I recently received an unsolicited fax marketing a learning seminar. It was not well-designed and it was poorly written. I have never heard of the company presenting the seminar and the
copy was not intriguing.

At the bottom of the fax were testimonials from people who have allegedly attended the event previously. Each quote stated ” Kevin is a genius…” “Kevin is inspiring.” There were at four quotes referencing a Kevin. Guess what? No where on the flyer did it state who Kevin is or his credentials.

There is no point referencing someone in marketing materials without explaining who the person is. This “Kevin” could be anybody and may have a legitimate background that could peak my interest. But because the flyer fails to share Kevin’s background or even his last name, the reader cannot connect the wonderful tesitimonials to a specific person.

When you are preparing marketing materials you have to make some assumptions:

#1 Assume the reader knows nothing about your company
#2 Assume the reader is not familiar with your services
#3 Assume the reader has never heard of anyone working with your company, including the company leadership
#4 IMPORTANT: Assume the reader doesn’t know why they need to do business with your company

The four above assumptions are critical to consider for your marketing materials and advertising. Just because you think your company is the best and you feel everyone should want to do business with you, doesn’t mean it is actually so. Remember you are marketing to gain greater exposure. Maximize your marketing by providing thorough and succinct information. Most importantly, make sure your content leads the consumer to wanting to learn more and not scratching their head in confusion.

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Branding4newbies (http://branding4newbies.com) is a full service consulting firm providing marketing, communications, branding and web strategy services to small and emerging businesses. Branding4newbies.com is an award-winning marketing and advice blog for entrepreneurs. Our team of professionals provide quality services at competitive prices to help support the advancement of small businesses. Our services include, but are not limited to: web strategy & development, graphic design, public relations, marketing, collateral material development, advertising, content development, search engine optimization, reputation management and business strategy.

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