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One lesson I’ve learned repeatedly (sometimes I’m a slow learner) is what we think people understand and know about our business does not necessarily synch up with actuality.

As one’s business evolves, we add more products and/or services and, eventually, there is a dilution effect. Our peers no longer understand the focus of our business. The reverse can also be true. People know you for doing great wedding work (for example), but haven’t adjusted to the notion that you service other kinds of events and functions, too. Neither of these states of mind is a good thing.

Forget what you say for a moment. When other people introduce you, what do they say? Do they describe what you, what you do best, and who you do it for, without hesitation, and with clarity?

If not, maybe it’s time to retool your message and restate it, repeatedly, and with clarity.

It has to roll off your tongue. It has to roll off the tongue of your evangelistic advocates, with ease.

Here’s a small, but important project: Write a fresh mission statement. Then, turn it into a 10-second self-introduction. You have to take these two steps before re-educating your industry peers about precisely what you do.

Take the new mission statement, put it on every screen of your website, on the back of your business card, and in the signature block of your email address. Frame it, and put in view, near your desk (for you). Frame it, and hang it on the wall, if you have a waiting room.

An amazing change will happen, over time. As you show clarity and focus about your business, the people you interact with will do the same.

That can only result in good things, particularly qualified, sizzling hot leads and referrals. And that starts when people know where you fit in.

Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Blog

Technorati Tags: business card, business identity, business image, clarity, focus, perception, Relationship Marketing

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written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: business card, business identity, business image, clarity, focus, perception, Relationship Marketing

Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it. What business are you in?

Chance are, though, if you have been in business for a few years, your business has evolved, morphed, or changed either by choice, or by circumstance.

Since you’re immersed in your business, daily, you may not even be aware how much evolution has occurred. Even more critical, your clients and referral contacts are probably not up to speed. One would like to think that everyone knows all that you do, but often there is a huge blind spot.

You may have started as a balloon artist, and now you supply gift baskets. Are you in the balloon business or the event decor business? AND, in the corporate gifts business.

You may have started as a mobile DJ service. Then, over time, added lighting, karaoke, dancers, interactive games, live bands, and props. If you’re still promoting your business, primarily as a DJ service, your public identity is not clear.

Even a videographer, that has added photography, needs to make a new distinction. This example is a great example because in the buying timeline for weddings, photography usually is chosen, prior to videography. Therefore, videography leads flow nicely from photography; however, if a prospect is coming to you, solely for videography, they may already have selected their photographer.

The basic marketing principle is this: In the case of most service business, one can increase overall sales by cross-selling the full range of your services. Your existing clients and referral contacts offer the least resistance, because they are already happily dealing with you.

Take a few people to lunch, and bring them current on all that you offer, and how you identify your business. At the recent NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) conference, I sat in on a WEVA (Wedding and Event Videographers Association) meeting. The WEVA path is to introduce the term, ‘Digital Memories’ into the lexicon. That’s more all encompassing.

Going further, there is now technology that will allow videographers to generate still photos from their recordings. That creates a whole new source for wedding photos. Think of the possibilities.

Your wedding marketing assignment:

• Take inventory of what you do. Reframe it in a succinct way.
• Make certain that what you do is clearly communicated in all your media.
• Have lunch with your key referral contacts.

I invite your comments as you progress with your homework

Technorati Tags: business identity, business image, marketing plan, referrals, Relationship Marketing, wedding marketing

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written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: business identity, business image, marketing plan, referrals, Relationship Marketing, wedding marketing

Although we exchange business cards, constantly, rarely, are we impressed. We stuff business cards in our pockets and purses and occasionally file them away or transcribe them to our address books or databases.

This in unfortunate, because a business card is often the first visual impression of a business and can really make a difference.

Recently, my friend, Tracey Kumer-Moore, a Las Vegas - based Wedding Planner (Your Las Vegas Wedding Concierge) handed out a new business card that blew me away. In fact, everyone who received one was struck by the creativity of it.

Tracey found illustrator, Samantha Wise, on the web (imagine that). She hired Samantha to create an illustrated image. The full illustration now anchors the header of Tracey’s Blog, Diary of a Las Vegas Wedding Concierge.

Tracey opted for a 2-sided business card. There is really no definition as to which is the front and which is the back, but for effect, Tracey hands out the card showing the illustration as the front.

When one flips the card over, you see a little more contact information, with a picture of the ‘real Tracey.’

So ask yourself, when was the last time someone said to you, “What a cool business card!” Just that simple reaction should show that you’ve created a business advantage using some well-placed creativity.

In a phrase, Tracey’s business card rocks!

When was the last time you gave your wedding marketing a boost by redesigning your business card a fresh, and truly unique, look?

Technorati Tags: business card, business identity, business image, Marketing Maintenance, visual image, wedding marketing blog

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written by Andy Ebon \\ tags: business card, business identity, business image, Marketing Maintenance, visual image, wedding marketing blog