Media Campaign

[sparklyscotty]

Hi guys. I have decided to invest in some medai marketing. One of my target audiences is the bridal market, which fortunately is a nice small niche to market to. I have an ad in one of next months' largest bridal magazines, and hope to have regional press releases out too for my target areas. My question is this...
Should I 'use up' my whole budget in one go by advertising in all of the magazines and website that I intend to at once, or should I spread them out? This is a MAJOR investment for me, and I can only afford to hit these zines once (without some return).
I am also wondering if I can say 'as seen in X magazine' on my website if I run an ad there???
My theme for the campaign is basically that I am a prestigious big-time jeweller that focusses on the small towns. 'Coming soon to a town near you' kind of stuff. (I hate sounding so pretentious, but hey, it's marketing.) People react really well to it and I am hoping that it is a hook for the local press.
Any advice on this campaign will be greatfully recieved.
-Angel-

[Andriy]

If you targeting small towns nationwide I think you need to invest some money in your website. It looks ok, but doesn’t associate with prestige.
I think closer, detailed shot at the images will do a lot of good and try to use contrast background for them.

And extensions displayed on the links at the bottom of the page doesn’t really necessary.

Can't advice on adverts in magazines, all of mine was useless.

[SillyJokes]

I know you have spent a lot of time on your site but I agree with the comments above.

In order to get most conversions from the exposure you get you simply have to get that site up to speed, following some of the comments made on other threads.

I'm just not getting 'quality jewellery' from your site - I don't mean to be harsh but quality jewellery to me means hand made/hammered out with a forge and jewels set in gold, silver and platinum and not assembling beads on wire which requires less skill. If you are serious about being seen as a quality jeweller you might consider dropping the coloured glass beads as they stick in my mind as an example of cheap jewellery.

I think your tiaras are really pretty and deserve a listing in your main menu.

[sparklyscotty]

Thanks for the feedback on my site guys. I will be handing it over to a pro by the end of summer, this is a 'home-made' one to tide me over till then. For my current clients, it serves the purpose of an online catalogue for reference after they have seen my work in person either at my studio or an event.
As far as the quality of my jewellery goes, I always welcome feedback. Everyone has different tastes. I'm not sure whether you don't like the designer Japanese glass, the white-gold lined Venetian glass, or the Swarovski crystal. It did make me realise that I probably don't stress the quality of my work enough on my website. I put a lot of effort into sourcing the highest possible quality of materials from around the world. Everything is sterling silver, and the pearls and semi precious stones are all A grade, which is very rare for my niche of the market. I have also been put forward for several awards, so I might want to put that on the website. I am just very bad at copy, and hate blowing my own trumpet. :(
My collection seems to sell very well, so I'm not too worried about that - my main focus at the moment is co-ordinating this media campaign.
Thanks again for the posts.
-Angel-

[maddyminx]

Hi Angel,

In my opinion I wouldnt spend your whole budget .... i'd spread it out, purely to see which form of advertising works best with the products you have.

Once you've established that, you can spend less on advertising, using the mediatype that works for you.

Maddy
x

[WordDoc]

Hi Angel

I would definitely spread out your promotional costs and activities. Perhaps start with a press release blast and an advertorial, and then move on to direct mail.

FYI, adverts are very costly -- especially for their return -- and are therefore mostly only used by the 'big' names for continued brand awareness, as opposed to generating it. Other promotional and marketing methods are much more cost-effective for most if not all small businesses/entrepreneurs.

Hope this helps,

Tracey

[Graham mcMahon]

Get promoted on www.wedding.find-4u.com which feeds www.the-find-engine.com and others, The Find Engine.comb has a google rating of PR3 so this will help you a well


Reguards

[sparklyscotty]

Thanks guys. After submitting an ad to one of the large bridal mags I have been asked by two large publishers to feature in articles, so that saved me putting any more money in to ads.
My press releases are due to hit at the end of May, which will cover areas not seen by the bridal mag and big newspaper.
Oh, and my new website should be launched within the next two months, I've been told. Yay!
-Angel-

[Greg]

If you need advice on press releases, try the following link
http://www.pressdispensary.co.uk/services/advice.html

[top-click]

Hi Angel,

Pay-Per-Click marketing may well be a good fit for you - you can advertise regionally with a small budget. A bit of advice that has done me well is to test creatives/copy within adwords campaigns - it is a quick way to see what works and what doesn't!

Cheers
Rob

[sparklyscotty]

Thanks Rob. I have actually tried pay per click advertising, and the click-through numbers were great; conversion rates werevery poor though, so I won't try it again until my new website is up and running in a month or so. I am hoping a new and improved format will increase sales and newsletter subscription rates.
I would also like to get involved in Pay Per Sale affiliate marketing, as this seems to benefit everyone.
-Angel-

[top-click]

I thnk that makes good sense - if you you would like any insights or help when trying again please let me know

Good luck
R