10. June 2010 by Frank Goad.

No one can do it all.

The title says it all. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about getting everyone on earth to come and peruse your site. The bad news is that you do have get the people who spend money with you to come to it, and that takes money. Sounds like you’re still at square one, doesn’t it? Let’s talk about this for a minute.

Remember this: The Internet isn’t free if you’re trying to get customers. If you are a customer looking to buy, then it costs less – yes, your customers pay, too. They have to pay for access (cable, wireless, etc.), buy a computer, pay for anti-virus software (you don’t need it if you don’t connect) and, above all, they “spend” their most precious commodity - time - looking for information, products and services. If you want them to visit your site, make it worth their time and money whenever they “stop by.” Always remember that a website is not a brochure and it needs updating often to offer real value.

The Internet is an advertising medium and advertising costs money. In the beginning it was a communications tool for computer scientists and geeky folk. Now it’s the backbone of international commerce and consumer choice. Just as you pay for brochures and magazine ads, you have to pay for Internet advertising. How so? Google AdWords, site construction, consulting on building traffic, and so on, all cost time and money. Even if you do it yourself, it’s not free. What do you make per hour? Every bit of time you spend building a website is an hour you’re not earning money.

Like any advertising, there are ways to keep the costs down, but you still pay and that’s the real point: Not investing properly in your Internet “properties” shows a poor return on whatever you spend. Consider these two scenarios:

A. Let’s say you spend $5,000 to get a really cool website built by your hotshot nephew. He’s been to tech school and can make it do some amazing stuff. Your site looks like a playground in a monitor. You launch it and, by using free Google Webmaster Tools, you find out hardly anyone is coming to it, and those who do barely hang around. There can be many reasons but, for this story, let’s go with the assumption your nephew is not trained in graphic design or visual communication techniques and knows less about advertising copy writing. Your website is the equivalent of a child’s picture book that’s really interesting at first, but soon loses its appeal. A major function of your site is to be an advertisement (and usually a cash register, too), and if function follows form or technique, you’ll likely be disappointed.

B. Let’s say you spend $500 to get a site built and, even though “it ain’t pretty,” the traffic is good … at first. You check the Google tools and see that you are way off your peak visits and dropping. You remember that you haven’t put any new content up since you posted the site. People have seen it and have moved on. Fresh content keeps them coming back. That’s why the major networks like CBS, CNN, The New York Times and myriad other sites do well - they keep fresh content coming. Even if it’s just a new weekly coupon, your loyal customers will keep checking.

These days, there are four groups that you really need to consider if you’re creating a new site or getting ready to revamp your current site:

1. Coders: Technical folks who build your site and make it work and connect. Websites are programs that display their results graphically.

2. Designers: If they’re good they guide visitor’s eyes where you want them to go. From my (long and sometimes bloody) experience, many designers aren’t good coders and vice versa (I’m going to get hate mail on that - sorry, but it’s true). A designer is trained in visual communication that’s art and graphics based, an important skill that isn’t inherent to web coding.

3. Search engine optimization (SEO) experts: Most coders say they know SEO, and some do, but it’s a sophisticated discipline that’s more like statistical research and psychological profiling. It’s darn near a black art at times, but there’s a real craft to doing it well and a marketing background is a real plus.

4. Content providers: You still need folks to write persuasive copy and figure out what people want. Your site is a lot like a magazine in that you want folks to read what’s there, look at the pictures and come back every “issue” through subscriptions. You might say, “We do videos.” Who writes your script? Whether read or spoken, it requires special skills to be compelling.

Are there people who do all these well? Sure, but they’re rare and their rates make many folks gasp. My strong suits are numbers two (design), and four (content creation). I provide content including advertising copy, strategy, graphic/art direction, feedback measurement systems and creative campaigns. I also am very well versed in visual communication, meaning I know how to guide the eye around the page to make sure they “get” the most important things.

I’m okay at search engine optimization issues but don’t hesitate to get help because it is critical to getting a great return on your investment and eyeballs on your site. How am I at coding and actually constructing a website? Lousy and I have no desire to do it because, well, I do other things much better.

Can you do all these things? Probably not, so be honest with yourself, move some money around in your advertising budget and get folks who know how to do these things. Remember that it’s an investment, not an expense. Given that around 97% of people go the Internet first to find products and services, it’s just smart business to do it right and ensure that they think of your site as a reliable place to go.

Posted in Branding, Web development, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, building business, relationships, advertisers, Frank, FedEx, business, Advertising | Print | No Comments »

8. June 2010 by Frank Goad.

They go at a bit of a premium over most other felt-tipped pens, but they’re selling well. I’ve seen their display pegs in stores empty many times. Why? I’m convinced it’s the brand more than the pen. Don’t get me wrong – I like them and think they’re worth the money.

The “creatives” I mentioned have had a long love affair with Sharpie permanent markers. Many use the permanent markers like the rest of us use any pen. Despite bleeding through pages, they faithfully keep one around. Is the rest of the world as enamored? Don’t know, but I do know artists who buy them by the box.

In a crowded market already filled with products that are just as good, and with many being cheaper, they jumped in and captured a healthy segment of pen sales, and THAT’S the power of branding.

The manufacturer has a good track record and has marketed the brand well. From collections of colors in varying point sizes to mini-markers for your key chain to highlighters, they’ve done great at imprinting a recognizable name on a variety of creatively conceived and well-made products.

Go to their website, (www.sharpie.com) and you’ll see special offers, news on their racing events, and art galleries of things folks have created with their markers. A cool one is a collection of mugs at a coffee shop all decorated with Sharpies. They’re doing the right things to keep the brand vibrant and continually build loyalty. Their website is fun and attractive to keep us coming back for new stuff. They even have a program to “upcycle” your used markers. 

Back to the Sharpie pen: First they introduced a black fine point version, then blue, then a pack with red, green, blue and black, and then a retractable Sharpie click pen. Now they’re introducing one with a metal cap that is close to half the body’s length and a grippy rubber “clutch” surface. One-by-one, they’ve introduced new product variations while emphasizing the brand’s art and doodling personality.

This demonstrates that customers own the brand because they:

• Play to their customer’s loyalties
• Understand how they use their products
• Engage them by exhibiting customer works
• Understand customer demographics, uses and feelings
• Create products based on expanding customer demands
• Continually find ways to promote the brand
• Most importantly, they never lose the playful attitude

They know what their customers like and channel their attitudes, perceptions and desires into products they’ll buy. If Sharpie wanted to attack the high end pen market that Mont Blanc, Waterman and Cartier occupy, credibility would take time in that prestige market, but they could do it.

Imagine this ad: A picture of a 24K gold Sharpie pen, cap on the end and the point exposed. It’s lying on a highly polished antique cherry desk replete with mother of pearl inlay. In the edges of the light are silver and gold accessories. The picture murmurs, “Rich people own this.” The pen lies on a glossy photo of a high-fashion model in an expensive Dior dress with the point aimed straight at the model’s face. Looking at the picture, we see … a mustache drawn on her lip. Whimsy, irreverence, luxury and doodling - they could pull it off.

They could blast into that territory with Waterman as a partner and have instant credibility. I think many folks would buy a prestige pen with Sharpie guts. You might say, “That’s like Rolex announcing, ‘We created a lower-cost line with Seiko movements.’” Sharpie has enough brand loyalty to make people giggle with delight every time they doodle a daisy during a stuffy meeting with a $100 pen; I don’t think Seiko has the same loyalty.

In the end, you must talk to your customers … a lot. Ask them simple questions like, “When you think of our store (company, etc.), what do you think of?” or, “What do you like best about us?” What products sell best? What gets the most inquiries and least returns?

Since they own your brand, find out what they think of it. Knowing that lets you serve up exactly what they want and create new products and services they’ll like, and that’s sharp business.

Posted in Branding, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, business relationships, relationships, Advertising, Frank, PR, The Long Tail, Marketing | Print | No Comments »

25. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

This post is about your 80/20 and something much more valuable in your life. Most of you know the old saw about 80% of your business coming from 20% of your customers or clients. This is about your having a larger, more loyal 20% and getting benefits worth far more than the coins they give you.

A Lexington millionaire I knew (who, despite being twenty years my senior, often kicked my butt on the racquetball court) said he became rich by spending an hour a day doing one thing: Calling his best customers regularly just to say “Hi.” He explained that, “People do business with folks they know, like and trust. Without building a relationship, they can’t know, like or trust you. It’s up to you to reach out to them. After all, the most popular people are the ones who go out of their way to be friendly. That’s why they’re popular - they make everyone else feel genuinely important.”

He said to avoid long calls to show respect for their time, and that leaving a message just to say “Hello” was often just as beneficial. After you’ve called a few times, they’ll welcome your call because they’ll know you only want to check in. Some will look forward to the call the way we look forward to a birthday card (and you can collect birth dates, too, as you call).

Creating friendships is a natural part of business that is often overlooked. Regularly reaching out as a friend to the people who are your best customers benefits both sides of the equation; it’s about win-win, so show the 20% some love. You don’t have to send gifts, just call to say “Hi,” ask about their family and so on. The more you do this the better you know them, and you’ll become familiar with folks you never expected to become friends with. For those folks who aren’t in your 20%, maybe it’s because they have no reason to think of you; call and give them one.

To be effective and to show folks you are genuinely interested in them requires consistency. One method to keep on track with this year-after-year is to take your address book (physical or electronic) and create a spreadsheet with everyone on it. Then divide them up into twelve groups to call in twelve months. Call them some time that month, but don’t wait ’til month’s end because most folks are busy then. Better still, call at least twice a year.

What to say when you call? Tell them about something cool that’s coming up before anyone else knows. Ask how you can help without asking for a sale, or call about an event they might be interested in (a charity fun run/walk, a bake sale, a Big Lebowski bowling event, etc.). Maybe asking for an opinion (vs. professional advice) on something you’re involved with outside their specialty; this avoids looking like you’re trying to poach free service. Maybe you meet for coffee or rendezvous at a meeting or event. Whatever works for you.

You can keep it strictly to business, too. Check on their account or orders or whatever as a pretense to call. Or, call and explain that you do this occasionally just to see how your business is doing in their eyes (you should do that in any case). If they haven’t ordered in awhile, calling just to say “Hi” is even more important. Sure, Facebook is cool and easy, but one-to-one contact between two humans is much more powerful than a poke or a wall post. Do this in addition to social media to multiply its effect and bridge the time between calls.

If you do this year-in and year-out, you’ll get a lot more than sales. You’ll get the satisfaction of helping someone else and the one thing that makes life its richest: Friends.

Posted in business relationships, relationships, business, building business, Frank Communications, FrankyGee3, Frank Goad, business plan, "The Frankifesto", blessings, Advertising, Frank, PR, The Long Tail, Public relations, welcome | Print | No Comments »

22. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

Despite all the talk about social media, “the long tail,” web advertising and other new frontiers in marketing, most local businesses still deal with customers one-on-one. All of those things are the acts that get customers in the door. What about once they’re in your store or on the phone? Training ensures that your company takes advantage of every opportunity that comes to you.

Training staff is still critical and it seems to not be getting enough attention anymore. I think that’s largely because of thinner budgets. Want a budget problem? Start losing sales because of untrained personnel. Maybe you already are.

Yes, it costs money, but it’s an investment. How many sales are lost because a customer didn’t get the answers they wanted, or because they saw your team member as unqualified or uncaring? I’m betting it’s way more than you realize. What if you have multiple locations? If there is a lack of consistency between your stores, customers don’t react well to that.

Think of the times that you’ve gone into a store and the person at the counter couldn’t answer your questions. Even worse, let’s say they only said, “I dunno,” and didn’t offer to find out. Are they lazy or stupid? Well, that’s a possibility, but it’s more likely they were not told what to do. Despite being something so simple, the basics are often overlooked when a company is overworked and understaffed. Because some other team members know what to do it’s easy to assume everyone does.

Training doesn’t have to be expensive or mind boggling. Start by taking notice of all the processes in your store or company. How do people answer the phone? How do they answer questions? What do they do when they don’t have an answer? Do they use suggestion to build sales? What steps are there for follow-up? What reference materials do they have? How do they record calls?

Take that information and start at the beginning. Create a flow chart or series of steps so that the major things they do can be guided and repeated. This might seem like digging into minutiae, but it doesn’t have to be. Just hit those things that are done most frequently and address those. Polishing the little things builds customer trust, loyalty and lowers (or eliminates) the barriers to repeat sales, price objections and add-on sales.

Outside sales reps are even more important, so make sure they, too, are adequately trained on your product, your company and approach customers in a style you are comfortable with.  When did you last go with a rep on a call? If you do, shut up! Make sure that the customer/prospect focuses on the rep, not you. Deflect any questions they have to the salesman as soon as possible. Your deference to them builds their credibility in the customer’s eyes as the real authority so that, when they return and you’re not with them, they already have a firm foundation.

You can say something like, “Brad here is one of our top people, not only in sales, but also in customer satisfaction. I’m here to see how he does it with so much success.” Okay, Brad’s a schmuck and you want to fire him, but this could be a golden opportunity for all. Lemons into lemonade and maybe ol’ Brad gets a boost and turns into your top producer after all. It’s happened and I’ve seen it.

If need be, get outside help with training. Steve Ickes runs the Lexington branch of Sandler Institute, and they have a sales training program that works for many people. Chief Learning Officer magazine has a great site with hundreds of ideas about training and leadership development. Bersin and Associates’ website has a wealth of info, too.

To prove my point, a recent report was generated by McKinsey Quarterly based on a survey of 1,200 purchasing decisions in the U.S. and Western Europe. It stated that customers said sales reps need to be well versed in their products and know how theirs is different from the competition. More importantly, they want to know how that product or service will make a difference in their business, their life, etc. As you would expect, price was almost always second to a great experience with the vendor.

Sales training can be considered a value-add but, in reality, it should be a foundational piece of the product or services you offer. Everyone in the company needs to start from a common base of information. If you need help assessing these things, organizing a plan for your company or help creating training, please drop me a line at frank@frankcomlex.com, or by using the comment form on bottom of the page at the Frank Communications website.

Posted in training, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, The Long Tail, Frank, Marketing, Advertising, advertisers, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

8. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

Before I started my business, I wrote Frank’s Business Manifesto (a.k.a. the Frankifesto). Written before my business plan, it is a statement of my thinking on the business and how I would run it. Without this, the business plan could have belonged to anyone. The manifesto informed the human side of my need to work for myself and created a behavioral and ethical standard that guides my dealings with friends and clients. It helped ensure that my heart, head and will were all in line together.

I’m sharing this in the hope that others will take the time to create one for themselves and refer to it often. This is a personal statement of what’s important in your work and life. If mine suits you, please, help yourself. Short or long, having one is akin to giving yourself a compass to navigate your career.

1. I believe I have creative talents and business skills sufficient to make a good living.
2. I will carefully choose trusted advisers because there are many who are well-meaning but blessed with far more opinions than knowledge or wisdom.
3. Despite the admonitions and warnings of others, even those who mean well, I will rely on my trusted advisers for feedback and honest criticism. This helps insulate me from those whose intentions are not favorable or honorable.
4. I will seek advice knowing that everyone needs help sometimes, and not asking is a larger sign of weakness.
5. I will also seek help because going it alone can be frustrating and unfruitful, and a little encouragement is priceless.
6. I have the requisite intelligence to understand the advice I seek and to apply it accordingly.
7. To be truly successful, I must help others succeed as well. This is my prime directive.
8. I have the requisite personal skills to network effectively and develop mutually beneficial relationships.
9. To be truly happy in my career, and in reflection on previous negative career choices, I will be true to those vocations that bring me joy.
10. By being joyful in my work, I will serve others well by finding ways to share that joy with them.
11. I am fortunate in that I have talent in several areas (as do most people), and will utilize them all to be useful to others and myself.
12. In keeping with today’s markets and the rapid pace of change, I will do two things: A. Combine my skills to take advantage of a wider range of opportunities (in keeping with my self description of being “A generalist in an age of specialists,”), and; B. Always consider ways to help others by utilizing whatever skills I can bring to bear (see no. 7).
13. I will be honest with myself and all those I deal with, else I will become irrelevant and perhaps shunned –  dishonesty is not an option.
14. In the face of lean times, adversity and downright bad luck, I will remain steadfast knowing that up and down cycles are inevitable.
15. During a down cycle I will display courage – if only to myself – because strength comes from within and self-employment is fraught with challenges.
16. I will give this endeavor my very best effort. Should my successes be insufficient to allow me to continue my self-employment, I will accept this with grace and dignity because I hereby acknowledge from the beginning that many can not survive on their own despite their best efforts; sometimes, things happen.
17. Whether successful or not, I will have succeeded in pursuing a worthy goal and will have displayed significant courage if only because I dared to strike out on my own, something far more people have neither the courage, desire or vision to do.
18. I will always remember that not having tried would be the biggest failure of all.

This became a bit of a litmus test: Was I really ready to work for myself, or did I need the safety and security of an employer, a regular check and benefits? The answer became obvious and now, Frank Communications is beginning to hum. The first three months were tough – doubts nagged me and seeing my bank account drift down made me quite uneasy at times. Now, the months of hard work are showing returns and I arise each morning excited about the day to come. It’s a lot of work, but the satisfaction of building my enterprise, creating new business relationships and having the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives is a huge return on my investment of time and energy.

Posted in self-employment, business plan, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, "The Frankifesto", manifesto, Advertising, general, responsibilities, blessings, Frank, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

6. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

Public relations has changed - no revelation there - but it’s still important. The truly effective PR agent these days still courts the press and other “large” media, but they also court new media even more. PR has moved closer to marketing because of these changes, too. Chris Anderson wrote a great book called, “The Long Tail” that talks about the changes in marketing. Its premise is:

“The theory of the Long Tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of ‘hits’ (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail. As the costs of production and distribution fall, especially online, there is now less need to lump products and consumers into one-size-fits-all containers. In an era without the constraints of physical shelf space and other bottlenecks of distribution, narrowly targeted goods and services can be economically attractive as mainstream fare.”

What this means (as if you can’t figure it out) is that marketing and PR are no longer totally dependent on a narrow group of outlets, those being TV, radio and newspapers. (Make no mistake though: Consistent appearances in traditional media needs to be a part of any marketing plan. You still need to cover all the bases.) PR agents used to send press releases to reporters whom they hoped and prayed liked what they sent so that they would make a story out of it. The experts developed relationships with reporters and writers at the “bigs” and got a book of newspaper clippings with their work.

For the rest of us, unless it’s a truly revolutionary or far-reaching story, reporters often ignore these releases. Who can blame them? They get hundreds of press releases, most of which are not suitable for what they write about, and are sent by folks who try to cover the earth believing the odds are in their favor if they send it to anyone they can. So, what to do?

With the proliferation of platforms (i.e., new media, podcasts, etc.), you can now talk directly to the folks who care about what you have to say. Let’s pretend you’ve invented a revolutionary left-handed cow milking speeder-upper. The folks at the LHSCMA (Left-Handed Speed Cow Milkers of Albania) will get all atwitter about it, so that’s whom you talk to. If there’s a left-handed cow milker’s trade organization and they have a magazine or website, they’ll like your press release, too. It’s not just a press release, though, it’s talking to people and organizations using their mediums. Your goal is to have a marketing conversation with these groups.

What you have to do is find LHSCMA members and others who care about this and will put it in their blogs - Albanian blogs, of course - and who have websites and e-newsletters and so on. THEY are the ones who’ll care and spread the word. Find secondary organizations who read their items (the RHSCMA of course - you know who they are) and let them know. Putting an ad in Newsweek or on TV’s “Meet the Press” would be horribly expensive and useless. There was a time when that was the only way to do it - sell it to the whole world. Now you can work the long tail.

You can now be your own press agent IF you learn to cultivate the tiny grottoes of the Web, meaning, get in contact with the blogs and websites of organizations, clubs, forums, etc., who have an interest in your message. Cultivate followers on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other new media. Get a website up that has real content (and, yes, a blog) and continually update it in order to continually build value. Get their feedback and post it. Get them to link their blogs and websites to yours. Whatever you do, put up information, and not constant blather, or you’ll get tuned out. It doesn’t have to be about your specialty - just make sure it’s interesting and useful.

Most of all, don’t expect a broad-based relationship to happen overnight, or over-month for that matter (over-month: a new word, and you saw it here first, you trendsetter you). It takes time, constant effort and the cultivation of a two-way, long-distance relationship with lots of different folks. Put up new information whenever you can and then let folks know it’s there. Marketing is now a conversation directly with your audience. If you don’t have time to carry on the conversation, hire someone (and, yes, I’m available), but make sure you are talking with them or you’ll be tuned out.

Posted in Left-handed cow milkers, Chris Anderson, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, The Long Tail, Public relations, Advertising, Marketing, advertisers, Frank, PR, Uncategorized | Print | No Comments »

3. May 2010 by Frank Goad.

There’s a lot of talk about how not following the latest marketing, branding or advertising trend means you’re destined for the trash heap. People are saying that Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all the other new/social media out there are the only places you should be advertising. Being told this over and over is distressing. With all the platforms (soap boxes) to shout from these days, there’s a new guru and a new must-do technique on your doorstep every day. Some of these folks are right on target, and some aren’t.

I’m kind of old school and believe that there are tried and true techniques that technology will not change. People are people and we pretty much have the same motivators that we always have. Nothing substitutes for sound business practices no matter what the latest technology and current trend is. So, before you jump on the the next band wagon, think about these first:

1. Go back to your business plan – are your daily operations in line with it? That document is the foundation of any business. Do you have a thoughtful, well-considered mission plan? Do your employees know and understand these? Case studies abound outlining how a failure to follow a company’s own core directives led many to serious trouble. Everyone in an organization needs to embrace these documents. On the other hand, are you doing well because the market changed you? If so, maybe it’s time to update it to align with what’s working now. Here are Tom Peter’s five favorite questions that business owners and managers need to ask. These can help you evaluate your business plan and mission statement:

• What is our mission?
• Who is our Customer?
• What does the Customer value?
• What are our results?
• What is our plan?

2. Remember that when someone is telling you how great a certain thing is, they likely have a personal incentive. Some folks have a truly great idea, product or service; others are just selling snake oil. If your gut says it seems wrong, listen, but do your research and talk to folks you trust. Our gut reactions are important and should be listened to, but they’re not always right either. Yes, include me in this - advice should be patiently considered to see if it aligns with your operations.

3. Do your own research because no one knows everything. Some of my favorite books are “Made to Stick” by Chip and Dan Heath and just about anything by Seth Godin. Tom Peters has been dismissed by some as being out of step, but he’s still a genius; the same goes for Peter Drucker. The American Marketing Association has a wealth of ideas on their website. Go, read, learn!

4. Remember that there is no silver bullet, magic potion or marketing amulet that will make customers magically appear. A thoughtful, balanced approach that spells out what you’ll do for the year is important. Advertising requires - repeat, requires consistency. Your marketing plan needs at least six months to be effective.

5. Track your marketing and advertising, otherwise you won’t know what’s working. It can be as simple asking customers how they heard of you. Coupons and special offers are good, trackable ways. Let’s say you put a coupon on your website, run a print ad and also have a radio promotion. The web coupon has a code of wb01; print’s is prt01 and the radio’s could be, “Just mention that you saw this ad to get 10% off your order” Make sure your employees track this, too. Once you and your employees get in the habit, it’s no extra effort at all.

6. Take your advertising and marketing’s pulse on a regular basis. Ask your salespeople what they’re hearing about your company, your competitors, the market in general. They’re an excellent source of intelligence. Likewise for delivery drivers, receptionists and all employees who talk regularly with the public. Train them to get feedback and info and give them questions to ask.

7. Do your own market research or get professional help. Surveys and questionnaires are awesome feedback mechanisms. For instance, collect email addresses from your customers, send them a simple survey that will take less than three minutes to complete and let them know that, upon completion and return to you, they will get some special offer. Or, call The Matrix Group in Lexington, one of the finest research companies around. They will get you info that covers all the market, not just your customers and uncover insights that a typically polite customer won’t say to you.

The basics don’t change even if the technology to do them does. Build on this foundation and watch your business and profits grow. Remember: Advertising and Marketing are investments, not expenses.

Posted in Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, Frank Communications, Frank, Marketing, Advertising, general | Print | 1 Comment »

29. April 2010 by Frank Goad.

While I was working at Lexmark, the engineers introduced me to a great saying: “You can have it fast, good or cheap - pick two and the other one is set.” When it comes to marketing, the same rule applies. Now that there are so many “free” avenues, like social media and email, “cheap” or “free” can be a deceptive terms. Lets take them one at a time.

Fast: Do you use an advertising or PR agency? After the initial meetings, many folks “hand over the keys” and let them do the driving. It’s faster to let someone else do it because they do the thinking, creating and production, all of which are time consuming. That lets you do the things that make money. Sometimes, though, the business owner’s attention drifts from the agency’s work and don’t perk up again until there’s a problem (e.g. business lags).

Or fast as in, “Just put our logo in and say, ‘Best prices in town.’ That’s all we need.” You need more. Advertising and marketing are like anything else: Just showing up isn’t enough. Sure, it’s better than nothing, but barely. Your message deserves time, attention and creativity.

Good: Pretty self-explanatory, right? Well, there’s good, and then there’s good. In one sense, it looks and sounds fine, is attractive and contemporary, but does it give your audience a feel for who you are? You, your employees and your business have hearts and souls. Do your ads reflect this? Sometimes ugly ads do better than pretty because they touch the prospective customer, and connect with those you already have. Good is as faceted as a diamond.

Cheap: Cheap isn’t necessarily bad and lots of business were started on a shoe string. Cheap can be great IF what you’re doing is carefully considered. It can imply shoe leather vs. direct mai, phone calls vs. a display ad. Some cheap is bad because your marketing materials look, feel or sound cheap. Even things like Facebook advertising - which can be quite inexpensive - can look cheap if your message is wrong.

In the end, even though there are more avenues than ever to exploit (search engine marketing, Facebook, Twitter, email/newsletters, etc.), the key factor to it all is time. Specifically, time vs. money. Firms that hire ad agencies find their ads and marketing are much more productive if they are involved with the agency - they spend the time.

In a way, it comes down to a trade-off between time and money. You have to invest both, and the more of each you can contribute the better. So, if your budget is thin, plan on spending more time working on it yourself: Learning, producing, monitoring, testing, analyzing, and so on. There have never been more low cost ways to get the word out. If you use an agency, you will still have to go over the creative, read reports, etc., but not as much because you’re paying someone to do a lot of the grunt work for you.

Whatever you do, don’t hand the keys to anyone else. Make sure you’re along for the trip or you could get taken for a ride.

Posted in Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, Frank Communications, Frank, Advertising, Marketing | Print | 1 Comment »

25. March 2010 by Frank Goad.

Beyond coffee, surviving in your job requires innovation. Sure, showing up on time helps, but companies want people whose contributions set the business apart from the competition or improve operations. So ask yourself these questions: Are you helping your employer grow the business? What are you doing to enhance your status?

The coin’s other side is that business is harder these days and innovation is critical to survival. A great way to maintain job stability is to be the one who helps the company remain stable. Since there is rarely a silver bullet to save the day, small improvements and gap-filling ideas add up to a brighter picture, and maybe a fatter paycheck.

Several times a day, ask yourself questions like, “What can I contribute that sets the company – and me – apart?”, “What can I do that makes a difference in the ‘bottom line’?”, and, “What opportunities are we overlooking?” It doesn’t have to be a Herculean effort, just investing some of your time and brain cycles to look more critically at what goes on.

Some think hunkering down and staying out of sight is the best policy, but here’s why that’s not necessarily true: I worked at a local company that has been, and still is going through wave-after-wave of layoffs. The company’s local workforce is less than half the size it was when I joined and many jobs went overseas. The folks I know who are still there escaped the hatchet for one of two reasons: 1. They work like Trojans and are high-output individuals, or; 2. They have a track record of innovation and usable ideas. Yes, a few are just lucky or really charming, but that doesn’t always work.

So, what does this have to do with coffee? I have the coffee maker you see above and I think it’s the greatest one ever. Why? Notice there’s no pot - it doesn’t have one. The coffee flows into a reservoir and then you place your mug underneath where a pot would be, push a lever and your cup fills. Best of all, it brews one awesome cup of coffee. No, it’s not like an $11,000 Clover coffee maker, but my less-than-cultured palate finds the results quite good.

Is it a big seller? Well … no, and it’s a bit hard to find. It’s a little pricey, too. Doesn’t sound like it’s perched to become a market leader, does it? On the other hand, everyone who visits notices it and becomes curious. We talk, they recognize Cuisinart as a good, dependable brand with nice styling and, of those folks, many have bought Cuisinart appliances. The coffee maker is different enough to make itself and the brand stand out in prospect’s minds, and to motivate them to invest in their products. Are there things in your business that can be reformulated?

In 1899, U.S. Commissioner of Patents Charles H. Duell said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Do you think that way at your work place? Don’t becuase, after all, the lowly coffee pot was improved. Try to take a fresh look at what is going on there. Do barriers to innovation exist, like a manager who hates change? If so, try to involve them early and with tidbits of information.

Compare them to the Grand Canyon: It took a long time for the water to carve the canyon, and you might need extra patience, too. Chip away with questions like, “Why do we do it this way?” “Had you ever thought about … ?” It doesn’t hurt to let them think that some of your ideas are theirs – if they shine, you’re likely to benefit from their light. Asking them questions that guide them to your answer lets them think it’s their idea. Once that’s done, you can build on it with suggestions and ideas to foster a partnership for innovation.

It’s hard to innovate using the same data you’ve collected for years. That’s a “can’t see the forest for the trees” situation. Some of the best investment advice I ever got was, “Look around. Before investing in a company, see where they are in the lives of their customers.”

The true meaning soon dawned on me: Ask folks what they think about a company and its products or services. How often do they use them? Do they tell their friends? If they’re really into it you’ll get a good report, or even a glassy-eyed rant extolling the virtues. Ask your customers to lunch or coffee and listen to their thoughts and feelings. If nothing else, call them and say, “Just checking in … .” Customers usually have a clear eye toward your business and know what others say, too, so make sure to keep a journal of their input and plans on what to do with that intelligence.

Then you can go to your manager (or shareholders) with fresh, documented input and confidently present your ideas based on real data, not just a hunch or an idea. You become the expert and a thought leader in your company, and someone with a much better shot at job security and brighter prospects.

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23. August 2009 by Frank Goad.

Oh my, it’s happened - some advertisers are tired of paid political pundits, inflammatory language and plain old bombast used to keep eyes and ears glued to their channel. Berkshire Hathaway’s Geico, Walmart Stores and Men’s Warehouse have, according to Advertising Age, “… taken steps to ensure that their ads will no longer appear during Fox News ‘Glenn Beck Show’. Procter and Gamble and and S. C. Johnson said they never intended to advertise there and ads were placed there by mistake. Clorox Company has said it’s taking its ad dollars out of all politically oriented talk programs” (For those unaware, Beck put his foot in it recently in a big way.)

It’s about time folks realized that many (most? all?) of the pundits on TV, radio, the Internet and anywhere else have a primary goal: Keep high ratings. Being measured and balanced about their views doesn’t get listeners and, without listeners, the folks carrying them will go out of business because no one advertises where no one goes. Folks forget that pundits are paid to be outrageous. It’s that simple. You can defend them but, in the end, they’re paid to be on the air and draw viewers or listeners.

You might say, “But what about the newspapers?” They’re trying to draw you in, too, but folks who are in broadcast have to keep you glued for thirty or sixty minutes or more; that takes emotion. A newspaper reporter or columnist only has to keep you for one column’s worth of time and there are different and (gasp) opposing opinions right next to yours. Going over the top makes you seem a bit daft because there’s another article inches from yours that could seem sane by comparison.

The other side of the coin has an engraving that shows Joe Sixpack or anyone else who listens, spouts and repeats without doing any real research on their own. I once had a guy tell me that he listens to Rush Limbaugh because, “… he speaks my language. He thinks like I do so I know I can trust him.” I asked him if he reads the newspaper, and he said, “No, they’re just a bunch of liberal ——-s.” It’s not about whether he does or doesn’t read the newspaper. The conversation revealed that all he does is listen to folks who think like him. Willful ignorance is no excuse.

My beef isn’t with people on the right or the left, it’s with anyone who blindly takes others opinions without trying to figure it out on their own. Please note that I said opinions, not facts. If you know the facts, then you can sort out the opinions. All of the pundits - right and left wing - have their foibles, misstatements and outright intentional misinterpretations. I would just appreciate it if folks decided to do a little research and stopped parroting things simply because it sounds good to them.

Posted in Frank, Frank Communications, Frank Goad, FrankyGee3, advertisers, right wing, backlash, Beck, left wing, Advertising | Print | No Comments »