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!!!
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
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:Overcoming Branding and Image Obstacles
As I read the article about The Aurora Colorado shootings that took place at a movie theater I kept thinking I would hate to be the marketing director of that theater, then I thought perhaps with the right program I would overcome the branding and Image Obstacles.
The first thing I would do is to issue a statement of condolenscences and then to say we will be helping the victims of this shooting through special promotions at the theater with proceeds from all screenings of all movies being donated to a special fund to offset funeral and hospital costs of the victims.
The next thing I would do is print up a shirt with The Colorado Flag and put a slogan like Aurora and Century Theaters Standing Together in remembrance with the date of the shooting and again collect donations for the victims families.
The third thing I would do is to host a gun Buy Back Program with everyone receiving a free movie pass.
The fourth thing I would do would host a blood drive.
In the face of adversity come opportunity to Overcome Branding and Image Obstacles.
Advertisement Ideas: Branding Ideas and Images Gone Bad
Remember this car it was very popular her in The United States but not so much in Spanish Speaking Countries as NOVA translates into NO GO. The lesson learned here is to know the culture of the countries where you are going to promote your brand and build your image.
The Adult Literacy Coalition was trying to get their message out, however if the audience they are attempting to reach can’t read the bench ad what good does it do for them. The lesson here is when you are spending your marketing dollars on Branding and Image Building use it wisely where it will be most effective.
This ad was placed on the escalator of a local mall.Can you see the problem? Ad placement must be well though out when doing a branding and image building campaign, Had it been reversed it would have made more sense.
I have a question. Would You Shop Here? remember sometimes using an abbreviation creates a branding and Image Obstacles.
When naming your business think about the perception of your business. Would you do business with any of the above businesses.
Advertising Ideas: Branding and Image Building Tips
Many times we may think something is clever and creative however the general public may not think so thus it is important to take into consideration the idea of what are you trying to portray and what is the objective of the branding program. When building your brand and image it is imperative to remember:
1: Be consistent across all platforms of marketing – Develop a logo that will be used on everything related to your business, the tag line should represent who you are and what you do.
2: Position yourself as the best at what you do by being an information source – For example if you are a pizza place explain the difference between certain cheeses that you use.
3: Place your brand in places that are synergistic in reaching your target audience.
4: Build a following that will become unsolicited spokes people for you. For example you create customers that recommend others to you and thus when someone sees your logo they will immediately have a positive feeling about your business. A great example of this is IKEA who does a push when they open and then as a result of delivering good quality products, good customer service, and a shopping experience people line up overnight for their grand openings.
Advertisement Ideas: Navigating The Public Relations Maze
Jonathan JDOGG Lederman accepts a Certificate of Appreciation from Paul Spence, President of The Lauderhill Broncos, in recognition of his announcing services that he donated during the season.
This is an example of a great Public Relations Opportunity if you know how to navigate the maze and reach the right people. In many occassion people doing public relations for their business or non profit organization find themselves in a world that is confusing and hard to understand that they haven’t been exposed to in the past. The world of public relations can be comlicated at times, howver with this blog entry I hope to simplify it so that you can maximize your message.
Advertisement Ideas: The Steps to Effectively Navigate The Public Relations Maze
One key element to remember when doing public relations is that it is not a sometime thing it is an everytime thing. This means that everything you do in your business or with your non-profit should encompass some public relations aspect. There are many steps to navigate the public relations maze:
1: Know the message you want to deliver- What is your objective in promoting and giving information?
For example if your purpose of your message is to drive more people to your web site you want to give people a reason to go to your website. For example you are giving away a free study about something in your industry that will help your current clients and potential clients thus announcing the give away in an enticing way and then capturing their email address you can build a list to send more valuable offers. You can also then send out media releases to your media list announcing how you are being of service and value to those you serve. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Navigating The Public Relations Maze
How many times do you tell a store owner it is all in the message? This sign should have been top and a bottom to be more specific and less offensive.
Would you do business with this guy. They got your attention however not the best tag line they could have used.
After looking at these two signs I started to think about other unique situations that make you ask the question, Are You Kidding Me? One that immediately came to mind was Wendy’s doing a promotion to help those affected by diabetes with this ad on their billboard.
This is like Kentucky Fried Chicken selling the pink buckets for breast cancer awareness their intention is good, however we all know one of the contributing factors to cancer is poor diet.
In October I delivered a mixed message as I did a promo video for Hungry Howie’s. I don’t regret doing it as it was supporting a good cause, however as I reflected back I realized this was not the message as again poor food choices lead to cancer. I use this as an example of my Are You Kidding Me Moment. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Are You Kidding Me?
Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi) teaches Ralph Macchio (Daniel Son) an important life lesson about focusing. The scene that is very poignant is Miyagi says wax on wax off focus.I used to walk around my office sharing this with my fellow staff members so as to motivate them. It worked as a great strategy.
Advertisement Ideas: Miyagi Says Focus!!!!
I was out in the community representing Life Publications today and realized just how many people couldn’t answer the question of who their ideal client was. I began to think if you do not know who your ideal client is then how can you stay focused and build your brand and increase your revenue. One particular business asked me what I was selling I said eventually I would like to put together an advertising program for you but first I wanted to know who your ideal client is so that I can see if my magazine would be a good fit for you. I was told I am not interested to which I replied sorry to hear that because outside of the advertising I believe I could have been of service and value to you. I continued to stay focused and use this approach as I continued to peel back the onion by asking questions of the potential advertisers that I was calling on. I was doing the sales calls cold, which is not something I recommend, however those that I have relationships with are already in the magazine working with other reps. As I finished making the sales calls I began to realize that their must be a focus on marketing so as to create top of the mind awareness with those that are in your ideal client profile.
Advertisement Ideas: Strategic Focus
When was the las time you sat down and did a real introspection of where your focus is and what strategic partnerships I should be focusing on? Have you looked for a strategy focus that will build your brand? Have you sat down with others to get their input on strategies? Have you sought out groups or organizations that are synergistic with your focus? Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Miyagi Says Focus!!!!
What speciality do you have? How are you carry yourself? Do you walk with a swagger? Do you speak with confidence? This has gotten me to think of the adage flaunt it if you got it, not in a mean or condescending way but is a subtly in their face way.
Angie and her FLAUNT Girls attract a lot of attention as they perform at The Full Throttle Saloon during Bike Week in Sturgis South Dakota. They are used in many promotions and as a result attract many male customers to the saloon. Some may say that this is over the top, however it works. Think about it showing off your skills may be just what a potential client/ customer is looking for. By flaunting your skills in a subtle way you will begin to build strength in your brand. A few year ago NIKE Introduced Customizing their sneakers, where consumers could go on-line and design their own sneakers.Knowing they were the #1 athletic footwear in the world they flaunted their position and offered this opportunity and a s a result remain #1. Imagine if you could custom make a few pairs pf sneakers to wear while doing business that effectively represented your company. This would definitely lead to be a flaunter.
These were designed for a Dance Krew, who won MTV’s America’s Best Dance Krew and now the Jabbockeez are a recognizable brand who flaunt their talent.
After NIKE offered this program of customization others followed suit. Someone designed this from Adidas and I immediately thought if I had a burger place I would order these for my employees with the company name on them.
What a great innovative way to market your business.
When I think of vehicle I think of cars, trucks, or vans. This is a vehicl wrap, which is an effective way of advertising. One of the best at wrapping your vehicle is Vinylot in Margate, FL.
As I stopped into Vinylot to see Gwen about advertising in The Coconut Creek Life magazine that I represent I started to get all these ideas about how to choose the right advertising vehicle as business have so much to choose from. A vehicle wrap can have a great impact as it is seen by all those on the road. Tee-shirts and ball caps and other promotional items work as well. The you have radio, TV, print advertising and social media. Many times it must feel like you are being bombarded and in many cases overwhelmed. The choices seem endless and they are because everyone seems to have a way to promote your business. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How To Choose The Right Advertising Vehicle
How many times are you going to blame others, make excuses, and do the same thing over and over again expecting different results? It is time to wake up and Market Your Self. Think is there anything that you do that no one else can do? What is it that makes you stand out? What is it that truly makes you a leader in your marketplace.
In The Olympics the difference between a gold, silver, bronze or no medal at all is the fact that you reach down deeper inside and find something that no one else can do. In 1976 Bruce Jenner, won the decathlon and has been using that fame and his positive attitude to market himself ever since.Bruce Jenner captivated the world when he broke the world record and won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic games, earning the title, Worlds Greatest Athlete. Jenner has become a highly respected motivational speaker, sports commentator, entrepreneur, commercial spokesperson, television personality, actor, producer, author, and charity supporter. Audiences are captivated by ‘ unique Olympic, personal and professional success story.
Using the decathlon as an example think of ten things that set you apart from your competition and capitalize on them using them in all your marketing material.
Advertisement Ideas: Brand Yourself
Whatever business you have the key is to brand yourself and market yourself. When you find out what you have that no one else has you can capitalize on that and market yourself. For example I have a unique voice and come from a spiritual perspective and I also have great experience in marketing and media relations thus my tag line is The Spiritual Emcee Maximizing Your Message. What is that you are known for and what do excel in?I ask this question of my clients so as to create a tag line for them and then help them to market accordingly. I recently met with a women who was helping people to creat a better financial position for her clients and thus gave her the moniker of The Financial Fixer, another client was helping people to find happiness and create the life they were seeking and I named her business, The Happiness Way, and gave her tips on marketing and promoting.
One of the best people at branding is Donald Trump, like him or not he has built a strong brand and you see his image everywhere. You may not have the resources that he has, however you have resources that when used effectively will build your brand. To build your brand you will want:
1: Consistency- From logo design to advertising you want to convey the same message
2: Recognizablity- When someone sees your logo or your name they should be easily able to know it is you
3: Publicity- You will want the media to take notice of you so make PR a priority
4: Reaching Your Target Audience- Know who you want to reach and use resources to reach them
5: Promotion- You want to promote creatively and effectively so as to maximize your message
How Recognizable Are You?
When I say Allstate what do you think of? When I say Nike what do you think of? When I mention McDonald’s what do you think of? You may not have the budget of these big companies but you can use their models to follow. They all share one thing in common they developed a brand that most everyone recognizes. Getting recognition can be as easy as using a 3 foot rule and talking to people that are within 3 feet of you. You can also look into print publications that are synergistic to your goals and objectives and offer them content thus creating a following. You can create a blog and publicize it with information. You can utilize social media to gain recognition.
Think of ways you can stand out and build your brand. I often look at the set up of a business and ask what they are doing to drive business. I have this uncanny ability to look at a retail establishment or a home based business and come up with plans that will attract new business. For example I was at a Pizza place that had two TV’s and the owner was telling me how slow things were. I asked him have you thought about capitalizing on events like March Madness? He asked me what that was? I explained it is what the NCAA Basketball Tournament is referred to as. I explained that many offices have office pools where people pick their teams and if that team wins they win a prize. I suggest that he put a sign in the window Watch March Madness Here. I also suggest that he run a pool where patrons would fill out a bracket give him their name and email address and the winner gets a meal for 2. By be creative and using the resources he has The TV’s he could increase traffic to his restaurant.
I chose this calendar so as to plant a seed for you to consider what can you do in your business to create a buzz and attract client/customers. take August 1 Sports Day and offer a special to anyone that wears their favorite team shirt, ball cap, or jersey. You can get shirts made up like a jersey with your company name and if someone spends a specific dollar amount or higher they receive the shirt as a token of your appreciation. You could also do a chance drawing for sports memorabilia with the proceeds being donated to a charity. The more creative you are the more recognizable you will be. You could do in-business and external promotion. Think about an ad that Says Come Celebrate Sports Day at XYZ and spend $50 or more and receive one of our collectible jerseys. We will also have a chance drawing for (Insert Charity Here). Show your team pride and receive a 10% discount. Place this ad in your local publications, around the store, place it on your social media sites, your web site, record a commercial and play it on your voice mail.
This week think of ways you can wake up and market yourself.