Seriously. Ambitious business people have joined the  two way conversation on Twitter and Facebook. They know it’s not about a one way ad or a brand anymore. It’s about talking to your customers in an informal, informative way. It’s about sharing information with them that’s helpful so they’ll remember you when they need your service. Yes, you could be marketing your business more cost and time effectively with today’s FREE social media tools. And getting more results in the long run.

So, why haven’t you started? Is your business idea not all that different than the guy’s next door? Do you not enjoy writing? Is it hard to find time to commit to a social media plan? And yet, you feel it’s all up to you even though you don’t really have a professional or creative marketing background? C’mon be honest with yourself. If you haven’t worked for an ad agency as a copywriter, art director or account person, or, as an in-house marketing or communications person, you don’t have professional advertising experience.  I do. I started Peace of the Pie because I believe small businesses should have access to the same professional and creative advertising that big companies do, therefore giving them the ‘piece’ or amount of business that they deserve. And the “peace of mind” that comes with succeeding in the marketplace.

I have 15+ years experience as an advertising copywriter–writing tv, radio and print for national, regional, small business and business to business clientele. 25+ years marketing experience including 2 years in P.R and social media. So how does that translate to your needs. Well, for example, my current employer has received TV, newspaper, online and business partnership publicity through a goodwill program in its second year I created for them. I know how to come up with “the big idea” and make the word spread.

I love to help small businesses. I can show you how to do it yourself or do it for you. It could be a consultation for only a few hours. I could work with you on a project basis or a few hours a week if need be. Let me know your budget and where you think you could use help. Free consultation if you buy me a Starbucks. Then, I’ll you give you a proposal. Whatever you need. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You just have to be committed to your business and know that expert marketing help will make a difference.

I can help you understand and effectively use:
Twitter
Facebook
Blogging
Enewsletters (Constant Contact)
Logo design
Promotional pieces and ads
You name it

Please email me for specific website, PR and copywriting samples.
Sharna Fulton
www.peaceofthepie.com (personal cause marketing blog)
www.talkgwinnett.com (contributor)

404-663-8450
sharna.fulton@att.net

Adding a new subscriber to a company's e newsletter list.

1 ) Do one! It’s more affordable than you think . For instance, you can target customers at a local 5K. Road race expos often attract active and healthy individuals with higher discretionary income. These expos range in exhibit price from a hundred bucks to thousands of dollars.

2 ) Come up with a unique giveaway with your company’s logo and info on it. (We chose water bottles since we were at a road race.)

3 ) Blog (or microblog) before, during and after the event. Set-up a Facebook event page and invite your friends. Don’t forget to use Twitter! Tweeting from your cell phone at the event adds to the serendipity. Include the info in your e newsletter.

4 ) Further promote your biz with a logoed wardrobe piece. Try a cap or a shirt.

5 ) Make your booth stand out with color, simplicity and organization. If you’re just testing the waters, don’t immediately invest in a cookie cutter trade show display. They are quite pricey and quite impersonal.  At the show above, we set-up rows of pink water bottles on the left and green ones on the right. They both matched the colors in the logo/banner. It made for a bright and eye catching presentation that drew the runners to us. Thus, making it  easy to tell them what we do and how we can help them in the future.

6 ) Don’t hard sell. Make it fun for your booth visitors. Ask them things like “how was the race?” AND:  ”Were you happy with your time?” Of course, if it’s not a race, customize your questions to that event. Then, give them their gift. For the folks who linger a few extra seconds, ask them if they have any questions. Then, make sure to listen and answer them.

7 ) Don’t forget your little black book (or red or green…) to get email addresses for new subscribers to your e newsletter.

8 ) Turn visitors into advocates. If someone seems particularly interested in what you do, see if there’s a way to get them involved as an advocate. (For instance, I met a woman with a local women’s church group who wants to help us collect “Sweaters for Seniors,” our cause marketing program we’ll repeat this fall.)

9 ) Borrow a cup of sugar from your booth neighbors. Just kidding about the sugar. But you get the idea. Shows provide a great atmosphere for networking with fellow exhibitors.

10 ) After the event, post pictures on your blog, Twitpic, Flickr and Facebook–to name a few. Another good investment is a Flip video camera so you can make a YouTube video like the one I posted above. Good luck!

Sharna Fulton sold her first piece of hand painted pottery at the Duluth Fall Festival in 1998. Over the next 10 years, she grew a nationally known giftware company, SportsPottery.com, exhibiting at the world’s largest marathons and sporting events. During that tenure, Ms. Fulton sold her wares and interfaced with thousands of athletes and their fans from Boston to Los Angeles to London.

On the other hand, every time I attend a local networking meeting, I always end up sitting across from some self-proclaimed “marketing” expert, who’s actually a plumber, CPA or  attorney. If you do any networking at all, you know this type. They’re the person who stands up when it’s time to do their “pitch” and helpfully tells the group to put a tag line on their business cards. Branding problem solved.

Now, I’m all for left brained people flexing a little creative muscle.  I just want to make sure if you’re going to attempt this sort of “branding” thing, you read the manual first. Starting with Chapter 1:

1) Branding is not a cliched tag line. Wordplay is fun. But simply using puns associated with your industry won’t create a super gluey bond between you and your customer. If anything, you’ll come across trite, superficial and used-car salesmanish. ie: “ABC Financial. Service you can bank on.” Better? “ABC Financial. Your money, baby.” Which leads me to #2.

2) Branding has a personality. Yours. Let’s re-examine the ABC Financial tag line I just created:“Your money, baby.” It’s a take-off on the catch phrase (“You’re money, baby”) popularized by Vince Vaughn in the ‘96 Gen-X cult hit, Swingers. The line is wrong, wrong, wrong coming from oak paneled offices of a traditional financial adviser with baby boomer clients. On the other hand, a younger, more easy going money guy/gal might have commissioned an ad copywriter–hint, hint–to pen it. (My intellectual property, now…”baby.”) Perhaps that person wants to create a niche in serving Gen-X clients. You know,  get them thinking about retirement a little earlier than most. “Your money baby” says, “I understand it’s YOUR money. I need to take care of YOUR money. It also says, “we’re in this together, because I just called you “baby.”

3) Branding isn’t fast. Before you share with prospective clients your business’ supercalifragilistic personality, you must first understand it yourself. This could take time. And you might, could use a little help. Because, oft times, it’s just a little tricky to truly see our own truth. It just is. You might ask your customers, suppliers and family pet what makes your business unique? I’m kidding about the pet. Or am I? But anyways, you would ask something like, “Why should you let me (insert what your business does here) instead of (insert your competitors) help you?”  Not until you’ve boiled it down to that one thing that makes your capitalistic endeavor special, dare you print that tagline on your biz card.

4) Branding isn’t just graphic and written communication elements. The words and pictures come after the strategic planning has been done. See #2 and #3.

5) There’s no five. Five tips would be too neat and tied up in a perfect little bow much like a cliched tag line. Understanding 1-4 is a good start for the self-marketing entrepreneur. You’re better off spending time trying to know what you do best, rather than writing puns. Especially if you’re a lawyer.