Business Record - Iowa Biz

Do you know how to innovate?

As our world moves quickly away from the Industrial Age into this Technology/Idea Age -- we're being called upon to build something very different than our parents or grandparents did.

Our generation is being asked to create ideas, technologies, new solutions to age old problems -- all of which require us to be innovative.

What does that actually mean?  It means coming up with something new, being creative, coming at problems in a fresh way.  In business it means finding better ways to be valuable to your customers' lives.

A lot of people believe that they're not creative or they can't do that sort of work.  I think that's rubbish.  Everyone has it in them to find new answers.  Or even to ask new questions that lead to new answers.

How do you do it?  I might suggest you read a book I just finished called Innovate Like Edison by Sarah Miller Caldicott. (click here to check out the book*)

In this book, Caldicott identified the five competencies of innovation and then tells stories of how Thomas Edison (said to be the world's greatest innovator) and many modern day thinkers/business leaders exemplified these skills.

They are:

1. Solution-Centered Mindset: Keeping an unwavering focus on finding solutions. 
2. Kaleidoscopic Thinking: Juggling multiple projects, generate many ideas and then make creative connections or discern patterns 
3. Full-Spectrum Engagement: Managing and balancing a massive workload with social life, family and other obligations.
4. Master Mind Collaboration: Multiplying individual brain power by bringing the right people together.
5. Super-Value Creation: Targeting all creations to an existing market and provide value to potential customers.

Before you poo poo this as something you don't have to worry about -- consider this recent quote from Seth Godin.

“For 80 years, you got a job, you did what you were told and you retired. People are raised on this idea that if they pay their taxes and do what they’re told, there’s some kind of safety net, or pension plan that’s waiting for them. But the days when people were able to get above average pay for average work are over.

If you’re the average person out there doing average work, there’s going to be someone else out there doing the exact same thing as you, but cheaper. Now that the industrial economy is over, you should forget about doing things just because it’s assigned to you, or “never mind the race to the top, you’ll be racing to the bottom.”

Whether you own the business, push a broom at the business or both -- the world has changed and is demanding that we keep pushing to the top or get out of their way -- because they're going to get there with or without us.

So... looks like it's our time to decide.  Innovate or Irrelevant.

- Drew McLellan

*Affiliate link

Learn about marketing lagniappe

Those of you who've been in Des Moines for awhile are probably familiar with The Lagniappe, a store located in Valley Junction that sells art, jewelry, gifts and in the last few years, has added the rooftop wine bar.

If you've bought anything there you know that they always toss a little gift or something extra into your bag at the check out.  That's lagniappe.  

The word came into the rich Creole dialect mixture of New Orleans and there acquired a French spelling. Today, it denotes a little bonus that a friendly shopkeeper might add to a purchase. By extension, it may mean "an extra or unexpected gift or benefit."

So what is marketing lagniappe?  That's the question author Stan Phelps posed when he started looking for 1,001 stories of businesses that went above and beyond and did a little something extra for their customers.

The result of his two year search is the just launched book What's Your Purple Goldfish?  As you might expect from an author who has spent 24+ months studying a business model where you give a little -- Stan has made it possible for you to get the book for free. (see below)

This book is more than just a collection of stories.  It is a playbook for your business.  I guarantee you, among the many examples -- you will find plenty to riff off of for your business.  

At MMG we talk a lot about the power of word of mouth.  There's just nothing more influential than having someone you know and trust endorse a product, service or person.  But...people seem to think that just magically happens.  Well, it does not.  You have to be remarkable enough to generate that buzz -- and that doesn't happen by accident.  

This book will help you teach you about the spirit of marketing lagniappe -- and how to bring it to life for your customers.

To get your FREE PDF of the book. Download and read the book here on Scribd. If you enjoy it, Stan invites you to share it with others freely.

If you'd rather have an ebook version (click here to buy) or the paperback (click here to buy) you can do that too.

Either way -- you'll be glad you did.  I promise.

P.S.  I was delighted when Stan asked me to write the forward for this book.  If you'd like to see what I said -- click here.

- Drew McLellan

Your team is your best marketing tool

If you want a powerful, profitable company — create a powerful team.  If you want to create love affairs with your customers — create a passionate team.  If you want to leavea legacy — create a committed team.

Your team.  Nothing reflects on a business owner/leader more than the team they build around them.

So in this world of disposable everything — how do you, with genuine intention, bring that mythical team to life?

Let them have a voice:  There are few things more frustrating than having no control over your environment.  Whether it's how to handle summer hours, what charities your company will support or how a customer service policy should be amended — ask them.  Ask them and listen.

At MMG, 90% of the company decisions are made collectively.  I toss the problem/opportunity on the table and we talk about it.  When we think we've covered all the bases, we find consensus and move forward.  About 10% of the time, it's a decision I feel I have to ultimately make — but I want the team's input first.  So I ask.  And listen. 

Don't be afraid to use the "L" word: My friend Steve Farber teaches us in his brilliant book Radical Leap that the word and the emotion love belong in business.  That there's nothing wrong with loving your team, your clients and your work. In fact, I'd worry if you don't.

Make it mean something:  I don't care what you do — it has a higher purpose.  Jim Collins calls it a big, hairy audacious goal. A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines.  If you don't have one….your team needs you to create one.

Celebrate the big and little wins: This doesn't have to be "send the sales force to Vegas" sort of celebrations although there's nothing wrong with those either.  It can be as simple as gathering everyone together for a quick high five.  At MMG, we have a drum that when someone has big news (new client, big project successfully completed etc.) — we bang the drum and everyone comes to the conference room to hear what's up.  It's about taking the moment.  (And we're not always good at it either, so cut yourself some slack…but make it part of your culture!)

Thank them in surprising ways: Again — this doesn't have to be a grand gesture.  Part of the fun of it is the surprise element.  One of the goofier ones that I've done is this simple.  Go buy gift cards for various places (iTunes, restaurants, your local grocery store etc.).  Get enough so you have one for each person on your team.  Then go buy the same number of Pringle's cans of chips.  On the bottom of each Pringle's can — write a number 1- how many ever you bought.   Spread the gift cards all over the conference room table and put all the Pringle's cans in the middle of the table, so no one can read the numbers.

Call in your team and tell them (with love) how proud you are of them or congratulate them on some client accomplishment or whatever.  But…set the mood and tell them why you're doing this.  Then, let each person randomly pick a Pringle's can.  Whoever got the #1 can gets to pick among the gift cards first, etc.

It will take you 10 minutes, but they'll remember it for much longer than that.

Bottom line — building a rock solid team doesn't happen by accident.  It is borne from love, gratitude and sharing a vision that matters.  The good news is — it costs very little and the rewards for you, your team and your clients — is huge!

 

~ Drew

 

What will 2012 bring?

In December you can count on snow, nostalgic looks back over the year and the inevitable predictions for the future.  One of the more interesting trends that seems to be garnering quite a bit of chatter is the notion of screen time and how touch screens are going mainstream.

Check out this video by Corning on how we're going to interact differently with glass.  Some of this may seem pretty far out there...but it's right around the corner.

 

 

Did you notice how many different ways there were to communicate in this "new" world?  And how many of those could be commandeered for marketing messages?  Pretty soon we'll be using them to order at restaurants, customize merchandise and interact with billboards.  You'll even be able to watch live sports while you grocery shop. (check it out here)

What does all of this mean to the average business owner?  It means that technology is continuing to change consumers' expectations and experiences.  And you need to start asking yourself these sorts of questions if you don't want to be left behind:

1. How can I leverage interactive screens/technology to serve my clients better?
2. Can we gain efficiencies by replacing human operated systems/processed with interactive programming?
3. How could I capture some of the screen real estate my customers look at every day by offering something of unique value?
4. Are there elements of my clients' online experiences that I could bring into my/their physical space?

While some of this still feels a little Jetson-esque (if you're under 30, Google it), it's actually right around the corner.  And there's market advantage to be had by those who are smart enough to jump on this moving train.

~ Drew

Marketing is about measuring

Okay, I will admit that one of the reasons I majored in journalism and psych was because they didn't involve math.  I don't like math one bit.  

But…if there's one thing I've learned in almost 20 years of owning and running a marketing agency -- math matters.  Actually, not all math matters, but measuring matters.

The idea of measuring marketing efforts or ROI is becoming widely accepted as a necessary business practice, but truth be told -- few do it well or consistently.

I think the reasons are pretty straightforward.

We don't know what to measure:  Believe it or not, many businesses aren't sure exactly what results or responses equate to business success.  Sure, it's easy to measure gross sales.  And that's the yardstick most businesses use to gauge their efforts.

But is a $5 million company successful?  The quick response is -- well, heck yes.  But if their costs of goods sold is $5.3 million, the answer is a big fat no.

Sales, profits etc. are pretty self explanatory.  But should a company be measuring percentage of repeat business?  Retention of key employees?  

For measurement to be effective, it has to align directly with the measurable objectives that you’ve set. (You've done that, right?) Those measurable objectives should be specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time specific (following the SMART methodology), and directly correlate to your organization’s big-picture goals.

If you haven't defined success -- it's pretty tough to measure how close you are to achieving it.

We don't consistently measure:  Another mistake many businesses make is that they talk up a big game in terms of benchmarking or tracking but in practice, they are sloppy, inconsistent or they get out of the gate going strong but three months into the effort, they get busy and all of a sudden, the metrics stop being gathered.  

Why?  Because it's not as important as ______.  Doesn't matter what you fill in the blank with -- if measuring your efforts isn't valued at your organization, you will not do it consistently or well.

We measure in silos:  Effective measurement rarely sits within the confines of a single metric, but rather in a combination of metrics that helps illustrate progress toward a goal. For example, website visits or the number of Facebook fans you have as stand alone data doesn't tell you much of value. Metrics gain meaning when they’re woven together to help you gain insights, not just excel chart fodder.

Odds are, no single marketing effort stands on its own.  If you're doing it right, they are constantly cross promoting and connecting to each other.  Your blog should encourage newsletter sign ups.  Your presentations should include a white paper download offer.  Your print ads should have a QR code that links to a YouTube video, demoing your product.

So don't just measure one thing.  Measure in bundles so you can see how your inter-related tactics are or are not working.

If you want to create effective marketing and you want to be able to document and defend your budget and how it is serving your organization - you'll need to make a commitment to measure what matters. 

Which of course requires you to:

• Know what matters (match measurement metrics to organizational goals)
• Measure every day (consistently measure to set your benchmark and truly monitor progress)
• Measure in bundles (by measuring a blend of metrics -- you will see patterns, trends and upcoming opportunities)

So break out your calculator and get counting!

~ Drew

Can you crowdsource a crowd pleaser?

 

 An example of crowdsourcing (see Old Spice story below)

One of the more interesting phenomenons that has come out of the social media space is a resurgence in crowdsourcing.  It's really a new tech way of brainstorming or group decision making.

Brands are using crowdsourcing in some pretty smart ways.  See if you can steal one of these models for your company.

Crowdsourcing to inspire word of mouth:  Colgate's Smile campaign was designed to get people sharing stories and pictures.  Faebook fans were invited to upload pictures of their "colgate Smile" which were then used in collages on outdoor boards across the country.

Who is not going to go looking for their picture and then show everyone they know the billboard they're on?

Crowdsourcing to influence opinion:  Dominos decided to live stream their consumer's comments on a billboard in New York City's Time Square.  They didn't sanitize or edit the comments so they were applauded for their bravery and bold efforts.

This coincided with their pizza turnaround campaign --which set out to make a tastier pizza.  People were impressed with Dominos willingness to actively seek feedback and sales increased by double digits as a result.

Crowdsourcing to get your audience emotionally invested: Old Spice decided to spice things up by introducing a new Old Spice guy -- Fabio.  People went nuts, protesting and then Old Spice invited consumers to vote between Fabio (new guy) and Isaiah (original model in the campaign).  Fabio lost by a huge margin but interestingly enough -- they're still going to make the switch.

Even more telling (and surprising) was that most of the flack against Fabio came from the men in the crowd.  Time will tell how consumers will react when Fabio nudges Isaiah aside.

So -- how could you leverage this idea of crowdsourcing to get your customers, prospects, employees or other stakeholders to play along with you to promote your product or service?

~ Drew McLellan

What does your perfect customer look like?

We’ve talked before about how no one is a demographic.  But usually marketing plans  define the brand’s target audience as "moms, 35-50" or "men, 25-54."  I particularly love the 25-54 demographic. 

When I think about what I was like at 25 and how I am today — those are two completely different men.  And I’m only 48.  But I wouldn’t talk to or market to the 25 year-old Drew in any way, shape or form like I would the 48 year-old.

So relying on wide range demographics really promises that we’re going to either have very vague messaging or we’re going to leave out a portion of the group.

So what if instead, you got very specific. Down to an individual.  Some would call this a persona.  That’s okay by me too.  The point is…think past ranges and sweeping generalities.  Get focused.

Create the profile of an individual who you believe is the perfect fit for your offering.  Down to the nitty-gritty details.  What would an entry in their journal look like?  What are they like in the morning?  What is their guilty pleasure?  What’s their go-to password?  Where’s their dream vacation?  Use research to guide you, but let your insight and intuition take you where the research cannot. 

Make sure this is multi-dimensional.  Use images, sounds, music, smells.

While you’re doing this so you can better understand how this person intersects with your product, service or brand — don’t let yourself get boxed in.

Explore the sum total of them:

• Their daily routines
• What they worry about
• Who matters to them
• How they dress
• Where they shop
• Which brands they advocate for
• How they unwind and socialize
• How they dress/what they’d never be caught dead in
• What causes matter to them?
• Their favorite movie, music, books

You can go on and on…

Now, begin to describe why this person is absolutely ideal for your product, service or brand.  What it is about them that makes the match perfect? 

As you begin to do this, you’re going to start to get ideas.  Ideas of where to reach this sort of person.  Ideas on what will matter to him/her.  Where’s their watering hole — where do they hang out?  You might wonder what would turn them off about your packaging or pricing structure.  Where would you find and be able to communicate with a whole bunch of them?   How could you find a few and ask them to react to a new business strategy or product tweak?

All of a sudden….you’re going to be thinking in a fresh, new way and find paths you hadn’t explored before.

Have you ever used this technique?  Did it shift your thinking?  What made it work or not work for you?

 

~ Drew

Draw me a picture?

Think for a minute of your favorite storybook from your childhood.  Imagine it in your head.  I'm guessing that what you saw weren't the words, but instead you saw the illustrations or pictures that went along with your favorite tale.

As human beings, we're drawn to visuals and from the time we were old enough to listen to our first stories, we've been taught to gleen meaning from them.

Combine that with the popularity of USA Today like graphics and charts and it's easy to see how infographics have become so popular. 

An infographic is a graphic visual representation of information, data or knowledge.  They can cover any topic but are often used to show relations between inidividual points of data.

Infographics can be a pretty powerful marketing tool as well.  And they're certainly not going anywhere. You can use them to define a process, show results, compare products or put context to complex ideas.

There are three key advantages to using inforgraphics in your marketing/sales efforts:

• They increase understanding of complex issues
• They increase recall of details, points of difference
• They're easy to share, pass along

 Why not let your prospects (and customers) give you a boost by passing along your inforgraphic, which of course also contains your contact information?

I'd challenge you to look through your sales materials, marketing tools etc. to see if there's a natural story that could be told visually through an infographic.  

I think you'll be surprised at the potency of this marketing tool.

~ Drew

Will 2012 be the year your business gets smaller?

There are many ways a business can get bigger -- more customers, additional sales, staff size or even in product or service offerings.  Growth in any of these areas can result in bottom line growth as well. 

All good, so far.  But, bigger isn’t always better. 

One lesson that we can take away from the recession’s aftermath is that there’s incredible benefit in staying focused on your company’s sweet spot.  Knowing what you do best (both in terms of results for the customer and profitability) allows you to hunker down and spend every resource as efficiently as possible.

It seemed like those organizations that were spread too thin or tried to be something to everyone really got thrashed around when the economy tightened.  

That lack of brand vision and bad habit of taking on clients they couldn’t serve profitably ended up costing many businesses a significant amount of money and in some cases… it shut them down.

Especially when times are lean, it’s very tempting to chase dollars even if they’re outside your normal scope of services.  After all, a dollar is a dollar, right?  But that bad fit will inevitably cost you time and money.  And the biggest loss of all is that it takes your proverbial eye off what you do best.  

It takes a very savvy businessperson to be disciplined enough to not stray outside of their core competency. That’s not just smart business, that’s smart marketing.  How can you differentiate yourself or be seen as an expert, if you do everything?  

As you begin to do your strategic planning for 2012, is it possible that you could grow your business by being smaller? What if you said “no” to work or clients that took you out of your sweet spot? 

Maybe it’s worth trying on for size.

~ Drew

Want to be an expert in your field... write like one!

Especially in today's information age, we value professionals who have achieved a high level of expertise and knowledge in their chosen field.  

Sometimes, when you don't know how to assess someone's skill level (i.e. I don't get cars, so I have no way of recognizing a good car mechanic) you look for clues.

One of the most tried and true clues is -- if they've written a book on a particular subject, odds are pretty good that they're an expert.  It's human nature to give those people their proper due and assume that they really are at the top of their game.

Several well known Central Iowans have penned excellent business books.  You should check them out:

The Personal Side of Leadership by Marty Baddeloo, CPA (click to buy the book)

Marty uses his decades of work experiences as a leader and now a coach to teach his readers about the Triangle of Leadership and your role in making all three sides stronger! The book is full of stories, lessons and points to ponder.

Ignite! by Mitch Matthews with visuals by Jocelyn Wallace (click to buy the book)

Part storybook, part workbook and full on inspiration -- Mitch reminds us how to uncover and clear the cobwebs off our dreams and ignite our passion for chasing them.  Jocelyn's beautiful art direction and photography are eye candy that teach and fan the flames.

Winning the Money Game by Adam Carroll (click to buy the book)

Adam's passion is to teach young people (college and young professionals) how to take control of their money so they can have the life they want and deserve.  This book outlines how to make that a reality.

SWAT by Timothy L. Johnson (click to buy the book)

Tim's third book deals with how systems can make all the difference on any team. Written as a business parable, this story pairs up Toby the reluctant business leader and his friend a SWAT commander.  A really fresh way to explore what could potentially be a dry topic.

And that's just scratching the surface.  Several other Central Iowans have also graced bookshelves with their smarts. (Feel free to list some in the comments section).

Not only do you get some instant cred as a published author but there are several other benefits from writing a book:

• It becomes an instant leave behind or direct mail piece (think of it as a really thick business card!)
• It may lead to speaking opportunities or consulting gigs
• If it sells well, you can leverage it into a second book
• You get to swear a smoking jacket and smoke a pipe  (okay, not every author will opt for this!)

So how about you?  What's your area of expertise? What story could you tell that would be of benefit to others?  Think it can't be done? 

Just scratch out an outline.  Take that first step.  We're ready to read what you have to say!  And believe me, it will be good for business!

Marketing lessons from a Cy-Hawk

In case you were just born or living under a rock, here's the backstory in a few bullets.

• Every fall the Iowa State Cyclones play the Iowa Hawkeyes and whoever wins the football game, wins the coveted Cy-Hawk trophy to have and hold until the next year's game.
• This year, they decided to update the trophy (the old one is on display in the Hall of Pride) and the Iowa Corn Association donated the new trophy, including its design.
• The new trophy was unveiled at the Iowa State Fair and instead of the old football themed trophy, it's a farm family huddling around a bushel of corn. (see photo)
• The public's reaction was swift, loud and mostly unfavorable.
• The Iowa Corn Growers announced the trophy will be re-designed with some public input.

So.... are there some marketing lessons to be learned here?  You bet.  Here are my top four: 

Raving fans have an emotional connection to your brand

In this case, the Corn Growers got walloped by three groups of fans. Football fans, ISU fans and Iowa fans. We work hard to get our customers to have a preference. To be proud to do business with us and to be such loyal buyers that they tell their friends.

To get someone to make that level of investment means their heart is in it. Which means they're not just customers.  They're stakeholders.  And they believe (rightly so) that their opinion matters.

We love that when they agree with us and shout our praises.  It's a tougher pill to swallow when we stub our toe and they loudly let us know.

Raving fans believe that your product or service and their support of it says as much about them as it does about you. (Check with a Harley owner if you think I'm crazy).  Which means the choices you make matters a great deal to them.  After all, it's about them.

If you don't know what your customers think -- ask them.  Before it's too far along.

If you are inside the bottle, you can't accurately see or describe the outside of the bottle

In other words -- the Corn Growers love corn, farming and Iowa. As they should. So from their "inside the bottle" perspective, the corn family was a tribute to all that's Iowa. What better way to commemorate and celebrate an all Iowa tradition like the big game?

And who would begrudge them a nod to corn, after all, they're paying for the trophy and sponsoring the series.  

But... it's a trophy that is going to be hoisted over the heads of some 300 lb linebacker. It's going to be the subject of fiery speeches from coaches about honor and not letting anyone take it away from us, and it's going to be in the dreams of 8 year-old boys who hope that someday they'll be able to fight for the glory of winning it.

None of that says farm family.  But the Corn Growers couldn't see that.

This is common problem for business owners who can't see or understand their business from the customers' perspective. You need to find ways to always have a fresh and candid set of eyes.  

There's no such thing as a quiet consumer today

Thanks to social media, access to reporters, and a demand for 24/7 news -- consumers have learned that they not only have a voice, but it's a pretty loud one.  And not only is it loud, but it can bring about change. 

The good side of this new marketing truth is that when you can inspire and encourage those voices, they can do a lot of good. They can elevate a brand, can answer a need or solve a problem.

The down side is -- you'd better have a good crisis communications plan in place because if you get sideways with them, the fury is going to come fast.  As it did with the new trophy.

When the might of the many strikes, a business has to quickly decide how it's going to handle the uproar.  It was never a good idea, but in today's world a "no comment" is taken as a "guilty as charged" so you'd better come ready to deal with the situation.

Final lesson

At the end of the day -- the Iowa Corn Growers got the message and to their credit, stood tall and took the criticism.  Their decision to re-think the trophy took grace and I predict that by the time they've got some new designs and have engineered a way to let Iowans weigh in -- they'll come out of this storm pretty well.

And that's the final marketing lesson from this situation. A good brand can withstand a mistake or two.  Consumers will forgive you the mistake as long as you own up to it and genuinely try to do it better the next time around. 

~ Drew McLellan 

It has to make sense

Everyone wants to woo and win new customers.  No argument there.  But sometimes companies either stretch their brand a little too far or attempt to stretch their audience's ability to connect the dots.

Typically, neither marketing technique works particularly well.  There are two good examples of this that just broke into the mainstream of late, so I thought we'd take a look at them.

Dove for Men:

Dove has been around since practically the dawn of time.  And they've done a brilliant job of branding themselves as skin care products for women.  They amplified this position starting in 2006 when they launched their True Beauty campaign to rave reviews.  They even won awards at Cannes for their videos.

Their website states that their company's vision is "to building positive self-esteem and inspiring all women and girls to reach their full potential."

None of that makes me, as a man, want to try their products or believe that I am going to be their focus.  I don't care that the bottles are a manly black or that their advertising reminds us that men deserve nice skin too.

They've gone way too far down the path of being all about women to be all about men too.  They're climbing up a huge hill -- trying to get a group of people they've purposefully ignored for years to suddenly pay attention.  

Tough sell.

Era:

Era has a new spokesperson and a new slogan.  Along with their tagline "a lot of fight for a little dough" comes the Chuck Norris endorsement.

What?

According to the Era marketing rep, Era customers have a big affinity with Chuck.  The campaign is done very tongue in cheek with statements like "Era’s secret ingredient is “one drop of Chuck Norris blood. His DNA can kill anything, even stains.”

Cute...but is it going to make people (and most of those people are women) buy the product?  We'll see.  It's a stretch for sure.  But unlike the Dove for Men example, at least Era is still talking to the same/right audience.  

The question I have is -- does their audience have any interest in what they're saying. And do they care or have any affinity for Chuck Norris?  Will the over the top Chuck Norrisisms create a new affection for a rather bland product line -- laundry detergent? Or, is the brand creating a disconnect for their core buyers?

I'm all for trying new things.  You have to be bold and different.  But you also have to be relevant.  Time will tell if Dove and Era made good choices.

What do you think?

 

~ Drew

 

Does an online presence need to fade into that good night?

 

With apologies to Dylan Thomas (the man who wrote the poem called Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night)  -- I think one of the realities that our online activities brings about is this qustion -- what happens to all the content and accounts you've created after you die? 

We no longer just go quietly into that good night.

Now before you shake your head at me and wonder what this has to do with marketing and branding…hang in there with me for a minute. 

I'm guessing you've had this same experience.  A small handful of my Facebook friends have passed away.  A few blog authors that I really enjoyed are no longer with us.  Some of my LinkedIn connections have died.  They all were very active online and created a large following on various social media sites.  And we're in the infancy of social media.  Imagine what it will be like in 20 years.

So what happens? (Time Magazine wonders too)

In some cases, their family have taken down their blogs or accounts.  In other cases, their work/pages are still live.  I have one Facebook friend who keeps popping up on my "you haven't talked to X in awhile" in the sidebar.  And you know, the other day I actually clicked on the link and was surprised to see that many of his friends were still posting to his wall.  In some cases, something reminded them of him or it was the anniversary of his death.  But the posts were happy and filled with memories for them. 

Another Facebook friend, a very well known local businessman, was killed in an accident.  For a long time his kids wrote to him almost every day.  Those posts just about broke my heart but I'm guessing were very healing for them.

I know Facebook and Twitter both have options for families that include converting the account to a memorial  page etc.

I had the good fortune to meet a wonderful man who had an amazing advertising career (he actually worked with David Ogilvy) and his blog posts were not only smart but filled with advertising lore.  I loved reading them and would often go back and find an old one that pertained to something I was thinking or writing about.  

When he passed away, his family took down his blog.  I couldn't help but think what a shame that was.  Thanks to Google -- generations of people could have benefited from his experiences and storytelling.

I don't know that there is a right answer in terms of how to handle it.  I'm sure some people think it's morbid to even raise the issue.  And maybe they're right.   Except it is something we're all going to have to deal with, sooner or later.

But what I do know is that most people have probably not discussed this with their family and friends.  Much like the "I want to be cremated or buried" conversation -- part of the 21st century needs to be a conversation about what we want done with our online accounts and content.  And preparation (like sharing passwords) would need to be considered.

At first blush, I'd like to think that my brand and work could live on after I leave this earth.  That my efforts could continue to serve business owners and marketing directors.  Sure, some of it would be dated but much of it is evergreen.  But I've never said that out loud to anyone.  Perhaps the About Drew section could be amended to explain that I'm not around anymore….but my work is part of my legacy.

But I haven't given it enough thought to know for sure.  Would my face popping up on Facebook be a comfort -- a continued shared space -- for my family and friends.  Or would it keep them from saying goodbye?

What do you think?  Should our brands and work live on? 

We go to museums and stand in line to read Ben Franklin's letters or Emily Dickinson's handwritten poems.  Is a blog less of a legacy because it's not handwritten?

We keep pictures of family members and friends who have died.  We tell stories about them and some of us probably talk to them in our private moments.  Is putting a post on a Facebook wall or clicking through the photos section any different?

And how does one choice influence the way their brand is remembered?

I 'd love to hear your perspective on this.  

 

Price increase do's and don'ts (thanks to Netflix)

On Tuesday of this week, Netflix announced a change in their pricing policies.  

Instead of paying $9.99 for unlimited streaming video AND unlimited DVD via mail, now you can opt for the new unlimited streaming only for $7.99 or the unlimited DVD via mail for $7.99 but if you want to duplicate your current $9.99 plan -- it will cost you $15.98.

However, this post isn't to debate the price increase. 

I want us to look at how Netflix handled both the announcement and the reaction online.  

Let me give you an overview.

This morning around 10 am Netflix emailed their customers, put up a blog post about the pricing change and mentioned the blog post - with a link - on their Facebook fan page.  As of midnight on Tuesday, the Facebook post had almost 20,000 comments and the blog post had well over 5,000. I have no idea how many e-mails they got in response to theirs.  But bottom line -- they created quite a stir. 

As you can imagine...99 percent of the comments were not in favor of the change. And they expressed themselves with vigor and sailor-like language. Over and over again.  And from what I could tell (I have to confess, I did not read all 25,000 comments). Netflix is not responding to anyone on either Facebook or their own blog.

What lessons can we learn from the firestorm that Netflix is experiencing?

Don't spread bad news any wider than you have to: This was a pricing increase that only impacts their current customers. New customers will immediately see the new prices and either buy or not. There was no reason to broadcast it all over Facebook and their blog. 

People react very differently to situations like this when they're by themselves. They don't have anyone to work them up or egg them on. It should have been dealt with in a way that did not incite a riot.

Respect the relationship hierarchy: If they felt they needed to make a public announcement, it shouldn't have been done on the same day as they informed their customers. The customers deserved to hear it first.  

Even if there would have been a 12 hour delay before going public, it probably would have taken a lot of the wind from everyone's sails.

Don't drop the bomb and run: Obviously, they cannot reply to 25,000 comments.  But injecting themselves back into the conversation now and again would remind the people who are spewing their anger that there are real people on the other side.  It's much tougher to rant and rave when you're talking to a real person.

Handling a price increase always requires some sensitivity and common sense. And you need to be very mindful of respecting the relationships you have in place. Assuming you are providing a value and can demonstrate why the hike is needed, you'll probably be just fine.

But when in doubt just ask yourself "what would Netflix do" and seriously consider the alternative!

~ Drew

 

 

Related articles

• Want Netflix DVDs & Streaming? That'll Be $16 a Month (mashable.com)
• 'Dear Netflix': Price hike ignites social-media fire (news.cnet.com)
• Netflix Price Hike! (cinemageek.co.uk)

Make my life easier

Steps to get a $20 rebate from Bed, Bath and Beyond:

1. Remember to ask for rebate form
2. Remember to ask for duplicate receipt
3. Fill out name, address, phone, etc. etc. on form
4. Get serial number of coffeemaker off the box
5. Write down serial number in the little boxes
6. Cut UPC code out of the box (which negates returning it)
7. Figure out which Mr. Coffee is the right box to check
8. Find envelope
9. Put form, receipt and UPC code in envelope and seal
10. Find stamp
11. Mail envelope

Steps to get a $50 rebate from Apple:

1. Take the card when the Apple guy offers it to you
2. Log onto www.apple.com/promo
3. Click on Submit a Rebate
4. Let your autofill complete the name, address section
5. Type in your receipt number
6. Click done

But of course...this isn't really a post about Apple products.  It's about making things easier and less complicated.  Think about the hoops you make customers jump through.    

• Who do those hoops serve?
• Is there a better, faster, easier, more efficient, way?
• Could you do it for them?
• How could technology help?

 What tasks, chores, or necessary evils could you turn into moments your fans can rave about?  Every business has at least one.  What's yours?

 

~ Drew

Iowa newspapers are evolving and growing

For the last five years or more, we've been hearing how the newspaper industry is dying.  And then, as proof, they give us examples of papers in Detroit or DC who are reducing the number of days they publish their paper.  Yes, some newspapers are making reductions but that doesn't mean it is happening here in Iowa.

It's sort of like all of the "the sky is falling" news we hear about the housing industry.  The examples are from Arizona or California and have very little bearing on the Iowa housing market -- which is holding its own. 

The truth is, Iowa newspapers are stronger than ever.  Here are some facts taken from recent research*

• 84% of Iowans read their local newspaper every week
• Almost 50% of Iowans utilize one of their newspaper's digital connections
• More than 50% of Iowans buy based on newspaper ads

Today's newspapers (and not just the Iowa papers) have evolved with the times.  They're not a once a day/week one-way conversation.  They're offering us tools to connect and communicate with them 24/7.

I'm Facebook friends with Register and Business Record reporters (and follow their fan pages).  Between Facebook and Twitter -- I get breaking news, traffic reports, tips about what's happening around town and the latest business news. It's how I stay plugged into DSM all day long.

And in a state where we have 3 or 4 good sized cities and the rest of the population lives in small towns and rural communities -- it's noteworthy that small town papers are thriving, even during the recession.

Whether you're looking for a potential news source, a place to advertise or seek editorial coverage for your business -- don't let the national hype about newspapers blind you to the power of print.  (Even when it's not in print!)  At least not in Iowa.

~ Drew

 

 

* Newton Marketing & Research 2010

Disclosure:  As you might imagine, being a columnist in the DSM Business Record makes me pretty bullish on newspapers.  My agency, McLellan Marketing Group, also does work for the Iowa Newspaper Association.  That's where I first saw the research numbers I shared.  It's also why I didn't offer opinion in this piece…just the facts so you could form your own opinion.

 

 

 

Takeaways from a talking dog

If you haven't seen the video below...before you even read another word, just watch it. Assuming you are one of the over 19 million (yes...19 million) people who have already viewed the footage, let's also notice that the video was first uploaded on May 1 of this year.  So in less than a month, it has earned over 19 million views.

 

Why?  How did the video go THAT viral THAT quickly?

Viral is the new holy grail for marketing.  Everyone wants a video to go viral.  So they make a video and tweet about it and put it on Facebook and a few people watch it, but there's nothing viral about it.

So can we glean some takeaways from the talking dog?  (And the Diet Coke and Mentos, and the smoking toddler and the wedding party dance)

KISS:  Keep it simple, stupid.  None of these videos were over-produced.  They were a little raw, very real and no one edited them to perfection.  Part of their appeal is the every man quality about them.

Two ends of the emotional spectrum:  Most viral videos are either very funny to the point of being absurd or very sad to the point of being emotionally wrenching.  I immediately think of the "don't text and drive" videos that have been cropping up.  If they're going to be shared -- the videos have to take us to the edge.

Fresh:  There are very few sequels in the viral video world. (With the exception of the "Will it Blend" series) If we're going to share it with others, we want to be pretty sure they haven't seen anything like it before. That's why the Embrace Life video was so wildly popular.  

No overt selling:  Think of the viral videos I've listed here.  Very few were selling anything.  And even those that were created by a commercial entity -- the sales "pitch" was subtle if detectable at all. The sponsors/advertisers recognized that they'd have to sacrifice big logos, features & benefits copy points, and a call to action if they wanted the videos to spread.

That's a pretty tall order when you add it all up.  It takes a pretty confident organization to be willing to be in the background while something funny or horrific takes center stage -- all while resisting the urge to over produce.

But when it happens -- it's magic.  Unfortunately, it's not a magic trick that you can just practice until you get it right!  When it happens, it happens...

Short term gain can equal long term marketing pain

It's a rare business that doesn't partner with other companies to take care of all their clients' needs.  That's certainly true of my company.  We partner with printers, video & audio production companies, animators, media companies, and the like.

We count on them, their unique skills and their professionalism every day.  How they perform reflects as much on us as it does on them.  So we choose them very carefully.  The trust grows slowly over time until they become an extension of our team.

It takes a while for us to earn a clients' trust, doesn't it?  But once we've got it -- it's value is immeasurable.  It's one of our greatest marketing tools -- the trust of existing clients and the reputation that trust earns us.

We recently ran into a situation that reminded me of just how this impacts our ability to grow our business.  We're in the middle of a large project which required us to partner with a vendor.  We hadn't know him for too long but had high hopes that he would become a part of our extended family.

He called this week to cancel on us at the last minute.  Why? He got an offer for five days of work, so all of a sudden, the one day he had left to finish our project wasn't as profitable.  

He'll certainly enjoy a short term gain from this decision.  But...he just created a huge marketing problem for himself.

Why?  Because your reputation takes a long time to build, a nanosecond to destroy and a lifetime to restore.

Here are potential costs when your reputation takes a hit:

• You lose that client's business.  Forever.
• You lose all the referrals that client would have sent your way.
• No matter how big or small your marketplace is -- word of behavior like this spreads sooner or later.
• Once labeled -- it's really tough to change perception
• You won't be able to charge a premium price -- you'll have to buy business by being at a lower price point.

In a crowded marketplace, the most significant differentiator is reputation.  If you're known as someone who follows through, who honors their word and who treats the client's best interests as their own -- your reputation and your business will flourish.

And if not -- you'll bear the fruit of that as well.  

 

 

Related articles

• Trust is the New Social Currency (blogs.forbes.com)
• Trust takes time and effort to build (leadsexplorer.com)

Seth Godin wants to know if you're really a leader

Your most valuable marketing tool is your employees.  No doubt about it.  They either deliver your brand promise or contradict every marketing message you put out there.  And if they don't deliver the goods -- guess who owns that?

Right -- you.  You probably spend fewer dollars communicating with them, less time with them and give them less attention.  I've got a way for you to resolve that.

Spend a day together -- learning, talking and listening to some of the brightest minds in business.  John Maxwell, Dave Ramsey, Texas Longhorn's Max Brown, journalist Suzy Welch and many more... including Seth Godin.

And you don't need to leave Des Moines to catch this star-studded ensemble.  The Chick-Fil-A Leadercast is available right here -- on May 6.  (click here for details)  For less than $100 a person -- you can ignite and excite your team.  And you can sharpen your own leadership skills as well.

 

 

Check out this video of Seth describing what leadership is all about.  Here's one of my favorite lines from the video: 

"Leadership is about finding the right people, agreeing on where you want to go, and getting out of the way."

This is one of those times to get out of your own way.  Don't let the nominal cost or the day away from the office keep you from growing your team.  Register today.

Take advantage of this amazing day of learning -- for your team's sake and to better your business.

Note:  This event is being sponsored by Character Counts in Iowa (I'm on the board) and ServiceMaster Green.  

~ Drew

Facebook decides who sees our Fan Page wall posts

As I was reminded while reading a recent report put out by HubSpot.com -- Facebook doesn't believe that all Fan Page wall posts are created equally.  In fact -- every time you put something on your wall, you're  being graded.

They use an algorithm called EdgeRank that determines who gets to see what in their newsfeed.  If you are getting a lot of comments and likes on your postings -- you will score a higher score.  The higher your score, the more people will see your pearls of wit and wisdom.

You've read a million times that social media isn't about you.  It's about creating community and conversations.  All true.  But, when surveyed -- Fan Page fans said they originally joined in the hopes of getting some special offers from you.  So you're going to have to strike a balance.

Here are some other ways to increase interaction on your page...and goosing up your EdgeRank ratings:

Time yourself:  Updates done in the morning and over the weekend tend to gather more activity and interactivity.  It only makes sense. You'll catch more people online and ready to click your Like button during those times.

Don't overshare: Updating your wall status or sharing new content is about quality, not quantity.  Every other day or so seems like a tolerable amount for most FB users. No matter how interesting you think you are -- no more than once a day.

Don't over repeat:  If your FB fan page is simply a place for your tweets or some other social networking updates to appear -- don't bother.  Tell me once -- I'm interesting.  Tell me the same thing twice and I notice.  Tell me the same thing three times and I am either bored or annoyed or both.

Think multimedia:  We love videos.  And we love to share them.  So as much as I love the written word -- be sure you add some variety to your postings with audio and video files.

Bottom line -- all Facebook Fan Pages are not created equal.  Especially in Facebook's eyes.

Related articles

• New Facebook Pages: Utilizing Your Brand's Voice Across Facebook (ogilvypr.com)
• 5 Facebook Fan Page Changes You Should Use (techaffect.com)
• 7 Tips and Marketing Strategies for the New Facebook Fan Pages (kissmetrics.com)

QR Codes -- should you be using them?

A Quick Response (QR) is a two-dimensional code that looks like the bar codes we’re used to seeing on products in the grocery store.  What makes them the hot new marketing tactic is that these codes can be scanned by smartphone cameras.  Once scanned, they automatically pull up text, photos, videos or URLs.

I can hear you now... more new fangled fiddle faddle.  (Okay, perhaps you didn't say fiddle faddle, but you did roll your eyes.)  But let's keep in mind these facts:

• 1 in 2 Americans has a smartphone.
• By 2020, the #1 way we will access the internet will be via our phones
• US Consumers are replacing their laptops with smartphones and tablets (like the iPad)
• App development is growing even faster -- there are almost 400,000 iPhone apps alone as of March 2011

So smartphones continue to dominate and if the predictions are correct -- will only grow in their prevalence.   QR codes allow us to turn just about any experience into an interactive one.  They can add more context, drive a consumer to take an action online (sign up for an e-newsletter for example) and bring multimedia into the experience.

Check out this amazing example of QR code usage from NYC's Central Park (click on the link) and before you think this is only happening on the coasts -- our own Joseph's Jewelers recently used a QR code in one of their ads.

Here are some of the other ways they’re being used:

On business cards: A QR code on a business card could drive people to your LinkedIn account, your online resume, a Facebook fan page or a request information page on your website.

To route a crowd: Some colleges are using them during freshmen orientation as a high tech scavenger hunt.  Businesses can create a game with check in spots to make sure visitors to a new facility or an open house get the full tour.

Instant coupons/discounts: A great way to condition your customers to scan your QR codes is to tie them to discounts or deals.  Whether you display them by your cash register, e-mail or mail them to your best customers or let people draw a QR code card out of a fishbowl to see what discount they’ve won – the goal is to get their attention and have some fun.

QR codes are very new so don’t be surprised if many of your customers aren’t familiar with them.  But they’ll be commonplace in no time, so why not begin experimenting with them now?

* Give it a try -- scan the QR code on this post and enjoy a very creative list of 50 ways you can use QR codes in your marketing.

~ Drew

 

 

How to sell a good idea

We’ve all seen it happen.  You’ve got a great idea.  Not creative for creative sake, but a strategy that will really spike sales in your company, attract the perfect employee or get a client’s business to a different level.

But the idea isn’t what people are expecting.  In fact, it might make them downright uncomfortable.  Or maybe it’s counter intuitive to your entire industry. 

Having the idea isn’t enough.  You have to sell it.  Often times, the better the idea, the harder to sell. 

Keep these things in mind when you’re teeing up an idea you really want to save from the trash bin.

They didn’t go on the journey with you.  You can’t just show them the finish line. You have to go back to the starting point and walk the path with them.  Show them all the different options you explored and why this one kept showing up as the winner.

No idea is perfect.  Don’t sugarcoat or over protect your idea.  You should know the dangers or weaknesses.  Why not present them before anyone else does?  Bring up the downsides and your solutions for mitigating them.

Know the difference between a single battle and the war.  If your idea doesn’t get the support you wanted in the first presentation, that doesn’t mean it’s over.  Sometimes people need to let an idea simmer for awhile before they can support it.  Or, if may require another conversation to help them see the logic behind what you’re proposing.

Eric Karjaluoto at Ideas on Ideas wrote about how his agency presents ideas to a client or prospect and how they give them a fighting chance.

What other tips can you add to the mix?

 

~ Drew

 

Related articles

• Review: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down (inc.com)

3 ways to be sure your advertising will fail

No one likes to think about and surely no one likes to actually accomplish it -- failure.

And yet day in and day out some business owners and marketing directors make some common mistakes that almost guarantee it.

Let's look at three easy to avoid errors when it comes to traditional advertising.

Trying to reach more people than your budget will allow:  For a media mix to be effective, each element in the mix must be substantial enough to establish retention.  Too often, people sacrifice repetition for the sake of reach.

Assuming the business owner knows best:  If anyone has a bias or a blind spot about a business - it's the person who owns it.  You're on the inside looking out.  You can't possibly see yourselves as the consumers do.  Find perspective.  Talk to customers.  Do some research.  Ask an outside consultant.

Assuming that a late in the week schedule is best:  Most business owners buy ads that run on Thursdays and Fridays.  Which means you have to share the space/time.  Imagine having 1/3 the competition for your audience's attention.  Sound good?  Then, consider buying early in the week.

~ Drew

 

Related articles

• 5 Ways for Small Businesses to Reboot Revenues for the New Economy (blogs.forbes.com)
• Small Businesses Plan to Embrace Online Video in a Huge Way (reelseo.com)

Beware of reactionary pricing

We use an on-line vendor to provide extranet services for our clients.  We'd been with them for oseveral years.  We recently discovered a better, cheaper solution.  It wasn't the cheaper that sold us.  It was the ease of use for our clients.

But cheaper doesn't hurt.  And this was cheaper by a couple hundred dollars a month.

When I contacted the old vendor to cancel our service, guess what their immediate response was.

"We can match their price."

What?  So you've been overcharging me for years?  Or you magically just had a price reduction to the very dollar amount of my new vendor and you were about to call and tell me about it?

Talk about leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

Dropping your price to keep a customer is never a good strategy.  It can only make you and the client both feel taken advantage of and in the end, no one wins.

Your pricing strategy is one of the key components of your marketing message.  It speaks about things far beyond your cost.  It communicates value, customer attentiveness and how you view the relationship, both short and long term.  It's not something you should just stumble into.  And it's not something you should damage by mishandling a situation, like our old vendor did.

There's an interesting article over at Marketing Tips from the Trenches about how to think through a pricing strategy and how to test it.  Worth a read.

 

~ Drew

 

Related articles

• News | Pricing Strategies psychology. (dragonparadox.com)
• Need a pricing strategy? Fire a customer. National Post Dec 7 2010 (regnordman.com)
• Beware the Customer Service Absolutes (customerthink.com)

Juicy words drive your message home

I have to credit my daughter's 2nd grade teacher Bonnie Brockberg (many moons ago) with the phrase "juicy words."  She was teaching the class about adjectives and that's how she described them.

I've stolen the phrase and used it ever since.

Juicy words.  Succulent words.  Words that add both a flavor and a sound (or smell, or vivid visual) to your copy. You know what I'm talking about.  Ad copy or a letter that you have to read out loud to someone.  It's almost musical.

That kind of copy writing is mesmerizing.  It captures our imagination.  It's memorable.  It generates buzz.  It should be the kind of writing you work your tail off to create.

The reality is most people are lazy writers.  They use the same common words that everyone else uses and they wonder why no one listens.

I want you to promise to seek out juicy words.  Weave them into your communications.  Don't be heavy-handed about it.  It's a delicate art.  A hint of juicy is plenty.  How do you start?

Read masters of the juicy words:  The J. Peterman catalog and blog are lyrical, entertaining and incredibly juicy.

Find tools that will help you get juicy:  The Visual Thesaurus is my trusty writing sidekick.  When I'm searching my brain for just the right word, it offers me many to choose from.

Get some juice on you: Jump in and squeeze!  It's going to be sticky but there's no other way.  You have to just practice.  Give it a shot in the comments box if you want.  We'll support your efforts!

Want to earn your audience's attention?  Want to get them reading your words aloud?   Then, take the pledge.  Come on, raise your right hand and repeat after me:

"I promise to be a practicing juicy word wizard. 

I'll avoid words that are dull, mundane or ordinary in any way and replace them with language that stimulates the senses and the sales."

 

~ Drew

Are you suffering from perfection paralysis?

I would guess we've all witnessed it.  A business owner or marketing decision maker who can't pull the trigger when it comes to marketing tactics. 

Something about the piece (be it a website, brochure or direct mail piece, etc.) is off for them.  Often, they can't even tell you what's off, just that something is.  "it's just not quite right," they'll say with a rueful smile. And so the team tries again -- revision after revision.

What was that sound?  It was the window of opportunity slamming shut.  In many cases, the piece never gets completed and marketing dollars slowly swirl down the drain.

And your prospects and customers wonder why you're ignoring them.

Pretty darn good trumps perfect every time, if it means you get to market faster (or at all) with your message.

Next time you feel your team (or yourself) begin to stall a project because perfection paralysis is taking hold, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does it clearly communicate our key message?  (no more than 2-3)
2. Does it offer some response opportunity? (website, e-mail, phone number, etc.)
3. Does it protect and respect our brand promise and look/feel?
4. Is it error-free?  (typos, grammar etc.)

If you can answer yes to all 4 -- give yourself 24 hours to futz with it if you want and then get it out the door.

Perfect or not.

 

~ Drew

 

Related articles

• Claranet boss hails end to 'decision paralysis' (telegraph.co.uk)
• From Analysis Paralysis to Rapid Product Creator (chrisg.com)

Asking for reviews

I received an e-mail asking the following question:

"I saw you speak on social media at a recent conference and have a follow up question. Thanks to your presentation, I've been updating our website, Facebook and blog over the past month.  

We were interested in hearing your take on the best way to get our clients to submit a review to the different websites like Dex and other assorted sites.  Is there something that we as a company can actively do to encourage our clients to review our work, or is it just better to hope that someone will do it on their own?

Obviously paying for someone to review is underhanded, but is it bad business practice to encourage a few of our better clients to post something?"

There are actually a couple good questions in the e-mail.  Let's dig into them.

Is it wrong to pay for reviews?

Yes, it's not only unethical but it will eventually be discovered and exposed.  This is never a good idea.  In today's world of cynical consumers and the expectation that you're going to be transparent -- paying (or faking) reviews can only lead to trouble you don't need.

Is it wrong to encourage some of our better clients to post reviews?

There's nothing wrong with inviting your customers to review your work.  (Or give you a recommendation on LinkedIn, or review your book on Amazon, etc.)  You can do that in a variety of ways:

~ Make a personal request over the phone, letter or in an e-mail.  Be sure you make it easy. Give them the exact link or URL so they don't have to search for it.  Remind your customers that also you're always available to talk if they have a concern, complaint or compliment about your team or organization.

~ Add links to review sites on your website, Facebook page or blog.  One way to really encourage clients to click on the links is to post some recent reviews on your site.  They'll see that others are reviewing you and also recognize that they might get some publicity/exposure too.

If you do this, you can't just post the awesome reviews.  You need to demonstrate that you're not going to censor or omit reviews if they're critical.

~ Create a contest.  Why not do a random drawing among all your reviewers once a month for a pretty good prize (something worth at least $100) and make a big deal about the winner each month.  You can't rig this and only give the prize to the glowing reviews.

Imagine the attention you'll get when one of your detractors wins the monthly prize.

~ Give first.  If you're in the B-to-B space, why not review your customers first?  Someone is much more likely to review you if you're just reviewed them.  Demonstrate the kind of review you'd like in the one you leave.  Be specific, use juicy words and if possible, tell a story that other customers will be able to relate to.

As long as you're above board, don't beg or don't only publish the good reviews -- inviting your customers to share their opinion is not only okay, it's smart!

 

~ Drew 

 

Related articles

• 5 Reasons NOT to Delete Negative Reviews (outspokenmedia.com)
• Q&A: Martin Keane, SVP of ecommerce at Bluefly (econsultancy.com)
• A Small Business Owner's Guide To Building Credibility (hubspot.com)

Pent up demand is smart marketing

Millions of fans, young and old, are elated that November 19th is right around the corner. The next Harry Potter movie (Book 7, part 1) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows opens at 12:01 am Friday morning in theaters across the globe.  

Locally, the 12:01, 12:10 and 12:15 shows are almost completely sold out throughout the metro.  The 12:20 shows are close behind.  

Midnight movies have become pretty common, but this is staggering, considering that:

• The book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released in 2007
• This is part one of a two-parter (we hate those!)
• We all know exactly how it will end, who dies and if Harry survives his final battle
• It's a Thursday/Friday night
• It's a school night

What marketing lessons can we borrow from the remarkable Harry Potter phenomenon?

Scarcity drives action:  When people know they might miss out, they stop thinking and they pull out their wallet.  When there's no sense of urgency or scarcity -- why rush?  

Making a normal happening into an event drives excitement: If they had opted to release the movie on Friday at the normal movie times, the pre-ticket sales would not through the roof, like they are with the midnight showings. Elevating the importance elevates the attention and interest. 

Raving fans love to hang with raving fans: One of the best parts of being at a midnight showing of a Harry Potter movie is knowing that everyone else in line with you (yes, they line up hours before the doors open even though they have a ticket) is as big a fan as you are.  People come decked out in costumes and some even bring prizes for their impromptu trivia games.

Brand loyalty is all about the heart: Why are millions of people going to go to work and school groggy on Friday?  Because they love Harry Potter.  They love the story.  They love the characters  They love the adventure.  This is not an intellectual exercise.  This is about love.  

Don't think that just because this is a movie, the lessons don't apply to you.  Apple's launch of the iPad this past April used the same model and sold over 2 million units in the first two months alone.  

• Create pent up demand (talk about it in advance)
• Hold an exclusive event that requires pre-purchase
• Let your raving fans hang out together before and after the purchase
• Create a loyal base of customers who has a vested, emotional interest in your offerings and your success

A word of caution -- creating pent up demand is a fine line.  The Harry Potter and Apple brands can dance all over the line, because they're both pretty unique in their marketplaces.   And let's face it, they're Harry Potter and Apple.

For the rest of us mere mortals, we need to be a bit more careful. It doesn't mean we can't and shouldn't follow the formula.  It just means we have to realize we probably cannot sustain the excitement for a couple years.

And if you're at Jordan Creek's Century 20 theaters this Thursday night/Friday morning ...look for me in the 12:01 line.  I'll be the guy dressed as a dad!

 

~ Drew

 

 

 

 

Related articles

• Harry Potter fans brave wind and rain for premiere (canada.com)
• Harry Potter 7 premieres, eyes box office magic (reuters.com)

Walk a mile in their shoes

When was the last time you really walked a mile in your customer's shoes.  I am not talking metaphorically here.  I don't mean that you know who they are as people and what matters to them.

I'm talking -- when did you last trace their steps?  When did you last make the effort to truly understand what it's like to do business with you?

• When did you visit your own website and try to order something?  
• When did you navigate your own voicemail system?
• When did you call customer service with a problem?
• When did you go through the drive-thru?
• When did you try to explain your billing procedure to someone as though they'd never seen it before?

We all require that our clients go through a series of steps to actually buy something from us.  Have you tried it lately?  Are their irritants or inconveniences you could eliminate?

Let me give you a concrete example.  I recently needed a service for my home.  Because it's the 21st century, I found a possible vendor on Angie's List and visited their website.  I filled out an extensive form, giving them all the information they could possibly need to answer my initial questions and then some.

I hit submit and within 10 minutes, I was getting a call back, to schedule a time to get an estimate.  So far, so good.  Then, the person asked me for my address.  I gave it to him, even though I had just typed it.  He asked me a couple more questions.  Again, I gave him answers, even though I had just entered them.

Finally I said -- "I'm confused. Why are you asking me these questions?  Clearly you got the form I filled out or you wouldn't have called me.  I've already answered all of these."

Turns out it is a franchise and he's in Texas. He explained to me that within their system, just just receives my name and phone number and to schedule to appointment, he needs to get the rest of the information. 

What?

How is that best for me?  How is that respectful of my time?  And if you treat me that way when you're wooing me to become a client, are you even less helpful once I'm on the hook?

Was it a big deal?  Not really.  But, it was discouraging.  Here's another company that does things in a way that suits them, not me.  

Do you leave your customers feeling that way?  How do you know if you don't walk in their shoes?

 

~ Drew

 

Related articles

• Build Your Customer Empathy Engine. Watch Your Business Grow. (customerthink.com)
• Walking a Mile in Their Customers' Boots (mpdailyfix.com)

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!

I get it -- it's tougher and tougher to break through the clutter and get someone's attention these days!  But check out the latest campaign from security system company ADT and see if you think they've gone over the top.

Chilean ad agency DDB prepared and utilized this ingenious box to get the attention of apartment dwellers in Santiago with the plan of taking the program nationally and around the world.

Here's how it works:  The box is specially built to automatically pop open if it's not being forced closed.  So....an intern or someone the agency has hired slips the box under an apartment door and inside the apartment, once it is not help down by the weight of the door, the box pops open and looks like someone brought it INTO the apartment.

Imagine walking into your home or apartment and finding a box that has “Breaking into your apartment is easier than you think” written on it.

To quote their video (which has now been taken down by ADT.  I'm guessing they're getting some flack.): "To prove residents that anyone could break into their homes unexpectedly."

Apparently, the idea of scaring the heck out of someone to get them to buy a security system isn't a new one.  Check out this video.

 

 

What do you think?  Effective?  Intrusive?  Offensive?  How would you react if you found a balloon or a box in your home?  Would you call them?  To order a system or chew them out?

 

~ Drew

Related articles

• Security Company Uses Box to Show How Easy It Is to Break into Your Home (neatorama.com)
• ADT Scares Apartment Renters With Pop-Up Package In Attempt To Sell Security Systems (geekologie.com)
• ADT shows how easy it is to break into your home by breaking into your home. (copyranter.blogspot.com)

A hat tip to Mike Colwell for sharing this with me!

Don't let your competition call the shots

 

It's tempting and easy to get caught up in the "what's the other guy up to" game.  And today, with technology, it's pretty easy.  

You can track their ads, monitor their website, get your mom on their mailing list, subscribe to their e-newsletter with a gmail account...and not only will you know what they're doing but you will drive yourself insane.

Every time they zig, you zag.  Each time they run a special, you run a better one.  Or...they show up in the same places you do (networking events, publications, et cetera.) so you decide to get out of Dodge.

What's the problem with all of that?

THEY are deciding (by proxy) how you should market your company.  Not you.  You're playing their game and they are calling all the shots.  You're sitting in the back seat -- going along for the ride.  Pretty hard to take control from back there.

Want to play it smart?  

Build and follow your own marketing plan.  You define both the game and the rules.  And play it out to the best of your ability.  Sure...keep track of what the competition is up to. But don't let them pull you off track.

You focus on what makes your product/service relevant, unique and wallet worthy.  Do that and pretty soon your competition will be the one in the back seat, trying to keep up with you!

Drew

P.S.  This video is a TV spot from one of my all-time favorite ad series.  Enjoy!

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• How Competitive Intelligence Can Help Your Online Marketing Strategies (seoaware.com)
• Business Intelligence Tools for Marketing Your Services (freelanceswitch.com)

Are you brave enough to walk away from business?

 I know you read the headline and thought "in this economy, are you crazy?"  

But I'm not.  I'm dead serious.  Do you/Can you walk away from business when it's not right for your organization?

That's what branding is all about.  Walking away from business.

The wrong kinds of business.  The wrong kinds of clients.  The wrong kinds of growth.

When you brand the right way -- you boldly proclaim what you stand for AND by default, what you don't stand for.

I think that's one of the reasons why so many companies either brand very superficially (our people are our difference or our quality sets us apart) or they don't brand at all.

Business leaders and owners focus on the bottom line.  I've got no argument with that.  But many of them are unwilling to say "thanks, but no thanks" to business that's a bad fit. Short term gain, for long term pain.   Branded companies are specialists, not generalists.  They don't have to be.  Their brand attracts the right kind of business.  If they let it.

Every business has a sweet spot.  An ideal client profile.  Every time they connect with this kind of client, everyone wins.  There's success, profit and everyone feels good.

A good brand attracts your sweet spot kind of client.  But you have to be willing to say no to the wrong ones, to make room for the right ones.

Are you brave enough?

 

~Drew

Media training tip #3: Make it quick and memorable

So...you're going to be interviewed on your local TV noon news segment.  Or you have reporters calling because your company is in the middle of a controversial issue.  Or it might be that a blogger wants to do a digital interview using web cams.

No matter how friendly, how laid back or how intense a media interview might be -- there are some basic rules you should remember to take full advantage of the opportunity (or to mitigate the damage if that's the scenario.)

I'm sharing a series of tips (you can find tip #1 and tip #2 by clicking on the numbers)  that will help you make the most of your 15 minutes of fame!  Today, let's talk sound bytes.

Grab them at the start: The stark reality is that the average audience member (whether they're watching you on TV or reading a story about you in the newspaper) has the attention span of a gnat.  So if you aren't fascinating from the get go, you'll lose their interest.  So make the first words out of your mouth absolutely memorable.  If you can be provocative or surprising, all the better.

Don't be a walking run on sentence: Reporters are looking for money shot quotes.  Be concise in your answers.  This is especially true for TV or video interviews.  The editors will be looking for short, pithy comments that they can slice and dice into a story.

Create memory tricks for the audience: Use acronyms (if they actually make sense...don't force it) to help the audience remember your key points.  Or take advantage of a rhythm or rhyme to help plant the core points.  (Stop, Drop and Roll comes to mind).  These are often easy CGs (computer graphics) that can be added on the screen (broadcast or video)  or a call out box (print or web) that can be added to enhance your interview as well.

End big: Whether it's a challenge or a warning or a bold statement -- you want to close the interview in a way that won't quickly be forgotten.  Even if you're trying to squeeze in a web address or phone number for more information, don't let that be the final thought.

Media exposure can be an incredible benefit to an organization.  So when you get the opportunity -- make sure you maximize it.

~ Drew

 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Tips for Ten Minute Interviews (prbreakfastclub.com)
• 5 Tips for Serving as a Company Spokesperson (ereleases.com)

Let me do unto others

Loyalty programs are the rage right now. 

As companies fight to get as much of our disposable income as possible -- they are wise to create incentives that reward and encourage repeat business.  But most of them are missing a key ingredient.

They don't let their customers share the wealth.  Let me show you what I mean.

The McLellans are a big fan of TGIFridays.  (part of that is because the West Des Moines location has the best waitress I've ever known...but that's a different blog post) 

So we're high frequency users of their Give Me More Stripes loyalty card.  It's a simple program.  Spend enough money over time and you get e-mailed a coupon for $8 off your next visit.

All well and good.  But here's the part they are missing.  The card holder has to use the $8 coupon.  I can't give it to a friend or co-worker.  As the card holder, I must redeem the coupon with the card in tow.  I can enjoy the reward...but it doesn't encourage word of mouth.  It doesn't give me a tool that I can use to help Friday's grow their business.

On the flip side, we have United Airlines.  Also a McLellan favorite.  United lets me rack up frequent flier miles and the more I fly, the higher my status.  As a Premiere Executive level member, I get lots of perks.  But United is smart enough to let me share those perks.  Here are some of my options:

• I automatically get upgraded to first class if there's a seat available.  So does my flying companion (if I have one)
• I can check 3 bags for free.  So can my flying companion.
• I can use my miles to buy tickets or upgrades for anyone I choose
• I can donate my miles to Make-A-Wish or other worthy charities

United lets me share the love.  It gives me ample opportunity to "show them off" or share them with someone else.   It makes my loyalty stretch to also influence other people.

Creating a loyalty program is smart.  Why not thank your best customers while encouraging them to come back yet again?  But...creating a loyalty program that is shareable is brilliant.  Not only do you earn the love of your best customers...but you also earn their word of mouth endorsement.  And that's golden!

~ Drew

Related articles by Zemanta

• Top 5 Travel Credit Cards (bestcreditcards.net)
• Give Your Customers an Incentive to Buy (entrepreneur.com)
• Five Loyalty Best Practices That Every Small Business Owner Should Know (eon.businesswire.com)

Is social media right for your business?

I know...blasphemy.  If you read the blogs and tweets of many social media proponents, they'll speak of social media like it is the holy grail.  Seek it...find it and all your marketing woes will be gone.

I don't think it's anywhere near that simple. 

Don't get me wrong -- I still believe in the value and power of social media.  But I also believe:

• There are levels of involvement and not everyone should do a deep dive
• It's no magic bullet -- we're talking a serious time commitment
• It does not eliminate the need for traditional media efforts

If you look at this great diagram by Gary Hayes you'll see that there are degrees of involvement that correlate with different activities.

The Consumer:  This is the person/company who actively listens to what is being said online about themselves, their company, their industry etc.  This, I believe is the level that ALL people/companies need to be at.  (check out this great post by Jason Falls about listening)

The Sharer:  This is where you go from reading it to sharing it.  Maybe you tweeting great reads or you have one of those blogs where you just list other blog posts worthy of reading.  You might also be an association or company leader who wants to create word of mouth or keep your team current.  (Word of mouth elevates you as well as what you share.)

The Critic:  I take exception with Haye's label on this one.  Yes, at this level of activity, you might be criticizing something, but I think in most cases you are reacting to something that's been said.  You are adding additional facts, correcting a misperception or asking a follow up question.  (If you're doing a good job at level one (The consumer) you'll be able to respond quickly.)

The Editor:  There's nothing that says you have to create all new content if you want to deep dive into social media.  You could create a site like MarketingProfs that has many authors creating and re-purposing content  or perhaps you belong to a group (like my agency networking group) and everyone writes a little...which adds up to a lot.

The Creator:  This is where many will tell you that you need to be.  It's mandatory.  I think that's rubbish.  In fact, I think most people should not be here.  Why?  Because of the time commitment is huge.  Because there may not be any ROI for your company to be blogging/content creating.  And because most people will start...and then stall.  I'm not saying this isn't a smart strategy.  I'm just saying it's not for everyone.

I believe that everyone needs to be a consumer.  And as a result of actively listening...they can and should be sharing and critiquing when need be.  For many, that's where it should end.  And there's nothing wrong with stopping there.

What do you think?  Should everyone have a blog?  Are we all content creators at heart?

~ Drew McLellan

Every local business can be stung by social media

We often talk about the potential and reach of social media.  And on this blog, over the past couple years, several of us have offered up some examples (here, here and here for starters) of how businesses large and small can use social media to their advantage.

But I think sometimes business owners miss the bigger picture:  Even if you aren't going to actively use social media as a marketing tool -- it is still something you need to monitor. 

Because it can sting you in the rear end.

Here are two examples from right here in Des Moines.  I'm not choosing sides in either case.  But I want you to see how a business, when it gets on the wrong side of a customer who is even a little bit web savvy, is at risk.

Legends Restaurant:  During a teaching in service day being held downtown, a group of  8 teachers went to the Legends on Court Avenue during their lunch break. One of the teachers found a hair in her salad and told her server.  That didn't go well, so she asked for the manager.  That went even worse.

The manager/owner of the restaurant ended up in a shouting match with the teachers, who promptly left. 

Before social media...that would have been the end of the story. 

But one of the teachers described the experience in an e-mail and shared it with all of her friends.  Who then shared it with their friends.  And so on.  Pretty soon it was being written about in the Des Moines Register, on blogs (see this part one and two of this blog's coverage) and ended up on the evening news.  You can view the TV coverage by clicking here.

Why does all of this matter?  Google Legends Restaurant Des Moines and you will see 2 references to this situation on the very first page of Google results.  Social media can sting...and it sticks.

Donut King:  Just a few weeks ago, a man walked into Donut King to purchase some donuts and when he offered his credit card to pay, he was told they needed to pay with cash.  He went to an ATM to get some cash and when he came back, he tried to explain to the store owner how he might be able to accept debit and credit cards without paying high fees.

At that point, the owner told him he didn't give a "*$#@&" and he should get the "*^%#&" out.

Before social media...that would have been the end of the story. 

The man went back to his car and grabbed his iPod nano, which he used as an impromptu video camera.  He went back into the store to ask for an apology.  Instead, on camera, he just got more profanity.

It's 2010....so the angry customer simply posted the video to YouTube (view it here...but remember the profanity) and then e-mailed a link to all his friends.  And now the debate rages on and more and more people are sharing the story and the links.

Whether it will spiral to the level that the Legends story did is anyone's guess.

Whether either of these businesses did something wrong or not isn't really the issue.  The issue is -- businesses need to monitor the web for mentions of their company and executives.  And if they find themselves the subject of a social media story -- this blog post outlines how they should respond.

If you want some hints on how to monitor for mentions of your organization, check out this post from HubSpot.  Best of all, their recommendations are all free and will only take a few minutes a day.

~ Drew 

Related articles by Zemanta

• Des Moines Business Record Piece on createWOWmedia (createwowmedia.com)
• Social Media Events for Small Businesses - Many Still at Starting Blocks (converstations.com)

Want to help a charity get a marketing makeover worth $100K?

One of the best things about living in Des Moines is the spirit of giving that thrives in our community.  Maybe it's a Midwest thing...but we truly do believe that neighbors should help their neighbors. 

Need proof?  Look no further than all of the amazing non-profits that serve those who need a helping hand.   Whether they help sick children, people who are physically disabled, the poor or those who are discriminated against -- these charities have one thing in common.

They need to tell the world about their work and invite people to join them in their efforts.

But of course, most charities are understaffed, spend very little money on administrative things like marketing and are typically communicating in a very "homemade" fashion.  

That's where you can help.

For the past several years, McLellan Marketing Group has been adopting a charity for an entire year.  With the help of some very special business partners (see the list below) we are able to wrap our marketing arms around one charity for the year -- giving them over $100,000 in marketing services and tools.

We couldn't have created this program without our partners.  Thanks to their generosity, the selected charity will receive:

• branding and marketing expertise
• a marketing plan
• marketing counsel
• communication materials (brochures, funds appeal pieces, etc.)
• board development guidance
• a fundraising plan
• original photography
• a website (or revamping of their current site)
• video production (a video or TV spot)
• audio production (radio spots or audio for another project),
• social media tools/coaching

Here's how you can help -- please spread the word.  We don't want a worthy charity not to be considered because they didn't know to apply.  The application can be downloaded by clicking here.

But tell them to hurry -- applications are due by June 30th!

Who is helping make this happen?  Meet the Adopt a Charity Team for 2010/2011.

McLellan Marketing Group
Radio Garage
TPG Companies
That Video Guy
Bill Nellans Photography/East Court Atelier

Do you think you have something to add to the team?  We'd happily consider other partners who can make this year's marketing makeover an even bigger success for the chosen charity!  Shoot me an e-mail if you would like to help.

A quick check point on your brand

Yesterday, I was sitting at Caribou Coffee, chatting with a business colleague.  As it always happens at Caribou, several people that either knew me or the guy I was with walked in...and walked over to the table to say hello. 

Most of them were already with someone else and I got an awesome lesson in branding.  In almost every case, the person who knew one of us made an introduction that sounded like this:  Bob, this is Drew, he's THE (fill in the blank) guy in town.

Now, we've all heard about personal branding and having our :30 elevator speech.  But this is THEIR elevator speech about you.  Typically, it's much shorter than :30 (maybe we should take a cue?) and gets right to the point.  They are, in one sentence, summing up your unique offering.

Or not. 

If they just state your title or your name -- you probably haven't left that significant of an impression on them.   Start paying attention to this.  If you get the blaise introduction -- you need to do something different to plant in their head a stronger statement about who you are.

How do you do that?  Here are some ideas:

• Start introducing yourself in a single sentence.  "Hi, I'm Sue and I'm the "how to save money on your health insurance" expert in town."
• Have a title that makes it easy to remember and label you.  (Over at McLellan Marketing, we've got a Warden, Brand Warrior, Sgt. of Strategy, etc.!)
• Change your e-mail signature to reflect how you want to be known.
• Use the language in your company name (like local business that video guy), Twitter handle, or on Facebook.

Bottom line -- naturally, you will  influence the way someone introduces you the slow way (behavior, results)  but there's no reason you can't give it a purposeful nudge as well!

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Art of the Elevator Pitch: 10 Great Tips (readwriteweb.com)
• Need help with your elevator pitch? (gointothestory.com)

Your behavior is your true transparency

Everyone talks about social media and its amazing marketing impact.  And I'm the first one in that line.  I've seen the impact first hand, both for my agency McLellan Marketing Group, our blog and for our clients.

But...that impact is not one-sided.  While it can do remarkable things for a business, it can also do damage.  Here's the funny thing about transparency (the buzzword du jour for social media).

It's transparent.

Social media are a set of tools that expose you and your business -- good or bad.  But it's more than just the tools.  It is also a dramatic shift in attitude.  It's choosing to put yourself or your business on display -- call it the marketing equivalent of wearing your heart on your sleeve.

Unlike traditional marketing tools, such as print ads or direct mail pieces, you don't get to turn it on and off.  It's not a prescribed exposure.  You're either out there...or not.  But if you are out there, it's a 24/7 deal. 

• Tout remarkable customer service?  Then, your tweets and Facebook updates had better demonstrate that commitment. 
• Profess to be a blogger?  Then, your blog should be updated on a regular basis. 
• Tell everyone that you believe your people are your greatest asset?  Then how they talk about your company in their own social media interactions better reflect that mutual respect.

Because social media tactics are ongoing conversations rather than one time exposures, it's much harder to sustain a fallacy.  Sooner or later -- the true you/your company shows through.  And that's the point. 

If you walk your talk, social media can offer you an incredible opportunity to create connections with raving fans who can and will actually come together to help you promote the work you do. 

But, if you're a poser of any sort -- they'll ferret that out too.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Social-media rockstars' best practices: Part 3 - Creating connections (smartblogs.com)
• Drew McLellen: Marketing Minuteman | Visual Arts Junction (visualartsjunction.com)
• 21 Essential Social Media Resources You May Have Missed (mashable.com)

Get the referrals that are best for you!

We all know that the best way to win new business is to have your old vendors and customers introduce you to your potential new customers.  Referrals and word of mouth are about transferred trust based on the previous relationship and allow you to bypass many of the initial dance steps.

But is everyone a good referral source?  Or do you need to be strategic about who you ask to be a referral source.  Let’s face it, some clients and vendors are better referrals than others. 

But I think it goes beyond that. Before you can know which clients are best suited to help you grow your business, you'd better know what you are best suited to deliver.  

As we've talked about before, branding is for the bold.  When you have the courage to define your organization's brand, by default you are also saying that you're not going to try to be everything to everyone.  Branding is about narrowing your focus and your reach.  You will not cast your net as wide.  But you will drill down a lot deeper.  But before you can ask someone to sell you, you’ve got to help them understand who is a good fit and who isn't.

So think about that.  How would you explain to someone else who your best customer is?  I'm guessing the answer to that question is tied to what you do best.

What is it that makes your offering unique?  What can you own?  When you're being as objective and honest as possible -- what are you better at than just about anyone else?

Describe that work...and the people you do it for to your referral sources.  Give them a crystal clear picture of the best you.  Then, ask them who, in their circle of influence, might you be able to genuinely help.

Concentrate your energy in terms of actively soliciting referrals within your area of expertise.  Honor your brand.  Actively grow your business within your brand.  Drill deeper.  And ask your best clients to help!

~ Drew

Related articles by Zemanta

• A Simple Way to Increase Referrals 300% (ducttapemarketing.com)
• Stop trying to be a liger brand! (drewsmarketingminute.com)