Strategy Archives - Page 12 of 53 - McLellan Marketing Group

Every goal should be a SMART goal

March 22, 2012

I’m sort of astonished at how loosey goosey most companies are about setting goals. it could be organizational goals, marketing goals or even specific campaign goals.

How can you know if something is working — if you haven’t defined success? Many people say they have goals but they are fuzzy goals at best.

A goal isn’t a goal if you can’t measure it. If you aren’t currently using SMART goals — you need to start. The acronym forces you to think through all the requirements to define a rock solid goal.

Here’s how you build SMART goals:

S – Specific (Fuzzy never makes for good goals)

M – Measurable (Real numbers, not impressions or guess work)

A – Attainable (Be realistic. You are not going to triple your sales in 3 months)

R – Relevant (If it does not support where the organization is headed — why are you taking yourself off course )

T – Time bound (A deadline is critical)

So let’s look at a couple statements and see if we’d call them goals.

Increase awareness and get more people to try our product. (Not a SMART goal)

Produce a 15% increase in trials for product A by December 2012. (SMART goal)

See the difference?

Social media strategy workbook

March 8, 2012

On Monday, we kicked around the notion that while access to social media tools like Facebook and Twitter may be free — that doesn’t mean they’re cheap. Especially, if you do it wrong.

I promised you a chance to download the social media strategy workbook that we’ve created at MMG as a guide to thinking through the why, who, how and whats of your social media strategy.

I’m a man of my word….so just fill out the little form below and we’ll get you your own copy (you have to confirm you want the workbook by clicking on the link you’ll be emailed).

After you’ve had a chance to look it over or better yet, begin to apply it to your organization — we’d love to hear from you on how it’s going.

Free isn’t necessarily cheap

March 5, 2012

I was having a brief conversation with @NealShaffer on Twitter yesterday and the gist of our conversation was:

Half of small & medium businesses are using social media for marketing (Neal)
Yes…but few are doing it well. They don’t apply marketing smarts (Drew)
True, but huge potential to maximize social business (Neal)
No doubt. But when done wrong, potential for damage is equally large (Drew)
I agree completely (Neal)

See — that’s the problem with free. Business owners (or many so called social media experts) look at the price of entry for having a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest or (fill in the blank for whatever’s hot in SM) and they think….”you can’t beat free! Even if I suck at it, it didn’t cost me anything.”

Wrong. So wrong.

Would you buy a TV commercial that had misspellings? Or instruct the announcer to swear or say something off color? Or better yet…would you buy radio time and then not put anything there…so you basically bought :60 of silence?

Would you promise that your newsletter would be packed with useful information and then blather on about yourself, your sales and your products when you get around to sending it?

I’m sure you’re saying (or at least in my head) “No, Drew of course not.” So why in the world do you (universal you, not you you) do it on your social media sites?

We see unprofessional behavior on FB pages all the time. And abandoned blogs, Twitter accounts etc. And the biggest sin of all — being boring because you can’t stop talking about yourself.

Here’s the thing. People have gotten a little numb to selfish, self-centered marketing in the traditional marketing space. It’s not right, but it’s been going on for so long — we accept it as the norm.

But social media is different. Social media promises real people. It promises relevance. It promises a relationship. It promises timely interaction.

And if you violate any or all of those promises, here’s what happens:

The good feelings I had for your brand/company are gone
I feel like you lied to me/tricked me
I will simply choose to disconnect from you
I won’t be interacting with you anymore…which means my feelings for you have no chance at turning more favorable

Keeping those promises takes a lot of time. And keeping your eye on the big picture. It’s easy to get sucked back into old habits and begin marketing instead of connecting. If you really want your social media efforts to work, you have to make a big investment. No, it may not be money (unless you hire some help) but it’s a time crunch.

Maybe this analogy will help. When you do social media badly — you are basically enticing someone to come close to you with the promise of a gooey, fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookie and when they walk in and reach out their hand for the cookie — you smack them with a ruler, over and over until they leave.

The cost is huge. The damage is real. And too many businesses are stumbling over themselves as they rush to a “free” marketing opportunity.

So what does a small business do, Drew? you ask. (again, perhaps it all takes place in my head). You put together a social media strategy that is built on SMART goals and best customer personas.

How do you do that? Come back on Thursday and download the absolutely free 18 page e-book that walks you through how to build that strategy, step by step.

It’s a tool we use at MMG with clients every day. And we’re glad to share it with you. Really.

And….there’s not a sales pitch or MMG promo in sight. I promise. Would I offer you a cookie and then smack you with a ruler?

Marketing tip #83: Less but better

February 29, 2012

I just wrapped up a 4-part webinar that focused on creating a marketing plan that you’ll actually use. The final element we covered was marketing tactics.

Now that I know why I am doing this (goals), who I am talking to (best customers), what to say to them (key messaging), how much I can afford to spend (lifetime value of a customer) and the stories I can tell to generate interest, word of mouth and attraction — WHAT am I going to do?

Most people are looking for some secret answer. The one marketing tactic that they hadn’t heard about or the trick to doing something in a way that no one else has heard of. That’s actually not the secret.

The secret is — before you add more marketing tactics, take the time to examine what you’re already doing and ask yourself — could we do this better?

You’re far better off to do fewer things but do them better. Less but better is greater than more. Seriously – repeat after me. Less but better is greater than more.

Look at the marketing tactics you’re already deploying. Could you do it:

Better?
More often?
More consistently?
More fun/funny/memorable?
More professional look/feel?
Shift from being about us to being about them?
More storytelling and less telling?
Give up some control and let your audience drive the conversation?

Before you add a thing — add some quality, value and depth to what you’re already doing. That may be exactly what needed to be added.

No small business has the resources (time or money) to be everywhere. So be significant and memorable in the few places you choose to be. Less but better really is greater than more.

Let’s talk business, social and joy!

February 25, 2012

I’m fortunate that I am invited to guest blog in some of the most prominent and cool spots on the web.

Every once in awhile, those opportunities converge and it’s raining Drew‘s thinking everywhere you turn.

Come join in these conversations around the web:

Marketing Profs Daily Fix: In this post, I suggest that many business owners would be smart to think differently about how size matters. By staying focused on your organization’s sweet spot — you can actually get smaller while your profits, reputation and opportunities get bigger.

Come read what I had to say and join in the conversation by clicking here.

Marketing Executive’s Networking Group’s Blend: In the social media space, we sure seem fascinated with toy talk. Pinterest is our latest obsession. But we often lose sight of the most important social media tool of all. Do you have it?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Click here to read/share.

IowaBiz: Some companies just exude a cultural joy that makes you want to do business with them. And guess what — that doesn’t come from some company manual or marketing plan. It comes from letting the employees share their genuine joy.

Come see a very real example of this sort of joy and tell us where else you’ve see it by clicking here.

I’d love it if you wanted to jump into any or all of these conversations!

What is the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement?

February 20, 2012

This seems to be a question that torments organizations of all kinds and size.

What is the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement?

Here’s how we explain it to clients:

Your mission is what you do best every single day, and your vision is what the future will be like because you deliver on that mission so brilliantly every day.

Each one should be no more than 10 words apiece. No long paragraphs, no lengthy missives. Not 3 things or 5 things.

10 words for each.

Can you do it?

Put your email auto response to work

February 11, 2012

With the volume of emails we all get every day, we can’t afford to let our emails go unattended. We don’t want the people who email us to think we’re ignoring them, so if we’re going to be out of the office — most of us use some sort of an automated response system.

You know what I’m talking about: “I will be out of the office until Tuesday, March 3rd. If you need assistance, please call my co-worker Biff at 555-123-4567.”

And that does the trick. They don’t freak out if we don’t answer within an hour or two.

But if you’re at a conference, spending the day shooting a TV spot or attending a strategic planning retreat (or doing anything else that establishes your expertise) why not let your your email auto response do some marketing for you?

I’ve spent the last couple days conducting a workshop. During the workshop, I emailed a link to the participants and got this back from one of them:

I am attending a conference of leading PR/MarCom agencies from around the country to discuss new MarCom trends and techniques and will be out of the office through Friday, February 10th.

I will be checking my email periodically.

Brilliant! What did this auto response tell this person’s email senders?

That he’s considered one of the leading PR/MarCom agency professionals in the country (otherwise, he wouldn’t have been invited)
That he’s honing his skills and staying current
That he believes in investing in his professional development

Who wouldn’t want to work with him? We certainly get a better sense of who he is and what he’s about than if he’d used the standard language.

Often we think marketing has to be complicated, expensive or done over a long period of time. But every once in awhile — it can be just this simple.

How could you leverage this idea?

~ Drew

Stock photo courtesy of www.BigStockPhoto.com

The 5 things that will derail your marketing in 2012

February 8, 2012

I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but the truth is — most organizations’ marketing efforts stink. And they stink for reasons well within the marketing department’s control.

If you’re worried that your own efforts might fall short — beware of these five danger zones that can derail you in a blink!

Inconsistency: Does your monthly newsletter go out 5 times a year? Does your copy tone/style fluctuate between somber and casual? Are your weekly sales calls happening every week?

Inconsistency not only waters down your results but it also waters down your brand. If you can’t get your newsletter out on time — why in the world would I, a prospective customer, think you can deliver what you want to sell me on time?

Not having a plan: One contributing factor to inconsistency is the wishy washiness that comes from winging it. Without a document that maps out where you are going…in the rush of the day, you end up on detours you never intended. Or worse, you end up on the sidelines trying to figure out your next move, rather than moving forward.

A marketing plan doesn’t have to be a leather bound edition, but it does need to be in writing and it needs to be something you reference at your weekly/regular marketing meetings.

Trying to do too much: I want to hear a collective sigh of relief as you read this. You simply cannot do it all. So stop trying. You are far better off to do a few things consistently and well, than try to manage too many marketing tactics.

The average sized organization can only successfully produce and monitor a handful of initiatives at once. So plan it out carefully so you can deliver consistency and quality. Every time. That will be far more impressive than doing more every once in awhile.

Not matching your budget with your appetite: I see this happen all the time. A big company is stingy with their marketing dollars and does so little, they don’t even show up on the radar screen. Or the flip side — a small company saves up all their pennies and launches a huge splash but can only sustain it for 60 days and then goes quiet.

Marketing is for the long haul. You need to know you can sustain your efforts or their effect will be fleeting.

You. Yup, I said it. You’re actually the biggest risk to the marketing efforts. Why? Because you know when you’re doing something that isn’t going to work. You know what you can and can’t pull off. You know that you talk about yourself too and don’t talk with the audience about the stuff they care about enough. You know you should spend/do more and be more consistent. Maybe you even know you can’t do it by yourself but you’re too cheap to hire some help (either staff or an agency).

So what are you going to do to get out of your own way?

What do you think? Would you have a different set of obstacles? Want to add any to my list?

Stock photograph courtesy of Big Stock Photo

Crisis communications – don’t wait to create a plan

February 6, 2012

Does your organization have a crisis communications plan that you could actually put into action at this very moment?

All of the hubub surrounding the Susan G. Komen decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood and then their reversal of that decision following a 72+ hour firestorm of public outrage should have scared the bejesus out of you.

If an organization as large, powerful and well respected as Komen can get into that much hot water — and is that ill-prepared to handle it then what in the world would happen to you if there was an accident on your job site, if your CFO embezzled funds or if made a mistake that cost your client a huge sum of money?

Don’t be so naive to think your organization is immune to a crisis that would put you in the crosshairs of the media and the public.

Odds are you are not well prepared. You don’t have a real plan. You aren’t ready to respond. Can you say, Danger Will Robinson? (a reference for my 40+ crowd)

One of the presentations I am often asked to give at conferences etc. is on this very topic. I decided to share it with you here so you can liberally steal some ideas that will help you get your organization prepared. (email subscribers — click here)

In the presentation, I outline the 5 key elements to a successful crisis communications plan.

Be prepared – you can’t wait until you are in crisis. News today is spread in seconds, not days.
Listen and monitor – be on the look out for trouble before it hits. Put out the single flame before it becomes an inferno.
Be human and humane – everyone makes mistakes. But you’ll be judged by how you handle the mistake.
Over communicate — silence or “no comment” don’t fly.
Create community – build supporters and advocates before you need them.

[slideshare id=11418636&doc=crisiscommunications-120204101816-phpapp02]

We’re doing a lot of this sort of planning with clients today. But most companies will choose not to invest the time and energy, thinking it will never happen to them.

Don’t be that foolish.

5 questions to define your 2012 game plan

December 30, 2011

Define your 2012 game plan

Over the past month, I’ve been posing what I hope have been some head scratching, thought provoking questions to help you get ready for 2012.

If you can answer these five questions — I think you’re going to have a solid foundation for your marketing efforts moving forward.

In case you missed one, here are the five questions (with links to the whole post):

So — have the questions changed your plans or focus? Narrowed things a bit? Or were these all a slam dunk?

Happy New Year and here’s to a very prosperous, joyful 2012 to you and yours!

Stock photo courtesy of www.BigStockPhoto.com

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