As I sat at lunch today (4/5/13) at The Progressive Black Men National Conference along with Clifford Townsend, a Mindset Coach and Speaker I had the pleasure of hearing a presentation by one of the alumni members about finding your why? As I listened to him speak about brotherhood and finding your why I thought what if a business could convey their why in advertising?
You can visit www.pbm1989.org to find out more information about Progressive Black Men and the work they are doing. You can even consider sponsoring them and having an opportunity to share your why. The key is to define your why.
In finding your why ask yourself why am I in this business? Ask why I opened my doors this morning? Ask why you are promoting what you are promoting. I have always stated that facts tell and stories sell. By having a why story you will resonate with people who can relate to you and thus want to do business with you. I am often asked JDOGG why do you do what you do? My answer is because I have a desire to help other people excel and I have learned if you help enough people get what they want you will get what you want. I also answer because I know that marketing works for people do business with those they know like and trust. By sharing your why with others they begin to know you, like you, and trust you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Finding Your Why!!!
This Sunday, February 3, 2013 millions of people will be gathering for Super Bowl Parties across the country. Have you created a way that you can leverage The Super Bowl to drive business to you this week? Have you planned a strategy to capitalize on people’s love for The Super Bowl? Every type of business be it life coaching, personal training, a restaurant, a dry cleaner, a doctors office, etc. can benefit from doing some type of promotion revolving around The Super Bowl and thus creating more brand recognition and more revenue. Think about it you are a life coach and seeking more clients, how about an ad campaign that revolves around the theme Score A Touchdown In Your Life With Life Coach _______. Begin a program by 2/3/13 and recieve $50 off of your program. You are a personal trainer you could do a campaign with the theme Hoist Your Own Lombardi Trophy when you enroll for a fitness and wellness program with________________. You have a restaurant and you can run a campaign Score An Extra Point With Our Desserts, receive one FREE Dessert with purchase of an entree. You are a dry cleaner your campiagn can be Look Like An MVP with __________________. You are a doctor’s office you can do a campaign Let Us Be The QB For Your Health. As you can see if you come up with a creative theme and then put advertising out there you will leverage The Super Bowl.
As a business you can leverage The Super Bowl by participating in POINTS FOR THE CURE!!!! The way it works is you have your clients/customers/patrons choose either The Ravens or The 49 ERS and they agree to donate $.25 (25 cents) per point that the team scores and then after the game they visit http://main.acsevents.org/goto/jdogglederman and make their donation mentioning your business in the comment area. You as a business then do a media release about how you and your clients/customers/patrons participated in POINTS FOR THE CURE and raised money for The American Cancer Society. You then do a thank you ad as part of your print campaign and thank everyone for supporting POINTS FOR THE CURE and helping to raise money for The American Cancer Society. When you leverage an event like The Super Bowl you can strengthen your brand and increase revenue. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Leveraging The Super Bowl
Advertisement Ideas: How To Make Strategic Partnerships Work!!!!
I first learned the value of Strategic Partnerships back in 1989 as I was assisting with The Coral Springs Jaycees Spreading The Joy Program, which provided needy families with A Thanksgiving Food Basket and then took the children from those families on A Holiday Shopping Spree. The chapter didn’t have much money in the treasury at the time to fund the project. As a new member I spoke up and said “Have you ever done Strategic Partnerships,” they asked what they were and I explained that is when you ask those you do business with to support your charitable efforts. The answer was no and I said let’s start. They said you can try. I said okay and in 2 weeks I had formed 10 partnerships and secured over $3000.00 in in-kind and cash donations. I then took it to another level when I leveraged our relationship with the local KMART when I asked the manager about collecting in front of the store. The manager said yes and we collected for 21 days and collected another $5,000 in donations. That year we took 64 children on a holiday shopping spree. Those that supported our efforts saw The Jaycees return the favor as we supported the businesses that helped us. KMART saw the value of The Strategic Partnership and The Jaycees kept working with KMART until the store in Coral Springs closed. The question that I am asked often is JDOGG how do I make Strategic Partnership Work? Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How To Make Strategic Partnerships Work!!!
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!!!
As I typed in the search on bing for the definition of presence this is what I found:
pres·ence
[ prézz’nss ]
existence in place: the physical existence or detectability of something in a place at a particular time
attendance: somebody’s attendance at an event or physical existence in a place with other people
area within sight or earshot: the immediate vicinity of somebody or something
I began to think about the question I ask to people all the time what is your presence. I ask this because it is no longer build it and they will come, it is now build it and give them a reason to come. I am currently sitting in Starbuck’s and there is a steady flow of customers I being one of them. Their presence in the marketplace and online is not by accident. People can go anywhere for coffee, however Starbucks has created the idea that their coffee is part of a lifestyle of prosperity. They have positioned themselves as the place where professional go to meet, mingle, use wi-fi, and to enjoy their coffee and other assorted items. When on sees the following logo they know it is Starbucks.
Starbucks has created a presence and an awareness through the consistent use of their logo and creating an identity. What are you doing to create your identity so as to increase your presence? Continue reading Advertising Ideas: What Is Your Presence?
When I think of the word network the movie scene where the radio host urges people to go their windows and yell out I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore.
Is this how you feel when you attend networking events only to be bombarded by those looking to sell you something or enroll you in their program when the proper aspect of networking would be to share and lern about the other person. I did this today at The Cuccess Mix and Mingle. The word is spelled incorrectly on purpose as there are 3 cs needed to become a successful business person commitment, communication, and collaboration. As you build your network you will begin to see that being of service and value is a key component. Think about what can you do to enhance the lives of those you come in contact with at a networking function. Sometimes it may not be an official networking activity, however you will find yourself meeting people that you can be of assistance so always carry you contact info with you. If your calling card is the book you wrote carry it with you and give it out, if it is a cd you made hand that out, if it is business card hand that out. Remember when you are networking you want to be remembered so make sure you have something that makes you stand out. At many networking events I am asked to make announcements because of my great announcer voice, many times I will meet the organizer at the event and offer my services and many times the organizer didn’t even think about the importance of having a professional voice. This is one way I stand out. The key to creating a deep network is to stand out so people will know about you and feel as they know you, like you, and trust you.
As you network keep in mind that it is like teaching the world to sing as the more people you share with and find commonality the bigger your network will become and the more potential clients you will have. I often stress using a 3 foot rule, where if someone is within 3 feet of you, you talk to them as you never know how you can be of service and value to each other. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How Deep Is Your Network
This week there were two non traditional days celebrated that could have helped you to build your brand and increase your revenue one was on Friday, it was National Donut Day, the other was on Saturday, it was International Hug Day. I began to think how many businesses that rely on foot traffic knew of these two days and did anything to capitalize on them? I came up with an idea that if these two days are close together in 2013 that you can sponsor a campaign I’ll Have a Hug and a Donut. It could be done very simply by advertising two-three weeks prior to these days that on a certain day to commemorate National Donut Day and International Hug Day that at you place of business the first 150 people to make a purchase will receive a free hug and a donut.
There are many non-traditional holidays that you as a business can capitalize on and many are included in this book:
Introducing the 2012 Edition of Quirky Marketing Calendar The Ultimate Ebook to Promote Your Business 365+ Days a Year!
by Heidi Richards Mooney
The ideas in Quirky Marketing Calendar are TIMELESS! It does not matter when you buy it or where you start because these are holidays that occur every year! You can buy this calendar TODAY (or any day) and use it for the next 12 months (or longer)!
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!!!!
I am often asked JDOGG How do you always seem to have enough money for what you want? The answer is simple I have created several ways to generate revenue. In todays economy it is important to have diversify and have many streams that produce revenue. There are several ways to create multiple revenue streams, some of them are:
1: Do a skills inventory coupled with your assets and your passion, then answer the question what problem or challenge can this solve and how can it be monetized. An example of this is an elderly women who was living on her social security check and barely making it each month. She looked inside herself and knew she was an excellent typist, she owned a fairly new computer with an up to date word processing program, she lived near a college and she began to put up fliers Bea’s Typing Service you write I type $5 per page call_______________. After a few months she began to get many clients from the college and was able to supplement her income not to worry about whether or not their would be enough money to make it. During the summer she would approach local professionals to see if they had any typing/word processing needs and would pick up more clients. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How To Create Multiple Revenue Streams
Jonathan JDOGG Lederman uses a video to express a marketing tip while also promoting his blogs.
Advertisement Ideas: How to Use Video Testimonials
This is an example of a testimonial that was done by someone I worked with helping her to receive media coverage. Since the taping of this testimonial, Barbara has used my services on several occasions and each time makes the comment “When I have enough money I want to hire you full-time. You may be asking well you have a video testimonial how is it helping your business? It is helping my business as I am able to post it on my youtube channel www.youtube.com/jdogglederman, I am able to share on Facebook, www.facebook.com/jdogglederman, and at twitter, @jdogglederman. When you have video testimonials you can use them to build your credibility. One way is to use them effectively when doing a presentation at an event and you want people to sign-up for a workshop or to hire you for one on one projects. You can use the testimonials at a trade show by having an endless loop of 4-6 to show visitors to your booth. When you have a testimonial you can use it to build people’s trust. Remember people do business with people they know, like, and trust. People will hear and see what people are saying and be compelled to hire you for your services.
A few keys to remember are:
1: Make the video seem scriptless.
2: Make it seem that the person is genuine and coming from the heart
3: Use the video effectively by annotating it with your web site or phone number- The above still needs to be edited.
4: Share the testimonial whenever and wherever possible
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. 
