Drew McLellan, Author at McLellan Marketing Group

Alltop names Marketing Minute an “all the top” resource

April 12, 2008

In mid-March, Guy Kawasaki launched Alltop, a news aggregation site that provides “all the top” stories for forty of the most popular topics on the Web.

The headlines and first paragraph of the five most recent stories from forty to eighty sources for each topic are displayed. Alltop stories are refreshed approximately every ten minutes.

A good metaphor is that Alltop is an "online magazine rack" that displays the news from the top publications and blogs. Their goal is to satisfy the information needs of the 99% of Internet users who will never use an RSS feed reader or create a custom page. Think of it as "aggregation without the aggravation.”

Drew’s Marketing Minute is considered one of the top resources in the social media category. You can find the entire list of topics on their home page. You’ll be amazed at the diversity — everything from dads to venture capital and just about everything in between.

It’s a slick tool and gives you access to many resources at a glance.

What comes after success?

April 11, 2008

Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid, contacted me a few months ago and offered me an advanced copy of his new book, Beyond Booked Solid to read and review. (Okay, technically it was his engaging and helpful boss Katherine who initially contacted me but eventually Michael jumped into the conversation as well!)

Normally, if I get an advanced copy — I try to review the book in advance. I figure that’s why the author asked. But after reading BBS for the first time, I decided to hold off until this week.

You see, BBS is not a "read it and set it aside" kind of book. It is a read it, then read it again with a notebook at your side and get to work sort of book. And I didn’t want to frustrate you by writing about the book before you could get it for yourself.

Well, our mutual wait is over, because as of earlier this week, the book is available.

In some ways, BBS is really more of an action book than a reading book. There’s plenty of good information, stories and case studies but the meat of the book is that Michael, chapter by chapter, helps you develop a vision for your business and then putting some meat on that bone in terms of how you are going to create the vision.

On the Beyond Booked Solid site, you can download a free workbook that lets you think along side Michael as he explores the many business models that would allow you to expand your business (from franchising to the better mousetrap) without killing yourself. In light of the recent New York Times article about bloggers working themselves literally to death, the book’s timing is perfect.

Seth Godin reminded us that small is the new big. Michael’s point runs parallel with that. You don’t have to grow a bigger business to be more successful. It’s certainly an option but it’s not the only option. His message — doing it the way everyone else has done it isn’t necessarily the way you should do it.

From the author himself:

"Set aside any preconceived notions of what it means to build a bigger, better business—the way you’ve seen it done, or think it should be done, may not actually be the best path for you. Inside is an opportunity to create a new and inspired way of working. You will find creative and profit-producing advice for eliminating the feeling of being overwhelmed, frustrated and isolated."

Want to make some changes? Frustrated that you can’t get to the next level? Tired of working 7 days a week? Buy the book, download the workbook and begin to explore what’s possible.

You have nothing to lose. Except for that weight on your shoulders.

Around the horn: 04/10/08

April 10, 2008

"Around the horn" is a baseball warm up drill that has the infield players simulating the path a ball would take during a double play. In my case, I’m using the term to share some of the best posts I’ve seen recently.

"You’re not all that." A great line from Andrew Clark’s post on 15.5 ways to be more creative over at Brand Chef. Check out his very helpful list of creativity triggers. I especially recommend #10 and #15.

Lewis Green offers up some insights on how to increase sales and marketing’s effectiveness in your organization. As you would expect if you are a regular reader of Lewis’ work — the post is very thought provoking and insightful.

Can seeing the Apple logo actually make you behave more creatively? Robyn McMaster explores this question, in relation to an article from the Journal of Consumer Research. Together, they conclude that even the briefest exposure to well-known brand logos can cause people to behave in ways that mirror those brands’ traits.

Want to squeeze even more out of your Google searches? John Jantsch over at Duct Tape Marketing offers up 10 of his favorite web site and SEO shortcuts. By adding what Google calls an operator followed by a colon you can get some pretty interesting research done very quickly, according to John.

Nuisance or Friend – it’s up to you

April 9, 2008

Every day, I get a call from someone saying, "Hi, I’m just calling you back to see if you want to do business with me." Okay, they don’t quite say it in those words, but that’s what they mean.

I’ve already spoken to them. I know what they do. And if I had needed it, I would have called them. They’re offering no new information. But, I got put on their calendar for a call back or follow up e-mail.

Now they’re just being a pest. I understand they’re just doing their job, trying to make a sale. Here’s the problem. We live in a "what’s in it for me" world and I am as jaded as any other consumer. When they call with "are you doing any printing that we could bid on" they aren’t thinking about me. They are thinking about their own sales goals and needs.

Imagine how I’d welcome their call if they opened with "one of my clients is looking for an agency. I’d like to introduce you to them," or "I saw an article on branding that I think you’d enjoy. Can I e-mail it to you?" Rather than me being frustrated that they keep calling, now I’d welcome their call because I know there’s something in it for me, along with their sales pitch.

We shouldn’t be cold calling. We should be relationship building. And when we care about the relationship, we aren’t in it just for ourselves. Don’t pick up the phone without first thinking about the person you’re calling.

Demonstrate that you know their business and care about it by giving before you get. There’s no quicker way to shift from nuisance to welcome caller.

So come on, let’s create a list together. I’ll add responses/suggestions to the end of this post. What can you offer to strengthen the relationship? Industry news? A new business lead? An article of interest?

Words just don’t cut it

April 8, 2008

I believe words are incredibly powerful. They can push past someone’s fear. They can inspire someone to act. They can humble the proudest of men. They can bring someone to their knees. They can also touch a heart and change it forever.

But for the past two days I have been trying to get them to do the impossible.

Describe Blogger Social weekend.

I simply cannot do it justice. Maybe that’s because the weekend wasn’t about words. It wasn’t cerebral or of the mind.

It was all about the soul.

It was hearing a laugh you’d imagined many times. It was about sipping sour only to discover that in the UK it’s called bitters.

It was scooting close to pose for yet another photo. It was cramming into cabs in search of an open diner at 3 am, simply because you weren’t ready to say good-bye.

It was watching two old friends hug for the first time. It was the sizzle of bacon as you share breakfast with buddies who are like brothers to you, even though they live half way across the world.

It was about goofy corsages, a shared cookie, and being friends 4ever.

It was about laughter. And tears.

It was about soaking each other in, knowing it would be a while before we’d be together again.

It was the discovery that everyone was just as you expected them to be. And reveling in how wonderful that is.

It was about everything that truly matters. And I simply don’t have the words to describe it.

Are you saying too much?

April 7, 2008

One of the constant discussions we have with clients is that usually they try to say too much. It’s human nature I suppose. We want to tell a prospect everything and anything. it’s almost a reaction of panic. "What if I can’t get their attention again?"

Well guess what. If your initial communication is so jammed with information and facts that they can’t make their way through it, you won’t get their attention again. And frankly, you don’t deserve it.

Remember, that all buying decisions are emotion-based decisions. People have to like and trust you before they can need you.

We create emotional connections with people, places, companies, products and brands. We do that, little by little, over time. Getting to know someone isn’t an instantaneous process. It takes some time and patience. We learn new information with each meeting. The information beings to build up and tell a story.

If you are trying to drive one-time sales, then sure…cut to the chase. But if you want to create loyal, repeat customers — you need to let them get to know your product/service by telling them a little at a time. Not sticking a fire hose in their mouth and hoping they can drink it all in at one sitting.

We can take a page from the current political landscape and learn a little. There was an interesting article from Minnesota’s public radio that explored how part of what is working for Obama may be the fact that he isn’t saying much.

What do you think? Take a minute and look at your sales fliers, website, or print ads. Are you saying too much?

In great company!

April 5, 2008

Marketing Profs Get to the Point newsletter recently named the four blogs you should be reading.

I’m humbled to tell you that Drew’s Marketing Minute is on that list with some truly brilliant blogs. They are all definitely on my personal Must Read list! Along with this blog, Marketing Profs recommended:

Seth Godin’s blog: The granddaddy of marketing bloggers, Seth’s posts are usually pithy and to the point. He always delivers food for thought with a twist. And as further proof of his stature, his last name is unnecessary — he’s achieved Cher-like status!

Church of the Customer: It was reading Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell’s book Citizen Marketers that opened up many eyes to the power and the potential of social media. They tell great stories and are always worth the read. They are also very accessible and engaged with their fellow marketers.

Marketing Profs Daily Fix*: In a spirit of full disclosure, I am one of the Fix’s bloggers. But that not withstanding, editor Ann Handley has assembled an amazing and wide-sweeping group of marketing experts who explore every topic under the sun. There are often more than one post per day and you will be hard pressed not to find something of value.

As I said….this is a lofty group to be a part of and I’m grateful for the mention among these remarkable resources.

Note: The Get to the Point newsletters are a fantastic way to let them do the filtering and finding of exceptional information and resources. You can sign up for newsletters focused on: Small Business, Marketing Inspiration, Customer Behavior or E-mail Marketing.

You can sign up for the free newsletters on the Profs site. They’re going to be adding some additional topics (B2B Marketing, Marketing Optimization and New Media) but you can sign up for them now.

Build your brand: Letting someone go

April 4, 2008

No one likes to let an employee go. Whether it is firing someone for cause or being forced to let a good employee go because of downsizing — it stinks. It’s a "keep you up all night worrying" sort of event. Because it is so awkward and difficult — most people do it badly. They rush it or talk for too long or just don’t manage the situation well.

Every single thing your organization does or doesn’t do impacts your brand. But, the more emotionally charged the moment/event — the greater potential it has to color the brand. The more "talkable" the moment — the great potential it has to color your brand.

So letting someone go is ripe for brand building or brand break down. If you think that your employees will not dissect every word, you’re crazy.

When is the time to plan (yes….plan) how you want an employee dismissal or layoff to go is when you don’t have one pending. Do a little creativity exercise. If you think about your brand’s attributes and promise — how, staying within that space, would the event happen?

If you were absolutely true to your brand:

When (day of the week, time of day) would you let someone go?
Where (does it have to happen in the office?)
What would you give the leaving employee? (Documents, phone numbers they’ll need, etc)
How will you end the conversation? (hug, high five, solemn look, handshake, nothing?)
What part of the conversation will the employee repeat?
How will you handle the news with the employees who are staying?

This just scratches the surface. My point to you is this: How you handle this situation WILL reflect on your brand. Far better to be purposeful about it, don’t you thin

Guy Kawasaki wrote a great post a couple years ago about how to handle a layoff. Well worth the read.

So let’s talk about this. Share a story of how you either managed this uncomfortable situation or what it felt like to be on the receiving end. I’ll bet we can find some branding wisdom among the stories.

Whose job is it?

April 2, 2008

There are few marketing tactics that work better than a referral. Instant credibility. The personal seal of approval. No wonder we all covet them. So, we sit back and wait. After all, our clients love us. Surely they are out there telling everyone they know how good we are. Right?

Wrong.

Let me ask you a couple questions.

1. Do you really expect your clients to remember the full range of services you offer?

2. Is it your client’s job to know how to describe your services to interest new clients?

Remember, it’s not that your clients don’t want to give you a referral, it’s just that it probably doesn’t even occur to them. And even if it does, they need a little help from you to do it well.

So you need to do your part. Ask them. Be sure to frame your question to help your client really hone in on the right kind of prospect. This means you need to do your homework. You need to be able to describe what kind of business is the best fit for you.

Think of the clients that you have the strongest, most mutually beneficial relationship with. What do they have in common? Size? Type of work? Location? Category of business?

You get the idea. It makes sense that other businesses with those same traits would be a natural fit. Create a client profile that really captures your ideal client. Then, see if your clients can help you find a few more.

Once you’ve got your client profile ready, share it with your clients. I’m betting many of them will have someone they’d like to introduce you to.

So, which client are you going to take to lunch this week?

3 ways to make sure your advertising fails

March 31, 2008

No one likes to think about and surely no one likes to actually accomplish it — failure.

And yet day in and day out some business owners and marketing directors make some common mistakes that almost guarantee it.

Let’s look at three easy to avoid errors when it comes to traditional advertising.

Trying to reach more people than your budget will allow: For a media mix to be effective, each element in the mix must be substantial enough to establish retention. Too often, people sacrifice repetition for the sake of reach.

Assuming the business owner knows best: If anyone has a bias or a blind spot about a business – it’s the person who owns it. You’re on the inside looking out. You can’t possibly see yourselves as the consumers do. Find perspective. Talk to customers. Do some research. Ask an outside consultant.

Late week schedules: Everyone buys ads that run on Thursdays and Fridays. Which means you have to share the space/time. Imagine having 1/3 the competition for your audience’s attention. Sound good? Then, consider buying early in the week.

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