Passion Archives - Page 24 of 25 - McLellan Marketing Group

All I want for Christmas…

October 30, 2006

…is another popcorn tin?

Less than 60 days to the culmination of the holiday gift giving season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. (Or any combination!)

Most businesses try to acknowledge their best clients over the holidays. A smart plan. But it often loses a great deal in the execution. What do you give your clients? Popcorn tin? Fruitcake (eww) or fruit basket?

I know, how about a paperweight or nut assortment?

All fine ideas. (insert yawn here).

Sorry — but could you be any more like everyone else? Why bother? Do you have any idea how many of those items stack up at the average business? What does your gift say about you and your organization? Here’s what I think those gifts say:

We didn’t want to put a lot of thought into this.

We wanted to do something easy.

All of our clients are getting the same thing, so you’re really not that special after all.

We’re generic — nothing special about our gift, nothing special about us.

I know, that’s a little harsh. But come on…admit it. When you receive your 4th popcorn tin of the season, are you all giddy inside? Can you even remember who gave you what?

I have searched the blogosphere to find others having this conversation and guess what. Most of them say "Be generic. Give the same stuff everyone else does, it’s safe."

Sure is. And it is completely forgettable too. Why waste your money?

You have two choices, in my opinion. If you have a handful of clients, then buy them something that shows you understand what matters to them. If they love theatre, tickets to a show. Into their kids — a game night package, complete with popcorn. Demonstrate that they matter to you by knowing who they are.

If you have a larger number of clients to remember, think about your company’s brand. What are you all about? What’s your brand promise? What gift seems to be fitting with that? What feels like you? What gift, when they look at the booty for the season, will stand out and be unmistakably from you and only you?

So…what will you be wrapping up for clients this holiday season?

More

Do you sound stupid?

October 28, 2006

Okay, right off the bat I need to admit I am annoyed. So if there’s a sharpness to the tone, you know why. It’s not you. But out of my annoyance comes a great marketing tip.

I have decided I need (not want) a smart phone. I’m tired of not having my calendar and contact lists with me at all times. I’m content to pay for the upgrade, knowing it will make me more productive.

I am an ideal customer. I am ready to buy. I have money to spend.

So…with that mindset, I enter the Verizon store. Before I can buy, I need some help. You see, like the rest of the world will someday be…I am a Mac guy. (more on this later) I ask them which smart phone is most compatible with Macs. Here’s what tech support guy and sales woman both say.

"Oh, you can’t use a Mac with them. It’s Windows technology."

I say…."are you sure? Seems to me that with all the Macs out there, someone would have figured that out."

"Yeah, well, when they were designing the phones, Mac didn’t have a computer so they didn’t take that into account."

What?

To which the other adds, "actually, with Mac declining, Verizon is really not going to be worrying about that platform."

What?

Here’s the marketing tip. If you are ignorant, for the Love of Pete, admit it. Clearly both of these professionals are under educated about their product. And technology in general. Which is a shame. But, if you find yourself in that same boat, just admit you don’t know. Consumers are much more forgiving of ignorance than they are of stupidity. Be authentic. Just say you don’t know.

The other downside of sounding stupid as opposed to admitting ignorance is that you are not inclined to go find out. Admitting you don’t know is often the first step in finding the answer. Aral Balkan actually proposed an "I don’t know day" which is an interesting concept.

By the way, for the rest of your forward thinking technology users, here’s the information from ZDNet on which smart phone works best with the Mac.

More

How is your blacksmith shop different?

October 21, 2006

I want to share one of my favorite analogies with you because it’s impossible not to get it. And it’s a branding basic.

In the good old days, if your horse needed a new shoe and I owned the blacksmith shop, you came to me. Not because I put a coupon in the local paper or because I was your sister’s husband. But because I was the only option. One town. One blacksmith.

Ah, if only it was that easy today, my friends. But now, on every street, in every town, no matter what you do…you have competitors. Lots of them.

Let’s go back to my example and fast forward to today. If you needed a shoe for your horse, you’d have lots of choices. All in the same town. Some on the very same street. So how do you decide?

As the shopkeeper, I have two choices, in terms of trying to get you to choose my shop. I can either differentiate myself (translation — brand) so that you can tell how doing business with me would be a unique experience or I can be the cheapest. That’s it. I have to give you a reason to choose my shop. I have to clearly (and repeatedly) tell you why we’re a great match. Especially if I am not the cheapest.

Having a good product or offering good customer service is not a brand. You have to have/create a personality. You have to create a bevy of loyalists who are going to not only choose you but they’re going to sing your praises to everyone they know. That’s the power of branding. You can create a fan club. In her blog Flooring the Consumer, C.B. Whittemore talks about creating a customer experience that allows you to romance your customers until they fall in love.

So…are you the cheapest or is your blacksmith shop different? Can you describe that difference?

More

How will you join in on Make a Difference Day?

October 17, 2006

Image via Wikipedia

USA Weekend magazine declared that October 28th is Make a Difference Day. Cool idea. Sure…every day should be (and can be) make a difference day, but there’s something powerful about the idea of an entire nation working together on that goal, all in one fell swoop.

So on a personal level, I challenge you. How are you going to make a difference on that day? But wait, I’m not done. On a business level — how could your team/organization make a difference? There’s great team building and a sense of greater good that comes from working together to help someone else.

At McLellan Marketing Group, we’ve adopted families during the holidays, bought items for a womens shelter, volunteered for a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish and many other community building activities.

I’m sure the recipients of our good works benefited from them, but really we were the ones who got the most out of it. We felt good, did good and had fun doing it. Best of all, our team was strengthened by the common experience.

How are you going to make a difference?

More

Hey politicians….we are not listening!

October 14, 2006

Ah, fall. The crackle of the fallen leaves, the sounds of football fans cheering in the stadium, the crisp air and the unmistakable squawking of politicians trying to get elected.

Blech.

Here in Iowa, we are in the middle of a heated political battle for Governor. In one corner, we have Jim Nussle. His website tells us how horrific his opponent is and we can see him shown with the Iowa Pork Queen. (Could we not all do 20 minutes on that alone?) In the other corner, we have Chet Culver. Chet’s site and ads tell us of the evil that is Jim Nussle.

Enough already!

Imagine for a minute that every Pepsi ad simply told you how awful Coke was, and visa versa. How stupid can politicians be? And a better question, how stupid are we for allowing it?

Marketing 101 — define yourself. Tell your audience why they need/want you. Demonstrate how you are going to add value. Earn the audience’s trust. Be credible, consistent and authentic.

Have you seen one political candidate this election season that has understood or embraced the principles of Marketing 101? I sure haven’t. And you want to know the saddest part of it all. I’m not sure, if there was a candidate ethical and brave enough to do it — that he/she’d get elected.

Over at the Brilliant at Breakfast blog, the point is well made. We say we hate this sort of election antics and yet, we keep responding.

We’ve all seen horrible ads that seem to keep running over and over for products or services that appear to be less than desireable. Why do they keep running? Because they are working and someone is making a lot of money. I guess the politicians aren’t such dumb marketers after all. How sad for us all.

More

Tag, you’re it!

October 11, 2006

Taglines, when done correctly, can give your brand quite a boost. Like the space shuttle, which needs a high energy set of booster rockets to break through the earth’s gravity before it can soar, your company’s efforts need a spark to get it moving forward.

Fair warning — making up a tagline just to have a cool tagline is not branding. Your tagline is not a brand. We can talk more about that tomorrow. But…when done right…

A good tagline can capture and transmit your brand promise. The discipline of identifying a few key words that communicate the full weight and force of your brand message is one of the cornerstones to creating a successful brand. Think of it as a rallying cry. It’s what you shout in the team huddle before going into the big game. It’s a comforting whisper in your client’s ear. It is the enticement that lures prospects to learn more about you.

If you do it well, your tagline can energize your team and give them focus. It reminds them every day of the promise you are making in the marketplace. A good tagline is not a pithy witticism or platitude. It needs to stand up to these critical questions:

~ Does it provide a clear, recognizable and sustainable differentiation from your competition? If you can swap out your name/logo and put theirs in, you have trouble.

~ Does it respond in an authentic way to a pressing need that your clients and potential clients struggle with?

~ Does it provide you (internally) with guidance for management decision-making, hiring, training and resource allocation?

If you can say yes to all 3 questions, you probably have a pretty strong tagline. Let’s test the theory — sell me your tagline. Convince me its a good one.

More

Better to not do it at all

October 8, 2006

Consistency.

It is one of the cornerstones to a good marketing and branding foundation. Ann Michael at Manage to Change has a fantastic post on this topic. Her point (and warning) is such an excellent one. If you aren’t going to deliver on it consistently — don’t start. It’s, as my daughter used to say, mean teasing.

Ann’s focus is on your customers and she’s right on the money. But it holds just as true for employees. How you treat your team speaks volumes to your customers, vendors and potential employees. Don’t think its not being watched and judged. So again — don’t do what you aren’t willing to keep doing.

At my agency, McLellan Marketing Group, I have always worked with the notion that I want to ruin my employees so they can’t possibly imagine working any place else. I hire remarkably smart, creative people. So I know my competitors are always looking to steal them. I want to create a work environment that demonstrates I’m as committed to them as I need them to be to our clients. Here are some of the things we do to keep everyone motivated and happy.

~ Weekly concierge service from our good friends at Legs on Lease (someone to run their errands)
~ Professional masseuse doing chair massages
~ We close the office at noon on Fridays
~ An annual education allowance
~ Free soda (when you have to be creative on demand…caffeine is important!)
~ We just took a 3 day trip to Mpls as a team and people could bring spouses etc.

We take the same "let’s spoil them to death" attitude with our clients. Come to a meeting at our place — you’ll get freshly baked cookies. Every time. Is that a reason for them to choose us? Of course not. But do you think they notice if they can’t smell the cookies when they come in? You bet they do.

How can you spoil your employees and clients? What’s something that is uniquely branded you but also, to Ann’s point, something you are going to commit to doing for the long haul?

To stand out in the crowded marketplace you need to do both. Be audaciously true to your brand AND be consistent. So what could you do?

More

Who is your posse?

October 5, 2006

Like many of you, I own my own business. I have employees, clients, vendors, peers. Love them all. But there are times when I still feel a bit like the lighthouse operator — out there all alone, trying to shine my light in the right places.

That’s why I have a posse. They keep my passion at full tilt, they keep me sane, they offer me comfort, support or a kick in the pants — depending on what I need. Each owns a marketing agency like I do…so they know the road I travel. Each is brilliant and each one has helped me build and grow my business.

Twice a year, we physically gather (the picture is us in Jackson Hole, WY a couple weeks ago) to spend two days sharing best practices, learning and laughing together. In between our gatherings, we connect through a list serv, the phone and shared projects. We’ve been together for 6+ years now. They’re not just my business advisors and sounding board — they’re my friends. They all own marketing agencies throughout the country. You’ll find them in San Diego (Market Design Group), San Francisco (Gumas Advertising), Denver (AOR), Philly (Altus and 2010 Design), New Hampshire (Bedford Granite) and Washington DC (Fixation). And of course, there’s us in Des Moines, IA. If you need an agency in one of these geographical areas, you will find none better.

But here’s my real point. I’ve got mine, do you?

Who do you surround yourself with? Who pushes you to be better? Who can you share everything (including financials) with and know you’re safe?

If you don’t have a posse, you need to find one. If you want to create one from scratch, I highly recommend the book Meet & Grow Rich by Joe Vitale and Bill Hibbler. It’s about creating what they call MasterMind groups. Posse…MasterMind. Potato…Potato. I don’t care what you call it. I just care that you think about getting one.

More

Blogtipping. Friend or foe?

October 2, 2006

I fully admit I am still a neophyte in the blogosphere. I aspire to be a seasoned vet and no doubt will get there one day. But I’m still learning.

I spotted an interesting trend over the past few days that has been given the moniker of blogtipping. The premise is a simple one. On the first of every month, bloggers introduce their community to 2-3 new blogs. With each introduction is a shout out for a few things that make the blog good and the author then offers one tip on how the blog could be even better.

Easton Ellsworth gets the nod for starting this new custom. Ann Michael, Mike Sansone, Phil Gerbyshak and Liz Strauss took blogtipping to a hilarious turn by creating a 4-part ode to the notion. Cute…you bet. But does it make marketing sense?

Traditional views in marketing is that the world is a competitive place. Does it make sense to tell your “customers” about something they might like better than what you have to sell? Shouldn’t you do everything in your power to keep them enamored with you and their eyes off any potential competitor?

Nope. Have you ever tried to hold a puppy who didn’t want to be held? They squirm, wiggle and whimper until you let go. Customers are the same way. No one wants to feel bound against their will. You will earn their loyalty and respect (and repeat business) by demonstrating that you know them well enough to point them in the direction of other products, services and in this case, blogs that they will benefit from discovering.

The benefits to you? Clients love referrals. If you introduce them to something/one they love, they’ll love you even more! The other benefit? If you scratch my back, I might scratch yours. It’s human nature to learn more about someone who makes a referral to you. If you’re a good fit for their audience, those you have tipped will probably return the favor.

Is there a downside? I don’t think so. I highly doubt that anyone unsubscribes from a blog which has successfully blogtipped them to another great blog. After all, you’ve just demonstrated that you know your customer well enough to know what else they’ll enjoy.

So blogtipping is a great marketing strategy! And I will be joining the fray of tippers come November 1st! Hats off to Easton and everyone else who embraces the blogosphere by recognizing that believing in abundance is a much smarter strategy than clinging to the poor puppies!

More

Want to be the Supreme Bean?

September 27, 2006

A couple posts from the always insightful Phil Gerbyshak and the beautiful and passionate Kammie Kobyleski (sorry Phil, you just don’t quite make it to beautiful!) have me thinking about how critical it is to bring our passion and positive attitude to work every day. How you celebrate doing that says a great deal about your organization’s culture…and your brand.

At McLellan Marketing Group, we embrace our sense of teamwork with a bit of proverbial tongue in cheek. Everyone is assigned a different kind of bean. Because of my habitual kidney stones, yes…you guessed it, I got kidney beans. There are lima, coffee, pinto and a variety of others.

We also printed up index sized cards that say "You’ve been beaned" and have some room to write a note. The premise is simple. When one of your teammates goes out of their way to be helpful or supportive — you bean them. You write a little note, thanking them for what they did and leave the note and one of your beans on their desk.

At the end of every month, we tally the beans. Whoever received the most beans is declared the "Supreme Bean" and heralded by everyone. They also receive a $10 gift card.

Over the years, many of the employees have created quite a collection of beans that they proudly display on their desks in a variety of creative containers.

Easy. Cheap. Fun. And a great way to declare our absolute intent to be passionate about the work we do, our clients and perhaps most of all, each other. Do you suppose when we add a team member and explain the whole bean thing, they get a sense that team focused is one of our core values?

More