Futile Gestures Waste Time and Credibility

In the wake of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, a minor league baseball team in Florida has announced it will no longer conduct "BP" (a common name for batting practice) before its games. Instead the team will have "batting rehearsal," so that they won't be forced to utter the now-shunned "BP" name.

Ridiculous. Almost as silly as renaming french fries as "freedom fries" following September 11th. Or calling illegal aliens "undocumented workers."

Everybody with half a brain knows the truth behind these transparent covers. Trying to foist these whitewash jobs on the public is a waste of valuable credibility. The PR geniuses who thought up these stunts should be fired. Or at least sentenced to reading their own press releases for a month.

If you want to take advantage of a public crisis or highly visible event, take the time to do something with meaning. The Florida baseball team might have organized a community effort (in advance) to clean up local beaches that become contaminated. Such a move would certainly have more value and credibility.

Don't succumb to the temptation to cash in on public sentiment with a cheap stunt or meaningless gesture. It will only damage your public image in the long run.

Dealing with SCATs (Still Clueless About Technology)

My father refused to buy our family a color television “until they get the bugs worked out.” It was the mid-1970s before I saw Disney’s “Wonderful World of Color” in color.

For a year after I got my first answering machine my mother would not leave a message. She did not want to talk to “some machine.” She wanted to talk to me.

Some (not many) of my clients did not invest in a website until well after Y2K. They wanted to see if the “fad” would pass before spending the money.

These are examples of people who I call SCATs – “Still Clueless About Technology.” Some are genuine Luddites who stoically resist all attempts to modernize their lives. But most are simply overly cautious about adapting anything new and difficult to understand.

You know at least one SCAT. Still on dial-up access with an AOL email address. Grabs the Yellow Pages when he needs to look up a phone number. Doesn’t need an iPod because her Sony Walkman is still working just fine, thank you.

With more and more of our marketing being built around using technology to reach potential customers, SCATs present a problem. The more “traditional” methods of marketing are being replaced by email campaigns, Facebook and Twitter, and web-based promotion. But how do we reach someone who does not check email, live on Bluetooth or surf the web on a regular basis?

One solution is to ignore them. SCATs are a shrinking audience as technology becomes simpler and more accessible to more people. Spend the money where it will do the most good and reach those prospects who are more likely to see and respond to a “modern” pitch.

The problem with this approach is that SCATs tend to be older and (bless their Baby Boomer hearts!) more affluent. Just because someone does not run out and purchase and iPad does not mean they can’t afford one. Or two. So leaving SCATs out of the mix risks leaving a lot of money on the table.

A better approach is to incorporate some of those “old fashioned” marketing techniques into your planning. Carve out a portion of the next email campaign and devote it toward a print mail effort targeted at the older end of your demographic. Give customers an option of receiving your company newsletter via email or in paper format. Keep spending money on AdWords, but throw some (carefully, of course) into newspaper and radio ads.

Eventually everybody will be comfortable communicating electronically, and the on-line marketing infrastructure you are building today will reach a full and receptive audience. But until that time, find space in your effort and budget to accommodate the SCATs among us.

Giving Away Knowledge Can Pay Off

You know stuff. And I think you should give it away.

Knowing stuff is how you got where you are, by possessing knowledge and skills that are valuable to your company and your customers. The information you posses and how you use it is your "inventory." This is especially true if you are in a service business like law or accounting, but also applies to trades and retail.

So why give it away?

Because that is the only way potential customers will come to believe that you know what you are talking about. By "showing what you know" your customers will have the opportunity to sell themselves on your value. When they do pick up the phone to call you they will already be ready to do business with you. Half the sales job will be done in advance.

How can you give away your knowledge? It is easier than ever. Publish a blog and add content regularly. Write articles for trade journals. Publish a newsletter for clients and send it to prospects, too. Look for speaking engagements. Any chance you can find to demonstrate how good you are at what you do.

Giving away information that normally costs money may seem counterintuitive. Many people fear they will share too much and thereby negate the need for a customer to call. Trust me. Those who will contact you are the ones who recognize talent and skill and are willing to pay for it.

"Website" is Officially One Word

For years I have written "web site" out as two words. Grammatically it makes sense. But it appears I am on the losing end of this battle.

The latest edition of the Associated Press Style Book -- the "bible" of spelling and grammar for journalists -- has decreed that "website" should be written as a single word. Harrumph!

Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Now if AP can only guide us on the usage of "e-mail" vs. "email."

Are You in a Big Hurry to Market?

Depending on the nature of your business, your approach to marketing may be long term, gradually building brand awareness and securing customers who will generate revenue over many months or years. Or, if your business is more transactional, you may be in a hurry to generate immediate leads that you can convert into short term sales.

How you market your products or services will depend on which situation you find yourself in. But you should be aware that "speed costs money." A need to develop sales leads in the short term will require a bigger investment and different mix of marketing techniques than a more measured approach. Speed costs money.

For example, an attorney who wants to build a base of clients who will use his or her services again and again should take the time and effort to position himself/herself as an expert, and the "preferred" lawyer. This can be done with a "show what you know" approach that includes a blog, articles, speaking engagements and other relationship-building marketing techniques. In this way, the attorney becomes a known and trusted advisor even before a client engages his/her services!

But if that same attorney wants to attract clients immediately, the marketing approach must be different. He/she needs to impact a much wider group of prospects in order to attract those who have an immediate need for legal advice. An investment in advertising (billboards, fliers, television and radio spots, web-based ads) will deliver the attorney's marketing message faster, to more people. But at a higher cost.

Which is the right approach for your business? It depends on your needs, budget and tolerance for spending. Some companies succeed on both counts, investing heavily to generate short term sales and then converting those into long term customers. Others are perfectly happy with quick sales that may or may not turn into repeat customers. Still more businesses are content to patiently build relationships that will generate a financial return over the long haul.

The only wrong approach is to do no marketing at all. Simply unlocking the doors in the morning and hoping that customers stumble in is no way to grow a business. Tell a lot of people about your business all at once, or let a few people at a time gain an appreciation of your services; but make sure you are out there and visible.

Facebook Explained

Confused about what Facebook is and is not? Wondering if Facebook is a good place for your business? Here is a link to an excellent explanation of how Facebook can work for business: http://www.box.net/shared/v114cwzk00

Does Branding Still Have a Place at the Marketing Table?

Many years ago, burnishing the image of a company or product was one of the most important functions of marketing. Everybody wanted their customers and prospects to think favorably of their business. And rightfully so! Being seen as a solid company or even a market leader went hand-in-hand with improved sales and stronger profits over the long term

But then came the age of promotion. Every ad, every message had to create an instant return on investment. Even if it meant diminishing or demeaning the image of the company or product being promoted. Slowly but surely, "branding" lost favor.

Need an example? Automobile manufacturers and dealers have conditioned the American public to purchase a car only when there is a "special event" in progress. They convinced us that, if we waited for a "sale" (real or fabricated) we would save big bucks. It worked so well that the occasional sales events had to be extended and expanded so that practically every day is a "special" day at your local dealer.

By relying so heavily on promotion and pricing, the automobile industry turned its products into commodities, and lost the ability to differentiate vehicles based on quality and service. The almighty "monthly lease payment" rules.

(Toyota certainly wishes they had paid more attention to branding today. It will take more than another round of "Toyotathons" to repair the damage done to the corporate image.)

There is hope. The prolonged recession has shown that promotional marketing has its limits. With discretionary money tight, consumers have been less inclined to jump at the first offer they see. Instead, we have returned to the practice of deliberation and consideration before parting with our dollars.

When buyers stop to think, the image of a company enters the equation. Instead of being dazzled by a "once in a lifetime offer," the buyer needs to be convinced that he or she is making an intelligent purchasing decision. And an important part of that decision is having confidence in the business from which we are buying.

A return to branding fits in well with the expansion of media that has come about in recent years. Instead of trying to tell a company's story in 30 seconds, the internet allows plenty of time and space to delve more deeply into the who, what, when and where of a product or service. Picky consumers can satisfy themselves that they are making a good decision before plunking down their hard-earned cash or clicking the "buy now" button on their web browser.

What about your business? Have you been paying attention to your company's image among customers and prospects? Or have you come to rely on price cutting and special deals that have reduced your value in their eyes?

Long live branding.