Category: Money

Advertisement Ideas: Advertise or Die!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Advertise or Die???

           

I walked by a few businesses that I had once approached about advertising when I worked at Forum Publishing and then when back to them when I left Forum to see if they were doing any advertising.These businesses were so busy finding reasons not to advertise that they are now boarded up. Why is it when sales are down the first thing that a business wants to cut is advertising? If people do not know who you are and you are not promoting your business you will  eventually go out of business. In today’s market place a business has many chances to advertise and those that choose not to advertise choose to die a slow death.  I have seen this cycle happen many times in the last 2 years. I approached a local yogurt shop about advertising and marketing their business and was told I don’t have a budget. Hello the first thing to think about after opening a store is to think how am I going to get the people to come to me and spend money and then come back to me. This yogurt store ran an ad for 1 week in a local community paper expecting an influx in business well guess what a one time ad is not going to work you need frequency and consistency. The key is to have people see you and get to know your brand.  Advertising needs to be proactive and  not reactive. Think of what is coming up and how you can capitalize on upcoming events. You Know from The Day After Thanksgiving until December 23 that the consumer will be geared toward buying and  that is a great time to run an ad wishing everyone a Happy Hanukkah, A Merry Christmas, and  a Happy New Year with some other incentives to shop. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Advertise or Die!!!

Advertisement Ideas: How To Make Effective Marketing Choices!!!!

       

Advertisement Ideas: How To Make Effective Marketing Choices!!!!

When you begin the marketing process you first understand the complexity of it  and a great way to get a grip  and make effective marketing choices is to us the 7 P’s Marketing Mix Below. When you know each phase and you truly analyze the plan you can then implement the plan and evaluate and adjust accordingly.

Many times I hear JDOGG I need to get my name out there and drive business what do you suggest: Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How To Make Effective Marketing Choices!!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Hello America, Time To Wake Up!!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Hello America, Time To Wake Up!

As I was out collecting yesterday (11/2/12) for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life Of West Boca Raton I stopped by Grande Pizza and met Jeff, the General Manager who represents the owner, I asked him to make a donation. His initial response was no I am not in a position to do so and I told him I was only asking for $5 he continued to make every excuse and then finally giving me the $5 I asked for and saying his father passed away from the complications of having cancer. I thanked him and handed him the card with the 1-800-acs-2345 number, which is a 24 hour a day 7 day a week hotline that people touched by cancer can call. I left thinking Hello America, Time To Wake Up!!!!. It is time to wake up to the fact that if you are in business and you want to succeed you are going to have to be open and receptive to giving or at least listening and getting to know the person that is asking for your support.

For example in my case I walk into your business you don’t know me and you immediately use your programmed response I am not interested or I am not in a position to help and you lose an opportunity to learn about the fact that I host an Internet Radio Show and I do Shout Outs to businesses that support my effort and have a listenership of over 600 people each week, or that I have over 2,100 friends on Facebook, a Facebook group, and over 1,500 followers on twitter, as well as a large network on linked in. So you say no and I say thank you and you never get the opportunity to build a relationship that can enhance your business.  For Jeff at Grande Pizza he will get the $5 back from as the next time I am in that area I am stopping in for a couple of slices and an iced tea. In addition I will be encouraging people  when they are on 18th street just West of Military Trail to stop into Grande Pizza and support them. Any business that has ever supported my efforts with charity has benefitted in some form. There is Lou Bachrodt Cheverolet who supported a Holiday Shopping Spree I hosted for many years with The Jaycees and as a result when it came time to buy a car I bought my car from them. I am a strong believer in helping those that help you and I have seen first hand what can happen when a business partners with a charity and creates advocates for their business. Ask yourself the next time some comes into your business or calls your business  what can I do for them to be of  service and value?

  

As a business person you must wake up to the fact that everyone walking through the door of your business or calling on your business is a potential advocate for your business. The time is now to wake up and stop making excuses.  I have heard it all when I go out collecting and promote The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton and ask for small donations and I have overcome them all as there is not an excuse nor a legitimate reason why any business can not support the community. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Hello America, Time To Wake Up!!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Jump Start Your Public Relations

Advertisement Ideas: Jump Start Your Public Relations

 Like your car battery many times you will need a Jump Start for Your Public Relations. Public Relations is often a component of business that goes unnoticed or unpracticed because a business owner may not understand the intrinsic value of a good public relations campaign. A good effective public relations campaign can help not only to increase brand awareness but also drive business and expand revenue.

Public Relations is not something you do in the face of a crisis it is something you do everyday to build your image. It is a practice that when used properly to convey your message will help you increase your market share. The goal of a good public relations campaign is to put you on top of the consumers mind.  In my coaching sessions I often ask what is your public relations strategy? Many times I am told I don’t have one. I feel like doing the Family Feud Buzzer and shouting Wrong Answer. Every business be it a single owned and operated entity or a large corporation needs to have a public relations strategy. Without one you might as well shut the doors and cut the losses. I am told many times by people I don’t need public relations my business is fine and I do everything word of mouth. Hello, word of mouth is public relations and every customer interaction can increase or decrease your sales and the perception of your brand.  When you sit down to do your public relations strategy you should consider the following:

1: What is my core message?

2: How do I want to convey that core message?

3: What is the mission of the public relations campaign?

4: What is the budget for the public relations campaign?

5: How will I plan, implement, and evaluate the public relations campaign?

 With public relations your goal is to reach your target audience and entice them to do business with you and to recommend that others do business with you. To do this you must ask yourself how am I being perceived on the market place, what type of reputation do I have, how am I conducting myself with every interaction? These are important questions to ask as they will answer why your business may be off. This year as I offered my services to many businesses I have heard the economy this the economy that. I replied it is not the economy it is you to which many business owners had a negative response. I stated to ask what public relations strategy are you using? I was told I don’t do public relations I can not afford to, to which I said you can not afford not to.  The key to jump starting your public relations is to understand that it is an important component of your business and it can be done easily and daily. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Jump Start Your Public Relations

Advertisement Ideas: You Have An Attitude Problem

Advertisement Ideas: You Have An Attitude Problem

 

    

Everyone is so quick to judge and say hey you have an attitude problem that they are missing out on opportunities to make a positive difference in their personal and professional life.  I was exploring the attitudes of those in business that I perceive to be successful and I have found that they are positive, non-judgmental, and are open to receive. I believe that many times an entrepreneur who blames the economy or other factors and doesn’t look for the opportunities as they are being presented and puts up excuses and blockages often finds themself in a heap of trouble.  I have seen many entrepreneurs in the last year struggle not for anything else but because of their attitude.One entrpreneur was complaining and bad mouthing his competition and I began to think if that is how he speaks about them how is he speaking about me, as a result I stopped doing business with that person and when I see that person it is a cordial hello and nothing else as his negativity is not something I choose to engage in. I have been told on several occasions by people you have an attitude problem and I say thank you for pointing that out. I have an attitude that in some case may rub someone the wrong way as I am extremely outgoing, I am overly confident, and I speak my mind for some they just don’t how to handle this for others appreciate it and applaud and celebrate it, which has led to my idea of Some Will, Some Won’t, Some Waiting, So What, Next.  I have learned that I will not resonate with everyone, however those that I do resonate with will want to do business with me. To those that choose not to for whatever reason I say their loss. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: You Have An Attitude Problem

Advertisement Ideas: Show Me The Money!!!

Advertisement Ideas: Show Me The Money!!!!

 

We all remember the scene from Jerry McGuire when Cuba Gooding Jr’s character tells Jerry McGuire(Tom Cruise) Show Me The Money. Well in advertising and marketing this philosophy is the same. The key is for your campaigns to show you the money. The initial ad or marketing project may not reap money right away as it takes 6-8 touches of the consumer before they make the decision to purchase your product or service.

Your advertising and marketing should compliment each other and convey a strong message that creates a desire in the consumer to do business with you.  I have encountered many business people who will cut back on their marketing and advertising when it appears things are slow  and then wonder why they lose market share or go out of business.  The fact is that at some point during your business you will need to effectively advertise and market.

 In the past Starbucks marketing department said that they would not advertise as their audience was finding them simply by driving by and word of mouth, well that recently changed as they introduced Starbuck’s Refreshers and are now doing a major TV Campaign to promote that line. As a result they have seen a spike in their daily sales again showing them the money derived from advertising. Starbucks continues to have a strong brand due to their consistent in-house marketing and now their outside marketing and advertising campaigns.

When deciding on doing a promotion you should analyze the cost as you also measure the value. Remember that marketing and advertising is an investment.  There are questions to ask like how many people will the promotion reach, what demographic will it reach, how long will the promotion last and how will I benefit by being part of the promotion. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Show Me The Money!!!

Advertisement Ideas: What Do You Mean No?

               

Advertisement Ideas: What Do You Mean No?

I can not tell you how many times I have wanted to verbalize the sentiment of what do you mean no?  This generally is a feeling when O am representing what I believe to be a great opportunity for a business like an opportunity to be part of www.forestofangels.com and be part of an event that is changing lives by creating an event where the Westfield Broward Mall in Plantation, FL will host Forest of Angels an event where businesses pay $1250 to sponsor and decorate a Christmas Tree and then choose the charity to be associated with the tree. The patrons at the mall then choose the best decorated tree and that tree’s charity is given $10,000 to further its mission and the remaining money is split amongst the other charities.  The mall anticipates that 1.1 million people will visit the mall during the event.  I was told I don’t have a budget to do this by a very large assisted living facility. I felt like saying you charge $5000 a month for a person to live at your facility and you can not see your way clear to invest $1250 in the community, what do you mean no?  Then I realized this is why their occupation is down and their revenue is down and why they are on a downward spiral.It is not that the economy is down it is that they keep saying no to opportunities that are presented. If a new client represents $60,000 a year and you don’t spend at least $6,000 a year to attract that ne client you may remain stagnant because you said no.

         

I used to hear no a lot about advertising and marketing when I would sell print advertising as many business owners simply did not understand that advertising is an important aspect of their business. They would make all types of excuses and in many cases I would go back to visit only to find their business closed and boarded up with no forwarding information. I would thing again to my original question what do you mean no?  I am not saying to say yes to everything but to look at things that make sense like www.forestofangels.com. www.feelthehugs.com, www.relayforlife.org, and other opportunities that may be synergistic to your business. It is when you are open to receive that great things begin to happen.

              

You can choose where to shop and where to spend your advertising dollars and many times you may say no only to realize that you should have said yes. Imagine your name on the speaker next to the choir, or your name on the table, or a poster above toys for tots or your name on the shopping cart. These are a few out of the box methods that work as everyone stopping by Macy’s or the food area, or dropping off a toy, or shopping would see you. Now take it a step further when people walk through Forest of Angels at The Broward Mall and see your competitor and shop your competitor because you turned down a great opportunity. So think about it and ask yourself  what do I mean no?

 

 It is proven when you give you get. People love to do business with those they perceive to be giving back to the community so supporting Forest of Angels makes sense. Visit www.forestofangels.com

 

 

 

Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State, and More Lead to Creative Marketing

Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State and More Lead To Creative Marketing

 The Spice Girls Reunited for The Closing Ceremony of The 2012 Olympics held in London. As I watched I began to think how can a business truly capitalize on the closing ceremonies and then it hit me, have a contest where you would give away Olympic related items. You could secure items relating to The 2012 Summer Olympics and also secure items relating to The  2014 Winter Games to be held in Soji, Russia. You would collect name, address, phone number, and email from the entrants and every month send out information about your business with a special Olympic Related Theme. This could be the way to spice up your sales.

 Imagine being able to create a spectacle that would draw the attention of millions like The Olympics did? Well you can with a bit of creativity and the right promotion. I remember an event That The Pompano Beach Jaycess hosted many years ago called The Zanny Olympics and it was covered be local radio, TV, and newspaper outlets because of the many double entendre names events and the fact that it was also for charity. The businesses that participated all benefitted greatly by gaining brand recognition which also translated into more sales. The bottom line is getting to be known in the community and to build the reputation so people want to do business with you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State, and More Lead to Creative Marketing

Advertisement Ideas: Capitalizing on Current Events. I.E.Penn State

Advertisement Ideas: Capitalizing on Current Events

 By now everyone knows of the scandal that rocked The Penn State Football Program. This morning the news conference announcing the sanctions was held and it created a buzz around the nation. The NCAA slammed Penn Statefor the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal Monday with an unprecedented series of penalties, including a $60 million fine and the loss of all the school’s victories from 1998-2011, knocking Joe Paterno from his spot as major college football’s winningest coach.Other sanctions include a four-year ban on postseason games that will prevent Penn State from playing for the Big Ten title, the loss of 20 scholarships per year over four years and five years’ probation. The NCAA also said that any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.

You may be asking yourself what does this have to do with me as a business owner? The answer probably not that much unless you have ties to Penn State or sell Penn State Merchandise, however it has a lot to do with you as it gives you chance to take a stand and increase your presence in your community by doing something that promotes helping children’s charities. Imagine if you placed a note in your advertising that stated in the wake of The Penn State Sex Scandal like many business people I have been alerted to the growing problem of child abuse in our country and will be donating 10% of all my sales or bookings to The Missing and Exploited Children’s Fund. Their website is www.missingkids.com.

 

Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Capitalizing on Current Events. I.E.Penn State