So here is the rest with our undercover video footage from NYC. We recently travelled there to meet with Gary Vaynerchuk and Seth Godin. As we were ready to leave town, we figured a final stop at the Empire State Building was in order, so we go the car out of the parking garage and tried to venture downtown and find parking…well, here’s what happened:

Laughing so hard that I had tears rolling down my cheeks, Al and I decided that this was by far the best experience of the trip. It was a blissful moment for me in the letting go of all emotion to the event and having as much fun with it as we could!  Our conversation driving back revolved around our fantastic marketing idea. By the time we got the car back, anything was possible, and we think the impound center should try this marketing idea:
Get your car out of NYPD impound, $185, with souvenier T-Shirt, $195. We totally would have bought a dozen.

We have so many life experiences that can be just “normal.” But, why, let’s kick it up a notch and have some FUN!!

Most marketing textbooks are referred to at InSights as historical reference novels, even those written in 2008. Don’t take our word for it, see what Seth Godin has to say about it as well…Textbook Rant.

We’ve shared with people who have been to any of our talks on marketing and methods that information changes, daily. It seems like there is so much to keep up with, where does someone need to start to be able to take it all in?

 Depending on your company, and you industry, you should look, listen, and read, daily. Subscribe to blogs on your product, service or subject. Check in to see what the buzz is about. Pay attention to emerging trends. Things change so quickly, anyone who professes to be an “expert” on marketing or social media probably isn’t. What we have and need are people who pay attention and are continually looking for new information.

Our programs all center around the concept of Organic Marketing (TM). Can you make the connection between the name and the trends?

What are your favorite ways to stay in the game, short of studying textbooks?

Most marketing textbooks are referred to at InSights as historical reference novels, even those written in 2008. Don’t take our word for it, see what Seth Godin has to say about it as well…Textbook Rant.

We’ve shared with people who have been to any of our talks on marketing and methods that information changes, daily. It seems like there is so much to keep up with, where does someone need to start to be able to take it all in?

 Depending on your company, and you industry, you should look, listen, and read, daily. Subscribe to blogs on your product, service or subject. Check in to see what the buzz is about. Pay attention to emerging trends. Things change so quickly, anyone who professes to be an “expert” on marketing or social media probably isn’t. What we have and need are people who pay attention and are continually looking for new information.

Our programs all center around the concept of Organic Marketing (TM). Can you make the connection between the name and the trends?

What are your favorite ways to stay in the game, short of studying textbooks?

This is a guest post by Tom Harris, Your Marketing Coach. Tom helps entrepreneurs and small businesses develop and execute marketing plans. He specializes in website usability and effectiveness.This is a guest post by Tom Harris, Your Marketing Coach. Tom helps entrepreneurs and small businesses develop and execute marketing plans. He specializes in website usability and effectiveness.

What do we all want for our businesses? More sales! But what do we need to get from people before we can have more sales? We need to get their attention! They’re not going to buy anything from us until we have their undivided attention.

David Meerman Scott, in a recent blog post, noted the four ways that we can get the attention of potential buyers, and I herewith borrow his thoughts for my comments.
The first way (the first B) is to BUY their attention. This is otherwise known as Advertising. We pay money and throw messages out, and occasionally someone notices a message and responds.

The second B is to BEG for attention, also known as Public Relations. We hire someone to write press releases and circulate them to their media connections, asking journalists, reporters, newspaper editors, reviewers, or whoever is interested to please, please, please write about us.

The third B is to BUG people. This is called Sales. We find individuals, wherever we can find them, and try to engage them in conversation (bug them), until they listen, and then maybe they buy something from us.

The common thread of the 3 Bs is that we are INTERRUPTING people to get their attention. Sure, maybe they actually really do want to buy our stuff, but we’re still using variously annoying tactics to attract their attention.

The final item is E. This is where we EARN their attention. The 3 Bs have been around forever, but this one is new. This one is not interruptive. This is the method of social media, where we create connections with people and develop relationships, and don’t try to buy, beg or bug, but rather create environments where people Know, Like and Trust us (KLT). It’s where we continuously publish information that has value to people, and we give that information away for free, and thereby establish ourselves as “obvious experts”. Then we don’t need to go find buyers, because they come to us.

This method may take a little longer to produce results, but the results, I will argue, are more “real” and more solid and potentially longer-lasting than those created by the 3 Bs. And, as a bonus, we might just make some friends in the process.

This is a guest post by Tom Harris, Your Marketing Coach. Tom helps entrepreneurs and small businesses develop and execute marketing plans. He specializes in website usability and effectiveness.This is a guest post by Tom Harris, Your Marketing Coach. Tom helps entrepreneurs and small businesses develop and execute marketing plans. He specializes in website usability and effectiveness.

What do we all want for our businesses? More sales! But what do we need to get from people before we can have more sales? We need to get their attention! They’re not going to buy anything from us until we have their undivided attention.

David Meerman Scott, in a recent blog post, noted the four ways that we can get the attention of potential buyers, and I herewith borrow his thoughts for my comments.
The first way (the first B) is to BUY their attention. This is otherwise known as Advertising. We pay money and throw messages out, and occasionally someone notices a message and responds.

The second B is to BEG for attention, also known as Public Relations. We hire someone to write press releases and circulate them to their media connections, asking journalists, reporters, newspaper editors, reviewers, or whoever is interested to please, please, please write about us.

The third B is to BUG people. This is called Sales. We find individuals, wherever we can find them, and try to engage them in conversation (bug them), until they listen, and then maybe they buy something from us.

The common thread of the 3 Bs is that we are INTERRUPTING people to get their attention. Sure, maybe they actually really do want to buy our stuff, but we’re still using variously annoying tactics to attract their attention.

The final item is E. This is where we EARN their attention. The 3 Bs have been around forever, but this one is new. This one is not interruptive. This is the method of social media, where we create connections with people and develop relationships, and don’t try to buy, beg or bug, but rather create environments where people Know, Like and Trust us (KLT). It’s where we continuously publish information that has value to people, and we give that information away for free, and thereby establish ourselves as “obvious experts”. Then we don’t need to go find buyers, because they come to us.

This method may take a little longer to produce results, but the results, I will argue, are more “real” and more solid and potentially longer-lasting than those created by the 3 Bs. And, as a bonus, we might just make some friends in the process.

This is a guest post by Tom Harris, Your Marketing Coach. Tom helps entrepreneurs and small businesses develop and execute marketing plans. He specializes in website usability and effectiveness.

Do all of your customers and potential customers have exactly the same needs?  David Meerman Scott, in his book The New Rules of Marketing and PR, talks about “buyer personas”, the various sub-groups contained within your “market”.  He offers the interesting example of a website for a college, which would clearly need to focus on a number of different groups; current students, prospective students, parents of current students, parents of prospective students, alumni, and so on.  So a buyer persona is a description of a group of people who have clearly distinct needs.

Can you segment your overall market into distinct groups?  If you can, do you have a distinct message for each group?  Does your website address the needs of all of these groups, or does it just have a single one-size-fits-all message?  How about your printed materials, business cards, email marketing, etc?  Do you have several variations of your “elevator pitch” that you can select from based on a little knowledge of the person you’re with a the moment?

Probably some of your groups are more important to you than others.  Are you giving the appropriate amount of attention to each group?  Do you have one or more minor groups that maybe you should not be focusing on at all?

The goal of all your marketing efforts must be to focus on the buyers’ needs and goals, not on your products and services.  As David Meerman Scott says in another of his books, World Wide Rave, “nobody cares about your products”.  Buyers care about their own needs, and if your marketing message includes information for both Group A and Group B, that means that no matter which group you’re talking with, at least part of your message is not relevant to them.  Try to identify the various Buyer Personas that you might have, then tailor a custom message for each group.

Tom Harris, Your Marketing Coach

In all the years that I have participated in trade shows, I’ve observed the majority of vendors not really understanding why they are there. As much as we all want to or need to sell product to survive, the true purpose of a “Trade  Show” is to showcase your company and build brand awareness. It is the marketing to the public of who you are. It needs to be seen as a part of your marketing budget (not advertising or sales). We must keep this clearly in mind and be sure to keep your message simple. You only have a few moments to present your company to the attendees so make it memorable!

Be sure to engage with the attendees. To expect them to come to you is expecting way to much! People are tired of being sold “at” and will avoid eye contact unless they need you specifically so it is your responsibility to lead them in conversation and educate them. Much like going to a social gathering, you should never start with trying to sell anything. Instead, I would recommend that you help them to identify their own needs and then help fulfill them!

Always gather information on people so that you can follow up with them. Have a free drawing at your space or make them an offer that they can’t refuse.  We all  like free stuff don’t we? Make the offer in exchange for their contact info. Make it a great show season.

In all the years that I have participated in trade shows, I’ve observed the majority of vendors not really understanding why they are there. As much as we all want to or need to sell product to survive, the true purpose of a “Trade  Show” is to showcase your company and build brand awareness. It is the marketing to the public of who you are. It needs to be seen as a part of your marketing budget (not advertising or sales). We must keep this clearly in mind and be sure to keep your message simple. You only have a few moments to present your company to the attendees so make it memorable!

Be sure to engage with the attendees. To expect them to come to you is expecting way to much! People are tired of being sold “at” and will avoid eye contact unless they need you specifically so it is your responsibility to lead them in conversation and educate them. Much like going to a social gathering, you should never start with trying to sell anything. Instead, I would recommend that you help them to identify their own needs and then help fulfill them!

Always gather information on people so that you can follow up with them. Have a free drawing at your space or make them an offer that they can’t refuse.  We all  like free stuff don’t we? Make the offer in exchange for their contact info. Make it a great show season.

So many media choices, such little time? What is a small business owner or entrepreneur to do?

To plan a media ad campaign, the advertisers need to determine where should the ad go geographically. Which media vehicles should be used? What is the proper timing for the ad? What is the frequency, and finally, how can the ad be integrated through many communication tools. There are many media options, and more and more options become available every day. It was dvd’s and c’s for a while. Now it’s downloadable audio and video files that people can plan on an mp3 or ipod, or right on the computer Costs and choices are changing, so deciding where to put the ads are more important decisions, and much more complex.

Deciding on the audience objective means looking at what types of people the advertiser would like to reach. Determining the audience helps with the selection of the media. How and when the message should reach the audience comes next. What is contained in the message, what is the number of impressions that the target will receive, and how many different people will see, hear, or experience the message.

The final media mix will involve addressing the market, or the audience to reach. It will involve the money, how much is available in the budget. The media will be selected, this is the communication tool used to transmit the message. The mechanics involve the length, size and package of the ad. The method will involve the strategy of selection and all of the elements discussed above.

This is one of my favorite ad campaigns. I saw the first ads on the computer in a television show that I was watching online. There was a couple sitting on a vinyl couch debating something. The ad message was “what’s your epsonality?” The commercial was so cute, it did prompt me to visit the website just to see what else was there. I remember the name of the product because they put it together in a catchy way. The mix use several different delivery methods to promote the product, with the hook being the commercial. It didn’t result in a purchase of an Epson, but I did talk to my friends about how cool the commercial was.

What’s your epsonality? Or what’s your media personality? What media messages make you take note, and what elements do you enjoy the most? Keep those in mind when creating your marketing mix!

Today was another amazing example of how Insights continues to blow my mind. I am sitting here at 10:15 pm still pondering what happened today. There is nothing but possibility in this incredible world I find myself living in!!!
For starters, the day began with our 7am meeting which lead into a few private meetings that focused our energies toward something much larger than we are. At 1pm we started to lay out the marketing program that will revolutionize how things get done. Those of you that choose to be involved will not be disappointed. The first lady is definitely on fire. She has a brilliant mind so get ready! Stay tuned as this concept starts unrolling itself.

(photo by ocean.flynn @ Flickr CC)