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Too Little Too Late?

December 6, 2006

As Barenaked Ladies sing…"or is it too little, too late?"

I’ve been thinking about the tradition of giving clients a holiday gift. Probably because we’re putting on the finishing touches on ours…and the gifts to us are beginning to arrive.

In late October, we talked about how to choose a gift that isn’t the same old, same old. But here’s what I am wondering today:

Does the fact that most everyone does a holiday gift diminish the impact of the "thank you?" Before you give me the PC answer — think about it. Would you notice and register a gift that is given to you on a day when everyone gives you a gift as much as a gift that is given just out of the blue, on an ordinary day?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t thank clients. Or thank them now. I’m just wondering if there is significance to the timing of the gift and the fact that during the holiday season, we’re just one of many.

And…and here’s perhaps the most significant aspect of my musing…we probably don’t do a good job of saying thank you any other time of the year. So does that make the holiday thank you seem more obligatory and less genuine and spontaneous?

I’d love to hear what you think.

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Your big deal is no big deal

December 6, 2006

An ad come on the radio the other day and I was struck by how often they emphasized that they offered a free consultation. Yes, absolutely free. No strings attached. Yours for the asking. You know what I thought to myself? Duh.

Who doesn’t offer that? We can call it a free initial consultation, obligation free quote or a no risk trial but it all boils down to the same thing. And since everyone does it, it seems silly and self-serving to make such a big deal about it.

If that’s the only thing you have to offer or spotlight, you need to go back to the drawing board. That’s not an offer that is significant enough to make someone raise their hand and say they want to buy. That’s just the price of admission.

Pull out your brochures, web copy, radio scripts or whatever communication tools you use to sell. Circle any of these phrases that you find:

* Free consultation
* Free initial visit
* No risk trial
* Obligation free quote/meeting
* Money back guarantee
* Convenient hours
* Guaranteed 100% satisfaction

Are these important elements of your offering? Sure. Should they be bolded, highlighted and put in the center? No. They are givens. It’s the bare minimum of what people expect. Does including some of this language reassure your audience? Maybe but if they need that reassurance, you’ve still got a lot of work ahead of you.

If you can’t find it within yourself to stop including this language, be sure it’s in the background, not front and center. In the meantime, start to figure out all the reasons why someone should be tripping over themselves to get to you, not all the ways they can weasel out if they’re unhappy.

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2006: A marketing perspective

December 5, 2006

On November 28th, I wrote about a project that David Armano posed at his Logic + Emotion blog.

In short, he asked what was the most significant "something" of 2006, from a marketing perspective. I encouraged you to drop by and share your thoughts. Whether you did or not, try to make time to check out the post and comments now. Lots of insightful comments there and well worth the read.

As he promised he would, David culled through the many perspectives and selected some to create a visual in slide show or PDF formats. This is something you’re going to not only want to see, but to share. Go grab it today and start a conversation. I’m honored that David used some of my thoughts on pages 5 & 7.

After you have a chance to read through it…here’s what I am wondering. Obviously, since he asked the question on his blog, all the answers are from people who either blog or follow them. These are, I think its safe to assume, people who are pretty up on the new media exploding in our world. How do you think the answers would have differed if he had asked the question in a more traditional venue?

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Have some branding with your breakfast?

December 4, 2006

John Jantsch over at Duct Tape Marketing posted about one of my favorite marketing tactics — sampling. Many service delivery businesses think that they can’t sample because they don’t sell a "thing" that people can try. But they’re wrong. With some creative thinking, every business can (and should) sample.

At MMG, we walk that talk. On the first Wednesday of every month, we host the Branding Breakfast. Come by our office at 7:30 am this Wednesday and we’ll give you a hot breakfast, caffeine-charged coffee and some great branding conversation.

All for free.

Why? First and foremost — because we truly believe that branding is every business’s best defense against becoming a commodity and having to complete on price alone. But our second reason — we know that as smart marketing people attend our breakfasts, they’ll begin to see the power and value of working with us. That is the beauty of sampling.

To learn more about this week’s Branding Breakfast, get a map to our place or RSVP, check us out here.

We’d love to have your voice in the conversation!

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Tag, I’m it!

December 3, 2006

So there’s this silly little game flying through the blogosphere. I first caught wind of it at Phil’s blog and followed as he tagged Liz…who got me. Since it’s the weekend, I’m game to divert a little of our attention away from marketing and branding.

The rules are simple. Share five things about yourself that most people wouldn’t know and tag 5 other bloggers to do the same. Here goes!

I’ve crossed the threshold of Walt Disney World at least once a year since it opened in 1971.

I could be President of Venezuela —> (I was born down there while my parents did an overseas stint for work. )

I hung out with the movie star Ashley Judd for a weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

I really dislike feet. Don’t like to look at them or touch them. Have no idea why. But, if I ever were the President of Venezuela – I would outlaw sandals.

You can find me in the TV special (now on DVD) of a very famous country music duo.

Hey — Starbucker, Doug, Roberta, Sandy, Tom…come play if you’d like!

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Ease into the week– What brand intersects with your holidays?

December 3, 2006

I don’t know about you but Sunday nights are time for me to catch up. On my reading, on my work, on my relationships — all with an eye on Monday morning and knowing that the 180 mph pace is about to resume.

Sundays also seem to be my day for deep thoughts. I thought it might be fun to ease into the week together with a question that is sort of about branding and marketing but also has a personal element to it as well. A chance to get to know each other AND talk shop. Perfect for a Sunday night.

One element that incredible brands and the holidays have in common is deeply-held emotions. Power brands are the ones that consumers hold in their heads AND hearts. The holidays are the same. Our heads get wrapped around the party planning, gift wrapping and all the other details. But our hearts cherish the magical memories that trigger our emotional core.

So here’s this week’s question:

What brand (or specific product or service) plays a key role in your holiday memories and emotions? How did it earn such a noteworthy place in your family’s traditions, memories or story telling?

Mine? Silly but somehow significant. Lifesavers Story Books. You know, the little cardboard box filled with 10 rolls of lifesavers? They probably cost a couple bucks, but our holiday would not be the same without them. My mom started the tradition when my little sister and I were just kids. Every year, Santa would bring us each one.

Today, some 40+ years later, Santa still brings every member of the family their own book. We joke about it "oh…what a surprise, a lifesaver book!" But I know I would be awfully disappointed if there wasn’t one under the tree with my name on it.

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Knock down the barriers (Marketing Lessons from Walt)

December 2, 2006

This is the last in my eight-day series – Marketing Lessons from Walt. As my family and I enjoy Walt Disney World , I’m going to capture some of the marketing genius that I believe began with Walt’s passion and has now grown into one of the world’s most powerful brands.

On the road to every sale there are barriers. It might be price, or timing or who knows what. A smart marketer removes as many of the barriers as they can anticipate. Disney is a master at this. Throughout their theme parks, there are shops. Lots and lots of shops. You can buy anything from t-shirts to works of art and just about everything in between. Hauling those packages around with you all day is a pain. And could deter many a purchase. But never fear…Disney has lots of options.

You can have the packages delivered right to your Disney resort
You can have the packages shipped home
You can have your packages sent to the front of the park and pick up your treasures on the way out
You can rent a locker and put your packages there
You can take one of the business cards, jot down the item number and call later to order it

What barriers keep your customers from buying? What have you done to remove them? Do your customers know?

Marketing Lessons from Walt – The Series:

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Dance with the one that brought you (Marketing Lessons from Walt)

December 1, 2006

This is the seventh in my eight-day series – Marketing Lessons from Walt. As my family and I enjoy Walt Disney World , I’m going to capture some of the marketing genius that I believe began with Walt’s passion and has now grown into one of the world’s most powerful brands.

Most organizations expend 95% of their marketing efforts chasing after potential business. Once a client is in the door, it’s onto the next. Chalk up the win and go after the next big fish in the pond, right?

Not so fast my friend. It’s your current clients who keep your doors open. And are the most likely to give you new opportunities and sales. Disney understands while its great to get new faces into their theme parks, they need to reward those most loyal guests as well. One way they do this is by extending park hours to those guests who are staying in a Disney owned resort.

With a special wrist band, Disney resort guests can enjoy the most popular rides and attractions without long lines. There’s an air of exclusivity at being able to wave your wrist band and stay to play another few hours. It sure makes us glad we’re staying where we are.

How do you reward your current clients? How do you make them feel special and valued? Are you sure they know about the little extras you give them? Don’t be so sure. It may not be a wrist band…but be sure you find a way to reward your good clients and make sure they know they’re appreciated.

Marketing Lessons from Walt – The Series:

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Blogtipping — December ’06

December 1, 2006

I am joining with my fellow bloggers in celebrating some new blogs that I discovered this past month. As is the blogtipping tradition, (created by Easton Ellsworth) I’ll offer a few reasons why I like the blog and one suggestion for improvement.

The Ripple Effect: Maximum Ripple is Steve Harper’s reminder to us all that our lives are intertwined and we can create the professional and personal lives we hunger for.

Things I love:

Your questions and musings make me slow down and think. Thank you.

I respect and appreciate how much of yourself you share in your posts.

I think your weekly "features" are a great idea.

Suggestion:

Add some visuals to break up your copy.

Do You Q? is Mitch Matthews addictive blog of thought-provoking questions.

Things I love:

The randomness of the questions — sometimes silly, sometimes profound.

Reading your readers’ comments is almost as much fun as answering your questions.

Your visuals are right on the money for your questions.

Suggestion:

Post more often and find a way to link your readers to game sales (a contest maybe or helping a charity?)

Slow Leadership is an inspiring, resource rich study on leadership.

Things I love:

Incredible content. Very current and thought provoking.

The quick summary feature. At a glance, I can tell if the post is something I want to read.

There’s lots of meat in every post. I am not left wanting for more.

Suggestion:

Include a bio and tell us a little about who you are and what you’re all about. (If there is such info available on the site, I couldn’t find it. If it’s there — make it easier to find!)

There you have it discerning readers…until next month’s blogtipping adventure!

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Set Expectations (Marketing Lessons from Walt)

December 1, 2006

This is the sixth in my eight-day series – Marketing Lessons from Walt. As my family and I enjoy Walt Disney World, I’m going to capture some of the marketing genius that I believe began with Walt’s passion and has now grown into one of the world’s most powerful brands.

Human nature dictates that we are much more comfortable with the known. While surprises are nice if they’re fun-filled, no one likes a nasty surprise, like a rush charge or an extra long wait for a product or service delivery. The folks at Disney understand that human truth. So they set expectations for their guests.

At the front of every attraction there is a sign that tells you the current wait time. (Night photography is not my forte!) You make an informed decision — is Space Mountain worth a 90 minute wait? Is Big Thunder Mountain enough fun to stand in line for 45 minutes? Customers don’t mind boundaries or consequences if they know in advance what they are. I’ll bet it won’t surprise you to learn that if there’s a 20 minute wait posted at a Disney attraction, the real wait time is more like 10-15 minutes. Set expectations and when possible — exceed them.

Do you set your clients’ expectations? Billing, delivery times, levels of service, your availability, etc.? How do you do that? Conversation? A New Client handbook? A contract?

How you set them is a communications choice. But setting them is just smart business.

Marketing Lessons from Walt – The Series:

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