grab your seat before it's fully booked!

How To Register

Details and secure online registration and payments are via the Business Soda website.

(If you’re not ready to book yet, but would like to get updates and info from Business Soda, you can sign up at the website homepage.)

Hope to see you at the next Business Soda event!

Have You Flossed Your Marketing Recently?

2010-03-01T18:50:00.002+13:00

Some jobs are a real chore - just like flossing your teeth: you know that doing it is good for you, but it doesn’t make the job any more enjoyable.

Here’s how you can make those painful marketing tasks just a little bit easier…

Ooh, don't the Hollywood celebs look fab with their super white teeth?

Ever since I was a kid I've admired people with white teeth. These days I religiously brush my teeth twice a day (with whitening toothpaste), and even use the occasional at-home whitening treatments.

But flossing? Ewww!

Yes, I know it's really important and that it keeps teeth white and gums healthy. But I just can't bring myself to do it. Not on a daily basis - and even a weekly basis is a struggle. It's so easy to "forget" tasks we don't enjoy, that I've actually listed "floss teeth" as a weekly recurring task in my task management system. No joke.

The way I feel about flossing is how many small business owners feel about marketing. Something they know is important, but it's just a bit icky and they'd rather just forget about it.
Be brave - grab that marketing floss!

Have a think: which marketing task that you've been putting off would make the biggest positive impact on your business? Perhaps it's:

Working on your newsletter
Updating your social media status
Adding new content to your website
Writing an article
Making follow-up phone calls to your prospects or clients.

The important thing is that you firstly identify it - and then diarise it in a way you can't ignore. Hey, it's for your own good - you don't want your marketing teeth to fall out! ;-)

Is there a tool that can help you?

I've identified that part of the reason I dislike flossing so much is because I detest floss tape. All that wrapping it round your fingers is icky. And then it either gets slimy and slips, or cuts off the circulation in my finger tips because it's too tightly wound. Hideous!

To avoid that, and to make a yucky task slightly more bearable, I now use hand-held disposable flossers. They're far less icky and I don’t mind flossing quite as much. OK, it's still not my favourite task, but at least it's bearable.

What's your missing tool?

Think back to your list of marketing tasks that you've been putting off: is there a tool that could make those more bearable?

Maybe a new software programme would help you with your newsletter?
Or training on how to get the most out of your existing software?
A sales training course would make those customer calls less daunting?
Perhaps you could engage some outside help with marketing or copywriting?

Whatever it is, do it!

After all, you're the one responsible for your marketing (and your teeth).

While you may struggle to find someone to floss your teeth for you, at least it’s relatively easy to get help with marketing problems ;-)

Have you every wondered if your website could be working harder?

2010-02-25T18:25:00.004+13:00

Great, you've got your website up and running - but are you wondering if you should be doing anything else with it?

But do all those computer words and technical jargon put you off?

Does that sound familiar?

Then the Website Owner's Manual is for you... and it's in a jargon-free, easy to read format.

Yes, you can rev up your website - and your business - for less than the price of a tank of gas!

But it securely from www.fxmarketing.co.nz/products.htm.

This is a Risk-Free purchase, with a 60 Day Money-Back Guarantee.

Plus there's a special bonus offer: "Getting Started With Social Media".

It's a no-nonsense, step-by-step guide for small businesses... all on the FX Marketing website.

Does Your Website Have Stubble?

2010-02-21T15:54:00.001+13:00

Updating a website is a chore that most business owners find as onerous as shaving their legs. But hairy legs aren't a good look, online or under your trousers...

Keeping a website updated is a chore as onerous to the small business owner, as it is for a lady to shave her legs regularly.

It’s one of those jobs that you know you should do, but man it’s a hassle. And there are so many great excuses: something else was more urgent; you ran out of time; and so on.

When it comes to your legs, hey, you’ll just wear trousers and leave them for another day.

Surely no-one’s going to see!

But that’s the day when you step into a deceptively deep puddle. Your shoes and socks are soaked right through. Rather than squelch squelch round the office, leaving pools of water in the carpet, you have no option but to take your shoes and socks off and pad around in bare feet.

Which is quite a chink in your corporate armour: you’re always known as the immaculate, well-tuned-out one. The embarrassment!

Uh-oh, Adam in Accounts is having a good old snigger at you in your bare feet. And judging from the looks he’s given you, know just know that he’s spotted your hairy ankles.

A similar scenario can occur with your website

After all, surely no-one actually reads every word on a website? So what if half the staff on the “About Us” page have left; or the Services you’ve listed are no longer relevant. And the Copyright date at the bottom is three years out of date. Details, details!

But one day you’ll get a prospect phone you up who’s read every single word on your website.

And they’ll ask you about something which you’ve long since forgotten about or discontinued. In short, they’ve caught you on your (hairy) back foot. And you spend the rest of the phone call trying to regain your credibility.

Not only will Adam in Accounts never see you in the same light again, neither will that prospect.

Regular attention makes the job less daunting

Schedule the time for the updates. Whether it’s once a week or once a month – set that time aside, and put up a big “do not disturb” sign if you have to.

It’s also a good idea to have an “ideas” document where you jot down all your thoughts as they pop into your head. That way, you’ll never be stuck with Blank Page Syndrome.

Like many chores, updating a website becomes a lot easier if you’ve created the time; got the tools to do it; and have everything you need right at your fingertips.

There’s no reason why you should ever be caught out with an out-of-date website (or hairy legs)!

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Would you like to use this article?

Yes, you can use this article with your clients, prospects, and your database. You can use it on your website, on your blog, or in your newsletter... whatever you like! Just so long as you leave it exactly as it is, and don't change it in any way. That means including any hyperlinks, exactly as they are. You can omit the photograph and caption, but no changes are permitted to the rest of the text.

If you include any text, photographs or links on the page on your own products or services, please do that separately from the article itself. (Using a horizontal rule is a convenient way to do that.) That way, your clients will be able to clearly identify your services.

If you have any questions about any of these requirements, please email me (cornelia@fxmarketing.co.nz), I'll be happy to help.

Also, if you use the article, you must include this text at the end - as it is here, word for word with the hyperlink intact:

© FX Marketing Limited 2010. All Rights Reserved.
Article written by Cornelia Luethi.
Would you like to read more free articles and resources on marketing strategies, marketing measurement, copywriting, sales techniques, sales conversion, website strategies and online marketing? Check out http://www.fxmarketing.co.nz for practical small business marketing ideas that work - even with the smallest of marketing budgets.

Free Report: Are You Making These Costly Mistakes In Marketing Your Small Business?

2010-02-08T17:39:00.004+13:00

Marketing drives you nuts.

You know you need to do it, but by gosh it's a pain in the derriere. Right?

Yet sometimes you'll probably get all enthused and get stuck into with gusto.

But before long, you hit some hurdles and it all just seems to hard. The marketing goes on the back-burner.

Or if it's not that, then suppliers drive you nuts: finding them is hard enough, and then you keep chasing them, or don't get what you wanted, or the invoice comes as a complete shock.

With all these challenges, it's hardly surprising the most small business owners approach marketing with a bit of fear and trepidation

This free report shows you the shortcuts!

I've been working in marketing for more than 13 years, and I've learnt a whole repertoire of hints and tricks. Most of which are simple - if only you know about them!

For the first time, I've written them up and put them in a Report. Which is Free, in return for subscribing to my Marketing Tips newsletter. (Yes, your email details are kept secure - I hate spam too - and yes, you can Unsubscribe at any time.)

So you've got lots to gain (more time, more money, better marketing) - and nothing to lose. Apart from the 2 minutes to sign up and confirm your subscription.

(Two minutes that could save you a LOT of time further down the track!)

To sign up just follow this link!

PS. If you like what you read, please share the link with your colleagues!

Best Marketing Tips of 2009

2010-01-28T11:15:00.005+13:00

Happy new year! The new decade is in full swing - a great time to dig into those projects that'll help you achieve your goals.

2009 was a funny or difficult year for many small businesses, so if you're looking for some ideas to help you get started, here's a re-cap of my most popular blog posts from last year.

Do go back and revisit them, especially if you missed them first time round. Chances are there'll be something there that'll be just the thing you're looking for to help you get inspired and kick-off your marketing projects.

The Basics:

General Marketing Articles:

6 Steps To A Kick-Ass Customer Referral Programme: How To Get Your Customers To Recruit Even More Customers For You!
Top 15 Tips For Writing Killer Ads That Sell. (Did you know there's a formula for successful ads?)
How To Measure Your Campaigns With Response Codes. Extremely powerful, and could save you a LOT of $$$...
Should You Re-Design Your Logo?
How To Use Photographs To Maximum Effect In Your Marketing Materials.
How To Boost Your Direct Mail Response Rates: 10 Esssential Things You Need To Know.
Why Statements From Happy Customers Are Ultra-Powerful Marketing Tools.
What Does An Out-Of-Date Website Say About Your Business?
Marketing Has Changed: Has Your Business Adapted Its Tactics?
How To Network Your Way To Success. Make the most of BNI and other networking meetings!
The Rise And Rise Of Mobile Marketing. Includes case studies of how the iPhone can be used as a marketing tool.

Social Media Articles:

Book Reviews:

There's nothing like a good book to get you all inspired!

The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber. (Don't start up or run or business till you've read this!)
Building The Happiness-Centred Business, by Dr Paddi Lund. (Not happy in your work? Here's how to change things for the better.)
The Absolutely Critical Non-Essentials, by Dr Paddi Lund. (I love love love this book!)
The Brain Audit, by Sean D'Souza. (Invaluable ideas for increasing enquiries and sales.)
You Can Do It Too, by Rachel Bridge. (Advice and success stories from real people. No Branson or Roddicks here, just people like you and me. It makes the dream seem more achievable somehow...)
The Winner's Bible, by Dr Kerry Spackman. (Make 2010 your best year ever!)

Hint: you'll get the most out of these books if you read them in the order suggested here - they kinda flow on nicely that way :-)

Enjoy - and remember to give me a shout if there's any marketing or copywriting projects I can help with.

Blog on a break

2009-12-23T09:15:00.002+13:00

It's summer holiday time in New Zealand - as well as Christmas - and I'm taking some time out to make the most of the glorious weather.

Wishing you a happy holiday season and very best wishes for 2010... here's to a great year!

The blog will be back in 2010 - probably in February :-)

Thank you to my clients for a fab year

2009-12-22T18:28:00.001+13:00

I'm truly lucky to have great clients to work with: I really enjoy the people and businesses I work alongside.

Christmas is a great opportunity to say thank you. And it's also a good time to re-open a dialogue with clients that I worked with earlier in the year, and to see how they're getting on. (Yes, I truly care! I tend to get very involved with my clients' businesses and LOVE what they do!)

Whilst I acknowledge all my clients at Christmas time, my very top clients get an extra special thank you.

This year it was a custom-designed FX Marketing porcelain mug filled with Swiss chocolates (I'm Swiss) wrapped in cellophane and presented in a custom-made wooden box filled with wood wool to protect the mug.

The aim was to have a good-looking mug that my clients would enjoy using, rather than the usual corporate mug with just a logo slapped on.

One one side is the word "refresh", and on the other side the word "revive".

The mug design was created by Sheryl at Huia Design, and the mug, wooden box and wood wool was sourced from Jennie at Brand 4 U.

Nice work, ladies, thank you! :-)

iPhone hints and tips - no apps required!

2009-12-22T16:51:00.005+13:00

OK, so this isn't really a marketing tip, but I thought that some of the stuff I've discovered on the iPhone might be handy for you too... and all using the standard apps that come with the iPhone!

1. Using German Umlauts on English language iPhones

Being Swiss-German, I sometimes need to use Umlauts - those funny little dots on letters. (My surname is actually Lüthi, not Luethi... you add the "e" instead of an Umlaut, but by gosh it's hard work typing it and even harder to read!

So if you want to use an Umlaut (or a French accent, or other common letter variants), just hold down that letter for a couple of seconds and more options pop up.

Selecting the option you want is kinda tricky - I've found that I need to slide my finger along to use it. You'll see what I mean :-)

2. Using the iPhone as a modem for my laptop

Bye bye dodgy Vodem stick, I'm going to use my iPhone now if I ever need to hook up to the internet where there's no WiFi!

And many thanks to Kyle at Real IT for telling me how to do it:

Go to Settings - General - Network
Then ensure that Internet Tethering is switched On.

Voila!

(Bonus hint: if you're not going to remember that - and hey, who is, then type a note in your iPhone to remind yourself!)

3. Remembering clients' details

I like to remember little details that matter to my clients - things like the name of their partner or spouse, or the name of their pet.

Trouble is, I have a teeeeerrible memory.

I did start writing a few comments in the Notes field of my Outlook Contacts, but that's on my laptop, and there's no way I remember that during the time it takes for me to travel to my clients' premises.

But if you sync your iPhone with Outlook, that data is right there on your iPhone. You can see it at the same time as you look up your client's address.

Perfecto!

4. Recording clients' details

OK, so your client tells you they've bought a new boat or got a new puppy or have a new baby... and you really really want to remember that, but your memory is as terrible as mine. (And if you write it down on a bit of paper, you'd probably lose that too.)

That's where the iPhone's Voice Memo comes in handy. Here's what you do.

As soon as you get back to the car, record what you've learnt. (It's a lot quicker and easier than writing it down.)

But will you remember to listen to it and add it to your Outlook Contacts notes?

Well, I've found that I tend to remember that I've recorded something, and do type it up promptly.

Do remember to sync your iPhone so that you have all the latest data at hand for next time.

New words that made it into the dictionary this year

2009-12-16T12:00:00.003+13:00

Each quarter the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words... here are the new terms they officially recognised this year.

(The links go to the official website with more explanations and info.)

(For more info check out the Oxford English Dictionary website.)

Hmmm, these words say quite a bit about the year that's about to draw to a close!

I wonder which new words will make it into next year's dictionary?

Oh, and if anyone from Google or Blogger is reading this, your spell check function doesn't recognise most of those words - including "blogosphere"! ;-)

More mobile marketing examples

2009-12-14T16:30:00.005+13:00

Yesterday I blogged about smartphones, such as iPhones and Blackberries, becoming a marketing tool.

I'm intrigued with how businesses can use this technology to engage with its customers - and its prospects - and increase sales.

That's all very well if you have a mega-budget.

But what about small businesses?

What if you don't have enough of a marketing budget to develop apps?

How can you still make use of mobile technology in your marketing mix?

One way would be to piggyback on existing apps.

Tourism Auckland has an app with different activities, attractions, events and tours listed on it. So if you're in that kind of tourism business, make sure you're listed. And that your listing (photograph and accompanying blurb) is suitably enticing.

Yellow NZ has an app too (but to be honest, it doesn't work as nicely as Find NZ)... so make sure you're listed with Yellow (basic listings are free), and also databases such as Zenbu (which powers Find NZ). There are other listings types apps too, so keep an eye on those, and make sure your listings are up-to-date and accurate.

If you're a restaurant, bar or cafe then the opportunities - and also the pitfalls - are significant. Online review services are now on the iPhone, via MenuMania and LocalPicks. People can write a review and upload photos from anywhere... including in your premises. Yikes!

I also saw that Jamie Oliver has a recipe book available as an iPhone app (possibly with videos, I didn't check it out too closely).

And there are also countless apps for cocktail recipes as well as food recipes. So if you're in the food or drinks supply/manufacture industry, you could offer an app with serving suggestions and recipes. Something that people would find useful - and could boost your sales too.

In the design world, Pantone is known for its colour system. They have just one app at present, Colorstrology. It, um, tells you your personality based on your birthday and gives you your "signature" Pantone colour. Hmmmmm. (There is another app with the Pantone reference library, but it's not made by Pantone! Not sure why Pantone are into obscure apps rather than providing something helpful!!)

There's also an app made by a US rigging supplies manufacturer. The app is called iRigging and gives breaking strengths for different wires and ropes they make. I guess that could be useful if you're in the US and use their stuff. For their customers, an easy way to order through the app might be beneficial too.

Another option is to seek PR coverage.

While you may not have your own app, if TVNZ runs your news story on their app, that's still good exposure for you.

Of course, getting coverage from the likes of TVNZ is no mean feat, but if you have a sound PR strategy and get a reputation for circulating newsworthy stories, you never know, it may happen!

Think niche

If you're in a niche industry, there might be a news app that would be willing to run your stories. This could be particularly relevant for anything sports related. For example, the Sailing News app runs stories from various sources.

And there are bound to be news apps for other sports, especially the really popular ones, like rugby and football. There are also news apps for different professions and industries.

Failing that, you can of course circulate your own news stories. You can use your iPhone to update your blog, and to update your company Facebook page, as well as updating your Tweets.

These are just some of the ways you can leverage this technology; and I'm sure that plenty of other techniques will develop and evolve.

Do tell me if you hear of anything interesting! Thanks! :-)

The rise and rise of mobile marketing

2009-12-13T12:35:00.007+13:00

Unbelievable.

I don't make many phone calls, nor am I much of a txter, but boy-oh-boy am I obsessed with my new phone... yep, it's an iPhone.

I can use it to:

Find my way around (it's got a built in GPS, so with another app it could even speak directions to me).
Navigate my boat (entire marine charts of NZ for about $16... sweet!)
Take photos (the camera is fairly decent).
Modify the photos (the free Photoshop Mobile app is terrific).
Upload or email photos - or send them by MMS.
Access Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.
Check out today's TV listings, news, weather and horoscopes.
Find the nearest toilet/doctor/dentist/cafe/bar/library/hotel/car park etc.
Use it as a spirit level.
Blog on the go.
Learn a language.
Play games.
And so, so much more. There are new apps coming out all the time!

What the iPhone isn't really being used to its full potential though is as a marketing tool. Not many companies are currently using this technology... yet the rise in smartphone ownership has increased so dramatically, it's time that this was part of the marketing mix.

(Surprisingly, there isn't even a Vodafone NZ application! The only NZ bank with an app National Bank, and the NZ Herald doesn't have an app either.)

Case study 1: Subway New Zealand

Here's an example of a company which has embraced iPhone technology.

The free "Subway Express" application locates the nearest Subway restaurant to you in NZ (there are apparently about 3,000 participating stores).

You can then order and pay directly from your iPhone. (I'm not sure how the payment bit works, I'm going to try that out soon!)

You can select your desired pick up time, and there's no annoying registration, password or signup required... just click and go! (So they say!)

The application, developed by Altaine, is 3 years old already, and in an interview with New Zealand Marketing magazine they said: "The app works well for customers, it actually adds value to their lives, so they have invited Subway's logo and brand onto their phone."

Update: I just tried using this app, and it doesn't seem to work in NZ. Grrrrr. Anyway, nice concept... and if anyone does find the NZ Subway app, please do let me know! Thanks :-)

Case study 2: Beck's Beer

As reported in New Zealand Marketing magazine:

"Lion Nathan used advertising to attract punters into select bars where they could get free Beck's beer by redeeming vouchers downloaded onto mobiles through text. The campaign was combined with social media so the Beck's "community" could track where the free beer was being offered. Beck's also offered an iPhone app for monitoring gigs, promoting free tickets, and of course, the free beer. And it worked. Over six weeks the campaign generated 16,700 requests for free beer; 41 % of text coupons were redeemed within 7 days."

Wow, what a great way of personalising campaigns! And to encourage your "raving fans" to spread the word!

A few words of caution and advice...

These kinds of campaigns aren't about blatant advertising or spamming or the hard sell.

Rather, it's about engaging with your customers; giving them relevant offers; and messages/functionality that they find beneficial. The good old "what's in it for me" (WIIFM) factor is stronger than ever.

Most importantly of all, there must be choice. Customers have to be given the choice to opt in or opt out. In this day and age, more than ever, it's crucial that you have explicit authorisation to engage with a person in this way.

But don't let that put you off. It's far better to have permission, and engage with those people that really want to be part of your campaign... it saves wasting effort and resources on time-wasters and tyre-kickers.

So if you're looking for a new and creative way to engage with your audience, think as broadly and creatively as you can. The power of technology is waiting for you!

PS. If you hear of any great iPhone marketing campaigns (or any neat iPhone apps), I'd love to hear about them! Just email me. Thanks! - Cornelia.

Is Twitter going to be hijacked by the big boys?

2009-12-13T12:25:00.003+13:00

I just received my subscription copy of Idealog magazine, and in it is an interview with Biz Stone, founder of Twitter.

There's work underway to launch a Twitter business product aimed at helping companies engage better with their audiences.

And companies will be charged for information.

Stone says: "We want to allow companies to spend as much money on Twitter as they'd like, and they'll get back even more money in return."

Hmmmmm!

What I like about Twitter is that it's levelled the playing field between the big boys and the small businesses. It's about how much resource and effort you put into it, rather than the amount of dollars lavished on it.

It'll be interesting to see how this develops, and just how in-your-face (or how subtle) the new functionalities will be.

(Especially as marketing has changed, and people are increasingly resistant to being advertised to or talked at, rather than communicated with.)

PS. If you're wondering how you can use Twitter for your business, you may want to check out a previous blog post I wrote on this.

Book review: The Winner's Bible

2009-12-13T11:34:00.004+13:00

Wondering how to make 2010 your best year ever?

The year is swiftly drawing to a close, and many of us will be taking a break: an opportune time to reflect on the year that's been, and the year to come.

While the notion of New Year's Resolutions is a bit meaningless, setting plans for yourself and for your business is vital.

And hey, now's the perfect time to do it!

What's more, if you're a business owner, your business goals will be very closely linked to your personal goals. The two have to match up.

And that's why "The Winner's Bible" by Dr Kerry Spackman is so good.

By the way, Kerry Spackman is a Kiwi. He's a world famous neuroscientist and is retained by the NZ Government to provide elite training to Olympic and team sports.

(And his work is just as relevant to business owners as it is to athletes.)

Take notes!

I read this book a number of months ago, and yes, I really think it works.

However, for it to work, you have to do more than just read it.

For starters, read it with pen and paper by your side. Lots of ideas will pop into your head as you're reading it, so jot them down before you forget them.

Then, to really make the book work for you, you will need to create your own personal Winner's Bible, following Dr Spackman's steps. (Yes, I made mine, and I look at it every day. It is VERY powerful.)

It's also probably worth re-reading the book after a number of months, and then tweaking your personal Winner's Bible to suit. That way you can keep your goals as agile as they need to be.

Get your own copy from Fishpond - NZ's biggest online bookstore. It's currently priced at $34.97 including GST (delivery is extra).

What to write in client Christmas cards?

2009-11-30T11:18:00.003+13:00

Want to send Christmas cards to your clients but stuck for words?

Whether you're handwriting the cards or getting the messages pre-printed, there are some great script ideas that you can use or adapt for your own purposes.

Check out:

Business Writing: Holiday Greetings Made Easy

Does advertising work?

2009-11-20T10:39:00.011+13:00

Many small business owners struggle to break even on advertising.

So are they advertising in the wrong place? At the wrong time? Or is the ad crappy?

Very often everything seems to look right... but still, the phone's not ringing.

And as per the article on push vs. pull marketing, people don't enjoy being sold to these days.

So generally I steer my clients away from advertising: if they don't have the budget to test and measure different headlines/photographs/offers/layouts/etc. then they're never going to learn from the experience.

But till now I've felt a bit of a lone wolf being so wary of advertising.

Most people in my industry love it - but there's a (financial) reason for that: they get to sell graphic design services, or earn a commission or mark-up from the advertising space they sell.

It was with some relief that I came across a great article by Rob McKay. He says:

Years of owning and operating radio stations in my past business life has proven to me conclusively that advertising works. I am just about to start this phase of our plan. A couple of hints; one advertisement in some fringe publication or for that matter, the NZ Herald will not work. Advertising needs repetition. Target your media, and then hit it hard. If you can only afford one or two adverts, don’t waste your money. Save up until you can saturate your chosen medium. Look at the Mad Butcher (radio) or the NZ International School of Business with those tiny adverts in a dotted box that appear daily in the business section of the Herald (probably twice a week but they seem to always be there). In press adverts, try a photo of yourself and encourage contact by giving away something of value. For example, if you are a photographer, it may be a booklet about how to take better photos. Once again, build credibility in your expertise; it also helps build the database.

Source: http://www.m2magazine.co.nz/read.php/article/give-your-business-the-edge

There you have it: give advertising a go if you can throw a whole heap of money at it.

If you don't have that kind of budget, there are far, far more effective marketing techniques you could be using.

There are other ways to build that credibility and status (hint: your website is a good starting point!).

FREE marketing workshop!

2009-11-15T11:37:00.007+13:00

Last month's book review was on the Brain Audit, by Sean D'Souza.

Now I'm a huge fan of Sean's work - as well having bought the Brain Audit, I've bought various other ebooks and a workshop from him.

The learnings are immense, but it's all delivered in a very chatty, conversational sort of tone that's easy to read - and memorable.

It's the best stuff I've read in a long time.

And now Sean's giving away a homestudy workshop that he used to sell for $2,500 for FREE! But only till the end of November 2009, so you'd better be quick.

If you're wondering what the catch is, there isn't one. Sean is a genuine, honest, good guy and wants to share his information.

Is the workshop any good? Most definitely. I've just downloaded all the information and am merrily working my way through it :-)

So don't dilly-dally and sign-up for the information today before the offer expires!

How do you get your business on the Google map?

2009-11-11T13:26:00.006+13:00

Have you ever done a Google search, and a map has popped up with businesses on?

Say, for example, you were Googling "interior design auckland" (I chose that because I don't have any interior design clients at this stage, so I'm not biased!)

The following map pops up:

So how do you get on that map?

Can you pay Finda.co.nz or Yellow Pages or Google to appear on that map?

Nope. It's all down to your organic Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

And that's something that FX Marketing's special Website Copy division can help with. If you'd like to find out more, check out the Website Copy website and drop me a line.

(PS. We can't guarantee that you'll get onto that map - but many of our clients are mapped for their preferred search phrases!)

Are you waiting for the market to change?

2009-11-11T12:03:00.005+13:00

No doubt about it, 2009 has been a funny old year for many businesses in NZ.

Many small businesses have faced real struggles - and others have positively boomed.

Now that we're only about 6 weeks away from Christmas (and our summer holidays down under), many businesses are taking stock of the year and beginning to think about next year.

Some business owners are probably hoping that things will return to "normal".

But what is normal? Is there such a thing? Maybe what we're experiencing now is the new normal - at least for a while.

The good ol' days have probably gone for a while - if not forever

Rather than waiting for a return to the good ol' days, the best thing a smart business owner can do is to accept that we're now experiencing the new normal. (The only certainties in life are death, taxes, and change, so you might as well work with it rather than against it!)

The joy of being a small business rather than a big, lumbering corporate giant is that you're able to adapt relatively quickly and nimbly and take advantage of any new opportunities.

If you're not sure what you could be doing, here are a few ideas - based on common issues and grumbles I've been hearing from small business owners.

Problem #1: Customers are shopping around more on price

It's up to you to demonstrate to your prospects that you provide great value.

Use case studies, testimonials and guarantees.
Put your products/services in a grid providing an at-a-glance comparison to your competitors so they can see how you compare.
Do some market research yourself to see what your competitors are offering - not just on price, but their promotions, sales materials, etc. as well.
Ensure that you're communicating professionally, as your prospects will be judging you on many factors other than just price. (They just often use it as a convenient excuse, as it's far easier to say "oh no, that's out of my price range" rather than "your premises are really grotty and I don't think you're up to the job".)

Problem #2: Customers are slow to make up their minds

Have you given your prospects all the information they need? Are you following up - regularly but gently - to let them know that you're there to help, guide and assist?

Being pushy probably won't be of much use... though you could consider offering time-limited special offers to spur prospects into taking action.

Problem #3: Customers are slow to pay

Consider charging a deposit up-front - especially if they're new clients or known to you to be slow payers. Or even charge the full price up-front if you can. Or make it clear at your very first sales meeting that you do expect timely payment as you work hard to deliver their product/service on time. And make it clear what the consequences are for late payment.

Heck, the banks don't lend money for free, so why should you?

If you don't have late payment penalties in your Terms of Business, then add them in. (And if you don't have any Terms of Business, you really should create some!)

Problem #4: My core service is no longer selling sufficiently

Go back to the drawing board and see if you can re-vamp what you're offering, the way it's communicated, or create something new entirely.

Re-examining your product/service range from time-to-time is necessary and healthy - it's just that many of us probably slacked off a bit in this area when things were going well.

Problem #5: Work is very sporadic

While "feast or famine" will be familiar words to most small business owners, many people are finding this to be particularly relevant - and problematic - at the moment. What to do?

One tactic is to have the ability to quickly communicate special offers to your customer database - but offers that are only valid for your quieter days and times.

A more strategic approach would be to look at your business model to see if there are any income streams you haven't switched on yet. For example, if you're in the advice business (e.g. website advice; health advice; fitness advice, etc.) and currently charge for one-on-one services, could you offer workshops, membership programmes or sell your knowledge in info-products?

Problem #6: My customers don't seem to exist any more

People change. Nothing stays the same forever - including your customers.

For example, yesterday's party girls are today's mums. And today's party girls are very different to yesterday's party girls. (In my day we all wore jeans, boots and a top to go clubbing... these days it's mini-dresses and stiletto heels.)

Keeping in touch with your client base and having your finger on the pulse is crucial. Entire target markets can disappear... in fact, you're best off having 3 or so different target markets so your company is protected a little from these changes.

So see if you can think of 3 completely customer types: if not, think of some, and check that they're viable and accessible and have money to spend (and are willing to spend it on your product or service).

Take time to plan

As the year draws to a close, do take stock of how things are going.

The summer holidays make an excellent time to get a bit of distance from the business and think about it objectively and brainstorm some new ideas.

Personally, I always buy a nice new notepad for the holidays, as that's when I have the most ideas. If they're not written down, they're gone forever.

So take a pad and pen on holiday with you, you might be surprised at what you come up with!

And if you'd like any help evaluating your ideas and planning the next steps, I'm here to help!

Book review: You Can Do It Too

2009-11-04T19:26:00.000+13:00

Does business success sometimes seem out of reach?

We've all heard of amazingly successful business people such as Richard Branson, Anita Roddick and co.

And while their stories are certainly inspirational, I don't know about you, but I also find them a bit unattainable. Beyond my reach. Heck, do I even want to have companies that big? Probably not!

That's why this book is such a good read. Not only does it have lots of advice for budding entrepreneurs (there are probably also some good lessons for those who have been around the block a few times but are looking for new ideas), but each chapter has a Case Study.

Real case studies from real people

These case studies are all from real people. While these people aren't household names (well, they might be in the UK, but they're not in England), they nonetheless own successful businesses worth millions of dollars.

"You Can Do It Too" is easy to read, and the kind of book that you can go back to and get something new from each time you dip back into it.

Get your own copy from Fishpond. It's currently $49.99 with free shipping NZ-wide.

Fishpond is New Zealand's biggest online bookstore: they're very good :-)

Photography: the eyes have it!

2009-10-18T19:28:00.005+13:00

Here's another interesting nugget I picked up from Search Engine Bootcamp - it relates to how you use photography in your marketing materials.

(Using photography in marketing materials is something I wrote about quite recently, so this is new information that complements the previous post.)

Q: What should the model look at in a photograph?
(a) Make direct eye contact with you, the viewer; or
(b) Look at the product or copy?

Here's an example...

The only difference between the two ads is where the model is looking.

Which do you think is more effective?

Think that the direct eye contact with you is better?

Think again... this is what an eye-tracking heat map reveals:

Basically, if the model looks at you, you look right back.

But if the model is looking at the product or copy, your eye follows hers. Interesting!

And here's another example:

This technique doesn't just apply to human models:

So if you're getting new photography or new marketing materials, use this knowledge to make your marketing work as hard as possible for you!

Image credits: Exceed Online

What's the point of Twitter?

2009-10-17T18:41:00.004+13:00

Till recently, I thought that Twitter was just for self-promoting celebrities and wannabe celebs...

After all, why should I care what someone is doing? Who thinks they're important enough to broadcast this continually.

Yup, I have to admit, that the technology should be renamed TWITter.

At the recent Search Engine Bootcamp, the afternoon was devoted to social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The presentations addressed "is Twitter worth the hype?" and also covered off how companies can successfully use Twitter.

Here's a Twitter quick-start guide for businesses...

1. Is Twitter worth the hype?

In NZ, Facebook is 19 times bigger than Twitter.

NZ has the 6th highest Twitter population in the world, after the USA, Canada, Norway, Australian and the UK.

Interestingly, more companies are using Twitter successfully than they are Facebook... even though Facebook offers more tools (e.g. photos, videos, etc.).

Perhaps it's the simplicity of Twitter that makes it a success? Or because everything happens in "real time"?

It's probably both of those factors, as 80% of Twitter usage is via mobile phones.

2. Who's using Twitter?

If you think it's just the young 'uns, think again.

Twitter's largest user group is aged 35 to 49.

Facebook's biggest demographic is 35 to 54 year olds.

3. What can Twitter be used for, in a business context?

Twitter can be used for many, many things:

Growing your opt-in database.
Humanising your brand.
Generating word of mouth activity.
Increasing sales.
Creating buzz.
Leveraging events.
Getting to know your customers better.
Increasing the traffic to your website.
Improving customer service.
Helping customers and offering solutions.
Real time competitions.
Managing your online reputation - and contributing to it.
Learning from your customers and adapting accordingly.
Correcting mis-information.
Supporting advocates.

4. How do I get started on Twitter?

First of all, create your account - the best usernames are going, so reserve yours before someone else nabs it.

However, don't feel compelled to use it straight away. In fact, it's best if you start following some other companies to get a feel for how they're using Twitter... it'll give you ideas on how to approach it.

You'll notice there's some jargon used, such as RT, #, and so on, but don't let that put you off. The Help pages on Twitter explain it, and you'll soon get the hang of it :-)

5. Who should I follow?

Here are some companies who are using Twitter in an interesting way. I'd suggest you follow them and see what their strategies and tactics are.

Air New Zealand
Google Webmaster
Hell Pizza
Marketing Magazine NZ
Medical Staffing International - one of my clients :-)
Sean D'Souza - author of the fabulous Brain Audit
Vodafone NZ

Yes, I'm on Twitter too, so feel free to follow me, but I'm still very much in the "checking things out" stage too :-)

And if you find any other interesting companies on Twitter (nothing dodgy though please!), please share them with me... thanks!

6. How to write your Tweets

Writing for Twitter is a bit unique.

For one thing, you only get 140 characters to play with, which is why many posts use a URL shortening service such as bit.ly

Then, it's important to remember that you're talking WITH people, rather than AT people.

Advertising/sales/marketing speak isn't suitable for Twitter. Adopting a real, human, conversational tone works best. Be hourself - write how you talk.

Again, follow others to check out their writing style.

Oh, and if you come across any confrontational people, take the conversation off-line so it's private. That's where the DM (Direct Messaging) function comes in handy.

7. What are others saying about your business?

If your target market's using Twitter, there's a good chance they could be talking about your business.

There are various search functions on Twitter (again, read the Twitter help pages to see how this works), or you can automate this to some degree.

Socialmention is one tool; Tweetbeep is another.

(There are heaps of other applications supporting Twitter springing up, for photos and all sorts of other things. Twitter is spawning a whole new industry it seems!)

8. I like this article. How can I tell others about it?

The sharp-eyed readers may have noticed the green and grey "tweet" logo at the bottom left of all my blog posts (and on other websites too).

If you have a Twitter account, click on that to "Retweet" it (RT for short)... i.e. share it!

Thanks for your RTs! :-)

Book review: The Brain Audit - by Sean D'Souza

2009-10-10T14:55:00.006+13:00

Want to get maximum results from your sales and marketing?

Whether you're a business owner, marketing manager or a copywriter, this book comes highly recommended.

"The Brain Audit" by Sean D'Souza is practical, and makes soooo much sense. It's written in an easy, conversational tone that makes it a joy to read.

Best of all, The Brain Audit is practical. It's easy to implement Sean's ideas in all your marketing materials: it'll help you with your website, brochures, ads, business cards... pretty much everything you do.

You see, the book looks at how customers think. Why do they buy from you? And what may be preventing others from doing business with you?

The Brain Audit addresses these areas in a straightforward, systematic manner and it's illustrated with some great cartoons too :-)

Buy The Brain Audit now from the HomebizBuzz NZ online bookshop.
(Price at time of writing: NZ$39.99 including GST.)

About HomebizBuzz: this online bookshop is NZ-based, so not only do you you get to pay in Kiwi Dollars but you'll receive your delivery really quickly. Payment is 100% secure.

PS. I enjoyed The Brain Audit so much I went on to buy some of Sean's other products too, from his Psychotactics website.

He also has a weekly newsletter which is well worth subscribing to.

Enjoy!

Marketing has changed: has your business adapted?

2009-10-10T14:09:00.010+13:00

The internet and broadband has had a significant impact on the way we research and buy things...

... have you updated your marketing tactics to reflect these changes?

Our lives are fast-paced and busy.

Interruptions aren’t tolerated. And interruption-based marketing that pushes products onto consumers is being blocked out.

More and more people are putting up “no junk mail” signs on their letterboxes.
My SKY means that we don’t have to watch the TV ads.
We use caller ID to screen our calls.
We have spam filters so we’re not inundated with unsolicited emails.

Above: More and more of us are choosing to eliminate advertising messages from our busy lives.

Above: One man’s finely-crafted advertising piece is another person’s junk!

Instead, we’re increasingly using Google and other search engines to read up about stuff that interests us:

In 1998, there were 10,000 Google searches a day.
Just a year later, in 1999, there were 3 million Google searches a day.
Now, in 2009, there are 300 million Google searches a day. Yikes!

Here in Kiwiland, Google accounts for approximately 90% of internet searches.

So as a business owner or marketer you have a choice:

Do you want to keep pushing your products or service onto an increasingly sceptical audience – or would it perhaps make more sense to be there where people are looking? i.e. online?

Aaaaaaah, but I already have a website!

That’s great, but the real question is: how hard is it working for you?

Think about this:

89.8% of all Google searchers only look at the first page of results. (Source: 4Front eMarketing, 2009)

The first 3 search results get 60-80% of the visits. (Source: Firstrate, 2009)

So having a website isn’t enough. It needs to be found. That means ranking well on Google.

So how do you do that?

You have 2 options: you can either pay for a listing (via Google AdWords)… or you can rank organically (using search engine optimisation techniques).

Here's a diagram which illustrates this:

(Diagram credit: Firstrate, 2009)

What are Google AdWords?

These are the paid for links that show to the right of the Google search results – and sometimes they’re at the top too. This is sometimes called search engine marketing, search engine advertising, sponsored links, or PPC (pay per click) advertising.

It’s a popular tool, because once you start paying, your link shows immediately. Thus the downside is that your link disappears when you stop paying.

Globally, about 30% of Google users will click on these paid searches. (Source: SureFire, 2009)

But New Zealand is a bit different. We tend to mistrust these paid results by Google AdWords: only 3.5% of us are clicking on those sponsored links.

(That means that the remaining 96.5% of us are clicking on the organic search results.)
(Source: Experian – Hitwise, 2009)

My view on Google AdWords for kiwis...

By all means experiment with Google AdWords if you feel you must. But do it smart: And that means:

Careful keyword selection.
Careful campaign set-up.
Setting defined goals for the campaign.
Testing and measuring different ads.
Analysing the results.

Doing a Google AdWords campaign properly takes time, effort and skill.

(Unfortunately, many of us are being targeted by scammers selling AdWords campaigns that are poorly constructed and usually a waste of money. One client of mine even received a sales email stating that a campaign could be set up in just 15 minutes... I must admit I had to stop myself from laughing at that one. If you're looking for a reputable supplier to help with your Google AdWords campaign, please contact me, Cornelia Luethi, at FX Marketing. I know some great companies than can help you!)

Organic search results

Seeing as 96.5% of us are clicking on the “organic” results, in my view it makes much more sense to be focusing on this area rather than the paid rankings.

So how do you do that?

With search engine optimisation. And a very significant part of that happens through the words you use on your web pages and behind the scenes.

And that’s where FX Marketing comes in: we have a team of copywriters who are experts in SEO copywriting. This is a very specific skill, which not all copywriters are trained and up-to-date in.

(Hint: ask your copywriter if they supply the "title tag meta data" with their copy: if their eyes glaze over or look blank, look for another copywriter to work on your website!)

Yes, it takes time, effort and an investment to achieve these organic Google rankings, but oh boy does it pay off.

You see, not only can we help create content that Google will love, but your prospects will love it too.

The whole idea is that once people have found your website, they’ll be compelled to take action and then buy from you.

And we’ve been getting some great results for our clients: check out our new website devoted to SEO copywriting.

If you’d your website to generate more sales, please contact me to get started!

More Visitors + More Conversions = More Profit For You

Search Engine Boot-camp rocked!

2009-10-04T17:46:00.002+13:00

On Friday I went to the Search Engine Bootcamp seminar in Auckland, and oh my gosh, it was amazing.

Usually you're doing well if you leave a seminar with half a dozen pearls of wisdom. I left with many many pages.

I'm just in the process of distilling this into bite-sized chunks to blog about, so watch this space!

To make sure you don't miss out on THE latest search engine optimisation tips, as well as pointers on how to use Social Media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, I'd suggest you bookmark this blog or subscribe to it.

86% of US retailers have created a Facebook fan page for their product

2009-09-29T16:14:00.002+13:00

Yes, I realise I've been blogging quite a bit about social media... but fact is that it's here and it's not likely to go away any time soon.

The Consumer Counsel has researched how US companies are using online social media - you can read the summary report here.

In short, 5 out of 10 social media tools have been adopted by more than 50% of US brands and retailers, with the Facebook Fan Page leading the way at 86%.

Wow!

However, I do think we're lagging a bit behind those kinds of numbers in NZ... what do you reckon?

Some business owners I speak to are embracing it; but most seem to regard it with either scepticism, dread or are dismissive of the validity of social media as a marketing tool.

But hey... you gotta be in to win!

Back to the study...

This also looked at the concerns faced by these US brands, real or perceived.

Interestingly, the biggest perceived fear is that "people can trash my products in front of large audiences".

Instead of viewing this as a threat, how about viewing this as an opportunity to take on feedback and rectify any issues? (Or better still, aim to offer a quality product or service in the first place!)

Bear in mind that up to 70% of complainers will return to your business if the complaint is resolved. Up to 95% return if the problem is resolved quickly.

Addressing customer complaints might be a bit icky and a task we'd rather not do, but it's marketing gold in disguise. If you do it right, chances are you'll have an incredibly loyal customer for years to come that'll also be raving about your business to all their friends.

What better, than to have your customers doing your marketing for you! And that's exactly the opportunity offered by social media... online word of mouth.

Top businesses recognised at New Zealand’s biggest business awards

2009-09-19T19:07:00.003+12:00

Celebrations were well and truly in order at the Gala Dinner of the Westpac Manukau Business Excellence Awards last night.

After many weeks of intense scrutiny from the judging panel, the winners were provided with an opportunity to celebrate their success in what is seen as the most competitive round of these awards to date.

And what an evening it was – there were approximately 920 people at the glamorous black-tie, reportedly making this New Zealand’s biggest business award event.

The Oscars of the business world

The Gala Dinner was a lavish affair, which included champagne and canapés on arrival; followed by a 3-course sit-down dinner. MC for the evening was Wendy Petrie, and Prime Minister John Key was there as well as other dignitaries.

How nice to celebrate!

So often we slave away in our businesses, rarely getting recognised or rewarded for our hard work. This event was a breath of fresh air, and I was absolutely blown away by the determination, passion, and high standards that businesses in the Manukau region have shown.

Well done Manukau!

Above: me giving Minnie the Marketing Mutt a pat on my way out to the awards function.

Above: Me chatting and enjoying pre-dinner drinks with Lorraine, Alex and Bob Harman of Finest Food Products - Finalists in the Business Awards.

Check out all the photos of the evening at the photo gallery web page I’ve created.

Why you can't afford to ignore social media websites

2009-09-07T13:35:00.007+12:00

Think that social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are just a fad? Think again.

By 2010 Generation Y will outnumber Baby Boomers.

96% of them have joined a social network (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Watch this and learn just how powerful social media is - it's pretty remarkable:

So how is this relevant for you and your business?

1. Be there or be square

If you're not there, you're probably missing out. Especially if your target market is aged in their teens, twenties or even their thirties.

Hint: It's probably best to get in early on these things and experiment and find your way around, rather than leave it too late in the hope that it'll go away... just because it's new or you don't quite understand it, doesn't mean that it's irrelevant for your business!

2. Your brand's reputation is in the hands of your customers

People are sharing their buying experiences online. This means that your company's reputation is out of your control to some degree. This can have both positive and negative implications.

For example:

Facebook groups are created in honour of favourite products (e.g. the "When they got rid of grapefruit & lemon Frujus I died a little inside" group, or "Bring back the old Cadbury chocolate" group).

YouTube video clips capture poor customer service experiences (e.g. a Comcast cable installer asleep on a customer's couch).

Many of the big corporations have already figured this out, and employ full time staff to monitor and converse with their customers.

What are people saying about your business?

You might want to diarise a reminder to yourself to check up what people are saying about you from time to time.

Hint: if you're not being talked about, that's not really a good thing!

OK, I already have a website, so how does this social media stuff fit in?

Watch this video on my previous blog post, it explains it really well.

So which social media websites are there?

The key sites favoured by New Zealanders are currently Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, and Bebo as well as blogs. (Just Google them and you'll find them!)

The demographic from site to site varies, so the ones you use will depend very much on your target market.

If you have customers overseas, then additional websites may come into play too.

Any other advice?

Yes:

1. Manage your time well. Social media provides many excellent opportunities - and most of them are free.

The flip side to this is that they take time - so you need to manage your time well.

Allocate a certain number of hours a week to develop your social media presence: and be warned that it can be equally tempting to spend too much time on this, as it can be to keep avoiding it. Being lazy or inconsistent with your social media marketing WILL get noticed.

So once you comit to the time - stick to it!

2. This is an evolving technology. The functionalities of these websites, as well as the websites themselves, are constantly changing. So even once you've found your feet, you still need to keep up and adapt.

I'd love to do it but it sounds too difficult and confusing!

Hey, that's what I'm here for! To make marketing easy and manageable, and that way you can get the latest tips and techniques without having to research them yourself. Here's how I can help:

1. Clarify and explain. At a one-on-one consultation, I can explain the technologies in plain English - and help you figure out which options are best for your business.

2. Plan of attack. Once we've figured out which social media websites offer you the best opportunities, I can help you put together a plan of attack which breaks it all down into manageable, bite-sized chunks. There's no need to build Rome in a day!

3. Implementation. Too busy/scared/daunted to do the work yourself? No problemo, I can do it for you!

Can I help you?

If you'd like to find out more, please call me on 09 419 6560 or email me.

We'll soon get you tweeting/adding fans/writing on walls/writing status updates etc!

Congratulations to I Style NZ!

2009-09-03T12:40:00.008+12:00

Start-up business I Style NZ, an image consultancy, personal stylist and personal shopper, launched their new website last week.

FX Marketing worked on the website copy, and also worked with the client on how to structure the site and what content to include. We also helped source a suitable website developer, and wrote the brief on behalf of the client.

The website went live earlier this week, and I got a call from I Style NZ yesterday telling me that they've already had a client book with them because of the website.

What a great result!

Here's what Rachel Heem at I Style NZ said about FX Marketing's service:

"Thank you so much for the amazing job you did writing the text for my new website! It was better than I ever imagined! I was overwhelmed when I first read it.

It was really important to me that the writing on the website reflected my personality. It was exactly the style I had in mind to appeal to exactly the right audience I hope for.

Not only was I blown away by your work, the company designing my website said they had never been delivered such well-presented copywriting before. This in turn makes their job far easier. Full credit to Cornelia!

The whole project was hassle-free for me, and produced an outcome beyond belief. Thank you again!"

Would you like an effective website too?

One that (a) ranks well on Google, and (b) compels prospects to buy from you?

Take the first step by reading more about my specialised SEO website copywriting service at http://www.websitecopy.co.nz/.

Why put up with a mediocre website when you could have a great website!

So what IS marketing?

2009-09-02T16:06:00.006+12:00

In my previous post I talked about why we need marketing... but what exactly is marketing anyway?

I often hear business owners say things like, "oh, I don't do any marketing" or "I get all my work through word of mouth so I don't need to do any marketing".

Cue the alarm bells ringing!

You see, so many people probably think of marketing as being advertising, brochures, websites, that kind of stuff.

But actually it's much broader than that: marketing covers every single interaction you have with your customers and prospects.

That includes emails, phone calls, face-to-face meetings, the whole she-bang.

If you think customers are judging you solely on your glossy brochures, you're wrong!

They're evaluating your business each and every time they speak with you or receive an email. They probably even judge you on how tidy your car is or how clean your offices are. Eek!

Here's an example...

I recently had to email one of my client's suppliers as part of my work.

2 or 3 days later I hadn't heard a thing, and sent a gentle follow up email. And as it was getting a bit urgent by then, I also phoned - and left a voicemail message. Hmmmm.

A day or two later I heard back from the supplier - apparently he'd been out of town. He'd never thought to set up an email Auto Response or change is voicemail message.

Would I ever use this supplier or recommend them to anyone else? Nope - life's too short for wondering whether people have received your messages or not.

On the other hand, a real estate agent colleague of mine spends a lot of time out of the office. So she's set up a permanent email Auto Response saying that yes, she's received the email, thank you, and she will reply ASAP. (And she always is very prompt in replying.)

What a different experience that is!

So often how we're perceived comes down to the little things - often part of the whole customer service experience.

What are the little things that you could be improving on?

Hint: they're often the things we push to the back of our minds... stuff that we know we should be doing but choose to ignore!

Need some help?

Then just drop me a line: FX Marketing takes a broad view of marketing, and will work with you to help you present your business professionally and consistently in every way.

Puzzled by marketing?

FX Marketing is here to make it all fall into place.

Why do we need marketing?

2009-08-30T15:46:00.010+12:00

You do a great job - so why bother with marketing?

Last week I had the pleasure of doing my 10 minute talk at my BNI networking group.

I've been a member of my chapter for nearly 3.5 years, so it's important that I keep my message fresh, interesting and relevant.

This time I thought I'd go right back to basics and ask why we even need to do any marketing... surely offering a great product or service is enough?

I often have this Calvin & Hobbes cartoon strip at the back of my mind when I ponder that question... you see, often you're evaluated not on the job you do, but the PR (and marketing) surrounding the job that you do.

(If you're finding the text in the cartoon hard to read, click here to view a larger version of the cartoon plus a transcript.)

The PR surrounding the job that you do is an area that Paddi Lund analyses from quite a unique angle in his superb book, "The Absolutely Critical Non-Essentials".

Paddi comes to the conclusion that your customers are (usually) not experts in your industry, so they make assumptions on your competence based on the things they do understand.

Paddi himself is a dentist, and he realises that his clients probably have no idea if his dentistry is great, average or below par. Instead, clients will assess his competence on things like the reception area being clean and tidy; the neatness of the staff; that sort of thing.

He even takes this one step further by recommending that you create a story around your business. A "story-to-tell" business makes it easy for customers to spread the word, with the net effect being an army of raving fans (your customers) who do your marketing for you.

In Paddi's case, it involves quality touches such as free Dental Buns; a whizzy coffee machine instead of a reception desk; personal lounges for clients; and a host of other treats.

The "Absolutely Critical Non-Essentials" is probably my favourite business book of all, I can't recommend it enough. What's really useful is how Paddi takes you through the steps of creating a "story-to-tell" business. Whether you've been in business for a while, or are just starting up, this is for you!

Get your own copy now directly from Paddi's publisher - it's a great read and the ideas in the book are absolute gold!

FX Marketing is now a member of the Marketing Association

2009-08-19T12:13:00.004+12:00

...which is great news for everyone!

You see, members of the New Zealand Marketing Association must meet their Best Practice Guidelines: we’ve always worked within these anyway, to provide a high quality, ethical and excellent service.

FX Marketing’s membership means that you can be assured that you’re always getting the very best service and marketing advice for your business.

Visit FX Marketing's website to see how we can help YOUR business.

(Hint: It's all about helping you find more clients, spending more money, more often!)

Should your company have a Facebook page?

2009-08-18T12:17:00.005+12:00

Here is a link to a fab article which explains what's possible.

Interesting stuff - there are always so many superb new things to learn.

And now I've learnt how to make and my blog posts visible within FX Marketing's facebook page, yeahhh!

Effective use of photography in your marketing materials

2009-08-10T15:32:00.013+12:00

A picture tells a thousand words!

Imagine reading a leaflet, brochure, web page or article that is pure text without any pictures.

It's pretty daunting, huh. In fact, you'd probably put it in your pile labelled "must attend to later, at some point... if I can be bothered". And chances are, you'd never look at it again.

Your customers are no different - they will find photo-free text equally dry, dull and daunting to look at.

Yet as a copywriter, I've often come across clients who think "great, I've invested in professional copy - I'm ready to roll!" And my comments regarding photography and graphic design fall on deaf ears... and then they're disappointed that their marketing materials haven't generated many sales...

As a result, I now tend to include sourcing suitable stock photography as part of my service. I've realised that most clients want ALL the hassle taken away from their marketing projects, not just a specific element. They don't specifically want copywriting: they want SALES!

What's more, photographs are also proof that your products or services really exist. They help to build trust and credibility in your company.

Here are 8 marketing tips to help you use photography successfully in your marketing materials.

1. Use professionally-taken photographs

Unless you are an exceptionally good photographer, don't be tempted to use your own photographs on your marketing materials. Most photographs that I've seen that business owners have taken themselves are, frankly, terrible. Blurred, under-exposed, poor composition, dull content... very unprofessional looking.

And using unprofessional photography makes your business look unprofessional and cheap. So let's not go there. Instead, we'll look at some better options!

Above: Investing in professional photography will give your marketing materials a real boost.

2. Stock photography is a good starting point

Instead, if you're on a budget then make use of the stock photography services available. My personal favourite is http://www.istock.com/ as the images are royalty-free (which means you can pretty much use them as often as you like, for whatever you like) and very good value.

I'd recommend buying the "Large" file sizes (which are between NZ$20 to NZ$40-ish, depending on the US exchange rate), and that way your stock photos will be good enough quality for your print materials as well as your website.

For a cohesive look, choose a consistent style of photography.

3. Professional photography will really show off your business

If you have a bigger budget available, use the services of a professional photographer. (If you're based in Auckland, then my friends Carolyn and Jeff at Think Photography come highly recommended.)

Using a photographer is essential if you're selling a product, as you'll need good quality product shots. For other businesses, photographs can also help to highlight your company's points of difference.

Before the photo shoot, spend a good amount of time thinking about:

(a) Which specific photographs/angles/etc. you want. Write a list and ensure the photographer uses them on the day.

(b) The style of photography you want. Surf the internet and show the photographer the styles of photography you have in mind. This can influence the angles they use, backdrops, lighting equipment, and so on.

4. Show off your team with people photography

Photographs of you and your team are essential. Remember - people do business with other people, not with businesses.

Using photographs of people on your marketing material (and especially your website) is crucial - especially in New Zealand.

Everyone will feel far happier about this if the photographs are profesionally done and flattering (with maybe a few PhotoShop touch-ups!).

Above: your team will appreciate it if their photos are professionally-taken and flattering!

Make sure that the photographs reflect your personality. When used on your website, this can actually help to build rapport with prospects, before they've even met you! And chances are, your photograph will help to attract clients that you'll get on with, and put off people you may have personality clashes with. It helps to "select in" and also "select out".

Do make sure that the people photographs are updated each year or two so that the images do look like you. (Using old photos may be suitable for dating websites, but not for business websites!)

5. Create a photo library for easy future reference

Store all your photographs in a dedicated file on your computer, so you can easily access the images when you work on future marketing projects.

And do back your photography files up, just in case your computer fails. External hard drives, CDs, DVDs or USB memory sticks are all good options.

6. Create meaningful captions for your photographs

Most people skim read marketing materials, so photographs work as visual navigation tools: they help the eye work its way across a page.

Studies have shown that photograph captions are twice as likely to get read than the body copy itself. So be sure to include captions - and make them good ones!

Meaningful, interesting and informative captions are best. Try incorporating a benefit (not a feature) into it.

For example, say you are promoting a camera. Rather than using a descriptive caption such as "The XYZ model camera", or "The XYZ camera comes with a 10GB memory card" (this is related to a feature not a benefit), try "The XYZ camera comes with a memory stick that's big enough for your entire holiday - guaranteed!"

7. Invest in slick, professional graphic design

For maximum impact, there's nothing like professional graphic design to make your marketing materials look slick and impressive.

Make sure you use a graphic designer who is marketing savvy though: some graphic designers can get so caught up in the "design" and making things look styley, that they forget that the basic aim of the piece is to sell. Lots of white space might look fancy, but it won't sell anything.

My favourite NZ-based graphic design companies are RedSpark Creative, Transformer Design and Vesey Creative. They each have their own strengths, and it's a good idea to find a graphic design company that you have good rapport with; that understands your business and your goals; that works hard to help you achieve your goals; and provides your work on budget and on time.

8. Using photographs on your website

All the suggestions above apply to the photographs you use on your website.

There are some additional hints and tips too, related to SEO - search engine optimisation - and I will write about these at a later date :-)

PS. Yes, I realise that many of the photographs in my blog posts are captionless... formatting these blog posts is something that is surprisingly tricky and that I'm still mastering. Please bear with me!

Website tip: here's a quick way to update your website

2009-08-08T14:16:00.005+12:00

Google and the other search engines love websites which are up-to-date

Last month I wrote about the importance of keeping your website updated... a great theory, but in practice so many business owners are just too busy to attend to their websites regularly in detail.

If that sounds like you, here's a really quick and easy website tip:

Copyright dates

Ensure that the Copyright year at the foot of each webpage is up-to-date.

Don't have one?

If you don't have a Copyright date in the footer of all your web pages, then add this to your website right now! It's important because it asserts your intellectual property (IP) rights.

Here's an example of what it looks like (from my corporate website):

Copyright (c) FX Marketing Limited 2006 - 2009

Note how I've used the current year, as well as the first year I launched my website.

Using the current year shows Google (and my clients and prospects) that my website is up-to-date. Not only is this good search engine optimisation (SEO) practice, but it's customer-friendly too.

And using the start date shows my readers that I've been in business for a few years, which is a simple technique to help build trust and credibility online.

Over to you...

Now go and check that every page of your own website has this - and put a note in your diary to update it again in early January.

Book review: Building the Happiness-Centred Business - by Dr Paddi Lund

2009-08-08T13:50:00.008+12:00

Here's a book for weary business owners needing inspiration...

I hope you enjoyed last month's read, The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.

A business book journey...

Let's embark on a short journey of business books that flow nicely and build on each other.

This month's book is for established business owners and especially relevant if you have staff.

(If you're a business newbie you may want to skip this book for now and come back to it later - especially if you're a one-person business at this stage.)

Here are the opening paragraphs - if they resonate with you, then this book is for you!

Business is not easy!

"As a young man, unschooled in the world of commerce, and running a business for the first time, I was disagreeably surprised how difficult it all was. I thought that i must be doing something very wrong and that everyone else found business fairly simple: managed people easily, made money without a lot of effort and pursued their business in a calm and happy manner.

It was not until I had been toiling for a decade or so that I had time to draw breath and look around with a more mature and inquiring eye. It was then I saw that what I had believed to be true about the majority of businesses - that they ran smoothly and with little effort - was not in reality how things were.

Business is hard, and people often find that their work is stressful, unfulfilling emotionally and doesn't return the financial rewards they feel they deserve for their efforts. For many, business is the most difficult thing in life, and work worries occupy a great part of their waking thoughts."

So how did Paddi turn his life around?

If you want to find out how Paddi Lund turned his business - and his life - around, you'll need to invest in your own copy of "Building the Happiness-Centred Business".

Click this link to buy it directly from Paddi Lund.

(And when you visit his website, be sure to sign up for his free newsletter, it is a great read!)

Buy "Building the Happiness-Centred Business" from Paddi Lund's website.

Should you redesign your logo?

2009-08-03T08:51:00.003+12:00

I recently had the good fortune to attend a superb wine tasting at my local wine shop. All the wines were from a well-respected New Zealand winery, and presented by the wine maker.

At the end of the evening he revealed that the winery is re-branding and has a new logo and wine label etc. He showed us the new design, and asked if we liked it.

Everyone else seemed to be nodding... except me. Emboldened by the yummy wine I'd consumed, I couldn't stop myself from saying that no, I thought the change was too extreme.

Emotional responses to brands

You see, it's quite common for people working within a company to get bored of their logo - but their customers won't share that feeling. In fact, one attendee at the wine tasting pointed out that "a brand doesn't belong to a company, it belongs to its customers".

An interesting point, as many logos and brands do engender an emotional response. And if you change a logo too drastically, you're basically risking all that hard work that the company has built up over the years to make that brand what it is. So a very dramatic change can be a case of "throwing out the baby with the bath water".

Marketing and promotional activities to support brand changes

One of the other wine tasting attendees suggested that the new logo might be OK if customers are educated about the change: but that requires a fairly extensive advertising and PR campaign to communicate the change.

Which is great for the advertising agency behind the logo change, as it means more work for them... but is it in their client's best interests? Possibly not.

On-shelf visibility is a crucial factor in retail

Another risk with this particular wine label revamp is that the previous label was predominantly black, and the new label is predominantly white.

"White space" might be desirable from a design point of view, but have you ever noticed how many white labels there are on the wine shelves of your supermarket or bottle shop?

That makes this dramatic change particularly risky if it's affecting on-shelf visibility, which is so very crucial in the retail environment.

The importance of testing and measuring

Perhaps it would have been a wise move to hold some focus groups or test and measure how the label performs in terms of sales, before committing to such a sweeping change.

Alas I got the feeling that no such trials or tests had taken place before the launch, which is a real shame. This winery makes excellent wine, and I genuinely wish them well and hope their investment in new branding works out for them.

So should you EVER change your logo?

Yes, absolutely!

Keeping your logo fresh and contemporary keeps your business relationship with customers and suppliers fresh too. But changes should be more about evolving rather than completely scrapping the old in favour of this month's hot new look.

Many of the most successful brand updates over the years have been subtle ones.

Here's an example from Qantas, the Australian airline: the new design uses a more modern red colour; and the typeface looks more contemporary too. Plus the legs and tail of the kangaroo are more powerful, giving a sleeker look.

Further reading

Here are some great articles I found while researching this topic:

Successful logo re-designs: here are 10 examples of successful logo re-vamps.
Logo time line: a time line of logos dating back to the late 19th century. It's interesting to see how many of this are still recognisable.
Brand evolution: my colleagues at Transformer Design have a wealth of articles on their website, with quite a few discussing logo updates. This article is particularly relevant to my blog post, stating that "evolution not revolution is the key". Nicely put!

Will we soon be Binging?

2009-07-30T11:52:00.003+12:00

Microsoft and Yahoo are flexing their collective muscles against Google's dominance in the search engine market.

The 10-year deal will allow Microsoft to offer its newly-upgraded search engine, called Bing, to more people.

It'll be intereresting to see if people will switch from Google to Bing: in the US, Microsoft and Yahoo currently account for 28% of website searches, and Google 65%. Google is more dominant in the rest of the world at 67%... but I reckon in New Zealand that could be as high as 90-95%.

As an SEO copywriting specialist, I'll also be interested to see how the battle between Google and Bing will affect SEO best practices.

Interesting times... nothing stays the same for long eh!

PS. Read more about Bing in today's NZ Herald.

Book review: The E Myth Revisted - by Michael Gerber

2009-07-19T14:15:00.006+12:00

If you only read one business book - this is it!

Do you ever feel like your business is running you - rather than you running it?

Then this book is for you!

I really wish I'd been aware of this book when I started up my business: life would have been significantly easier, less stressful and more organised.

The book is easy to read and what you learn from this could make a HUGE difference to your business, your wealth, and also your sanity!

Check out this book now from HomebizBuzz

Today's price: NZ$39.95 (including GST)

About HomebizBuzz: this online bookshop is NZ-based, so not only do you you get to pay in Kiwi Dollars but you'll receive your delivery really quickly. Payment is 100% secure.

New: book reviews and easy buying from NZ online bookstore

2009-07-19T13:56:00.014+12:00

++ HOT NEWS ++ HOT NEWS ++ HOT NEWS ++ HOT NEWS++ HOT NEWS ++ HOT NEWS++ HOT NEWS++

My Management Studies university degree, whilst being hugely useful, did put me off reading business books. The tomes we had to read were long, dull, very dry, and based more on theory than the real world.

Discover THE best business books - right here!

But my love of reading has been rekindled, as I've discovered that there are actually some FABULOUS business books out there. And it'll be my pleasure to introduce these to you. You can be sure that all the books I review here, I've read myself, are useful, and also interesting.

Buy books online locally in New Zealand!

Best of all, all the books I'll be reviewing will include links to buy them online, right here in NZ via the HomebizBuzz bookshop and also Fishpond.co.nz.

You see, it's long been a frustration of mine that we don't have a local Amazon presence; and finding what you want in real bookstores is nigh-on impossible.

That's why HomebizBuzz and Fishpond are such a great bookshops: you get to pay in Kiwi Dollars - and doing so is completely 100% secure. Hurrah!

Check out the HomebizBuzz bookshop right now...

HomebizBuzz accepts payment by cheque as well as credit card.

... and check out Fishpond too!

Fishpond accepts payments by internet banking, cheque and credit card.

On Fishpond you can earn credits of $0.20 for writing book reviews, and earn $5 coupons for recommending products to friends (if your friend spends $40 or more via the website).

Happy shopping!

Hints to help your business survive a recession

2009-07-19T12:36:00.008+12:00

Here's what we can learn from successful businesses who've survived tough times

According to a recent article in the NZ Herald, the economy is beginning to pick up again in New Zealand. And what's particularly interesting about this article is that reports a "FiFo" (First in, First out) trend to the recession. That means that those sectors and businesses who were first affected are showing the biggest recovery in confidence.

Consequently that also means there's a "LiLo" trend, which stands for "Last in, Last out" ... nothing to do with the infamous Lindsay Lohan ;-)

If your business is one of those still being hard-hit by the recession, it may be useful to hear some advice from a successful entrepreneur whose business survived the recession in the UK in the early 1990s.

From my bookshelf: 'The Real Deal' by James Caan - a succesful entrepreneur and a judge on popular BBC Dragons' Den TV programme.

Here are some extracts which really stood out for me... if you like this, then pick up your own copy from Fishpond.co.nz. It's a great read.

Here is James' story...

“I found myself in the very strange position of driving a Rolls-Royce and living in a mansion but I wasn’t making any money… Although I knew we wouldn’t starve or become homeless – we could always have moved to a smaller house, or downsized to a smaller car – I felt like a failure… It’s a strange sensation to own a Rolls-Royce and not be sure if you can afford to fill its tank… I was disillusioned, disheartened and ready to throw in the towel and close the business down. I started frantically looking round for another business in another sector that wasn’t so vulnerable to the economy as a whole."

James looked into fashion, property development and even a sandwich shop. During the process he’d taken the eye off the ball in his recruitment business, which now appeared to be in free-fall.

Thankfully James received some sound advice from his father: “You’ve spent months looking at other things and none of them is any better than where you are. You think the grass will be greener, but in a recession it’s just a different kind of grass.”

James eventually realised that the least risky option was actually sticking with recruitment: “At least I know recruitment and in the other areas I risk capital in industries where I don’t know the pitfalls”.

His father agreed: “You’re right: you’ve already made your investment in recruitment, so you’re not risking any new capital. And in recruitment you have a brand that means something. That’s got to be valuable to you.”

James soon felt more positive and reconnected with the business he’d been neglecting.

James’ father added: “The best advice I can give you is just to ride it out. Don’t expect a lot, don’t expect a great year, batten down the hatches, cut your costs as much as you can and just ride it out.”

James changed his attitude from victim to leader, rallied his staff and told them to pick up whatever work they could, keep their eyes peeled for opportunities, and hang in there. Sometimes they had to offer discounts, but figured it was better to do that than get no work.

“By the end of 1992, I got the sense that we were through the worst. We didn’t have to offer such deep discounts to get the business, and it was getting easier to persuade people that if they invested in the best people they’d get through the worst of it sooner."

The first sector that showed signs of recover was IT: a growing sector, but James’ company didn’t have an IT recruitment division at that stage: “There wasn’t even anyone in the office who understood the jargon.”

So he went back to basics, got to know the industry, asked lots of questions, and made contacts. The constant questioning opened up opportunities, which in turn developed relationships, which created sales. James’ business had made it through the recession, but he was keen to go on to build an even better business:

“The recession had taught me not to put all my eggs in one basket: I had come so close to being wiped out and I never wanted to be in that position again. If I had several businesses in several markets, then I reasoned that I wouldn’t be as exposed.”

Buy now from Fishpond and enjoy the full story!

Record entries for business awards

2009-07-09T08:12:00.004+12:00

Here's another client success story I'd like to share...

This year I'm working on the event publicity for the 2009 Westpac Manukau Business Excellence Awards.

Entries closed on 1 July, and much to the delight of the organisers, they've received more than double the number of entries compared to last year. Superb news! Read the whole story here.

It's great to see so many businesses taking positive action even when the media is full of recessionary doom and gloom.

I guess that the lesson is to stay positive, and look for the silver lining and the opportunities.

What does an out-of-date website say about a business?

2009-07-04T10:09:00.004+12:00

Have you ever looked up a website and it seemed really old-fashioned - and, worst of all, it looked really really out of date?

How did you perceive that business?

An out-of-date website can make readers think that the business is unreliable, and that they're not very focused on customer service or how they're perceived externally. In fact, it can look downright unprofessional.

Here are my hints and tips to ensure that your website looks current:

Make it a priority: regularly schedule time in your diary for website updates. Face it, we're so busy, that if it isn't on your Task list, chances are it won't happen! Once you've committed to the task, see it through.

Copyright years: update the Copyright years (usually at the foot of a web page) each year!

Current offers: be sure to remove any expired offers as soon as they've finished.

What's new: a box on the home page to keep updated can be simpler than updating multiple changes. See the Rubywaxx website as an example: here I update this part of the website for the client each month - a job that's quite quick, easy and effective.

Add dates: my own website for FX Marketing isn't one which is updated that frequently. So when I do, I add the dates on my new resources and new testimonials. That quickly communicates that (a) I update my website quite regularly, and (b) I have been in business for quite some time - and have regularly committed to keeping my website fresh.

Blog: if you're running a blog, post on it regularly. If 4 or 5 months pass without a single post, readers will no longer check it, so don't undo all that hard work!

Best of all, by updating your website regularly, not only will it look good to your prospects, but Google will like it too! Google favours websites which are regularly updated.

Home renovations a-plenty despite the recession

2009-07-04T09:52:00.005+12:00

I've been amazed at how many home renovations have been taking place in my suburb in these recessionary times, and today's article in the NZ Herald have confirmed my thoughts: there is an awful lot of doing-up going on.

Whilst the value of building consents for new houses and apartments has declined, the value of consents for additions and renovations is holding steady. Homeowners are investing in new kitchens, new bathrooms and extensions.

This is proving particularly true in up-market, wealthy suburbs in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

For those in the trades, that means there is still work out there, but the market and nature of the work has changed.

Revisit your marketing strategies and tactics

So it follows that marketing methods may need to be adapted to follow this shift: it could mean targeting different geographic areas; and hammering home the renovation services offered, rather than new builds.

Align internal processes and resources to suit these external changes

The nature of the jobs has changed too: there are now fewer large projects (e.g. building new houses), but more smaller jobs. That requires a flexible approach and maybe setting up some internal systems and processes to ensure the small jobs are well-managed with resources allocated accordingly.

Read the full article here.

Congratulations to Rubywaxx!

2009-06-29T16:45:00.005+12:00

As a hands-on marketing consultant, I measure my success in terms of my clients' successes.

So I'm extremely proud indeed that Rubywaxx, my first ever client, has just opened their second beauty salon in addition to their existing Newton salon.

The new salon is located inside the Les Mills building on Auckland's Victoria St West: it looks super styley, especially the relaxing massage room... mmm... bliss!

The opening of the new Rubywaxx salon has involved quite a bit of work from yours truly, and took a good amount of advance planning as the launch date coincided with a trip to Europe I'd previously booked. Talk about Murphy's Law!

Anyway, here's what Ruby Francis, owner of Rubywaxx, said about my work:

"I've been working with Cornelia at FX Marketing for 3 years now and have always found Cornelia to be professional and prompt. What's more, she's always been able to help me out when I've had problems or questions that I didn't know how to work out myself. And it's wonderful having Cornelia to bounce ideas off! She has a wealth of knowledge in marketing, and is a real pleasure to deal with.

We recently opened our second beauty therapy salon, and this coincided with Cornelia being overseas. That wasn't an issue as Cornelia had pre-planned everything that could be, so it all ran smoothly. And the rest of the work was done by Cornelia while she was overseas which was really awesome."

Thank you for the kind words, Ruby, and I can't wait for future Rubywaxx salons to open!

Visit the Rubywaxx website by clicking here - or better still, visit one of the salons!

(My personal recommendation is for the hot stone massage, which is sheer and utter bliss, especially when it's so cold outside...)

What can small businesses in NZ learn from the UK recession?

2009-06-27T14:55:00.008+12:00

Here are 15 practical marketing tips to help your business thrive and survive in tough times…

It’s been a while since my last blog post – I’ve been in Europe checking out marketing tips and techniques to bring back home to New Zealand.

The UK economy is hard hit by the global recession: thousands are losing their jobs on a weekly basis, and even popular high street names are now bankrupt.

The Woolworths story

The closing down of Woolworths struck me in particular, as I had a Saturday job at the Tenterden branch in Kent as a school girl. Woolworths in England isn’t a supermarket like it is in New Zealand: it was more of a general store, kind of like The Warehouse but much smaller and with high street locations country-wide. They sold lots of confectionery, plus music, children’s’ clothes, and home ware. (One of my Woolworths career highlights was packing Joanna Lumley’s Christmas tinsel one year!)

However, Woolworths never changed much over the years, whereas their customer base did. The stores became staid and outdated.

In fact, I often wondered, who was the target Woolworths customer? Their products were quite random; and not the best quality and certainly not stylish. Yet their prices weren’t that competitive. You could buy far nicer things elsewhere for the same money. Or if you were on a budget, you could buy far cheaper at supermarkets and other stores.

Lesson #1: Be clear on your niche and your target market.

Lesson #2: Do a frequent reality check: is your target market suitably large, profitable and reachable?

Lesson #3: Proactively evolving and changing your business model can be essential for its long-term prosperity and survival.

Lesson #4: Keep up with your target market’s changing wants, needs, desires and concerns.

Where to make the cut-backs?

In today’s harsh economic reality, many companies are having to make cut-backs. And the smart companies are asking their stakeholders as to what they value the most – and what they value the least. And stakeholders can be internal or external.

For example, UK insurer AXA PPP consulted its staff on cutbacks and perks: for example, workers could choose which 6 perks they wanted to cancel, out of 12 perks. These included cancelling the Christmas party and gift; stopping Fruity Fridays where staff are given free fruit every 2 weeks; reducing overtime; reducing car parking allowances; cutting maternity benefits; or switching off the air conditioning.

By consulting with staff in this way – and then implementing this fairly – makes staff feel more valued at a difficult time, and encourages their buy-in to the scheme.

You could even ask your customers about what’s most important to them, just like Air New Zealand have done recently. Last year I took part in a customer service, rating things like the magazine, entertainment, food, wine and so on. And on this trip I noticed that the Kia Ora magazine is no longer being published. I guess that I wasn’t the only customer who rated this quite low, compared to good food and good wine and quality entertainment.

Lesson #5: If you’re forced to make cut-backs, don’t make assumptions about what’s important to your stakeholders. Ask them!

Promotional strategies for retailers

So what else can we learn from the UK? I noticed that offers in retail stores continue to have a profile, as they’ve always done: free gifts with purchase (GWP) are commonplace, particularly with magazines. Just about every magazine pitched at women were loaded with goodies, such as a free book, free tote bag, free make-up bag or a free mascara.

Other common offers are “3 for the price of 2” offers and “buy one get one free” (BOGOF): these are often used for book promotions and toiletries. Though I’m not a fan of discounting, multi-buy offers such as these can help to clear excess stocks and free up the cash flow.

Lesson #6: Employ promotional strategies that will meet short term objectives, but without jeopardising the long term.

The pub problem

Traditional village pubs are under significant threat in England: the combination of the recession and a “beer tax” appears to be to blame. According to the BBPA (British Beer & Pub Association), six pubs are closing every day and more than 2,000 have gone in the last 12 months.

Now, I must admit I was never been much of a pub-goer when I lived in England, and I only visited one during my recent trip, but I do wonder how much some of these pubs are doing to help themselves? Are they changing their formula to keep up with changing consumer preferences?

Take for example the pub I visited in Chislehurst, a picturesque and very affluent village in London’s commuter belt.

This pub was on the right track by trying to build its database – but their method is pretty ineffective. Written up on a chalk board was “to join our mailing list please email us at….” OK, so I’m meant to remember their email address, go home, and remember to sign up? Pretty unlikely to happen. Much better would be to have a business card draw or some forms for people to fill in there and then. You’ve got to make it easy for people! Maybe even incentivise them and make it worth their while to receive promotional emails! This can be particularly important in these competitive times when we’re exposed to so many promotional messages.

Lesson #7: Make it easy, fun and enjoyable for customers to sign up to your promotional messages.

The pub was quite quiet when I was there, with about half-a-dozen or so customers and two barmaids. These two barmaids spent the entire time behind the bar chatting. Not once did they come out and ask the customers if they wanted another drink, or perhaps some nibbles or bar snacks. Being proactive would most likely have yielded them additional sales.

Lesson #8: Leverage your team for maximum impact: the attitude and performance of your staff can make or break you when times are hard. So maximise the potential of your team; train them; motivate them; inspire them; incentivise them; and give them the tools to be successful. This is your time to step us being a leader, not just an employer.

Although this was a posh pub, it didn’t seem to have any food options available other than the standard packets of nuts and crisps. Though I am just guessing at this – there weren’t any menus on the blackboards, and none on the tables or bar. If there are fewer customers, then it’s important to try and increase the average dollar sale per customer. So why not look at offering some simple but tasty food options? And promote them in the pub?

Think of the McDonalds’ “would you like fries with that?”… no, you don’t have to offer fries, but what’s a good add-on sale for your business? Even if just 5% or 10% of customers say “yes”, what sort of an impact would that have on your bottom line?

Lesson #9: Can you offer additional products or services to increase your average dollar sale?

Having been away from the UK for a number of years, I wasn’t familiar with which non-alcoholic drinks are available (they don’t have L&P in England, and I don’t like Coke or Lemonade). Though the beers and alco-pop (RTD) bottles were proudly displayed in the glass fridges behind the bar, I couldn’t see any non-alcoholic options, and the staff thought I was a bit simple when I asked what they had: they assumed that everyone would know. Again, have a drinks list readily available on the tables and bar would have made the barmaids’ job easier, and made my purchasing experience more enjoyable. No-one likes to be treated like an idiot.

Lesson #10: Be proactive about telling customers what’s on offer, and make it easy and enjoyable for them to buy.

If pubs are having such a tough time, why aren’t they giving a little to get something back? I do wonder if small touches, such as maybe small bowls of olives or nuts on the bar would help customer loyalty. (And besides, salty snacks make you thirsty which could result in more drink purchases.)

A while ago I wrote about “becoming your customers’ third place": people have their home and their place of work, and usually one more place where they like to spend time. You’d think it would be pretty easy for English pubs to become a third place once again, but they might have to up their game a little, or yes, they will continue to decline.

Lesson #11: Make a real effort to become your customers’ third place, somewhere where they enjoy being and spending time.

That’s where a fresh pair of eyes and a fresh set of ideas come in handy: we can get so close to our businesses, that we can’t see the wood for the trees any more. We can’t see what’s wrong with the old ways, and wouldn’t know how to change them for the best if we tried.

That’s why a mystery shopping report from FX Marketing can come in handy: we can help identify what’s working well, and come up with some innovative new ideas that’ll give your customers an enhanced experience as well as making your business more profitable). Just contact us to find out more.

Remember, the world’s an ever-changing place, and sooner or later the same old – same old approach won’t cut it any more.

Lesson #12: A mystery shopping exercise from FX Marketing can provide a fresh new look and approach to ensure your business stays relevant and profitable.

Inspirational success stories

So what else can we learn from recessionary times? In particular, how can we cope? If you haven’t yet read The Real Deal by James Caan (a Dragons’ Den panellist) you are likely to find some comfort and advice in its pages: I’ll soon add a blog post with ideas and inspiration for you, but in short: keep your head down, work hard, cut costs, work smart, and look for the opportunities.

Lesson #13: There are still opportunities out there! The world continues to spin; people still need to eat, sleep, wear clothes, and so on. The trick is to find the profitable opportunities.

Personally, I had the experience of working at Apple Computer in the late 1990s when the company was besieged by financial problems: their future was very uncertain, but what they did worked. And that was to focus on their core business, and get that under control. That sounds easy to say, but the reality of doing so can be hard and mean many hard decisions have to be made.

Fortunately, it worked out for Apple, and now they’re the successful business with the coveted iPods and iPhones. But to get to this point, they had to fully understand their businesses’ uniqueness (USP); as well as understanding their target market’s needs, desires, and motivations.

Consequently, many product lines were immediately discontinued, as it was obvious they weren’t core to the company’s value proposition. They consolidated till the business was profitable again, and only then did they grow – and that they did in well-planned stages.

Lesson #14: Be clear on your business’ strengths, and what’s core to your business. Don’t be afraid to eliminate the non-core parts of your business.

And while you’re doing this, don’t keep your eye off your competitors either. I suspect that that’s what happened to MFI, another British company that recently folded. They used to supply and install cheap kitchens… but then Ikea came along, whose kitchens were more stylish, slightly better quality, and cheaper. MFI didn’t seem to adapt or defend its position, or perhaps did too little too late. Making scary decisions can be, well, scary, but by refusing to address and acknowledge the truth could so easily lead to a business’ downfall.

Indeed, during these tough economic times even sacred cows may have to be sacrificed. Doing things just because that’s they way they’ve always been done isn’t the answer.

Perhaps we can even take something from the movie I saw on the plane home, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Isla Fisher’s character says to the CEO of a bank:

“I was walking past your bank the other day: you have THE most boring window displays in the world. It’s as if someone hit the snooze button in my head or something, it put me to sleep for another ten minutes. You need to put some pretty pink umbrellas or something to get people in. Or you could have a sale: fee reductions and free doughnuts.”

Final lesson: Be prepared to look at everything afresh and impartially. Be brave!

Note: these are generalised observations only, and won't apply to all businesses: caution and common sense is recommended, and if in doubt, consult with a qualified marketing consultant to help find the right solution for your business.

Congratulations to Bill Hayward Carpets

2009-05-21T10:27:00.006+12:00

... on their new website!

With the largest range of carpets under one roof, Bill Hayward Carpets now has its very own website.

FX Marketing helped with suggesting the structure and content of the website, as well as copywriting the website copy. This includes the meta data for search engine optimisation. Webtrix built the website.

I wish my client every success with the new website; just remember that a website is never "finished" - it's an ongoing project!

PS. Bill Hayward Carpets are Cavalier Bremworth NZ Carpet Dealer of the year - for two years running. And they have a FREE interior design service to help you with choosing colours, so do check out their huge range, fab prices and great service!

Consultancy humour...

2009-05-19T14:00:00.005+12:00

...Because being in business should be fun and having a giggle is good for you!

The spoon

A lesson on how consultants can make a difference in an organisation.

Last week, we took some friends to a new restaurant, 'Steve's Place,' and noticed that the waiter who took our order carried a spoon in his shirt pocket.

It seemed a little strange. When the busboy brought our water and utensils, I observed that he also had a spoon in his shirt pocket.

Then I looked around and saw that all the staff had spoons in their pockets. When the waiter came back to serve our soup I inquired, 'Why the spoon?'

'Well, 'he explained, 'the restaurant's owner hired some management consultants to revamp all of our processes. After several months of analysis, they concluded that the spoon was the most frequently dropped utensil. It represents a drop frequency of approximately 3 spoons per table per hour. If our personnel are better prepared, we can reduce the number of trips back to the kitchen and save 15 man-hours per shift.'

As luck would have it, I dropped my spoon and he replaced it with his spare. 'I'll get another spoon next time I go to the kitchen instead of making an extra trip to get it right now.' I was impressed.

I also noticed that there was a string hanging out of the waiter's fly. Looking around, I saw that all of the waiters had the same string hanging from their flies. So, before he walked off, I asked the waiter, 'Excuse me, but can you tell me why you have that string right there?'

'Oh, certainly!' Then he lowered his voice. 'Not everyone is so observant. That consulting firm I mentioned also learned that we can save time in the restroom. By tying this string to the tip of our you-know-what, we can pull it out without touching it and eliminate the need to wash our hands, shortening the time spent in the restroom by 76.39%.

I asked quietly, 'After you get it out, how do you put it back?'

'Well,' he whispered, 'I don't know about the others, but I use the spoon.'

Advertising scams

2009-05-13T14:55:00.004+12:00

I just read an article in today's NZ Herald where thousands of NZ businesses have been tricked into paying a total of $2m for non-existent advertising.

Apparently, over the last 8 months the scammers have been cold-calling companies in the Yellow Pages and selling advertising space in magazines that don't exist. Thousands of big businesses have been tricked, as well as some large companies.

Whereas most magazines will invoice advertisers when the magazine has been published, these fraudsters have been sending the invoices straightaway. They've been getting away with it because most advertisers don't remember to check out the magazine - they just pay the invoice and forget about it. (NB: most legit magazines will send you a free advertiser's copy.)

Beware of cold callers!

Many of my clients are bombarded on a weekly basis with people wanting to sell advertising space in print publications and also online; some are valid, some are not so valid. Here are my hints for dealing with this, which may help weed out the genuine offers from the not-so-pukka.

Firstly, ask for more information on the publication or website.

Never make a decision there and then; ALWAYS ask for more information. Things to ask for are:

A sample copy of the printed publication.
Editorial profile and readership data of print publications.

If it's a website, ask for details of their promotional plan: how will THEY promote their website to users? I've come across many companies who sell internet advertising space on websites I've never heard of, and that my clients haven't heard of either. Have a look at the website too.

Another good tip is to consider, "have I heard of this publication?" And ask your friends and colleagues if they've heard of it too.

Even when you take these steps, it can still be hard to gauge. So I've trained all my regular monthly clients to tell the caller, "I'll need to run this past my marketing manager." This works a treat as it takes the heat off you, if the caller realises you're not the decision maker.

(And in one case a client told the caller just that, and the caller replied along the lines of: "No thanks" and just hung up! A scam? Definitely!)

You can still use the marketing manager line even if you don't have a marketing manager or consultant working for you... who's to know?

And if you are still in any doubt at all, just say no. If the publication or website is any good, there will be more opportunities again in the future.

How to measure your campaigns with response codes

2009-05-05T08:48:00.016+12:00

In my recent post on direct mail campaigns, I briefly touched on using response codes as a mechanism for testing and measuring your marketing campaigns.

Here are some additional ideas on how you could use response codes, together with some real life examples.

I'd suggest you read these through and then see which kind of system would work for your business. And make sure you apply it in such a way that you can measure different media and different messages with a different response code for each.

Example 1: basic response code

Using response codes in UK magazines has been a common practice for many years now, especially in those boxed ads you see in the back of the mags.

Yet this is something that's rarely used in New Zealand - though with the recession we may see more companies getting smarter with their marketing. I recommend that all my customers make their marketing measurable - and that includes using response codes.

In this example, quoting the code gives the customer a discount. The ad was placed in Red magazine, hence the code "REDMAG".

The downside of this type of response code is that if the company regularly advertises in Red magazine, they won't know which ads/issues are performing best, so the testing and measuring element is restricted.

Example 2: more sophisticated response code

This ad was in the back of the February issue of UK magazine Glamour, hence the code "Glamour 02/09 ad". The code is nice and specific... so if they place a different ad/offer/design next month, with a different code, they'll know which ad works better for their business.

Example 3: response codes giving customers a discount

The downside of the above ad is that there's no incentive to quote the response code: their doesn't appear to be an offer or incentive linked in with it!

That's why the following two ads below are more successful in my view: customers obtain a discount for quoting the response code (from Eve magazine). Remember AIDA: there has to be a call to Action!

(If you're not familiar with AIDA, there's a free download from the Resources page of my main FX Marketing website - just go to the section headed "FREE articles".)

Example 4: response code provides added value

This is example from UK magazine Red is similar to those above, but rather than giving a discount it provides a free gift with purchase.

Anyone who knows me will be aware that I'm not a fan of discounting - I prefer the added value approach. So from a response code point of view, this ad works well.

(NB: this post is just about response codes, I don't think this ad is great in other regards, as it's all about features rather than benefits. I'm not quite sure what the big deal is about transparent boxes, and the ad certainly doesn't explain it. Derrr!)

Example 5: ad-specific web page

This ad close-up is a little bit different (also from UK magazine Glamour, if you're wondering).

HP have created a separate web page for readers to look out - though the benefits of visiting this page haven't been made clear... there's no incentive to look at the page, just because they've made it!

HP will be using their website statistics to see how many people visited this page, so that gives the response some measurability.

Example 6: code word in an online ad

This is one of the few New Zealand examples I could find - it is an online ad placed on Facebook.

It involves quoting a code word to receive a discount: it's quite basic but also straightforward.

Example 7: code word in an email campaign

Here's another New Zealand example, this time from Hell Pizza - and interestingly enough, this uses a code word too.

This campaign was quite clever as there was a different code word each week, so they could track which emails had the best response.

This also offers the opportunity to use different code words for different media - so if they had placed online ads during the same period, they could have used different words.

All the code words that were used in this series of emails were quite memorable and funny, and also fit in with Hell Pizza's brand image. (I imagine that brainstorming the key words would have been quite a fun but challenging exercise!)

Where can I use response codes?

As well as using response codes in your advertising, you can also use them in emails, newsletters, direct mail, SMS campaigns, and so on.

How do I do this?

Use each response code only once and log them in a spreadsheet, so you know which specific ad/magazine/headline/offer/etc. that the code relates to.

Ask each caller or purchaser if they have a code; keep a tally; and log it in the spreadsheet.

You'll soon have a very good idea of which ads/magazines/headlines/offers work best for your business.

Consider running 2 or 3 different variations of the same campaign at a time. For example, if you're doing a direct mail letter, create 3 versions of it with just one element changed in each - either the headline or the offer. And use a different response code for each - and see which performs best.

Soon your marketing will feel a lot more scientific and a lot less like guesswork - which means that marketing will be an investment for your business, as opposed to a cost.

What about you?

Do you use response codes in your business? How do you find that they work for you? Are there any successes or pitfalls you'd like to share? I'd love to hear from you, so do leave a comment!

What's in a name?

2009-04-24T10:58:00.005+12:00

Stuck for ideas on what to name your new business venture?

Here are some ideas to get you started...

This is often one of the first tasks that a new business owner will face, and many people also find it quite tricky. What do you call your new business? After all, it's a name you'll be living with for a long time, so it can't be anything faddy, but you don't want it to be dull either.

Here are my hints and tips to help you...

1. Round up your friends

Trying to come up with a name by yourself can be VERY frustrating. So don't do it by yourself! Invite your friends round for a brain-storming session, and bribe them with some drinks and nibbles.

A group of people bouncing ideas around will be a lot more productive than you by yourself, so don't be shy in asking for help. (And I've found that most people love helping a budding entrepreneur get started!)

2. Give them wine and nibbles

People are a lot less inhibited when they've had a drink or two, so pour your friends a vino to unleash their creativity.

Warning: don't give them too much, or the quality of ideas will degrade somewhat!

3. Get creative

Here's something to consider: your company name doesn't have to be a real word, it can be a made-up word. For example, George Eastman named his company "Kodak" because people in all countries would know how to pronounce it!

For other businesses it can be important to be near the beginning of alphabetical listings, so company names beginning with the letter "A" can be popular. (But gosh it would be dull if everyone did this!)

Although you can have some real fun creating names, bear in mind that it really helps if the name is easy to pronounce and spell. Don't risk losing sales just because someone couldn't spell your company name!

It's also a good idea to choose a name which isn't ambiguous in its spelling: for example, if you want to name your company "Fish & Chips", that could be interpreted as "Fish And Chips", "Fish 'n' Chips" or "FishNChips"...

4. Write up ideas on a flip chart

Tell your friends a littel bit about your business: what you'll be doing; who your customers are; that sort of thing. And then write them up.

Approximately 60% of people are visual, so seeing the ideas in front of them will help their thinking processes generate even more ideas.

If you don't have a flipchart, stick up big sheets of paper instead.

5. All ideas are valid ideas

Don't criticise any of the ideas suggested. Not only could this put off that person from contributing further ideas, but also it's quite common for a not-so-good idea to lead to a great idea.

So just write up all the ideas on the flipchart and save them for later.

6. Check the names against the Companies Office register

After your friends have gone home, you have some homework to do.

If you're intending to set up a Limited Company, you'll need to check that your name is available. You can do that online at http://www.companies.govt.nz/.

NB: Your trading name doesn't have to be the same as your business name. Check the Companies Office website for details, and if you're not quite sure what's needed, then get some legal advice on this.

Write notes on your brain-stormed list, as to what's available and what isn't.

Note that in NZ it's very easy and very cheap to register your company yourself online: at the time of writing, it's $10 to reserve your company name, and a further $150 to register the name.

7. Check available domain names

Your new busines WILL need a website, so make sure a domain name is available.

If your company will be trading primarily in New Zealand, then a ".co.nz" suffix is best. But if you're planning to have international markets, then a ".com" suffix may be more suitable.

So go online and see which domain names are available: I personally use http://www.iserve.co.nz/ as they're NZ-based, very reasonably priced and offer a great service. At the time of writing it's about $38 including GST to register a ".co.nz" domain for a year.

You may find that your chosen domain name isn't available, and this is likely to rule out a number of the business names you've jotted down.

If you have a name you really like but the ".co.nz" web address is already taken, you could check out the ".net.nz" suffix, or other similar suffixes, but just remember that in NZ they're not as memorable or widely used as ".co.nz".

Again, write notes on your brain-stormed list, as to what's available and what isn't.

NB: when it comes to registering your domain name, you may want to reserve more than one, for example if your company name is commonly mispellt or is ambiguous. For the sake of $38 a year, it's well worth doing!

8. Review what's left

Now you'll have a comprehensive list of what names are well and truly taken, as well as others which are possibilities.

You'll now need to choose your favourite... exciting times!

9. Take the next steps

Register the company and domain names, and now you can also get onto the other jobs, such as opening your business bank accounts; register for GST; and getting a graphic designer to create your new company logo.

Good luck!

The perils of being a one-trick pony

2009-04-19T14:28:00.007+12:00

What we can learn from razors and ink-jet printers

Does your business sell just one product? Perhaps you started the business because you had a great idea, and figured it would just sell itself?

That's a dangerous place to be: your customer acquisition costs (e.g. advertising) will be very very high, so your product price should be set so that you still make a healthy profit despite the high cost per customer.

A much better position is to have a range of products, or essential accessories that you can keep selling and selling and selling, after the initial purchase has been made.

When I was studying marketing at University, the example cited in the lessons were razors. Have you ever noticed how the razor starter kits are quite good value - but the refill razors are hideously expensive? You see, the manufacturers sell the starter kits at a low price to get people hooked - and then make their money selling the accessories.

Same these days with ink-jet printers: they're almost giving them away. But the manufacturers more than make up for it selling you the refill ink cartridges. (Well, that was their plan, till people started refilling the cartridges.)

How to apply these lessons to your own business

Whether you're in the business of selling products or offering services, the very same lessons apply.

If you're selling a product, it's essential to keep working your product life cycle and get people coming back for more. Cross sell, up sell, whatever... just keep on selling. Otherwise you're unlikely to be able to break even (unless possibly you're in a niche market that you can reach very cheaply, and your product is very unique... but even then it's still good to look for add-ons to offer).

If you're in a service industry, keep updating your offering. Create a course of service that people have to subscribe to. Or sell customers warranties, service agreements, follow-up treatments, that sort of thing.

In short: continually innovate and learn as many tricks as you can, and your business will be healthier for it.

The power of customer testimonials

2009-04-05T14:39:00.005+12:00

Why statements from happy customers are ultra-powerful marketing tools...

Do you gather testimonials from happy customers - and then use them in your marketing material?

Adding them to your website, corporate brochure, information leaflet, advertisements and proposals will dramatically increase your conversion rates. In fact, if I had to pick just one thing to boost conversion rates, then this would be it.

You see, it's not you blowing your own trumpet - people are far too sceptical to believe it when you say you're great and trustworthy and do a great job. But when it's your customers saying it, that adds a whole new dimension. It reassures prospects that other people have bought from you; and are happy. The result? Prospects become new customers.

But how to do it? Here are step-by-step hints and tips...

1. Pick a happy time

The best time to ask your customer for a testimonial is when they're on an emotional high. So identify when they are likely to be really happy with your product or service, and that's the time to ask.

2. Make it routine

Don't make testimonial gathering a one-off exercise: make it part of your whole sales process. Far better to have too many testimonials than too few!

A good way to do this is via a customer feedback form or survey - and maybe give them a little thank you for their time.

3. Pick powerful words

Some people suggest you write the testimonial yourself and get the customer to OK it. However, I've found that I get a far better result if the customer does write it themselves. I tend to be quite modest about my own abilities, whereas many of my customers will gladly enthuse about me, far more than I'd be comfortable doing!

If your customer is really stuck and wants help with the writing, speak to them on the phone or in person and write notes and then type it up.

NB: this is something I often help my customers with - I interview their clients and write up the testimonial. So if you need help, do contact me!

4. Add photographs of your happy customer

Adding a photograph of your happy customer will more than double the impact of your testimonial. Why? It makes it real. It gives it personality. It's more believable and genuine.

At the same time as asking your customer for a testimonial, ask them for a photograph.

5. Add a date?

Sometimes it can be relevant to add a date to the testimonial (especially if you're continually gathering them and updating your marketing material). This adds even more credibility as well as showing that you consistently do a good job.

This step isn't essential - it's up to you to decide whether it's relevant or not.

6. Create a strong headline

Most people skim-read, so make it easy by adding a headline with the most powerful words in bold.

7. Address specific customer concerns

Here's an extra-smart tip on using testimonials and headlines. Begin by addressing particular areas of customer concern: e.g. do you work to budget? Will you deliver on time? Will you leave their home clean and tidy? etc.

Next step: pull out one different concern from each testimonial, and add that part to the headline. So you may end up with the following collection of headlines:

"the job was completed under budget!"
"workmanship exceeded our expectations"
"home left beautifully clean - no dust anywhere"

This is an ultra-powerful conversion technique, yet it's rarely used!

Below: an example of a Testimonial for FX Marketing. It includes a hyperlink to the client's website.

Have a look at my Testimonials page on the FX Marketing website for more examples.

8. Add the testimonials to your marketing material

Use them on your website, proposals, brochures, direct mail letters... anywhere you can. It will dramatically increase your conversion rates.

9. Keep collecting new testimonials

Keep your marketing materials fresh and relevant by continually collecting new testimonials.

Marketing in a recession

2009-04-05T13:38:00.004+12:00

Some of my clients have been emailing me fab marketing tips that caught their eye. (It's great to have clients who are so interested in marketing ideas! I love it!)

Marketing tip #1: invest smarter

During an economic downturn, don't stop investing in marketing - invest smarter!

If you're experiencing a downturn, now's not the time to cut back on your marketing.

It's been researched that maintaining (or even increasing) your marketing, when your competitors are cutting back, can increase your market share.

Thanks to Kirsten at Medical Staffing International for that... I fully agree with this tip, though I'd add that if your customers' buying habits have changed, you might need to re-think some of your marketing tactics too. What worked well during a boom won't necessarily work in a downturn, so be sure to look at how you're communicating and what you're communicating.

Is your offer still relevant and enticing? Or is it time for a different approach? And be sure to test and measure the results so you can gauge which marketing methods are working best for your business.

Marketing tip #2: be your clients' third place

"There's a saying in marketing that everyone has a third place. You have home, work and one more place you go to. Maybe it's a bar or a coffee shop, or maybe it's the gym. People won't give up on their job, their house, or their third place. You can become that third place for people."

Thanks to Mark at Rubywaxx for that one - a fabulous "third place" 'cos you'll leave looking and feeling better than when you walked in!

Make an exhibition of yourself!

2009-03-29T13:06:00.004+13:00

I've just been for a nosey round the Auckland Autumn Home Show - I won free tickets from http://www.interiorsonline.co.nz/ (thanks guys!).

So how was it? To be honest - disappointing...

For one thing, coming from the UK I'm used to hugely vast exhibitions - the NZ expos are much, much smaller and I still haven't gotten used to that.

But more importantly, it astounds me that companies make such a huge investment to be there (the stand, setting it up, the labour costs -it all adds up to a very significant sum) yet make little attempt to engage the public and/or build their database. (The marketing consultant in me can't switch off, even on a Sunday!)

Go on, make an exhibition of yourself!

At most stands, the stall holders stood there with their arms crossed looking unhappy. It doesn't really make you want to go up to them and enquire - it's quite off-putting.Expos aren't the time to be introverted, shy or quiet - so if the staff or owners are suitably extrovert, then hire some outgoing people to engage the public!

And it's such a great opportunity to build a database (with a competition or something) and maybe even do some market research (what do the visitors think of your industry/product/service?). If a company isn't going to interact, they may as well not be there.

The most interactive stand? The Miracle Shammy. They put on such a good demo (and handed out freebies at the beginning) that I handed over $30 for a bunch of super-absorbent cleaning cloths. Great demo, fellas!
(And hopefully the cloths will be handy for mopping water out of the bilges on the boat.)

Photo: the Miracle Shammy!

I also saw a client there whom I'd recently done some copywriting work for - http://www.fishtanks.co.nz/ - he has very funky fish tanks!

Planning a direct mail campaign? Here are 10 essential things you need to know...

2009-03-25T14:24:00.010+13:00

How to boost your direct mail response rates

Many businesses are in real need of attracting new customers right now. And when they're already using their own client database to its full potential, direct mail can become a valid marketing tool.

However - the campaigns can be expensive, and with a good response rate being 0.5% to 1% it's not an option to be considered lightly.

Here's how to get the best possible response rate for your direct mail campaign.

Note that this relates to addressed mailings which are personalised: unaddressed mailings (letterbox drops) are a bit different again.

1. How many responses do you need to break even?

Be sure to carry out a detailed cost-benefit analysis before committing to anything.

Hint: FX Marketing clients who are on a Marketing Success Programme have a calculation sheet to help with this: see the "Measurement" section of your folder, or ask us for extra copies.

My advice would be to err on the very conservative side for your estimates: it's better to have an unexpected success on your hands than a big, expensive flop!

2. Target the recipients carefully

Make sure your mailing gets the best possible response by sending it out to the most likely targets.

Hint: If you're not sure how to do this, FX Marketing can help as we have access to fabulous profiling tools such as Mosaic.

3. Personalise your mailing to build a relationship

Fact: Personalising your mailing increases the response rate.

As well as the standard "Dear Mr Smith" or "Hi Jane", get creative with the personalisation, e.g.:

"As a Birkenhead resident...."

"Your dog Fido...."

... and so on.

With mail merge technology, this is easy - and so effective! It grabs attention and stimulates interest.

4. Make it bulky

Put something bulky inside the envelope to make it grab attention from the outset.

Fat, bulky envelopes build anticipation... so get creative with the bulky insert. Use a branded gift, or make it something fun and a bit different.

And for maximum effectiveness, link the theme of the freebie into the headline of your letter, so that the connection is apparent and meaningful.

(Hint: if you're stuck for ideas, FX Marketing would be pleased to help!)

5. Make it stand out

Great, you've grabbed the recipient's attention... now you need to interest them in your product or service.

Both the envelope and letter are tools to be used, for example:

Use a coloured envelope.

Put CopyDoodles on the envelope.

Use a postcard rather than the usual letter.

Make the letter colourful.

Use a funny or eye-catching photograph.

Write an irresistible headline.

Hand-write the address on the envelope.

Remember, your direct mail piece needs to follow the AIDA framework. Not sure what AIDA is? There is a FREE download from FX Marketing's Resources web page - just go to the "FREE articles" sub-heading.

6. Make the letter relevant and easy to read

Put yourself in your prospect's shoes: what's important to them? What are they looking for? What motivates them? Once you've got this sussed, you're ready to start writing the letter.

Writing in terms of WIIFM (What's In It For Me) is essential... for example, use the words "you" and "your" frequently; avoid "we" and "us"; write in terms of benefits, not features.

How the letter is laid out is essential too: use headlines, sub-headings and bullet points. Put important things in bold. Use CopyDoodles.

Hint: this is something that many businesses actually find very difficult to do, so if you're struggling with this, be assured you're not alone! And FX Marketing is here to help!

7. Build up the trust

So far so good! You've got your prospect's attention and they're now reading your sales letter.

The next step is to assure them that you're a reputable business that they can trust. To do this, use ALL of the following:

Include testimonials from happy customers.

Include a copy of your corporate brochure or profile document.

Clearly state your guarantee.

8. Clear and enticing call to action

What do you want your prospect to do when they've finished reading the letter? You need to make this obvious and enticing! Give them an incentive to call you RIGHT NOW!

Make sure you include your phone number AND your email address AND your website... and make them large and prominent.

9. Use response codes

The smart business owner will want to test different headlines and different offers to see which works best, so that the marketing campaign becomes a valuable learning exercise. (It'll make future decision-making so much easier!)

But how to keep track of all the different versions of letters and other campaigns? That's where response codes come in.

This would involve using words such as: “please mention code XY12 when you call us to get this great offer!”.

This would allow more accurate measuring - just be sure that:
* Each code is used only once.
* A central spreadsheet logs all the codes, offers and responses.
* You include this in your sales script: some callers may need to be prompted.

10. Follow up on your mailing

Following up on your mailing dramatically improves the conversion rate! So be sure to plan for this by building it into your cost-benefit analysis.

If your time resources are limited, it's also a good idea to stagger the mailing itself so that you have enough time to give full attention to the follow ups.

Make your follow up a bit different to your original communication, e.g.:

Send a postcard.

Call your prospect on the phone.

Send them an email.

Just be sure that you're linking back to your original mailing, so that there is continuity and recall.

If you use these hints and tips, your direct mail campaign will have the very best chance of a great success. Good luck!!

Stand-out copywriting

2009-03-12T10:09:00.005+13:00

Introducing CopyDoodles - an amazing copywriting tool now being used by FX Marketing

FINALLY! A Copywriting Breakthrough Guaranteed To Supercharge Your Copy And Boost Response — Without Changing A Single Word…

If your sales letters aren’t getting the level of response you think you should be getting, then read on…

Here's 10 Reasons Why People Are Raving About CopyDoodles…

Makes copywriting projects fun!

Killer method to make your sales letter look like you personally wrote right to your reader!

Hand-drawn notes grab your reader’s eyeballs… and lead them to your call-to-action!

Creates a double readership path — perfect for catching the eye of speed readership…

FACT: Hand-written triggers increase response…

So easy to use… Even a five year old can use CopyDoodles!

No B.S. or fluff… CopyDoodles were created by a professional marketing consultant and copywriter for his real world clients!

Ends the bad habit of using more boring, cookie-cutter appearance copy for any of your marketing projects…

Hundreds of doodles to choose from.

Adds new life to your tired old sales letters!

In fact, CopyDoodles will add new life and boost response to your current marketing pieces without changing a single word!

Want to add CopyDoodles on your marketing materials?

Great! Just contact FX Marketing to get started!

PS. I'm not selling CopyDoodles; I incorporate them into your copywriting projects, so I do all the work for you - and at no extra cost to you!

Top 15 tips for writing killer ads that sell

2009-03-07T13:48:00.006+13:00

Did you know that there's a formula for successful ads?

It's true: experts have been testing different print ad formats for many years now and have been able to formulate some guidelines as to what works - and what doesn't!

To make it super-easy for you, I've added this info in the format of a simple, one-page document that you can use as your very own personal advertising checklist.

Stop wasting money on advertising that doesn't work!

You can download this info sheet (and other fab FREE articles) from the Resources page of my main FX Marketing website.

PS. If you need some help with your ads, just contact me.

(I can help with the concept and copywriting, and work with some very talented graphic designers who can create fabulous layouts.)

6 steps to a kick-ass customer referral programme

2009-03-04T12:13:00.009+13:00

Here's how to encourage your customers to recruit even more customers for you!

At the moment I'm working on developing a number of customer referral programmes with various clients. Though the industries, offers and mechanics are all quite different there are a number of common elements to consider.

Here are my pointers on how to create a hugely powerful customer referral programme...

1. Give your customers a service so amazing that they say, "WOW"!

First things first: you need to be giving consistently excellent service. No-one is going to recommend a business that gives terrible or lack-lustre service. So your business needs a good story behind it.

To show what I mean, here are some stories that are so dull that no-one's likely to repeat:

"I went to ABC Dentist and it didn't hurt too much."
"XYZ Plumbers installed my new bathroom OK. I paid my bill and never heard from them after that."
"I bought an ABC Gadget and it works OK. I managed to understand the instructions after reading them a few times."
"XYZ Mechanics put a new battery in my car and it's OK now."

And here are some stories that you wouldn't want your business to be part of:

"I went to ABC Dentist and it was really painful - AND their instruments looked filthy!"
"I got XYZ Electricians to install a new power point, and they left a terrible mess behind - it took me ages to vacuum up all the dust!"
"I bought an ABC Gadget and it fell apart after just 5 minutes! It's rubbish!"
"My car was repaired by XYZ Mechanics and they did all this extra work I didn't ask for, or approve, and the bill was astronomical!"

Instead, these stories make great conversations - and will get your business talked about in a good way:

"When I left ABC Dentist, the friendly nurse gave me a bag of freshly-baked Dental Buns to take home!"
"XYZ Plumbers installed my new bathroom and did a great job - they even left a bottle of posh bubble bath for me!"
"When I picked up my car from XYZ Mechanics, it had even been valeted for me, I've never seen my car look so clean and shiny!"
"When my ABC Gadget broke, the company replaced it without question AND gave me a spare set of batteries by way of apology!"

HINT: if you're stuck, then invest in a copy of "The Absolutely Critical Non-Essentials" by Paddi Lund immediately. It's a great read and will guide you through creating (and retaining) that WOW-factor, step-by-step. The aim is to turn your customers into raving fans who will willingly recruit new customers for you.

2. Find a way of facilitating referrals

Make it easy for your customers to tell your story and pass on your details.

A common way to do this is with a referral card of some kind. Or if your business is web-based, then an online system of some kind works well.

NB: I can help you with developing and implementing ideas! Contact me.

3. Think about rewards that will motivate your customer - and add value

Some businesses choose to offer a reward to incentivise referrals and speed up the word-of-mouth activity.

It can be a good idea to reward (a) the referrer, and (b) the referree.

Some schemes involve prize draws, so that only a select few win a reward. My feeling is that schemes that reward everyone will get a better uptake. People love instant gratification, rather than the possibility of a gift!

Any rewards offered must be fabulous in the eyes of the recipient: enough for them to shout your story from the rooftops! It's probably better to offer nothing at all, than something really dull or lacklustre.

And remember, it's all about perceived value, not the actual value of the item. Therefore value-added gifts of some kind work well; or contact your strategic partners for a relevant offer that's beneficial for them, you, and your customers.

It's best to avoid offering discounts: all that does is erode your bottom line. And to be honest, discounts aren't really all that exciting. 10% off; 20% off... yawn. But a free car valet? Or a bouquet of flowers? Yes please!!

4. Make it practical

The other thing to consider is that the reward has to be easy and practical to implement. I've seen some referral schemes offer bottles of champagne, which is great if you have a local wine shop that can pick, pack and send all the orders for you.

Otherwise you'll have to be prepared to spend a lot of time buying the champagne; buying boxes for it; writing labels; organising couriers... you get the picture!

5. Offer a choice of two rewards

Here's a sneaky tip: don't offer one reward - offer two.

Why? If you offer just one thing (e.g. a bottle of champagne), people then starting umming and ahhing if they want that item or not. For example, they start thinking: "do I really want champagne? I don't actually like it that much. Nope, I don't think I'll bother with this offer."

But if you offer TWO rewards (e.g. champagne or a bouquet of flowers), the thought process is quite different. People don't think "yes/no", they think "which one". For example: "hmmmm, I don't really like champagne much, but I would like a nice bouquet of flowers to brighten up my desk. Yes, I'll go for the flowers".

Don't be tempted to offer more than two rewards, that just makes the decision too hard!

Do send the rewards out promptly: a handwritten thank you card with it goes down a treat, too.

6. Test and measure!

As with all marketing, measure the response you get.

Try different offers and rewards too; if one thing doesn't work, try something else.

Your referral programme should be flexible and measurable so that you get the best results out of it. Perhaps survey some customers as to what they think of it: chances are you'll get some great feedback.

The world's smallest newsletter

2009-02-28T17:27:00.005+13:00

Don't let out of sight become out of mind...

Newsletters are a great way of staying in touch with your customers: like it or not, out of sight IS out of mind, so it's important you stay in touch with your clients.

That'll mean repeat sales, even recommendations and referrals... no doubt about it, your database is your most important marketing asset!

So it's common for me to recommend to clients they send a newsletter. Email ones are popular, as they're cheaper, quicker and easier than printed ones. But they're also a lot less reliable: not everyone will receive your email newsletter, due to spam filters, corporate firewalls and so on.

What's more, my hunch is that younger people respond better to email newsletters than older people. So if your client base is predominantly in their teens, twenties or thirties - email is fine.

But if your clients are in their 40s or 50s or older, then forget the emails and go for printed newsletters. (After all, cheaper is no good if no-one's looking at it or responding to it!)

Before we dismiss printed newsletters as too expensive, here's a really neat idea I just found on the internet: a newsletter on a postcard!

No envelope stuffing needed; just print labels and affix stamps.

Here's an example of what it could look like (though they can, of course, be better quality than this - this is just to show you the idea):

How much would it cost?

Say $500 for copywriting; $500 or more for graphic design; $360 to print 1,000 full colour postcards; $500 in postage; $100 for labels... a total of about $1,960.

The value of keeping hold of your customers? Priceless!

Source: http://www.marketingbestpractices.com/Articles/newsletter-marketing.htm

Consistency is king

2009-02-25T10:32:00.006+13:00

A month ago I started renting a cross-training machine: the goal being to lose some weight.

Now, I'm not big on exercise. In fact, I rather dislike it (other than dog-walking or sailing, which aren't huge calorie burners).

So to make sure that my new regime is manageable, I'm doing just 15 minutes every morning. That's all. No marathon sessions, because I just wouldn't stick to that kind of programme.

Despite not owning a set of scales, I still wanted to measure my progress (yes, I'm fanatical about measuring results!)

I'm proud to say that after a month I've lost a total of 11cm!

Great - but what's that got to do with marketing?

The key is: it's all about consistency. I've achieved a good result just by doing a small amount, regularly.

The same applies to marketing: you're far better off chipping away at your marketing tasks consistently each week, than doing a big, ball-busting campaign.

By doing a regular amount of marketing consistently, chances are you'll enjoy a fairly regular work flow (from existing customers as well as new enquiries).

On the other hand, the big, full-on campaigns might get a great response - but that will soon fizzle out again... and most businesses prefer to have a constant stream of customers, rather than massive peaks and gaping troughs.

Remember: consistent actions lead to consistent results!

How to network your way to success

2009-02-14T14:08:00.003+13:00

I'm a strong believer that referrals and word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective way to find new customers - especially here in New Zealand.

Networking involves actively pursuing this by expanding your contacts and circle of influence - as they say, it's now what you know, but who you know.

It's not just a case of attending meetings, but the whole approach that you take.

I've written an article with 12 handy hints which you can downloadd FREE from the Resources page of my main website - you'll see it under the sub-heading articles (where there are a number of other useful downloads, too).

Are you finding business tough?

2009-02-09T12:56:00.004+13:00

If you'd like your business to be about thriving rather than just surviving, it's time to think smart and stay ahead.

A friend shared this very cute movie clip with me over the weekend...

Once you get over the AHHHHHH factor, there are also some good business lessons we can take from this:

Sometimes, we may have to deal with Predators.

Predators can come in all shapes and sizes and from all directions: competitors, cstomers and suppliers may all upset your tranquility from time to time.

Doing what we usually do might not be enough to keep our Predators at bay.

To get a different result in the future, we might have to differently to how we did in the past.

We need to think smart, think quickly, be nimle and be prepared to try something new - even if it's scary and outside our usual comfort zone

Allies can be very useful: if both parties can work together, it can lead to some exceptional things happening.

Be prepared to look for new allies and see what you can offer each other.

Encounters with Predators can have a happy ending!

New words...

2009-02-05T19:21:00.006+13:00

... added to the Oxford English Dictionary

Being a copywriter, I enjoy the intricacies of the English language very much. Yep, I'm a geek who values proper spelling, punctuation and grammar :-)

Each year, the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words. These are always a real "sign of the times" and can make interesting reading.

Here are some of the more interesting additions from 2008:

ew int.

plus-one n.

podcasting n.

big whoop int. and n.

wantaway adj.

hellzapoppin' adj.

ecopolitics n.1

girlcott v.

Sources and more info: http://www.oed.com/news/updates/newwords0812.html and http://www.oed.com/news/updates/newwords0806.html and http://www.oed.com/news/updates/newwords0803.html

New year, new beginnings...

2009-02-05T18:58:00.002+13:00

... and the perfect time to stop any bad habits!

Have certain behaviours and attitudes been holding you - and your business - back in the past?

A new year is a great time for a new beginning.

Here's a light-hearted-but-serious clip... it's just so true!

Enjoy :-)

Have a great summer!

2008-12-23T11:22:00.008+13:00

Have you heard of the saying, "time is money"?

One of the things I learnt this year is that it isn't true: you can always make more money, but you can never make more time.

So treasure your time with your friends, family and loved ones this festive season. Whether that means snug, cosy evenings in the Northern Hemisphere, or living the beach life and soaking up the sunshine in New Zealand or elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.

I'll be be back in a few weeks time with fresh ideas for your marketing for the new year. Till then - happy holidays!

Making your business friendly - part 2

2008-12-21T09:12:00.002+13:00

In part 1 we talked about how important it is to make your business easy to find: let's face it, going to new places can be stresssful!

Once your customer has found your premises, now it's over to the staff to do their bit:

You, your staff - in fact everyone in your business - should be friendly too. Always!

I'll leave it to Jeffrey Gitomer to explain why this is so important, in his clip entitled "How Important Is Being Friendly"...

Making your business friendly - part 1

2008-12-19T15:45:00.022+13:00

Have you ever looked up a company and:

There's no map on their website, nor opening times. Anyway, you hop in your car and hope for the best...

You look up the address: you reckon you should be in the right place because your trusty map (or GPS unit) got you there... yet there is no street number marked on the building.

You can't find anywhere to park? All the spaces are either reserved, full, or threatening a tow-away... and every single on-street space is full too. So maybe you end up parking half a block away in a dodgy looking side-street and pray that your car (and its contents) will still be there later.

You're not sure which building is the right one? There are no signs or any other indication as to where you should be going.

On closer inspection, you can't even find an entrance door? So you then pluck up the courage to ask in another office, and the snotty receptionist gives you some half-baked directions which you don't quite understand (probably because she's just made them up).

You've now found the door, found which floor you're meant to be on, arrive there... but the door is locked/unmarked/etc.? (One time I took the stairs, simply because I prefer stairs to elevators, only to find that they led to a fire escape door which was locked... so I had to walk all the way back down and THEN take the lift! It was a hot, humid Auckland day and I was rather clammy by the time I found the reception area!)

Eventually find where you're meant to be, but are later than planned, hot, sweaty, in a bad mood, grumpy, etc?

I'm sure we've all had experiences like this to some degree.

And just imagine how hard the sales staff will have to work just to get you feeling at ease and happy to be there. They'll be starting on the back-foot right from the outset!

Personally, my heart sinks when I visit a business like this. I figure they may as well go home, not bother. If they care that little about the customer, why should I spend my money with them?

The business doesn't seem friendly (nor customer friendly) - so why should I do business with them?

Sadly this scenario is fairly common - and yet so easy to fix. Here are my pointers for companies who rely on customers (and suppliers) visiting them:

1. Have a "contact us" page on your website
On said web page, include:

All your contact details - including the physical address.

A map of your location. This is soooo easy using Google Maps - and free!
Your opening hours.

Car parking details. If there are reserved spaces, mention where they are: and if you know full well that they're nearly always taken, suggest where the best alternative parking spot is. If it's pay-and-display, let your customers know if they'll need cash or if they can pay with their cell phone or credit card. Better still, give them the coins or refund them their money.

A photo of the outside of your building (though this may already be covered by Google Maps Street View).

Any directions or instructions that will help your clients.

2. Invest in signage

As much as is necessary - don't skimp. Make it easy and obvious for customers to find your business - and if you find they often go the wrong way, do something about it! Be proactive!

In some cases, a simple self-printed and laminated page is better than nothing. Yet nothing is often all you see... that's just lazy!

Hint: if you do go for the DIY option, be sure to replace it regularly because paper does fade, get crumpled, rain-damaged etc.

Oh, and if your address includes a street number, please please display that street number somewhere on your building or shop-front. (I hope some high street retailers are reading this, as there's nothing more annoying than looking for a shop in a long street - such as Ponsonby Road - and no-one has got street numbers on their buildings!!)

Remember - there's no such thing as making your business too easy to find!

And a stressed out customer won't feel too get about spending money with an unfriendly business: chances are you may not see them again, and the stories they'll be telling their friends will be about what a nightmare they had finding the business, rather than raving about the excellent products or services on offer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In part 2 (which I'll add in a few days' time) I'll be talking about why it's important for your staff - and bosses - to be friendly.

In the news today

2008-12-16T08:45:00.004+13:00

No ordinary sailor

I was recently interviewed by the NZ Herald, and the double-page article features in today's "Just add water" supplement.

I'll try and get hold of an electronic copy to add here ASAP...

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UPDATE: seeing as yesterday's story is today's fish 'n' chips wrapper, you can read the PDF file of it here. Many thanks to the NZ Herald.

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Minnie the Marketing Mutt got a good few mentions in the article too: she just loves the boat! She comes racing with me every week so she's completely at home on FX.

And yes, she does have her own lifejacket! Here she is working the traveller during our Christmas cruise 2 years ago :-)

Thank you to all my lovely clients...

2008-12-15T15:37:00.003+13:00

This week it's all about you, my wonderful customers...

I've just mailed the last of my xmas cards, and now the prezzies for my top clients are wrapped.

Next step: deliver the gifts that I can, and courier the rest.

Alongside finishing last-minute client projects, it's quite a bit of work but for me it's very important to say "thank you" and acknowledge my clients.

Yes, I do this throughout the year too, but for me this time of year is about reflecting on the year that's been and looking forward to the year ahead: new goals, new challenges, new opportunities. An exciting time!

So it seems apt to finish the year with a "thank you". And it amazes me at how few companies do thank their clients. This year I started sending cards for work and referrals leading to work: and 90% of the time I get a call or an email saying "thank you for the thank you card"!

People love to feel appreciated, recognised and acknowledged. So if you're not already sending thank you cards in your business, why not make this a marketing goal for next year?

Remember: businesses lose 68% of customers not because there's anything wrong with your product or service, but because the customer felt an attitude of indifference on the part of the service provider. i.e. they didn't feel appreciated or made to feel special.

Oh, and it's perfectly OK to treat different customers differently. Why? Simple: in the words of Paddi Lund, "not all customers have the same value". In his book "Mobilising Your Customer Sales Force" he discusses on how to carry out an analysis of your A, B, C and D customers and why this is important.

How to implement your own "thank you" card system

The key to doing this successfully is to make it regular, routine, and systemised: it should be a part of your sales process.

Personally, I use a CRM system which prompts me to send a thank you card a week or so after the invoice has been paid. (A thank you sent after the payment has been made and the transaction is complete is viewed as being far more sincere than if it were sent BEFORE the payment).

The benefit of using the CRM system is that it ensures that everyone is acknowledged: nothing worse than to be inconsistent and let things slip through the gaps, that's not very professional!

Remember: consistently excellent customer service is your number 1 marketing tool!

Using scripts for the most common messages also saves a huge amount of time, rather than thinking of something fresh to write each and every time.

If you like this idea, I've got heaps more about it, and I call it part of your "WYCkit" (pronounced 'wickit') - it stands for your "Wow Your Customer Kit"... if you'd like to find out more, just drop me a line at info@fxmarketing.co.nz for a free and friendly chat!

It's an area of marketing that I'm absolutely passionate about, and best of all, when implemented well, it makes both business owners AND their customers happpier!

Do you wash your customers' feet?

2008-12-13T13:32:00.007+13:00

Figuratively speaking that is!

It means: do you help your clients with small, personal services?

Things that empower them and build trust?

What this means for you and your business will depend very much on the industry you're in. It could be:

Giving them a hand with their computer if they're stuck.
Serving them a drink when they're in your premises.
Helping them with their bags.
Helping them to fill in forms and paperwork.

... And doing it humbly; approaching them gently.

Why is this important? It's important because it builds trust. And if someone trusts you, they're more likely to buy from you. And the quicker they trust you, the sooner they'll buy. And they'll also tell all their friends about your fabulous service.

This plus many other trust-building techniques are outlined in Paddi Lund's special report on "The Secret World of Customers Who Like to Pay".

It's a little bit quirky but a very good read with some amazing analysis and ideas on how to build trust, to the point that they'll enjoy doing business with you so much that they will want to pay their bills on time!

So if you're looking for some good reading material over the summer months, this is it!

NB: you can only buy Paddi Lund's books from his website which you can easily access using the links provided here :-)

New websites just gone live!

2008-12-12T12:41:00.006+13:00

Congratulations to Ursula Wyss Hair Design and JBU (James Backhouse Upholstery) on their new websites!

The websites just went live this week.

Remember to keep websites updated (Google loves frequently updated websites) and test and measure the response you're getting.

A website is always work-in-progress: it's never finished!

Much like a blog :-)

How to justify using Facebook at work!

2008-12-12T12:39:00.001+13:00

If you're not sure what the point is behind Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace and other social networking sites, this if for you!

Perry Belcher explains how it can benefit your business - and how to do it effectively.

Many thanks go to my superb business coach, Jerome Jacobs, for sharing this one with me!

Bookshelf: The Four Hour Work Week

2008-12-01T15:31:00.001+13:00

... by Tim Ferriss.

A good read - very thought-provoking with some fabulous time management ideas. I've realised that I'm addicted to email and am trying to break the habit... it's not easy!

He's also got hints on outsourcing your life (the boring stuff you don't enjoy) and how to set up an online business that runs itself.

Hmmmmm!!!

Check out his website and blog: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/

11 practical marketing tips to help see your business through the recession

2008-11-15T13:11:00.001+13:00

This article featured in FX Marketing's November newsletter, and you can also download it from our website.

Just click here to download it!

(It's in PDF format so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it... if you don't already have it, you can download it for free here.)

Major performance progress for Silent Wind Turbine

2008-11-10T12:52:00.003+13:00

I've just updated my dad's website: http://www.silentwindturbine.com/

He's just made huge progress with a new blade shape that performs amazingly well at low wind speeds - and it looks good too!

And as the name suggests, the wind turbine is completely silent.

The project is being developed in the UK by my dad, Matthew Luethi, and there are currently opportunities for investors (particularly those with relevant expertise) to bring this product to market in 2009.

If you're interested, please contact Matthew Luethi directly via email: info@silentwindturbine.com

Speaking engagement

2008-09-19T19:53:00.006+12:00

Today I was guest speaker at the ActionCoach Advertising workshop.

My role was to talk about copywriting that SELLS!

There were over 60 business owners there and it was a great opportunity to share my passion for words and help businesses speak in a language which their customers understand.

(Many thanks to my wonderful business coach, Jerome Jacobs, for the opportunity!)

(WIIFM stands for "what's in it for me"... which is what your customers are going to be thinking when they're reading your promotional messages.)

Insider secrets for successful newsletter campaigns

2008-09-15T13:24:00.001+12:00

Are you thinking of starting a newsletter?

Or wondering if you're making the most of your existing one?

Confused if you should be mailing or emailing?

All your questions are answered in this info sheet by FX Marketing - available on the "Resources" page of our website, or just click here to download it.

(It's in PDF format so you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it... if you don't already have it, you can download it for free here.)

Congratulations to Stardogs!

2008-09-13T15:41:00.004+12:00

They've just opened their flagship dog grooming salon in Orakei, in addition to their current shop near St Lukes.

Doggy day spa treatments are on offer at both salons, including facials, deluxe pedicures and hot oil treatments!

If you're thinking that sounds a bit indulgent, they actually address common doggy problems such as smelly faces, sharp claws and dry, itchy skin. From $10 as an add-on, it's a treat that your dog will love!

FX Marketing helped Stardogs update their branding (thanks to Ross at RedSpark Creative for the fabulous design work) and we've totally revamped their website too.

You'll see there's even a "100% TLC guarantee" for your dog!

PS. This is where Minnie the Marketing Mutt goes for her pampering and grooming! She always gets heaps of cuddles :-)

Congratulations...

2008-08-12T16:00:00.003+12:00

... to Sharon Main of Aspire Brokers.

Her web page went live today!

Another blog...

2008-06-14T15:10:00.006+12:00

NZ villa restoration

A new blog documenting the renovation of my 1916 villa.

Check it out here.