We have all seen this icon at one time or another indicating we have mail or a direct message. Most people respond to their email with in 24 hours while most people respond to a direct message within a few minutes so one of the keys to reach your audience through an effecting advertising campaign is to use the direct message features on your social media. In being direct and having a message with a strong call to action you will increase your conversion rate and thus create more revenue while creating a buzz about your business. As you choose to be direct with your message remember to use this feature during peak hours when people you want to reach are on their social media pages. I have found a message at 7:30 AM or 1:30 PM or 7:30 PM gets response as you are reaching people when they expect to be reached and are dedicating time to checking social media and responding accordingly.
On Wednesday (2/25/2015) I went on my Facebook Page and I saw friends on-line and I sent a message about my involvement with Relay For Life and asked them to visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg2 and to make a $5 donation. As I reached out I received 1 donation for $10 bringing my total to $2059.61. I sent out about 20 requests so to get 1 out of 20 was not bad and I received some responses that people would donate at a later time, however I know not to count on promises. I’ll take a 5% return on a marketing campaign anytime. Let’s extrapolate some number and think if 1000 direct message are sent and 5%(50) respond with a purchase of $10 each you bring in $500 and also create an awareness about your cause. The key is to have a campaign that is relevant and resonates with the recipient with a strong call to action. Remember people will buy your why fast than they buy your what..
Years ago many successful companies would bombard you with many pieces of what people affectionately called “Junk Mail” but when getting a 1% or 2% return on an investment was a good thing for these companies. Today there are several direct mail magazines that I receive in my mailbox and I physically look through them and I personally use them to recruit guest for my TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on www.wrpbitv.com on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST. Today in the electronic age the way we conduct business is changing and the concept of Direct Mail as now been adapted to reach potential clients/customers electronically with social media and email campaigns. The key is to have a campaign that is relevant and give the recipient a reason to do business with you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Be Direct!!!
Today’s entry was inspired by a conversation I had with a woman today (2/20/2015) who helps to market people’s business as I was seeking support for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life as I have a program where a business can donate $100 and in return have a track marker that would be seen by those participating in Relay for Life for the 12 hours of the event. She told me she only had 3 clients and they were all in Miami and not interested in growing their business. This took me aback because I know if you aren’t growing your business you are dying. She explained to me that she was content with her clients and that working was for her husband as she wants to spend tie with her kids. I admire her wanting to spend time with her kids but don’t tell people you can grow their business when you aren’t growing yours.
While on the phone today (2/20/2015) I encountered a man who told me business was slow and used many lack words in the course of our conversation. I told him when yu say business is slow the business will be slow because you create a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you use words like struggle you create more struggle. In business especially in advertising it is important to utilize the right words. When you are engaging with potential clients or existing clients be aware of the words you are using. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Watch What You Say!!!
Advertisement Ideas: Lessons Learned From SNL And NBA!
New York truly proved that it was the city that never sleeps as it hosted not only Saturday Night Live 40 and The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday 2/15/15. As I watched both I thought what dies this teach us about the importance of marketing, media relations, and advertising? The answer was plenty as the social media universe was blazing hot as both events dominated twitter feeds and Facebook feeds. Most everywhere one went where there was a TV it was tuned to one of these events. If you were fortunate to be in a place with 2 or more tvs you were likely to be able to watch both. The common factor is that both events showed us what happens when you have a strong recognizable brand that remains relevant, entertaining, and resonating in the market place. Now some of you are saying but I don’t have the budget that an NBC or an NBA has. This maybe true however the lesson learned is that in order to have sustainability in the market place you must set aside a certain amount of money to market so as to build your followers that you can then convert into customers. Imagine what you could have done to drive business and create more awareness and possibly more cash flow in the weeks leading up to SNL 40 and The NBA All-Star Game? If you are a life coach you could have shown how laughter is sometimes necessary to clear blockages that might be holding a client back. You could have promoted a webinar and charged everyone $40 and tied it into SNL 40.If you were a retailer you could have all items end in $.40 in honor of SNL 40. You could have dome some basketball related promotions in your print and electronic advertising. There are so many possibilities that you could have implemented to create a buzz about your business. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Lessons Learned From SNL And NBA!!!
In business or in volunteer work it is important to have the mindset that you will have a kick ass day everyday. It is imperative to make sure that your name is constantly out there in a positive light. One of the key elements to building your brand and increasing cash flow is to have a kick ass attitude and not worry about what other people think because at the end of the day all that will matter is were you impeccable with your word, did you not take anything, personally, did you not make assumptions, and did you do you best? When you get up and you begin to run your business or do your charitable work do you have a plan and are you working that plan making the necessary adjustments?If you do not have a pan you will be going in circles. The idea is to not go in circles by kicking ass and remembering some will some won’t, so what, some waiting, next. One way to kick ass is to always advertise so that people know who you are, what you do, and why they should do business with you. So many times I hear excuses why people are not promoting their businesses on a daily basis and I am reminded that there are action takers and excuse makers. Ask yourself which are you? With a kick ass attitude you are bound to rub a few people the wrong way but that is part of doing business. I have built a reputation as the man who gets things done because he I set my mind to kick ass in all I do. In going out daily and promoting who i am and what I do I have built brand awareness while also creating a buzz. I am always surprised by those who are not doing something daily to promote themselves.
Another way to kick ass is to make videos and share them across social media platforms like You Tube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, in your blog, and on your website. I am surprised by how many times I mention the idea of having a digital footprint and people say I don’t need video and my answer is oh yes you do. It has been shown that a video will get a 15-20% higher response rate than a static advertisement. So the question is why are you not kicking ass and using video?
Getting featured in magazines and newspapers is another way to kick ass. What is your public relations and media relations strategy? I ask this question many times and I hear oh I don’t have one, I answer how do you expect people to find you? If you are not promoting yourself to the media at least once a week you may be leaving some money on the table because while your competition is advertising and having articles written about them they may be taking away your potential customers. Look for publications that reach your target audience and continue to connect with them about the great things happening in your business or the great things you are doing in your community. The magazine posted here did an article on me and my work with The American Cancer Society Relay For Life. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Wake Up, Kick Ass, Repeat!!!
I was out collecting donations for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton and I went into a nail salon to seek donations and a patron said you have a lot of chutzpah. Chutzpah is defined as personal confidence or courage that allows someone to do or say things that may seem shocking to others. I said yes I do. She pulled out a $5 bill and put it in the canister. As I left I started to think who are the most successful people in their respective industries? The answer was easy those who had a bit of Chutzpah. I looked at those who were brash and took risks and saw a pattern while others were making excuses they were taking action. I have learned that having Chutzpah can lead to success and will payoff. A few years ago I heard about The Lingerie Football League coming to my city so I sent an email introducing myself and offering my services as a public address announcer. The league wrote back asking me to call them. I called and did an audition on the phone and I was hired. I have done this on several occasions and each time I have secured paid gigs or secured donations.
In my past entry I spoke about using the phone as a tool to enhance your advertising. I was calling for donations for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life a few Fridays ago and one person said you know it takes a lot of Chutzpah to call and ask for donations. I said yes it does can I send you my link for donations and you can consider donating. The answer was yes. I emailed my link, http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg2 and the person went to the site and made a $10. Sometimes it is just a matter of doing something others have not thought about. We have become so dependent on social media that we have lost the idea of using the phone and having the Chutzpah to ask for the sale or donation. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Chutzpah Pays Off!!!
Advertisement Ideas: Making Your Own Opportunities!!!
Imagine you are driving and you see this sign, how many of you would take the exit and how many of you would keep going allowing your self-talk to get in the way. So many times in business the opportunities to promote and advertise are staring us right in the face but we are so consumed with why not to advertise that we turn them down. The main key to finding opportunities is to remember you are your brand and to share who you are and what you do with as many people as possible as you never know who can benefit from you being of service and value. Exchanging business cards is a great form of advertising and when used and followed up upon will create opportunities. I remember a day I was sitting in Starbucks with my FREE HUGS Sign and a patron came to inquire about what I was doing and that person needed a speaker for her event and asked what I would charge I gave her my fee and she booked me to come speak to her organization. In sharing who I was and what I did I made my own opportunity.
Opportunities abound all around us and when we begin to seek the opportunities they will be found and we will prosper. The other day I was making phone calls to secure donations for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca, an event I am very passionate about and have raised $1844.61 so far to help cancer patients, their friends, and their families. As I asked for a donation the gentleman on the other end started to use words like I am broke, it has been a struggle, and I can’t afford. I pointed out that these were words of scarcity and that is why he may be having a challenging time. He is a mortgage broker and I know how challenging this field can be at times, however I asked have you gone to banks, to homeowner;s associations, or other entities that can benefit from your service. His answer no those are great ideas though. I asked if he had developed informational products like an e-book, a dvd, or audio cd, that could be sold to those in the residential or commercial real estate market. His answer was no. As I hung up the phone I thought if one is to succeed in any business they need to take initiative to find opportunities. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas:Making Your Own Opportunities!!!
As the phone rang at 11 PM on 1/19/2015 informing that the original agreement for me to host Red Carpet Interviews at a summit was not approved after I was told that everything was in place on 1/18/2015 I knew I stood my ground and stated that I do not work for FREE! I learned that FREE has no value and if people think that you will do it FREE they will expect it for FREE so it is important to stand you ground and make sure that people understand the value you are giving them. When you are advertising it is important to remember you are your brand and that people do not buy the what they buy the why. That is why your message much represent consistency and integrity. In dealing with people it is important to stand your ground when it comes to price as many consumers are now price conscious and base many of their decisions solely on price. This lead us to standing your ground on knowing your target demographic. So many times entrepreneurs and marketing executives lose sight 0f the target demographic and as a result they try to reach everyone and unfortunately spend hours spinning their wheels and do not reach anyone and thus their sales drop. The key is to plan your work and work your pan making good choices and aligning yourself with people who will understand that what you bring to the table is valuable.
When you are selling your products and services it is imperative that you stand and deliver. I have always believed that it is important to be impeccable with your word. I have run into a few people who have made commitments and at the last-minute went back on their word or in the case of the people doing the summit I felt strung along.In the past I was guilty of making appointments and cancelling them however I know understand that the person’s time I made the appointment with is important and they could have met with other people instead of me had I not blocked out their time. I have heard all the excuses like oh I had an out-of-town buyer come into town from a realtor. My answer so your out of town’s buyer time is more important than my studio time and my livelihood. I told that person that the next time they want to come into the studio it would be $150 prepaid. By standing my ground and letting people know that my time and services are valuable I have gained a reputation as a professional who doesn’t just say he is going to do something but actually does it. I have heard well I made that pledge when I was with another company and I am not there anymore. My answer you made a personal pledge please honor it. This didn’t sit well with that person so he lodged a complaint with the charity against me. Get real people you made a commitment honor the commitment. I have heard I am not interested and I don’t see why a clip of my appearance on a TV Show will help me. My answer there is that a digital footprint is important and that a clip of a TV Appearance builds credibility in the marketplace. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Standing Your Ground!!!
Advertisement Ideas: Lessons Learned From Relay For Life!!!
As I watched this video of one of my Relay Idols, Jeff Ross, A member of The American Cancer Society Relay For Life Hall Of Fame. Jeff’s lessons from this presentation can carry over to almost any business model when it comes to marketing and delivering your message. The key is to be consistent with your message. Jeff’s passion for The Relay For Life teaches us that if we are to attract and keep clients/customers we must be passionate and consistent. We also learn that having a team that can lift you and promote you will help you to succeed in business.
Relay for Life teaches us the importance of planning, implementing and evaluating a project so that we can grow our business. Relay shows us the importance of advertising as with put promotion and advertising people do not find us and if people do not know about you and how to do business with you they will go elsewhere. Relay teaches us about brand recognition, now that I have been involved in Relay for Life for over 15 years I can spot that logo a mile away. Relay teaches us how important it is to make our customers happy and why we need to turn our customers into advocates. We learn that when we deliver what we promise and give people a reason to engage with us that we increase the chance of them becoming a customer. Relay teaches us to overcome excuses as many people will tell you why they don’t want to be involved or why they do not want to make a donation this is like someone making excises why not to do business with you. Relay teaches us how to use the logo so it is used in a way that gives people a good feeling so that they will want to do business with us. Relay teaches us the importance of knowing your target audience so as to effectively market to them. The way you attract a 21-year-old is different from the way you attract a 75-year-old. Each demographic that you seek has a different way that they will resonate with you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Lessons Learned From Relay For Life!!!
Advertising Ideas:Lessons Learned From Obama, McDonald’d And More!!!
What can a U.S.President, a Fast Food Chain, and a a 3rd String Quarterback teach us about business? This week President Obama decided it was to much of a security risk to travel to Paris or to send a representative to Paris on his behalf. The newspapers and all the electronic media outlets were a buzz at what is perceived to be another gaffe for this president. Social media had people calling Obama, ODrama, Dumbo, and other derogatory names. I looked and I thought what if a business acted in the manner that OBama acted and received the negative push back how could they spin it and rebuild their reputation in the market place. The lesson that I learned from Obama is to make sure you are always putting yourself in a positive light so that you will always be perceived as someone to know, like, and trust as consumers like to do business with people they know like and trust. If you look at the Obama presidency you can learn many lessons of what not to do so as to avoid the downfalls of negative public relations. There is a saying that one oh crap ruins a thousand at-a-boys. If you truly want to be seen in a positive light then you must present yourself in a positive light especially if you are a high profiled individual. People are going to watch what you say and what you do and they may forget that but they will not forget how you made them feel. So when you are doing business, networking, advertising, posting on social media make sure you leave people feeling good.
As I was watching the NFL Divisional Playoffs I saw this McDonald’s Ad for the first time and I thought McDonald’s has done it again. They created another ad campaign that will be remembered and relate to their target audience.Though it has been over 16 months since my last McDonald’s Purchase I have always looked to their marketing campaigns for lessons. If you notice the characters in the ad you will notice that most of them will resonate with the 25-54 crowd who today has children and that is one of the biggest consumer audiences for McDonald’s.The first lesson learned here is to know who your target audience and to deliver a campaign that will be resonating, entertaining, and relevant . The second lesson is to create something that will get people talking thus creating a buzz around your business. Many consumers want to feel good about supporting the companies where they spend their hard-earned money. After spending money at McDonald’s those who choose to do so have said that they feel good about their purchases because of the perception that McDonald’s cares about the community. One thing I have learned is that it is important to create a warm fuzzy feeling with existing customers and potential customers like what McDonald’s did here with this commercial. Continue reading Advertising Ideas: Lessons Learned From Obama, McDonald’s And More!!!
Advertisement Ideas: Why You Still Suck At Business!!!
The reason you still suck at business could be attributed to you not following these 4 basic agreements. On Friday I saw first hand why a so-called marketing expert continues to struggle in his business as I called to ask about his donation to The American Cancer Society Relay For Life and his answer it is out of my hands I made a formal complaint against you with The American Cancer Society. He violated agreement #1 and now I see why he has jumped from client to client with little or no success.Like many so-called entrepreneurs in South Florida he was all flash no cash, good talk but no execution, and more promises without delivery. What was funny is the donation was only going to be $18.70 and all he had to do was visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogg2 and make a donation. Another gentleman who wrote me on Facebook and told me to remind him about the donation which I did several times and guess what still no donation. Again a gentleman that shows pictures of his fancy car and fancy house but doesn’t deliver on his promise. Then there are those who said they would participate in POINTS FOR THE CURE BASKETBALL EDITION AND DONATE $.10 per point their team scored and still haven’t made a donation. By not being impeccable with your word you are doing yourself and others a disservice and probably costing yourself business that is going to a competitor who is impeccable with their word. Remember one oh crap will ruin a 1000 at a boys. This could be why you still suck at business.
The second principle is very important as it is important for you to do what is right in your heart and not take anything personally. I used to get upset when people would come to The WRPBiTV Studio to tape a segment for my TV Show The Anything Bucket, which airs on www.wrpbitv.com on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST and not buy their clip as I believe the clip is well worth the investment of $150. Then I realized it wasn’t about me at all and I shifted to be thankful to and grateful for those who did purchase their clip. Those that understand the value of having the clip as part of their marketing mix are those I choose to do business with and to recommend. It is very interesting to hear why people do not buy their clip and then I remember that there are two types of people in the world action takers and excuse makers. Those that are proactive with advertising and implement sound advertising ideas and make solid advertising choices are the ones who are successful while the others still suck at business. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Why You Still Suck At Business!!!