Category: Inbound Marketing

20
Mar

Marketing Avengers Assemble

Posted by / Branding, Inbound Marketing, Social Media

Content, social media, and branding are all strong components on their own, but assemble them together, and your business could dominate.

The Branding Hulk

Branding is big. If there is one element of your business’s marketing strategy that needs thorough attention, it’s branding. Your brand is how you connect. Although it may seem like simple visuals, it is so much more than that. Logo designs and print collateral should all sync together in order to create a professional and well rounded appearance that can emulate an emotional connection and in turn a strong customer-business relationship.

How does branding work in tandem with content and social media? Wherever your brand goes, they follow. Content & social media channels should always reflect your brand’s personality. If you are marketing to kids and you utilize stiff adult-lingo (which isn’t cohesive with what you’ve created visually) then the kids may be slightly confused. Your brand should be created with a demographic in mind, because without that knowledge or consistency in all marketable areas, your brand might be lost.

Captain Content

Much like in the mad men era, today content is king. In the past slogans, taglines, or descriptions had to sell the consumer a product. Although marketing channels have changed, the need for quality copywriting is still very much a booming facet.

Mix content with good social media posts and branding and you have yourself a pot of gold. A good tagline beneath your logo or copy for the home page of your website can make all the difference in the world. Those who don’t take stock in the use of quality writing will find their target audience pretty unimpressed. Your business’s website and social media posts should always be thinking about content. Without it, your organic search engine rankings could go down and your online followers will get bored fast. Content should always be new and should consistently be working to entice the consumer.

If He Be Worthy, He Shall Possess the Power of Social Media

Social media is where it all comes together. Why? Because the vast majority of online users have one or more accounts on social media outlets.

The idea behind social media is to drive traffic to your website or business. By promoting your website on social media, you have the opportunity to drive them to directly the information you want them to see. However, this should go both ways. Social icons should always be present on your website. Why? Because the more ways you can communicate with your customers the better. By following you on Facebook or Twitter, they could get updates on sales, discounts, or promotions which will result in more frequent interactions and opportunities to snag a returning customer.

Content plays a pretty big role when it comes to maintaining and marketing your social channels. So many businesses post generic run-of-the mill content and unfortunately no one interacts with them. Like all facets of marketing you have to engage the consumer, so the more character your posts have, the better chance you have of customers following your posts in the future.

Assembling a crack team of content, branding, and social will have a huge impact on your marketing efforts. Alone they are strong, but united they could take on the universe.

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12
Mar

Lessons from Movie Marketing

Posted by / Inbound Marketing, Tips and Techniques

Every year film companies pay out billions in an effort to bring new, and creative ideas to movie marketing.

So, what does high cost movie marketing have to do with small business? Although you won’t be spending billions on campaigns, the fundamentals and innovative ideas that now propel the film industry can be used on a smaller scale to give your brand an interesting and competitive edge.

The Oscar for hilarious marketing goes to… Unfinished Business

Recently the marketing folks for the new Vince Vaughn flick released a series of images featuring the main cast posing in stock photos. Stock photos may seem like a boring tactic for a movie campaign, but in staying with the context of the film (a comedy about business), it made sense.

We’ve all seen the typical stock photos of individuals in suits pretending to be working in a fake environment. They are ridiculous. So, in playing off of that, and offering them up as free stock photos, they created a comical campaign that had the ability to go viral… and it did. Within hours of launch the photos were trending all over social media creating a momentum for a film that didn’t have much traction prior to the stunt.

What can we learn? Sometimes the most creative and successful marketing plans are the simplest. Elaborate marketing tactics are impressive but not always necessary. By creating an image or post that is well executed and easily shareable, your business can open a door to a larger target audience by spending little to no capital.

The Marketing Knight

The Batman films are a huge franchise that has had success for years. The first installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman had an incredible following, however that didn’t stop the Warner Brothers marketing team from going above, and way beyond what their target demographic expected for the second film The Dark Knight.

Kicking things off, the team designed a campaign website for the political character Harvey Dent. This idea served two purposes. First, it promoted the film with an interactive element, and second it created a marketing tool that could actually measure the website traffic which would most likely translate to movie tickets sold. A little brilliant. The next phase was the development of a fictitious newspaper titled The Gotham Times, which was distributed on street corners in various cities across the US. The tactic utilized the brand and created an atmosphere for fans that was tangible. The last stop on The Dark Knight marketing train began with a viral website named whysoserious.com. Again creating a outlet to drive fans, the website also offered “joker army” messages which could be tracked. Those who tracked all the messages were given an opportunity to take part in a scavenger hunt type adventure within selected cities. They were then given an address (to a local bakery) and instructions. Once they arrived and gave the password (Robin Banks) they were presented with a cake and a number on it. Once the fan called the number a phone would ring from inside, and beneath the cake layers was their very own Gotham Police evidence bag with a phone and joker related items. Pretty cool, am I right? Creating the ultimate fan experience is a strategy that will never get old and will always be appreciated by the consumer, not to mention it was crazy fun and effective.

Why? Because it kept their target demographic anticipating the next campaign. Building a hype through marketing initiatives resulted in a box office boom. The first installment generated $251,188,924 while the second installment took over with $533,345,358. Not a bad jump.

How can your small business benefit? By getting creative. By changing up your website to reflect a marketing campaign for a new product or by developing fun print items to reflect your brand, you are providing your target customers with a physical and visual reminder of your product or service. Don’t be afraid to get a little innovative and build anticipation. You don’t need to bake any phones into cakes, but you can give your consumers a fun way to win rewards. Creating a hype and driving customers to your business doesn’t have to be so traditional. Your customers will enjoy the change of pace and entertaining offer, so ask yourself… why so serious?

Ready to amp up your marketing efforts? Take to social, your website or your physical location and promote your brand, product or service with a fresh edge. The great part about being in control of your marketing is you can spend $0 or $10,000. Just make sure to have professional print materials, design items and content. The better your business looks the more enticing it will be to your customers.

26
Feb

Handsome Lonely Website Seeking Visitors

Posted by / Inbound Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Design

Feeling lonely on the world wide web? Have you ever considered that maybe the reason no one visits your website is because they can’t see you? You might be missing out on opportunities to connect with potential customers, patients, or clients. So what do you say we try on some new ideas and get you back out there?

Beautiful Blog Seeking Search Engine

Could a blog will be the one you’re website has been waiting for? The issue you are having with customers unable to find you online could be because the content on your website hasn’t changed. In today’s website scene, there needs to be a consistent stream of new content.

Sounds great, but I am sure you are wondering how to generate new material on your website? Easy, a blog. A big beautiful blog added to your website weekly or bi-weekly will do wonders when it comes to snagging new online visitors. Why? Because it is how you stay in control of your organic search engine rankings.

Ever wonder how a website comes up in a search? Search engines like Google or Bing aren’t looking at your creative web design, they are interested in the text within it. Keywords and original content are the elements that make a blog beautiful. To avoid being forgotten by search engines your business will need to be proactive and consistent when it comes to copy. Make sure you are always adding new quality entries to your website that utilize the keywords your potential customers or patients will search for, that way you content can be indexed, ranked and made accessible to your searching customers.

Miss Mobile Seeking Responsive Web Design

Do you know how many individuals search on their smartphones for stores, services, blogs, products, etc.? Around 80%. Woah… didn’t think it was that high did you? Having a mobile friendly website is no joke and we are here to tell you why.

With such a high percentage of individuals searching on their smartphones why wouldn’t you want to create the best mobile experience possible? Responsive web design allows for your website to be aesthetically pleasing, readable and navigation ready on all electronic devices. No more struggle to view tiny text or battling to scroll across a navigation bar. Instead your website will automatically resize to the device being used, meaning more people will be more likely to view your website and stay on it.

Social Butterfly Seeking Wallflower Website

A commonly missed opportunity to drive traffic to your website stems from social media. Why? Well social media allows you to connect with customers and other businesses with a simple click.

By creating business pages on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., you are creating immense opportunities… and did we mention it’s free? The beauty of social media is that you can market your business without a budget and ultimately drive traffic to your website. Sure there are paid ad campaigns you can run or daily boosts you can invest in, but you don’t need to in order to be successful. All you need are professional looking cover photos, a link to your website and engaging posts.

Using social media as a platform to connect seems more complicated than it is. The idea is simple. Be present and connect. By following those two key ideas your interested followers will seek out more information which just so happens to be on your website… get the big picture?

Feel like you are ready to get back in the game? With a responsive web design, blog, and social presence you will be the new stud on campus and we couldn’t be more proud. Welcome to the world of new website traffic.

05
Feb

What If I Told You Email Newsletters Didn’t Have To Be Lame?

Posted by / Inbound Marketing, Tips and Techniques

Feeling like no one wants to be your e-blast friend? It’s okay… there are many of us out there like you, trying to get customers and clients to read our email newsletters. It, hurts. Well not really, but it can be frustrating. You have content you’ve been working on for the past month, you know your target audience could benefit from this info, but you can’t seem to get them to read it. Well… luckily you are friends with us and we have a few useful tips. You’re welcome.

The Battle of the Image

Did you know that SPAM filters search for emails without content in it? Some businesses let the design bug take over their newsletter and create an image based email. It may be pretty, but it is one way to get your e-blast thrown in the SPAM folder. The solution is to make sure you email has plenty of hearty content.

This doesn’t mean you can’t have any images, we actually encourage images. Nice crisp images, something that will catch a readers attention as they click through emails. Stock photography or professional quality images are preferred as you want your e-blast to look as polished as possible.

Extra Extra Read All About It

A strong compelling headline is an absolute must for an email newsletter. If there is one item of an email blast to focus on it is a short, creative and informative subject line. It’s not always easy to include all those components, but a large portion of your customers receiving emails will open it based on the subject line (research suggests as many as 8 out of 10).

The use of typical words like FREE or Discount in the subject line could be another reason your e-blast gets sent straight into SPAM. So, be cautious of how you word your headline and be as creative and direct as possible. Commonly customers will open newsletters with titles that have an urgency or offer useful tips. Keep this in mind when constructing your content and you will be golden.

Link It Up

Include your social links and website url in all email newsletters. A call-to-action that will direct the customer/reader to your site will increase your businesses ability to generate new leads and sales. Without a link your customers would have to search for your website or social feeds and will more than likely give up or not even bother. If the links are right in front of them you are making the process a simple and pain free one.

Timing is Everything

Send e-blasts at appropriate times. Email newsletters should be as non-disruptive as possible. To get the most out of your email send it during hours you know the vast majority of your customers will be in front of a computer, that way you know it is being paraded in front of them and not just sitting in their inbox waiting to be deleted. Mid morning, and afternoons will be your best bet.

See, there is no need to get down about your email newsletters anymore. We have all been there and are continuously tweaking our subject lines and photos to provide customers and clients with the best e-blast they’ve ever laid their eyes on.

02
Jan

2015 is here. What now?

Posted by / Branding, Inbound Marketing, Social Media, Tips and Techniques

We play this game every year. We say we are going to be bigger and better than the year before, but many small businesses don’t know where to start. So, let us begin shall we?

#1 Make Plans

Decide where you want to go this year. Moving forward with no direction will make it difficult to accomplish any goal. So, decide. If you want to double your revenue this year, mark it down. If you want to expand your social media following by 500 new followers then do your research and get following. Saying your goal out loud feels good, but writing it down and creating a strategy to attain it will feel even better!

#2 Go Big or Go Home

Ask any successful business owner what their secret is and hands down they will say they took a risk. Starting any business is a risk, but we are talking about getting out of your comfort zone. If you have been getting in a consistent stream of revenue of the past few years, great! But over time businesses that grow are the ones who see longevity. Put up that billboard you’ve always wanted or update that website you’ve been with since 2003 (we know a great web designer, wink wink). 2015 is the year to try something new and expand.

#3 Continue Good Habits

If you spent last year grooming your social media and expanding your following don’t stop now, keep it going. Elaborate on facets that worked and only trash ones that failed miserably. Many business marketing strategies need to be nourished in order to be successful. Social media and blogging are prime examples. If left stagnant they cannot do their job of driving more traffic to your website or business location, which is why continuing good habits is important in order to have consistent success.

#4 The Year of the Brand

Throughout 2014 we have discussed the importance and necessity of creating a bold and original brand. 2015 is the year to take those branding ideas and put them to work. As a business owner you should love your brand. If you don’t, how do you expect your customers to love it? Work with a graphic designer to create the mark you can stand behind. Your brand is your business. Take on the New Year with a cohesive visual identity and brand that is used throughout all marketing channels and business collateral.

A new year equals new opportunities. Be bold, organized and inspired. Let 2015 be your year! Cheers!

23
Dec

Did Your Business Make the Naughty or Nice List?

Posted by / Inbound Marketing, Social Media, Tips and Techniques, Web Design

Have you been a nice small business this year? The clock is ticking with only a day left until Saint Nick makes his appearance, so to make sure you end up on the nice list we are going to take you through the musts of 2014.

Have You Been A Scroogey Small Business?

One way to end up on the naughty list this year is by not giving back to your customers. Through deals, customer loyalty programs and thank you e-blasts, your customers will notice your dedication, which goes a long way. Loyalty programs are one of the best ways to gain returning customer traffic, so what do you have to loose?

Be A Part of Whoville

Even the Grinch ended up joining the merry circle of Whoville, so have you supported your small business community this year? Well lets just say you did. By supporting other small businesses like yourself, you are opening a whole world of opportunity. Businesses that work well together, help each other out. The chances of getting customer referrals or cross promotion will greatly increase if you support others in your community directly or through platforms like Facebook.

Socializing Sally

Utilizing your social media is another must of the year. Connecting with your customer base and driving traffic to your website is the ultimate goal in social media marketing. Whether you are posting daily or weekly any little bit helps and will keep you business active and engaging. Do right by your small businesses by including social media into your marketing strategy.

Responsive Rhonda

This is the biggy. The one item that will absolutely get you on the nice list this holiday is a responsive website. Too long have businesses subjected their customers to a website that looks terrible on a tablet or smartphone. Its time to do the right thing if you haven’t already and go responsive. With more and more of the general public searching on digital devices other than their computers you want to make sure your website is equipped to fully function regardless of the screen size.

If you don’t have any of these items checked off on your 2014 to do list, there is always next year. We can’t help your small business with the coal you might get Christmas morning but we can set you up for success in 2015. Take on the year with all the necessary elements to keep your customer base satisfied and your small business on top of it’s industry.

05
Dec

The Twelve Tips of Christmas

Posted by / Branding, Inbound Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Tips and Techniques, Web Design

Twelve Writers Writing

Content is key. Over the past year we have written multiple blogs about the importance of including keyword rich material in your website. Consistent new copy on your site will engage your active customers and enhance your SEO efforts. So, whether you have one or twelve writers writing, get frequent content out there to be read by customers and indexed by the top search engines.

Eleven Responsive Websites

A responsive website is not just a trend, it is a necessity. In order to stay competitive your website needs to be easily accessible for all… meaning readable on all electronic devices. Don’t make your customers squint and get frustrated while looking at your website. Make sure it is responsive and looks good on all phones, tablets and computers, no matter the size.

Ten Logos Leading

Logo-A-Go-Go was among a few of the many blogs we wrote about the importance of a well-designed logo. Your logo is a key element of your brand. It is the symbol, mark or signature your customers relate to and place a value on. A logo should be timeless, simple and versatile in order to make a statement like these ten leading logos below.

ten_logos_leading

Nine Creative Spaces

We’ve said it once, and we will say it many more times. The space you work in can greatly affect your creativity and productivity. Creative spaces should feel creative, and color has a lot to do with that. Dark and grey tones can drag down your mood while blues and yellows give off a sense of calmness and positivity. Natural light is another must have in a creative space and has been known to enhance productivity. Check out Google’s Headquarters and see how some of the best creative’s work!

Eight Marketing Must Haves

Implementing a marketing strategy for your business isn’t as difficult as it may seem. With these eight elements, you have the ability to market your small business like a pro.

  1. Do your research. Take a look at your competitors and marketing campaigns that have been successful in your industry. Getting a background is the best way to outline your marketing game plan.
  2. Know who you are marketing to. Know who your target audience is. If you market to the general public, you may have a hard time reaching them. Narrowing the spectrum will increase your chances of implementing a successful campaign.
  3. Cohesive Brand. Your branding should be visible on all marketing materials. Take Target for example; whether it’s Christmas or summer their branding elements are apparent on all marketing items.
  4. Content Marketing. Blogs are your best friend. Offer your target audience helpful tips or information about your product or business via your website. This will drive new website traffic and potentially increase their viewing time on the site.
  5. Email Marketing. Email marketing is still as effective as ever. Provide useful content or specials to your customer base and reach them on an alternate marketing platform.
  6. Social Media. Social media essentially equals free advertising. You can post product photos or content that will automatically show up on your followers news feed. It is simple and accessible for all.
  7. Engage Customers. Engage your customers on social media or in store. Giveaways are great way engage your target consumer.
  8. Quality Visuals. There is nothing that turns a consumer off more than poor quality media. If you are going to use imagery (which you should) make sure it gives you the professional look you need.

Seven Social Winnings

Social media is a great way to interact and reach your customer base. These seven tips ensure you are getting the most out of your social media posting.

  1. Use professional quality visuals to attract customers to your post.
  2. Post frequently, but not obnoxiously.
  3. Respond to negativity calmly, than find a solution for both parties.
  4. Use relevant hashtags to expand your audience.
  5. Brand your social pages with your logo, color palette and professional cover photos.
  6. Keep posts short, but informative.
  7. Utilize the opportunity to engage customers, through giveaways and tips.

Six Designer Cravings

2014 has brought a year of web and graphic design trends. Here are the top six worth giving a look for your new website or re-design.

  1. Flat Website Design
  2. Large Home Page Imagery
  3. Motion Graphics
  4. Mix N’ Match Typography
  5. Parallax Scrolling
  6. Minimalist Design

Five Standout Titles

The best way to get your blog noticed is by having a great title. Here are five ideas to help your title standout.

  1. Be unique in your title choice. Generic will get your blog lost in a sea of blah.
  2. Be accurate. Make sure your title makes sense in regards to the blog content.
  3. SEO friendly. Use keywords in your title to boost your organic search ranking.
  4. Short & Sweet. Too long a title can turn off readers.
  5. Enticing. Think about the titles that attract you and use it as a base.

Four Compelling Blogs

Blogs are abundant in today’s content marketing world, which is why you need to have a compelling body of copy.

  1. Start with the title. Choose a title that will catch your readers attention.
  2. Play around with formats. Change it up and write in paragraphs or lists to keep it interesting.
  3. Use a visual. Giving you blog a visual will do wonders. The average person responds better to visual content over text, so give the people what they want!
  4. Don’t write a book. A blog is meant to give helpful or useful information, not compete with the length of War and Peace. Keep it short so that your readers will be more likely to finish the post.

Three Great Brands

A great brand is able to withstand time, has a logo that emulates an emotional connection and its’ name is why consumers choose them. These three brands have all hit those marks.

three_great_brands

Two Tweeting Don’ts

Try not to over tweet and whatever you do… do not send Twitter SPAM, don’t be that business.

And a Website with SEO, Please

Search engine optimization should always be on your mind. The better your organic search engine rankings are, the more visits your website will receive. A stagnant website with no new content will become static noise in the search engines eyes, but a website that has new content will makes it alive and kicking and will make a big difference in your website’s overall visibility.

Disclaimer: The logos used in this post are registered trademarks owned by their respective companies of which Sixth Gear LLC is not affiliated with or sponsored by.

07
Nov

Once Upon a Blog

Posted by / Inbound Marketing

Sitting down each week to write a compelling blog that will engage your colleagues and your customers is not the easiest job, but it is worth it. Blogging is so much more than a few paragraphs of helpful content or thought provoking text, it helps improve your organic search ranking and allows you to connect with your customer base. So what makes a blog engaging? Pretty pictures never hurt, however we have a few other ideas that can help you write that blog post you’ve been putting off.

Every Story has a Beginning

Every blog has a beginning and that beginning must grab the readers attention. Your title and opening paragraph is your one chance to hook, line and sink the reader. Why? There are so many blogs out there with similar content, so the idea is to make yours stand out with a gripping headline and opening body. Now, we don’t mean come up with the craziest title you can think of, but choose a headline that fully states what your blog is about. Being creative doesn’t mean going over the top every time, but we do encourage you to find unique ways to make your point. Now, if you are able to capture your target audience’s attention with the headline, you have the opening paragraph to lock them in. This is the moment where your writing skills will need to shine and if you don’t have any well… we can help. If you are unsure of your writing abilities, speak to your customers through content as if you were to speak to them in person. This will automatically give your writing some personality. Big words and flourishes are great, but some of the most captivating content is written by writers who just speak what they know, make their points, and show their personality through words. Readers enjoy candid content.

Short & Sweet

For the writers who are unsure of what to write, they have a tendency to ramble about either nothing or the same thing. This can can be enough to loose most readers, so we suggest keeping it short and sweet. Your blog should have key points, the facets that you want to touch on. Follow up the main points and write what is necessary for them. Too often a blogger will go off on tangents in the middle of a paragraph. Stay on the course and give your readers information that will either help or inspire them. Keep your thoughts direct and you will be golden.

Picture Perfect

There is nothing more random than a great blog with a random picture for its’ description. The blog and the photo need to be connected. Since such a large portion of internet users respond to visuals, your visual needs to attract their attention just as much as the headline. A clean and transparent image that captures the essence of your blog is the perfect solution. This is the one instance where you don’t have to be ultra creative, your image should only reflect what your blog is about.

Blogging is becoming a necessity for all businesses within competitive industries. Having the time in the day to complete a weekly or even bi-weekly blog = time out of the workday you just don’t have, however the only solution is to make the time. Your blog doesn’t have to be a 17 page thesis, it is a few words on a topic of your choice that pertains to your business. Don’t be overwhelmed and start off with a short piece, you can always grow from there.

31
Oct

Scare Away the Competition

Posted by / Branding, Inbound Marketing, SEO, Social Media

The chances of owning a business that has zero competition is pretty scarce. When you are part of an industry that is oversaturated, sticking out can be a challenge, but a challenge we are up to!

Don’t Become A Zombie

Doing nothing for your website, social media, and marketing will leave your business stagnant. All three elements need to be nourished consistently. When a website has no new content or blogs being added, Google has nothing new to index and overtime your organic search engine rankings will decline. Your website will simply sit on the world wide web never progressing or giving varied results. The solution? Add blogs weekly or bi-weekly to your website, so that there is always new text using keywords to enhance your SEO.

Social Media is one of the best tools you can use to reach your target audience, the only issue is many businesses overlook the positive affects of social media and instead let their Facebook and Twitter pages die out. We recommend posts daily, however a few times a week is better than once a year. By consistently posting, your business pages will rise from the dead and give your customers content to read and create opportunities for them to interact with your business online.

Marketing is another facet that companies often leave at the gravesite. Sending out generic print materials or dull campaign ads could kill your business. Your customers like to see an engaging pamphlet or ad that entices and solidifies their value in your company. Boring graphics and standard typefaces are great for your print items… if you want them to be thrown away, bold branding, cohesive typefaces and graphics to die for, can help you set the bar for your competitors.

Off With Their Heads

As we have discussed in previous posts, handling customer issues calmly will do wonders for your reputation. Although we all have that one customer that we would like to scream “off with their head” at, we simply don’t. Why? Because generating great customer service will push your businesses name to the top of your industry. Say there are two businesses in the same industry, same town, offering the same deal. One of the businesses has inconsistent/poor customer service while the other is known for quality service with quick and positive solutions. Which business would you be more likely to visit? Great customer service goes a long way, and a positive reputation will keep customers coming back for more.

Think Outside of the Coffin

It is easy to blend in with your competitors, but will it do anything for you? It is fine to get inspiration from others in your industry but the key to a successful business is thinking creatively. You can’t stand out if you look like everyone else, so take a different approach. When it comes to your website utilize the areas that are necessary but look at ways to stand out. Check out the trends and see if any fit your business. A common but effective trend is large imagery. Nearly 50% of individuals make decisions based on the design and visuals of a website. Although content is important, the design and photographs used on your website are equally significant. Enticing visuals could make or break a decision of a customer, which is why taking a creative approach regardless of the trade will give you the edge you need to show your competitors you are in the game.

Standing out is a good thing when it comes to your business. Competition can be high and although change may be a hard pill to swallow, it may be necessary in order to stay ahead of your rivals. By implementing a few of these tips you can scare away the competition in no time, making you the new Pumpkin King… okay, we are getting a little carried away with the spirit of Halloween.

07
Jul

An Education from Mad Men

Posted by / Branding, Inbound Marketing, Social Media

The world of advertising and marketing is clearly very different today then it was 40 or 50 years ago. In the “Mad Men” era the tactics were simple, you know your consumer, you pitch an item to that consumer and you sell. Now as much as we might think the dated tactics of the 1960’s don’t apply to today’s marketing strategies, the business models of that time hold some sound rules and ideas that come into play in our modern marketing routines.

Knowing Your Consumer

In the age of 1960’s advertising, knowing you consumer was known as the “buyer’s persona”. The idea is to know who your buyer is before marketing a product. What do they do? What do they like? Or what will their buying process be? These elements help to define what your particular consumer would want to see within am advertising or marketing campaign in order to make their decision. This “buyer’s persona” not only applies to today’s marketing strategies, it is an essential component. The first step into creating a brand is to do the research and target a demographic. Narrowing down who it is we are selling to and what they require in order to be sold is the key component when deciding how to sell them. In breaking the system down into the five “w’s” that we learnt in school (Who? What? Where? When? Why?) We are able to define the buyer and strategically market an advertisement or social media post that will speak to the specific buyer and grab their interest.

An Image Is Still Worth A Thousand Words

Marketing campaigns often revolve around imagery. Today we have our graphic designers and the 60’s ad firms had their art directors and production artists. Although what we use to create those images are of different artistic mediums today, the concept is the same. A picture sells. Can you think of that last item you bought without seeing an image, packaging or ad for it? The answer is you probably didn’t. In today’s marketing world consumers are left very little to the imagination. As a consumer we are impatient and want to see exactly what we are getting while in the 1960’s you had to sell an idea, however, that idea was always supported by an image. As a graphic design firm in 2014 a well-designed image can make or break your business or product and that hasn’t changed. To sell you have to connect and communicate with your target demographic and whether the image is computer based or hand drawn the idea that a picture can determine an emotional connection is still the goal and is why an image is just as important as the words used to describe it.

Long Live the Copywriters

If you’ve ever indulged in an episode of Mad Men you know that copywriters go hand and hand with advertising. They are there to put words onto ads that seal the deal with a consumer. Sadly with the amount of content being put on the Internet daily the once key profession is slowly diminishing, however, it is not lost. When you see a catchy commercial, what sticks? Words. That tagline telling you to “Just Do It” stays with you and those words didn’t come out of thin air, they were crafted in order to determine a connection with the consumer and encourage them while selling them a product. Good copy is as important as a good image. They compliment one another while providing a similar result, a sale. The Mad Men era had it figured out and although copywriters are not the most prevalent field they still exist. The age of a simple tag is gone but the challenge of creating captivating content will always stand. With SEO, social media and blogging a copywriter’s job has increased dramatically. Creating a tagline has turned into keyword rich material and #hashtags, but the balance of incorporating a branding element and strong enticing language remains and is the source of all well-written copy.

It is amazing how many similarities the marketing and advertising industry has over time. The basics are the basics for a reason and are still prevalent in an industry that is now relying on good web design and social media tactics. Knowing your consumer and marketing to them is an element that will withstand time and is why we can learn a lot from the era of suits, cigars and dirty martinis.

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