ePerini June 2012

VOLUME 3 JUNE 2012

ePerini Newsletter taking public relations to new levels

perini & associates

Brand Matters!

So, protect and project it carefully.

When people hear the name of your business or nonprofit, they conjure up a set of impressions. These thoughts influence how they think, act and buy.

Try this: Think Levi. Mercades. Apple. Ford. Perini & Associates.

Those mental images that you are seeing define their brand. YOUR brand resides in your customer's mind as a result of ALL the impressions made from "touch points" or encounters with your name, your logo, your marketing messages, and everything else that people see and hear about your business and/or nonprofit. We believe that a customer must experience 7 touch points before any action takes place. Action being a decision to support or purchase, for example.

Something as basic as your business or nonprofit address contributes to how your brand is perceived. For example, a recent client had 609 in their business name. Doing so provided a mental image of mystery and wonder. It was really numbers associated with their physical street address. My point here is that every time someone walks into your business and looks around, visits your Web site, posts on your Facebook page, meets a staff member, or glances at a broadcast or hears a radio ad, that person is forming impressions that leads to a mind-set about your business and/or nonprofit.

You can be a powerful brand by remembering the guidelines at this link.

Brand is everything. Polish it. Guard it. Never let it out of your view.

Mike

Michael B. Perini, ABC

perini & associates//719-6515943

taking public relations to new levels

IN THIS ISSUE

Dun & Bradstreet - CCR

Clients. Interns

Two Way Street

ePerini Available Here

The latest copies of ePerini, monthly electronic newsletter, can be found at this link. Click here.

What a great resource for public relations, marketing, social media - you name it!

A helpful resource we provide FREE to all our fans! Enjoy.

Past topics have included:

Why You Need a Website

12 FREE Tips to Promote Your Nonprofit

5 Ideas to Re-connect

So, You Want to Plan a Special Event

It's All About Content

Role of PR in Fundraising

To "QR" or Not -- Why You Need to Get Smart About QR Codes

Results: A Case Study in the Science and Art
Providing Marketing Measurement To Clients

Successful marketing is both science and art.

I know this after 30+ years in the public relations industry. The art comes from instinct that is developed from successful past performance in developing relationships. Strong relationships drive business success. The science comes from the use of measurement; the tracking and reporting of results to clients. It's much easier today to provide measurement to clients. We can thank the new tools available to professional PR/marketing consultants, like myself, as the result of both technology and the consumers' use of the internet.

Here's a recent case in point. A client requested, in the restaurant industry, that we use eMail marketing to build a customer base. We developed an eMail marketing newsletter and promoted it via customer feedback cards as well as through the client's Facebook page and website.

We started with zero subscribers. After only 4 months that number of subscribers was at 400 with less than 0.1 percent unsubscribing. Based on feedback from customers who came to the restaurant we know that the eMail newsletter was read. Great results by any measure. That's the science.

The art is in the frequency and the information provided to those subscribers. Many businesses, in my view, over produce electronic communications with customers. They tend to send out too many blasts. And, they often are too wordy with little to no value added to the reader.

A second case. A business wanted to have a company Facebook page. In their view, Facebook would help create awareness about their business. We agreed that Facebook might achieve that result but only with due diligence and properly using Facebook as it was intended to be used.

Company Facebook pages are NOT for all companies. Let's be clear. Building a Facebook page is one thing. Keeping the conversation going is another and more difficult task that is often forgotten after the initial photos and videos are uploaded. Again, the science was in measurement. Here are the numbers. Within less than a month the company had nearly 100 fans. A significant growth cycle for such a small business in a rural mountain community.

The art was how we got that amount of fans quickly. Our secret: Read More

Small Business: 4 Powerful Benefits of YouTube

Content is powerful

Every minute that passes in real time, 60 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube. More video was uploaded to YouTube in the past month than to the three big TV networks in the past 60 years. Also, the average viewing session is 15 minutes.

If you have a business, you need to have a presence on YouTube. Below are just four amazing benefits.

1. It's free. Besides your investment of time, making and uploading videos is completely free on YouTube. Is the Yellow Pages free? No! Is a billboard free? No.

2. Content is powerful. In the online world, content is king and that would make video content the king of kings. Remember, the trend in going to the internet these days is that people would rather watch something than read something online. Find a business. Get an answer. Solve a problem. Support a nonprofit.

3. Potentially Viral. If your video is creative or funny or informational enough, it has the potential to go viral. That means that potentially thousands of other people will be sharing your video with their friends or family. That's exposure to your business from an infinite amount of people.

4. Gives you a face. Having a video gives potential customers a face. It shows them you're really a nice person that knows what you're talking about and how your business can serve them. Camera shy? No problem, we can make a PowerPoint video and still show your stuff.

With all these benefits we can help you with YouTube marketing. Our prices are very reasonable. Initial consult is FREE!

Here are just some of our recent work for small businesses and nonprofits in one Colorado community.

TWEEDS

The Moose Is Loose Campaign, Woodland Park, CO

THE CELLAR DOOR

The Cellar Door -- Woodland Park's Premier Wine Experience

2012 NATIONAL SECURITY INNOVATION COMPETITION

2012 National Security Innovation Competition

Pricing Marketing Services: Yes, Outstanding Value!
12 Comparisons

I can't tell you how many potential clients have no marketing budgets or strongly believe that spending $$$ on marketing is expensive; a cost rather than an investment for their business.

Well, let's just see. Here is some shocking news for all you non-believers.

A list of 12 comparisons among common consumer products and services:
MagazineCover

Facebook Page = what is cheaper than free?
Website = cheaper than a copy of your favorite magazines.
Business Marketing plan = cheaper than a lightweight road bike.
News release about your business = cheaper than a pair of running shoes.
YouTube business video = cheaper than a canister vacuum.
Banner = cheaper than 2 pairs of your favorite wedge or slip-on Croc shoes.
Business Logo = cheaper than two hours with your plumber.
TV ad = cheaper than a set of four tires and will go farther.
Musical jingle = cheaper than a bachelor party weekend.
Radio personality at your event = cheaper than upgrading to a new smart phone.
200,000 new encounters in 20 minutes = cheaper than a oil change.
Marketing consultant = cheaper than a divorce lawyer!

We understand your marketing program is a balancing act. So, why not take control with smart, cost-efficient business building marketing strategies? Call or come in for a free one-on-one consult from a PR/marketing professional.

"P" Pick:
32nd Annual Symphony Above The Clouds

For more than 30+ years this Woodland Park, CO., community-wide event has been a "SAVE THE DATE" activity for family, friends and visitors. It is always on July 5. Easy to remember and to add to any calendar.

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, and all the celebrations of our nation's founding is being planned for the 32nd year on July 5 in Woodland Park, Colorado.

"An outdoor evening of fun with music by the Colorado Springs Philharmonic with associate conductor Thomas Wilson and Ceol Ceili (Irish folk music group). Also, we plan to have city-sponsored fireworks, weather permitting after dark, and Ft Carson cannons," said Nancy Spradling, UTE Pass Symphony Guild President.

The guest conductor is Woodland Park city manager, David Buttery.

More details at this link.

Watch video below of 2011 event.

31st Symphony Above The Clouds -- Woodland Park, Colorado

Research For Your Organization, Special Event Or Issue Advocacy

We take the time to find information that will support you

Blacks Are More Receptive to Billboards

Blacks are much more receptive than whites to billboard ads, according to a survey of more than 1,600 people in Louisiana by John L. Fortenberry Jr. of Louisiana State University and Peter J. McGoldrick of the University of Manchester in the UK. Blacks report greater awareness of billboards and greater influence on their shopping decisions. Black Americans' reliance on public transportation is nearly 4 times that of whites, and bus and train riders are typically exposed to many ads, the
researchers note. Read more.

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