Three Things2Know

In real estate there’s an old saying: only three things matter – location, location, location.

It’s funny how that same adage has an application in the world of marketing and advertising as well. So many creative shops and ad agencies focus on the messaging – maybe even exclusively – with little thought or fanfare concerning where the material will run, when it will run, and how it will be rotated.

You have a bank on the south side of town and you run a billboard promoting it up in the northern suburbs. Your company’s really fun radio commercial is in the sixth spot of a seven-commercial break. Your TV commercial created to target upscale homeowners is running right in the middle of the afternoon soaps.

Location matters – in real estate and in marketing.

‍

How You Can Make It Work4You

You should pay attention to the messages you are creating and how you are putting them into the marketplace. That’s a huge part of successful advertising and in the ultra-competitive landscape of 2020, it’s really important you get that piece of the plan right.

Do yourself a favor, though, and hold the placement of the outreach you are doing in equally high regard. Think before you lock in that annual agreement, sign up for that on-sale package, or decide about the billboard or newspaper advertisement. Even the best, most well-crafted ad has to be seen and heard by the right audience to create the momentum and branding you are hoping to gain. While it may seem simple and logical, you’d be surprised at how often I see or hear something that is way out of alignment or sorely out of position.

So remember, placement is to advertising like location is to real estate.

‍

‍

Say Goodbye2the 1990's

Twice in a matter of days I asked a “youngin” about learning something and both times they took the same tack. Suddenly, I realized how old I was.

You see, back in the day we’d have asked a friend for information, or gone to the library, or found an expert, or gotten a hold of an owner’s manual. Heck, back then we’d even grab a phone directory and look up a business that could help us solve our problem. A phone book? It’s almost laughable now.

These days all people – especially younger people – simply google things to find their information. (I kept "google" lower case because it's a certified verb now.) Or, better yet, people will youtube the answers to their queries (again, a verb).

It’s just how things are done today.

Use the Tools4You

It’s 2020 – time to embrace the action of googling or youtubing something. Whether you want to learn how to save an orchid that is going brown or see how a 1996 Cadillac STS works in an easy-to-grasp video format, it’s the most current way to get information.

You’ve probably already been thinking about making some improvements in the digital arenas of your organization’s world. Consider this as the powerful suggestion you needed in order to get those things up to date and make sure your business is reflected in these platforms. It's not just ensuring you're in the mix, it's realizing culturally this is how people gather knowledge and get their facts. It’s simply how commerce works these days.

Of course we still have appreciation for the Spin Doctors, Cheers, and those bright, colorful braided sweaters, but it’s time to get with the times people. (If you don’t know much about braided sweaters, it’s okay. You can google it.)

‍

Opportunities 2 Notice

Football teams have evolved their rosters through the years – just like baseball teams did years before. You have short yardage runners, nickel backs, receivers who only play on third downs, and kickers who are especially talented at nailing long field goals. (If you can kick a long one, shouldn’t you be able to kick a short one even better?) They have specialists galore.

The business-as-sports analogies can get old, but at times they are appropriate.

You have a marketing director, or a marketing coordinator, or even a few people in your marketing department. That means your marketing needs are covered, right?

How to Address Them 4 Development

There are dozens of positions on a football team and, similarly, there a lot of marketing specialties. No one person can have the necessary capabilities to handle all the various marketing needs – and typically even two or three fall short. That’s where you find the gaps. The creative wiz who can brand and make eye-catching graphics may not have the expertise with the written word, or with media buying, or with managing a Google Adwords account. A web designer may not be as efficient as a website builder, or if they can do both of those things, there’s a good chance they wouldn’t be as good at maintaining an ongoing program.

And that doesn’t even count video work, radio production, the creation of white papers, or direct mail – whether via the post office or the digital world. There is just too much for one or even a few marketers to master. Why try to fight it?

You wouldn’t expect that third down receiver to toss the touchdown pass and typically most coaches don’t want their high-priced quarterback blocking defenders. In this case, the sports analogy works just fine. Ask for help with that out-of-the-ordinary project when you need it and be excellent at what you regularly do. It’s a win-win.

‍

‍

Marketing Makes4More Marketing

I’ve said it so many times lately – mostly as a sort of a preparation for what is to come for our prospective new clients.

The more marketing you do, the more there is to be done. We’ve been talking with a lot of companies who’ve gotten to where they are in spite of not having consistent marketing. Once they jump on the train, they quickly see what we’ve been saying. Some may say the concept is a great racket for companies like mine. Well, it does generate a lot of ongoing work, but the real benefit for us is seeing how instituting a plan works.

You’ve gotten where you are without a conscious effort to share your story, spread the word, and help people see and understand your value – imagine how much better things can be with consistent messaging, right?

Recognize It and Use It2Fuel Growth

Before you started this marketing thing, you were plenty busy and perhaps you even saw success. Now some consultant is telling you it’s important to have a strong website, to update its content regularly, and to have news to share on a variety of platforms. They want you to find your voice, message it consistently, and even find ways to talk to people who used to be clients or prospects in the same manner. Then, you have to do it all again next month.

It never ends.

That’s right – the business development process, a DRIP marketing program, nurturing relationships, starting new client engagements, and ongoing care for clients really is truly never-ending. You may as well take note of that, and make sure you’re doing what you can to get more people into that process and more clients cared for in better ways.

Once you start – you won’t see a finish line. And that’s a good thing.

‍

Systems4Everything

It’s an observation and it isn’t the case in every circumstance.

For more than two decades I managed sales departments in the television advertising industry. Most of the prospects we spoke to didn’t have any kind of advertising budgets or plans in place. They’d often select their buys based on their current circumstances: how they felt at the time, how their cash flow was, or if they needed to make that extra sale.

Now, as an Advertising Czar, I’ve spent the last ten years working with a lot of business owners – smart people – who have plans in place for everything from time tracking and human resources, to financial reporting and operations. They pay close attention to how their systems keep products or services moving through their processes and wouldn’t think of ignoring a monthly report or a problem with production. Yet their marketing and advertising is so often left to chance.

Why Not Plan4Your Marketing?

It’s probably because business owners don’t understand the power of advertising or marketing. Maybe it happens due to the fact that these parts of a growing business are at times hard to quantify. Whether it’s one of these reasons, or it’s the result of something else, there’s no doubt a smart organization needs to have some sort of a marketing system and advertising plan.

The first step? You start.

It’s as simple as that, really. Figure out who you want to speak to, what you want to say, and take the leap. The thing about systems and plans is that you can always improve them. The failure happens when, like many companies, you don’t have anything in place at all. Even if you aren’t an advertising expert – you have to start somewhere. A business can always make its processes better, but it can’t improve anything until that system is in place.

Market (and advertise) away, people – THEN get better at it.

‍

‍

Advertising2Get Noticed

I’m convinced some ads are invisible.

Well, they certainly take up space or air, but they get skipped or ignored more than spam on a Monday morning. You know the ads I’m talking about – the tire ads that used to run in the sports section listing every available size and price, the radio commercials for the local company that tell you they believe in quality or have been in business since some year way back when, and of course the screaming car dealers appearing in commercials that run on TV. Sure you may have a passing awareness someone is saying or sharing something, but as soon as those attempts reach your eyes or ears, you’re gone. Zero interest (and not the kind of deal those same car guys are trying to sell you).

Basically – those ads are ignored. Or more directly, they are invisible.

The Difference4You

Why do companies insist on using the same tired tactics when trying to vie for your interest, attention, or even better when trying to get your direct response to their marketing and advertising? The answer may be a simple one – and it likely takes you back to junior high school…

It’s probably fear. Or maybe it’s because “everyone else is doing it”.

Businesses are afraid to make their advertisements different. One car dealer shouts at the TV audience so the other one decides they have to yell at their radio listeners. Neither has figured out – at that point – no one is really listening (or watching or reading). Yet it continues.

Wise marketers use their platforms to gain access, to get attention, or to create interest. Step outside of the norm, color outside of the lines, and think outside of the box… whatever you do, get away from the advertising templates that have embedded themselves into your industry. The purpose is to build awareness and get noticed.

That almost never happens with invisible ads.

‍