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Marketing Experience

I have almost a decade of corporate marketing experience which includes work for two large NASDAQ listed companies and the position of World Wide Marketing Communications Manager. I was responsible for a seamless international corporate image and website that was simulcasts in four different languages. I have also held the position of telecommunications Bid Manager for a DSL modem producer. Most bids were in the $50 million dollar range and took months to reply to, with multinational teams working together to win. Now I have the opportunity to put this big business knowledge to use for small businesses and share with you the same tricks-of-the-trade used by the big boys.

Below are some of the pearls of wisdom I have collected and my point of view on these vital subjects.

Image & Branding
Image Management	Ensuring that all brochures, web sites, exhibitions and other campaign materials matched your image and that the image is used correctly by all outside sources.
Branding	If you have a new product line or company and you want to get off to the right start you should begin with branding. It is the decision making process that lends itself to be a roadmap for you company to follow where image and marketing are concerned.
World Wide Product Launches	As new products are released a campaign must be managed including advertising, website pages, brochures, marketing materials, press releases, press coverage, articles, what ever will call the right kind of attention to that product.

Websites	You just can't be in any kind of business today with out one! It has become the face of every company and a vital source for capturing and maintaining clients. It is an electronic greeting of "who we are, what we do, how we approach our work". Even a small website can say so much but it has to be done right. It must look appealing, match your market, be easy to navigate and easy to grow over time. Managing this delicate balance takes a keen eye for detail as well the ability to keep up with the changes, nothing on the web lasts long with out a face lift, but it shouldn't entail a full and costly redesign, this must be entered into the equation at the beginning.

Brochures	Brochures must follow form and function, but most of all they must get their message across instantly. You don't want a potential customer's eyes wandering around the page saying "What do these people do?" It must also match you image and be sustainable over time.

Advertising
TV	Stand out as much as possible, don't use gimmicks that don't get the point across and don't waste your precious advertising dollars on TV if it is the wrong medium for you needs!
Radio	Repeat, repeat, repeat, jingle, jingle, jingle, that's what gets a message across and stuck in the listeners head. It may cost more up front but if you need radio you need to get it right the first time.
Print	Have fun with print. You need to have your standard brochures and printouts but print can be a lot of fun too. A black and white or four color folded business card with a sample or gimmick attached can go a long way. There are so many creative and inexpensive things you can do to get top-of-mind awareness when you need it.

Press Releases	You can't believe how hungry the news stations are for a good story. If you are a new business just have the mayor or a prominent citizen to your ribbon cutting ceremony and let the press know they are coming. Let the right press people know you have a new product that is unique and why and they will probably write about it in their magazine, they are always in need of column fillers. The possibilities are endless for this important tool.

Magazine Articles	Most magazines are clamoring for good informative articles. If you have some expertise and can produce a good article you can usually get a good soft push about your company or product throughout the article and at the end. This can bring in all kinds of leads you could never afford otherwise.

Exhibitions	I have managed $500K booths at the worlds largest exhibition (Cebit) and $200 booths at the worlds smallest exhibitions and they can both be invaluable. You may stand there all day or all week and only talk to six qualified potential customers, but you got your name out there and usually just one or two of those potential customers turning into a real customer is all you need to get a reasonable return on your exhibition dollars.