Having “followers” in business is a good thing. And what are followers, exactly? Think of having fans interested in what you do, what you think and what you have to say. They would say positive things about and recommend your brand in a heartbeat. And they literally choose to “follow” you on social media because they value your insights.
Celebrity or Influencer?
Celebrity status is by degrees. There are local, national and worldwide celebrities. We can all be celebrities of sorts when we’re doing the kinds of things people celebrate as praiseworthy or valuable. If you’ve been in the same profession for 5 years or more and have a successful track record, the people who know this about you will value your thoughts and opinions about your industry. If you write about it publicly, you’ll attract a following of curious and likeminded people, and you’ll begin to influence their thinking. This is known as your “tribe” in business vernacular. To these folks, you’re known as an influencer which is akin to being a celebrity among that select group.
Can you attract people to an event or influence them to share your message? We all have a circle of influence which can wax and wane depending on our commitment to proactively offer value in every business situation. The more you engage people with value, the wider your influence grows in the market. That influence can fade quickly the moment you ease up and back off from proactive market engagement. I’ve seen this happen in my own business life repeatedly over the years which is why I keep writing blogs, columns and newsletters as well as attending events in my market, even creating them.
Innovation Gets Attention!
Last year I started a new local event series called “Networking in Motion” which keeps my brand and others’ in front of people like you. Having recruited a couple of influencers in my network – people who have their own tribe, we easily attract a dozen or more people to fun and “kinetic” business networking events. We build relationships and expand referral partnerships which you know are super valuable! So far, 3 successful events with another one coming up in early December! Stay tuned for details.
Would You Follow Yourself?
Whether you’re a buyer, seller, connector or just an observer, the amount you engage other businesspeople in meaningful conversations is usually in direct proportion to your current business success.
If people respect what you say, they are likely to follow you in the market, in your industry, at events, and it extends online. The key is to publish content and make sure it passes the value test! Do people get value and are they entertained when reading or listening, watching?
Proactive Market Engagement
Consider the ways in which you engage with people for the purpose of growing your business.
How many networking events per month do you attend?
Are you considered a “regular” in the groups you belong to?
Do you sponsor or host events that bring businesspeople together?
Do you lead workshops, seminars and educational events?
Do you have an email list you regularly send newsletters and updates to your followers?
Do you join boards and committees so you can contribute to and influence the groups you belong to?
Do you invest time to build individual relationships with key players and influencers in your market?
Well, do ya, punk? (See Dirty Harry)
Answer “yes” to as many of these questions as possible and you will develop followers who will help you succeed by advocating for your business success.
Real Followers do more than like and click!
Mere clicks on your links and likes or comments on your social pages indicate that some people are noticing your messages. It’s better to have engagement than not but how far does the engagement go? For some in your audience, it’s no more than a like, click or comment hoping they will get noticed on your profile.
Your real followers will take more actions on your behalf. They’ll make direct business referrals, share your posts to their networks, hire you for services and show up to your events, and they will invite their friends!
If you want real followers in the market, get out there and lead. Reread the section under Proactive Market Engagement and make plans to answer “yes” to the questions. If I can do it, so can you!
You’ve had a functioning B2B or local retail promotional website for years and suddenly a lightbulb goes off. “Why aren’t I selling these products as well as taking payments online?”
What if you see your competitors offering eCommerce options for the same kinds of products & services that you provide?
It might finally be time to let your website turn literally into a revenue producing machine as so many great websites are today. This does not require a radical shift or business transformation. It’s simply a different and easier way of conducting transactions and collecting money.
From Information to Remuneration
Plenty of high performing eCommerce sites are really hybrids that combine marketing & public relations, lead generation and direct eCommerce sales. Some of those sites were originally information or lead generation based websites which now have seamless eCommerce experiences built into them. You can do the same thing any time you want.
The “when” to monetize your website depends on whether your team is willing to go through a modest learning curve of getting on a new dashboard or two and managing inventories & data much the same as they do now using an ERP system or other database. And you can easily integrate your eCommerce workflows into existing ERP systems, automating the process. Plus, money is deposited right into your account with no collection time or effort.
Happier Customers
Fulfilling eCommerce orders may even be easier as there is less customer interaction, especially upfront. Most eCommerce shoppers know what they want by the time they’re checking out and paying the bill.
The “how” to monetize your website is best left to experienced marketing experts and eCommerce website developers. As a director of those services, of course I would say that, and with full confidence knowing you don’t want to “try this at home.” Every successful business owner knows to consult and work with specialists because they are specialists themselves and understand the common mistakes made in the DIY world. However, we can certainly give pointers.
A Few Tips for Monetizing Your Website
Have your website on an open source platform like WordPress or choose an eCommerce platform like Shopify, Magento, etc…
Choose an eCommerce plugin if needed such as Woocommerce.
Choose a payment processor like Stripe, Square, etc.
Plan logistics for fulfilling online orders, including carriers and shipping cost calculations.
Design and build your store using intuitive navigation and calls to action.
Include a marketing campaign to drive traffic directly to your eCommerce landing pages.
Enjoy the business growth!
As you can see, it’s all pretty simple and straightforward! The only warning I feel the need to offer is to understand that you are committing your brand as an eCommerce offering and it’s important to honor that commitment by following through on quality deliveries. Confident of that, it might be good to jump in!
May your website make money for you all the days of your business life…
Every business evolves. Your company probably provides customers more now than it did at startup. You probably do things better than before. This evolution will continue if you are to succeed in a competitive world. Naturally, your sales and marketing messages must change over time to faithfully and accurately convey the value offered to your customers.
Does your brand need a refresh?
Oftentimes as businesses grow and evolve, a brand “refresh” is what’s needed. For example, when product and service features are added or improved, they need to be promoted with the appropriate degree of novelty and excitement. Perhaps the company moves to a bigger location closer to its customer base or hires a new CEO who wants to rejuvenate the company’s public image. These can be good reasons to consider adjustments in the visual identity and key word use. Maybe this includes using new colors and switching out marketing images with fresh, professional photography and video.
Rebranding is a big deal!
An appropriately sized investment is required to rebrand well. It calls for a modernized vision, new or revised logo, a fresh approach to the market and new marketing campaigns. If you’ve been thinking about rebranding your company, think about everything your brand touches, especially your current customers. How will both loyal and casual customers perceive the change message your rebranding effort will be sending them?
You can’t afford to rebrand according to market miscues or without a strong rationale. Any change in identity or image can raise questions. Your new brand communication efforts must convey growth and improvement. Expressing gratitude should be part of your message. This isn’t about boasting.
A company’s major expansion into new markets or brand new product applications can be situations in which you’ll benefit from a rebranding effort. Here you need to take a strategic look at your current brand identity from a 360-degree perspective: Company name and positioning, product names and product branding, divisions and subsidiaries… Who needs to understand your new rebranding messages? Employees, current customers, sales prospects, suppliers & service vendors, the public… How will you unveil your new branding to each audience or constituency?
Brand Architecture
Brand architecture defines how a company wants its organization, products and services to be perceived and understood. It’s particularly important for enterprise and large companies that serve different target markets with various products and services. It helps them to compete more successfully. Designing your brand architecture is a highly strategic exercise but remember, it is wise to strive for simplicity, so it’s easily understood!
Most corporate brand hierarchies are no more complex than this:
Culture – what it means to work here (should be company-wide)
Most small businesses have a simple brand hierarchy that consists of one company and their products/services. Each of the branding components listed above can focus on a singular identity and value proposition so the brand architecture process is more straightforward than for large, multifaceted organizations.
How different is your company today from 5 or 10 years ago?
If you serve the same customers the same products with the same people and do well in your niche, don’t rebrand but consider the areas where your brand might need some refreshment or perhaps reinvigorated advertising and enhanced images.
If you are providing different products and serving larger clients with expanded value services, or if your target audience demographics are significantly different now than in the past, you might need to undergo a rebranding effort to remain competitive and in congruence with the needs of your market.
Another good reason to rebrand is to help fulfill a major company goal such as expanding business nationally or globally and into completely new markets. But remember this. It’s vitally important to honor your current customers and brand loyalists as you include them in your rebranding strategy. These are the people who make your brand successful and the brand equity you enjoy now must be nurtured.
Better Branding Helps Everyone!
Branding and rebranding is, in reality, a service to the marketplace because done properly, it helps prospects and customers make better choices, saving them time and money. So give your market a clear, honest and distinguishable idea of who your organization is, why it exists and the kinds 0f folks it serves.
Strive continually to keep your brand and marketing messages fresh and up-to-date. When your products and services start looking a lot different than they did in years past, it’s probably a good time to rebrand!
SEO and PPC – Prove It Locally before You Try Going National
Technology enables more businesses to deliver services nationally over the internet or ship products across the country rapidly and affordably. Here’s a valuable online marketing tip for small business owners.
Many today who have the ability to sell nationally think they can compete nationally with dominating giants in their industries. These giants have purchased as well as earned organic ranking authority in the search engines and pay handsomely to keep it.
It can be frustrating to attempt to penetrate an already competitive market with thousands when your top 2 or 3 national competitors are probably spending millions in Pay Per Click advertising and SEO campaigns.
Leveling the SEO & SEM Playing Field
A local market is very different, just by the math. The playing field is leveled when you concentrate your advertising spending within a small geographic footprint such as a county, state or tri-state region – ideally your home turf. That way, your ad concentration can match or exceed what the big boys are spending there. Of course, this is the market where your name is already more likely to be recognized!
The Winning Strategy
If you own a small business and want to improve your advertising results, start locally or regionally with your ad campaign’s initial launch. Then analyze the results before your pour money across the vast, fruited plain only to be as visible in most markets as a needle in a haystack.
If your local campaign generates a successful result, roll the campaign out further and further as sales increase. Keep dialing in your messaging based on the acquired data and enjoy your growing success!
I’m following up a recent popular blog post that received more positive feedback than usual.
Let’s listen to a nice local example of radio advertising. Here is a classic case of choosing something trendy and safe over something unexpected, funny and memorable. I trust my own opinions on this stuff but I’ll let you be the judge.
First, consider the irrelevant silliness and fantasy worlds portrayed in some of the major insurance brand ads like Liberty Mutual’s. That frivolous, whimsical style is trending and resonates with certain demographics.
A local packing & shipping company recently chose between two concepts. One ad is cute, unexpected and funny while the other follows a more recognizable and pedestrian style.
Have a listen:
Recommended Radio Ad
Approved Radio Ad
The ad runs mostly in rural Vermont and central New Hampshire, so consider the audience demographics.
In the recommended spot, the transparency of an obvious non-rapper producing a rap tune is hilarious and therefore memorable. The word choices work well to reinforce what the company does, followed by the “straight man” owner summing it all up.
In the approved spot, the trending style of fantasy, super heroes and puns was considered the safer way to go. That’s perfectly understandable but for me, after hearing it once or twice, I’ve had enough. The rap version still makes me smile after playing it dozens of times.
Be Different and Better!
As a consumer of terrestrial radio, I’ve been moved many times to try products or hire services over the years by the convincing power of relevant, on-target and sometimes funny advertising. Many of the best campaigns have been locally homegrown, being very creative and memorable.
There’s no need to hold back fun, creative and effective work, especially in times like these! Think outside the box for a change. Avoid the same, lame, me-too advertising game and make your messages more memorable in your market!
One of my professors liked to say, “Business is people!” He often said it when he wanted to reduce student anxiety about jumping into the real world of professional work. The plain truth of that statement left an impression with me. Later in life I read the book, How to Make Friends and Influence People. Then, “Business is People!” became fundamental to my career.
Lose Yourself
When you really want to connect with a potential customer and form a good relationship, how do you steer the conversation to get their interest? What’s the best approach for getting someone to listen to your message?
You steer your attention away from yourself and listen carefully to understand their message. Then you can respond in a way that identifies with their thinking. This leads to dialog which leads to a relationship. As they find they can relate with you, they’ll become genuinely interested in hearing your message as it relates to them, including whatever it is you’re selling.
Marketing is All about Them
Your business prospect’s immediate interests probably have little to do with your product or service “solution.” They’re more likely to be thinking about their family, favorite hobby, or pressing business and personal issues. Marketing messages should align with real life experiences, both lived and hoped for.
Step into the shoes of your audience and better understand their needs, then demonstrate the value your business offers them.
Get to the Table!
To hit a home run, you must first get up to bat. A salesperson’s job is to reach out to potential new customers proactively. A marketer’s job is to create awareness and desire for a brand. The best way to accomplish both is to create an attraction in the market, not push a product or service with a lot of hype.
There is a time and place for spirited selling, answering objections and hard-nosed negotiation, but you’ll probably be absent from that table if you haven’t first developed an authentic relationship with your prospective customer. This relationship begins first in the mind of customers as they relate to your consistent messaging that speaks to their interests. It is further developed by what customers actually experience when doing business with your company.
Resist the Urge for Urgency!
Perhaps there’s some urgency indicated by your revenue projections. Maybe you really need to hit a financial target and think you should bust out and use more aggressive selling tactics. Go ahead and try. You might force a few sales through the pipeline. But what if your competition has already made friends with your best prospects by talking with them about what really matters – their personal interests and business goals?
Small Talk and Bigger Deals
People love to share their interests with those who are genuinely interested. Moms and dads do this. Decision-makers who are moms and dads and grandparents and aunts and uncles do this. And you do this. Wouldn’t it then make sense to connect on a more personal, emotional level in your messages and conversations?
Advertising should tap into personal emotions to generate recall and awareness. In sales and business development, patient relationship-building cultivates valuable friendships in your professional life which helps your business thrive!
When you produce a fantastic marketing piece based on an excellent value concept – a video, custom photo gallery, a song, a story, website redesign or full-blown ad campaign, you won’t need to worry about distribution. You will find a way to get it in front of people!
The quality and value behind a great message produced with excellence will make broadcasting it an imperative. Your excitement and eagerness – your imperious urge for the message to be seen and heard will propel you to roll it out however you possibly can to the right audiences.
Re-energize Sales with Fresh Ideas
Whether it’s in your grocer’s produce isle or your marketing agency’s studios, freshness and quality matter a lot!
Think about the times you’ve invested in a marketing campaign and really liked how the designs and executions came out. Now think about the opposite; when all of your marketing materials were dated and fading in relevance or outshined by competitors’ campaigns. In the first case, you can hardly contain your enthusiasm to promote your message but in the latter case, you hesitate to even use what you have. Is it time to reenergize your marketing content to increase your drive to seize more opportunities?
Put the empowering quality of freshness and excellence into your sales and marketing efforts. Then let your enthusiasm for its greatness drive you to promote the value you offer through every feasible channel.
It Just Takes One!
Very often, it’s just one great video! A sometimes-overlooked asset is the vast gallery of excellent still shots that a premium high-def video production also yields. These can be used across the internet and even in some print applications. A great video is the anchor piece for many a refreshed marketing campaign.
For example, images from the drone video we produced for Bow Auto Parts are replacing some of the previous terrestrial still shots to improve their branding and website user experience.
Just one video shoot with a good director (ahem!) and camera operator and you’ll be equipped for great marketing executions you’ll be doing for years!
Now check out the second-generation version of Bow’s company video introducing the owner and team member who offer their candid inside perspectives.
Always remember that a guy with a phone won’t cut it when it comes to making a video that displays how well your shop performs (Like Bow Auto Parts’ operation clearly does) and how good you and your people are. Investing in a day of video photography is probably the most valuable marketing investment you’ll make this year.
We’re here to help write and produce a great video when you need one!
Creativity has little to do with craziness, chaos and hyper-exaggeration. It has everything to do with fresh, new and relevant ideas. Humor can add life to creativity because real humor stems from truth; from reality or it wouldn’t be funny.
The national and global brand advertising agencies have allowed a whole legion of inexperienced and perhaps marginally talented career people into their creative departments over the past decade, and it’s showing! There are of course notable exceptions, but all you need to do is watch or listen to ads produced by the major insurance brands like Liberty Mutual, Progressive, Geico, Farmers, State Farm… They seem to be racing to the bottom of creative quality.
Piling on Creative Trends
The style and tone of these big brand campaigns are the same – weird, chaotic, hyper-exaggerated attempts at grabbing attention or trying to be funny. Does any of it relate to your personal (and emotional) needs for insurance? You be the judge.
A fine exception is the Allstate “Mayhem” campaign. It makes sense and cuts to the heart of why we need to be insured. Personifying the stark side of reality is indeed a clever and humorous way to wake people up to the fact that insurance matters in their lives! Compare Mayhem’s relevancy and creative quality to that of “Doug and Emu” (Liberty Mutual). There is no comparison.
Raising the creative quality standards in advertising starts with giving audiences respect for having intelligence and creative thought of their own. If I were running a large national or global agency, my message for creative professionals would be this. There’s no need to scream for attention with outrageous fantasy and folly. Try instead to captivate us with great ideas and compel us to action with emotion-driven messages relevant to what matters in our lives.
COVID is likely to create a surge in small business start-up attempts and for some, these efforts will stem from misguided decisions. A number of glaring statistics illuminate why a start-up at this time may be risky and we’ll discuss the steps you can take to mitigate the risk.
On the heels of 2020, with massive job losses and thousands of individuals and families in financial distress, there is likely to be a surge in the formation of new businesses. Why? Because many are not finding employment opportunities and believe that their best path forward is to start their own business. For some, this could potentially be a huge mistake for two reasons. First, a successful entrepreneur must have a strong, valid reason for WHY they are starting a business – one that resonates with and motivates their customer base.
Starting a business because you cannot find anything else to do is a poor reason to launch a start-up because the WHY only serves your need to create income. That will not motivate a person to buy from you. Second, far too many people are not well equipped to be an entrepreneur. They lack the patience, creativity, knowledge, resources, experience and support needed to succeed – and most don’t realize what they’re missing!
Reality Statistics
Look at the statistics. On average, each year, of new businesses begun, 54% will fail within 2 years, and 97% will fail within 5 years. Why? For the reasons mentioned above. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone can be an entrepreneur. Your decision not to move forward may preserve your life savings, or your child’s college education fund, or perhaps even your marriage. Seriously! Even if you have already started a business, if it is less than 5 years old, or you are struggling in any way, you should quickly review your decision and determine what is needed to keep your business out of the weeds.
So, how do you determine if you might have the ability to start and sustain a successful business? The answer lies in honest answers to a set of questions. To succeed as an entrepreneur, you must wear many hats, some of which you have likely never worn.
The Path to Entrepreneurial Success
I have written a book entitled The Entrepreneurial Mindset. It takes a deep dive onto this topic and illustrates a way forward for those who are prepared to succeed. The book will guide you through questions that must be addressed on topics such as such Mission, Vision, Customer Base, Unique Business Identity, Unique Sales Process, Budgets and the creation of a simple but powerful Strategic Business Plan. But before you buy the book you might prefer to read a short white paper on the topic entitled Who Should Be An Entrepreneur? The white paper asks the initial questions that will lead you to understand whether you should attempt a start-up.
Thereafter, there are many other questions to be dealt with if you elect to move forward. Please note that the questions in the white paper are only useful if you are honest with yourself. To receive a complimentary copy of the white paper, send a brief note asking for it by name, to TJS.PBI@outlook.com.
I leave you with this very appropriate quote from the classic novel Robinson Crusoe. Take it to heart.
“Now I saw, though it was too late, the folly of beginning a work before counting the cost and before rightly judging of my own strength to go through with it, and it grieves me heartily!” –Daniel Defoe
Brand Architecture
Another good reason to rebrand is to help fulfill a major company goal such as expanding business nationally or globally and into completely new markets. But remember this. It’s vitally important to honor your current customers and brand loyalists as you include them in your rebranding strategy. These are the people who make your brand successful and the brand equity you enjoy now must be nurtured.
Technology enables more businesses to deliver services nationally over the internet or ship products across the country rapidly and affordably. Here’s a valuable online marketing tip for small business owners.
A local market is very different, just by the math. The playing field is leveled when you concentrate your advertising spending within a small geographic footprint such as a county, state or tri-state region – ideally your home turf. That way, your ad concentration can match or exceed what the big boys are spending there. Of course, this is the market where your name is already more likely to be recognized!
Creativity has little to do with craziness, chaos and hyper-exaggeration. It has everything to do with fresh, new and relevant ideas. Humor can add life to creativity because real humor stems from truth; from reality or it wouldn’t be funny.
(Liberty Mutual). There is no comparison.
Guest post by Thom Stimpel, 
