BrandX, Inc.

Not everyone knows this but there is a secret formula to success when it comes to marketing. The other day a client was asking me how she should spend her marketing dollars.  She confessed she was being bombarded from all sides by every sort of ad salesperson imagin able and really didn’t know what she should do first.  I know so much about marketing that I sometimes “ download ” huge amounts of data to my clients, leaving them glassy-eyed and running for cover.  So in an effort at simplification, here’s a little secret that an every marketing pro knows but doesn’t necessarily confess .
Every successful business that has ever existed has followed these 4 basic steps on the road to success:

• Identity Development: First they’ve created & established a memorable identity.
• Lead Generation: Next, they’ve done something to bring in leads.
• Lead Qualification: Then, they’ve qualified those leads (they sorted out the bad ones & kept the good ones) by communicating their sales message and making the sale.
• Relationship Building: Finally, they put some effort into keeping their name or brand in front of their existing clients. [ That’s because the easiest sale will always be with an existing customer .]

And, it’s an advertising person’s job to make sure their clients have some advertising activities that support each of these four areas.  If any one piece is missing or weak, the sales cycle collapses and the client’s business will fail.
When trying to determine how to spend advertising dollars, ensure your Sales Circle is complete.  Make sure you have some “tactics” or projects in each of the following areas:

• Marketing, Advertising, PR & Social Media plans
• Name & Tagline creation
• Logo
• Campaign/look & feel
• Business Package – letterhead, envelopes & business cards
• Web URL – get your web address and host it so you can use that email account
• Email signature
• Uniforms
• Signage

Create a unique & memorable brand.
To create a brand that people notice and remember, you’ll need to select several items from this category: Corporate Identity/Brand Development

• Pay per click
• Landing page (for banners & PPC ads)
• Banner Ads
• Web listings
• HTML Emails
• SEO/Site Submissions

• Direct mail
• Magazine Ads
• Newspaper Ads

• TV Commercials
• Radio Commercials
• Theatre Ads
• Trade shows/Trade show booth/promotions

Get leads coming in the door and collect basic lead contact info.
Developing leads is the hardest part of any advertising…so to get people to call you, you have to identify and know who they are first and then target them specifically. To do that you’ll need to consider several of these: Lead Generation

• Website
• Brochures – print or digital
• Flyer/Product Spec Sheets
• Product Packaging
• Point of purchase displays
• Presentations/PowerPoint
• Product photos
• Product samples

Once you’ve got leads, tell them who you are and sell to them!To qualify your leads,  you’ll need to tell them WHO you are in a way that makes them want to buy. Keep your customers coming back for more. To do this you’ll need to select several items from this category: Lead Qualification

• Client Bio Sheet
• Corporate Background Sheet
• Referral sheet
• Quote/Proposal presentation format/design
• Folder
• Sales Pitch
• Giveaways
• Pricing Strategy

To help clients remember you when it’s time to buy more of your products or services, you’ll need to select several items from this category: Relationship Building/Brand Promotion

• Social Media
• HTML Newsletter
• Referral Program/package
• Promotions/Sweepstakes/Contests
• Customer Loyalty Programs
• Public Relations/Press Releases
• Sponsorship of local sports teams
• Join Chamber/Networking events
• Uniform
• Signage

Some people say to me, “But I’ve done X or Y and it didn’t work”.  If YOU are thinking that then refer back to item #1. Branding or your “Identity” is a foundational element to all marketing. If that section is weak then all the other sections won’t work as well as they can.  To translate that into plain English, if you don’t have interesting and memorable advertising, no one will notice you!!!!!  So keep in mind you need at least one or two things from each category (preferably more) and YOU have to hire someone with half a brain to help you apply all the other rules of advertising to everything you do.  If this isn’t your area of expertise, then why would you try to do this on your own?  Hey for all I know you’re a marketing & creative genius.  If so, go for it!  If not, as hard as it might be, don’t underestimate the complexity of communicating with your customers. HIRE someone who knows what they’re doing to make sure your advertising & marketing does as much as it can possibly do for you.

Emily Andros is an Addy award winning (www.aaf.org) advertising executive with over 20 years of agency and in-house experience.  She has specialized knowledge in the areas of advertising strategy, page layout readability, social media, trade shows and public relations that she enjoys writing about. She is a principal and creative director for Brand X Agency (www.brandx.me) and can be reached at emily@brandx.me.