Drew McLellan, Author at McLellan Marketing Group

Tell your story

February 20, 2007

You might remember a post in mid-December talking about how McLellan Marketing Group and some MMG friends (see here for the complete list) were banding together to adopt a charity for an entire year. We’re promising over $75,000 worth of services and goods.

Let me bring you up to date.

We received over 50 applications
It took a couple weeks to wade through them all
It was incredibly difficult to choose. Without exception — each charity is doing amazing work and changing their corner of the world.

So in the end, how did we choose the 2007 recipient of the Charity of Choice grant? All the applicants gave us the information we asked for. They provided financials, letters of reference, board lists, possible conflicts. But the winner did something beyond that.

They told us stories. They allowed us to "meet" the kids that they served. They brought the facts and figures to life. We could envision how this charity changed lives. And how we could be a part of that.

There’s a lesson in their wisdom for all of us. Don’t get so bogged down in the facts that you forget to tell the story. That’s where the sale will be made.

We’ll be using YESS and our work together as a living marketing lab here on Drew’s Marketing Minute so stay tuned. And don’t be surprised if I ask for your opinion now and then. I’d be stupid not to take advantage of your brains!

Read more about the selection Download yess1.pdf

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Everyone’s a twitter about Twitter

February 19, 2007

Twitter, by their own FAQ definition is "a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives."

After watching it for a week or so, I decided to give it a try, as you can see in the right hand column of this blog. Like it or not, you will now be able to peek into the deep and dark recesses of my mind. Best tie a rope around your waist so you can pull yourself out when you’ve had enough!

What value does it bring? Why does it matter? Why would I add it to my world?

I can’t tell you yet, because I don’t know. There is something incredibly interesting to me about sharing both the mundane and the monumental moments that, in a flash, are gone.

When I did a Google blog search, I discovered that lots of people have already been talking about twitter. So I thought I’d give you a snippet of their perspectives.

David Armano (Logic + Emotion) wonders if Twitter will be polluted by product placement.
Kathy Sierra (Creating Passionate Users) who makes the argument that our brains just can’t take much more.
Robert Scoble (Scobleizer) is all about maxing his Twitter contact list.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can also go here, here or here.

From a personal perspective — it’s almost like having a secret friend you can whisper to. Of course, you need to remember that your secret friend is a blabbermouth and anyone can listen in.

From a marketing perspective — what do you think it says? I wonder if it is more evidence of how, in this uber connected world, many people feel even less connected and less heard. Or perhaps it means our blended obsession with technology and instant gratification has taken on a whole new level.

What do you think it means?

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:60 ticks marketing tip: Left is perfectly right

February 18, 2007

Grab it fast…it’s gone in about a minute. A :60 ticks marketing tip is 150 words or less…so read it in a minute and implement it in the next!

There is a myth that goes like this…print ads located on the left hand page or in the back of a magazine or newspaper will get substantially lower readership.

Like most myths, there’s not much truth to it. A recent study shows that there is less than a 2.1% difference in average reader interest for left versus right pages. As for front versus back of the book, the difference is only 3.2%.

Not surprising, the #1 factor in influencing readership is creativity. How interesting and useful is the ad? In the end, it’s about what you have to say and how you say it.

So, next time you are placing an ad, worry less about where you put it and more about what you put into it.

That’s it…go put it into action!

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The secret is out — blogging conference in Chicago!

February 18, 2007

We’re having a Successful-Blog conference in Chicago and you are cordially invited.

This conference has been designed especially for relationship bloggers. The way this came together is quite unusual. Some might even call it remarkable Four separate groups of people, independent of each other, had the idea of having a Chicago event that drew from the community of Successful-Blog. We got the four groups together and made it happen!

Interactive presentations on publishing, design and branding, tools, analytics, social networking, marketing, and coaching — all from the perspectives of the relationship blogger and the audience.

You can register for the conference here. And better hurry — we’ve only got 250 slots!

Speakers include:

Phil Gerbyshak, Make It Great!

Liz Strauss, Successful Blog

David Armano, Logic + Emotion

Terry Starbucker, Ramblings from a Glass Half-Full

Rodney Rumford, Podblaze

BenYoskovitz, Instigator Blog

Drew McLellan, Drew’s Marketing Minute

Chris Cree, Success CREEations

Scott Rafer, MyBlogLog

Janice Myint, Technorati

Wendy Piersall, emomsathome

The conference will kick off with Christine Kane’s special brand of music.

Come join in the conversation! I can’t wait to meet you!

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Is everyone singing the same song?

February 18, 2007

This week, randomly stop 5 of your employees and ask them to describe your company’s brand promise in a single sentence.

If your own choir isn’t singing out of the same songbook, how do you expect your customers or prospects to understand why you should matter to them?

Flickr photo courtesy of MoToMo

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Psst, it’s a secret!

February 18, 2007

It’s going to be worth the wait…12 hours before I can tell! Check back for details.

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Maybe I’m doing it wrong

February 17, 2007

Let me stitch 3 disparate thoughts together to lay the foundation for this post.

One of the most important marketing lessons we work to teach clients is – it’s about them (customers/prospects) not you. Rightly so – our community/audiences are asking “what’s in it for me?” every day.
My feed reader is bulging and it was time to prune.
I believe that blogging is about giving. Value, information, insight, support, a sense of community. If you do that regularly, the money will follow.

As I was pruning my feed reader, I found myself asking – what have I gotten out of this blog? How have I been engaged in conversation? What have I learned? What have I been invited to share?

The blogs who got deleted from my feed reader were the ones who seems much less interested in helping me and much more interested in putting their hand into my pocket to sell me their new book, new e-course or new whatever.

Maybe I am doing it wrong.

I don’t post ad nauseam about my book. I figure you can see the graphic and you’re bright enough to know if you click on it, you can buy it.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

I don’t blather on about e-courses, speaking fees, seminars, or blatantly ask you to hire me. I believe if my content is worthy and I fit a need that you have – you will seek me out for those opportunities.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

Whenever I reference my company, my family or some other aspect of my world – I do my darnedest to relate it to yours in a meaningful way. On rare occasion, it isn’t about business — it’s about life. I’m okay with that. But, I never just lob up a sales pitch.

Maybe I’m doing wrong.

The question I ask myself before I hit save on any post is a simple one. Have I provided value? If the answer is no, or you sure have – value to you, big guy – then it doesn’t belong on my blog.

Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

If I am…so be it.

Especially in a medium that I think is all about community, connections, relationships, sharing, listening and reaching out – I want to provide an easy answer when any reader asks “what’s in it for me?”

I can’t think of anything more embarrassing (for me) than to be deleted because I was too busy selling to be of real value.

How about you? Are you doing it wrong? Are your marketing materials all about you? Be careful – it’s all to easy in these days to be pruned.

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A clean slate…and a deadline

February 17, 2007

As I looked out the kitchen window this morning, I was struck by how the wind had drifted over the new snow. How it was a fresh start…pristine. And I wondered what it would look like at the end of the day.

Sometimes, I have that same reaction to a blank piece of paper (or computer screen). It needs to come to life. But what will it be?

You’re on deadline. It could be a postcard for a trade show appearance, a new e-mail blast, a personal note to a friend on an important day, the annual report…it doesn’t matter what…the dilemma is the same.

The blank slate is before you. The deadline is barreling towards you. How do you move from a wind-wisped canvas to your latest masterpiece?

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A marketing tip from my Italian grandma: Treat them like family

February 16, 2007

No doubt you look at my last name and say Italian? But rest assured, on my mom’s side I’m your amico! Like all Italians, I had an Italian grandma. And like all Italian grandmas, she had an opinion about everything and wasn’t afraid to share it or the life lessons she had collected along her colorful life.

What she didn’t realize is that she also taught me some great marketing tips that in her honor, I’d like to share with you.

When you walk into an Italian house — you are family. Like it or not, you’re going to get a hug at the very least and probably a kiss or two. You feel as though they’ve been waiting for you. Welcomed and loved.

(In fact, in this picture the only two grumpy people are my parents. It must have been at the tail end of my grandma’s visit! The rest — friends are glad to be in the midst of Italian-spiced family love.)

The same idea should be applied to our businesses. I’ve mentioned before that if you don’t genuinely love (or can’t find some aspect of them to love) a client, you owe it to them to fire them.

CK mentioned in a recent post that consumers don’t always need/want spectacular. Sometimes they just want to be a part of normal. I don’t think CK was implying that normal means — like a customer. I think people want something a little more than that from us. They want to matter. Like family. They want to be noticed and valued. Again, like family.

Do you honestly believe that your customers feel embraced when they walk in your store? Or you answer your phone? Or they get an e-mail from you?

Do you welcome them with open arms, even when their arms are filled with problems or rush orders? Do they always walk away feeling appreciated? Do they know that they can count on you?

Remember, that being a part of the family doesn’t just mean hugs and kisses. It also means getting the inside dirt, being asked to pitch in, knowing some family secrets, and being given special privileges.

Are you offering those "family" benefits to your best customers?

If not…you need to give them a little Italian family love. Try this on them: "Benvenuto alla mia famiglia!"

Here’s the entire Marketing Tips from My Italian Grandma series, for your enjoyment:

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How to choose an agency: Do your homework (part 2)

February 16, 2007

You’re hiring an agency because you want results.

This is not about making your ads look prettier. This is about doing more business, smarter.

So, how do you choose the right partner? Eenie Meanie Mienie Moe?

Well, if you read my earlier post you know I don’t think it should be an RFP. But on the other extreme, it shouldn’t be just because your cousin works there either.

Following a simple process (simple to understand, but will take discipline and time to execute) will protect you from making an expensive mistake.

The phases of the process are:

Know what you want (ask yourself questions)
Do your homework (ask the prospective agencies questions)
The meet and greet (get together and ask questions)

Now that you have a better idea of what you want and have figured out who to approach, it’s time to think about what to ask. This is where most potential clients just spit out a generic RFP that won’t really tell them what they need to know. Let’s not do that, eh?

Instead, let’s look at two different lists here. What not to ask for and what to ask.

Don’t ask for:

Spec creative — why would you want creative based on no input, knowledge or insight?
A marketing plan — again, same concept. No agency can give you good counsel based on some facts typed into a document.
A media recommendation — see above.
Samples of marketing or media plans. Those are confidential. If you don’t follow my advice and do ask — beware of any agency that sends one. Next time, it might be yours!

Okay, so here’s what you should ask about:

Stats. Size, composition of staff, areas of expertise, etc.
Any possible conflicts with your business/industry
Process — how they approach a challenge or how they move from idea generation to execution sorts of processes.
Case studies — with client contact info for references.
Personality questions — have some fun. Explore. If you choose them, you are going to be spending a lot of time together. Are they a good fit?

Get the information you need and give them a chance to let their personality show through, but don’t ask them to jump through a million hoops. Not yet. Demonstrating that you’re respectful of their time will go a long way. Remember, the smart agencies are sizing you up as well. They’re trying to see how you’d fit together and what kind of client you’ll be.

Once you complete your questionnaire (don’t call it an RFP — some agencies will just toss it.) send it to the list of agencies you identified. Give them a reasonable (3+ weeks deadline) and enjoy reading the replies.

Next up — what to do when you’ve narrowed it down to 2-3 agencies.

The rest of the How to Choose An Agency Series:

Flickr photo courtesy of PeeJ0e

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