Plan4The Future

This fall, out on a walk, I noticed a house in my neighborhood that provided the perfect picture for what we tell our clients. It was so appropriate I decided to snap a picture. Hopefully it isn’t your home. I’m hoping it can illustrate an important point about your business. Think ahead.

Thinking ahead is good advice for business and especially true for marketing. My guess is that Nike founder Phil Knight was initially looking for the best approach to nudge his way into the competitive sneaker business back in the 70’s. He probably didn’t realize the company would eventually own apparel and equipment too.

When evaluating your marketing plans, don’t just focus on who you are now. Spend an appropriate amount of time thinking about who you want to be when you grow up. Then use your marketing and advertising to get you there.

These folks built a shed presumably because they wanted a place to store things. Then they built another shed, but why? Did they have that much more they wanted to keep or did their priorities change? Maybe they could have just torn down the original building and built a newer, bigger one to meet their needs.

Advertise and Market2Grow

Where you want to be in the future is the decision you should make before you start and as you grow. Long-term goals are the types of things that need to be discussed with your marketing and advertising leadership. Where do you hope to end up? Once you map that out, you can use the proper marketing tools to get you there.

Too often our agency inherits websites that lock companies into where they are now and are not built for the ways they want to grow. That’s a mistake and it’s unfortunately a lot like the house with two sheds. Maybe there are some things you need to tear down and rebuild.  Or perhaps there are some things you need to eliminate. It isn’t just your website – it’s how you approach your clients and prospects. The important work is often done before that splashy new marketing piece or commercial is released. Plan for where you want to be and then use your goals to inform the marketing plan to move you forward.

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The Power2Think on the Fly

Someone makes a move, then the opposing side responds and makes a change. It's the way the sports world has worked for centuries. It's also how business functions.

Football teams played the Single Wing and the option. Then, someone decided it might be a good idea to pass the ball forward. Before long, there was a "pro set" with two running backs and the quarterback almost always handing the ball off or passing on each play. It was quite predictable, and it led to NFL defenses getting pretty good at stopping offenses from scoring.

In the last decade, a few teams started switching things up. In the past, athletic quarterbacks mixed up the defense with their ability to run. I remember Colin Kaepernick and the “Read and React” approach was one of them. Now there was a plan in the NFL for the athletically gifted quarterbacks who could both run and pass well to decide what to do based on the defense's setup and their initial moves. For a while, it really changed the game.

Think about how that relates to business. For so long, there were "canned pitches" in the sales world – the IBM way, pharmaceutical sales demos, and even real estate spiels. Just follow these seven steps, and you'll undoubtedly close deals and increase your revenue. Everything was cookie-cutter, and there was no room for variation or adaptation.

The Impact4Business

Thank goodness those days are gone in sales and marketing.

It may be that you walk prospective clients through a standard process. Still, even with automation and managed pricing models, no two deals or situations are exactly alike. That means that to separate yourself from competitors pitching their wares or selling their services, you must simply listen, better.

You have to uncover the pain point to determine the best way to help that prospect achieve their goal. When they win, that means you win too.

It's a read and react approach.

And not to overplay that sports analogy, but there's no doubt in my mind that those who can see the play developing and customize a strategy to take advantage of the gaps will ultimately succeed the fastest and win the most.

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People Can Figure out How2Do Things‍

While I can’t remember every single detail, I do clearly recall that years ago, a friend of mine – Brett Winter Lemon, was showing me his iPhone on Kirk Avenue in Downtown Roanoke. It was spring. We were outside. He excitedly started (actually) touching his screen – on his phone – and making this little device do the wildest things.

I think it was the original iPhone that Brett was proudly using. While I don’t recall the exact model, I remember exactly what I told him that day as I cradled my beloved Blackberry.

“I could never get used to texting on a screen like that.”

Now a little more than a decade later, I think I can communicate with my two thumbs faster than just about any human being I know. I can also surf the web, update my status, check on my business, deposit a check, transfer money, view the best route to drive to Yellowstone, grab a ride, or have Blue Cow Ice Cream delivered to my home.

The smartphone is a pretty amazing machine, really. The fact that these superfast mini-computers rest in the palm of our hands is a bit mind-blowing and perhaps a little too close to Maxwell Smart’s TV show.‍

What This Means4You‍

Could I have stayed true to my Blackberry, or my bag phone, PDA, or Palm Pilot? Of course. But think how much easier conducting business is with the right tool and the knowledge behind how to use it. As the new year begins, it’s a great time to ponder how you can better do the things you’ve always done in a new way.

Too often, leaders say “I’ll never” or “I’ll always.” That’s a huge mistake.

Think about how many ways you expressed that sentiment this time last year. Now think about how many ways you’ve gone back on that internal pledge. I am glad I made the switch to the iPhone all those years ago. Was it painful? For a few weeks, yes. But now, I am adept and comfortable enough with my phone to navigate all kinds of tasks. If you don’t believe me, let’s have a text race, and I’ll prove it to you.

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Bad Commercials2Get Attention‍

Every market has one of these types. Here in the Roanoke-Lynchburg television market, where our marketing firm is based, we are lucky enough to have two.

I’m talking about car dealers with terrible commercial campaigns.

No, it isn’t limited to just automotive marketing, but these guys are the obvious culprits. The two dealers I’m referencing, epitomize memorable commercials – but not in a good way. One of them does it because he wants his commercials to be bad as a way to be recognized. Ironically, the other one actually believes he is doing a good job. Apparently he has no idea.

I would imagine both of these guys get feedback from neighbors, frightened employees, TV sales reps, and maybe even family and friends telling them, “I saw you on TV”, or “great job on TV”. Oh they’re getting noticed and these types of ads may actually be creating attributable sales, but at what cost? In these situations I can’t help but wonder, how much more business the dealer would be doing with decent and “good” interrupting informative messages?

Ways4You to Improve Your Commercials‍

Honestly, a strong business that wants to cut through the clutter doesn’t necessarily need to hire an advertising agency to guide them toward making a greater impact. There are other capable resources for creative ideas and unique ways to achieve improved top of mind awareness. Whichever method you decide to use in order to move your business forward, I’d recommend you start with getting honest feedback from folks who know what they’re talking about.

If everyone around you is a “yes person” then it’s hard to get valuable and straightforward input. Business owners (just like car dealers) need people around them who will give input that will actually help improve things. That’s harder to do when you only interact with inside employees or people who will tell you what you want to hear.

This is true in the automotive world AND everywhere in business.

Finally, you need to discover a unique way to communicate your message. If you don’t, you run the risk of being just like everyone else or getting lost in the sludge of a three-minute commercial break.

The fact is, no one really wants to look and sound like everyone else, or be lost in the middle of a bunch of spots. However, either one of those situations is better than being remembered by viewers and your potential customers as a real life nincompoop.

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Help Smart People2Understand Marketing‍

For the past decade, I’ve noticed something that seemed kind of odd to me initially. Over time, I continued seeing this pattern and I figured it was time I identified it.

Some of the smartest people I know own companies, invent products, or find a better way to accomplish a goal. They are brilliant at what they do and have built a product or service based on some sort of genius technological solution. The work they do takes brains and grit. And, of course, a lot of other pieces have to fall into place just right for them to be able to start, sustain, and grow their companies.

These same people are often clueless about marketing and advertising.

To me, it’s almost humorous because what my company does is so simple and logical, it seems rather obvious. Yet, marketing know-how often escapes these experts and entrepreneurs. When that happens, it still catches me off guard.

The Power of High Marketing IQ4Your Organization‍

You may have the most amazing product, service, or platform. But, if you can’t explain it to investors, partners, consumers, and your target audience, it is meaningless. Without demonstrating how you can help or fill a gap in the marketplace, you’re simply wasting a great opportunity.

Advertising must interrupt. It has to gain attention so that the recipient is ready to hear more, investigate, and learn. Marketing must explain and position. The way you communicate about your company can position you for success and detail the ways your product or service meets needs and satisfies the user. It’s simple.

So why do smart people freeze? I’m convinced they actually want to complicate things and that’s where they get tangled up. Get out of your own way and put into place the people who can translate your product or service's special value to those who need to hear about your solution. Allow them to directly communicate your message to your target audience. That’s really being smart, you know.

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Investing to Reach the People

Years ago, I wrote about the value of “going where the eyeballs are” when it comes to advertising. It’s an age-old axiom, but as you evaluate your place in the business community, it’s one that deserves a little closer examination. If you have exceptional messaging but aren’t sharing it with the right people, then what is the value? If you build an incredible advertisement then show it to no one, what have you accomplished?

The answers may seem obvious, but sometimes the obvious confounds people. Even smart people.

Even those well-versed in marketing can be thrown off by familiar industry jargon. For years, B-2-C in business has stood for business-to-consumer advertising while B-2-B has always referred to business-to-business advertising. If you are targeting end-user consumers, you employ B-2-C tactics and channels. If you want to reach business owners and decision makers, you use a B-2-B approach.

The only problem with that theory is that when it comes to buying things, even business-to-business focused decision-makers are themselves consumers.

A Valuable Concept for Your Marketing‍

As you evaluate your advertising spending and determine how you will allocate your 2021 investments, think about new ways to reach the standard audience.

During the height of COVID, the time consumers spent in front of computers was at an all-time high. That was the same whether it was a business owner or a stay at home dad. Whether you were a soccer mom or a CEO, you were bound to your home and watching a screen. It was a pattern that transcended any type of demographic. Get it?

The majority of people in the spring and summer were also watching more TV and consuming more video and internet information. You may not have noticed it then, but think back now, and you’ll realize many of the advertisers you saw were corporations like Microsoft, Salesforce, ADP, and Adobe.

In other words – anticipate where the majority is casting their gaze and use a strong message that cuts through. The money, new deals, and business expansion will be much more likely to follow.

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