What is your marketing plan for 2011?

Do you have a marketing plan for 2011?

What did you do for 2010?

Sometimes when we are thinking about a business plan, our marketing is something that gets overlooked. Our marketing is often the one item we should pay more attention to, but we just are not sure how to do it. I wanted to make a few notes for you to think about for your business or organization.

Do you have at least one community event your business will plan to be involved in this year? There are many that could benefit your business. It would be a good idea to think about which ones you will be involved in now. Sometimes when we do things as a last minute thought, we end up spending way more than if we would have planned it out. So think about the events your community has available and which ones you want to do. You can start by getting a list of all the trade shows your community has through out the year. This could be a chamber business expo, bridal fair, home show, garden show, etc. Then figure out which ones you will be in, I recommend you get involved in at least one.

When planning your show, think about:
1.) Who will run your booth? Pick someone that is out going, not afraid to talk to people and get involved. This job is not for every body (and it may not be for you either.) I have been to shows, where I see someone sitting down at the booth, texting on their cell phone and waiting for the show to be over. Or worse the people are rude, curt or uninterested in talking to you at all.  Remember that not everyone you talk to may be a potential customer, but they may know people who are. The company that does not have the right person at their booth just wasted money on a show all because they did not have the right person at their booth. So be sure you are picking the right person for this job. This is probably one of the most important things about your booth, so take the time to make sure the staff member you pick will feel comfortable doing the job.

2.) What will your booth look like? Please don't tell me your staff glued some pictures on a piece of card board and taped up some sheets that tell what you do. As funny as it may sound, I have seen this done before. I think often times we think that booth graphics are very expensive, but they are very affordable and can be used year after year once you get your first set up. For example you could do a banner stand that is 78" tall by 31.5" wide for $150.00, banner and stand. They look very professional and are very easy to transport. You could also make a very large 6ft x 6ft banner for $180, full color graphics, this could be your back drop. When you are planning for your trade show booth back ground, be sure that people will know what exactly it is you do at a glance. Our staff is always happy to help!  We have large pop up booths or banners of all sizes available. Don't wait till the last minute, it is good to order your booth graphics a month in advance at least, although if you find yourself in a pinch, we can help you with that too.

3.) What will your potential customer's have to remember you by later? Make sure you have plenty of printed items and/or promotional items to give to the people that come visit your booth. Also make sure they look very professional and you have great graphics that get noticed! Brochures and business cards are a great tool to use to brand your company and share with clients, what is it you do and why should they pick you. It is good that the look of your booth and printed material stay consistent. You want them to remember you even after the show is over. We can make you 1000 brochures & business cards, double sided, full color, gloss or matt stock for $350.00. We can do 1000 black and white, gloss or matt for $250.00 If your show is much bigger, ask for a free quote on large quantities. We also do 1/4 page fliers and more, depending on your need, we can make it.

4.) People like free stuff! So when you are planning for your show it is good to pick out at least one promotional item they can use with your company information imprinted on it. Often times you can find these items at a very reasonable cost. We can show you many items you can choose from, to pick an item that best fits your business.

The really great thing about picking out items for your events, you can use them to give to clients that your sales staff go and visit on everyday sales calls. You can give them to clients that come visit your place of business. The banner stand can stand up in your lobby the rest of the year you are not using it at your show. If you go to a networking group or speed networking function you can take the stand and stand it up at the other events you attend.

Other things you should think about when thinking about your marketing plan for the year:

- Are you doing at least one or two print ads this year in publications that are seen in your community?
- Do you have money set aside for TV or Radio ads? It is important to do a little bit of everything. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
- Are you going to do some direct mail marketing? Send out post cards or a mailer to existing or potential new customers. You can mail a news letter to stay in touch with existing clients. We all know it is a lot cheaper and easier to keep the clients you have, then to get new ones. Stay in touch! Direct mail is a great way to do this. I have examples of news letters we make for other organizations and I would be happy to show them to you.
- Does your storefront sign look professional or it is dated or faded? Your branding starts at your front door. Always make sure your signs are up to date and have a nice fresh look to them. Often times you can give a sign an uplift just by changing the vinyl, you don't have to replace the whole sign.  If you have a glass storefront, it is good to put new vinyl on your windows from time to time to update your window signs and attract more attention.
- Do your company vehicles look good? Do they stand out? Are they faded or scratched up? Make sure the image driving around town, is helping drive your sales too. Vehicle graphics and wraps are a great way to advertise. You get more bang for your buck! Maybe you have some sales staff that use their personal cars, get them vehicle magnets. They can be removed at any time and put back on when they are going to meet with clients. They are very affordable too!
12"x24" pair of full color vehicle magnets $70.00.
- Does your staff have nice company shirts that look good on them and they like to wear? This is another great way to brand your business! You can get t-shirts, button up shirts, polo shirts, long sleeve and short sleeve. Shirts are great cause everyone likes a shirt someone else pays for, and you can keep your name in front of more people. I can get your apparel at a very reasonable price! Contact me for a free quote! I am always happy to help!
-Are you networking in social groups? You should be, word of mouth is a great marketing tool to tell others about your business. If you are looking for networking groups, go to my website to learn about a few networking groups in Kansas:
http://www.sheknowsmarketing.com/index/networking
If you have a networking group you would like listed on my website, send me the name of the group, contact phone number, days you meet and website address if you have one to Shannon@SheKnowsMarketing.com
- Are you up to date with your social media? Do you have fans on your fan page? Without the fans your page is useless! Are you asking yourself, what is a fan page? You need to contact me! I can help you get up to date with your social media, sending updates to your page from your phone and linking all the different social media sites so you only have to send information to one place and it will send it to all of your different social media sites. Let's get together and over look what you are doing now and see if I can give you any tips to make it more effective. Tip for today: Always post your phone number with every thing you post. You can also post website or address with the phone number, this makes your posts more effective. Since half of America is viewing your post form their cell phone, make sure they have a way to contact you if they are interested in purchasing something you posted or talking to you about your service. I see to many businesses posting with no way for potential customers to get a hold of you.  I have a lot more tips for you, call to set up a 2 hour one on one training session for $50. 785-383-8139
-And for the last of my marketing reminders for today: Your Website! Does your website look professional, is it up to date? How much are you paying for hosting? Can you make small changes to your website yourself, or do you pay a fortune to have a phone number or name changed? Let my professional web partners help you get the website you have always wanted at a price you can afford! 

From our Entire Team! Thank you for your time today! We look forward to another great year in 2011 and working with you for many years to come!

Happy New Years!

Shannon A English
Owner, She Knows Marketing - Marketing Delivers Results!
VP of Sales, Marketing Concepts & Riverside Promotions
Shannon@SheKnowsMarketing.com
785-383-8139

View Products & Prices on my Blog: http://sheknowsmarketing.blogspot.com/
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"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."

Check out my website: http://www.sheknowsmarketing.com/  Find Networking Groups and Connect with us through other Social Media sites.
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We are your one stop shop for all your marketing needs:
  Printing - Business Cards, Greeting Cards, Letterhead, Envelopes, Brochures and more.
  Signs - Banners, Yard Signs, Monument Signs, Directories, and more.
  Trade Shows: Banner Stands, Booths, Foam Core Displays, Graphics for Booths and more.
  Promotional Items: Pens, Shirts, Cups, Name Tags, Office Products, Thousands of items to choose from.
  Direct Mail: Design, Print & Mail
  Vehicle Graphics: Wraps, Decals, and Magnets
  Social Media Training or Set Up
  Websites: Design or Improvements, Host and Email Accounts Available
  If you do not see an item you need listed, just ask me about your need and I would be happy to help you.