Who Needs Records When There's Work to be Done?

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:35:27 GMT

What better day to start a new blog than on a leap year. With the extra day in February, I can always suggest I got extra out of the blog than I ever expected.

When I think about the extra work that can consume a person, I'm reminded of the story about the Milwaukee Brewers in 1972. They had managed (or not managed) to lose quite a few of their first games.

Manager David Bristol would say in a huff, "There'll be two buses leaving the hotel for the park tomorrow. The two o'clock bus will be for those who need a little extra work. The empty bus will leave at five o'clock." (Anecdotage.com)

Think about your workload and the plans and schemes you are trying to accomplish with your job, business or freelance efforts. Which bus are you ready to get on?

As you begin to launch into your next campaign, idea or strategy, make sure you are prepared to take it on by not making it harder than it needs to be. Get the help you need, build the support team you desire, and if you must spend extra money to ensure the success of a good idea, do so with thoughtful consideration - but do it.

You can have a successful effort. But there is probably extra work attached to it. And "thinking you can" as well as understanding you can with good preparation is part of it. But you need to be ready from the beginning - not simply try to turn things around in mid-job.

How did the 1972 Brewers end up? Well - I'd love to say they turned things around. They ended up 65 wins - 91 losses.

So what is your game plan?

Ringers

Sat, 8 Mar 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Where is everyone's sense of justice?

Have you ever wondered what creates a sense of justice in the world? Or, better yet, why there is no justice in the world?

One guy will have a good idea and it will launch into the stratosphere. Another will have an equally good idea or concept...only to have it fizzle.

When you start depending on a sense of justice or look at another's unequal success, you actually miss out on a few defining points.

1. Nobody every said life was fair - at least, nobody that matters.
2. And, because life isn't fair, you need to create a competitive advantage whenever you can.
3. Finally, because you must create that competitive advantage, you need to know where that advantage is.

Why do people succeed at releasing certain ideas? Where do they get the buzz? It's not because they have ringers. But it is because they follow some tried and true methods of generating interest in their particular brand or company.

Start thinking about these things to help you get going:

1. You need a solid plan - otherwise you'll waste your opportunity. Think about that.

2. You have to know how to execute that plan in a consistent manner.

3. There is luck involved (but you shouldn't depend on that).

4. Bring in ringers - develop a support team of people who are smarter, faster and
stronger than you are so that things can get done.

5. Persevere - but know when to quit.

6. Keep learning - even if you improve 1% like so many improvement gurus are suggesting nowadays...even if it is 1/2%. If you can improve who you are in your field you'll be better for it. There will ALWAYS be someone who knows more, is smarter and better at what they do than you are. But you don't have to be them - you have to be yourself...so be the best at it you can.

7. Mentor, or be mentored. Or both! A martial arts instructor was once asked why he practiced with his students if he was so far advanced beyond the skill level the students had. The instructor responded: "Similar to how you gain skill by practicing on the Dummy, I, too, improve by practicing with you." The point sunk in. You can learn by teaching and you can learn by having someone teach. Do both.

.Mac accounts: A New Breed of Template

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:35:27 GMT

There's something new in the air. No - it's not the change of seasons...that's still a little ways off.

Instead, it's the latest release of Apple's .Mac account website templates. In true Apple form, the interface is made to easily add and remove content as you desire. Want a quick website set up with not too much effort? You just may have stumbled onto the solution.

But there's trouble in River City...

The problem comes when you want to do more than have a static website - or create more than inch deep functionality.

Similar to how you can watch a video on an iPod nowadays, you can now develop a quick .Mac website with templates.

Of course, when you think about it, even though it's pretty cool to be able to watch a movie on a tiny screen like the iPod - you really don't ever want to. And, with .Mac accounts, you really don't want to do that either because even though it's pretty cool - it isn't helpful or functional beyond bland everyman templates.

Someday there may be a quick, cheap answer to building template sites...but for now, your best bet is to think custom. Especially if you want a return on your investment. It may cost more out the door - but in the long run you'll be better off.

News at Ten

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Has the nightly news become an obsolete mechanism for catching up for the day?

With the ability for people to search the net so easily - and with other television options (like MSNBC and other cable outlets) encroaching upon the news, it would seem that television news is dying a slow death.

Think about how many times you've sat down to watch the 10 o'clock or 9 o'clock news? I'd imagine not often - and when you do, perhaps it's taken on a nostalgic, sort of almost counterintuitive feel. You know, like sitting down as a family for dinner without the TV on, or reading a good book all the way through.

But really, even if the nightly news is running down in terms of its usefulness, is it something that will likely be missed? I'd suggest that answer is probably not. With the strong and powerful long tail swishing around the net, broad stokes of information is readily available. And it's available in an easy to digest, snippet format that people have become accustomed to. As the Internet has grown into everyday life, it has swallowed everything in its path. The news is simply another victim.

So, as you finish up your work for the evening and get ready to head off to slumber, think about this..."News at Ten" is probably obsolete. But as we are want to do, an even better option of gathering information has arisen. And that would make any newscast.

Getting There From Here with Alexa

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

I've spent the last several weeks updating my SEO elements and came across a reasonable question from a business partner...

I had been touting the Alexa Rankings for results-oriented feedback regarding the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the tweaks and modifications. The question he posed was: What sort of evidence is there that Alexa matters?

It was a very good question.

The answer, of course, is that Alexa does matter - depending on who you ask. You see, the response I gave was in the form of a recent example. The March Madness college basketball tournament had selected the top 65 teams in the land to participate in the tournament to determine a bational champion.

Of course, the selection committee had a purely subjective reasoning to gather the best 34 at-large teams...but we took them at their word because they were users of the product - namely, basketball.

Similarly, Alexa does the same thing to measure traffic rank. They take people who have installed the Alexa bar on their computers to help them rank websites. It is a highly subjective "opinion" of who matters that leans towards the types of people, techno-heavy, who would use the bar.

At any rate: It doesn't diminish the measuring stick - it simply lets you know who the "Nielsens" are...

Of course, I gotta break it to you - if you thought the Nielsens were viewing TV exactly as they logged, you are severely mistaken. At least with Alexa, you can trust the stats...no matter where they come from.

Wiggles Live from Tucson

Fri, 4 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Turns out Australia knows marketing...

I went to a Wiggles concert last night with my three year old daughter. For the uninitiated, the Wiggles are a four man troupe that sings songs that both a three year old (and, truth be known, a 38 year old as well) can sing along to. The songs are brisk, memorable and spirited.

The Wiggles hail from Australia; they began as a backyard party group and turned into an international phenomenon over the last ten or so years. But the surprising thing isn't their rise to success. They are congenial and fun, and even though the front man, Greg Page, retired last year, they're still drawing a crowd. But their overall "brand awareness" isn't what is astounding, especially given the fact that over the last several years they've been a daily staple of Disney Channel.

Instead, the truly surprising thing is how harmonious the program was with the "target market" in mind. Think about how the Disney model works - the two pronged funny for kids and adults at the same time - and place that over the Wiggles, and there you have the perfect mixture for the Wiggles breakout.

Add that they are from a foreign land (to us in the states anyway) and an endless supply of willing parents who, for the low price of just under $200, can bring one child and a grandparent along for the ride, and the perfect storm is visible.

Ultimately, the night was enjoyable for both me and my daughter. Not sure who had the more enjoyable time, frankly. But the real treat was seeing how completely self-aware the troupe has become in the last several years...and how well they have executed their brand of kid-friendly, parent-approving product.

Now - excuse me while I go withdraw another $40 from the bank for a couple Wiggley DVDs....for my daughter.

The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle - and How to Make Decisions

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

You most likely remember the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle from your college years. If not, here is a quick refresher: "The more precisely the position is determined, the less precisely the momentum is known in this instant, and vice versa." - Heisenberg, uncertainty paper, 1927.

Essentially, what is means is that no matter how hard you try, you can only determine a certain amount of information about anything. You cannot know everything.

Why am I writing about this? Well, when you stop and look at how corporations and businesses handle decisions, you run full on into the uncertainly principle; rather, you run straight into the by product of the uncertainty also known as "analysis paralysis."

The interesting dynamic about smart business decisions is that there are three important factors that need to be understood. This affects all areas, including (you guessed it) marketing decisions.

1. You can never know everything about your decision before making it. You can research, you can do voice of customer, you can send out survey after survey...but the simple fact is once the due diligence is done - once you've come up with reasonable assumptions - you've got to either fish or cut bait. And don't worry, there'll be plenty of opportunity to make this fish or cut bait decision.

2. Dr. Phil says, "Sometimes you make the right decision. Sometimes you make the decision right." Leadership is being able to gather the facts as appropriate as necessary - and then acting on it. Even if you aren't 100% sure, you have to make a decision...it may not always be right. But good leaders make the decisions...right.

3. The interesting thing about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is that even though it means you are essentially blind of all the information and you won't ever have a clear picture, the world continues on.

Similarly, you are essentially blind to all of the information available to you...but you will have to continue on anyway.

There is a lot of information surrounding every decision. Sometimes it is beneficial. Sometimes it is confusing. Take normal, deliberate steps to understanding your world...but never use that lack of information to be the thing that keeps you from intuition, insight and strategy.

Web Analytics and You...The First Steps

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

What have you done for me lately?

Have you heard that phrase before? It's essentially the same question you should be asking your web traffic. And it is based on a basic, Marketing 101 premise: What are your consumer, buyer and adopter doing...and, more importantly, how can you capitalize on this behavior to help generate a more reliable experience for your user? Of course, this helps generate revenue as well...

There are some good ways to find out.

One of the easiest, free ways to get valuable information is through a Google application called Google Analytics. Google Analytics has a (fairly ambitious) number of ways to measure what and who your traffic is. It shows you what people are looking at, for how long, and where they come from. Additionally, you can even tie the analytic detail to your AdSense Campaigns if you have any.

Some e-mail based programs that allow you to see who is clicking where include Constant Contact, Aweber.com and others. Typically, this level of paid tracking will give you the ISP source, click-thru rates for multiple campaigns, and what percentages of readership care about your messaging.

Another more expensive way is through customized data mining features that a web developer can provide for you. This might mean anything from partial registration to see additional content, to a full blown data mining application that allows you to actually control the content accessed or displayed based on the user's behavior and traffic habits.

No matter what level of analytics you seek out, be sure you provide the user with full disclosure about what you are doing. Not only does it give the user a sense of transparency, but is also makes good business sense.

In a couple days, I'll give you some ideas of how to take this information and use it to help you generate additional revenue.

Web Analytics...The Two Step

Tue, 8 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

I realize I might be talking to a fairly limited audience when I open with this example (even though country music is the largest segment of radio broadcast today) when I say: Using web analytics well is a lot like the "two step" country dancing style.

The "two step" is a fluid motion of dance steps between two people that, when done correctly, comes easily and looks well choreographed. The great thing about it is that if you can learn a few particular steps, you've pretty much set the course for inevitable success

Similarly, if you can master a few steps and understand the outcomes of your web analytics, your efforts will appear well choreographed, well timed, and will have you headed toward web measurement success.

The downside is that if your efforts aren't done correctly from the beginning...well, it's not a pretty sight - or a pretty site!

Okay, enough with the bad puns. All of this is basically to say that front-end investment can go a long way if you find the right steps to getting there. Here are some key steps to get you started on web analytics that will have you dancing along. (I know - I said enough with the bad puns...but sometimes I can't help myself).

Step One - Track everyone and everything...and how many times you see everything and everyone do something.

Step Two - Store the data to trigger external consumer related web "events."

Step Three - Use that event to even better understand your consumer.

Step Four - Don't get too caught up in the numbers because numbers can bury your efforts.

Step Five - Fully disclose what you're doing so that people don't think you are "cheating" in some way or, worse, violating their privacy.

Follow these five steps and you've begun a good plan to understanding and better relating to your user. And better understanding your user will allow you to better create the business you desire.

Driving Luxury

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Have you ever driven a luxury car?

If you're not used to it, you may very well miss out on a number of features - several of which might even be exactly why the car is considered a luxury vehicle in the first place.

I'd like to do a little thought exercise with you: Imagine you had one of these luxury cars.

You'd buy it for just over 100 Gs...and then what? Would you simply park it in the garage, never to be used? Or would you take it out for a spin? Maybe even take it onto the freeway to see how well it performs.

One of the fascinating things about luxury cars is if you don't use it you might a well not have it. Drive a Yugo instead.

Interestingly, if you have a Content Management System (similar to the one Merge Left Marketing partner The Visual Studio can provide), rule number one is that you must not park it, or even just take it out for a spin. Instead, you need to keep using it every single day. And when you do, you'll be able to maximize the potential and flexibility you are afforded.

Laden with several terrific features as a baseline, some Content Management Systems can truly amaze - of course, they do cost some money. They are a premium item if done correctly. BUT - if you do not think you'll take full advantage of the power you are given, you should make a decision before spending money. Otherwise, you'll have a very nice, super expensive luxury car...and nowhere to go in it.

Believe me - I'm not trying to dissuade you from purchasing a powerful CMS. Instead, I want to give you perspective so that if you do decide to buy well, you'll also live well after the purchase.

Hills Like White Elephants

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Ernest Hemingway once published a short story about, of all things, abortion, that if you weren't careful would be completely obfuscated by the cryptic resonance normally characteristic of his tales.

The short story, The Hills Like White Elephants, serves as an important note, though, when considering how your promote your brand, product or service.

All too often you run into obscure brands shuffling out obscure branding to the masses in hopes of being ever so subtle. It is the cool way to talk to people without them knowing you are actually selling them something.

Problem is...people simply are not really that stupid. Your target most likely knows - despite your best efforts - that you are selling them something. And if they aren't aware you're selling something, then you have a larger issue on your hands than being subtle or clever with your advertising communications.

The long and the short of it is to be as straightforward as you can. Your customers will be able to understand you better...and thereby purchase more products, services or other things you want to sell them.

Web Analytics Part Three: Are You Looking At Me?

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Do you wonder where to focus your efforts? Do you ever wonder what your most effective web pages are? If you don't, you should.

By finding the more frequently visited pages of your website through different web analytics programs, you can start to build a case for elevating those pages to a better consumer experience. What I mean to say is, if you can identify which pages people come to most often, you at the same time will identify which pages are most important for people surfing your site. And, as a logical conclusion, you should then spend more effort on those pages to speak to your visitor/customer.

But won't most people visit your home page most? If you have built a good home page, most likely they will. However, with the sophistication of search engines (thank you Google), people will more likely than not find you in all manner of ways. They will come at you from every page you have up. And because of that, you need to make sure that your entire site will pull people in the right way. Don't let pages drift. Make sure your content is up to standard everywhere, applied equally.

Except for those pages you know are generating a lot of traffic...

With those pages, as we said, make certain you have high takeaway value and truly capture the essence of who and what your business does.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Did you know you can have too much optimization for your site?

With a nod to ABC's Wide World of Sports, I'd like suggest that the constant pursuit of search engine optimization means several things. One important thing is that you have to strike a delicate balance between having a good thing - and having too much of a good thing.

Let's consider keywords for a moment.

When you go into "working" your keywords, it makes sense to be careful about the balance you have between adding relevant keyword content and overdoing it. The danger is that if you don't ensure that the keywords placement doesn't look artificial (the sentence structure and style has to make sense) to the crawlers searching for website content, you could end up blacklisted and have search engine rankings lower than when you started the keyword optimization!

It's similar to adding too many links to your site. Search engines are becoming ever savvier at developing triggers to say, "Something isn't kosher with this site." As a result, you need to make sure you don't catch onto the latest search engine craze and hurt your sites' ranking more than help it.

So be careful when you scrub your site with a ton o' keywords. You could end up worse off than where you began.

If you aren't familiar with how to develop strong keywords, density and keyword clouds, seek advice from someone with experience that can help.

Hitting the Links

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

And speaking of "link farms," you should be careful about the less appropriate methods to artificially generating search engine optimization.

Link Farms are simply a term that speaks about the practice of loading links onto your home page, or even some "hidden" page so that you can create an artificial footprint online. For some examples of link farms, try a search on Google with the keywords: "Link Farms" and see what it pulls up.

Anyway, there are better ways to generating links that can develop a strong web footprint and won't cause you to get "ignored" by web crawlers. This includes, for example:

1. Providing internal links to other website pages of your own.

2. Providing external links to relevant sites that rank highly on search engines themselves.

You have to be careful with this tactic as search engines will actually crawl through your links to see how relevant you are. If you link to poor sites, or sites that are seen as simply a way to generate links, well...you guessed it...you could find yourself penalized.

3. Ask others to link to you in return for you linking to them.

This is called reciprocal linking and is an easy way to develop strong linking. Make sure the sites are good sites that don't follow bad practices and are relevant to you. Additionally, if you have a non-profit, there are other concerns you will need to consider such as not jeopardizing your status by linking to commercial sites.

4. Back link through article or content publishing on blogs and article submission sites.

With this last strategy, you have to be careful to not duplicate too much content as it can create content that is considered "duplicate content" by crawlers and is completely ignored.

I hope this helps you gather up the right irons as you hit the links on your website!

What Do Your Customers Look Like?

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Do you know what your customers look like? An obvious question, right?

What I mean to say is...even if you do understand you have male and female customers; old and young; rich or struggling financially...you probably treat them similarly if not exactly the same. Ask yourself this - how do you treat them?

Would it be surprising to you if I suggested that men and women respond differently to different brand offerings?

How about this: The older your demographic, the more money they have? But you didn't guess that with all the youth-targeted media and marketing.

The point is this. Stop treating your customers the same and you can begin to develop that long-term revenue you've been seeking. Begin talking to them like the people they are. What are their interests? What are their likes and dislikes? Why do they shop for this product but not the other one?

Start answering questions and you'll begin to really understand what your customers look like.

The Importance of Being...Important

Fri, 2 May 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Sounds vain, doesn't it? Well, don't worry. I'm not focusing so much on the idea of arrogance or thinking you are more important that other human beings. Instead, I'm talking about your brand development...and then the importance of representing yourself and your brand in a similar fashion...no matter the venue.

Often businesses rely on one of two points of contact to reflect their brand well. Perhaps they spend quite a bit of time developing those two brand channels. Afterwards, they feel pretty good about it.

Only it can easily be undone by a third or fourth communication vehicle they didn't spend time on. And then the deal, customer proposition or sale unravels.

One big way this happens is through your marketing collateral. If you don't consider every single publication, piece of information, website address and business card you hand out, you could be hurting your business.

Here is a good branding exercise (rule of thumb) to follow for good brand consistency:

Think through all your points of contact. Every single thing from your pamphlets, to your website, to your receptionist, to your print...on and on. If they don't resonate equally, revise them until they do. Yes, I am telling you right now it will cost you some money. But here's the deal - it will only cost you money you know you have.

Imagine the lost money you are experiencing from brand disconnect because you don't create that consistency. In other words, you are probably losing more money from prospective clients because you haven't fixed things than what it will cost you to create real brand consistency.

You are as important as you desire to be in the consumer mind - if you spend time developing that importance. The same is true of the converse. If you don't spend time with brand consistency (communication consistency), you'll never be as important as you think you are.

Urban Legends: Cinco de Made Up

Sun, 4 May 2008 22:35:27 GMT

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner. So on Monday a bunch of folks will be celebrating what the average person thinks is a "Mexican" holiday. Of course, most people would be stunned to learn that, in fact, Cinco de Mayo has absolutely nothing to do with the Mexican culture. Rather, it was holiday made up by the U.S. government to celebrate the culture.

Similarly, there are a few Urban Legends floating around out there about good branding that need some dispelling (or at least illumination).

1. Exposure is awareness.

The more you get your brand out there - the more people will pay attention to you. It is simply false. The splatter technique of brand building will only work if it resonates with the recipient of the message. While you might get noticed more frequently...it doesn't mean people will "pay attention" to you more.

The key is to generate good awareness with a sound messaging strategy that includes clearly communicated, simple ideas that people can concretely grab onto.

2. And speak of getting your brand out there - If I build it, they will come.

The simple fact of the matter is that if you build it...well, that's nice. But you've got to be proactive in getting to the consumer. Don't stop at building something impressive that people would love to enjoy...only to never let people know about it.

Seth Godin, guru on marketing and the like, has a book called "The Purple Cow" which is like a fast track course on Marketing 101. Develop a unique property in order to get noticed. The only flaw of the book is it doesn't give you the practical measures to getting the message out.

It's a lot like marriage. The hard part isn't actually getting married. The difficult side is working through the communication and relationship building after the wedding day. Building your brand is great. But getting it into the minds of the consumer as an actual choice is a whole different ball game.

My premise has been, "Yes, get your Purple Cow." But make sure it's close enough to the highway for people to see...because it won't matter what color your cow is if it can't be seen.

3. I've got a good product. My band is my product.

Unfortunately, a brand is really never the product. Think about big brands you know that seem product driven. Kleenex. Kellogg's Cornflakes. Old Spice deodorant.

Those products aren't the brand. Instead, they resonate some quality that people desire in themselves. Comfort, health, nostalgia, or cleanliness.

Unless your brand communication can connect with people at a deeper level - approaching a felt need or desire - it won't matter how good your product is. Start thinking about not only your service, but the felt need you are meeting and your brand will become better as a result.

Stop focusing so much on your product and get you communication strategy down.

4. If I have a good brand strategy, my product will sell.

This is almost the converse of the previous point. If you don't pay enough attention to your product, you might sell a few products (heck - you might sell a ton). But I can bet you won't trick those same folks into buying more.

Make sure your product is good enough to sell before selling it. Otherwise, you'll break the promise of delivering your brand. And if you break a promise to your consumer, you'll spend a lot of money trying to win them back.

Summary...

Urban Legends can hurt your brand. It is always good to do your homework before "buying" into brand technique or ideas.

With the prevalence of advice (and frankly, advisers) out there, you should always require due diligence and deliberate thinking even through the smartest sounding ideas for your business. Always consult with someone whose advice is consistent, makes sense and can be validated.

Now...I'm going to go grab some chips and dip for my Cinco de Mayo party.

Do You Facebook?

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Easy enough question. Do you Facebook? But be careful...it's actually a loaded question if you are a marketer or desire to use facebook for marketing purposes.

What's that? You hadn't thought about the usefulness (or, some would say, lack of usefulness) that Facebook affords?

With the explosion that was 2007 for Facebook, something new has come into the picture. An actual way for businesses to do something other than just have a group or profile on the "social networking, time consumer" known as Facebook.

If you haven't considered these tools yet, start.

1. Use the Visa Business Network application on Facebook "free"credit to test/toy with the idea of Facebook advertising. It's a free $100 opportunity that not even the riches in this economy should pass by.

2. If you don't have a profile yet, start today...and make it an open profile. Please talk to your long lost friends in private somewhere else.

3. Read and understand what the rules of engagement are for Facebook advertising. Turns out there are some pretty random rules to ads being built on Facebook...but nothing too out of control. They'll seem less out of control once you familiarize yourself more.

4. Don't let Facebook get upset at you. It may hurt your feelings. I got a warning the other day as I was building my "friend" list. They suggested I was somehow spamming people by requesting friendships. Next day I guess it was okay since I tried again and received no complaints.

5. Did I mention the rules of Facebook are a little touchy and random? Start testing things today...it'll pay off tomorrow.

6. Go ahead and check out my profile. Let me know what you think and if you need some help building Facebook as a marketing tool for you and your business. Go online to: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1250331815. See you there.

Until next time...

Marketing Rule Number One: No Ifs, Ands or Buts...Except for This One Caveat

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:35:27 GMT

How often have you come up against a “firm” wall of resistance...only to find after some delicate finagling that you were able to eke out a smidge of wiggle room? Was it simply a red herring that was placed in your path? Why did the firm stance you encountered quickly dissolve upon the offer of counter resistance?

It can seem nowadays - aside from that impenetrable fortress known as the “retail clerk” down at the local bookstore who never (ever) budges on the price of a paperback - life is surprisingly flexible despite pretense otherwise. But how much of that initial resistance is really just “posturing” and how much is a reasonable attempt to provide the best situation for both parties involved? And how can your understanding of this “flexibility dynamic” to marketing gain you a competitive advantage?

Well, I've posted a new article about this very topic. Simply click here or go to the articles section of my site to get the entire piece. Enjoy!

Until next time...

What VCR?

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Do you remember your old VCR? You know, the one that had an intermittent rendering of “12:00am” designed to remind you of just how ignorant you really were in your understanding of simple electronic devices? If you were savvy enough, of course, you read the thick VCR manual and figured out how to program the big black box to tell time correctly - and, perhaps every so slightly more important, you probably also knew how to record actual television programs.

But we are not all alike. Sadly, if you were like me (re: most Americans), it meant that you needed either the help of a small paperback book or perhaps a strip of black, electrical tape to cover the blinking, digital glow. Ultimately, no matter the case, you ended up having to develop either a well-invested or singularly creative solution for a particularly grating problem. And, believe it or not, it’s that small, yet ubiquitous “12:00am” blinking VCR light in American homes that reveals a couple things about how you can approach successful marketing principles and practice for your business plans.

Both are wildly different yet valid approaches to improving your marketing plans; both are based on one little, blinking light…

Want to learn more? Go to our articles section (or click here) to read the entire article.

Until next time...

Tugging at Something

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Imagine you are a small but determined, rickety tugboat rising and falling casually, easily, as the ocean surrounding you swells and then dips beneath the horizon. You disappear into vast, blue dunes only to resurface slowly as you are pushed upwards by a surging crest of rolling, undulating pillows of water. This repeats endlessly as you try to gain your bearings and find your way through the massive, heaving waves under you.

Suddenly, a wall rises in the near distance and you immediately gain understanding that the shadow that has overcome you is not just a tidal wave of doubt, but something more substantial, something more consuming. It’s the darkness resulting from your competition’s massive marketing plans…

While this example is a little dramatic, I bet it’s not an altogether unfamiliar description of how you might feel with your business as you take a glance at what the marketplace looks like. The simple fact is the example is actually a pretty realistic view of what can happen with your marketing plan execution. Mix that together with the tumultuous economy, the complexity of new media and the difficult rigor that “measurable” results require - and you are presented with the challenging prospect of making sense of it all.

Read the rest of this in our article section.

Until next time...

Academy Awards

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Did you watch the Academy Awards? Here are some questions to think about with regard to that show...

1. Who won Best Picture?
2. Do you think whoever won Best Picture will give you some business?
3. If not, what did you do during that three hours that could help you business?
4. Nothing? Have you considered what three hours of your time is worth - and then figured on simply losing that revenue?
5. If this blog doesn't bug you, then you are probably doing the right thing to advance your marketing and business plans.

Disclaimer: I have never been a fan of three hour spectacles as I find I have too many other things to do. Of course, this reasoning is often in danger of going completely out the window during the Super Bowl. So if you were subject to the failings I list above - I understand. Sort of.

Until next time...

A Little Less Talk and a Little More Conversation

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:35:27 GMT

To paraphrase a popular Elvis song re-release from awhile back, when did you stop talking and start conversing with your customer? What I mean to say is, do you just throw words at your customer - hoping in vain that they pick up on your brilliance or capture the right "sales" model so that your close rate is high - or do you spend time talking to them?

There is a scene in the James Cameron movie The Abyss where the female lead is prompted (in a dire situation, of course) to talk to her husband. She begins some sort of chatter about their lives, etc...to which the supporting character standing next to her and says something to the effect of, "No. Talk to him."

At that point, the female lead realizes the severity of the situation and stops just making noise and starts caring about the words she uses and the way she talks.

If you haven't yet, when will you stop talking and start having a conversation with your customer? To your customer, it may be the most important thing they do today. Is it the most important thing for you, too?

Until next time...

Disney Ain't For Adults

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Really, it all begins with the end at Disneyland. What I mean to say is that the extravaganza that Disneyland is comes together with the finale show - a colorful, loud, exciting and completely splendid historical presentation of all things Disney, including everything from Peter Pan, to Belle and the Beast, to evil witches and apples, to hundreds of kids and parents watching in awe.

Yes, it is impressive. But it wouldn't make sense whatsoever if you hadn't just spent the entire day (as I and my family recently did)...or unless you began the day by lugging around packs and bags of "stuff" for the day trip, misc. tchochkes and your kids (for me, it was my daughter on my shoulders for the better part of six hours).

But the ending is where it (the marketing) begins because it pulls it all together as a way of saying, "Now you get to enjoy what you've been desiring all day" after suffering the trek of lines and toys throughout. (I don't mention lines incidentally as Disney seems built for lines...but that is another topic for another blog).

Why the end, though? Because no matter how many times you see the new and improved "It's a Small World" attraction (which was significantly upgraded from when I was younger) or go down Splash Mountain (as the teens that came alomg on the trip along must have done fifty times), you don't get the pay off until the end when the spectacle begins in earnest. It's the awe inspiring moment that makes you forget the trudging, expensive food, tired legs and insistence to buy a little set of mouse ears for $25.

As my family and I walked out of Disney at the end of the day, I remember thinking (other than, "I cannot believe I spent so much money!") that I enjoyed myself and that my daughter got to see something like sixty Disney characters all in one place at one time...and Disney did exactly what they wanted. They left me remembering the good…the magic…all with one finale show.

Manipulation by marketing at its best. Of course, that doesn't mean we aren't going right back next year. After all, even though I recognize the marketing of it all, I'm still a sucker for fireworks and the smile on my daughter's face...no matter what it costs.

Show Me the Money!

Thu, 5 Mar 2009 22:35:27 GMT

There's a scene in the movie Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise's character Jerry walks into the middle of a room of employees. He's just been fired (or quit - can't remember which - but it has the same effect) and asks his team and colleagues who is going with him. His confidence in his team and identity is supreme and he is prepared to take half the team with him as he goes into business on his own.

Instead, no one gets up except for one person.

The scene didn't go how Tom Cruise's character had anticipated. Now think about your customers. Are your customers willing to go with you no matter what the issue or obstacle that comes their way?

If you don't feel comfortable thinking that your customer's are willing to take a hit for you...if they aren't willing to come to you or with you no matter what...perhaps you should consider how you are responding or not responding to them.

And, of course, the final question is: Are you willing to go with your customers no matter what?

Later in the movie, one of Jerry's clients says, "Show me the money!" Are you ready to live for your customers? Are they willing to live for you? Will you be able to show your clients the money and vice versa?

Until you can answer those questions...well, I suppose one person is better than none.

A Momentary Branding Pause

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 22:35:27 GMT

It's not often I publish info from another person if it isn't intimately tied with business. But, every once in a while, there is a tragic happening that reaches across all lines. From the Facebook group: Pray for First Baptist Church, Maryville, Illinois...

"Just before 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, March 8, 2009, a gunman opened fire at a morning service at the First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illnois, ending the life of a faithful servant of God, senior pastor Fred Winters and injuring at least five.

At times like these, we can feel helpless to do anything positive in the face of such terrible evil. But the best thing any and all of us can do is pray. Pray for the family of the late Pastor Fred Winters, and the other victims of this tragic shooting and their families..."

You can read more and join the group here. Join group

Until next time...

Economic Recovery...or Fool's Gold?

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Ever been on a hiking trip and stumble upon a wall of glittery, shiny speckles? You approach and, dubious, you affirm your reaction. While the initial thought might have been "Gold!"...you were right to pull back the excitement. It was only Fool's Gold.

Similarly, recent economic news is beginning to flash signs of life...more and more frequently, positive news is seeping out from the corners of the financial markets. Now folks are beginning to cautiously say this year will mark the end of the economic downturn.

Is it Fools Gold, or is it the real thing? This blog entry doesn't purport to answer that question (although I have my opinions like everyone else). Instead, I am telling a tale of caution with your marketing and business plans.

You see, there are two things you need to consider:

1. If the recession continues for awhile, how will you take advantage of the continuing downturn by developing a powerful new presence in a competitively "empty" market? Are you planning to do something or sit and wait things out...possibly missing a chance to take advantage of the artificial gap advantage you can develop during a recession?

2. Are you prepared for the turnaround when it happens? What I mean to say is, when the buyers do return (assuming there has been a decrease), are you prepared to respond appropriately with your marketing strategy?

As I said, I'm not here to answer whether the economy is actually turning...but I am here to caution you. Either way, you need to be prepared for the best strategy and approach to assure the best success you can during these delicate and challenging times.

Plagiarized Marketing...Refined

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Recently I read an article about how much stuff is floating out in space. Leftovers from rocket launches and other man-made trips have left a less than friendly environment in an already cold, harsh place. Last week, one of our space "properties" was endangered because a piece of space debris was within a few miles. All reporters could ascertain was that we'd never know exactly how close the station came to being hit by a potentially deadly piece of "space junk.," Fortunately, things ended well.

That kind of got me thinking even more about a website project I'm developing. The website is called PlagiarizedMarketing.com. And, while there is nothing up and running yet (more news to come on the upcoming launch), I am developing it as an answer/homage/satire to all the junk marketing floating around out there in the land of commerce. You see, similarly to how a space station can be endangered by the prevalent space junk floating around, your business and marketing plans can be sabotaged and endangered by the prevalence of bad, copycat and downright plagiarized ideas out there. It reminds me of the saying about knowing just enough to get people in trouble.

And it isn't all coming from markets trying to make a buck. A lot of the marketing junk floating around is from the very business owners who seek to improve their business. They'll pick up bits and pieces of ideas and create their own junk marketing.

But this isn't an attack on marketers or business owners who justifiably are simply seeking good solutions in a confusing world. Instead, it's a way to help everyone understand that marketing can be, if misunderstood, dangerous, damaging and potentially hurtful to successful business dealings. I think about how many people nowadays quote Seth Godwin. Yes, Seth does make some sense. But just like going to the doctor a lot isn’t going to make you a doctor, reading Seth's stuff isn't going to make you a good marketer.

Do you have the discernment to find out what really is junk? Over the next few weeks, I'll blog more on this topic...as well as give you some insights into the new PlagerizedMarketing.com site I'm building. And, hopefully, together we can avoid junk marketing at its worst.

Sales Magic

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:35:27 GMT

I was speaking with a Merge Left Marketing associate recently and as we were talking I drummed up a reference from the past about how to build rapport. It was an interesting turn as I hadn't strongly considered the concepts taught about rapport from one Kerry Johnson in some time...but upon reflection realized again just how powerful Kerry's keys to rapport were.

Here are a few remembered tips from Kerry's teachings on Sales Magic that helped me learn long ago that, basically, people matter:

1. Rapport is something that can be learned. Verbal and visual cues can be a powerful contribution to any conversation and are designed to provide a more comfortable, safe environment...and, if you learn the cues well enough, it'll actually make the sales presentation easier for you and your prospect.

2. There are basically three different types of people. Auditory people relate to things mostly via hearing. You can tell someone is an auditory person because they use words and phrase in their speech like, "Did you hear?" or "I hear what you're saying." Visual people (most of us fall into this category) says things like, "Do you see what I'm saying?" or "I see what you mean." And there are kinesthetic people. This is a feeling person who use emotions to relate. They say things like, "I get a grasp of what you mean," and "Let me get a better feel for it."

The key is to understand a person's preferred method of communication and operate in that zone.

3. Finally, people appreciate themselves. In other words, a good rapport building technique is to speak like the person you are talking to; use the same cadence, tone and speed of speech that your prospect is using. It may seem odd to you...but to them it is expected and normal. After all, they speak that way, too!

As you deal with prospects in sales or just people in conversation, you can use these insights to better communication. And maybe, just maybe, begin experiencing even more sales magic.

Got Challenges?

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:35:27 GMT

One of Merge Left Marketing's team members (Justin Bellars, web programming) recently went on a trip to India and it got me thinking: Have you ever felt overwhelmed by big challenges in front of you...or burdened by the significance and importance of whatever it is you’re doing...so much that it becomes discouraging?

By the look of Justin's challenges - primarily, the massive rock situated behind him (precariously, to say the least) much less making the trip to India in the first place, I am reminded of a simple business/marketing principle that it is clear Justin is using: Sometime, just sometime, you need to step out in faith and do what's right...not what's best.

What I mean to say is often people can get caught up in analyzing and overanalyzing things until they just don't move. And yet somehow they feel accomplished because they at least thought it through.

But the principle of action can often separate the thinkers from the doers. Now, I'm not advocating just doing stuff (or as Nike says - Just Do It). Instead, I am offering a simple caution against stagnation. Unless you do something with your thoughts it won't matter one bit how much you overthink something...there won't be any tangible results.

So, as you are considering your next marketing plan, I think it wise to think through things very well. But then stop. And start acting.

And thank you Justin for the great reminder that results are only the "result" of doing something...not thinking about doing something.

April Fools Day...Cancelled

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Yup. The chicanery finally doomed one of our favorite days at Merge Left Marketing. See this article I found in the Sports section of "The Daily Nopaper" out of Wehaklaha, New Mexico:

"April 1, 2009 - Wehaklaha, New Mexico. April Fools Day Cancelled due to lack of resident participation. Or over participation. We're not sure.

The mayor of Wehaklaha says: "When you get down to it, people were making so many jokes that we eventually didn't care. As far as Wehaklaha is concerned, April Fools is for fools."

In the photo above you'll see the Mayor handing a local the annual "April Fools" trophy for stowing away, never to be returned...unless residents change their minds.

"Nope - no more April Fools for us. Nope. Not at all," the Mayor continued, before disinterestedly walking away from reporters.

Of course, even if the goof folks at Wehaklaha don't celebrate April Fools, we at Merge Left still want to wish you a happy one anyway. After all, it's after today that the seriousness of real business and no foolishness begins in earnest once again.

Martin F. Perez
Persident
Merge Left Marketing

Good to the Last Drop

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Slogan. When I say that word, what do you think about? I remember a certain coffee brand that had a slogan that said, "Good to the Last Drop." And, while slogans are a poor man's excuse for good branding, they can elicit a response from customers if done correctly. But the lesson isn't about another slogan for your marketing campaign; instead, it’s about what can happen with your brand management.

By elevating your brand development, you can deliver stronger sales and more clients over the long haul. The only problem is that many companies either don't desire to put in the time and effort required, or they simply don't know how to develop a brand correctly. Either way, the recognition of what good branding can do is absent. Here are quick keys to why having strong brand development can help you:

1. Strong branding creates a better place to make better business decisions.
2. You create a place where people, when ready to buy, come...instead of hoping to master and execute the fine art of having a customer "ready to buy" when you happen to make an offer.
3. You realize you will lose money and leave money on the table if you don't.

When the opportunity comes up for you to develop your brand, what will you do? Will you be able to capture your customer’s imagination similar to how a good slogan does?

Unless you can answer those questions confidently, take heed and find a professional to help you out. And remember to ask yourself this question: Will your company be good to the last drop?

A Brief History of Fish...

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

You've heard the metaphor...do you want to be a big fish in a small pond, or do you want to be a small fish in a big pond? Seems like a classic question, doesn't it? As the question is posed, there is an either/or consideration…do this or do that. No other options. But really, why is the question limited to those two options when there is a world of other options available? And, when it comes to the position of your brand, you might even find that other options are best. In fact, the option I am thinking is most powerful is being a fish that is the same size that jumps into another pond of the exact same size.

"Wait a second," you might think. "Why would I want to remain the same size and simply go into a different pond of the exact same size?"

But here is the rule/concept/principle when it comes to branding: Moving from one pool to another might be the perfect move for your brand. By moving from one "brand pool" to another, more appropriate "brand pool" you could capture much more business simply because your new pool is less toxic, clearer or contains better companion elements.

Don't limit yourself or your brand to the concept of downgrading or upgrading with the small pond/big pond analogy. Instead, realize that by moving from one market pond to another similar-sized pond could provide the best move for your business yet...and allow your brand to flourish.

The Destruction of Radio...and a Recommendation For Hope

Sat, 4 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Terrestrial radio is undergoing a massive shift, and not many people even see it. It's similar to the tectonic plates as they shift underneath our very feet. It's happening in a monstrously large scale, and yet we don't notice it at our level.

Unfortunately, much of the shifting is not necessarily a good shift. Slow on the uptake as is usual, many radio properties are not able to:
a) See the shift
b) Think about a shift (too busy making plans)
c) Have the capacity to do something about it.

Kind of like being tied to the tracks as the train approaches...

So what is this big shift? It's a potential complete move to radio oblivion within (conservatively guessing) ten years. If not sooner…and it all begins with our neighborly friend, the Internet.

With the shift of user behavior and preference to the Internet instead of other channels over the last many years, including television, newspapers, and yes, radio, a kind of slow migration is happening...and it's a migration that is relentless in its efficiency and complete in its path. Eventually, it is not a stretch to think that the Internet is the "last man standing."

So what does this potential "death of radio" mean for the terrestrial signal? It means that some changes in the foundation of radio broadcast need to be make in order to hope for survival. Some ways to challenge this almost certain doom is to engage in alternative streams of content, population groups and technology…and no, I’m not talking HD radio. (More to come on this topic in future blogs!)

But for now, you can get more information on fresh takes and powerful ways to changing the foundations of radio through a friend of mine, Rob Regal. His radio friends group on FaceBook is all about understanding then bolstering the weakened foundation of radio and perhaps rebuilding it in a new, refreshing manner. Looking for answers, hope and steps to a different future? Get with Rob and his new insights!

Go online to the FaceBook group: Robs' Radio Friends

When you get there, tell him I said "hi"...

Why Julie McCoy is the Best Marketing Idea Ever

Sun, 5 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

As a youngster, my heart fluttered often and wildly at a range of notions...Christmas is coming...We're going to San Diego on vacation...The Love Boat is on in half an hour...

Fact of the matter is, all of the sway in my adolescent thought consumption was based pretty much on foundational chemical reactions to what I considered exciting options. As alluded to above, one of those exciting options was the opportunity to see Lauren Tewes play the spirited Julie McCoy on the Love Boat from 1977 through 1984. I am certain I was not alone in my enjoyment of her exuberant, youthful smile...and boat directing...or whatever it was that she did.

Now that I am older and don't watch Love Boat anymore (this is an important qualification), I look back on the series, my childhood and the whole concept of Julie McCoy and the woman who played her role with some interest. You see, now that I spend much of my time trying to figure why people do what they do for the express purpose of marketing a better product in a better way, I don't think about how she affected my youthful hormones so much as how she placed herself firmly into American culture in a decisive, relevant manner.

Think about it: If you were old enough, who doesn't remember Julie waving "hi" to all the guests boarding the boat? Who doesn't remember her innocent, yet compellingly soft wisdom and advice to (insert emotionally impacted adjective here) passengers?

When you get down to it, the establishment of Julie McCoy in American culture was one of the best marketing Ideas ever. She connected with the viewer on many levels, to men and women alike, and was primed as the perfect accompaniment to a sorted group who actually paled in comparison (I mean, really - a bartender and doctor?) And, to kind of pull things together: Great marketing does that as well. It is able to go beyond the original concept and elevate above the surroundings.

To develop the best marketing ideas, you rest on an idea that works in unison with the surroundings, yet manages to elevate above everything else around it, because of its collusion of positioning elements (uniqueness, distinctiveness, relevance, compassion are a few...) The best marketing idea can exist on it's own, in a group, or in any situation. But mostly, the best marketing idea can impact things beyond the initial concept.

If Julie McCoy was only a character on Love Boat...well, that would be that. But the fact that the character impacted people so much that Love Boat began a downward spiral in ratings after the sudden departure of Lauren from the cast in 1985, speaks to the marketing prowess (of course, if you listen to some, it simply meant Lauren was a little bit of a train wreck with "certain habits" affecting her performance).

In the end, while it may be debated about whether Julie McCoy really was the best "anything" ever...much less marketing idea...I think there are lessons to be learned from the character;

1. If you are marketing something, don't be apologetic in how clear you are in revealing
    that plan.
2. Be sure you have a back up should you need to change plans midstream.
3. Understand that not everything is what it seems a lot of the time. If you can create a
    marketing idea that can exist beyond the initial thought or lifetime, then you have
    created something powerful.

Now...go set your course for adventure and get your best marketing ideas up and running.

Goose Bumps

Mon, 6 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

How often do you get goose bumps? Not the kind you get when you walk out of the shower...or even the kind you get when you watch a creepy movies and something moves quickly across the screen. Instead, I'm talking about the kind of goose bumps that come from doing something really special, really different...

In a marketplace that is rife with, "I can do that, too," we all too often struggle to elevate passed what is safe, what is not too risky. But in a world where mediocre fails in a second, perhaps there is more to taking a stand than first thought. Survival, in this new world (and new economy), may not be an option anymore if you just "do enough."

Here's an idea: Maybe taking a stand for what you believe in...what you are most passionate about...is the ONLY way to survive.

By taking the bold step forward and saying (my apologies to Network) "I’m mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" at least once, you may find that it's a goose bump-inducing, risk-taking step that will catapult you into areas of success that just weren't available when you settled for just doing enough to cover your trail - or just enough to get by.

So what are you passionate about? Have you taken a stand for what stirs you? Could now be the time where you get goose bumps for something other than the cold air hitting your skin after a warm shower?

Could now be the time you take a passionate stand for what you believe in because it is right...not because it is safe?

The Temptation of Pain: Taking On a Challenge With Every New Bite...

Wed, 8 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

When I was a boy of about eight years old, my dad put a jar of jalapeños on the kitchen counter in front of me. It wasn't a big jar (and for that matter the chilies were smallish as well), but it contained a big challenge. The jalapenos that were in that jar were the standard meal accoutrement for my father. I had often seen him place two or even three on his plate, alongside pretty much anything he ate. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he ate the jalapeño chiles for breakfast as well. And, as he put it that particular day, "Today, I make you a man." Of course, to me, that meant, "Today, you'll experience pain like never before..."

And I wasn't incorrect in my estimation. For a reciprocal reward of 25 cents, he offered me one jalapeño. Eat it, he would suggest, and I'd never go back.

I look back at that day, and the precise (and almost demoralizing) moment that the sheer hot, burning sensation of the chili hit my mouth...and my determination to actually finish the entire chile that followed...and I realize one thing: If I hadn’t taken on that challenge, no matter the absurdity of it, I wouldn’t know what the dare or real rewards of the test meant.

Never mind the audacity of the proposal to eat something so hot it would make me cry. Never mind the fact that the massive size of the challenge in my young mind would never...ever...equate to getting 25 cents in return. Never mind that the challenge came to me when I never would expect it. Why would I? The fact was that the test was there...waiting for me to accept or deny...silly in its own existence, yet promising in the accomplishment that would reveal itself after the fact. The simple fact is if I had not taken on biting into that jalapeño that day, I would not know otherwise.

And you know what? My father was right. I never did turn back. I enjoy the chiles with any meal these days...almost. And with the estimation of whether I “became a man” that day because of eating a chile notwithstanding, I importantly learned something else as well: I am unafraid of challenge – or the strange, silly proposal form it often comes in.

The moment of clarity that was presented to me (even upon reflection of such a small endeavor) was significant in long-term ramifications. It taught me how to deal with challenge head on...to confront it rather than deny it...knowing that no matter how small or large the challenge might seem, I'd never know the glory or defeat of it until I did something about it.

As you think about your challenges in your business, life or relationships...do you shirk in response? Or do you take a bite, knowing that yes, there may be pain, but unless you do “something” there may never be “anything” otherwise?

The Day a Jet Airplane Fell On You

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

How do you respond to opportunity? Or perhaps the better question is: Do you recognize opportunity when it’s presented to you? Recently I posted a blog about the challenges that come in life (http://www.mergeleftmarketing.com/Blog.asp?PID=39) - and how if you don’t take on the challenge (or, at the very least, confront it) you will never…ever…know the defeat, the accomplishment or the possibilities that challenge presents. It’s like it didn’t exist…unless you do something about it.

But there is something about the blog post that was missing. And, of course, it got me thinking. How can you take on a challenge if you don’t even recognize it’s even being presented to you?

It’s easy to see the “big” opportunities. It’s easy to see the mountain in front of you and say: “Wow - now there is a challenge,” or to look at the mound of paperwork on your desk and think with dread: “Opportunity knocks."

But what about the things that are a little more elusive or obfuscated by circumstances? I’d venture to say that even those opportunities are important even if not immediately seen. And, potentially, it's those not easily noticed things that are the ones that will make a difference.

Let's rest on this for a moment. Anybody can climb a mountain. But who is willing to stop their car on the side of the road and help push another stopped car to the side of traffic and make a cell phone call for the stranded man or woman?

Or here’s a better example. Anyone can try to push a car out of the way, but who is willing to stop for a moment and take the time to explain to the receptionist how important they are to the company (not in the “Boy, I’m a good boss, I am talking to everyone” way but in the “I really care that you know this. You are more important to the company than I am” way).

What I’m trying to say is the small, unrecognizable things can have a much greater impact on success for you and your company or organization…and, frankly, your life - if you pay attention to them. If you develop a sense for “seeing” them in front of you. Everybody sees the larger, powerful challenges and opportunities…and, in a way, it makes them easier to take on. The reward is larger. The response demands greater. The future of the universe depends on it!

But take the time to pay attention to the stuff around the bottom of the mountain. Look at the people who need your help - who won’t present you with the greatest rewards, accolades or acknowledgement. When you are able to pick up on that, you’ll have developed a keen sense for what opportunity is.

And, when you can pick up on and recognize even the smallest inklings, the seemingly inconsequential challenges in comparison - that's when you’ve developed a true sense of insight and worth.

Listen, it shouldn’t take a jet airplane to fall on you in order to give you that sense of challenge or opportunity. You don’t need the mountain to climb. Instead, think about your day…and what lay ahead. Really think about it…notice it. I bet you’ll begin to find new, exciting challenges and opportunities (each rewarding in their own way) that you’ve never considered before. Each able to do wonders when responded to. When recognized.

The Absolutely Best, Most Important Powerful Advice You'll Ever Get to Radically Improve and Succeed at Your Business Marketing Plans, Unconditionally Guaranteed or Your Money Back...

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

You’ve seen the online advertisements. They’ll promise you riches and wealth that’s you’ve never experienced before…but the people who they use as testimonials are not truly indicative of what the typical response. They promise you freedom from burden…but there is an upfront fee of $29.99…and then the operator tells you there is a monthly maintenance fee of about $89 per month. Finally, they say there is a money back guarantee…only, it expired last night, just before you called about the guarantee.

Sure, there are lots of legitimate offers to help you expand this, grow that, resolve the other thing and generally become the next superman of the financial, retail, online, (plug in your desire here) world. But the most likely outcome is that you’ll be spending your money not to make yourself rich. Rather, you’ll be creating instant wealth for the people who sold you widget “a” or gadget “b."

Believe it or not, though, this isn’t about the long sales letter techniques rouge marketers sometimes employ. Nor is it about empty promises and how to detect the bold and audacious claims in order to save yourself. Fact is, if you're gonna spend the money to buy the “Internet Millions Machine from Gotchamoneysco” that has somehow remained secret to America and hasn’t yet been purchased by every single living organism on the face of the earth if it works...since it apparently makes millions for every single person who buys it for only 39 bucks...then nothing is going to stop you now. But what you still may hold out hope for is that this infinite wisdom to reveal charlatan from true businessman hasn’t seeped into your real business.

But there is a serious caution here because I’ve run into too many businesses that “functionally speaking” DO BEHAVE THIS WAY - spending marketing dollars on empty promises of online traffic, phone calls and otherwise overwhelming crowds of people busting open the doors ready to purchase. And, granted, everybody has to make a buck, including mailing advertisement companies, your local phone book and other Pay Per Click, online advertising “booking agents." But does that buck have to come at the expense of your hard-earned dollars?

Follow these quick rules when considering your next “great marketing idea” funding party:

1. Ask yourself if this idea, service or marketing channel you are “buying" into is part of your long-term marketing strategy, or is it an impulse buy like the tasty candy in a grocery store line? Be honest and know anyone…ANYONE…who is good at what they do can convince you to buy something with urgency or impulse. That’s what they spend their time learning to do: Compelling people to buy the offer.

2. What does the offer…offer? Guaranteed traffic? Guaranteed qualified leads? Ask the questions that need to be asked. If the information isn’t there…or if there is too much, too good information...be careful. If there is a guarantee attached to it, find out the reason, good or bad, there even needs to be a claim of a guarantee.

3. “The world's best," “limited time offer," and “act now” should never be compel you to do anything. It’s just not good business sense. Instead, look for words like “trusted," “understand the details” and “every business is different and therefore needs to be explored in an appropriate, thoughtful manner.” These words and phrases should be the kinds of things you look for.

And then, after you’ve applied the rules on your prospective decision, make sure you either have a larger strategy, consult with someone who can help you with it (working on your behalf), or give the idea some space so you can consider it with some time. This will place you in a better position to consider any marketing spend…I guarantee it…and for only a small fee of...

How Do You Say Hello?

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Here’s a quick little experiment I want you to try. It’ll only take a minute or two but will have a lasting impact. I promise. Ready?

Put your hands up in front of you. Now count on your fingers how many times you’ve said “hello” or “hi” to someone today…this morning, afternoon, whatever. You passed them in the hallway, walked through the store, tootled around the office. How many times did you say “hi?"

That’s the easy part – depending on how many people you’ve come across already, you may have had to jump from physical counting of fingers to mental gymnastics. Now here’s the hard question (be honest with yourself): How many of those people did you really actually care to get an answer from?

I’m guessing that for the most part you were probably being more cordial than wondering how the person you passed in the hall was feeling at that exact moment. Chances are you probably rarely even say more than “hello” to them at any given time. Kids? Who knows. Married? Perhaps. You more likely than not were simply being polite and not expecting a dialogue. Even the people you know - did you really want a response? Honestly?

But is that bad? Well, let’s look at a business principle and then I’ll let you determine whether it's bad or not.

When a customer comes through a channel to experience your service, how do you treat them? Do you say “hi” in passing? Or do you try to establish a more meaningful relationship in a way that makes them feel comfortable?

Here’s an even larger, more foreboding question: Do you know how to develop a relationship beyond the simple "hello?" Are you able to get beyond the hello to express caring and concern for their needs?

It’s something to think about since what we do in practice is how we think in principle – and, typically, vice versa. If you don’t take the time to say, “Hello! How are you doing?" and then mean it, chances are that you’ll lose your customer. Chances are you’ll not engender any level of relationship, passion or comfort.

Let’s go back to how many people you’ve said “hi” to today (again – let’s be honest). What do you think the results would have been if you stopped just one person and, instead of saying “hi” in passing as you moved along, you stopped, touched them on the arm and said, “Hi. How are you doing right now?” And then you waited for a response?

When you deal with people in the hallway, in the store, or anywhere, consider the impact you can have in someone’s life by caring just a little more about them and a little less about being polite or even – dare I say it – aloof? By using this principle you can make the person you meet much more comfortable and more willing to engage you. By the same hand, when you take a little more time in your welcome of customers, be it online, via print, or through people walking in a door, you will also make them more willing to engage you.

It’s up to you how you will operate. Will you be polite…or will you do something more and create an environment where people feel they are cared about and willing to share? How do you say hello?

Danger - No Matter What You Do...Don't Read This!

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Ever wonder why some people respond differently than you expect given the right (or wrong) circumstances? For instance, a sense of urgency works to make people act on something…no matter what the issue is, valid or invalid, important or not. By cutting down the time frame to act you create an atmosphere for movement. You can also peak people’s interest by showing that there are elements of unknown or potentially damaging information (think: blackmail!?!) By creating an “old trick” direct mail envelope that says, “No matter what – don’t open this” you’ve created both a sense of urgency and a sense of danger or uncertainty. Who doesn’t love a mystery? Who isn’t going to at least think about opening the envelope?

But is that really what you want to depend on for people to act? Or is there a more powerful principle you can work by?

Fact is, everybody’s adrenaline gets pumping and people are ready to act when there's a crisis…you see it in different situations all the time: business, relationships, etc. But when the crisis is over, down come the people – crashing from their “we gotta do something now” mode. Similarly, if you propose to your potential customer that they must “buy, buy, buy, now…or else,” while you may create that sense of urgency and uncertainty (danger), once they have either purchased of come down from the high, you’ll get a crash. And potentially (probably) adversely affect the customer relationship.

The sad fact is that some businesses operate that way in order to just get the sale, to convert. Of course, their retention is…lacking.

As you create a call-to-action for something: purchase this, buy that, join our “this and that” club, make sure you propose something that has lasting effects and doesn’t generate buyer’s remorse later on. Don’t create a fire sale. Instead, create sales that last beyond the urgent, right now. It’ll pay off in the long run.

How Innovative Are You?

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Boy...talk about a buzzword. Innovate, innovate, innovate. You'd think by the casual nature by with which companies use the word "innovation" that it was supplanting the dollar as the next currency for the United States (we all know it's gonna be the Euro - but that's an entirely different matter). But what do people mean when they use the buzzword "innovate" or "innovation?" Frankly, not a whole lot anymore.

Back in the early 90's I used to listen to The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They were good. Then they became mainstream...and they became mediocre once they were discovered. They succumbed to trying to become more acceptable to the general population. Back when Seinfeld was new, it was also a great show. The last few years before cutting off, the show became mediocre...once they became discovered. They accepted that they needed to keep viewers watching, not reveal the beauty of their original premise.

Back when innovation actually meant something other than the mediocrity it stands for now, it was good. But now, in the "mainstream" psyche of culture, the word innovation has been reduced to a verb that applies to everything and anything...and yet, very few people understand what it really means to innovate. Very few people understand the principles of what thinking outside the box means anymore. They are so focused on the "outside of the box"-ness of their idea that they've forgone the out of the box thought. They stop short and, wanting to display the innovation, that they forget what the innovation is all about.

Many years ago I was walking through the University of Arizona hallways with my fellow classmates. And a thought struck on of us to which was said: "Isn't it cool? We're all writers!" At that exact moment I realized that we were not writers...we were only talking about it.

Here's the thought: When are you going to stop talking about innovation? And when are you going to be innovative?

Now, a friend of mine, Jon Hirst, has got the thing right...he still keeps innovation in its place and respects the power of what can be done. That is to say, Jon doesn't just talk about innovation... (or mediocrity that can be assigned to it)...he is innovation. Check Jon and his innovation strategies out at:

http://www.innovationinmission.com

Tastes Like Fried Chicken

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

When I was younger I used to watch in amazement at my mother’s deft ability to cover a chicken leg (putty to the feel and white to the eyes) in a thick coating of “secret ingredients” simply by shaking it in an altogether too small transparent baggie before plopping the concoction into a sizzling vat of grease. Moments later, whisking it up from the tempting, bubbling brew of prickling hot oil, the tanned, terrifically smelling chicken would subsequently charm my saliva glands into a dance that could only be squelched by a bite into the sumptuous white meat. Satisfaction would always fulfill itself at the dinner table just a tad later. And me? Even after eating this calorie-laden delight, I had this sort of “Wow, Mom” hero thing going on for at least a day later. Unnecessary? Yes. Irrational? Yup. Completely expected? Probably.

You see, while my nostalgia for fried chicken may be an alarmingly detailed, perhaps completely inappropriate display of chicken-making worship, it does provide a peculiar (I know, unbelievable isn’t it?) segue to a set of marketing principles to learn from:

1. Be Amazing - If you can have someone remember your brand or business because of some amazing service, feat or unique ability (no matter how ridiculous: "I’d rather be successful and ridiculous than boring and out-of-business”) you’ll always be closer to making a sale.

2. Close the Deal - Simply being closer to a sale doesn’t actually mean you are making the sale. I’ve seen too many interesting, clever and unique items that simply weren’t ready for their time or had something just "off" about them. Make sure you perform due diligence and are fully committed to your amazing idea…and then do the hard work to prove it.

3. Don’t Be Scared to Sell Your Success - Things are only irrational until they happen. In a paraphrase of Stephen Hawkins, noted theoretical physicist, science is theoretical because it’s based on the idea that things are proven because they happen until they don’t anymore. That is to say: it makes sense until it doesn’t. Similarly, purchasing by brand is largely irrational…that is, until someone figures out how to make people purchase by their brand anyway. And once you do capture that, keep doing it as long as you can. You never know the memories you are forming for people with your effort.

How to Cook Burgers...or Fievel Goes West Again

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

About six months ago my family discovered something odd about our barbeque grill. It had been overtaken by a rodent of some sort. I think it was a pack rat. At any rate, I immediately thought about two things. First, he was awfully cute for getting the bad rap he does…and second, I was going to have a difficult time grilling burgers if we let him continue to nest there.

So, appropriately, my wife and I took out the nest he built at our first opportunity and sealed the edges of the grill with duct tape. This surely would keep him from coming back. Of course, if you know anything about pack rats, I believe this only exacerbated the situation. Perhaps he took it as a personal challenge. But he appeared the next day. And he would continue to appear every day after we tried closing off the barbeque again with a sort of relentless, reckless abandon…until one day…we gave up.

We now have a family of smaller pack rats in our grill. I’m not sure if they are offspring or if our family grill has now been identified as an easy mark in the pack rat world. The next step, I am certain, won’t be pretty - or inexpensive.

The fact of the matter is that many people also have their own pack rats...in a business sense. These business-oriented pack rats are things we simply can’t seem to shake in our commerce and marketing plans. They reveal themselves as poor choices (or even non-choices) that we’ve made and which we just can’t seem to undo or get away from. And they persist as dogged reminders about how we are in a losing battle with them.

Some examples include subscribing to a service, thinking it was a magic bullet solution (yellow pages online solutions come to mind), or buying into a lead generator only to find it generates plenty of cash for the service, but not much revenue for you. Or perhaps it’s an advertising commitment you’ve entered into, only to discover that you don’t know how to close the deal once you get people heading your way anyway.

How to know you have a pack rat in your business/marketing plans:

1. You were unsure of it to begin with but were persuaded all the same to make the purchase of the service.

2. The statistics about the program you bought into were a little “heady” for you, but the salesperson swore on their grandmother’s dog Maizy that things would work.

3. When you are asked now, “Does this work,” you typically respond with, “I’m not sure…why?”

The bottom line is that we can sometimes give into bad decisions because they seem harmless, manageable…and perhaps even fruitful in some way. But as they continue on and persist and slowly damage your business beyond what you originally even thought possible, you become unsure of what to do next. And, usually, that solution is more expensive than just handling things in the first place.

There are answers to your “pack rat” problem. But the first step is going to be doing something about it…and I don’t mean getting out the duct tape.

How To Save $1,000 in Less Than One Minute

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

A man once told me he could save me $1,000 in less than a minute. Needless to say I was a bit dubious. "It’s easy," he said…and continued on to show me how.

He explained it this way…

“My wife the other day shared that she only spent $500 on clothes she bought. She said she saved almost $500 through the department store sale and some coupons she clipped from the Sunday paper.

To which I said: "If you hadn’t spent anything, think of what you might have saved."

“And there,” he said, “is how you save $1,000 in less than a minute.”

How do you budget for your expenses in a rough economy? Do you create savings by spending? Or do you create them by spending even more smartly or not spending at all unless there is a real savings down the road.

What do I mean by “down the road?" Essentially here are two approaches to saving money:

1. First, you can save on the overall cost like the man’s wife did. Get a discount, clip some coupons, and minimize the overall expense. This will reduce the cost of your purchase but not “save” money. In the long run it usually means money is going out…but there is no return. I'm sure you can think of some business purchases that have been or are enticing that way.

2. Second, you can spend to save money in the long-term, which is often more productive with respect to return on investment. This sort of spending is the type that can not only save you $1,000, it can also reduce later costs as well.

The second way to spend takes more discipline and more insight than the impulse “discount” offers, but suggests a longer lasting benefit to you and your business. This type of expenditure also helps you later on with the first type of spend temptations.

Some examples of smart spending (the second type):

1. Eliminate spending that isn’t result-oriented. If you see (or doubt) something, try making the hard decision and cutting it off right now. Today. Or as soon as the contract for the service ends. Too often, businesses continue to spend money on “comfort” services that make you feel like you are doing something right to get the word out about your business - when all you’re really doing is using up your capital on non-performing ideas.

2. Understand that long-term growth isn’t usually solved by short-term spending. In other words, don’t piecemeal your marketing or business expenditures because you are pulled in by a “save now” sign or advertisement or special offer. Make sure your budget has a planned, long-term goal behind it: X business growth over Y timeframe. Otherwise, you’re just clipping coupons in the hopes that it can look like you’ve saved money when all you’ve really done is spend it.

3. Finally, of course, hire a marketing consultant to help you integrate and get a larger perspective of your business marketing plans and determine where and why you should or should not spend on certain marketing channels. By having someone outside the company come in and help you get a bird’s eye perspective, you can have a fresh look and the issue and challenges facing your marketing/business plans…and how to revise to spend smart, and save more in the long term.

Now, aren’t you ready to save a $1,000 in one minute?

How I Became a Narcissist

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Chase Hildenbrand, a friend of mine, recently sent me a link to an article about Twitter. This was the latest volley in how useful or not useful Twitter really is. He claims sufficiently that Twitter is all about narcissism...to which I respond, appropriately, "Only I know the truth!" In all seriousness, after reading the article, I have determined four things about Twitter.

1. Twitter is probably here to stay in some form or another. It is a balance between communication extremes and has forced wordy people to truncate…and “anti-social” extremists to stretch a little.

2. But that doesn’t mean that Twitter…or “tweeting”...is the answer, just like mobile marketing isn’t the “answer." But it does have a place and a role in the continued development and extraordinary attention social media (which is otherwise known by the more common name of “interaction”) gets.

3. If you don’t have anything to say (Narcissist or not), please stay away from Twitter. It crowds the space. Just like I wouldn’t propose to bake goods for a fundraiser, you shouldn’t use Twitter just because it’s out there. There is ample opportunity to use other collateral to get your message across.

4. If you do want to engage social media as a “construct” then do it correctly. Get some advice on how to use things correctly. Twittering is just like driving. It can give you fits and starts, as well as that kind of push back if you aren’t committed to it or, with all candor, don’t know how to use it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I have to go tweet the fact that I just blogged about Twitter…

Auto Responder vs. Auto Response

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

When I was a child I watched Godzilla movies with glee. The thrill of watching two rubbery monsters battle it up amongst the backdrop of a smallish (and now that I think about it, very similar) cardboard city was an experience I absolutely loved. You know, up until the point I’d fall asleep. Then, as luck would have it, the movies were so long and pensive (?!?! ) that I’d still get to watch the finale even after I had awakened from my slumber.

Regardless of how exciting or involved those movies actually were, though, they did have one common thread…they always were titled something like: Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster or Godzilla vs. the Giant Wachamadoogle…I think it was an effort to create some sense of excitement. After all, as I suggested earlier, Godzilla movies weren’t always good at…sustained interest. So they needed something to create that sense of excitement that would pull you in even more.

That said, today I am writing about auto responders. And, while perhaps not as “exciting” as Godzilla vs. the Kong-a-nator, they're still a vital part to your marketing channel enjoyment. An auto responder, of course, is simply an email marketing program that automatically sends out messages to your email subscribers so you don’t have to. It’s sequential email marketing at its best…or worst, depending on how it’s used.

Why Auto Responder vs. Auto Response? Because I find that often people mistake the tool for the method. Thus, I’ve created some basic principles to help you create better messaging with your auto responder (email marketing) program:

1. You should use an auto responder like iContact, Constant Contact or Aweber to provide an instantaneous customer service to your prospects and clients. This allows people to get information right away when they request it and increases your capacity. That doesn’t mean that you should be aloof or rote in your messages you create. Always think about what the user desires and provide that information in your email series. Don’t use an “auto response” for your messages. Make sure you are thoughtful, considerate and provide real responses, not just filler.

2. Make sure you’ve planned what you want to say over the long term in your email series and stick with the plan. An important aspect of a good auto response email marketing plan is to make sure your content stream makes sense to whomever signs up for your email update list. And stick with it for consistency sake.

3. Make sure you have real content, not just promotional material. Don’t confuse the email sign ups for people wanting to be pummeled by your great advertising and promotional ideas. As great as they are, the people who just put their email name in for your content on “practical tips” or “great ideas” more likely than not is expecting that…not a series of ads for how they can buy your product.

4. Bonus principle: Use “double opt in." If your email marketing program doesn’t require an opt in with a confirmation link, be careful. It truly is one of the best ways to get qualified leads for your business. If I subscribe, you send me a confirmation link, and I click on that…well, it means I definitely want your info (and subsequently become a much stronger lead). If I don’t - well, you probably didn’t want me on your list anyway as I’d be taking up space in a better qualified group.

Who Cares What Happened Ten Years Ago?

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

“On April 23, 1999 a downslope windstorm along the western side of the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah produced wind gusts to 113 mph at valley elevations. Twenty semi tractor trailer trucks were blown over on I-15, a construction crane collapsed, damage to hangars and aircraft was reported at the Brigham City airport, numerous power lines were downed, and there was widespread damage to roofs, trees and small structures throughout Davis, Weber, and eastern Box Elder counties. Damage to residential property was estimated at $3-5 million.” – National Weather Service.

If you read that fairly random Internet search result from an event that happened ten years ago, even with the significant impact of money and damage to the surrounding areas, it’s pretty easy to walk away feeling like it doesn’t have a lot of consequence to your life today…unless, of course, you lived in the Wasatch Mountains in the Northern part of Utah ten years ago. And, even then, it might be a stretch to remember the exact details of everything that happened and, thus, the story would potentially lose some of its emotional luster.

So why am I recalling something that happened ten years ago that you probably never heard of, and never will hear about again? Because if something could impact lives and create nearly $5 million in damage only ten years ago, and you have no recollection of it…not on your “radar” at all…how important do your decisions become regarding your business on this side of the Earth, tucked away in your city or town, hidden from view of the world?

I don’t say this to be mean or condescending. But I do it to bring up three important points about the choices you make:

1. Stop being overanalytical about stuff...and make a decision already. In ten years, nobody else may care about what you did or the decisions you make, so gain some perspective about the ideas you have and the importance they play in the cycle of life. That’s right…you are only so important. Don’t overanalyze and become paralyzed. Do something.

2. Don’t "under think" things either. It’s good to move - but have some discernment. When you get down to it, ask yourself this: Who are you making decisions for? For yourself? To please other people? To be remembered in someone’s blog ten years from now? Consider what you do today and if it will mean something in the long run or not. And then act accordingly. Just think? Ten years from now your colossal mistake could be smoothed out by time.

3. Understand the consequences whether you do something now or later. Remember, though, we are talking about decisions today. Ten years hasn’t really passed, has it? So perhaps, even though you may not make headlines or even be mentioned ten years from now, the fact of the matter is what you do today will impact tomorrow and the next day…and so on and so forth. The sole determination of the importance of decisions isn’t time - instead, it is integrity, character and results. And that (and how you handle it), ten years time or not, will be remembered by you, your friends, and your customers.

Seth Godin's cows, cows, cows...

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:35:27 GMT

I was chatting with a group last night about PlagiarizedMarketing.com and how when we launch the site we’ll expose and explore the junk marketing out there – you know, the recycled stuff that comes from way too much time reading and way too little time understanding. And the way I kind of explained it was that there is a lot of marketing advice out there. Enough to keep several thousands of marketers in business. But how does someone decipher whether it’s the Ronald Reagan kind of marketing (trust but verify) or the Jimmy Carter kind (just trust)?

Well, the long and the short of it is you can’t…or it is very challenging...unless it’s obvious. For example, if you hear someone reciting Seth Godin’s* Purple Cow analogy ad infinitum: “cows, cows, cows, cows…”, or something to that effect…that’s probably someone who hasn’t fully crafted their own marketing position. We appreciate purple cows and all…but the cows simply don't matter if you’re not close enough to see them!

At any rate, the concept is that there is a lot to choose from - and a lot of “imposter-ish” kind of material out there. The caution is, make sure you get the goods when you talk marketing; that the person has the insight, knowledge and experience to talk about it. Think about it this way: If you go to the doctor’s office say, twenty times, does that make you a doctor? If you recite Seth Godin twenty times, does that make you Seth?

As you think about your marketing and work your chosen path, use discernment, think critically and, most of all, make sure you're not simply getting another copy…but someone who understands and can apply the right material and concepts to the right situation. Otherwise, you might end up getting surgery from someone who watches a lot of Grey’s Anatomy.

*Note: I fully appreciate Seth Godin’s thoughts. Smart man. I simply appreciate less the hundreds of folks who pretend to be him without citing his efforts as the source. You know who you are…

Cinco de Made Up

Sun, 3 May 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner. A bunch of folks will be celebrating what the average person thinks is a "Mexican" holiday. Of course, most people would be stunned to learn that, in fact, Cinco De Mayo has absolutely nothing to do with the Mexican culture. Rather, it is a holiday made up by the U.S. government to celebrate the culture.

Similarly, there are a few Urban Legends floating around out there about good branding that need some dispelling (or, at least, illumination).

1. Exposure is awareness.

The more you get your brand out there, the more people will pay attention to you. It is simply false. The splatter technique of brand building will only work if it resonates with the recipient of the message. While you might get noticed more frequently...it doesn't mean people will "pay attention" to you more.

The key to generate good awareness is a sound messaging strategy that includes clearly communicated, simple ideas that people can concretely grab onto.

2. And speak of getting your brand out there: If I build it they will come.

The simple fact of the matter is that if you build it...well, that's nice. But you've got to be proactive in getting to the consumer. Don't stop at building something impressive that people would love to enjoy, only to never let people know about it.

Seth Godin, guru on marketing and the like, has a book called "The Purple Cow" which is like a fast track course on Marketing 101. Develop a unique property in order to get noticed. The only flaw of the book is it doesn't give you the practical measures to getting the message out.

It's a lot like marriage. The hard part isn't actually getting married. The difficult side is working through the communication and relationship building after the wedding day that trips so many people up. Building your brand is great. But getting it into the minds of the consumer as an actual choice is a whole different ball game.

My premise has been, yes, get your Purple Cow. But make sure it's close enough to the highway for people to see...because it won't matter what color your cow is if can't be seen.

3. I've got a good product. My brand is my product.

Unfortunately, a brand is not really ever the product. Think about big brands you know that seem product driven. Kleenex. Kellogg's Cornflakes. Old Spice deodorant.

Those products are the brand. Instead, they resonate some quality that people desire in themselves. Comfort, health, nostalgia, or cleanliness.

Unless your brand communication can connect with people at a deeper level - approaching a felt need or desire - it won't matter how good your product is. Start thinking about not only your service, but the felt need you are meeting and your brand will become better as a result.

Stop focusing so much on your product, and get you communication strategy down.

4. If I have a good brand strategy, my product will sell.

This is almost the converse of the previous point. If you don't pay enough attention to your product, you might sell a few products (heck - you might sell a ton). But I can bet you won't trick those same folks into buying more.

Make sure your product is good enough to sell before selling it. Otherwise, you'll beak the promise of delivering your brand. And if you break a promise to your consumer you'll spend a lot of money trying to win them back.

Summary...

Urban Legends can hurt your brand. It's always good to do your homework before "buying" into brand technique or ideas.

With the prevalence of advice (and frankly, advisors) out there, you should always require due diligence and deliberate thinking even through the smartest sounding ideas for your business. Always consult with someone whose advice is consistent, makes sense and can be validated.

(Note: This "holiday" blog was previously published as a Merge left Marketing article titled Cinco de Made Up...)

The Penguins of Madagascar? Really?

Sat, 9 May 2009 22:35:27 GMT

The Disney Machine is at it again. They just launched (by "just" I mean within the last couple of months) a new series called the Penguins of Madagascar…an offshoot of an offshoot of an offshoot. Basically, though, it's another step at the dominating empire Disney is building with a single yet powerful marketing principle called “leveraging."

What do I mean? Essentially, a large part of their success is built upon a “formula for success." That formula is “wash, rinse and repeat." Take a popular idea. Mimic it in concept, attitude and quirkiness…then let it ride for about three years while it steeps. Then dump it in favor of the newest version.

Of course, things like Hanna Montana, Drake and Josh, and the Penguins of Madagascar do require some talent…but mostly they require the Disney machine's significant, WalMart-like backing. The saying is: get your idea on Disney Channel and become a star, regardless of your talent. Jonas Brothers, anyone?

As you think about your plans for marketing your product, consider past successes you may have had and try to understand why exactly it was successful. Sure, there will be some talent required…but if you can identify the concept that pushed the idea to success, all you have to do is replicate it in a deliberate, persistent manner.

Caveat: Sure, you might not be able to replicate that exact success. But you sure will do better than trying to reinvent the wheel where there is already one rolling around the house. Just ask the House of Mouse.

You're My Best Friend: Content Distribution

Sat, 4 July 2009 22:35:27 GMT

There is an old poem where the question is asked: how do I love thee...let me count the ways. In a sort of spin on that question I ask you: How do you distribute your business information and communication streams. Can you count the ways? Perhaps an even better question is do you know what your communication streams even are?

I find that the typical response to this question is underwhelming with most organizations. There is some idea of what is being said, but nothing concrete...and definitely no inventory of streams that can be "counted".

Distribution of your content and what types of content you distribute can be one of the most important marketing strategies your company deals with. By repurposing content, distributing it through various channels and integrating those channels you can create more efficiency in your marketing spend and financial budgets. Not only that, your awareness developments more rapidly for your company or business and therefore creates better response for consumers.

One of the ultimate goals of your business marketing plan should be to grow revenues and sustain awareness in the marketplace for future profits and brand equity. If you don't...or can't inventory your streams of distribution at this point, you need to spend some time getting to that point. Only then can you understand the impact of where you spend your dollars and how effective your reach is...

How Important is the Internet?

Fri, 17 July 2009 22:35:27 GMT

Recently in our Recession-Proof Marketing Seminars, we delved a little more deeply into the importance of having an Internet presence. The fact is, if you aren't online...you aren't realizing the potential for your business or non-profit organization. Take a look...

The Internet:

Social Media and The Circus

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:35:27 GMT

When I was younger I used to love going over the grounds of the circus...after the circus had left the area. You'd think that I'd enjoy when the circus more when it was there, but this was not the case as when the circus was in town, I was restricted to the "events" as they were dictated by the circus owners. I could only go so close to the animals, afford to buy so much cotton candy and enjoy a show for a limited time.

You see, after the circus left was when all the fun really started. That's where the restricted use of real people and animals were gone and the wonderful world of imagination and discovery came into being. I'd wander around the grounds and pick up trinkets and tchotchkes that were left behind...and make up my own stories and world of fun. And it wouldn't cost me anymore, or restrict me as to what was actually happening.

How do you see the world of social Media around you? What do you enjoy most as you enter the possibilities? Are you restricted or stuck with how other present your options - whether via Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn or other network (or other social engagement like YouTube or publishing? Or do you allow yourself to engage a world where anything is possible or available if you think things through well enough...

As you consider your next steps in your business’s marketing or social media plans, think about what you'd have regardless of restrictions or rules, and begin there. Then, place practical steps to getting there...it's your choice. Enjoy the circus on your terms, or be a circus because you are living on other people's terms...

The New Black

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 22:35:27 GMT

You've heard the expression before, right? The NEW black? Brown is the new black...30 is the new 20...eating Paleo is the new Atkins. Basically, it's a reference to credibility. It's a way (some would say, shortcut) to developing a quick identifier for showing you are valid and familiar. But the real question isn't so much, about familiarity or credibility...as much as it's a bout seeming to be credible or familiar. In other words, the race to world domination isn't make of substance theses days. The cold, hard facts are that the race is to "seeming" like you've dominated the world. Think about it as you work harder, longer, and more towards getting the "word" out. Your efforts may be in vain if you don't know the "secret".

What is the secret? It is this: you don't have to work harder, longer and more towards world domination. You simply have to appear as you have. Make sense?

It may seem like a moral delimna on the surface. Similar to Lance Armstrong and the doping scandal of 2012, and the supporting excuse of "if everyone else is cheating, why don't I?" people may think I'm advocating "cheating" to seem bigger, stronger, faster. But I'm not. Instead I'm simply suggesting as you provide real, valid and needed services to your consumers (or targeted consumer) that you do so smartly, and in greater number so that you might take advantage of technological advances in social awareness.

So - use the force - or whatever is available to become bigger without all the extra inefficient work involved. Dual purpose your content, share your content multiple times, breakout content and share in different arenas. All of it, creates a larger digital footprint. All of it is hedging your bets...but all of it is wise.

What is the new black? Growing awareness through smart, efficient resource expense is the new bulk ad spend. Multi-platform digital publishing with back linking is the new traditional media effort. And, yes - blogging is the new geocities...but it works. So get going...

So you wanna be a cowboy...

Tue, 1 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Every year there are billions and billions of New Year's resolutions...and that's just from me. Imagine what all the folks who may actually have the wherewithal to do something about the resolutions are...resolving...

Here's a question for you though. If you are making a resolution, why? I mean to ask: what is the purpose of the resolution? Is it to generate motivation? A habit? perhaps a way to dream...safely. And by safely, you know I mean without consequence. You'll have to excuse my cynicism with this. But the truth is that many people resolve to do things they fully intend NEVER TO ACT ON. It's like that song with the lyrics "I want to be a cowboy"...similar to movie lines, the things people say they want to do are basically fillers, substitutes for the actual "action". Excuses in other words.

So here is the real question: what are you planning to do about it? Here are some tips (not another tip article!?!) that I've managed to reduce down to two precise solutions. Two exacting things that will take you from resolution to doing.

1. Write down your goal. Right now. Do it. Right now. Did I mention "right now?". Stop reading this blog entry and write. When you're done come back. I'll still be here. At least, my blog will...failing another Mayan debacle.

2. Did you write it down? Good. Now get that piece of paper and rip it up into shreds. What, you may ask? Yes. Tear it up and throw it away. While people suggest writing down things gets you to "actualize" or "commit" to doing things I think it doesn't. I think it creates undo pressure...a kind of fake barrier to actually getting the job done. Instead, start doing the thing instead of creating another list.

But how?

First, by...well..acting on it. Here's the concept...the take away, as it were. If you spend your time planning, and writing and deciding, and committing, you kinda keep yourself from "actually doing it" don't you? Stop giving yourself a reason to NOT do something. Now, go on...and be that cowboy!

Email...People still use that?

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Like rumors and old wives tales something permeated the marketing environment over the last few years. It was Newspapers are dead...oh wait, that is true. No, the thing I was thinking about is the phrase "email is dead". This was considered a near truism because of the move to texting, social media and the like that the youth market is moving to enmass. And, all things being equal, yes-the younger demographic (or psychographic, if you desire the more appropriate marketing terminology) is moving to a more dynamic social integration. However, he's the interesting part. Young people grow older, and do still use email. I know, shocking...

He's the simple facts about email marketing. It doesn't cost a substantial amount more the send your "branded" communication to many people as it does to one. Whereas with print, you are looking at a much larger spend. Additionally, measurement for email marketing is a set of precise tracking tools that can help you understand to great lengths how people use your content, how to generate sales, and how to yes - use other media such as social media, texting and even more email.

In fact, the click thru rates of "readership", "forwarding" and sales conversions from emails has risen over the last few years. More and more, people are buying from online "call to action"/promotional email mixed with content messaging.

Looking for a solution that allows you to change messaging (or tweak it) to better suit your audience on the fly? Looking to lower your overall costs? Looking to create a metric based measurement tool that shows you exactly where your money is going, how it is spent and what clients it directly leads to? Email Marketing is your answer.

Do people still use email? Why, yes...they do. And it's time for you to start talking to those people and making more money for your business, non-profit or other organization and event.

Death becomes her...

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Yes. We get it...

Negative news makes for a better story. One of the most read pages of the traditional Newspaper is the obituaries. Why do you suppose that is? Well, for starters, it may have to do with the "whew" factor. As morbid as it sounds it may be that people read the obits because it let's the reader realize their own mortality from a safe distance: "Whew...that wasn't me". Additionally, though, it's an informational transaction of sorts. It allows the reader to see what is still around, to survey the lay of "the people the know" land. And this is strikingly similar to the latest fad in the social media land. Whether it's decrying the death of MySpace (which, for all intents and purposes may actually be on life support) or Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, even Facebook...or any number of different social media streams, networks, publishing sources or otherwise, some technology tool is always near death. It's near the end of it's useful life.

But here's the thing: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter...and for better or worse, even MySpace are still around.

So what is the normal person hoping to latch onto the next big thing that will create HUGE internet awareness for them to do? Keep reading the "technology obituaries" and say "whew"?

I'm fond of saying that statistics are useless. The only stat that matters is the one you become. Other than that, "chance" has no real value other than creating a safe distance from the experience. To be less philosophical, relying on stats like an obit page basically just creates an good excuse for not doing something.

I encourage you to stop reading the obits and spend more time living. Take advantage of new social media tools despite the latest "death of the..." article or post. Use new tools like Google Plus, Network Blogging, Syndication, Pinterest widgets, Facebook integration and even those more nebulous "dijidoos". I made that last word up. But you get the idea.

Here is the brief list of things you should be using (applications, companies, or social widgets) for your company:

Instagram
Pinterest
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Google Plus
Link Checker
Stumble On
Add This
Yelp
Google Places
Yahoo Local

Social what?

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

In 1942 Andrew Delaney Grant told a group of over 350 men at a national convention for the Greater Institute of Intelligence and Higher Cultural Awareness (exclusively men since no women we allowed entry) that "...therefore social correctness is on the precipice of compete failure. Without some modicum of brevity, lucidity, and forethought in social circle speech the damages inflicted on the general population, and those influenced by the population, will not only lower the overall stamina of the nation's intellectual capacity, but also ever so slightly dampen the human spirit for innovation, communication, and moral. That is, if people don't think before they speak, they would do better to shut up."

Of course, that quote is wholly and completely untrue. But, it serves to prove a couple of points regarding the deft use of social media.

1. Get to the point - if you're long-winded that's all people will notice.

2. Speak to people not ahead of people.

3. Be honest, to the point and true, but have a little heart and refrain from unintentionally creating a cone of silence (or if you prefer, cone of "people don't care")

4. Be judicious in your posts, tags, comments and links. Nobody enjoys the boy who cried wolf. They enjoy even less, the boy who simply cried.

5. Did I mention the part about having a heart? Think before you "speak" or write something and it will last longer than the eternal stamp of online digital media, which for all intents and purposes, is forever...

Here is a resource that lets you see exactly how eternal online social media postings, comments and such last: http://archive.org/index.php.

It's a small world after all

Thu, 3 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

You've likely been on the ride at this point. That tune..."It's a small world after all" ringing in your head, after the 20,000 or so times you hear it going through the water filled pathways of the Disney attraction.

I rode this attraction a total of nine times the last time our family went to the big mouse house (much to my own dismay, never mind yours) and walked away thinking, "is it really that small of a world? Especially in business?"

Okay - maybe I wasn't that lucid so as to compare to business questions...but as far as examples go, it works.

Regardless, the answer is no. It isn't that small of a world. While the world technically is shrinking because of the exponential grown of social media, internet availability and communications streams proliferating, the truth it the world remains somewhat large and untouchable due to three significant factors or barriers that business owners tend to create. Are you a victim of these three, or have you overcome them to find yourself in your own winding path to success...and perhaps ringing in your ears...as you navigate the business you endeavor in?

1. Significant factor #1 as to why the world remains large - I don't have the money to join the Joneses as they buy faster, larger and more reliable tools. Ultimately, you shouldn't worry about the Joneses so much as the (inset your business name here). Money only becomes a factor when you stop listening to the music you are called to enjoy. Think about it. Do people pay you to talk about what you love doing? When you do (and talk) about what you love, the "cost" of marketing drops significantly. So, start chatting more, whether through email, social media, posting to Twitter, networking, whatever your poison is. But do it...and remove that barrier.

2. Significant factor #2 as to why the world remains large - I don't know how. The reality is most people "don't know how". What is it that makes you so special that it would reduce you to inactivity any more than any other competitor? Are you really that much more incompetent? I'll answer for you. No. All things being equal, if you read just the tiniest bit more about a subject or spend a little more time doing something you'll advance well beyond your competition (or, worst case, learn that you need help because you've reached real barriers, not the imagined ones). If you don't know how, learn how. Or have someone teach you. or get someone to do it for you. But don't let a lack of information keep you from action and shrinking the world. As a famous author once apotheosized, read ten books on a subject and you've essentially become an expert.

3. Significant factor #3 as to why the world remains large - Time is your enemy. The greater enemy is apathy. The biggest barrier to gaining time is the "what if?" concept. "What if I get too much response." (Actual question from an actual person) Really? That's a concern? You are worried you won't have time to service your customer? Pray you have to come across that bridge. Until then, work at getting there...

Disney has been hailed as a genius - one before his time. I think he was right on time. And his enduring song lasts in many ways. It's a small world after all, indeed...

Top Ten New Years Resolutions for a Website Junkie

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Brief list of Top 10 Resolutions to improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for your website:

1. Stop valuing your opinion. Design is in the eye of the beholder. The beholder is Search - not your opinion of what beauty in design is. Adhere to rules of the game.

2. Add Meta data to your website (description, title, alt tags, keywords) Use meta information - it still works

3. Use "nofollow tags"...

4. Understand your keyword density.

5. Ad relevant text to your home page, and child pages. Search no longer is focused on "home pages"...each page should be optimized.

6. Don't get flashy. Flash = poor design.

7. Develop reciprocal linking relationships with relevant sites. Good way to do this is to develop the reciprocal link yourself with review sites, publishing articles, other social media (Facebook, twitter, Pinterest...) etc.

8. Get more traffic. Traffic helps optimization.Pay for it if you want - just don't expect sales from the traffic you pay for. But it does generate traffic.

9. Create additional domains and site. Use orphan sites to generate more digital space. You should have another couple "auxiliary" sites pushing/portal to your main site.

10. Jump on free Page Rank help. Add Google Plus to your website for higher Page Rank

Your Best Customer Service - I Guarantee...

Sat, 5 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Perhaps you've seen the guarantees and trial offers floating around? Try our product free for 14 days! Only pay shipping and handling. Or, use our 7 day money back guarantee! Or even, buy one and get a second free with paid shipping and handling fees...

What is it that you notice about those offers? The keen eye will discern that the offers aren't really offers but clever ways to simply "trick" consumers into handing over their money. Here's a secret...if your offer for a "free" trail or money back guarantee has people thinking about the time-frame rather than the product, you aren't really offering anything of service to the customer. In other words: You're customer service just ain't up to par.

What you should be offering is an unbelievable offer...something that will knock their socks off. Give them a guarantee that will have your customer thinking: I HAVE to go there. I HAVE to try that...it's a no lose. Instead of a 7 day or 14 day guarantee give the 365 days! Give then a 10 year guarantee on your product. Do you know how many people will even think about returning your product if you give them enough time? Hardly any! While you may get some people who decide to return something (because their are those types of folks) you generally will see that once people aren't afraid of time frames and limitations, they prefer to keep the product or service!

Want more great customer service ideas? Take a look at this customer service giant (courtesy of MSN story published online, January 5, 2013):

"The return policy is that there is no return policy, says Colin Johnson, a spokesman for Nordstrom. "You won't find one posted at the cash register or on your receipt. We're just going to stand behind our merchandise. The bottom line is that we work with the customer."

For customers, the highlights are that there's no time limit, no receipt required and no paperwork. And you get treated the same whether you have a gift receipt or purchase receipt.

If you bought online from Nordstrom.com, the store provides free return shipping, Johnson says. Or you can take the item back to a local store.

"The way it works is we ask our people in the stores to use good judgment," he says. "The ultimate objective is taking care of the customer. It really depends on the situation. You really can't have a rule book that takes into account every scenario."...

Bottom line, Johnson says, is that employees "'try to remove the clutter -- the policy-type stuff that can get in the way of taking care of the customer.'"

What is your company or organization's rule with regard to customer service? Do you create barriers for your own services or product? Or do you give the customer another reason to try you out? Make the most of what you have and shine through your compelling service, guarantees and policies. I guarantee it will benefit you in the long run...or your money back!

Finding your reason

Sun, 6 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

The pop group, Hoobastank, released a song in the mid 90's called "The Reason" in which the lyrics proclaim some unusually good news for the typical angst-filled 90's song. They read, in part:

"I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me..."

Now why would I blog about a song and include the lyrics (this isn't Facebook after all - or is, it? Never mind). It's simply for this fact - sometimes our greatest reminders about how to profit in today's economy through our business is by remembering what our business "is about". The reason for me, to put not too fine a point on it.

Let me ask you this question: What is "The Reason" your business exists? Did you have to think about that for a moment before answering in your head? Or did it pop in right away...? And furthermore, if it did pop into your head right away; is it the RIGHT reason?

I don't anticipate you going off to a mountain top to figure out the reason for your existence - at least not yet. First, what I'd like you to consider is why you sell, service or provide things for other people. If the reason for your being is immediately evident and it is the right (that is - what is SHOULD be) reason then you've gotten past a place that many businesses stumble.Fact is,many businesses try to sell, profit and such and they aren't completely clear as to WHY they are doing it.

Now - once you have that reason in your head all you have to do is share it with as many targeted, segmented people as possible so that your reason doesn't get lost amongst the several other million people who have the exact same idea...But that's something we'll discuss in another article...

The Magic of Exaggeration

Sun, 6 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

New and Improved, Top Secret Formula, EVERYONE loves it...perhaps you've come across phrases like that in products you see around the retail stomping grounds. The fact is that everybody is looking for a good deal (maybe even a deal too good to be true?) when they go shopping for a product or service. And for the most part, everybody WANTS to believe the exaggerated claims of products on the market...

But is there a possibility of damage happening somewhere along to the way? Not only to your product reputation, but also to the customer themselves. Even if the exaggeration is a small one (a white lie) it can have consequences that reverberate in a consumers mind long after they either discover what you are up to, or, "feel' slighted somehow.

Take a recent offer I received from a company. "Exclusive offer" and "Because you are a valued customer" were the words that were used all over the mailing. Upon opening the exclusive, valued customer offer was that the company was raising it's rates...and to make up for it, if I spent more by buying more services from them, they'd increase my charges by only half for the NEW SERVICES. So, not only was I getting charged more, regardless...but as a way to celebrate I could further increase my bill as a valued customer for additional services.

It doesn't take long to figure that offer out was a bit of a stretch. It left a bad taste in my mouth to be sure. Not because the offer (while vain) is simply trying to damage control in a mildly creative way. it's because they are being a tad bit dishonest in their proposal via their exaggerated claims of "exclusive" and "valued".

Another example is a recent company's infographic regarding the celebrated Facebook platform as a social media branding tool, and how they can help you reach more people. The company, not Facebook. The graphic showed that millions of people use Facebook every day (true) and millions upon millions are repeat visitors (also true) and that the users each average about 130 friends (possibly true), thereby mathematically connecting you to potentially 125 BILLION people...

Not so true.

Think about your offers and the sales copy you generate. Is there potential for leaving a bad taste in your customer's mouth without you even realizing it? There is some magic to using exaggeration correctly. New and Improved still works - even if exaggerated - if it's generally true. But misdirection is never warranted. NEVER (irony noted).

What does it mean?

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

There are two things you need to do to understand how to make more money selling your product.

1. know who your customer is and what they want to buy.

That is, know what you are selling to your customer. if you don't have the right product for your customer then you'll never convert sales. Okay - that's not entirely true. You may be fooled into thinking your sales are good with a low level of success. But assuredly, if you mistarget your consumer, you'll never reach that elusive "potential" that dreams are made of. Instead, you'll continue to taste the just out of reach flow of customers your business hinges on.

2. Once you know who your customer is and what they want to buy - sell to them at the exact right time.

This one is a tad bit harder isn't it? I mean, how do you ever expect to know when a customer is ready to buy?

Both these points are infinitely more reliable in terms of application when you do one simple thing: measure them.

Easy right?

There are a number of tools that you can use to understand the behavior of your website visitors including, "add this", "Google analytics", "hoot suite" and many others. There are also survey tools which allow you to ask questions of your visitors in order to help you understand them more.

By installing the different coding/software from these services on your web page you'll be able to gather more information about where your customer went, why, how long they spent there and what they are looking for. With this information you can then create a response that engages your consumer better.

Sound difficult?

There are companies (Such as ours) that provide this service (and the management involved) for you. But either way, the systems mentioned here are fairly intuitive and with some time can help you get a better picture of what your consumer desires. And then, allow you to make an offer when they are ready to buy.

So, what does it mean? Isn't time you found out...?

Your Broken Brand Promise

Tue, 8 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

A while back a story was related to me regarding trust. The story is about a man who tells his wife that he'll be home at 5:30pm one evening after work. The only problem is that he didn't arrive when he said he would. He arrived 10 minutes late. "No big deal", he thought. "It's only ten minutes late"...

And, perhaps it may not have been, except the next day he did it again. "I'll be home this time for sure by 5:30," he'd tell his wife.

He arrived at 5:45.

What's the big deal you might ask?

The big deal is that (when applied to business) you basically are losing trust every time you break your tiny little promise with your customers. And, let's be honest - the husband was breaking his promise no matter how small a promise it was. Every time he showed up late his wife lost confidence in him. So, as a business, how often do you break little promises?

Let's take it a bit further...

As a company that represents a particular product or service, what promise do you present to your customer on a daily basis? Now, how frequently do you break that promise by not fulfilling what you say you'll do...no matter how small?

Do you promise particular hours?

Do you promise answering the phone?

Perhaps you promise a certain sales figure?

Your brand's promise is important and when done correctly, your consistent application and fulfillment of your promise can bring great success and reputation. On the other hand, the opposite is also true. Be sure you are aware of that as you provide services (or not). It may only be 10 minutes to you but it could mean a lot of future business in the long run to your customer. So what is a company to do in order to regain trust if broken?

Here are the clear cut keys to regaining lost trust:

1. Do the opposite of breaking trust. Begin showing you CAN do what's right on a consistent basis. Take small, but consistent steps to doing what is right. Over time, you'll begin to show you are trustworthy. But start now.

2. Repeat the above point.

As a business or organization, you are in charge of keeping a bead on how frequently you fulfill your brand promise (your delivery of your product or service). You also are in charge of breaking it. It's up to you...

Focus on the ANYTHING...

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

I'm going to talk about a sensitive topic today. It''s a topic, that while relevant to the world today, is almost taboo in it's "PC"ness. Today I'm talk about fat. Of course I'm not asking "how fat are you?" Instead - how fat is your marketing program?

Recently, I exited a personal training session with my new strength and conditioning coach when i encountered another client. We exchanged a few pleasantries and I revealed over the last year I had lost 95 pounds. My new goal was to become superior in my physical fitness. She responded with something that caught me off guard: "Well, if you can lose 95 pounds you can do ANYTHING".

That got me thinking in an way I didn't anticipate. You see, isn't that how people respond? We tend to lean towards or away from triumph for two reasons. First, we look at success and think "That's something I can do..." and are inspired. Secondly, we look at success and we duck out of the way. We hide from it because we feel we cannot ever do the same...we can't approach the same sort of success.

The other client's response immediately showed me her perspective and approach on life...and it was clear there is a decisiveness about that perspective.

My question to you is this. As you consider your marketing, no matter the avenue, do you think to yourself "oh man, there is no way I can be that successful." Or do you respond like this woman and say "Well ANYTHING is possible!"

All to often, like our own bodies, we can become lazy or sloth-like in our marketing endeavors. We rely on old tried and "true" methods of communicating to people regardless of the results and instead of taking a good long look at ourselves in the mirror and considering what we really could become. Or, the hill we see appears too large to overcome so we back off. Or hide.

Here's a suggestion...instead of worrying about any past failures, or restrictions you might feel, focus on the ANYTHING. Look at the potential for success and rely upon that to drive you instead.

Your marketing CAN become very successfully...if you know how to take that ANYTHING can be done perspective and support it with real life strategies, techniques, applications and technology.

Is your marketing "fat"? It's time to get your marketing program in shape today. Take it from me...

How does your consumer prefer to communicate?

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

                          OVERALL      15-17 18-24   25-34   35-44    45-54   55-64   65 Plus

Email            45%             10         16        39        45 55          77         91
Text messages 36%             64 55    44      34       30    14         4

There are lots of numbers in the above research results (hubspot, 2013) regarding how people use email versus text messaging.

What stands out to you though?

It should fairly clear right away that there is a direct reversal of "preference" for consumer personal communication depending on the age group. In fact, the only place there is any "like mindedness" is when you get to the 25-45 age group, with the 35-44 year olds closest in terms of preference and no STRONG preference of either email or text for personal communication.

The rule of the day though is that the younger, or older, your consumer gets the chasm of similarity in preference disappears completely. The widest gap is ages 15-17 (high school) where teens prefer texting 64% of the time...and 65 plus year olds prefer email an outstanding 91% of the time.

knowing this...what do you do with it? Do you tailor your marketing to preferred methods of communication understanding your market? Or do you continue to barge in where you are unwanted or not preferred. The decision is yours.

Note: This isn't the whole story. While people prefer personal communication via these streams, does that mean they also prefer marketing communications down these streams? Watch for more in following blogs to find out.

The Other Shoe

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

In our last blog we talked about how important personal preference is in communication. We showed that the significant majority of young folks under the age of 25 preferred text for personal communication whereas most people over the age of 45 highly preferred email for personal exchanges. (see blog here: How does your consumer prefer to communicate)

But I'd imagine that doesn't come as too much of a surprise if you've been about today's younger generation...

But as I suggested in the previous blog, the preference for personal communication, albeit insightful, does not tell the whole story. Not even close.

You see, whether you're company feels "okay" with barging in on someone's preferred personal communication stream, it says nothing about whether people at any age prefer a company or brand communicate with them IN THE SAME STREAM. That is to say, what does the research say is the preferred consumer method for getting communications from companies? Is it along the same lines.

In a word: No.

Overwhelmingly, consumers, both young AND older prefer companies communicate with them via email more than any other stream. It's not even close. So, before you go dismissing email (Email is dead! Long live email...) reconsider your marketing mix. The numbers are overwhelmingly behind the move.

So there is the other shoe, so to speak...dropping loud and clear. While people prefer communication via text of email for personal exchanges, people pretty much depend on email for business.company/brand communications...and expect it.

Are you aligning with your consumer's preferences in your marketing mix? If not, be sure to take into account of the vibrancy of email marketing as you look at your digital mix. It's worth your time...and your consumer's time as well.

If a crowd draws a crowd...what does one man draw?

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

It's long been an adage that a crowd draws a crowd: that is, if you can get a few customers, more will be drawn to your company, event, business, etc. But there is nothing to say your customer will stick around once they discover what you are offering or doing...unless, you're unique in your content too. Not just your approach.

As you plan your promotion, or event, or "offer," make sure you have the reason for the event to exist. Remember this adage as well: the environment won't bring sales. Only your ability to convert will.

So, understanding this, what can one person do as opposed to the mechanism of creating a crowd to bring in business (examples would be traffic generators online, Facebook like, mass marketing, viral videos)? Well, instead of focusing on generating numbers, you can focus more on what happens once your customer gets there. Do you have e a specific offer than converts? Do you have a deal that makes sense to the people who do see you? Can you pay attention to individual customers.

Remember, customers are people too. They aren't just a target or "group" of demographics you are approaching. They are specific, individual people who are whole and complete. They have like and dislikes. They have preference and things they avoid. As a result, you gave to look at them completely and be able to talk (no matter the method) with them completely.

Then, and only then, will your conversion become more successful. By drawing in people, not numbers, will you be able to increase your efficiency in the resources you have. So - what does one man draw? If done correctly, he draws a sale. Which is more than can be said for simply drawing a crowd that never buys a single thing.

Surveying the land

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Here's a question: how frequently do you survey your customers?

Despite the blatantly ironic beginning to this article, it's still a legitimate consideration for you to answer given the lack of consumer understanding in the marketplace today. never before have more tools been available to businesses than these days, and yet many companies remain staunch in buying their heads deeply in the sand. Rather than take a step of faith and ask their customers what they think, they remain firm (perhaps stubborn is a better word) in their marketing strategies instead of bending to what may be useful information and feedback.

Often, the thought of "standing ground" in how to market to consumers is driven by a false premise that branding is an internal concept. Companies lean on the old quote attributed to Henry Ford regarding innovation and "forward thinking" changes:

"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses."

There is some truth to the quote...but the quotes isn't necessarily about what you think. Ford wasn't so much treating the consumer as an unimportant factor in the consumer-oriented equation. Rather he was embracing the prospect of moving forward in a "hold steady" kind of world that needed innovation and new ideas.

The simple fact remains that without consumer needs or feedback he wouldn't have even considered creating a mobility machination to begin with.

The next simple fact is that brands are not internal constructs, but a combination of dialogue between consumers and a willing company. By listening to ideas, fears, thoughts and desires of the consumer a company can develop improvements and better products...and importantly, attract more sales.

It is a delicate balance. The point isn't that it's easy. The truth is that there needs to be balance where often there is none. Here are feedback loops every company needs to employ:

1. Surveys. Many email marketing companies offer survey tools that are affordable and easy to use with a little training. often those same companies offer free training as part of their services.

2. Social media. This tool is often overlooked as a gimmick or forum for "specials" and "contests". Rather than focus on generating "leads" with a contest, what if consumers were actually asked their opinion?

3. Text and SMS have more and more options for asking customers about preference. Segmentation with any tool is important. discover the data by tracking but also by asking.

4. Ratings. This is an older but not used enough concept. Amazon uses rating well in finding out information from consumers. By installing "rating" bars or allowing comments and reviews you ca n engage consumers where they are most comfortable - asking their opinion.

Making Good Time...

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

Perhaps you've seen this poem beginning before? It's a line from Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem: How Do I Love Thee. And, while popular as far as notoriety for the beginning line, do you know the rest of the poem? I'm going to guess you don't and share the line that should have been more famous as it gets down to the heart of the matter (as it were) a little more precisely.

She writes:

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

The concern this poem stirs up when relating to your communication style or what you do in your business is that it should make you wonder just how critical your time is. What I mean to say is: how effective is your allocation of time as you communicate about your company. Do you spend time with this and that, pondering about the options, or are you more direct and provide specific direction for your consumer to act on. He's one man's opinion that perhaps Browning would have better served if she begin her poem with the second line. Albeit, not as lyrical or organic, maybe.

As you prepare for your "time" spend this week, make sure it makes sense in your communication streams.

Some rules:

1. duplicate content, not efforts. Dual or multi-purpose content. even the old stuff. For some people, it is as good as new.

2. Use various outlets to spread your content out. it will save you a ton of time and effort.

3. Use different angles so you can see which version draws the most response.

4. Be consistent in you efforts. Always follow up to ensure things are getting done, triggered correctly and released in proper time.

How do I love thee...? By ensuring I'm making good time.

The Secret to Crying Wolf Effectively

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Consumers are smart. You are smart. Then why, is it do you suppose, your advertising comes across as "annoying" or over communication to people who see you pop up in their preferred streams of communication? Mainly, social media and email. Is one of you not as smart as you thought? Or, is there something else at work?

When I was a child I used to get attention by displaying a relentless, high-pitched screaming. While crude on the surface it was decidedly effective for the purposes of drawing interest to whatever I desired attention for. And while the consequences of yelling at the top of my lungs weren't always favorable, it managed to still do the job. Draw interest. That is until the annoying factor of the screaming outweighed whatever possible danger my parents could think I was in.

As I grew older, and I more precisely understood that "screaming" wasn't exactly the best strategy for communication (never mind the potential for spanking) , I also learned a tiny but true little secret...

Crying wolf does work. And so it is true in the marketing world as well.

Horrible isn't it? But what does it mean to cry wolf effectively - without the dangers of getting "spanked" for your screaming? Without the dangers of being "annoying".

Essentially, you can boil it down to a couple of things.

1. Crying wolf - or screaming at your intended audience - works only if what your screaming about has a capture mechanism to it. If you're going to insist on providing an "alarming" sound for people to see or hear, then make sure when they come, there is a way to capture their information...and (this is important) disqualify the lead if it isn't worth your time. The justification of "qualified lead" is dependent on many criteria. A complete evaluation of your cost per lead is important in factoring this.

2. Scream in non-annoying ways through well-planned execution. That is, have authentic elements to your planned screaming. It's a little like practicing a martial art. The reason behind practice is so that in a real fight you have the sound, solid foundation to apply principle without getting flustered. Your effectiveness at delivering a successful fighting blow is completely dependent on your ability to plan and practice your response before hand. Similarly, "screaming" well, takes planning and effective context. Create a campaign that shows you exactly why you are screaming and why you'd persist in your marketing statements. Not to mention the metric substantiation via review afterwards.

How do you get attention? Do you scream via advertising, or other marketing tactic? And, if you do - do you know why...that, truly is the secret to crying wolf effectively.

This article isn't SPAM its just multi-purpose food-like substance...and other attempts at "truth in advertising"

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Spin. Positioning. Angle...creative types always put forth some intriguing, albeit slightly less than honest headlines and statements in the world of marketing, advertising and selling.

I recall the Dick Cavet entries into this lore with A-1 Steak sauce. Hamburgers were turned into a delicacy via his ramblings about using the sauce in a multitude of ways. We all knew hamburgers were just patties of ground up meat parts...but his spin made it so much more appealing. Never mind what he was actually saying was, ultimately, a little less than truthful

Call it what you want. Here are a few examples of how other untruths (or if you prefer no spin at all: "lies") can get in the way of productive marketing, communicating and business. I've taken them and re-written them to be a tad bit more forthcoming in nature. Do with them what you wish.

1. Lie: "The Keys to Successful Email Marketing"

Truth: "Things you'll never implement to no matter how well-intended you are because frankly, you don't understand them. And, perhaps more importantly, they are buried under a lot of "salesy" promotion of services."

This isn't so much your fault as a business or non-profit though. Mostly, it's because the keys to success detailed in articles following such a headline usually hinge upon hiring an expert to do stuff for you. So instead of encouraging you to be successful at something, the headline is more of a deterrent since it sounds like a sales pitch to begin with. What if instead of just being a slightly veiled sales pitch the "keys" were actually listed in an easy to understand format like this:

A. Use an auto-responded for automated sequential email response to web forms. The use of auto-response email makes it easier for your business to communicate with your customer. By creating email ahead of time and plugging it into a scheduled release, email is sent to your consumer in a timed fashion. This allows your consumer to get real content or promotions without you having to create it on the fly or under pressure once you receive their initial sign up.

B. Make sure you are SPAM compliant. Use a list serve instead of your own email from Microsoft office or Gmail (or Hotmail, etc) to send email blasts. This ensures you don't get white-listed and never have your email delivered in the first place. List serve companies (there are many of them such as Aweber, IContact, Constant Contact, Vertical Response, Mail Chimp, Bronto, and so on and so forth) have relationships with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as AOL, MSN and the like so they allow higher deliverability rates.

C. Up your frequency. Not sure I can say this enough. Frequency is directly tied to familiarity...which is directly tied to credibility. I don't mean just promotional material. I mean send people real content, real information and real "tips" instead of just promising the world but delivering another advertisement. You know what helps up frequency? Having a plan...and that is helped by auto-response email and being SPAM compliant.

2. Lie: "Never underestimate the power of 'You' in writing copy."

Truth: "Go ahead and underestimate it if it means you can't back up the personalization. In other words, if you say, "It's not you. it's me" then you better mean it. Because typically, it really is you."

Confused yet? There is some truth to the adage of using the word "you" in copy generation. it brings the reader closer to the idea and the person writing. Rather than write to the masses, write to one person and the reader will feel the writing is directed more towards them. Intimacy should result.

However, this cannot overcome the artificial use of the word "you" simply to draw in a reader. Simply put, if you use the word just to draw people in but don't have anything personal to say, your reader will catch on. Using the word just to create a fake sense of intimacy in writing will backfire once people sniff it out. And they will. And you don't want that...do you.

3. Lie: There is too much advertising. I can't stand it. And neither can my customers. (or any combination of those ideas)

Truth: "There is too much bad advertising. People cannot stand bad advertising."

The fact is that good advertising is simply communicating...like free speech. It's an exchange of ideas talking about a potentially profitable objective, product of solution. Good advertising revolves around giving people information they are seeking to

A. Improve their life

B. Improve someone they know's life

C. Improve theirs and someone they know's life.

Advertising is not evil. Nor are the companies behind it - including yours. So get passed it. However; bad advertising is prevalent in culture today. People scream at you, with megaphones, false promises and time-wasting propositions. It's a perversion of the good communication idea. And, for better or worse, because of the ubiquitous nature of bad advertising, perfectly honest businesses get lazy. The bar gets lowered.

Here's a secret for you. Communicate clearly, concisely. Have a point. Convert. If you can use those four objectives down when you write a headline, deliver a message, send an email, market in anyway at all, you'd not only be truthful, you'll provide good advertising.

After all...what is hamburger? Chopped ham? No - it's chopped steak...

How Social Are You?

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Around 2005 a company released it's strategy to help companies generate buzz. The idea? To create social networking environment where you're product was discussed as a general conversation topic. This wasn't going to be done online. Instead, it would happen in "real life" social events...parties.

Here is the ruse: the company would hire real people to come to a gathering in New York city or Boston or whatever city. They would plant these people into the gathering and have them occasionally mention your company in general conversation. I assume it would go something like this:

Company plant: "Hey, Andrew. How's it going? How's the family?"

Unsuspecting Andrew: "Oh, hi. Things are good? Um...how do I know you, again?"

Company plant: "Oh, from way back...er...hey, did you hear about [insert company name]? I heard they were making a cool [insert company product]."

Unsuspecting Andrew: "um..."

Sounds manipulative, underhanded and slightly ethically challenged, doesn't it? But, what is the difference between this company's strategy and what you see propagating today in the social media world? Is there a difference? Is it that you see the person face to face?

Whether the company's attempt and planting information and buzz into a party to generate awareness was successful or not, the idea of captivating audiences is not new. The prospect, even, of providing false information about a product out in order to create buss is not new. But is it new to suggest the manipulation leap from passive printed or visual white lies to actual conversation? Is that even a valid question?

As you construct and release your information via social media questions consider a few things:

1. How will people respond?

2. How will you turn those people into business?

3. is turning those readers into customers a priority...or is the idea of "engagement" more alluring than long term customer relationship?

4.Are you ethically responsible in your information dissemination posts in social media? Would your brand be strengthened by (or weakened by) the information?

How social are you...it's time to figure that out.

Don't Open this Letter

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

What are you tempted by? What causes you to shudder in anticipation? And...for better or worse, what is it that pushes you over the edge into doing what you are told absolutely, unequivocally, not to do?

I've long said that purchase decisions are made through completely irrational thought. What I mean is that if you can connect emotionally with someone, and find what drives them, your likelihood of inspiring a purchase decision is much greater than a simple plea or dependence on a discount or sale by tapping into that drive. By understanding the person, you understand what causes them to purchase - whether they want to or not.

I know there are doubters out there. People who reason: Not me! I am always ALWAYS rational in my purchases....I never spend a dime unless I've completely thought it through. And, frankly that may very well be the case. However, it doesn't change my premise. Even if you've "completely thought it through" your ultimate purchase decision - the trigger - was likely irrational, and emotionally driven.

You see, we are emotional beings - even when were are being "unemotional" we are displaying the emotion of stoicism. Crazy right?

Your typical consumer is also a part of this craziness too. All you have to do is understand that, and pay attention to the small patterns in their behavior that allow you to connect to their patterns and communicate in that way to them. Once you do - once you align to their pattern, your sale is as good as done.

Try this: write the words "Don't Open this Letter", on an envelope and set it down on a table at home, or at work place without people seeing you do it. Don't seal the letter. Just write the words and leave it. How many people do you think will resist? How many people do you think are tempted to open that exact letter now that you've place it in their sights?

It's basically a manipulative way of setting off a trigger to get people to act. You are touching a basic emotional connection of discovery, curiosity and just plain ego. People want to know. As a business, or organization that desires awareness, you too can plug into that basic human nature emotion with your marketing when you understand why and how to.

Drive your consumer's purchase decision by understanding what causes their irrational behaviors...and you'll see your sales, conversion and awareness build greatly. Or...stand there, and never discover what's inside that letter.

When push comes to shove

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

What does your communication stream look like. The concept of push marketing is a simple, tried and true method of getting the word out to your consumers. But, when does push become annoying or "shoving" for your intended target? The following are some quick tips to ensuring your marketing push doesn't over do it...and doesn't under do it either. Use with caution as these tips may provide better marketing than you are prepared for...

1. Create a regular, frequent and established "pattern" of behavior so two specific targets recognize you are pushing content their way: A. Search engines look for regular published content and will list you higher in relevance as you publish more consistently. B. Consumers will appreciate a regular expected flow of valuable information instead of contrived, "promotional" materials.

2. Automation will greatly assist your efforts to bring the very best information to your intended targets. By creating sequential email auto-response, for example, you can alleviate the need to manually develop and recreate email marketing for individual consumption. By automating the text and visual presentation you allow yourself to multi-purpose content, a major resource saver!

3. Brand everything all the time. Divergence is good for portfolios when meted correctly. However; the same technique of hedging bets can create havoc on marketing as it delivers different messages that feel unconnected to one another. While you may feel tempted to provide multiple streams of cool graphics, brands etc., perhaps the better communication would be creating a single powerful stream that works before you engage other opportunities.

4. Use permission based marketing when you are able. Surprises are great. less so when people don't expect to receive a message from the either about how to save money on a phone or the best plumbing. Use metric-based targeting tools available online and offline to generate the best response segmentation for your communications as opposed to the"fail safe" broadcast methods if you desire intimate, personal communications. Niche can usually generate more response than broadcast.It's a numbers game, that is true. But it's which numbers you seek that matter for your specific company.

5. If someone says you are "shoving" stop it. Don't save their email. Don't try to reengage. If they desire bad enough to repent and come back to you, they will find a way. You don't have to exhaust your resources doing so for them.

You say you want a "Social Media" revolution

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

More and more people believe what they read, in spite of what they may argue to the otherwise. With the advent of social media this has become quite the "boondoggle" with regard to business enterprise and the concept of personalization and trust in company strategy.

Scam artists abound...actively pursuing a consumers interest in order to either make money off of bad products, no products, or simply for developing ill will. Never mind the reason, the fact is that a certain criminal element is trying to take advantage of the accessibility the internet provides. But, as a legitimate business it is your responsibility to ensure your customer, or prospect understands the trust you provide is secure, and the product you have is real, and that you aren't scamming, phishing or misleading them in any way. The following tips and rules of conduct can help your business overcome the natural obstacles the new world of social media creates in trusting others. The over arching question as you learn and implement the following tips is how much will you take advantage of the way people use the internet and how you will ensure a reliable and trustworthy future.

There is an old Beatles song that says "You say you want a revolution?"

Social Media is revolutionizing the world. Get ahead of the revolution by helping secure your spot with a reliable, trustworthy and profitable venture as you navigate:

1. Don't over moderate social posts or comments and reviews. Some "bad posts" are okay if they aren't defaming your business or in complete opposition to your position. And even then, it may work in your favor when other consumers come to your aid. Don't over react...look at the larger picture when you moderate your content.

2. Duplicate content. Like it or not, nobody reads everything you write. So, taking that into account, they also likely don't follow every single vertical you employ. publishing content across multiple stream is okay...and useful for getting the word out. But make sure it's real, authentic content. Remember, you are trying to share information, not just sell it.

3. When using an eCommerce site, use an SSL certificate. While anyone who knows how to grab an image from the internet can copy and paste an official looking logo. But not everyone can fake the little "lock" that shows up on browsers when the page is encrypted or secure.

4. Acknowledge when your site data mines for information. This is a requirement for good business practice online. If you are culling information from visitors, your policies and terms and conditions should alert consumers to that end.

5. Never sell or give third parties information such as email or addresses...especially when you tell people you won't. This not only violate internet regulations but it's a bad ethical move.

6. Record keep every single digital media permission you receive. Have a paper trail with dates of consumer acquisition and the source of acquiring the information. This will protect your user and you against litigation or complaints.

Clear the air and make sure your consumers can trust you. Be a part of the revolution in social media and ensure your customers engage you with reliability. They may trust you from the get go. Keep that as a valueable asset. It will pay off in the long term.

The importance of being earnest and other lessons on the use of Google Analytics

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Does your website have Google Analytics installed? Here are three important lessons to help you understand why not having the simple code installed on your site deprives you something most successful marketing and business practices use.

1. “I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” - Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Ever wonder why some companies know more about how to approach their customers? It's likely that they place more importance on understanding their consumer than they do even their own desires. This is because the best way to get a customer is to understand what drives a customer. And the best way to understand what drives a customer is to look at what they are "driving". Like reading a diary, you get insight into the web visitor unlike you are able to even through other surveys or other reports. Google Analytics does that for you. By tracking and showing you where users go on your website you can better understand what pages, how long and to what extend those pages either drive the customer away or retain them for a period of time. Sensationalism isn't about how crazy, out of control or dramatic you can be...instead, it's about having something interesting for the user to experience. The only way to know you are interesting, is to know what interesting is for your consumer...

2. Data Mine...then create. Data mining tools are good these days. Google provides a reliable measuring tool to help you understand consumer behavior. But the story doesn't end there. Once you cull the information it should trigger actions on your part to improve the users experience when they come to you website. One key tool provided is the Visitor Flow function of the analytics program. With this section of the dashboard Google provides you can see where people came in, and where, person by person, the user left or wanted to go. Do the majority of your users desire to get tot he same place but take a number of clicks to get there? Does that tell you you need to make it easier to get your customers there? And if so, how do you do that? All these questions can be answered by reading a report from Google such as Visitor Flow and then implementing changes on your site to that end.

3. How effective is your "call to action" or other campaign? Google can show you. Whether through traditional marketing or online avenues by registering the PURL (personalized URL) of the call to action such as: "to learn more click here" or "Get more info at such and such.com" forward slash, you can measure actual visits created by that campaign. Want to show your ROI for money? Create a webpage with a PURL, limit it's publishing to a specific place. Maybe you publish the link on your Facebook page only. Or on a Billboard only. Then create mirror pages for different sides of the campaign. A separate PURL for email marketing as well, for example. Then measure which PURL gets the most visits and you'll have some metric to share the effectiveness of the environment and the copy used to generate traffic. Link the pages to the conversion tool and you'll be able to learn even more!

If you truly desire success in understanding and serving your customers you need to understand what is important to them. By using Google Analytic tools available for free, you can use the code to help you make the user experience better and cull information to help you drive sales.

7 Reasons Why Direct Mail Still Works

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 22:35:27 GMT

So you are one of the masses who is convinced that social media is the new pot of gold in the marketing world. What better way to connect to millions of people who are seeking out content online. The facts remain true: women use social media more than men. Online shopping has become second nature. And people in general find it more acceptable to search for online information for purchase decisions than ever before...

But that doesn't mean a "good old fashioned" marketing channel doesn't work anymore. Direct Mail, or if you prefer: postcards, letters, packages and things that the postal service brings to the trusty mail box can still bring results rivaling the best social aspects. Response rates of 16% are still available for people who know how to handle direct mail correctly.

Here are some quick rules to improving your direct mail results and bringing in more business:

1. Make your mail squishy. The more bulky (in physical appearance) or even in concept (artwork, etc) the better. People like unique, interesting discovery when it comes to mail. As example would be the Publisher's Clearing House version of mailing. Why the common person may say they'd never open one of those bulky pieces of mail, the "common" person still does in practice. It's our curiosity that drives the open rates...

2. Mail frequently...but not to people who don't respond. This is really two tips in one. First: do develop a regular, routine mailing sequence for better exposure. If you don't mail regularly (meaning you only mail one a year or every 6 months) you risk lower response because...well, not to put too fine a point on it but people will forgot who you are. It takes more than one mailing to build a village...or to get people to remember you. And second: segmentation is important for understanding who responds best and where to put your money.

3. Segmentation. More on this point. Don't be afraid of never mailing to some people ever again. Ever. By eliminating low performers, you may cut them out of the stream, but you play the numbers game better and thus save money and make more in the long run. Basically, the more your mailing can resemble the "long tail" concept the better - the more segments to specific targets you have the better you can understand your mailing ROI.

4. The Long Tail. Integrate your mailing with your online presence so that you can measure response even more. it's nice to get postcards back into the office that say "mention this ad" but you can see and learn more about intent when you also have a web-tied call to action. Create a PURL (Personalized URL) that measures people visiting your website based on the mailing call to action.

5. Call to action. Use only one. Two at the most in your copy. Call us. Go here. Get this. Do this. Limit your copy to only a couple commands. Otherwise you run the risk of confusing the consumer. And while we're talking about that...

6. Don't forget to ask the reader to do something. Often people send out a mailing that's simply a branding piece. it'll have the company name and maybe services...but it lacks any compelling reason to remember them. Often a consumer is looking for something to do if they spend the time reading your mailing. Ask them to do something.

7. Finally, remember that your reader has a four step process of reading mail. if you fail to execute in a compelling way at any of these steps you'll lose conversion on your mailing. The fours steps are:

A. When the consumer opens the mailbox your piece has to stand out.

B. When they read the letter, postcard, whatever, You want them to bring it into the house instead of dropping it into the recycle bin on the way back in the home.

C. Have them do something now....not later. If your reader likes your mailing and considers using it (acting on your "call to action") but feels they have time to get back to it later it's as good as simply having them set it in the recycle bin after all. Because eventually it'll make it's way there. Make sure your call to action is urgent.

D. Tell them where, what and when to do it. Phone #, website, address. You'd be amazed at how often I read a mailing and it doesn't even have the basics covered. Don't fall into that group.

Direct mail can still generate very good results and conversion rates when done properly. Especially when integrated with a digital measurement and call to action. Use these tips to help you get the results you desire from your next mailing.

Get it NOW...and other effective marketing prompts...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Yes, I have fallen victim to those infomercials as well. You know the ones. They have some ridiculously fit man bouncing around the television set yelling things like "you can get this body too!" or "in just 2.5 minutes a day you can have abs like me!"...except, unlike millions of people, i don't actually believe it. While I may get sucked into the hoopla surrounding the TV event, I know better after 43 years of enduring my own body capacity...

So what does that have to do with marketing?

Urgency is one of the best ways to generate conversion or interest in a product...when used correctly. That is to say, when you artificially create a limited supply or limited time offer you can generate leads you wouldn't expect to act without the restriction. However, promising it won't return or there are no more means that there actually ISN"T anymore and it WON"T ever return. Integrity in your promotions is important because the future of your product development depends on it. Suffice to say, when you decide to generate leads do so in a way that doesn't over promote or promise features that may or may not be delivered...otherwise you are a guy with an awesome body telling everyone else they can have one too...if they just buy your limited time product.

Here are some other effective, but require careful placement prompts that can work to help you generate leads and conversion:

1. Free with additional purchase.

2. Limited time offer (or amount)

3. Discover [insert what they'll discover]

4. Learn how to [insert what they'll learn]

5. Get it today

Grab and Go and the Zombie Apocalypse

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:35:27 GMT

Over the last year there has been a lot of hullabaloo about the end of the world - or perhaps you missed it towards the end of December, a couple months back? At any rate, a curious development was the popularity of a "Grab and Go" bag, which by all account (from those in zombie apocalypse preparedness), was a nifty way to be ready "just in case". That is to say, it was a bag filled with all the needs you'd desire in order to survive the end of the world. And, while there is some debate yet about another end of the world fear, the Grab and Go concept remains a smart, if not interesting one. Think more floods, fires and earthquakes than the walking dead...

In your marketing plans, it is also a smart idea to generate a Grab and Go bag of sorts. What I mean by this is the idea of having a bag of tricks your company relies on should it need agility in launching a product, a plan or otherwise. In this way, you wouldn't need to recreate or "find" anything since you'd be ready with marketing channels on the side ready to go.

The following is a list of marketing essentials to any Grab and Go kit you'd put together to launch a new product, offering or solicitation from your prospects or clients:

1. Mobile app or .mobi website. We offer some new solutions here: http://mergeleftmarketing.com/forms.asp?fid=21

2. Email Marketing blast tailored to offer (and auto responder)

3. Facebook posts, images, and links to product or offer

4. Ready made script if you desire radio or television.

5. Print ready artwork

6. Direct mail prepared with adjustable text and/or images. A template with your logo.

7. Google, Bing and Facebook advertising accounts that would "push" people to your offer.

8. Google analytics ready to measure response.

Well, what are you waiting for? While it's not the end of the world you have some marketing to do - so grab it and go!

Got a good message...what about your timing?

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:35:27 GMT

“The right note at the wrong time is the wrong note.”

I recently came across this quote and it struck me as vital to many great...and let's be honest...not so great marketing efforts. I often explain to clients that timing is everything, especially with email marketing, direct mail and other "push" marketing efforts. As an example, email is such an up close and personal communication method, other than direct face to face or social media communication (which are both more engaging at times - I mean that partially in a humorous way - but also, with some seriousness) that misfiring on when you send communications can lead to people ignoring your worthwhile effort all together.

Basically, the caution is this: If you have spent the time and effort developing a strong message, email visual, or communication strategy, and then send it to your consumer when they couldn't care less about a purchase or action decision, you've essentially wasted your time, money and effort regardless of how strong you may have made the call to action.

Be aware of best times to communicate with your consumer. There is clear research on when to send email, direct mail and other marketing channel messages if you understand where to get it and how to use it. This should be within the wheelhouse of any agency or marketing people you work with as well. if not, consider looking at alternatives with better resource and access to timing and release strategies.

It's not about who you know. Or even who they know...it's when are they available and when do they care.

Fear Itself

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 22:35:27 GMT

You've likely heard the phrase: "There is nothing to fear except fear itself". But is that sage advice? Or just sayings that dreams are made of?

I feel it's a little of both when it comes to marketing your business correctly.

The lie: There is much more to fear than "fear itself". This is evident from the lack of success and real loss of money that some businesses experience in their marketing endeavors. Whether it's not measuring your ad spend and wasting money as a result, or launching into a new marketing campaign and not understanding the results, you should fear poor feedback loops because without feedback you won't know whether you are spending correctly or not. And, if you don't know where your money is going...well, let's just say you are probably wasting it.

More to fear: You should also understand that many companies are in the business of creating new business...not, despite their claims, to help your business. It's like the business book industry. Often the rehash of "ideas" endemic in the business practice industry is enough to discourage the brightest minds with the same ideas that simply don't work. As the old saying goes - did you read [insert author's name here] latest book cover? Meaning, of course, the contents are the same - it's just the cover that changed.

The truth: lack of movement is never good. Seek agility. In other words, fear is not a good excuse for playing "titanic" and moving too slowly to respond to the market place. While it's always good to be first to market, it's even more important to be agile to the market. How many business ideas were first to market only to fail because the market changed too rapidly to accommodate the "idea". Instead, your company's ability to change and adjust (agility) to the marketing plays of the time are vital to outgrowing even first to market ideas.

Is there "more to fear than fear itself" when it comes to marketing? In a word: yes.

But there is hope if you put your ear to the ground. Rather than depend on lack of movement by being afraid of ever changing market, respond with agility by partnering with successful marketing, or marketing companies. Don't depend on rehashed ideas, but look to leading edge companies that can pull you with them as they engage new media, technology and verticals with responsibility, metrics and feedback loops that show you progress, revenue and ROI.

If you'd like to know more, feel free to connect with us at Merge Left Marketing LLC. We are a call away at: 866.218.0889.

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