Media Archives - Page 5 of 12 - McLellan Marketing Group

Want to connect face to face?

July 21, 2009

One of the biggest budget crunchers for most businesses is travel. But sometimes, there is no substitute for a face-to-face conversation.

But then again, maybe there is.

Cisco's Telepresence is technology that takes video conferencing to a whole new level. You can check it out in the video below.

Why am I telling you this? Well, first because you can access this technology by the hour. I was able to find five re-sellers in Des Moines, so I am pretty sure you'll be able to find at least one in your neck of the woods. For many organizations, this might be a very attractive and cost sensitive solution.

And…Cisco, in this social media age, is holding a contest. You create a video telling Cisco why you'd benefit from having access to Telepresence. You can win $3,000 and 5 free hours of access.

You can view the contest's webpage by clicking here. Check out some of the videos. People aren't doing anything overly high-tech. But boy are they giving Cisco some smart sales messages. (If you enter, let me know and we'll share your video with the blog readers!)

Don't dismiss this as a "big company" tactic. You could do the exact same thing. Here are the benefits:

Very shareable…note how Cisco is letting people rate the videos. Now if you entered, wouldn't you tell your friends to go vote for yours?
Introduces a whole lot of people to your product/service
Creates a want for your product that probably was unrealized before the contest
It's like a mini focus group. Listen carefully for sales nuggets and ideas

There certainly are other perks to this sort of a contest. What benefits do you see?

How to burn a reporter and a bridge

May 26, 2009

If you have a story to pitch to the media, choose the reporter or media outlet that is best suited for the story. But don’t pitch the same story to competing media or more than reporter at the same media outlet.

Even if you score the story in two places…it will cost you in credibility. And the next time you pick up the phone with a hot lead – the reporter you burned will never bother returning your call.

If you have a story or event that you think is worthy of everyone’s attention – then at least give each station or paper a different angle to cover, so that they all get to report a fresh story.

Just like any relationship – a relationship with a reporter will quickly sour if you lie or make them look stupid. Remember, the more you help them do their job, the more they can help you do yours.

P.S. You can substitute the word blogger for reporter and voila, a bit of your blogger outreach program!

A cost effective and powerful marketing tool

May 4, 2009

Marketing your company during good times is hard enough. But marketing your company while trying to manage expenses can really be tough. So what’s a marketer with one hand tied behind their back to do?

One powerful and cost-effective strategy that generates consistent results is strategic email marketing. When done right, it can generate huge ROI percentages within a reasonable budget.

The following are just some of the strategies to keep in mind when developing email campaigns:

Get to the point—You only have 2–3 seconds to catch their attention. Always provide relevant information that your target wants and avoid the “fluff.”
Keep it short—No more than 15–20 percent of the copy you would include in a traditional printed direct mail letter.
Be conversational—Your email should be an extension of your brand. If your brand is formal, write in a formal style. If your brand is casual, make it casual.
Use bullets and lists—Emails are unique in that the reader wants the info fast. Instead of long sentences, try bullets or lists to convey your points. This is a vehicle of “sound bytes.”
Choose your topics carefully—Always make the information timely and culturally relevant to your target.
Use proven layout strategies—Typically, email readers like to scan first and then go back and read. So make sure that you break up your copy with bullet points, illustrations, photos, or graphs. And make sure to have plenty of “white” space.
It’s not about you—Be sure to spend less time selling your products/services and more time providing useful information to your readers. The more useful your information, the more response you will generate.

If you haven’t done so already, consider adding a strategic email campaign to your arsenal of marketing weapons. It can be a very powerful and cost-efficient strategy that generates impressive returns.

Thanks to my friends at Gumas Advertising for these tips!

Three tips to creating a memorable trade pub ad

March 7, 2009

The beauty of the trade pub is that the niche is very narrow. You know it's aimed right at the heart of your target audience. It doesn't matter if we're talking about a business journal, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing magazine or Nutritional Outlook — there's a niche trade pub for just about everyone.

So once you find the right one, how do you make the most of your ad space?

Surprise them. A couple years ago, we did a series of ads for a client whose core audience is credit unions. If you open Credit Union Times, the bible of the industry, practically every ad has a credit card (or the ever popular hand holding the credit card) as the main visual. So as you can see by the ad to the right, we went a completely different direction.

We knew our visual had to stop the reader cold. It had to be unlike anything else in the publication. And it had to be something, that at first glance, had nothing to do with credit unions, credit cards or money.

Buy creatively. Talk to your rep about your options. Could you buy an insert instead of an ad? Rather than running one large ad, could you use the same rate to run to horizontal ads on adjoining pages so you control an entire spread? Could you get their subscriber list as part of the package?

The ad rep's job is to make you happy and successful. The better your ad works, they more money they stand to make on subsequent ads. So let them work for that money. Ask them to tell you about the 3-4 most creative ad buys (not the ads themselves) they've seen.

Don't buy at all if you're only going to buy one. Even if you have a very specific reason (trade show, one time sale, etc) for wanting to be in the publication — remember the need for frequency to capture your audience's attention. You can either run a series of ads with enough common elements that the readers will know they're part of a whole, or you can re-run the same ad. But….don't think your one hit wonder is going to do the trick.

Remember — if you don't have the patience or money to do it right (so it works), then find a different tactic. Why throw your money at something you know isn't going to be effective.

Bottom line: Trade pubs are a beautiful way to talk to a specific audience. But, only if you can actually get their attention. Use your creative, your ability to buy in a fresh way and some frequency to win the eyes of your target.

The truth is, most trade pub ads are utterly forgettable. So I'm curious….can you recall a great trade pub ad? What made it memorable?

Are you where your customers are looking?

February 14, 2009

According to research from Webvisible and Nielsen:

63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies 82% use search engines to do so

But…. only 44% of small businesses have a website
And…less than half spend less than 10% of their marketing budget online

So the question is….if you don't have a decent presence on the web and if you aren't doing what you can do to influence search engine placement — how many times a day are you being completely unnoticed?

What are you going to do about it?

HP launches MarketSplash to serve small businesses

January 27, 2009

One of the biggest challenges of a fledging small business is producing professional grade stationery, business cards and marketing materials.

HP believes they've created a viable solution at MarketSplash — a web-based shop that allows you to design and customize DIY templates for your business basics like stationery, business cards, static website, postcards and even promotional items like polos and mugs.

The templates give you several options — uploading your logo and beginning your design from there, or choosing one of their templated logos, or choosing industry-based templates that don't require a logo at all.

You can also opt to have them custom design a logo or stationery package for you, if you'd prefer.

The offerings and designs are vastly superior to the all too often heard "I designed it myself on Publisher" option that many start ups and small businesses rely upon. Make no mistake, this isn't like hiring an agency to truly help you discover your brand promise and design your identity pieces to fit that promise. But for many organizations, that's just not a viable choice.

So, MarketSplash is a happy middle ground for those companies who want to project a very professional, consistent image but can't afford an agency.

I spent about an hour getting a guided tour of MarketSplash last week and found it incredibly easy to navigate and use. I was able to select a business card template, change the font, color and enter my own contact information in about 10 minutes.

I have to admit, I was impressed by quite a few of the templates and the flexibility of the design modules. But what I found most interesting were the delivery options. After designing my cards (or whatever I needed), I could:

Complete the order online (choosing paper, finishes etc) and have the printed materials delivered to me via the post office
Have the order sent to my local Staples and pick up the printed materials in 45 minutes
Download the PDF files and print them off on my office or home printer

That gives me hope that HP truly does understand some of the challenges and unique needs of the small business owner.

For a limited time, HP is offering 100 free business cards (including shipping) to new customers.

Go check out the site and let me know what you think. And what else would you like to be able to buy right from the site?

Note: I'm going to order some items from the site and will let you know about the quality/experience once the items arrive.

Hey non-profits, is Facebook your next fundraiser?

January 21, 2009

If you've been on Facebook for any length of time, you know that causes run rampant there. You can join non-profit pages, you can play games that benefit non-profits, you can declare your allegiance to a cause. You name it, you can probably do it.

Most non-profits, if they're there at all, are stumbling around, trying to figure out how to best use the space. But some have really got it figured out.

Over 6 million Facebook users send each other virtual plants/flowers for their (lil) green patch. And they're told that every time they do, they're saving bits of the Rain Forest. But what does that really mean?

How about over $109,000?

That's how much The Nature Conservancy has earned from people passing pansies. (Say that 5 times fast!). And they didn't even develop the actual application.

Toby Bloomberg has an eye-opening interview with the Digital Membership Manager of The Nature Conservancy that should be must reading for non-profits looking for a fresh fund-raising idea.

If you're a non-profit or involved with helping one — how are you using Facebook to date? How COULD you be using it?

Social media faux pas or social media smart — you decide

December 18, 2008

There's the brewing of a lively discussion going on at one of the other blogs I write for, IowaBiz. It's a situation worthy of your thoughts so I thought I would bring the conversation over here.

Here are the facts:

Hubbell Realty is a very established and respected builder/developer in Iowa. They have just opened a new condo complex in one of the more affluent suburbs. The condo's design, size and amenities make it a perfect fit for young professionals.

And so a perfect fit for social media.

Hubbell's advertising agency has invented what they are calling a spokesperson. (She is actually one of the agency's ad reps who lives in Philadelphia). This spokesperson has a Facebook account (she went to school at Depaw University, spends time at Johnny's Hall of Fame (a local hang out), celebrated her birthday in November and loves watching The Office.) She has a blog (so far, she only writes about how much she loves her new home) and she's done some videos. (Feed readers and e-mail subscribers, click on the post's headline to view.)

Here's the question:

As you see on the video, no one is told that Hailey is a fictitious character, played by a woman in Philly. On her Facebook page, there is a note that says "Hailey Brownstone is part of a Hubbell Homes promotional campaign." But other than that notation — I can't find any disclaimer or explanation that tells us that Hailey isn't real.

She's received date requests and has 130 Facebook friends.

The company and some of the supporters of the campaign at IowaBiz argue that since her name is Hailey Brownstone we should all get the joke. The place is called GreenWay Crossing. And they have brownstones and villas.

I did a WhitePages.com search and there are plenty of Brownstones out there. I'm thinking most of them are real people.

So what do you think? Smart social media campaign? Social media faux pas?

UPDATE: The comments are so plentiful — we had to go to two pages. After Cat's comment…click on the NEXT to keep reading!

“No comment” pretty much means you’re guilty

November 17, 2008

Most people believe a company is guilty of the accusation when a company official says "no comment." Robin Cohn’s book, The PR Crisis Bible tells a story that really illustrates this point.

One day a CEO heard someone behind him say, "Excuse me." Turning around, he recognized a well-known business reporter who said, "I just have one question."

The CEO panicked. "No comment," he replied and hurried away from the reporter.

Since Watergate, those two words have come to mean that the speaker has something to hide.

The reporter, who was just trying to figure out how to find someone that he had an appointment with, began to wonder what was going on at the company and started working the phones. He found a disgruntled employee and looked for dirt on the Web. He ended up writing an expose of problems at the company and stock price plunged.

What should you say instead of no comment? Try the truth. Even if part of the truth is "we don’t have all the answers yet," or "our attorneys have asked us not to discuss that part of the lawsuit."

Be candid. Share what you can. And be frank about what you aren’t at liberty to say. But stonewalling doesn’t cut it today.

Whether it’s true or not, the public and the media believe they have a right to know just about everything. And a "no comment" brands you as guilty long before you’ve had a chance to prove otherwise.

Are your eyes bigger than your budget?

November 11, 2008

You know that feeling you sometimes get after Thanksgiving dinner? That, "I want to lay on the floor and bemoan the second helping of turkey, stuffing and the extra roll?"

Your eyes were bigger than your stomach and you always pay the price.

The same thing happens when you’re buying media (new or traditional). You try to stretch that budget too far. Which means you take on more than your budget can comfortably handle.

One more radio station. That great buy in the trade pub. A couple more sites for the banner ad.

Push the plate back and walk away from the table. When you’re buying media, you are always better off to not overdo. Buy a good strong schedule and if you have money left over….go back and buy more of what you’ve already bought.

For a media mix to be effective, each element in the mix must be substantial enough to establish retention. Too often, people sacrifice repetition for the sake of reach.

By the way….the same logic holds true for marketing tactics. Don’t try to do too much. Better to do fewer things more often and better.

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