Seth Godin's latest post speaks to how marketers would rather take the easy route to reach a lot of people. It is wonderful (of course) and it is a direct reflection of several conversations I recently had with marketers who are trying to walk the line between what their customers are comfortable with and what they know they should be doing.
The alternative is to serve a smaller group of people who are reaching you...finding you...and ready to interact with you.
Marketing is never about your response rate to a post card or a TV ad or even an animated banner.
Web 2.0 marketing is about authentic two-way communications.
Yes, it is harder...and YES, it is worth it.
Seth's Post: Reaching The Unreachable
Friday, May 4, 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Open Source Marketing
Welcome to the Open Source Marketing Project for May.
Whether you are an invited guest or you have just stumbled upon this project, please subscribe so you can keep an eye on what is going on.
Here is how this works:
I have a marketing and sales project with a customer that needs help. I have tried a few things over the past few months and this project needs some new sets of eyes. I am asking for your help and your perspective. Thank you for considering this project worth your time.
I will use this blog to link you to websites and other information regarding this customer, our approach to marketing, and the industry this customer of mine is in.
If you have not already, please RSVP to the Open Source Marketing Lunch that will be held Monday, May 7 from 11:45 to 12:45 at The Crestwood Condominiums Meeting Room.
The Crestwood Condominiums are located at 5401 Brookside Blvd. More info is HERE
My company is called Brain Bucket and my website is HERE. Be sure to click on the LENS link on the front page. It is a link to another site that will give you a look at work that is under way but not live, as well as a look at some of the tools and ideas that I connect with customers.
The Project:
Tim Sernett is an accountant who has just come through what he hopes is his final full blown tax season. He is working to transform his business by helping small and medium sized businesses transform their work. Tim has developed a service / process called Profit Focus, and I am working with him to find the appropriate market and application.
Essentially, he is create a service that allows you (as a business owner) to outsource the bookkeeping and accounting tasks, and then to gain a better understanding of your company's cash flow needs through a personal approach to financial planning.
Over the past several months, Brain Bucket has designed and built a new website:
URL:SernettCPA, and we have redesigned his business cards, and added a small leave behind brochure.
We have also worked on a marketing plan that called for me to connect with several of Tim's current clients and to get an understanding of why Tim's current list of customers use him for a variety of services. I will comment more on that as we go along.
Please subscribe to this blog, or check back regularly, as I plan on working through some of my challenges.
Final note: this is not now, nor will it be next week, a sales pitch. I am truly working through some challenges I am having in articulating what Tim's services are, and I am trying to come up with a plan and a way to execute the plan that will help him out.
Thank you for your time.
Whether you are an invited guest or you have just stumbled upon this project, please subscribe so you can keep an eye on what is going on.
Here is how this works:
I have a marketing and sales project with a customer that needs help. I have tried a few things over the past few months and this project needs some new sets of eyes. I am asking for your help and your perspective. Thank you for considering this project worth your time.
I will use this blog to link you to websites and other information regarding this customer, our approach to marketing, and the industry this customer of mine is in.
If you have not already, please RSVP to the Open Source Marketing Lunch that will be held Monday, May 7 from 11:45 to 12:45 at The Crestwood Condominiums Meeting Room.
The Crestwood Condominiums are located at 5401 Brookside Blvd. More info is HERE
My company is called Brain Bucket and my website is HERE. Be sure to click on the LENS link on the front page. It is a link to another site that will give you a look at work that is under way but not live, as well as a look at some of the tools and ideas that I connect with customers.
The Project:
Tim Sernett is an accountant who has just come through what he hopes is his final full blown tax season. He is working to transform his business by helping small and medium sized businesses transform their work. Tim has developed a service / process called Profit Focus, and I am working with him to find the appropriate market and application.
Essentially, he is create a service that allows you (as a business owner) to outsource the bookkeeping and accounting tasks, and then to gain a better understanding of your company's cash flow needs through a personal approach to financial planning.
Over the past several months, Brain Bucket has designed and built a new website:
URL:SernettCPA, and we have redesigned his business cards, and added a small leave behind brochure.
We have also worked on a marketing plan that called for me to connect with several of Tim's current clients and to get an understanding of why Tim's current list of customers use him for a variety of services. I will comment more on that as we go along.
Please subscribe to this blog, or check back regularly, as I plan on working through some of my challenges.
Final note: this is not now, nor will it be next week, a sales pitch. I am truly working through some challenges I am having in articulating what Tim's services are, and I am trying to come up with a plan and a way to execute the plan that will help him out.
Thank you for your time.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
How to do Sales and Marketing
Penelope Trunk has written a book.
She has a blog too. Here is a recent post about how to get an agent's attention if you want to sell a book idea:
URL:A week of journalism: Seven ways to get an agent’s attention
The cool thing is, this is great marketing advice.
Marketing is NOT just about features and benefits...and yet, people still focus on that almost exclusively. If I here or see one more car commercial that lists off a bunch of stats...!!
Think about how this advice relates to your company...your product...your service.
Any questions?
She has a blog too. Here is a recent post about how to get an agent's attention if you want to sell a book idea:
URL:A week of journalism: Seven ways to get an agent’s attention
The cool thing is, this is great marketing advice.
Marketing is NOT just about features and benefits...and yet, people still focus on that almost exclusively. If I here or see one more car commercial that lists off a bunch of stats...!!
Think about how this advice relates to your company...your product...your service.
Any questions?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Network Marketing...How Is Your Elevator Speech?
I had the pleasure of attending a well run, established referral group meeting yesterday.
Great lunch guys..thanks.
This is a group of people that are as varied as you can imagine, and this is a group that does not allow direct overlap of business descriptions in its membership.
I was struck by the friendliness and genuine desire to help others in order to help yourself attitude that is a huge part of this group's motto.
I was also struck by how the membership described what they did, and it got me thinking about the dreaded elevator speech.
We work with small and medium sized companies to help them put together marketing plans, website plans, sales plans, printed collateral, interactive plans.
I promise you that if I ever get to work with you, the first thing I will ask you to do is to describe your company and what you do.
Commonly, people start with their name, their company, and they tell me exactly what they do.
Occasionally, there is a silly lead in teaser...and then a repeat of the above.
What many people don't get is that the elevator pitch is NEVER about what you do...
It should always be about your customers, the kinds of things they deal with, their struggles, their challenges...
Too many people think of the 30 seconds or less description of what you do as a "pitch" or a "speech" or a "presentation"...
In reality it will only be memorable by being engaging.
Engage the person who is asking you "so, what do you do?"
Get them to ask you another question.
Get them to ask you to tell them more, "Oh, how do you do that?"
It has become such second nature to describe what you do from your own point of view...
When really what you should be doing is engaging people by describing what your customers say you do.
Got any questions?
Great lunch guys..thanks.
This is a group of people that are as varied as you can imagine, and this is a group that does not allow direct overlap of business descriptions in its membership.
I was struck by the friendliness and genuine desire to help others in order to help yourself attitude that is a huge part of this group's motto.
I was also struck by how the membership described what they did, and it got me thinking about the dreaded elevator speech.
We work with small and medium sized companies to help them put together marketing plans, website plans, sales plans, printed collateral, interactive plans.
I promise you that if I ever get to work with you, the first thing I will ask you to do is to describe your company and what you do.
Commonly, people start with their name, their company, and they tell me exactly what they do.
Occasionally, there is a silly lead in teaser...and then a repeat of the above.
What many people don't get is that the elevator pitch is NEVER about what you do...
It should always be about your customers, the kinds of things they deal with, their struggles, their challenges...
Too many people think of the 30 seconds or less description of what you do as a "pitch" or a "speech" or a "presentation"...
In reality it will only be memorable by being engaging.
Engage the person who is asking you "so, what do you do?"
Get them to ask you another question.
Get them to ask you to tell them more, "Oh, how do you do that?"
It has become such second nature to describe what you do from your own point of view...
When really what you should be doing is engaging people by describing what your customers say you do.
Got any questions?
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Marketing vs. Offering
Seth Godin today posts about Offer World, a new and strange land where traditional marketers feel a little uncomfortable.
Seth once again points out the very obvious:
Marketing isn't about marketing...it's about a relationship. It is more successful when it is a long term relationship.
Now - whether that relationship is a one on one meeting in a coffee shop, or visitors coming into your store, or someone coming to your website, everyone still must do the things necessary to develop a relationship.
Now - in "Offer World" you develop an initial (and subsequent) interest through the use of offers. But the big point Seth is making is that it is what happens AFTER you make that offer that counts.
It is the "After Offer World" where you earn the trust, loyalty, interaction and repeat business.
If you send someone a postcard and they take the time to go to your website and fill out a form to get your offer, AND they give you permission to contact them...by all means, you better have something remarkable that is coming next. NOT some PR rehash, NOT the same info sheet that you linked from the website...something remarkable.
What do I mean by remarkable?
HERE is another link. It is Seth Godin's "Purple Cow" presentation from a few years ago. These are 17 minutes that will change the way you work. It is remarkable.
Seth once again points out the very obvious:
Marketing isn't about marketing...it's about a relationship. It is more successful when it is a long term relationship.
Now - whether that relationship is a one on one meeting in a coffee shop, or visitors coming into your store, or someone coming to your website, everyone still must do the things necessary to develop a relationship.
Now - in "Offer World" you develop an initial (and subsequent) interest through the use of offers. But the big point Seth is making is that it is what happens AFTER you make that offer that counts.
It is the "After Offer World" where you earn the trust, loyalty, interaction and repeat business.
If you send someone a postcard and they take the time to go to your website and fill out a form to get your offer, AND they give you permission to contact them...by all means, you better have something remarkable that is coming next. NOT some PR rehash, NOT the same info sheet that you linked from the website...something remarkable.
What do I mean by remarkable?
HERE is another link. It is Seth Godin's "Purple Cow" presentation from a few years ago. These are 17 minutes that will change the way you work. It is remarkable.
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