It’s almost Christmas and the Pick & Mix Marketing team have been pondering our communal wish list for the festive season. Here’s what we’ve come up with – 12 things we hope our clients past, future and present can bear in mind so we can do an even better job in 2019. We hope everyone has a wonderful time this month, in and out of work! Cheers!
- If you had partridges in your pear trees you could talk about them, but you probably don’t. So, think about the unusual in relation to your business and staff, those work-related stories you find yourself telling your friends and families. If these are ‘good’ news, they are likely to be worth sharing with us and possibly the media!
- Not everyone you deal with can be your true love or an affectionate turtle dove. But you should make time to talk to your team, customers, marketing agency and people in general. Everyone you deal with can hear/see your messages and form an opinion of you. Communications are not just through formal marketing and advertising; they happen all the time. Maybe the postwoman’s sister’s friend needs your services but you don’t know that. So, be nice. Be chatty. Ask questions and listen. Then tell us. The more we know about your business, the better our work for you.
- What’s better, the words “three French hens” or a video of them? A picture (or video) is worth a thousand words. And the better the picture or video, the better! Don’t use boring or blurred videos or photographs – would you want to look at them? And, a little humour goes a long way – your customers are people too and like to smile and laugh. They often share funny images or videos. Make it easier for them by supplying decent material.
- Be a proper ‘calling bird’ – make time for catch-up meetings so we can go through what has been done the previous month; this is REALLY important for moving marketing forward, to find out what is working well and what isn’t and to fine-tune all the details
- We need gold – golden rings! – in terms of regular fantastic images and key, interesting information, for your social media. We will use it to create the very best content each month and see if there are themes/events worth promoting further.
- If the six geese in the song lay eggs, how about you lay out personal information? If staff are willing we’re looking for things like team birthdays and some of the more unusual things employees do in their spare time, like triathlons, volunteering and fundraising. This makes content far more engaging and means it is not just about ‘selling’. People like to read about real people.
- We can be like those seven swans and ‘swim’ over to see you or you can come to us; just let us know in advance when you are available for meetings or if you would prefer to talk on the phone. We are happy to do either!
- Those eight maids go a-milking and we certainly need regular feedback from you! Please do communicate what you see as successes and failures so we can focus on these areas and work out what works and what doesn’t, and why.
- No time to dance (with the nine ladies)? Please be honest about what you do and don’t have time for and, specifically, be frank if you don’t have time to get the information we need. We would prefer you tell us if you are up against the clock so we can plan for additional research/get photos on your behalf.
- Those lords might be a-leaping but our hearts don’t leap if you have no idea at all of your budget. When asked ‘what do you have to spend on this project’ please be upfront with what money you have available. We will always work hard to gain maximum exposure but if we know what you want to spend at the start, we can be more realistic about what we can do for you.
- Know what you and all your ‘pipers’ are piping about – in other words, be clear on your objectives/goals! ‘Begin with the end in mind’ is a quote from the famous American author, educator and keynote speaker Steven Covey (he wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). Having that end result in mind will enable us to work with you to measure progress during the process of reaching the objective.
- These particular drummers – all of us at Pick & Mix Marketing – are ready to drum to YOUR tune! If you simply don’t have the time, inclination skills or money for in-house marketing and all it entails (eg blogs, emails, website traffic, Google Analytics, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), social media) please get in touch! That’s what we’re good at and we’re just a phone call away – 01904 863511 or email info@pickandmixms.co.uk