CONSISTENCY IS CRUCIAL

by Patricia Blom

Creative Director

Rothko has embarked on, probably, one of the most difficult exercises to date. Marketing ourselves. We do it for others all the time but when it comes to ourselves we find it is quite the challenge.

We know what we are about, in fact, here follows a summary compiled by our team a short while ago:

"We take enormous pride in truly adding and creating tangible and measurable value for our clients through stunning, flipping cool, imaginative designs, writing and strong PR services. We have mojo, buzz and energy (vibrancy, is short) and we love being with our colleagues in a creative, supportive, stimulating space; a place in which we as individuals count, learn and grow."

Fair enough, and flipping cool. Quote, unquote. How do we tell the world this? How do we bring the world to us?! I recently attended a marketing talk presented by Robyn Young, founder of Brandheart. As you know, one attends these talks and you walk away, only really remembering 10-20% of the content. I am a visual being, so one should assume that I would walk away with 5? No, incorrect I say. Marketing is common sense. When embarking on a marketing exercise these are the easy and practical points to remember that Robyn shared.

You need to walk the walk and talk the talk. Marketing is all encompassing. How you present yourself and follow through is important. That way your potential client will believe that you will add value. It is your mission to take your client's problem away from them and come up with a solution for them. You should connect the dots for them and stress the value of your services.

A big mistake that people make is undercharging for services. It undermines your credibility. Remember, price is not the issue. Value is. Don't come across as looking amateurish. Most businesses don't have a marketing plan. Their marketing efforts are often scattered bits and not consistent consisting mostly of random acts of marketing without a constant stream and follow through. A developed marketing plan is the foundation of your business. Design your products and services. ID your target audience and increase your visibility. Expand your customer base. Your marketing efforts need to be measured.

Please don't forget to collaborate with 'competition'. Synergy is key and trying to work on your own is a big mistake. By collaborating, you may very well be helping each other (and invoicing for the assistance in the end, i.e. a win-win situation).

Flexibility is also key. Gone are those days of working on a long-term marketing plan in our rapidly changing world. Work on a year plan, but review your plans on a monthly basis. Evolve and move with the latest trends! Do not cut your marketing budget when the economy is soft. Keep going, don't stop! Ever. Remember, consistency is crucial.

And lastly, don't over-rely on social media. Remember that you need the capacity to maintain a presence. You need to know how. Inclination is important as well as repetition of decent quality content. Does your target audience know that you are there and what do they want from you. What do you want from them?

Discover what makes you unique and keep working on it CONSTANTLY.

So thank you Robyn. Rothko has it's very own authentic, confident and convincing voice. Now you will help us walk the talk.

Also see www.brandheart.co.za