"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify!"~Henry David Thoreau As a marketing and strategy consultant, I'm often asked, "What's the best way to reach people? Television, radio, newspaper, trade magazines, online, word-of-mouth?" My response is always, "Go where your customers are." In my last post, I talked about defining your customer - taking the time to specifically figure out who you want to reach with your organization. A major aspect of knowing your customer is understanding how they get information about businesses like yours. The easiest way to find out is simply to ask them. No matter which...
Marketing / PR: January 2010 Archives
"The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself."~Peter F. Drucker In my last post, I asked you to articulate your organization's "promise" - the main reason you're in business. When doing this, you probably thought about your expertise, the products you offer or the specific type of service you provide. While this is necessary, the second step to defining your promise is to fully understand who you're trying to reach with your business. In my consulting, I've heard companies say, "I'd like to reach everyone!" Their...
"To open a shop is easy, to keep it open is an art" This Chinese proverb probably hits home as the economy's downturn impacts your design business. No matter if you're a one person shop or one of many in a large firm, the realization is that forces, often outside of your control, impact the job you do. But what about the things that ARE in your control? What are the things that can be done on a regular basis to differentiate you or your company from your competitors? I've partnered with Design Arts Seminars, Inc. to do recurring blog...



