Last week I joined a nationally known organization and, when I joined, I got its membership package, marketing materials, etc., etc. There were DOZENS of mistakes in the main package, which explained the various things that this organization offers that it claims will help me in my business. Well, my business is editing, and I consider that this organization has chalked up a big, fat F so far.  How can this organization help me when it’s just plain sloppy?
Do yourself a favor. Editing isn’t brain surgery, for all some people act like it’s just beyond their grasp. One of the biggest bugaboos in creating content is consistency. You can eliminate a substantial number of content errors by simply being consistent. For example, do you spell the name of your company the same way, every time it is displayed? I was just looking at a website developer’s content and couldn’t help but see that it shows its name three different ways: Tech+Dream, Tech + Dream, and tech+dream. (That’s not its name, but it’s close enough.) This is a company that is building websites and writing content for other businesses, but can’t even get its own act together. There were tons of other mistakes.
So, I can’t help but wonder and worry that I’m wasting my time with this new group I just joined. The members are great, and I really like the people I’ve met. And, we all know that shit rolls downhill. However, if I’d been shown the organization’s marketing material before I paid my $$, I bet I wouldn’t have joined.
Think people aren’t paying attention? Think again.
Well, enough whining! Here we go! Sharpen your pencils!
1) Headquartered in Miami, our operations are comprised of a nationally chartered bank, SUB, a wealth management division, SB&T, and an international branch of our parent company, BS.
2) When we ran into issues with our hosting company, we realized we needed a tech partner for our rapidly-growing business.
3) This open source platform has become the standard on the web due to it’s easy-to-manage backend, plugin architecture, and extensive scalability.
4) Here at ABC, we emphasize the importance of water in your body and how it affects your every day life.
5) We have over 12 years experience in helping businesses get to the next level by providing quality strategic marketing services.
6) Perfect for small to medium-sized companies who need to outsource their marketing department.
7) With over 12 years of experience in building great looking, search engine optimized, business-class websites, we know the steps that it takes to get your web site up and running quickly.
8) Clients who subscribe to the Monthly Marketing Packages enjoy knowing their clients are being strategically reached – while they go about doing their thing.
9) K*** Marketing + Media offers many mobile features designed specifically for small to mid-sized businesses.
10) What you’d need to know for your first call is that they are on the third Monday of the month.
11) Don’t blow off the calls because you are ‘too busy’.
12) During our recorded conference call, you’ll want to have an idea of what you’d like to focus on for the upcoming month (new services, new products, etc).
13) Sure, we could. But for you to be successful – you have to make time in order to help us grow with you and get your voice captured with a writer. Carving out time from your busy schedule to look at what you have – what’s missing, what’s needed, and what you are and are not saying. Be prepared to clearly communicate – pass over some notes, have a phone call, let us know what is happening when things happen. Communicate to us your ideas, your concepts, your goals, your hopes, your dreams, your fears, etc. will result in better, more clearly focused marketing thank you’ve experienced in the past.
14) We get to know them – through you. We need to know about your target audience to make each connection with your audience successful. Who that person is, their age group, their demographic, any details that you can provide up front for us about that person makes for a better message to that person. What are they like? What don’t they like? What are they interested in?
15) Do you do things around specific holidays or seasonally or what do you have happening that needs to be highly focused and prepped for when that time comes we have that already in place when the event takes place.
16) Block hours can be used in situations where more print or product related artwork is desired as well.
17) For Email Marketing (Constant Contact mailings): Three Constant Contact emails is included in your plan per month.
18) Another fee would be the Constant Contact monthly fee that charges directly to your credit card from Constant Contact themselves.
19) There’s twelve different sizes that could be created, depending on your budget and the goals of the ad.
20) Yes, it’s best to utilize the plan in it’s entirety.