Sound ADvice | The Genuine ScLoHo aka Scott Howard

Overcoming Ad Blockers

by Scott Howard | Mar 15, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Most consumers would agree that ad blocking devices on digital and social media is one of the greatest inventions of all time. As technology advances, it’s gone from the digital world of advertising to the traditional media, specifically TV. You can now, with the touch of a button, roll through ads without ever seeing them.

But if we’re honest, ad blocking is nothing new. The human mind learned how to block out and avoid annoying ads in all media way before the internet came along.

Marketing experts have professed for years that there are no media that do not produce results; there are only messages that do not produce results. They have also known that people don’t dislike ads; they dislike bad ads.

When you’re creating your next message, whether it’s for online or on-air, ask yourself what’s in it for your prospects to listen to (or view) this ad? Is there any information or entertainment value for the listener?

Advertising guru Roy Williams, also known as the Wizard of Ads, is often quoted as saying, “For some insane reason, advertisers want their ads to look and sound like ads.”

Understanding that NO ONE consumes any media to see or hear ads is key to creating more effective ads.

A study by Nielsen and Nielsen Catalina Solutions indicates that 49% of a brand’s sales lift from advertising is due to the creative, which refers primarily to the quality and the messaging, A better message will garner a better response every time.

Click here for a list of tactics you can employ to make your ads more relevant and make your prospects more receptive to your message.

Happiness is an Inside Job

by Scott Howard | Mar 2, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Let’s be honest, compared to years gone by and even before COVID, fewer employees bring their smiles to work on a regular basis. Depending upon which source you want to believe, 50-70% of the American workforce is disengaged and/or unhappy.

There was a time when being positive, upbeat, and happy was a given. As an employer, offering them a job was enough. In today’s “me” world, it’s not enough! The challenging question is… is it worth the price and effort to intentionally create a happy work environment.

Here are some fascinating, yet not surprising, facts that prove having happy employees will reap great rewards. Companies with happy employees…

Have 50% fewer workplace accidents
Happy employees have 37% less absenteeism
Companies with happy employees outperform their competition by 21%
69% of employees said they would work harder if they were better appreciated
Employees who like their job are 10 times more likely to deliver good service

The statistics of happy vs unhappy employees are startling.

As owners and managers, it’s easy to zero in on those things that employees do wrong, and we take for granted the things they do right.

Psychologists will tell you, “Behaviors that get rewarded get repeated”. If you want your staff to exhibit more customer-friendly behaviors, you need to recognize those behaviors.

If you aren’t intentionally creating a work environment that breeds happy employees, start doing so today.

When it comes to creating a culture of happiness, start at the beginning. Tip #1 in the Twelve Ways to Create Happy Employees is “Hire Based on Attitude, Effort, and Honesty”. Attitude will win over skill nearly every time. Skills can be taught; attitudes are hard to change. Effort nearly always follows attitude one way or the other, and you can never go wrong with hiring based on honesty.

The rewards of happy employees will pay huge dividends!

To improve morale and productivity in your company, click here and read the Twelve Ways to Create Happy Employees.

Wanted: Unhappy Customers

by Scott Howard | Jan 25, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Who in their right mind would ever “want” unhappy customers? The truth is…no one. But an ever-bigger truth is… if you run a business that deals with customers, you will have unhappy customers.

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning” –Bill Gates

The key is, how do you deal with unhappy customers?

When it comes to handling problems or unhappy customers, using this philosophy can help you look at the situation in a better light: “It’s never a problem. It’s an opportunity to create a solution to a certain situation”.

Handling customer complaints IS an opportunity to turn an unhappy customer into one of your biggest fans! A study done by Ford Motor Company revealed that an unhappy customer who is turned into a happy customer is twenty times more loyal than a customer who has never been unhappy.

In the pre-digital world, studies proved that an unhappy customer would tell at least twelve other people about their poor or unpleasant experience, and a happy customer would tell one or two. In today’s digital world this quote is apropos, “A happy customer tells a friend; an unhappy customer tells the world.”

Ask yourself this:

• Is your staff trained and empowered to turn unhappy customers into happy customers?

• Do you regularly survey your customer satisfaction levels intending to improve the customer experience at your business?

One of the most important things a business owner can do to achieve high customer satisfaction is to look for and talk to the unhappy customers. Whenever possible, even if it costs you some money and pride, make it right. It will prove to be a good ROI!

We know you will get a higher return on every customer our advertising generates if you can keep them happy spreading word of mouth and keep them coming back for more.

To receive a copy of the Eleven Commandments of Customer Satisfaction, click here.

The reality of this that I’ve seen over and over again as a customer and as a business person is that when things are always going “just fine”, the customer’s emotional connection with the business is often neutral. However those emotions flare when something goes wrong. When customer emotions are highly negative, you can flip it around and create a raving fan and turn those into highly positive emotions about you and your business.

Brick & Mortar vs E-Commerce

by Scott Howard | Jan 18, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, Sound ADvice

“Extra – Extra, Read All About It!!! Brick-and-Mortar stores are dead! E-commerce is the way everyone will shop in the future. Extra – Extra, Read All About It!!!”

If you read the retail industry trades or e-commerce newsletters and blogs at all, that chant has been thrown around for the past decade and the COVID era has made it even louder!

But is it true? To paraphrase Mark Twain, “Rumors of the death of brick-and-mortar retail are greatly exaggerated”

Although e-commerce shopping continues to grow rapidly, brick-and-mortar stores are still holding up well versus online retail sites, as many people still prefer the in-store shopping experience where they can see and try out products before committing to a purchase.

Here are some facts:

In 2020, e-commerce made up 14% of all retail sales.

Brick-and-mortar makes up the other 86%.

Total e-commerce sales in the US in 2020: $759.47 Billion

Total Brink-and-Mortar retail sales in the US in 2020: $5.6 Trillion (that’s Trillion as in 12-zeros, 000,000,000,000). Source: Forbes.com

Further proof that brick-and-mortar is here to stay is that Amazon has announced it is opening brick-and-mortar stores. These large department-like stores will be roughly 30,000 sq ft.

It’s not Amazon’s first venture into retail. Amazon, which dominates the online shopping space, made its biggest bet in brick-and-mortar with the acquisition of upscale grocer, Whole Foods, in 2017.

What does this all mean? There is good news and bad news. The good news is.. despite what the e-commerce trade magazines would like you to believe, brick-and-mortar is going to be around for a while. The bad news is.. competition is going to get even tougher for existing retail businesses. Amazon is no slouch!

While there is no denying that e-commerce is and will continue to grow, there will always be local brick-and-mortar retail stores lining our main streets. However, as competition continues to increase from all fronts, the key to survival and continued growth will be your ability to evolve!

In the Six Ways to Compete with E-commerce, tip #2 is: Offer Online Services. They say, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. The six most popular reasons consumers shop via e-commerce are lower pricing, free delivery, wider selections/variety of options, comparison shopping, no sales pressure, and convenience. With the exception of Amazon, most products found on e-commerce sights are not less expensive. It’s simple, the “convenience” of shopping online is having products delivered to your door. Keep in mind, the word FREE is key in delivery. Companies that offer free delivery (Amazon Prime) tend to be much more popular than those that add a fee.

If free delivery is not an option, BOPUS (Buy Online Pick Up at Store) may be a viable option.

The game’s not over and if you are keeping score, as of the end of third quarter 2021 (latest statistic via Statista Dec 3rd, 2021), the score is brick-and-mortar 87% vs e-commerce 13%. Yes, e-commerce grew from 13.5% in 2020 to 13.8% in the second quarter of 2021, but then fell slightly to 13% in the third quarter of 2021.

The more the world changes, the more consumers demand. To stay ahead of the ever-changing competition, as business owners we need to continue to evolve. To see Six Ways to Complete with E-commerce, click here.

Note: The statistics provide are from sites via the internet and are from non-e-commerce companies. If you visit enough e-commerce sites, you will find conflicting data which provides more favorable results for their subscribers.

I have one more important fact for you to consider and that is the reliability factor of measuring your advertising R.O.I. attribution.

Those in the web world like to push the falsehood that online is 100% trackable. Having spent significant time working in the e-commerce world, I understand what they are saying, because it is common practice to put tracking codes on the links that we see in email or online. But there are other significant factors that influenced us to click on those links such as brand awareness, reputation, word of mouth and other things that aren’t trackable. If anyone tells you that digital marketing is better than other forms for those reasons, please be skeptical and you can even reach out to me for an unbiased but informed opinion and insight.

Brand Building For 2022

by Scott Howard | Jan 4, 2022 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

When you own and operate a business and you live and breathe 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 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 ongoing, 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 our free Brand Health Check to ensure that you are walking the talk.

Talk to the Expert

by Scott Howard | Dec 14, 2021 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice

Some consumers make purchase decisions based on relationships and some make them purely on price. They are referred to as either Relational or Transactional customers.

If your business sells on price alone, this information may not pertain as much to you. If you would like to sell more on relationships, pay close attention and heed this information.

Chris Lytle, the author of The Accidental Salesperson, says “If you become known for what you know instead of what you sell, buyers will come to you for help and advice instead of the lowest price.” The good news is, they will pay more for your knowledge than they will for just the product!

Chris goes on to explain “To become known for what you know, you have to actively market your knowledge instead of your product.”

A group of hugely successful auto parts stores created a strong market position with the DIY category by promoting and exploiting the knowledge of their employees. They had employees that loved Ford, others that knew Chevy, Chrysler, or Dodge inside and out. Even some that were more knowledgeable about the older “muscle cars”. This knowledge took the focus off of the price and put it squarely on the fact that they had people with the knowledge, and they had the parts.

As they say, knowledge is power, and the more knowledge you are perceived to have, the more people will look at you and your company as the “experts”.

In Eight Ways to Market Your Knowledge, the author suggests that you have an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page on your website. Monitor the questions your customers are asking and publish your answers clearly in layman’s terms. Allow your prospects and customers to ask questions online, and always be prompt in posting your answers. Most importantly, take credit for your answers and make sure the public recognizes the answers came from you.

Click here if you want me to deliver all Eight Ways to Market Your Knowledge.