When genius makes you jealous

So…I’m driving home on the Interstate the other day, minding my own business, listening to NPR and watching the normally heavy, rush-hour traffic flow around me. Even though I know the route like the back of my hand, I still have to be attentive and alert with so many cars weaving in and out in all three lanes.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a small, yellow VW that is COMPLETELY covered with advertising! He makes it past me and settles into traffic about three car lengths ahead. Now, being a marketing professional, I HAD to find out what was going on with this car! “Darn it, van, get out of my way! I’ve got important business to attend to!” I was doing everything I could to catch up to the mysterious German automobile…paying less-than-normal attention to safety, or the other cars on the road.

Finally, after about 10 miles, I caught it. MuralPop.com. Plastered all over the car, windshields and all! Quite a sight to see cruising down the interstate during rush hour traffic. “MuralPop.com.” Certainly I would look them up when I got home. And…I’m betting…so will YOU, now!

And that’s the point! This company did something that made it stand out from the ordinary. They covered a car and simply drove through traffic. And if it got this jaded marketer’s attention, you’ve got to believe that it REALLY caught the eye of other drivers and passengers. When you’re looking for ways to stand out from the crowd, be inventive. Take some risks. Don’t simply settle for the same, old “tried and true.” People become desensitized to advertising. They are bombarded with it to the point where they don’t even see it anymore. Which means your message—and your money—was just thrown down the drain. Be bold, innovative, unconventional. In the end, you might just become rich because of it.

Nice job, MuralPop.com. You made me look. Which makes me jealous!

It's what's inside the box that counts, or is it?

On my way home from work I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few essential items. The plan, get in and get out. 20 minutes later I realized I was standing in the snack aisle. I didn't need any potato chips or cheez its, but somehow I was drawn to go down that aisle and pick up a box. So I asked myself why, was it because I felt I needed it, no, it was because I was attracted to the package - the design and color. A lot of effort and research is placed in a package design. And the battle at the shelf is fierce and can be won by how a product is perceived. I won't go into the all strategies and secrets of package design, but color is one of the main components.

Multiple colors can trigger hunger, the most influential colors being red, orange and yellow. Look at the fast-food chains, McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy's, all use these colors in their logo and advertising. Red makes people hungry and instantly attracts attention. It is no coincidence that package designers, major grocery store chains, and fast-food chains utilize red in their branding. Subconsciously it tells the customers they are hungry and attracts their attention. When it comes to food, food product branding and companies, red is dominant

So next time you are at the grocery store, gaze down the aisle and notice what colors there are and what items you are attracted to.

A fence doesn’t make a comfortable chair!

We've all heard it a thousand times: "I like what you're proposing, but I need to think it over."

A week turns into a month. And an army of advisors come on the scene. Accountants, lawyers, spouses, employees -- suddenly the would-be decision-maker can't make a move until a town hall is convened, a vote is held and the count is certified.

And all the while, you know the deal is going south. Those prospects are engaged in a delaying tactic, sitting squarely on the fence. Your challenge is to push them off. And I do mean "push," because the conventional approaches of coaxing, begging, pleading and cajoling don't work. In fact, they have the inverse effect. As you look weaker and more desperate, prospects become that much more determined to nail themselves to the fence.

"OK," you ask, "how do I accomplish this push without being overly aggressive?"

Well, you need to start by understanding that the prospect is refusing to make a decision because of one primary reason: fear. Your goal is to identify the fear, and then dismantle it.

The following are the top five fear factors and how to remove them as obstacles to your sale:

1. I'm spending money that I think I'm better off saving.
   
   Response: You won't ever make money by saving it. I know you may be concerned about making a purchase at this time, but this isn't a purchase; it's an investment. If you believe it's a quality product or service, as you say you do, there's no reason not to invest now and reap the rewards going forward. Good investments start to pay dividends immediately. Why should you wait to start collecting returns?



2. There are far more attractive pricing options on the internet; I'd be overpaying if I accepted your terms.
   
   Response: It's true that you get what you pay for. The online vendor you're contemplating likely has no direct service support, no history with you and your brands, you've never heard of them or they are not as well regarded as we are. Saving pennies now to give back dollars later never makes sense. By thinking this over endlessly, you're failing to put the asset you need or want into place. That means you're denying yourself personally by failing to arm your business with a competitive weapon, and you're acting as your own worst enemy.



3. My whole team is not onboard with the purchase. The final decision is mine, of course, but I want it to be a consensus.
   
   Response: Consensus is just another word for a committee. You're right, you are the leader. The best way for leaders to lead is to take action while others are paralyzed. I assure you, given the superiority of this product, once it's in place your team will appreciate your wisdom and foresight. In fact, I'm going to ask a fellow manager who purchased this from me to contact you and share his experience to date. He too faced resistance internally -- some people always say "no" -- but he forged ahead and now the decision is widely viewed as a game-changer.



4. What if a new model comes out shortly that makes this version obsolete or second best?
   
   Response: I give you my word that we don't have any new models ready for market any time soon, nor do our competitors. What's more, when we do get ready to release a new version, you'll be among the first to know, and I will work with my company to offer you an attractive upgrade opportunity, if you so desire. You'll get the best of both worlds: our current state-of-the-art offering and a great trade-in deal as soon as a new version is available. There's no reason not to act now. You're protected.



5. This economy is so shaky; it doesn't seem to make sense to do anything until we have a clearer picture of the macroeconomics.
   
   Response: One of the worst things you can do is allow macroeconomics to dictate how you do business. The world, the economy, is not going to collapse. It may stay weak for longer than we'd both like, but when the pie shrinks, the winners move proactively to claim a bigger piece of it. Those who sit in bunkers waiting for the dust to settle always fall behind those who took immediate action.

Led by the rules of traditional selling, the tendency is to try to entice fence-sitters with sales, deals, special offers, etc., but I say no to that. Find the fear, and demonstrate through a firm rebuttal that the object of concern is really a paper tiger.

Great salespeople don't try to charm fence-sitters into action. They make it uncomfortable for them to keep stalling by forcing them to confront their fears.

Easy way to FAIL!

I opened my email the other day to find a message from BranchOut, asking me to "Like" its page and I'd immediately be entered for a chance to win a new iPad. Good enough, I thought—it's an easy click on the button, I already enjoy the service, and who wouldn’t want a new iPad. So...

"Click"

Immediately, a new window appears stating "503 Error—Request could not be completed."

Hmmm….okay, let’s try that again. "Click."

Same message: "503 Error—Request could not be completed."

At this point, I'm done. Out of here. If you can't do a simple thing like process the link from your OWN email, then I don't have time to wait, and won't remember to come back at a later date. It's not THAT important.

That's the message here. When you engage the customer—whether through email, social media, print advertising or face-to-face, make sure you can complete your offer and satisfy the customer’s need or want AT THAT MOMENT. If you take the mindset that they will return later, or there's another chance tomorrow, or you will "get around to it," you've shown the customer that he or she is less important in this exchange than whatever you are doing. Your customer has a variety of things to do during their day—things that are important to them—and if they've taken part of their valuable time to interact with you, they want to know that you're giving them you undivided attention.

Because if you don’t, there’s certainly no shortage of others who will.

To blog…or not to blog. That is the question.

Corporate websites are often little more than interactive brochures that display basic information and describe what the business offers. But if you’re looking to do more — establish yourself as thought leaders in the industry, develop relationships with customers or gather feedback from prospects and clients — then a company blog is a much better choice.

"A blog can also be the centerpiece for a social media effort, driving visitors from Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn back to the blog through calls-to-action and landing pages," explains Douglas Karr, the author of Corporate Blogging for Dummies. "A blog has the flexibility to produce content easily, syndicate that content through any medium using RSS, and convert that audience into customers."

Unfortunately, if approached incorrectly, a company blog has just as much potential to embarrass your company or alienate customers. Mashable recently asked Karr, internet marketing experts, and small business bloggers about the most common mistakes that companies make when starting a blog — and how to avoid them.

• Starting Without a Strategy

Don’t take starting a company blog lightly. Even if only a handful of people visit it at first, those few people will likely be clients or have the potential to become them.

"The biggest mistake that most small businesses make when it comes to blogging is to assume that it’s an easy task," explains Marjorie R. Asturias, the president of web marketing firm Blue Volcano Media. "That sets them up for a cascade of mistakes, starting with the fact that they generally jump in without a discernible strategy, much less something as essential as an editorial calendar."

When thinking through your blog strategy, consider:

• Is a blog right for my business? "Some companies aren’t social and never will be. If you can’t keep generating content, then don’t start," explains Karr. "If you can’t be transparent, don’t start. If you can’t respond to negativity, don’t start. You need to understand the ramifications of making mistakes or blogging poorly before you decide haphazardly to begin."
  


• What business objective do I want to accomplish? Your goals should drive your content. If your goal is to connect with industry thought leaders, for instance, your content will be much different than if your goal is to drive more sales. Christian Russell, who runs sales blog Dangerous Tactics, found this out the hard way. "Originally I was operating on the belief that having a blog and posting good content regularly was the recipe for sales," he says. "But I found a huge separation between people reading my blog and those who were buying from me. I’ve only just recently begun making changes to the site to make offers much more clear, and I’ve already noticed important changes. Instead of just getting subscribers, I’m getting more inquiries and leads for what I sell." Karr says that acquisition, retention, building authority and customer support are all strategies to consider.
  


• Am I willing to allocate the necessary resources? As the saying goes: No pain, no gain. If you set up a blog, expect to dedicate time and resources. Josh Chan, an online marketing specialist at Chromatix design admits that his company’s blog underestimated the commitment. "Trying to come up with valuable content even just once a day means someone in your small business has to spend at least 30 minutes to an hour preparing and posting it," he says.
  


• Making it All About You

It’s a fact: Companies tend to talk about how great they are. But a blog exclusively discussing this point is bound for not-so-greatness. Before posting a shamelessly promotional blog entry, please note:

• A blog is not a press section. There should be a section on your site that is dedicated to company news, if you’re willing to share it. But using your blog this way can be detrimental. "Blogs allow consumers to view the human side of a business, but repeated promotional posts take away the brand’s personality and position the blog as a one-way advertising medium rather than an engagement platform," explains Whitney Sewell, a social media manager at Social Media Solutions.
  


• Your audience’s needs. "Businesses want to write dry, information-based articles that highlight their own accomplishments," explains Angela Neal, an online marking consultant based in Scotland. "I see blogs full of statistics and product details that are full of jargon and technical terms that only somebody within the company would know or understand."

Take a step back and think about what your readers want to learn about. Is it advice? Analysis? Industry news? Figure out what you can provide that is valuable to your readers.

• Failure to Link

Links should be an integral component of anything that calls itself a blog. To embrace them to their fullest:

• Don’t be afraid to link out: "Many business blogs get so carried away with minimizing PageRank leakage that they end up stifling their blog’s narrative potential," says Rohin Guha, a community manager at online marketing firm Blue Phoenix Media. "As a company, you want to present the impression that you know what’s happening in the world around you, and unless your daily archives can fill that role, you’ll have to turn to other sources." Guha suggests setting a minimum number of links for each blog post to get in the habit of linking out.



• Don’t forget to link to yourself: Digital filing company OfficeDrop hosted a blog on its site for more than a year without linking back to the main page. "Some of our blog entries are the most visited pages on our site, and some of them are very high PageRank sites," says Head of Marketing Healy Jones. "Now, we take advantage of the SEO power and readership of the blog to have SEO links all over the blog that link back to different pages on our website. Since the blog has a lot of search engine juice (it has a lot of inbound links), we now use it aggressively to transfer rank to the most important pages on our main site."
  


• Not Being Yourself

Being yourself means a couple of things:

• Don’t make the intern write the blog: Have someone who can represent the company write about it. An intern impersonating the CEO does not cut it.
  


• Let some "human" show: No one wants to read stiff, corporate jumble. Plus, it’s easier and more engaging to write like a person and not a corporate entity.
  


• A personal tone doesn’t mean that you blog about personal matters: "This isn’t the opportunity to post your favorite ’80s video off of YouTube," Karr says. "This is the opportunity to wow your audience by being a subject matter expert in your field. Keep your personal stories on your personal blog or on Facebook — where your next prospect won’t be offended by them."



• Blog what you know: What works for everyone else might not work for your company. When Stella Fayman started a blog for FeeFighters.com, she looked at other small businesses’ blogs and saw they were all blogging about social media. Seeing how this topic worked for them, she started blogging about social media even though it was only tangentially related to the company.

"After a while, I realized that in order to establish our brand as a small business finance resource, we needed to blog about what no one else talking about and what was more related to our business: small business operations and finance," she says. "Our traffic increased significantly after we made this switch."

• Ignoring Social Media

Your posts are not going to promote themselves. Get the word out by leveraging your company’s social media accounts. When you write a new post, discuss it on Twitter and Facebook. Make sure all of your social profiles include a link to your blog. When someone comments on your blog or contacts you about something you wrote through another channel, respond.

"Remember, the biggest benefit of the social web is building relationships, so you must make an effort to engage your readers and respond to them in a timely manner that not only acknowledges them, but makes them feel like valued members of your online community," says Susan Gunelius, CEO of marketing communications company KeySplash Creative.

Don't Forget National Caramel Corn Day!

Caramel Corn day is rapidly approaching, so don’t miss out on a new business opportunity, or a chance to improve your current line. National Caramel Corn Day will take place on Thursday, April 28th.

Hear success stories and speak to people who know the secrets to success. Gold Medal is your one-stop-shop for all your caramel corn needs. Whether it's for a small or large store, we have it all! Register now at a location near you.

Click here to learn more about National Caramel Corn Day:
Register of National Caramel Corn Day.

The Mistake That Can Kill Your Business

Too many times, as entrepreneurs, we get consumed with trying to do it all. We cram in one more email, one more blog post, one more sneak peek at Facebook or Twitter. We stay up late into the night tweaking one more ad, putting one more image on our website, or adding one more item to our to-do list. Sound familiar?

And pretty quickly, we go into overwhelm mode, where we’re busy putting out fires instead of believing in ourselves. We begin to crumble under the weight of our growing business, and we lose ourselves in escapism. We focus on only what has to be done today instead of looking forward to tomorrow, and we’re just relieved when our inbox finally gets to zero.

But is that what really matters most? Our inbox getting to zero? All those piddly things getting done?

No.

What matters most is to keep moving forward with our business. To block out the tidal wave of new emails, new Tweets, and “one more thing” and to remember, instead, to create every day. To bring something new into the world.

The Sales of a Smile

The other day I was walking my dog when a somewhat poorly-dressed man approached us. Normally, I would have avoided him, or at least tried to hurry past any encounter we might have. But, because the dog is a friendly type, we stopped. He smiled, petting the dog and inquiring about his name, breed and disposition. After a short conversation, he hit me with the sales pitch: he was trying to drum up business in the area for any handyman work. I apologized and told him I didn’t need it, but I would certainly pass the information on to a few friends who do.

Why would I go out of my way for a complete stranger like that? Simply because he figured out the number one rule in marketing: sell yourself with kindness and a smile. He showed an active interest in something that was important in my life (the dog) and was…well, friendly. Had he approached and immediately launched into a sales pitch, I would have ignored it, or at least forgotten it as soon as we moved on. And, as a marketing professional, I’m the most jaded of people when it comes to “falling” for the pitch!

No amount of slick advertising, or database research or gimmicks will ever replace the true, heartfelt friendliness of one-on-one interaction. Remember that when approached by customers. They don’t congregate in groups, or fit stereotypes, or fall into demographics. They’re real people, who approach you on a one-on-one basis, and like nothing more that to be valued, heard, and appreciated.

So give them your attention. Your smile. Your ear. If you do that with sincerity, they’ll buy…and keep buying…and tell their friends to buy. And that’s more valuable than any direct mail or email campaign.

Now, I need to go tell my friends about this terrific handyman Rascal and I met…

Mix Up Your Marketing For Increased Sales

Have you evaluated your marketing mix lately? True profits come from sales staff on the streets and are backed by memorable marketing efforts. Your community should think of you first for any concession need. Below are a few, easy tips to help you break out of the traditional marketing mix.

Put a “Face” to Your Business
Your time is spread thin, so look at any involvement like a business deal and evaluate the ROI (Return on Investment).

* Consider supporting a charity your customers and community care about

* Write a newspaper column

* Be a guest blogger

* Speak at an event

* Serve on a non-profit board or join a chamber of commerce

Combine Direct Mail with E-Marketing
While social media and E-marketing efforts are effective, many people still look forward to receiving mail and respond to these pieces. Try both and keep in mind these tips for best results.

* Don’t waste money; make sure to continuously update your mailing lists

* Offer opt-in programs on your Website or on any printed piece, including
invoices

* Offer a carrot to get contact information. Combine special deals on social
media sites and support efforts with direct mail pieces

* Avoid SPAM filters. Don’t use: Free, Gurantee(d), One time only, $$, Apply now, ALL CAPS, Excessive punctuation (!! or ??)

* Always include the option to be removed from a mail list

Now Presenting the 2011 Gold Medal Products Catalog

This week, the 67^th edition of our catalog comes out. Every year, we have offered the printed catalog (and recently started adding the online edition) to customers and potential customers alike. Now, I know…many places have nixed the printed version and opted, instead, for just an online version. “It’s cheaper and easier” they say. Although I can’t disagree with them, there is still a valuable place for the printed catalog. For one thing, when you present someone with a printed catalog or brochure, they are inclined to stop, hold it and look at it. More attention is given to that piece and they are more likely to spend time looking at it. It might even sit on their desk for a couple of days giving you a greater chance of getting them to look at your catalog and following up with them. According to website marketing statistics, you have 6 seconds to explain to the viewer exactly what you do and why they should choose you. And unless they know that they want to go just to your website to view your catalog, and that they remember your website name, you may end up being part of a list of options between similar companies fighting for their attention. Therefore, you have a better chance of truly grabbing the attention of your customer by giving them a printed catalog or brochure.

What will make you a valuable asset to your customer is showing them how you can meet their needs by offering access to a highly effective, visually-appealing printed catalog and efficient and easy to use digital catalog, proving to your client that regardless of how their business functions, you are prepared to accommodate their needs now and in the future.

Choosing the Right Name for Your Business

Picking the right name for your business can mean the difference between customer confusion and instant, profitable recognition and recollection. Some believe an oddly unique name can be the most memorable. Just remember, if you question it, mostly likely others will be confused too and you should keep it simple.

First consider what your key product is and who your target market will be. Next, think about where you want to have the most impact. Lastly, the world is becoming more connected through technology; think of key words that people would search for when looking for your specialty service.

For example, Bob’s Shop is not as memorable as Springfield’s Sweets and Popcorn. It quickly tells people where you are, what you do, and includes key search words.

Whatever you choose, do your homework before investing in a name. Nothing is worse than putting money behind a name only to find out you can’t legally use it, or having a similar business name that may confuse your customers and stop them from finding you. Plus, make sure your name is prominent in all your marketing. From traditional pieces to giveaways—for the example above, Bob could give away sample packs, suckers, and scratch & sniff stickers.

Marketing trends for 2011

As we jump into 2011, certain marketing trends will serve us well in the coming year:

1. Social media is here to stay. This is a trend that will definitely continue in 2011. We need to stop thinking about the “cool factor” and really focus in on the true customer interactions that can happen with an effective SM strategy. Let’s figure out how to use these interactions to inform future marketing efforts and maximize customer value.


2. Lead nurturing is at the forefront. For years, marketers have discussed demand generation and have looked at increasing the number of new leads as the most important activity. It is certainly an important focus and continues to drive revenue. But it seems that now we have turned a (good) corner. The focus should not only be on how many leads we have coming in, but how we can nurture these leads, generate true interest and improve their sales readiness. In this way, we can maximize the ROI of our lead generation programs and cost per lead while passing truly qualified leads to our sales teams.


3. Understanding the marketing system. In the past, marketers had a tendency to take a top-down approach to their strategy. We worked on campaigns, on PR, on our websites, etc. But reality has finally set in. We must look at the overall system. Instead of looking at your efforts in a linear fashion, think about it as a circular process – for example, how to create a Website so that it takes advantage of social media, uses content to fuel media interest, and how the next campaign will feed off of this content and maximizes the value of the online interactions of customers and website visitors. Then, use the results of all of these to inform what you will do next week, next month, next quarter.


4. Focus on building relationships. This one is really nothing new or earth-shattering. But we do think that it is critical and one that’s easy to forget as we are all under pressure to generate leads and increased revenue, to do what is new and exciting especially in our digitally-focused world. The key is to figure out which of these strategies will really enable us to engage, to connect and to build the relationships that are so critical in our ever competitive-environment. How do we show the marketplace that we really understand the challenges and then how we bring the right solutions to the table? We need to think about PEOPLE and their NEEDS to solve real problems…not companies, not just demographics.