So the economy is in a little bit of a slump. Customers don't seem to be buying. What's a company to do? Here are some low-cost marketing options to try that will hopefully keep you going during these tough times: Increase your advertising: Sounds counter-intuitive, but with less competition out there, now's the time when your message is more likely to be heard, as people cut their budgets in … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Get Publicity Now!
Many of you have expressed a need to gain publicity for your company, but aren't sure where to start, or how to get the attention of the media. Well, here are ten ideas for publicity which are sure to get your brain churning... 1. Capitalize on a trend or event. Think Texas Hold 'Em poker, Hurricane Katrina or airport security threats. If the media is already talking about it, and you can somehow … [Read more...]
Integrating your Marketing Tactics to improve the Effectiveness of Your Marketing Communications
I often receive requests only for a particular service that I offer, such as PR or SEO. As I talk to business owners and begin to learn about their sales and marketing strategies and goals, we discover that often choosing just one approach and running with it may not prove as effective. Why? For one, every marketing, advertising, PR or Internet tactic impacts and is also impacted by another … [Read more...]
Gain Credibility by Becoming a Published Author
Should you Write a Book? If you're looking for a good way to earn the esteem of those in your prospect list, look no further than the printed page...of your new book. I just helped one of my clients, speaker and community coach Jim Dittoe of Winning Communities, with his first book: 90 Days to a Winning Community, and we are in the process of promoting the book nationwide. He is hoping that … [Read more...]
How Good PR Can Help Your SEO Results
Have you exhausted all of your search engine optimization strategies and you're looking for a way to boost your website's popularity and drive additional traffic? You may not have thought about it before, but actually public relations (PR) is a great way to increase your natural/organic search engine results. And even better news - you don't have to be a Fortune 500 company to benefit from PR … [Read more...]
Starting your PR Campaign
Many people are perplexed when they think of starting a public relations (PR) campaign. So here are some tips to get the ball rolling. 1. Start with your PR Strategy First. What are your company's sales or customer acquisition goals? What is your unique differentiator (see my article on building your USP for more info)? What are the trends in your industry? What are your competitors doing to … [Read more...]
AimFire Marketing featured in the Indianapolis Business Journal
Some of you may have read the Indianapolis Business Journal article which profiled AimFire Marketing this past month. It talks about how I stepped out of my comfort zone a bit to start my Brownsburg, Indiana based marketing consulting business and how I'm balancing work life and family life, with my now 8-month old Elaina (who's crawling now...yikes! Time to start babyproofing the house). How do … [Read more...]
Why Consistent Marketing Can be a Key to your Success
Have you ever gone to the gym on a Monday and quit going on Friday because you hadn't seen the results on the scale? You need to give it more time, right? It's the same with our marketing activities. PR: If you get one media placement, you might get more. Or, if you haven't yet landed that front page story, keep on pitching, and someday you will. Email: People save/read my email newsletters for … [Read more...]
Bring Your Marketing Outdoors
Spring is in the air and it's the time of year to begin taking advantage of the great outdoors. But Spring Fever isn't just tied to your home or personal activities. In what ways can your business branch out and bring its marketing efforts outdoors? Here are some tactics to bring your marketing efforts outside and get your company some exposure at the same time: Putting up retail signage or yard … [Read more...]
The Marketing Mix: Are you Limiting Yourself with your Current Marketing Strategy?
Does your marketing strategy consist of only one or two tactics? I can't count the number of times I have read a business profile online or in the newspaper where the business owner is asked, "how do you market your business?" The number one response is usually, "Well, we rely mostly on word of mouth or customer referrals." While I'm not discounting the value of word of mouth marketing (it can be … [Read more...]