Marketing Muse

Twitter Tips for Business Tweets

2009-04-07T08:00:00.009-04:00

"Twitter is quirky and annoying." Okay, I said it. But it's a necessary annoyance that businesses of all kinds are welcoming into their marketing mix - and it's FREE to use (at least for now). If you are going to give in (and you eventually will) and adopt a Twitter marketing strategy, here are some suggestions on what to "tweet" about.

First, you need to understand that Twitter is basically a mini blog limited to 140 characters. And if you don't know what a blog is by now, you are probably still using terms like "audio cassette" or "album". Get with the times!

So, again, "tweets" are 140 character text messages that you send on Twitter to people who are "followers". How do you get followers? By sending tweets that are either very informational or very entertaining. Annoying tweets (and there are millions of them sent every day) send your followers running for the hills.

For businesses, I suggest you use Twitter to convey information that your customers and prospects will find beneficial.

Conduct Research and Gather Feedback
Are you thinking about adding/discontinuing a product/service, changing business hours, moving to a new location, or making some type of change that could affect your customers? You could send a "tweet" asking for feedback. People who twitter are not afraid to give you honest feedback and share their two-cents.

Share News & Announcements
You can tweet news about your business. There are several newsworthy items you can tweet, including:

Receiving an award

Achieving a monumental business or sales goal.

Announce the hiring of a new employee or the departure of one.

Adding a new product/service.

Television or Internet news story about your or your business

If there is something newsworthy, tweet about it. Don't forget to include links to the source (but remember that links are counted in the 140 characters).

Send Invitations
If you are going to host an event or participate in an event, use Twitter to invite people. If people need to register, send the invite and include a link to the registration site. Here are a few events you might send an invitation for:

Open house

Seminar

Holiday Party

Golf Outing

Sales Event

Fundraiser

But, remember that when you invite your Twitter followers, you are inviting everyone...if you have 2,000 followers and you offer free food...be prepared to feed 2,000 people plus their friends. If there are restrictions, let people know.

Announce A Sales Special
Airlines and restaurants use Twitter to announce deals. An airline might have open seats for a flight leaving tomorrow. A restaurant may have a seafood special and need to bump weekend reservations. Or a garden store may have a new shipment of plants and flowers they'd like to sell. I've even received tweets about discount tickets to movies and concerts. Make sure you announce that their is a limited number available and what the restrictions are so you don't make anyone mad. Some sales specials you may tweet about include:

Last-minute deals

Close-out/discontinued items

Overstocked items

Reservation availability

Early-bird special

New real estate listing

Garage sale
Ticket give-away or availability

Keep It Interesting
A lot of people who use Twitter are quickly learning that providing value by recommending their followers check out useful information is helping them become respected and increases the number of followers. Tell others about something you learned or discovered that might interest them, including:

Websites

Blog post
Book
Product review

Online video

Seminars/Workshops

Add Value and Increase Credibility
When using Twitter, businesses need to provide substance and value. Just telling people that you're "damned glad it's closing time" or that "It's time for a potty break" is not going to score a lot of points with followers. If you become a source and resource for information, then you will build credibility with an increasing number of followers.

When and How Often?
How often should you use Twitter. Unfortunately, the jury is still out. But many businesses post several tweets a day...or at least appear to. If you tweet, either schedule two or three times each day to send them or schedule them in advance. Yes, you can schedule your tweets hours, days, weeks, years in advance by using a Twitter compatible scheduling application such as Twuffer. You can find it at http://www.twuffer.com/. People who might appear to do nothing but hang out on Twitter 24/7 are probably scheduling their tweets in advance...or they have waaayy too much time on their hands.

Still Need Help?
If you are contemplating using Twitter (or any other social networking medium) for your business but still need some advice, then contact BTK & Associates. I'll be glad to work with you to develop your Twitter page and give you a strategy that you can manage based on your schedule. Visit www.btkmarketing.com, call 317.493-8964 or email me at brian@btkmarketing.com.

Thriving In Tough Times

2009-04-02T09:13:00.006-04:00

Why is it that some companies thrive during a recession and others fail? Perhaps its attitude or the ability of some businesses to monitor their industry and plan for tough times.

Historically, 70% of companies survive a recession, 25% of businesses fail, and 5% actually thrive. But what we've been experiencing since mid-2008 and will continue to experience for the foreseeable future is different. We're seeing a higher percentage of businesses closing or fighting to survive.

As indicators continue to reveal problems in the economy, most of us expect the worst. We can no longer ignore it or expect someone to wave a magic wand and fix it today; especially when the media is reporting record stock market declines, corporate losses, massive layoffs, banks collapsing, and more.

The need for change, whether beneficial or not, looms large in the thoughts of many business owners facing uncertainty as the economic downturn continues. But the ability to respond to economic changes — separates the capable business owner from the rest.

While business cut their spending, marketing and product promotion are absolutely essential. I am often asked, “How can I effectively market my business on a smaller budget?”

One way is the Internet and Social Networking. It is an extremely powerful, yet cost-effective,
communication tool that when use effectively can stimulate sales growth, even in a recession. Just look at the number of business using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more.

Another key element for thriving in a recession is to focus more on customer satisfaction. When you give more value than you receive in payment, you are putting the customer first. This helps reinforce their decision to buy from you and builds customer loyalty.

To survive and thrive, you must be willing to change and adapt to your customers. Their mindset and buying patterns have changed...perhaps permanently. But when it comes to dealing with change, small firms have advantages over larger corporations. They can be flexible, react quickly, and readily respond. When you make a change in a big company, it's like turning a large ocean liner. Comparatively, small companies can turn on a dime.

Here are just a few tips I adapted and revised from the Kenmarc Company on coping with change that require a special focus, proactive plan and reprioritizing:

Increase the frequency of communications with existing clients. Listen for changes in budgets and proposed spending levels. Be aware of clients' perceptions of pricing and quality of work performed. Cross-sell and up-sell to your best customers being careful to reward them for their business.

Anticipate market changes. Stay informed about projected industry spending and purchasing trends.

Evaluate market opportunities. Explore ways to position services that meet perceived client needs.

Market and Promote. When everyone else cuts back and you maintain your investments in marketing and promotion, you may effectively double your exposure. You must inform prospects how your products and services satisfy their perceived needs. If they don’t know about you, they can’t buy from you, especially when the regain the confidence to spend.

Manage cash. Review existing collection policies for needed revisions and speed up procedures to increase collections. Offer incentives to pay early or on time.

Use resources effectively. Implement efficient methodology and eliminate waste and non-profitable areas. Get rid of “dead-wood” such as products/services that aren't selling or employees that don't help your business grow.

Ensure profitable operations. Lenders, buyers, or investors are not sympathetic to large losses incurred—even in difficult economic times.

Plan carefully. Prepare budgets and analyze ROI regularly.

By implementing these steps, while applying common sense management techniques, your business will not only survive, it will be among the 5% that actually thrive in a recession.

To learn more about how BTK & Associates can help your business market more efficiently, pleasee email me at brian@btkmarketing.com, visit our website at www.btkmarketing.com or call 317.493.8964.

Marketing your own business. Should You?

2009-04-02T08:00:00.006-04:00

"The business owner that does his own marketing has a fool for a client."

Okay, that's not exactly how the saying goes. But this quote, often applied to people who serve as their own defense attorney in court, also applies to some business owners who try to save money by marketing their business without the help of a marketing professional.

I sat through a productivity seminar recently and we talked about how we often waste more time doing things on our own rather than paying someone to do it for us. My example was that I recently found myself up to my eyeballs in a new online email newsletter program that was very cumbersome to use. If I had just used the one I was familiar with, I could have done the newsletter faster and not spent two days trying to figure it out.

Among the other examples that people offered was a gentleman who hired a friend to do some basic drywall work in his home. His wife told him, "Watch closely how he does it so that you can do it next time and we don't have to pay." His response was classic. "Okay, the next time you go to your Ob/Gyn, I'd like to watch and learn so I can do it next time!"

Everyone wants to save money. But we are resigned to the fact that, in most cases, we just pay others to do certain tasks. Our car breaks down, we pay a mechanic. A pipe bursts, we pay a plumber. We have a toothache, a dentist performs a root canal. We pay a specialist because they have the necessary training, tools and techniques. They can do it faster, better and, more often than not, much cheaper in the long run. Just ask my wife how many times I started a "home repair project" and ended up paying more to have someone to repair my mistakes.

So, what makes some business owners believe they can market their business without help from a marketing professional? I recently had someone tell me, "Oh, it's just marketing. I can write a brochure or send a postcard. And my brother can design my website." And my favorite, "I'm not making any money so I can't afford to hire someone to do it for me."

It takes money to make money. Right? I attend numerous networking events and meetings. I watch the business owners interact. I see the business cards and/or brochures. I visit their websites. I hear the elevator pitches. And I can spot, without a doubt, which businesses do their own marketing...and are either really struggling or setting themselves up for failure.

When I meet with prospects and clients, I always ask what they've done in the past to market their business. They tell me what has worked and what hasn't. If something hasn't worked, it's usually due to one of these reasons:

It was the wrong medium
They missed their target audience
They expected higher-than-average response rates
They didn't have an attractive offer
The execution was poor
They didn't maintain frequency
They didn't follow up the leads
They didn't focus on cross-selling and up-selling to current customers

I've seen companies waste tens of thousands of dollars on marketing tactics. A marketing professional would have helped by planning, budgeting and making sure reasonable expectations were in place. And like a car mechanic, a marketing professional can fine tune a campaign to make it run more efficiently and analyze the ROMI (return on marketing investment).

So, unless you have a solid background in marketing and are marketing savvy, consider using a marketing professional. Even if its to bounce ideas off of or to seek advice before spending money on something that is not going to deliver customers, you'll be glad that you invested money up front rather than wasting a lot of money after it's too late.

To learn more about how BTK & Associates can help your business wade through all of the marketing muck and provide you with a sound marketing plan, visit www.btkmarketing.com or call 317.439.8923.

Exhibiting Your Business

2009-03-31T08:00:00.005-04:00

You have a chance to put your business on display at a small business trade show or networking event. If you choose to participate as an exhibitor, you need to leverage that opportunity and turn it into a business generator.

In an earlier post, I discussed that I generally prefer to attend events rather than participating as an exhibitor. I am a strong networker and feel too confined standing behind a table. Besides, it's far more cost effective, in my opinion, to attend rather than exhibit. But if you enjoy exhibiting and want to build your prospect pipeline, there are things you can do to improve your response rate and get a better return on your investment.

Get a prime location
The front and back of the venue are undesirable. Register early and negotiate or pay for a key location somewhere in the middle or on an end. For first-come, first-serve events, it pays to arrive early and claim a key spot. Also, find out what the rules are for visual obstructions and noise. I've participated in some of the largest trade show events in the country and I appreciated that my neighbors could not obstruct my view, access to my booth or noise. If you feel that a neighbor is detracting from you, find a show manager and complain. If they don't solve the problem, ask to be moved or get your money back.

Invite people in
I don't like shows where people stand behind tables. I will often move the table to the back or remove it altogether. I want people to come into my space and out of the aisle. If you can get them to stop, you can have a deeper conversation and qualify them.

Keep it simple
You don't need to put all of your products on display. Sell yourself. If you sell insurance or pre-paid legal services and people aren't in the market for your product, they'll blow right past your table or booth. But, if you focus on selling yourself by making eye contact, greeting people and asking them what they do, they'll engage you.

Don't be a "Mr. Cheeseburger"
I worked a number of manufacturing trade shows for several years. There was one gentleman who was always at the same shows. His booth never had any traffic. Either he was in someone else's booth talking or telling jokes, or his was in his booth eating a cheeseburger or pizza. His appearance was sloppy and he always had grease stains on his shirt or tie. Hence the name we gave him..."Mr. Cheeseburger". Stay in your booth and be professional.

Business Card Raffles
DO NOT hold a business card raffle. If you are going to give something away, collect information that will help your business. I use a small entry form that explains that all information must be filled out to be eligible to win a prize. I ask for name, telephone number, business, email, website and mailing address. Then I ask them to check off products or services they would like to learn more about. Then I ask when they might be making a purchasing decision - now, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days or longer. I now have information that I can put into my contact management system.

Make them return to your booth or table
When I give something away, I always give away one prize every hour. I tell them I have a drawing at the top of the hour and that you must be present to win. I always get a crowd to gather just before the drawing. I draw an entry, look at it and say, "Before I announce the winner, I just want to remind you what my business is." I use this to give a 2-3 minute sales pitch. Then, I announce the winner. If there is no winner, I draw until I get a winner.

Promotional Giveaways
I'm not a big fan of handing out promotional items when I exhibit. But, if you are going to give something away, it needs to be something useful. As I write this, I can identify 14 items on my desk that I've gotten from companies at events. I have five pens, two coffee mugs, a thumb drive, a ruler, a couple of letter openers, a highlighter, a stress ball, and a floatable key chain. These are all things I use regularly.

Tag Team Approach
I've trained a lot of companies in trade show marketing. I always recommend a tag team approach. One person is the "scout" who engages people. The "scout" greets people and qualifies them. Once the scout determines that there is a fit, he/she introduces them to an "expert". The expert is the person/people who find out more about the prospect's needs and further qualifies the prospect. It's the expert's job to collect contact information and rate the quality of the opportunity.

Rating System
I rate every single prospect that I talk to. I use the A-F grading system. An "A" lead is one that I am confident will become a client/partner relationship. A "B" is a warm lead. "C" is a cool lead. A "D" or "F" are not worth following up.

Follow Up
Once the show is over, the work begins. You need to follow up every qualified lead. Sort your leads according to grade. Then, make immediate contact with the "A" and "B" leads while you are still fresh in their minds. Most people don't do a good job following up after exhibiting at a show or event. If you do, you'll be a step ahead of most of your competitors.

If you follow these simple tips, you'll be a better exhibitor and earn a better return on your marketing investment.

For more information about how BTK & Associates can help you become a better trade show and event marketer, visit www.btkmarketing.com or call 317.493.8964.

To Exhibit or Not to Exhibit? That is the question?

2009-03-28T07:50:00.005-04:00

This past week, I attended a new "networking" event that debuted in Indianapolis. The purpose of this event was to give business owners, entrepreneurs and sales people a chance to peddle their products and services to each other and attendees. The question that I was asked by a few people that exhibited or attended this event was, "Do you think it's better to be an exhibitor or to simply attend and network?"

The same question can be asked about a chamber of commerce trade show event or small business expo you'd find in other cities. Are these events really worth it or are there better uses of your networking time and energy. It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Let's look at some of the things you should consider.

Cost
How much does it cost to purchase a table or booth? They can range from $50 for smaller events to thousands for very large, multi-day events. You need to determine you overall cost of exhibiting and then calculate how much business you need to close from the contacts you make at the show. Let's say the table costs $200. Add in printing of sales collateral, signage, and promotional give-aways. I then figure in my time. Just for example, let's say you are an attorney that bills out at $175 per hour. If you have an hour of set up and and hour of tear down and the event is eight hours long, you've suddenly got almost $1,600 plus your other expenses...for a total cost of $2,000.

Location
Just like any other business, location is extremely important. Is the event easily accessible? Are people going to take the time to drive there? And, is there enough parking for exhibitors and guests? In the case of this particular event in Indianapolis, the parking was very limited and people who did park further away had to track through mud. And there were several cars that simply left because there were no parking spots.

Timing
When is the event scheduled? If it's during the weekday, are people going to be able to take time off from their jobs to attend? Will people actually fight noon time or rush hour traffic to make their way to an event? Personally, I believe small business trade shows are better attended if they are held on Fridays; psychologically they can finish their work week and attend an event without feeling the pressure our guilt of returning to work.

Exposure
Does your table or booth stand out? Every show has prime real estate. Where your table or booth is positioned within the flow of traffic is critical. If you are in the very front, people will often blow right by you. If you are located in the back, people may never get to you. At this particular event, I went through the same room five times before I finally found one of my vendors who was located around a corner behind a door. Her location was horrible.

Goals
What do you want to accomplish? For some people, they like standing behind a table all day and engaging in chit chat with people who stroll by. But it's kind of like fishing in the same spot all day in hopes of landing the big one that swims by. When you are exhibiting, you really don't have time to become engaged with other businesses or with many of the people attending. And let's face it, most people who exhibit have no idea how to effectively work their booth. But, I'll address that issue in another post.

Audits
One other VERY IMPORTANT thing to ask an event organizer is for an audit. If you invest $1,000 in an event and they sell you on the point that there is going to be 5,000 people in attendance and only 1,000 actually show up. Your cost per person went from an anticipated 20 cents to $1. That's an increase of 500%.

If the organizers are not able to produce an independent audit, then understand that their numbers may very well be inflated or include other exhibitors and workers. Ask for a list of attendees from a previous show or after the event. You are looking for the number of attendees. If they are proud of their attendance, they'll share it. If not, they've probably got something to hide.

Goals
The next time you have the opportunity to either exhibit or attend an event, you need to think about what you want to accomplish. Do you want to generate qualified leads? Do you just want to build your brand awareness? Do you want to form strategic relationships? If you don't have a clear goal in mind, then you are wasting time and money.

For me, I prefer to simply attend these events. My goal is to find potential vendors, business partners, and a few potential clients. But I never go into these events thinking I'm going to land the big fish. I don't need to invest a lot of time and money and have found that I am much more productive as an attendee. I've learned that I can build stronger relationships with both exhibitors and attendees in the days and weeks following an event simply by applying my networking skills.

For more information on how BTK & Associates can help you leverage your next trade show opportunity, visit btkmarketing.com or call 317.493.8964.

Don't let economy turn you into a "binge marketer".

2009-02-23T13:49:00.009-05:00

"Binge marketing". It's a term that is bantered around in marketing circles. Simply put, binge marketing occurs when a company is in panic mode and suddenly realizes that it quickly needs to fill its pipeline with prospects. Sure, binge marketing might provide a sudden burst of energy now, but in the long run it will be more costly both financially and brand wise.

Conventional Marketing Practices
Before we understand how binge marketing works, we need to look at traditional marketing. Every successful business has a solid business plan that should contain a sound marketing plan within. That marketing plan is a road map for tactics such as branding, marketing strategy, advertising, public relations, and event marketing planned throughout the year. It should be realistic and manageable within the boundaries of the businesses financial and personnel resources. By following and executing its marketing plan, a company consistently keeps its brand and products in front of its customers and prospects, maintaining the pipeline and leading to successful up-sell and cross-sell opportunities.

And in that marketing plan should be a SWOT analysis that provides guidance should the company encounter a threat. But in most marketing plans, little attention has been given to the global economy. Just look at the banking and automotive industries and you see evidence how the economy snuck up on the giants and took them by surprise.

Binge Marketing Like Eating Disorders
Some marketing experts like to compare binge marketing to binge dieting. I prefer the comparison to binge eating. The need to binge diet means that you're all fat and happy and need to pull back on the food consumption. In my analysis, companies that don't have solid, consistent marketing plans are more apt to gorge themselves when suddenly starved for new business. It's no different than how we, as humans, react if we go a period of time without food. Our brain tells us we need nourishment and because we aren't sure when we'll get another chance to eat, we inhale our food without enjoying it. Our bodies don't get the proper nutrients and eventually we have health issues that are more costly and take more effort to correct than if we had only followed a sensible nutritional and exercise plan.

Marketing is no different. Marketing plans look good on paper and impress the hell out of bankers, investors and prospective employees. But when companies are healthy, it's easy to tell ourselves it's okay to pull back on the spending or to give the sales team a breather and let them manage the leads in their pipeline. Then one day that company looks in the mirror and says, "Wow, I look horrible!" The leads have dried up, our clients have moved on and nobody thinks about our products or services when they're ready to buy.

This triggers the marketing binge that usually begins with an emergency marketing and sales meeting. Panic sets in and the chain reaction starts. Marketing gets a plan together, Writers write. Designers design. Printers print. Media buyers buy. Mail houses mail. Web marketers do whatever it is they do. And as suddenly as it came...it went. Everyone's exhausted. People are loosing their belts and unsnapping the top button of their pants like my Uncle Roy and Aunt Doris used to do after a Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone's happy. Everything's good. But nobody got to enjoy the meal.

Economical Impact on Binge Marketing
As a marketing consultant, I am seeing more businesses and organizations shifting into binge marketing mode. I'm hearing things like, "Now is usually our down period anyway, so why market right now?" or "What worked for us in the past isn't generating business right now." Both of those are excuses. The fact is, nothing makes sense right now. Buying habits have changed. People are being more cautious and selective about the products and services they buy. More importantly, they want to buy from someone who they believe will still be in business six months or five, ten or twenty years from now then they need service or need to replace the product they have now. The rules of the game have changed. The winner is going to be the company or companies in your market space that are consistent and provide value and stability through this tough economic period, not those that sell out or appear desperate.

Pace Your Marketing for Healthier Results
When we binge market in our business, we really don't get to enjoy the experience and we create more problems. We over-indulge and can't process the business we generate. In the short term, we may generate a large number of leads that we aren't able to physically process in a timely manner. They dry up and evaporate. What we usually end end up with a few short-term clients who are in "buy" mode right now. Unfortunately, we miss the sales cycle for the other people who might buy next week, next month or next year.

Rather than binging when faced with a lull in the action, why not pace yourself.? Budget your marketing; that means both time and money. You'll better target your ideal market and maintain top of mind awareness for when your customers are ready to buy. You'll run a leaner and healthier business in the long run.

Admitting What We Don't Know About Marketing

2009-02-07T09:04:00.005-05:00

Face it. We're stumped. Marketing our businesses in today's economy is a challenge and a mystery. And it's time that we all admit that we really don't know what works - even those of us in marketing & advertising.

Every day I talk with business owners, sales professionals, financial planners, and friends. And every day I hear one more story about a business that is in T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I have a good friend who has always done very well in real estate. He's got about 30 days before his money runs out. I have another friend who owns a manufacturing facility in northern Ohio. His only goal right now is to do everything he can to keep his workers employed. And when my financial planner calls, I feel the need to console him and keep him from jumping out of his first floor window.

CAN YOU SAY, "DENIAL"?
I've also talked with a lot of people who are in denial. They are the ones that when you ask, "So, how's business?" They respond, "Awe, it's great. We're busy as hell. In fact, we're turning work away." But, when I dig a little deeper, they reveal that it's not that they are any busier...it's that they've cut corners either in quality, personnel or, GULP!, marketing. And sooner or later it's all going to come back around and snap them right in the ass.

BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE
But the ones that are going to make it through are those who are now inviting me in to take a look at their marketing strategies and processes. They openly admit, "We have a marketing problem...what used to be effective isn't working. We need to try something new but we don't know where to start."

To be fair and honest, I have to admit that I'm not really sure right now either. The economy has rattled and baffled me. So much so that I've actually got two books sitting right here in front of me that I haven't read in years - "Marketing for Dummies" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Marketing Basics". I'm just looking for something...anything that will help me give assurance to my clients. For me and my clients, it's back to the basics.

TEN MARKETING TIPS YOU CAN TRY RIGHT NOW
So, now that we all admit what we don't know about marketing...what DO we know? Here are some things you need to be doing right now to make sure you win the battle for top-of-mind awareness with clients and prospects:

DO NOT eliminate your marketing budget; be selective in the cuts you make
Make sure your website is functioning and information is current
Engage your current and past customers and reward them with discounts for repeat business
Start a referral program and give cash/gift cards to clients, friends, and family that make referrals. Make sure to tell everyone about the program via your website, voicemail, flyers, business cards, direct mail, etc...
Start a public relations/press release campaign
Join a networking group. Visit several and choose the one that's right for you
Get involved in online social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo and more.
Listen to your customers. Ask them why they do business with you and ask for their input on improvements you could make
Start a blog and write about topics related to your business - it's very therapeutic
Find time to get away from your business to spend time with family & friends

For more information on how BTK & Associates can help you reset your marketing strategy, visit http://www.btkmarketing.com/ or call 317.696.6734.

The Buzzard, Blue Heron and Eagle

2008-11-12T13:24:00.007-05:00

WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS NETWORKING BIRD ARE YOU?

In mid-October, I once again had the pleasure of escaping to a week-long bass fishing trip to Kentucky Lake. It's a time to get away with a group of about 10 guys to spend 8-10 hours a day trying to outsmart large mouth, small mouth, and other species of bass on one of the largest lakes in the United States. One afternoon while fishing back in a bay called "Byrd", I was enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. Occasionally, I would hear fish jump, a squirrel scamper through the leaves or the rapid fire sound of a woodpecker as he bore through tree bark in search of insect morsels. It was here in Byrd that I began to notice the various birds. Among them were an American Eagle, a flock of buzzards, and a lone Blue Heron that was wading by the bank. These birds reminded me of the business networkers that I often encounter on a weekly basis.

The buzzards were circling about 150 yards off shore to the southeast about 200 feet in the air. There was I guess what you would call a "flock" of about 18 buzzards circling something on the forest floor below that was either dead or dying. To me, they represented the group of business networkers that probably don't get much out of the whole networking experience. You know them. They are the business owner that waits until he or she is really hungry. They show up out of nowhere hoping to pick clean the carcasses of victims. They circle, circle, circle...and then SWOOP! They are in to grab a piece of flesh. Then...all is quiet. They're on to their next meal only to return to the area some other day when there's a meal to be had.

The Blue Heron, on the other hand, looks rather prehistoric as it wades quietly in the shallows on the north bank waiting for hours until an unsuspecting shad or bluegill swims by. They are always there, just sort of hanging out. They never risk venturing into deeper waters where the bigger fish live - they're just content hanging around the fringe. They don't make a sound or say too much. But, when they do have something to say, it's usually fast and forgettable. They don't really bother anybody but they don't do a whole lot to contribute to their surroundings. And, when they are up against the rocks (or rip-rap as we anglers call it), they simply blend in and are hard to spot. They don't really stand out.

Then, there is the Eagle. It's a majestic bird. It's wingspan is immense as it swoops down within about 50 feet over my boat for a closer look. It's an awesome site. It doesn't flap its wings. It just glides effortlessly. It catches an up-current and soars to great heights to join two other eagles about 300 yards to the northeast. There are other birds following the eagles' flight patterns. There are gulls and even pelicans that ride the tails of the eagles and seem to watch with the same amazement and intensity as me and my fishing partner. They are leaders with great vision. They contribute to their natural culture. They give and take in their environment.

I looked at the buzzards for only a minute and thought, "these are ugly birds that serve no purpose except to survive." I quickly look away from them without a second thought.

The Blue Heron is amusing. I watched it periodically just to see if it was going to do anything special. But after a while, I forgot about it and it eventually flew away.

But the eagles - I looked up to them for a long while - totally captivated. They are such a rare and beautiful bird. They have that intense, reassuring gaze. It's hard not to watch them and think, "If I was a bird, I'd want to be an eagle." They have great vision and grace.

There are times in my business life where I've been a buzzard or a Blue Heron. And, on a rare occasion, I've strived to be an eagle. But, at this stage in my life I've realized that to forge the positive and trusting relationships, I need to aspire to exude eagle-like qualities. I've got to spread my wings wider and focus intently on the tasks at hand. I need to be more of a leader. In business networking, that means serving others, providing referrals, and participating on a regular basis.

Think about yourself and the people who attend your business networking meetings. If you are a buzzard, you're probably not getting many referrals. Why? Because if we can't count on you to attend meetings on a regular basis and be a contributor and leader, we probably can't count on you to manage the referrals we provide...and we're most likely not going to do business with you. If you are a Blue Heron, you'll probably get a few leads here and there, but you probably won't be with the group long as you'll bore us to tears and you'll get bored waiting for business.

But if you are an eagle, people will look up to you. They'll follow you and want to do business with you because of the leadership qualities you display. You're going to be there in the future, just like those same eagles will be there when I visit Byrd on Kentucky Lake again next year. It's their environment. It's where they roost. It's where they lead.

What kind of networking bird are you?

To learn how to leverage your business networking opportunities, contact me today at 317.696.6734 or visit www.btkmarketing.com.

Seven Words That You Cant Say in Business

2008-09-21T09:22:00.011-04:00

No, these aren't the same seven swear words that the late comedian George Carlin spewed out back in the 1970s. But, if you utter these words, you're probably on the verge of become another tick mark in the book of failed businesses.

So, what seven words could be the dagger of death to your business?

"We really don't have a marketing budget."

Count 'em. Seven. These are seven words that I hear at least once every single working day. Oh, and they can be readily interchanged with these seven words...

"We cut our budget to save expenses."

Channeling Cramer
Aaaaggggghhhhhhh! Don't you get it, people! Marketing is not an "expense" - it's an "investment"...a freakin' investment. I am jumping up an down at my desk right now, sleeves rolled up, voice an octave higher and eyes bulging from my skull just like Jim Cramer in on of his CNBC Mad Money tirades. Where are my buttons, buzzers and horns?

It doesn't matter who said it, it's true.
Advertising pioneer David Ogilvy, 20th century Czech playwright Milan Kundera, and Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, are all credited with saying..

“Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation."

If all three of them said it at some point in their accomplished lives, then they are all genius. If you have a business and you are not marketing it...why on earth would you even want to be in business.

The World's Oldest Profession
Many people believe that prostitution is the world's oldest profession. Others say that it's sales. I say it's marketing. It has to be. Here's why...

For arguments sake, let's examine the prostitution theory. Around the beginning of time, some young (or maybe old) lady said to herself, "Hey, I've got something to offer men." But, she saw her reflection in the water and said, "Wow! My hair is a mess. My face is dirty. My clothes are torn. And I stink." So, she ponders how to make herself more desirable. Maybe she goes to a girl friend or another man in her tribe and says, "So, I'm thinking about selling my "assets" in exchange for some dinosaur meet. What do you think I should do to become more desirable?" She actually does some marketing research. She takes their advice and cleans herself up, puts on a new animal cloth, and rubs some fragrant flowers on her skin. She adds some sizzle to the steak, so to speak. Then, she goes about prospecting and selling. Word quickly spreads throughout the land and she has more business than she knows what do with.

She certainly was innovative and she had a marketing strategy. Today, business owners still need to take a close look at their products and services and make them attractive to prospective clients.

Tough Choices Today
I've learned some very hard lessons as an entrepreneur. Each time I've started a business, I've gotten smarter and wiser. I know how easy it is to get caught up in the "business facade". We want others to believe we are successful by how our businesses appear to them. We need a nice office. We need the best equipment. We need employees. Right? Wrong!

I've had to make some tough choices with my own business. Do I work from my home or do I rent an office? Do I hire an assistant or just work longer hours? Do I hire sales people or handle the marketing and sales myself? Right now, I stay

If you have an innovative product or service to offer, you need to focus your resources (both time and money) on marketing. Without a strategic marketing plan or marketing budget, your business can't grow. I can use the gardening analogy about planting the seed, adding fertilizer, sunlight and water...but you don't need to hear that same ol' story again.

It's time to stop being the nice employer. This is YOUR business. You may have to let people go. You may have to move to a smaller office. You may need to temporarily freeze wages or cut salaries. You owe it to yourself and your employees to take necessary measures today so that you will be in business tomorrow. I've been there. I know it's not easy. But, it's what we as business owners need to do if we are to survive.

Planning and Budgeting Time
As we head into October, it's time to start planning and budgeting for 2009. It's no secret that our economy sucks and the cost of doing business is on the rise. More and more businesses are going to start filling the pinch. If your want to separate your business from the competition and position itself for growth, you need to allocate money to marketing and advertising

You are going to ask, "How much should I budget?" My answer is "as much as it takes." That could be a little or it could be a lot. If you budget a little, you'll grow a little. If you budget a lot, you'll grow a lot.

If you have $15,000 to market your business...you should be able to generate $15,001 in revenue. Would you be happy if your mutual fund returned five or ten percent? Of course you would. You need to view your investment in marketing with that same perspective. Yes, it does take money to make money.

I had a discussion the other day with a client who was lamenting over the number of clients who were "flaking out" on him. I asked him what percentage of "no shows" he had for appointments and what his closure rate was. I explained to him that his numbers weren't much different from mine...or from any other business. It's a numbers game. If you get one new customer or client for every 100 touches and you need 20 clients to be at 100 percent capacity, then you need to market your message to 2,000 new prospects. It's that simple. You know your numbers, figure it out! Or, better yet, let me help you figure it out.

Do Your Prospects Look Ahead for You?
The fact is, you need to be on the minds of your prospective customers at the exact moment they need to make a purchasing decision. It's like when I'm driving down the highway on vacation and everyone in the car starts getting hungry. We start looking ahead for a billboard, highway sign or the "Golden Arches" themselves, appearing over the tree tops. It's got to be like that for your business. You want people to start thinking about your products and services when they are on the road to making a decision.

That's why you need to stop using those seven words, "I really don't have a marketing budget." Replace them with these 18 words...

"I am willing to invest marketing dollars to grow my business for the benefit of myself and employees."

Once you make that commitment, you'll soon realize what Ogilvy, Kundera and Drucker meant.

To learn more about how BTK & Associates can help you with your marketing plan and budget for 2009, visit www.btkmarketing.com or call 317.696.6734 today!

Network or Multi-Level Marketing . . . Is it time?

2008-08-31T10:13:00.013-04:00

To most people, any mention of Network Marketing or MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing) sends them running for cover. It's like garlic to a vampire; they don't want it near them -no how, no way. But, maybe in today's economy, it's time to add small doses of garlic to our financial diet.

I've tried them. Amway, Excel and a few others that I can't even remember. But that was years ago. I tapped into my friends, neighbors, co-workers and relatives; brow beating them until they either ex-communicated me or ultimately gave in to, as they called it, another "pyramid scheme". I swore off ever getting involved in another MLM opportunity...until now.

PLEASE READ THE REST OF THIS POSTING BEFORE YOU TELL ME I'M CRAZY!

After all, only the people that get in early make all of the money. The people at the bottom are left with closets-full of "product" such as soap, make-up, vitamins or long distance calling cards. Am I right? I've read the propaganda. I've been to the conventions. I've seen the countless pictures of a select few with the mongo huge houses, luxury cars, exotic vacations and unfathomable residual checks. They hypnotize and mesmerize us into staking our claim to that elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's another cult. It's big rallies with everyone but us up there on stage receiving those big payouts. I know I felt inadequate, got discouraged and eventually gave up.

But, that was all before the Internet really took hold and gave the MLM industry a powerful marketing tool.

MLM has changed in a BIG WAY!

TRADITIONAL BUSINESS MODEL?
Let's step back for a moment and look at the traditional business. As an entrepreneur, I have what I think is a great idea for a business. I invest thousands of dollars in product development, product testing, office space, utilities, employees, taxes, insurance, marketing, advertising and more. Then, I work my ass off prospecting and convincing others that they need my product or service. I pay my sales people (if I can afford them), to sell. Most importantly, I am gambling that my satisfied clients, without any incentive to do so, will tell others about my business and I will be able to convert them into clients. Those new clients will tell two people, who will tell two people, who will...you get the point. I'm hoping that word spreads about my business so far and wide that I...

...Wait a cotton pickin' minute! Doesn't that smell of multi-level marketing? People...tell people who... tell more people. Hmmm.

But something doesn't make sense. I'm spending my life savings or paying to use a bank's money, hoping to someday turn a profit without giving my clients an incentive, beyond maybe an occasional gift card, to help my business grow ? It's no wonder that about 80 percent of all new businesses fail within the first two years - and their owners find themselves in financial ruin.

The MLM Model
So, let's take another look at the MLM (also called Referral Marketing) way of doing business. I can buy in to a company that's already spent millions of dollars on product development and marketing. My initial investment is usually less than $100. Then, I agree to purchase a product or service that I'm either already using, or should be using because it offers a financial or health benefit. I now just buy it from myself at half the cost rather than buying it from a store at a huge markup. I make back my investment almost instantly. It's starting to make sense.

But wait, there's more good news. I can work out of my home and take advantage of the numerous tax breaks enjoyed by home-based businesses. I don't need to dress up, so now I've saved hundreds of dollars that I spend annually on business attire. So, I now instantly own a profitable business. And if I'm worried about how fast my MLM business will take to produce actual income...I can still work my full-time job. Sweet!

Next, I learn how to market my MLM business without cramming it down people's throats. I work the numbers and eventually peak their curiosity enough to get them to look at the opportunity. If they agree to start their own MLM business, then I get paid a commission on the product they purchase...as does the people above me. That's good ol' profit sharing...just like the big oil companies.

THE MIS-CONCEPTION
HALT! This is where most people get hung up. "You mean someone else is going to make money if I buy the product? That's not fair!"

So, "genius", what happens when you buy something from Wal-mart? You pay for a product, plus the cost of marketing, insurance, payroll, and more. And, you just aren't paying Wal-mart - you are paying the manufacturer, warehouse and distributor - all the way up the line. Wait...here's something else that you don't realize. When you tell your neighbor, friend, relative or co-worker about that great new toothpaste, laundry detergent, nutritional supplement or make-up, guess who's NOT getting paid? YOU! You just became a free advertisement! You DON'T get a paycheck. Now, THAT'S NOT FAIR!

TIME TO RECONSIDER?
This past couple of weeks, I've really started thinking about my own financial situation. I've started looking at MLM opportunities. Yes, that's opportunities - plural. There are no pie-in-the-sky expectations of reaching millionaire status in 60 days. But, let's just say that in addition to my current business, BTK & Associates, I conservatively generate $10,000 the first year and that doubles each year thereafter. In five years, that's $160,000. In 10 years, when I retire at age 55, that's a little more than $5,000,000 (a five with six zeroes behind it) per year.

NOW COMES THE I-FACTOR
The "I" is for Internet. Back in the day, once I had worked my way through my Rolodex, I was done, tapped out. I maybe showed "The Plan" to fifteen of my 200 or so contacts. But with the Internet, more and more companies are using MLM business models to a sell product while creating millionaires in their wake. The number of people now generating residual income is staggering. People are adding other people they don't even know to their "downlines" via the Internet nearly every day.

WANT TO JOIN ME AND MY FAMILY IN BELIZE?
I consider myself to be pretty darn good at marketing and sales. I know some pretty average people who, in less than a year, are generating $100,000 with little effort and time. And there are so many LEGITIMATE MLM and "affiliate" opportunities available, that, unless you are a recluse, you can't not succeed.

If you would like to learn how you can generate additional residual income for you and your family, email me at brian@btkmarketing.com. I'll even help you set up your first business that doesn't even require an investment on your part but will generate a 30 percent residual income the first year!

I promise that if you join me now, we will all vacation together in Belize in January of 2009. See you there!

Michael Phelps Teaches Golden Marketing Lesson from Beijing

2008-08-13T07:04:00.011-04:00

(Photo by Donald Miralle, Getty Images)

As the world watches Michael Phelps collect gold medallions and shatter world records at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, I had one of those "Aha!" moments as he was collecting his 10th Olympic medal on Monday night, August 11, 2008.

Michael Phelps followed the same superstitious ritual he has gone through prior to each swimming event the past several years. He listened to his Rap music, removed his ear buds, took off his jacket, climbed up on the block and flapped his arms like a gigantic bald eagle about to swoop down on an unsuspecting meal.

But it was how he managed this particular race, just like all the others, that gave me a take-away that I can immediately apply to my business as well as my clients'.

Tense Moments
Phelps left the block, effortlessly motored himself under water and suddenly emerged on the surface somewhere in the middle of the pack. As we watched, my wife stated what I was thinking, "He's not leading. The guy in lane one is." Right on cue, as if he heard my wife and millions of other viewers gasp in unison, the announcer reassured. "Oh, but he knows exactly where he his and where his competitors are."

Aha! That's it. Here is a guy not only swimming to be the most-decorated Olympian in history, but he's also teaching a valuable marketing lesson at the same time. Phelp's course syllabus might read something like:

Do you know where your competition is? You've worked too
hard to let your competitions take the lead and increase it's market share. In this course you'll
learn how to monitor your competition, get to know their strengths and weakness, and implement both a proactive and reactive marketing strategy to help you reach for the gold in your business and personal lives.

Practical Application
I am currently working on a competitive intelligence project for a client in. Like Michael Phelps, this business has been working hard for the past twenty years is truly a champion in its industry. But, a sagging economy combined with some emerging technological challenges has put a recent drag on the business. My client wants to know where the competitors are. Where do they excel? Where do they fall short? What are the opportunities and threats that can help or hurt their business? Are we truly a leader or is someone else threatening our existence? These are all valid and important questions for any business to ask every single day.

Michael Phelps teaches us that you don't necessarily need to pull up and look at your competitors. He keeps kicking and pulling water with each stroke. He's focused. Most importantly, he keeps his head down and concentrates on the task at hand. But, he is instinctively aware of his competition. He's done his homework and due diligence. He's watched endless hours of video on each competitor and himself and he's replayed his races time and time again inside his head.

Game On
In your business, you need to keep your head down and move forward. But, equally as important, you need to understand your competition and environment. Review their website. Acquire their brochures. Be on the lookout for their advertising and scrutinize it as if it were your own. Monitor their pricing strategies. Once you know where your competition is, you'll be better poised to know when to save your energy and when to turn up the heat. At the end of each race, you'll find yourself breaking all kinds of records and standing atop the podium.

BTK & Associates can coach your business to victory conduct Competitive Intelligence. You'll learn who your competition is both in your market space and geographically. You gain confidence knowing that you can make the necessary adjustments to grown your market share and be a leader in your market.

For more information on how BTK & Associates can help your business stand out in a crowd, visit www.btkmarketing.com, email me at brian@btkmarketing.com, or call 317.696.6734.

Who's Really Driving Your Marketing Strategy?

2008-08-07T07:40:00.003-04:00

Are you letting your website designer, printing company, video company, freelance graphic designer or another niche marketing specialist commandeer your marketing efforts? If so, this might be the reason your sales are sluggish.

Scratching My Head
I'm a strong proponent of business networking. I attend a few business networking events each week. I can't help but chuckle inside and roll my eyes when I hear some young guy or girl who just started a web design company talk about sitting down with you and helping you with your "overall marketing strategy". I always walk away from those meetings scratching my head and seething a little bit.

"C'mon! Are you kidding me?" This is like going to the discount tire store to have a flat tire patched and having them tell you..."For $49.95 we can run a comprehensive diagnosis on your car and tell you how to optimize it's performance for better gas mileage." What are they going to sell you? Yep, you guessed it. Tires! They are going to sell you the newest tires rated for better road wear which means, of course, better mileage.

The Need for a Broader Diagnosis
Wouldn't you take your car back to the service center where you purchased it? Or, like me, you might have an independent automotive service center that has the training and experience to be able to provide a comprehensive diagnosis. My service center is qualified to look at the engine, transmission, suspension, fuel lines, electrical system, tires and more. I have the confidence in their years of experience and training. They make recommendations, tell me what repairs I need to make now...and later. They give me options and charge me a fair price.

The same goes for doctors. I have a family doctor that I depend on to review my overall health. He then makes recommendations for me to see various specialists whether that be for a sinus problem, ear infection, knee pain, allergies...etc. He refers me to someone with a more narrow focus. I wouldn't go see a orthopedic specialist for treatment if I was having chest pain.

Your Benefit or Theirs?
So, back to the question - who's driving your marketing. Your web designer? A video production company? Your advertising sales rep at the local newspaper? The quick printer down the street? If so, who's interest do you think they ultimately have in mind? Yours? No. They are in business to make money for their company.

There are some exceptions to the rules...but you've got to dig deep and ask lots of questions. But, one key questions you need to ask is, "Other than your company, who would you recommend to help me develop a comprehensive marketing strategy?" If they respond with ANY other answer than a recommendation for a marketing consultant, an advertising/marketing agency or a small business advocacy group such as the SBA, SCORE or Chamber of Commerce, turn and run for the hills.

Seeing The Big Picture
Now, you might be asking..."But aren't you in business to make money?" Absolutely. But, as your marketing "service center" or "physician". I'm going to get to know you and your business. I'm going to ask the right questions, take the pulse of your business, poke around until I find where it hurts and then, I'm going to recommend a plan to nurse your business back to good health. Then...I'll bring in the necessary specialists. In the end, my goal is to help you make more money so that you'll continue to partner with me so that I, too, make more money.

I have relationships with some of the best "specialists" in the industry. And, if you already have a preferred vendor, I'll be happy to meet with them to determine if they would make a good marketing partner. If not, I'll recommend one that will get the job done.

As a business owner, you owe it to yourself and your business to develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan. This plan may mean diversifying your marketing portfolio across a number of strategies including the Internet, direct mail, sales collateral, print advertising, special events and more. This means working with a qualified consultant or an agency that sees the "big picture" and can build an overall strategy and make recommendations that will help your business grow and prosper.

If you are interested in a comprehensive diagnosis of your marketing efforts, I encourage you to visit my website at www.btkmarketing.com, email me at brian@btkmarketing.com or call me at 317.696.6734.

Press Release Experiment: Part II

2008-07-17T11:45:00.002-04:00

Please read my post, Press Release Experiment: Part 1, for the background on my experiment.

Just to recap...Thursday, July 3, I set out on a mission to follow a press release that I generated for my business. I wanted to see how fast it travelled through the Internet via news wires, RSS feeds, blogs and more. I also wanted to see if one press release could generate any inquiries and eventually provide a return that I could measure against my investment. I released it to local Indianapolis-area media on my own, via email. I also released it to national/international media through PRWeb on July 7th.

As of 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16th, the headline had appeared on 39,127 websites. Just on PRWeb alone, there were 426 full-page reads. The eBook version was downloaded 250 times. The PDF version was downloaded 36 times. And, 20 people downloaded the printer-friendly version.

That's 800 people who, on just PRWeb alone, has either read, downloaded or printed my press release. That's just one (1) website.

Today, my press release appears on nearly 500 business-related websites, blogs, and podcasts. I have even been quoted by newspapers and business publications in Europe and the United Kingdom. If I use PRWeb as a benchmark, which is very unscientific, and multiplied 500 sites that have posted my press release by 800, that's about 40,000 people that have read, downloaded or printed my release.

I can also track my website statistics. The average daily number of visitors to my website is nearly twelve times what it was prior to the press release distribution.

What I can't track are the newspapers, marketing journals, magazines, radio stations, television stations and other sources where my press release has been embraced and reported on.

Has my business benefited? Oh, yeah. I've received more than 60 emails from people I've never met, asking about my business. They've asked me to review their website. Two are sending me their marketing materials for review. Others want to know how much to budget for marketing and advertising. Others have asked about the benefits of blogging and podcasting. And, I've had a few asking me to help write press releases for their business.

I've had one on one appointments with three business owners in the Indianapolis area and scheduled another two.

I will tell you that, as I predicted, the number of reads has declined steadily over the past five days. Why? Because the headline is now getting buried in the news feeds. Also, my website hits are declining slightly.

This morning, a local real estate agent was curious how a press release could benefit her business. While she is impressed with my statistics, she didn't see how national or international exposure could be beneficial. First, a well-written release WILL get her local exposure. Secondly, people relocate. They are moving to the Indianapolis-area. Suppose that one person in Florida does a search for "Indianapolis Realtor" and her press release pops up in the top of the search engines. On that press release, they click on a link to that agent. They call her, schedule an appointment and buy a home. If that home is $400,000 and her commission is, say, $12,000 (3%), then she has just gotten a return that is more than 20 times her investment.

I'd say that's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

I'll continue to track my press release and provide updates. To track it on the Internet for yourself, go to any search engine and type in "BTK & Associates" (be sure to include the quotation marks).

For more information about how BTK & Associates can help you put together an effective press release marketing strategy, visit www.btkmarketing.com or call me at 317.696.6734.

Press Release Experiment: Part I

2008-07-08T08:36:00.004-04:00

If you are looking for cost effective ways to generate interest in your business or organization and you aren't using press releases, let me tell you about my current press release experiment.

Why?
I have a couple of clients and prospects that are considering adding press releases to their marketing mix. But, because they haven't done it before, there are concerns that it either won't generate leads or that a consistent press release strategy will be costly and difficult to manage.

So, last Thursday, July 3, I set out on a mission to follow a press release that I generated for my business. I wanted to see how fast it travelled through the Internet via news wires, RSS feeds, blogs and more. I also want to see if one press release could generate any inquiries and eventually provide a return on investment that I could measure against my investment.

The Topic
I didn't want to just issue a press release about my business. So, I zeroed in on a topic that I thought would be of interest to businesses, especially in today's economy. I specifically wanted speak directly to executives, managers, sales people and marketing professionals. My headline was BTK & Associates warns businesses against cutting marketing budgets. I thought it might grab some attention. Embedded in my assessment of marketing in a struggling economy was my underlying purpose - to position myself as an authority and hopefully generate interest in my consulting services.

Distribution
I decided to distribute the press release two ways. First, I emailed the release to my local media distribution list for print including newspapers, magazines and business journals. I decided not to distribute to radio and television. The second way I distributed it was through PRWeb.com.

PRWeb is a fee-based service where businesses can create and distribute press releases. Depending on which service you pay for (I think there are 4 levels with some add-on services), you can choose geographic areas by MSA, and you can select certain business sectors. I chose Indianapolis (the MSA where I live), Lafayette, Indiana (where I grew up), and Cincinnati (because its close and has a lot of businesses). I chose five business categories including executives, managers, marketing professionals, sales and technology. These are groups that people can subscribe to online to receive news about their job or industry.

And because last Friday was July 4th, I scheduled the release for 12:01 a.m., Monday morning so that it would hit the news wires for Monday.

Tracking Results
Here's the fun part - tracking results online. On Sunday morning, just for grins, I did a Google search and found that the press release had already been picked up by the Noblesville Daily Times, a small local paper. On Monday morning, again did a Google search and found that the release had made it's way onto some interesting news feeds including Gas & Oil News, eBusiness Automation, 8 Steps Success and a handful of others.

Next, I decided to log onto PRWeb and actually view my press release statistics. This is a great tool because it tracks how many times the headline actually appears in searches and how many full-page reads and downloads your release receives. Pretty cool!

Check It Out
If you want to see where the press release is appearing, go to Google and type in (use the quotation marks) "btk & associates". You'll find some of the more popular sites. Here is how it looks on PRWeb:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/7/prweb1075274.htm

Here is a link to PR-USA.net:

http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=117375&Itemid=34

My Press Release's Results
As of 10:30 on Monday morning, just 10-1/2 hours after the release was distributed by PRWeb, here are some impressive stats. The full-text had been read by 143 people across the globe. An additional 44 people had actually downloaded or printed it. The headline had already on over 6,400 websites/newsfeeds.

At 3:30 p.m., there were 156 full-page reads and an additional 74 dowloads/prints. The headline had now appeared on 12,466 sites.

As of last evening at about 10:30 p.m., the release had 236 full-page reads and another 203 downloads or prints.

This morning, at 9:18 a.m., there were 288 full-page reads and 268 downloads/prints. The headline impressions has reached 26,657.

Any Leads or Business?
Yes. Yesterday morning I had already received emails from three former colleagues, one in Indianapolis , one in Ohio and one in Michigan, who happened across the release. They had all visited my website and offered to help me network. I received two emails from people I didn't know asking me if I could speak at their business meetings. And I received a request for a quote helping an organization with sales collateral, website and scripting for fundraising. I'm pleased.

Measuring ROI
I'm documenting the inquiries, proposals and speaking engagements to see how much business is actually generated by this release over the next 90 days. But, I'm already confident that I will recoup my investment.

The Cost
Obviously, since I wrote the press release, I didn't have to pay. But, it did cost me about four hours of my time at a billable rate of, say, $75/hour. That's $300. My PRWeb fee was $140. So, my investment was less than $500. Compare that with one time insertion of a small print ad in a local newspaper...I'd never get that much exposure or generate the same results in 24 hours.

Updates
I'll continue to post updates here on my Marketing Muse blog. I'll let you know about any proposals, speaking engagements, interviews, etc... So, stay tuned!

To learn how BTK & Associates can help you develop and implement a press release strategy, visit www.btkmarketing.com or email me at brian@btkmarketing.com.

For Patriotic Marketing, Travel Back to 1776

2008-07-05T07:57:00.006-04:00

My newspaper was stuffed with July 4th advertising circulars and I couldn't help but avoid the countless radio and television ads touting "Star Spangled Savings" and "All American Discounts". Everything from grocery items and bed mattresses to automobiles and vinyl siding were on sale over on this 2008 July 4th holiday weekend. That got me wondering, "What was on sale in July of 1776?"

This morning, with my ears still ringing from the blasts of last night's July 4th fireworks celebration, I finally found time to write about some interesting things I learned yesterday about life in 1776. It was what appeared in Dixon & Hunter's Virginia Gazette on July 20, 1776 that is probably the most influential advertisement ever placed. Read on...

Around 7:30 a.m., as I was tossing a purple 'power worm' in the pouring rain on my friend Matt's boat on Morse Lake during a bass fishing tournament, my thoughts drifted as they usually do when I'm not catching fish. I began thinking about a radio ad for a "Fourth of July Sale" for a home repair center. Another holiday. Another opportunity for retail businesses to exploit the long holiday in an effort to lure (no fishing pun intended) consumers.

So, after returning home having only caught one keeper largemouth and finishing dead last in the tournament, I was hoping I'd have better luck fishing the Internet for information about marketing and advertising in 1776.

It took awhile, but I finally "Googled" the right phrases that produced a collection of articles, research papers, discussions and images of the history of advertising. While there is evidence of advertising products and services dating back to 4,000 B.C., Advertising as we know it in the United States, first appeared in print in 1704. The first newspaper advertisement, an announcement seeking a buyer for an Oyster Bay, Long Island, estate, was published in the Boston News-Letter.

It was Ben Franklin, though, who started including paid advertisements in his newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette in 1742. Franklin's paper and others contained advertisements that only included text. Ads with illustrations and graphics began appearing in the late 1700s and more prominently around 1830.

Newspapers allowed people and businesses to expand their marketing beyond the common signs, window ads, posters and advertising bills (or flyers). Instead of reaching local townspeople or spreading information by word of mouth to a small target audience, newspapers allowed business owners to reach a few hundred or even a few thousand people throughout the 13 Colonies and in much larger cities such as Philadelphia, Boston and New York.

Advertisements weren't regulated though and everything was fair game. The majority of ads at that time were centered around slavery. During this dark time in our Nation's history, slave-owners bought and sold slaves. They also placed advertisements offering rewards when their slave's ran away or seeking rewards when they captured runaway slaves. Many newspapers, such as the Hartford Courant did in 2000, eventually apologized for profiting from running such advertisements.

Other prominent ads from the 1770s were more focused on products and services. Ships advertised their sailing dates so that businesses could ship their goods to other countries or arrange for products to be shipped back to them. They also advertising for sailing crews and space for passengers if available. People sold livestock for slaughter and horses for transportation. A watchmaker who offered his watchmaking and repair services. Richard Brooke advertised his cobbler services this way.

For Sale
A shoemaker who understands mens' and womens' feet completely. He has about five and a half years to serve and worked and worked many years with Mr. Didsbury. For terms, apply to subscriber near Fredericksburg. Richard Brooke.

One of the most interesting advertisements I discovered was from a gentleman who was selling admission to his own death. Having felt that he had accomplished all that he wanted to in life, he planned an exhibition where he was to shoot himself with his revolver, once in the stomach and once in the head. He even warned the public against attending another man's hanging demonstration at the same time as his - calling it a fraudulent event. Pretty bizarre. I wonder whatever happened to the man...and the money he collected?

But it was the one full-page advertisement that appeared in the Dixon & Hunter's Virginia Gazette on July 20, 1776. I'm not sure that it was intended to be an advertisement. But, that's what it was. The advertisers identified a need to solve a problem. They consulted with each other to develop a plausible solution. The developed a product and marketed that product to the people of the thirteen colonies. The problem - tyrannical rule. The solution - independence and the right to self-govern. The product they needed to sell was the Declaration of Independence.

According to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Alexander Purdie's Virginia Gazette (Friday, July 19, 1776) briefly noted the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by Congress.

On Saturday, July 20, the Council of the State of Virginia ordered that the full text be published, and it appeared in John Dixon and William Hunter's Virginia Gazette that same day. Dixon and Hunter had established their newspaper a year earlier with the motto "Always for Liberty and the Public Good."

The Declaration was publicly proclaimed in Williamsburg on July 25, at the Capitol, the Courthouse and the Palace "amidst the acclamations of the people, accompanied by firing of cannon and musketry, the several regiments of continental troops having been paraded on that solemnity". Alexander Purdie included the full text in his Virginia Gazette issue dated July 26.

A few years ago, I portrayed George Reid in the Indianapolis Civic Theater musical production of "1776". Reid was Delaware's Crown Attorney General and one of Delaware's appointees to the Congressional Congress and signers of the Declaration. I admit that I did not take the time then, nor had I ever taken the time to read the complete text of the Declaration of Independence. I took the time yesterday - all of five minutes to review the greatest, most poignant document in our young nation's history. I encourage you, too, to take the time.

As I sat in a friend's backyard last evening enjoying pulled pork barbecue and other great homemade dishes, I watched our kids running and playing on swing sets and the adults eating, laughing and partaking in adult beverages. But, I couldn't help but think about what I had learned during a couple of hours surfing the Internet and the few minutes it took to read the text of the Declaration. As a people, we enjoy many great freedoms that we take for granted. I thought about my brother in law, Major Scott Sendmeyer, U.S. Army who is currently stationed in Mosul, Iraq, training the Iraqi troops how to fight for and defend their freedom.

Using such a great National holiday to market discounts on furniture, cars, computers, triple-pane windows and other products wrings a little trivial in my mind right now. However, without the work of our Founding Fathers like John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and the other signers of the Declaration, and so eloquently written by Thomas Jefferson, we could not not enjoy such a freedom.

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

I Am Now An Official "Twitterer"

2008-07-02T09:10:00.004-04:00

You might say that I am "Twitterpated" now that I have latched on to one of the newest Internet marketing tools called Twitter.

Left In the Dust
Back in February, when I started contemplating taking my business BTK & Associates full time, I started realizing that, as a marketing & sales consultant, it would be my responsibility to stay up to date on the most current trends and share them with my clients. That was going to be a bit of a problem.

Admittedly, technology passed me by at warp speed over the past two years as I was pigeon-holed in a stagnant bank marketing environment. We couldn't spend money and we sure weren't allowed to implement any new marketing tools - or very many traditional ones, for that matter. I can't believe how much the marketing landscape changed around me. It was like I went into hyper-sleep for 24 months only to awaken to find all of this new marketing technology.

Being Resourceful
As a self-proclaimed "marketing junkie", I am constantly reading and researching marketing & sales information. Whether it's speed reading a book while drinking a latte at a nearby Barnes & Noble bookstore or perusing the Internet, I am constantly on the lookout for new ideas and technology. I can't tell you how many Internet groups, forums and blogs I subscribe to currently. One of those sources is Larry Chase's Web Digest for Marketers. It's a great resource for news about new and emerging marketing tactics.

This week, he wrote about "Twitters". How people come up with terms like blogs, bloggers, widgets, blidgets and now, twitter and twitterers I'll never understand. But, Twitter technology has a lot of merit and promise as a corporate marketing and sales tool.

What is a Twitter?
In my own definition, a Twitter is a miniature blog that allows people in a group to establish a social network and communicate via email and cell phone by sending short messages called "tweets". You might say, "Well, we already communicate via email and texting." Not like this.

For example, when I build an email list for my business using a service like Constant Contact or Exact Target, which I pay for, I include clients, prospects, friends, family and neighbors. Depending on their email settings, my emails may not get through their spam filters. And, I have no way to know if they are really taking the time to read them before they end up in the trash. And when it comes to sending a text message, I have to set up my text message list and then type the message separately from my email message. Twittering solves all of these problems by combining the tasks...and it's FREE.

With Twitter technology, I simply invite clients and prospects to subscribe to my tweets. Or, other twitterers can become "followers" of my Twitter because they did a topic search and decided they wanted to stay in contact. Twitter networks can be set up for families, neighborhoods, friends, sports teams, support groups and more...it's limitless.

Marketing Benefits
So, how can your business benefit by using Twitter as a marketing tool? Let's say that you own a seafood restaurant. Your supplier offers you a great deal on Alaskan Sock-eye salmon. You can send a tweet to your list announcing your menu special in an effort to boost reservations. Your "followers" receive an instant email notification as well as a message sent to their mobile phone. A bank may use Twitter to alert customers to special interest rate. A Realtor may tell clients about a new home listing. Your company may release details about registration for a seminar or conference or news about a new product release or upgrade. Twitter is ideal if you want or need to communicate timely information with your customers and/or prospects to elicit a buying response.

Who's Twittering?
So, how popular is Twitter? Here are the names of just a few familiar companies and brands that use Twitter as a marketing & communication tool.

CNN
Computer World
Fox News
Carnival Cruise Lines
Southwest Airlines
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Amazon.com
Apple Computers
Dell
Monster.com
Notre Dame
Michigan State University
Ford Motor Company
General Motors
Forrester Research
Cincinnati Art Museum
San Fransisco Zoo
Smithsonian Institute
Comcast
M&Ms
Barack Obama

And there's thousands more...

I encourage you to visit Twitter.com and see for yourself how you can join the Twitter craze. If you'd like to join my Twitter network, I can be found at http://twitter.com/btk_marketing.

If you'd like help setting up a Twitter and developing a strategy built around this new technology, visit www.btkmarketing.com or email me at brian@btkmarketing.com

New Marketing Incentive Gives People Gas

2008-07-01T08:22:00.008-04:00

What do Chase, Callaway Golf, Big Bear Campground, Dick's Sporting Goods and the New Jersey Department of Transportation all have in common? They've got gas.

Ever since gasoline started approaching the $4 per gallon mark, people started wooing customers with the next big incentive. Free gasoline is everywhere, as long as you spend money with them.

What happened to the good ol' "20% Off Sale" or the "Buy One, Get One Free" offers. And where are those perks that banks offer like free tool kits, toasters and trips to the Bahamas? Oh, they're still around, but they seem to have lost their luster.

Fear Marketing
Now businesses are playing into consumers' fear and frustration over sky-rocketing gas prices by simply substituting discounts and gifts for "free" gas cards or rebates. Other businesses are building their prospect lists by offering gas cards in sweepstakes drawings. Just "Google" the term "Free Gas" and you'll find thousands of offers and chances to win.

While everyone is feeling the pinch of escalating fuel prices, gas in the United States is still below many other countries. If gas hits $5 per gallon, a $25 gas card will get me five gallons, or about 125 miles down the road. But, how much did I have to spend get that $25 gas card? I just saw a television commercial from a vinyl siding company that will give you a $25 gas card just for calling and "inviting" a representative into your home. So, you spend two hours with a pushy salesman that talks you into $10,000 worth of new siding. For what? $25 worth of gas?

Customers or Samplers?
Should your business ride the Free Gas wave? Well, that depends on what type of customer you want to attract. While $4.19 per gallon is an annoyance, I, like many, haven't reached the threshold that would cause me to spend more money on products I really don't need just to get a few gallons of "free" gas. People who jump at the chance to earn free gas may be feeling the economic pinch and may not have the expendable income to purchase your products. Are they truly going to be long-term, loyal customers or are they merely enjoying the "free samples" with no intention to buy?

Focus On Quality and Reward Loyalty
My suggestion? Focus on providing the highest quality products and services at reasonable prices with the best customer services. No, it's not a new concept. But, in the long run, people will still go out of their way if they perceive they are receiving value from your business.

One pet peeve I have with special offers, and my cell phone company Verizon Wireless is the perfect example, is that they extend rewards to new customers and neglect long-term, loyal customers. I pay them over $300 per month only to be told by some of the rudest customer service people that I can't upgrade my phone or receive the same "special discounts" as new customers. They aren't loyal to me, so when it's time to renew my contract, I will not be loyal to Verizon Wireless.(Sorry, I will step off my soap box now.)

Again, gift cards (such as Visa) can be used for any purpose including gasoline. And give them to your loyal customers - perhaps for referring new business or making a large purchase. Surprise them with the card. I was ecstatic when I received a $100 gift card in the mail to an upscale restaurant when I referred a co-worker to Matt Kennedy at Tom Wood Volkswagen in Indianapolis. They bought a car from him and he thanked me for the referral.

Like me, maybe your client isn't all that interested in free gas. Maybe it's a single mom that needs to buy clothes for her child. Or a gift card may come in handy for a parent to buy school supplies or for someone to take their spouse out for a celebration dinner. By showing your loyalty to your best customers, you will build long-term relationships and gain quality referrals from their friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.

A Passing Fad?
We've enjoyed low gas prices for many years and we are just catching up to the rest of the world. And, while we can debate the merits of drilling for oil on our own soil, prices aren't going to fall below $3.00 or even $4.00 again. We'll learn to adjust and the "Free Gas" marketing fad will disappear just like Green Stamps and free toasters.

If you stay the course with quality and service and you build loyalty with your best customers, you won't need to rely on gimmicks like "Free Gas".

To learn how BTK & Associates can help you market your business based on quality and service and establish a loyalty rewards program, visit www.btkmarketing.com or email brian@btkmarketing.com.

Maintain Your Business Lawn

2008-06-30T11:01:00.005-04:00

Whether we are actually in a recession or not, it's a fact that the U.S. economy is in an economic drought. But this doesn't mean that you need to let your business' marketing budget dry up.

I'm one of those homeowners that's proud of his lawn. I'm fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood where most people have well-manicured lawns. After all, we've had plenty of rain in Indianapolis, Indiana this year, so everyone should have a green lawn. Mowing, weeding, pruning, edging, and trimming are activities that, when I'm done, give me satisfaction and instant gratification. I can step out into the street, look back at my yard and think, "Wow! Now that's a nice looking lawn."

But, like the current economy, the weather isn't always ideal. Last year we had drought conditions. Keeping my lawn from looking like the dusty main street in a Spaghetti Western, complete with tumbling tumble weeds, took time and a moderate financial investment. I had to water my lawn a little more. I had to spend more money on fertilizer and weed control. I cut my grass a little longer to retain moisture. I educated myself on how to keep my lawn looking nice in a drought and made the necessary investments and adjustments to keep my grass green and growing.

Many of my neighbors, on the other hand, took the easy route. They simply gave up. Some saw it as an opportunity to not have to mow as frequently. Others apparently said, "My neighbors aren't keeping their lawns nice, so why should I?" Still, others reallocated or eliminated their lawn maintenance budgets.

We are in an economic drought and most businesses are going to react in much the same way as many of my neighbors did with their lawns. They may view marketing, like mowing, as a necessary evil and welcome a break from executing their marketing plan. There are those that will look around and say, "Hey, our competitors aren't marketing so why should we?" Then, there are those businesses that decide to cut marketing expenses in an effort to show investors a bigger profit margin.

I can't tell you how many times my neighbors and visitors to my home commented how nice my lawn looked last summer. The grass was green and the flowers were colorful. And guess what I discovered this Spring? My lawn was the first one to turn green. My neighbors, on the other hand, were aerating, de-thatching, re-seeding and trying to get their dandelions under control. While I had minimal lawn maintenance costs, I know they probably out spent me four to one just trying to get their lawns back into shape.

Learn from my neighbors. Don't cut back or skimp on your marketing budgets during an economic down swing. Don't be a lemming. Sure, it's easy to follow your competitor and cut your budgets and staff. And, if you are cutting your marketing budgets now just so you can show a bigger profit, I've got news for you. You may be the hero now, but one day it will catch up with you and...BAM! You'll have to explain to your investors why you don't have any growth and are losing market share.

Businesses that grow and prosper are the ones that stay the course and may even increase their marketing activities. It will be your businesses that consumers will notice when it's time to make a purchase. And when the economy does turn around, you won't have to spend as much time, energy and money to position yourself in the market place.

To learn how BTK & Associates can help you maximize your marketing budget and maintain top of mind awareness in today's economic conditions, visit www.btkmarketing.com or email me at brian@btkmarketing.com.

Chicken vs Egg, Branding vs Positioning

2008-06-25T08:49:00.000-04:00

The debate continues. Which came first, branding or positioning. Which one do you control and which one is owned by your customers?

So, I sit down at my computer this morning all excited to write about branding, a topic that I'm very passionate about when it comes to marketing and sales. Before I mosey on over to my blog's control panel, I decide to check my email. And what d'ya know? I receive a great article from iMedia titled Brand vs. product: what really drives reputation? It was written by Marian Salzman, partner and CMO, Porter Novelli Worldwide.

Do great minds think alike, or what? Or, maybe it was just coincidence.

If you don't read any further, read, re-read and digest what Ms. Salzman writes in this one tiny paragraph.

What makes the difference now is delivery, not promises -- it's not what a
brand says, but what it does. A brand's products earn a brand permission to ask
for a slice of consumers' time, attention or money.

Brilliant!

Marketing people who hold the title "Brand Manager" should be stripped of their titles (yes, you know who I'm talking about) and be appropriately dubbed, "Delivery Manager". I worked for a company for two years where the "Brand Manager" couldn't land on a brand. It's like giving birth to a baby and not being able to name it and leaving it up to people to guess.

This brings me to my initial chicken vs. egg question. Which came first, positioning or branding? I'll answer the question and say, "positioning". Why? Because branding isn't something we control. Our customers, employees, suppliers, competitors are all part of the group that decides what our brand is. Not us.

Go back to the beginning of any business, matter how big or small, and you'll find one person who had an idea. In the 1870's, Joseph Campbell didn't just one day say, "Hey, let's design a red and white can and put some broth and vegetables in it and sell it in grocery stores and call it Cambell Soup." Campbell, whose company originally canned vegetables, jellies and minced meats, learned that soup, which was very popular in Europe and not the U.S., was gaining popularity in the states. He already had most of the ingredients in the tomatoes, vegetables and meats. So, he decided to come up with a product that was convenient and affordable for consumers. Campbell Soup was unveiled at the 1900 Paris Exposition and earned a gold medal.

Cambells positioning was convenience and price. And, yes, it was, "Mmmmm good!" Thus, the Cambell Soup brand was born. It's red and white can, inspired by the colors of the Cornell University football team, is still one of the most recognized products. When I'm looking for soup in the grocery store, I can the aisle for the red and white cans. I know I'm not getting a home made quality soup, but I purchase the Campbell Soup brand because of the delivery of a product that's affordable and convenient.

So many companies today have lost track of their brands due to poor positioning. Take banking, for example, an industry where I've worked. "Community Bank", "Business Bank", "Friendly Bank", "Hometown Bank", "Sit Down Bank", "Internet Bank". . . the list goes on. One of the largest banks, JPMorgan Chase & Co., founded in New York in 1799, is positioned as a "global investment and commercial bank with both wholesale and retail operations in more than 50 countries."

Banks can do all of the positioning they want, but I, as a consumer, am in sole possession of their brand. When I see Chase bank, I see a bank that has my mortgage but will probably never have my checking account unless it buys my current bank. Why? Because for me, they made promises but their delivery fell short, just like Salzman warns. When I look at my bank, Old National Bank (www.oldnational.com), I see a bank that, for the most part, delivers. It's a comfortable and convenient place for me to deposit my money and receive quality financial advice. They offer great customer service and their banking centers are first-class. As long as they keep delivering on their promises, the Old National Bank brand has equity with me.

So, as marketers, what are we to do? We focus on our products and stop the brand-speak. In her article, Salzman writes:

Consumers want compelling demonstrations and credible recommendations --
and with today's rapidly proliferating social networks and specialist blogs, they have no trouble finding them. To get onto consumers' radars, a brand needs striking products that get people talking. This means enormous opportunity for
the smartest marketing and public relations agencies -- agencies that recognize that the savviest consumers pay more attention to the tangibles (products) than to the intangibles (brands).

If your products and services fall short in the minds of consumers, your brand can't save you. Consumers are smarter and do their homework before they buy.

If you want to effectively position your products so that you can build brand equity with your customers, BTK & Associates can help. Visit www.btkmarketing.com or email brian@btkmarketing.com.

Bridging the Marketing and Sales Gap

2008-06-22T10:16:00.000-04:00

If you feel like your marketing and sales teams aren't working in tandem, you're not alone. Collaboration across sales networks is rife with inefficiency and missed business opportunity.

The Blame Game
"Marketing didn't provide us with quality materials or advertising support."

"Sales doesn't use the materials we created and they aren't following up on their leads."

So who's to blame? They both are. Often times, sales reps don't really have a place to go where they can find the most current product and marketing materials or they don't like the materials they have available. On the sales side, leads aren't followed up on and valuable data gathered in the field is either not captured or is not reported back to the marketing department.

According to a 2007 Socratic Technologies survey, collaboration between sales, marketing and the field needs an overhaul:

58% of info that sales gathers is not passed back to marketing
57% of the time, marketing cannot track what sales/marketing materials were used
51% of sales reps often use outdated documentation
43% found it difficult for sales reps to find the documents they need

SocialText, a social software company entrenched in Web 2.0 technology explains that this communication gap is not the fault of sales or marketing, but rather a lack of efficient collaboration and learning between the two teams.
Knowledge and content creation is largely done in a vacuum. Without
feedback loops between marketing, sales and the field -- communication is less
effective and there is a lack of quality in prepared materials. Insight from the
trenches stays isolated and what little feedback occurs goes unrecognized.
Content generated is often duplicated, dated, lacks effective version control
and the right content is hard to find. Isolated data sources not only result in
tactical error, but they are viewed sequentially, which is less efficient. The
lack of confidence in materials and lack of feedback loops not leads to
uninformed sales people pushing presentations, collateral and demos -- but it
also erodes trust between departments while customers are left with vendors
selling in ways they don't want to buy.

Working In a Vacuum
I couldn't agree more with the SocialText assessment. As a former marketing manager for a regional bank, I was often amazed and frustrated by the fact that the majority of our marketing materials were created in a vacuum. The primary emphasis of the creative director was to stay on brand and work within the parameters of a brand template. Marketing managers were presented with layouts and copy that the creative team had developed without any input or feedback from the sales team. This "take it or leave it" mentality from our creative manager made it difficult when we, as strategic marketing managers, had to present the materials to our internal clients. The marketing managers as a whole rarely bought into the creative, so how were we suppose to sell it down the line?

The Sales Silo
In this same banking environment, sales primarily operated in it's own silo. In one particular instance, I arranged for the bank to participate in a professional seminar as a primary sponsor. During the day, we collected more than 200 banking sales leads which I passed on to our sales team. Those leads disappeared into a black hole with no reporting or feedback from sales. There was no accountability.

Together In Harmony
Companies can bridge the gap if they would simply agree to communicate and collaborate. As the marketing manager for a Swiss-based manufacturing company, I saw first hand how it "should" work. We held quarterly sales meetings with a segment of the meeting dedicated to discussing sales and marketing. Sales would present feedback from their experiences with customers that often included direct feedback from customers -both good and bad. From that feedback, we developed marketing materials that we presented to the sales team, distributors and client focus groups before we even considered sending the materials to print. Once we were comfortable with the buy-in from our sales team and our customers, we produced the materials for distribution. Finger pointing between sales and marketing was non-existent.

Getting Your Sales & Marketing Teams On Track
Here is a suggestions for bringing your marketing and sales teams together:

Open Forum Meeting - hold an open forum meeting between the marketing and sales teams with no set agenda except to ask everyone to write down and share their answers to one questions, "How can marketing and sales work together more efficiently." The responses will facilitate a discussion that could go on for hours.
Prioritize the Responses - Determine what the "hot buttons" are. Pair up one member of your sales team and one member of your marketing team to propose solutions to one or two of the issues.
Follow-Up Meeting - Set a deadline a couple of weeks out for your marketing and sales teams to present their solutions to the entire group. Give each issue the same amount of time, 5-10 minutes and allow up to 10-15 minutes for the group to weigh in on the suggestions. Make each pairing responsible for monitoring the progress of their issues going forward.
Temperature Checks - Hold regular (monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly) meetings and set the expectation that each duo will report on their issue(s). Have them report on one specific example of what is working and what could be improved. Most importantly, keep the discussion moving in a positive direction.

By getting your marketing and sales teams working together instead of in isolation, you'll start seeing the results in the numbers.

For other ways to get your marketing and sales effort aligned, visit http://www.btkmarketing.com/ or email me at brian@btkmarketing.com.

Marketing Budgets On the Rise?

2008-06-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

Results of a marketing survey by MarketingProfs and Forrester Research on budget and spending may surprise you as much as it did me.

I recently left a marketing environment where the COO put her marketing team and budget on the back burner (with the flame turned to the "Off" position). Her reasoning behind the drawback was to "make salespeople more responsible and accountable". As a marketing professional, working under this directive was frustrating because it's my experience and belief that marketing is an investment and its role is to help fill the sales pipeline with prospects.

Our marketing team had been working in a suppressed environment for nearly a year. Add to that what's reported in the news about the impact that a struggling economy and looming recession is having on businesses and I would have assumed that most companies were following suit by slashing their marketing budgets.

Not so.

According to the report, B-to-B Marketing in 2008: Trends in Strategies and Spending, only six percent of the companies reported lowering their marketing budgets from 2007 at an average decrease of 18 percent. That's compared to an average budget increase of 26 percent for nearly half (49%) of the companies that responded. That leaves 46 percent who expected no change in their budget from 2007 to 2008.

Proportioning the Budget
So, how are most companies allocating their budgets? According to the survey, the biggest portion (50%) of the budget is going toward Product Marketing (18%), Branding/Advertising (17%), Field Marketing (15%). Marketing research (7%) and Inside Sales (7%) each received the smallest proportions. Other areas receiving financial support included Corporate Communications ( 12%) and Channel/Partner Marketing (9%).

Tactics
It comes as no surprise to me that the majority of companies are focusing their attention on emerging technology. Online Video, Podcasts (or Rich Media), Search Marketing, Other Web 2.0 Media, and Webinars each received high marks with a greater than 50 percent increase. Print, Direct Mail and Radio received the lowest marks with either "decrease" or "no change" greater than 75 percent.

Making Sense of the Numbers
What do these numbers confirm? Besides validating my belief that my former company was going down the wrong marketing path, it tells me that:

Companies are embracing new tactics and trying to stay ahead of the technology curve. By integrating and implementing new Web 2.0 tactics in place of traditional print and media, they are reaching a bigger, more targeted audience at a lower investment.
Most companies understand that product marketing and branding are the foundation of a solid sales initiative by creating top-of-mind awareness, making it easier for the sales people succeed when clients and prospects have a higher level of familiarity with the company or product.
Customers want to be educated and informed. Webinars, Executive Breakfasts/Luncheons and Trade shows allow companies to interact, sample and evaluate products, services and even the company personnel.
Most importantly, as the report points out, the respondents view marketing as an "investment" and not an "expense". Marketing should be intended to generate a return on investment and not looked upon as throwing money to the wind.

In his book, Your Marketing Sucks, author and popular blogger, Mark Stevens drives home the point that your marketing efforts have one purpose - to grow your business and generate a return on investment. If your marketing returns just one more dollar than you've spent, then you've been successful.

If you'd like to learn how you can get a copy of the MarketingProfs/Forrester report
B-to-B Marketing in 2008: Trends in Strategies and Spending, send me an email at brian@btkmarketing.com with "MarketingProfs Report" in the subject line. Visit my website at www.btkmarketing.com to learn how BTK & Associates can help energize your marketing and sales efforts.

Marketing Your New Location

2008-06-18T13:43:00.000-04:00

Establishing your business in a new location can be an exhilarating, yet daunting task.

Maybe your business has been forced to move due to a road expansion or a civic construction project. Or you might be looking to expand your business by opening a branch in a new geographic location. Whatever the case, you need a solid marketing strategy to announce your new location.

Recently, the city of Speedway, Indiana (near Indianapolis), announced a city "beautification" project that would add new retail, restaurants and hotels near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500 and Allstate Brickyard 400. A few businesses in the shadows of the IMS, some of which have been in their same location for more than 25 years, will fall victim to progress and need to either close shop - or relocate. If they choose to relocate, they'll need a strategy to tell customers about their new location.

Banks and restaurants are two businesses that often choose to expand into new geographic markets. As residential developers continue to build homes in the suburbs, commercial developers aren't far behind with plans to build retail shopping complexes. This attracts a variety of eateries and financial institutions. These businesses will also need to step up their marketing efforts.

Your marketing strategy may include the following elements:

Construction Signage
If you are building a new location, a "Coming Soon" sign will alert curious onlookers that your business will soon be opening in that location.

Point-of-Sale
If you have existing locations, post signage in your lobby or place brochures to let customers know you are expanding. Your customers may be a good source of referrals to others who may live near your new location. They also be happy to know that you have a convenient new location if they find themselves traveling in that area.

Direct Mail
If you have an established business, you should have a customer mailing list. A simple postcard or letter announcing your new location can be effective. If you are establishing a new business or expanding into a new market where you don't have customer addresses, you can purchase mailing lists of consumers and businesses from a variety of sources. You can target geographic areas near your new location, say within a three mile radius.

Email
There are a variety of affordable email marketing solutions available that will allow you to announce your new endeavor to clients and prospects via email. Just make sure you follow proper email protocol and allow people on your email list to unsubscribe.

Open House
Any new business should host an open house. Inviting area businesses, government officials, dignitaries and residents can build rapport. Your open house should showcase our facility and staff. Offer appetizers and drinks. Most importantly, you want to start building your contact list by offering give-aways or door prizes. Make sure to collect important data on your entry forms including name, address, phone and email address. Always follow up with a "Thank You" and a maybe a special discount offering to attendees.

Press Releases
Once you have your opening date locked down, send a press release announcing your opening to the media.

Advertising
The impact of advertising in newspapers, radio and television has been diminished with the popularity of the Internet. More people are getting their news and entertainment online. If you are compelled to advertise in these mediums, ask to see audited demographic data on their readers, viewers or listeners. Target those publications, features or programs that are more closely aligned with your targeted customers. Always make sure you inquire about any Internet-related marketing opportunities they may have to supplement your media buy.

Networking
One of the best ways to spread the word is through networking. Get involved in your new community by joining the local Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, Kiwanis, or business networking group. Volunteering or supporting local charities - not just financially but by actually donating your time, will allow you to meet other individuals who will appreciate your efforts. Support your community and your community will support you.

These are just a few of the basic marketing strategies that will help your business take hold in a new location. For more information about how BTK & Associates can help you business stand out in a crowd, visit http://www.btkmarketing.com/.

Don't Assume They Understand

2008-06-18T10:20:00.000-04:00

Can we be so immersed in our products or services that we actually turn off or disengage our clients or prospects?

Here's something that recently happened that I feel compelled to share so that you, too, don't make the same mistake in your sales presentations.

I was recently involved in a vendor presentation. This vendor (I'll call them XYZ Media) specializes in helping businesses leverage the Internet and some of the bells and whistles of Web 2.0. If you don't know what I mean by Web 2.0, don't fret. I didn't either until recently.

In a nutshell, Web 2.0 is not a new piece of computer software, but rather a term coined for the current trend or revolution in how people share information and collaborate using a collection of tools over the Internet. Web 2.0, comes with it's own unique terminology. "Widget", "wiki", "social networking", "blog", and "blidget" are just a few.

These are all relatively new terms that most people aren't familiar with and can't define unless they are really immersed in Internet marketing. For a more detail definition, click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.

During the sales presentation, both the account representative and president of XYZ Media started throwing around all of these new terms. As a marketing professional, I understood some of the terms. But the other people attending the meeting had absolutely no idea what the presenter was talking about. And, nobody bothered to interrupt to ask, "What is a widget?" or "What is a wiki and how can it help our company better market our products?"

Everyone had a lukewarm reaction to the sales presentation. It wasn't that we didn't like it. We just didn't understand it. And we were afraid to ask questions for fear of appearing ignorant.

In this case, the presenter was so close to the product that she didn't bring the presentation down to the novice level. She assumed that her audience members were better informed.

Prior to making a presentation or sales pitch, go on a fact finding mission to discover how much you audience may or may not no about your products. Do one of the following:

Ask your contact to provide feedback on the attendees. Ask probing questions and throw out some terms and concepts to make sure they understand what you are talking about.
Email a survey or questionnaire.
Ask participants to rank on a scale from 1-5 how familiar they are with terms and concepts. If most people understand, you're fine. If they are novices, you may need to educate them prior to the presentation.
Create a glossary or interject definitions into your presentation. Attendees will appreciate your efforts to educate them and can review a printed glossary at their leisure. They will also feel more comfortable if you introduce a new term and ask, "Does everyone know what a "widget" is?"

Whether creating sales collateral, building a PowerPoint, or making a sales pitch, we all need to better understand our audience. We are the product experts and it's our job to educate our audience, even if it means explaining the basics. It's better to give them too much information than too little.

If you'd like to discuss how BTK & Associates can help your business stand out in a crowd, visit my website at http://www.btkmarketing.com/.

Lessons from a Five Year Old

2008-06-18T09:28:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my new blog!

This whole blogging thing is a bit awkward and uncomfortable right now. It reminds me of how my 5-year-old son must have felt last evening as I let go of the back of his brand new Spider Man bike (sans training wheels) and watched him wobble about 10 yards down the street before he realized that I was no longer holding on. I cheered. He started laughing and turned around to see where I was...and then he crashed! Thank goodness for elbow pads and helmets!

Like my son, I am a little wobbly, too. This blog is my new bike. The training wheels are off and I'm peddling hard, hoping to get my balance. If I crash, I simply get back up, dust myself off and do it again...just like I told him as we plucked tiny pebbles out of his knee.

I've learned a lot about blogs over the past couple of months. It's not the blogs that my teen daughters are creating on the social blogging sites that I'm referring to. The ones that especially interest me as a marketing and sales consultant are those focused on, well, marketing and sales topics.

It seems that everyone blogging on the topics of marketing or selling has an opinion and "their" way of doing things. What one person offers up as gospel, another person may repute as pure bunk. That's the beauty of blogging. You get so many different views based on a person's personal experience, education and beliefs. Who's right? Who's wrong? Who's really an expert and who isn't?I sure don't have all of the answers. I do have a lot of experience. Am I an expert? I guess it depends on the topic. I've had a successful marketing and sales career up until now. I'd like to think others can learn from my experience and will value my advice.

One absolute belief that I have is that what I'm doing right now, "blogging", is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marketing in today's world. Web 2.0 (or Marketing 2.0 as the marketing community has designated it), the newest generation of the Internet gives businesses the tools to expand their reach and communicate beyond boundaries. No longer do I have to limit my business to a small geographic area, I can use the new tools available to me to take even my small business global.

There is a consensus among the marketing bloggers that a lot of businesses are destined for failure if their owners or executives don't understand, embrace and leverage new and emerging technology to grow their business. That's why I'm blogging and integrating new tools on my website. I need to integrate new technology into my business so that I am prepared to help my clients integrate that technology into their business marketing mix.

The days of pinning your business card to a bulletin board in the lobby of the local grocery store are over. It's all about online networking and keeping people engaged and returning to your website or blog. It's about providing information to help your clients solve a problem or learn something new that enhances the value of their personal life or business. I invite you to visit often and participate if you'd like. Hopefully, you'll find this blog interesting and informative...and maybe event a little thought-provoking... so that your business can grow and prosper.

Like my son, I'm certain that blogging will only get easier over time. No, I won't be jumping ramps, popping wheelies and riding with no hands. But, I hope to take some risks and open up topics that will elicit responses and open dialogues. I encourage you to join in any time you feel compelled.

If you'd like to discuss how BTK & Associates can help your business stand out in a crowd, visit my website at http://www.btkmarketing.com/.