Marketing for Designers

Marketing for Designers.

Ann DeOtte Kaufman

marketing professional, designer, bike rider, entrepreneur, interpretive dancer, sun seeker, and founder of Iva Jean, a bike fashion and lifestyle brand

How do you ensure that the right people know about your work without losing the focus on your real passion?

Agenda

Overview of marketing

Quick audience survey

Building a plan

- Know your value- Choose your audience- Storytelling- Bringing it to life

Q&A

Marketing

1. a: the act or process of selling or purchasing in a market b: the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service2. : an aggregate of functions involved in moving goods from producer to consumer

5 Ps

Product (or Service): You want a product that stands out, above the fold, has a unique selling proposition.

Price: The price must be competitive, reasonable, and fit the budget and income ranges of the market to which it is intended.

Place: Where you will sell this product, be it in a store, at various public venues, or online.

Promotion: Advertising and promotional action plans are necessary for any product or services’s success.

People: The focus of marketing has shifted from being product centric to relationship centric.

Product vs service marketing

Product Marketing - Tangible items - selling something you can touch. Furniture, bikes, lighting.

Service Marketing - Intangible - selling a result or an outcome. Architect, graphic designer, interior designer.

Marketing tools and venues

Print materialsPresentations / SpeakingSponsorshipsEvents / open housesConferencesAwardsPress releases / articlesNewsletters

WebsiteBlogSocial mediaAdvertisingDirect Mail (print or e)Pop-ups / installationsWord of mouth / ambassadorsLoyalty programs

Building a marketing plan

Vision and goalsWho is your ideal customer (niche market)What is your value or selling propositionMarketing materials / web plan / social media / advertisingHow to reach new customersExisting customer relationshipsSales vs marketing expenses

What about you?

Building a plan

Know your value

Have a clearly defined value proposition, one that every single one of your employees understands and ultimately, one that your customers truly appreciate.

Until you can firmly offer a solid reason for why we should buy from or hire you over everyone else, you’ll compete on price.

Analysis

PEST Analysis: PoliticalEconomicalSocialTechnological

SWOT Analysis: StrengthsWeaknessesOpportunitiesThreats

Seven ways to think about defining and refining your core value proposition.

1. We know you2. A better way 3. One of a kind4. Access5. Savings6. Convenience7. Design

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com

Warby Parker

Eyewear maker Warby Parker was conceived as an alternative to what the founders felt was the overpriced and bland eyewear available today. The company designs their line of glasses, works directly with the manufactures and sells it’s line of prescription and sunglasses directly to the end consumer. In an effort to take on an entrenched $16B industry, they created a fixed price of $95 for all styles, ship out up to 5 pairs for no cost test drives prior to purchase and donate a pair of glasses to those in need for every pair sold.

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com

Crushing combination

Savings, access, convenience, design and a better way all rolled into one value proposition.

Knowing your audience

Having a well-defined target market is more important than ever. Small businesses can effectively compete with large companies by targeting a niche market.

No one can afford to target everyone.

For example, an interior design company could choose to market to homeowners between the ages of 35-65 with incomes of $150,000+ in the Seattle, Washington. To define the market even further, the company could choose to target only those interested in kitchen and bath remodeling and modern styles.

This market could be broken down into two niches: creative professionals and young families.

How to define your target market

Look at your current customer baseCheck out your competitionAnalyze your product/serviceChoose specific demographics to targetConsider the psychographics of your targetEvaluate your decision

http://www.inc.com

Choose specific demographics to target

AgeLocationGenderIncome levelEducation levelMarital or family statusOccupationEthnic background

http://www.inc.com

Consider the psychographics of your target

PersonalityAttitudesValuesInterests/hobbiesLifestylesBehavior

http://www.inc.com

Evaluate your decision

Are there enough people that fit my criteria?Will my target really benefit from my product/service? Will they see a need for it?Do I understand what drives my target to make decisions?Can they afford my product/service?Can I reach them with my message? Are they easily accessible?

http://www.inc.com

Storytelling

In an environment where you don’t stand a chance to win anybody’s attention without some magic, a good story might save you and your brand from oblivion.

http://www.forbes.com

A good story beats a good lecture.

http://www.forbes.com

A story must stand on its own.

Reveal something personal and unknown about the person or brand.

Tap into a specific emotion – whether it be fear, desire, anger, or happiness.

Take people on a journey where there is a transformation between the beginning, middle, and the end.

http://www.forbes.com

Branded content

Blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment.

Video, games, music, television, blog posts, online resources.

Bringing it to life

A marketing strategy or a plan is of no use if they are never implemented or tracked.

Set goals and metrics

New retail shops carrying your productsNew customers or clientsPercentage of repeat businessReferralsPR mentions

Choose wisely

You don’t have to be in every major channel, just know why you are, where you are.

Consider your message and your audience before you determine your plan.

Ladies & Gentlemen

Message: product designers with a mix of resourcefulness and nostalgia, the studio builds objects considering yesterday’s values reinterpreted for current times.

Audience: young, creative professionals and families living in mid-size to large cities.

What they chose

Blog and social mediaHigh quality photographyPartnerships with lifestyle blogsDesign organizationsPop ups and installations

Wholesale to design shops in major citiesRetail available online

Tools of the trade

CalendarSpreadsheetsDatabases

Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Deltek, Constant Contact, Salesforce, Access

Social media and online toolsHootsuite, Tweetdeck, Wordpress, Expression

Engine, MailChimp, SurveyMonkey)

Measure your success

Google analyticsSocial media analyticsCheck in with people after events,

track new contacts, leads, etcCRMSpending vs revenue

Everybody is a marketer.

Resourceshttp://inc.com

http://forbes.com

http://ducttapemarketing.com

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog

http://tomfishburne.com

http://www.core77.com/reactor/05.06_lerner.asp

http://somedesignblog.com/category/marketing-for-designers/

http://blog.howdesign.com/design-resources/pricing-and-marketing-for-designers/

http://www.gomediazine.com/design-articles/design-industry-insight/6-essential-marketing-tips-for-designers/

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/marketing-ideas-design-firms-1465.html

http://alltopstartups.com/2011/09/16/10-goals-of-an-effective-marketing-strategy/

Ann DeOtte KaufmanMarketing for designers and creative professionals

[email protected]