Coming Soon!

This fall, once it opens, marketing will never be the same again.

Fletcher Freelance will be celebrating six years in business next month. Stay tuned for a very special announcement!

Those who read Fletcher's newsletter will be the first to hear the news. Please subscribe by entering your email address in the signup box on the right sidebar.

Curious what else I've been up to? Visit TerraLFletcher.com.

That’s All She Wrote

Thank you for visiting fletcherfreelance.blogspot.com. I’ve been writing here since September of 2009. This blog has had tens of thousands of views. Readers have enjoyed my ad reviews, opinions, and occasional rants. I’m not going to stop writing, but I’m phasing out this blog in order to focus on my new website, TerraLFletcher.com. You’ll find blog posts there as well as on Directory Journal, and around the worldwide web. As always, I can be reached via phone, social media, or email. Please continue to enjoy my past blogs here and I hope to see you around!

Thanks,

Terra L. Fletcher

Fletcher Freelance

@TerraLFletcher on Twitter

Fletcher Freelance on Facebook

Phone:  715-584-6773

Email:  terra(at)fletcherfreelance(dot)com

Fletcher Freelance names Jaemy Drengler as Marketing Assistant Intern

Terra L. Fletcher and Jaemy Drengler

Fletcher Freelance announced today that Jaemy Drengler has been named Marketing Assistant Intern. Drengler will be taking on responsibilities ranging from general administrative to apprenticeship in marketing and design. Jaemy studied Creative Writing, Psychology, Marketing and Graphics at Clintonville High School where she recently graduated, with honors.

“I’m very excited to have Jaemy on my team. She’s enthusiastic, great with people, and a natural on social media,” said Fletcher Freelance owner, Terra L. Fletcher.  

Before Drengler started with Fletcher Freelance she worked as a nanny, housekeeper, swim instructor, and lifeguard. She’s very involved in the community doing voluntary community education work. Drengler says, “I look forward to using my people skills and computer knowledge, but also learning more about the psychology behind marketing.” Drengler loves music, ice cream, and watersports.

Marketing consultant and business writer Terra L. Fletcher works with businesses to create and implement targeted marketing campaigns, improve advertising ROI, and increase sales. She offers extensive expertise in Search Engine Optimized (SEO) website content, social media marketing, and business writing. On January 24, 2013 she was named “Entrepreneur of the Year”by the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce. Fletcher welcomes one-time, short-term and long-term writing, editing, and marketing projects. Visit FletcherFreelance.com to learn more.

For more information contact Terra L. Fletcher at 715-584-6773 or terra@fletcherfreelance.com.

Retailers: Sell the Tactile Experience

Though final numbers aren’t in, it’s estimated that online sales rose to 16% of the expected holiday revenue for the 2012 season. What can retailers do to continue to entice buyers to their brick-and-mortar stores? Sell the tactile experience, the one thing you can’t get in the cyberworld.

Of course there’s something to be said for feeling home goods and trying on clothes, but more retailers are adding culinary experiences to their list of offerings. Tommy Bahama’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue offers tropical print shirts as well as a restaurant in a cruise or resort style setting. 13 of its stores offer similar dining experiences. 97 stores do not. The 13 combination stores generate two and a half times the sales per square foot than the apparel only locations! The food is neither a loss leader nor marketing gimmick. Tommy Bahama’s dollars per square foot measurements rival Coach and Lululemon Athletica.

The food isn’t cheap, especially when compared to fast-food you’ll find at some big box retailers. Rather the food service is in line with the brand’s upscale lifestyle positioning.

Urban Outfitters offers lamb and striped bass at Terrain home and garden store in Westport, Connecticut. UO has found that offering food doubles the time shoppers spend browsing! Banana Republic offers cocktails at shopping events for its VIP customers. Ann Loft has occasional Friday happy hours. J.C. Penney plans to add juice bars and coffee shops. (Will this be too little too late for the struggling retailer?)

Is this a new idea? In the 1900s many department stores had restaurants or tearooms. Perhaps you’ve heard of the classic Chicago Walnut Room at Marshall Field’s (now Macy’s). What about the Zodiac restaurant at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. Nordstrom has offered food for many years with more than 200 eateries and coffee bars.

Today’s consumers are enticed by culinary experiences, evidenced by the popularity of shows like Top Chef, the growth of Farmer’s Markets around the country, and simply the fact that we can’t eat on the Internet. Food has become bigger and bigger in entertainment value. The warning? Don’t lose a guest over a poor meal. Remember that your customers view all your services and products on an average. One bad meal and they might not ever shop with you again even if the $98 polo shirts were their favorite.

Please share what you're doing to get people to visit you in-person.

Final Words on Brand Characters and Personality Based Marketing

Read previous posts now.

Part I

Part II

Part III

 

The rules for marketing have changed. It is more important now than ever to focus not just on demographics, but also psychographics and the values that motivate a customer to buy. When you have a clear picture of who your market is it becomes easier to communicate effectively.

The concept behind personality based marketing incorporates several techniques I’ve mentioned on this blog and elsewhere the past few years. When you match your brand image or personality with that of your consumer, your prospects will take notice. Consider using brand characters to portray the image you desire. Even makers of everyday products can start campaigns that will interest an audience and foster engagement.

It has been suggested that personality based marketing techniques are particularly effective in product areas of cosmetics, cigarettes, insurance, and alcohol. The automotive industry has not yet successfully carried out personality based marketing.

When YOU ARE Your Business

I am my business. Fletcher Freelance is just one person, me, Terra L. Fletcher. Of course I work with some really great designers and developers and my clients give me excellent input and feedback, but when it comes right down to it I am Fletcher Freelance. I share some of my life’s story as well as occasional qualms, imperfections, and plenty of pictures of me speaking – where I just plain look funny.

I remind my clients all the time that they “can’t be afraid to let a little personality shine through.” This is especially true in social media. And in small towns. People do business with people they like. 

Share your characters or personality in the comments below.

Behind-the-Scenes with Brand Characters: Part III

The Money and Life of a Brand Face

To a struggling actor the almost $600 payout for the first shoot sounds good. The ongoing residuals sound great too. If the ads are successful the actor has the position to negotiate. An annual deal may be worked out. With a decent paycheck comes a mix of fame and anonymity. A brand’s character’s face is everywhere, without the actor’s name. And after the gig is up? Who is going to hire such a recognizable face to promote another brand?

When you’re the face of a brand, you can expect a morality clause. Because your face is so closely associated with a brand, you’re probably better off staying out of the public eye. For example when Jonathan Goldsmith (most Interesting Man in the World, Dos Equis) threw a fundraiser for President Barack Obama in September Republicans threatened to boycott the brew.

Ben Curtis, the Dell Dude from 2000-2003 was a college student at NYU. He said it was hard to be a normal kid at school. His schoolmates chided him for already having “made it.” When he was arrested in 2003? The charges were eventually dropped and so was his commercial gig. Most of the money he had made went to paying for his schooling. In 2011 he starred in an indie film called “We Are the Hartmans.” Curtis also waits tables.

What if the company screws up? In 2008, Steve Warshak of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals was sentenced to 25 years for conspiracy, fraud, and money laundering. The legal struggles were often published adjacent to Smiling Bob’s image. Today Olcott makes a living working in advertising. He co-founded an agency in Vancouver. 

Part I

Part II