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Starting Any Marketing
Starting Any Marketing.
You have a clever idea for your promo materials. It may not be the best idea you could use. Take a step back and really be honest with yourself. This roadmap can help you do that and help you learn more about what you’re selling.
Whether it’s a website, a video or even a business card, you should go through this process to figure out the best way to go about it. This is a basic outline that should help you make a good marketing tool. It seems like a bunch of pre work to get a simple thing like a brochure done, but if it’s not difficult, it’s not worth doing. This is not a complete guide. You should use this to get you started, but fill in the gaps yourself with stuff that can help you in your particular situation.
Keep in mind, the more focused your product / service (let’s say you always just want to perform a 15 minute act for senior citizens in Iowa City) the easier it is to sell and the stronger you’ll be in that particular market. If you try to do everything, your marketing will be weak, and futile. There’s also such a thing as being too specific, but usually performers don’t have a problem with that and they base their service on an existing market.
Mostly, we’re focusing on performers marketing themselves, but this can be applied to selling your dvd or whatever.
I know it’s a lot of work, but the top marketing houses use a similar approach and their stuff is magical.
Step One: RESEARCH
Find out the following information by making phone calls, searching the web, and talking to friends. This is the most overlooked part of preparing marketing for performers.
Who is your competition (search the web, ask friends)?
- what colors do they use?
- What fonts?
- How do they convey their value?
- What are their selling points?
- Are you sure they’re your competition? Are they really competing with you for the same clients / customers?
Who is your client / customer (ask friends, call actual potential and past clients)?
- What are their fears & dreams ( I spend a long time on this one)
- What kind of budget do they have?
- What qualities are important to them?
- What information is important to them?
- What is their location (eg: is it all within your area code)?
- What do they have trouble with?
Who are you (ask your friends and strangers, yourself and the web)?
- What is your worst quality (as far as service / product)?
- What is your best quality?
- How much do you charge?
- Are you worth the money?
Step Two: FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Part A (FEATURES)-- Think about all the great things about yourself especially the things that make you better than the competition. If you’re not offering something better than what is already around, there is no point in you being in business.
List all of these good things. All of them. Take several hours doing this. Really think of every single thing you can. I know it’s hard to sit and do this, but it’s well worth it. You might come up with something that can really help you kill your competition.
Try to focus on things that are concrete. Instead of “more professional” write “always on time” “clean and pretty costume” -- you also can squeeze out more features this way! Instead of “family entertainment” put “clean patter” and “jokes for kids and adults”
Here’s a really short example list yours should be about 200 items long:
1. least expensive
2. good looking
3. geographically close to my clients
4. lots of promo material
5. 24 hr contact
6. after-show lessons
7. older than my competition
a. can deal with any situation
b. more predictable and consistent
c. connect better with an older crowd (my target audience)
Part B (BENEFITS)—Now it’s time to make sales pitches. Keep in mind the things your reasearched about you, your competition and your clients. The benefits should read as though your talking directly to your clients. It’s time to make it completely clear why those features listed above are important to your client.
Think of a few benefits for each and keep in mind the client is thinking of themselves. You need to put it in words that describe how they get exactly what they want most and can’t find anywhere else.
Use positive wording. Instead of “I won’t kill your sister,” say “I’ll let your sister live”.
1. least expensive ++ “put your money where your needs are”, “she’s low-priced and high flying”
2. good looking ++ “make your party even more elegant”, “you want a handsom event, hire a handsom sword-swallower.”
3. geographically close to my clients “easy to find” “I can meet with you any time to go over ideas or questions”
4. lots of promo material “if you hire me, they will come”, “your audience will see the quality”
5. 24 hr contact “available when you are”
6. after-show lessons “more than a show, an education too”
These examples are really bad, but you get the idea. Part of the reason mine are bad is I never decided on a client or competition, so I don’t know what I’m selling to or against. The point is, you get the feel for understanding the client and your market and you start seeing yourself through your client’s eyes.
Step Three: EDITING THE BENEFITS
Trim down to 3-5 of your best, hardest hitting benefits. If you have only one, that’s going to be the most powerful, but you want to keep the other ones around, because theirs more than a slogan. You can use these benefits for all kinds of stuff in your marketing pieces as we’ll see in the next step.
Here, you need to select the most powerful Benefits and rewrite them a few more times to figure out the smartest way to express your value.
Step Four: CONVEYING THE BENEFITS
This is the first time we’re actually talking about the finished product. List every aspect of the piece.
Example:
Business card
- color
- images
- font
- size
- paper / material
- front and back?
- Necessary info
- Orientation (lengthwise or widthwise)
- Slogans
- Ink types
- Coating
- Thickness
- Should I put an optical illusion on the back?
- Do I need space for other writing?
Video
- colors
- images
- footage
- font
- screen format
- output medium
- music
- editing transitions
- which footage
- and tons more…
Once you have these, think about how you can best convey or communicate all of your top 5 benefits through each these aspects. For example, if your #1 feature is that you’re tall, you might want to put a ruler on your card, make it longer or slimmer than a normal card. Use stripes to make it look longer, use a slim font, and a bunch of other things.
It’s important to realize there is a best way to do it. Some people want a bunch of business cards so they can hand them out and feel less boring. Some people want a random slogan or random photo to appear on their website everytime you visit. If you come to the conclusion that there is one best way to market yourself against your competition, to your client, you will want to put your best foot forward everytime with the same great consistent message.
Step Five: GETTING REASONABLE
You’ve had the chance to go crazy thinking of any outlandish ideas. Now, figure out what will work for you in your budget do some more research on your dream piece and find out if it will really work for you. Make the changes you have to to make it work at the time you need it. Try not to think “well, I’ll be able to get that photo after I get the costume made and after I go to Thailand” if you need a headshot now, use the resources you can and make steps toward getting it done even if it’s not perfect.
Step Six: THE CONCEPT
Gather materials and write out specs for your piece. This step can take a long time in itself if you’re doing a complex project like a website or a video. You need to find all of the photos, write all the text, compile the footage, the music, etc.
In a lot of cases it will be really helpful to do a mood board and a story board of what you’re seeking. If skilled and trusted professionals are working with you on the development, your ideas shouldn’t be written in stone, but these outlines will help you a lot in communicating what you’re thinking about.
StoryBoard or Mockup…
Basic line drawing which shows the layout and contains the necessary information. It’s usually good to do this by hand on paper because computers can make it harder to make things clear. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect the first time. You can make as many drafts as you want. Paper is cheap.
MoodBoard or Style Examples…
If you’re really good at photoshop, you can create something – anything—in the style you want the final product. If not, you can go find print, audio, or video examples of the style you like that helps sell your services and helps to convey your benefits. I like looking through old magazines and ripping out pages to make wad of examples. Then, take notes about the things about the styles that work for you.
Also, your concept outlines, list the most important features and benefits you’re trying to communicate. If you’re dealing with professionals, they might have some ideas about how to better get that stuff across.
Step Seven: IMPLEMENT
Put the stuff into action. You might have to design stuff yourself, or go through a process of trial and error with a designer or pr person. Whatever it is, no matter what comes up, compare it to the features and benefits and stick to your good decisions from earlier.
It’s the easiest step– especially if you have everything clearly outlined from the previous steps. You don’t want guesswork in this step. If anything is unclear at this point, note it and go back through some of the steps.
You have a clever idea for your promo materials. It may not be the best idea you could use. Take a step back and really be honest with yourself. This roadmap can help you do that and help you learn more about what you’re selling.
Whether it’s a website, a video or even a business card, you should go through this process to figure out the best way to go about it. This is a basic outline that should help you make a good marketing tool. It seems like a bunch of pre work to get a simple thing like a brochure done, but if it’s not difficult, it’s not worth doing. This is not a complete guide. You should use this to get you started, but fill in the gaps yourself with stuff that can help you in your particular situation.
Keep in mind, the more focused your product / service (let’s say you always just want to perform a 15 minute act for senior citizens in Iowa City) the easier it is to sell and the stronger you’ll be in that particular market. If you try to do everything, your marketing will be weak, and futile. There’s also such a thing as being too specific, but usually performers don’t have a problem with that and they base their service on an existing market.
Mostly, we’re focusing on performers marketing themselves, but this can be applied to selling your dvd or whatever.
I know it’s a lot of work, but the top marketing houses use a similar approach and their stuff is magical.
Step One: RESEARCH
Find out the following information by making phone calls, searching the web, and talking to friends. This is the most overlooked part of preparing marketing for performers.
Who is your competition (search the web, ask friends)?
- what colors do they use?
- What fonts?
- How do they convey their value?
- What are their selling points?
- Are you sure they’re your competition? Are they really competing with you for the same clients / customers?
Who is your client / customer (ask friends, call actual potential and past clients)?
- What are their fears & dreams ( I spend a long time on this one)
- What kind of budget do they have?
- What qualities are important to them?
- What information is important to them?
- What is their location (eg: is it all within your area code)?
- What do they have trouble with?
Who are you (ask your friends and strangers, yourself and the web)?
- What is your worst quality (as far as service / product)?
- What is your best quality?
- How much do you charge?
- Are you worth the money?
Step Two: FEATURES AND BENEFITS
Part A (FEATURES)-- Think about all the great things about yourself especially the things that make you better than the competition. If you’re not offering something better than what is already around, there is no point in you being in business.
List all of these good things. All of them. Take several hours doing this. Really think of every single thing you can. I know it’s hard to sit and do this, but it’s well worth it. You might come up with something that can really help you kill your competition.
Try to focus on things that are concrete. Instead of “more professional” write “always on time” “clean and pretty costume” -- you also can squeeze out more features this way! Instead of “family entertainment” put “clean patter” and “jokes for kids and adults”
Here’s a really short example list yours should be about 200 items long:
1. least expensive
2. good looking
3. geographically close to my clients
4. lots of promo material
5. 24 hr contact
6. after-show lessons
7. older than my competition
a. can deal with any situation
b. more predictable and consistent
c. connect better with an older crowd (my target audience)
Part B (BENEFITS)—Now it’s time to make sales pitches. Keep in mind the things your reasearched about you, your competition and your clients. The benefits should read as though your talking directly to your clients. It’s time to make it completely clear why those features listed above are important to your client.
Think of a few benefits for each and keep in mind the client is thinking of themselves. You need to put it in words that describe how they get exactly what they want most and can’t find anywhere else.
Use positive wording. Instead of “I won’t kill your sister,” say “I’ll let your sister live”.
1. least expensive ++ “put your money where your needs are”, “she’s low-priced and high flying”
2. good looking ++ “make your party even more elegant”, “you want a handsom event, hire a handsom sword-swallower.”
3. geographically close to my clients “easy to find” “I can meet with you any time to go over ideas or questions”
4. lots of promo material “if you hire me, they will come”, “your audience will see the quality”
5. 24 hr contact “available when you are”
6. after-show lessons “more than a show, an education too”
These examples are really bad, but you get the idea. Part of the reason mine are bad is I never decided on a client or competition, so I don’t know what I’m selling to or against. The point is, you get the feel for understanding the client and your market and you start seeing yourself through your client’s eyes.
Step Three: EDITING THE BENEFITS
Trim down to 3-5 of your best, hardest hitting benefits. If you have only one, that’s going to be the most powerful, but you want to keep the other ones around, because theirs more than a slogan. You can use these benefits for all kinds of stuff in your marketing pieces as we’ll see in the next step.
Here, you need to select the most powerful Benefits and rewrite them a few more times to figure out the smartest way to express your value.
Step Four: CONVEYING THE BENEFITS
This is the first time we’re actually talking about the finished product. List every aspect of the piece.
Example:
Business card
- color
- images
- font
- size
- paper / material
- front and back?
- Necessary info
- Orientation (lengthwise or widthwise)
- Slogans
- Ink types
- Coating
- Thickness
- Should I put an optical illusion on the back?
- Do I need space for other writing?
Video
- colors
- images
- footage
- font
- screen format
- output medium
- music
- editing transitions
- which footage
- and tons more…
Once you have these, think about how you can best convey or communicate all of your top 5 benefits through each these aspects. For example, if your #1 feature is that you’re tall, you might want to put a ruler on your card, make it longer or slimmer than a normal card. Use stripes to make it look longer, use a slim font, and a bunch of other things.
It’s important to realize there is a best way to do it. Some people want a bunch of business cards so they can hand them out and feel less boring. Some people want a random slogan or random photo to appear on their website everytime you visit. If you come to the conclusion that there is one best way to market yourself against your competition, to your client, you will want to put your best foot forward everytime with the same great consistent message.
Step Five: GETTING REASONABLE
You’ve had the chance to go crazy thinking of any outlandish ideas. Now, figure out what will work for you in your budget do some more research on your dream piece and find out if it will really work for you. Make the changes you have to to make it work at the time you need it. Try not to think “well, I’ll be able to get that photo after I get the costume made and after I go to Thailand” if you need a headshot now, use the resources you can and make steps toward getting it done even if it’s not perfect.
Step Six: THE CONCEPT
Gather materials and write out specs for your piece. This step can take a long time in itself if you’re doing a complex project like a website or a video. You need to find all of the photos, write all the text, compile the footage, the music, etc.
In a lot of cases it will be really helpful to do a mood board and a story board of what you’re seeking. If skilled and trusted professionals are working with you on the development, your ideas shouldn’t be written in stone, but these outlines will help you a lot in communicating what you’re thinking about.
StoryBoard or Mockup…
Basic line drawing which shows the layout and contains the necessary information. It’s usually good to do this by hand on paper because computers can make it harder to make things clear. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect the first time. You can make as many drafts as you want. Paper is cheap.
MoodBoard or Style Examples…
If you’re really good at photoshop, you can create something – anything—in the style you want the final product. If not, you can go find print, audio, or video examples of the style you like that helps sell your services and helps to convey your benefits. I like looking through old magazines and ripping out pages to make wad of examples. Then, take notes about the things about the styles that work for you.
Also, your concept outlines, list the most important features and benefits you’re trying to communicate. If you’re dealing with professionals, they might have some ideas about how to better get that stuff across.
Step Seven: IMPLEMENT
Put the stuff into action. You might have to design stuff yourself, or go through a process of trial and error with a designer or pr person. Whatever it is, no matter what comes up, compare it to the features and benefits and stick to your good decisions from earlier.
It’s the easiest step– especially if you have everything clearly outlined from the previous steps. You don’t want guesswork in this step. If anything is unclear at this point, note it and go back through some of the steps.
Good stuff and thank you!
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