The Economy is in the Gutter! Now What???

by Joshua Crumbaugh on August 2nd, 2008

Buy a car and get FREE Gas for a year! Buy a house and get Free Gas for a year! The list of gimmicks people are using to drive business goes on and on. Free Vacations, (which by the way every marketer should check out vestedtravels.com – tell them Joshua Crumbaugh sent you) Vegas Casino Cards, Gas Rebate Cards, Dinners and much more; you hear marketers offering incentives to get you to come to their business and spend money. These are great ways to drive business, but should you implement new strategy when the economy is suffering? I feel strongly against using these tactics now if you haven’t used them in the past and the numbers at the various companies I work with reflect this. During these times I forget about “out of the box” thinking and stick to the basics. It’s great to try new things, offer incentives and experiment with your marketing budget to see what tool will be most effective, but when you’re either struggling to keep traffic up or to keep sales up it’s not the time to be trying new things.

So… What do I do then???

I start by sticking to what I know works, focusing on my image and utilizing marketing venues that are already at my finger tips. Do you have a marketing blurb in all company emails that go out? Hotmail actually coined the term viral marketing by doing just that. Are you pushing your sales staff and providing them resources to enlarge each transaction. Clients don’t get offended when you ask them if they would also like “x” service/product. Have you tried running a regional ad in a national publication such as “Time Magazine” and then framing it and putting it all over your office (As seen in Time Magazine.) Clients flock to companies they trust when their pocket books are hurting, build trust not gimmicks.

Action Steps:

List five things you are doing now to earn extra consumer confidence and credibility.

List five additional things you can and will do to earn extra consumer confidence and credibility.

Put into writing exactly why your offerings provide exceptional value.

If you aren’t already begin marketing to your past customers to gain repeat business. (Vtiger CRM is a great FREE open source CRM) In most cases getting this set up will only cost you time.

I realize we are marketers not sales men/women, but the best marketers understand sales so I am going to leave you with this:

Don’t sell me things – Sell me what things can do

1. Don’t sell me tires – sell me freedom from worry and low cost per mile.
   
2. Don’t sell me clothes – sell me neat appearance, style, attractiveness.
   
3. Don’t sell me candy – sell me happiness and the pleasure of taste.
   
4. Don’t sell me property – sell me a home that has comfort, cleanliness, contentment
   
5. Don’t me books – sell me pleasant hours and profits of knowledge.
   
6. Don’t sell me toys – sell me playthings to make children happy.
   
7. Don’t sell me tools – sell me the pleasure and profit of making fine things.
   
8. Don’t sell me refrigerators – sell me the health and better flavor of fresh-kept food.
   
9. Don’t sell me plows – sell me green fields of waving wheat.
   
10. Don’t sell me things – sell me ideas, ideas, feelings, self respect, home life, happiness.

Check back soon I will be writing two more posts about marketing in a troubled economy. Also, I want to hear your comments

Plain English

by John Dawe on March 9th, 2008

Lee Lefever and the folks over at the Common Craft Project are always coming out with creative ways to explain things using whiteboard/cut & paste methodology.

So much for powerpoints… this is way cooler.

Neat example: http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs

20SMF Episode #67 - Out of a Job, In Front of a Mic (Part 2)

by Jared on June 30th, 2007

Part 2 - Four Tactics I Left Behind: In terms of my personal impact on my now former organization, the tactics that ultimatley allowed me to “leave the place better than I found it.”

“Out of a Job, In Front of a Mic” is four part series covering the ups and downs of being a 20-something marketing strategist.

Listen To Episode:

Download Episode:

Right Click Here & Save As To Download Full Episode

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3 Tradeshow Tactics If You’re The Youngest One There

by Jared on September 17th, 2006

Tradeshows are a great way to get in front of potential and existing clients. They are also a fantastic place to pick up some killer sales tactics. Unfortunately, if you are like me you are also usually one of the youngest representatives there. That can be a problem, particularly when you are in an industry where age is equated with credibility.

Here are 3 tactics I have learned to overcome perceptions, gain credibility with tradeshow attendees and most importantly, have fun being there.
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“The world’s most entertaining live billboard”

by Jared on May 16th, 2006

In the hotel industry, competition for business travelers has been fierce. The battleground has been primarily reserved in super-chick hotel concepts such as the “W” hotel chain by Starwood and through what I can only describe as a “mine is bigger” premium bedding competition (i.e. Westin’s Heavenly Bed and The Sleep Number Bed at Radisson Hotels). No matter where you go, every hotel chain is trying to outdo each other with promises of a peaceful night sleep.

Personally, give me a clean room, an old, classic hotel with classic service and I will be in heaven.

I digress though…enter the Heavyweight; Marriott Hotels and Resorts. Not only have these guys designed their own bed, but they are also making a major marketing play for the young professional market.

Marriott is indeed going MUCH farther with an entire room designed around the needs of the younger, more technology and ergonomically aware consumer.

The way their doing this is through the mSpot, a mobile hotel room complete with a stage on top. It’s currently touring the country and introducing itself to corporate expense accounts everywhere by way of massive block parties and VIP tours. I caught up with the mSpot in New Orleans where it had lined up a host of local talent including Kermit Ruffins, Jeremy Davenport and Ingrid Lucia for a massive Canal Street party coinciding with JazzFest.

When I toured the room, John ‘Spud’ McConnell (a local celebrity and character actor most remembered for his “Stay out the Woolworth” line in O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?) was there chilling out in what I can only describe as one of the most comfortable looking club chairs imaginable. It was a great touch given that around New Orleans, this guy’s popularity and likeability is somewhere up there around grits and gravy. So, as Spud made classic New Orleans quips and showed us around the room, I couldn’t help but notice that the room had every cool amenity known to mankind.

First the electronics…Appealing to massive techno-geeks like myself, the room has a full desk console complete with widescreen TV. Now, you might say that is par-for-the-course these days but what hotel do you know of that has a handy, arms-length series of connector ports where you can use it as your monitor. The room also has a touchpad safe built into your desk drawer to stash the laptop, which is a nice touch.

Completing the room is stylish decor, ergonomic lights, a swivel desk and a bathroom Caesar could die for (or so I am told, the show version of the mSpot comes sans royal throne).

Now, at this point I have to direct your attention to the fact that the mSpot New Orleans may have fallen short of its intended audience. The block party itself was incredible but I didn’t really see that many press outside. In fact, I may have been the only person that could even mildly pass as press which is a big concern given I am a bit bias towards Marriott in this case.

Something tells me though with the line of VIP’s waiting to take a tour, there wasn’t much of a need for press. Besides, when’s the last time the AP put up for a premium suite?

20SMF Episode #26 - Best-Laid Sheep

by Jared on February 16th, 2006

Show Description:
Does planning make a difference if everything is going to fall to pieces anyway? Take a stroll down the path less traveled with “Count Your Sheep” creator Adrian Ramos and hit the game plan with some sound advice on tool-boxing and getting it right when things go wrong.

Show Notes:
I) Busier than hell and loving it
II) ASK JARED: Adrian Ramos, Cartoonist – Count Your Sheep (Mexico City, Mexico)
III) Game Plan: Tool-boxing and finding your “North Star” with metrics

Referenced Links:
Count Your Sheep - Visit, Bookmark, Laugh Your Head Off

Right Click And ‘Save As’ To Download Full Show

The Trouble with Valentine’s Day

by Jared on February 13th, 2006

For a moment, I am going to forget about being a bitter, single, elitist marketing snob and talk practically about the trouble with Valentine’s Day.

First, the background - I did some digging and it turns out that the celebration of the modern Valentine’s Day actually has its roots in several different historical practices. It seems that the modern version of Valentine’s Day is part a Christian version of a pagan sheep-herding holiday and part romantic epic featuring a roman priest named Valentine.

Since the idea of a single ‘true’ origin of Valentine’s Day is up for grabs, let’s just settle the historical hair-splitting and say that somewhere, somehow there is a reason beyond the cards and the flowers that this day exists.

Of course in popular culture, Valentine’s Day is the holiday to celebrate the ‘magic of love’ with gifts, flowers and expensive price-fix dinners. During this time of year, popular thought is you either love Valentine’s Day because you’re with someone or you hate it because you’re alone, sad and bitter.

In fact, the Washington Post recently had an online survey of best songs for an Anti-Valentine’s Day Playlist. The categories we had to choose from feature rage, regret and revenge. This is troubling because even though I am single, I honestly don’t feel any of those things.

This illustrates what I think is really wrong with Valentine’s Day. Apparently, there is no room in the red velvet-clad halls of St. Valentine’s massive cathedral for someone who is just there; single, strong, and happy. My problem with Valentine’s Day; there is no corresponding holiday to celebrate the individual, single person.

Now, I’m not talking about a day where only single people get to celebrate. I am talking about a day which says “you know what - you’re good enough as you are without needing anything - or one - else to validate you!” Something tells me you are never going to see this happen.

The reason you’re not going to see this is that you wouldn’t need anything to celebrate it. Gifts and flowers would be contrary to the point of celebrating someone for who they are. Oh sure. It’s easy to celebrate something when you know you can buy your way into validation and that’s what’s become so successful for consumer marketers on Valentine’s Day.

Pair this with that in marketing; it’s been the very nature of our jobs to create needs. We accomplish this by making the case that you’re not good enough on your own whether it’s in business or as a consumer. Thankfully, there are companies like Dove out there that are making inroads to the very basic point that you can market a product without telling someone that if they don’t buy it, something bad is going to happen.

The trouble with Valentine’s Day isn’t its blatant consumerism and it isn’t its seeming snub of single people everywhere. The problem is the fact that it distracts us from realizing that no matter what your ’single status’ is, we should be celebrating our own individuality and not just facing off on two sides of a “single” issue.

It tough though, to sell something by openly acknowledging, “You know what, you’re good enough without our product but here’s why you should buy it anyway.” Without that burning platform of need, you actually have to sell the product on its ability to inspire your target, not just by pointing out their faults.

Be assured, marketers will still be saying “you need this because it will fix what you don’t know is wrong with you yet” for some time to come. For now though, I am going to propose we each try to, at least once, sell something by saying “you need this because its going to enhance how fabulous you are already.”

We can start with Valentine’s Day….

Folks, its time we had a holiday that says it’s ok to be who you are no matter what you own or who you’re with or not with. No Flowers. No Cards. No Dinners. Just you, and the ultimate form of affection – the quiet contentment of being yourself.

Put that on a holiday card, Hallmark.

10 Second Marketing Drill: “How Cute Is That?”

by Jared on February 9th, 2006

Perhaps this is just another reason to make fun of random photos but here’s a cool drill to run every once in a while to keep your creative mind sharp….

In 10 seconds, come up with as many headlines as you can to market a product of or about the follwing pictures subject matter. Ready? Go!

• “Prepare to meet thy doom, Rodent!” (RatTrap)
• “It’s tax season. Are your W-2’s ready?” (TurboTax)
• “Don’t let embarasing moments keep you from looking your best.” (Friz-Eze)
• “Next time on Project Runway: Santino makes over fluffy!” (Bravo TV)
• “Ever feel like you need to get away?” (Travelocity)
• “In about 3 seconds, you’ll see why the Clorox Bleach Pen works so well” (Clorox)
• “Cat loving grandmothers can squeeze the ever-living daylights out of you - but they can’t save you hundreds of dollars on car insurance.” (Gieco)

Now let’s try it for podcasters & bloggers!

• “You think this one’s cute - wait till you see mine!” (Wanda Wisdom)
• “Cutter. Process. Kitty.” (The Vision Thing)
• “Zaba-do-beep-meow!” (American Copywritier) - p.s. 10 cool points if you got that…
• “Guees who we caught molesting this kitty in the Dirkson office building?” (Wonkette)
• “Your Kitty | Your Hairball” (20-Something Marketing Forum)