The conclusion of our 4-Part Series

 

You plan dinners, dates and dozens of other activities.  In short, you plan life.  So, why wouldn’t you plan your marketing strategy?

Proper planning:  Strategically planning a marketing campaign takes time and foresight. Many of Buckaroo’s clients request quick turnarounds on projects. Quick deadlines are nothing new to most experts in the field. We realize life happens and our clients get busy and a project accidentally slips through the cracks. It should be understood, however that it will cost both the client and the firm money to move theproject to the head of the line. Do not wait until the last minute and expect a rapid turnaround without paying for it. You can save yourself the stress and extra expense of last-minute work by thinking ahead and creating a strategic, planned marketing package. Your name, brand and reputation are everything. No business can be successful without carefully managing such things. Isn’t it worth the time, energy and expense? 

In this competitive world, sometimes people may assume a firm is only looking out for their own bottom line. While no one works for free, we were hired to help our clients effectively and efficiently manage their marketing needs. At Buckaroo, we have the same goals as our clients; to boost their sales through strategic marketing efforts that will, in the end, boost their Return-On-Investment as well.  

        

Part 3 of a 4-Part Series

Among other factors, businesses thrive by remaining and sustaining expert status in their field. But you are only experts in one field, not all. So, you hire others to handle areas you and your business are not experts in. As a result, consider the following:

Outsource for a Reason: When working with creative firms, or any other vendor for that matter, remember that you sought their services for a reason - because you cannot do the work on your own.  They are the experts in their field so, please listen and heed their advice. One may not realize phrases such as “It shouldn’t be too hard,” or “It shouldn’t take too long” can imply that you are assuming to know the field better than the expert.  Even worse, it could also imply that you’re not looking for quality but rather cheap labor.Think of it in another way. You wouldn’t tell a zoologist how to do their job, if you have no expertise in training of wild animals, would you?

Stay tuned for finalpart of our 4-part series to come in mid-August. 

        

Part 2 of a 4-Part Series

Every business wants their website to be the best, drive traffic and above all sell, sell, sell. While Buckaroo accomplishes this for many of their clients, even the best staff has limitations. Consider the following:

Great Expectations (turning water into wine): Designers, writers,marketers, web programmers, and so on can only be as good as the resources supplied to them. While Buckaroo can pull off some impressive creative feats, we still don’t have the power to make miracles happen. For example, a low resolution, small-sized picture will never become a masterful high-resolution billboard. No matter how excellent our Photoshop skills are. When it comes to artwork, be aware of certain limitations. Manipulating and polishing poorartwork takes time for the graphic designer and money from your wallet. It’s perfectly understandable if your company does not have the resources to supply artwork. If that is the case, let the experts at Buckaroo find or create the artwork from scratch through our many resources. While it may cost you a little in the beginning, it will save you in the end.

Stay tuned for part three of four to come in early August. 

        

Part 1 of a 4-Part Series

At Buckaroo, one of the first things we ask clients is, “How can we make your life easier?” For many businesses, taking the leap into hiring a firm to handle their marketing and brand management can be a pricey and scary endeavor. Here are a few tips for businesses to consider that can save time and money while adding to the bottom line.

Edit Content with Care: Understandably, many companies use committees in an approval process. It’s wise to have more than one set of eyes copyediting work. However, when sending the final edits and comments to the creative or marketing team, send the edits in one, concise format. Sending multiple edits from multiple personnel will only add to the work, time and effort of the creative agency and in turn add cost to your bottom line. Furthermore, if you don’t like being surprised when those 20 rounds of edits are billed back to you, set up a limit of edits not to exceed ahead of time and stick to it. That way, there are no surprises in the end and your cost is closer to the estimate.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of 4 to come in late July. 

        

        

Contact: Lindsay Puthoff, Buckaroo Marketing | New Media
E-mail: lputhoff@gobuckaroo.com
Telephone: 317.845.0830

By Lindsay Puthoff

Logos are the quickest method of identifying a company. Think about such highly-recognizable logos like Coca-Cola. The font and style of it is so familiar that studies have shown people can identify it just from seeing a tiny portion of the old-style, script font. Such a feat is not accomplished easily, so plan these aspects out ahead of time and get your company noticed.

1. Does your logo work on multiple mediums? How will your logo look once it is embroidered on clothing? What about on reverse-out (on black clothing with white-colored font, for example). By contemplating every scenario your logo can be viewed on will save you time, money and ultimately help your company be more visible.  

 

2. Font selection: Do not use script font or a font with a lot of serifs (serifs are the small horizontal lines that rest on the tops and bottoms of each letter). Typically, a mix of both serif and sans-serif fonts work best, while also giving your company a style all their own. The most well-known serif font is Times New Roman. Century Gothic is an example of a strong sans-serif font. 

 

3. Limit drop shadowing and gradients: While adding drop shadows and gradient colors (when colors blend from one color to another) can look very artistic, it may not have a place in your logo.  Think about how this will affect your bottom line, if the cost of having all your letterhead, clothing and so forth printed in four-color ink every time worth having such an effect added to your logo? Again, don’t forget about how your logo will translate over multiple mediums. Will this look good on a T-shirt, does it work in black and white. 

 

Remember these are just a few general guidelines to keep in mind. When it comes to representing your company, leave it to the professionals at Buckaroo. See how our innovative designs can help you be visible and get noticed.™

        

Growing up as a kid I learned there were many smart people in the world – most of whom were smarter than me. In high school, I was one of the few kids who studied an average of 4-6 hours per night just to maintain my A-B average. With “IQ” tests and SAT scores, I wasn’t a genius, no photographic memory, no savant. I was just average.

I think that’s why I’ve always loved Peter Faulk as “Columbo” – playing the tussled, wrinkled, trench coat-wearing, cigar-chewing lieutenant. He was just an average kind of “joe.” What makes him great? Three qualities – his persistence, his curiosity and his ability to effortlessly “fall on the sword.” Columbo always gets the perpetrator. He asks millions of questions and he always tells the perpetrator in some form or fashion “sounds too clever for us…we’re not the brightest guys in the world.”

Lieutenant Columbo first appeared at the scene of the crime in 1968 with the premiere of the series’ first show, "Prescription, Murder". As I watched the episode, I heard dozen’s of phrases that I can maybe use during the sales process:

Later in “Prescription, Murder” Dr. Flemming (psychiatrist and villain) analyzes Columbo. Dr. Flemming says to Columbo, “… You never stop do you…the change of pace…You’re a bag of tricks Columbo – right down to the props you use. You are the textbook example of compensation…of adaptability. You’re an intelligent man Columbo, but you hide it. You pretend you’re something you’re not… So you turn a defect into a virtue. You take people by surprise."

As sales people, are we textbook examples of adaptability? Do we have props? Are we humble enough to take our defects and turn them into virtues? Do we take people by surprise? Do we truly believe this is OUR business? Do we practice? Do we study? Are we comfortable making mistakes and in turn learning from them? Do we operate from our inner child or our adult ego?

I learn something each time I watch a Columbo episode. Thank goodness for DVD’s! I, like Columbo, have to work harder, put in more time and read lots and lots of books. As a result of being in business for ten years, I KNOW I can make it happen.

I really love my work! Do you?

        

Positioning is the best plan that any business can implement.

Positioning is putting yourself in the right place in the eyes of your market. You get your market to know you as an expert that can be trusted. You get looked on as a reliable resource for information.

Positioning is easy to do. Just give free information of interest to your market. Your market is the people who would be likely to buy the services or products you offer.

Let's say your market is people who like to fish. What they buy are reels, poles, lure...things they need to fish with. You could tell them the Best Ways To Fish For Salmon, Bass, Trout...The Fine Art Of Fly-Tying...How To Cast For The Best Catch...How To Find The Best Fishing Spots...Cleaning And Cooking Fish In A Snap.

If you sell reels, poles, lure, etc. - then such reports will attract readership from your target market - the people most likely to buy from you.

Chances are if those readers found something useful in your report, then they would be interested in reading more. Give it to them - have them sign up on your list.

That is how positioning works, and the reward is great. Having a list built up of targeted, loyal, and responsive prospects is the very best thing a business can have.

Not only can you tell them how to catch more fish with the least possible effort, but also how your products can help them to do it even more so. Since you are an expert, it's only natural that you would have the greatest tools and tackle.

There is a special thing about having a list, so treat it special. Consider it for what it will be - the marketing life-blood of your business.

Most businesses, if they keep lists, just have lists of customers who bought from them, and yet do not even send them as much as a Thank You Note or Christmas Card.

The people on your list will have a more connected relationship with you. You are not just a seller to them, and they are not just a customer to you. They will look forward to contact from an expert giving out the latest fishing tips and you will be ready for any questions they might bring you. Your answer will most likely be of interest with your whole list, so share it with all of them.

The more you can make the people feel privileged to be on your list the better. You can give your list exclusive deals, free offers, deep discounts, holiday specials, even the chance to sign-up for a paid subscription service where they get the meanest down and dirty underground secrets of fishing success where the fish don't stand a chance in Neptune.

This works for any marketing niche you happen to be in, not just fish. Positioning is the very best way to 'fish' for prospects in your market. Lure them with the knowledge and service you provide, and soon you have your own stocked pond full of hungry fish that you can catch over and over again.

It pays to know as much about your market as you can. Communicate with your market about the ups and downs, advantages and disadvantages, progress and problems associated with it. Do what they do, read what they read, know their likes and dislikes, search and study resources.

Above all, look for answers and innovations. Then find a way to use them in your marketing and advertising. People will always be interested in new and better things and are drawn to those who have them.

This will not only help in positioning yourself as an expert, but also in finding ways to position your products or service as having unique benefits. You do this by finding unsolved needs and thinking up solutions. Being the first at something also affirms you as an expert par excellence.

If you do these things, you and your business will be positioned. You will have the marketing edge!