This morning, I got bit by the April Fool’s bug… clocks got set ahead, and I thought I was late. It took me about 10 minutes (and 4 coworkers playing along with the joke later) to get it. It gave us all a good laugh, and it made me start thinking … one thing no one wants is for their marketing efforts to make them the laughing stock of the show.
Your marketing efforts should serve a variety of functions. Here are a few tips to help with your efforts.
Enhance Your Brand
Don’t work against the foundation you’ve already laid … instead, build onto it with your marketing tactics. You want something that works well with and adds to what you already have. Remember, your brand is more than just logos and color choices. It is so much more. It is your word choice, your presentation, your value, and your personality.
Emphasize the Value
Your marketing efforts should show off your company, product, and services. You want to give clear, tangible reasons about how your product or service will help your customer, and why they should buy/use it. The more clear your message, the greater the value.
Entertain Your Audience
You want creative, snazzy promotional materials. Be catchy and make it memorable. Don’t go too crazy, just make sure your efforts stand out above the rest.
Exercise Your Rights
Marketing should be continuous … branding should be continuous. You can’t wake up one day and decide, “oh I want the XYZ brand to look like this and everyone knows it’s out there.” You need to build and work on it over time – this means keeping your marketing efforts going on year-round, not just whenever the fancy strikes you.
Channeling your creativity for your marketing efforts can be tough. Maybe it’s because of budgeting, maybe lack of time, or even lack of resources. Regardless, the most effective marketing is creative and functional. That should be your focus and the 4 E’s above should help you rev things into high gear.
