October 2013

How2Build It From Scratch

Monday nights are not generally regarded as the most thriving night for downtown restaurants (save the few times there may be a home team football game on TV). A few years back, a Roanoke restaurateur decided he was going to make a change to that mentality. Mondays are now known as "Half Price Burger Night" at Martin's Downtown.

Jason Martin decided he'd had enough sluggish Monday nights. His restaurant stays crowded most days - serving great food Monday-Saturday and turning into a hip live music venue later in the evenings. Patrons usually pay full price for the gourmet burgers --- but on Mondays they get a deal.

So how did it start?

"I just decided to do it," said Martin. "It didn't take off immediately, but people came in and word started to spread. Then we got some publicity and even more people heard about it. Pretty soon it had become a signature night for us."

That's what I call "planting the flag".

What Can It Mean4You

When you look closely at what happened with Martin's Downtown, it comes down to a few simple, practical and logical steps.

First Martin recognized the problem. Next, he evaluated an option for addressing the situation.Third, he analyzed the impact of starting a promotion and decided to move forward.Then he kicked it off and began the process of building it up.Finally, and perhaps most importantly, he stuck with it.

"Half Priced Burger Night" grabbed on and stuck. The evidence of his work is easily seen on most Mondays in Downtown Roanoke. While you may initially shy away from addressing your troubling situation, you'll ultimately be in much better shape if you stare it down and deal with it. Then when you make your decision - move forward and make it happen.

September 2013

This month Bruce C. Bryan shares a picture of... an empty building.

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Why Did He Post a Picture of an Empty Building4Me?

When I arrived in Toledo, Ohio in 1997 as a sales manager at an ABC owned TV station, the top local advertisers in the market were primarily established, well-known retailers. Many in the Midwest would recognize the names that perennially appeared on the rankings - Lion Department Store, Home Depot, Value City Department (and Furniture) Store and a significant local grocery chain called Food Town.

Food Town (their former marketing office is pictured above) was a progressive advertiser engaged in the community and a major player in the local television marketplace. Now, the building is empty and their operations are ceased. The owners decided to go a different direction. I drove by it earlier this month and remembered working with them. Shortly after my arrival in 1997, Lion was bought out by a larger chain and their TV spending disappeared. Home Depot started buying network commercials. Both Value City retail outlets closed their operations... you get the idea.

No one would have forecasted the demise of all these anchor advertisers - in such a short time. No one.

Making It Hard2Budget

It's a basic principal of business. Companies want (and sometimes need) to achieve specific revenue budgets.

No matter how well (or not well) your clients are doing, your company expects to see results. Client closings, cutbacks, or shifting in the base of their business are mere hurdles your company must overcome. You may be sitting at your desk in the fall of 2013 thinking about your 2014 budget. Start by recognizing there is nothing certain. If you're in charge of revenue - review your client's trends, patterns, and potential issues. Then be sure you're focused on replacing the money that is likely sliding away at some point during the year. Don't make the mistake of counting on your top clients always being your top clients.

It will help you prepare for the coming change and respond better when that (often discouraging) news arrives.

August 2013

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This month B2C Ace Artist, Aaron Kelderhouse, takes his first crack as a guest columnist.

Brand2Capture

It's your identity. It's your way of sharing yourself with the world - who you are, what you do, why you do it. It sets you apart from everyone else and brings you to the forefront of their mind every time they come across it. It's your brand and whether you realize or not you do have one. Question is, are you controlling it or does it control you?

Often when someone thinks of "branding" they think of a logo... colors... a style of font. The truth is, while that may be where your branding begins, everything you do, or don't do, contributes to your brand. How you interact with customers, the type of environment you do your work in, the way you answer the phone, how organized your files are kept... like it or not it is all part of your brand.

A company that has a strong brand not only has a well implemented look and feel to their graphics, but that same look and feel is consistent with how they do business. Maybe someone has a nice, simple, clean logo but every time you interact with them they seem out of control. Or perhaps they have created an ultra-modern image for their company, but all their invoicing is done on a dot matrix printer.

The point is an organization's brand is only as strong as its ability to deliver.

Brand4Yourself

Your brand creates a perception from the inside as well. In the same way that your brand helps others know who you are and what you do, it reminds you and your team who you are. At times in the business of "doing work" it becomes easy to lose sight of your goal and forget what it is you are really trying to accomplish. Your brand should be strong enough to remind you what it is that sets you apart and push you toward continuing to do those things. It should be something that boosts the morale of the people you work with and rallies them toward that common goal.

In the business world there are countless things out of your control. Your brand shouldn't be one of them. As you make decisions be sure they line up with your vision. Treat your customers and partners in ways that are consistent in this vision. Surround yourself with employees that support the overall vision, not with people who frustrate it. And yes... absolutely have a great logo that conveys your image, with colors that compliment it, and a font that reflects your story.

July 2013

Pardon Me (again). I Want2Show You Something…

Last month I wrote about the power of interrupting when advertising.

This month I decided to show you an example of what I meant.

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Two billboards – actually side by side. They are posted in Roanoke, Virginia where my business is located, but they just as easily could have been in your town or on a street near your office.

If you’re like most people your eye is drawn to the right. See what I mean?

There is a clear message – one that engages your brain and gets it going (I personally love the double meaning with creative billboard advertising). It is easy to read and you can generally catch the concept as you go by.

On the left is a confusing series of images, sponsors, copy and general confusion. Even the “all caps” font makes for slower interpretation. There’s too much information and a message that will take way too long to sink in.

Interrupt4Growth

It’s a great example of the power of interruption. You can actually see the difference. Perhaps as you review your next advertising sample or work with your creative team you will see this same snapshot and identify it with the power of simplicity.

Fight the urge to put everything you can into your ads – no matter the platform you use – and work hard to keep the messaging simple, provocative and direct. Once you’ve got their attention, you can find ways to market to them as potential customers, clients and patients.

You’ve heard it said and now you can apply the concept to your advertising. “Less is more.” You’ll quickly figure out that not only does Crime Pay, but so does streamlining your message.

June 2013

Excuse Me. I Want2Tell You Something…

An interruption.

In normal conversation it’s considered rude. In the middle of our work day it’s a barrier to accomplishment.

In advertising it’s exactly what is needed to get your message across to a busy, distracted audience. Attention is at a premium as our society navigates email, smart phones, texting, television, blue tooth technology and everything that competes for our brain space. If you’re message isn’t causing some sort of pattern break, you’re missing the most important of the process.

Interrupt4Growth

You can use music, humor, engaging copy, white space, silence or even kids and animals, but you must use something to catch the eye, ear or imagination of the audience. You must. Otherwise the best media buy or biggest audience is squandered.

Too often business-owners and managers want to use their precious time and space to educate or to promote colloquial phrases that rarely align with the needs of the people hearing, seeing or reading the message. Be strong. Avoid that common pattern and find a way – any legitimate way – to connect personally with your key audience. Once you’ve got their attention and they begin to recognize who you are and what you’re promoting, you’re ready to begin the educating and selling process.

After the interruption (advertising) comes the education (marketing). It’s important to know the difference and not to mix your messaging.

May 2013

The Call4Just a Little More

It was probably a motivational speaker or maybe a magazine, but sometime well before the internet was a regular part of our business day I heard someone say, “You can always do more than you think you can”. People banter that concept around in life, but what if you applied it to your business? If you’re in sales, you may find power in making just one more stop at the end of the day. If you’re in operations, perhaps you can focus your efforts on fixing a broken link in your supply chain. Maybe you care for patients and have recognized there is a better way to enhance their experience.

Whether you are in sales, operations or customer service think about what would happen if you committed to changing a behavior or approaching your work differently.

Make That Change2Day

Really, begin today.

Start by making one more sales call, initiating a fix for a production issue, or integrating a new way to better care for your patients. Here’s the best advice you can get – do something. What I have found professionally is I can more easily tackle a hard to solve problem or finish a major presentation if I simply start it.

Often the work comes together nicely after we’ve made the effort to begin. Starting may be as easy as sketching a drawing, jotting an idea, creating an outline or brainstorming with a co-worker. From there you’re on your way. But it starts with the start and if you begin there --- right now --- who knows how much more you can get done?