Here you will find
information gathered from speakers, panels and members of the committee.
7
Steps for Marketing Your Brand With Foresight and Consistency
1. Create
Your Mission Statement - A good mission statement clearly
and succinctly describes the nature of your business, services and
markets served.
Other Elements:
- Vision Statement
- This lists your ideal achievements
- Positioning Statement
- Internal document - What distinguishes you from your competition?
- USP - What you
offer that no one else can.
- Core Competency
- What your company does best.
2. Define Your Brand
– What is your niche?
3. Establish Quantitative
Marketing Goals and Strategies – Goals are realistic,
practical benchmarks and strategies are daily activities that move you
towards your goals.
4. Analyze Yourself and Your
Markets – Poll current clients, analyze your strengths
and weaknesses, determine your target markets, and analyze your
customers. “A” customers are your very best customers. Perhaps they
always pay on time, give you good referrals, are easy to work with,
etc. “C” customers are the ones that almost aren’t worth the money.
They may pay late or not at all, are extremely needy and require a lot
of time and resources, change their minds often, etc. “B” customers are
somewhere in the middle. Figure out exactly what your ideal “A”
customer would be and exactly what your worst “C” customer would be.
Once you do this, you can figure out how to market specifically to those
“A” customers and avoid those “C’s.”
5. Plan Your Marketing and
Promotional Strategies –
-
Networking
-
Direct
marketing
-
Print
advertising – longer term
-
Radio/TV
advertising – longer term
-
Internet
-
Publicity –
media releases
-
Training,
presentation, articles
-
Events,
shows, demonstrations
6. Position
Yourself – Learn about your competitors. Figure out what
your strengths and uniquenesses are. What can you offer that they can’t
or don’t? Use this point in your advertising.
7. Monitor Your Results and
Adapt – Watch your advertising and track the results. Do
surveys. Do one-on-one client meetings. Take a current customer out to
lunch and ask why they are a customer, and what changes they might make?
To sign up for an event, just go to
the
Chamber events calendar and click on the event you'd like to
register for. Then click the "Register Now" link on the right side of
that page. For more information, please contact Kristina Knittel at
kristina@bendchamber.org.
Effective Media Interviewing:
How to Get and Make the Best of a Media Interview
1)
What are
reporters looking for in covering a story?
a.
Cutting edge
stories – Don’t be afraid to call the TV, newspaper or radio station
with tips on good stories. Make sure to have all the contacts and
background information that they may need. They will be grateful that
they got the story first.
b.
Competitive
ideas – What makes this story unique?
c.
Do as much of
the work for the reporter as you can. Provide them with human interest,
people to interview, references and resources, quotes, etc. when asked.
d.
What’s in it
for viewers? – Give the interviewer the human angle. Tell him why the
viewer needs to know about this topic.
e.
Media
opportunities – Radio and TV informational programs feature a particular
topic and usually only one or two community experts on the topic. You
could be that expert if you present the idea.
2)
How to
get that interview:
a.
Become an
expert
b.
Help localize a
national story
c.
Be a good
tipper – Let the media know when good stories arise. Nurture your
relationships with media personnel.
d.
Partner with a
non-profit cause
e.
Send media
releases often
f.
Take 15 minutes
to call a media representative weekly to introduce yourself or say hello
and to give them an idea for a story that you think is very important
for viewers to hear.
3)
How to
handle the media inquiry call:
a.
When someone
calls you for an interview, tell them you’re in the middle of a meeting
and will call them back in 15 minutes. Ask them first what topic the
interview is on, what the angle of the story is, who else is being
interviewed, what the deadline is, and when it will be printed/aired.
Use this information to sit down and make notes about what questions
they are likely to ask, what the worst question they could as would be,
and what your answers will be. Write down your most important points
(three or fewer points) or messages.
b.
Using your
notes, call the reporter back and carry out the interview. Make sure to
respond promptly. Do not keep them waiting longer than you have to and
make sure to understand their deadlines.
4)
Effective media interviewing:
a.
Choose your
environment – If it is a radio interview, make sure that there are good
sounds in the background. If it is a TV interview, make sure that there
are favorable visuals.
b.
Don’t wear
white, wear more makeup than usual (including the men), don’t wear
patterns, choose blue or black shirts if you can, don’t wear your
glasses and don’t wear jewelry that makes noise.
c.
Use your notes!
d.
Make sure to
continuously steer the interview back towards your key messages, as
appropriate, if you are being asked a difficult question. Never repeat
the difficult question but use it to steer the interview where you want
it to go.
e.
Record the
interview.
f.
Review the
interview and the resulting article, TV or radio coverage to learn from
it.
g.
Practice
steering conversation, smiling, making eye contact, speaking clearly and
loudly enough, using notes and delivering your message, possibly in
front of the mirror or friends.
5)
Follow-Up
a.
Send a
thank-you note to the person that interviewed you.
b.
Call in
corrections only if necessary. These do not really give you any further
exposure. If an article is printed that is slanted against you or your
business, or against your industry or does not present all sides of a
story that is relevant in some way to you, propose that the reporter do
a follow-up story using you as a resource which might present another
angle.
c.
Propose a new
idea for an article that might be a good follow-up to the one you were
interviewed for.
Helpful resources
