3B’s and an E

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.

3B's and an E

Are You Sending Everybody the Same Message?

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

Exhibitor Shows…what’s the best way to market?

vegas nov 08 8 300x225 Exhibitor Shows...whats the best way to market? 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.

Exhibitor Shows…what's the best way to market?

Exhibitor Shows...what's the best way to market? 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!

So many media choices. How can we navigate it all?

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!

Organic Marketing ™: What is it?

Organic Marketing ™: What is it? 120810354 c11926ddfe m Organic Marketing ™: What is it? <

Think of organic marketing as you would the planting of a garden. You need to start with a seed, or the idea. Then you need to decide where the best location is to plant your seed, the type of soil you need, the amount of care and contact it requires, and you need to monitor the growth and progress to appreciate the transformation. Organic Marketing ™ is just that, for your business.

Our approach to organic marketing is geared at understanding where you are in your current business, and where you would like to go. Using an approach where you can begin putting elements in place and watching the results as you go, being able to change directions, implement new elements, change what may not be working, and focus forward are all elements of the natural, organic strategy.

2199549194 2cb9dde574 m Organic Marketing ™: What is it? As an example, you can’t build an entire Star Wars ship out of legos without first starting with the very first building block. In a similar fashion, when building your marketing mix, you need to start a marketing plan by starting with the very first piece. It’s important to start with your intention for being in business, and what your goal is. This includes why you do what you do, how people will work with you, and what you hope to accomplish.

The first question is, what is your intention with your business? The second, What is your goal? and the third, How are you compensated? Once you have considered these, you are ready to build on a foundation, and choose the next legos from the box.

(seedling photo by tico_bassie @ flickr cc)
(lego photo by Leo Reynolds @ flickr cc)

Where does inspiration come from?

Where does inspiration come from? 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)

What is advertising?

Marketing and advertising seem to be words that are used in conjunction, and often mistakenly in place of one another. I would define advertising as the putting of message about a product or service out in front of those individuals that you think might have a desire to buy the product.
Advertising can be further defined as relatively non-personal in nature. Marketing could be considered a more personal, relationship building approach.
The role of advertising in today’s business is important, but is changing. With the addition of technology to the market place, especially on the internet, the rules that existed, I feel, are being re-written at every turn. The ability to get a message out to the public exists. What once took huge ad campaigns and budgets can be twittered and turn viral in an instant. The new mix includes both advertising and marketing simultaneously, with even more technology.
The options available for businesses today are almost impossible to fully comprehend. The internet, you tube, twitter, radio, print, television, search engines, and more. A target audience for a product, service, or idea can be defined and found in all of these areas. The pricing structure that existed to get a message out has grown, and gotten smaller, all at the same time depending on the media and the message used. Online technology such as twitter has the ability to get the message spread even more quickly and widespread than any large campaign.
With so many choices, companies and service providers have incredible option and opportunity. It is important to take the time to find out where to put the time needed to share messages, and continue to develop campaigns that take advantage of the media available.

Marketing Mix Tic Tac Toe Style

We’ve got a really cool model to follow for marketing a business in 2009. I’ve coined in Marketing Tic Tac Toe. It’s a easy way to at a glance monitor what activies someone should be involved in for marketing this year. Take for instance the thought that so many businesses spend all of their time targeting new customers. Tic Tac Toe breaks down marketing efforts into three categories, personal, business and the universe. Sure, you should be looking to connect with new clients. What about your existing clients that are your absolute best source of repeat business and word of mouth marketing? How will you market to them? Tune in for upcoming installments of the Marketing Tic Tac Toe system, and please share with me, what’s your favorite marketing activity and why? Where do you find the most benefit? What would you like to avoid, or change so it would be an easier challenge? Where are you in terms of marketing your business?