Marketing Education
What does it mean to Re-brand?
What people usually mean when they start talking rebrand is putting a new spin on things. Changing perceptions without changing the business. Sometimes, just changing a logo is thought of as a rebrand. Other times, a name change is all that's required. But really that's the equivalent of putting some fancy, frilly new duds on the same, tired ugly body. Everyone knows the same body is under that new wardrobe, and they won't believe it's a new you.
The Impact of Social Media on Your Marketing Plan
If you were to assign a value of 100 to all your marketing activity, what portion of that total pie would you give to each piece of your marketing plan Specifically, how much importance would you assign to social media Let's assign a value to social media as part of the entire marketing picture by using my 4-Spot Marketing Model . The four essential spots of marketing are Branding Your identity. Experience What your customers experience. Conversation Unpaid evangelism for your business.
Being a Charismatic Brand
There are brands, and then there are Brands with a capital C the brands that have charisma and draw people into them. These are the brands that don't have to work very hard for customer traffic. Customers come, without much advertising or promotion. What makes a brand charismatic A Charismatic Brand is any product, service, or organization for which people believe there's no substitute.
Local Online Advertising: Where do you go?
For 2012 online ad spending will increase 23 . Local online ad spending is projected to be about 20 of total ad spending this year. By 2016, eMarketer projects that online will comprise one-third of all media spending. How does that compare with your online advertising budget It's time to consider online advertising for your marketing mix. But consider where Local Online Advertising ChannelsWhere to advertise online Let's start big, and the biggest is Google.
How to Promote a Non-Profit Event
How to Promote a Non-Profit Event Non-profit organizations like to use the special event to raise money. For example, Susan G Komen uses the Race for the Cure to get donations. The non-profit events are very effective at raising money because they get donors personally involved. It's much more effective than just sending a letter asking for money.
Answering LinkedIn Questions: Direct Mail, Branding, Customer Loyalty
LinkedIn Answers is where LinkedIn members go to ask and answer questions of other members. I've picked a few out from the past month that I think are appropriate to answer on this blog. When tying to reach the 45+ marketing, what's better direct mail or email newsletters My Answer Josh's questions pits traditional media vs. new online media. At age 45, you're getting perilously close to the digital media divide. Adults over age 50 tend to prefer traditional media.
Turning Entrepreneurs into Marketers
Photo credit cogdogblog Marketing Education for EntrepreneursThe Marketing Spot blog is a marketing education blog for entrepreneurs. But after three years and more than 500 articles, it's a little tough to figure out where to start. So I'm going to point you in the right direction. The content of this blog is organized around the Four Essential Spots of Marketing Branding Who you are. Experience What your customers experience.
The Brand-Building Checklist
It was two months ago that I declared January, Build an Awesome Brand Month. To back it up, tagline expert Jim Morris and I teamed up for 8 blog posts and a free webinar to help you build your awesome brand. So 45 days after the webinar it's time for a progress report. How are you doing Photo credit net_efekt If your branding efforts are off-track, don't take it too hard. You're a busy person trying to run a business. So let's get you back on course with this branding checklist.
How to Choose The Digital Marketing Channel That's Right for You
A Review of the strengths of the best digital marketing channels. While the demise of traditional media is greatly over-exaggerated, there's no denying it's a digital marketing world for small business. And that's a good thing because you can be effective with a smaller budget using digital tools. But it's also a bad thing because there are so many options, and businesses make one of three mistakes. They choose the least effective option for their marketing purpose.
Three Tips to Better Direct Mail
If you want your direct mail to get a better response, to convert more new customers, do these three things 1. Get a clean mailing list.Clean, meaning current and updated. Mailing lists get stale because people move, and that means returned mail. The post office doesn't like that. In fact, they have rules against it. This is especially common with in-house mailing lists and lists you may purchase from third parties who aren't in the direct mail business, such as your local chamber of commerce.
Murder Your Darlings to Improve Your Search Engine Ranking
Imagine my surprise A source of my pride was also a source of my pain. Yes, I would brag, I have written almost 800 blog posts, and produced more than 100 podcast episodes. And if we listen to the the content marketing pundits that's a good thing. Content is king Not so fast, says Bill Hartzer (and many other search engine marketers). In the Spring of 2013, I lost 44 of my search engine referrals from Google almost overnight. A complete SEO audit by a skilled expert was just not in the budget.
Keep On Blogging in the Face of a Social Media Wind
Since I wrote Blog Your Way to Credibility and Authority in May of 2009, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have taken over as the social media tool of choice for small businesses. But the benefits of blogging are just as powerful as ever. In fact, the importance of blogs may actually grow in the next five years as you will learn farther down this page. So I want to encourage you to keep on blogging as a business, and offer these fine articles from other blogs as a creative spark.
Why Blogging is So Difficult for Some Businesses
It's not uncommon to see a dormant blog. It's also not uncommon to hear a business say, I'm going to start blogging. But they never do. People have good intentions, but sometimes (most times ) it doesn't work out. Why is that On a recent visit to the website of a very talented creative firm, I checked out their blog hoping to capture some of their mojo. I saw their blog launch announcement in March of last year, followed by two posts in the next two weeks, and then nothing for six months.
Twitter for Local Business: Tools for Finding Followers
Twitter for local business is about finding the right followers. Wait a minute, don't followers find you First, a dose of reality. Most normal people don't join Twitter to find something to buy. Mostly Twitter is a networking and socializing tool. Most likely followers will not come to you, you will have to find followers, and that means following people first. Here are 10 tools to help you follow Twitter users that might follow you.
The Future of Blog Comments
Despite a 20 increase in website traffic over the past year, comments on this blog are declining and that's frustrating. This blog has never really been a comment magnet. Most posts would attract a few, thoughtful comments. But lately the crickets have been chirping. Even when I write a high-traffic post like What's the best time to post on Facebook , I only get one comment (thanks Erin ).
Misleading Facebook Ad by Living Social?
After my I posted Just Say No to Deals two days ago, some people may think I dislike LivingSocial. Not so, I just think it's the wrong strategy. However, I could change my mind about the not liking part. Yesterday, I saw this ad pop up on Facebook Here's another version of the ad Looking for some new things to do it my town, I clicked the ad. Here's the landing page for the ad First, I assure you, that is not a picture of Waco.
The Passion Conversation
Love your customers Engage them passionately Heady stuff, wouldn't you say Especially when it's advice coming from your typical marketing firm. But this is Brains on Fire and they ain't typical. This advice is directly from their new book The Passion Conversation. My good friend John Moore is one of the co-authors of the book and he asked if I would participate in a Virtual Book Tour for The Passion Conversation .
Facebook Promotions Guidelines Translated for the Small Business Owner
Want to have a contest or promotion on Facebook Before you do, read the Facebook Promotions Guidelines. You don't want black helicopters showing up at your house one night and confiscating your Facebook business page. You may find the rules a bit difficult to understand. However, I speak Facebook and I will translate them for you. First, the guidelines, then my translation is below. 1. Translation You cannot just post a promotion in your status updates. You must do it through a third-party app.
My Study: What's the best time to post on Facebook?
If you have a Facebook business page, you've probably wondered What's the best time to post on Facebook This is the post that is probably not going to answer that question for you . But first, let me share the results of my study. Beginning in January, and ending in April, I kept track of every status update's impressions on The Marketing Spot Facebook page. You can find impressions of your page's status updates after about 24 hours, here's an example.
The Science and Art of Your Facebook Posting Strategy
Here's the thing about creating a Facebook page for your business you have to do something with it. But exactly what to post on your Facebook page is what stumps a lot of businesses. A good posting strategy is a mix of science and art, and I think you'll find that just about any business can become a Facebook artist.
How Engaged is Your Social Media Traffic?
Google Analytics knows, all it takes is a little digging. Do social media visitors really stay on your website longer and engage more with your website More importantly is all that time you spend on social media driving traffic to your website really worth it Let's take a look. The data is easily available from Google Analytics, but a little prep work is necessary to get the social media traffic numbers.
Can You Continue to Ignore Mobile Marketing?
More than half of digital media time is now mobile. Does that affect your business Most likely yes. (image courtesy of comScore) Two weeks ago at the BOLO Digital Marketing Conference, Eli Goodman of Comscore provided the sobering numbers in the slide above. It's not that we didn't know mobile was important, but maybe we didn't know just how big that elephant in the room had grown.
Why Pictures Matter for Local Business Websites
Every website should be built to convert visitors into customers. Our natural inclination is to treat them like brochures and give lots of information. Information is good, but information with pictures is better. Image courtesy of The Pink Princess Images and pictures on a local website help convert browsers into potential buyers. One survey found that 60 of consumers were more likely to contact a business with images on their websites that also show up in local search results.
Are your search results as good as they could be?
As I was talking to a local business owner recently, he declared that he was 1 on Google for his search term in Waco, Texas. Skeptical, I checked and he was right Even more impressive is that he did it without a big-budget website. It looked suspiciously like a build-it-yourself site. And while the site may not look pretty, it had good SEO Juice (Search Engine Optimization). That should give you hope.
The Ecstasy and Agony of Facebook
It was a Facebook Fairy Tale Erin Shephard of Lone Star Pin-up Once upon a time in Killeen, Texas there was a young maiden named Erin Shephard who had a full-time photo-retouching job, and a hobby. Her hobby was that of an amateur photographer doing what she calls pin-up photography vintage-style portraits that are recreations of classic 1940 s and 1950 s pin-up artwork.
What's the Best Business Use of Twitter?
I spoke on a panel last night for the Baylor Public Relations Student Society. A common theme was that every business should get a Twitter account. Why Because it's easy, I suppose. You're account is active in a couple of minutes and you can begin tweeting to the world look at me But the world doesn't care, unless Small businesses constantly complain that much of their advertising investment is wasted.
Are you Wasting Your Time on Social Media Marketing?
A while back I asked the question Are you wasting your time on Facebook and Twitter It was still the new frontier of social media marketing when businesses were wondering whether or not they should create a Facebook page. Now, by varying estimates, about 3 4ths of all businesses have some sort of social marketing involvement. But the question remains Are you wasting your time on social media marketing Let's see if we can find the answer.
You're Wasting Your Time on Facebook and Twitter
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.
Social Media: What to do for your business.
Intimidation is keeping small businesses from using social media as a marketing tool. There are so many choices and things seem so complicated. Let's simplify by selecting what you should you use and how should you use it. What is Social Media Social media are the online social tools that everyday people use to connect, communicate, support each other and share ideas, information and products. Social Media can also be effective marketing tools for small business, if used in the same manner.
Using Facebook Business Pages Right: Three Issues
Facebook is a real marketing tool for a small business. But sometimes businesses just don't use it right. Are you Let's take a look at three key issues. It's a Business Page So Get Some BusinessDecide what you want from your Facebook page. Do you really want to create a Facebook page simply so you can post endless status updates Engagement is nice, but profits are better. Yes, you can use your Facebook page for customer service, and engaging your fans is a must, but it's a must to a means.
What should you do about Facebook?
There's a lot of discussion by marketers about Facebook right now, and the value of Facebook pages for business. One of the knocks against the social media giant is that you don't own your Facebook page. Your page and all your fans belong to Facebook. That is 100 true. But does that mean you shouldn't participate Well, that's a tricky question. No, You Shouldn'tYou don't own it As stated earlier, your Facebook business page is not really yours, it's Facebook's.
Conversation Starters: Bandwagons, Twitter and Free Stuff
Jumping on the New ToolsThere's always something new in the marketing pipeline that will supposedly someday change marketing. The latest of these is Google Buzz and FourSquare. Then the evangelism starts with a few marketers trumpeting the new tools as some sort of killer. You know the Facebook Killer or the Yelp Killer. That sounds awfully violent to me, but what the hype does is create some pressure on marketers and entrepreneurs to pay attention to this new stuff.
The Incomplete Guide to Pinterest Marketing for Small Business
The holy grail of marketers is to always be on the cutting edge. That means always being ready for something new. Notice I said be ready and not be using. You should be using what your customers are likely to be using. And then along comes Pinterest, which sooner or later your customers are likely to be using. What is it Pinterest is a social network that allows Pinners (users) to collect and share things they find interesting.
Social Media 101 For Small Businesses
I recently spoke to about 80 business owners and managers at a local chamber of commerce business luncheon and posed the question How many of you are Tweeters Blank stares. I clarified How many of you use Twitter Crickets chirping. I was stunned. Not one of 80 people had heard of Twitter. And most likely, you haven't either. Twitter is part of the social media landscape. Lesson to marketers Social media awareness is spotty and fragmented.
Dear Government: It's time to turn the economy over to the entrepreneurs.
No offense, but you don't have a clue. So as you negotiate a way to get our economy back on track let me humbly suggest that the best way you can do this is to get the hell out of the way. After all, it's you who created this mess. And now we're supposed to trust you to get us back on track. Please. You confiscate money from the entrepreneurs to create your social programs.
Show them the money on Facebook and Twitter? Not so Fast.
Why would anyone like your company on Facebook or follow you on Twitter Matt McGee of the excellent Small Business Search Marketing blog calls it the million dollar question . His answer deals. I think it's the wrong answer, or rather, an incomplete answer based on a misreading of the data.
Using Facebook For Business Right
So, you're dabbling in this Facebook thing for your business and learning as you go. Probably wondering exactly what goes where and what you should do. Here are a couple of the basics of using Facebook for business. Profiles and PagesThe first thing to get right is putting your business in the right place. Facebook profiles are for you personally, Facebook pages are for business.
How to Build a Website: Part 3 - Appearance and Content
How to get a website in less than a week for under 100 if you're willing to do it yourself. In Part 1 I discussed the purpose of your website and encouraged you to create a basic site map for your new website. In Part 2 I showed you how to register a domain name set up a hosting account. In this final tutorial I will show you how to change the appearance of your new website and add content. Feed readers and email subscribers , if you don't see the video, click here to watch the video tutorial.
What I Learned from 10 Years as an Entrepreneur
It seemed like an appropriate post to write. Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of The Marketing Spot and supposedly, after 10 years in business, you're should no what you're doing. Supposedly. But then as I tried to jot down my list of things I learned I realized that I'm still trying to get a hold on this being a business owner stuff. To some people it comes naturally, to me it's a lot of work. I don't just mean a lot of hours of hard work, I mean working at knowing how to own a business.
Everything Will Go Mobile
Mark Hurd Hewlett Packard Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President, 1 11 08 Mark Hurd was in Waco today for a luncheon address to the Chamber of Commerce. When asked about the future of mobile technology he confidently made the above declaration. By everything, I am also assuming Mark means marketing. More on that subject shortly.
Is Radio Advertising Dying?
Innovation watchdog Jerad Kahliher points out that for the first time ever, internet advertising revenue has surpassed radio advertising revenue. One commenter asked the question How can radio catch up Unfortunately, it may be too late for radio to catch up. Radio missed the ship that left the dock a few years ago when the media world started radically changing. I know, I used to work in radio advertising.
How to Write a Blog Post, Step by Step
Businesses know they should be blogging, but don't know where to begin. Here is a basic, step-by-step process that I use to write a blog post. Step 1 Choose Your TopicThe most common protest I hear about adding a blog to a business website is I don't know what to write about. Actually, finding your blog post topic is easy, simply answer a common customer question (It's what I'm doing with this post).
Promoting Your Business: Use the Right Tactics
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 MediaPart 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.
Fearless Marketing Tactic: Wear A Black Cocktail Dress
It was a Friday night and my wife and I were at Wild West, a local country dance hall. Everyone was decked out in jeans and boots, scooting around the floor to Brad Paisley's latest. About the middle of the evening, as if on cue, all eyes turned toward the front doors. In walked two young ladies wearing sleeveless black cocktail dresses and black stiletto heels. As if it were choreographed, the DJ fired up You Shook Me All Night Long by AC DC.
Writing a Better Business Blog Post: 31 Tips
Hope you pick up a few tips to improve your posts. BLOG POST MECHANICS1. Pick your topic Narrow it down. For example, I don't write a marketing post. I choose a specific topic within my Four-Spot Marketing Model. 2. Decide on 1 Thing. What's the one thing you want your reader to get from your post Write it down at the top of your blank page before you begin writing 3. Write at least three headlines.
Case Study: How to Get a Logo That Defines Your Business
The mystic art of choosing a logo for your business can take many paths. I've previously given my theory on logo design and expounded on the importance of a logo. This is the story of designing a brand new business logo, and how it was chosen. Before we get started, take a look at the image below. Then I'll share how we chose this logo. Try to guess the nature of the business. Case Study Sheehy Team Logo Development Summary Andy Sheehy and his wife run the RE MAX franchise in Waco, Texas.
Your Signature Tagline/Slogan
Part 2 of Build Your Marketing Plan Series(See Part 1 The Brand Promise) Now that you have a brand promise you need something that clearly communicates your brand to potential customers. In the marketing world that is known as a tagline or slogan. At The Marketing Spot, we call it a signature. Before we go any farther, you may be thinking When do we get to learn about logos Answer Not yet.
Case Study: Branding an Etsy Store
Or at least that's what we thought we were doing when Barbara Behan agreed to let her Blue Kimono Studio Etsy Store be a case study on The Marketing Spot. But as we got into the branding conversation, Barbara's perspective changed. As Barbara put it since starting your suggested exercises, it became clear that I want a larger concept than an Etsy store what I want now is to brand a business concept that's larger than my Etsy shop.
Lessons in Fearless Marketing
It's mired in a pool of mediocrity and apprehension being careful not to offend anybody. Or worse, it's full of B.S. (boastful superlatives) trying to impress everyone with false bravado. It's no wonder business has a difficult time calculating ROI, there is none. You're saying a lot, but really you are saying nothing. And that's what people get from your marketing nothing. Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing.
Marketing Project: Intentional Congruence
With very little forethought, small businesses jump into advertising. Usually, an advertising campaign is a reaction to slow business, market conditions, being sold by a media rep, pressure from employees, or a wild hair. Rather, your advertising should be a product of what Nido Qubein calls intentional congruence . With a plan, all your marketing communications should work toward a common goal. That goal should be the broadcast of your brand promise.
The Power of Adding a Blog to Your Website
Jince Baby asks this Question over on LinkedIn I want to increase the visits and clicks to my website and want to interact with the visitors of the site so that it can generate more clients and business though the website.Can you suggest ideas to implement or include in my website for this Adding a blog to your website will accomplish all this. Photo credit Udo Herzog If you want more visits to your website, add a blog and post frequently.
Facebook for Business: Seize Your Opportunities
The single most important social media tool for small businesses right now is probably Facebook. As I pointed out a couple of weeks ago (Marketing Across the Digital Media Divide), if your customer base is under age 50, it's a good idea for your business to have a Facebook Page. It's not quite a simple as just signing up (it never is), Facebook has a growing arsenal of tools for small business.
12 Exceptional Word Press Website Resources for Small Business
**UPDATE Now with two bonus articles at no extra charge When it comes to websites, WordPress is an entrepreneur's best friend. The free, open-source content management system allows small businesses to take control of their website and save thousands of dollars. WordPress makes it possible for you to build your own website in minutes, and maintain it yourself after it's built. And while it's fairly simple to use, there is a bit of a learning curve.
Cracking The PR Code, Part 2: The DNA of Publicity
Public Relations The art of getting the media to give you free coverage. In our Part 1 Cracking the PR Code podcast , Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV advised us to embrace our personal DNA and understand authenticity. Within Gary's advice lies the key to cracking the PR code. There is a DNA to publicity. That DNA contains the blueprint to getting great PR. It's not a secret, and it's not complicated, but it must be followed.
How to Explain Your Business
Episode 97 of Power to the Small Business Podcast The best way to explain your business is to explain the why behind your business . But more often, when we communicate our brand, we focus on the what and the how. If that's what you're doing, you have an explanation problem. Press the play button in the audio player below to solve that problem. Guest Lee Lefever Co-Founder of Common Craft and author of The Art of ExplanationHost Jay Ehret Dean of Marketing Know-How at TheMarketingSpot.