Creative Marketing Tactics

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – What Is Creative Marketing? ............................................................ 5

The Definition ................................................................................................... 6

The History ....................................................................................................... 6

The Evolution.................................................................................................... 7

Chapter 2 – How and Why Creative Marketing Works......................................... 9

The Element of Surprise................................................................................... 9

It Pays to Be Different..................................................................................... 11

Controls and Variables ................................................................................... 12

Fun with Case Studies.................................................................................... 14

Several Campaigns That Worked ............................................................... 15

One Campaign That Didn't.......................................................................... 16

Chapter 3 – Creative Marketing for Your Small Business .................................. 18

Advantages..................................................................................................... 19

Disadvantages................................................................................................ 20

Cost Breakdown: Money versus Effort............................................................ 21

Finding Your Target Market............................................................................ 24

Chapter 4 – Creative Marketing Methods........................................................... 28

Word of Mouth................................................................................................ 28

What is it? ................................................................................................... 29

How do you do it? ....................................................................................... 30

Summary..................................................................................................... 32

Canvassing..................................................................................................... 33

What is it? ................................................................................................... 33

How do you do it? ....................................................................................... 34

Summary..................................................................................................... 36

The Sign Says ................................................................................................ 37

What is it? ................................................................................................... 38

How do you do it? ....................................................................................... 38

 

 

 

 

Summary..................................................................................................... 41

Vehicle and Body Advertising......................................................................... 41

What is it? ................................................................................................... 42

How do you do it? ....................................................................................... 42

Summary..................................................................................................... 44

Promotional Items........................................................................................... 44

What is it? ................................................................................................... 45

How do you do it? ....................................................................................... 47

Summary..................................................................................................... 48

Chapter 5 – Digital Creative Marketing............................................................... 50

Establishing yourself....................................................................................... 50

Website basics............................................................................................ 51

Internet marketing basics............................................................................ 53

Going Viral...................................................................................................... 54

What is it? ................................................................................................... 55

How do you do it? ....................................................................................... 56

Summary..................................................................................................... 58

Beating the Blog Drum.................................................................................... 58

What is it? ................................................................................................... 59

How do you do it? ....................................................................................... 60

Summary..................................................................................................... 62

Chapter 6 – Rules and Regulations ................................................................... 63

Fairness in Advertising ................................................................................... 63

What It Means............................................................................................. 63

Spam Isn't Healthy.......................................................................................... 64

Weird Laws and Ordinances........................................................................... 67

Chapter 7 – Welcome to the Jungle ................................................................... 69

Table of Figures ................................................................................................. 71

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1 – How and Why Creative Marketing Works

Today's business market is an extremely competitive place. More businesses enter the

fray all the time: for the past ten years, more than 750,000 new startups spring into

existence across North America. Unfortunately, over 60 percent of new businesses fail

in the first four years.

Why do they fail? According to a study performed by the U.S. Department of

Commerce, there are three main reasons startup businesses fold:

 Lack of financial planning

 Poor sales skills

 Poorly planned and executed marketing

Creative marketing addresses all three of these concerns. It is one of the most

successful marketing methods available, and since it is low-cost and high-impact, you

won't need a huge advertising budget to take advantage of this powerful strategy.

What you will need is a basic understanding of how and why Creative marketing works.

The Element of Surprise

One of the reasons Creative marketing works is that the methods are often unexpected.

Many Creative campaigns are highly visible, and contain some sort of element that is

unique to the business using it.

 

 

 

 

Though it is something of a cliché by now, you should be prepared to “think outside the

box” when it comes to planning your Creative marketing campaign. The classic,

expensive methods of advertising your business should be employed sparingly, if at all.

These include:

 Yellow page advertisements

 Newspaper or magazine advertisements

 Radio or television commercials

Think about it: when is the last time you were heavily influenced by a yellow page,

newspaper, magazine, radio, or television advertisement? The fact is that today’s

consumers are so bombarded with advertising messages, they’ve learned to tune out

the traditional sources.

As a Creative marketer, your goal is to catch them off-guard, and advertise in

unexpected places. Many times, consumers won’t even recognize your marketing

efforts as advertising.

The good news is: you can usually do this for a fraction of the cost of traditional

advertising venues. Creative marketing trades effort for money. You will work harder on

your marketing than a mega-corporation with a million-dollar ad budget, but if you are

persistent and creative in your efforts, they will pay off.

It Pays to Be Different

Remember the old Arby’s slogan: “Different is Good”? This catchy little phrase could

serve as a basic premise for one of the primary reasons Creative marketing tactics are

so successful.

 

 

 

You might have a product or service that is completely unique. However, the chances

are greater that you’re competing with dozens or hundreds of other businesses for the

same market share. One of the strengths of Creative marketing is the ability to

capitalize on the aspect or aspects of your business that make you different -- and

therefore worthy enough for consumers to spend their hard-earned money on your

product or service.

So, what’s different about your business? Here is a brief list of possibilities to

investigate. Your business might offer:

 The best, friendliest, or most attentive customer service.

 The lowest prices.

 Products that are higher quality than the competition.

 A wider range of products than other businesses in your area or field.

 The simplest ordering methods.

 Fast, convenient, and/or reliable delivery.

 More expertise in your area than your competition.

 The most informative and easiest to navigate website.

This aspect of your business is sometimes referred to as your USP, or Unique Selling

Proposition. Once you have determined your USP, you know what makes your business

different -- and different is good!

Controls and Variables

As with any marketing campaign, there are a lot of different variables that concern the

outcome of your Creative marketing efforts. Some have to do with your business, which

is often largely in your control. Others have to do with your customers, which are not

always under your control.

 

 

 

When it comes to your business, the variables you will have to consider during the

planning stage of your marketing campaign include:

 Your location: If you run a brick-and-mortar business, where will your customers

come from? Is there a decent amount of walk-in traffic, or are you situated out of the

way? If you work from home or online, is your website at a good “location” - meaning

well ranked with search engines, and parked at a domain that is easy for people to

remember or stumble across?

 Your product or service: The specific tangible and intangible items offered by your

business will play a large role in determining how you’ll market yourself.

 Your target market: What is the best way to reach people who are most likely to

become your customers? Identifying and reaching your target market is covered more

extensively in chapter 3 of this book.

 Your attitude: Though this is not an aspect that is specific to your business, it is one

that you can control. If you remain positive and upbeat in your approach to business,

your marketing efforts will reflect that attitude -- and your customers will notice.

What about your customers? Other people’s reactions are for the most part beyond your

control. You may have the best sales pitch and the most compelling marketing

campaign out there, but potential customers who happen to be having a bad day when

they see your message aren’t likely to react in your favor.

However, there are some things you can control in regard to your customers. One of

these things is to understand why people buy -- what brings them from initial interest to

final sale. There are many different reasons, so you should determine which of them

might apply to your business and focus on them.

To name just a few, consumers buy products or services that will:

 Make them money (turnkey or reseller programs are a good example of this).

 Get them praise (gifts, new clothing).

 

 

 

 

 Keep up with the Joneses (when “everyone else” has something).

 Make them look younger, better, or smarter.

 Possess beautiful objects or works of art.

 Make them more comfortable.

 Be more efficient, either at work or at home.

 Make their work easier or faster.

 Help them avoid hard work.

 Protect their family or their possessions.

 Excite or entertain them.

 Inform them or enrich their lives.

 Allow them to escape stress.

 Boost their popularity or reputation.

 Save them money or time.

 Help them express emotions to others.

 Satisfy their curiosity.

 Attract the opposite sex.

 Help them avoid missing an opportunity.

It is important to become familiar with the needs your business fulfills for your

customers. Armed with this knowledge, you can build a marketing campaign that points

out the benefits consumers will realize when they purchase your product or service.

Fun with Case Studies

Does Creative marketing really work? Since the widespread embrace of the concept,

many companies have undertaken successful Creative marketing campaigns.

Innovation is often the key to a thriving business, and the following companies are

examples of Creative effectiveness in action.

 

 

 

 

Several Campaigns That Worked

Saint Paul, Minnesota: Before the opening of the first Crazy Carrot Juice Bar, marketer

Eric Strauss engaged in some forward thinking. He spent $73 to put together a life-sized

carrot costume, which was worn at several special events around town.

Over the next year, the “Carrot” made many public appearances. It was featured in

various print, radio, and television media, and became largely responsible for

catapulting the company’s success. Eventually, the Crazy Carrot Juice Bar expanded to

five stores and 65 employees, and was then sold to industry giant Jamba Juice -- all for

a mere $73 investment.

Irvington, New York: The Flying Fingers Yarn Shop, just outside of Manhattan, was

looking to expand its customer base. At the suggestion of a marketing consultant, the

company secured three giant balls of yarn, complete with knitting needles, to the roof of

a modified van and called it the Yarn Bus.

On weekends, the Yarn Bus travels between Irvington and NYC, promoting visibility and

making special appearances at news events. Flying Fingers has seen a good increase

in store traffic, but more importantly, people who might not make the physical trip to the

store are made aware of their website, where they can learn about knitting classes

offered by the store and purchase knitting supplies. The high visibility of the Yarn Bus

has produced excellent results.

Manhattan, New York: Even not-for-profit businesses look to expand their reach. The

Marble Church sought a way to attract younger members and revitalize their

congregation. So, they turned to a marketing firm who came up with some unusual

ways to get the word out.

One Labor Day weekend, hundreds of weekend visitors to the Hamptons spotted an

airplane banner bearing the intriguing message: “Make a friend in a very high place.

 

 

 

 

Marblechurch.org.” In addition, the church rented a low-cost mobile billboard (mounted

on the side of a van) that drove around Manhattan. The sign read: “In This Town It

Doesn’t Hurt to Have God on Your Side.”

These creative messages, delivered in creative ways, introduced Marble Church to

people who would otherwise never have heard of the place. As a result, the church

reported a 31% increase in membership.

Oregon: Odd giveaways abound. People are intrigued by the unusual, which may

explain why the Les Schwab tire dealership’s “free beef in February” promotion keeps

customers coming back, or why a nearby bank receives excellent local media coverage

for their yearly tradition of giving away free Vidalia onions to anyone who walks in.

One Campaign That Didn't

Remember the backfiring efforts mentioned in the first chapter?

Recently, a Creative marketing campaign took a surprisingly bad turn in Boston,

Massachusetts. In an effort to promote a new animated television series, Aqua Teen

Hunger Force, the Cartoon Network designed and installed 40 magnetic light displays

depicting characters from the series, and mounted them in various locations in and

around Boston.

Unfortunately, Boston citizens reacted with suspicion to the devices, which included

batteries and wires hooked to the back of the placards to control the lights. Reports of

the signs caused a city-wide panic in post-9/11 fashion, and "an army of emergency

vehicles" responded to the situation. Several bridges, subway stations and highways

were closed while police examined and in some cases destroyed the signs.

 

 

 

What marketing impact did this incident have for Cartoon Network? It certainly raised

awareness of the program, but when it comes to your business, you may not want this

level of advertising. TV columnist David Hiltbrand stated for the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"Those wacky marketing guys at Turner Broadcasting. Because, let's face it, nothing

says cartoon hijinks quite like a red-level terrorist threat."

 

 

 

 

Chapter 2 – Creative Marketing for Your Small Business

In this chapter, we’ll start with a closer look at what Creative marketing entails, and then

discuss some of the groundwork you should be doing before you plan and execute your

campaign.

Unlike other marketing methods, which rely on a huge influx of cash and resources

designed to bring about immediate results, Creative marketing takes time and continual

effort to sustain. In any marketing venture, it can be difficult to gauge the effectiveness

of a particular technique. When it comes to Creative marketing, you will notice results

that are a culmination of many different areas.

Let me introduce you to Jay Conrad Levinson from http://www.gmarketing.com

According to the father of the intense ‘out of the box’ Guerrilla marketing, the following

basic principles lie at the heart of the Creative world:

 Though large corporations have used Jay’s Guerrilla techniques with some success,

the methods are best geared for small businesses.

 Creative marketing is based on principles of human psychology -- the study of the

various ways consumers react to a marketing message -- rather than experience and

guesswork.

 A combination of marketing methods is a must for Creative success -- do not rely on

a single advertising venue

 Embracing current technology is of primary importance. Creative marketing is all

about the cutting edge.

 You should plan to invest significant portions of time, energy, and creativity into your

Creative marketing strategy, rather than money.

 Instead of sales volume, your business success should be measured in profits.

 Creative marketing campaigns concentrate on building new relationships with

complementary businesses, rather than trying to beat out the competition.

 

 

 

 

 Shift your focus away from getting new customers; instead, aim for more, larger

transactions with existing customers and more customer referrals (facilitating word of

mouth, which is discussed in the next chapter).

Is Creative marketing right for your business? In most cases, the answer is yes.

Advantages

We’ll start with the good stuff:

 Creative marketing is cheap. At the high end, you may end up investing a few

hundred dollars in promotional items or a major, centralized piece that you can build a

number of different campaigns around (such as the carrot suit in the examples listed

in chapter 2). At the low end, it’s free -- and you can’t beat free!

 In addition to growing your business, Creative marketing involves networking, both

with your customers and with other businesses. In the process of executing and

maintaining your campaign, you will make a lot of new friends and allies.

 Creative marketing is specifically tailored to meet the needs of small businesses,

whereas traditional advertising venues are complicated and expensive to the point of

exclusion (bordering on snobbishness).

 Many aspects of Creative marketing campaigns are just plain fun! You get to

perform wacky stunts and engage in unusual activities, all in the name of working for

a living.

 Creative marketing works. If you do your research, plan your campaign, and stick

with it, you will more than likely end up with a better and more profitable business.

Disadvantages

And now, the bad:

 

 

 

 Creative marketing works -- but it is not completely failsafe. It is, after all, advertising;

which is far from an exact science. The number of variables involved in advertising

guarantees that nothing is 100 percent effective.

 As with any advertising campaign, you will not be able to pinpoint exactly what works

and what doesn’t. Obtaining measurable results is difficult (but not impossible, unlike

other marketing techniques).

 Creative marketing requires a greater level of dedication and energy than traditional

advertising venues, which often consist of throwing large amounts of money at other

people to do the work for you.

 If you’re looking for a quick fix, Creative marketing is not your solution. You will not

see instant or overnight results stemming from your efforts. An investment of time is

required in order to achieve your business sales goals.

 Creative marketing is not for the thin-skinned or faint of heart. At the very least, you

will have a few detractors who find fault in your methods. At worst, you may be

threatened with legal action (which is why it’s so important to check your local laws

before engaging in a Creative marketing campaign).

Cost Breakdown: Money versus Effort

What is worth more: your money, or your time?

This is the trade-off involved in Creative marketing. You don’t need a lot of money, but if

you don’t invest your time, your efforts will not pay off. The principles behind Creative

marketing (listed in the beginning of this chapter) require planning, groundwork, and

effort.

How can you tell whether it’s worth the trade-off?

Here is a brief, hypothetical example.

 

 

 

 

One popular marketing method is to send out e-mail announcements in the form of a

regular weekly or monthly newsletter. You could build a mailing list and create your own

newsletter (the Creative method) or you could buy advertising space in another

business’s newsletter (the traditional method).

If you choose to advertise in another newsletter:

 You will spend somewhere between $100 and $1000 for premium space in a widely

read newsletter (e-zine) with a big subscriber list. You may end up spending more for

consecutive ads, since consumers typically need to see your message 3 to 7 times

before they’ll buy.

 You will spend a few to several hours researching e-zines, writing your

advertisements or article, and contacting the e-zine owners in order to schedule your

ad’s appearances.

 You will typically see a conversion rate (number of people who read your

advertisement compared to number of people who become your customers) of 2 to 5

percent - slightly higher than the conversion rate of a direct mail campaign. This rate

typically goes up a few percentages with subsequent advertisements, depending on

the effectiveness of your copy (the wording of your message).

If you create your own newsletter or e-zine:

 You will spend $0 to $100 (you may decide to invest in desktop publishing software,

list management software or services, or an upgraded Internet service provider plan

to handle additional web traffic).

 You will spend several hours to several months building your opt-in subscription

base, through methods like sign-up boxes, refer-a-friend programs, e-zine directory

listings, and word of mouth.

 You will realize the typical conversion rate at first (2 to 5 percent) - but you will never

have to spend another penny for advertising, because you own the newsletter or e-

zine. Your subscription base will continue to grow, and your sales resulting from your

 

 

 

newsletter will increase exponentially, rather than in the measured bursts you can

expect from the “traditional” method.

One thing to be wary of when you’re building an e-zine subscription base is buying bulk

lists and using “free traffic” programs to bulk up your subscribers. Though this will give

you some impressive numbers, the majority of these will either delete your e-mails

unread, or unsubscribe as soon as they’ve met the requirements of whatever benefit

they signed up for. The best results will come from a carefully targeted subscriber list

that you have built yourself.

Determining your money-versus-time factor

How can you figure out whether the time you’ll invest in a given Creative marketing

campaign is worth the trade-off in advertising dollars -- assuming, of course, that you

have a substantial advertising budget to begin with? (If you don’t, no worries; you don’t

need one!)

You can get a rough estimate of your results by performing the following steps:

1. Determine a traditional advertising venue that most closely relates to your intended

Creative marketing effort.

2. Estimate the total monetary cost of each method.

3. Estimate the total time investment involved with each method.

4. Assign a reasonable dollar value to each hour of your time you would invest ($15 an

hour is a good average).

5. Add monetary costs and per-hour time costs to each method, arriving at two separate

totals.

6. Calculate a projected profit resulting from each of the methods (don’t forget to factor

in the “snowball” effect gained from Creative marketing through repeat business and

customer referrals - most traditional advertising venues are one-shot deals).

7. Subtract total cost from total profit.

 

 

 

 

This will give you a general idea. Usually, the Creative marketing campaign will end up

looking like a much better deal.

Finding Your Target Market

Before you attempt to sell your products or services, you need to know to whom you’re

selling them. Market research is an important step in any advertising campaign, and one

that is unfortunately overlooked too often. Without a good handle on your target market,

you will be wasting your time, effort and money.

The most effective marketing is designed to specifically reach the people who are most

likely to buy your product or service. This is one reason why traditional advertising has

such a low response rate. Just about everyone has access to television, radio, and print

media like newspapers and phone books. Only a small percentage of those people will

be in your target demographic.

There are two steps to target marketing, which is also referred to as niche marketing.

The first is to define your target, and the second is to find ways to reach them. Once you

have accomplished these steps, you can incorporate this information into a Creative

marketing campaign that will give you the most bang for your buck (or more likely, your

efforts).

Identifying your niche

This step involves a close analysis of your business. Much like an investigative reporter,

you need to determine the who, what, where, when, and why of your customer base.

Ask yourself the following questions:

 Would your product or service appeal more to men, women, or both genders

equally?

 

 

 

 

 What age range does your product or service appeal to? (Note: if your business sells

products or services for children, parents are your target demographic).

 What is the range of income and education level of the people who may be

interested in your product or service?

 Are they single? Married? With children? Retired?

 How will your customers use your products or services? Is there a potential for

repeat business?

 Does your product or service fall into the category of needs (food, clothing, shelter)

or wants (luxury items)?

 What makes your product or service unique (your USP -- discussed in Chapter 2)?

 Is your product an impulse buy (books, shoes, gourmet food) or an investment (cars,

boats, computer hardware or software)?

 How are transactions for your product or service typically carried out -- online, mail

order, or in person? Cash, check, or credit cards? A single payment, multiple

payments, or monthly recurring fees?

 How do your potential customers typically become alerted to new products or

services? Online, through public advertisements, from the news media, or some other

method?

You may even want to develop a profile of your ideal customer (for example, 20-30 year

old single college-educated females, or 40-50 year old married males with middle-class

incomes) to help you pinpoint your target market.

Locating your niche

Once you have determined what type of customer you’re looking for, you have to find

where they hang out. Do they frequently eat at restaurants or go to movies? Would

they be more likely to spend an afternoon at a shopping mall or a library? Are they

frequent travelers, and would you be able to reach them at airports and bus or train

terminals?

 

 

 

 

For online marketing, you can often find specific forums for your target demographic.

Keep in mind that when you’re marketing online, you have to build a rapport with online

communities before you can start pitching your business. After all, you wouldn’t walk

into a complete stranger’s house and shove your products in their faces demanding a

purchase, would you? This may sound like an extreme example, but when it comes to

Internet protocol, this is exactly what people seem like when they drop into forums and

immediately start posting advertisements and special deals.

Use the information you find about your target customers’ buying habits to determine

the best ways to focus your Creative marketing efforts. If your customers like to eat out,

consider striking an exchange with a local restaurant. If they travel, think about bus

billboards or materials you can hand out in terminals.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3 – Creative Marketing Methods

Now that you know what Creative marketing can do for your business, it's time to learn

how to do it! In this chapter, we'll explore some of the methods you can use to build

buzz and grab your customers' interest.

Keep in mind that there are many different approaches to Creative marketing, and your

strategy should include some elements that are unique to your business. You don't have

to follow these methods to the letter -- in fact, experimentation is a great way to hit on

that perfect marketing strategy that will deliver the gold for you. Feel free to tweak

these methods and create an approach that is uniquely yours.

Word of Mouth

Word of mouth marketing is arguably the most powerful and effective strategy out there.

Unfortunately, it is also the most elusive and difficult to control. This marketing method

relies more on your customers than on your efforts, and can usually be traced to the

quality of your product or service.

To put it another way: word of mouth marketing happens when a product or service

"sells itself."

What is it?

People like to talk. Word of mouth marketing, basically, is giving them something to talk

about: your business. It is building a "buzz" about your product or service, and letting

your customers do the marketing legwork for you by telling friends, family, and

sometimes even complete strangers if they're excited enough.

 

 

 

 

Word of mouth marketing is powerful, because it is genuine. You can't fake this

phenomenon. When people believe what you have is worth mentioning to others,

they're going to be enthusiastic -- and that enthusiasm helps to generate even more

business for you in the form of new customers and wider market recognition.

There are many different forms word of mouth marketing can take. Just a few of them

are:

 Viral marketing: Crafting and distributing a high-impact message that it easy to

pass along to others—often through e-mail (viral marketing will be discussed further

in Chapter 5).

 Community marketing: Joining or forming a shared-interest community whose

members are likely to enjoy your product or service. Note that with community

marketing, it is important to place the good of the community first, and marketing

efforts last. Marketing will evolve naturally through participation.

 Buzz marketing: Creating an air of excitement or mystery around your business,

usually through news, entertainment, or underground campaigns.

 Grassroots marketing: Coordinating groups of volunteers to spread your message

on a personal or local level.

 Cause marketing: Dedicating part of your business to a social cause, which in turn

earns respect and support from others dedicated to the same cause.

 Conversion creation: Catch phrases, promotions, launch parties, and other

memorable tools or events designed to spread through word of mouth.

 Product seeding: Identifying influential or key individuals and getting your product

or information into the right hands at the right time.

How do you do it?

 

 

 

 

As previously stated, even though word of mouth is effective, it's hard to pull off. If you

try to fake a buzz for your business, consumers will smell a scam and your efforts will

backfire.

There are, however, a few things you can do to help encourage word of mouth

advertising to start on its own.

1. Have a quality product or service. This may sound too obvious to consider, but it is

perhaps the most important factor in word of mouth marketing. Make sure your

customers are getting what they pay for. Research the competition -- you're going to

want to know if several other businesses are offering comparable products or services

at far lower (or higher) prices than you. If possible, back your product or service with a

guarantee or warrantee.

2. Put your customers first. A happy customer is one who feels their purchases are

important to your business. Happy customers are potential word of mouth marketing

sources. Make delivering on your promises a top priority. If you offer fast shipping, be

certain your products are always delivered in a reliable and timely manner. If your

service promises quick turnaround, make sure you never miss a deadline. Address

customer complaints and problems immediately and personally, and consider offering

refunds or bonuses for dissatisfied customers.

3. Identify and speak to your target market. Who is interested in your products or

services? Where do they tend to gather -- either on or off-line? Blanket advertising is

ineffective at best. Your marketing efforts should be concentrated on those venues or

locations where your target consumer group is most likely to see your message. Once

you create a community buzz among people whose shared interests lead them to your

business, your marketing campaign becomes self-supporting.

4. Make it easy for your customers to tell others about your business. Word of mouth

marketing is based on spreading your message. However, if interested customers don't

 

 

 

have a way to share their enthusiasm with others right away, they may not remember

what excited them about your product or service. Provide your face-to-face customers

with business cards, flyers, or an accessible sign-up list for your company newsletter

(you do have a newsletter, don't you?). Online, tools such as forums and refer-a-friend

programs will help to facilitate spreading the word.

5. Listen and respond. If you receive a single complaint, you can often deal with it on a

personal, individual basis. However, if you receive several similar complaints, you may

need to do more than simply reply to the dissatisfied customers. Be prepared to make

changes in your business according to the wants and needs of your customers. This

applies to positive suggestions as well as complaints. Also, if you discover that your

business is being slammed, don't be afraid to defend yourself in a logical, reasonable

manner (avoid flame wars). Customers respect businesses that are willing to admit their

mistakes and will try to repair the damage.

Summary

 Word of mouth marketing happens when a product or service "sells itself" through

the enthusiasm of the consumer

 Word of mouth marketing cannot be faked; it stems from genuine compassion on the

part of both business and customer

 There are many different forms word of mouth marketing can take

 Word of mouth marketing cannot be engineered, but it can be encouraged

 The customer is the most important factor in word of mouth marketing

 Word of mouth marketing is one of the least expensive and most powerful forms of

Creative marketing

Canvassing

 

 

 

You may have seen this term used in conjunction with political campaigns, and in fact

that's one of the most common reasons to employ canvassing. However, this technique

can also be used effectively for Creative marketing.

What is it?

Canvassing refers to advertising that reaches out to a group of target consumers,

usually in the same geographic location, on an individual level. A simple example of a

canvassing campaign would be a new pizza place sending its employees out with

stacks of flyers, to be left on or under as many doors in their delivery area as possible.

Other canvassing techniques include:

 Door to door introductions (think Jehovah's Witness here).

 Parking lot flyer distribution.

 Sidewalk or mall sampling.

 Telephone campaigns.

How do you do it?

Though there is some monetary expense involved in most canvassing campaigns

(usually to print the materials you plan to distribute), this type of marketing can be both

inexpensive and effective. There are three stages to a successful canvassing campaign:

planning, preparation, and distribution.

Planning: This, of course, is the most important. You have to plan the materials

themselves, and you also have to determine the distribution area or method that will be

most effective for you and your business.

 

 

 

For a local business, you will of course be interested in canvassing locally. You can

distribute flyers door to door (be sure to check your area laws before you start passing

out material this way), hang them on community bulletin boards or telephone poles

(again, check with local ordinances here), or plan an area mailing campaign.

You can also make arrangements with other local businesses to hand out your

materials (flyers, business cards, brochures, and bookmarks, to name a few) in

exchange for advertising for them. If you have materials available, be sure to stay alert

in regards to community events that may attract your target market.

If your business is primarily online, your canvassing area will consist of websites and

forums your target customers frequent, as well as individual e-mails. Be sure to do your

research and have a list of these places, along with the methods you can use to attract

interest there (banner ads, forum memberships, guest blogging, articles, newsletters,

and the like).

When planning your materials, make sure you spend some time getting them as

attractive and interesting as possible. Comb your wording for spelling and grammatical

errors -- not only can these make for a bad first impression to customers, but they can

also end up with some unintended consequences. As an extreme example, imagine

what would happen if the Motel Six chain missed a typo, and launched an advertising

campaign for Motel Sex!

Your mistakes may not be as outrageous, but if you make a mistake in your advertising

materials, your customers will be more likely to remember you for your mistakes than

the quality of your products or services.

Also, make sure your material is exciting and compelling. Remember your USP? Take

the aspect of your business that sets it apart from your competitors and emphasize it in

your marketing copy. If you can come up with a catchy phrase or slogan, a recognizable

 

 

 

icon, or a fun play on words that describes your business, this short and sweet message

can go a long way on your materials.

Preparation: Once you’ve decided on your materials, you have to create them. If you

are sending out a small batch of flyers, business cards, or brochures, you may be able

to make them yourself with a high-quality printer. A commercial printer is usually more

economical for larger quantities. Places like Staples and Kinko’s have become more

affordable than ever, and there are several competitive online companies like

VistaPrint.com to choose from as well.

You will need to supply the printer with a file to print from. With the proliferation of

desktop publishing software, you will likely be able to design the materials yourself.

However, be sure to invest a lot of time and make it a professional presentation. If you

don’t feel confident in creating great-looking and sounding promotional material, you

may want to consider hiring a freelance designer or copywriter -- you’ll pay a one-time

price for material you can use over and over.

Distribution: This refers to actually getting the material to your customers. You can

distribute flyers yourself, or enlist volunteers to help. Volunteers, partners, or anyone

who’s willing to spend some time helping you promote may be willing to stand in high-

traffic areas like malls or transportation terminals and hand out your material.

You may be mailing out your materials, in which case your distribution involves a trip to

the post office. If you’re partnering with another local business, you’ll simply have to

drop off a stack of materials with them.

If you plan an online canvassing campaign, it’s a good idea to try and coordinate the

various venues and have them hit within the same time frame. Multiple banners, ads,

articles, forum posts, blog entries, and e-mails that reach your target audience more

than once will help to reinforce your business in their minds, and help them remember

you the next time they need your product or service.

 

 

 

 

Summary

 Canvassing is any marketing method that reaches multiple consumers on an

individual basis

 There are many forms of canvassing, including flyer and brochure distribution,

sampling, telephone or door-to-door marketing, and online campaigns

 Canvassing is most effective when you have researched your target market

demographic and can access a number of them in the same area

 Other businesses make excellent canvassing partners, since you can reach all of

their customers without much effort

 Canvassing relies on a strong message and well-written material to achieve results

 Distribution, the final step of canvassing, can take place in person, online, or through

a third party

The Sign Says

Signs are everywhere. A good sign can be a great tool for your business, and in true

Creative marketing style, it doesn’t have to cost much.

What is it?

A sign is any at-a-glance advertisement for your business. They range in size from

matchbook covers to billboards, and can be found in a wide variety of locations. Signs

are familiar to just about everyone, because there are so many of them. Unfortunately,

this means people often overlook them.

How do you do it?

 

 

 

 

If you want to use signs as part of your Creative marketing campaign, there are two

important factors you need to consider: design and placement

What it should look like

Creating an effective sign means making it stand out from its surroundings, and giving it

some individual and memorable characteristics. At the same time, you have to strike a

balance between information and clutter.

You may want to consider hiring a professional designer. As with printed advertising

materials, the one-time investment often proves worthwhile, since you can use the

design over and over again.

However, if you feel confident that you can create your own signs, here are some tips

for effective design:

 Make sure it’s legible from the distance most people will view it. At the least, you will

include your website and/or phone number, but if no one can read your sign, they

won’t contact you for more information.

 Speaking of information, don’t include too much. The object of a sign is to get people

interested in learning more about your business, so don’t attempt to close a sale with

just your sign.

 Apply the KISS principle: Keep It Short & Simple. Elaborate designs and excessive

wording will distract rather than attract attention. Ideally, your sign should contain 3 to

10 words in addition to your contact information.

 Include a “grabber” element -- either a strong word or phrase in large text, or an

intriguing image or company logo.

 Pay attention to color scheme, and make sure they are contrasting enough to stand

out so everything is easily legible. Some excellent color combinations include black

on white, black on yellow, white on black, yellow on black, and blue on white.

 

 

 

 

 What is not there is just as important as what is. You should incorporate

approximately 30 to 40 percent of “white space” (not necessarily white, but space with

no words or images on it) in the overall design of your sign.

Where to put it

After you design your sign, you’ll need to figure out where to put it. Of course, there are

the traditional places -- billboards, storefronts, bulletin boards, and the like. You can

also get creative and find other places or venues for your signs.

 Restroom signs are becoming more popular. Some businesses will allow you to

advertise in their bathrooms, and one creative company has actually placed

advertisements inside men’s urinals with some success.

 Roadside placement: Got a house on a road with decent foot or vehicle traffic? How

about friends in prime locations? Try placing a sign in your front yard, and recruiting

friends to do the same.

 Check with community event coordinators -- you may be able to place signs at bake

sales, fundraisers, and other local happenings.

 Consider swapping signage space with other businesses in your area for greater

exposure.

Summary

 Though signs are associated with traditional advertising, they can be part of a

successful Creative marketing campaign

 A sign is any at-a-glance advertisement for your business

 Design and placement are the two key elements for successful signs

 Creative sign placement can boost your signs’ effectiveness

 

 

 

 

Vehicle and Body Advertising

This space for rent: Attractive signs for your business are great, but they are stationary

-- the only people who see them are those who walk or drive by them. In many ways,

mobile signs can attract more attention.

What better way to get your signs in motion than to put them on a moving vehicle... or a

moving person?

What is it?

Vehicle advertising: The most obvious examples are the small signs you may have seen

on city buses. Transportation companies often rent space on their fleet vehicles to

advertisers as an additional source of income. This means anywhere the bus goes, your

advertising will be seen by the people in the area, both foot traffic and vehicle traffic.

Other forms of vehicle advertising include:

 Interior bus signs

 Taxi and limo billboards

 Bumper stickers

 Vehicle wraps

 Self-service

Body advertising: How about a walking, talking advertisement for your business? You

can find people who are willing, for a small fee, to wear temporary tattoos advertising

your product or service. These tattoos often make a great conversation piece, and can

make a lot of people aware of your business.

How do you do it?

 

 

 

 

Vehicle advertising: For bus, taxi, and limo advertising, contact your local transportation

companies and ask about their ad rates for fleet vehicles. You will probably need to

supply your own designs for the ads, but the rates are often fairly inexpensive for the

amount of exposure you’ll receive. Be sure to spend a lot of time coming up with a

catchy advertisement!

You can have custom bumper stickers printed for your business. It’s a good idea to

feature your (easy to remember) website prominently on a custom bumper sticker. Give

them away to family, friends, customers, and at community events. Consider supplying

free bumper stickers to other local businesses, to give away to their customers.

Vehicle wraps are partial or full vehicle advertisements that generate some interesting

reactions. You pay people -- usually those who drive back and forth to work every day --

to have their personal vehicles “wrapped” with advertisements for your business.

You can also wrap your own personal vehicle, or get body or window detailing done with

your business information. No matter where you drive, you will constantly be advertising

your product or service!

Body advertising: Your first step here is to design a compelling temporary tattoo that

people can identify quickly with your business. Again, it is a good idea to prominently

feature your URL in the design, to allow prospective customers to find more information

quickly.

When choosing people to wear your temporary tattoos:

 Decide how much you’re willing to pay each person you recruit. You may want to

base this on the number of days the tattoo should remain visible and in good

condition.

 

 

 

 

 Specify where the tattoo should be worn. The back of the hand is a good, prominent

place, though some advertisers have requested that people place them on their

foreheads.

 Instruct the recruits as to what information you’d like them to give when people ask

about their tattoos. You may want to consider providing them with business cards,

brochures, bookmarks, or other promotional items to hand out to those who show

interest.

 Ask them to keep track of how many people they talk to concerning the tattoos, so

you can use the information in your marketing calculations.

Summary

 Vehicle and body advertising serve as mobile signs for your business

 There are many different forms of vehicle advertising, some more expensive than

others

 Body advertising is enlisting other people to place advertisements for your business

on a visible part of their bodies

 Vehicle and body advertisements must be eye-catching and compelling in order to

attract interest

 You will need an easy-to-remember URL to incorporate prominently in your vehicle

or body advertising design

 Don’t forget to enlist yourself, your personal vehicle, and your own body as

advertising tools for your business!

Promotional Items

Everyone loves getting free stuff. Promotional items combine this basic element of

human psychology with marketing flair for an effective and memorable component of a

Creative advertising campaign.

 

 

 

 

What is it?

A “promotional item” can be any of hundreds of different things. Basically, it’s any

physical item that bears a printed mention of your business. Your promotional items can

be traditional or unique. You can give them away free, award them to customers for

buying certain things or participating in special offers, and even sell them (if they are

high quality and in demand) as an additional source of income.

Following is a list of a few traditional and not-so-traditional promotional items that can

be customized for your business:

 Brochures and sales catalogues

 Bookmarks

 Printed newsletters

 Glossy flyers

 Business cards

 Magnets

 Bumper stickers

 Key chains

 Coffee mugs

 Shot glasses

 Water goblets

 Tee shirts

 Sweatshirts

 Baseball caps

 Sweatbands

 Bandannas

 Stress balls

 Stuffed animals

 Coasters

 

 

 

 

 Posters

 Matchbooks

 Lanyards

 Napkins

 Toothpick holders

 Pens/pencils

 Calendars

 Tote bags

 Travel clocks

 Travel mirrors

 Combs/brushes

 Box cutters

 Towels/washcloths

How do you do it?

Effective promotional products are intriguing, fitting, and carry just enough information

without overburdening your customers. Here are some tips on creating effective

promotional items:

Design with signs in mind. Keep the information on promotional products simple and to

the point -- include your business name, slogan, and contact information (phone number

and/or website). After all, if the item is slathered with text, no one is going to want to

actually use it.

Choose items that reflect your business. If you run a catering company, custom napkins

and other kitchen items are good choices; whereas combs, brushes, and towels might

not be such a good fit. However, just about any promotional item can be adapted to any

business with a little creativity.

 

 

 

 

Make your items fun and attractive. Bookmarks are great, but how many people do you

know that actually use them? Unless your main product is a printed book, if you have a

bunch of bookmarks made they will probably end up in the trash. Consider what your

customers like to do, and base your promotional item decision on your best guess at

what will interest them. Custom puzzles, anyone?

Shop around for the best deals. Unless you’re creating your promotional items yourself

(and it is certainly possible, though time-consuming), you will likely look for a custom

printer or manufacturer to emblazon your message on hundreds of items. There are

dozens of great places online, including Café Press (www.cafepress.com), which lets

you create and purchase your own items at cost, with bulk discounts for larger orders.

You might also want to purchase bulk novelty items from a company like the Oriental

Trading Company (www.orientaltrading.com) and modify the items yourself.

Distribute your items freely and often. Always keep several promotional items with you,

and hand them out constantly. You never know when you’ll meet someone who will later

become your customer -- and you will at the very least make a bunch of folks happy by

giving them free stuff! Don’t forget the power of giveaways in conjunction with your main

business. Offer to give your promotional items to customers with every purchase. Post

the freebie notice in your physical location or on your website, as well as message

boards and freebie forums for more exposure.

Summary

 A promotional item is any physical, tangible item that bears a message or

advertisement for your business

 There are hundreds of promotional items to choose from

 You can make just about anything into a promotional item

 Promotional items should relate to your business in some way

 Effective promotional items bear simple messages and contact information

 The best promotional items are fun or useful for your customers

 

 

 

 

 You should always keep a supply of promotional items on hand

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4 – Digital Creative Marketing

Whether your business is a traditional store, a work-from-home operation, or a

completely online venture, a strong web presence is a must in today’s fast-paced

marketing world. In the age of instant information, businesses without websites have a

decided disadvantage.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when it comes to online marketing is

that despite the instantaneous nature of the Internet, there are no overnight success

methods. Just like a live marketing campaign, your online Creative marketing efforts will

require time and effort in order to succeed.

In this chapter, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of online promotion, and learn some

Creative marketing techniques you can use to further your business on the Internet,

whether or not it’s based online.

Establishing yourself

If you want customers, you need to make people aware of your website. You also have

to make sure your website is a good place to be. Your basic goals with online marketing

are to generate traffic to your website, and to keep visitors there when they arrive (and

keep them coming back).

We’ll talk about this in reverse order, since you need your website up and running

before you start attracting visitors.

Website basics

 

 

 

 

A website can be a very powerful marketing tool. However, a bad website can have a

powerful but opposing effect: driving off not only current visitors, but also everyone they

know, when they start telling everyone on the ‘net how terrible your website looks, or

how difficult it is to navigate.

Keep in mind that there are millions of websites out there, and if yours does not attract a

visitor’s attention with their first look, they’ll simply go to the next page of search results

and give their business to someone else.

Does your website pass the first-look test? Here are some rules to keep in mind:

 Your URL, or website address (www.YourWebSite.com) should be easy to

remember and spell, and contain very few, if any, special characters or alternate

spellings. This not only looks more professional when visitors find a link to your

website online, but it also makes it much easier to translate real-world advertisements

into website visitors. You should include your URL on all of your physical marketing

material.

 Your home page should be visually pleasing, easy to read, and not cluttered with

text. Make sure all of your important information is contained in the top portion of your

home page (the area visible on a screen when a visitor first arrives at the site) -- but

do not try to cram everything on the home page. Include links to essential pages

rather than lengthy descriptions of everything.

 Flash animation is great, but a huge flash presentation on your home page not only

slows down your load time (to the point where visitors will not bother waiting for the

page to display), but also turns off many casual Internet users. If you must use Flash

animation, keep it to a minimum and don’t use it to convey essential information.

 If you have a newsletter, include an e-mail link or a subscription box on every page

of your website. The more visible your options are, the greater the chances people

will find them.

 Your website should be an informative place. A hard-sell website (“This

product/service is amazing! Buy it now!”) does not appeal to most Web browsers. Be

 

 

 

sure to post news and current events concerning your business, and consider

providing informative articles that educate visitors on topics pertaining to your

products or services.

 Update often. Keeping your content fresh not only makes search engines happy, it

also provides visitors with a reason to keep coming back!

 Make your content keyword-rich without being blatant. Brainstorm a list of search

terms Internet users might type into a search engine when looking for a website like

yours, and use each of those terms a few times. Do not clump together lists of

keywords; instead, sprinkle them throughout your content. The practice of keyword

stuffing can get your website banned from search engines.

 Be user-friendly! Test your website using several different screen resolutions to

make sure the text and images are not too crowded or spread out. Check your links

and navigation controls frequently -- few things are more frustrating to an Internet

user than dead or outdated links. Make sure every page includes a link to your home

page and a link to your sales or “landing” page, at the very least.

Internet marketing basics

Just about all “traditional” forms of Internet marketing can be classified as Creative

marketing. This is because Internet advertising is generally inexpensive or free, involves

an investment of your time and effort, and must be presented in a unique manner if you

want to stand out from the millions of other websites competing for attention.

It is a good idea to incorporate basic Internet marketing into your Creative campaign. If

you have never promoted a website before, you may not be familiar with the basic

concepts of spreading the e-word. Here are a few ideas to get you started (remember,

all these tactics should be implemented after your website is optimized, fine-tuned,

double-checked and ready for business):

 The more search engines your website is listed on, the greater the chance

customers will stumble across it. The “big” search engines such as Google and

 

 

 

Yahoo! do not allow manual submissions, but your website will automatically be

picked up within a few weeks by their web trawlers. However, smaller search engines

like AltaVista, Dogpile, and ExactSeek may not automatically include your site. There

are many free search engine submission programs online that will submit your

website to multiple engines for inclusion. Be sure to have a list of keywords and a

brief (two to three sentences) description of your website available while you’re

submitting.

 If you have a newsletter, you can list your website in multiple newsletter or e-zine

directories in the same way you submit to search engine. Having a free, regular

newsletter or e-zine that contains interesting and informative material is a great way

to build customer loyalty and attract new business online. Your subscribers will be

more likely to purchase your products or services, since they will see your business

multiple times.

 Banner ad exchange programs are another possibility for Internet exposure. When

you design your banner ad, keep in mind the rules for creating an effective sign and

apply them to the banner. If you don’t have any computer experience, there are

several programs that will allow you to generate a banner ad using their template for

free. Then, seek similar or complementary websites to your business and offer to host

their banner in exchange for hosting theirs on your website.

 Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is effective in many cases, and though it does

require a monetary investment, the amount is small (usually 2 to 5 cents per visitor).

One example of a good pay-per-click program is Google AdWords

(http://adwords.google.com) -- the program does not require minimum monthly

spending, and the average bidding rate for lesser search terms is 2 to 3 cents.

Google also includes a keyword generator to help you write more effective ads. More

information is available through the preceding link.

Going Viral

 

 

 

Viral marketing is one of the most powerful forms of Internet advertising available. It

takes basic online marketing a step further: basically, you get the ball rolling, and

hundreds of other Internet users pick it up and run with it.

What is it?

Viral marketing is more or less the Internet term for word-of-mouth. The term “viral

marketing” refers to any advertising method that encourages people who receive a

message to pass it on to others.

One classic example of a viral marketing strategy was demonstrated by Microsoft

Networks Hotmail program. Hotmail was one of the first free web-based e-mail

providers. In order to let people know about the program, Microsoft included a tag or

signature at the bottom of every outgoing e-mail their customers sent, reading: “Get

your private, free e-mail at http://www.hotmail.com”, that was linked to Hotmail’s main

page. People receiving messages from users with Hotmail accounts set up their own,

and then e-mailed more people with the same tag on every message. The number of

Hotmail users ballooned in no time.

In essence, Microsoft invented the e-mail signature, another powerful marketing tool

now used by millions online.

Keep in mind that viral marketing does not simply spread your message from person to

person. Effective viral marketing spreads from person to people, making your

advertising program an exponential success.

How do you do it?

The best way to engage in viral marketing online is to make it easy for your customers

to spread your message. There are quite a few ways to do this:

 

 

 

 

 Newsletters or e-zines: Since most newsletters and e-zines are delivered via e-mail,

it’s easy for your customers to hit forward and pass them on to several friends.

However, this will only happen if you include good, quality information in your

electronic publication. Rather than simply advertising your products or services,

consider writing articles, hosting guest columns, and generally providing your

customers with something fun.

 Article syndication: Once you have written articles for your newsletter or e-zine,

share the knowledge by uploading them to article syndication websites. These are

“article banks” used by web masters looking for fresh content for their own websites.

Essentially, you are giving anyone permission to reprint your article, with the caveat

that your authorship and a link to your website is included. Article syndication creates

inbound links that boost your website’s search engine rank, and make it more likely

customers will find you.

 Refer-a-friend programs: Got something valuable to give your customers, such as

bonus products or promotional items? Consider using a refer-a-friend program: in

exchange for providing you with a number of e-mail addresses to which you can send

a one-time announcement about your business, you can give your customers

something they’ll enjoy, and make them eager to tell their friends about your website.

 Link-swapping and banner placement: As mentioned in the previous section, the

more links there are on the Internet leading to your website, the greater your

exposure will be. Offer to host other websites’ links and banner ads on your site in

exchange for a reciprocal link from theirs. Also, keep in mind that inbound links (links

that point to your website, and are not linked back from your website) carry more

weight with search engines than outbound or reciprocal links. Try to post as many

inbound links as you can.

 Giveaways, contests, and freebies: Once again, everyone loves to get something for

nothing. Sponsoring contests and giveaways will naturally generate the urge for your

customers to tell others about your website, so everyone they know can get the free

deal or enter the contest. Don’t hesitate to give away the occasional product or

service in exchange for the marketing value it can bring your business!

 

 

 

 Online communities and forums: Joining forums and communities dedicated to

topics that will interest your customers is a great way to get your name out there.

Remember, online etiquette dictates that you do not simply join a forum and

immediately post advertisements. Spend some time getting to know other forum

members, and they will be happy to tell others in the community about you and your

business.

As with other forms of advertising, your message has to be compelling and interesting,

or no one will want to pass it on. Make sure to spend as much time developing your

advertising message as you do spreading it around. Don’t forget to include your USP,

any promotions or freebies you may be running, and your website and contact

information.

Summary

 Viral marketing is the Internet form of word-of-mouth

 The keys to viral marketing are to create a compelling message and make it easy for

people to pass it on

 Viral marketing represents an exponential increase in online exposure for your

business

 There are several different viral marketing methods you can take advantage of for

your website

 Viral marketing messages must be interesting, informative, or valuable in order to be

successfully spread

Beating the Blog Drum

Do you blog? Even if you don’t, chances are you have already seen several blogs

online, though you might not be aware of this relatively new website format. Blogs

 

 

 

 

create a sense of community and provide an outlet for many different types of

information, both business and personal.

What is it?

Blog, short for web log, is a specialized type of website that acts like an electronic

journal. Blog users can type in text, upload pictures and sound, and instantly post it to

the site. Blog software formats each entry in the blog style you select, automatically

creates entry archives and permanent links to each page, and allows for easy

customization.

Most blogs also allow comments from visitors. There are comment screening options

you can use to disallow anonymous comments, comments from non-bloggers, or

comments altogether. However, the comments feature is one of the most powerful

components of a blog, because visitors can enjoy instant interaction with you.

Blogs allow you to speak with your customers on a personal level. Once Internet users

get to know the person behind the business, they will be more likely to purchase your

products or services. Trust is a valuable commodity online, and blogs help you build up

a trust bank.

Best of all, most blogs are free to create and use, so you won’t have to spend a penny

on your blog.

A few of the most popular blog providers are:

Blogger -- www.blogger.com: Owned by Google. Fully featured free blogs with

customizable templates, easy to use

LiveJournal - www.livejournal.com: Similar to Blogger, offers paid upgrades for

additional special features

 

 

 

 

WordPress - www.wordpress.com: Another popular free blogger platform with millions

of users, easy interfaces and lots of template choices

Blogs have become so popular, there are millions of bloggers (people with blogs) online

communicating tons of information, opinions, and chats every day. In fact, the blog

collective on the Internet has become powerful enough to merit its own term: the

blogosphere. The blogosphere as a whole is extremely influential, and often when one

blog carries an item of interest, others will pick it up and spread it across the Internet.

How do you do it?

Using a blog for business purposes is a twofold process. First, you have to build a

readership for your blog. Then, you can enlist other bloggers to help you get more

exposure for yours.

Building a readership

Like your website, you should plan to keep your blog informative and entertaining, and

update regularly. Many bloggers post to their blogs daily, and often include links to other

websites with news or information they believe may interest their readers. It is a good

idea to choose a posting schedule (daily, Monday through Friday, bi-weekly, weekly --

whatever you’re comfortable keeping up with) and stick to it.

The single most effective way to gain readers for your blog is to visit other people’s

blogs and leave thoughtful comments on their posts. Do not simply comment that you

have a blog and you want them to visit; this is viewed as spam, or at the very least,

rude.

 

 

 

 

Of course, contacting individual bloggers is a time-consuming process. Another way to

attract readers is to list your blog in as many blog directories as you can find. This way,

Internet users will be able to find your blog through search engines.

Post a link to your blog on your website, and include one in your e-mail signature. The

more people know about your blog, the more likely you will be to get visitors.

Working in the blogosphere

Other bloggers are an excellent marketing resource. Most blogging software includes an

easy tool to add links to your sidebar. You can link to several other blogs that may be of

interest to your readers -- and in most cases, the bloggers you link to will automatically

link back to your blog, since this is considered common courtesy. Some bloggers will list

an e-mail address you can contact them through to exchange blog links. Take

advantage of these when you find them.

You can also participate in guest blogging -- writing an entry for someone else’s blog for

a day. Since bloggers always need fresh content, many are happy to host other

people’s articles as long as they pertain to their readers. Find blogs that are similar to

yours and request to be a guest blogger. Remember to include a link to your website at

the end of your post!

Summary

 Blogs are a specialized form of website that act like online journals

 The millions of blogs online are collectively known as the blogosphere

 Bloggers (people who blog) and blog readers are very influential online

 Most blogs are free to set up, and have easy templates that don’t require HTML

coding knowledge

 Like your website, your blog should be informative, entertaining, and updated

regularly

 

 

 

 

 Visit other people’s blogs and link to them to get increased traffic for your blog

 Becoming a guest blogger is a great way to get more exposure for your business

 

 

 

 

Chapter 5 – Rules and Regulations

Following the rules is an important step in Creative marketing. Some people view

Creative marketing tactics as too aggressive, and many a marketer has been

threatened with legal action.

However, if you’re familiar with what you can and cannot do, you will not have to worry

about this. Make sure you protect yourself!

Fairness in Advertising

Honesty is still the best policy. Consumers don’t appreciate being lied to, and nothing

spreads faster -- both online and in your community -- than news of a dishonest

business.

Therefore, it’s important that you practice fairness in advertising.

What It Means

Fairness in advertising is really a simple concept: don’t claim your product or service

does something that it doesn’t. For example, a diet pill company claiming their product

will “make you lose 50 pounds overnight!” is clearly mistaken -- this is a physical

impossibility, unless you amputate your legs. Even with a quantifier like “practically” or

“almost” (You’ll lose 50 pounds practically overnight!), the statement remains

implausible. Every person’s idea of “practically” is different.

What would be fair for our fictitious diet pill company to claim? It depends on what the

product actually does. In this scenario, the company may be able to state that their diet

pill helps you lose weight “faster than the leading brands” or even that you may notice

results “practically overnight” (not 50 pounds worth of results, of course!).

 

 

 

 

Your wording is essential when practicing fairness in advertising. You can get creative,

but there is a fine line between creativity and false claims. In most cases, it’s best to let

your product or service speak for itself.

Customer testimonials are an excellent way to incorporate fairness in advertising.

Getting real statements from the people who have used your product or service not only

keeps you honest, but also allows consumers to trust you more, because the opinions

are coming from someone who has no vested interest in your business.

Don’t lie to your customers, and they will thank you with their business.

Spam Isn't Healthy

One of the most pervasive myths in online advertising today is this: the more people you

e-mail, the more money you’ll make. But if you’re using bulk e-mail to get there, you’re

on the wrong track.

No one likes spam. In the Internet world, the term “spam” refers to any e-mail

advertising a product or service that you did not ask to receive (and not the lunchmeat-

in-a-can pictured above). There are a lot of marketing “gurus” who insist that sending

cold bulk e-mails still gets results -- and that may have been true when the Internet was

still in its infancy, but today’s online community is more perceptive than ever, and it’s

almost impossible to slip by the collective spam radar.

If you look, you can find several hundred places that will sell you lists of thousands of e-

mail addresses for a few dollars. The temptation to buy these lists is strong... who can

resist thousands of potential customers in one shot, without the many hours of research

it takes to build a solid opt-in list of your own?

 

 

 

 

You can! Here’s why you should:

 Spamming alienates potential customers. When people receive spam, often their

first reaction is to delete it unread, and most will block all further communication from

that particular e-mail address: yours.

 Many Internet users hate spam so much, they will take action to shut you down. This

can range from reporting you to your ISP (Internet service provider), to flaming

(sending hate mail) or “mail bombs” (sending hundreds or thousands of files with very

large attachments designed to crash your server).

 Your business can be blacklisted. There is an actual Internet advertiser’s blacklist

that warns consumers about spammers, and you don’t want to be connected with that

list.

 Spamming just plain doesn’t work! There are so many dangerous scams online

today that most Internet users are reluctant to even open any unsolicited messages.

Even if you write the most brilliant and enticing advertising message in the world, if

you send it through bulk e-mail, no one will ever read it.

In short: don’t spam. Do the work and create your own list of people who actually want

to hear what you have to say. Your business will benefit enormously, and you won’t be

branded as a charlatan.

Weird Laws and Ordinances

As a Creative marketer, it’s important for you to obey the law. If a customer feels you

are trying to con them, skirt legal issues, or harass them into buying your product or

service, you could end up with a lot more trouble than a lost sale.

You can familiarize yourself with basic marketing dos and don’ts through the Federal

Trade Commission (FTC), the government organization that regulates and protects

 

 

 

consumers in the United States. Browse their website at www.ftc.gov for more

information on advertising guidance, antitrust laws, and FTC procedures regarding

consumer complaints.

You should also check with your local Chamber of Commerce, and request information

on advertising laws that affect your business. Find the nearest Chamber to you here:

http://www.uschamber.com/chambers/directory/default

Does your city or state have strange laws that forbid a certain Creative marketing

method? The website Dumb Laws (www.dumblaws.com) provides a collection of weird,

outrageous and outlandish laws that are still on the books. Here is a sampling of some

laws that might hinder your marketing efforts:

 In Alabama, it is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy -- so don’t dress up as

a priest to promote your business.

 You can be fined $25 for flirting in New York. Beware of approaching strangers!

 Speaking of truth in advertising, a jail term of up to one year awaits you in Louisiana

for making a false promise.

 Watch out, mobile billboard advertisers in Ohio: the Ohio driver’s education manual

states that you must honk the horn when you pass another vehicle.

 In Texas, it is illegal to sell one’s eye. Keep your body parts close at hand.

 Florida forbids “unnatural acts” with another person... so forget playing Twister on

the sidewalk. Also, it’s illegal to skateboard without a license.

 Unless you own at least two cows, you may not wear cowboy boots in California.

 Seasonal business owners should note that in Maine, you will be fined for displaying

Christmas decorations after January 14.

 Your profits will come in handy in Illinois, where you can be arrested for vagrancy if

you don’t have at least one dollar on your person.

What strange laws does your state have? Perhaps one of them will give you an idea for

your Creative marketing campaign!

 

 

 

 

Chapter 6 – Welcome to the Jungle

Are you ready to become a Creative?

Without a doubt, Creative marketing is an extremely effective strategy for any small

business. Since you typically will not have a huge advertising budget, it makes more

sense to invest effort and time, and reap the rewards of your careful planning and

creativity.

Some points to remember:

 You will get out of your Creative marketing campaign what you put into it. If you do

not invest the effort, you will not reap the rewards.

 A successful Creative marketing campaign is ongoing, and consists of more than

one strategy or tactic.

 Be patient: Creative success will not come to you overnight, but it will come!

 Think outside the box (in fact, try to come up with your own term for thinking outside

the box as an exercise in creativity). The unique aspects of your business will

generate better profits when you leverage them.

 Do not view other businesses as your competition. Instead, view them as potential

partners and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships.

 Never pass up an opportunity to market (but keep it casual where it’s appropriate to

refrain from being pushy).

 Be prepared to watch your business leap forward!

Creative marketing is not just a strategy... it's a state of mind. When you learn to think

like a Creative, you will greatly improve your business marketing skills -- not to mention

your profits.