What business would not love an effective and free marketing method? Create a buzz by getting your customers to talk about you. There are two easy steps: earn their respect and recommendation and “be interesting or be invisible.”

In a firm I was involved with a few years ago, we tried very hard to analyze advertising expenditures. Was it effective? Should we do more Radio or Print or both? Should we increase the Ad budget? Reduce it? Spend more on direct mail? What is competition doing? It was a painful exercise.

We were almost paralyzed with indecision since we weren’t sure exactly what worked or not and were afraid to experiment with something so delicate. We kept asking ourselves the same question over and over – What influences a customer to come in and make a purchase?

Have you considered using a Focus Group to gain a clearer understanding of your target market? Perhaps you are trying to uncover some unmet need that your customer or non-customers have?

The Maine Marketing Association will be hosting a Lunch and Learn on Thursday covering "Appropriate and Inappropriate Uses of Focus Groups".

MaryEllen FitzGerald, President and founder of Critical Insights will be leading this discussion on how and when to engage a focus group and how to get the most out of the experience.

Ms. FitzGerald conducts on average 150-200 focus groups nationally throughout the year. She has developed a national reputation for her expertise in public opinion polling, attitude and awareness studies and consumer sentiment assessments, utilizing a battery of qualitative and quantitative measures.

If you have ever considered engaging a focus group this is a great opportunity to learn from a research veteran.

The Maine Marketing Association Lunch and Learn will take place from 11:30 - 1:00 in room 424 of the Glickman Library at the University of Southern Maine, Portland.

The cost to attend is $5 for MMA members and $10 for non-members. Participants may pay at the door. Bring your own lunch. Beverages and dessert will be provided. To register, please contact the Maine Marketing Association at registration@mainemarketingassociation.com.

Gone are the days when professional service providers viewed marketing as nothing but unseemly advertising. Accountants, lawyers, architects, doctors are concerned with marketing or 'practice development' - - everything from to target marketing and prospect generation, to enhancing the firm's image with integrated communications, to monitoring and managing service quality and customer satisfaction, to networking, publicity, and on-line marketing.

This week's Maine Marketing Association BackLot tour as well as a Michigan consulting firm provide tips on professional service marketing...

A Return on Investment for Marketing (Marketing ROI) is a touchy subject for many business managers and owners. Can a Marketing ROI be negative?

My husband and I both eagerly await the Superbowl. He’s glad as it’s a reproach-free reason to drink ample amounts of beer (take one for the team!) and I can’t wait for the new ads. With four small children, however, we have to strategize and take a team approach. I cover him during the big plays; he yells when the commercials come on. Thank God for half-time.

The largest segment of the promotional products industry is corporate apparel (29.5%). Maybe it’s because when you give an employee logo apparel some great things happen: they feel appreciated, they look and feel like part of a team -- and they become walking, talking billboards for your brand!