When is a liability not a liability? When you can turn it into an asset through clever positioning! Sometimes whether something is a positive or a negative is really just a matter of perspective. To illustrate this concept, let's look at some examples…

Lack of Experience

Perhaps you just started a business. Some might consider your inexperience to be a liability. Maybe business is still a little slow. How can you put a positive spin on things? You're not "inexperienced," you're…

• Affordable
• Flexible
• Offering a fresh perspective
• Ready to tackle the client's project immediately

High Prices

Not everyone wants to be the low-price leader. But you also wouldn't want to tout that you've got "the highest prices in town"! You're not "expensive," you're…

• A highly-skilled expert
• In demand nationwide
• Providing customized and unique solutions
• Catering to those with discriminating tastes

"Me Too" Service

What if you're in an industry where all of the players offer essentially the same thing – or it at least appears this way to the average consumer? How can you position yourself to stand out from the crowd? You're not "just the same as your competitors," you're…

• A specialist in a particular niche of the market
• The organization with the most longevity
• The go-to provider in a given geographic area
• The one that provides the best value

Many businesses try to hide their potential negatives completely, hoping that no one will notice them. This approach tends to back-fire. It's often far better to confront these potential negatives head-on, by spinning them around and turning them into positives.

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Are your written materials easy to read? Sometimes people get so caught up in creating a certain image – or squeezing a lot of words into a limited space – that they completely lose sight of readability. Unless yours is a completely visual message, it's important that people be able to read your words. Make sure your finished piece is formatted for maximum readability.

Make it Easy to Scan

People don't want to wade through what appears to be a short novel. If the mere site of your written piece overwhelms the reader, you can bet he or she will quickly move on to something else.

• Recommendation: Put your headings and subheads in bold type, use bullet points, left justify your text (don't center everything) and break things down into short, easy-to-manage paragraphs.

Avoid Giving Readers a Headache

Have you noticed that an increasing number of websites are composed of tiny little white letters set against a black background? Ugh! Instant eyestrain.

• Recommendation: For maximum readability of any written piece (not just websites) stick with dark type on a light background, and don't use anything smaller than a 10-point font.

Think about Your Font Formats

Sometimes it works to use special formatting to call attention to particular words, but if you're not careful you'll end up making those important words difficult to read.

• Recommendation: Go easy on your use of ALL CAPS, italics, underlines, Initial Caps, and other special formats. These all work well on headlines and brief items, but should generally be avoided on longer passages.

Remember, if your letter, website, brochure, or other written piece isn't formatted for maximum readability, there's a good chance it won't get read at all.

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When people are deciding whether or not they should do business with you, there's a good chance they're also evaluating your competitors' offerings. Have you given them a good reason to pick you?

The All-Important Unique Selling Proposition

Your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, is what clearly answers the question, "Why should I do business with you instead of your competitors?" Often translated into a tagline, the USP should be the basis for all of your company's marketing efforts. You've got to let people know why your products or services are the best choice.

Developing Your USP

How do you determine your USP? Start by finding important benefits that are unique to your product or service. Try looking at. . .

• A Product Feature – This can be anything about your product, service, or service delivery. For example, Folgers coffee is Mountain Grown. I think most coffee is mountain grown, but they make it sound unique and special.
• An Emotional Appeal – Perhaps your USP can be based on an appeal to the prospect's emotions, such as love, humor, or fear.
• A Possible Association – This is the celebrity endorsement approach. Your product is wonderful because so-and-so says it's wonderful.

Once you have a good list of possibilities, pick one that is unique (i.e. not being touted by your competitors), believable, and a big advantage. Remember, this should be something that can be used to motivate people to make a purchase!

Using Your USP

The final step is to boil it all down to one clear and concise sentence and then integrate it into all of your marketing materials. Remember, if you can't figure out what sets you apart from your competition, your prospective clients aren't likely to see any reason to do business with you either.

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It happens to all of us. We're busily writing a letter or email and suddenly we doubt if a word we just typed is the right one for the situation. Personally, I always have a hard time keeping "it's" and "its" straight. Maybe you struggle with "your" and "you're" or "advice" and "advise."

In fact, there are a number of words that commonly confuse lots of people. To help you out, here's a guide to some of the ones that I see most frequently in the editing work that I do.

Its & It's

Its means of or belonging to it.

It's is the contraction of "it is."

It's just amazing the way the dog can sense when its owner is about to come home.

Their & They're

Their means of or relating to them.

They're is the contraction of "they are."

They're flying to Chicago to visit their cousins.

Whose & Who's

Whose means of or relating to whom.

Who's is the contraction of "who is" or "who has."

Whose turn is it to pick up the guest who's arriving on the 2:00 train?

Your & You're

Your means of or relating to you or yourself.

You're is the contraction of "you are."

You're doing a fabulous job sticking to your diet.

Advice & Advise

Advice is a noun that means guidance or counsel.

Advise is a verb that means to counsel or give advice to.

My advice to you is that you advise your staff to answer the telephone promptly.

Complement & Compliment

Complement (as a noun) means something that completes; complement (as a verb) means to complete.

Compliment (as a noun) means praise or a favorable remark; compliment (as a verb) means to praise.

"I would like to compliment the chef," said Ralph, "for the way the flavors of this dish complement each other so perfectly."

Insure, Ensure & Assure

While all 3 of these words relate to guaranteeing that something is true or that something will happen, there are subtle differences in their usages:

Assure means to say, write or confirm the guarantee.

Ensure means to do something to make certain that something happens.

Insure means to guarantee something with insurance or other financial instruments.

"Let me assure you that there's no need to worry," he said. "While your firewall will ensure that hackers don't get into your system, this new policy will insure you against loss in case your system goes down."

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When was the last time you contacted your top customers? How about the 2^nd & 3^rd tier of your customer list, your database of potential customers and all of your other contacts? If you don't have a formal program for keeping in touch, you should. The key is to stay top-of-mind so that when someone has a need for your products or services, you'll be the one they call.

What are your options?

There are many different ways to stay in touch. Depending on your circumstances, your program may include telephone calls, direct mail, email, newsletters, blogs, personalized greeting cards, and other vehicles.

What's the perfect frequency?

Unfortunately, there's no "one size fits all" answer here, but at a minimum most companies should keep in contact with their customers on a quarterly basis. I receive emails once or twice a week from one of the major national bookstore chains, and I find this a little excessive. I also receive a handful of e-zines that arrive weekly, and I eagerly open each one. The difference? The bookstore is just trying to sell me something, while the e-zines provide information to help make my business more profitable.

In marketing, the old adage "out of sight, out of mind" is often true. Create a system that ensures you'll keep in contact with your customers on a regular basis, and watch your sales increase.

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Get out all of your company's printed materials – your business cards, letterhead, brochures, fliers, ads, newsletters, etc., as well as a printout of your website's home page – and spread them out on your desk. Take a good look at what you see and ask yourself: Is it visually obvious that all of these items are from the same company?

If not, why not?

A big part of branding is recognition. Having a "look" that you use across all of your marketing materials makes it easy for your customers and potential customers to recognize that a message is from your company. So what are the elements of this "look"?

The Four Important Elements of Your Brand's Visual Image

1. Your logo symbolizes your company. Make sure it is easily recognizable and works well in a wide range of advertising media. Overly creative logos can sometimes harm you rather than help you — make sure you pick something that can be remembered for it’s elegance and simplicity, not forgotten because it’s too complex.
2. Your color scheme should be uniform throughout all of your materials, and appropriate for your goals. Some color combinations are relaxing and soothing, others suggest excitement and enthusiasm, while others project a very "corporate" image.
3. Your overall "look" (including colors, fonts, pictures, layout, etc.) needs to visually reinforce the feeling that you want your product or service to convey. For example, a company marketing "mom's apple pie" to senior citizens will have a much different look than one selling the latest electronic gadgets to teenage boys.
4. Your printed materials need to reflect important elements of the "look and feel" of your website (or vice versa). There’s nothing worse than having printed materials that don’t look like the website — your prospective clients will usually refer to printed materials first on their desk.

Remember, it often takes multiple exposures to an advertising/marketing message before a consumer will decide to make a purchase or inquiry. If your materials are a mismatched hodge-podge of colors, designs and messages, it will be very difficult for you to build a recognizable presence in the market place.

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Business owners always ask: How can I market my business? Well, depending on the nature of your business and your budget, the possibilities are endless. Here, in no particular order, are 25 options:

1. Networking – many areas have a variety of options
2. Your Website – your "silent salesperson"
3. Press Releases – try to garner free publicity with a newsworthy message
4. Email Newsletters – a great way to stay "top of mind" with customers & prospects
5. Events – attend or sponsor events targeted to your prospects
6. Public Speaking – become known as an expert
7. Free Trial – give away free samples or no-obligation consultations
8. Signage On Your Car – turn your vehicle into a mobile billboard
9. Banner Ads – on other company's websites
10. Pay Per Click Online Advertising – with Google Adwords, Yahoo, or others
11. Online Classified Ads – try Craig's List or industry-specific sites
12. Telemarketing – good old-fashioned "cold calling"
13. Blogs – write your own or try to get mentioned on those written by others
14. Ads On Prospect's Doors – blanket the neighborhood with door hangers or fliers
15. Referral Programs – reward your customers for bringing in more customers
16. VIP Customer Programs – identify your best customers & encourage them to buy more
17. Post Videos on YouTube – especially to reach a younger audience
18. Direct Mail – can be anything from simple postcards to elaborate packages
19. In Store Advertising – including signage, fliers, and your front window display
20. Promotional Items – give-aways emblazoned with your company logo, website, etc.
21. Co-Op Advertising – join forces with non-competing businesses
22. Print Ads – in magazines, newspapers, and trade journals
23. Radio or TV Ads – with cable TV stations you can narrow in on a specific area
24. Free Standing Inserts – in newspapers and mail
25. Trade Shows – depending on your business this can be key

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You've seen ads like it before. There's an attention-grabbing headline, beautifully designed graphics, and well-written text that clearly communicates the benefits of the product or service offered. All that's missing is a suggestion as to what you should do next. They forgot to ask for the sale!

What is a "call to action"?

A call to action is a phrase or paragraph that asks for the sale or requests that the reader do something. It's the part of the marketing piece that tells the reader what to do next – call now to place an order, click here to get a free report, email for more information, enter a survey to win a prize, subscribe to an online newsletter, etc.

Never assume that your potential customers will know why they should act, what they should do, or when they should do it!

Tell them exactly what to do

Each of your marketing pieces should include a call to action (which may be mentioned multiple times, not just at the end) that ties in with the piece's overall goals. If your goal is to sell, don't ask readers to call for more information – ask them to purchase your product today. And always keep your instructions simple and clear to make it easy for the reader to respond. Should they call, fax, or email? Do they need to click through to something, fill out a short form, or take some other action? What exactly should the reader do?

Of course, it's not enough to tell the reader what they should do – you also need to tell them why they should do it, and why they should do it now. But the bottom line is, if you're not asking for the sale, don't expect to get it!

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Your company's written words "speak" for your business. Does your writing present a professional image, or are your materials filled with typos, misspellings, grammatical mistakes or other errors? No matter how good you are at what you do, documents containing obvious errors will erode your credibility…whether the errors are in your "formal" marketing materials or your "informal" emails and letters.

Here are some tips for effective proofreading:

1. Check Your Spelling. At a minimum, be sure to use your word processor's spell check function! Although this won't catch all errors, it will catch many (for example, spell check won't notice the mistake if your typo is an actual word, such as "mop" instead of "map").
2. Read It Out Loud. This is probably the most important step for successful proofreading. Hearing your document being read out loud makes it easier to notice awkward sentences, repetitive phrases, grammatical errors, typos that weren't caught by your word processing program and other mistakes.
3. Take a Break. If time permits, set your writing aside and revisit it later. You'll come back to the piece with fresh eyes and a new point of view.
4. Print It Out. Next, print out a hard copy of your writing and read it again. Sometimes you'll notice errors "in print" that you didn't see on screen.
5. Ask for Help. Once you are happy with your editing, ask someone who has a good understanding of spelling, grammar and punctuation to review the document for you. Even after checking and double checking, it's easy to miss an error in your own work that may be obvious to someone who is reading it for the first time.

Whenever you write something that's not just "for your eyes only," be sure that thorough proofreading and editing are integral parts of your writing process.

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In real estate they say the three most important things are "location, location, location." In marketing you could say its "benefits, benefits, benefits." Why? Because all your potential customer really wants to know is "what's in it for me?" You need to give a reason to buy that will make someone want to do business with you and not the competition. How will your product or service solve their problems, meet their needs or improve their life? Nothing else really matters.

Features vs. benefits

Many business people make the mistake of focusing on their product's features instead of its benefits. What's the difference? A feature is a fact about the product, while a benefit explains or demonstrates how the product will benefit the customer. For example, "made of heavy-duty plastic" is a feature; "guaranteed unbreakable" is a benefit.

Put your benefits front and center

Every time I visit a website or pick up a flier whose headline reads "Welcome to XYZ Company" I cringe (well, actually, being a marketing copywriter, I see a sales opportunity). Why? Because "Welcome to XYZ Company" doesn't tell me anything about the company, what they're offering or why I might want to buy. Your company's benefits (or implied benefits) should be blaring from the headlines and subheads of all your marketing materials.

So take a good look at your marketing materials. If you're focusing on features instead of benefits, it might be time for an overhaul!

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"Word of mouth" is one of the most valuable forms of advertising. It's powerful, effective, and very inexpensive! Your satisfied customers can be your best spokespeople and biggest cheerleaders.

However, even happy customers can use reminders that they ought to “tell a friend." How can you encourage customers to do so? Here are some ideas:

• Create a formal "tell a friend" program whereby you reward your customers for spreading the word.
  Include a flier about your business and the products and services you offer with each purchase; encourage customers to pass this flier on to a friend.
• If you have a "bricks and mortar" office or store, place an attractive sign in a visible place encouraging clients to tell their friends about your business.
• If you send out regular emails to your customers, add a P.S. suggesting that they forward the email on to others who may be interested.
• Order a roll of pre-printed "We love referrals" or "I'm never too busy for your referrals" stickers, and place these on your letters, envelopes, brochures, invoices and other printed materials.
• Ask! A great time to bring up the subject is just after your customer has expressed their satisfaction with your product or service. "I'm so glad you're happy," you could say. "Do you know of anyone else that could benefit from our service? I would certainly appreciate the referral!"

A positive testimonial about your company – delivered directly from your satisfied customer to a potential customer – is one of the most powerful forms of advertising there is. It pays to encourage your customers to tell their friends about your business.

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One way to generate publicity for your firm is to become known as the “go to” expert in your field. Your business’ goals will determine whether your aim is to make a name for yourself nationally, locally, within your line of work, in relevant online communities or in some combination of the above. What can you do to establish yourself as an expert? Try some of the following tactics:

• Give Talks. Speak at meetings of community groups, trade associations and any other organization whose members would be interested in your area of expertise.
• Publish Articles. Write a regular column or series of articles for your local newspaper or for magazines or websites that are read by your target audience.
• Join Online Discussion Groups. Become a regular participant on the most popular discussion boards for your target audience. Be sure your signature line identifies who you are and includes a link to your firm’s website.
• Write a Newsletter. An informative newsletter can help establish you as a knowledgeable expert.
• Write a Book or E-Book. If you’ve been writing articles, turn a collection of them into a book. Even if you publish it yourself, this will make you a “published author” in your field.

Although becoming known as an expert requires an on-going effort, the benefits – increased exposure, leads and sales for your business – can make it all worthwhile.

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Before you can create a successful ad, website, brochure, direct mail letter or other marketing piece, you must first ask an important question: Exactly who is the target audience? After all, your business most likely has a number of different target audiences, each of which has their own particular hot buttons, needs and wants. The most successful marketing campaigns are those that target the specific needs and wants of a particular market segment.

Identify All of Your Target Audiences

For example, say you manufacture a product that is sold both to retail stores and direct to consumers through a website. Your list of target audiences might include:

• Potential, current and past customers; people who inquired about your product in the past but did not make a purchase at the time
• Potential, current, past and inquiring retail stores and distributors
• Influencers (people in positions of authority who could recommend your product to consumers)
• Media (trade and consumer publications, newsletters, e-zines, radio, TV, etc.)
• And more

Tailor Your Message

Rank your list in order of importance, and then decide which group or groups you will focus on with this marketing piece. Think about the specific benefits that your product or service brings to these groups and tailor your message accordingly. For example, while retail stores might want to know about your product's compact and attractive packaging, consumers are probably much more interested in your product's durability.

Finally, make sure that everything about your marketing piece – words, colors, overall layout, photos used, etc. – speaks directly to your chosen audience.

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As the Cheshire Cat said to Alice in Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland, "If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." Your business' marketing plan is your roadmap for success; without one you're just wandering blindly through the forest.

Your marketing plan can be a simple 1- or 2-page document or a detailed 60-page booklet, complete with charts and graphs. Either way, the exercise of creating a formal marketing plan can help you determine exactly what it is that you want your marketing program to accomplish, how you intend to reach these goals and what yardstick you will use to measure the results.

A basic short-form marketing plan should include the following elements:

• Business/financial objectives – What are your business' overall goals? Be as specific as possible.
• Market overview – Description of your market, product and competition.
• Marketing objectives – What are the goals of your marketing program? For example, you may want to increase sales, introduce a product to a new market and/or increase product awareness among a particular group of people.
• Target audience definitions – Who are you marketing to? In addition to all of the people who may want to purchase your product, you may also plan to market to those who can influence their purchasing decision, members of the media, current or past customers and more.
• Key creative, media and promotional strategies and tactics – This is the "guts" of your marketing plan, the details of how you plan to accomplish your objectives.
• Infrastructure issues – Are there any known issues which may impact your ability to reach your goals, such as personnel, supplier or cash flow problems? If so, how do you intend to address them?

Do you have a marketing plan? If not, now's the time to create this critical document.

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How are your marketing programs doing? What's your average response rate, cost per sale and size of sale? Which publications, venues, ads and offers have received the best response?

If you're like many business owners you've got a gut feeling about all of these things, but a dearth of hard data. If so, you're really flying blind…and you may be wasting much of your marketing budget as a result.

Better Data = Better Decisions

Every business should systematically track and analyze responses to their marketing programs, so that future decisions can be based on historical results. What data should you capture? As much as you can! For example, for print ads I recommend that you track the publication name and circulation; ad name, date and cost; offer and coupon code (if applicable); date and amount of customer's purchase; and customer name and contact information (if appropriate). Remember, it's not enough to know that a customer saw your ad in XYZ Publication; you want to know if she saw this month's ad or the one you ran last fall.

Analyzing Your Responses

So what do you do with all of this data? Start by looking at your response rates for each marketing program. This is the number of people who received or had the opportunity to see a particular ad or marketing piece divided by the number who actually responded to it. Look to see how this response rate changed if you changed the ad, offer, publication, mailing list or other factor. How many sales were made? Compare the average cost per sale and size of sale of each program, and then look at the return on investment (ROI) by comparing the total net sales (or the anticipated lifetime sales to these new customers) to the cost of the program itself.

Think of your historical data as a valuable treasure trove of information, and use it to fine tune and maximize the success of your marketing program.

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Have you ever stopped to think about what it is that you’re really selling?

When it comes right down to it, you’re not selling a product or service. You’re selling solutions to the problems, needs or desires that your ideal clients have. Does your local gym sell hard work, major time commitments and exercise? Of course not! They sell sexy bodies and good health. Likewise, Mercedes doesn’t just sell transportation – they sell status.

Different Messages for Different Audiences

Of course, you’re probably selling more than one thing. For example, a restaurant might sell “convenience” to one target audience, a “fun evening out” to another group of people and a “way to connect with family and friends” to others.

The important thing is to figure out what solution you’re offering to the particular group you’re targeting, and then focus your message on this.

Customers Don’t Buy “Things”

People don’t buy things; they buy what things can do for them. For example, people who buy my book, “What’s to Eat? The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook,” aren’t buying recipes. They’re buying a way to feed delicious food to their entire family, including a family member who is on a restricted diet.

This adage is equally true for services. For example, your neighbor goes to the chiropractor to relieve his back pain. The chiropractor is selling pain relief, not spinal adjustments.

To really connect with your customers and potential customers, keep in mind that you’re selling solutions, not products or services.

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