Marketing Success Blog

Tips on how to build a successful website

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:25:00 GMT

Whether you run a fish and chips shop or a global business, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get away with not having a website. And once you do invest the time and money into getting one, the next step should be how you can make it work for you.

The other day, my friends and I wanted to order takeaway from a chicken shop. Our first reaction was to look up their website for a menu and contact number, only to find they didn’t have one. Much to our annoyance, we had to faff around with business directories to look up their number and guess at what we wanted to eat.

Yes, we assumed that this chicken shop would have a website and why wouldn’t we?

My friends and I are no different to other customers out there who rely heavily on the net to browse and assess their choices. Indeed, 97% of consumers surf the web for information on products and services before making a purchase.

If your business doesn’t currently have a website, then the fact is, you are missing out on many sales opportunities. And if you are planning on getting one, then here are some tips for building a successful website:

1. Research

A little can go a long way. Spend a few minutes browsing the sites of your competitors and any other websites that you enjoy frequenting to make a note of layout, features and content that impressed you. These notes can then be taken into consideration with your planning and your discussions with your website developer.

2. Plan ahead

Why is this important? Because it helps you to cement in your mind exactly what you want and to ensure this aligns with your business vision. By doing this, you are less likely to be sold unnecessary “guff” by website developers.

Start by writing down your business objectives and what you want your website to achieve in specific and measurable terms. Write down who will be your target markets, their characteristics and what sort of features and content would they be expecting from your website.

You will then need to focus on the specifics of your website in terms of what content you would like on the site, what sort of content it should have to appeal to your target audiences, who will be responsible for updating content and when.

Consult your staff to identify what website features or content could make their lives a little easier. For example, I recently met a seed supplier who used to produce weekly price lists that he would fax out to his client base. Not only was this a cumbersome activity, but his customers and sales staff often got confused with which was the latest price. Thus, he created a special login section to his website, where customers and staff could view the most current and up to date prices.

Finally, look at any future business directions or initiatives and how this might impact on the needs of your website. This is quite important because it will save you time and money in the long run. It is better to have flexible website structure and functionality that can adapt to your changing business needs upfront, than to find later that your website can’t do what you want it to, in which case you will need to start again.

3. Select the right website developer

Many small businesses overlook the importance of this step. Instead, they get their neighbour’s kid or a friend to quickly knock up a website for them. If this is possibly you, then warning bells should be ringing! Trying to cut costs by doing this usually results in more money being spent later to correct mistakes, inflexible website structures or poor functionality.

Firstly, understand that whilst they are a dime a dozen, not all web developers are created equal.

Next you’ll also need to understand that you generally get what you pay for. There is a broad pricing spectrum for websites, but this usually depends on what technology features, etc you want.

At the cheaper end you’re probably going to get little more than an electronic brochure that has few features and requires the web developer to make the simplest of changes for you. This means you will have to pay them every time.

At the more expensive end, you’re going to get a website that looks fantastic and has every feature under the sun. This too can be a mistake, because you don’t want to pay for what you won’t use.

You’re best bet is to get a few quotes and choose the middle ground. You want something that looks great to reflect the reputation of your business, you want a few features such as a content management system so that you can easily make changes yourself and you want to be able to “turn on” any additional features with little effort or expense should you choose to in the future.

Finally, warning bells should sound if your web developer doesn’t have a set process outlined, whereby they take your business objectives and website objectives into consideration with their “brief”. This process should also outline specific points at which you can review what’s been done and have your say. In many cases where this review process is left open (ie. you can review it as many times as you like), you are actually being charged for this additional time, unnecessarily blowing out the cost of the project.

4. Properly explain what you want to your chosen web developer

This is where your research and plan comes in handy. Use these to explain to your web developer what it is you want your website to do as well as what it looks, feels and smells like.

You don’t need to know the technical “lingo” to know what you want – you’re web developer will interpret this for you. You just need to be specific and don’t leave things open ended, or you could end up paying for things you don’t need.

5. User testing

The development process should allow you at least a couple of opportunities to review and test the site before it goes live. To keep your costs down and prevent the need for any costly changes in the future, you should use these review opportunities well.

Basic rule of thumb is, the fewer times you need to go back to your website developer with changes, the lower your development costs. So make sure you properly review your test site in the first review round towards the beginning of the project. Use your family, friends and staff members in doing this and then provide your developer with a comprehensive list of changes. This should result in there being fewer changes or improvements to make when you next review the test site.

When reviewing and testing the site, don’t just look at the aesthetics. The technical testing should be done by your website developer, however, you will need to make sure that the look and feel is consistent with your brand, contact details are easy to find, the site is easy to navigate around, there are no spelling & grammatical errors and that any instructions or actions required are easy to follow.

In addition, check that people can easily find what they are looking for, information is clear and easy to read and that page download time is not excessive.

6. Actions for success

Once you have your new website, you will need to work out how you will promote it and encourage people to regularly come back to it to increase your chances for success. A good starting point would be to review your marketing plan and seeing how you can include your website into your promotional activities.

Websites can increase your opportunities for sales, but the process of getting one can be difficult. Don’t just jump in the deep end! Make the process easier on yourself, minimise the risk of mistakes and reduce cost blow outs by planning adequately, selecting the right web developer and developing actions for success.

By Vanessa Tsui

This article is brought to you by Australian Business Marketing Services, giving you no nonsense, results driven marketing at a price that you can afford. Contact us today on 1800 505 529 or via email for assistance with your marketing needs.

Tips on how to build a successful website

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:24:00 GMT

Yes, we assumed that this chicken shop would have a website and why wouldn’t we?

1. Research

2. Plan ahead

3. Select the right website developer

Firstly, understand that whilst they are a dime a dozen, not all web developers are created equal.

Next you’ll also need to understand that you generally get what you pay for. There is a broad pricing spectrum for websites, but this usually depends on what technology features, etc you want.

4. Properly explain what you want to your chosen web developer

This is where your research and plan comes in handy. Use these to explain to your web developer what it is you want your website to do as well as what it looks, feels and smells like.

5. User testing

In addition, check that people can easily find what they are looking for, information is clear and easy to read and that page download time is not excessive.

6. Actions for success

By Vanessa Tsui

How good is your relationship?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:36:00 GMT

Forget religion, politics and culture, if there is one binding universal truth it is this…

In every group of friends, there is usually at least one person who has a perpetual relationship issue. Lack of commitment, too much commitment, not wanting to rock the boat, too clingy, not clingy enough or never having found the big “L”. What ever it is, the result is usually the same. Goodbye relationship.

Relationships can be fickle, messy and hard work, but in the business world, goodbye relationship equals goodbye business, so they are incredibly important.

So how do you know if you’ve found “the one” and how do you stop them from leaving? Well the answer is a lot easier in the business world. Here are some tips for a good customer relationship:

1. Get to know your customers
Regularly collect information about who uses your products or services. This doesn’t just include demographics, but also how they use your offering, why, in what context, how it makes them feel, etc.

Also remember, your “end users” may not be the people who actually hand over the money, but have a great deal of influence over the purchase.

For instance, I buy my partner Mach 3 shavers when I go grocery shopping. But why? I could buy him any shaver to do the same job and more importantly, why doesn’t he just buy it himself? Its because I tend to grocery shop more and he identifies with the ad – he’d love to be that pilot!

Thus, knowing who your end users are and what they’re looking for is important to understanding the nature of their relationship with you.

2. Look outside the square
What else are your end users interested in? Are there any emerging trends that may impact on the current use of your offerings? Are there other groups of people who share similar traits with your current customers? How else can you appeal to these people? What is your market share?

By looking externally, you will be able to quickly identify new markets or offerings and get a competitive edge.

3. Group “like” people
In marketing speak, this is called segmentation. This process can get pretty complicated and there are many models for doing this, but the simplest way it is to look at all of your customers (current and potential) and group them by similar traits and needs in accordance with your offering.

If we take my example of shavers, there are infinite ways you could group consumers. But Mach 3 is generally for all men, so you would then look at the traits and needs within this broader group to form smaller groups.

4. Identify “the one”
You can actually work out how much each customer is worth to you. This is called lifetime customer value and is based on how long you think they will be a customer for, the frequency of their purchases and the monetary value of their purchases.

Do this for each of the groups you have come up with in step 3. The groups with the highest lifetime customer value are the ones you should concentrate on first. And of course, the higher the lifetime customer value, the more it’s worth your while to spend on acquiring and keeping them. Thus, you have identified who is the perfect customer for you!

5. Make them feel special
Your customers aren’t expecting a monogamous relationship with you, but they do want to feel valued. Look at your offerings and internal processes to see if there is anything else you can do to make them feel special. Sometimes this may involve slight adjustments to your product or service, improved customer service, regular information updates or loyalty benefits just to say “thanks”.

6. Communication
Aah the secret to a long lasting relationship! But is it? Unless it’s meaningful and provides something of value, then your communications could just be annoying, making you the naggy, clingy, hard to deal with partner in the relationship.

Now that you know your customers on a personal level and on a needs basis, your communications should tell them that you have been listening, that you care and have done something about it.

I don’t have all the answers for a successful relationship (you may have to put up with hearing about your friend’s love life for just a bit longer), but for business and customers, this is a good starting point.

By Vanessa Tsui

If you have any questions or tips about customer relationships then we’d love to hear from you!! Just add your comments to this blog below.

Branding, so what?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:33:00 GMT

I was having drinks with my friend Sam the other night, when we got onto the topic of branding. Sam is a small business owner and she was saying “branding is only good for Coca Cola, Nike, Sony…I can see why those sorts of companies would spend so much money on their brand, but really, my business is small, so that stuff doesn’t apply to me. If you’ve got a good product, you don’t need a brand”.

I don’t agree with Sam and this is why.

As great as you think your product is, there are thousands out there who are selling either the same thing or a different product that can give the same result. And if your product is truly original, then I think your brand is potentially even more important. People will ‘jump on the bandwagon’ of a great idea very quickly, so you need to position your company as the originator and expert in the market to keep your market share.

So why would people buy your product and not your competitors’? Is it because your product is better quality, cheaper in price, made locally, only made for a particular age group and/or friendlier to the environment? Or is it because your business gives better service, delivers on promises, is more convenient, more proactive and/or tries to better the community it exists in? Well, whatever it is, it’s certainly a lot to say when people have such short attention spans. And just because you say it, doesn’t mean they believe you.

Ah ha! So this is where branding comes into play. Not only can it communicate with just a small element (ie. something as simple as a logo, symbol, colour, etc) what your product/ business is all about, but also what makes it extraordinary. More importantly, branding makes this information meaningful to people.

If I said “BMW”, what would you think of? Would quality, European, luxury, sophisticated cars just about cover it? People think “prestige” and that by having a BMW they would have prestige too….it’s an emotional link - promoting an attribute people either can, or want to, identify with. If all they needed was a car, they would have bought something else.

People buy based on their perceptions and these are heavily dictated by the effectiveness of a business’ brand.

Its not just about the product or what you say about the product…its all about what your customers and potential customers think and believe that has the ultimate impact on your sales potential and profits.

So for those of you who have small businesses like Sam, here are some quick and easy brand tips:

1. Brand your website
No, this doesn’t just mean put your logo all over it! Technology allows you to bring forward the attributes, benefits, personality and image of your product/business in easier and more interesting ways. Not only that, people usually look to the internet first for information about you.

2. Your staff are key
If you want people to believe in your brand and identify with your values, then actions speak louder than words. Your staff’s behaviour and attitudes have to reflect the brand. Reward staff who live, breathe and promote your brand.

3. Keep it fresh
You should regularly review what people think of your business/ product and see if it’s in line with what you wanted. Which parts worked, which didn’t?

Also, keep a look out for trends as this could lead to branding improvements. For example, Subway is pushing the healthy food angle because that is what people are interested in now.

4. Consistency, consistency, consistency
Make sure everything that reaches a potential customer is consistent to your branding. If you are pushing quality, don’t have a bodgy website or shop front. If you have a bodgy website or shop front, don’t go spending money on fancy adverts or flyers to make up for it. Without consistency, the messages you’re sending are confusing.

5. Complaints are your friend
Customer complaints highlight areas where you can improve. Not only that, a dissatisfied customer can turn into a loyal one if their complaint is resolved quickly and with minimum of fuss. This sends a strong message that you live and die by your convictions (your brand) and that the customer is at the centre of your universe. Like I said before, actions speak louder than words!

There’s a lot more to branding, but this is enough to get you started.

We’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to post your thoughts, comments, questions and experiences!

By Vanessa Tsui

Warning: advertising doesn't always work

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:32:00 GMT

You’re a busy person. In between your work, family commitments, house chores and trying to have a social life, how many advertisements have you paid attention to recently?

Assuming you didn’t shut the newspaper, switch stations or close that pop-up window, I would daresay not many. And of those ads, how many made you purchase whatever it is they were advertising?

Out of the 2,000 plus advertisements an average adult is exposed to on a daily basis, not many are even remembered let alone spur action.

I don’t want to offend any advertisers or agencies out there, but advertising is simply not always the answer. Unfortunately, most people equate marketing with advertising. Let me assure you, they are not the same thing!

A friend of mine, Pete, runs a beautiful five star restaurant in regional NSW. It’s a great place with great food, service and reputation, but its just not getting the patronage Pete requires to stay afloat.

So Pete decided to spend a few thousand dollars on advertising in local papers. Sounds like a reasonable thing to do, right? Sure, but business didn’t pick up after the ads were run.

Pete’s real problem was that he wanted a quick fix which ended up costing him thousands of unnecessary dollars when what he should have done was take a holistic marketing approach.

A simple marketing plan

1. Objectives
Pete knew he wanted more customers, but he didn’t state this as a measurable outcome (ie. how many extra patrons and by when?), which is needed to guide marketing activities and business decisions.

For instance, were Pete to over achieve, then his small restaurant would have to expand – something he can’t afford to do right now with a young family.

2. Who are your customers and what do they want?
Most of Pete’s customers were guests from an adjoining boutique resort. So what was the point in him advertising in local newspapers? Moreover, the locals his adverts were targeting tended to be young families with modest lifestyles.

Already by looking at Pete’s target markets, we can see that his business, actions and customers are not marrying up.

3. Look around you
People know they should do a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats), but they keep putting it off. Don’t underestimate the power of this tool to help generate new ideas or identify future potential problems.

Pete thought he had all this information in his head, but writing it down, he realised that nearby pubs (who were charging similar prices) were fairing better because of the perception that pub food was cheaper, more family friendly and less formal.

So now we begin to understand Pete’s problem and why an ad in the local paper is not going to solve it.

4. Find the right solution
Brainstorm ideas to solve your problems and achieve your objectives. Don’t be afraid to think ‘outside the square’.

Pete decided to adjust his menu and create a family friendly atmosphere to better meet the needs of locals, while still being able to cater to resort guests. This solution meant he could have the ‘best of both worlds’. Targeting holiday-spending tourists would only limit his customer base to the resort’s capacity. Moreover, targeting only locals would exclude a large chunk of his revenue potential and alienate his already established customer base.

5. Just do it
Make your solutions happen and keep checking that they are achieving what you want. Don’t be afraid to continually tweak your plan – everything else in life changes and so too should your marketing.

So, before you jump head first into advertising, take a look at your business through marketing spectacles. You can save yourself a lot of money in the long run as advertising doesn’t always work.

But if you do insist of advertising, then proceed with caution - I recommend you read our article Advertising: tips for success before you begin.

As for Pete, his restaurant is doing great now – without advertising.

By Vanessa Tsui

Search engine optimisation - how to maximise your online success

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:30:00 GMT

It is critical that prospective online clients can find your website easily.Even if your website has all the latest “bangs and whistles”, unless it can be found amongst the millions of web pages now on the internet, your time, money and resources are completely wasted.

To ensure that your website is located easily you need to use effective Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). This involves fine tuning your website to achieve the highest possible position in the search results when a person searches the internet for information using a search engine.

SEO explained simply

When an online user types in a keyword or search phrase into a search engine query box, they will receive a listing of websites that offer information, products and services related to that keyword. Search engines strive to list the most qualified and optimised websites at the top of their list.

SEO is the practice of modifying visible and invisible website content in addition to establishing links from other relevant websites to gain a higher prominence in internet searches.

How does a SEO company optimise a website for submission to the search engines and directories?

A good SEO provider makes your website as search engine friendly as possible. This involves changing the text and html code behind your website. This will make it easy for the search engine robot, when it enters your website, to find it very easy to determine what your website is about. The correct keywords and meta tags will have been placed within your site to ensure that the robot is able to collect and pass on information with speed and accuracy. This results in a much improved rank for your site; higher than would have been achieved without optimisation.

Each page should be optimised differently so that the robot will include more than one page in the search engine. For example, if the robot comes to your optimised homepage and your primary message and keywords on that page were for curtains then you would hope that when someone uses a keyword search for ‘curtain making’, your website would be within the first 30 results.

However another page of your website may be about curtain material. You would certainly want another searcher using a search phrase ‘curtain material’ to get results pointing to that relevant page on curtain material.

Tips on utilising a SEO provider

1. Ask any prospective search engine optimisation provider to detail the successes they have had with their previous clients’ submissions. This information should assist you with objective decision-making.

2. Ask your provider for a list of search engines and directories where submissions have been made.

3. Request a written monthly report highlighting the search engines to which your site has been submitted, the submission dates and progress of your website rankings.

4. It can take a few months for most of the major search engines to index your site. Once it is indexed you should expect to be notified within days of your website being indexed or at the very least at the end of each month.

5. Expect a website ranking improvement after three to four months. If your website ranking hasn’t improved it is likely that optimisation isn’t occurring, and you should check this out with your provider.

This article is brought to you by Australian Business Marketing Services, giving you no nonsense, results driven marketing at a price that you can afford. Call us today on 1800 505 529 for assistance with your Search engine optimisation or any other marketing needs.

Why marketing your business effectively is so important

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:28:00 GMT

Your business is operating in a competitive environment where customers are becoming increasingly demanding and your competitors more savvy. The way you market your company’s brand, products and services can mean the difference between you or your competitor getting the sale.

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of growing your business, and is an investment that will pay for itself over and over again, yet it is often misunderstood, or neglected due to a lack of time, resources or knowledge of its potential.

It is often confused with selling or advertising, but it encompasses much more - everything from company culture and employer branding, reputation, communication and ethics, through positioning, market research, price points, distribution, new business and product development, to advertising and promotion.

For it to be effective, marketing must clearly articulate what it is a business does well and differently. What sets it apart from competition? What are the capabilities, products and services that make it extraordinary and hard to copy? What are the ‘behind the scenes’ human dynamics, skills and ‘know how’ that are unique or difficult to replicate? What technologies give the business an edge over its competitors?

A strong brand has clear focus, is consistent, incorporates strong emotional messages and is able to grab and keep people's attention. It does this through strong design, creative copywriting and smart campaigns.

The strategy behind a brand must inspire interest, engage curiosity and build on a business’ reputation and image. It must make the most of the right communication mediums and be planned, reviewed and measurable. It may incorporate anything from market research, direct marketing, online exposure, business to business or business to consumer communication.

Today marketing strategies can be quite diverse and, no longer restricted to print, radio and television, can also engage the consumer via creative online and digital campaigns.

It can take considerable expertise and effort to develop a sound marketing strategy capable of delivering market awareness, sales leads and loyalty.

Online business presence has ushered in a whole new era in global marketing; and environmental consciousness has added an important ‘green’ element.

Clever, creative, insightful and flexible marketing strategies can unlock huge potential for your business. In light of the importance marketing holds for the success of any business, the wide array of options available, and the expertise required, it is well worth employing a professional marketing agency to help you devise and implement a tailored marketing strategy to give you a competitive edge.

If you would like practical marketing that drives results for your business, call Australian Business Marketing Services 1800 505 529.

Are you throwing money down the toilet?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:27:00 GMT

There is a common misconception that is causing small businesses to throw money down the proverbial toilet.

I receive many phone calls from small businesses who are struggling to survive. The common thread from the calls goes like this..."I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but I can't get the sales in the door. I 've just spent $x on advertising, but I haven't had any responses."

Does this sound familiar?

There are many reasons why your advertising might not be working, but in general, its because advertising your business is not the same as marketing your business. Let me explain.

So you know you have a great product or service, but do you ever bother to ask if the market feels the same way? You assume yes, because you have happy customers, but have you compared the number of customers you have with the potential number of customers you could have? In other words, have you explored your market share?

Say you have 5% of the possible market. What does the other 95% think and what will it take for them to buy from you? Even if they do think you are great, why don't they buy from you now?

Here you can see the need for market research. This isn't as exhausting as it sounds and let me assure you, it will save you alot of time, money and heartache in the long run.

You can even do this yourself. Start with a simple SWOT Analysis by making a list of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

From this, you will actually learn some pretty interesting things about your business.

For instance, you may find that people love your offerings, but your location is inconvenient. Or that you are trying to sell Coca Cola to the younger generations X and Y, who only ever drink Pepsi. Or that you sell high quality expensive sugar, when people don't care about quality in that product category.

From a simple exercise like this, you can discover that you either need to change your offer, your business or your targetting, as no amount of advertising is going to make people come if the basics don't match up.

By understanding the unique trends and needs of each of your target markets and then comparing these to your business' strengths and weaknesses, you should be able to come up with interesting solutions to the barriers that are preventing people from buying from you. And what will you do when the fickle market decides to change and other barriers arise? You'll need to find ways to ensure your business always stays on top in the future too. Ahhh, how we love marketing strategies and plans!

I know I've simplified my explanation and in reality, marketing is much more involved than this. However, you can see that marketing is actually a continual process of understanding the market and delivering what they want. It never stops. Good market intelligence means you can define and refine your product, price, place and promotion (also known as the 4P's of marketing) to stay on top of competition.

On the other hand, advertising is just one of many aspects to promotion. It talks at people (one- way communication only) and is losing traction because consumers are becoming more savvy, media is becoming more fragmented and people increasingly regard advertising with suspicion.

To take your message to your audience, consider other aspects of promotion including PR, word of mouth campaigns, factual communications or loyalty programmes which usually cost less, are more relevant or more highly regarded by consumers.

If you are going to advertise, you need to ensure you have one clear message that is relevant to your specific taget market in the correct media channel that best suits them. You also need a clear call to action . Most people make the mistake of trying to get their money's worth by compacting as much information into an advert as possible. Big mistake. This only confuses people or makes the advert so busy they don't even want to look at it.

In short, spending alot of money for very little return does not make good business sense. Whilst advertising has its place, it should not be the first solution you jump to. Using that same money to investigate and fix the real issues behind slow sales performance does make good business sense and so an integrated marketing approach should always be taken.

By Vanessa Tsui

Australian Made marketing success

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:25:00 GMT

My mate Tony, who makes and sells furniture, keeps on telling me that doing business is getting tougher. Advances in technology are giving rise to more competitors, both on and off-shore, who can supply goods and services in shorter cycles and at lower costs.

Tony, like so many other small business operators, was aiming for high sales volume at lower margins. Because this mass market approach is a very popular space to play in, you’ve got to expect tough competition.

So what can your business do in the face of increasing competition and price wars?

Well maybe you should consider pushing the “Australian Made” angle.

If we look at Tony’s case against the 4P’s of marketing (ie. price, product, place and promotion), we see that he simply can’t compete on price against larger local and foreign competitors. Nor is he able to alter his product or range due to limited resources.

So really, Tony can only play with place and promotion. An obvious tactic for place would be to trade both locally and globally through smaller distributors whilst promotion would pitch his furniture as an upper market Australian chic product line.

Here, an emerging trend that should not be overlooked is the market’s positive swing towards Australian goods. According to Australian Made Campaign Limited, Australian products are generally perceived as fresh, environmentally friendly and high in quality, making the benefits of the Australian Made trademark very interesting.

Whether your business trades locally or globally, there are many accumulative benefits associated with having the green and gold triangle on your product. These include:

- High awareness and recognition– 9 out of 10 Australians recognise the trademark.

- Highly regarded reputation– the Australian Made trademark is well established and is generally perceived by consumers as a mark of quality.

- High sales driver – almost 90% of Australians actively look for Australian made products and country of origin information. Meanwhile, 79% of Australians prefer to buy foods and beverages that carry the Australian Made symbol.

- Leverage existing marketing – during the past year, the Australian Made campaign achieved 2,000 TV ads, 900 cinema ads and 3000 radio spots. In addition, the trademark receives a high level of publicity through PR, has strong relationships with Austrade and other business support organisations and produces a directory promoting every business with the Australian Made logo.

But the proof is in the pudding - in an interview the CEO of Bev Marks Beds Australia, David Langworthy said “In 2005 Bev Marks was invited to join the Australian Made Campaign as the first official Campaign Partner. We immediately accepted and in 2006 we had a 46% growth in sales. We budgeted for a moderate growth of 15% in 2007, however, on current figures we project that we will have at least a 40% growth in sales this year”.

(To check out other successful examples of marketing strategies that leverage country of origin consumer trends, visit http://www.australianmade.com.au.

So if like Tony, your business is facing difficulties with high levels of competition, you should adopt an integrated marketing approach. Assess your strategic positioning and consider the benefits of adopting the Australian Made logo for goods sold either here or overseas.

For more information or assistance with your marketing, please contact us on 1800 505 529. Alternatively, for more information or to register for the Australian Made trademark, please contact Australian Made Campaign Limited on
1800 350 520.

Tell us your story! If you have a similar experience or question relating to the article above, please do not hesitate to let us know in the comments section below. We will attempt to respond as soon as possible.

By Vanessa Tsui

Online and digital marketing

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:20:00 GMT

Q: I always hear about the success of web companies like MySpace. Should I be focussing my marketing spend on online activities or ramp up my media advertising?

Many small businesses spend what little budget they have on traditional advertising, yielding few sales results.

There are many reasons for why your advertising is underperforming, but specifically regarding the question above, your customers and competitors are changing and so too should your marketing – why are you advertising on the radio when 45% of Australian adults listen to MP3 players? Why pay for letterbox drops that only get a 2% readership, when you could sms coupons to mobile phones and get a 94% open rate?

Digital marketing involves the use of digital communication channels like banner advertising, mobile phone, web 2.0, email and digital television to reach customers and prospects in a more meaningful, cost effective and timely manner.

Increasingly, smaller businesses are gaining traction from employing digital elements in their marketing mix with greater cost efficiencies, campaign flexibility, creativity, personalisation, real time results tracking as well as an ability to test and tweak campaigns at a minute’s notice.

Advances in technology are also enabling businesses to form new relationships with customers that were once not possible. Not only can your brand contribute to someone’s sense of identity and social status (ie. Jessica has just joined the Facebook group “I love fishing and Dominos Pizza”), but now consumers are contributing back.

Interactivity allows consumers to engage with your business on a more personal level with their creativity and skills feeding the power of your product or brand. The infamous “Mentos and Diet Coke” video initially started as a playful backyard experiment that was posted on YouTube and has since had around 4.5 million viewers. Mentos encouraged more of such videos to be made, resulting in over 9 thousand similar videos on Youtube and soaring sales, all for next to zero cost.

Whilst technology opens up many opportunities for creative and cost effective marketing, caution must be exercised. The Chevy Tahoe campaign asked consumers to create their own advert from official footage. What Chevy didn’t take into account was the consumer backlash against its poor driving performance and fuel guzzling amid climate change concerns. This resulted in many satirical adverts being posted on the web.

Thus, if you want to get maximum results for your marketing dollar then you should embrace technology as part of your marketing mix. Finding new ways to create meaningful dialogue and relationships with your clients is essential in such a competitive environment. However, professional advice should be sought to ensure you avoid the traps.

By Vanessa Tsui

Green Marketing - it pays to be green (part one)

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:20:00 GMT

As a business operator, you manage an array of issues from balancing cash flows to the skills shortage crisis. Should global warming be included too? The answer is yes, but why?

Your business attracts and retains customers by satisfying their needs – the fact that your customers are concerned about global warming means you should be too. Just look at the results of our last election to see the impact that championing (or neglecting) this issue can have.

But before you go off to pledge, contribute, offset and recycle until your fingers bleed, ask yourself, how can your business make the biggest impact to both saving the environment and your bottom-line? Through green marketing.

Green marketing has been rebadged as many times as Lindsay Lohan has checked into rehab. Environmental marketing, sustainable marketing, ecological marketing…they’re all essentially about providing and promoting products and services that satisfy consumer needs with minimal detriment to the environment. This can include modifications to products, packaging, suppliers, distribution channels and production process as well as changes to promotions.

At this point, I’m going to take the liberty of coining a new term, greener marketing. There are very few companies that are truly green or fully engage green marketing practices, so for the reality conscious, I’ll talk about concerted efforts to improve - to at least be “greener”.

So why should your business be greener?

Some organisations become greener out of necessity. McDonald’s replaced its polystyrene foam burger packaging with waxed paper as a result of consumer backlash and Xerox released its “Revive 100% Recycled Paper” after competitors introduced recycled photocopy paper first.

Being proactive, you should be greener because it offers a competitive advantage. World wide, people are concerned about climate change and are changing their behaviour accordingly. Recent surveys show that 94% of all consumers prefer to do business with companies that demonstrate a care for the environment.

As such, social responsibility enables your business to form closer and more meaningful relationships not only with current customers, but the wider community, allowing access to new markets previously untouched.

Going greener also enables your business to create a unique or stronger brand positioning. For instance, The Body Shop products are globally sought after due to its strong stance on social responsibility and environmental business practices.

And don’t forget the benefits to your bottom-line. Green marketing looks at how you can increase efficiencies from resource use whilst satisfying customer needs and achieving business objectives. Whilst green activities may incur initial start up costs, your business will benefit from longer term savings.

But as with all good things, there are some hurdles you need to be aware of. There are many companies making false eco-friendly assertions, which could lead to consumers being dubious of such claims. Known as “greenwash”, this has lead to a rise in consumer complaints, sparking the ACCC to crack down on false claims of green benefits including promises to offset carbon credits and the use of terms like phosphate free, recyclable and eco-friendly.

Also in many cases, environmental friendliness is not the primary purpose for a purchase. It’s merely a side benefit. Thus, understanding the exact needs of your market is essential.

For example, Philips Lighting produced a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) called “Earth Light”. At $15 a bulb, compared to the 75c for a regular bulb, sales under the niche eco-friendly banner were less than impressive. People just weren’t prepared to pay 2000% more to be green. So they rebranded the product as “Marathon” and repositioned it as having super long life benefits with long term cost savings to combat concerns at the time over rising electricity costs. Sales soared. The fact that the light bulb had green benefits was, in this instance, a side benefit that made consumers feel good in their purchase decision.

As you can see, being greener opens up many opportunities and can bring about long term cost savings and great efficiencies for the business savvy. But be wary of overstating your green credentials and make sure you position your offering correctly to meet your market’s needs.

It is recommended that you seek professional advice before going green. If you require more information or assistance with your green marketing, please contact Australian Business Marketing Services on 1800 505 529.

Otherwise, tell us your story! If you have a similar experience or question relating to the article above, please do not hesitate to let us know in the comments section below. We will attempt to respond as soon as possible. </span>

By Vanessa Tsui

Green marketing - it pays to be green (part two)

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:36:00 GMT

So, now that you've read part one of this article, you’re convinced that greener is better for your business. But how do you begin?

Trying to be eco-friendly can sometimes be a challenge. The wealth of information out there can be time consuming and confusing. Muddying the water is the need to also understand marketing principles. I’ve tried here to simplify the basics of what you should know.

Steps for green marketing:

1. Research
Too many people overlook this crucial first step. Do not assume you know everything because the market can and does change rapidly. I harp on about this in most of my blogs, but it’s because in trying to save yourself time now, you’re likely to make a very costly mistake later.

For example, Whirlpool learned the hard way that customers weren’t prepared to pay top dollar for a CFC-free fridge because they didn’t know what CFC’s were.

Most importantly here, you should get to know your customers as well as the green consumer. What are customers really after in your product/ service? Which features can you modify for eco-friendliness and which ones should remain the same? Are your customers price sensitive? Do they care about and understand environmental issues?

Some interesting general attributes of the green consumer include:

- They are likely to be well educated, young adults with slightly more disposable income.

- They will expect green products to function as effectively as non-green counterparts.

- Green is only seen as an added benefit, therefore, they won’t buy on the basis of environmental friendliness alone (product still needs to meet their basic needs).

- They are generally analytical and eager to learn about green issues. As such, they will take the time to read explanations about your product’s green attributes but will also be the most critical about false green qualifications.

- Green consumers won’t expect your business to have perfect green credentials but will expect you to show a proven commitment and process of improvement towards being green.

2. Green marketing must be a strategic commitment not an adhoc sales initiative
Ask yourself why you’re trying to enter this space – is it to gain brand awareness, competitive advantage, achieve operational efficiencies or to get traction in new markets? Also consider how you will measure if you’ve achieved your goals (ie. competitive advantage could be measured through any increases in market share).

3. Map your green path
Devise strategies on how you’re going to achieve your objectives, looking at both your internal and external environments.

You should also conduct a cost/ benefit analysis. Ask yourself questions like:
How much will it cost you to implement your strategies?
How will this impact on your pricing models and profits?
Will your business reduce its operating costs from being more efficient?
How much extra business do you expect to get back in return for your efforts?

4. Paint the town green
You’ll need to create an eco-friendly marketing plan. To do this, you should address issues and ideas for each of the 4P’s of marketing (ie. product, price, place and promotion).

a. Price
Generally speaking, it’s a case of all things being equal that people tend to choose the greener option. This means they’re not likely to forgo quality, functionality, convenience or price.

I say “price” because whilst it’s generally accepted that green products have smaller economies of scale, consumers are only prepared to pay marginally higher pricing. If you do need to increase your prices, refer back to your research to see your customers’ price sensitivity as a guide for how far you can go, but note that people are only prepared to pay more for a product if they see added value compared to alternatives.

b. Product
You should also look at your production processes. Can you source eco-friendly suppliers? Can you used recycled parts or make your product recyclable? Can you reduce waste or resource usage? Can you reduce the level of packaging used or use greener alternatives?

c. Place
People are busy and they’re bombarded with a million alternatives to your product, so they won’t go out of their way to find you. Be green and convenient by utilising online and digital technology.

d. Promotion
Some tips for devising promotions in your marketing plan include:

- Reinforce the sentiment that one individual can make a difference. It is crucial that consumers understand they are able to help save the environment through their purchasing decisions.

- Be green and proud in your communications (ie. packaging, labelling, advertising, website, etc) but do not overstate your claims. Back yourself with credentials. You should also encourage the market to be greener in general (ie. use green bags rather than plastic) and if possible, use a credible spokesperson or a carefully chosen celebrity to support the green movement and demand for your product.

- Practice what you preach. Prove to the market that you are green in your communications.
For instance, try using online and digital communications instead of print. The current rise of many citizen journalists in the blogosphere as well as websites, email newsletters and social networks dedicated to this niche will help you tap into new markets with just a mouse click.

If you are going to use print collateral, don’t go bananas. Use eco-friendly print solutions like avoiding customised paper shapes and sizes that require cutting and wastage of paper, eco-friendly inks or paper and don’t print excessive amounts just to get cost economies.

- Capitalise on your PR opportunities! If you’re green activities are innovative then your local paper or radio station may want to hear about it.

5. Prove you’ve earned your stripes
Your customers aren’t stupid. Greenwashing or making green claims that aren’t stacked up to what they should be have can incur the wrath of consumers. Indeed, rising consumer complaints has resulted in the ACCC cracking down on the misleading use of terms like offset carbon credits, phosphate free, recyclable and eco-friendly.

The Carbon Reduction Institute (http://www.noco2.com.au) is an excellent resource to assist you and can provide certification for the use of the widely recognised “No CO2” and “Low CO2” logos in your promotions to boost your credibility.

Clearly state your green benefits to the environment, the environmental characteristics and issues involved as well as explain how benefits will be achieved.

Release regular reports on your achievements. Let your customers know about the efficiencies created or how you have contributed to saving the environment (ie. since 2005, our new packaging processes have saved X tonnes of paper).

It is recommended that you seek professional advice before going green. If you require more information or assistance with your green marketing, please contact Australian Business Marketing Services on 1800 505 529.

Otherwise, tell us your story! If you have a similar experience or question relating to the article above, please do not hesitate to let us know in the comments section below. We will attempt to respond as soon as possible.

By Vanessa Tsui

How to increase your brand visibility through strong PR

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:19:00 GMT

You can easily raise the profile of your products and services high above those of your competitors, simply and without huge cost, by promoting your brand, or suite of brands, in a well crafted Press Release.

Typically a Press Release is a compact public relations announcement which tells a compelling story about a product, service, event or company information, and is written in an easy journalistic style. It is only useful if it gets you media coverage - so it has to provide newsworthy information or a newsworthy story.

You can use well-crafted Press Releases as an integral part of your marketing and sales strategy aimed at enhancing the image, profile and credibility of your business and its products and services; and increasing sales. One of the great benefits of Press Releases is that they allow you to choose to expose this information to the masses, or to a highly targeted market.

You can match the big players at their game by developing your Press Release focus on creating and maintaining a compelling brand profile. Communicate who you are, what you do, why you do it, and how your brand will make a difference; and convey this message strongly and often to clients, potential customers, consumers, suppliers and the media.

Don’t be afraid to be creative and innovative when telling your story, and don’t be afraid to tell it often. Those companies who have highly successful brands have worked hard at searing the image and memory of their brands into the eyes and mind of the consumer.

You don’t need huge marketing budgets like some of the major players. Your Press Release can establish strong brand recall too, if you let your audience know how much you believe in your brand and consistently communicate the distinctions and benefits of your branded from those of your competition.

Consider using a Press Release when you want to:

- Create marketplace excitement
- Bring new products to market quickly
- Promote mature products and repositioning
- Win consumer trust
- Celebrate special occasions
- Maintain market leadership
- Build corporate brand through event marketing
- Keep the brand top of mind amongst consumers and customers
- Arouse consumer interest and curiosity

Tips to help get your brand and company remembered:

1. Create a strong point of difference to your competitor.
This helps you stand out from the crowd. Make your message strong, compelling and timely. Tell the audience that the information is intended for them and why they should continue to read it.

2. Be creative and innovative with how you tell your message
Create a compelling story, use a case study, or highlight dramatic statistics that affect the audience.

3. Ensure your communications are highly visible and tell your story often
Visibility creates the presumption of quality and acceptance.

4. Convey your messages in a constant, consistent and congruent way

5. Write the information with a strong news angle and contain it to an A4 page

6. Use a journalistic style, rather than a marketing one and write for the intended target audience.

7. Focus your story on the creator, rather than the product or service.

8. Inform rather than sell and concentrate on facts.

9. Use a human-interest story or a hint of controversy where possible to help create interest.

10. Aim for clarity and avoid too many adjectives or adverbs.

11. Use bullet points where appropriate.

12. Use the headline and the first paragraph to summarize and sell the story.

13. Make the headline 20 words or less and ensure it answers the questions, "So what?" and "Why now?"

14. Ensure that the introduction can stand on its own in telling the story.

15. Accentuate what is new, unusual, different and extreme.

16. Provide as much Contact information as possible

By Charisse Gray

Baby Boomers and the digital age

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:20:00 GMT

Increasingly, Baby Boomers are leading the charge for online media consumption. But then again, should we be so surprised?

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are accustomed to great change. They lived through numerous wars, man landing on the moon and the first broadcast of television in Australia…the Digital Age is but a minor step in evolution to the discerning Baby Boomer market.

Although most reports (such as the recent Bridge Ratings Study) cite US statistics, it can be said that as a collective around the world, Baby Boomer usage of computers and mobile phones are on the rise whilst their time spent reading books, newspapers and watching movies are somewhat decreasing.

Here are some interesting statistically:

Internet users aged 50 years plus rose 21% to reach 43.1 million in 2004 - 2005.

The Bridge Ratings Study found that preferences for internet radio rose from 25% to 33% and podcasts from 12% to 18% amongst the Boomer market.

InsightExpress found that approximately 80% of Baby Boomer survey respondents owned a mobile phone with around 25%-30% planning to upgrade their phone in the next year or so. Between 32%-39% of Baby Boomers can access the net via their mobiles and between 10%-16% text on a daily basis.

Interestingly, the gaming world is also captivating Baby Boomers. No longer just for kids and the 30ish crowd, it appears that Silver Surfers are invading gaming turf!

PopCap Games found in a recent survey that 31% of adults surveyed had children or grandchildren in the home who were “family gamers”, playing family friendly computer/video games casually. Of those adults, 80% said they also played computer/ video games with their children or grandchildren as an opportunity to spend time with younger people.

Meanwhile, Information Solutions Group identified that some 79% of family gamers were female and 95% were aged 30+ years. 36% of respondents said they were grandmothers of children who played casual games compared to only 6% who said they were grandfathers.

So what does this all mean?

Combine these statistics with the knowledge that Baby Boomers tend to have great friendship networks and you get a recipe for successful word of mouth marketing. Indeed, 89% of Baby Boomers advise their friends about products and services and 93% of this group also use their friends as sources of information for the same advice.

For small businesses, there is no better or more cost effective way of achieving this than through digital media.

How do you do this? Just keep reading...

1. Create engaging content
Baby Boomers tend to be quite socially conscious so why not try developing your corporate messages around climate change, health, fair trade or other social issues. Be sure to include a “forward this to your friends” facility.

Those in their 50’s are also more likely to visit news or information sites, followed closely by politics, health and travel.

2. Appeal to concerns not just benefits
Leading from the first point, Boomers’ concerns about the world around them and their daily lives means using emotional and behavioural appeals may resonate louder.

3. Incentives
Provide incentives for why the target audience should pass your message onto their friends. This may include a chance to win a gift or discount offers.

4. Educational vodcasts and podcasts
Working Baby Boomers are time poor too, so why not create podcasts and videos that they can download and listen to during transit?

5. Social networking sites for Boomers
These sites exist and they are rise in popularity, so why not use them?

It is recommended that you seek professional advice before engaging in online marketing activities. If you require more information or assistance, please contact Australian Business Marketing Services on 1800 505 529.

Otherwise, tell us your story! If you have a similar experience or question relating to the article above, please do not hesitate to let us know in the comments section below. We will attempt to respond as soon as possible.

By Vanessa Tsui

Y consumers make a big splash (part one)

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:59:00 GMT

Sophie is 27 years old. Two weeks ago, she wanted to straighten and colour her hair but wasn’t sure of which hair salon to go to. After trying several places that left her with damaged hair, she wasn’t prepared to risk anything. So Sophie started looking on the internet.

The salon websites that looked like b-grade school projects were immediately ignored. A couple of quality sites impressed Sophie so she looked for reference of them in blogs and chat rooms. She eventually chose a hairdresser based on the reams of positive blog comments posted by former customers who had also either had their hair straightened or coloured.

Sophie’s story gives rise to increasing importance of using social media to reach Generation Y. However, there’s more to Y than meets the eye. Businesses of all shapes and sizes should keep up or risk missing out on one of the biggest and most influential consumer groups in history.

Aged between 16 and 30 years, Y is the digital generation. From mobile phones, iPods, digital cameras, internet to gaming consoles and much more, Gen Y uses digital technology to connect with others, stay up to date and to express themselves.

Positive economic conditions during their upbringing have led to their optimistic views about money, career and their future. Thus, no other generation has had such a propensity to spend.

But before we dismiss them as spoilt and self centred, consider this; the three major motivating factors for this generation are personalisation (referring to the ability to customise, control or have a direct impact on aspects of their lives and the world around them), self expression and community.

For Gen Y, money does not equate to wealth. They seek urban capital; the accumulation of social wealth in the form of experiences, knowledge, skills and social connections. It is urban capital that shapes their sense of identity, individualism and value. This explains their inclination for travelling, going out, communicating with gadgets and spending ever increasing amounts of time on the net.

Furthermore Generation Y has a strong social conscience, being knowledgeable and upholding ideals on issues like climate change, poverty and the role of corporations in society.

In short, Generation Y are influential trendsetters, big spenders, are eager for change and are our future leaders. This is why businesses are tripping over themselves to capture this lucrative market.

Unfortunately many small businesses are struggling in the attempt to understand and keep up with them, lost in the complex weave of Gen Y’s prevailing attitudes, behaviours and needs which affect their reactions, lifestyles and purchase decisions.

Alternatively, some small businesses choose to ignore these factors altogether, instead pursuing their own agenda based on intuitive information. This ‘stab in the dark’ approach seldom yields the desired results, disappointing many companies by wasting resources and money as well as peeving off the Gen Y clan. In extreme cases, this approach can even lead to consumer backlash.

Using consumer trends in the development of your marketing plan enables you to feel confident that your business is heading in the right direction and that each marketing strategy will hit the mark.

When trying to tap into the Gen Y market, take into consideration these trends:

1. The best of life
These wealthier and savvier consumers use premium goods and services as one source for urban capital. Observant businesses are picking up on this and are innovating around premium versions of everything we could ever want.

2. The best value
In today’s fast moving world we are finding consumers with more money and less time. The value of a product or service is becoming much more important than its cost, and clever businesses are capitalizing on this need. These operators are finding ways to assist their customers in smarter, more relevant ways that show a new value to the product and engage with the brand.

For example, iselect.com.au is a site that takes the hassle out of searching for the right health insurance, creating convenience, quick comparisons and hence value for the user.

3. Staying connected
Paramount to building social wealth is regular interaction and exchanges with peers, thought leaders, friends and interest groups. It is hard to ignore Gen Y’s connectivity. The usage, power and spread of their friendship groups, or social network, is music to the savvy business owner’s ear.

It is recommended that you seek professional advice. If you require more information or assistance with your marketing, please contact Australian Business Marketing Services on 1800 505 529.

By Vanessa Tsui