| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Three Ways to Put Fresh Spins on Old Marketing Concepts
Are you struggling to find a new twist for old advertising or marketing campaigns?
If you're a small business owner or a copywriter/coach/other creative professional, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Having to come up with new ideas for a long-term client (or even your own business) can be overwhelming.
As much as you love those long-term clients or established products, because of their longevity, it gets harder and harder to come up with the next brilliant product.
But never fear. Here are three ways to get those creative juices (and new ideas) flowing.
1. Study other ads. Flip through a magazine or turn on the television, except this time focus on the ads and not the content (I know, I know, this is counter to what you usually do). Which ads do you like? Why do you like them? Is there something that those ads are doing you can modify for your campaigns?
The key word is modify, not copy. I don't want anyone committing copyright infringement. What I'm talking about is using an existing ad to jump-start your own ideas. Maybe you really like the use of an evocative photo with a single caption. Or the use of repetition in Mastercard's "Priceless" campaign. Or the idea of turning the "money can't buy everything" on its head (which is essence of that campaign). Can you use that concept in your campaign?
Another resource for great ads is Communication Arts Magazine. Each issue showcases some of the most creative and beautiful ads found anywhere.
2. Check out what a completely different industry is doing. For instance, let's say you sell software products to computer professionals. Techy market, right? So, pick up a yoga magazine. See how that industry communicates with its audience. Now try selling your product using the same language and concepts. Take it a step further and brainstorm ways your software product is similar to doing yoga.
This is a very powerful way to jolt your own thinking and start your muse down a completely different path you might never have discovered before.
3. Force a connection. With this idea, force a connection with a random object rather than an entire industry. You ask yourself, how is your software program similar to a stuffed dog? Write down everything you can think of, no matter how silly or foolish. Sometimes the foolish ideas are the ones that lead to the great ones.
A final note: If at all possible, don't rush this process. Give your muse some time to ponder and play with these techniques. I know it often seems like ideas pop into your head out of thin air, but usually that's because of the hard work you've put into it. You've given your muse the necessary tools and "incubation time" to make ideas happen.
Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at www.writingusa.com. Copyright 2004 Michele Pariza Wacek.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Connecting With Your Clients Many service professionals tell me that they are uncomfortable with the idea of marketing -- like marketing is a bad word! For some, "marketing" brings up images of telemarketers, aggressive sales people, and feelings of resentment at being invaded. But marketing is really about connecting with your customers. How To Let Your Customers Search For YOU! - Part 2 First I want to welcome you to part two of the article 'How To Let Customers Search for YOU!', where you can learn how to attract new clients at any time you want. The techniques I describe here have proofed to work for me and a lot of other people. More Marketing Dope Direct marketing can make you very successful, but you've got to understand the basics. Here are some more gems of the industry that can take you from being a diamond in the rough to the luminous bling-bling. Selling To Your Affiliates While success with any internet marketing program falls on the head of the marketer, what the program offers in pay outs and products plays a big roll. What I am going to focus on is the product side of the business. Service Marketing - A Relationship Building Approach Can we imagine a place in the world today without a marketing activity. It looks remote. Should You Clap For Your Customers? Does it make sense to clap for your customers? It does not, you answer. You may be right, for the conventional way is for an audience to clap for a speaker, preacher, performer, artiste, player, or marketing professional making a presentation. The Advantage to Buying Promotional Products Online Buying your promotional products and corporate apparel online provides five major advantages: a greater selection, better pricing, convenience, customer service, and faster ordering time.Manufacturers often display their entire line of products on the internet, providing you with a greater selection of products. Is Your 4X4 Trail Rated? "Traction. Articulation. Simple Marketing Idea - Big Marketing Results! Have you ever noticed how many times it's the simplest concepts that end up working the best?The same is so true when it comes to marketing. I'm constantly amazed at just how powerful some of the simplest concepts are. How to Use Your Newsletter to Research Your Market A few decades ago, in the early days of automatic banking terminals, the management at Citibank made a somewhat reluctant decision to introduce automatic tellers. They were anxious to cut costs, but they assumed that customers would rather deal with human tellers, had they the choice. Laws of Marketing - The 10 Immutable Most marketers believe that anything is achievable if you are energetic, creative or determined enough.But laws of marketing follow laws of business, and if you violate them, you risk your marketing dollars. Creating Great Charts for Persuasive Trade Show Presentations A well-designed chart can be one of the most persuasive elements of your trade show booth display and literature. It illustrates to your customers why your product is the obvious solution to one of their specific needs. How to Earn the Right "How to Earn the Right.. Have You Tried Cause Marketing? To help promote your small business or professional practice, consider tearing a page out of the corporate marketing playbook. For years big companies have partnered with nonprofits to co-promote their brands. Open Doors by Building Relationships "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get others interested in you." - Dale Carnegie -"The same could be said for increasing your professional network. 51 Ways to Say Thank-you in a Fundraising Letter for a Non-for-Profit (Includes Examples & Samples) One of the hardest jobs in fundraising is crafting original thank-you letters. You want to be thankful. Are You Marketing Backwards? Marketing is like rowing a boat. When you know how the pointed bow moves smoothly forward through the water encountering the least amount of resistance. Customer Lifetime Value - The Key To Maximizing Your Profits! The greatest asset to your business is your Customer, specifically, your Customer Lifetime Value.In my many years in Sales and Marketing, I've met many CEOs and business owners who don't have much clue as to what Customer Lifetime Value is, much less its importance and the impact it has on their bottomline. 25 Ways To Make Your Next Direct Mail Campaign Work This list contains 25 powerful strategies to improve your direct mail results. It would be wise to use this as a checklist to ensure you've included as many as possible in your advertising. Cave Paintings, Baseball and Connecting There's no such thing as a captive audience--any of us can tune out at will. It may surprise you, then, to know that keeping people's attention in this high-tech age takes the same know-how we had in neolithic days.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
