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!!!
If you as a business leader are truly going to affect change you must get off your ass and do something. So many times I hear business people complain and I ask what are they going to about it and I am met with a blank stare and silence. If you do not have a solution to the problem and aren’t going to get off your ass and do something then keep your mouth closed. Today I saw a story about how Marco Rubio, A State Senator from my state voted against Veteran’s Benefits so I called his office and left a message about how displeased I was. Here is his number 202-224-3041. Instead of complaining get off your ass and do something. Instead of sitting on your ass and making excuses as to why you did not vote get out and vote and encourage others to vote. Imagine if in your ads you say something like Our Company Supports Veterans Do You? Discounts for all service personnel past and present what would happen. If you aren’t advertising it is time to get off your ass and make a plan on how you will drive business to you instead of complaining. If you don’t have an idea on what to advertise or where to advertise enlist the services of someone who has gotten off his/her ass and has assisted businesses with successful marketing programs. If you are not advertising you are not growing and if you are not growing you are dying. I walked an area in Coral Springs, FL recently promoting a professional basketball team I announce for and I noticed many businesses that I had approached to advertise or to appear on my TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on www.wrpbitv.com on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST were out of business. When I asked these people what they were doing to promote their business they all answered the same thing, we are not in a position to advertise right now, well guess what they don’t need to advertise now because they do not have a business any longer. I wonder what would have happened if they got off their ass and actually promoted the business they may still be in business and thriving.
If you are lacking in brand awareness or brand recognition it is time you got off your ass and created a buzz about your business. I can not tell you how many times I have offered people excellent opportunities to build recognition for their business and they have said oh I don’t need help. Most of these people I see a few months later and their story is the same oh things are tough or I can’t afford that or I don’t think that is a good fit for me. If you are not getting off your ass and taking action you will continue to struggle and it will be no one’s fault but your own. Ask yourself how am I going to get off my ass and promote my business today? What action will you take to build awareness? If you do not have a daily plan it is time to implement one. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Get Off Your Ass!!!
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!!!
In today’s market place where the idea of social media has become the main preference of doing business it is important to remember that the best way to reach your potential clients/customers is still by the personalized phone call and the face to face meeting. So many people have gone away from the idea of talking on the phone or meeting face to face that they are leaving a lot of money on the table. I find this especially true with the millennials who think oh I’ll build a website, drive traffic, and have a high conversion rate. This does happen but the point is if people do not know you and do not resonate with your message they are not going to do business with you. One must have a plan on advertising their products and services. One must formulate a plan of action to reach potential customers/clients. I talk to so many people who tell I am going to use social media especially or I have a Facebook Page. I always answer how are you capturing information so you can engage the audience. I like to get phone numbers so that I can make a personal phone call and thus start to build a relationship for people are going to do business with people they know, like, and trust. It is amazing what can happen when you make a contact via the phone especially if you state hello, this is______________________ and I am just following up with you about our previous correspondence or your inquiry via Facebook. If I do not have a phone number for the person I do my best to obtain an email so that I can reach a potential client/customer in this manner.
In using the phone you can be very effective if you have a clear defined purpose of your call. When I was selling advertising for Forum Publishing Group I had this theory that a sale is made on every call either you are selling a prospect on why they should meet with you or they are selling you why they do not want to meet with you. I found myself getting so caught up with trying to overcome objections that I was blocking myself from success so I decided to adopt the philosophy of some will, some won’t, so what, some waiting next. As I set goals to set up appointments and step back from overcoming objections I found myself setting and closing more appointments. It was at that time that I realized that it is important to be impeccable with your word, not to take anything personally, not to make assumptions, and to always do your best. When I am on the phone booking guest for my TV Show, The Anything Bucket, which airs on www.wrpbitv.com on Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST I keep it short and simple not over complicating things. My attitude is either they want to come to do an interview with me or they do not and it is not my job to drag them kicking and screaming to the WRPBiTV Studio. When I am obtaining donors for The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of West Boca Raton I have a purpose of getting a yes however if they say no I say thank you and move on to the next potential donor. The key is to understand that the phone can be a great tool to creating a buzz, brand awareness, and creating action takers. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: What A Tool!!!
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 I arrived at IMG Strong ARM to be interviewed by Reggie Mathis for The Ask Mathis Radio Show I noticed the production truck and the parking spaces marked for Flo Rida. I went into t he office and introduced myself. I was very early so I asked if there was a place to eat close by and they told me about Franky’s. As I walked over to Franky’s one of the coaches had a trophy from The MLK Basketball Tournament and I asked if I could see it he said yestand I went into show mode and did a quick presentation. Another coach saw it and said do it again I want to get it on video. By being bold and putting myself out there I was able to use my talents and create opportunities that can be monetized in the future.
I found Franky’s and was very pleased that I did. Again I was able to be bold and put myself out there. I was eating a sandwich when I overheard a group of people discussing their business and I went over and asked if it would be okay to give them my business card because I thought I could be of service or value to them. This opened up the door to discuss the subject of deflate gate, the situation of The Patriots deflating footballs during the AFC Championship Game. As they left they said thank you and wished me the best of luck. As I finished what I found to be a great a sandwich I thought I would offer to do a testimonial for Franky’s. They said yes and I did a testimonial. Franky the owner then handed me a card for a FREE Small Sub. I walked back to the studio and I decided to pay it forward by giving Shanika the card for the sub she was grateful. By being bold and putting myself out there I was able to forge what will become opportunities to monetize my craft.
One way to be bold is to take pictures and make videos of that which pertains to your business. This is a photo of me with Jessica Childers, QB for The Miami Fury, the team that I am The PA Announcer for. I have been doing Miami Fury Up Close Videos to help promote the team. The reason is because in today’s market place a digital footprint is very important. The idea is when you have the opportunity to put yourself out there to do that and be bold. In my profession the more people who see my work the better the chances to secure more paying gigs. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Be Bold!!!
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!!!
