Top 5 Most Trusted Buying Sources

Where do people go for an informed buying decision? Here are the top five answers:

1) Friends and family come first. When needed, most consumers use their friends and family for product and service information because they trust their opinions. This probably comes as no surprise.

2) Customer reviews. This trust is bigger than you might think. Customers interested in making a “correct” purchase, particularly for online shopping, use this kind of powerful information to help them make their decision. Simply put, reviews work when they are done properly. In some cases they rank higher than influencers or celebrity endorsements in terms of credibility and the closing of a sale.

3) Company websites. Many online shoppers trust business/service websites for their research and/or purchasing decisions. Many visit the website of the brand they are interested in first before they search for other competitors.

4) Print and online articles. Many customers place trust in the author’s reporting as a source of important brand information, which is only slightly ahead of those trusting in blogs.

5) Social media. Last, but not forgotten. Fewer everyday are trusting social media sources for brand information. However, it’s still an important form of communication. For brands looking to develop trust among the younger crowd make sure your response time is super nova. This will help build brand loyalty.

6 Secrets to Better Online Reputation Management

According to wikipedia.com Online Reputational Management (ORM) "is the practice of attempting to shape public perception of a person or organization by influencing information about that entity" online.  In other words, this process controls what someone sees online and ultimately thinks about you. It’s pushing the positive and cleaning up the negative...Helping you to soar in cyberspace.

1) Get Started
Over one billion names are searched everyday on Google. Understand people make judgments about you based on what they search for and find online. According to Google, 45% of those who are searching to buy and/or hire, have found negative information that caused them to take their business elsewhere or hire someone else. Because people can readily publish negative comments about you and/or your company, there’s not much you can do about it. EXCEPT, to have a robust ORM strategy and implementation plan in place.

2) Research
Search yourself. Search for your name, business, your image, and anything else that may be related. Taking notes and snapshots will help you later with your assessment and plan of attack.

3) Work It
Remember everything is recorded online. Everything. From Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, online searches and transactions, websites we visit, text/messenger conversations, years-old status updates, to private emails (they can be hacked), and more. So, as much as possible, keep private what should be private. And don’t hesitate to ask others to take down pictures of yourself that you think will compromise yours or your company’s reputation. Sometimes suppressing the negative is a full-time job, so be ready. Ensure your first impression stays a great one.

4) Invest
Buy your domain name. Buy as many as you can afford: Johndoe.com, Johndoe.net, Johnathandoe.com, yourbusiness.com, etc. The more, the merrier. Have a reputable design firm create your website and embed your content. You should include your company information, your bio, business interest, education, interesting articles, the benefits of your services, etc.

5) Focus
Increase your positive footprint by creating compelling and targeted content. Keep your content in one place and include your social media page links. Then make sure your social pages are completely filled out and active. Schedule and add new content at least twice a month. This will make your online presence stronger and push you up in search results.

By optimizing your online profiles you'll push down any negative content to the 2nd and 3rd pages within a Google search...which is where irrelevant content goes to die.

6) Stay The Course
Monitor. Set up a Google alert on your name or business to keep track of any new content that’s been published. Notifications will be sent to your e-mail.

Being proactive with your online reputation management will help make public perception your best friend, NOT your worst enemy. For more information and to get started on your own campaign, contact info@hornsbybrandesign.com.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reputation_management

4 Steps to Successful Word of Mouth Marketing (Hint: It's More Than Just Being "Liked.")

According to Nielsen, 92% of consumers follow recommendations from friends and family more than ALL other forms of advertising. According to the American Marketing Association (AMA) in a recent study, 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. However, only 6% say they have mastered it.

So, if marketers really believe Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is so effective, then why aren’t they implementing it more?

In short, many brands are too caught up in collecting numbers (any kind of fan) instead of collecting AND connecting with fewer, but more passionate fans (a specific kind of fan). And if you didn’t know already, “passion” is exponentially more effective than the former.

Being “loved” wins over being “liked” every time.

4 STEPS

1) Identify
Who and where are your influencers? This will be your basis for building a long term relationship, NOT pitching them on a one time deal. Your “friends” are the ones who will take your WOMM to another level.

2) Listen
What are they saying about your brand? Turn “I” into “WE”. Be part of their conversation and respond accordingly.

3) Provide
Give them reasons to talk about your incredible products and outstanding service. Go even further and share insider knowledge and exciting (sharable) stories and facts. By really listening you’ll learn to understand your customer’s likes (what drives them) and then be able to provide them what they need.

Your end goal? Create trust.

4) Enable
Engage them by letting them know that their opinions are important to you. Develop experiences that are actionable: Give them ways to share through innovative campaigns, creative incentives, and participatory events. Be sure to remember to always use the 90/10 rule. 90% is about them and 10% is sharing your brand message. This will enable them to become your personal brand evangelist, paving the way for your cause.

Winning the battle of Word Of Mouth Marketing by making your brand “the most recommended” requires not only a commitment to a creative strategy, but an aggressive implementation plan, and the wait time it takes to grow it.

And remember...“If people aren’t talking about you, they’re forgetting about you.” - Unknown

Contact Hornsby Brand Design at info@hornsbybrandesign.com today and learn more about how you can start your own WOMM campaign.

Source: www.AMA.org.

Online Video Marketing: 3 Tips You Need To Know

1st, the Facts

• 4Xs as many customers would rather watch a video about a product than read about it.
• 50% of Internet users look for videos related to a product before visiting a store.
• Men spend 40% more time watching videos on the Internet than women. Videos no more than 2 minutes long get the most engagement.
• 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound.
• Video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80% or more.
  

Now, the 3 Tips

1) Strategically Plan
This will help you leverage the powerful marketing path of video. Determine what type of video you will need and why. For example, should you create a video that showcases your product, builds awareness, publicizes a special event, or educates your customer? Then ask why one or the other will make a difference? Outline your goals, objectives, target, budget, due date, and other requirements for each individual video in order to track your success.

2) The Story Is Always First. Always.
Center around the value your product/service offers your potential client instead of the sale. Always speak to their desires and needs. You’ve only got :08 seconds to capture their attention before they click away, so make it the best, most interesting short/long form video possible. Use your money wisely, because boring is for losers.

3) Don’t Play Hide 'N Seek
Help your target find you online by implementing the following SEO recommendations.

• Be sure to create a video interface on your website (limits disk usage), and also post it on all your social media pages.
• Make sure it is easily sharable by adding the correct tags and SEO requirements.
• Make sure it has detailed written descriptions of its content and relevant key words. This will help search engine spiders categorize and catalog your campaign.

Video best practices suggest that strategy and creativity go hand-in-hand. And besides that, evidence shows that customers love to ride the video train!

So, if you want your video(s) to continue to get results, then you must plan, tell your story, broadcast your product, engage your customer, and repeat. If done correctly, you’ll continue to stay on track, stop-after-stop along your journey.

For more information on how to get on board, contact info@hornsbybrandesign.com.

Source: 
https://www.facebook.com/bufferapp/posts/-85-of-facebook-videos-are-watched-without-sound-93-of-twitter-videos-are-watche/1425000810905695/

Marketplace News

Embrace Voice Marketing
Voice assistants are now everywhere from being on your phone, in your car, and at retail stores to being in your home and office. It’s been suggested that 50% of all searches will be voice activated by 2020! This, of course, opens the door for marketers who are starting to understand the potential these devices hold. Radio marketing may be a potential model, but there will still be a lot of trial and error to be worked out. In fact, Amazon and Google will most likely use the voice search data gleaned to push ads into other platforms, like search results and email.

Bottom line? At this very moment people are buying products based on the power of speech, so the businesses that capitalize on this rapidly moving new media trend will definitely see a return on their investment and be poised for future growth.

Consider Creative Delivery
Every new integrated campaign should consider creative distribution approaches that focus on engagement. Target ways that your competitors may not be considering. For example, instead of digital newsletters, consider using direct mail (I know, old school). Or instead of telephone cold calling, make group presentations at uniquely created events. Remember, it’s always about breaking through the clutter and zigging while others are zagging.

Create Engaging Content
Two words: Influence Marketing (IM). Influencers are people who can deliver actual value to your target audience. If you don’t know already, IM is a form of marketing that focuses on influential people rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies specific individuals that have influence over your potential customers, and then orients your marketing activities around these influencers. They could be academics, journalists, industry analysts, professional advisers, etc.

Developing long-term relationships with influencers will lend credibility to your brand, thereby building TRUST...and no matter what year it is, TRUST is always “in.”

Communicate Personally
Technical automation is here to stay AND very beneficial when used correctly. However, it should never take the place of an authentic, person-to-person conversation.

Make it a company rule to visit your clients in person at least once a year to see how you can improve your service. I can assure you that your relationships will improve and your clients will stay longer and spend more. Why? Because you will be building a relationship, not just adding a number.

For more information on creative communication strategies, contact info@hornsbybrandesign.com.

Source: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2018/04/10/voice-search-statistics-2018

Things that make you say, "Hmmm"

We've come across some interesting and creative ads, billboards and signs... some sensical, nonsensical, and some that just cross the line. Do they get their message across? You be the judge...

I'll buy a vowel....

I think I'll park in the one-hour parking lot just to give my eye surgeon some leeway.

Secondary is the tiny print that states "the bridge is out" because it is SO tempting to forget your destination, stop the car, get out, and touch the sign.

And dont't drink and make road signs, either.

Bus graphics gone awry? This poor man has no idea why the folks on the sidewalk are laughing at him.

Didn't anybody at the foundation think this one through?

Someone in the creative meeting just should have said no to this pairing.

Apparently did not get the memo.

This ad may be a little too honest: Not everything is big in Texas.

Little known fact: Cows depreciate the most their first year off the lot.

You know someone is going to see this billboard as a dare.

Cobweb-site Woes? How To Create A Relevant Online Presence

Now-a-days, it’s a widely accepted fact that every business or organization, large or small, should have a website regardless of their engagements. At the very least, customers, prospective employees, vendors, and perhaps even investors need to be able to quickly and easily learn about your business, philosophy, and offerings. It's just part of the cost of doing business.

However, it's NOT enough to just be present. You've gotta be unique AND on-targeted.

“In a crowded market, having a website that simply serves as a brochure is no longer competitive.” — 2016 Small Business Marketing Trends Report

Some sobering stats:

• 94% of a website user’s first impressions are design-related.*
• 75% of users admit to assessing a company’s trustworthiness based on their website. Almost half of these visitors say website design is the #1 criterion for discerning the credibility of a company.*
• 59% of consumers globally would rather engage with content that’s meaningful AND beautifully designed.*
• 85% of B2B consumers search the web before making purchasing decisions.*

Successful websites consist of the following:

Aesthetics

• Professionally designed visual appeal
• Branded content and prospective
• Targeted approaches that resonate with prospects and convey expertise
• Promotes positive user engagement, interactivity, and experience
• Design balance of color, text, and images
• Professional videos

Organization

• A user-friendly, navigational funnel
• A studied hierarchy of information both within the site and on individual pages
• A thoughtful and easy-to-use search function for prospects
• Easy-to-use and find contact forms and information

Content

• Regularly updated information. Creates and uses an editorial content schedule.
• Invests in an easy-to-use CMS (content management system)
• Provides resourceful and helpful content that answers client questions efficiently and effectively
• Uses a blog to demonstrate expertise and to increase visibility
• Includes company’s business ethics, standards, and goals
• Includes a powerful "Call to action"

Availability

• Makes the site responsive (mobile ready and optimized)
• Integrates social media
• Makes the site ADA compliant. (For the visual- and hearing-impaired)
• Makes the site W3C compliant ( World Wide Web Consortium ), the standard bearer for websites with correct and clean markup.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

• SEO Compliant and optimized: Allowing future clients to find them.
• Tests regularly to ensure pages are operating at their maximum level of functionality

In the end, if you don't fight for something special...you'll never look like the champion you really are.

Call us today for a complete website evaluation and plan. Contact: info@hornsbybrandesign.com

* Sources:

https://www.leadpages.net/small-business-marketing

http://www.ironpaper.com/webintel/articles/web-design-statistics-2017/

https://www.clarityqst.com/three-hallmarks-of-effective-web-design/

Trade Shows: 7 Tips to Increase Traffic

Gone are the trade-show-yesteryears of folding tables and chairs, blue draperies, and stale marketing gimmicks...at least we hope so.

As a tactic of a larger branding strategy, today's trade shows offer more substantive, real-time, qualitative information AND purpose with profit. Smart exhibitors are listening to and solving customer needs, not manning a run-of-the-mill-flea-market-offering.

Challenging? You bet. (According to www.stateofinbound.com...)

• 63% of marketers say their top challenge is generating traffic and leads.
• 30% of salespeople say prospecting is the most difficult part of the sales process.
• 38% of salespeople say getting a response from prospects is getting more difficult.
• 63% of prospects are somewhat or not at all knowledgeable about a company before a sales rep makes the first contact.

In light of these stats, how can a your business' trade show presence overcome these issues? The first step in qualifying a prospect is mostly done for you given the fact that he/she is already on premise. It's the perfect opportunity to engage, initiate, and evaluate the buying process and your prospect. It's a natural environment where one-on-one human conversations with immediate responses can take place. These comfortable conversations will provide the forum for education and potential relationship building.

To prepare for these interactions, make sure your trade show marketing strategy is in place beforehand in order to run your victory lap afterwards.

7 tips that will help get you in shape:

1. Review your existing brand targets, strategies, and objectives.
• Who?: Demographics
• What? #1 - Pick the best trade shows to attend. Ones that connect with your demographic.
• What? #2 - Develop your 60-second elevator speech for your company's products/services.
• When? Decide on the best time/season of need to reach your target.
• Where? Chose the right demographic density; the location of your booth in retrospect to foot traffic; travel distance from your company (for logistics); and distance from trade show hubbub.
• Why? The reason you are exhibiting and the goals you hope to accomplish.
• How? Your product/service differs from your competitors and best meets your prospects need.
2. Consider what your content focus for each specific trade show will be. 
• Are you featuring a new products and/or service?
• Will you offer give-aways and/or tie-in events for promotion?
• Are you building your company's brand along with individual products/services?
3. Ensure that all your exhibit touch points echo your company's brand objectives with some added dynamics to draw interest. You have about six seconds to capture the attention of a prospect, so bland won't cut it. Create a multi-sensory experience that will stick in your prospects gut long after they encounter your exhibit. How are your visuals? Can they hold your product or engage kinetically somehow? What's your message? Can they taste or smell something connected with your product or service?
4. Support sales with trade show specific marketing materials. Extend the sales dialog by getting the right materials into the right hands.
5. Tie-in PR. Capitalize on your presence with speaking engagements, special demonstrations, press releases, and news conferences. Ask event organizers for the media list and use it! If you have a new product, grab a reporter at the event and tell them about it.
6. Socialize on social media. Encourage attendees to engage on your company's social media outlets. Post frequently and take photos of interactions.
7. Scope out the competition. Use this opportunity to meet and research your competitors. Gather intel...because you know they'll being returning the favor.

Need trade show expertise? Contact info@hornsbybrandesign.com

Sources:
http://www.stateofinbound.com/?__hstc=20629287.022b99efc655aac954579a9335c1f01b.1524001444472.1524001444472.1524001444472.1&__hssc=20629287.1.1524001444474&__hsfp=1658171268

Dinosaurs Rule! Email vs. Social Media Campaigns

Compared to social media, email communication is a dinosaur...or is it? It's an older form of communication, for sure, but statistics show that it still reigns as the most effective form of electronic dialog. In fact, email campaigns have the highest ROI of any marketing channel available.

Consider these facts:

• A click-through email campaign is 6x more likely to succeed than a click-through tweet.*
• Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter.*
• Email marketing drives more conversions than any other marketing channel, including search and social.*
• Including a call to action button instead of a text link can increase conversion rates by as much as 28%.*
• A message is 5x more likely to be seen in email than via Facebook.*
• 4.24% of website visitors from email marketing buy something as compared to 2.49% of visitors from search engines and 0.59% from social media.*
• Sending four emails in a month instead of one significantly increases the number of consumers opening more than one email.*

Surprised? Given that email is a more personal form of communication, maybe not. So, how can you harness this personal connection to build your brand?

8 keys to an effective email campaign:

1. Target audience: Who are you sending this email to and why? Use an existing contact lists (or buy one) and build on these through embedded "share" buttons and links to online subscribe forms. If appropriate, use incentives such as free shipping or first-time buyer discounts to encourage people to join your list.
2. Type of campaign: What's the purpose of your campaign? Are you generating new leads for your sales team? More RSVPs for your event? More donations for your cause? Are you providing industry news? Is this a newsletter? A special offer? An announcement? An invitation?
3. Content: What information do you need to convey? This will primarily be dictated by the "Type of campaign," but in any case, compelling and meaningful content will help to captured your audience. Be sure the content is relevant to your target. Statistics show that campaigns sent to segmented lists with specific and relevant information can increase revenue/response by 760%!
4. Brand design: Is the email campaign in keeping with your company's brand and goals? Align your campaign and it will reinforce your customer's consistent experience with your brand.
5. Layout: Email campaigns are generally deliver in HTML format and are no wider than 600px. Keep in mind, you have about 5 seconds to capture your reader, so design the layout to stand out. Also, research shows that 41% of email opens are on mobile devices, so make sure your campaigns are optimized across all devices.
6. Scheduling: Is this a weekly, monthly, quarterly or one-time campaign? Develop a content schedule to ensure timeliness and expectancy.
7. Sending and tracking metrics: Do you have open rates, click throughs, and other key metrics in place to review for improvement? These measurements provide invaluable information for future campaigns.
8. Blog and other connections: Have you linked to your blog and social media? Be sure to include a "share" call-to-action button to encourage referrals.

Need help with your email campaign? Contact: info@hornsbybrandesign.com.

* Sources:

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2014/07/email-marketing-vs-social-media/

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/email-marketing-new-rules/

http://www.monetate.com/

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2014/08/buttons-email-marketing-campaigns/
http://www.radicati.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Email-Statistics-Report-2013-2017-Executive-Summary.pdf
http://agbeat.com/business-marketing/why-you-shouldnt-underestimate-the-value-of-email-marketing/

Brand GPS: 9 Turns to Keep You from Going South

A company's advertising/marketing/branding plan provides vision and strategy for the tactical implementation of its brand. This is the launch pad, fuel, and navigation system for your firm's success. It provides the perfect road map for not only the brand's direction, but also the grounding on which its advertising and marketing strategies are developed.

9 steps to targeted directional marketing

1. The organization's inspiration: What was the need that inspired its inception? The answer will be your unique mission.
2. The firm's story: Who are the founders and why did they start the organization? How long has it been around and how has it evolved? What are its future plans?
3. Review the touch: Review your touch points with your prospect and customer. This includes all printed material, your online presence, electronic and traditional communication, and advertisements and P/R. Find the unification of a singular message. If there isn't one, create it.
4. Survey the landscape: Survey both your internal and external contacts. Ask their opinions about quality, quantity, responsiveness, understanding of the organization's mission and purpose, availability, engagement, etc. Use mostly multiple choice questions for better metrics, but offer comment sections and open ended questions to gain greater insight.
5. Review the target: Your firm's appeal. This includes age, gender, economic status, special interests, and personality profiles. Consider the future as well. To whom do you want to appeal? What are the growth potentials of your current market compared to other markets?
6. Spending trends: What's your industry doing? What kind of publications are available that offer a future look into the growth/loss possibilities for your industry? Are there technological advances or government regulations you need to consider?
7. Online Analytics: Run diagnostics on your online presence. This includes social media engagements, website, online advertisements, back links, and technical mark up of your website's coding.
8. Identify SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats): Time consuming, but worth it. Strengths and Weaknesses are those issues that pertain to your internal operations. Opportunities and Threats are those items that pertain to external conditions outside of your organization's control. It's important to entertain "what if?" scenarios.
9. Competitive Analysis: Who are your competitors and what kind of outreach do they have? Ask many of the same questions listed above of your competitors and then compare/contrast to see how you fare.

After you've moved through these steps, share your findings with key players for in-put and buy in. Congrats! You've just completed your communication plan for a shared corporate vision

Need help? Contact info@hornsbybrandesign.com

Source:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281643346_Branding_in_Small_and_Medium_Enterprises_A_Conceptual_Model_to_Manage_Branding_Initiatives

Public Transit Branding Guide: 6 Stops to Success

"If you can sell transit, you can sell anything."
– A Hornsby Brand Design client.

Transit agencies, like all organizations, have their own brand. Unfortunately for many, that brand perception is not very good. To be blunt, it's horrible! Creating appeal for riding public transit is--quite frankly--an uphill battle (pun intended). However, the opportunity is bright. With the onset of nightmare traffic, increasing commuter expenses, and sweat-of-the-brow stress, public transportation is gaining momentum and popularity, especially in large urban areas.

So how can transit agencies better "toot their own horn", increase their ridership, and most of all, piggyback on to this new momentum? Glad you asked.

6 brand strategy stops:

1. Identify your riders. As you may already know, understanding your demographic and leveraging that knowledge to create an effective marketing campaign is paramount. In general, there are three types of transit riders:

• Those who rely completely on transit. These riders are the main core of transit passengers and may include workers, students, low-income families, older adults, and persons with disabilities. They typically are limited in the mode of transportation they use.

• Those who need transit temporarily. These riders may include tourists; people who normally drive, but have a preventative injury or a suspended license or their car is "in the shop."
• Those who choose to ride transit. These choice riders are usually environmentally- or economically-conscious commuters, or people who just find transit more convenient than dealing with the hassles of traffic and automobile maintenance and expenses.

2. Introduce riders to a new way of thinking about public transit. Promote the strength of community building through transit. Encourage buy-in and civic responsibility through positive campaigns. Put your best foot forward with cleanliness, courtesy, timeliness, and responsiveness. Have each employee with public contact trained in conscientious engagement, and be sure to reflect this in all touch points.
3. Highlight stories from people who come from different walks of life. The human connection...people love and identify with great stories, so connect with a diverse public by communicating a wide variety of transit tales that personify the agency, its employees, and its riders.
4. Use relevant copy and visuals. Many government agencies are guilty of government-speak and acronyms wrapped in dry, boring government visuals. Step away from the government mindset and embrace the elements that bolster relevant, positive messages.
        Know that a marketing professional understands the true essence of your brand. He/she will incorporate your brand's values and unique selling propositions, all essential to defining your creative identity. Whether you’re developing a brochure, a website, or a full brand identity, this strategic process executed properly will ensure that all visuals tell the right story for the brand. It is no exaggeration to state that neglecting this key ingredient will lead to a disconnect with the consumer.
5. Promote cutting-edge technology. Constantly champion the latest services and technological features that will appeal to new riders such as onboard wifi, bike racks, online ticket purchases, transit apps, trip planners, SMS alerts, etc.
6. Head It off at the pass: Communicate transit projects, road/bridge construction, weather conditions, quickly and concisely. Have a "PR damage control" plan in place with all key personnel on board before something happens in order to ensure a smooth and professional communications plan. Shining a light on your transit agency's proactive problem solving skills will go a long way to alleviating rider stress and it will build trust to boot.

Hornsby Brand Design has extensive experience in public transit branding and marketing. Let us help. Contact: info@hornsbybrandesign.com. See our portfolio here of award-winning work.

Things that Make You Say Hmm...

This body of water has...wait for it...large amounts of WATER!"
"Dihydrogen monoxide" =  two (di) hydrogens to one (mono) oxygen = H₂O
It's exactly what the fish ordered.

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Industry humor at its best...

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This place is noted for its historical accuracy.

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Top down management: "Honesty is the best policy."

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This pharmacy must be located in Colorado.

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There was a budget shortfall. Use your imagination.

How to assassinate your brand: 5 hacks that will KILL it dead.

Brands are alive. They breath. They require attention and nourishment. In fact, your brand is the driving life force of your business. The healthier it is, the more trust it has, the more loyal brand evangelists you’ll gain, and the more enhanced your bottom-line will become.

However, there are those who think they can achieve great branding by learning to do it themselves. (You know, read some articles, copy someone whom you think is “doing it right,” etc.) But the reality is that bargain-basement branding is a surefire way to erode trust with your customers, decrease your customer base, turn away prospects, and…well, you get the picture.

5 Brand-Killing Hacks:

1. Shoot from the hip with your messaging.
   Who needs strategy, right? Don’t waste your time or money researching and planning. Why would you want to cultivate a relationship with your customer? Disregarding this will save you a lot of time.
2. Tell the same story as everybody else.
   “We’re the best!” “Quality is our middle name!” “New and improved”. Whatever you do, don’t make it meaningful or significant. Resist the temptation to cultivate one brand voice. Keep mute on how it’s different from your competitors. Hide the passion behind your business’ launch and refrain from demonstrating and promoting this passion anywhere at any time. And by all means, don’t ever discuss how it benefits the consumer and their community.
3. Don’t bother trying to connect with a prospect.
   You just want to sell a product not really talk with them. You’re not interested in relationship anyway. So keep any shared values and vision to yourself. Stay away from engaging with them where they live, especially on social media. Resist spending energy and resources sharing your story and educating and involving your customer in the process.
4. Hire your friend’s nephew who’s in college.
   This will go a long way in helping him with his senior project and getting his degree...at your company’s expense, of course. The nephew can help you with all sorts of marketing projects like “designing” and building your own website, collateral, planning, and more. Don’t be baited into hiring a professional, who can get to the heart of your story, target your prospect, and convey your unique message and shared values. Understand that professional brand marketing skills—discovering, researching, analyzing, planning, executing, and supporting—and all the marketing tools of the trade, are waaaay over-rated. Besides, you’re helping a future marketing professional that some day may help other businesses actually reach their potential. Don’t linger on that irony.
5. Ignore social media.
   It’s a time sucker anyway and kind of gets back to that whole relationship/trust thing. You don’t need to listen to your targets and what they are saying, they need to listen to you. After all, you’ve got something fantastic to sell them. Remember it’s not about them, it’s about you. It’s a monologue NOT a dialog. They need to help you out...you’ve got bills to pay. Don’t be burdened with the hassle of trying to figure out what they want. They should know.... It’s your product. Besides, they know where to find you.

Obviously this is all tongue-in-cheek to make a point: Successfully targeted branding is not just about price, it’s also about the quality of the brand product boosted by the quantity of effort put behind its development. Just like you wouldn’t hire a football player to perform surgery on you, a branding professional can offer a wealth of knowledge and experience toward marketing and building your brand. They have the skills to plan, develop, influence, engage, and evolve your brand successfully.

How to Avoid Irking.

What’s the one thing that irks B2B buyers the most about their sales representatives?

• The lack of understanding of their company? No.
• The lack of understanding of their needs? No.
• The lack of understanding of their industry? No.
• The lack of listening? Yep. You guessed it.

It seems elementary, but the first thing sales representatives have to do is learn to LISTEN better.

A recent 2017 international survey asked 200 B2B buyers to choose from a list of their greatest challenges during the process of searching for and identifying which business products and services they would buy. Overwhelmingly, the most common complaint was that their sales rep was unwilling to listen.

Specifically, 65% of the buyers said sales representatives were more interested in selling their products and services than listening to their needs. By comparison, 31% pointed to sales reps not understanding their needs.

This survey exposes a huge problem: Many sales representatives are more company-focused rather than customer-centric. In fact, many B2B marketers admitted that most of their corporate content was company-focused rather than centered on the customer’s needs.

Other results indicated that B2B customers wanted help running their businesses, valued industry knowledge, and appreciated vendor dependability.

Are you listening?



Source: Marketingcharts.com

Messaging: The Key to Winning More Deals

Sure, sales representatives want more qualified leads, but what else can their companies do to help them succeed?

According to a new survey by Televerde, better messaging is the key ingredient. They surveyed more than 200 sales representatives who sell B2B products/services, with companies who have $50 million+ in revenues. The respondents were asked “What can marketing do to help them win more deals?” Interestingly, “better messaging” was cited by more respondents as a top-5 assist (even more than “more qualified leads”). Sales wants the ability to deliver a distinct point of view that uniquely positions their company as THE solution provider.

Sales reps were looking for...

• better messaging,
• better marketing materials,
• more case studies & testimonials, and
• vertical and segment targeting and materials.

Sales reps said...

• Content marketing has emerged as an important sales tool
• Industry events are one of the most useful marketing activities
• Value propositions are needed (something again tied to messaging.)
• Case studies and sales presentations are also very important marketing assets. (The B2B buyers believe that the sales presentation is the most important content asset.)

In the end, most sales representatives felt fairly confident about their relationship and alignment with their company’s objectives and marketing goals.



Source: Marketingcharts.com

5 Tips for Healthy Reputation Management

Online Reputation Management (ORM) has become big business. In many ways it's the digital division of public relations. Review sites and social media provide the means for immediate complaint (or praise) and have given rise to the need for companies to proactively monitor and address all comments. On the upside, these sites deliver a great opportunity for customer feedback and positive publicity. On the downside, it can be potentially damaging for a company’s reputation. Everyone has an opinion and the www gives them a forum.

Five Tips For ORM:

1. Be your reputation’s watchdog.
   We can’t stress enough the importance of monitoring your reputation. And it’s not limited to human interaction, but also search engine finds, ie. SEO. With onlookers constantly checking, commenting, and rating your every move, it can be a daunting task to manage. However, there are agencies (like ours) that can help you manage the watchdog process.
2. Proactively and empathetically respond to the comments.
   This is the number one tenet to managing your online reputation. Don’t ignore the bad review, but rather use this as an opportunity to demonstrate concern and excellent customer service. In other words be quick to address it and always start with an apology, even if you're not at fault. Get the story and develop a solution. Ideally, a phone call to the dissatisfied customer (when possible) with concern and resolution can alleviate and turn a frustrated customer into a happy one. For a large corporation this could mean 100s or even 1000s of contacts, but it will be worth it. When it’s not possible to call the person, address it publicly and avoid being negative in return. Make every effort to turn the naysayer into an advocate.
3. Push the positive.
   This is PR 101 in both traditional and digital formats. Beat the drum with the good stuff by using online media to tout your company’s accomplishments and social consciousness, then provide clickable evidence. Be funny, if the opportunity allows. (It shows personality.) Tweet, post on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and your blog! The possibilities are vast.
4. Be persistent in protecting your reputation and don’t game the system.
   Know what your current reputation is and be vigilant with improving it by encouraging people to give comments. After a successful transaction, make a call, invite them in person, or send an email with a link to rate your service and product. Keep your reviews current and don’t let them get stale. Consumers tend to ignore reviews older than three or four months anyway. But beware and be honest. Don’t hire “false positives.” They are almost always found out and exposed.
5. Have foresight with a plan.
   Have a vision as to where you want your reputation to be in a year and have a preemptive “damage control” plan in place. No one can stop all negative comments or happenings, but having a proactive plan and response prepared in advance will go a long way to quickly reducing fallout, making today’s news yesterday’s.

Bottom line? The unpredictability of the future can be managed and even harnessed if you’re willing to play the game proactively.

Things that Make You Say "Hmm"...

Cover photo for "Parking for Dummies."

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Fowl inspiration from Hitchcock's "The Birds."

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Wouldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole...or higher.

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This cat burglar is being framed for stealing the limelight.

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Special deal on a granny bath! Limited time only.

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The dozen-penny difference is a significant game-changer.

Three Words that Will Change Your Business Forever: Focus. Focus. Focus.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Aristotle

“FOCUS” is a foundational principle of branding. Without it, generalities distract, distort, and discredit your brand. Here are five ways to develop and keep it:

1. A laser focus is simple. 
What most companies lack are not ideas at all, but judgment. Good ideas are everywhere. Good judgment is a relatively scarce commodity. Thoughtfully consider all your options and then make your decision based on that simple “stand-out” idea.
2. A laser focus is memorable. 
You can't make yourself or your company successful. Only your customers can do that. A memorable focus has an element of shock. If James Carville had said, "It's the economy," the media probably would have ignored the message. However, "It's the economy, stupid." got their attention.
3. A laser focus is powerful. 
Does your choice of copy and visuals make an impact on your customers, or do you follow rote industry jargon and visuals? Step out of your box with a creative vengeance.
4. A laser focus needs an enemy. 
For you to be truly successful, others must fail. Know what you’re up against and devise a plan of attack.
5. A laser focus is the future. 
A laser-focused company puts its best people and most of its resources into the products or services that represent the future. In the short term there will be a need to handle yesterday's products in an efficient way. That should not, however, distract management from putting most of their attention on tomorrow's focus. Decide what single product, service, or idea is your best hope for the future and let this become your focus.

Millennials, Millennials, Millennials! That's all I ever hear. But what about...

Millennials are receiving more and more attention. Companies are developing marketing plans to target this demographic; the news media constantly features the sometimes erratic and wild behavior of this demographic; politicians tweet to influence; while the education system caters to their emotional needs.

It's easy to understand why everyone is clamoring: Their size is bigger than the Baby Boomer generation and they're on the cusp of becoming the generation with the most spending power and influence. What's not easy? Figuring them out. According to Goldman-Sachs, "Millennials have grown up in a time of rapid change, giving them a set of priorities and expectations sharply different from previous generations." Point taken.

But what about...the GenXers? It almost sounds like the middle-child (Jan Brady) syndrome, where the GenXers is often forgotten, being sandwiched between Baby Boomers and Millennials. According to AdWeek, "The numbers tell the story. Last year, CNBC analyzed a large sample of companies' earnings calls with Wall Street analysts. In 17,776 transcripts reviewed, companies mentioned Generation X just 16 times. While executives gave millennials plenty of love, the network noted, 'companies do not seem to pay much attention to Gen X at all.'"

Interesting facts about the GenXer:

• Born between 1965 and 1982 (they are in the mid-30s to around 50)
• Have a sense of doom
• Have been called the "Latch Key Kids," the "New Lost Generation," and the "Why Me Generation."
• Only 49% think they are unique.
• Only 41% associate themselves as Xers.
• It is a smaller group than Boomers (77 million) and Millennials (83 million) at only 65 million.
 

Even more interesting facts as to why marketers should NOT ignore GenXers.

• They have $125 billion in spending power.
• 31% of the income dollars are in America.
• They have the highest brand loyalty.
• 81% are "moderate" to "extreme" brand loyalists.
• 81% shop online, spending over $1,900 per Xer on average per year.
• 75% are happy with their lives.

Given these facts, marketers will do well not to be distracted by the hype of Millennials and the demands of Baby Boomers, and pay a lot more attention to the "middle child."

Sources:
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/5-reasons-marketers-have-largely-overlooked-generation-x-170539
http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/pages/millennials/

The Art of Spreading Your Message

“Focusing solely on what you can potentially do better than any other organization is the only path to greatness.” 

–Jim Collins, author of Good to Great

People are hardwired to notice difference. In an information-rich, time-poor era, distinction that raises your brand above the competition is critical for success. So be different and consider integrating the following:

1. Coherent brands deliver confidence. The physical appearance of your presentation and marketing literature conveys expertise, talent, and quality. A coherent system of communication saves time (and, by extension, money). A coherent system allows you to be prepared at every point in the sales cycle, from introduction to first meeting to client communications. Perhaps most importantly, a coherent package of information sends this critical message: "We have our act together."
2. Branding helps establish your credentials. When presenting the services your company offers, don't forget to cover the basics in describing your firm: the six Ps--philosophy, process, people, products, performance, and price. This usually applies when prospects are getting to know you, but many even existing clients need to be reminded of your credentials and unique offerings.
3. Good brands respect the rules of storytelling. Covering the basics does not mean pouring yourself straight into the philosophy-process-people mold. Keep in mind that your competitors will be presenting similar information. Capture the imagination of your audience by emulating the elements of any well-crafted story: a strong opening, passion, universal truth, satisfaction as the plot unfolds, and a memorable close.