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Are Your Marketing Pieces Collecting Dust Or Momentum?

August 20th, 2009 :: Michael Dougherty

I have to be honest; a pet peeve of mine is walking into someone’s marketing closet and seeing boxes of brochures, t-shirts, and various items of marketing intent collecting in boxes, months, if not years, after they were printed with the intention of promoting the company.

I have seen this scenario happen so often it’s become a mission of mine to be nosey and ask why. Here is just a few of the answers I’ve gotten:

“Well, it cost so much money we only give it out at special occasions. Then we forgot they were there.”

“We figured they’d end up in someone’s trash anyway.”

“What?! Those things? We over ordered.”

“We just made those to shut [insert department] up and they never used them.”

I am honestly floored each time. I want to grab these knuckleheads and ask how their owners of their company feel about them bludgeoning their marketing budget to death with stupidity. If they are the owner I want to smack them with their own ledger.

I am frustrated with the lack of use of these pieces. I am annoyed at the lack of hustle on the part of the company to get these pieces of hard earned marketing dollars in the hands of as many people as possible. I am upset for the loss of marketing dollars that could have gone into something they would have more heart to promote with greater gusto.

I want to rescue these pieces of marketing budget waste discarded to the island of forgotten marketing ideas. They could be in the hands of hopeful clients or advocates for your company instead of in boxes. They could be on display in their front lobby or part of every sales persons pitch. True these pieces could end up in the trashcan at someone else’s shop, but the money has been spent. I’d rather they be somewhere other than the closet of the company that ordered them.

Take stock of your marketing pieces around your office. Does the above describe the state of the marketing pieces in your closet? If so, dust them off, make sure they are relevant, and put them in as many hands as you can. Make it the Fire Sale of your marketing pieces. Everything Must Go.

If your marketing pieces are out of date, or no longer relevant, take them out and give them a proper burial in your trashcan. Always keep one piece for yourself as a reminder of things you’ve done, right and wrong, but it’s time to let those wasted marketing dollars go. It’s also time to look at what was the reason they were created in the fist place.

Before you create your next, what seems like, brilliant marketing piece I want you to think of these questions:

Do you honestly intend on putting every single piece of material in the hands of every prospect or client once they are created?
Do you know how you are going to make $1 back on ever dollar you spend on your marketing pieces?
Why are you creating these marketing pieces to begin with?
Do you have the money to waste if you never move a single item?

IF you can answer these questions honestly and with the intent of success then who am I to stop you. What I do want from you is that the minute you open that box of whatever marketing goodness you ordered and PAID FOR that you set the first aside for yourself and then get those pieces out as quickly as possible.

Put them out so many places, and in so many hands, people wonder what is motivating you. After all of your hard work of getting them out the first time you hear “Oh…I saw that [insert location]” I assure you that you will feel proud. Then I fully expect you to take that opportunity and get closer to the sale.

Don’t get me wrong, these pieces are just the gatekeepers for you. They are your little PR machines at work. It will be up to you to leverage their awareness into the next sale, but please, for the love of Pete don’t let these little gems of your marketing budget go to waste in a closet left to be forgotten.

So, dear reader, take stock of your marketing pieces and ask yourself this… are your marketing pieces collecting dust or momentum?

Until next time, as always, thank you for reading and stay wicked.

Tags: brochure, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, Generational Marketing, Marketing, marketing pieces, michael dougherty, small business, Small Business Success Index, Small Business Trends
Posted in Entrepreneurs, Generational Marketing, Marketing, Resources, small business, Thought Leadership | 1 Comment »

10 Ways To Get More Followers Using Social Media

August 19th, 2009 :: Michael Dougherty

In one of my previous posts, I made the confession that I am a late adapter to using social media tools, let me confess something else…I severely dislike “Top Ten” or “5 Things You Can Do To…” list blogs. I, on occasion, go out of my way to avoid them. I find them overly simple and appear, in my opinion, to be mildly targeted to those in the “know” of using these tools.

There are a few exceptions. I kind of like Jeffrey Gitomer’s lists, but that’s mainly due to the tone and attitude of his writing. There are a few others that manage to pull this off with some class, but most come off with barely a personality.

Maybe that is what I truly don’t like about them. Information without a sense of personal connection, as if the person actually lived the list and is speaking from experience and not regurgitating, and often rewording, other successful blog posts content?

Maybe that is what attracts me to social media and its varied tools?

Maybe I am just ranting and should get on with the post.

What brought me to writing my first “10 Ways” list was really based solely on a conversation I had at work today where I honestly gave a rough version of this “10 Ways” to several people who have no idea what social media tools are let alone how to interact with them successfully. I was asked to explain, in the simplest terms, how we could use these tools in a way that would “build the army”.

What I said was pretty simple and straight forward. Some of these ideas are common sense, and have been written about by others, but I think every person has their own view and experiences. So here are my “10 Ways to Get More Followers Using Social Media”:

Truly understand what it is you aim to accomplish by using these tools. Just because everyone else is isn’t a valid reason. Jumping on board the Trend Wagon may not be what you’re company should be focusing on. Then again if you begin using social media with a clear understanding of your goals, you’ll be happy to know you will be far more successful.
Decide which social media tools you are going to use and take some time to really understand what it is they do. You may find in this first step that some tools aren’t used by your core audience. You may find that this is exactly where your core audience is talking and waiting to be heard.
Once you start using these tools understand that it will take time to grow your list of followers. Social media isn’t the silver bullet to great number, but it is a great set of tools for connecting to people who want to hear you.
Remember that your first follower, unless it’s yourself, is just as important as your 1,000. This isn’t a numbers game where you’re stacking followers like trophies. This is a group of people who have decided that you have said, or are saying, something they feel is worth listening to. You should respect that.
Listen to what others are saying. At first, the best thing you can do is listen more than you talk. Your future audience will tell you the things that are important to them. This is an opportunity to make conversations about what you do a two way street rather than you standing on a digital soap box.
Be part of the conversation. If you fully intend to use social media tools to spew out your information without expecting to listen then you will fail. Remember, social media is a two way street. Unless you are a news source, and that is all you provide, then you really need to be in the trenches with your people asking them questions, providing them answers, and letting them know you are a human being not a news bot.
Be a human being. I know your representing your company, but people like dealing with a person…not a sales pitch. Let people know when you find something funny, when you disagree, and generally have a personality. Just like in sales, people are buying from you…in social media they are listening to you.
Remember you are building trust in your audience. Abusing that trust with over hyping your whatever it is you do is a sure fire way to start losing your audience. You can tactfully announce what it is that you are doing, tactfully make people aware of your specials, and answer questions about what it is that you do, but remember…turning these long term relationships off early could costs you greater advocates later down the road.
Remember it’s not all about you…so share other peoples content. In Twitter it’s called ReTweeting, in Facebook you share it to your profile, you can Digg someone’s blog, and a ton of other things you can do to help spread the word about someone else’s content you feel is relevant.
Monitor your time. Check back in with yourself from time to time. Remember your goals, check how your followers are reacting to your information, and keep a pulse on social media, but not a vice grip. You have other day to day things that you need to do to keep your job running.

These are the 10 Ways I have operated in social media and gained the followers that I have in the media I choose to interact in the most. My goals were pretty clear, my choice in tools had more to do with the amount of time I was able to give, and I have given you advice that I live by myself today.

Until next time, as always, thank you for reading and stay wicked.

Tags: entrepreneur, Grow Smart Business, Marketing, michael dougherty, small business, Small Business Success Index, Small Business Trends, social media
Posted in small business | No Comments »

All The Cool Kids Do It

July 21st, 2009 :: Michael Dougherty

I will fully admit. I am a late adopter on most social media tools.

Before you call foul, let me explain. It’s not that I am a Doubting Thomas, but my perspective is that I fully want to understand something before I try it out OR advise any client or friend to take that leap.

I have seem a client, jump head first into putting their business on MySpace before realizing that it wasn’t the best avenue to promote or market their business. I watched as the client became more confused and more frustrated why his roofing business wasn’t a massive hit just like the bars, nightclubs, bands, and promoters he’s seen have their friends list grow by leaps and bounds.

He felt dejected at the amount of time he felt he wasted. He felt like the contacts he made weren’t worth the effort to continue on this avenue of promotion. He was even more frustrated that I didn’t advise him sooner that this would happen. Keep in mind, he never asked my advice before diving in.

All the cool kids do it….
It’s easy to hear the hype about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media tools (that’s what they are…not the silver bullet to success) and get lured in. By now, you are hearing all about the great successes that people like Gary Vaynerchuk, Chris Brogan, and others are having using these tools, and though it seems like an overnight success, in reality…there was some serious time and effort to become a social media “overnight success”.

If you are looking for a quick fix, I’m sorry to tell you…these aren’t it.

Why do you want to join the cool kids?
You need to really review if these tools are good for you and your business. Before you do that, you need to determine what your reason for using these online tools and keep in mind that these are tools. While they cost you absolutely nothing out of your pocket, they do take time to use, work with, and grow.

Here are some questions, before you create that all too shiny new account, that I want you to keep in mind:

• What are you looking to get out of this tool?
• How much time are you willing to dedicate to using these tools?
• Are you using it to promote yourself or your business?

What you should look to get out of using these tools is making new connections and increase your brands awareness.

How much time you dedicate to these tools is entire up to you, but you get out of them what you put into them. Just simply creating an account isn’t enough. You have to get in there, get your hands dirty, and interact with people.

My best advice is to use these tools to promote yourself first and your business second. Remember, these tools are used by human beings and they hope, I dare say expect, to interact with a human being. Not yet another wall between the customer and the business owner.

Are the cool kids really that cool?
In my opinion, the ones who maximize their personal and business brand online using these tools are really…that cool. They are keeping their finger on the digital pulse of their customers and supporters all the while allowing new prospects into the conversation.

Please keep in mind that is what these tools are used for, extending the conversation as they get more comfortable with you and your brand. This takes a lot of effort, this takes some time, some dedication, and a focus not on how many followers you have, but the content you are pumping out through these tools.

But is it really for you?
Ultimately, that answer is really up to you.

I am not trying to blow you off with that answer, but without fully knowing you, your business, or your company’s personality…I don’t feel confident asking you to take a leap on a tool that might night fit for you.

I suggest you take some time and do your homework about these tools. Ask the people you know who use them frequently to explain them to you and how they get the most out of them. Ask the people in your industry if they are using these tools. If they aren’t…look at if you feel it is worth it to you and if it is get in there first and, as Gary Vaynerchuk says, “Crush it!” Get in there and start putting your business, and yourself, in front of as many people as you can.

Here is a final question for you, have you ever used a social media tool and given up BEFORE you gave it the full time and understanding you could have?

If you’ve read this far…thank you. And as all ways, stay wicked.

Posted in small business | No Comments »

You Shouldn’t All Ways Get What You Want…

July 20th, 2009 :: Michael Dougherty

In my last post here on GrowSmartBusiness, “It’s called a SCOPE of work, you CREEP”, I was a little hot under the collar about projects getting pushed well beyond their initial scope. What I failed to mention, in that post, is before you even get to the point where an agreement is written you need to decided what marketing items/tools are truly best for your business.

I’ve talked with a number of small business owners and even large business owners and I am surprised to learn that effectively branding their business was not a large priority to them. They have felt that focusing on the things that will attract awareness when they aren’t present is…well…a waste of money.

Now please understand, dear reader, that I am not advocating you go out and exhaust your finances on a large flashy new marketing package, actually in my post on Solutions of Power “Marketing Your Business On A Shoestring Budget…” I dared you to do the opposite.

At the end of that post I advised you to do the following:

“This is a temporary fix. I strongly suggest once you start saving for marketing pieces to be designed by an experienced designer or design company.”

What I am asking of you now is to take the next step. You’ve been in business for while, you are slowly outgrowing your simple font and template website, and prospects are asking you for a little more information. Now it’s time for you to take your business to the next level.

At this point you should be extremely excited about your business and getting it in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Also at the end of “Marketing Your Business On A Shoestring Budget…” I also stated;

“Be a fan of your own marketing materials. If you take the time and care about the end result…it will show and yield results.”

It’s time for you to get excited. Here are the things you should think of as you get started.

Your Logo
This is the piece that will dictate the color, style, and attitude that will permeate throughout your marketing pieces and what your customers will remember, beyond your excellent customer/work service.

In reality, this should be the very FIRST thing you should work on. Working with a designer, come up with a logo that at a glance will tell your customers all about your company.

Your Business Cards
This is what you will leave with the people at networking events, with your proposals, and what people will hold on to when they are ready to call. Steve Fisher, on the Solutions of Power blog, did a great post on this called “Rules for Entrepreneurs #1: Make Sure Your Business Card Doesn’t Get Thrown Out”. Without reiterating those items take a moment to read it and come back.

Your Website
This is more than just an online brochure. This is what will be a source of your services, your personality, directions, mission statement, and a world of things that your potential customers will need to know just enough about you to pick up the phone and call.

Consistency In Your Designs
This, my friends, is the most important thing of all. You want your marketing pieces, and even the ones that expand beyond the three above, to be able to tell the same visual story about your company whether they are side by side complementing each other or separate from each other.

Inconsistency in your color choices, style, font choices, and etc. is a very easy way to distract or confuse your potential customers from understanding what you or your company is about. The last thing you want to do is give any reason for your prospects to dismiss you.

Before you begin the design process, remember you aren’t creating these marketing pieces for you to show yourself how cool you are. This isn’t about you, but your company. This is about the image you’ll be asking your future employees and contractors to present. Sometimes, you shouldn’t all ways get what you want, but you should get what you need to put your companies’ best foot forward on this next step.

The question for you is, do you want the best image to be presented or one that will only truly be appreciated…by the person who paid for it?

If you’ve read this far…thank you. And as all ways…stay wicked.

Posted in small business | 1 Comment »

It’s called a SCOPE of work, you CREEP

July 17th, 2009 :: Michael Dougherty

OK. I normally I wouldn’t get really heavy into the terminology of the industry this early into a blog series, but I also said I would explain, in the simplest possible way, what the term means and how it relates to working with a designer. As if you couldn’t tell, the topic of this one is the bane of designers, and project managers, existence…the deadly Scope Creep.

Fair warning, I’m a little hot under the collar about this topic so this post may prove to be extra entertaining.

So let’s take a moment and clarify what Scope Creep is. Since I am going to use tools that you can easily find yourself in these posts, Wikipedia defines Scope Creep as:

“…a term which refers to the incremental expansion of the scope of a project, which may include and introduce more requirements that may not have been a part of the initial planning of the project, while nevertheless failing to adjust schedule and budget.”*

What does this mean in layman’s terms?

A client, and this wouldn’t be you because you’re too smart and have too much sense to do this, signed a contract for X, paid for X, but want Y, Z and the whole cart of alphabet, because the client “thinks” that is what should have come with the contract even though the details were very specific as to what they would get. Or, at least, they should have been.

Let me base this in a little firmer reality for you.

Go into your local fast food joint, bar, restaurant, or coffee shop and place an order. Once that order is paid for tell the cashier, waiter, bartender, or barista that in addition to what you ordered you want something else, free, because you just figured it would come with it. You’ll probably get a blank stare, a few blinks of disbelieve, and then told, promptly, that what you ordered is what you’ll get and anything else will cost more.

If you’re feeling brave and want to try that, let me know how that works out for you.

Now, there are a number of reasons this happens, but, in my experience, this tend to be one of two things:

1) A desire to get more than what the client paid for…at the expense of the marketer/designer
2) An unclear client due to a vague contract from the marketer/designer

I will be very honest with you when Scope Creep rears its ugly little head, it becomes a nightmare for both the marketer/designer and the client. The client wants what they feel they deserve and the marketer/designer wants to fulfill the contract.

Personally, do I believe you should get the full value you paid for the services you hired? Absolutely, but let me be clear I also want to make sure money, and time, isn’t being lost, by either you or the marketer/designer, because things weren’t clarified before the contract was finalized.

We, as marketers and designers, need and expect, you, the clients, to be very clear about your intentions, goals, and thoughts on this project before you sign your contract. I have heard a great phrase that kind of relates to the contract.

“Ignorance of the law does not mean the law does not exist.”

You can disbelieve the items, and schedule, you agreed to in your contract and replace it with the one you should have asked for after the contract has been signed. Well, you can…but it will cost you and there will be a whole new contract in it’s place.

Before the contract is signed, this is your time to take that opportunity to make sure you fully understand what you’re getting. For [explanative deleted]’s sake…take the time and be selfish by asking all the questions up front…not after it’s too late

Now here are some helpful phrases to keep in mind if, after the contract has been signed and work has begun, you are curious if you might be close heading down the dangerous road of Scope Creep:

• “But what I really wanted was (insert item not listed in contract)”

• “Wait doesn’t (insert unrelated item not listed in contract) usually come with (actual items listed in the contract)”

• “Well, you’re the (insert title) and I would expect you to tell me I am not going to get (insert thing that was never discussed nor could we, the marketer/designer, foresee because we are not psychic)”

And my personal favorite:

• “Oh, if you add (insert unrelated item not listed in contract) to what you’re doing for me I’ll introduce you to the people that I know in (insert unrelated company/networking group/social group/ industry that are never guaranteed to pan out into true paid work)”

Can the fault be blamed on the marketing firm/individual or design agency/individual being unclear or too vague in their contract? Yes.

But are you forced, under penalty of cake or death, to sign that agreement if you are unclear on what you are going to get? No, but, the harsh reality, unless you get a marketer/designer who take a bit of a liking to what you do (and for [explanative deleted]’s sake don’t abuse that interest), is that you are going to get what you paid for unless you sign another agreement or walk away from the one you signed. Either way, it is a cost you could have saved by asking for clarity up front.

Sounds a little harsh I know, but I want you to take ownership, not lay the blame on someone else, for marketing and the success of your own company. After all, after the project is over…you have to be happy with the results. So why not do everything you can to make sure you start, stay, and continue to be happy about marketing your own product, services, self, or whatever widget you are trying to move.

I hope you enjoyed, or were inspired, by today’s topic, and, if you have gotten this far…thank you for reading. As all ways, if you’re so inclined, feel free to follow me on Twitter @wickedjava.

Until next time…stay wicked.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_(project_management)

Posted in small business | 4 Comments »

It’s Time For Wicked To Grow…

July 16th, 2009 :: Michael Dougherty

I am really honored to move over to my new home on the Grow Smart Business blog. Solutions of Power was a great start here at Network Solutions, but writing for Grow Smart Business I can really spread my wings and give you content that can help Grow your business and that’s what you are really here for, right?

If you haven’t read my posts on Solutions of Power, name is Mike Dougherty and my intent, using my over nine years of marketing and design experience, is to bring you content with the focus of really helping you step outside of the mindset of a day to day business owner and put you in the thought process of the two types of people who have very unique views of your business…your marketer and, most importantly, your clients.

But let me take a second and stop there. If you are looking for a passive voice that is going to make you feel all warm and fuzzy about the money you spend…you are reading the wrong blog.

Stop now if you really enjoy throwing money out the window on the “traditional” media, because everyone is doing it.

Stop now if you really think it’s wise to take that hard earned money your company desperately needs to survive on the next “Sure Thing”…to fail.

Just…stop…now.

Still with me? Good. Welcome to the first day of learning a different side of marketing your business.

These posts will be direct, conversational, and directed at really trying to get you to think outside of your comfort zone or preconceived notions of what marketing and design can do for you. You should feel like we’re sitting in your local coffee shop talking about the marketing, or design, topic that’s really got you stumped, surprised, or, hopefully not, ready to give up.

I am here to help you.

I ask nothing more than you comment (if you feel like you have something to say), you suggest ideas (as long as you aren’t pitching your services), you share the post if you enjoyed it, and you understand that I realize am not the only voice in your day to day telling you what to do with your money and that I don’t have all of the answers.

Anyone who says they do is speaking, just like I am, from their own experience and they have the answers that worked for them. I am speaking from the same place, but I am coming from being “that guy” who designed, consulted, and planned for companies who stuck with the traditional paths, against advice, and wondered why they weren’t having huge success. I want to give you the food for thought to help you to a marketing agency, or a designer or firm, and know what they are talking about and what to ask for.

So please, grab your favorite cup of whatever, pull up a chair, and let’s talk about marketing and design in a real world environment…your world. And, if you’re so inclined, feel free to follow me on Twitter by my username @wickedjava.