At Crimson Fenix, we specialize in creating a user experience that makes website viewing on any device inviting.

Remember marketing in the days prior to the internet? Other than printing copies of your latest business promotion event and hanging them around town or handing them out, it didn’t matter what form of marketing… it cost you money.

Imagine websites and social media as virtual storefronts visible to the world. Your website being the virtual store and all the free social media outlets being “distributors” of your marketing, each with a door leading right to your online storefront. Whether you sell goods, services, ideas, or a little of each of these if you aren’t using the internet for marketing, you are losing business.

But, regardless of the marketing, be it free or an expense, if it’s not done “right” it just won’t work! And any time spent is money lost.

Marketing is a science.  Effective marketing combines elements from multiple available resources and mixes them with consistent, repetitive, and informative content that will engage an audience.

Let’s use a giant marketer as an example.  Mc Donald’s combines multiple available resources (TV, radio, internet, social media, billboards, etc.) and mixes them with consistent, repetitive, and informative content.  The same logo, special, offer, or promotion is used everywhere.   They consistently offer new specials and new food options with promotions and use repetitive informative marketing to engage their customers.   Their billboards, window signage, website, magazine advertisements, social media posts all focus on that specific promotion and all deliver the same message.  These promotions are planned months in advance, budgets are allocated, copy is developed, media is purchased, and the science of marketing comes full circle.

Top of mind and call to action.

Marketing focuses on two crucial things.  Top of mind and call to action.  Who you are, where you are located, and what you do are all top of mind.  Top of mind should remain consistent and be in all marketing.  Top of mind includes business name, logo, slug line, symbol, trademarks, jingles and/or anything you do or use consistently for brand recognition and recall.  Colors and layout should always be consistent and either always be the same or have very minor variations with strict limitations.  Top of mind marketing focuses on repetitive impressions.  At a glance you want to be recognized and the minds of your audience should easily recall who you are within seconds.  You want them to see the same thing over and over and make a lasting impression in their minds so they remember you when they want or need whatever it is you offer.  Think the insurance company lizard… aw You immediately know who the company is even though I said lizard. Imagine implementing this brilliant strategy, design a character kids can relate with so when they become of age to want or need your product it is your company they recall. Jingles work the same way. Models, actresses, voiceover artists, or even a certain music used consistently in your marketing will increase recall.

Call to action appeals to the audience/customer with a description of when and/or why they should call on your business then.  The “why/how” and “when” can be changed from promotion to promotion and in the case of Mc Donald’s most promotions are available for a limited time.  Why go to Mc Donald’s this week, today?  Oh, XXX sandwich is buy one get one FREE.

The “why” portion of the marketing equation can also be interchangeable with “how”.  If you offer a service or information your call to action could be the action, how.  How we can help, or how the audience/customer can help themselves.

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Applying top of mind and call to action

To understand how top of mind and call to action work in marketing, I’ve written several variations of a script.  This script could be a radio advertisement, a voiceover under a video, or anywhere you would want to play this promotion.

Let’s examine my fictitious business Mayflower Helpers who makes a profit from the sales and installation of an expensive chair lift.  In the following examples Mayflower Helpers is selling safety, not chair lifts.

Mayflower Helpers sells chair lifts to their customers but their marketing in these examples isn’t on selling a chair lift, it’s focus in on “how” this product will help them (customer) and solve a problem, making them feel safe.

Notice the flow and repetitive nature of the script as it focuses on top of mind. Again and again you hear who they are, Mayflower Helpers. The call to action is repeated over and over, safety.  Also notice how the focus is not on the selling of the product itself.

The following examples go even deeper into the realm of a well written script with narrative indicating “thousands of people in your community have already been helped by Mayflower Helpers”.

Example 1

“Avoid unnecessary injury due to in home falls today and call Mayflower Helpers at 777-000-0987.  Mayflower Helpers has saved thousands of people in your community from home fall injuries and you will have that safety too by having Mayflower Helpers install a lift system for you today. Have the peace of mind of safety in your own home with one of our custom installed chair lifts. Your safety is important and Mayflower Helpers is the solution with a custom installed chair lift system.  Schedule your installation today.  Call 777-000-0987 or stop in 5766 Main St in beautiful Oatsville and be sure to visit MayflowerHelpers.com where you can hear from a few of our happy customers.  In home safety means Mayflower Helpers.”

In the above example, Mayflower Helpers didn’t focus on selling a chair lift or a brand of chair lift.  They sold a solution, in home safety.  They identified a problem and offered a solution.  Now, selling a solution involves the customer purchasing a product but by marketing a safety solution, the customer is less intimidated, they don’t feel they are being sold a chair lift and their call to action is” I need this to be safe.”   They never hear the name of a product or a cost.

If Mayflower Helpers were marketing their chair lift, customers could potentially not be called to action because they have no motivation to act if they can’t identify with or justify the need for a chair lift.    Being sold a chair lift could sound like a big expense but securing in home safety sounds more soothing, inviting and affordable.

In example 1 I did not mention a brand name, the same ad could be written slightly different if product brand awareness is a marketing focus.  Say, Mayflower Helpers sold only Xtra Comfort chair lifts, it could look like this.

Example 2

“Call Mayflower Helpers at 777-000-0987 and avoid unnecessary injury due to in home falls today with an Xtra Comfort chair lift from Mayflower Helpers. Mayflower Helpers has saved thousands of people in your community from home fall injuries and you will have that safety too by having Mayflower Helpers install an Xtra Comfort lift system for you. Have the peace of mind of safety in your own home with one of our custom installed Xtra Comfort chair lifts. Your safety is important and Mayflower Helpers is the solution with a custom installed Xtra Comfort chair lift system.  Schedule your installation today.  Call 777-000-0987 or stop in 5766 Main St in beautiful Oatsville and be sure to visit MayflowerHelpers.com where you can hear from a few of our Xtra Comfort chair lift customers.  In home safety means Mayflower Helpers.”

The second example has the exact call to action as the first, safety, but the brand awareness is right there at top of mind in example 2.  Now, let’s change it again and add a promotion, a secondary call to action.

Example 3

“Call Mayflower Helpers at 777-000-0987 today for 30% off and avoid unnecessary injury due to in home falls with an Xtra Comfort chair lift from Mayflower Helpers. Mayflower Helpers has saved thousands of people in your community from home fall injuries and you will have that safety too by having Mayflower Helpers install an Xtra Comfort lift system for you and right now enjoy 30% savings. Have the peace of mind of safety in your own home with one of our custom installed Xtra Comfort chair lifts. Your safety is important and Mayflower Helpers is the solution with a custom installed Xtra Comfort chair lift system.  Schedule your installation today and save 30%.  Call 777-000-0987 or stop in 5766 Main St in beautiful Oatsville and be sure to visit MayflowerHelpers.com where you can hear from a few of our Xtra Comfort chair lift customers.  In home safety means Mayflower Helpers.”

Since Mayflower Helpers has a website, and a website is a virtual storefront to the world, more emphasis could and should have been placed on transferring the audience to an interactive media that you control.  Creativity is important so try to always offer “follow” incentives, “locations” incentives, and positive review incentives.  In the next example we are going to change it up a little with some strategic public relations narrative.

Example 4.

“Avoid unnecessary injury due to in home falls with an Xtra Comfort chair lift from Mayflower Helpers. Mayflower Helpers has saved thousands of people in your community from home fall injuries and you will have that safety too by having Mayflower Helpers install an Xtra Comfort lift system for you. And right now enjoy 30% savings. Have the peace of mind of safety in your own home with one of our custom installed Xtra Comfort chair lifts. Your safety is important and Mayflower Helpers is the solution with a custom installed Xtra Comfort chair lift system.  Schedule your installation today and save 30%.  Visit MayflowerHelpers.com and for every follower, locations pin, or positive review we will donate to The Wounded Warrior Project. Plus, you can hear from a few of our Xtra Comfort chair lift customers.  In home safety means Mayflower Helpers.”

These same elements will work if applied to any form of marketing and in all forms of advertising.  Having an understanding of how marketing works when done properly will help you become a better marketer and in turn, your business will be more profitable.

Did you know that responsive websites are rewarded by Google in search engine ranking. Understandably, websites that lack mobile-friendliness are, therefore, penalized. Priority is given to sites that are designed for optimum viewing on all devices. Websites that are not responsive will appear much further down the list of search engine results.

Responsive design automatically resizes fonts, images, videos and other elements on your website. Optimal viewing, easy navigation and easy reading requires a design that prioritizes the user experience, regardless of the device.