1. Develop
a marketing plan and use
it as a roadmap.
Having
to write something down has
tremendous upside. A written
plan sets guidelines, lays
out a target and delivers a
framework for thinking. You
cannot be all things to all
people and a plan will force
you to be strategic.
2.
Design
your marketing collateral
for action, not decoration.
Good
graphic design can be a difference-maker.
Your materials do not need
to look the same, but they
must feel the same. High quality,
and professional.
3.
The image attracts you,
but the headline keeps you.
Like
good design, the headline
should provoke both thought
and action. The best headlines
offer the reader a benefit.
4. Be
Brief. Be Bright. Be Done.
Saying
too many things usually
communicates
nothing; far better to
say
too little than too much.
5.
People
will trust their eyes before
they trust your words.
You
must be congruent
in all of your messaging.
You cannot for example,
give a presentation about
the quality of your programs
while handing out a leave-behind
sloppily
done in clip art.
6.
Business
is about emotion. Cool products
(or programs). Inspired
people. People who care.
Emotional
attachment is 2X more important
than facts. You can’t
bore people into liking
you. Connect with your
reader by story-telling.
7.
Familiarity breeds business.
Don’t
assume people know anything
about you. You have to get
out there in person, with press
coverage, with advertising
and more.
8.
Customers
do not simply form impressions;
they get anchored in them.
Does
UCF have any
anchors you can think of?
9.
The mind best remembers
things that are unique,
sensory, creative, and
outstanding.
Be
unique, be individual, don't
just do things because everyone
else does.
10.
In a crowded marketplace,
fitting in is failing.
In
a busy marketplace, not
standing
out is the same as being
invisible.