Marketing Archives - Page 28 of 67 - McLellan Marketing Group

Are you making the recession worse?

February 2, 2009

Let me first acknowledge that I know the recession is real. I know people are losing their jobs, homes and life savings. I get that.

But the truth is….we’re making it worse. We’re letting fear make it worse.

Just like the kid who works himself up into a frenzy because he imagines what might be under his bed — we're allowing fear and all the hype freeze us with fear.

That paralysis is the biggest threat your business has ever faced.

Look around you. Ask other business owners. They will sheepishly admit that business is good. Some, under the promise of anonymity, will confess that it’s great. For the vast majority of businesses, especially B-to-B and the service sectors – things are fine.

And yet, they behave as though they’re down to their last dime.

I was talking to a friend of mine who owns a small business last week. He admitted they’re having a fantastic start to the year and everything looks good moving forward.

He went on to tell me that he needs a new company car. He has the money to pay cash for it. Car prices have never been lower. But he’s holding off.

Just in case.

Simpson College here in Iowa has a brilliant outreach program, thanks to the Associate Director of the department. She’s like a Pied Piper, getting to know theatre kids when they’re younger and encouraging them to visit campus, attend their very profitable summer program, etc.

Simpson just announced that despite great enrollment numbers and the construction of a new theatre space (capital campaign) – they’re eliminating the position.

Just in case enrollment goes down.

People, we have to stop this. A stimulus package alone isn’t going to cut it. Do you think any of those stimulus dollars are coming your way? Check the list – you’re not on it!

Small business owners are the backbone of this country and we will determine how long we’re in this recession. I’m not asking you to spend with reckless abandon. But I am suggesting that we don’t get our business advice from the local or national news.

This is exactly the time you should be investing in your employees and current customers.
This is exactly the time you should be investing in marketing outreach and not blindly lowering your prices
This is exactly the time you should be taking advantage of incredible pricing on those capital improvements and high ticket items that will serve your business for years

Look around. See how your business is actually doing. And behave accordingly. We can be paralyzed with fear of what might be coming, or we can behave ourselves out of this recession.

But…it is up to us.

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How do your customers describe you?

January 29, 2009

As promised, I want to spend the next couple Thursdays talking about word of mouth marketing. We all want our customers to tell their friends and colleagues about us but do we have any idea what they might be saying?

Here's a ten minute assignment for you.

Go to your favorite free online survey tool, like Survey Monkey. Create a new poll and ask these three questions:

Do you ever talk about McLellan Marketing Group (obviously, fill in your own company name!)
If so, what do you tell people about us?
If you had to describe McLellan Marketing Group in a single word, what word would you choose?

Now, send an e-mail to all your clients, past clients, vendors, etc. Explain that you're trying to understand how you're perceived in the marketplace and because you value the relationship you have with them, you're counting on them to be candid on a very quick, 3 question survey.

The power of this is two-fold. One, you're going to get some eye-opening insights. But second, you are making the people you survey feel important and valued. And in a subtle way, suggesting that you might be talk-worthy.

Send out the survey and prepare to be surprised. Most of the time, people do not spout off your features and benefits. They talk about what sticks with them, what feels different, something that surprised them.

What do you think they'll say?

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How do you tell if your social media consultant is the real deal?

January 9, 2009

Image via Wikipedia

Awhile I ago I suggested that it might not be a brilliant plan to hire a consultant or agency to help you with your social media strategy if they can't document that they've done more than learn the buzz words.

Would you want to be a surgeon's first patient? On a pilot's first flight? So why should you be someone's social media guinea pig?

But if you're new to social media, how do you determine who's blowing smoke up your skirt and who's the real deal? Beth Harte put together a remarkable checklist of what you should be looking for and you're going to want to read her whole list.

But here are some basics, in my own words:

Does not believe that every company should (or can) blog. Nor do they believe that the blog is the be all and end all.
Constantly reminds you (if you need reminding) that social media is a tool, a medium. Marketing basics like understanding your brand and having something of value to share/say still apply.
Have a proven, successful social media strategy for themselves/their agency. If they can't or haven't done it for themselves, why in the world would you think they can do it for you?
Helps you weave your social media strategies into the rest of your marketing plan. Social media should be a part of the whole, not a whole new thing.
Doesn't promise that social media efforts are so incredible they're going to protect you from the recession, a mediocre product or male pattern baldness.

Bottom line….you want an agency or consultant who is bullish on social media but doesn't believe it's the holy grail. They can integrate these tools with the rest of your marketing efforts and you know they can do it for you….because they did it/are doing it for themselves.

I just scraped the surface. Check out Beth's post for the drill down.

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Is this the year of the customer?

January 8, 2009

I've long lamented the fact that companies find the idea of marketing/talking to their current customers as less sexy or valuable than the chase for new business. The reality is, most companies spend backwards.

They invest the most money on strangers they hope will become customers
They spend a little money on current customers — taking their business for granted
They spend little to no money on their employees, who either deliver the brand promise and delight the customer…or not so much.

Looks silly, when you see it spelled out that way, doesn't it? I believe the recession, the employee shortage (which has been temporarily delayed because of all the layoffs) and the new consciousness in terms of fiscal responsibility may finally make this the year when organizations begin to recognize the value in investing in their current customers and employees.

Around the internet….I have been initiating some conversations around this topic.

What will be different in '09? Over at Small Business Branding, I offer up the idea of surveying clients you lost in the course of '08. It's a tough love sort of assignment, but it can really open your eyes in terms of what needs to be different in '09.

How long will it take? At Marketing Profs Daily Fix, I worry that business owners are going to be so anxious about their spending that they're going to expect results that just aren't achievable or they're going to expect the results instantaneously, rather than giving their marketing time to grow roots. The comments section really digs into the talk to your current customers aspect so don't miss that part.

Dance with the one who brought you. One of the comments by James Hipkin in the "how long will it take" post inspired me to dig deeper into the idea and value of focusing more of your marketing efforts on your current customer.

So go check out those conversations and then come on back and let's talk about how we can communicate more often and more effectively with our current clients.

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Grow or die?

January 4, 2009

January is the goal-setting month. But, the truth is, most companies don't do it very well.

They look at their numbers (gross sales, # of employees, profit margins, etc) and with a mix of industry knowledge and wild assed guess – they project a percentage increase.

We will increase our gross billings by 7% and our profits (through additional efficiencies) by 10%.

And then they scramble to figure out how to get that done.

Sound familiar?

How are we defining growth?

We've all heard the phrase "grow or die." But maybe grow doesn't mean grow bigger. Maybe it means grow better. Move from good to great. Refine and define your brand. And then figure out how you are actually going to live and honor it.

Jay Ehret wrote a very smart post about this topic at his excellent blog, The Marketing Spot. Please make time to read it.

So if you're still with me – answer these questions.

How do you grow better in 2009?

Define (if you haven't) or revisit (if you already have defined) your brand. How are you actually bringing it to life?

How are you going to invest in your employees this year? How will you get the brand from your brain to their hearts?

How can you involve your customers in your pursuit of better?

What do you think? Could this be the year you get better? If so…how did you answer some of the questions above?

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100 best kept marketing secrets – free ebook

January 3, 2009

Small Business Trends has put together 100 of the best kept marketing secrets, dished out by 100 marketing experts (they could only find 99 experts, so my tip is on page 12)

Anita Campbell, the publisher of Small Business Trends, made these observations about the secrets revealed in the book:

Throughout the submitted tips, I noticed three themes over and over:

Simple and inexpensive tools are more popular than complex or pricey approaches. “Duh!” you might be thinking. “Isn’t it obvious that entrepreneurs and small businesses, being on tight budgets, would favor low-cost approaches?”

Well, yes and no. What was surprising is just how many of the tips cost literally nothing but your time. A large proportion of others, such as those that focused on using business cards or blogging, can be done for hundreds, not thousands, of dollars. So don’t be tempted to throw up your hands and say “I can’t afford marketing.” You can.

Authenticity, friendliness and relationships matter. When you count your customers in the single or double digits, as opposed to the thousands or hundreds of thousands, relationships tend to matter much more deeply. The importance of smiling and being friendly was brought up again and again. Doing something nice for others and being yourself were common themes.

Most small businesses are NOT about mass marketing campaigns. Instead, we rely on attracting and retaining a relatively small number of customers to be successful. A solo consultant or small Web design firm may have as few as five or six regular customers. For small businesses, investing in relationship building goes a long way.

Creative online marketing plays a key role. We drew tips from those who are active online, so on the one hand you might think that the results would naturally be skewed toward online marketing. And to a degree I suppose that’s true. But I was surprised by the sophistication of the online marketing—especially on limited budgets.

Some of the online approaches are very detailed and go far beyond the plain-vanilla “create a nice Web site” type of advice. A number of the small-business marketing techniques represented in this document get into advanced online marketing, including social media marketing.

While you're certainly read some of the tips and think…well, duh…there's plenty of good thinking among the 100 tips. If you get just a handful of new ideas, it's well worth your time.

Download the e-book for free right here.

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Holiday gifts for you (free stuff!)

December 22, 2008

I've got a few wrapped packages with your name on them! Use them well. Steal from them. And of course, share them liberally.

After all, it is the season of giving!

Drew's free stuff page:

Come download ebooks, tools and more. (click here)

Joan Stewart's The Best of the Publicity Hound's PR Tips of the Week.

Joan pulled the best of the best and put them into an e-book. She's inviting everyone to not only download but "re-gift." (click here)

Chris Brogan's free ebook on personal branding

Chris is always quick to share his insights and knowledge. This is a short (15 pages) but smart read. (click here)

Seth Godin's Flipping the Funnel ebook

Seth gets viral marketing like nobody's business. Check out his ebook on how he sees web 2.0 tools meshing with his Purple Cow theories. (click here)

John Jantsch's Social Media for Small Businesses ebook

John's always got something practical and valuable to say. Check out his free ebook. (click here)

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10 words to avoid in 2009

December 22, 2008

Good friend to the Marketing Minute, Susan Gunelius (author of Harry Potter, the story of a global business phenomenon) has a great article on Entrepreneuer's website. In the article, Susan reminds us that the normally jaded and wary consumer is even more so after the economic struggles of 2008.

I think her list will surprise you. It includes works that traditionally have been touted as buying trigger words. It also includes some copywriting 101 tips that have been passed down for ages. Let's see what you think.

Here are 5 of Susan's 10 words to avoid in your 2009 marketing efforts. These are the ones that intrigued me the most and I wondered what you thought.

Free

Ads that include messages about a free product or service promotions can work well during an economic downturn, but consumers need to see the products perform well. E-mail spam filters are tough on messages that include "free" in the subject line. While it might be tempting to use a subject line that says, "Open now to get your free widget," that's an e-mail spam filter red flag that will send your message to most recipients' spam boxes. When the economy is tough, you can't risk having your e-mails not make it to the intended recipients. Replace "free" with "complimentary" or "gratis" to sneak by spam filters without compromising the effectiveness of your message.

Guarantee

Few people believe in guarantees these days. Unless you can prove your guarantee is real, use the valuable real estate space in your ad for a more effective message that consumers are likely to believe and act on.

Really

If you want to waste space in your ads, include "really" in your copy. This word does nothing to help your messages. Instead, it slows consumers down, and they are not likely to wait around for the complete message. Don't risk losing them by loading your copy with useless filler words. Make sure every word in your copy is there for a reason.

Very

Does a message sound more compelling with "very" in it? Is "When you need very fresh flowers, call ABC Florist," more effective than "When you need fresh flowers, call ABC Florist"? If you answered, yes, reread the last paragraph.

Opportunity

You're not helping anyone when you offer "opportunities" in your copy. Consumers don't want opportunities. They want to feel confident handing over their hard-earned money. They want to know they'll get the results they want and need, not the opportunity to perhaps get those results. Don't let them wonder what they'll get when they pull out their wallets. Tell them.

To see the other five words and read Susan's thoughts on them, check out the article. But before you go…what do you think? Is free now a tainted word? Should we stop offering guarantees?

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Social media faux pas or social media smart — you decide

December 18, 2008

There's the brewing of a lively discussion going on at one of the other blogs I write for, IowaBiz. It's a situation worthy of your thoughts so I thought I would bring the conversation over here.

Here are the facts:

Hubbell Realty is a very established and respected builder/developer in Iowa. They have just opened a new condo complex in one of the more affluent suburbs. The condo's design, size and amenities make it a perfect fit for young professionals.

And so a perfect fit for social media.

Hubbell's advertising agency has invented what they are calling a spokesperson. (She is actually one of the agency's ad reps who lives in Philadelphia). This spokesperson has a Facebook account (she went to school at Depaw University, spends time at Johnny's Hall of Fame (a local hang out), celebrated her birthday in November and loves watching The Office.) She has a blog (so far, she only writes about how much she loves her new home) and she's done some videos. (Feed readers and e-mail subscribers, click on the post's headline to view.)

Here's the question:

As you see on the video, no one is told that Hailey is a fictitious character, played by a woman in Philly. On her Facebook page, there is a note that says "Hailey Brownstone is part of a Hubbell Homes promotional campaign." But other than that notation — I can't find any disclaimer or explanation that tells us that Hailey isn't real.

She's received date requests and has 130 Facebook friends.

The company and some of the supporters of the campaign at IowaBiz argue that since her name is Hailey Brownstone we should all get the joke. The place is called GreenWay Crossing. And they have brownstones and villas.

I did a WhitePages.com search and there are plenty of Brownstones out there. I'm thinking most of them are real people.

So what do you think? Smart social media campaign? Social media faux pas?

UPDATE: The comments are so plentiful — we had to go to two pages. After Cat's comment…click on the NEXT to keep reading!

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Does being good make you invisible?

December 11, 2008

I hope you’re not good. Good is fine. Acceptable. Meets my expectations. Good is boring. In fact, for most of us — it’s invisible.

When was the last time you told a friend about an experience you had that was good? A meal that was good. Customer service that was adequate. Nothing wrong…but nothing special either?

You didn’t — right? Something extraordinary (good or bad) needs to happen to get you to tell someone about it.

We don’t notice, let alone talk about the ordinary. The expected. The good enough. We don’t get excited unless something extraordinary happens. That’s how we live our lives as consumers.

But when we put on our marketing hat, we’re astonished that the marketplace doesn’t applaud our efforts every day. Truth be told…many organizations are satisfied with just delivering satisfactory.

You don’t have to create a circus in your consultation room or have minstrels wandering through your store. You don’t have to serve gourmet snacks outside the dressing room. But you do have to find a way to infuse something remarkable into your product or service.

Now here’s the tricky part – it also has to be genuine. Consumers are not only jaded but they’re smart. Rightfully so – they hate being manipulated and they can spot insincerity a mile away. So a manufactured moment feels forced and insulting. The trick to creating the extraordinary is that it needs to come from the heart. The heart of the organization. Your brand.

It’s not as hard as you might think to take the leap to extraordinary. Take stock. Scrutinize every time you interact with a client and let your imagination off its leash. How could you change that moment and go beyond good to reach for spectacular? What would feel special and genuine from both your customers and your employees’ point of view?

What could you do that’s worth talking about?

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