Business development publication put together for the Australian marine industry (early 2011). A collection of whitepaper-style articles offering branding, communications and media advice.

1. SANDPAPERadvice to shape your business
SANDMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS PTY LTD
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PO Box 124 Elsternwick VIC 3185 Australia
P +61 (0)412 230 967
SYDNEY
PO Box 1353 Manly NSW 1655 Australia
P +61 (0)421 273 673
E info@sandmanpr.com.au
W sandmanpr.com.au
© 2011 Sandman Public Relations Pty Ltd
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2. Having weathered the worst of the recent
economic storm known as the Global
Financial Crisis, the Australian marine industry is
faring much better compared with that in other
parts of the world.
While almost every marine business in
Australia took a direct hit, boat shows during
2010 delivered solid sales and towards the end
of the year manufacturers were ramping up
production to meet market demand.
In 2011, consumer confidence is continuing to
build, which is a great sign for the industry’s
recovery. While the outlook for most marine
businesses is certainly much brighter than
previous years, there are some companies that
are set to surge well ahead of their competitors
– due in large part to their unwavering focus on
brand promotion.
Although the knee-jerk reaction among the
majority of businesses when faced with a rough
economic forecast is to batten down the hatches
and slash marketing budgets, for other businesses
such conditions are the trigger to direct even
stronger focus on their promotional activities.
Several years ago, McGraw Hill conducted
a study which found those businesses that
boosted their public relations, advertising and
other marketing activities during a recession
grew 275 per cent over the proceeding five
years. In contrast, those businesses that cut
back – if they were still in business – grew just
19 per cent.
Striking statistics. No offence to those who did cut
back in this area over the past couple of years,
however, the study proves the worst business
decision you can make, particularly in tough
times, is to cut back your marketing efforts.
MOVING FORWARD
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Most of us
would do at least one thing differently if
we could have our time again! Unless you
have Doc Brown’s DeLorean in the driveway,
there’s no going back – so now is the time to
implement changes that will determine your
business’ future.
If, according to the abovementioned study,
your business is among those staring at
comparatively minimal growth over the next
few years, acting immediately could change
that. Better late than never, one of the most
beneficial changes you could make right now is
to increase your promotional efforts.
When many business owners think about
‘promotion’ (or other similar terms) they
immediately think it will cost them a fortune,
but that’s not necessarily the case.
At the end of the day, what price can be put on
an investment that delivers such significant and
lasting value that will actually grow a business?
Whether you’re involved in a family-owned
and run retail venture or a behemoth
multinational, branding and communications
should be at the heart of every business.
As owners of the world’s leading companies
all attest: “success in business is 80 per
cent promotion”.
Ben Sandman
Director
Jamie Millar
Director
DREAM BIG
Published by Australia’s premier marine PR/media specialist Sandman
Public Relations, Sandpaper is a collection of whitepaper-style articles
offering branding, communications and media advice…
…a study which found those businesses that boosted their
public relations, advertising and other marketing activities during
a recession grew 275 per cent over the proceeding five years.
Activities that will help position your
business for a successful future…
CORE MESSAGE
Look deep into your business to gain a
clear understanding of what your business
represents. Be creative in developing your core
message and consistent in delivering it.
TARGET AUDIENCES
Identify key target audiences. Have realistic
ideas of how you expect these audiences
to respond.
MEDIA RELATIONS
Research key media outlets and their ability
to effectively deliver your message to target
audiences. Build relationships with key outlets
and keep in regular contact.
MEDIA RELEASES
Ensure they are newsworthy and relevant
to the audience. Keep media releases
brief – approximately 300 words. Maximum
information, minimum words… and don’t forget
contact details for further information!
VIRAL MARKETING
Good word-of-mouth is extremely powerful.
Think outside the square. Create an entertaining
video clip, post it on YouTube and email it to
your friends. Viral marketing activities have the
potential to reach audiences you may not have
considered. Their brand-building power
is immeasurable.
E-NEWSLETTERS
Maintain direct contact with your key audiences.
A monthly e-newsletter sent to your database is
simple and effective in keeping your business in
their minds.
ADVERTISING
Consider a combination of print and online
advertising – not one at the expense of another.
Spend your advertising budget wisely.
CROSS PROMOTION
Embark on cross-promotional initiatives with
preferred suppliers/associates. Such alliances
will drive your dollars further.
KEEP IT UP
Value the importance of branding and
communications in your business. It’s not
something that should be reviewed and acted
upon only when times are slow.
D.I.Y. promotional tips
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

3. The visual brand is the most important
design project for any business. It
becomes an important part of the ‘face’
of the business and reflects the quality
and style of the whole organisation.
A strong corporate logo is essential for business
success. A professionally-designed logo should
also be supplied with a style guide, which
specifies the way in which your business’ logo
is used to ensure it always communicates the
correct message.
Successful visual identities have a consistent
colour scheme; consistent corporate typeface;
and maintain consistent logo positioning in all
usage. Always include your logo and slogan (or
jingle for television and radio) in all promotional
mediums from business cards, websites
and premises signage through to media
advertisements, billboards and sponsorship
activities to help establish your business.
Successful branding is a result of consistently
conveying the same message to your target
audiences… and successful brands are
instantly recognisable and associated with the
core values of the business.
Looking the part
IDENTITY, IMAGE AND REPUTATION
– establishing, maintaining and protecting corporate reputation
The importance of building and maintaining a strong and differentiated corporate reputation…
It’s also important to remember that a company’s reputation is not
just how customers perceive it, but how all stakeholders perceive it.
In the corporate management world it’s
widely believed the future of a company
is heavily dependent on how it is perceived
by its stakeholders (customers, employees,
investors, shareholders and the community).
A good reputation is critical for any company
and this needs to be established, maintained
and protected to ensure the long-term future
of the business.
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR
DIFFERENT FOLKS
We all know of brands we would and would not
buy. At a boat show for example, it’s possible
to spend days hearing about various product
benefits and features and why you should
choose one product or company over another.
So why should customers choose your
business or buy your brand?
There are many brands in the marine industry
that don’t have particularly significant
differentiation from their nearest competitors
(not when you get right down to it), so
customer choice can come down to other
factors – company values, personality,
someone they know bought one, they read a
good/bad report and so on.
As a business, you must know who and what
you are; have clearly defined objectives and
goals; and, in particular, have defined company
values. Importantly, your employees must
believe and back them as much as you. Without
these things you are just another boat, engine,
GPS, fishing rod or other product. Without these
things your business has no identity.
Communication of your company values is, in
essence, your corporate identity. A corporate
identity is communicated and reinforced via
a business’ appearance (name, logo, website,
advertisements, uniform), communications/
promotions, employees and relationships.
Once you’ve made a decision on the identity
you’d like for your business, targeted and
consistent communication of your core
message (see ‘Creativity and Consistency’
article in this Sandpaper) will lead to the
establishment of a corporate image – the
stakeholder’s immediate association with
your business.
Over time, the identity and image become a
collective reputation. Without a consistent and
managed approach, your business’ reputation
could become anything… or nothing.
If you think of your competitors, there will be
some you respect and some you don’t. Ask
yourself what you respect and why?
INTEGRATED COMMUNICATION
A combination of relevant communication,
always underpinned by a business’ core
message, will help establish and maintain a
reputation over time. Communications tools
such as professional corporate identity design,
media releases, newsletters and advertisements
(print and digital), up-to-date optimised website,
social media platforms, promotional events and
the like, have to be strategically coordinated
over the long-term for best effect.
It’s also important to remember that a
company’s reputation is not just how
customers perceive it, but how all stakeholders
perceive it. Your customers might love you;
suppliers might see you as a necessary evil
that never pays on time; and investors wonder
what you’re up to with their money.
As such, corporate communication has to be a
strategic management function, coordinated for
internal and external communication, with the
sole purpose of establishing, maintaining and
protecting a favourable reputation in the eyes
of all relevant parties.
IMPORTANCE OF THE VISUAL
One of the most important ingredients of
delivering a consistent message is to have a
professional appearance. From a corporate logo
(usually either a designed graphic or designed
typography of the company name) to a full
corporate style-guide covering letterhead, email
signature, company colours, fonts, uniforms
and more, this will establish a consistent theme
throughout all visual communication.
Your business’ visual identity becomes a theme
that binds your offerings together, which is very
important if you represent more than one brand.
There are many businesses in the marine
industry that represent more than one brand. No
matter – the business values create a platform
to offer each brand with the same integrity or
service or value. But only if you have these
values established and know who you are.
I KNOW YOU
Identity, image and reputation are critical to the
long-term sustainability of any business. This
is not something that should be taken lightly or
managed half-heartedly. Take it seriously and
your business will be taken seriously.
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

4. The role of creativity and consistency in
successful marketing efforts… be that via
targeted advertising and editorial, creative
PR stunts and/or other activities that will
effectively deliver your message to your target
audiences.
No business has ever risen above the pack by
sticking with everyone else, doing the same old
things, attempting to push tired messages to
tired audiences.
CORE MESSAGE
A core message has the ability to set a
business apart from its competitors. In that
light, the business that best communicates
its differences through its core message will
position itself for continued growth while its
competitors stagnate.
Developing a core message begins with the
belief that consumers value the difference your
business offers. What you might believe to be
the ‘competitive edge’ in your business may not
be important to your target audiences, in which
case any marketing effort around this will have
little, if any, impact.
It’s for this reason that developing a core
message often proves a difficult task. Most
business owners are too close to their
businesses to identify the consumer-valued
point of difference, which is why some opt to
engage a specialist consultant/agency to assist
with this important process.
With or without external assistance, the key
is to look deep into your business to gain a
clear understanding of what your business
represents and how you want it to be perceived
by your target audiences.
Your core message will essentially have two
parts. The first is the message itself. This will
be a one-line statement that is quick and to
the point. At the same time, its power will be
evident by the way it grabs the attention of
those who hear it.
An effective core message will hook your
target audiences and encourage them to ask
questions as to how your business fulfils what
your message claims. The second part is to
develop a concise answer that conveys how
your business can deliver on this message.
A core message is extremely powerful, so
devote the time required to get it right. Be
creative in developing your core message –
then be consistent in delivering it.
CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY
There are myriad ways to deliver a consistent
message to an audience – beginning with
the business’ corporate identity, brochures,
advertisements and other material; right through
to information dissemination via the media and
corporate presentation at various events.
All activities should have a common thread
through which audiences can instantly identify
and ‘hear’ the message the business is
attempting to send.
At a grass roots level, consistency in your
message is as basic as ensuring you
maintain consistent logo positioning and use
a consistent colour scheme and typeface in
your marketing material – business cards
and clothing, letterhead, website, brochures,
posters, print and online ads should all ‘look
and feel’ the same.
A wishy-washy business does not gain
momentum. It fails to identify itself and to
develop a reputation for anything good.
Considering (according to the adage) ‘a photo
is worth a thousand words’, it’s critical all
photography also conveys your business’ core
message. As an example, it defeats the purpose
of claiming a boat is ‘built tough for offshore
fishing’ if the photo in the ad or brochure is of a
young family towing a ski tube around a lake.
Similarly, if the business specialises in building
family boats, it won’t strike the right chord
with the target audience if the photo is of two
hardcore anglers hauling a yellowfin tuna over
the transom.
While it all sounds pretty logical, you’d be
surprised at some of the photos that have
appeared in ads, brochures and on corporate
websites over the years. Fishing rods with no line
on them and/or held upside down, and gilled/
gutted fish being lifted onboard in a net are just
a couple that spring to mind! That sort of stuff
doesn’t communicate ‘this is a serious fishing
boat’ to anyone. What it does say is ‘we don’t
understand ourselves or our target market’.
Your core message must always remain the
central focus in the development of effective
marketing material. Be as creative as your ability
– or that of your agency – allows, as long as
your intended message is loud and clear.
CREATIVITY AND
CONSISTENCY
– effectively delivering your message to the masses
The role of creativity and consistency in successful marketing efforts...
No business has ever risen
above the pack by sticking
with everyone else…
Where to spend your
advertising dollars
In a country with more marine media
outlets than any other, it’s important to
spend your advertising budget wisely. In
this day and age, a mix of both print and
online advertising is essential to your
promotional and sales success.
1 Determine which media outlets are most
relevant to your target audiences. ie.
There’s little point advertising a 28ft-plus cruiser
in a trailerboat magazine and vice versa.
2 Be wary of publishers’ claims regarding
their magazine’s circulation or website’s
visitation. Demand current audit figures – and
watch out for publishers who throw around
audited figures from a decade ago!
3 In regard to magazine circulation, gain
an understanding of ABC results and
readership figures (respected publishers will be
forthcoming with this information and happy to
explain it to you).
4 In regard to website visitation, Unique
Visitors / Unique Browsers – not ‘hits’ –
are the important numbers to consider (again,
respected publishers will be forthcoming with
this information and happy to explain it to you).
5 Commit to a decent advertising period.
An ad ‘here and there’ will not deliver
what you expect.
6 Work with advertising representatives
to value-add your advertising spend.
Most will be happy to provide editorial support
throughout your advertising period in the form of
boat tests, business profiles, etc.
7 Be patient and realistic in your
expectations. Advertising will put your
business on the radar of your target audiences.
Actual sales, particularly of high-priced
products/services, will still require some effort
from your sales staff and dealer networks.
WHERE AND WHEN
Consistency refers not only to ensuring the
meaning of the message being delivered
remains the same, but also to the number of
times an audience hears a message.
While advertising is an essential part of a
business’ marketing mix, placing one ad in one
issue of a magazine or a tile ad on a website for
a week and expecting to sell 10 boats from it is
unrealistic, not to mention a waste of money.
Advertising is a powerful form of promotion and
to reap the rewards you must be consistent
in your approach to it. Committing to run an
advertising campaign across a small selection
of respected media outlets is far more
beneficial than taking an ad ‘here and there’
across a large number of media outlets.
Consumer behaviour in buying a boat, for
example, is significantly different from the
impulse purchase of a Mars Bar at the
supermarket checkout. Your next potential
customer has most likely researched your
product – along with that of your competitors
– for 12 months before they purchase. If you
don’t have a visible presence in the market,
you’re simply not on the consumer’s radar.
Some businesses believe advertising doesn’t
sell them boats. If they’re not consistent in
maintaining a presence, it probably doesn’t!
Other businesses have occasionally ceased
their advertising for a period of up to 12
months and then claimed they don’t need
to advertise again as they still sold boats
during that period. The fact those companies
continued to sell boats during that year was
due to their consistent advertising effort
up to the point they stopped it, given the
abovementioned consumer behaviour in regard
to high-priced items.
After a significant period of not advertising,
there’s little doubt businesses with minimal or
no media presence will note a continual decline
in product sales until such time as they again
embark on some form of consistent promotion.
It’s a simple case of cause and effect.
Remember, most businesses have more than
one audience… and a consistent approach that
effectively delivers a business’ core message to
all target audiences will make all the difference
in that business’ success.
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

5. Getting the media onboard
THE POWER OF PR
– maximising the media
A valuable insight to help your business get more out of the media…
At its core, public relations (PR) is about
communication. Encompassing a wide
range of activities, it’s the most effective way to
deliver a specific message to the people most
likely to respond.
Applying this definition to the Australian and
international marine industry, the ‘people’ most
business operators would like to respond are
customers – be they other businesses (if you’re
a supplier/manufacturer) or general consumers
(if you’re a retailer).
The ‘specific message’ marine businesses
generally want to deliver is why customers
– both existing and prospective – should buy
their particular product or service.
The power of PR to influence consumer
behaviour is well proven the world over.
Claimed by critics to be persuasive and
manipulative, our view of PR as ‘promoting
understanding’ is arguably more balanced.
As the most effective form of mass
communication – in regard to both key
audience impact and cost – PR is the engine
driving the world’s most successful businesses.
MAXIMISING MEDIA EXPOSURE
While there are myriad innovative PR activities
employed to communicate with target audiences,
using the media remains the most effective.
Advertising – traditionally used by many marine
businesses as their sole means of promotion – is
certainly important, although it should form just
one component of a business’ marketing mix.
At the end of the day, $50,000 spent on
advertising will generally secure $50,000 of
space in the media.
In comparison, $50,000 invested in PR can
result in many times that value in positive
media exposure.
Harnessing the power of the media by
distributing a media release to relevant media
outlets is one of the most inexpensive ways to
effectively deliver your message to the masses.
A concise, well-written media release, supplied
in a readily-accessible format such as a Word
document (preferably with your corporate
logo in a prominent position, so it’s apparent
who it’s from), will always be welcomed by
journalists/editors. On the other hand, a three-
page email that takes an hour to decipher
and another hour to re-write (if it’s worth
publishing) will rarely make it further than the
time-pressed editor’s inbox.
Providing contact details for further information
at the bottom of every media release is far
more important than cramming in every tiny
piece of information you think may be of
interest. If the newsworthy angle of the media
release isn’t immediately apparent, in most
cases editors won’t even finish reading it
before hitting ‘delete’.
PR is the engine driving
the world’s most
successful businesses.
In that light, the key to writing a good media
release is to structure it with the most
important information at the beginning, with
supporting information in following paragraphs
– ordered according to relevance. Maximum
information, minimum words. If editors want
more, they’ll contact you for it.
The old adage ‘a picture is worth a thousand
words’ also rings very true in regard to supplying
the media with information. Making available a
selection of quality images and/or video footage
to accompany the media release will further
assist in maximising your media presence.
Securing quality editorial to support your
advertising in marine media and scoring
positive editorial space in mainstream media
(thus, avoiding the expensive price tag)
generally has a huge impact on those who
read it. Consumers are well aware advertising
space is paid for and, in today’s media savvy
society, most usually take blatant advertised
claims with a grain of salt. In contrast, these
same consumers will readily take onboard
information about your business if it’s
published as a news article/snippet – often
blissfully unaware what they’re reading has
stemmed from your media release.
NETWORKING AND CONTACTS
The claim ‘PR is all about networking and
contacts’, holds some truth. Moving in the right
circles and having the right relationships with
the right people are essential for success.
Sending out a media release, no matter how
well-written it may be, doesn’t guarantee it
will be published. Positive relationships with
journalists/editors play a critical role in any
form of PR activity that involves the media.
On your side, the media will prove a
powerful ally. Against you, the media can
be your worst enemy.
Take the time to establish genuine
relationships with reputable media outlets
– and maintain them. It’s quite common
for positive professional associations to
develop into lasting personal friendships,
which can carry with it obvious benefits
for your business.
Regular contact – but not annoying to the
point of driving the media away – with
journalists/editors can result in them
calling on you for editorial comment
in various articles, as well being given
preference to supply filler material for
their magazines, websites
or newspapers.
An appreciation of the urgency under
which media outlets operate, which
will come about through your media
relationships, will also assist you to
improve the way in which you deliver
your material. Ensuring a media release
reaches the right person at the right
time can make all the difference in
your business making the front page or
missing out completely.
Developing the right contact network to
maximise your media exposure will take
time and effort, but the benefits that
flow will prove invaluable to growing
your business.
Relationships with the media can make
or break your PR efforts. Here are a few
tips to get the media onboard with
your business…
1 When journalists/editors call, give them
your full attention. If it’s not practical to do
this, ask for their details and call them back as
soon as you’re free. Failing to return a call won’t
encourage them to call you again. Similarly, if
you receive an email requesting your opinion or
offering free editorial, attend to it quickly so you
don’t miss out.
2 Avoid arrogance. Answer all questions
in a respectful and pleasant tone. Don’t
bag-out your competitors and be wary of
making negative comments. Don’t lie or provide
exaggerated claims.
3 Be realistic about coverage. Even the
most professionally-written media
release may not be published verbatim. At the
same time, a half-hour interview may result in
only one paragraph in the article. Or none. The
media owes you nothing for your time, so take
this in your stride.
4 Worry about things you can control. While
you have control over advertising, you
have minimal control over published editorial –
despite your best efforts to supply information
exactly how the media requires it. In some
cases, the published article may not be 100%
accurate. If it’s 90% accurate, you’re doing well.
5 Give several contact numbers for the
media to contact you. A deadline waits
for no-one. If journalists/editors can’t get hold of
you in a timely manner, one of your competitors
may be the next person on the list to contact.
6 Understand media lead times and
appreciate the urgency under which
media outlets operate. Daily newspapers, radio
and TV generally have a one-day to three-month
coverage window. Magazines have a two- or
three-month to one-year window. Other times,
you may be contacted right on deadline.
7 Show your appreciation. A quick phone call
or email thanking journalists/editors for
positive editorial about your business won’t take
much time out of your day. By putting some effort
into developing media relationships, you’ll increase
your chances of current and future PR success.
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

6. A PICTURE IS WORTH
A THOUSAND WORDS
– there’s no substitute for professional photography
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

7. Living in the Information/Digital Age, most
businesses realise it’s necessary to have a
website. Even if your business consists of just
yourself and your products/services, a website
plays an important role in your success.
That said, it’s no longer enough just to have
a website. If you want your business to be
taken seriously (and why wouldn’t you?), a
professional-looking and functioning website
is critical.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS LAST
As the first point of contact for many
prospective customers, a professionally-
designed, informative and user-friendly website
is an essential communication and sales tool
for all businesses.
Since many consumers now search for
information online prior to making a purchase,
your website is often the first chance you
have at making a good impression. If your
website looks like it was designed by a barrel
of colour-blind monkeys, you’ll definitely make
an impression – but not the sort of impression
you want!
One of the many great things about the
internet is that it has levelled the playing
field when it comes to competing with bigger
businesses. With a well-designed website, your
comparatively small operation can project the
image and professionalism of a much larger
company – and potentially secure sales that
you might expect would go straight to your
much larger competitors.
The reverse is also applicable. We’ve seen
many large company websites that were so
badly designed and difficult to navigate that
these businesses projected an image of lacking
any professionalism and credibility at all.
A website is essentially a salesperson that
works 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you
go to the effort of training a competent sales
team that works 40 hours a week, why wouldn’t
you invest in something that works even when
you’re closed and never takes a sickie?
As such a critical communication and sales
tool, it never ceases to amaze us how many
businesses still struggle with their web presence.
MAXIMISING YOUR AUDIENCE
Without doubt, there are potential customers
visiting your website every single day, many
with whom you may never have any contact.
For one reason or another, they’ve decided to
purchase a similar product/service from one of
your competitors.
Perhaps, your mish-mash of a website
reflected on your business’ ability to adequately
satisfy their needs? Perhaps, the information
these potential customers were seeking was
too hard to find? Perhaps, this information
wasn’t even there at all?
As one example, if you’ve gone to the effort
of having hardcopy brochures printed, it’s not
difficult to upload PDF versions of these to your
website, where they’re available for your target
market to download 24/7.
Not only does this cut-back on expensive
printing and postage costs in getting them
in the hands of your target audience, it
captures your audience immediately – perhaps
preventing them from even bothering to order a
brochure from a competitor.
Similarly, if you add a new product into your
range or make changes to an existing model,
you can update the digital version of your
brochure far easier than having thousands of
copies of your brochure printed again.
Encouraging potential and existing customers
to interact with your company – through online
competitions or blogs – is another way to assist
in maximising those who visit your website and
keep them coming back.
Without giving away too many of our secrets in
this article, there are even ways to secure the
details of every potential customer that visits
your site!
PROMINENT PRESENCE
Of course, you could have a very professional-
looking site, but that doesn’t necessarily mean
it’s effective. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
should be pretty much a standard part of the brief
these days in the development of any website.
SEO helps your website do well in search
engine rankings (and for search engine
rankings, read Google!). Google is reported to
carry over 65 per cent of the world’s internet
searches with the next closest rival handling
around seven per cent.
There are many things you can do to help boost
your rankings, starting with having the website
content written in the correct way. People
don’t read websites the same way they read
magazines or newspapers, so it’s important to
have the information written correctly in terms
of information flow, relevance to the keywords
and specific content of the individual page.
Additional features such as social media add-
ons (blogging, social-networking, discussion
forums to name a few) and creative linking can
also help, if used in the right way.
VIDEO IS VITAL
A key SEO tool worth considering is video. A
high-quality video can enhance your brand
values, demonstrate your professionalism, drive
new traffic and inform your potential customers
about the product or services on offer.
Whether through tutorials in how to use
something or demonstrations of the product in
action, this is a way to ‘feed’ your viewer the
precise information you want to deliver in a
very digestible way.
Video is also beneficial in increasing the
‘sticky’ factor of your site. This refers to the
average time people spend on your site as a
unique browser and something search engines
specifically look for when indexing.
Video embedded on your site should be
instrumental in driving traffic to it – and
keeping it there. Professional video production
doesn’t have to cost the earth either, it can
usually be tailored to suit a range of budgets,
depending on what’s required. Like most
professional media services, it’s well within
reach of most businesses.
ALL OR NOTHING
For the cost of building and managing a
website these days, all businesses should at
the very least have some form of web presence
– so that customers, potential employees,
business partners and perhaps even investors
can quickly and easily find out more about your
business and its products or services.
Here’s the exception to this rule: It’s actually
better to have no website at all than to have
one that makes your business look bad.
Your site speaks volumes about your business.
It either says: “Hey, look! We take our business
so seriously that we’ve created this awesome
website for our customers!” Or it screams:
“Hey, look! I let my 10-year-old nephew design
my site. Good luck finding anything!”
The cost of building a website has always
varied greatly due to the low barriers of entry
and individual requirements. Like anything, you
get what you pay for.
Remember, your corporate website is a very
important part of your business. It’s like a
second shop front, a property in cyberspace that
represents your offline presence. You wouldn’t
get a 10-year-old to lay out your showroom or
workshop, so don’t do it with a website.
SANDMAN is offering a series of
specially-priced website development
packages for Sandpaper readers, with
the base package starting from as little
as $4500 (+GST).
SANDMAN’s creative designers, programmers
and digital strategists have a proven record of
building imaginative, quick-loading and user-
friendly websites to showcase companies and
their products/services in the most professional
possible manner.
Customising the world’s latest software for a
massive range of applications, this experienced
team also develops easy-to-use (or as complex
as you require!) content management systems
that can be managed by end users.
With particular expertise in search engine
optimisation, social media networking and other
core online activities, it’s well worth the enquiry.
For more information, send your enquiry to –
info@sandmanpr.com.au
Sandpaper special
If your website looks like it was designed by a barrel of colour-blind
monkeys, you’ll definitely make an impression – but not the sort
of impression you want!
COMPANY
WEBSITES
– using them as effective sales tools
The critically important role of a professionally-developed
website in business success…
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

8. Although, on the whole, the Australian
marine industry has been comparatively
slow on the uptake of online presence, many
companies that have had websites for several
years are today reaping the rewards.
The importance of a content-rich website
aside, there is a lot more you can do to boost
traffic to your site, ensure people regularly
return and, ultimately, increase sales of your
product/service.
Promoting corporate websites across the
internet has in the past involved everything
from Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to paid
keyword referrals, such as Google AdWords.
While these methods are certainly useful,
one of the most effective and relatively new
methods to promote content-rich websites is
through social media marketing.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA
MARKETING?
According to Wikipedia: “Social media has
become a platform that is easily accessible to
anyone with internet access, opening doors for
organisations to increase their brand awareness
and facilitate conversations with the customer.”
In a nutshell, companies with functional and
content-rich websites can use social media as
an inexpensive platform to implement effective
marketing campaigns. Further, companies
can receive direct feedback from their
target markets and essentially manage their
reputation online.
Part of the Web 2.0 revolution – another
buzz word describing the new generation of
websites that allows users to submit their own
text, video and picture content – social media
marketing can take many forms.
Common practices in the marine industry
involve utilising chat forums, message boards
and blogs on existing ‘community-based’
websites, such as fishnet.com.au, sportsfish.
com.au, ausfish.com.au and other similar
sites. While utilising these technologies on
such websites can be good, they unfortunately
attract ‘keyboard captains’ who claim to be
authorities on all things boating – yet really
know FA about anything – who have the
potential to blur your intended message to your
target markets.
That said, there are literally dozens of social
media sites across the internet these days that
allow you to take full control of the message you
want to communicate to your target market.
Below are brief overviews of a couple of the
most popular and effective websites:
Facebook (facebook.com) – Primarily driven by
young adults, Facebook is the world’s largest
social network, with over 400 million active
users whom spend more than 500 billion
minutes on this site every month. Facebook
allows you to keep tabs on members’ profiles
and recent changes to the site have made it
very ‘marketing friendly’. Facebook groups
are very popular and very loyal, so if you find
something that connects with your group, the
results can be highly viral. People will share
your business page with others, without you
having to do a thing!
Twitter (twitter.com) – Twitter is a
microblogging website that limits users’
‘tweets’ to 140 characters. It has gained
popularity as the SMS of the internet, and
with more than 50 million tweets sent every
day it is on track to becoming the collective
nervous system of society in this digital age.
There are some amazing Twitter stories, where
interesting nobodies found themselves to be an
overnight internet celebrity. It allows a channel
for fans to get inside the minds of their idols,
whether it be their favourite band, teacher,
brand or entrepreneur.
WHAT’S INVOLVED?
If planned and implemented correctly, social
media marketing can be invaluable. Site visitors
are in command, so why not start building a
relationship with them?
The amount of input to start something like a
Facebook page is minimal. It’s merely a matter
of creating a page and inviting people to join it.
Once enough people have given your business’
page the thumbs up, it’s then a matter of
communicating with them through the page.
For example, a weekly fishing report for your
area is effective; as is regularly notifying them
of new product releases; special offers; on-
water boat testing days or other news about
your business.
Ensuring your website is on the radar of other
sites’ and search engines involves preparing
your content in such a way as to be considered
Social Media Optimised (SMO). This SMO
approach is becoming a new concentration
area for current web technology firms and can
involve dozens of different approaches.
WHERE IT’S HEADING
The role of social media marketing to drive
content is a continually expanding field. A brief
overview of those sites referenced above doesn’t
begin to cover the viral social content impact
of such popular social media mechanisms as
YouTube videos or Flickr photo galleries.
One thing is certain, SMO is definitely not just a
short term fad, as this is demonstrated by the
above graph where it clearly demonstrates the
influence of Facebook overtaking Google early
in 2010. This trend has continued.
What does this mean? This shift in power from
search engines to social networks means
we’re increasingly seeing a more integrated
interaction between consumers and the
internet. It’s quickly becoming a case of where
we’re no longer ‘searching’ for information on
products or news, it’s beginning to be delivered
straight to us through our social networks.
The trend is statistically undeniable, so while
SMO may not be in many people’s minds right
now, early adopters of social media marketing
will benefit immensely by making their
products or services more accessible to their
audiences through social media channels, as it
will allow them to spread media releases and
other information more virally.
That said, to effectively use social media
for marketing, it must be recognised that
social media is an additional resource to
complement and expand your entire marketing
arsenal, rather than a replacement for existing
marketing initiatives such as advertising, public
relations, personal selling and other sales
promotions activities.
SOCIAL
MEDIA…
WTF?
Skimming the surface of ‘social media marketing’ and its ability to
increase website traffic and product sales…
Social media optimisation
Effective SMO rules to prepare your
website content for future social
media campaigns:
MAKE YOUR SITE LINKABLE
Make it easy for outside parties and social
media sites to link to your content. Establish a
blog on your site or, if blogs aren’t your thing,
maintain free whitepapers (content-rich articles)
and resource pages that contain lots of useful
links in one place.
START PARTICIPATING
Join the conversation on your site today. Start
blogging on your own or make it a point to visit
leading forums that target your audience and
join the discussion. Answer some questions and
provide some required advice.
REWARD HELPFUL USERS
Helpful or valuable users to your site that
contribute noticeably to its content and audience
should be recognised and rewarded. This can
take the form of a simple PM (private message)
thank you or a note on the forum itself. The
result of this is two-fold: you keep these
valuable community members on your site, and
you gain vocal champions of your site/brand to
outside members and sites they in turn visit.
REWARD INBOUND SITE LINKS
The more inbound links your blog and site can
generate, the better. This is still the single most
popular method by which a site rises in search
rankings. Reward linking sites by providing a
permalink to use and listing them on your site
in return.
…there are literally dozens of social media sites across the
internet these days that allow you to take full control of the
message you want to communicate…
Find us
on Facebook
Follow us
on Twitter
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

9. It’s hard to believe boat show season is here
again. My head and liver are starting to hurt
just thinking about it – despite many years of
rigorous training!
While there’s no denying we all enjoy boat
shows for the social aspect, it’s easy to forget
it’s during this time when businesses have the
most powerful opportunity to promote their
products and services direct to end consumers.
Shows and exhibitions are a great way to
showcase your business’ latest offerings, meet
customers, find agents and build industry
relationships. They are also a great way to burn
money if you’re not well prepared.
GET YOUR MONEY’S WORTH
As we’re all aware, attending a boat show –
or several during the season – is an
expensive exercise.
Beyond the cost of floor space, television
screens, banners and other promotional
material that’s an inherent part of every show,
there are also the ‘invisible’ costs. Travel,
accommodation, staff, promotional gifts and
literature… the list goes on.
While ‘bang for buck’ is the central focus
of most marine businesses when spending
money on advertising, many don’t put as much
emphasis on getting maximum value from boat
shows – despite the fact this is usually the
most expensive promotional activity of the year.
What is it you consider ‘value’ from a boat
show, anyway? Is it selling a large volume of
product? Is it establishing new relationships
with potential customers? Is it getting your
brand in front of as many people as possible for
long-term recognition and results?
When planning for any show or exhibition, it’s
important to clearly determine what you expect
from it. If you want to sell a lot of product at the
show, ensure you have adequate stock available.
If you want to take down a list of names for
on-water boat tests, have some concrete dates/
locations and place people on these lists on the
spot. If you want to make a lasting impact on
consumers, do something they’ll remember.
Doing something people will remember could
refer to an interactive activity on your stand. It
could also be as simple as a meaningful and
honest conversation – regardless of whether
you think they’re going to buy at the show or in
the next 12 months.
During my years as a journalist and editor
working with many of Australia’s leading
marine/fishing magazines, the real success of
a boat show couldn’t be judged by the number
of subscriptions sold on the stand – the volume
of people we spoke with was a far greater
indication of whether the show was ‘worth it’.
Often without a voice for a couple of days after
each show, every person we spoke with made
the show worthwhile. What they liked about
the magazine; what they didn’t like; and what
they wanted to see in future issues was very
valuable feedback in helping create a product
people really wanted. What’s more, it could
be almost guaranteed that every one of those
people – if not already a subscriber – wandered
into the local newsagent in the month following
the show to pick-up the next issue.
The value of hearing straight from your target
market about what they like – or don’t like –
about your product is immeasurable.
Is your business getting its true money’s worth
from every boat show?
CREATIVITY CATCHES
CONSUMERS
There are far more ways to catch consumers’
eyes at boat shows than having a massive
display. Being the biggest, doesn’t necessarily
mean being the best.
Remembering the best form of promotion is the
one thing you can’t pay for (word-of-mouth),
put yourself in consumers’ shoes and think
about what is going to impress them more…
A massive stand with every product in your
range on display? Or an interactive display that
encourages show visitors to become involved?
It’s pretty obvious which option will get people
telling their mates to “check out the cool XXX
on Company X’s stand!”
The more creative you are in coming up with
something show visitors will want to tell their
friends about, the greater the impact you’ll
have on them in the longer term.
Obviously, freebies are great. Everyone wants
something for nothing at boat shows, so if
your budget extends to printing thousands of
stickers or key rings, go right ahead. But if your
competitors are doing the same, are you really
making much of an impact on anyone?
Yes, promotional girls are awesome. I love them
all. They certainly open the eyes of show-weary
exhibitors after a big night out: “Have you seen
the Company X girl today? She’s HOT!”
From a consumer’s perspective, however, their
value is increasingly questionable. Many boat
show visitors can’t for the life of them remember
which company logo a scantily-clad promotional
girl had printed across her chest just a few
minutes after they’ve walked past her.
Without giving away any of the ideas we
generate and offer our clients before each
boat show season rolls around, it’s important
to think outside the square in developing your
attention-grabbing initiatives.
While there are very few ideas that are
truly original these days, adapting proven
approaches often delivers the desired results.
ANOTHER
BOAT SHOW
SEASON?
– make it one to remember
Advice on maximising your boat show presence…
THINGS TO DO
1 Set clear objectives and goals. How many customers do you want to see? How many
leads do you expect to generate? If selling product at the show, what revenue do you
expect to turnover?
2 Crunch the numbers. Shows vary over time. Look at visitor numbers from previous
shows. Is it growing or contracting? How is the visitor profile changing? What are the
peak days for attendance?
3 Read the exhibitor manual. These often have forms for your business’ inclusion in the show
magazine, website and visitor product guide.
4 Plan well ahead. Many annual shows have websites and newsletters that review last
year’s show and talk-up the next. Keep the PR flowing.
5 Emphasise what’s new. Regular visitors may pass you by at a boat show unless they
have a genuine reason to visit.
6 Inject some life. Live demonstrations, special guests, competitions – some creative
showmanship often generates a bit more buzz.
7 Rotate staff. A salesperson who has been three days on his/her feet at the show and
three nights propping up the bar is not the best person to greet potential customers on
day four. Rotating staff allows your business to present a fresh and lively face each day.
8 Gather leads and follow-up promptly. Ensure everyone has notepads and pens, knows to
collect business cards as well as take detailed notes of what potential customers want.
THINGS NOT TO DO
1 Don’t exhibit for the wrong reasons. Exhibitors often say they must be at this or that
show: “Because the industry expects us to be there!”; “Because our competitors are
there!”; “Because people will say we’re going broke if we’re not there!” Given there
are many other channels for cost-effective communication and promotion, none of
these statements are valid reasons to exhibit if you’re not prepared to make the most
of being there.
2 Don’t be too competitive. Many large companies compete to see who can create the most
impressive stand. Stand size is less important than position, content and staff motivation.
How much you spend is less important than how cost-effectively you use the budget.
3 Don’t forget to follow-up. The real work starts when the boat show is over.
4 Don’t go on holiday straight after the show. (See point 3!)
A dozen boat show DOs and DON’Ts
Exploit all no-cost or low-cost opportunities to promote
what your business will be exhibiting, doing and offering
at the show…
Remember, though – if it works this year it’s
unlikely to work next year, so you’ll have to
come up with something fresh every year!
In that light, keeping such creative boat show
ideas relatively low in cost is an important
ingredient to their success.
PRE- AND POST-SHOW
PUBLICITY
The promotional opportunities surrounding
each boat show begin well before – and
continue well after – the dates the show is
scheduled to take place.
Businesses that have planned their boat show
presence well in advance will be able to take
advantage of the myriad opportunities offered
by various media outlets (both print and online)
in their individual ‘boat show previews’.
Then there are the official boat show programs
which are handed out to people as they walk into
the exhibition centre, the newspaper articles,
and, not forgetting, the valuable opportunities
offered by the show organising bodies.
Read the exhibitor manuals provided when
booking your floor/marina space to find out
what opportunities are available and don’t
hesitate in meeting every request for material.
Exploit all no-cost or low-cost opportunities to
promote what your business will be exhibiting,
doing and offering at the show.
During most major boat shows there are also
daily newsletters, which are distributed each
morning, highlighting the previous day’s events.
If you have something interesting happening on
your stand – a new product, a celebrity visiting
for a couple of hours or anything else newsworthy
– get in contact with the relevant people and tell
them why they can’t afford to miss it!
There’s usually a radio station or two and/or
breakfast television programs broadcasting for
a period throughout many boat shows. Find
out where they are and whether there’s an
opportunity you could have five minutes to chat
about what your business is exhibiting at the
show. There’s no shame in claiming your 15
minutes of fame!
In the week’s following each boat show, when
organising bodies are busy pulling together all
relevant data on visitation and sales, there are
many opportunities for comment in official boat
show media releases and magazine/website
articles covering the event.
No matter how busy you may be following-up
all the leads you gained at the show, if you’re
offered to the opportunity to comment in an
official media release or boat show round-up
article – take it!
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business

10. Established in 2007, SANDMAN is a fresh and
talented company – comprising journalists,
editors, publicists, photographers, designers
and producers who have worked for ACP,
Fairfax, Networks Nine and Ten, and other
respected media outlets.
Enjoying a niche in the leisure and lifestyle
industries, SANDMAN has quickly earned
a reputation for its balance of youthful
enthusiasm and success. This was officially
recognised in the 2008 Australian Small
Business Champion Awards, where the
company won Best New Business.
Known for its integrity, professionalism and
proven ability to cater for a range of clients,
SANDMAN has become one of Australia’s most
‘in demand’ public relations consultancies.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
At its core, public relations is about
communication. Encompassing a wide range
of activities, it is the most effective way to
deliver a specific message to the people most
likely to respond.
SANDMAN’s unique, adaptable and proven
approach maximises positive media exposure
and ensures powerful key audience impact for
its clients, which range from local businesses
to global brands.
MEDIA RELATIONS
20,000+ media contacts – solid relationships
– timely communication
MEDIA RELEASES
quality material – effective distribution
systems – 24/7 global access
PROMOTIONS / COMPETITIONS
product placement – media giveaways
– innovative concepts
EVENT MANAGEMENT
media conferences – product launches
– corporate functions
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
information dissemination – quality control
– rapport building
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
consumer research – program development
and implementation
MEDIA MANAGEMENT
All forms of communication and promotion
– from corporate identities to advertising
campaigns – directly influence audience
perception of an organisation, brand
or product.
SANDMAN works closely with its clients to
understand their specific requirements and
tailors services accordingly to provide results-
driven media management across all media
– print, broadcast and online.
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
identity development – newsletters
– annual reports – websites
COPYWRITING / EDITING
clear and concise – intelligent – direct
– powerful impact
MEDIA PLACEMENT
advertising schedules – call-to-action
campaigns – placement advice
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
customer loyalty – brand equity
– targeted communication
MEDIA MONITORING
accurate – comprehensive – timely delivery
– fully accountable
RESEARCH
global resources – knowledge audits
– demographic mapping
CREATIVE DESIGN
Creative design plays a major role in
everything from corporate identity through to a
virtually endless range of promotional material
across print, broadcast and online media.
SANDMAN’s perfect blend of creative talent
and editorial expertise ensures corporate
messages are conveyed in ways that directly
link organisations with their key audiences.
ADVERTISING
engaging concepts – intelligent wording
– photography – creative design
CORPORATE IDENTITY
value proposition – original concepts
– capability statements – logo concepts
and design
VIDEO / DVD PRODUCTION
script writing – jingles – voiceovers – TVCs
and DVDs – YouTube
BROCHURES / NEWSLETTERS
concept development – editorial coordination
– imaging and design
INTERNAL COMMUNICATION
information dissemination – quality control
– rapport building
PHOTOGRAPHY
high-resolution digital photography – image
manipulation – online delivery – art direction
DIGITAL SERVICES
A digital presence is essential for all
businesses. From websites to video and
social media to QR codes to SEO, there is
an infinite number of tools, platforms and
options all claiming to be the next revolution
in online marketing.
SANDMAN provides its clients with the
right advice and the right platforms for their
specific requirements.
WEB DESIGN
creative – intuitive – informative – functional
– user-friendly / easy-to-navigate
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
self-managed content – instant web updates
– easy-to-use – what-you-see-is-what-you-
get (WYSIWYG)
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION
improved search engine ranking – optimised
content – keyword analysis – Google friendly
SOCIAL MEDIA
strategic plan – clarity of purpose
– functionality over fad
– targeted application
E MARKETING
strategic campaigns – targeted message
– analysis of results – custom templates
ANALYSIS AND TRACKING
Google analytics – email campaign reporting
– facebook insights – heat map analysis
ABOUT SANDMAN
Sandman Public Relations is Australia’s premier marine PR/media specialist…
sandmanpr.com.au
SANDPAPER – advice to shape your business