Kat 600x450Post written by Kat McDaniel, Chief Innovator at MEDiAHEAD | Marketing Portal Guru | Variable Data Promoter | Analytics Advocate | Explorer

Quick! Name a soft drink.

Chances are you thought of Coke or Pepsi. These beverage giants have spent millions in advertising. Why?

Because they have a goal of being top of mind among consumers from age five to ninety-five. And they’ve been very successful at doing it.

Top-of-mind-awareness (or TOMA) is a traditional measure of marketing effectiveness. It strongly correlates to brand preference, which correlates to increased market share.

Here are five ways to achieve “top of mind” awareness in your product marketplace:

1. Find your unique selling proposition.
Consider what makes your company special. Is it market niche? Exceptional service? Highly targeted products and services? Clearly articulate this to your prospects. Make this value proposition simple and easy to remember.

2. Be proactive.
While a one-time advertising blitz can get your message out quickly to a large number of prospects, TOMA requires a drip marketing approach — a consistent delivery of messaging over time. Keep it coming.

top of mind3. Use consistent branding.
Everything from your customer literature to your e-newsletters should have consistent messaging and similar look and feel. One brand, one message.

4. Use multiple touches and multiple channels.
Stay in front of your audience using multiple channels over time. Awareness is based on repetition.

5. Be useful.
Frequency doesn’t have to mean being annoying. You want your customers to perceive you as a provider of useful information rather than an intrusive pest. Communicate frequently, but give your audience genuine value each time.

Never before have consumers had so many choices. TOMA should be a top goal of your marketing efforts.

It will help customers notice you in a noisy marketplace, all while increasing customer retention and response rates.

MEDiAHEAD: Hire a Content Expert for your BrandLet’s face it. In the world of marketing, quality matters. There is nothing that will tarnish or hurt your brand worse than being sloppy and careless with your content marketing strategy and execution. Have you ever visited assembly lines or production plants? All of these shops and products ultimately head to one place: final testing and quality control. Shouldn’t your content marketing endure a similar process?

Content marketing checks and balances are often shrugged off. Yet, other industries have a system to ensure that the quality of their product will be the absolute best in a competitive market. There isn’t a single car manufacturer that installs brake panels and sends them off to the dealership hoping they work. Your content should be treated with the same quality assurance and attention before it reaches your readers.

In a rapid-fire Internet age where a story breaks and media companies are constantly cranking out new content to gain likes and clicks, there’s still a considerable amount of content being generated, and with a plethora of embarrassing typos and grammatical mistakes. Though we are mainly referring to those simple articles about celebrity break-ups, we’ve also noted an uptick of print and digital ad mistakes that have been approved by several pairs of eyes, and are still slapped on the side of I35 with a typo regardless. Not only does this cost the company precious dollars in damage control and having to re-do these campaigns, it also costs the company their reputation, which is the ultimate price to pay and often difficult to rebuild once it’s dismembered.

PLEASE, PLEASE Don’t Rely on Spell Check

MEDiAHEAD: Chick-fil-a Billboard

Spell check will fix everything, right? Not exactly – particularly in those instances where the word itself is spelled right but it’s not used correctly. Consumers have seen this time and time again with the misuse of “their” and “they’re” or “your” and “you’re” in ad copy. (Our biggest pet peeve!) Though these types of mistakes are frustrating, more severe cases of misuse show a clear disregard for attention to detail. In turn, your consumers may begin to wonder if your negligence is reflected in the quality of your products. Does your merchandise also miss the mark? Read and re-read before you hit “print” or “send,” particularly if it’s a nationwide campaign or is going to be worn by somebody, especially a public figure.

Copy and Paste – how about, not

MEDiAHEAD: Make America Grate Again

While copy-pasting may seem like a no-brainer time-saver, it actually causes more errors and leaves more work for you to fix. This is especially true when you’re creating content calendars or working within spreadsheets (or pasting a caption on Instagram). Although it’s tempting to copy-paste work or utilize a template from a previous project, you’re actually increasing the chances of even one slide accidentally making it into the final presentation. Can you imagine presenting a project about architecture only to accidentally find a slide from your previous pitch deck about a cosmetic company? It will look both confusing and sloppy, and certainly won’t gain new business or make your current clients feel confident in your work. Begin fresh with new ideas on blank pages. If you must re-use a pitch deck for formatting, be sure to go through and thoroughly delete any pre-existing copy before you begin writing.

Revisit Your Copy Later

Once you’ve finished a piece of writing, tuck it away for at least ten minutes or more before posting it or sending it on. Of course, it isn’t always feasible to pause projects in the fast-paced industry of digital media and advertising, but if you’re ahead of schedule on your writing, it’s always best to come back and view it once more with a fresh set of eyes before sending it off. Short on time? Step away from the computer, take a beat and go back and fix mistakes that may not have notice beforehand. This is important when one is setting out to write about the country they plan on running. This is also important for everyday use, such as when you’re writing an email to a client or even a friend.

Enlist a Colleague to help out

You may be the most brilliant mind at your company, but you’re still human. You’re going to make mistakes, which is why it’s wonderful to be surrounded by colleagues and friends who’d be happy to take a look at your work. Think about it this way: you’d never send a save-the-date without having someone glance at it first, right? Maybe you send it to your mom or your fiancé or your sister, but somebody else sees that invite before it is sent to your entire address book, correct? Why would your work be any different? This is particularly true when you’re working in an agency. Though marketing managers and account directors are often busy, their goal is the same as your goal: to create the best product for your client. Therefore, if you don’t have a copy editor on staff, it’s necessary to ask them to look over your work and ensure that there are no accidental double words or spelling errors that will take away from the overall message.

Writing is only part of content marketing. Editing and ensuring that your copy is flawless will uphold credibility with your readers. If you’re a writer, don’t rely on your copy editor to salvage any mistakes that you may make. Treat each piece of writing with meticulous care and attention to detail and edit it as though you’re the final set of eyes. If you’re a copy editor, know that you’re integral to the process and have an important task. If you’re a brand considering whether or not you need a copy professional, the answer is always “yes.” In the same way that car manufacturers rarely have a defect, just one minor flaw could potentially wreak havoc on your brand and consumer’s trust. Be sure to have the proper checks and balances in place for your business and your business’s content.

Need help getting your message out? MEDiAHEAD has recently partnered with Woodsmall Marketing Group to offer everything you need to fully communicate and measure the impact of your message over print, online, and other new media outlets. Contact MEDiAHEAD today for more information about creating a memorable, cost-efficient marketing campaign!

As a marketing and print services company, we have long known that color plays a major role in the success of any marketing campaign. Specific colors tend to evoke certain emotions in customers, thus creating brand relevance and motivating purchases. The following lists 10 colors that increase sales, along with the specific emotions they bring forth.

1. Orange

Orange is high energy. It has powerful attention-getting properties, it’s fun and cool, and it makes customers feel as though they’re dealing with a cutting-edge company. Cheerful orange evokes exuberance, fun and vitality. With the drama of red plus the cheer of yellow, orange is viewed as gregarious and often childlike. Research indicates its lighter shades appeal to an upscale market. Peach tones work well with health care, restaurants and beauty salons.

2. Blue

When you want your brand to be viewed as trustworthy and cool, blue is the color for you. Mix blue with complimentary colors for best results. Cool blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure. Strongly associated with the sky and sea, blue is serene and universally well-liked. Blue is an especially popular color with financial institutions, as its message of stability inspires trust.

MEDiAHEAD: Blue MEDiAHEAD: Blue Print CollateralPrint Collateral

3. Red

Red is the color of power. It means business. It gets people’s attention and it holds it, which is why it’s the most popular color for marketing. Red activates your pituitary gland, increasing your heart rate and causing you to breathe more rapidly. This visceral response makes red aggressive, energetic, provocative and attention-grabbing. Count on red to evoke a passionate response, albeit not always a favorable one. For example, red can represent danger or indebtedness.

MEDiAHEAD: Red

4. Green

Green is a versatile color. It is warm and inviting, lending customers a pleasant and open feeling. In general, green connotes health, freshness, environment and serenity. However, green’s meaning varies with its many shades. Deeper greens are associated with wealth or prestige, while light greens are calming.

MEDiAHEAD-Green

5. Yellow

Yellow is a powerful color, but it is also the most dangerous hue. Use yellow to command your audience’s attention, and let them know you’re confident in your abilities. In every society, yellow is associated with the sun. Thus, it communicates optimism, positivism, light and warmth. Certain shades seem to motivate and stimulate creative thought and energy. The eye sees bright yellows before any other color, making them great for point-of-purchase displays.

MEDiAHEAD: Yellow

6. Purple

Purple is the color of royalty, which makes it perfect for lending a touch of elegance and prestige to your marketing materials. Purple is a color favored by creative types. With its blend of passionate red and tranquil blue, it evokes mystery, sophistication, spirituality and royalty. Lavender evokes nostalgia and sentimentality.

MEDiAHEAD-Purple

7. Gold

Gold is likewise elegant and prestigious, but adds an element of power purple can’t match. In combination with purple or green, gold is a powerful color that symbolizes wealth and pedigree.

MEDiAHEAD: Gold

8. Black

Black is another highly versatile color. It can be modern or traditional, exciting or relaxing. Used as a contrasting color, black most often adds drama to whatever mood you want to cast. Black is serious, bold, powerful and classic. It creates drama and connotes sophistication. Black works well for expensive products, but can also make a product look heavy.

MEDiAHEAD: Black

9. Brown

Brown, an earthy tone, is known as a comfort color, lending relaxation to customers. This earthy color conveys simplicity, durability and stability. It can also elicit a negative response from consumers who relate to it as dirty. Certain shades of brown, like terracotta, can convey an upscale look. From a functional perspective, brown tends to hide dirt, making it a logical choice for some trucking and industrial companies. Think UPS.

MEDiAHEAD: Brown

10. Pink

Vying for the attention of a young female demographic? You can’t go wrong with pink. It’s fun, frilly and totally female. Pink’s message varies by intensity. Hot pinks convey energy, youthfulness, fun and excitement and are recommended for less expensive or trendy products for women or girls. Dusty pinks appear sentimental. Lighter pinks are more romantic.

MEDiAHEAD: Pink