Marketing Archives - Page 30 of 67 - McLellan Marketing Group

5 marketing musts during a recession (with tactics included!)

October 15, 2008

I understand the lure of just hunkering down and waiting out the economic lull. And I know you’re probably tired of hearing this….but if you are smart — this is a huge opportunity for you to capture market share and solidify your position in the marketplace.

Please do not sit this one out. And I’m not even going to tell you not to cut prices or cut your budget, because we’ve beat that horse to death!

110% consistency: The buyers are already jumpy. Don’t give them any reason to mistrust or doubt you. Live and breathe your brand integrity. Don’t do or say anything that contradicts your brand.

Tactics:

Review your brand values with each and every employee
Refresh your website to put your brand promise front and center
Ask your employees for ideas on how to bring your brand to life. Pay $50 for every idea used. Make that very public knowledge.

Love on your current customers: They’re the most likely to buy again and they are also most likely the audience you’ve ignored. Now is the time to appreciate them, remind them why they trusted you in the first place and over service them.

Tactics:

Do a customer only mailing, spotlighting some of your best offerings at their best prices
Hold a customer appreciation party and say "thank you" repeatedly
Offer a pre-payment discount (you get cash up front and their commitment to follow through)

Give it away: Demonstrate to the world that you believe in abundance by giving away some of your product or services to a worthy non-profit. But don’t do a drive by. Partner with them for the long haul and work your PR magic.

Tactics:

Give your employees a voice in which charity you partner with
Be smart – choose a charity that has an influential board of directors and make a point of being at those meetings to share your expertise
Trade your products or services for an event sponsorship so you get publicity for your efforts

Listen, respond, repeat: Now is not the time to be ignoring the marketplace. You need to be listening to your customers, your competitor’s customers and anyone else who is out there talking about your industry.

Tactics:

Do a customer survey (while you are at it, do a past customer survey)
Set up Google alerts
Jump into conversations about your industry and offer value

Use content marketing: You’re good at what you do. You want your prospects and customers to be successful. Why not position yourself as the expert by sharing your expertise?

Tactics:

Create an e-newsletter (don’t start it if you aren’t going to consistently create/deliver it)
Build a robust How To series for your website
Launch a business blog (again…don’t start it if you aren’t serious about keeping at it)

What do you think? Most of these tactics will not cost you an arm or even a leg. And I’ll let you in on a little secret — they’re pretty effective, even when we’re not facing snug times.

What can you add to the list? What’s working for you that you can share with the rest of us?

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Who is turning off your customers? (a marketing lesson from Maggie the mostly lab)

October 13, 2008

There's a new member of the McLellan family. Maggie the mostly lab puppy. When you get a new baby, you need to take her to the doctor, right?

Our old vet is great, but 20 minutes away. And the last time I was there, we had to put our 13 year old lab to sleep. So, I thought maybe it was time to try someone new.

I got a reference from a co-worker. Word of mouth — check. This was going to work out perfectly.

I walk in to the clinic and I am acknowledged by Michael. It wasn't really a greeting. More like a non verbal sigh. So Michael leads Maggie and me into one of the exam rooms and begins to run through the intake questions.

We were in the room together for about 10 minutes, with Maggie sitting on the exam table. Michael never stopped to pet her or even greet her. He didn't say she was cute or sweet or even how lucky she was to be rescued from a shelter. It was like she wasn't even there. And if you've been around an 8 week old puppy — they're a little tough to miss. I don't know anyone who can resist a puppy. But do I want the guy who can providing care for my dog?

Total turn off. I called the old vet from the exam room as soon as he left.

When we got to the old vet's and the front desk tech (who I did not recognize or know) squealed "look at the adorable puppy!" I knew I'd made the right call. I didn't just want a competent vet. I wanted a clinic where they'll love her. Or at least scratch her behind the ears a bit.

Do your employees squeal when they see a prospect walk in the door? Do they give them a good scratch?

Do you actually have any idea what happens when your customer or prospect walks in your front door? Or calls? Or e-mails? Do you have an employee who doesn't share your passion or vision? Do your employees know how you want your clients to be greeted or welcomed?

Do you know if they're turning off your customers?

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Age of Conversation 2008 promotion starting to trickle out

October 11, 2008

The official launch of Age of Conversation 2008 is mere weeks away and we have lots of exciting things planned to tell the world about the book, the authors and the charity that benefits from the book — Variety, the children’s charity.

For a sneak peek into the book’s origination, how the ’08 version is different from the original and what’s next, check out the podcast that Jay Ehret did with Gavin Heaton and myself. Jay’s (who blogs over at the Marketing Spot) goal is to interview all of 237 authors of this year’s edition.

Hat tip to Jay for taking on the project and be sure to watch for future podcasts over at the Age of Conversation site.

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What do you think of this TV spot?

October 4, 2008

Okay….so what do you think of this spot? Effective? Memorable? Buzz worthy?

Would it make you order the pasta?

If Dominos hired you to critique this spot, what would you say — pro and con? It’s always risky to create a "character" that might be more memorable than your product. Sometimes it works — like Wendy’s "where’s the beef?" spot from 1984. But sometimes, it bombs like the sock puppet from (can you fill in the blank before you watch the spot?) _______.

Will the dancing Pasta guy suffer the same fate?

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Your cobbler’s kids should have kick-a** shoes

September 25, 2008

The internet is a wonderful thing. It allows anyone with a connection to create a virtual storefront. It brings parity to the marketplace. The little guys can compete with the big guys. Excellent.

But what if the little guy (or the big guy for that matter) doesn’t have a clue?

The reality is that the internet has lowered the barriers for entry for just about every service business out there. But it also means that just because it looks like a business, doesn’t mean it’s so.

I think the old adage…the cobbler’s children have no shoes is a really dangerous excuse in today’s marketplace. And it’s a buyer beware world for all of us.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hire a financial planner who lives paycheck to paycheck. I don’t want to hire a marketing firm who hasn’t created buzz for their own agency. I don’t want to hire a personal trainer who is 40 pounds overweight and I don’t want to hire a business blog coach who has 137 subscribers to their own blog.

In today’s age of "insta-pop up" businesses where the assumption is if you have a website or blog, you must be legit — we have to be even more discerning than ever before.

If they have not done it for themselves, why in the world would you think they can do it for you?

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Taking your show on the road

September 23, 2008

Trade shows are an incredibly effective way to introduce your business to a wide array of potential new customers. When it comes to displays, I have some good news and some bad news. Want the good news first? Your competitors’ booths probably stink.

Ready for the bad news? Yours probably does too.

Let’s face it — most booths look and behave the same. Think of the "standards" of a booth. How many of those do you include with yours? Is there a way to freshen it up a little?

Here are some rules to think about when you or your agency is working on your display.

~ What’s the point? Identify the one fact/impression you want everyone to remember from your display. Not three main points or five. One. Once you have communicated that, stop.

~ Force them to stop. Do something so visually arresting that people cannot help but stop. This is not the time to be timid. Be bold. Grab them and (figuratively) drag them into your space. I’m not talking (unless it fits with your brand) something silly. I am talking relevant but WOW!

~ Think of it like a billboard. Be brief. This is not the place to reproduce your sales letter or brochure.

~ Less is more. Some companies’ trade show space is like a three-ring circus. People do not want to walk into chaos. Having one good, bold idea is much more effective than throwing the kitchen sink at the attendees.

~ Do it right. Yes, you are going to have to spend more money. But, it is an investment that will last for years. This is not the place to go cheap. It will be glaringly obvious and speak volumes about your business.

If you’re going to invest the money and time resources to have a presence at a trade show, make sure you maximize that investment by having a display that they’ll remember long after the show doors close.

We’ve all been to plenty of shows. Think back — what’s the most memorable booth you’ve ever seen and what about it sticks out in your mind?

Flickr photo courtesy of the Image Group.

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Should you answer back to their ad?

September 21, 2008

Last week, I wrote about not letting your competitors’ actions lure you off your path. (There were some really smart comments, so check them out.)

And then, lo and behold…an excellent example for us to discuss appeared. Everyone is familiar with the brilliant Apple campaign Mac versus PC. Just in case you’re not…here’s an example.

And now, Microsoft has come out with a TV spot that answers the Apple campaign. (Sorry for the quality, it’s the best I could find.)

Good idea or bad? Do they sound defensive? Look reactive? Do they do a good job of making their point? Do they change your perceptions? Would this influence your buying decision?

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Are you being lured off track?

September 14, 2008

Have you ever had the experience of driving along, paying attention to something off in the horizon and next thing you know, you’ve driven to that spot? And it wasn’t where you meant to go?

The same phenomenon can happen in your business.

My most recent post over at Small Business Branding talks about how you can keep your competition from luring you away from your own business plan/path.

it’s a dangerous and all too common problem. Much like my driving example — letting your competition lure you from doing what you need to do can cost you some serious time, money and other resources.

You don’t want to get caught up in the "me too" game of following your competition’s lead. Come on over and jump into the discussion.

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Going from commodity to being the only option

September 9, 2008

There are certain things that I think of as a complete commodity. I don’t care about the "brand." I don’t really care where I buy it.

Milk. Gas. And pizza.

I’m not talking about pizza that you go out to get (in that case…Ray’s in NYC is the must)…I’m talking the "bring it to our door, we have a house full of teenagers" pizza that I seem to be buying on a very regular basis.

Dominos, Pizza Hut, Godfather’s, Papa John’s — whatever. Basically the same. A complete commodity at the McLellan house.

But not any more. Now, I have a very strong preference. I would go out of my way to order from one over the other. You’re probably wondering what in the world a pizza place could do to go from commodity to only option.

A new crust? Some wild new ingredient combination? Free food?

No, no and no. Dominos knows that their pizza is pretty much like all the others. So to differentiate themselves, they didn’t focus on the pizza. They focused on my experience.

Most pizza places let you order online now. But Dominos has taken it to a whole new level. They have this new pizza tracker. I can literally watch as my pizza is prepped, baked and boxed for delivery.

Here, you can see (feed readers…click to see the visuals) that my order has been placed and Charles is beginning to prep my pizza. Right next to the the YOU GOT IT MADE line…it outlines who is doing what when.

Then, Charles puts the pizza in the oven.

I’m skipping a couple steps here…but after the pizza was boxed, Matt, their delivery expert, left the store with the food at 7:39 pm.

Now, you may be thinking…"wow…Drew needs to get a little more excitement in his life" and that may be true. But…every time the McLellan household (and many hungry teen-aged guests) need pizza — instead of poking around for a coupon or just randomly picking one — I now always call Dominos. That did not happen before the tracker.

Figure the average bill is around $50 when I am feeding a gang. Figure that it’s dinner at chez McLellan, on average, twice or three times a month. $150/month. That’s almost $2,000 a year.

Dominos figured out that their category (pizza delivery) had been so commoditized that they could compete on price (the "I don’t have a brand or anything that makes me different" choice) or they could somehow make themselves stand out from the crowd. They knew consumers wouldn’t buy/believe the "we taste better." So they thought about how they could alter the buying experience. How could they make that different for me?

Smart. Very smart.

So how about you? Are you in a business where what you sell (the pizza of your industry) is pretty much the same? Or…different but not in a way that the consumer could discern it?

Is there some other aspect of your service, delivery, packaging, pricing etc. that you could make notably different? If they won’t/don’t choose you because of your product — why else might they make you an "only option?"

Update: Looks like I am not the only one writing on this topic. Discovered Cale’s piece when I was doing the feedreader thing!

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Are you leaving money on the table?

September 1, 2008

Many years ago, I shifted our agency from the traditional agency billing model of hourly fees to a value-based fee model. It’s a huge departure from how 99% of all agencies charge for their time.

But I believed (and still do) that hourly based fees undermined the work we did and actually encouraged our clients not to call us.

Think about it. Let’s say we’re doing a project for you and the price is $5,000. Or…on the flip side, we are doing the same project, but it’s $200/hour.

If you have a question — under which pricing model are you more likely to call and discuss your question for 45 minutes? Or…which pricing model allows you to build your budget and have confidence that the project will not go over?

It also allows us to do better work. Clients don’t care how much time we invest in a project. Until we’re billing by the hour. Then, all of a sudden, it’s an issue. With value-based pricing, everyone wins. We get to spend the time we need to on a project and the client gets exactly what they needed at the price that they agreed to. Who can argue with that?

I’ve noticed that more and more service professionals are also beginning to shift to a value based model. It makes sense. Over at IowaBiz, Rush Nigut says that many attorneys are recognizing that unlike manual laborers…they are not really selling their time. They are selling their expertise and beginning to bill accordingly.

How about you? How are you pricing your products/services? Want a little help in figuring out how to get the fees you deserve?

RainToday.com, which I have raved about before, is offering a free 39-page report called "The One Piece of Advice You Need To Get The Fees You Deserve." Download it and absorb the wisdom!

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