Holiday Marketing 101: The Cornerstones

Just last week we re-introduced ourselves as your partner in marketing your small-to-medium business for the 2014 holiday season. Let's get started, shall we . . . . .

Holiday Marketing 101? Well, we know you know your offering better than anyone. Think of this "course" reference as enlightening vs. educational . Afterall, partners consult NOT lecture!!

At Votre Mot, we don't view marketing as a solo act, we view it as more of a collection of activities necessary to fuel your business organization external identify {internal identity? VM Learning & Development!!}.  This groups main task? Sharing! Sharing your products and service to consumers.

Take a look at our Marketing Activity Cornerstones . . .

Branding - Who is our product or service?
Advertising - Are we visible to our targets?
Public Relations & Philanthropy - What have we done' lately?
Communications - What are we talking about, and what is our language?

Yes, no error we meant "our" and "we" - "your baby" is "our God child"!! So, let's get back to Holiday Marketing. These four areas also have seasonal application . . .

Brand . . . . Who is our product or service this holiday season . . .
Advertise . . . Are we visible to our targets this holiday season . . .
Relate & Share . . . What have we done lately? What can we do? Can we share or engage . . .
Communicate . . . . . What are we talking about, and how are we saying it this holiday season . . . .

An now the tips . . . . . .

Who is your product or service this holiday season?

• Do you have a holiday tagline? Maybe you can stamp your company name on new items or in a new format - special for the holidays. You can do this within your organization as well.  Let people know your offering is in the spirit - develop and show your brands personality

Are you visible to your targets this holiday season?

• Anyone can advertise anywhere, at any time these days.  Simply advertising does not mean you are marketing your offering. Have you identified your target audience? Is there a new group of consumers with whom you'd like to connect? 
• Go to them . . . . What new places (online and in the community) can you engage your targets? Trade Shows, Seasonal Events & Gatherings, Partnerships with other businesses
• Bring them to you . . . Don't just Celebrate Black Friday , Blue Saturday, Cyber Monday . . oh yea and Gray Thursday . . create you own shopping holiday unique to your offering or services.   

What have we done or what can we do that can be shared with or done along with our customers?

• Are you doing good in the world? Are you working on something great? Blog about it, capture it in pictures and video, invite consumers along for the ride or project.  Remember Good PR/Philanthropy can drive customer loyalty - we all want to be associated with "good".    

What are we talking about and how are we doing this?

• You must talk about more than buy this, buy that - come here, go there.  After all, that is not a conversation! Plan your communications throughout the holiday season -  from your social media to your email marketing - literally map out a calendar. What actions will we take to engage customers and how we demonstrate our appreciation? What do you want and need to say, how will "everyone" be saying this? 

I think your juices are flowing, until next week - this session is dismissed!!!

Happy Holiday Marketing!!

It's November!! Face it folks - the holdiays are here, and were technically hear before we could even think about saying "Trick or Treat".  Did you think you saw Christimas a little earlier this year with many of your big box retailers?  No, you weren't imagining things. Yes, in the next few years Christmas WILL literally begin in July! 

Each year it becomes harder and harder for small business to compete. At Votre Mot, a problem for you is a concern for us. Larger brands  are competing amongst themselves and this push to catch earlier and earlier sales might just be having the opposite affect these money makers were expecting.  "The problem has grown to a point that over-hyped holiday mania is pissing off consumers and driving them away from some of the most promotional big brands" states Carol Tice a Forbes.com contributor.  With any challenge there are opportunities, and we see an opportunity for you. 

The holiday season is truly a gift to small business. Why is that? This is an opportunity to engage your consumers that are - stereotypically - at their highest levels of motivation to consume and engage. Maybe you can also take advantage of a reality that many consumers are a bit turned away by the big box brand early holiday enthusiasm, quite possible these consumers may look to patronize your offering. 

We are excited to take this month of thanks to support you in marketing your small-medium enterprises this holiday season.  So it's time to strategize! What is your strategy?? If you haven't quite developed your strategy for partnering with the holidays to further your products or services - we are here to take this journey right along with you.  

Each week throughout the month of November we'll be giving your FREE (ha!ha!) tips on how to maximize your seasonal activities. Stay tuned . . . .

• holiday marketing campaigns

• small business Saturday

• turning picky, seasonal shoppers into brand loyalists

• engaging & utilizing the community around you  

Out the Laundry room, and down the street . . . .

tidedrycleaners.com

 Their tag? " A Brand You Trust. Quality You'd Expect." Not surprising right? Afterall it is 65 year old "Tide". Oh! What about . ."Service You'll Love".  This vow certainly stems from their promise to you when you patronize their Tide Dry Cleaners.  


So many brands, so much to market - national & international - we just can't keep up with it all.  Totally shocked that we missed this one, especially being that we are personally loyal to the brand.  

TideDryCleaners, Johns Creek

As someone who loves the brand (a staple in my childhood home!), you can imagine that we fell in love all over again when stumbling upon this sight. Yes, you can by Tide detergent across the street at your neighborhood grocery store and then drop your clothes to be serviced by the very same household brand. How Awesomely brilliant!

TideDryCleaners, Duluth, GA

Yep, that's right Tide (Tide Dry Cleaners on Facebook) has now come to a neighborhood near you to serve you and your precious garments.  They're brand voice is yelling,  "Don't hold me confined to the four walls (or closet) of your families laundry room.  I'm more than just detergent, I can do more for you - I've got your back and clothes on it - in more ways than just wash and dry" Love, Love!!

tidedrycleaners.com

Why do we love this so much? At Votre Mot we are about empowering the enterprises we serve to think "beyond the box" (not just outside of it).  Just when you might think that a brand has exhausted it's product mix they introduced a new service.  No matter your product mix or service roster - you to can grow maybe in ways you never previously anticipated (Remember, Tide's Loads of Hope? . .).  Let us be your partner in growth and success. Remember today's potential, can be tomorrows investment. Let's invest in what you have to offer . . . .

Marketing more than Rx

Impress Yourself Today!

Summer colds - uhhh! So annoying. What eases the pain and irritation associated with this journey to wellness? Not much, but a little encouragement can go along way when fighting that virus lurking summer crasher.

Who would think this encouragement could come in the form of a little cough drop.  Well at Votre Mot we think Halls "A Pep Talk in Every Drop" campaign is a great demonstration of 'Understanding' your target audience.

Every morning marketers arise to this challenge "How do I manage a consistent and genuine connection with my target audience (and keeping that connection)". Market researchers and consumer psychologist alike, arise to the challenge of examining the thoughts and souls of consumers to support this edge - that every company and organization works so tirelessly to obtain.

The science (yes marketing is a science) behind this simple campaign? Well, Human Behavior 101! Mankind is designed for partnership and companion ship.  The moments when we are alone, or have a feeling of being on our own - we are susceptible to weakness and in fear of failure.

Sometimes you just need to think or know that somebody, somewhere has your back.  Sometimes you want to just feel that they are present in your moment of frustration and despair.  This creates a memory and a frame of reference.

Halls hopes this campaign will allow their brand personality to shine. They are thoughtful, they feel your pain, and this little lozenge is just for you - to help you make it - you can do it.  Right? Although online there are hints of those who didn't appreciate these little messages - we get and actually appreciate this campaign.

Your service or offering may not have been around since the 1930s (image the taste back then), but you too can utilize the same principals to build your enterprise.  Let us help! www.votremot.com