We've moved!

Just a quick note to let you know that our blog has moved into our website, www.sookiasmedia,com.

Do drop by, take a look and let us know what you think! We look forward to hearing from you. 

Hannah

Hannah Sookias | Sookias Media | www.sookiasmedia.com | 01283 808460

What is a marketing 'road map' and why do you need one?

Do you blanche in fear at the thought of developing a marketing strategy? In my experience,you're not alone! Many people aren't sure what a marketing strategy is, why they need one or where to start when developing this important road map for their lead generation. 

• What is a marketing road map and why do you need one?
• The 5 points that make a great marketing road map

Discover these and more at http://www.sookiasmedia.com/blog/index.php/2016/06/20/marketing-road-maps-and-why-you-need-one/ to discover:

Cross-selling: the art of getting more sales from existing customers

It's often said that it's more cost-effective to keep new customers than attract new ones. 

Research indicates that not only does the cost of acquiring a new customer costs five to ten times more, but repeat customers spend, on average, 67% more.

So how do you both keep your customers and get them to buy more? This is the art of cross-selling!

Large brands use a wide range of methods that smaller companies can copy:

• Fast food chains ask, 'Would you like fries with that?'
• Shoe shops share the benefits of their protection spray and polish at the checkout. Similarly, hairdressers have the hair products they've used available to purchase.
• Deals and bundles encourage additional purchases for example: sandwich, crisps and a drink or water filter plus cartridges
• Fashion retailers track the clothes customers have browsed and purchased online and use this to personalise promotional emails for similar and 
• Online sellers such as Amazon give recommendations 'Other people who bought this also bought...'
• Product manufacturers use their packaging to highlight similar products. Neutradol (pictured) is a good example sharing other products designed for use in different situations. Face creams and shampoos often state, 'best results when used with...'

Before doing anything though, know what it is that your customers are already buying from you and identifying 'what else' they could get from you.

I recently worked with an engineering company looking to increase the services sold to their existing customers. The services currently used by customers were mapped and those as yet untapped were used to identify cross-sell opportunities. A plan was then developed which determined what to sell, to whom and the marketing activities that would attract them.

If customers say to you, "I didn't know you did that" then consider how you can improve your cross-selling to you can grow sales from the customer base you already have. 

For help understanding how your company can increase sales from their existing customers through cross-selling, then do contact us for a no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Grow your marketing results

We gave away these aluminium tubes at a business expo yesterday. Intriguing little things aren't they? Many people stopped and asked us what was in them. People who'd seen others with them came and asked if they could also have one. 

I'd love to say they contain magic marketing dust... but they are actually desktop gardens! 

As Sookias Media helps companies to grow their marketing results, we wanted to give delegates something they could have the satisfaction of growing. They contain the soil, seeds and instructions to grow summer flowers.

You see, we know that gaining more from your marketing has similar principles to growing a garden:

• Planning
• To get the display you want, garden plants need to be planned and planted so that they blossom throughout the year and give a continual display. Marketing needs to be planned so it gives you the results (leads,  enquiries and sales) throughout the year.

• Follow the instructions
• Planting seeds and plants in the wrong place means they won't grow. Your marketing plan is like the growing instructions for your plants, follow it an you'll have more success achieving greater return on investment. 

• Care and Nurture
• Like a veg patch and flower bed, your marketing needs maintenance to keep it both flourishing and producing even more year on year. From keeping your database clean and adding to it, to reviewing your results to see which areas are producing the results you needs and the ones that need changing. 

• Replanting
• Conditions can change in your garden and/or you want to refocus on what your grow. It's the same with your marketing as your industry changes, your product and service focus changes or your want to sell more into new markets. 

For all of these, it is of course possible to do it all yourself, learning through trial and error as well using advice from friends and colleagues, blogs, books and magazines. 

There are also times when asking a specialist can generate a greater return in a shorted time. When we redesigned our home garden, we used a local garden designer to help us realise our dream outside space. Marketing consultancy and mentoring from Sookias Media can help you plan, work on and nurture your marketing so you grow and enjoy the return on investment you make. 

Read our case studies to learn how companies have been growing their marketing results, If you would like to explore how marketing consultancy, mentoring and training or marketing services could help your company, please contact us for a no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Are you searching for clients in the wrong place?

When I first set up Sookias Media, one of my early clients was a carpet cleaning company. They wanted more domestic clients but only seemed to find office jobs through their current advertising. 

We started with an in-depth discussion about who would be their ideal domestic customer - families with kids and dogs.

I asked questions such as, " Why would they have their carpets cleaned; what do they enjoy doing together and individually; where do they go; what do they read/listen to, what's important to them?" 

By the way, profiling like this works whoever your ideal customer is - be they accountants, heavy engineering sales managers, retailers or consumers. The reason behind it is that even the best promotions will fall flat when they're in the wrong place. They need to be noticed by your ideal customers in their normal daily life. 

In this instance, we agreed that parents with younger children probably wound't see their current promotions, However, we thought they would go to indoor play centres and enjoy a cuppa whilst their offspring have fun (from experience, going with friends can be fun but if you are your own as an adult you have lots of time to notice your surroundings and read the noticeboards!). Having just secured a contract to clean such a business, we developed a campaign to promote the carpet cleaning firm's services in the play centre. 

It developed into a long term form of buddy marketing so both businesses promoted and gave a testimonial to the other. Parents, noticing the clean play centre would then relate to and make note of the banner promoting the company that kept the centre's carpets looking clean and hygienic. In return, receipts given by the cleaning firm to family clients promoted the play centre on the reverse.

Hannah Sookias helps businesses develop effective marketing with fresh perspectives and ideas. Through and consultancy, training and marketing mentoring we can help you profile your ideal customers and how best to catch their attention. Contact us to find out more and arrange a no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Turning around the screen to improve your marketing

My family has been playing a phone game called 'Flow'. You need to plot a path to match the coloured dots, without crossing the path of another.  An example is shown here.

Simple enough, yet sometimes it seems really difficult to see how the puzzle can be solved. 

A technique we've discovered is to rotate the screen around to see the conundrum from a different angle. Often this new perspective is all that's needed for them to work out the path they need. The solution for this one is below!

When meeting new clients, I regularly discover they've been struggling to find ways to engage with their customers and find new business.  Often, the marketing that has been delivering them enquiries and sales has stopped being so effective or they are unsure how to break into new markets. 

Through our mentoring sessions we 'turn round the screen'. By looking at their marketing data and asking the right questions we determine a new path and work together to develop and deliver new marketing campaigns. 

Sookias Media enables small and medium organisations to develop effective and successful marketing that generates the enquiries and leads they need to achieve their business objectives and generate a return on investment. Through consultancy, mentoring, training and services we’ll help you to understand your market place, identify ideal customers and implement marketing activities to engage them. 

For a no-obligation, impartial chat about how marketing mentoring can improve your sales pipeline, call Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

The Puzzle Solution...

Stuck on your marketing? You might have 'Blank Piece of Paper Syndrome'

You've a beautiful piece of blank paper: smooth, clean and ready to record your marketing ideas. It is a moment of opportunity to bring your important messages to potential clients and existing customers.

Should you use a sales letter, phone calls, social media, exhibitions or something else...?

It needs to have impact. 
It needs to generate a return on the time and money you put in to it.
What will work? 
What should you say? 
What will have the most impact? 
You want it to be interesting. 
You want people to notice it.


Suddenly that blank piece of paper stops being enticing and instead everything seems daunting so its pushed away for another day... This is what I call 'Blank Piece of Paper Syndrome'.

I often start working with clients when they've become stuck on their marketing. By talking through their aspirations and needs for the business, we work together to develop an effective - and practical - plan to follow. Sometimes it's a on-off consultancy session. More often we then follow progress through monthly mentoring and/or providing the marketing services needed.  Can we help you?

Develop effective and successful marketing that generates the enquiries and leads you need to achieve your business objectives and generate a return on investment. Through consultancy, mentoring, training and services, Sookias Media enables small and medium organisations to understand their market place, identify ideal customers and implement marketing activities to engage them. 

For a no-obligation, impartial chat about how marketing mentoring can help you overcome Blank Paper Syndrome, call Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Finding your ideal customers

I'm a firm believer in people buy from people. I enjoy meeting prospective clients but how I make the initial contact varies: it's often through social media, exhibitions, conferences and carefully selected networking events. 

It's easy to waste time, money and energy looking for your ideal customers in the wrong place. 

Let me give you an example. I enjoy networking but the groups I belonged to when I first set up 10+ years ago are no longer appropriate.  This is because I have a clear understanding of who is my ideal customer. This includes the types of company they work in, the positions they hold as well as where they go for help, what they read, how they like to engage as well plus an in-depth insight into their marketing needs.

So these days, I do a little networking, but go where I meet the decision makers from SMEs.  I use social media to engage with prospective clients, influencers and referrers.  

Top Tip: Review your marketing activities. Are they finding you your ideal clients? If not, take an in-depth view of who you want as customers and how best to reach them.

Need help? Contact me today to discuss how we can help you find your ideal customers through marketing mentoring, training and services. Tel:  +44 1283 808460 | Twitter: @HannahSookias | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahsookias

What makes good PR?

PR – start by becoming your company’s roving reporter When asked what makes good PR (public relations), I usually give a simple answer – good stories. The media love them, so my tip for this month is to put on a journalist’s hat and discover what’s happening in your organisation. Find an angle and hook ‘em in Think up, down and around a story to find a unique angle. I use an NLP technique called ‘chunking’ to help me do this. For example, a story about new packaging is unlikely to get coverage. A celebrity-designed box or a process using NASA technology will probably have more interest. Make them interesting It sounds obvious to ensure your stories are interesting, but it is so often overlooked. Ask your trusted friends and colleagues for their honest opinion. If you are still not sure, give me a ring on +44 (0)1283 808460 to see what I think! The best media stories have one or more of the following elements: Is the story are topical and timely Is the story relevant to the readers /viewers/listeners of your target media? Is the angle unusual, or better still, unique? Is there an element of controversy? Journalists like – need – tension to make an interesting news story Is there plenty of human interest with people who can tell their story like it is and with impact? Stories to look out for Look out for awards, charity events, celebrity visits and anniversaries. Find triumph over adversity stories; good versus evil; major milestones or issues linked to something in the news. Stories about the first, last, biggest, smallest, most, least and best of all, unique always go down well.  Mix business with pleasure Feel free to mix business with pleasure. If someone in your organisation is trying to raise £1,000 for a charity, consider making it your corporate charity of the year and raise £10k. Hold events to support them, and help to issue photos to the press afterwards with a write up: ‘Mrs Smith, a worker at XYZ company has been astonished at the generosity of her co-workers to help raise this fantastic amount’. Happy reporting! Sookias Media helps businesses increase awareness, leads and sales. Through consulting, training and marketing we help them understand and use a range of marketing techniques including press releases, public relations (PR), digital PR, social media as well as more traditional marketing tools such as newsletters, eshots and direct mail.  For a no-obligation, impartial chat about how marketing and PR can improve your sales pipeline, call Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com.

Buddy (Coalition) Marketing

If you'd like a cost-effective way of targeting new people, talk to your customers and suppliers about buddy marketing (also known as coalition marketing). 

Buddy marketing is when complementary firms work together to promote their businesses. The aim is to reach a new group of potential customers who already have a relationship with the other organisation(s). 

One example I tweeted about is a recruitment firm advertising for drivers on the takeaway paper bags used at a local transport cafe. 

Others I know locally include:

• Car valet, tyre replacement and MOT companies advertising in each other's premises
• A printer including carefully selected fliers of other companies with their orders. This showcases other products in the printer's portfolio whilst promoting companies they feel their customer would benefit from knowing
• A pensions advice company running seminars with HR and law firms. 

The greatest benefit of buddy marketing is that you reach new potential customers through a partner company who already has a relationship with them. It's a third party recommendation and inferred testimonial all in one!

There are many ways you can structure your buddy marketing. These include:

• Links to each other on your websites
• Displaying adverts for each other in your premises
• Retweeting / Sharing / Reposting / Liking social media updates 
• Co-sponsoring or running events together
• Including their leaflets in your mailings
• Running a competition with prizes from each firm
• Offering your buddy's clients discounts and special offers

Sookias Media helps businesses gain the most from their marketing. Through consultancy, training and marketing mentoring we can help you identify potential buddy marketing and coalition marketing partners . Contact us to find out more and arrange a no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

The right pictures speak a thousand words

Do you like having your picture taken? I must admit that it is not my favourite thing.

However, having organised new PR shots for a client recently has reminded me the power of having and using the right pictures.

The right pictures can capture your message. They can describe your product or service in a simple snapshot and even convey the professional-but-approachable image that is increasingly important.

Forgive me for getting on my high horse for a minute, but news stories are more likely to be used when they have accompanying, professionally-taken photos that are of sufficient quality to be used in the media… snap shots taken by the office junior on their digital camera phone just won’t work!

Sookias Media helps businesses gain the most from their marketing through consultancy, training and marketing mentoring. We'll help you give the right image to your customers; on websites, press releases, brochures, eshots and other campaigns.

For a no-obligation, impartial chat about the picture your company is presenting to its customers, call Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Joined Up Marketing

This recent tweet of mine got lots of attention:

#MarketingTip: 'Join up' your social media with your other marketing for greater effect (we can help if you're not sure how)

Certainly, from my own experience social media is often seen as an addition to rather than an integral part of people's campaigns.

However, linking in your social media with your other marketing can have a massive effect.

One example is when you are going to events. You obviously want to meet potential buyers and have meetings with them. 

Using social media can help you find out:

• who's going
• who's exhibiting
• speaker topics

You can use this information to help you find potential buyers who are going, get to know them a little online and establish a rapport. You are then able to prearrange a meeting before the event to maximise the return on your time and investment.

Sookias Media helps businesses gain the most from their marketing through consultancy, training and marketing mentoring. We'll help you market your products and services effectively and  integrate social media into those campaigns.  

Start "joining up" your marketing by arranging an informal, no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

What's In It For Me?

I'm often heard saying, "Stop promoting features. Start sharing benefits!"

This is because people want to know what's in it for them before they buy. It's the answer to 'Why should I bother?' question.

Whilst simply stating all the features of your products or services tells people what you do, is like asking someone to buy a machine based on the list of parts it is made from.

However, sharing how you can help make life easier or solve a problem currently faced or fulfil a need give people the opportunity to identify with 'yes I have that issue so let's consider this solution to it'.

Sookias Media helps businesses gain the most from their marketing through consultancy, training and marketing mentoring. We'll help you market your products and services effectively by helping you to identify the benefits they give clients and answer the 'why should I consider this' question. 

To arrange an informal, no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

What Makes Your Company Stand Out?

Being different is good as it helps your firm, product or service stand out in a crowded market place. 

Potential buyers need to know why they should buy from you and not your competitor who's down the road or on another website. 

Take the time to really identify why your current customers come to you (ask them if you are not sure). This will help you to understand your 'Unique Selling Points' or USPs as they are known in marketing speak. 

Be proud of what makes you different and promote it!

Sookias Media helps businesses gain the most from their marketing through consultancy, training and marketing mentoring. We'll help you identify what makes you different from your competitors and how you can use this to your advantage when marketing your company, products and services. 

To arrange an informal, no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Why the key to marketing is... passion!

I'm often asked what the secret is to successful marketing. 

Of course, many factors influence the effect of campaigns but in my experience, people and companies with passion for what they do are the ones who see most return from their investment of both time and money into their marketing.

• Passion means marketing feels less of a chore -i.e. it's worth it to see the company / product / service succeed. 

• Enthusiasm is infectious. It will shine whenever you are talking to customers, through your adverts, marketing communications and follow-up. 

• Passion develops into evangelism - the more people you can get enthusiastic about your company, products and services, the bigger the team championing them to new potential clients. 

Ignite the passion into your marketing:

• Remember why you joined/set up your company. See how you can translate these reasons into  your marketing.

• Ask your best customers why they are like your products and services. Ask them to be your champions through customer reference calls, video testimonials and quotes. 

• Keep up the momentum so your marketing continues even when you're having a less passionate day!

Sookias Media helps businesses gain the most from their marketing through consultancy, training and marketing mentoring. We help you remember what's great about your company, products and services and give you ideas, tips and advice on how to promote them effectively and injected with passion and enthusiasm! We help you plan effective campaigns and keep the momentum going. 
Start to reignite passion back into your marketing by arranging an informal, no-obligation chat with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

How to stop photo tagging in Twitter

Twitter's new feature of photo tagging has been much celebrated. But what if you don't want to be tagged in other people's photos?

It's actually very simple to disallow this by a quick change to your settings:

1. Login to Twitter
2. Go to Settings > Security and Privacy
3. Tick the "Do not allow anyone to tag me in photos" option
4. Save Changes.

Undecided? Here's a quick recap of what the Twitter tagging feature allows you to do:
Tag up to 10 people in a photo.

Tagging doesn't affect your character count (ie you can tag and still have the full 140 characters for your tweet.
If you're tagged in someone else's photo you'll receive a notification.

Sookias Media helps businesses gain the most from their marketing through consultancy, training and marketing mentoring. We keep abreast of the developments on social media sites such as Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn so you don't have to.  For more information, contact Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Marketing briefs

"Carefully written marketing briefs will help you gain maximum ROI from design, website builds, PR, and more."

This was one of the most popular marketing tips I posted on Twitter this month; probably because it mentions the term Return on Investment (ROI).

Many companies invest a great deal of money with firms supplying new websites, advertising, public relations, social media and other marketing tools without really thinking through what they expect from that investment and documenting it in term of a brief.

Briefs come in all shapes and sizes and of course in this case I am not referring to the underwear variety!

A well-written brief helps you define what you want and gives your supplier/agency a clear indication of your expectations. It helps both sides know what's expected and ensure each penny is used wisely.

Typical things to include are:

Company overview - set the scene on who you are and what you are trying to achieve from this project.

Who are you targeting - define your target audience. In non-marketing speak, this means the people you are trying to talk to. Be as specific as possible!

What you need - for example a new website, press release, advert, social media campaign etc. Are there certain features, benefits or functionality that must be included?

Why you need it - what are you hoping to acheive e.g raise awareness, collect data, generate on-line sales, etc.

When you need it by -outline the key milestones and deadlines for the project's completion.

How success will be monitored - what will you be measuring? How will you all know if it has been successful?

Budget - however large or small, this is essential to understand what you can achieve from the amount invested. Agencies and suppliers want to help you achieve a realistic return on your investment, but to do that they need to know how much that will be.

Details and facts - include as much detail as possible. When quoting, it's easier for suppliers to ignore what they don't need rather than fill in the blanks! Use facts wherever possible and avoid assumptions.

Plain English - try to avoid using abbreviations, acronyms and technical terms (although if these are necessary, provide a glossary).

Including these elements will help you to ensure that no penny is wasted. Outlining your requirements means that suppliers can let you know what you can reasonably expect from your budget and you will be able to monitor that you do gain a return from your investment.

Hannah Sookias is a marketing consultant and trainer who works with many different companies helping them implement effective marketing campaigns and generate a return on their marketing budgets. For more information, contact Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com. 

Lessons from India

On a recent trip to India, I realised that both street vendors and multinationals over there can give us some valuable marketing lessons. 

With fierce competition, everyone selling something had to work hard to get themselves seen and noticed. 

We went to three very different places - Kolkata, Goa and Mumbai yet in each they followed these five important principles:


1. Pro-actively promote what you do
2. Become familiar names
3. Explain the benefits of what you offer over the competition
4. Display your wares
5. Don't give up, even after a lost sale

So how did they do this?

Pro-actively promote what you do
Sellers in India don't wait for customers to come to them. They call out to potential customers, make their offers known and try to attract their attention. They mostly do it in person - but we can use networking, phone calls, email, social media, advertising, direct mail and more!

Become familiar names
In India, families have their favourite stalls and shops. Regular customers are known, greeted warmly and given preferential prices. Those who can afford advertising make sure that their brand is displayed as prominently as possible in places where their potential customers will see them. We need to find ways to build our brands so our potential customers get to know who we are, what we do and trust that we will deliver. We need to look after our customers so they come back to us time and again because not only do they get what they need but feel valued. 

Explain the benefits of what you offer over the competition
From fresher, bigger fruit to the craftsmanship of gifts and clothing, wherever we went, vendors were always eager to share with you what they were selling and how their offering was better than the competition. We need to stop selling and start sharing the benefits of what we do, and share what makes us different by answering the 'why should I buy from you?' question. 

Display your wares
Even in the poorest market stalls care was taken to display their wares as attractively as possible. In shops stock was displayed so you could quickly and easily see your options and the wide variety of things on offer. We too need to make it easy for our customers to know about everything we do and the options available to them. Avoid them saying, "I didn't know you did that!"

Don't give up, even after a lost sale
I admired the perseverance in India. Even if a vendor sees you buying from elsewhere and know you won't be visiting them today, they'll still take the opportunity to remind you of what you've missed out on with a reminder to 'visit us next time'. We should view lost sales as a future opportunity. Keep in touch with them so when they are ready to buy again they know you are an alternative option. 

Hannah Sookias is a marketing consultant, trainer and speaker who works with many different companies helping them implement effective marketing campaigns and generate a return on their promotional budgets. If you'd like more information on these lessons from India or would like some advice on your company's marketing, get in touch with Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460.

Overcoming the most common marketing mistake

In my experience, the most common marketing mistake made by all sizes of organisations is trying to aim your marketing at everyone.


This is because there's a ungrounded fear that by targeting just one group of people or companies means you'll miss out on business from others. 


However, by selecting carefully who you target, you become the top choice for 10% of your potential market rather than being one of 10 options for everyone. 


This is because you start understanding in more depth the needs and problems of that smaller segment and in turn develop your marketing to talk to them. This includes tuning your messages to demonstrate how you can help them as well as using the methods and frequency of communication they prefer.


The result is that you attract their attention, increase your brand's appeal and develop healthy margins based on the increase in perceived value. 


Hannah Sookias is a marketing consultant, trainer and speaker who works with many different companies helping them implement effective marketing campaigns and generate a return on their promotional budgets. If you'd like more information on how who to target with your marketing and how, please contact Hannah on +44 (0)1283 808460 or email hello@sookiasmedia.com.