Monthly Archives: March 2009

General

Mad Men vs. Trust Me

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If asked, I would say I am a selective TV watcher.  I have DVR (records TV shows for me) so I can watch shows when I want rather than when the networks determine the best time for them.  In any case, I had heard good things about the show called “Mad Men” which revolves around a Madison Avenue Advertising Agency back in the 1950’s and 60’s.  After one show I was hooked.  Why wouldn’t I be, I own and run a marketing company myself?  Which means I am always looking to see how the other half lives. (Even if it is in TV land)

So, the show is sexist, completely politically incorrect and makes my blood boil half the time.  I love it!  My mouth drops half the time and I think “how can they get away with this” but it is a great look into how supposedly business used to run.  Of course, since I was born decades after this show’s time period, I’ll never really know how agencies conducted themselves back then.  But, I tend to believe from shows like this and Bewitched, that alcohol and fooling around was involved quite a bit.  Makes you wonder how work actually got done!

Fast forward to today.  The new “ad agency” show is Trust Me.  It does seem to reflect more of the times we live in.  It is growing on me.  I find it interesting to watch the client meetings, ad pitches, and how they do the creative process.  Does it seem like a day in my life at work?  Well, not really but it does get get me to laugh and appreciate a bit more the people I work with.

So, what’s my point in writing about TV shows that revolve around the marketing profession today?  Basically to ask the question, are these types of shows helping or hurting our industry?  Do shows like this just make non-marketers think all we do is drink all day and play with toys in our offices?  Or, do people realize that these shows are just for entertainment value?

Rant

Marketing in a virtual world

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It seems like today marketers need to be a cross between creative geniuses, writers, and tech geeks to be able to survive in our digital age.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the age we now live in.  It’s like  the “wild west” for marketers.  We get to go to unknown places (mobile marketing, twitter, social networks, search engines) and carve out our own niche.

As a creative person, I’m never thrilled when I must work in a confined space.  I like to stretch my right brain.  I like to try new things.  I like to succeed.  That is easy to do when few road maps exist for business models in cyberspace.

Here’s my five ways to be successful in a virtual world:

1. Be open to learn. Although the thought of learning yet another new program or having to remember one more login can seem daunting, it is important to be open to trying new things.  As marketers we know that people get bored or loose interest quickly, so it is critical to look forward and not back.  Here’s a trick I learned, that seems to work well with men, women, young and old.  When learning some new technology, work in three’s.  Learn three things that are critical for use.  Once you know those three things inside and out, learn three more.  Keep going until you feel comfortable or have found all the things you feel are useful to your goals and objectives for using the software/technology.

2. Watch and learn. Some people can jump right in.  Some need some time to get used to the temperature of the water.  I believe is is human nature to learn by watching others.  So, if you decide to set up a new account in a social network, watch what others are doing at least 30 days.  Then, start to post comments, build your network, or whatever it is you want to do.  By then you should have a good feel for how it works and how you want to participate.

3. Be consistent. If you are going to do something, do it right.  Many people start blogs, few people keep them more than a few months.  Why?  It takes work and commitment.  Rome was not built overnight, and neither are great marketing campaigns.

4. Socialize. The great thing about the virtual world on the web is that you can connect with your peers both locally and half way across the world.  In no other time could you build a social network of business contacts that spans the globe as easy as you can today.  By socializing on the web you can expand your thinking and even build better marketing programs with the help of your new networks.  All you need to do is ask.

5. Don’t mess it up for the rest of us. Email was a wonderful tool until spammers took over.  The social networks allow us to connect in new and wonderful ways, unless hackers steal our accounts.  My only wish is that people would just use the cool tools for what they were meant to do.

Your thoughts?  Have any points to add?

News To Use

What is your time worth?

If you’re a consultant, non-billable time (the time you spend doing things that you can’t actually bill for) may be the biggest drain on your cash flow. Here’s a few suggestions on how to minimize this hidden expense.

What is Non-billable time?

a) Marketing (as in personal networking, preparing and mailing direct-mail letters, writing proposals for new business, phone solicitation, etc.)

b) Bookkeeping and record keeping

c) Office maintenance (filing, cleaning, organizing, etc.)

d) Taking care of customer questions, issues, etc.

Although important, non-billable time can eat into your profits. For instance, if you spend 40 hours a week “working” at your place of business, and you charge $30 an hour for your services, you have the potential of making$1,200 per week. However, if you spend 10 hours a week performing non-billable work, you’ll be able to bill for only 30 hours. That means you make $900 instead of $1,200 — a $300 dollar difference. Over the course of 50 working weeks during the year, that would mean the difference of $15,000 in your total income!

There are several ways to eliminate or at least minimize this reduction in your income.

1. You can simply raise your fees, based on how much non-billable time you spend. For instance, if your rates are $30/hr. as in the example in the previous point, raising your rates to $40/hr. would mean that the 30 billable hours you spend each week would result in a total income of $1,200 — the same amount you would make if you didn’t have any non-billable hours.

2. You can hire assistants or contract outside help to take care of the non-billable tasks, allowing you to get back to what makes you money. The assistants will, presumably, be paid less than you charge per hour, letting you make up the difference.

3. You could look into ways to speed up the time you spend on non-billable projects. Perhaps a new computer program could help speedup your bookkeeping, or help you organize your schedule. Look for ways to streamline your activities in every way possible.

4. (Most effective overall) You can become more aware of the non-billable time you’re spending each week. Try to cut down the time you spend on such tasks, or bite the bullet and take care of them after work hours or on weekends when possible. Often, simply becoming aware of how badly non-billable time is eating into your income can help minimize the problem.

Do you have any tips or stories about how you saved money or increased your take home pay?  Let me know.

General

Why Twitter?

I was asked a simple question last night, “why are you using Twitter?”.  I thought about it for a little while. Note-Twitter is a “microblogging” service that invites you to share what you’re doing with the world in 140 characters or less.

Here’s my top reasons:

– Cutting-Edge: I personally try to stay up-to-date on new cutting-edge marketing opportunities.  I am constantly out searching and trying-out new programs that our clients might be interested in now or in the future.  Twitter is something new, so I will give it a try.

– Little commitment: It’s so easy.  Unlike mySpace where you really have to work to create a design, a following, and 15 other things which could take up your entire day, Twitter needs only a few minutes each day (thanks to Tweetdeck) to read what others have twittered and post my own tweets.  And, I can twitter from my computer or cell phone.

– Response: In a short period of time (about 30 days) I have been able to build a network of “followers” that I can ask questions, post recommendations, and search comments.  What I find different about twitter compared to LinkedIn, or other social sites is the real time answers.  On my other social networking sites it seems to take a day or two to get responses from people.  In Twitter, it takes minutes.  That kind of network building and personal response amazes and thrills me.  I am an instant gratification kind of person!

– Branding: Ok, I’ll admit it.  One of my goals is to help people/businesses realize we exist.  It is a free marketing channel that costs me some work time.  It’s a new form of PR that I am happy to add to our overall marketing mix if it shows promise.  Which so far, it has.

So, now I ask you, “why do you use Twitter”?

How To

Go Ahead, Bug Your Customers

What is a Viral Campaign?

Have you ever visited a website and found an article, a coupon, a special offer, or something else that impressed you so much that you immediately sent an email to a friend about it? If you have, you’ve experienced “viral marketing”.

Viral marketing is a low cost, highly effective way to reach your customers using the internet. This “word of mouse” method is like a bug or flu virus in humans. Instead of replicating and propagating itself to other humans it does it to other computers (in a good way). One minute nobody’s heard of it, next minute, it’s everywhere. Viral marketing is so effective because it lets you capitalize on referrals from an unbiased third party—your consumer! Let just one of your customers catch your “marketing bug” and they will happily spread it to everyone they know.

So what then is a viral campaign? It’s a specific marketing promotion that focuses on something you do, NOT on who you are. It is also not something malicious or under-handed. Viral marketing is used by reputable companies trying to promote reputable products. A viral campaign does not use spam or programs that force people to see or do things they do not want.

Instead, a viral campaign is something that is so cool, so exciting, or so creative that it gets people so excited; they can’t wait to share it with others. It’s subtle, not forceful. It’s uncontrollable. The exposure you get from this MAY raise sales or otherwise help your company name recognition, but that’s actually the by-product. That’s why it’s so effective if done correctly!

With a good viral campaign, people feel compelled to spread your word. They can’t help themselves (just like sneezing when you pass a virus around). The heart of a viral campaign is the content. People don’t spread what you say or do because they love you, they spread it because they can’t help but adore your content. Don’t forget! They are not evangelists serving you, they are self-serving.

So, all successful viral campaigns appeal to any one (or all three) of these basic human motivators: entertainment, greed, or charity.  For an example of a viral campaign, check out SkiHeroes.com.

General

She’s baaaack…

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It’s been over 2 years since I have tapped the keys to post on my blog.  I really can’t believe it has been that long.

My last blog post was “Blogging takes courage” (Look down to read more.  I was able to import some of the posts from my old blog)

It was a good post, but not great enough to be the last thing I had to say about blogging.  So, today marks the day I am coming back from my blog retirement.  I hate to offer excuses, but after starting blogging in 2004, two years later I had pretty much run out of things to say.  You see my first blog was about blogs and blogging.  I think it was too narrow of a focus.  Between struggling to find new things to discuss and having a losing battle with spammers, I had grown disenchanted.  Which led to my hiatus for a few years.

But, I do miss it.  I miss having a bit more space to ramble on than Twitter.  My blog, although I share it with the world, is really my soapbox.  It is my freedom to write whatever the heck I want.  How often in life do we get that?

So, I welcome you to my marketing blog.  Where I tell it like I see it.  And, invite you to do the same.