delivery to the customer? Examples might be high tech, modern, high priced, leader, etc.
* Detailed Description of Target Audience: While somewhat repetitive from the overall marketing strategy, it is essential that this strategy provide a detailed description of the primary and secondary target audience to whom the external communications are intended to reach.
* Copy Point Communication: This part of the strategy identifies the specific copy point(s) that the company wishes to communicate in any paid media, vehicle signage or social media communications. For example, if it is important for the company to have a reputation for being very responsive to the needs of its clients, this could be a word that was essential to be communicated in everything the company uses for message delivery.
* Tone & Feeling: This part of the external communications strategy seeks to establish an appropriate tone for the communications such as upbeat and modern, conservative and staid, high tech and youthful. This part of the communications strategy will have a major influence on how advertising is created for the company.
Public Relations Strategy - Most companies never take the time to develop a formal strategy for their public relations program. The following will summarize the key elements that should be included in a public relations strategy:
* Statement of the Target Audience – This consists of a restatement of who we are trying to reach with the results of our public relations outreach.
* Creative Objective – This includes a statement of the creative message that we hope to communicate via public relations activities. Essentially it must be totally consistent with the external communications strategy objective, as these two strategic elements must work together toward the same overall objective.
* Key Emphasis of Public Relations Outreach - This part of the strategy identifies the specific vehicles we will try to reach with our effort to gain third party coverage/endorsement. It would identify whether our emphasis will be on reaching certain trade publications, radio, television or cable channels or other social media goals such as being mentioned in blogs and tweets.
* The Non-Media Role in Public Relations - For example, to what extent is the overall public relations program dependent of speeches, events, or other types of efforts aimed at increasing the awareness of the product or service among the target audience.
Promotion Strategy - This is strategy that will provide the overall direction for direct to the target customer outreach programs, such as direct mail, email blasts, social media programs special offers, etc. The key elements in a promotion strategy include:
* Statement of the Target Audience – This is the description of the specific people to whom we are directing our advertising.
* Goal of the Promotional Program – This will identify what we are trying to achieve, such as:
-Helping to generate awareness, to supplement the efforts of the advertising
-Seeking to get an appointment for a presentation
-Generating an initial sale
-Motivating the existing customer to repurchase the product or service
* Key Promotional Vehicles to be Employed - This will identify the principal tactical vehicles that will be used in the promotional program (i.e., direct mail, free offers, etc.).
Media Strategy - The objective of the media strategy is to establish the objectives for use of paid advertising. This includes both traditional media and social media activities. It also can establish the approach to develop the media budget, such as $X per item sold, percent sales, absolute dollar value based on the prior year, etc. The key elements that should be covered in the media strategy for a company are:
* Target Audience - This will identify to whom the media is directed. For example, are we trying to communicate with architects, contractors, homeowners living in $Y million-dollar houses, etc.
* Allocation of the Budget – This will identify dollars spent towards both traditional and social media.
* Goal of the Media - This refers to whether the advertising is being used to develop awareness, a specific image for the company, direct response sales, referrals etc.
* Seasonal Considerations - When would the best time(s) be to advertise the product line/service? Are there particular seasonal periods when advertising would be most effective? If so, they must be included into this strategy.
* Frequency Considerations - This is very important in terms of whether the goal is to have the message reach a very specific target audience many times or a broader target fewer times. Also, it should include a statement of how much exposure (i.e., impressions) would a person need to receive to get the message of the advertising.
* Advertising Environment – Finally, the media strategy should talk about the environment in which paid advertising is run. Should you be in newspapers -- but only on the sports page, in certain quality magazines, only on news programs, etc.?
SUMMARY - Planning the execution of a marketing program requires strategic thinking. Experience indicates that the likelihood of success will increase dramatically if the key elements of the marketing mix are thought through strategically before the tactical plan has been developed.
CHAPTER FIVE
Brand Identification
What is a Brand? - Many people associate a “brand” only with consumer products such as cereals, soft drinks, automobiles and candy bars. However, a brand should be viewed as the name identification of almost any business (profit or non-profit) that is trying to establish a meaningful identity for the organization. For example, the law firm of Zylie, Kylie & Minton has a “brand” that is its name, as much as the Red Cross or Coca Cola has a brand. It is essential that a new venture develop a name and logo that will stand for something positive in the minds of the target audience.
Elements of Brand Identification - Almost everyone in the developed world is familiar with the brand IBM, representing the International Business Machine Corporation. The IBM symbol is more than just the letters that stand for the name; it is the representation or identity of the brand, which the company has developed over many years of marketing. Not only do the three letters represent the brand, but it is the identity of the company. This “look” of the IBM letters has been developed because of thousands of dollars of research and artistic input.
There are several elements of brand identification that we will be discussing in this chapter. Perhaps the most important message that could emerge from this discussion is the importance of consistency of presentation of the name in all-external communications. Every time the customer sees the name of your brand/company, regardless of the medium in which it is presented, the look and feel should be the same. Therefore, the exact same presentation of your name must appear on all internal and external communications, including at least business cards and stationery, advertising and promotion vehicles, trucks, buildings, etc.
Basic Principles of Name Selection - There are a few basic principles that will generally help in the name selection process for a small business. Specifically:
* Descriptive names tend to work better than non- descriptive. For example, “we drive your car” is a descriptive name for an agency that will take you to the airport in your own vehicle. This is a particularly good name because you know right away
