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June 19, 2008
Avoiding Advertising Mistakes
June 11, 2008
According to Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing, there are 25 things that people do that result in disastrous or weak returns when it comes to advertising.
These tips are INVALUABLE — so I pass them onto you as is, so you can avoid these very costly advertising mistakes. (Please see my Top Ten Success Tips underneath.)
1. Premature abandonment
2. Silly positioning
3. Failure to follow through
4. Starting without a plan
5. Wrong media for the right audience
6. Right media for the wrong audience
7. Unclear to prospects
8. Not understanding clients
9. Not understanding self
10. Exaggerating that undermines truth
11. Not keeping up with change
12. Unrealistic expectations
13. Over- or under-spending
14. Saving money in the wrong places
15. Inattention to tiny but nuclear details
16. Missing the point about profitability
17. Thinking it can be done without hard work
18. Unimpressive first impressions
19. Too many committees or layers of management
20. Not using media to support efforts
21. Not supporting advertising with other marketing
22. Starting out in the wrong direction
23. Allowing success to begat lethargy
24. Judging future by the past
25. Boring advertising
Pattie’s Top Ten Tips for Winning Ad Campaigns
I’ll start with this freebie: Your mother, friends and assorted acquaintances’ opinions don’t count. If you follow through on the other ten, you will reap much better returns!
- Get a professional graphic designer to create a winning brand.
- Use the same graphic designer to produce all your ads & collateral materials, reflecting your strong (& very unique) brand.
- Work with a professional marketing copywriter, who can create polished, perfect prose to engage the specific market(s) you are seeking to reach.
- MAKE AN OFFER – ads with offers work. I don’t care what the demographic market is – everyone loves a deal.
- Have a deadline. 60 Days works best — it’s been tested and proven a gagillion times, so don’t question this, just do it.
- Test, test and test again! Great campaigns evolve as a result of research, risk-taking & tweaking. Till someone comes up with a crystal ball – this is part and parcel of nailing big wins.
- Get advice from a media placement specialist – deals are out there on traditional print and radio that you might not be aware of.
- BE DARINGLY DIFFERENT. Lots of really creative ideas get shot down everyday. Dare to be advised by your creative team.
- Guard your brand and style guidelines with all your might. ‘Nuff said.
- Diversifying is not just for stock portfolios. Winning ad campaigns get the word out in various mediums, including PR, train station platform advertising (one of my personal favorites), direct mail and various web-based platforms, including regular e/mail, branded e-newsletters, e-ads, crosslinking, blogging, YouTube, podcasting, etc.
Testimonials
June 11, 2008
Isn’t it great when someone loves what you do? We think so, too, and would like to share some of the effusive feedback we get from complete strangers, as well as folks who decide to hire us.
Happy Feedback…
“I had an amazing experience working with Pattie as my Marketing Mentor! I recently launched Scheer Destinations, an exclusive women’s travel service, which appeals to the multi-faceted tapestry that women are. Pattie’s insights, resources and new ideas have helped me create terrific print and web promotional materials, hone in on thrifty online advertising opps, and focus on best viral and face-to-face networking groups.”
–Kathie Scheer, founder of Scheer Destinations, a women’s transformational travel resource
Hear Mary Lou Spang, Founder of jewelry company Spangles, talking to Pattie at the NJAWBO conference.
Click the play button to hear Mary Lou’s feedback
On Pattie Simone as a writer…
“Thank you for your newsletter! You have been a wealth of information. It is so exciting to see a woman (not that I’m sexist) so influential and inspiring. How did you do it? Well, thanks once again for following up in such a timely manner. I have forwarded your newsletter to some associates and friends.”
–Melinda Rivera, Alkit
“Your article was a pleasure to read (not to mention informative)! I really enjoy your writing.”
–Susan Whalen, Wordsmith, Proof-It-CopyEditing
On Pattie Simone as a mentor…
“I took your advice and got myself a (free $500) ticket to the Women’s e-news gala at the Tavern on the Green in Central Park… I am just speechless. I made great contacts. These people are the perfect audience, and they like my work. Thank you for your generosity — the advice is priceless!”
–Dr. Rolande R. Hodel, Founder & President, AIDSfreeAFRICA
On Pattie Simone as a speaker…
“On behalf of everyone at the Women’s Images Conference, I’d like to thank you for your time and expertise. The response from our attendees was overwhelmingly positive. We have gone through the evaluations and have found nothing but raves about your work. I was told by more than one person that in addition to being informative, your panel was a lot of fun. How nice to hear!”
–Suzie Galler, Founder and President, Esteemed Woman Foundation
“Thanks again for generously ‘facilitating’ a meeting for the Passaic NJAWBO chapter! I’ve gotten great feedback from attendees about the information gained, the handouts, your presentation style, etc. I hope that the meeting was as productive for you!”
–Abby Duncan, President, Duncan Resources
“I attended your presentation yesterday morning. It was excellent. I have heard some of what you discussed before from people like Jeff Gitomer and Harvey Mackay, but your presentation reiterated and shed new light as well. It was excellent, and others had nothing but accolades as well. Thanks!”
–Victor R. Babington, Senior Loan Officer, All American Mortgage
“Thank you so much for such a thorough presentation at WEDC’s ‘Small Business Branding & Image Workshop.’ It was so helpful and, even though starting a business CAN be intimidating, I think it is important to push through any fears and move forward. Women need to take more risks in life and I truly see that you must spend money to make money.”
–Lynda J. Moore, CEO, Cinetaur Productions, LLC
“I wanted to thank you so much for this morning’s workshop. I found all of the information to be clear, useful, and well presented. You were phenomenal! It’s interesting to hear everything you said because, as you pointed out, it’s not earth shattering and it is common sense; it is just knowing how to use all of that knowledge in the right form to make a strong plan of attack when cold calling. I am very new to sales and it’s been tough….I really appreciate everything you said and will definitely try out these methods, particularly listening to my own messages. Thank you again and I hope to see you soon.”
–Debra Mentor, Sales & Marketing Assistant
Hire a Writer
June 3, 2008
Freelance Editorial & Feature Writing Resource
If you are seeking a fresh voice, you’ve found it! Pattie Simone has compiled over 400 bylines, producing entertaining and educational articles for:
- News, At Home, and Living sections of weekly and daily papers
- Full-length feature stories for magazines: restaurant and chef profiles, real estate trends, to-dos and personal profiles
- Editorial and advertorial content for special, in-house or custom publications: covering business, decorating, holidays, food & drinks, party planning, etc.
- Meaty columns for online venues and easy tips for sidebars: covering business experts, sales and marketing and operational topics
- Newsletter book reviews and how-tos for state and regional business groups
Pattie’s regular writing gigs
- Sales & Marketing Columnist, WomenEntrepreneur.com
- Regular Contributor, New Jersey Bride Magazine
- Regular Contributor, WomenandBiz.com
More about Pattie’s writing …
I started writing as a journalist at a small New Jersey community weekly newspaper 6 years ago. Within a year I had a regular stringer gig at the local Gannet daily paper.
Next I tackled freelancing for local and regional magazines, followed by in-house publication writing and web writing. My published credentials include print and online work for Entrepreneur Media — including Entrepreneur magazine, WomenEntrepreneur.com and Entrepreneur.com — New Jersey Bride magazine, WomenandBiz.com, The Hudson Valley Business Journal, 201 Best of Bergen Magazine, New Jersey Monthly magazine, Westchester magazine, The Times Herald-Record, The Journal News, and The Town Journal.
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing local dignitaries, artists and business leaders, and nationally known authors, activists, business gurus, design and home decorating experts, and actors, including Billie Jean King, Tom Cavanaugh, Carol Higgins Clark, Nicole Miller, Chris Madden, B Smith, Christopher Lowell, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell and Jerry Greenberg.
My ultimate goal is to have a syndicated column for entrepreneurial women. Till then, I’m interested in new assignments on business and career advancement, entrepreneurial women, working moms, bridal, home/life, or parenting topics. My goal is help readers discover new and fruitful personal and business success tips, get inspiration and motivation, and offer insights and resources.
Featured Clips
Success Tips from Seth Godin — America’s ‘Greatest Marketer’
Westchester business guru shares candid advice
Seth Godin, the best selling author, entrepreneur and agent of change who has been rated as one of the top 21 speakers for the 21st century, has some pointed advice for Hudson Valley Business Journal small business owners.
“The most important thing to understand is that no one is going to save you, that the only chance — the best chance (to survive and thrive in these turbulent economic times) is to create that product or service that so many people want or need that they can\’t help but to do business with you,\” said Godin this week via a phone interview… Download the PDF
Virtual Help for Real Entrepreneurs
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ve got piles of paper cluttering your office and to-do lists that seem to be multiplying like rabbits. The good news is that many of the tasks that keep you from being as productive (and profitable) as you could be can be outsourced. You may not think you can afford to hire help, especially in these economically turbulent times. But the fact is you can\’t afford not to… Read more at WashingtonPost.com
A Marketing Tool That’s Obvious, Overlooked and Cheap
Use superior service as a thrifty and effective in-house marketing mechanism.
Marketing and cats appear to have one thing in common: There’s more than one way to skin them both. Marketing isn’t just creating a brand and pursuing advertising campaigns; it’s about delivering value. So while many entrepreneurs are scrambling to attract new business, some have discovered one of the easiest (and least expensive) tools to keep their sales engines humming: holding on to current patrons through superb customer service… Read more at MSNBC
Winning with Wine
A new crop of entrepreneurs has discovered a business with grape appeal.
When you think of the different businesses being opened by entrepreneurs each year, chances are “vintner” would not be at the top on your list. Yet a surprising number of newbies have entered the highly competitive winemaking world, and making a go of it… Read more at Entrepreneur.com
Finding a Fantastic Virtual Assistant
Pattie Simone learns first-hand that hiring an assistant she’s never met can be tricky but fruitful.
Like most entrepreneurs I’ve met, on a typical day I spend way too much time doing a range of tasks that I shouldn’t. While it’s important stuff–following up on networking leads, contacting people I’ve met at my workshops or cold calling speaking resources–these critical to-do’s were getting out of control, and my office piles were starting to spill out onto my dining room table.
So the timing could not have been better when I got this assignment.
With a budget of $100, I set out to find and hire at least two different virtual assistants (VAs), to help me gain control of the burgeoning piles… Read more at Entrepreneur.com
New Age Marketing: A Primer
Not quite sure how to make the most of internet opportunities? This two-part series will teach you what you need to know.
If you’re one of the many business owners who feels clueless when it comes to taking advantage of all the possibilities available on the internet, don’t despair. Here’s the first portion of a two-part web marketing primer that outlines what you need to know. This month’s column will cover the team of people you’ll need, as well as basics about websites, e-mail and e-newsletters… Read more at WomenEntrepreneur.com
How Far Will You Go (for a Sale)?
Hear what women around the country think about turning on the sex appeal to make a sale.
“Pattie will do anything for a sale,” said a sales rep I used to work with. I winced every time he said that and turned three shades of purple. Even though I never had any direct meetings with clients at that time, I must admit I sometimes used my husky, Marlene Dietrich voice, which usually worked to my advantage in phone negotiations with male clients.
I’ve witnessed a range of dress and behaviors from female colleagues and peers, from traditional and conservative to wildly flirtatious. But women business owners from across the country draw the line at different points in the sand when it comes to using their feminine wiles to win in business. So is it the Sex and the City or the Paris Hilton approach that wins? … Read more at WomenEntrepreneur.com
Waterfront Weddings
Whether you are considering a simple, intimate affair or a large elaborate celebration, weddings by the water are a popular choice. There’s something about watching the sunlight dance on the water or set against a backdrop of sailboats and a beautiful sky—it’s the perfect setting for romance. Besides numerous scenic seaside locations, New Jersey boasts a variety of other spectacular waterside venues: from breathtaking city skyline locales to pastoral river and lake settings… Read more at New Jersey Bride
Bridal’s Newest Designers
There’s never been a more fashionable time to get married. It used to be that Vera Wang was the only designer name in town, but within the past ten years, fashion’s elite, along with its foot soldiers, have flocked to the bridal market, each bringing their own sensibility and style—and with it, more choices and options for brides. And this year is no exception. From a Town and Country aesthetic to Disney fantasy, there’s something for everyone… Read more at New Jersey Bride
Fun Dessert Alternatives: Unusual Wedding Cakes
Many brides opt for the traditional multi-tiered wedding cakes, with figurines of the bridal couple on top. But if you’re hankering to have some fun and let your personal style shine through, go for it, because you can find creative, imaginative bakers who can design, bake, and build the funkiest and wildest wedding cake ever, to suit your particular interests, theme, or hobbies. For a sweet and sassy ending to your reception, consider these ideas… Read more at New Jersey Bride
How to Avoid Being Penny-Wise and Pound Foolish
When you are starting or growing a business, every cent counts! And while I’m a huge fan of shopping around and getting the most bang for your buck, there are pitfalls to being overly frugal. To avoid being penny wise and pound foolish think of the big picture and you’ll actually be able to save money and headaches in the long run. Here’s what you have to do… Read more at WomenandBiz.com
Cracking the Cinderella Code
Admit it. Way before you started your company – you began to fantasize about it. You yearned to break free of your hum-drum job and show the world just how amazing you are. You daydreamed during meetings, pondered possibilities on your commute. The mere thought of your anticipated new life made your heart beat faster. This fairy tale probably included more flexibility (to do what you want, when you want) lots of cash rolling in, great clients, and fabulous business trips.
OK - so let’s get real. Owning a business is a 24/7 thing. Running a business involves so much more than baking the best cookies, slapping your name on a business card, or getting out to some networking events… Read more at WomenandBiz.com
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