In my early to mid thirties, I lived on the Gold Coast and as I was in Marketing in the technology sector, became heavily involved. When I talk involved, I mean involved.
I ran the IT Awards, was the Secretariat for all IT Industry Associations Board that talked directly to government on industry based issues, spoke at universities and schools on careers in IT, and founded industry group e-Women and so on.
Deeply entrenched in the IT industry, I could see no other sector that particularly tickled my fancy.
Now, years later, I am back here and whilst I have been working in other industries, it still remains dear to my heart.
I have gone on the IT Gold Coast Committee as Treasurer and I represent the association on the combined industries board. I am passionate about the buzz that surrounded the industry here 10 years ago that has diminished. I believe that it could be the epicentre of the Australian IT industry.
When companies want to expand to Australia, why not choose the Gold Coast. It’s beautiful - beaches, people, homes, lifestyle. It really doesn't get much better. I feel blessed everyday I wake up to the water views I have from my home and the spectacular weather. At 5am in the morning, I hop on my computer, check my emails, have a coffee and peer over what I believe is one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.
If companies are worried about there not being enough people here in the IT sector - don't be alarmed. There are solutions. I know recruitment companies sitting in South Africa, America and the UK that have an abundance of people dying to live in Australia - and IT isn't like marketing, you don't need to know the market or be connected.
I challenge Google or Microsoft to go against the norm and set up their offices here, where the sun shines, the waves splash against the shores and the people are so friendly.
Oh, and I almost forgot. The government is helpful. They go out of their way to attract businesses to the area. The Gold Coast City Council Economic Development Unit is accessible and they have a can-do approach.
I couldn't be happier. I have a digital marketing company located here on the Gold Coast and it is going great guns. Why? Because everyday, people love to come to work in the best city in Australia.
http://www.marketingeye.com.au
Monday, January 26, 2009
Express Websites - doesn't mean quality needs to be down
I am always dubious about discounted, low price or templated websites. Firstly a website that is just from a template is NOT YOUR BRAND - so why bother? It is a complete and utter waste of money to be doing the same as everyone else just because it is cheap. Your brand deserves more than that and so do you!
After searching the internet to find out what is there, I notice that there are a lot of hacks out there who are just interested in taking your money. They have no interest in whether the website works for you or not, whether or not you are successful or that your brand is aligned to its offline presence.
BEWARE of people selling a standard format.
Now discounted is another thing. Always look at what a company has done before and how well they have translated another company's brand online. This is the true way in which to ascertain whether this company will do the right thing by your brand and you.
In the current economic climate, discounting is a thing that many companies are resorting to. Heck, we are even providing prospective clients with special offers to encourage them to market their businesses and reap the rewards. Not because we are desperate for the work, but simply to educate people of what a little bit of marketing can actually do for their businesses in a tough economic climate.
There is no point hiding behind a tree and hoping the economy will change or customers will come racing through your door.
Get out there and do something about it - but at the same time, beware that there are a lot of people out there that just want your money.
Find companies that want to partner with you and see you succeed. Not just for the short-term, but the long-term.
Make sure they resonate with your company culture and beliefs.
Don't miss your opportunity to communicate with millions of others online by staying off. Take the step but do so knowing where you are heading and where your destination is going to be.
And remember - no templated websites. Work with people who care as much about your brand its ability to communicate online as you do. www.marketingeyedigital.com.au
After searching the internet to find out what is there, I notice that there are a lot of hacks out there who are just interested in taking your money. They have no interest in whether the website works for you or not, whether or not you are successful or that your brand is aligned to its offline presence.
BEWARE of people selling a standard format.
Now discounted is another thing. Always look at what a company has done before and how well they have translated another company's brand online. This is the true way in which to ascertain whether this company will do the right thing by your brand and you.
In the current economic climate, discounting is a thing that many companies are resorting to. Heck, we are even providing prospective clients with special offers to encourage them to market their businesses and reap the rewards. Not because we are desperate for the work, but simply to educate people of what a little bit of marketing can actually do for their businesses in a tough economic climate.
There is no point hiding behind a tree and hoping the economy will change or customers will come racing through your door.
Get out there and do something about it - but at the same time, beware that there are a lot of people out there that just want your money.
Find companies that want to partner with you and see you succeed. Not just for the short-term, but the long-term.
Make sure they resonate with your company culture and beliefs.
Don't miss your opportunity to communicate with millions of others online by staying off. Take the step but do so knowing where you are heading and where your destination is going to be.
And remember - no templated websites. Work with people who care as much about your brand its ability to communicate online as you do. www.marketingeyedigital.com.au
Sunday, January 25, 2009
What Motivates Us To Be Better
Yesterday the most unusual thing happened to me. I was in Byron Bay about to head to my accountant’s holiday retreat for lunch when I decided to do a spot of shopping.
Byron Bay has an abundance of boutique shops that often stock items that are made locally by talented people that just chose to live in this seaside township.
I was in one shop and there was a turkish coffee cup reader. For $30 for 15 minutes she tells you your fortune (or lack of it according to the girl before me).
I sat down and she told me what has been going on in my life, love, family etc. Then she got onto work.
She told me how I would continue to do what I do, but will do it better. I will find a clearer message in which to communicate how I can help other businesses.
Well, for a start - how does she know I am in marketing and own my own business? I decide that regardless of where this information is sourced from, there is a message in this that I should give some kudos to.
At Marketing Eye we work with predominantly small to medium sized businesses that need help. They are seeking to be better equipped at marketing their businesses, getting their message out and creating better brands and brand experiences for their customers.
The more we as a company can help small businesses with marketing, the better equipped they will be to succeed.
It's not just about creating a service where there is a need. It's about giving people help to achieve what they have set out to achieve.
When you relay this to your own small business - it could be a dress shop, the dress that makes a woman feel beautiful and gives her a sense that it is meant to be is the right dress for that person. If you try and sell them a dress that doesn't suit their figure or personality - then its wrong.
http://www.marketingeye.com.au
There's a message in 'helping' rather than servicing or providing a product. See where your business fits into helping others get what they want or need.
Byron Bay has an abundance of boutique shops that often stock items that are made locally by talented people that just chose to live in this seaside township.
I was in one shop and there was a turkish coffee cup reader. For $30 for 15 minutes she tells you your fortune (or lack of it according to the girl before me).
I sat down and she told me what has been going on in my life, love, family etc. Then she got onto work.
She told me how I would continue to do what I do, but will do it better. I will find a clearer message in which to communicate how I can help other businesses.
Well, for a start - how does she know I am in marketing and own my own business? I decide that regardless of where this information is sourced from, there is a message in this that I should give some kudos to.
At Marketing Eye we work with predominantly small to medium sized businesses that need help. They are seeking to be better equipped at marketing their businesses, getting their message out and creating better brands and brand experiences for their customers.
The more we as a company can help small businesses with marketing, the better equipped they will be to succeed.
It's not just about creating a service where there is a need. It's about giving people help to achieve what they have set out to achieve.
When you relay this to your own small business - it could be a dress shop, the dress that makes a woman feel beautiful and gives her a sense that it is meant to be is the right dress for that person. If you try and sell them a dress that doesn't suit their figure or personality - then its wrong.
http://www.marketingeye.com.au
There's a message in 'helping' rather than servicing or providing a product. See where your business fits into helping others get what they want or need.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Is NSW really in recession?
The newspapers would have us believe that NSW is in recession. But is it really? The consensus of most of our small to medium sized clients is that business is unchanged, but they are tightening their purse strings just in case. Everyone seems to be looking at cutting costs just in case.
Whilst I did see a change in the last quarter of 2008, I am not sure whether many of the small to medium businesses that we work with are actually putting off staff but they are reducing costs.
That makes sense to me.
Whilst I did see a change in the last quarter of 2008, I am not sure whether many of the small to medium businesses that we work with are actually putting off staff but they are reducing costs.
That makes sense to me.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
$10 per day websites - To discount or not?
Brainstorming ways to generate more sales in the current economic times is a daily ritual for those who work at Marketing Eye. Our last quarter was still strong, but could have been better - like everyone else in the consulting game.
The latest, or more precisely, today's great idea is $10 per day websites over 12 months interest free. Now I personally have a problem with this, as it's the same product that we give clients who pay $8,000 for a website and they have to pay upfront.
Whilst we offer small to medium sized businesses a Marketing Manager for $24,000 per year*, we don't normally discount and this is more than 50% off the normal price.
We say, 'everybody needs a marketing eye, but not everyone has one' and we feel the same way about websites. Everybody needs one but not everyone has one or at least, has one that people see.
For us, it's like the first entry into marketing your business successfully after developing your brand.
We are not alone when it comes to discounting in the area of professional services. According to Raintoday.com, discounting is the norm.
61.4% of professional services firms report that they discount their fees from their internally standard or externally published rate or fee structure.
38.6% report they do not ever discount.
Marketing Eye does not discount its fee structure at all, but areas that are add-on's, we regularly review on a client-by-client basis. The reason being is that if the company we work with doesn't have a good brand, has a bad website, or doesn't understand the value of public relations, sometimes we have to lead the way and show them the benefits by actually giving it to them at a price that is too good to refuse. If they don't have these things, how can we market their businesses?
Should companies be discounting in the current climate?
To trial this promotion, we are focusing on companies in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Townsville, Rockhampton and Cairns.
The latest, or more precisely, today's great idea is $10 per day websites over 12 months interest free. Now I personally have a problem with this, as it's the same product that we give clients who pay $8,000 for a website and they have to pay upfront.
Whilst we offer small to medium sized businesses a Marketing Manager for $24,000 per year*, we don't normally discount and this is more than 50% off the normal price.
We say, 'everybody needs a marketing eye, but not everyone has one' and we feel the same way about websites. Everybody needs one but not everyone has one or at least, has one that people see.
For us, it's like the first entry into marketing your business successfully after developing your brand.
We are not alone when it comes to discounting in the area of professional services. According to Raintoday.com, discounting is the norm.
61.4% of professional services firms report that they discount their fees from their internally standard or externally published rate or fee structure.
38.6% report they do not ever discount.
Marketing Eye does not discount its fee structure at all, but areas that are add-on's, we regularly review on a client-by-client basis. The reason being is that if the company we work with doesn't have a good brand, has a bad website, or doesn't understand the value of public relations, sometimes we have to lead the way and show them the benefits by actually giving it to them at a price that is too good to refuse. If they don't have these things, how can we market their businesses?
Should companies be discounting in the current climate?
To trial this promotion, we are focusing on companies in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Townsville, Rockhampton and Cairns.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Have you been hit lately?
Standing out from a crowded market is getting harder and harder to do.
Right now, the team at Marketing Eye are in brainstorming mode for the year ahead and we are trying to come up with creative for an advertisement in the Gold Coast Bulletin.
'Have you been hit lately?' is the headline for the advertisement for launching a new website or refreshing an old one.
Websites are all about hits after all.
Now, there is a part of me that thinks that a headline like this is sending the wrong message. Yes, it is clever. Yes, it relates directly to the product we are trying to sell BUT can it be taken the wrong way?
When the LOSER campaign came out, did anyone take offense to this? I suppose some may have.
A long time ago, when I was young and trying to be really creative, I came up with a concept "we're not a fat company" eluding to the fact that in the technology boom days, agencies had large overheads and therefore had to charge their clients more - yet as a boutique agency, we had little overheads and kept our prices low.
An image I had in mind was an obese, nude lady, with layers of fat and our logo at the bottom of the page.
My creative department was scared! They were worried that everyone would take offense to an ad like this. I found it to be creative, yet others found that it would offend people and so in the end, we didn't do it. The risk was too high.
I still like the creative and personally, wouldn't care whether someone is fat or thin... as long as they are happy and healthy - who cares. Right?
Given the context, 'have you been hit lately' relates well to the topic at hand and certainly would make someone look twice.
It will be interesting to see what happens from here. Will our phones be ringing hot with sales or will someone take offense?
Let's wait and see.
Right now, the team at Marketing Eye are in brainstorming mode for the year ahead and we are trying to come up with creative for an advertisement in the Gold Coast Bulletin.
'Have you been hit lately?' is the headline for the advertisement for launching a new website or refreshing an old one.
Websites are all about hits after all.
Now, there is a part of me that thinks that a headline like this is sending the wrong message. Yes, it is clever. Yes, it relates directly to the product we are trying to sell BUT can it be taken the wrong way?
When the LOSER campaign came out, did anyone take offense to this? I suppose some may have.
A long time ago, when I was young and trying to be really creative, I came up with a concept "we're not a fat company" eluding to the fact that in the technology boom days, agencies had large overheads and therefore had to charge their clients more - yet as a boutique agency, we had little overheads and kept our prices low.
An image I had in mind was an obese, nude lady, with layers of fat and our logo at the bottom of the page.
My creative department was scared! They were worried that everyone would take offense to an ad like this. I found it to be creative, yet others found that it would offend people and so in the end, we didn't do it. The risk was too high.
I still like the creative and personally, wouldn't care whether someone is fat or thin... as long as they are happy and healthy - who cares. Right?
Given the context, 'have you been hit lately' relates well to the topic at hand and certainly would make someone look twice.
It will be interesting to see what happens from here. Will our phones be ringing hot with sales or will someone take offense?
Let's wait and see.
Brand Purchases - Hitting a hole in one
I have to say, I am one of those suckers who buys by brand name. Whether it’s a can of baked beans (Heinz) or a camera (Canon), I am lured by the power of a brand name.
Just last week, as a Christmas present, I was given a new set of golf clubs for me to choose. Now, to be honest, I really want to be a great golfer, but my experience to date is limited to a quarterly hit down at the local golf club, or the odd hit at the golf range in Sanctuary Cove when I am in the Gold Coast.
I like a lot of things about Golf and I spend a lot of time listening to others tell tales of their experiences or purchases. It seems, everyone has Pings, Callaway or Tailor-Made clubs - and I too want to be just like the pros.
In fairness, Tiger Woods is NIKE sponsored, but NIKE to me means sportswear and runners - not golf.
Putting NIKE with golf diminishes the NIKE brand's value in other areas. I am a strong believer that you cannot be everything to everyone.
However, I did read in a girly magazine the other day that a celebrity preferred Callaways and so I started my research.
Callaways are well recognised as being one of the best set of golf clubs you can buy.
So I head down to the local golf shops and the first person who serves me asks what I would like to look at. I say Callaway golf clubs for women. He looks at me like there is no chance I am about to buy a set of Callaway golf clubs from him, so the amount of effort he puts into serving me is limited. In fairness to him, I am dressed down, have my dog in one hand and mobile phone in the other.
I leave feeling like a total loser that has no ability to communicate what I need to start my new passion of golf.
I walk 2 doors up to another shop and this lovely young man is quick to help me out. He shows me a variety of Callaways and suggests that a certain type is the most forgiving (now, he is talking my language) and they look pretty smart too.
Within minutes, he is watching my swing... tells me it’s not too bad... and has sold me. A few thousand dollars later, I am now the new owner of a set of Callaway Clubs.
Now there were cheaper and some were big name brands, but it was Callaway that stood out amongst my peers and those of whom I talked to.
I not only want to look the part, but I want to be the part - so buying Callaway did fit into this image I had in my mind of me playing off the first tee.
I am a slave to a good brand name and unashamedly I am confident enough to admit it. I don't want to own a brand that people don't think is good, or doesn't stand for quality. Who does?
Well, many are hindered by budget - and I get that.
Some are hindered by not wanting to spend money even though they have it.
Others, like me, just want the best.
Just last week, as a Christmas present, I was given a new set of golf clubs for me to choose. Now, to be honest, I really want to be a great golfer, but my experience to date is limited to a quarterly hit down at the local golf club, or the odd hit at the golf range in Sanctuary Cove when I am in the Gold Coast.
I like a lot of things about Golf and I spend a lot of time listening to others tell tales of their experiences or purchases. It seems, everyone has Pings, Callaway or Tailor-Made clubs - and I too want to be just like the pros.
In fairness, Tiger Woods is NIKE sponsored, but NIKE to me means sportswear and runners - not golf.
Putting NIKE with golf diminishes the NIKE brand's value in other areas. I am a strong believer that you cannot be everything to everyone.
However, I did read in a girly magazine the other day that a celebrity preferred Callaways and so I started my research.
Callaways are well recognised as being one of the best set of golf clubs you can buy.
So I head down to the local golf shops and the first person who serves me asks what I would like to look at. I say Callaway golf clubs for women. He looks at me like there is no chance I am about to buy a set of Callaway golf clubs from him, so the amount of effort he puts into serving me is limited. In fairness to him, I am dressed down, have my dog in one hand and mobile phone in the other.
I leave feeling like a total loser that has no ability to communicate what I need to start my new passion of golf.
I walk 2 doors up to another shop and this lovely young man is quick to help me out. He shows me a variety of Callaways and suggests that a certain type is the most forgiving (now, he is talking my language) and they look pretty smart too.
Within minutes, he is watching my swing... tells me it’s not too bad... and has sold me. A few thousand dollars later, I am now the new owner of a set of Callaway Clubs.
Now there were cheaper and some were big name brands, but it was Callaway that stood out amongst my peers and those of whom I talked to.
I not only want to look the part, but I want to be the part - so buying Callaway did fit into this image I had in my mind of me playing off the first tee.
I am a slave to a good brand name and unashamedly I am confident enough to admit it. I don't want to own a brand that people don't think is good, or doesn't stand for quality. Who does?
Well, many are hindered by budget - and I get that.
Some are hindered by not wanting to spend money even though they have it.
Others, like me, just want the best.
2009 Kick-off Your Marketing
Having avoided heading to the office on the 5th January, 2009, by working from home on the company's business plan for 2009, today I am now ready to get started. Like any company, marketing in 2009 has become more important than ever before. Having only been in business for 10 years, I have never experienced such tough economic times, nor do I hope to again. Touch wood, it really hasn't hit me yet, but is this just the lag effect? Will it happen in the next quarter or will the new marketing campaigns that I am currently putting in place safeguard me from what is believed to be the toughest economic environment that I have seen in my lifetime? Whilst not all of our staff are back on board (some have taken longer holidays overseas to visit family, or in the case of our Marketing Director, Julie Schoneveld, a working holiday to Cambodia helping out in an orphanage) the ones that are, are refreshed and ready to take on the year. Now is the time to capitalise on their enthusiasm and the ideas that come from being fresh and innovative. In December we launched a campaign whereby clients that sign up for a 'Marketing Eye' get a free website (or a website revamp). This is worth $7,000 to each client, so it is an enormous saving. To do this campaign we had to weigh up whether giving so much away, dimishes the value of our brand and our service offering. In the end, we believed that given the fact so many companies are doing it tough, it is important to give a helping hand and ensure that they use marketing as the platform to stand out from the crowd. This campaign has been enormously successful and although we have had a long Christmas break, we are expecting the phones to keep ringing. One campaign is not enough though. This is not for everyone because some people don't realise the value in their websites. I do. In December, 59,000 unique page views showed me that our website is our most valuable marketing tool and combined with public relations, advertising and direct marketing, will showcase our value proposition to the market. Our website is also integral to growing our business in new markets. In December, we had people for South Africa, London, United States, Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong approach us to join our team - just based on the information and branding of our website. Whilst we can all start the year focusing on the numbers and worrying about what is going to happen next, by taking an hour out of each day and focusing on marketing your company you will see a difference. Till next time.
http://www.marketingeye.com.au
http://www.marketingeye.com.au
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
