Here’s a best-practices marketing process to consider for your business. It’s not a campaign, will require an investment of $10.00 or less, and will serve you well for years to come. What is it?
A Marketing Binder
For the price of a three-ring binder, a package of plastic sheet covers, some tabs, and the investment of a few hours, the Marketing Binder is part emergency kit and part sanity saver for your business.
(NOTE: Yes, this can also be uploaded to the online storage of your choice, but I also encourage you to have an easy-to-reach-for tangible version.)
I say this with love, but Yikes! – my last few clients who shared their marketing history, had no samples to show me. Either tangible or digital. Telling me they had done some of this, some of that, maybe had a leftover sample of some collateral material but then didn’t remember to whom it was sent, nor the results. Nothing was logged, tracked, or analyzed.
In a couple of instances, we lost weeks tracking down and resetting log ins and passwords for his Google hosting, website, social media accounts. Talk about stressful.
Pro tip: Always be sure that YOU purchase your domain name and hosting, set up your social media accounts, save all log ins and passwords in a secure document as well as written down somewhere safe.
Think of a Marketing Binder as an indispensable operations manual that keeps your business on track. This is especially helpful for clients who hire seasonal workers, interns, part-timers, or consultants like me, as you’ll likely be changing passwords frequently to secure your information.
What to Keep in Your Marketing Binder?
Logins:
- Website Account – including how to get in to your hosting, the admin area of your website, and keep track of your URL renewals, renewal dates, etc.
- Social Media Accounts – have a list of each one’s log in name and password
- Google Suite (includes Google analytics and AdWords)
- All Digital Accounts – this can be sites such as email service provider, PR distribution services, etc. If you use online printing companies, gather those here too.
Visual Assets:
- The HEX and PMS colors of your logo
- The font names used in your logo
- The font names on your website and other materials
- Image files – If, like me, you have accounts with Unsplash, etc. you likely have downloaded images. Keep a list of the companies along with log in and password info and download these images to your Google drive for safe keeping.
- Photos – Loved the way your last trade show/expo/event display looked? Take a photo so it can be easily reproduced. If you had a speaking engagement – take a photo so you know what you wore. Headshot(s), etc. too.
Pro tip: Having both an all-white and all-black version of your logo created will greatly expand your branding efforts.
Media List:
- No matter where your business is located, there will be lots of local dailies (both print and digital); and likely a local cable tv and radio station too. Gather a list of these so you can easily contact them to get press coverage.
- If you work nationally or internationally, add publications and/or professional associations to your media list to reach those contacts as well.
- Depending on your industry, it may also be valuable to include local politicians and economic development leaders in your area.
Supplier Contact List:
- Can’t remember where you got your last collateral materials printed? Create a supplier list and be sure to include the salesperson’s name (if applicable) so you establish a relationship with relied-upon suppliers.
- Other critical contacts will include web developer, graphic designer, printer, photographer/videographer, etc.
Here’s what I’ve kept: hard copies of magazines and newspapers where my articles have been published; articles have been written about me; iterations of my business cards over time; postcards; and other tangible marketing pieces I’ve done over the years.
Where possible, I also track and log details of campaigns I’ve run over the years. I tend to like postcards, so I have copies of each of those and the audience and results. It’s all right there and also a way to know what (if any) edits or improvements to make over time.
Pro tip: All of this marketing information should be prioritized right up there with knowing your bank account numbers and tracking your expenses.
Campaign Samples:
These will vary widely, however, in a general sense, you should keep a copy of everything you’ve done to acquire new business, or keep existing ones. This may include tangible hard copy assets as well as digital, such as:
- Samples of any ads you’ve run – Include the date, media, and results of each here too.
- Press releases – Hard copy that have been sent out to the wires and/or local news organizations.
- Signage or banners
- PowerPoint or other presentations
- Pitch decks
- Promo giveaway items such as pens
- Iterations of your business card over time
- Screen captures of ads you’ve run
- Also, social media ads can easily be captured by using the snipping tool and creating a desktop file where you can save them.
Pro tip: Download the GoFullPage app to your Google tool bar to easily capture versions of your website pages before/after making changes.
Conclusion
Creating a Marketing Binder is well worth the time and effort as is keeping it updated and within arm’s reach on a shelf.
I have witnessed every marketing disaster you can imagine, so believe me: this effort will be a tangible reminder of the importance marketing plays in your business and will be a useful tool for years to come.