The Marketing Spot - Small Business Marketing

Online ESP: Reading Your Customers’ Minds with Web Analytics

2009-07-14T06:22:00.003-05:00

Guest post by Jennifer Tanzi

Okay, you’ve got your brand figured out. You know you’ve got the best product or service out there, and you think you know how to sell it. You’ve honed your message and fine-tuned every detail of your pitch, and you finally hit “send” to launch that big email marketing campaign. And then you wait. And wonder.

What’s happening on the other end of that email? What catches your client’s attention when she sits in front of her laptop and clicks through your site? If only you could watch over her shoulder and see whether she caught the link to that terrific discount you’re offering, and the free shipping details. She might have missed that one because it’s tucked in the corner of a busy page. Or maybe she clicked on it, and clicked on it again, because it DID catch her attention. Short of setting up elaborate customer focus groups — or hiring a psychic — there’s no way to really know what your customers are thinking, right?

Enter web analytics. The new technology — and this is FREE technology, cutting-edge — puts you inside your clients’ heads when they open those emails. You get an intimate read on your customers as they experience your campaign, page for page, click for click.

Using Web Analytics

Here’s how it works. You tap into Google Analytics, which is fairly simple to install, and with a few clicks of the mouse on your end, you’ll know:

· Who is opening those emails, and when (right down to the time of day!)

· Which links they’re clicking on — where, on your site, they’re spending the most time

· Whether they’re so blown away by your product they’ve actually forwarded the link to a friend

Here’s how it works in real life: Let’s say you’re a photographer. You’re running a great promotion on family portraits because you know that, as fall creeps up, people start thinking about holiday cards. You offer a discounted package of cards and portraits, stock your site with some gorgeous photos, craft an email explaining the whole terrific deal and wait for the customers to come calling. But even though you have great testimonials, an unmatched portfolio and the best prices in town, business is quiet. What happened? And how can you re-work your campaign before all the pumpkin pie is gone and the snow starts falling?

Now rerun the scenario with web analytics in the picture. Software like Google Analytics, which is free and easy to install, keeps track of the pages your clients visit. Knowing where clients click, and how often, tells you what aspects of your campaign catch customers’ attention. Maybe you find that a whopping seventy percent of visitors clicked on “family portraits,” while only fifty percent viewed “holiday cards.”

Where else did they spend time on your site? Google Analytics might tell you you’ve had lots of clicks on “black-and-white photography” and lots of clicks on “candid portraiture,” but only a few visitors stayed with the “package discount” promo and clicked beyond it to learn the details.

The Power of Information

The best part about web analytics is you can access all this information in real time, with a click of your mouse. So once you have this information, what do you do with it?

Here are some options. You could change the page layout to see if the “package discount” promo just needs more prominent placement, and see if it gets more clicks. You could change the main images on the homepage to black-and-white candid and family portraits to showcase the skills you now know your customers want. Or you could try segmenting your audience, creating separate campaigns for “family portraits” and “holiday cards.”

Using web analytics is a smart way to make the most of the hard work you put into those campaigns and get an edge on competitors. It’s like having, at your fingertips, a staff of market analysts. Or a crystal ball.

Jennifer Tanzi is a Marketing Communications Manager at BuyDomains. In addition to premium domain name sales, BuyDomains offers exclusive services for website hosting, design and marketing as well as registration of names that are not currently owned.

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Small Business Marketing Blogs You Should Read

2009-07-13T07:13:00.009-05:00

Powercast #4 - Marketing is Work

2009-07-10T11:32:00.004-05:00

Powercast is the Friday morning marketing briefing for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Jay Ehret broadcasts the briefing live on UStream every Friday morning at 9am Central: Jay Ehret on Ustream

Email Subscribers and feedreaders: Click here to see the video.

In this briefing, we discuss the time and resource commitment needed for marketing. Yes, it takes more than just money, marketing requires your time.

Topics Discussed:

Time and resource commitment required for marketing
Where do you find the time?
Eliminating marketing activity
Creating routines and delegating responsibility
Should you outsource your marketing activity?
Becoming disengaged.

How do you handle your marketing responsibilities? Do you do everything yourself or do you delegate?

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Current Economic Conditions

2009-07-07T11:55:00.003-05:00

Everybody seems to be talking about it. "We had to stop doing xyz because of current economic conditions." Yep, times are tough for many businesses and it's easy to put the blame on the economy. You may even be doing it yourself. But it's important

Consider the current economic conditions from two distinct paradigms: as an excuse or as a reason. An excuse removes responsibility. It's like saying, "Well, what can I do? It's useless in these current economic conditions." A reason presents a obstacle that must be overcome, "Well, what can I do? I've got to figure out how to get around these current economic conditions."

It's the difference between reaction and pro-action. I'm not saying ignore the economy. But a continuous strategy of reaction puts you behind those companies being proactive. If you're plan is to lay low until things get better, you'll be ill-prepared to succeed when they do.

While things may be tough right now, they are also a golden opportunity. There are plenty of businesses using current economic conditions as an excuse. Or maybe you can use them as a reason to prepare for future economic conditions.

What's your outlook? What are you doing about future economic conditions?

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Podcast: Baking, Making, Faking Word of Mouth

2009-07-06T12:46:00.010-05:00

Episode #31 of Power to the Small Business podcast.

The Internet show about small business marketing.

Word of mouth may be the most powerful form of marketing. It that's true, then you need a plan. John Moore has a recipe that can spark conversation for your business. In this episode of Power to the Small Business we discuss how you can create word of mouth that gets people talking.

Guest: John Moore, WOM Enthusiast at WOMMA, The Word of Mouth Marketing Association, and Marketingologist at Brand Autopsy.
Length: 26 minutes

(Email subscribers and feed readers - Click here to listen if you don't see the player)
You can also download the mp3 file here: Download Power to the Small Business #31 (for personal use only)

Press the play button on the player above and get started. Comments, questions? Please share it in the comment section below.

Word of Mouth Show Notes

John Moore - WOM Enthusiast, WOMMA

“A company’s personality is its best form of advertising.”

“It comes down to five simple words: Remarkable things get remarked about.”

“There are two ways to generate word of mouth. You can bake it, or you can make it. You just don’t want to fake it.”

Bake it: You bake it inside how a company does business every day. It’s a part of a company’s culture.
Make it: Layer it on to the marketing mix of activities your company is doing.
Don’t fake it: Not deceiving consumers and being truthful.

90% of word of mouth happens in the physical world / 10% in the digital world.
76% of consumers believe that companies are untruthful in their advertising.
78% of consumers trust completely or somewhat, the recommendations of other consumers.
91% of people would be likely to use a product recommended by someone who had used it themselves.
22% of all word-of-mouth conversations are the result of interesting ads a person sees.

Word of Mouth Books:

Anatomy of Buzz Revisited – Emanuel Rosen
Word of Mouth Marketing – Andy Sernovitz
Creating Customer Evangelists – Ben McConnell & Jackie Huba
Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing - George Silverman

Other Resources:

WOMMA downloadable resources
Word-of-Mouth Tips from Jackie Huba podcast
Creating Your Word-of-Mouth Message - from The Marketing Spot Blog
The Conversation Playbook - from The Marketing Spot Blog

Find John Moore on the web:
All Things WOM Blog
John's Brand Autopsy Blog
Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice
Twitter: @BrandAutopsy

Listen to all of our previous shows:
Power to the Small Business Archive

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Powercast #3 - Mid-Year Identity Check-Up

2009-07-03T10:18:00.009-05:00

Powercast is my Friday morning marketing briefing for small businesses. It is broadcast live on UStream every Friday morning. Follow me on Twitter to get alerts on the next broadcast: @TheMarketingGuy

How are you doing with your goals? July 1st is the middle of the year and good time for goal checkups. This week's Powercast is about your goals and your identity. Are you mixing the two or do you keep them separate? In December, I wrote a post suggesting that 2009 be the year you grow in to your identity. In this Powercast I discuss your goals, your identity, how they affect your sales, and your focus for the rest of the year.

How are you doing on your goals and your identity? Add you comment here.

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

A Call to Action for Entrepreneurs, RE: Government Growth

2009-07-02T14:17:00.007-05:00

Does everything the government does have to be outside our control? I'm speaking as a business owner here, entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur. Government is growing faster than the economy, and that's not good. Federal, State, and local government spending this year is projected to be at 45% of U.S. GDP (Gross Domestic Product). I believe it's dangerous for business in America. Why?

Image Credit: USGovernmentSpending.com

Let's compare the function of entrepreneurs to that of government: Entrepreneurs add value and reward achievement, meanwhile government subtracts value and punishes achievement. Think about it.

Entrepreneurs take a raw product or service, enhance its value by combining it with other resources and adding features and benefits. The result is a product or service that has more value than its original form. Consequently, entrepreneurs can sell the enhanced product at a profit. They are then rewarded with income and growth. It's how the economy grows.

On the other hand, government gets paid before it actually creates anything. Resources are collected from businesses and citizens first. Then, a portion of those resources are discarded in the creation of bureaucracy. Finally a service is created. But the value of that service is less than the value of the resources used to create the service.

To feed a growth rate that is faster than the country's economic growth, the government must increase the percentage of resources it subtracts from the economy each year. It does so by punishing the achievers with higher tax rates. The more you achieve and grow, the higher your tax rate.

Government cannot continue to grow at a faster rate than the economy. It's simply not sustainable. Eventually entrepreneurs will not be able to create more value than the government subtracts. But what can you do about it?

I interact with entrepreneurs and small business owners almost every day. What surprises me most is their resolution that they can do nothing about government growth. Entrepreneurs feel it's something outside our control. As if, somehow, our government is an independent entity, answerable to no one.

My friends George Krueger and Mary-Lynn Foster first gave us a wake up call last October. In their Bigg Success podcast episode, We the People are Taking Back Our Country, they said "It starts and ends with us. We need to take personal responsibility" But we haven't...yet.

So, how can entrepreneurs regain influence? We must answer the call to action that George and Mary-Lynn sounded last October. Call and request meetings with your government officials. Run for office. Organize and voice opposition against excessive government growth. Get involved. We cannot sit on the sidelines. I know you are busy running a business. But this is important. In fact, essential. This current trend of government growth threatens our entrepreneurial system.

I did not write this post to rail against government or any political party. Some government is necessary. Just not 45% of the economy. This is a wake-up call to entrepreneurs. We cannot continue to just run our business and let politicians dictate our economy.

The question is, what are you going to do about it? How can you get involved? Comment here.

What can you do?
"...when you have businesspeople with payrolls calling up their legislators — that’s what makes a difference,”
- Jim Roche, president of New Hampshire Business Industry Association

Read the full story: Business Groups Dodge a Much Worse Fate in State Budget

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

The Dont's and Do's of Naming a Business

2009-07-01T13:17:00.006-05:00

Photo Credit: Flickr photo by bruce grant

Dont use a generic name. Generic names equal generic brands. Advanced Glass & Mirror is just another place that installs glass.
Do use unexpected names. The most famous example is Starbucks, which took it's name from a character in Moby Dick.

Don't use initials. JWT could be grain and feed store, or it could be a famous advertising agency. It has no meaning. Business names that use initials are less memorable.
Do use your name. It's ok to use your name. It puts your personal stamp of approval on the business. Butler Graphic Design is the place that's owned by...yep Butler. Just make sure you have an easy name to pronounce.

Don't be too literal. The Ultra Fit Gym.
Do use synonyms and metaphors. Iron Hammer Gym.

Don't involve too many people. You are not going to find a name that everyone likes. The more people you try to please, the less interesting your name will be. It's called compromise. Keep the committee small, or better yet, just you.
Do test the name. However, don't go to the expense of naming your business without running it by some people. Remember the Chevy Nova? No va means "will not go" in Spanish. Also, sometimes people just don't get what you do.

Don't name your business too soon. It's exciting to name your business. It's more important to get it right. Take your time.
Do create your brand promise before you name your business. Your business name should be representative of your brand. If your brand promise is based on speedy response, you can use the above techniques to create a name that says speed.

What would you add? How did you name your business?

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Small Business Websites - Part 2: Domain Names & Hosting

2009-06-30T06:20:00.000-05:00

How to get a website in less than a week for under $100...if you're willing to do it yourself.

In Part 1 we discussed the purpose of your website and encouraged you to create a basic site map for your new website. In this tutorial I will show you how to register a domain name if you don't have one, and then show you how to set up a hosting account. I will also show you what to do if you already have a domain name. Watch the tutorial and post a comment if you have any questions.

To register your domain name: GoDaddy.com
To set up a hosting account, and/or register a domain name here: BlueHost.com (My affiliate link)

If you have any questions, please post them in the comment section below. I am not a website developer. If I can do this, you probably can too. In Part 3, we'll show you how to change the look and add content.

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

The ‘Most Normal People’ Rule

2009-06-28T11:14:00.009-05:00

I’ve been listening and learning this weekend at the Writer’s League of Texas 2009 Agents and Editors Conference. Aspiring authors are an interesting, eclectic group of people. They’re also small business owners in a sense; owners of their book idea. That makes authors marketers.

There are some pretty cool book ideas being pitched here in Austin. We’ll probably see a few of them on Amazon in the next year or so. There are also many that will make you scratch your head. Begging the question, “Why do they think anyone would read that?” It’s a question you should ask yourself before you pull the trigger on new products or new marketing campaigns. “Why would anyone buy that product or believe that claim.” To help you decide, invoke the Most Normal People Rule, which asks: "Will most normal people like this?"

The Most Normal People Rule has two parts:

You are not most normal people – Just because you like an idea and a concept doesn’t mean everyone else will. No matter how enthusiastically you pitch it.
Empathy – You must be able to step into your customers’ shoes and understand what they’re thinking, what they’re likely to purchase, and what they’re likely to believe.

In the book, Tuned In, authors Craig Stull, Phil Myers, and David Meerman Scott say that “Your opinion, although interesting, is irrelevant.” Before you launch a new product or service, or do any marketing, run it by the Most Normal People rule. Better yet, run it by most normal people. Talk to people, but don’t ask them if they like your idea, because most people will say yes. They don’t want to hurt your feelings. Instead get to know your customers. Ask yourself what idea or product would resonate with them.

It’s probably best not to introduce a new idea from the comfort from your office. Get out and talk to customers and potential customers. Put yourself in their shoes and find out what most normal people think.

How do you stay tuned in to most normal people?

For more on tuning in to most normal people, check out these articles:
Tuned In
Forget What You Know, Because You're Cursed
Keeping Customers: The Key to Customer Retention

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Powercast #2: Growing Weary of Social Media

2009-06-26T14:10:00.001-05:00

Powercast is the Friday morning marketing briefing for small businesses, broadcast live, Friday mornings on UStream.

What is social media's role in your marketing plan. You can be placing too much emphasis on social media. Spend time on the traditional marketing functions before you jump in to social media.

(If you don't see the video player, click here: Weary of Social Media or see the post on the blog: The Marketing Spot)

In the Briefing:

The effectiveness of social media marketing is still unproven. There are success stories, but is social media marketing more effective than traditional marketing? I'm not sure.

You still need to spend time on the more important traditional marketing functions of branding, the customer's experience, word-of-mouth, and even advertising. Get your house in order before you do social media marketing.

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Podcast: Wasting Time on Social Media

2009-06-26T09:33:00.006-05:00

Episode #30 of Power to the Small Business podcast.

The Internet show about small business marketing.

Are you wasting time on social media? Could be, if you're not spending your time on the right social media tool. In this episode of Power to the Small Business, we discuss the different social media options and the best return on time spent, including;

Facebook
Twitter
Blogging

Guests: Bryan Person, Social Media Evangelist at LiveWorld, and founder of Social Media Breakfast
Length: 28 minutes

(Email subscribers and feed readers - Click here to listen if you don't see the player)
You can also download the mp3 file here: Download Power to the Small Business #30 (for personal use only)

Press the play button on the player above and get started. Comments, questions? Please share it in the comment section below.

Wasting Time on Social Media Show Notes

Bryan Person - Social Media Evangelist, LiveWorld

You have a finite amount of time to create content. Where is the best place to spend that time?

Choose the social media channel that is best for you based on;

Your marketing purpose
Your marketing challenge
Where your customer will be
How much time you have to spend on social media
The strength of each social media tool

Twitter is the lazy man’s social media tool. It’s easy to post 140 characters and amass a lot of followers. It takes more time and thought to maintain a blog.

Blogs may be the most powerful social media marketing tool for small businesses. This is especially true if you customers will go to search engines to search for your type of business.

Blogs give you credibility, authority, and search engines like blogs.

Find Bryan on the web:
Bryan Person's Blog on LiveWorld
BryanPerson's personal blog
The Daily Boo Podcast
Twitter: @BryanPerson

Listen to all of our previous shows:
Power to the Small Business Archive

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

The Big Question About Social Media Marketing

2009-06-21T14:46:00.006-05:00

I'm doing a social media marketing workshop this week at the Houston Small Business Development Center and I'm going to pose the big question. It's the question you need to answer before you go spending a bunch of time chasing the pot of gold at the end of the social media rainbow. Here it is:

Will my customer use it?

It matters not that Facebook has more than 307 million users worldwide and 70 million in the U.S.. What matters is whether or not your customers use Facebook. YouTube has 95 million users in the U.S. that watch more than three hours of video per month. So what. Will they watch your video? And how many of those 19 million worldwide Twitter users care about your tweets?

You need to know your customers. Know their interests, likes and dislikes. And for goodness sake, know their online habits.

The most important thing you can do with your marketing resources is spend them wisely. That means using your time and your money where your customers spend their time. Do a little research. Talk to your customers and get to know them before you go wasting your time on a social media program that won't reach anyone.

Do you know where your customers spend their time?

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

PowerCast #1: Small Business Websites

2009-06-19T10:25:00.013-05:00

A website is a small business necessity, and a pain in the butt. The main problems with small business websites are cost and control. They cost too much to build and when they’re built you have no control over them. So they sit there, perhaps for years, unchanged.

Today is the beginning of a brand new feature on The Marketing Spot, the PowerCast Friday morning marketing briefing. Every Friday morning, I will broadcast live on UStream and then load the briefing here on The Marketing Spot blog. Today the topic is websites.

During the next week, I’m going to demonstrate how you can get your own website, in less than a week for under $100. That’s not a misprint, and it’s not a gimmick. I’m not selling you anything. I’m not making a dime from this. So watch the PowerCast and see the notes below.
Note: I'm working on improving the video quality.

(Email and feed subscribers, if you don’t see the video player, click here: Powercast #1 - Websites)

Summary Notes:

- Websites can be expensive, so many small businesses will hire a friend, family member, or local web dabbler to build them a cheap site. This leads to problems.
- Farming out your website development means loss of control, increased costs, and possibly a website that never gets updated.
- Today's web tools allow you to build your own website inexpensively, and keep control of it in house.
- You can get a real website for under $100 in less than a week. You should only have to pay for website hosting....if you're willing and able to do some of the work yourself.
- I'm going to show you how to do your own website in the next week.

Some reasons to have a website for your business

Have a web presence so that your business is searchable by the search engines
Display product information
Give product demonstrations
Personalize your business and make customers feel comfortable
Inspire people to get excited about your product or business
Give detailed directions

Website Sitemap

Think about your new website this weekend.

Am I willing to do some of the work myself?
What is the purpose of my website?
What do I need on my website to fulfill my purpose?

Check back next week:

Part 2: Domain names and Hosting
Part 3: Creating Content

For more on small business websites, see these previous articles:
Websites 101 for Small Businesses
Websites: Un-Sexiness Works
Two Easy Tips to Improve Your Website Ranking

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

Case Study: Advertising a Technology Services Business

2009-06-18T16:00:00.005-05:00

J.T. Buice reached out to me on Twitter with this tweet and asked:

@TheMarketingGuy I am starting a Tech Consulting business in Waco. I have $4000 for Advertising. Where in Waco could I get the best bang?

Case Study: Advertising a Tech Business
Business: PMF Technology Services
Location: Waco, Texas USA

The Setup

PMF Technology Services is actually a business within a business. It is part of the Parrish Moody & Fikes accounting firm in Waco. The new business began as an internal IT Dept and started trouble-shooting IT problems for clients, particularly hospitals. J.T Buice is the guy running the operation. The budget turned out to be $3000 rather than $4000.

The Message

Before you decide where to advertise, you should decide what you're going to say. The message is more important than the media. There are a couple of rules, 1) The message needs to be true in that it's what customers will actually experience if they do business with you and 2) the message needs to be one of courtship. What you say needs to communicate that you are looking for a long-term relationship.

When we started, the PMF Technology message was cost savings, and response. A couple of problems here. First, no company thinks about hiring a technology services company unless they have something wrong. So trying to get someone to call you on price would be ineffective.

On the other hand, response would be good because no one thinks of hiring a technology services company unless they have something wrong. Quick response would be a valuable quality. Unfortunately, it wasn't sustainable. If PMF got too busy they would not be able to keep a response-time promise. So we had to look for another message.

We decided on trust and security. JT Buice has worked on projects at the Dept. of Homeland Security and for hospitals. Both of those assignments require a high degree of security and trust. PMF Technology will create a "Trust Certificate" spelling out their confidentiality promise to the client. In addition, PMF will define and spell out a security protocol to assure clients that their network and their data are safe.

The Media

With our message in place, it was time to decide where to advertise. We used The Marketing Spot's Media Spotter Matrix to choose the right medium. We decided on direct mail because our target customer group was very narrow: business owners. In addition, direct mail can be done rather inexpensively if you do it right.

The strategy is to print 3600 over-sized postcards using an online printer for under $350. Hire a local, professional graphics designer to design the postcard for about $200. The mailing list can be purchased from the chamber for $200. We then send the postcards and the mailing list to a local mailing house to be mailed in three separate mailings of 1200 each for approximately $1000 total. Our grand total for the direct mail campaign is approximately $1750. That leaves us a surplus of $1250.

Every direct mail piece should have a call to action. The PMF Technology postcard will direct recipients to a landing page on the website. The landing page will contain video testimonials from current clients touting trust and security. It will also have a video bio of JT Buice talking about his experience, the trust certificate, and their proprietary security protocol. The $1250 surplus can be used to get some help setting up the video pages on the website, or editing the video for Internet.

The Summary

Before you decide where to advertise, decide what to advertise. Get a good message.
Use The Marketing Spot's Media Spotter Matrix to decide where to advertise
Use direct mail to cost-efficiently target a specific demographic
Use over-sized postcards for their readability and cost efficiency
Use a mailing service to save time and postage costs

Finally, this is just a campaign for the launch phase of the new business. The goal is to create some awareness and name recognition for PMF Technology Services. J.T understands that he probably won't many phone calls from the postcards. Business usually only hire technology companies when they have a challenge or problem. He will supplement this campaign with traditional business networking events and some social media activity on Twitter.

Previous Case Studies:
Branding a Kitchen Remodeling Business
Branding a Furniture Store
Word of Mouth for a Bar & Grill
How to Get a Logo That Defines Your Business

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

You're Wasting Your Time on Facebook and Twitter

2009-06-16T07:57:00.006-05:00

Is Facebook and Twitter a waste of time? It is when you would be better off spending that time on other other marketing activities. Twitter and Facebook can be powerful marketing tools, but not for everyone. How do you decide?

If you are a business that people really don't use that often, I don't think you should use social media tools built for networking. For example, I think realtors are wasting their time on Facebook or Twitter if...their purpose is to find new clients. The average American moves every seven years. In between, those people are not looking for realtors. They're not really interested in following a realtor on Twitter or Facebook. I think the same goes furniture stores, carpet stores, and other businesses with an infrequent purchase cycle. These types of businesses should be spending their marketing time on other social media tools. But where?

When customers seek you out only every several years, you need to be ready when they do. You need credibility and authority. You also need to be found on the internet. So the answer is:

Credibility + Authority + Searchability = Blogs

So stop wasting your time marketing to potential customers on Twitter and Facebook and blog your way to new customers. Be there when they are ready to search for you.

But don't delete your Twitter and Facebook accounts. The real power of these platforms is networking. I use my Twitter account to network with other marketers and bloggers around the world. Your Twitter stream can be a great learning and networking resource.

So where are you using your social-media marketing time? How can you be more effective for your type of business?

For more information on social media marketing, see these articles:
Blog Your Way to Credibility and Authority
Social Media: What to do for your business.
What's the Best Business Use of Twitter?

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

Promoting Your Business: Use the Right Tactics

2009-06-12T11:01:00.005-05:00

This is the third in a three-part series on how to promote your business.

Part 1: The Message: How Should I Promote My Business?
Part 2: The Media: The Complete (Thumbnail) Guide to Choosing the Right Media
Part 3: The Tactics (Today)

You might think that mixing new media with traditional media requires two different strategies. That's not necessarily so. Straddling the fence may require a different approach, but the tactics are mostly the same. The main difference is the approach. With new media and social media, communication is personal. When you promote your business online, there is the opportunity for direct and immediate feedback from consumers. So your online approach should be more conversational. Beyond that there are tactics are mostly the same.

Have a plan of action
Before you spend one dollar or one hour on promoting your business, get a plan. Answer this question: What exactly do you want to accomplish? Don't advertise or jump into online promotion as a knee-jerk reaction to declining business. Be specific with your plan: "I want to people to know xxxx." Get your message straight before you start.

Start Strong, Taper Off
Resist the tendency to 'test the water' before jumping in. Starting small will get you poor results. Media reps are especially poor at this. The just want to sell you something, so they pitch you the smallest package they have thinking they will up-sell you later. This is a bad practice.

When you first present a new idea, you need to establish the idea in the marketplace with strong frequency. After you have made an initial impact, you can pull back a little bit. The public will perceive that you are still just as active. In fact if you have started with a heavy push, you can actually take occasional breaks without being forgotten.

For online media, this does not mean connect with 1000 people on Facebook your first day. it means be active when you do create a Facebook page for your business. Post often, engage and reply to friends and followers. If you start a blog, start with a heavy posting schedule and stick with it.

Use Frequency
People are not very good at remembering. If fact, we forget a most of what we've heard within the first hour. So you need to remind people what you're saying. Often. That means when you run advertising, run as frequently as you can afford. One ad, one commercial per week is not going to help. One billboard won't accomplish anything. Don't just post one video to YouTube, post them weekly. Consistent repetition creates durability.

Concentrate! - Don't spray and pray.
Spreading yourself too thin dilutes your message and wastes your time. This is an especially dangerous trap with online social media. You don't need to be on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, MySpace and a blog. Pick one or two and be active.

With traditional media, concentrate by narrowing your schedule. Run one daypart instead of two, with the same budget. Run only one TV station instead of two. Buy billboards close to each other.

Only one key idea at a time - no laundry lists!
Don't try to cram everything you can into one message. Ask yourself, what's the most important thing people need to know and say only that. Resist the temptation to add a laundry list of products, your store hours, and the over-used "And we also do..." Give consumers a big idea or a core concept, not a bunch of details they won't remember.

One Key Idea, Told Elaborately
Nope this is not a contradiction of the previous rule. What this means is don't make a generic presentation your idea, don't just recite facts. The best way to be elaborate is to tell stories or connect your message to other ideas or concepts.

Use an emotional hook, but don't use fear.
Emotions arouse attention and make memories more persistent. So use an emotional hook such as happiness, love, nostalgia, but stay away from fear. People may remember you, but they won't feel comfortable with you.

Be visual, even when you're not using a visual medium.
Apologies to radio advertising folks, but it's true: vision dominates all other senses and is more effective at creating memories. Use color, size, motion, and spatial orientation. If you are promoting in a non-visual medium such as radio or podcasts, create visual images by using vivid language and telling stories.

So what are some of your tips and advice? How have you successfully promoted your business? What works best for you?

For more information on promotional tactics, see these articles:
Guerrilla Marketing Ideas
Weekend Marketing Project: Intentional Congruence
Fearless Marketing Tactic: Wear A Black Cocktail Dress

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

The Complete (Thumbnail) Guide to Choosing the Right Media

2009-06-11T07:00:00.008-05:00

This is the second in a three-part series on how to promote your business.

Part 1: The Message: How Should I Promote My Business
Part 2: The Media (Today)
Part 3: The Tactics: Promoting Your Business: Use the Right Tactics

You may have heard that traditional media is dead, don't advertise there any more. That's wrong. You may have heard that social media is a marketing gold mine and that's where you should market your business. That's also wrong. However, there's also some truth to both of those statements. Things are confusing.

Marketing is in a period of great transition from traditional media to new media. Old media is not dead, and new media doesn't always work. The correct strategy is to straddle the fence. You can be successful marketing in both traditional and new media, because the grass is green on both sides. For small businesses, I believe you should use a mixture of both. Because there are so many options, the trick is deciding on the best and most efficient combination for your business.

Which marketing channel you use depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Below, I'm going to give you some general guidelines that will point you in the right direction. But before we get to the sexy choices in traditional advertising and new media, let's cover the basics.

The Basics

Google Business Center Listing - The very first thing you should do to promote your business is claim your local listing in the Google Business Center. Doing so greatly increases your chances of being listed in the local "10-pack," Google's grouped listing of local business results for geographic searches. You can add photos, videos, and a detailed description of your business. Claim your listing here: Google Local Business Center

Signage - Make sure your sign is visible from the street or parking lot. Invest money in a professional sign. Don't hang a banner across the top of the building, it looks cheap and temporary. If possible, include your tagline on the sign.

Traditional Media

Local Television - Great for making an impact. Use local television if you have something important to say, or you want to get noticed. Best use tip: Run in the local programming for cost efficiency. Try to dominate a daypart or program to achieve a high frequency.

Radio - Use when you need to target demographically or reach an active, mobile demographic. Radio is also good for branding, because you can achieve a high frequency by running a heavy schedule. Don't try to reach younger demographics through radio. Best use tip: Start small and tighten up your schedule. Dominate one daypart on one station first. Run high frequency, not just an occasional spot.

Newspaper - Use to achieve credibility and authority, or to run price ads. Best use tip: Make your ad wider and horizontally oriented rather than a long, narrow ad.

Local Cable - Use to reach niche audiences. In smaller markets cable is also good for branding if you can get low rates and buy lots of commercials. Best use tip: Stick with one message and repeat it frequently. However, produce several different spots to keep the message fresh.

Billboards - (known as outdoor in the industry) Use to achieve awareness and name recognition. Also use to give directions from a major thoroughfare. Best use tip: Seven words or less, period.

Direct Mail - A great option for local, small businesses. Use direct mail when you want to target a specific demographic, lifestyle, or geographic area. Best use tip: Use over-sized postcards. They are cheap to print and easy to notice in the mail pile.

New Media / Social Media / Internet

Your Website - You need a website. Customers expect you to have one. They want to learn more about your business from the comfort of their computer without having to directly contact you. Getting a website is now very easy and cheap. Check back to this blog next week, because I will have a step-by-step tutorial to getting a website.

Pay Per Click (PPC) Search Engine Marketing - Should be avoided by most local, small businesses. Use only if you want to drive traffic to your website and get noticed. Don't use PPC to try to sell stuff. You can also use it if your business does a lot of couponing. Best use tip: Link to a specific landing page on your website created for the ad. Don't send visitors to your home page.

Display or Banner Ads on Local Websites - Don't do them...ever.

Online Video - Use to get noticed and create awareness. Get a Flip Video Camera, Setup a YouTube Channel, and start creating videos. It's a great venue for tutorials. Best Use Tip: Make short videos that answer common customer questions. Also, put your TV commercials on your YouTube channel.

Facebook / MySpace / Twitter - Use to give existing and potential customers direct access to you. These popular, open social networks personalize your business. Best use tip - post daily, and post behind-the-scenes information. Be personal.

Blogs - Use to explain stuff. Use blogs to establish credibility and authority. Help people make decisions by making the complex understandable. Best use tip: Take the most common customer questions and turn them into blog posts.

Online Social Communities - You can actually create a social community just for your business using a service like Ning. Create your own community if you have passionate customers who like to talk to each other about your business or your unique product. Best use tip: Require membership for customers to access content on the community. Give it an exclusive, community feel.

Straddle the Fence

You don't have to be exclusively one or the other, traditional media or new media. Play in both yards. Find the media that are best for your purpose and mix and match: billboards + online video, direct mail + blogs, Facebook + local cable. What's your combination?

For more information on where to promote your business:
Social Media: What to do for your business.
How to Buy Advertising on Local Media
What's the Best Business Use of Twitter?

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

The Basics of Marketing: How Should I Promote My Business?

2009-06-08T14:14:00.006-05:00

This is the first in a three-part series.

Part 1: The Message (Today)
Part 2: The Media: The Complete (Thumbnail) Guide to Choosing the Right Media
Part 3: The Tactics: Promoting Your Business: Use the Right Tactics

Before tactics, comes the message. More important than where you promote your business, is what you say about your business. More specifically, how you approach potential customers with your message.

Business owners are on a continuous quest to find the right place to promote. An endless parade of media sales reps are more than happy to tell you that (insert media choice here) gets the best results. Amazing, isn't it? radio, TV, yellow pages, newspaper, billboards, cable, etc. all get great results. Except for you. That's because you're looking in the wrong place. You're looking at the medium when you should be looking at the message.

Getting the Message Right

A common scenario is for a media rep to sell you some advertising and then say, "So what do you want to say?" (This should have been the first question) The answer is your brand promise. You should not advertise or promote your business unless you're doing so to communicate your brand promise. It takes discipline to stick to this rule. Most advertising consists of messages about product, price, service or events. But no promise. That's why most advertising money is wasted.

[Brand Promise: What you promise to deliver above and beyond the product or service you happen to sell.]

You want to do two things with your message: create a brand identity and be remembered. Wait! Isn't promotion about building traffic? Getting butts in the door? Yes, but only over the long-run, not today. Advertising is not cocaine. You don't do it to get an immediate high. For proof, see your local automobile dealers.

Promoting your business is about building a long-term relationship with potential customers. Advertising is courtship. Let's look at some examples of typical messages and what a business should say instead:

Interior Decorating Center
Brand Promise - To find each homeowner's individual decorating personality and decorate a room specifically for that personality.
Typical Promotional Message - In business for 26 years, our decorators have combined experience of 135 years, come in to our store now for $100 off.
The Right Message - You have a unique decorating personality. We discover your individual decorating personality, design a room that fits perfectly to that personality. You get to show off a room that is uniquely designed for you.

Hardware Store
Brand Promise - Accessibility to advice.
Typical Promotional Message - Look at all our items on sale! We've been in business for 25 years. The best people and the best service.
The Right Message - We help you be the handy man. Everyone who walks through our door gets help from one of our hardware advisors on the floor. You won't have to look for them, because they look for you.

Truck Accessories
Brand Promise - You will be excited about your truck.
Typical Promotional Message - Window tinting special! Spray in bed-liners, grill guards all at lower prices than the other guys.
The Right Message - Your truck will look like no other truck in town. You will be so excited when you leave that you will have to show off your truck. Then all hell will break loose when your friends see you driving up.

Communicating the right message to promote your business is tough. It takes long-term vision. The trick is to court your customers into a relationship, not knock them over the head and drag them in to your store. Over time, you build an identity that has value.

Yes, this is the way you should have been advertising and promoting your business for the past five years. If so, you would be in a different place today. But you can start now, and things will look very different in a year. The only question is; Do you have the patience and discipline to stick to your brand promise message?

For more information on how to promote your business, see these articles:
The Ideal Small Business Marketing Plan
Broadcast Advertising Donts and More Donts
Put it out there. Someone will buy it.

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

Your Brand Affects Your Location

2009-06-04T12:40:00.004-05:00

The reason it's so difficult to please customers is that businesses often start off on the wrong foot. The brand doesn't match the location.

Photo credit: cogdogblog

Most current marketing uses the online-dating-service method of advertising. Like the tall athletic guy who loves to laugh, cook, travel and take long walks in the park, businesses describe themselves unrealistically. "We're a business that is passionate about customer service, treats you like family, and likes to spend time getting to know you." Customers start off the relationship disappointed because they expect one thing based on advertising, but receive something very different.

Access to your brand is more than just physical location, it's also psychological. You cannot start a customer relationship by dashing preconceptions, You are in effect, shutting off psychological access to your business. Therefore you must not only look like your brand, you must also feel like your brand.

Physical shopability is important, but psychological alignment is also necessary.

Look like you deserve the money on your price tag.
Look and act like you know what you are doing.
Follow through on the promises and claims in your advertising.

While real estate and physical location are important, mental access is more important because it cements the relationship. Look like your brand, feel like your brand, give customers psychological access.

For more reading on brand access, see these articles:
Five Things You Should Never Tell Your Customers
Customer Loyalty and the 100% Solution
Keeping Customers: The Key to Customer Retention

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

The Ideal Small Business Marketing Plan

2009-06-02T14:08:00.006-05:00

Experts say you need a business plan. Tim Berry of Bplans.com goes so far as to say

“Marketing your business without having a plan is like shooting a gun without having a target. Not only is it difficult, but it’s also reckless, ineffective and even dangerous.”

The real debate is not whether or not you need a marketing plan, the question is, what goes in your plan? In my exposure to formal marketing plans, There’s too much focus on numbers and goals, and not enough on what really matters. You don’t need forecasts and metrics, you need foundations and initiatives. Here’s what you should include.

Marketing Plan Foundations

These are the building blocks of your plan. The foundations include the promises and concepts that form your business identity. This foundation will guide your decisions. Your key foundation building blocks come from the four essential spots of small business marketing:

Branding

Your Brand Promise – What do you promise your customers above and beyond the product/service you happen to sell?

Your Tagline – I call it your signature. It’s your best brand communication tool. A tagline succinctly tells customers what you’re all about and reminds you of the promise you make.

Customer Experience

Customer Experience Promise – What will the customer get from their direct experience with you?

Customer Experience Theme – How will you tie all the elements of your customer’s experience together. You should have a cohesive theme that delivers a consistent experience.

Customer Experience Map – This key marketing plan tool maps out your customers’ experience.

Conversation

Word of Mouth - Your conversation spark (what you want people to say about you), word of mouth strategy,

Social Media - Social media participation. Which channel will you use and how will you use it?

PR – What are your publicity objectives? What you want in the media and how to get it.

Promotion

Advertisign and Promotion - The message you will use to court customers, your preferred advertising medium, promotional activity calendar.

Marketing Plan Initiatives

The primary reason that marketing plans don’t get used is that they too are long and complicated. Filled with detailed step-by-step systems and instructions. Problems begin when you miss just one well-planned step of the carefully coordinated plan. Eventually, you get too far behind and the plan is no longer practical. At that point it gets filed and rarely used.

Replace intricate step-by-step plans with initiatives. Projects that you want to complete. Again, break these up in to the four essential spots of small business marketing. Here are some examples.

Branding – Get a new logo. Write an ebook that serves as a manifesto for your brand promise.

Customer Experience – Create home instruction manuals that show customers how to use your product when they get home.

Conversation – Create a YouTube channel and post weekly how-to videos.

Promotion – Send out direct-mail postcards to our customer list on the 15th of each month.

Think of your marketing plan as a tool, not a document. This tool holds you responsible for important projects, it reminds you of your foundational building blocks. With your plan in place you can focus on important marketing activities and say no to everything else.

For more on marketing plans, check out these articles:
The Sweet Spot of Small Business Marketing
The Marketing Circle of Life
The New Rules of Marketing in Small Business

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

Houston Social Media Marketing Workshop

2009-06-01T20:00:00.003-05:00

This is not a seminar. This is a workshop. This is not about concepts, it's about action. I'm teaming up with the Houston Small Business Development Center for my Social Media Marketing Workshop On June 25th. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and do some real marketing.

During this workshop you will:

Create a YouTube channel and post your first video.
Choose the right blogging platform and create a blog for your business.
Learn how to use Facebook for your business and create the right Facebook account for your business.
Understand how communities work on the web and set up your own online community.

Date: June 25, 2009
Time: 9:30am - 3:30pm (includes lunch)
Location: Houston Small Business Development Center in Houston, Texas
Price: $99 in advance online

To register and get more information: Social Media Marketing for Small Business

Twitter Service vs. Real Customer Service

2009-05-28T07:17:00.008-05:00

I define real customer service as getting the help you need, when you need it, without any hassle. Using that definition, you've probably rarely received real customers service. It's so rare, in fact, when it happens, you rave about it to all your friends.

There is a new type of service on the rise: Twitter service. Twitter service happens when you complain on Twitter about a company's lack of real customer service. A representative from that company is monitoring Twitter, and personally responds to you. The company representative gives you Twitter service, fixes your problem, and you are ecstatic. You may even blog about it as James Rock did when he received Twitter service from Virgin Media. But that's not real customer service.

Twitter is a stop-gap for some companies. It's the appearance of customer service to cover for the lack of a real customer service solution. James Rock should have been able to solve his problem through normal Virgin Media channels. But he couldn't, so he complained on Twitter. And that's the only reason Virgin responded. What about all the customers who don't have a Twitter account? Where's their Twitter service?

Twitter service is all the rage now. When a company uses Twitter to help isolated customers, social media gurus go gaga. They write complimentary blog posts about the company engaging customers. Twitter service companies get invited to speak at conferences.

Companies should stop hiding behind Twitter and develop a solution that helps all customers, not just the isolated few. My question is: Where's the real customer service?

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader.

Drill Down to Find Your Interesting Brand

2009-05-27T11:29:00.004-05:00

The brand discovery sequence is: pinpoint your core values, commit to your mission, make a brand promise. But that doesn't get you an interesting brand.

Recently, I conducted a branding workshop with the Savannah, Georgia Small Business Chamber. During the first phase of the branding process, pinpointing your core values, three workshop participants identified community as their core value. These were three very different businesses. Were they all headed for the same brand? No, they were headed for an indistinguishable brand.

The thing is, each of these local businesses had a different definition of community. So here's the easy little trick to getting an interesting brand: ask a second round of questions. Drill down further into the meaning of your first answer. So I asked, "What do you mean by community?" (Wow, really tough, huh?) The three answers were: engagement, participation, sharing. Now we were on our way to an interesting brand.

An Interesting Mission

When we were doing the branding case study for Jamestown Designer Kitchens, Chrissy Kernodle first said her mission was "To elevate the kitchen design experience to new heights." A noble mission. Chrissy knew what she meant, but would potential clients find that interesting? Probably not. So we asked the drill-down question: "What do you mean by elevating the kitchen design experience?"

What Jamestown Designer Kitchens really wanted to create an experience that would get talked about and generate referrals. Chrissy wanted clients to be so excited about the Jamestown Designer Kitchens remodel experience, that they would have to tell their friends. Customers would be inspired and become evangelists. So the real mission of Jamestown Designer Kitchens was "To design and build kitchens that inspire loyalty." Are you getting the hang of this yet? How does this apply to your brand promise?

A Brand Promise With Meaning

A local employment services company said it's promise was to "Deliver an experience that is consistent, competent, and professional." That's nice, but it's not interesting. So we asked the drill-down question: "What does that mean for the client?" The owner said that clients use employment firms to rid themselves of the hassles of the administration of hiring, firing, and paying employees. His company's role was that of a problems solver and what the real brand promise was a "Problem free employment relationship."

Every small business wants a unique brand. Unique means one-of-a-kind, like no other. To get a brand that's different and interesting, you can't just rest on the branding surface. You can't stop with the first question. Ask the second question and drill down to find your interesting brand.

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader

What's the Best Business Use of Twitter?

2009-05-25T11:22:00.010-05:00

Due to publicity from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Ashton Kutcher, Twitter has gone mainstream and thus been bastardized. It didn't take long for the self-hypers to jump in and try to make a trumped-up name for themselves. And now, you may be tempted to follow the lead of these false social media prophets by using Twitter as a bullhorn for your business. Hey, why not? Because it won't work.

Small businesses constantly complain that much of their advertising investment is wasted. The primary culprit of this wasted money is that most advertising is one-way communication: Business to consumer. So then why would you want to use Twitter in the same manner you advertise?

What is the best business use of Twitter, and really, all social media channels? In the Age of Conversation 2, Cathleen Rittereiser said that "Social media technology enables the communication that creates human connections." Social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace are opportunities for you to make a human connection with your customers. Human connections create loyalty.

Here's how to create human connections with your business Twitter account:

Don't try to look bigger than you really are - People will learn quickly that you're a fake. Be yourself, but at the same time, be the interesting you.
Share, don't sell - Don't be selfish. Give customers insight into why you do what you do. Give them a peek behind-the-curtain.
Enhance - Improve someone's knowledge. Upgrade their experience with your business. Add to your customers' arsenal of resources
Learn - This is my primary use of Twitter. Your customers have lots of great ideas. Let them tell you what they think. Solicit feedback that will make your business better.

Twitter Business Examples

The wrong way to use Twitter: Desmo Boss
The right way for a local business to use Twitter: Old City Java and AstroKitty Comics

For updates on new articles: Receive The Marketing Spot by Email or Get The Marketing Spot in a blog reader