Marketing Communications

• What Is Marketing Communications
  
• Writing Words That Sell
  
• 4 Keys To Creating Better Brochures
  
• Tips On Developing Good Communication Skills

 

And more new tips and information always being added to this list.

 

What Is Marketing Communications

Marketing communications are verbal, printed or electronic messages sent to potential customers to inform them about you, your business, products or services, and to convince them to purchase. They are tools that assist you in making people aware of your business.

Examples include: flyers and brochures, internet webpages, newsletters, television and radio advertisements, seminars, reports, press releases, public service announcements, direct mail letters, email sales letters, and more!

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Writing Words That Sell

It's true, a picture is worth a thousand words, but a few carefully selected phrases can also create an exciting description of your product or service.

Many companies spend thousands of dollars on fancy, four-colour brochures only to lose the sale because they can't write a sales promotion or direct mail letter. Written correspondence is often the first impression your customer has of your company. Use the following tips as a guide to good business writing.

• Establish your objective for writing. There are many types of sales letters. You may want to send a direct mail letter that urges first-time customers to buy today. You may want to thank your existing customers by offering them a discount on their next purchase. Perhaps your product needs a demonstration and you would like to set up an appointment. Each type of letter requires a different approach. Match the style, format and tone of your language to the type of response you're looking for.

• Grab your readers attention. A catchy headline and opening sentence are essential, especially in direct mail. Use exciting, engaging language that demands notice. Most important, demonstrate the benefits of buying your product or service. Use phrases like "At General Couriers we understand that time is money, that's why we guarantee overnight service."

• Use a call to action. The most important skill in sales is to know when to ask for the order. If you want your reader to respond then you have to explain what he or she has to do: "act now", "call us for more information" or "call 750-555-3443 within the next 7 days and you'll receive an extra 20% discount!" Whatever your objective, make sure it is clear and concise.

• Accuracy is imperative. The most common mistakes in business correspondence occur in the address, the first thing the recipient notices. Make sure you have the correct spelling for each name on your list, their correct address including postal code, and if you're not sure whether a name is male or female, find out. The quickest way to turn-off Chris Jones is to send a letter addressed Mr. Jones, when Chris Jones is a women.

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4 Keys To Creating Better Brochures

When producing a brochure, you must effectively and professionally present yourself, your business, products and services to your target market. Your company is unique, and there is no "canned format" to follow to guarantee success, so designing your brochures will be a unique process. There are however, four key universal elements to guide you:

• Introduction. The brochure cover should communicate what you do so a quick glance will allow the reader to determine if you offer anything of interest to them. Logos, text or graphics, used in a creative but conservative manner as a rule, can usually accomplish this.

• Description. List the products and services you offer. This informs the readers on whether you can address their needs and wants. It also helps establish your professional credentials, ie. accountant, electrician, computer programmer, etc.

• Differentiation. Briefly inform readers on how they will benefit by choosing your product or service over the competitors'. Emphasize your expertise, technical ability and commitment to quality. Deliver this message in a simple, understandable style. Bulleted lists are easy to read and tidy too.

• Response Information. Tell the readers how to contact you. Include an open invitation to call for more information or if they have any questions. List your business and personal name, address, telephone and fax numbers. In today's information technology era, email and websites addresses are also important to list.

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Tips On Developing Good Communication Skills

Good communication skills are required in any business. But for self-employed entrepreneurs or sales professionals, who use language to describe the features and benefits that make their product or service unique, mastering communication is essential to success.

Often choosing the right or wrong phrase can make or break the sale. Below are some tips on choosing your words carefully:

• Create a positive mindset. Substitute negative or pessimistic words like hard, difficult, tough with productive ones like challenging or rewarding.

• Use "I understand" if you're receiving instructions. Otherwise use phrases like "I recognize", "I notice" and "I'm aware", to acknowledge your clients statements and add variety to your language base.

• Avoid using words expressing extremes like cheapest, fastest, best, worst, always and least, unless you can live up to them. Replace them with words like inexpensive, competitive, frequently, usually and rarely.

• Speak the same language as your client. Learn his or her company's unique names, technical terminology, acronyms and abbreviations and include them into conversations.

• Instead of asking your client to think about advantages or cost effectiveness, invite him or her to wonder or to get curious about them. You'll redirect the client from left-brain analysis to right-brain creativity, which will yield fresh perspectives.

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