Collateral Damage

Avoid "unnecessary" use of quotation marks...

In tough times it's tempting to take marketing into your own hands, especially for things that change often, like seasonal events. But sometimes, DIY marketing does more harm than good. Poor-quality pieces damage your brand equity and turn guests off.

Nothing bugs me more than walking into a four-star hotel lobby and seeing black-and-white clipart (and typo) laden inkjet flyers sitting in an acrylic on the front desk. Cheap doesn't have to be cheap-looking. With some planning and up-front investment, you can get the most for your marketing buck. For example:

• Instead of printing off 500 flyers every time you have a brunch or a wine tasting, print full-color shells at the beginning of the year and overprint with each event's details. The economy of printing a large quantity up front makes the per-piece costs next to nothing.

• Send an email. Settle on a template, then just change the 'guts' to reflect your latest offer.

• Social marketing. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, TripAdvisor; if you're not active on these sites, you should be. The investment here is time, but other than that, maintaining a presence on these social networking sites is free. Just be sure you're giving people a reason to be your Internet friend (offers and constantly updated content help.

So take Kinko's off speed dial and trash that clip art folder off your hard drive. With a little planning, you can have marketing materials that reflect your property AND are cost effective.