The Right Mindset

Many people start off the new year with high hopes and aspirations for a successful future. They dutifully set goals, make plans, state their objectives, and promise themselves that this time they'll really stick with it. But sometimes life gets in the way and throws a curve ball (or two or three!), diverting our eyes from our path just long enough to derail the whole plan. If you have plans this year to ramp up your business and want to really see it all the way through, there's one thing that can help you stick with the agenda even when things seem to be going sideways. Solve their pain. If you can remember that one phrase and make it a theme for your entire year, you'll be much closer to achieving all of your goals than you have ever been. Your customers, prospects, and even your friends and family have some kind of pain. They're all either actively or unknowingly searching for someone to help them cure their problems. Your task should be to find out what these ills are and then help provide solutions. You'll become the one they always look forward to hearing from because you care about them. The late Zig Ziglar once said: "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want." It's somewhat ironic that achieving goals in your life and business requires a mind shift change from "me first" to thinking about what's in the best interest of other people. So as you set your sights on having the best year of your life, remember to always strive to be the one that presents answers to problems and puts the best interests of others before your own. If you can master these skills, you'll never be without a friend and will achieve more goals than you ever have before.

Please Give Me a Call

With the recent explosion of marketing avenues available to businesses, it's easy to forget some of the fundamental building blocks that go into making a company successful. Take, for instance, that telephone in your office. It may not be as sexy or new as social media, but it packs a much bigger and more immediate punch than tweeting or Facebook posts! Perhaps the most important method of communicating with your clients and prospects is still that little old telephone. The phone connects your business with your audience in ways that email and social media can't. The sound of the human voice and the interaction between two people on the phone can never be replicated or replaced by any other medium. That interaction can either increase or decrease your business in terms of traffic and revenue. Most callers will base their decision about whether or not to do business with your company on how they are treated on that phone call. No amount of marketing and PR can overcome a negative experience on a phone call with your office. So before you move forward with any new marketing, make sure all that effort doesn't go to waste when a prospect calls your business. You can either pay someone or ask a friend to call your business and pose as a potential customer. Have the calls recorded. Review these recordings on a regular basis, and share both the positive and negative calls with your staff, along with items you find that need to be corrected. These are extremely valuable training times. It takes a little effort on your part, but the rewards will pay off for many years to come. By making sure that all callers experience a positive event when calling your business, you have a strong pillar to continue building your successful business.

Are You the One?

Are you in control of your life, or does it feel like life is tossing you around like a boat in a storm?

Only one person in a hundred may look ahead, picture in their mind what they want, and set a plan to work toward their goals. The other ninety-nine may think about what they aspire to, but that vision will quickly fade, as they consider all the reasons why they can't make their dreams a reality. So they settle for what life throws their way. That's why life for the ninety-nine feels out of control and chaotic. In order to go from the ninety-nine to the one, you must answer three important questions: What do you really, really want out of life? What is your plan to get there? What is your next step? All three of these are critical steps to get off the out-of-control merry-go-round and take control of your destiny. Some people will take the first step and stop. Some will even go to step two. But very few get to step three. The people in the "one percent" group take step three and continue on until their goals are achieved. Ninety-nine people will read this and believe they knew all of this already. Yet they still won't do anything about it. One will take action. Life throws challenges in everyone's paths. The ones who are not easily discouraged and remain resilient because they believe in their dreams are the people who end up as the one in a hundred. Which are you?

Local Marketing Tips

When people buy locally, the money spent in the community stays in the community to sustain local jobs, pay local tax dollars, and support local schools and organizations. It also promotes a family and community atmosphere. Here are a few creative ways to promote your business locally:

Introduce yourself and spread the word about your business throughout your community. For example, you could strike up a conversation with someone while waiting in line at a post office or attending a community event. Break the ice with something like this: "I'm Bob, the owner of Bob's Bagels down the street. If you haven't tried us out yet, here's a freebie!" Then pass them a business card and/or coupon. Distribute promotional pieces to spread the word. Consider mailing postcards to recipients in a particular zip code, distributing door hangers in local neighborhoods, posting flyers or posters at local businesses, and so on. Offer an enticing discount or coupon to encourage people to visit your location. Focus on networking with other area businesses, schools, churches, and civic organizations. Consider cross promotions to increase local traffic, such as distributing coupons or brochures for each others' businesses or causes. Create a loyalty program to reward customers and encourage repeat business. Use punch cards or stamp cards, recognize customer birthdays, provide exclusive coupons or upgrades, and consider a customer review panel that receives free products or services in exchange for their valuable feedback and input on how to improve your business. Support local fundraisers. For example, a restaurant could donate 50% of profits for guests who have a voucher for John Doe's Cancer Benefit on April 5th. This would not only increase restaurant traffic, but also support a good cause. When marketing locally, always use your full street address, rather than a PO box, which doesn't indicate your physical location. Also provide a local phone number in addition to a toll-free option. Ensure your business is listed on major local search platforms, including Google Maps, Google+ Local, Yahoo! Local, Bing Local, and similar websites. Promote the advantages of purchasing locally, including personalized attention, convenience, and the ability to stop by anytime to see products, ask questions, or get ideas. Promote ways your business gives back to your community and supports area organizations. Be an example and make sure you're supporting other local businesses as well.

Your Print Marketing 3-Step Rule

Every print marketing piece should have an end goal in mind. Depending on the type of marketing piece, these goals can range from simply building name recognition to creating curiosity and ultimately generating sales. The next time you find yourself struggling to create print marketing that will get noticed, remember these three steps to maximize your effectiveness: Step 1: Grab attention. Start by getting your reader's attention. Remember this must happen from the initial glance at your promotional piece. Try using a bold headline, graphic, photo, or marketing claim. Choose something that encourages viewers to take a moment to read your marketing message. Step 2: Create interest. Provide teaser information that will engage prospects and entice them to learn more. Teaser information could include an announcement about exciting new products or features, a current or upcoming promotion, or anything else that will persuade customers to learn more. Step 3: Engage the reader.  Provide a call to action for readers who have taken time to read your marketing message. This could vary from prospects who simply want more information to those who are ready to make a purchase. Provide a website address, phone number, directions, or other contact information that makes it easy for prospects to get in contact with you about your product or service. Consider creating a website landing page that is specific for the highlighted product or service. A landing page can not only make it easy to track interest generated from your promotional piece, but it can also make it easier for the reader to learn more without losing interest wading through an information-packed website. Our creative team specializes in creating marketing pieces that will get noticed and remembered. Give us a call today if you need help or ideas for creating the perfect marketing piece that will increase awareness and boost sales.

There is No I in This TEAM

You may be surprised to learn that Richard Branson, the famous and sometimes brash entrepreneur, when speaking about his many companies or successful ventures, rarely mentions "I" and always refers instead to "we." Why? Because he knows that his success has been due in large part to a team, each of whom brought a certain strength to turn the vision into reality.

There are three essential characteristics of any successful business: A Product or Service -- You must be able to make or provide a fantastic product or service. Marketing -- You must have a great story and be able to sell your story to the market. Financial Management -- You must be a smart money manager and reinvest the cash wisely. Since each of these skills requires a vastly different mindset, no single person can do all of these with any degree of high expertise. The most successful businesses have all three of these skills spread among their team. The long-term success and viability of your business depends on these three areas. Therefore, it is vital that you have the best-qualified hires for each skill. Whether you're a micro business or a global brand, the success and growth of your venture depends not only on making the correct hire but also on getting out of the way and letting the experts manage what you hired them to do. Both of these skills are critical to the long-term success of your company. One does not work well without the other. Your company may not be the size of Richard Branson's companies, but the lessons of hiring the best possible candidates and giving them the necessary space to manage their parts of the business are lessons that apply to all successful enterprises.

Marketing Tips from Animals Pics

When it comes to marketing, we can learn a lot from photos of adorable animals. Here are a few key tips to take away the next time you catch yourself oohing and aahing over an adorable fuzzy kitten or roly-poly puppy:

Have you ever noticed how adorable animal photos have a knack for engaging a wide variety of people with various interests? While marketing is most effective when aimed at a targeted audience, you should strive to appeal to a variety of personalities within your audience. Photos grab attention and have the power to invoke emotion. The sight of a baby animal can easily warm the heart of most people. Think about the photos or imagery you use in your next marketing campaign, and focus on the emotions your selected images will create for your audience. Consider using humor whenever appropriate. Have you ever seen a hilarious photo of a cat and felt the need to show others so they can laugh with you? The same is true of humorous marketing. By sharing something funny, WE also become funny by association. Just as people love to share adorable photos with others, be sure to create your marketing materials so they are easy to share. For example, create a durable mailer that includes a coupon for the recipient and one to share with a friend. Add a link to your web-based promotions to recommend friends, and consider a reward for those who pass the word. Include a "share" option to make your message easily available for friends or family who may be interested. By making your message easy to share, you can empower your audience to do the selling for you. If you need more ideas for creating marketing materials your audience will look forward to receiving, give us a call today!

Flash Sale Marketing Tips

Flash sales have become one of the marketing industry's hottest new ways to not only grab attention but also boost web traffic and create front-of-mind awareness. While email is typically the key driver of flash sale campaigns, social media is a close follower. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your next flash sale marketing campaign:

Create urgency with a short time window for your sales. These can range from a few hours to a day or two maximum. The longer customers put off buying, the less likely they are to make a purchase. Studies show that flash sales with a three-hour window have the best transaction-to-click rates. Most purchases are made within the first hour. Be sure your inventory is adequate for a flash sale, and alert customers if supplies are limited. Consider a flash sale with an open-ended coupon promo to increase foot traffic. For example, you might offer a $150 salon coupon for only $75 from 11am-1pm. Use multiple avenues to spread the word quickly. These may include email, texting, mobile coupons, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social sites. Encourage recipients to share or forward your message to their friends. Create an attention-grabbing subject line or header, and follow through with a concise message that communicates the necessary details of your sale. Consider sending a reminder. Light a fire under the feet of customers who are interested but dragging their heels, and remind them that your offer expires soon. Remember that timing is everything, so determine the best times to blast your recipients. The most common times for a flash sale revolve around lunch or evenings, making the sale accessible to buyers who work during the day. Monitor your social accounts closely during a flash sale, since customers will want immediate answers to any potential questions or concerns before the sale expires. Consider mailing postcards for big weekend flash sale events to grab attention and give customers a little extra time to prepare for your sale. For example, grab attention with an oversized postcard that says "Save 40% off everything in our store for four hours only on Saturday!" Consider offering a live online counter to show how many "deals" have been purchased. Popularity sells, so if XX other people thought it was a good deal, many others will think they need to buy one, too. Suggest that shoppers follow you on Facebook or Twitter to ensure they don't miss out on your next exciting sale!

Be a Real Partner

Business used to be much simpler. The formula for success was to provide value, convenience, and great customer service, which in turn led to referrals that became new clients. This tried and true cycle kept the business world moving forward.

Somewhere along the way, however, the rules seem to have changed, and the apple cart has been upset. To win business today, you must provide more than value and customer service. Change is an inevitable part of life and must be dealt with. Change can lead to transformations in which we are active and willing participants, or change can occur despite our best efforts to stop it. In these cases, the outcomes are not necessarily in our power. An important part of transformation and evolution is to learn from the past. This is a great time to review the past year and make decisions about changes that need to be made for a successful new year. Reflections On the Past Year Was 2012 a success for you? If not, where did things go wrong? -- Did you have enough sales opportunities? -- Were you presenting the right solutions for your prospects? -- Did you learn enough about your clients and their needs in order to implement the right solutions for your clients? There are no right answers here, just honest introspection. Resolutions For the New Year To make changes for a successful 2013: -- Know what goals your clients have for their businesses. -- Help them achieve their goals with the solutions you have to offer. To be as successful as you would like to be in the new year, you need to accomplish one important task: look for ways to make your clients achieve their goals. When you can do that, you have aligned their goals with yours. You have become a true partner in their success. This can go a long way in making your new year the best ever.

Repurpose Marketing Content

Repurposing content is often one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways to create an abundance of creative content, while at the same time extending the shelf life of your current marketing investment. Here are a few tips to help you creatively repurpose marketing content: Combine related blog posts on specific topics into an e-book. Add content as needed to make it flow smoothly from one post to another. Convert PowerPoint presentations into videos by adding animations, background music, or a voice-over. Maximize exposure by posting your videos on YouTube and sharing links via social media, your website, email, direct mail, and other marketing tools. Turn publications or articles into podcasts by simply reading them aloud or having a narrative conversation about a topic of interest. Create a company history timeline highlighting the stages and evolution of your business. Include news releases, company posts, social media announcements, and articles about your company. Review unconventional content as well, such as an employee handbook that may include an introduction from the president outlining the company's vision or a well-written summary of your target audience meant to educate new employees. Archive your news releases in a "news" section on your company website to increase ongoing exposure. Reuse parts of press releases, case studies, white papers, and other publications. Pull key quotes, stats, facts, and highlights, then use those materials in brochures, newsletters, blog posts, website pages, and email campaigns. Create a landing page or microsite using in-depth product pages or articles that you've already written. No matter how you repurpose your content, just remember that the more content you create, the easier it is to generate interest, educate and inform prospects and customers, and increase sales.

Defining Values, Mission, Vision, & Goals

With the new year beginning, many of us will be revisiting that time-honored tradition of planning for the new year. As part of the planning, we need to define what we want to accomplish. In order for our plan to be complete and comprehensive, we need to start with four elements: Values Mission Vision Goals Many people have a tough time determining what values, mission, vision, and goals really are. Everyone knows they should have them, but most of us aren't sure what each of these elements actually is or how they differ from one another. Let's end the confusion today! Values are the qualities you stand for. Mission is how you intend to change the world around you. Vision is how you see yourself or your business in one year, two years, five years, or even longer down the road. Goals are the outcomes you want to achieve over the next week, month, quarter, or year. That's it! Of course, you could write whole books about each of these topics, but that's all you need to start with. Complete these four objectives, and you'll be well on your way to making your dreams a reality.