High Stakes Marketing

High Stakes Marketing

by | Jan 21, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

High-Stakes Marketing

The most high-stakes marketing game in the world is the race for President of the United States. Some estimates say candidates will spend nearly 2.7 billion dollars in the 2020 election to capture a salary of $400,000! Now that’s high-stakes marketing.

I’ve got a list of 14 Presidential Marketing Tactics, this list outlines proven tactics you can utilize to become the “President” of your category, causing customers to vote for you with their cash and credit cards.  Also, the residual effect can last more than 4 short years.

Presidential Marketing Tactic Number Five is, “Be part of your target community.” Learn to live and breathe the same experiences as your customers. 

Willie Davidson says Harley Davidson’s “market research” consists of jumping on a Harley and riding with the boys for the weekend. Living in an isolated ivory tower can make it difficult for you to relate to real customers’ needs, wants, and concerns in your advertising and in your sales approach.

There is, however, one tactic your advertising needs to adhere to that most political campaigns do not….tell the truth! 

Don’t make promises you can’t keep if you want to be in business for more than one term.

Click here for all 14 Presidential Marketing Tactics to place your business at the top of your business category.
 
This weeks article is from a email newsletter I send free of charge on Wednesday mornings, called Sound ADvice.  To be included, fill out your information  in the box below.
 

[wd_hustle id="sound-advice-sign-up" type="embedded"]
The Power of Advertising Slogans

The Power of Advertising Slogans

by | Jan 14, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

The Power of Slogans

“Just Do It!” 

“Melts in your mouth and not in your hands!”

“Nothing runs like a Deere!”

Having a strong slogan with a strong advertising campaign and schedule can propel a business to the top of their category much quicker than without a strong slogan.

Quick, when Hillary Clinton was running against Donald Trump, what was her campaign slogan?

In all likelihood, you either couldn’t name her slogan, or you named one of the following:

“Stronger Together”, “I’m with Her”, or “Love Trumps Hate”.

Now, what was Trump’s slogan? ”Make America Great Again”.  So why was Trump’s slogan better than Clinton’s? It had impact. Regardless of your political preference, at the time, it is what American voters were longing for.

Slogans aren’t just for big national companies.  In fact, because of their size and lack of competition, small and medium-sized businesses that create a strong slogan can have an even greater impact. 

Virtually every successful marketing campaign revolves around the consistent use of a clear benefit statement answering the question, “What’s in it for me?”

Sometimes a slogan is reinforced with music, we call that a jingle.  I’ve got one heating and cooling company that has been using the same memorable jingle for over 50 years.  Another company that I work with uses the slogan, On Time, Done Right, Or it’s Free.

Your slogan is an investment in your brand and your brand is how you are remembered by your customers and future customers.  Don’t try and duplicate your competition but set yourself apart.

Click here to learn how to create a slogan that will work for your marketing campaigns. And contact me to sit down and I’ll work with you to make sure we create a slogan that is unique for your company.

Email Scott@WOWO.com and we’ll set up a time to talk.

This weeks article about business marketing is taken from a recent Sound ADvice media and marketing tips newsletter that I email free to subscribers every Wednesday morning.  Sign up in the box below to get on our mailing list.

[wd_hustle id="sound-advice-sign-up" type="embedded"]
Brand Health Check-Up

Brand Health Check-Up

by | Jan 7, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Brand Health Check-Up

When you own and operate a business and you live and breath it, often, it’s difficult to see when things change.  As they say, sometimes it’s hard to see the forest for the trees.

When is the last time you had a Brand Health Check-Up?

Only politicians can succeed without delivering on their promises, and only weather forecasters can make mistakes every day and still keep their jobs.

Unfortunately, you are neither, so you have to build your business and your brand by delivering on every promise and accurately forecasting how your customers prefer to be served and sold.

Some business owners mistakenly think that a brand is built simply around their business name, location, industry, employees and their paid marketing. But your brand is the sum of everything your customers and prospects hear, see, feel, and experience when they do business with you.

Your brand is who you are, what you do, and how you do it!  Reputation management is an on-going, continual task, and regular check-ups are necessary.

Brands are the sum of the impressions you create at every customer touchpoint; from your advertising to the way you answer your phone, the cleanliness of your buildings, vehicles, and bathrooms, your warranty and return policies, to the way you empower your staff to resolve customer conflicts.

Does your business need a health check? Do you have a clearly defined mission and is it evident at every customer touchpoint?

Click here for a free Brand Health Check to ensure that you are walking the talk. And reach out to me to set up a time for a more in-depth evaluation.  We’ll go through the checklist as a starter and dig deeper into the specifics that pertain to your business operation.  It’s one of my favorite things to do to help people and their businesses become more successful. 

Send me an email to Scott@WOWO.com and you can also subscribe to my weekly Sound ADvice Marketing Tips newsletter that is free to you and will arrive in your email inbox every Wednesday morning.  Just fill out the box below.

[wd_hustle id="sound-advice-sign-up" type="embedded"]

Prepare For Success

Prepare For Success

by | Dec 30, 2019 | Sound ADvice

Onboarding 

Getting Them Off to a GREAT Start

Today, hiring good people is a challenge in itself; keeping them is a whole different ball game.  

When it comes to hiring and adding new people to your business, it’s imperative that they get off to not only a good start, but a GREAT start.

In the human resources world, bringing on a new employee is referred to as “onboarding”.  A definition of onboarding is, “the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization”.

A new employee should never show up to work on their first day and sit around for an hour trying to make themselves useful because the manager didn’t have a plan or wasn’t prepared.

Not only is a strong onboarding process key to the employee’s and the business’s success, but it can also determine how long that employee stays with the company.

An article by Process Street, an onboarding company, quoted a survey that stated “Employees who participate in a structured onboarding program are 69% more likely to stay with an organization for 3 years” and “15% of employees said the lack of an effective onboarding program aided in their decision to quit”.

Don’t confuse onboarding with orientation.  Orientation is a one-time event.  Onboarding is a series of formal, well-planned events that start the day they are hired and can last from one month up to a full year.

Everything from having their workstation ready and business cards printed on their first day to pre-planned weekly and monthly reviews is part of making sure employees feel welcomed, know what’s expected of them, and how they are doing every step of the way.

A good onboarding system only needs to be created one time, then it can be used over and over with only minor tweaks going forward.  

To see the 9 Tips for Successful Onboarding, click here, or, you can find many examples and suggestions by simply googling “onboarding”. 

What you just read is part of my Sound ADvice weekly marketing and business tips email newsletter.  You can join the hundreds of other subscribers that receive it free in their inboxes Wednesday mornings by filling in your information in the box below.  Our next issue will be sent after the holidays. 

[wd_hustle id="sound-advice-sign-up" type="embedded"]

Your Team Dynamics

Your Team Dynamics

by | Dec 23, 2019 | Sound ADvice

It Takes All Types 

 Managing Different Personalities

Most businesses, regardless of the business category or type of work, have a plethora of different personalities.  Keeping them all happy can be a challenge.

There are four basic personality traits: Type A, B, C & D, or more scientifically known as sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic.

It takes all types!

A manager’s responsibility is to keep the team focused, motivated, improving, continuing to do the right things, producing, and, keeping the team in line!  You are part motivator, trainer, psychologist, referee, friend, confidant, evaluator, and prison guard!

So, how do you handle employees with different personalities?  The short answer is, handle them all differently!  They are all different people and how you try to motivate Mary will not necessarily work well with Mark and vice-versa.  With this said, there are areas where you need to be very consistent.  In the areas where you do allow some latitude, make sure both sides understand why this latitude is extended. Maintaining their trust is extremely important. 

Always keep in mind that regardless of the type of business you are in, your team will be made up of different people, with different personalities and they will come in different shapes, colors, and sizes. But, they all will have one thing in common and that is… they are human, and as managers, it’s our job to lead by example and treat them with respect. Give them the attention to help them be as successful as they possibly can be. Never ask them to do something you are not willing to do yourself.   Respect is earned!  I wish you the very best in earning it!

Remember, it takes all types! 

If you would like to see the “7 Personality Traits of Top Salespeople” that was published in the Harvard Business Journal, click here.  We believe that these same traits will provide a good base for any position within any company.

This weeks ScLoHo Media and Marketing Update was from a weekly newsletter I send nearly every Wednesday.  We are taking a couple weeks off during the holidays but if you want to start receiving them in your inbox in 2020, fill out the form below.

[wd_hustle id="sound-advice-sign-up" type="embedded"]

The Media versus The Message

The Media versus The Message

by | Jun 26, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

In the never-ending maze of online media, on-air media, outdoor media, direct mail, and print media, business owners often ask, “Which media works best?” or, “Which media platform will give me the highest return on my investment?”

If you ask an honest and knowledgeable media person, they will tell you, the media isn’t necessarily the most important criteria when it comes to effective marketing. The truth is, there is no media that will not produce results, there are only messages which do not produce results.

The next time you hear about an ad campaign that was hugely successful, look at the message. I can guarantee you it was profound and something other than the norm. Seldom will it be the media, but rather the message, that created the results. Of course, the media must be scheduled appropriately, with the right combination of reach and frequency, but it is the relevance of the message that will make consumers respond to a campaign… on any media.

That’s not to say that all media is equal.  

There are huge differences in what kind of message you can put on a roadside billboard and a 60 second radio ad.  

There are also differences between TV ads, Facebook ads, and, well you name it.

The environment of where the ad is placed creates a level of trust or distrust, so that also needs to be taken into consideration.

Figuring all this out on your own is beyond most business owners expertise.  That’s why I am here to help.

Contact me for help and guidance and also sign up from my free Sound ADvice marketing email newsletter below.

 

[wd_hustle id="sound-advice-sign-up" type="embedded"]