AJRoss Blog

If you’re like many of the companies I encounter, your web site has become your most important marketing tool. It allows you to deliver countless amounts of new information without printing or mailing expenses. It is your online portfolio.

It’s the voice of your company 24 hours a day. It can offer customers your latest promotions or house an entire catalog of information.

Simply having a website however is not enough. It needs to be built properly and maintained to suit users needs and the needs of your company. So, if you’re spending money on hosting and a domain name just to have a website, you may be letting your site take advantage of your checkbook.

Your site is a tool, and like every tool works best when it’s used properly. To make sure you are putting it to proper use start by determining what your needs are and what style of website suits you best. Website design offers many options; be sure you are familiar with them to best serve your business needs.

First, understand what your customers’/audience needs are, and what kind of web site works best to bring information about how your company fulfills those customer’s needs. There may be elements of one kind or another, that you find you can combine to build the perfect power-seller site for your business. If your information is simple and updates rarely, it may suit you best to have a web site administrator offsite to make any changes. It can save a lot of valuable time and money.

CMS: (Content Management System) A web site with a built-in CMS gives you the ability to manage the content of your web site. Some companies update their information frequently. This can get costly and slow you down. With CMS you can do it yourself.

E-Commerce: If your business sells products, consider a web site that functions as a store, allowing users to view and choose sizes, models, colors, styles and quantities, as well as pay securely via credit or debit cards, or even PayPal.

Database: If you are in real estate or carry a heavy volume of products, you need a database to store information, which in turn allows for search features built into your site that would retrieve the data the users are looking

Intranet: For a lot of companies it’s important to have a private company-only viewed web site to share documents, information memos, forms, calendars, meetings, or email systems with 1 database they can all draw from.

Once you’ve selected the style website that works best for you, there’s one more very important piece to keep it from taking advantage of your pocketbook – keep your content fresh. You have the potential to connect with millions of people, now it’s up to you to hook them and keep them interested with new information.

If you write articles or newsletters make sure you post them on your site and change them every month or two. If you’re selling a product, make sure you have the latest merchandise. It will keep your site visitors coming back.

Nothing looks worse than a “News” or “What’s New” section that hasn’t been updated since 2004. Keeping your site fresh and functioning effectively is a critical business tool, and will help your company rank higher in search engines.

Be smart: make sure your web site works to your best advantage in the business world every second of the day.

I always hear the same thing.

People don’t hate advertising. They hate bad advertising. What’s more: they decide in three seconds, studies show if they are going to be interested in your message.

We’ve all seen bad ads: so cluttered and confusing you don’t know where to look, or so poorly designed the ad has little impact.

When I follow up on these ads I often find the business owner’s son, sibling, or secretary has taken a design course or two in college, or knows Microsoft Publisher, and has thus been delegated the obviously underrated task of ad-building.

Advertising is simply too important – and too expensive – an aspect of your business to leave it in the hands of a wanna be designer or copywriter. It needs professional service. Don’t trust it to someone who has another whole job to do; it’s too essential a factor in a successful marketing campaign. It’s your first impression to your customers, and serves to reinforce your message to existing customers.

The goals of any print ad are: to stand out from the others next to it on a page, to grab the attention of the target audience, to let the reader know who you are and what you offer, and – most importantly, for the reader to take action.

Here are some suggestions:

Brand your ad. Most important – but too often left to the end – is to ensure your logo is situated properly and visibly, yet unobtrusively. It’s your mark, your Nike swoosh. It’s who you are.

Have a single message. The more information you throw in, the less likely your customer will act. Ads compete; so does too much information. Your message is simple. To get your potential customer to buy or to hire your services.

Write for the eye. Don’t clog your ad. White space is good. Think catchy headline first, to grab the reader’s attention. Omit all needless words. You can tell them everything else they need to know when they call you.

Copy writing: It’s an ad, not an autobiography. What are you offering? What’s in it for the customer? Focus on them. What need of theirs do you solve? Less copy is better. The more direct your message, the more they will remember.

Skin-deep sells. Use a well-considered, attractive image to support the headline. It may be beloved Uncle Ernie behind the cash register, but nevertheless, unattractive or poor quality images just for the sake of having images will ruin your ad. Never settle for a quick snap shot on the family or a co-workers camera to represent the quality of your work. Words and visuals should work together, and as shallow as it seems? Looks matter.

Call to action: It’s the entire reason for the ad, the payoff. Direct readers how to buy, how to get in touch, how to get more information. It turns readers into prospects, and prospects into customers.

While sons, siblings and secretaries often have talent, they lack the years of training in marketing, branding, and a wealth of other experience and expertise a design firm or advertising marketing agency brings to your business.

If you’re not satisfied with your advertising results, consider an agency, and if you are satisfied – consider an agency anyway. You might just be delighted at how much better the results can be.

It seems that everyone I have asked about how business is doing gives me the same answer, “It’s not doing well.” The next question I ask is what they’re doing about it. Most of the answers I get are the same, “Nothing.” And that’s exactly what they’ll get in return.

When times are tough the first things businesses cut is their advertising and marketing budget thinking they are saving money, but what they’re doing is cutting off their lifeline. If anything, advertising should be increased, and here are some of the reasons why.

Advertising during a bad economy clearly creates a competitive advantage because your clientele feels more positive about your company’s commitment to your products and services. More importantly, you’re at the top of buyers’ minds when purchase decisions are made. People don’t stay loyal to products based on the memory of a strong campaign in rosier times. Memories are short, and it’s advertisings bombarding them now, today, and every day that will stick in their heads when they’re making a purchasing decision.

Some experts believe that advertising in a down economy is even more important than advertising in good times. It’s a time when you can build market share. It’s a time when you have less competition. While your competitors are hibernating and sticking their heads in the sand and waiting for things to blow over, your company has the opportunity to establish itself as the brand of choice. Halting your advertising defeats that goal. Advertising aggressively during economic downturns means gives you a leg up on the competition that have cut their promotional budgets. Your timid competitors stand a real chance of falling behind and never catching up.

The economy may be bad, but people are still spending money on needed products and services. Of course they become more selective and look much harder for value, but they are going to buy from someone. It is a known fact they are likely to buy from businesses that they know, like and recognize. Now is a great time to keep your market share and particularly in bad economic times consumers want to feel comfortable with the companies where they spend their money. Make sure they know you, remind them of your staying power, and that you will be there for them tomorrow and in years to come.

I tell my clients, target your message for this economy and then get it out there. The impact of promoting your business in these times will maintain your presence and help sustain your bottom line.

How many times have you sealed the deal with a new client by touting your expertise—that you’re a professional? I know it works on me! I want to make sure that I’m getting the best-qualified person to handle what I’m not qualified to do myself.

Why wouldn’t you want to do the same thing when it comes to where and how you advertise? When it comes to your business, we all know that the old spaghetti-thrown-on-the-wall technique is not necessarily the best of business practices. It can be costly and not generate you the business leads that you are looking for. In pains me when I speak to people about their dissatisfaction when it comes to the response they received on their advertising dollar. Especially when there was no research that went into the initial buy…

It’s not about just advertising. It’s about being in the right place at the right time—and making sure you’re not paying out the nose for it! That’s why you go to a professional!! We do the research necessary. Not only do we get to know your business, we get to know who your consumer is; we get to know the cycles of your business (and every business has them); we get to know the best mediums to reach your ideal consumer. And then, we get you the best price possible to get you the presence you need. It’s difficult when you go in as an individual to negotiate the prices of advertising. When you go in with a media buying company, you are afforded the buying power that is garnered through multiple companies purchasing in the same place (or the potential of it) and the media buying company can leverage a great rate; sometimes the number quoted isn’t even on their rate card!

And then there’s the little added bonus that you didn’t even know was bothering you. You don’t have to speak to any salespeople from any media. We do it for you. And then you get the feel really great when they do call and you get to say “Talk to my media buying agency. They handle all of that business for me.” How great is that.

So next time you find that you need to get that phone to ring a little more, ring a professional. They’ll get you going in the right direction to make sure you get the piece of the pie you deserve.

We all know the infamous account of David and Goliath, where a young little boy defends himself and wins over the renowned giant. It’s the classic underdog wins story and emphasizes the importance of using one’s knowledge over one’s physical size.

While that may work most of the time – there still is that new business pitch or new venture when you realize – size really does matter.

Here are some tips on how to look and act bigger than you are to land that new business and help your business grow. All without giving up what you went into business for in the first place – your expertise.

First, you need to surround yourself with professionals who think and work like you. I call this the “type wow” personality and I mean it in a good sense. Owning your own business is fast paced and there is no room for an unmotivated staff. The key is to nurture talent and keep them. Your image is portrayed not only by you, but also by all who works for and with you.

Constantly ask for advice. Let associates and professionals whose opinions you admire, critique you and your work. They may see something that you overlooked or find a new way for you to promote your company. Even bad advice is good – we tend to learn more from mistakes.

Outsource where and when you can. So many small to mid-sized companies overlook the fact that time is money. Sure you can do it all – you probably did it all when you first started your company! But, if you are taking the time to do each individual project a staff member or consultant can do, you are loosing money and taking time away from growing your business. You are also exhausting your staff. Come up with the plan if you must – then give it to your charges to produce. You will see a more appreciative staff and probably a fresher perspective.

Image is everything. So, how does a small to mid-sized company compete with the designer, hi-end New York City executives? “Stay on top of your game,” is the best way to put it. Project an image of confidence and assurance, but be sure to back it with experience, examples and referrals. Know your field, know your client’s needs and cater to your client as if he / she is the only one that exists. Larger companies tend to lose site of client needs and quickly once they get the account.

You may have to tweak who you are on occasion. If your office looks more like a storage bin than a workplace, rent space for that big meeting. Bring in the caterer if necessary. And even hire temporary staff. Show that you are interested in entertaining your new client.

Rethink your marketing materials – from your letterhead to your brochure to your web site. Do you present a mom-and-pop image or a new, trend-setting company ready to produce that award winning widget or provide that phenomenal service? Yes, image. And yes, important to have a polished, professional and integrated package to explain who you are and what you do. You need more than just a logo and some ads in the local newspaper. You need a professional marketing company. Make the investment. Hire a company who knows what they are doing, who have experience and a track record. Remember, you get what you pay for. A lot of companies try to save money and hire designers who have no marketing or branding experience. Take it from me. For more than 15 years, my staff and I have created award winning brand recognition campaigns that can thoroughly build the image of our clients across all mediums, from print to radio to the internet. You should also use public relations, which is a tried and true approach that should be an integral part of any marketing program. We’ve assisted our clients in the writing and placement of announcements on their firms’ achievements, new business and new hires, feature articles, and even speaking and seminar engagements.

So, with tape measure in hand, or at least a fresh look at your company and what you do – it’s time to move forward. Use your talents, seek advice, outsource, revise your image by hiring the right brand professionals, tell everyone and . . . succeed.

Allan Ross is the President and CEO of AJ Ross Creative Media full service advertising, marketing, design and media buying company located in Chester, NY. Some of the agencies clients in Orange County include The Orange Magazine, Orange County Tourism and Spence Engineering. Allan can be reached at mailto:allan@ajross.com or go to http://www.ajross.com.