Up-Level Your Marketing Strategies for 2010
February 24, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
An explosion of marketing channels puts new considerations in front of businesses.
If you’ve rushed to find your prospects on Facebook, then added video or other social media, and suddenly realized you still must update your website, you’re not alone.
Join Mary Ellen Merrigan for a session packed with practical strategies to “Up-level Your Marketing Strategy for 2010,” 10am-12noon, March 9, 2010 at the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, 1309 Fourth Street SW.
Learn to “tarket” as you establish priorities for getting your message to customers and prospects. Mary Ellen explains the need for discipline and continued education in today’s marketing arena.
Get ideas to highlight your business differentiation and explore why customers return to you. Implement seminar strategies immediately to strengthen your marketing message for customers and prospects.
This seminar is sponsored by the South Valley Small Business Development Center. For more information, call 505-248-0132 or see www.nmsbdc.org/southvalley.
Marketing Training Intensive Facilitated by Merrigan
February 10, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
Marketlink, a six-week intensive marketing training from non-profit WESST offers entrepreneurs an opportunity to customize an aggressive growth plan for their business.
The series gets consistent high marks from graduates with favorable comments about subject matter experts, peer advice and networking. It begins March 1, 2010.
Mary Ellen Merrigan facilitates Marketlink for the fifth time. She characterizes the program as an overview of business fundamentals. “For many participants, this may be the most significant work on business foundations since beginning their business.”
The curriculum, featuring subject matter experts each week, includes these highlights:
- Define Your Competitive Edge and Consider Key Legal Issues
- Deploy Market Research to Find Your Target Market
- Understand Financial Statements and Why They Matter
- Increase Visibility with Advertising, PR, and Internet
- Refine Pricing Strategies and Sales Techniques
- Map Your Growth with a Marketing Plan
“Marketlink features outstanding information from the local community as well as from other nationally known resources,” Merrigan said. “It’s completely updated. For those who want to revamp their business to deal with today’s economics, this is it!”
Students receive a two hours consulting block, a textbook and numerous digital resources as a part of the course in addition to the opportunity to network with fellow participants.
Get more information or apply for the program at WESST. A roundtable introducing the program is scheduled for 5:00 pm Monday, February 22, 2010 at WESST, 609 Broadway NE.
Re-brand: Goodbye and Good Luck!
February 10, 2010 by MaryEllen · Leave a Comment
A brand builds loyalty, defines your competitive advantage and focuses your marketing effort, adding value to the firm in the process.
“A brand is the one thing that you can own that nobody can take away from you,” says Howard Kosgrove, vice principal of marketing at Lindsay, Stone and Briggs Advertising. “Everything else, they can steal.”
I’ve spent time redefining my brand during the past few months. As a result, I’ve said goodbye to Connecting Point Communications.
In previous posts at my blog, (www.ProfitMeister.com) I described challenges associated with walking your talk, taking big steps, and otherwise changing your brand.
Like many businesses, I found myself nurturing an emotional attachment to my logo and url. (NOTE: In addition, I had a financial investment in the logo and its associated collate.)
In addition to the logo, my brand was constrained with a URL not directly its name, (MyConnectingPoint.com) an additional problem when it came to Google search.
When I corrected the problem with a redirect from an even longer url, (ConnectingPointCommunications.com), I created even more problems. On Monday, February 8, 2010 I transitioned both urls to MerriganGroup.com.
Getting branding right becomes a process, one that affects all aspects of your business. Fortunately for me, the hard-learned lessons I’ve encountered provide stepping stones for my clients, helping them build their brand better, stronger, and faster.