Passion Archives - Page 16 of 25 - McLellan Marketing Group

Marketing Tips from a Marketing Agency: Celebrate your work as fine art

April 29, 2007

It would only stand to reason that a marketing & branding agency would be pretty good at branding and marketing itself.

So I thought it might be fun to explore some branding & marketing concepts using our own agency, McLellan Marketing Group, as the guinea pig.

Celebrate your work as fine art

It’s easy to take the work we do for granted. A successful campaign. No biggie. We do it every day. A delighted client. Great but no time to slow down to celebrate — we’ve got work to do. Lands End calls and asks if they can use on of our logos in the catalog because they like it so much. A quick "wow, that’s cool" and its back to the next project.

We take it for granted because we do it every day. But our work is the magic of what we do. It’s what creates the oohs and ahhhs. It’s one of the reasons prospects are drawn to us. And we should celebrate that.

What’s in your lobby? A Grant Wood painting? An abstract sculpture? What do you have laying around for your clients and vendors to look at while they wait? Could you make those opportunities for a subtle sales message?

At MMG, you’ll find our walls covered with art. Our art. Our clients’ art. We celebrate our work, our clients’ faith in us and our creativity. (the photography doesn’t do it justice) A side benefit of our work hanging around the office is that clients, guests and vendors ask questions. Which lets us tell the story of the project — challenges, ideas, execution and results. It’s a beautiful thing.

No matter what you do — there are elements of your work that are fascinating to other people. You probably don’t notice it anymore because you take it for granted.

When was the last time your client asked you to tell them about one of your successes? What could you do to inspire that sort of opportunity?

A legacy

April 10, 2007

Any parent will tell you that their child/children are their greatest legacy.

I talked about this in my belief statement a few months back. My daughter is my gift to this world and even at 13, I could not be prouder of person she is and is becoming.

So when I heard that my friend CK has lost her mom suddenly, my heart broke a little not only for CK and her loss, but also for her mom.

I can only imagine how proud Sandra Kerley was of her daughter’s accomplishments, talents and most of all, her heart. And I can only imagine how much she wanted to stick around and keep watching from an earthly vantage point.

They say that the acorn rarely falls far from the tree, so it came as no surprise to me that CK’s mom was a giver as well. One of the charities that touched her heart was Habitat for Humanity. Home is something most of us take for granted. Through this organization, families that couldn’t even conceive of home ownership now can.

The child. The parent. The community. It’s time for us to add our voice to this story by coming together and creating a memorial that captures what words cannot. Our friendship, our love, our respect and our admiration.

For a spirited, wise woman and her daughter…her legacy.

By clicking on the badge, you’ll be taken to a PayPal site where you can make a donation to Habitat. We’ve also created (thanks Cam for the site and David for the badge) a memorial site.

What to do when your client is in crisis

April 9, 2007

In most cases, our clients/customers come to us in a relatively calm state and we can react to them in our usual business manner. But what needs to shift if your client is in crisis mode?

I pondered this question this weekend, as I was a client in crisis mode. The perfect time for some marketing observation!

As many of you know, I was struck down by a kidney stone (actually 2) this weekend. If you haven’t ever had one – it is the most excruciating pain imaginable. They call it a writhing pain, because when you have one, you are in such pain, you can’t hold still. You literally writhe in agony.

I’ll give you my prognosis at the tail end of the post but for now, let’s look at what needs to shift when a client is in crisis. And yes, that’s how small a kidney stone is. Humbling to say the least.

They need you to acknowledge that they are in crisis. They want to know that you know. This is not the time for "can you hang on second" or "do you want some coffee." When I staggered into the ER hunched over, clammy and in pain, they didn’t wait to take my insurance information. They whisked me back to a room immediately.

They need to be your only priority until the crisis has passed. This isn’t the time to take another call or put them off until the next morning. They need you now. Tammy, my ER nurse, didn’t leave my side until she had the IV started and she’d administered the first dose of morphine.

They need reassurance. They want you to tell them you’re going to be at their side until it’s over. This isn’t the time to sugar coat things or say it’s going to be okay if it isn’t. But they want to know they won’t be going it alone.

They need empathy. If a client is in crisis, they’re most likely angry, scared, worried, sad or in pain. They want you to recognize that emotion in them and help them get it under control. Sheila, the attending nurse practitioner made sure I knew that she was going to be aggressive with the pain meds until I was comfortable. She wanted me out of pain as much as I did. (Well, maybe not quite as much!)

They want to see action. That’s the most reassuring element of all. They want to know you are doing something to get them out of their crisis. The whole ER team hustled me in and out of the CAT scan and got me the meds I needed quickly. When the morphine wasn’t stopping the pain, they rapidly moved up the pain meds food chain until they found one that did.

Dealing with a client who is in crisis mode is usually not pretty. They’re in full panic mode. But, if you can stay with them and get them through the crisis – you’ve earned a loyal client who will come to you in confidence, knowing you’ve seen them at their worst.

How have you dealt with clients in this frame of mind?

As for the stone saga – I’ve still got the two stones. They haven’t passed yet. Right now, they’re causing a tolerable amount of pain, so I am temporarily sprung from the hospital. The bummer about kidney stones is their unpredictability. These could pass without causing me much more pain and I could get by with the prescription meds. Or in a blink, they could send me back to the hospital. But…I know which hospital I’d go back to. Thanks to their understanding of how to deal with a client in crisis!

Blogtipping — April 2007

April 1, 2007

I am joining with my fellow bloggers in celebrating some new blogs that I discovered this past month.

As is the blogtipping tradition, (created by Easton Ellsworth) I’ll offer a few reasons why I like the blog and one suggestion for improvement.

Today is opening day of baseball season, so it seems only fitting to tip my hat at some baseball bloggers.

This month’s nods go to….

Baseball Musings is David Pinto’s very knowledgeable and detailed look at Major League baseball.

Things I love:

The depth of information.

That you don’t stop at just giving us the facts, you also give us your insight.

You delve into subjects that are not strictly baseball but touch the game.

Suggestion:

It would be nice if your main column with content was larger in proportion to the links and ads columns.

The Baseball Zealot is just that. Tom brings us all things baseball. MLB and college to boot.

Things I love:

The diversity of your posts.

It’s not just a game to you. I love that you love the game.

Your natural, engaging style of writing.

Suggestion:

Either it’s my eyes (and age) or your font is tiny. Can you bump it up for us 40+ readers?

I’m not going to do a baseball themed blog tipping without sharing a Dodger focused blog. Andrew brings us True Blue LA and writes about all things Dodgers.

Things I love:

It’s about the Dodgers. Enough said.

Great, conversational style.

You interject a lot of personality into your posts.

Suggestion:

Any thought to adding some visuals to your posts?

There you have it discerning readers…until next month’s blogtipping adventure!

Is branding only an external activity?

April 1, 2007

The answer is no.

In fact…as a business owner or leader, you should be branding your organization to your employees every day. There is no audience more important to your brand’s success.

But all too often, its internal communication budgets that get cut. Or leadership consistently says one thing and then does another — losing credibility and trust.

If you want to learn how to lead an employee-centric company, you only need to go to one blog to learn the ropes. Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand focuses on how to inspire your employees to help you deliver the brand promise to your clients. Her posts on leadership, retaining employees and her podcast series are packed with gems you can put to immediate use.

Last week, I had the incredible good fortune to speak to Anna on the phone. We talked about how the relationship between the employer and the employee is experiencing a power shift, just like the one we’re seeing between customers and companies. We also talked about recruiting, generational differences and a whole lot more.

Anna captured our conversation and I’m very proud to be the voice of Show #73 of the Engaging Brand podcast series — Secrets of a Great Employer.

Go over and take a listen. And while you are there — bask in the smarts of Anna Farmery.

Who said talking back was bad?

March 31, 2007

Yesterday was a momentous day at Drew’s Marketing Minute. The milestone I have been waiting to celebrate.

1,000 comments.

One thing I learned very quickly as I entered the world of blogging is that there are A LOT of numbers.

My blog will be 7 months old tomorrow. This is my 246th post. At this moment, I have 590 blogs linking to me. Technorati says I’m #4,137. Mack’s Top 25 Marketing Blogs says I’m #7. My blogroll is about to get much bigger.

All of that matters.

But not as much as the comments. The comments are the interaction. The comments are the conversation. The comments are why I blog.

David Reich of my 2 cents posted the magic 1,000th comment on the But what if the blogger is lying post. I’ve invited David (a la Paul’s invite to Tim Jackson on his 1,000th comment) to write a guest post. I can’t wait to see what he has to say. I couldn’t ask for a more articulate, insightful blogger to invite in.

Thanks to each and every one of you who have shared a thought, an idea, a question or a link. You add the flavor and spice to this place. I am grateful to each of you. And I hope our conversations have just begun.

Aaron M. Potts, Adam Steen, Adriana, Al, Alex Bellinger, Alvin Borromeo, Amy, Andrew Clark, Andy Beard, Andy Brudtkuhl, Andy Drish, Ann Handley, ann michael, Anne Simons, Becky, Becky Carroll, Becky McCray, Becky-Joe, Bob Glaza, Bob LeDrew, Brett, Brett Rogers, Brian Clark, C. B. Whittemore, Cam Beck, Carolyn Manning, Char, Charles Brown, Chris Brown, Chris Cree, chris gribble, Chris Kieff, CK, Claire Celsi, Claire Walter, Connie, Copywriting Services, Cory Garrison, Craig Harper, Dan, David Armano, David Koopmans, David Reich, Dawud Miracle, Delaney Kirk, Derek Tutschulte, Designer Mike, DotMySpot, Doug Karr, Douglas Mitchell, Easton Ellsworth, Elizabeth, Elizabeth Saunders, Erin Blaskie, Fran, Gavin Heaton, Hannah, Irene, Jaap Steinvoorte, Jack Hayhow, Janet Green, Jeff Morris, Jennifer Espeland, Jessica Colleen, Jim Kukral, Joan Schramm, John, Kammie K., Katie Konrath, Kevin Hillstrom, Kim Klaver, Kirsten Harrell,, Leesa Barnes, Lewis Green, Lisa, Liz Strauss, Lord Matt, Mack Collier, Madena M Burman</a >, Marie , Mario Sundar , Mario Vellandi , Mark Goren , Mark True , Mary Schmidt , Matt Dickman , Matt Hamilton , Michael Libbie , Michael Wagner , Mike , , mitch matthews , Nancy , Nick Rice , Patrick , Patrick Schaber , Paul McEnany , Phil Gerbyshak , Ray Edwards , Roberta Rosenberg , Robyn McMaster , Roger von Oech , Rosa Say , Rush Nigut , Ryan Healy , Sam Beckwith , Sandy Renshaw , Sean Carter , Sham , Sharon Sarmiento , Sherry Borzo , Simon , Stephanie Weaver , Stephen Denny , Steve Farber , Steve Harper , Steve Miller , Steve Sisler , Steve Woodruff , Susan F. Heywood , Susan Weiner , Sustainable is Good , Terry Starbucker , Tom Guarriello , Tom Vander Well , Tony D. Clark , V. Michael Santoro , Valeria Maltoni

(If I missed you, I’m very sorry. And, I could only list those who left a URL with their comment)

But what if the blogger is lying?

March 29, 2007

One of the ways that citizen marketers are really making themselves known is by sharing their consumer trials and triumphs with their blog readers.

We experience, through them, how the company does or doesn’t respond. We cheer on the wronged. We boo the corporate villains…or herald them if they’re listening and respond to fix the problem.

Here are some of the recent ones I know. And because I know these people…I know the stories they tell are true.

Kohl’s
Best Buy (this story has a happy ending!)
Papa Johns
Overstock.com (another happy ending!)

But I don’t know this blogger. And I have no idea if her story is true. But dang, it’s compelling.

Etta’s mom tells the heart-tugging story of how her daughter Etta was invited to an American Girl store (by a friend) so they could get their dolls’ hair styled. Etta brought a doll from Target and when it was her turn in line, was told by the stylist that her doll "wasn’t real" and she wouldn’t do her hair. To make Etta’s experience even worse, some of the moms in line mocked her for bringing a non-AG doll to the store.

As I write this, there are 394 comments to her post. Most of the commenters were brought to tears (you have to read the post…it really is incredibly well-written and heart breaking.) Many of them were vowing to stop shopping there and several say that they’ve called the store and demanded action.

One commenter even posted a response she got to an e-mail she sent to AG corporate. Google "American girl" Etta and you will be amazed at the number of articles, posts etc. that 12 days after the original post, are now telling the story.

Here’s my question. What if she made up the story? I am not suggesting for one minute that she did. But, I am asking "what if?"

In 12 days. Less than 1,200 words. What damage has been done?

How can/will AG recover? For how long will they be called on to respond and apologize? Will they have to train their staff on how to handle it when a customer brings it up?

We are behind the driver’s wheel of a very powerful medium. Not everyone is going to be ethical. Not everyone is going to care about anyone but themselves. Not everyone will be transparent about their motives.

How will we know?

Thanks to Brett Trout for sharing this story with me, thinking it would appeal to my fascination with branding. As you can see, it did much more than that.

Try this experiment on your employees

March 29, 2007

No lab coat required.

If you asked your peers/employees to tell you in a sentence what your company’s compelling reason for being was – what would they say?

If you are like most companies, they would burst out laughing.

And then odds are, every one of them would give you a different answer.

How can we expect our employees to deliver consistent quality and service/products that are aligned with the company’s core mission if they don’t know (and really know) not only WHAT it is, but WHAT it means, WHY it matters and HOW you make it real?

This isn’t just a marketing slogan of the month or rattling off a buzz word or two – this is taking the time to define the heart and soul of why you are in business – from your consumer’s point of view.

Try it. Come back and tell us about the experiment.

5 Keys to a Rock Solid Guarantee

March 27, 2007

If you’ve been following our very insightful conversation about whether or not you should offer a guarantee to your clients/customers, you might have decided it’s for you.

If so — here are 5 keys to a rock solid guarantee:

Only promise what you can deliver. In the comments section David Reich tells the story of a client who wanted him to promise a Business Week cover. He wisely and ethically refused.

Be straightforward. A guarantee that requires 3 paragraphs of disclaimers is going to be viewed accurately. You don’t really intend to ever honor it.

No legalese. Use plain old English.

Prep your staff. Make it very clear how you’d like your team to respond if a customer invokes the guarantee. Give them the tools, the procedure and the permission to honor your promise.

No questions, no hesitation, no excuses. Just do as you promised. Apologize. And ask for another chance.

No one pleases their clients 100% of the time. Why not give your customers a way to express their discontent (better to tell you than 20 of their friends) and give you a chance to make it right?

Turning the goodie bag upside down!

March 25, 2007

We’ve been talking about giving quite a bit lately.

It shouldn’t surprise you at all that this focus on giving would be adopted by a conference focused on taking your blog to the next level by building stronger and more valuable relationships.

You give a little. You get a little. That’s the balance of a good relationship.

Unlike a typical conference where the speakers are the only ones who get to share, at SOBCon we’re turning that notion upside down.

Each and every participant is invited to bring something they’ve created – a book, a white paper, a podcast series, a visual tool – you name it for every single attendee and speaker. Imagine leaving the conference with a bag filled with knowledge, insights, laughter and inspiration.

And even better; imagine every SOBCon attendee learning more about your blog and passion, and being touched by your work.

There are only a few rules:

It has to be your original content.
You must bring enough for everyone.
You must be willing to give it away for free.

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