How To Create a Great Elevator Speech

Elevator speeches are a necessity in the 21st century business world, especially when you are in marketing, sales, public relations, etc. If you are trying to gain awareness for your business, then you need to have an elevator speech planned.

The term "elevator speech" is a synopsis of your business that you can deliver very quickly; the term comes from being able to do so in the time it takes to ride in an elevator. Nowadays, it can still happen in elevators but you can also deliver you speech to someone at an expo, trade-show, in the hallway, or at a coffee shop.

Here are a few things to remember when creating that awesome pitch:

1. Try to not make it sound too sales-y but it's okay to have it sound just a tidbit sales-y. You can use adjectives like: original, leading, certified, pioneering, etc. You just have to make sure your pitch still clearly sends the message you want it to and give a good description of your company. 
2. The pitch has to be short. Clearly state the name of your company and what your company does. Give some details, enough to encourage the person to inquire further. Just make sure it is no more than a minute long but shoot for 30 seconds. 
3. Use language everyone can understand. Your elevator speech means nothing if you are using jargon from your industry that is gibberish to people outside the industry. If the person has to use a dictionary to understand what you're saying, you might as well not even deliver the speech. 
4. Consider starting it off with a question. This will get the person involved in the speech and so they feel that connection. You can try something like, "Do you feel pleased with your company's marketing efforts?" Pause for answer, assuming they said no, "Well my company is a pioneering internet marketing agency…"
5. Be comfortable. Nothing is more awkward than hearing an elevator speech that is rigid, fumbled, and robotic. Be loose, know your speech, and act like you've done it before. And know your speech well, that will help. 

If you need help with this or are looking for other marketing tips, then contact Integraphix. 

Marketing in 2014- Our Favorite Possible Trends

Marketing trends change every year; various trends emerge and they may or may not change the face of marketing. Perhaps the biggest marketing change in recent years that is still reigning champion is social media marketing. Since its emergence, companies have been doing it and even created jobs just for that sector of marketing. With all the areas of marketing, such as, search engine optimization, web design, graphic design, social media marketing, online marketing, and more traditional marketing such as branding all desire to be fresh and innovative.

 However, there are more predictions for what people believe will be marketing changes and progressions for the coming year. We have picked our three favorite possible trends.

1. Content marketing. This is utilizing content that your company has written to bolster your name and build your marketing platforms. Common ways to do this are blogging, articles on your own site, articles on other sites, newsletters and videos. This form of marketing is already around but for the coming year, it is predicted that it will explode in popularity. A lot of companies attempt this form of marketing but they either do not do it correctly or they do not do it enough. A company blog does very little to generate popularity if it is only being written once a month. 
2. Images. It is said that images will become gold in marketing in the next year. This totally makes sense because in a field where visuals are what make things happen; either in the sale of the marketing plan or the plan for packaging, etc etc. it is all about what we can see. If someone is looking at something online or in print and there is no photo to quench their curiosity for what the plan will look like, then they aren't going to be sold. We, as people, like seeing pictures. It just helps us see things and aids the thought process. 
3. Going back to simple. A big change in marketing for 2014 will be the movement towards simplicity. You can see the trend already forming for companies like Apple; it just appeals to a lot of people to see something simple because then we're not overwhelmed by the marketing. If we see a complicated ad, we tend to dismiss it; thus, companies will be moving towards simplicity and letting creativity reign instead of shoving information in the faces of consumers. Web design is seeing this as well. 

Integraphix is a leading Chicago Marketing, Advertising and Creative Agency creating strong brand identity and marketing strategies with our unique mix of advertising, graphic design, web design, and internet marketing expertise. We give free consultations. 

Creating Effective Marketing Brochures

As a Chicago marketing company, we provide clients with a variety of print marketing materials.  Anything print that a client is interested in doing, we can do.  Whether it’s a catalog, business cards, flyers, mailers, or brochures, we design it all.  For Marketing Monday this week we wanted to talk about creating effective marketing brochures.  If you’re looking to create a brochure, here are a few things to keep in mind to make your marketing brochure effective:

Before Your Brochure is Created

Before your brochure is created you must know what your reader wants and is really looking for.  You must write your brochure from your reader’s point of view.  This means that the way information is laid out must be in the right order.  Before your brochure is in the creation stage, figure out what your reader is looking for from your brochure.  Your brochure should answer a reader’s questions in the order that they will be asking questions and should have a logical sequence.  You may want to consider writing those questions down first, answering them and figuring out which questions should be answered first in your brochure. 

Make Your Reader Want to Read the Contents Inside

Inevitably the first page of the brochure that your reader will see is the cover.  We all know the old saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but when it comes to print marketing materials (especially a brochure) readers will absolutely judge your brochure by its cover.  If you get the cover wrong, no one will bother looking inside.  Your marketing brochure must entice readers to want to look inside and see what you and your company have to offer.  Think of your company’s benefits or some thought-provoking statements to help motivate your readers to open up your brochure.

Product or Service’s Description is Key

The way you describe your company’s products and services is essential to your brochure going over well in the eyes of your readers.  Your marketing brochure needs to do a great job communicating what a reader or potential customer can expect when they use your products or choose your services.  Before creating your brochure, you may want to draw up a list of all of your products or services and write out what the benefits are of each.  List out all of the reasons a potential customer may want to use your products or services to help you address the essential reasons why someone would want to use your products or services.  The descriptions are essential to helping you sell your company's products and services. 

Make Your Reader Want to Keep it

When it comes to a print marketing piece, one of your goals should be to make your readers want to keep your piece.  The longer someone holds on to your print marketing piece the more likely they are to purchase your products or services and the more likely it is for other potential customers to see your brochure.  To make a reader want to keep your brochure consider adding some helpful tips or facts that may encourage readers to keep it or even pass it on to other people.  Say you’re selling skin care products, you may want to give readers some helpful tips on combating wrinkles, oily/dry skin, or blemishes.  Providing tips gives readers the incentive to keep your brochure so that they can refer back to the information later on. 

Address Your Reader’s Needs

Don’t think about yourself too much, think about your readers when it comes to creating a marketing brochure.  Instead of telling your readers all about your company or yourself, your brochure needs to show readers that you are interested in them.  Your brochure needs to tell readers that you understand their issue or problem and that your company’s products or services can help them solve those problems.   

Personalize it

Get personal with your marketing brochure.  The words or content of your brochure need to address or speak to a singular person so that the reader instantly feels connected to your company and your brochure.  Writing in a direct way and making your reader feel like you are speaking to them and them only will increase better responses, guaranteed. 

Play with Shapes

Your marketing brochure can look like and be whatever you want it to be.  If you’re selling purses, you can play with your brochure's shape and shape it like a purse.  Use your imagination when coming up with your brochure’s design to help you get better results from your brochure. 

Call to Action

Your brochure needs to ask readers for action.  If you want your readers to respond to you, make sure to include a number or some type of vehicle to receive responses from them.  If you really want to boost your brochure’s selling power, include some type of offer or response mechanism on every page of your brochure.  It will help increase your odds of being contacted by your readers.

If you’ve had trouble in the past, or are currently having trouble, creating an effective marketing brochure, contact us.  With 25 years of experience in marketing, our team has what it takes to make effective print marketing pieces.  Looking for more tips on creating an effective marketing brochure? Feel free to comment below or contact us. 

2013 Marketing Trends

We are vastly approaching the new year and with a new year comes new marketing trends.  As a Chicago Marketing Company we have seen many trends come and go.  We have also noticed some trends emerging over the past few years and feel it is safe to say there will be a lot of continuing and emerging marketing trends for 2013.  For Marketing Monday this week we wanted to sit down and discuss the trends that we believe will be popular for 2013:  

1- Devotion to website strategies: Your website should no longer be a static, online brochure with information that hasn’t been updated in a decade.  If you haven't updated your website in the past decade, make 2013 the year of website changes.  We aren't just saying this because we are a Chicago Web Design company either!  Website strategies will be all the rage in 2013.  Complete website overhauls will take on great important in 2013 as the demand for dynamic content combined with user friendly CMS systems is only making it easier to edit and control websites.  Today’s target audiences are looking for consistent, fresh information. 

2- Content remains king: I know, we’re always talking about content, but in 2013 content will continue to remain king.  Organic SEO strategies, blogs and social media profiles require a constant flow of information that is audience specific and truly engaging, so focus a majority of your efforts on creating great content in 2013.   

3- Create powerful integrated marketing campaigns:  The merging of marketing, PR, creative design, and sales will be essential in 2013.  Together, the integrated marketing approach will give companies the opportunity to reach their total target audience in a multitude of ways. 

4- Social media will only continue to grow: Through 2013 social media will only continue to grow and evolve.  We suspect that companies that were not engaging in social media prior to 2013 will start to see its advantages, especially with so many different social media sites available for use out there.  Social media is definitely a vital part of the overall mix and worth utilizing since it provides such a simple way to get yourself and your brand directly in front of your target audience. 

5- A boom in mobile solutions: Mobile solutions and campaigns centered around the use of mobile technology will be hugely popular in 2013.  Savvy marketers will continue to find ways to reach this large base of consumers. Responsive web design will be considered a must versus being labeled a luxury as more and more consumers turn to their phones to gather information and surf the web.

What marketing trends do you anticipate being popular for 2013?  Feel free to leave us a comment below or contact us.  

"Marketing Monday"-- Marketing Strategies to Utilize

In honor of “Marketing Monday” (what we’re dubbing it) we want to discuss effective marketing strategies that will help transform your business from marketing apprentice to marketing maven.  No matter what type of business you run the importance of marketing is universal.  Are you in need of a new marketing strategy to implement into you current or future marketing plans?  Consider the following marketing strategies:

1- Keep your network growing: You should always be in the process of building up your network.  That is a plate your should never stop spinning.  Ask some of your business contacts or close friends to introduce you to people that they think you should get to know to help you expand your business.  Forming relationships with new contacts will greatly help you expand your horizons and get some potential customers.

2- Enter a business award competition:  Entering a business award competition is a great way to establish your business’s credibility and strengthen your reputation.  If your business ends up winning an award that could really boost your reputation within your industry and with the audience you are hoping to attract.  Competitions could get costly, but winning an award could prove completely worth it.  If you are concerned about the quality of your entry you could hire someone to prepare your entry for you.  Winning an award gives you plenty of press opportunities and really, it's worth the effort for the potential buzz.  

3- Look into local chambers:  Become the expert in your field and share what you know with others.  Teach seminars throughout your local Chamber of Commerce.  Your business will receive promotion and marketing solely because of the event itself.  Being affiliated with the Chamber will also give you and your business some added credibility.  

4- Guest blogging:  Outside of writing your own company’s blog, consider becoming a guest blogger for other blogs that are closely related to your area of expertise.  Offer to write a guest post in exchange for a link and/or byline.  This will help to establish your credibility and will help get you and your business's name out there.  

5- Create follow up cards: A follow up card is a great way to reach out to potential clients.  An old-fashioned hand-written card or even an e-card is a great way to say thank you and to pursue doing business with someone.  It’s a personal effort that helps you and your business stick out and be remembered by clients. 

Trust us, we’ve got plenty more marketing tips to give out.  Check back with us next Monday for some more “Marketing Monday” talk.  Questions or comments on this blog?  Leave them below or feel free to contact us.  

Unique QR Codes

You’ve probably seen them all over the place, those little black and white patterned boxes all over advertisements, also known as QR codes. Over the last few years QR codes have become big in the world of marketing meets technology. Now most people can easily identify QR codes and know how to use them. As a marketing company that’s always on the cutting edge of technology, we believe QR codes are a great way to promote your company and market new ideas creatively. Not a big fan of the black and white look?  Don’t be turned off by their looks, because there are many different ways to personalize your QR codes.

Personalizing QR codes can make viewers more interested and intrigued to start scanning.  Adding color to your codes can make your company stand out amongst the crowd, especially with so many companies using the standard black and white code generator.  You can use the ability to create personalized QR codes to your advantage when designing an advertising piece.  Magazine ads, business cards, catalogs or brochures all make for great places to stick the special color code.  Utilize your company’s color palette and design concepts for your QR code. If you are creating a QR code for your website, you can easily create a complementing code generated with the colors of your company or logo. This new ability is great for graphic designers and marketers to utilize creative, interactive designs.

While your business cards usually only contain a small amount of basic information, a QR code can take a viewer to a page filled with endless amounts of information.  QR codes are a great way to call attention to a promotion your company is doing, a sale your company is having, an event your company is throwing and more.  If you place a QR code on a business card, you can add more than double the amount of information without making your design look cluttered.  You can stick to keeping the bare basics on your card, but have all the extra information be contained in the link attached to the QR code.  

With the new colorful QR generator not only can you create multi-colored codes, but you can also combine them with images.  The opportunities are now endless and there are many different creative ways to present your QR codes. Below are some of our favorites:  

Have any questions about QR codes?  Just drop us a comment or contact us.