Adrian Area Chamber Marketing Benefits

The Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce offers its members a wide variety of marketing opportunities.  Some are networking, others are forms of advertising. 

Networking offers the opportunity to mingle with and get to know other local business people.  From the business point of view, the more people you know and the more relationships you form, the better chance you have of doing business.  Customers like to do business with people they know.  Potential business, of course, isn’t the only benefit of networking.  I’ve found that AACC members are a really nice group of people, very enjoyable to be around and really worth getting to know.  As Ann says “The Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce is a living, breathing social network”.

 With AACC, the potential for member networking occurs almost weekly.  There are shared interest groups in technology and marketing.  Chamber Ambassadors actively promote the Chamber and get to know members through a variety of activities.  Monthly breakfast meetings are a great way to get acquainted with other Chamber members.  The Chamber offers learning opportunities, expos, golf outings, Business After Hours and more.

AACC also has a variety of advertising opportunities available for Chamber members.  On the Chamber website, members receive their own business page and a link to their business website.  The Chamber will do email blast and offers Chamber email newsletter advertising.  The Chamber membership mailing list is available to members on request.  Members are also listed by name and category in the Chamber directory.  Members may also sponsor various Chamber events and offer literature at the Chamber Information Center.  There are also some group advertising opportunities through the year.  This is only a partial list. 

For more details on any of these networking, marketing and advertising opportunities, contact the Chamber office at 517-265-2320.

Audience, Message and "Pure Michigan"

The audience and message for the "Pure Michigan" campaign is as broad and vast as the state itself.  The tourism campaign is a "come one come all" invitation for visitors to enjoy the state and spend money.  But the campaign is anything but random.  With over ten television commercials and nearly 60 different radio ads, the campaign is highly segmented.  Some commercials address cultural attractions, other showcase beaches, family vacations, fishing and autumn colors.  Each message is designed to tell a receptive audience why a Michigan vacation is right for them.  When considering the complexity of the Michigan campaign it makes marketing one's businesses almost seem simple.

Let's start with a definition.  A target audience for a business, in essence means current and potential customers.  Your target audience is the focus of your marketing in order to sell your products or services.  Generally they already have an interest in what you have to offer.  A target audience can be subdivided by interests, income or demographics. 

Your current customers are tremendous information resource.  By talking with and surveying them a business owner can learn what need is being filled, what solution is being provided by your business.  Why do they do business with you?  What do they like and not like?  Based on your business there may be other key questions your current customers can answer.  When you are trying to attract birds of a feather, it's good to know why the birds you have are showing up in the first place.  Using that information in marketing means you are addressing the needs of potential as well as current customers.  Tell the audience you are the answer or solution to their need.  When you have a campaign in place, be sure to inform your employees so they can reinforce the message.

When one observes the "Pure Michigan" television or radio ads, it stands out that the pacing is gentle, but the message is informative.  This model is helpful in understanding that less is truly more in marketing.  If a message is crammed with information, the audience misses a great deal.  It seems that people today function with their minds running in several directions at the same time.  A simple marketing message is easier to understand and remember.  And of course, one of the purposes of marketing is to be remembered.

The next post will cover some of the marketing tools available exclusively to Adrian Area Chamber members.

Media and "Pure Michigan"

The "Pure Michigan" advertising campaign is carried out on television, radio, on-line and in print.  Having a combination of media helps to reach a broader cross section of the desired audience.  For most businesses, consistently using a limited number of paid media options is best.  Most advertising budgets only allow for doing one or two things well.  Knowing your audience and your message will help you determine which media is right for your business.

Radio is a good choice for business events and image marketing.  It's important for the advertiser to have a large enough budget to create the desired impact or consistency with radio.  Television also requires consistent repetition to have the desired effect.  Television and radio both are good at demographic targeting.  Television offers the advertiser the opportunity to show what they have to offer in an eye catching format.  The "Pure Michigan" marketing uses both television and radio for the ability to evoke emotion and build image.

The on-line portion of the "Pure Michigan" marketing includes a website, Facebook and YouTube.  A website can be done well and inexpensively but needs to be updated regularly.  To have an appropriate website designed it's best to know what the purpose of the site will be.  Facebook is free but requires a time commitment to to keep it fresh.  Facebook is great for customer interaction and Facebook only offers.  YouTube may not be right for all businesses.  Perhaps having a customer contest to create a YouTube video for your business could be fun and attract attention.

The print portion of the "Pure Michigan" campaign is the annual Michigan travel guide.  It provides details about attractions and events all over Michigan.  Most local businesses aren't likely to require a publication that large or detailed.  Print media is a good choice if you have a lot of information or images to share and the distribution area and audience meet your needs.  A good use for newspaper in particular is event marketing, as it allows the reader to keep a copy of the important ad.

Other marketing options to consider are direct mail and email marketing.  Both are great tools for customer loyalty marketing.  Email marketing also offers you the opportunity to provide information to your customers to potentially position your business as expert in your category.

The next post will cover audience.

Strategy, Planning and "Pure Michigan"

When the strategy behind the "Pure Michigan" campaign is analyzed, it is easy to see that there are many things that were done right.  A well done marketing campaign rarely happens by accident or chance.  It is well thought out from beginning to end.  The state of Michigan hired a top tier advertising agency to plan and execute their tourism campaign.

Although most small business people don’t have access to a high end advertising agency, there are high quality media people who have the knowledge and experience to be an asset when it comes to developing a marketing plan.  It would be helpful to identify creative and successful media people that you trust to help you with ideas and direction.

The common characteristics of a well designed marketing plan include a stated goal, a consistent theme and the commitment to carry out the plan on an on going basis.  If the goal of the marketing is defined, then the advertiser will know if it has been successful.  It’s important to plan the manner in which the campaign will be carried out, including budget and media, to be certain that consistency is attainable. 

There is one important step that comes before anything else.  In order to plan a campaign and set any goal, a business owner needs to understand what makes their store or company unique and why their customers choose to do business with them.  Those pieces of information will determine your goal, your theme and your media choice.  Knowing who you are and what you are doing right will help you decide what you want your next step to be.  Your theme is based on your identity and your goal.  Your media choice is, in large measure, determined by who you are trying to reach and what has worked for you in the past.

It’s evident from the quality and results of the “Pure Michigan” campaign that the agency behind it put a lot of time and effort into planning before writing a single script or buying any media time.  The energy spent on a marketing plan, know matter what size the business, is well worth it.

The next post will look at media.

What We Can Learn From "Pure Michigan"

The Pure Michigan tourism advertising campaign recently had its funding renewed by the Michigan state legislature.  State Representative Brad Jacobsen was quoted as saying "Pure Michigan is essential in promoting Michigan tourism to both residents and out-of-state visitors.  The program has been a tremendous boost to our struggling economy and investing in the campaign will bring additional recognition and business to Michigan tourist attractions."  The Pure Michigan campaign is being funded largely from the 21st Century Jobs Fund. 

The campaign was launched in 2006.  In its first three years the advertising is said to have brought 5 million new visitors to Michigan and they spent approximately $1.3 billion dollars.  The Pure Michigan campaign has been recognized with both state and national honors.  This high quality marketing effort has yielded measurable results.  So why has it been so successful and what can the average business owner learn from the strategy and the message?  We'll look at the answers to those questions and more in the next few days.  For today, use the link below to view some of the ads in the Pure Michigan tourism campaign.  www.michigan.org

Happy Tax Season

Finally some good news about income taxes!  Everyone knows that the tax filing deadline is usually April 15th.  This year, all of us tax payers are getting a break.  Tax deadline 2011 to file 2010 tax returns is delayed until April 18th 2011.  The slight reprieve is due to the April 15th Emancipation Day holiday in the District of Columbia.  By law, holidays in DC have the same impact as a federal holiday on the income tax filing date.  Tax day cannot fall on a Saturday, so we all have until Monday April 18th to file.

Of course the next question on almost every one's mind is "How do I pay lower taxes?"  The first thing to do is consult a tax advisor to see if there are any deductions you may have missed.  If your tax paper work is fine, it's time to consider something you may not be doing that could help reduce your tax bill.

You may be eligible to take advantage of the tax savings feature of a tax-deductible Individual Retirement Account.  You may be able to contribute between $4,000 and $12,000 depending on your age, income, marital status and if you participate in an employer's qualified plan.  Your contributions to tax deductible IRA reduces the income which is considered taxable.  With less income to tax, you could pay lower taxes.

The tax deductible contributions and earnings on the contributions are taxable when withdrawn.  Tax penalties are likely to apply if IRA funds are withdrawn before age 591/2 depending on the reason for the withdrawal.  So in most cases it's best to think of your IRA funds as locked away for the "golden year".  Setting up an IRA with automatic deposit is easy.  Automatic deposits to an IRA can be debited from a bank account or a pay check.  Unseen money is so much easier to save.  If you don't see it, you don't miss it.

If the possibility of reducing you tax bill sounds appealing, email me at mlolds30@Gmail.com.  Not all situations are suitable for an IRA so research the topic before proceeding.  I'm only licensed as a life, health and annuity producer in Michigan and cannot assist individuals, couples, families or businesses in other states.  I'd be happy to work with you on evaluating your insurance and financial picture to help you plan for tomorrow today.