Hey - I'm back from the SEMA show in Vegas where I went to support Riggio Innovations. We had a very successful trip. Here's how we did it. After deciding this was the perfect venue for showcasing the line wrench, we reserved a booth and chose appropriate supplemental marketing purchases. We paid for a banner that hung from the aisle sign for our row. It hung 20 feet up from the floor by wires. We also chose a kiosk ad that was attached to the "You are here" show directory. These purchases drove a ton of people to our booth saying "we just HAD to see this wrench!" We placed a display in the new products showcase and I held a press conference at the convention's media center for roughly 25 journalists and automotive magazine reporters. Probably the most important element was obtaining a list of attendees at the show and contacting them prior to the show with a link to our website with the video from my last post. The result was a staggering 1000+ attendees who want to buy the wrench who gave us their contact info via a lead capturing device we rented for the show. These are critical. More importantly, over 20 leading tool manufacturers CAME TO US to express their interest in manufacturing out line wrench!! We signed 11 non-disclosure agreements and are ready to begin negotiations.
This tremendous success validates the cost of participating in an event like this. It wasn't cheap, about ten grand for flights, accomodations, exhibitor space, supplemental marketing opportunities brochures, flyers displays and booth banners. However in the long run, this will prove to be a very small investment compared to the return. The lesson here is that when considering a marketing vehicle, it's OK to spend a bit as long as you are marketing to the proper market segment. Here's a shot of me and Rich Riggio at SEMA. Take care - next we'll talk about the follow ups and blogs.

Trade Shows

For the Last few weeks, I have been helping a client - Riggio Innovations - prepare for the SEMA Show in Vegas. Riggio has created a new ratcheting, retractable line wrench and we are bringing it to market. The experience has been great and we are seeing success prior to the show. We have identified attendees who it makes sense for us to meet with and have set up appointments. We have jumped onto every tool forum we can and have spread the word. That generated a nice response, which validates the strength of targeted marketing online and non-traditional marketing. We set up a demonstrative website - http://www.riggioinnovations.com - where interested parties can check out a video of the wrench in action.

The lesson here is that trade shows, expos and sampling opportunities work, if the attendees are who you want to meet. simple. Next, make sure you have supporting displays, decor, handouts and literature. Keep design elements simple, clean, eye-catching and consistent. Don't have blue signs and yellow logos and green literature. Consistency develops he brand.

Also - I am mentioning them in my blog! The video is above as well as on you-tube and the link is at the signature of my client's email.

I'll write when I get back from the SEMA show and let you know how it goes.

SEO Bogdown

OK - It's been a while. I have a few projects going on and my Customers come first! So I had a customer ask me to build them a website. I had heard about a neat little trick to boost search engine performance. It's hiding text in same colored footers. Problem is...... Google is and has been on to this practice and it actually penalizes you. So, we need to re-think our page one content. We need to make sure what we do is in print and within the first 60 or so characters for optimum performance. It is very important to couple the visually effective with effective content. So now I am going to officially leap head first into the world of SEO. I am going to enlist the help of professionals and share my knowledge with you. What I do know that you can do today is encourage anyone who you know to link to your site from theirs and this will help. Send out a blast and have people open your site. Also - search for your site on google & yahoo & msn, etc and click on it once you find it. do this from an off-site computer such as at a library, etc. As I come up with more info, I will share. Thanks and have a super day - Pete

Spread the Word!

You've got your blog. I've got my blog. I think everyone in the world should read what I have to say. I want to know what you have to say. So here's the question..."What's the best way to get your message out there?" Let's talk pay-per -click. This is where you bid for a position or rank on search pages. People are funny, though. Human-kind's need to be the best has folks fighting it out over who is going to be in the first position. I have clients who pay $15 per click! Their justification is their cost per closed lead. So, if they're cool with it, who am I to argue with them. But here's the thing, human kind has another need - the need to shop around. Most consumers will check out almost every result on the first page of their search. So while #1 & #2 competitors are dukin' it out for the top position around $14-$15, I'm getting the third position for $3! If people are looking at the top 4-5 listings anyway (because of the basic human nature thing that we are comparative shoppers that I just talked about) then they will see my information, too....at a fifth of the cost! Pay per click is cool, too, because you can narrow who sees your listing and can click on it. You can narrow those parameters by zip code or region and you can also set a limit as to how much you spend per month. Now the trick is to find the best keywords to represent what you do. You can subscribe to services that will give you that information, but the poor man's way is to judge by the price of the clicks! A 5ç pay per click price is 5ç because nobody is clicking on "bananas" when they are searching for tool sheds. My advice is to sit down and think about the words best representing your product, service or message and invest in them for your pay per click campaign. Next time we'll embark on an adventure together. An experiment in search engine optimization! Follow me as I spread the word of Blog. Together we can find out what works and more importantly - what doesn't. You can play along and apply what I learn to your spreading your word! Thanks and talk to you soon.

Positioning Your Business

How are you considered when lined up with others in your field? Do people consider you "The expert" or the best at what you do? How do you perceive yourself? All these types of factors make up your position in the market. So how do you improve your position? Here's a few ways:
1. Get to know yourself and your business. You need to first figure out what you want to be and how you want to be considered by your customers and peers. Set your goals, define your brand and develop your mission and then you can set out to establish your position. You can't expect others to regard you highly if you do not have a clear and consistent business strategy.
2. Study your surroundings. An assessment of your target marketplace will give you an idea of what clients want. For example, I see more and more are advertising on the internet and so I have made a strong effort to educate myself on the best way to do this.
3. Share your knowledge. Giving out unsolicited advice on a regular basis can help you be considered an expert in your field. This blog, electronic newsletters, presenting seminars and writing articles are some ways that I help share my knowledge.
4. Be considerate. It is a strong move to let people know you are thinking of them when you read an article or blog that could help them. Make it a habit to forward online articles or mail clippings to individuals who you believe would benefit from the content.
5. Join Associations such as online groups on LinkedIn, networking groups, social networking groups, business associations and Chambers of Commerce. Consumers looking for your products and services look for businesses with these types of associations.
6. Be reliable. Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it and you will reap the benefits of referrals from clients - the strongest positioning tool out there.

Applying these concepts and strategies to your business will help you establish a leading position in your filed. Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I hope you find it useful and welcome your feedback.

Buying Media

OK - So you want to advertise on the Radio, but you don't know where to start. First you need to establish your budget. Next you need to determine exactly who you want to reach. The highest rated stations often have the most varied demographic and the most expensive cost per spot. Radio stations subscribing to Arbitron have access to relatively accurate demographics. I say relatively accurate because a very small percentage of the population is filling out the surveys. For example, maybe five-thousand respondents represent all of Philadelphia and guys won't admit that they ever tune into an "easy-listening" station. Still - it is the best way to determine an audience until they begin to employ electronic monitoring (People Meters). In some cases, the least rated station (and lowest priced!) may over-deliver who you want compared to the market. This is the market index. Example: The average station may have 5 people per hundred who are considering purchasing a new car. If a station has 6 people out of a hundred in this category, they index at 120%. Additionally, a lower rated station tends to have a lot of available inventory and may sweeten your deal by offering you free overnight spots, ten second spots and website links, etc. Another slick trick is to produce your own spot and call a rep on Friday at 3PM when they are scrambling to make the week's numbers. You may be able to strike a deal for much below rate card for that weekend! So research your buy and reap the benefits. Take care - Pete

Introducing The Solstice Blog!

Welcome to the maiden voyage of the Solstice Blog. My name is Pete Ricci and I am an expert in new media and non-traditional advertising. I am located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania and I help small businesses, individuals, organizatiions and charities get their message to the masses through online video podcasts.
In the works are a new website for Solstice Media and a new samples page for video.solsticemedia.biz and tons of new content for this blog.
Solstice Media gets its name from the Summer and Winter Solstices, the days when the Sun is at it's highest point above the Earth. Our goal is to spread our clients' messages as far as we can, so we developed our slogan - "Marketing at its Highest Point".
I look forward to sharing my thoughts, experiences and advice with you and I welcome your comments. Have a super day! -Pete