SWAG: Make it Memorable

I've been wanting to post this blog since my last issue release party in January. We had a big event at the venue featured on the cover and gave swag bags to all the attendees. Each of my Occasions Magazine advertisers had the opportunity to put marketing materials in the swag bags and I was most impressed by Atlantic Limousine & Transportation. They gave pens with their logo. Sounds boring huh? They weren't. Instead, they took the traditional pen and made it memorable by placing it a box and including in the box a message that made it make sense.

The pen lite up so the message, along with the company's business card said...
"Are you like me? I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about tasks that I have to do. With this lighted pen, you make make your notes bedside, git if off your mind and get back to sleep. Simply click the top for a light and twist the end to access the pen."

Genius. No longer are they the stranger company giving you stuff to fill your drunk drawer. Atlantic Limo made it personal, made it make sense and made it memorable.


If you are going to spend the money on swag bag items, make them memorable or don't do it at all. Your postcard will end up in the trash, but if you engage the recipient your chances of turning that swag into an inquiry will increase. I promise.

You can ALWAYS get something cheaper

I feel like this is the story of my life. The topic of every conversation and quite honestly, I wish more people would just "get it" and stop trying to work the system. But alas, I shall bring it to light once again because the ever-so-talented, Sasha Souza, hit the nail on the head yesterday with a poignant blog titled "Let Me Clarify - You Can Always Get it Cheaper" and I just have to reaffirm her statement.

You can, in fact, always find something cheaper in life. Regardless of what you are looking for, it will inevitably be cheaper somewhere else. But, you simply will not get the same product (in most cases).

When it comes to advertising you cannot compare marketing dollar to dollar. If you do you will always go with the cheaper route and in return your yield will be as low as the price you went with. Advertising avenues that delivers higher impressions than their low-cost competitors are going to cost you more. Period. It's because of the hard and simple fact - they deliver more opportunities to reach your client. Buying cheap advertising does not mean that you are getting the same coverage for less price, it means you are getting less coverage for less price. If you are okay with that, than I am too.

Don't think you are getting the same coverage and have hit the jackpot of all deals... you're mistaken. It's like bridal shows..... ever been to one that only costs you $250 but then only attracts 50 brides? That's technically $5 a bride. But, if you spent the extra $500 for a legitimate show and that delivered 500 brides, you'd be decreasing your cost per bride to $1.50. The cost ratio decreases and your chances to book more brides increases. It makes sense. It's the same for Print Media, Online, Radio and Television. You get what you pay for.

Yes, a sale is a sale and even I offer promotional rates from time to time, but outside of that, start making your decisions based on a different type of number. Factors to consider when comparing advertising have nothing to do with price, but stats. Things like: distribution, circulation, web traffic, quality of the product, testimonials from clients, reach, marketing and advertising that media outlet does, etc.

If you want cheap, be prepared for less results. But if you want results, you've got to be willing to pay for them. And that brings me to price bullying. It just ain't cool. Like Sasha references in her post, you can't negotiate a lower price for gas at the local Citco, or bully the poor produce guy for cheaper bananas at Publix, so what makes you think it's okay to do so for other financial transactions. Like this video... this is exactly how you look..



I'm stopping the cycle today. I recently added this statement to my media kit because of price bullying. "We take our business and the commitment to our advertisers very seriously. The exposure, connections and relationships Occasions brings to our clients do come at a cost and commitment. Though competitive with event industry advertising rates, please know that our rates are as is, so please no haggle or hassling."

I work a lot of hours and can guarantee you I put more effort than most other publishers (no offense to them) into making sure my publication is reaching the right audience for my client... and I finally realized that work should come at a reasonable price.

It's time we all start realizing the value of our work and stick to it, while at the same time showing other people the same respect. Life is full circle and what goes around comes around.

Editorial Integrity : Writing for the Reason not the Reward

I've been doing a lot of soul searching about editorial integrity lately. I came from a background in Broadcast Journalism, but I never quite "got it" until I became the person responsible for generating editorial for an entire magazine. Now, I get it.

Before my days of publishing, I handled all the marketing for a spa. Public Relations and any type of editorial coverage was numero uno on the list. It is free afterall. Strike that. I shouldn't say free. Because free means the subject matter in question was originally associated with a price and that's not the case when it comes to articles, tv spots, radio interviews, etc. You can't pay for PR people and you really shouldn't try. It's in bad form.

Public Relations is by definition the practice of managing communication between an organization and its public. Ways you can manage that communication is internally through emails, newsletters, and advertisements or externally through third-parties like the media.

Media coverage gives your business a whole new level of credibility because it's someone outside of your organization, who is NOT being paid, who says "ya know, they have a good thing going" or "we tried these products and love them too!" That's how pr/editorial is meant to work.

Journalist who live by the daily belief in editorial integrity cannot be bought. I once sent a gift certificate to the spa to a writer who we often worked with as a thank you and happy holidays gesture. That writer called to say thank you for the gift card but that she couldn't accept it, so if I didn't mind she was going to donate it to a charity auction. I was floored, but even more SO impressed with her restraint and desire to keep it clean. That's journalism.... writing for the reason not the reward.

PR becomes politics when there is an exchange of cash, goods or services.

I own a magazine and my advertisers make my world go 'round. So being fair and balanced editorially speaking and taking care of the people who make my magazine possible is always a struggle. I don't mind writing about my advertisers, but it's because I know each of them personally and when we do write about them, it's because I truly BELIEVE that they have a good story to tell. But advertising with any media, does not promise you coverage and assuming it's included will leave you disappointed and your reputation a bit tarnished in the eyes of that editor/producer/writer.

So how do you get editorial coverage without bullying an advertising account executive for an article in exchange for an article or harassing an Editor?

You follow @LaraCaseyReps on Twitter. ;-) Lara Casey is Editor-in-Chief of Southern Weddings Magazine and has been posting tips and advice in the last week on "getting published" that are brilliant.

Her advice is simple. It's not about bullying, sending bulk emails, buying ads or offering services in exchange. It's about relationship. Getting to know the media YOU want to be published in. Familiarizing yourself with their style, previous topics covered, sending them article ideas, photography samples, knowing and submitting in the format they prefer, and generally building relationships with the gatekeepers. It does NOT happen over night, but if you put real genuine effort into the relationship, you will get results.

If you're on Twitter follow the hash tag #GetPublished to keep up with Lara's updates. It's extremely valuable advice you can use to get the most out of your public relations efforts in your full circle marketing plan.

Go with the People You Know

I promise you. I will get better at this blogging thing! We're pretty regular in the AO offices with keeping the AtlantaOccasions.com blog up-to-date, but allotting the time to spend on my marketing rants and raves has been somewhat of a challenge! Heather 2.0 is coming along.. but it needs some upgrades for sure. ;-)

Anyways, I've been getting a lot of requests for advice from my advertisers and industry contacts recently regarding my take on new bridal shows or other advertising opportunities springing up out of no where for wedding vendors. So I'll just answer everyone as a group here. I hope that whether you're in Atlanta or in Arkansas, this advice will be helpful for anyone.

I'm in sales and I make A LOT of calls. I can guarantee you that I'm not the only magazines calling wedding vendors about advertising. I bet as a wedding vendor it can seem pretty overwhelming to weed out the good vs. the bad and finally settle on the best marketing avenue for you. After all there is no secret recipe or magic trick to finding more business, but if you're marketing budget is limited, as is most everyone's, that decision is going to be crucial.

My advice :: Go with who you know. People do business with people they know and when you do business with someone you don't know... well you just don't know. I'm not saying to not give people a chance, because I was once new and there are lot of people that gave me a chance. But ... they just didn't know. I worked my little tush off (and still do) to build the reputation of myself and my company and I'm quite dedicated to keeping it up.

When you are shopping options to advertise your business, go with who you know. Whether that's the local magazine who offers monthly networking luncheons (hint, hint... I'm sorry shameless self-promotion there.. it slipped), local bridal show producers, or even other wedding vendors or bloggers. Reaching out and partnering with the medias who are invested in your local wedding community is the first step to building your wedding business and connecting with your client. The Bride.

Buy Local :: Buy Atlanta. My advice is simple. In my opinion, there is no need to participate in a bridal event run by out-of-town companies when right here in your own town are THREE amazing bridal show companies (Elite Events, Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta and Perfect Wedding Guide) that....

1. Know the market like the back of their hands
2. Have outstanding reputations of bringing all the brides you could ever want to their shows
   
3. Spend thousands of dollars in local advertising dollars to bring you those brides
4. And, are local Atlanta residents themselves.

Go green people! Support your local companies. There's no reason I can think of not to. I've participated in all of their shows (minus PWG, but I know they have an excellent reputation of bringing brides in) and they are swamped with brides. What else could you ask for?

Pay attention to who you know in your local wedding community and seek them out. They are the only people that hold the knowledge you need for your business. Local wedding-specific medias offer something FAR MORE VALUABLE than just an ad or booth that not many others can do. Things like a personal introduction to a venue where you've been trying to get on the preferred vendors list for months, or an opportunity for a speaking engagement in front of your peers, or insider knowledge about a new venue opening, or added opportunities to contribute promotional materials in swag bags at bride targeted events. I could go on!

Buy local, buy Atlanta... but buy from who you know. Sometimes I refer to myself of the Erin Brockovich of my company, because this business is just that personal to me.. just as her clients were that personal to her. Business is personal. I am Atlanta Occasions and Atlanta Occasions is Heather Vreeland. Whether you know me from our luncheons, a meeting, you're a client or we're just facebook friends.... I am without-a-doubt 100% percent invested in the Atlanta Wedding Community and my friends like Linda Surles of Atlanta Bride and Groom Planner, Tommy Vaugh of Elite Events, Donna Jakulski of Bridal Extravaganza of Atlanta, and Lei Lydle of AtlantaBridal.com (to name a few) are as well.

We're not here for a piece of the pie... we are an integral ingredient that make the pie possible. And we're here, doing what we do, for you. Period.

The Story of Me

There's an upcoming event in Atlanta for Wedding Professionals that's all about business plans. Although, the thought of writing one kind of brings one back to college paper writing days, my journey to Atlanta Occasions started as a direct result from my business plan so I have a special place in my heart for them... no matter what stage of your business. The irony is however, I didn't write the business plan for the current business I own...... so here's my story.

In 2006 I moved to Atlanta knowing no one and nothing about this city. I left behind a well established career in the Spa and Salon industry, but I knew that this new city had new experiences for me, so I wasn't looking for a job in the same field. Instead, I got a job at David's Bridal that paid a whopping $7/hr.... a far cry from my previous salary, but a clock-in and clock-out type gig with no responsibilities besides making sure the mirrors were fingerprint-less. Heaven.

While working there I found an opening for a Spa Director position at a Medical Spa near my house and ultimately left the hourly job for a career back in the spa world. While it was tremendously rewarding, it wasn't ME. I'm terribly assertive and a go-getter.. My way or the highway type person and I knew I had the desire to be an entrepreneur, I just didn't know in what fashion.

Everyday on the way to work I would pass this super cute old Antebellum home just outside of my neighborhood. Restored and currently outfitted as a restaurant, that place had been for sale since I moved to the big ATL. One day I said, "I think that place would make a great event venue." The next day I viewed the property with the realtor and the day after that I began putting together what would end up to be the thickest, most well thought out business plan for "Bear Creek Manor" (that's what I was going to name it), a new wedding and special event facility in Hampton, GA. I spent months planning, researching, acquiring financing, meeting with contractors and when it came down to closing the sale... those people just wouldn't take my low ball offer. So, I walked away from the project. By this time I had quit my job and was left soul-searching for where I was meant to be.

I went back to my business plan thinking "what the heck am I going to do with all this now?" I got to thinking about how I was going to market the facility in the first place. How would I reach the Henry County bride. Metro Atlanta is so large, how could I have ever really made this new venue stick out in the sea of facilities online. I just had this thought, spark, idea... call it whatever, that made me wonder why Atlanta, or any other major metro area, doesn't have a website where someone can narrow their search by region and county. Something that gives us Henry County businesses, our own spot in the limelight. And because one didn't exist... I decide to make it myself.

From that moment on I immersed myself into what was now known as AtlantaOccasions.com with no business plan, prior planning, major research or financial backing. Fast forward two years and I now have a very successful AtlantaOccasions.com AND an Atlanta Occasions Magazine that's morphed a tad bit from my original inspiration, into something even cooler. I have made mistakes along the way, nothing of too much determent to my biz, but things that had I forseen in my initial pre-planning would have saved me big bucks along the way. Had I paused to create a new plan for this idea I had been inspired to created by my initial business plan, I may have made different decisions that could have quite possibly saved me time, heartache and money-honey.

Everyone needs a little pause and focus time in their business. Time to stop, smell the roses, reflect on what you've created and reanalyze your path. Maybe you're headed in the right direction, or maybe the currents are moving and so should your business. You'll never know, unless you give yourself the time to think it through. Business plans do not make or break a business but they do force you to completely analyze your business from every facete and angle. They point you in the best direction and serve as a guide to keep you on that path or highlight new paths that you may not have considered.

Atlanta Wedding Professionals have the opportunity to do just that in a few weeks. A course completely designed for the bridal industry business plans is coming to Atlanta. I encourage you to seek out more info the Sage Wedding Pros are offering and consider what a class like this could do for your new, established, or in need of some TLC business. For more details click here.

I do this a lot. Some may say too much, but keeping a keen eye on your business and your market keep you tuned into the reality which surrounds you. Many people think that I have a glamorous publishing background, and sadly it's just not so. I'm on my way there though. What I did have was inspired thought and the guts to act on it. Sometimes, that's all you'll ever need. ;-)

How's your business going? Is there advice, questions or new marketing topics you'd like to see discussed that would help you succeed?

Your Marketing Engine Mechanic

Three years ago (October of 2006 to be exact) I attended a BNI meeting in Stockbridge Georgia after I first moved to Atlanta. I didn't know anyone but looked the group up on the internet and found the chapter near my house. At that event I met several people, collected business cards, etc. A few months later I hired an Accountant, Kim Maxwell, who I had met at the group and she has been my accountant ever since. But what's unique about this story is, in the clump of business cards I collected at that one meeting, there was a card of a electric company I had pulled out and stuck on my refrigerator after the meeting. Just a few weeks ago, January of 2010... 3 years later, I needed to add an electrical outlet in my home office, passed the fridge, remembered the business card I had saved and wah-lah.... called Mr. Johnny Classen up and booked him to come out to my house.



While he was here he said.. "I noticed you have one of my cards on your refrigerator, have we ever done business before?" and I told him, nope, not yet.. but I met you at that BNI group and have been holding onto your card until I needed it. He was shocked! His response.."Well I guess that group actually did work."

Go figure. In his case, the response he received from attending the event wasn't necessarily immediate, but it did lend him a new client. You never can tell exactly what marketing you're doing is going to attract clients, but having multiple options and avenues only increases the odds... because they all work better together.

You see, marketing is like the engine of a Mercedes. The parts, all brand spanking new, work just fine, but alone don't produce the end desired result. Put them together and listen to that baby purr. Now think about marketing as an engine. Your collateral pieces (i.e. parts) do function on their own to a certain extent. Yes, your website may have your phone number and services on it, but what good does it do until someone actually logs onto it. Same goes for business cards. So what you ordered 1000 of them. If they don't get put into the hands of a bride at a bridal show, they don't work. BUT, combine those collateral parts to make a marketing engine and each one will drive the other even further towards your desired end result... new clients. Just think, if your car is designed to run with six spark plugs but you unplugged two, chances are that car would still run, but not very well. So you can image the type of results you can expect if you try to run your marketing engine with only half of the parts... it'll run, just not like that Mercedes. Do you see where I'm going with this?

So what are those parts? Things like: business cards, print advertisments, website listings, client referrals, trade shows, editorial and pr coverage, billboard, radio, flyers, rack cards, networking, business meetings, signs on the side of your car, websites, blogs, social media, promotional materials, sponsorships, donations, raffles, yada yada yada. The more parts, the more refined engine.

Listen, what I want you to take from this is that the advertising parts of your marketing engine do work individually, they are just less effective when used alone... like spark plugs.

Image if Johnny would have gone to that networking event without a single card.....or maybe, had a bunch of cards, but never attended a networking event.

Buying more than just an AD

Walmart is good for one thing. People watching. No wait, two things... midnight runs to buy the movie Twilight when you realize you can't stream it live from Netflix (yes, that really happened).

I used to shop at Walmart. I admit. I was single, broke and starting my fresh new career and on a budget. Every time I went grocery shopping I would get so frustrated because Walmart never had the fresh produce I was looking for. I'd inevitably have to go to a second store to complete my list, walk into Publix and be immediately greeted by every single person on their floor when I was just there to get lettuce. I got so fed up of making multiple trips, and so attracted to a smile and the question "Can I help you find anything?" that I decided it didn't matter how broke I was, I didn't mind paying .29 cents more for Lean Cuisine when I could always be guaranteed a pleasurable shopping experience. Hence..."where shopping is a pleasure" came from.

Your media relationships can often be compared to the relationship you have have with your local grocer. Do you buy your groceries at Walmart or Whole Foods? Are you looking for the cheapest price no matter what you miss in the process? Or, are you willing to pay the price for quality, service and an all around pleasant experience.

Just like bananas, an ad is an ad is an ad (plus or minus basic demographics and coverage details). Mostly, it's where you buy the ad that truly makes the difference. Some medias are going to offer you the quickest, cheapest ad. While other medias, who may be less likely to budge on the final price, offer the same ad, but bring "intangibles" to the table that far increase the value that ad is actually worth. It's the difference between shopping at Walmart and Whole Foods.

Ask yourself, do you want to stand in one of three (out of 30) open checkout lanes for 20 minutes at Walmart or do you want to buy local, buy organic and peruse the colorful aisles, sipping the latest imported wine (that has happened), at Whole Foods? There is a HUGE difference.

I begin each of my new client meetings by asking a bit about their business like what marketing efforts they use, what works, what doesn't, etc. Recently, I've been hearing a lot of "oh and we do that magazine because their ads are so cheap...... "

Um, Houston, we have a problem.....

Why do you want to buy the cheapest ad? You're not buying pantyhose or plumbing supplies. You're buying new business!!!! Do you really want to risk that new business or the future success of your own with the cheapest gig in town? Are you okay with an attitude of "I ran your ad what more do you want"... or do you want to know your marketing dollars are buying you more than just the paper?

If you're looking for the Whole Foods shopping experience, the intangibles you should look for from your media partners are things like networking opportunities, connections, events, marketing advice, sponsorships, referrals, introductions, etc. It's not just about the ad... rather the ad package.

When it comes time to buy an ad or renew, these are the things you should consider in your advertising investment as well. Because, if you enjoyed the intangibles, then those need to be weighed evenly with the direct inquiries received from the ad too. It's likely they're a package deal. If you pull the ad, the intangibles will go right along with it.

Make a left into Walmart rather than a right turn into Whole Foods (okay, that would never happen in real life, they're rarely on the same corner, but you get it) and the end result of your shopping experience will be entirely different. Same goes with your media choice.

Marketing, in general, is a long term investment and your media relationships should be too. Think lasting and reliable, then come up with ways you can utilize the perks of your purchase. Partnerships are two way street. If you haven't connected recently with the media you're doing business with, get in touch and get the most out of your investment.

What ways has your business benefited from a solid media partnership?

Getting accurate answers to "How did you hear about us?"

Let's just get one thing straight.

It's not the job of your potential customers to keep track of your marketing efforts, it's yours. So don't leave their response to the question "How did you hear about us?" open for interpretation. The response should be pretty simple. Comparing your marketing plan.. it was either.. your print ad, your online ad, a friend, or recent PR coverage, etc.

Assuming your new client is a bride.... Give the girl some options. Do you think that after looking through a handful of magazines, perusing thousands of web pages .. when a she finally picks you to contact.. she's going to remember where she saw you ? NO.. help a sister out and give her obvious options.

If you can list the options that you KNOW you are doing.. why wouldn't you? Are you expecting or rather hoping to hear something different?

On the example below, I compare a before and after contact us page. The before leaves an open ended, fill in the blank option on the "Where did you hear about us?" line. The second has been modified to guide the the new client towards possible options. The switch is simple and may lend more precise results. Instead of leaving an opened ended option, where they could quite possibly not even fill it out, listing all the possible avenues where she COULD have heard of you just may jog her memory and help you keep better tabs on your marketing.

A good way of rearranging that question would be, "We market our business across multiple platforms so, knowing where you found us helps to streamline our marketing plan and keep costs low. Could you tell us each avenue you saw our advertisement or heard about our company?"

Then, list them with the opportunity to check multiple options.

If you leave it up to the client to tell you how your marketing is working you're not going to get the feedback you might expect. After all, she doesn't know how important it is to you, she's just worried about what's important to her. So tell her. It may seem lengthy or long to you but it's your money. Do you want to know what works or always be left wondering?

How do you keep track of your marketing efforts?

Heather 2.0

I'm turning over a new leaf, launching a new version of myself, morphing this blog into a soapbox of sorts (still with all the great marketing advice, plus more) and rearranging how I function on a daily basis.

Heather 2.0 comes with all the great features of Heather 1.9 but with greater control, discipline and work/life boundaries to help the entrepreneurial extraordinaire build her media empire while not destroying her personal life. ;-)

Features you'll grow to love with Heather 2.0:

• Limited Business Hours :: I have a tendency to be open & available 24/7. Which makes me feel like I never catch a break. Not good. The 2.o update includes scheduling my time, clocking in and clocking out, sending the phones to voicemail after hours and turning the auto-responder on until I return.
• Structured Schedule :: no more flying by the seat of my pants. Office days, meeting days, limited social networking. FAMILY time.
• Inbox Zero :: Process my email to ZERO each time I check it. Which means, I won't be checking my email every 5 seconds, rather select times a day that I can dedicate my time and attention and process them, instead of scan. Delete, delegate, archive, respond, defer.
• Business Blog :: Marketing and advertising are my passion, but along with that comes a whirlwind of ideas and advice that may not necessarily fall into those categories. So, although, I do still believe that "advertising makes the world go 'round," I'll be including other topics too.
• Funneling the avenues in which I can be reached :: I love Twitter and Facebook, but I can't manage those inboxes in addition to my email. So, if you follow or friend me, try to contact me at heather@atlantaoccasions.com if you want to talk biz. I use my social networks primarily for business, but not necessarily as a point-of-contact. You'll get a quicker response from me if you reach out via email.

That's the gist of it for now. There's bound to be bugs and hiccups. I'm hoping, posting it for the whole-wide-world to see, just might help me be more disciplined and follow through.

Happy New Year! ;-)

By the way, I totally stole the phrase "Heather 2.0" from my friend Ben Vigil. ;-)

Print is Not Dead People. Period.

This post is a no-brainer. It's deadline week for me and I'm swamped. So, I'll just pass on this absolutely fabulous video I found online about truths regarding magazines.

Watch and Learn.....

Diversity Universitiy

In life, the saying often goes "don't put all of your eggs in one basket." It's true. And for good reasons.

Take a lesson from the Bernie Madoff scandal. Many of those investors trusted the majority of their money to one man. One man who stole it from them. They believed and trusted in one man to make them millions. Why? Because he talked a good talk and had a pretty good reputation. Everyone else invested with him, why not them? But, instead of putting all of their eggs in one basket, had they diversified their funds into multiple investment opportunities like stocks, bonds, high-yield accounts, CDs, IRAs, etc... when the Bernie -shit hit the fan, the end result might not have been so catastrophic.

Or what about the guy who made an entire move about eating McDonalds for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I think he gained 45 pounds in a matter of weeks, had trouble breathing, and experienced a variety of health issues all from eating the same thing... over and over again.

I could go on with more examples, but I'll get to the point: Just like your money and food, when it comes to marketing your business, you've got to diversify your brand across multiple streams of medias to capture each and every client. No two are alike and therefore each has different shopping habits. Relying solely on one advertising stream is simply not smart. And risky if you ask me.

Take a marketing lesson from the big guys. Here's an example.....If you live in Atlanta, I'm sure you've heard of the BODIES exhibit at Atlantic Station. It's an exhibit of all the parts of the human body. Widely popular across the world, the traveling show comes and goes in Atlanta at various times of the year. You can't live in Atlanta and NOT see one of their ads promoting the exhibit. They have billboards, bus wraps, newspaper ads, heck, I've even seen them on lamp posts. Why? Because their big expensive ad agency knows, they have to diversify their advertising budget and marketing campaign across multiple mediums to capture the highest return of impressions.

So because my expertise is in the wedding industry in Atlanta, I'll touch on that. I'm not saying you have the budget like BODIES does, but you can mimic the marketing plan of the pros at a level comfortable for you. It's simple: determine your advertising budget and allocate those funds across multiple streams of marketing to increase your chances. Include online placement, print ads, boutique-type opportunities like The Bridal Bar or Studio Wed, blogging, social networking and bridal shows. If you can't afford them all, pick the ones that lend you the highest return on impressions. Don't forget there are results and relationships attached to each option so you should consider those as well, but mainly remember it's called a marketing plan, not a secret recipe. The only tried and true way to gain more clients is to promote across multiple, TARGETED mediums at a level that is within your means.



It's all about filling your sale funnel. The more impressions, the healthier you're sale funnel will be. Although not all of those impressions will equal sales, they will increase the chances of those impressions actually turning into sales.

It's all about increasing the odds. Trusting one brand to do that, will only leave you disappointed.

I'll talk more in detail about the sales funnel next post...

Results, Relationships and Investing in your Business.

The other day I had a conversation with a local business owner who shall remain nameless. He was interested in finding out about advertising and as always I asked "what are you currently doing to promote your business?"

His first response "Word of Mouth." Of course! Everyone says all of their business comes from word of mouth. Moving on....

His second response was an online ad he was running on a competing site of mine but he said something interesting. "I've been advertising with {soandso.com} for three months and I haven't gotten one single booking. They have a leads system, but they're budgets are too low so I don't bother calling them." I asked "How much do you pay for that site?" He says "$55 a month."

CUT! Doing the math if he paid $55 a month for 12 months he would have invested $660 year to promote his business. Knowing what I know from the wedding photographers I work with, most of them charge anywhere from $2000 and up for a wedding. Chances are this wedding photographer charges more than $660 for any given event. Having put in more time, he may very well have booked a bride, covered his costs and then some. But yet, he couldn't see the value in spending $55 a month to potentially book said $2000 bride.

Before I go on, I've just got to say there comes a level of commitment and value you've got to place into you business before you can ever expect anyone else to invest in it. If you can't invest $660, how can you expect your client to pay you double or even triple that?

This photographer was ready to jump ship for the next best thing without ever giving the current advertising medium a chance. I bet if he called his account executive from {soandso.com} and explained his concerns they would have gladly given him some advice to boost his return or attraction to his ad.

But it goes even farther than that. Advertising is like dating.. you've got to give it time. If you're boyfriend didn't propose in the first few weeks of dating would you dump him?

When it comes to most medias, advertising is part results and part relationship. Don't go into an advertising agreement just thinking about the ad, think about the "added value" that comes along with it. The intangibles. Connections in an industry you may need, marketing advice you've always been looking for, networking opportunities, event sponsorships, a shoulder to cry on (you never know, it HAS happened to me) and so much more.

My plain and simple advice is this...Invest in your business far beyond what you expect your clients to and your returns will be plentiful. Utilize the relationships that come with those investments. Combine those together and you'll have a recipe for success.

Analytics for all and for all a good night!

I'm just going to say it..... if there were a Google Analytics for print, maybe the industry wouldn't be the target of so much criticism. Not just print even... television, radio, billboards... they're all being made to be the bad guy because there's no fancy software to tell you EXACTLY how many people touched, looked, or listened to your ad.

Just because there's not doesn't mean that those forms of advertising aren't effective. Yes. It's more difficult to measure the traffic generated, but discrediting the effectiveness of them all together is just plain wrong.

Food for thought... When you look at your Google Analytics account, notice two things...

1. Direct Traffic: those are people who have directly typed in your web address. Ever wonder how they knew your URL anyways?

2. Search Terms: if one of your top search terms is the name of your business, chances are that person who was searching your business name found out about you from another form of advertising.

I'm just sayin'.....

Knowing is Half the Battle

In my opinion, advertising and its purpose, are widely misunderstood. In the vast gray area between calls to action and brand awareness the average business person gets lost in the purpose, point and profound importance advertising brings to the growth of businesses.

The purpose of advertising is to expose your business to potential clients. Period. Be the town crier, bridge the gap, be your voice. Go without it, and you have a mute message.

Here's where the major misconception comes into play..... Companies that sell advertising don't sell customers - directly that is. Frankly, it would be impossible and probably illegal in some states. ;-) It's unfortunate, and because I sell advertising too, I would LOVE to be able to guarantee my clients and advertisers an exact amount of new customers they will bring in from their advertisements. It's just not the case. What advertising account executives bring to the table is exposure. Media avenues guarantee exposure to people that will either see, hear or touch your ads. Impressions, viewers, readers, traffic, visitors, and pageviews are a measurable guarantee. That is what you buy.

Your message and product that relates to the client's need is what turns those impressions into inquiries. Once the calls start coming in, it's now up the sales staff, customer service reps and you to qualify the client and close the sale. Not the ad. That ad's responsibility was exposure. And it delivered.

My suggestion? Quantify the advertising medium you choose. Doing so will increase your chances of turning those impressions into inquiries and then clients. You are buying exposure, not customers, so make sure the exposure is the right exposure for you.

If you choose the best medium for your business but still aren't getting the result, don't be quick to blame the vehicle. Take a look a your message. Revamp it. Change the image, wording, call to action, offer, etc. I'm sure your advertising executive would be happy to help make suggestions and adjustments. You never know, you may just get a completly different response.

Closing common sense comparison: Imagine if you only used YOUR word of mouth to deliver the message about your business to friends, neighbors and family, but not one came to buy or hire you. Would you stop speaking and blame yourself for not working? Probably not....

It Happened to Me again...

Tonight's a short but sweet message....

This weekend was a whirlwind of Bridal Events in Metro Atlanta and I spent the better half of my Sunday congratulating newly engaged gals on their upcoming nuptials. One girl, in particular, stood out. As soon as I handed her a magazine she said "Oh are you the creator?!?! I'm on your website almost everyday! I read about you in H Magazine... I live in Henry County too!"

It happened again. Right before my very own eyes someone admitted that they actually READ magazines and that she actually found out about me from a recent article that was written in H Magazine. Who would have thunk it? FYI.. I also had an ad in that same magazine, same issue.

Bottom line people. If they're reading articles, they're seeing ads. There's no way they can't. Period.

Here's my fabulous 15 mintues of fame that ran earlier this year.

Just when you thought magazines were useless....

Let's get one thing straight: It's not my intention to use this blog to sell advertising. Yes, I sell advertising for a living, but rather than push my product, I'm just trying to bring light to an industry that always gets heat because people just don't understand it.

But today, I'm here to tell you that apparently advertising, more specifically print, does work. I experienced the results myself . ;-)

Well not directly myself, but indirectly of sorts. It was my magazine after all.

Each month, on the third Wednesday my company and fellow publisher friend Linda Surles of Atlanta Bride and Groom Planner co-host a networking luncheon for our advertisers and prospective clients in the Atlanta Wedding Industry. We meet A LOT of folks! Today was especially unique because I met a new woman, an event planner and she had an interesting story for me.

Last week she was in Priscilla of Boston in Buckhead and picked up OCCASIONS Magazine and was stunned because she'd never seen it before (I'm blushing). She explained that she had been looking for a rental company that had white leather furniture and hadn't been able to find one yet for an event she was planning for quite the demanding bride. She came across Event Rentals Unlimited in our section "An Atlanta Occasion" and low and behold... a picture of a white leather couch provided by Event Rentals Unlimited. She called. She booked. She told them she found them in Atlanta OCCASIONS Magazine. The End.

Client. Vendor. Gap. Bridged... all by a MAGAZINE.

The Seed that "Word of Mouth" Stems from: Advertising

If you follow me on Twitter you know I've been bitching A LOT about AT&T lately. I am a small business owner which means, I have a small operating budget and fancy expensive phone service, just ain't in the cards. I've been on the prowl for new, less expensive phone service with no avail. I've heard Google Talk is the way to go, but apparently it's limited, and I need a solution now.

On a recent 12 hour road trip to Arkansas I occupied my time eagerly flipping through the September Issue of Inc. Magazine. (I have to admit, I'm an Inc. Mag virgin and now I'm hooked). Not only did I find myself immersed in the articles..... I ran across a double-truck (2-page spread for those of you non-advertising language speaking folks) ad for Grasshopper: a virtual phone service specifically designed for Entrepreneurs. It immediately hit me that this just might be what I was looking for and I dog-eared the page to go look it up later. Just like that... Grasshopper had made a connection with me.




Now, I'm not trying to sell phone service here, but this brings me to my topic.... Obviously I had never heard of Grasshopper before. Had I not been reading that September Issue of Inc. Magazine it may have been months before I ever found out about Grasshopper Virtual phone service. That ad answered a question, filled a need and look... now it's being transformed into word of mouth marketing through this blog.

Word of Mouth Referrals are great, but you can't discredit where the buzz began: with your ad. Yes, I'm a true believer in word-of-mouth marketing and referral business, BUT I ask, where did your first customer come from? Or maybe even your 10th or 100th?

I like to compare advertising your business to growing a garden. There are two steps. First Step: planting the initial seeds and then relying on nature to do it's thang. With a garden you want Tulips, you plant Tulip buds and you get tulips. Then comes pollination: the a necessary step in the reproduction of flowering plants that God invented bugs and wind for.... to multiply those plants.

In Business, you want customers, you place advertisements and you get customers. Then, all of your new happy customers tell their friends and thus produce more new customers for you.. etc.

Today's Lesson:

Seeds = Advertisements
Pollination = Word of Mouth

Have one without the other and all you get is a very sparse garden and a below average marketing campaign.

FYI: every hyperlink I created in this post I linked to http://www.grasshopper.com/inc. That's me giving credit where credit is due: The ad that ran in Inc. Magazine. :-)

Social Networking: Myspace

Myspace is an online community where friends, family, acquaintances, business owners, colleagues, and co-workers keep in touch and network with one another all online and all for FREE! Anyone can create a profile and you can customize it to suit your own personal style.

Here's how it works..

First you create a profile.

Then you find people to be your "friends." Now this doesn't necessary mean your gonna meet over coffee with strangers, it simple means theses people are in your network and you're in theirs. You can now comment on their page and post bulletins that they can read. Only your friends can read your bulletins, so having lots of friends is beneficial for business owners like yourself because when you post a sale lots of people will see that bulletin......only if they are your friend. Have I made myself clear?

When you have a lot of friends, you post bulletins. This could be something like.. "Sale on Saturday.. Shop online at our site and receive 50% off... visit www.mywebsite.com for more info"

Again, when you have friends you can invite them to events. Let's say you were having a wine tasting or open house for your new business location... well invite all your myspace friends to gain more customers.

And don't forget to customize your page to excude your brand identity or individual style. Sites like MySpaceorYours.net, KillerKiwi.com, or MyPimpSpace.com.

And if your still lost... here's a good video to walk your through things.....

A New Advertising Era

Today marks the beginning of several blogs I will post regarding social networking and marketing your business online.

Let's face it people.. this economy ain't pretty. But, tomorrow is another day and it's business as usual. You have two choices... either close up shop or choose to advertise your business a more cost effective way. That's where I come in.

There are a handful of ways you can advertise your business online and many are free. The most popular are Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and Squidoo just to name a few. I will spend the next couple weeks explaining how you can use each.

Stay tuned for lots of useful info coming your way.

What are people saying about your business?

I've been meaning to tell everyone about this for a while... Google Alerts. This fabulous tool will make you quite the little media darling staying right on top of what everyone is saying about you business. Sign up for Google Alerts here. It's Free. Select the keywords you want to track... i.e. your name or your business name and you'll be updated by emails from Google each time their lil bots come across your keywords.