Monday, December 31, 2012

Marketing Articles Published in 2012

Enjoy this selection of marketing articles published in the past year. Click on the title to read the rest of the article.






Magic Words to Transform Your Business Relationships

Abracadabra!
Imagine that you could wave an enchanted wand while uttering magic words that transform your business coals into diamonds. You don't need the wand and you probably already know the magic words. The sticking point like everything else in life is that it's not what you know that counts, it's what you do with what you know.

Too many business owners are looking for complicated solutions and overlook the simple secrets of business success. Why have so many uneducated entrepreneurs excelled in business? Because they only understood simple things and applied those simple things passionately. Richard Branson is an outstanding example.
One of the purposes of marketing is to build strong relationships with your clients and prospects. You build (or destroy) relationships with what you do and say. Let's explore the language of good relationships. It costs nothing except your attention to the words that you and your team use with clients and prospects - and with each other.






3 Polarizing Branding Secrets from Death Cigarettes

How can you build a stronger brand? Take a position that some people hate so your preferred customers love you.

I heard the best lessons about "How to create your Brand?" on the podcast interview with UK entrepreneur BJ Cunningham.

BJ Cunningham created a company called The Enlightened Tobacco Company in 1991, selling a cigarette called "Death Cigarettes". It was presented in a black package emblazoned with a white skull-and-crossbones logo. Just imagine how that image might appeal to the rebels. That is the start of a strong brand.

His premise was to take a position that none of the other cigarette companies were willing to take. That's good advice for any business building a brand! At the time all the tobacco companies were still denying any ill effects of smoking tobacco. You know the tired story, "It has not been proven that cigarette smoking causes cancer." Somehow the tobacco barons rehearsed well enough to deliver that lie with a straight face. But that is a different issue.



Hand Written Notes - the Original Social Media

More Personal Than Digital Media

It's impossible to ignore the Social Media crusade. Perhaps you received business through Social Media contacts and activity. I admit that I've made interesting new contacts, renewed old friendships and generated business through social media.

However, I've received a lot more business and recognition from sending hand written notes. The two best messages to send via hand written note are thank you and congratulations. Thank you for your business, help, referral, testimonial, patience, gift...

Congratulations on your achievement, recognition, new venture, milestone… The prompting for the note could be personal or business.




Boost Your Personal Brand by Leveraging Your Association Membership

As a member you have many ways to enhance your personal brand without breaking a sweat. What's holding you back?

Your personal brand is not a logo, colour or tagline. It's the combination of all that you do, say and especially what others say about you.

When you are a member of an association - that speaks about you. The credibility of the association, the ethics, the leaders and the positioning of the association speak about your personal values. But, only if you broadcast your membership to the marketplace. Don't be shy. If you have reason to be proud of your association, then brag about that association. List your membership on your Linkedin profile. Put "member of" in your email signature and display the membership plaque on your office wall. Brag about who you associate with.



How to Kick Start Your Writing To Boost Your Personal Brand
 
One of the best ways to become known as the expert is to write. You could write to or for newsletters (association, corporate, community), newspapers (community, business, trade, weekly, daily), or magazines (general, trade, association, business).




George Torok Keynote Marketing Speaker Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing  
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