Posts tagged ‘Marketing’

Linchpins #3 Triad

By David Horne, 30 July, 2010, 5 Comments

Hello friends.

I have the great fortune to live in an area with some very bright folks in the MarCom world. In the last month or so I’ve had an opportunity to get to know some great folks. You should get to know them too.

John Cass- He is the head of digital marketing efforts at Pace Communications. John is brilliant and generous. None are better at business blogging strategy than John. You can find him at PR Communications and @johncass.

Kevin Briody- Kevin heads up strategic partnerships at Ignite Social Media. This man is full of ideas pertaining to social media business application. Check out Social Mallard and @kevinbriody.

Bob Knorp- Most people know him as the voice behind The Beancast. It is one of the premier marketing/advertising podcasts. Bob is also an incredible brand strategist. He can also be found at @thebeancast.

Jeff SanGeorge- Jeff stirs things up as head of Connect Marketing and Design. Jeff combines creative design with the technical knowledge to execute. Reach out to Jeff at @jeffsangeorge.

Ken Pitman- He is the mastermind behind Square Hat Media and Presidente of Social Media Club Greenboro. He is one of the wittiest on Twitter. Find him here @kennedypittman.

Mitch Miles- Mitch has amazing charisma. He is founder of The 26.2 Group and a sought after public speaker. If you get the chance to hear him, he is a true spellbinder. When not on stage Mitch is here @mitchmiles

Vanessa Boynton- She leads the social media efforts at M Creative and creates art at VanessaBoynton.com . Vanessa recently won an award for her one of her illustrations. Online she can be found at @vboynton.

Brandon Pierce & Danielle Hatfield- This is the dynamic duo behind Experience Farm. They do wonderful web design and new media work. Check them out at @dhatfield and @brandonpierce

Kyle Lambert- Kyle is the big kahuna at Callout Creative. He has an incredible eye for design and visual communications. Not to mention he is hilarious. Kyle is on Twitter at @calloutcreative.

There are many more folks to come on this list, stay tuned. Research has shown that following these folks will make you smarter and extend your life expectancy by 6 years.

Have a great weekend.

Purpose minded not process minded

By David Horne, 12 July, 2010, 6 Comments

Be purpose minded not process minded. That statement will help you immensely.

I work with companies sometimes that are focused on the process. Which isn’t horrible unless you focus only on the process. How do we find customers and get them to do something? What constraints can we eliminate to be more productive? These are all decent questions but they are not the root of the problem. Organizations fall into short term thinking that could lead to trouble when they only work at the mechanics. David, what does this have to do with marketing? Everything. Purpose minded companies have great marketing strategies.

Last week I spoke with Clay Moseley at Blue Sky Factory. They are an email service provider that has a great product and Clay was showing me some of their new features. BSF is a company that is purpose driven. Their purpose is to help organizations succeed by providing the best email services and products for their clients. The purpose is their focus. Their purpose has produced amazing customer service, smart and passionate ambassadors like DJ Waldow, Chris Penn, and Greg Cangialosi, and innovative products like SocialSync.

Process mind organizations get caught up in X’s and O’s and become disconnected from the intangibles (like relationships and a good story ) that make businesses grow and build community. I worked at a golf retail store one time that fell into this. We started out providing great value to our customers because our purpose was to provide the right equipment to help golfers play better. Clients used to drive across town because they knew the support they would receive from us would be in their best interest. Then one day the management lost its focus. They began trying to achieve their goals by cutting corners and selling specific products with higher margins instead of meeting customer needs. They became process minded. They went out of business.

Purpose minded is long term. Process minded is short term.

Purpose minded enhances every other part of your business. Process minded stifles the greatness of your business.

I encourage you to look at yourself (since we can apply this to our own lives) and your business. Changing a mindset is usually the answer to increasing leads, sales, customer loyalty, etc.

What is your purpose?

A marketing story: The tortoise and the hare

By David Horne, 30 June, 2010, 2 Comments

Do you remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Did you know it is a marketing story?

The one where the rabbit takes off in a blaze leaving the tortoise moseying behind. We all know the ending, the hare gives out of gas before the finish line and the turtle jogs by breaking the tape.

This story is not unlike mass advertising and social media.

The hare and mass advertising have a lot in common. Mass advertising, like the hare, spends a lot of energy out of the gate but usually expires before the finish. I am not against advertising. Eyeballs don’t mean people are buying or evening listening just like the hare’s speed doesn’t ensure he will win the race. Check out Bob Knorp‘s viewership vs. buyership post along the same lines.

The tortoise reminds me of social media. Social wins the race by consistently delivering value and building trust. Reaching the right people with the right message takes patience and persistent effort. Building relationships that connect folks to your company is a marathon not a sprint. Here is a good post by Trey Pennington on how to win with social.

Could these two different animals work together?

Mass marketing is good at getting a message to a large number of people. With enough money, ads can overcome the invisible impressions with frequency and depth. If you get in front of enough people you will reach somebody that presently wants what you have. If you try this with social media it will fail. Social media is not about exposure. It is about community and conversation.

Advertising and social media can work hand in hand when they both focus on relevance and permission. Advertising to people that want to receive your message converts. Using social to build advocacy and retention through human interactions after reach is huge.

Your thoughts?

photo credit: peretzpup

A match made in marketing heaven

By David Horne, 27 April, 2010, 1 Comment

Toms Shoes + Whole Foods = match made in marketing heaven

Recently, I was in Winston Salem and witnessed the marketing arranged marriage between TOMS and Whole Foods. I have to admit these two are perfect for each other. Well done Brad Otts, the cupid in this love story. Here is a link about the matrimony between TOMS & Whole Foods.

When I was in college Dr. Hanson talked a lot about the Marketing Mix and its Four Ps; Price, Promotion, Place, and Product. When two brands share these ingredients, a good partnership will result. Let’s take a look:

Price: This is how much the customer pays for the product. TOMS and Whole Foods do not sell average products. They are not selling toothpicks. When you are buying toothpicks you go for cheap. Brand is less important. All you want to do is get the spinach out of your teeth so the person next to you doesn’t run away. They are selling something with similar perceived value and a comparative price. Customers that pay for Whole Foods groceries will also pay for TOMS shoes.

Takeaway: Do you price your product or service to match the perceived value of your audience? Do you bottom feed on price? Only try to be the cheapest if it makes sense. Sell your goods at a fair price that satisfies your tribe.

Promotion: These brands have parallel paths in this part of the mix. Their Advertising, PR, Word-of-Mouth, Point-of-Sale, and New Media channels reach the same target. Their promotion segments a specific person in mind. To me promotion is best done by telling a story. TOMS’ and Whole Foods’ stories speak to the same audience.

Takeaway: Identify your ideal customers. Be relevant to their needs and tell the stories they want to be characters in.

Place: Location is still important. Be where you are found. TOMS’ ideal prospects shop at Whole Foods and Whole Foods’ ideal prospects wear Toms shoes.

Takeaway: In the digital landscape place is equally important. Find where your customers and prospects are by using twitter search, blogs, google, facebook, youtube, etc.

Product: Most importantly the products are compatible. You won’t find Nikes in Whole Foods or TOMS in Walmart. This relationship works because the products have the same suit. It is hard to build continuity with spades and diamonds. The suits don’t match. TOMS’ and Whole Foods’ customers are socially conscience, eco-friendly, and “Organic.” They are both hearts. They influence and are influenced by the same culture (check out Jackie Adkins regarding the influence of culture).

Takeaway: Product relationships have to be able to leverage the same ecosystems. You wouldn’t pair McDonald’s with Dom Pérignon. You would pair Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. Leverage will make your marketing invisible.

These Ps aren’t the only ones. There are also some Cs and Ss and Rs. I do hope you think about what you are trying to accomplish with developing your brand and growing your business. In the article above, Brad, talks about the how Whole foods understands what TOMS is about and would want to be a part of it. That is gold. They built a mutually beneficial relationship that is win-win for both companies. Seek those partnerships where you can be advocates for each other. Your customers are looking for it.

What say you?

Three words we should never say

By David Horne, 25 March, 2010, 5 Comments

“It was nothing.” The three words we should never say.

This week I was working through a customer experience where I was on the customer end. Oddly enough, I had a snake in my house. You mean on your property in the yard. NO. I mean in my kitchen. Imagine, coming downstairs for some breakfast, you turn the corner with visions of your favorite AM fare, and out from the oven is a four foot reptilian house guest. Now imagine working diligently in your office and hearing a scream from downstairs followed up with SNAKE! When I arrived on the scene, the snake had retreated under the stove. What do I do? Who should I call? Samuel L. Jackson?

I called our city’s animal control, they came out to the house and left within three minutes since they weren’t allowed to remove it unless the snake was out in the open. My tax dollars at work. Anyway, I had to call a professional service. I spoke with a gentleman named David (I like him already). He told me to “catch a snake, we have to think like a snake.” I knew this was going to be good. He showed up and took care of the problem like a pro. He told some great stories of his adventures and I could tell he took pride in his work. When he left I knew he had given me his best. I like that. If I ever have a need for his services again, I know he will show up with his A game.

This was refreshing. How many times do we get a “It was nothing” when involved with a customer service interaction? Does that sound like the person is giving you their best or just enough to get by? The fact is, it may be nothing to them but it is everything to the customer at that moment. I have been guilty of this in the past. I might say something like “no problem” or “it’s no big deal.” That is wrong. It is a big deal to them. Don’t be afraid to let people know that you gave them your all. Don’t be a whiner or martyr and don’t waste their time going through all of the details but let them know it took effort. People love that. This is marketing. This is customer service.

Let’s rethink how we interact with prospects and customers. Are we putting the best into our blog content and social media conversations? Are we bringing our A game to every area our business?

Your thoughts?