Lorraine Ball

How will the brochure be used?

Is it sent as a follow-up to phone inquiries, left behind after a sales call or delivered with a formal proposal?

Are you trying to get more repeat business from customers who already know you? Or is your goal to attract the attention of a new client? Define your objective up front, and then write your copy with that in mind.

Grab Attention with Customer Focused Headlines
One of the most common mistakes companies make is leading with their name.
If you haven’t caught the reader’s attention by speaking to their needs, problems or desires, they won’t care about your name.

Grabbing a customer’s attention often begins by making the reader feel the copy was written specifically for them.  Do this by leading with provocative question or declaration; an appeal to the emotions, needs and wants of your customer; or a benefit-laden statement.

For example:
“Is your new business keeping you up at night?”
“Are you tired of boring workshops?”
Another twist on this approach is to define the audience – “For all small business owners who….” In each case, the reader identifies with the headline and is more likely to continue.

Urgent News
If you have something new, promote it in your headlines. Words such as “Introducing” or “Announcing” or “New” are strong in headline copy.

You can also use your headline to create a sense of urgency. Date oriented terms such as “Beginning” or “On” and price oriented terms such as “Only” or “Reduced By” encourages readers to pay attention.

Long, Relevant Headlines
A headline does not necessarily have to be short. As a matter of fact, a long, well written, interesting headline is perfectly acceptable – if it grabs attention and speaks to the reader.

A terrific example of a long, effective headline was written by advertising expert David Ogilvy. He considers the following to be one of his best headlines:

“At 60 Miles Per Hour The Loudest Noise In The New Rolls Royce Comes From The Electric Clock” It’s long, yet, it holds the attention of the reader because of the dramatic twist. In one line, Ogilvy managed to connect the company name to a clear buyer benefit – Rolls Royce – Quiet Ride!

Leave the Best for Last
Many people will read only your headlines, so it is tempting to lead with your company name. However, if you haven’t captured the reader’s attention, you haven’t earned the right to present your name. Use creative headlines to encourage the reader to find out who you are.

Write Copy for Your Client
I often ask clients – Who is your brochure written for? This is not a trick question.  The answer should roll off your lips instantly: the client! That seems simple, but many companies make a serious error by focusing on their company instead of the needs of potential customers.
Here’s a quick way to check your brochure for the correct focus: Circle every “you” with a red pen and circle every “we” or “I” or mention of your company’s name with a blue pen. There should be a lot more red than blue on your brochure. If not, it is time to revise, revise, revise.

Free Feedback
Interested in a second opinion? Send me a copy of your brochure, and I will give you a few tips on how it can be change or improved.
Send your brochure via fax to 317-569-1389 or via email to info@roundpeg.biz

Lorraine Ball is focused on Small Business. As founder of Roundpeg–Indy’s leading small business marketing firm–Lorraine helps small firms become big firms!

Neither segment was large enough to stand alone, so I spent my time split between both. When someone asked me what I did, I was never quite sure how to respond and often said too much. Networking associates overloaded with T.M.I. (Too Much Information) rarely had a good referral for me. How could they? If I didn’t know what I did or who I wanted to meet, it was unrealistic to expect others to be able to help me. A drastic change was required!

Narrow Your Focus and Create a Plan

And so I made a decision to narrow my focus, targeting small business owners exclusively. This was the segment which had been most productive and I believed if I created an action plan to support the change I would see improved results. I began by evaluating every element of my marketing plan, eliminating elements which no longer fit the overall direction of the business.

My Goal was to become well known and respected in a smaller circle. I wanted to be the go-to person for small business marketing in Indianapolis.

*  I gave up chasing “corporate gigs” and I concentrated on small businesses.

1. I pulled 650 prospects from my database which did not fit my core target. I turned the contacts over to a competitor. (There was no changing direction after that!)
2. I discontinued my corporate eNews and gave up memberships in organizations which were not relevant for my core small business customer.

*   Next I redirected my time and resources to attract the attention of small business owners.

1. Networking venues and groups were selected because they would allow me to spend more time with small business owners.
2. To be seen as a thought leader, I knew I needed to be more then just a member. Since I was being more selective in the events I was attending it was easier to commit to taking on a leadership roles in organizations which served this market.
3. I became a preferred resource for the SBDC and the SBA, offering free or low cost workshops on topics which were relevant to small business owners.
4. I reviewed the articles I had written, and began submitting them to on-line and off line publications with a readership which was comprised primarily of small business owners. I focused on local business publications first.
5. And finally, I revised all our marketing material to support this new focus. We added information and phrases which are relevant to my core customer.

The Result

In two years I have moved from being self-employed to running a business with a team of four employees and two interns. Roundpeg is known for our small business expertise. Many of our current clients and referral sources have no idea we ever worked with larger firms, and they never need to know. Tightening our focus has allowed us to concentrate and grow!

Lorraine Ball is focused on Small Business. As founder of Roundpeg, Indy’s leading small business marketing firm, Lorraine helps small firms become big firms!

Lorraine Ball

As a confirmed networking junkie, I am always looking for my next fix. My new fix is LinkedIn. An on-line social network, Linkedin is often described as Facebook for professionals.  With an emphasis on career history, educational background and association membership, Linkedin has millions of members, with thousands more joining each day.

Start with your contacts.
Once you register (basic membership is free) you can invite people to Link In (connect to you through the online tool). You can search the LinkedIn data base for people you know or upload your email address book. You will only be able to view contact information for people with whom you are directly connected. The interface is easy to use and will pull contacts directly from your address book in Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo or MSN accounts. And if you are Outlook users, the downloadable toolbar makes it easy to continuously update your contacts.

Your Contacts Have Contacts!
This is where the real power of LinkedIn comes in. While you may have only 100 people in your contact circle, each of those people know other people. For example, after a year of building my contact list, I have more than 750 contacts (each of whom know on average 100 people) so my second tier circle contains more than 80,000 people.

These same connections exist in the off-line world. Your friends know people you want to meet, and sooner or later they may get around to introducing you. With LinkedIn you can accelerate the process by requesting invitations. You can search by skills, type of company, jobs held, geographic regions, and common interests.

If you find someone who fits your search criteria, LinkedIn will tell you how you are connected, who you know in common, and you can request an invitation. When my assistant moved to St. Louis , we searched my data base and discovered I had connections to marketing directors in some of the largest companies in the city. We were able to make introductions and accelerate her job search.

Beyond Your Address Book
LinkedIn is often overlooked in the world of social media, but as the tool has grown it is much more than just another place to “add your friends.” For job hunters and sales people with specific targets, it’s actually one of the world’s best networking tools.

Whether you are looking for a job, an employee, an introduction to a key executive or simply someone with the answer to burning questions, LinkedIn can help you find people who will meet your need.
LinkedIn will never replace the face-to-face interaction, but it can give your traditional networking an extra buzz.