Business Record - Iowa Biz

Don’t bring two dates to the same dance

If you have a story to pitch to the media, choose the reporter or media outlet that is best suited for the story. But don’t pitch the same story to competing media or more than reporter at the same media outlet.

Reporters are working to create new and unique content.  If their story looks like another story in another newspaper, TV station news et cetera -- that's embarrassing to them.  If you insist on pitching the same story to multiple reporters -- at least be honest with them and tell them that's what you're up to.

Even if you score the story in two places…it will cost you in credibility. And the next time you pick up the phone with a hot lead – the reporter you burned will never bother returning your call.

If you have a story or event that you think is worthy of everyone’s attention – then at least give each station or paper a different angle to cover, so that they all get to report a fresh story.  

Just like any relationship – a relationship with a reporter will quickly sour if you lie or make them look stupid. Remember, the more you help them do their job, the more they can help you do yours.

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Recession does not = slash your prices

It's hard to escape the doom and gloom of the news media.  They make it sound like we're one bad stock day away from rampant looting and pillaging.

And business owners are scared.  They're looking for ways to cut costs.  They're thinking about laying off staff.  And, they're getting ready to lower their prices to bribe customers to come back.

Panic has never been a good business strategy.

In 12 or so months, we're going to be waving goodbye to the recession and hoping to get back to "normal."  Let's not make any mistakes today that are going to permanently hurt our chances of enjoying the good times that are sure to come back around.

As you think about the next 12 months, please remember these truths. (click on each link to read more.)

• Des Moines is not the world and is not similar to markets like Phoenix, LA, or Florida.
• You should not stop marketing.  In fact, you can and should step up your efforts.  Just be sure you're doing the right stuff.
• You should not lower your prices dramatically.
• There are resources you can use to plan your strategy.

This is not the time for us to panic.  This is the time for us to realize the opportunities that come from our competitors cutting their marketing efforts, the value of loyal customers and the chance to streamline and improve our businesses as we weather the downturn.

You had the courage to start your business.  I hope you'll access the resources above and find the courage to stay your course. 

P.S. I love you

Many businesses use a pitch or sales letter. Want to make yours more effective?

Add a postscript. 

Research has shown that a postscript is one of the first (and depending on the letter's layout and copy, sometimes only) elements that the reader looks at.

So, use that P.S. to:

• Re-state your offer
• Add a bonus to your offer
• Drive home a deadline
• Drive home the price

If you write it correctly - it will pique the reader's interest and draw them back up into the body of your letter.  And don't think the P.S. technique is restricted to sales letters.  You can use a P.S. online, in a voice mail message or even in a radio spot.  Get creative.  A long pause in a radio spot or voice mail message could easily work just like a P.S.

P.S.  No, I am not going to use the P.S. to demonstrate how effective a P.S. can be.

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Partnering Up

Synergy. Win/Win. Cooperation not Competition. All buzzwords in today's marketing world. But the truth is, it's always been more fun when you work collaboratively.

And in today's economy -- smart business.  Don't leap to the conclusion that you need to start lowering prices or reducing your offerings.  But, you're probably feeling like now probably isn't the time to be adding a lot of infrastructure to your company.  That doesn't mean you can't add services or new products.

Not only is partnering more fun but it can really work. Partnerships are an inexpensive and effective way to leverage both your own marketability as well as taking advantage of someone else's. Of course, they're doing the same thing with your high profile - so everyone gains new ground.

I think the reason most people don't partner more is simply because they don't think to ask. Look around your business associates, vendors and clients. Who could team up with?  What could you do together that neither of you could do alone?

Ask yourself these three questions as you look for new partners.

What is the jelly to our product/service's peanut butter?  In other words, when people need you, what else do they almost always need?

Who is already talking to my ideal customer?  What business shares your potential client profile?  Maybe you could pitch them together?

Who could I add value to?  Be sure you're looking at this as a true win/win.  If you add some value first, your new partner is sure to follow.

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Consistency for all the senses

When you think about consistency in your marketing efforts, in most cases you're paying attention to repetition or visual consistency. But, I want to remind you about a more subtle but equally important aspect.

Often times, how you say something is more important than what you say. 

You should have a clear idea of what your company's "voice" is. And regardless of how many different writers are involved, your materials should always be in the same voice.

How do you "sound" in your communications pieces?

• Are you formal?
• Conversational?
• Do you use short, choppy sentences or long, descriptive paragraphs?
• Do you strictly adhere to grammar and style rules or do you take some liberties?
• What about slang or industry jargon?

What do each of those choices say about you?

Don't assume the right answer is based on industry stereotypes. Imagine the tone and style differences between a corporate law firm and a law firm that specializes in family law.

Your voice goes beyond the written words. What is the attitude of your radio spot? How about your signage? Is your voice consistent in how you answer your phone? The signature line on your e-mail? What about your press releases and sales promotions materials? Your on hold message?

Think of all the ways you communicate to your customers, potential customers, employees, and vendors. How consistent are you?

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Brand your company by the questions you ask

Your brand begins with your employees.  No doubts about that.  They either deliver on your brand promise or they violate that promise.

So the sooner you can get them to understand what your brand is all about, the better.  So why not start at the interview?

Let's admit it.  Most people are mediocre interviewers.  Everyone asks the same questions and most competent job applicants know the right answers to give.

But what if you asked questions they didn't expect?  And better yet, what if you asked questions that accomplished two additional goals:

• Checked to see if they were well suited for your company culture
• Communicated a bit about your brand to the applicant

Think about your brand and your company's core values.  Now, create some questions that explore those topics. 

Let me give you an example from our own experience.  At McLellan Marketing Group, we value creativity, passion, strong strategic thinking skills, teamwork and a servant's heart towards customers.

Here are some questions we've created to get at those values. Feel free to use ours, or develop your own "out of the box" questions so you can find that one in a million employee.

~ When did you have a tough time understanding the concerns of your co-workers or client?  How did you handle that?

~ In a team environment, are you a motivator, player, leader, or enthusiast?

~ If you had a theme song, what would it be?

~ You have 60 seconds to sell me a pair of shoelaces.  Go.

~ How do you manage stress?

~ Tell me about a time that you broke the rules at work

~ What's the most outlandish thing you have done on behalf of a customer?

It's questions like these that have helped us build the best agency team anyone could hope for. Hope it works as well for you!

Is Des Moines becoming a media darling?

You expect it around caucus time, but we're way past that and yet, Des Moines seems to be a media darling of late.

We've gotten high praise in many national publications like Family Circle/Parents.com, Forbes, Kiplinger and New York Times.  Those well-placed stories are aimed at the world outside of Iowa, who still looks at us as hicks with cows in our backyards.

But there are also efforts to market Des Moines to Des Moines.  One of the big pushes right now is downtown living.  Here's a video aimed at us...to get us to consider living downtown. (It will also be sent to prospective residents)

What do you think?  Did the video change your perception about living downtown?  Peak your interest?  Answer any of your questions?  Would you/did you visit the website as a result of the video?

If you were going to market downtown Des Moines, how would you go about it?

(A hat tip to Des Moines is Not Boring for leading me to the video and to BlueGate Media for producing the piece for the Downtown Community Alliance.)

~ Drew McLellan

Just because you can, does it mean you should?

For years we had Kinkos. They established a very strong brand and dominated their category. 

At the same time, we had FedEx. They were so dominant in their category that their name became our default verb for sending an overnight package. We don't overnight something, we FedEx it. Even when we're not using FedEx. (I call this the Kleenex phenom and wiikipedia calls it a genericized trademark).

Then, in 2004 FedEx forked over $2.4 billion dollars and bought Kinkos. They quickly (relatively speaking) shifted the Kinkos' name to FedEx Kinko's and we got used to it.

When you walk into a Kinkos (or a FedEx Kinko's) the storefront is 95 percent Kinkos and 5 percent FedEx. But...FedEx is the parent company so you can see why they wanted to link the two names. After all, it was a calculated effort to compete with the UPS stores, which are 95 percent UPS shipping and 5 percent copying, etc.

So....in June, FedEx announces they are going to re-name the Kinkos = FedEx Kinkos.  The new name?  FedEx Office.

Hmm.

What do you think? Should they have left it Kinkos? FedEx Kinko's? Or do you think FedEx Office was the way to go?

It's hard to deny that both FedEx and Kinkos had powerful brands long before they were blended together. Does the re-naming solidify them into one brand? Do they give away part of the equity each company had built separately?

Brochure Basics

Seems like no matter what other marketing a business employs, almost everyone has a brochure.  And with good reason - they're a great tool.  Even today, a solid brochure (whether you print it or e-mail the PDF) is still one of the staples of most companies' marketing efforts.

But, they aren't cheap by the time you pay for design, photographs, illustrations, printing, etc.  To make sure you get the most bang for your buck, here are some practical tips for your next brochure.

Keep the cover simple. Don't try to do too much here.  One strong graphic has a lot more impact than a montage of photographs on the cover.

Use genuine language, not hype. Avoid cliches like "committed to customer service" or "you're our first priority" in your copy.  Sincerity doesn't sound like spin.

Deal in spreads, not individual pages. You can run your graphics across two pages and make use of the sweeping scale a brochure spread provides.  Use the whole canvas.

Use subheads. They break up copy and are a Reader's Digest condensed version of your key points.

Use graphic elements/shapes for added impact.  Put Q&A's or testimonials in a shaded box to create emphasis.  And you don't have to stick with boxes or straight lines either.  Innovate.

Tell them what to do.   Give them a call to action.  And make it easy. 

A brochure is an excellent place to let your brand shine.  If it looks like everyone else's, it suggests that your business is like everyone else's too.

The Iowa Chops = horrific branding

Like everyone else, I was excited about Des Moines being the home for the Anaheim Ducks' new AHL affiliate.

I was not excited when I heard the name.

The Iowa Chops.  Seriously....this is embarrassing. 

The Partnerships and CVB have been working their tails off (no pig pun intended) to change the image the world has of Iowa and Des Moines.  We heralded national coverage in the New York Times, Forbes and other publications that said Des Moines had gotten a whole lot more hip, thanks to the East Village and some upscale restaurants.

And now we've named our hockey team after an irate pig?  Talk about three steps forward, five steps back.

Even if you like the name, there are other troubles with this brand.  Actually, much bigger problems.

Try this one on for size.  The hockey team doesn't own the rights to their own name.  The Iowa Pork Producers does.  Here's a quote from a recent news story.

"The Iowa Pork Producers Association has entered into a three-year marketing agreement with Schlegel Sports to allow use of the name Iowa Chops for its new American Hockey League team in Des Moines.  In addition to use of the name, the deal also provides the association with additional promotional opportunities.  The Iowa Chop has been a registered trademark of the Iowa Pork Producers Association since 1982."

So not only does the team not own their own name, but they're beholden to a promotional partner who is going to further muddy the branding waters by pushing chops at the Chops' games.

Anyone have a good pork recipe they can put in the season opening game's program? 

Ugh.

Think I am being too critical?  I've been gentle compared to Yahoo Sports, Fanhouse, our old NHL affiliate's fans, the Orange County Register and our new ones!

Update:  As always, I -- Drew McLellan, wrote this piece on branding and marketing.  Unfortunately I was logged in under the admin account, not my own.  Sorry that my name doesn't appear on the byline.  Hopefully regular readers will have just assumed it's me.  Because it is.