Anyone working in business will tell you (and if they won’t, I will) — watch what your largest customers are doing.
What killed the video store? Online movies, On-Demand, NetFlix, iTunes, etc. Now I was a once a week rental guy, if that. But when their 7 day a week movie fanatics (the guys or girls that waited at the door for the latest release) went to 4 a week to 3 a week, to one a month — the signs were there, but was anyone listening?
Those loyalists are your foundation — absolutely critical relationships. Blockbuster is still playing catch up from their bricks and mortar strategy to a clicks, order and mortar strategy. Stubbornness, did someone not act, or a case of rolling over and playing victim? Even better, let’s blame gas prices and the economy!
Your loyalists may not necessarily be fans — if you’re providing convenience and someone else enters the marketplace with more convenience, you’re history. I refer to that as loyally screwed.
Convert your loyalists to fans for a stronger foundation and begin to LISTEN.
You can see your own future, your crystal ball is at your fingertips — all you have to do is listen. You may be able to determine the next curve in your industry through these relationships — pay very close attention.
Let’s face it. There’s been a lot of talk about Snuggies in pop culture this year. “The blanket with sleeves” came out of nowhere and gripped the nation. From themed bar tours to the Washington Post’s annual Peeps diorama contest, you’re never far from Snuggie’s influence.
And if that weren’t enough, the brains that brought you the outstanding three-color collection have upped their game and expanded their product line to include… collegiate licensed Snuggies!
If you haven’t seen them in their full glory, take a gander:
Picture Source: Blanket Wars (Even better, this picture is from a blog post entitled “OU Will Choke Versus Texas.”)
How does one make an eyesore like the Snuggie even more hideous? Make it look like it was made from the contents of the clearance rack at the fabric store. That fabric ain’t just for pajamas anymore!
Though I’m not (yet) a member of the cult of the Snuggie, I understand why people would buy them. Who doesn’t like being warm? And being able to eat whilst wearing a blanket? Or the ability to change channels without exposing bare arms to the draft of a room?
I also understand why people would want collegiate Snuggies in particular. Every sports fan relishes the opportunity to show off a little team spirit. I mean, if I got a Snuggie, you’d be darn sure I’d get a college team one. (Looks like I’d have to get Texas though, because the makers of Snuggie don’t offer a UVA one. Good research on that one, I must admit. They know their audience, and UVA alums likely wouldn’t bother with a Snuggie: it would clash with their ties or pearls.)
Well, instead of continuing to mock Snuggie, I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf and offer a design suggestion: K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, stupid.) Good design should be minimalist, simple and straightforward. Not cluttered.
How should Snuggie go about this? Pretend to make team sweatshirts, just with tons more fabric. Like this:
Or this:
Yes, UVA can have its own Snuggie after all!
Texas should prominently display the Longhorn logo on burnt orange. Carolina the interlocking NC on its signature Carolina blue hue. Virginia Tech would use the interconnected VT. Florida: the Gator. The Jayhawk for Kansas. You get the picture. Make it simple. Make the primary team color the star, not the blinding repetition of several logos.
How would you redesign the collegiate Snuggie? Would you make them like replica jerseys with the ability to personalize a name and number on the back? Add a belt in a contrasting color? Build in a foam finger at the end of one sleeve? Share your ideas in the comments section!
Pe când mergeam în lumea mea cu căştile la urechi, îmi lovesc ochii de o maşină mare pe care trebuia să o înconjor, pentru că dragului de şofer i-a fost mult mai uşor să parcheze pe trotuar să descarce marfa decât acolo unde ar trebui regulamentar. Pe când m-am apropiat de gigantul cu motor şi bujii, m-a plesnit în faţă motto-ul ce scria pe maşină. “Ca să trăieşti sănătos, trebuie să consumi pită de lugaş”.
Am eu aşa o “fiţă” să studiez motto-urile astea, să găsesc greşelile şi să “sancţionez” pe cei care se cred “profesionişti” şi nu folosesc diacriticile. E păcatul meu şi merg cu el.Asta e.
Dar să revenim la “pita de lugaş” a noastră. După ce am citit, recitit, oprit şi belit ochii la motto, mi-am urmat drumul şi mă bătea un gând. “Ca să trăieşti sănătos, trebuie să consumi pită de lugaş“.
CONSUMÁ vb. 1. a folosi, a întrebuința, a utiliza, (înv.) a metahirisi. (A ~ doi metri de sfoară pentru…) 2. v. pierde. (Și-a ~ toată ziua reparând bicicleta.) 3. v. mânca. 4. v. bea. 5. a cheltui. (~ energie.) 6. (fig.) a înghiți, a mânca. (Soba ~ multe lemne.) 7. a intra, a merge. (Se ~ mult unt la această mâncare.) 8. a (se) epuiza, a (se) isprăvi, a (se) sfârși, a (se) termina, (reg.) a (se) găti, (fig.) a (se) topi. (A ~ toate proviziile.)
PÍTĂ, pite, s.f. (Reg.) 1. Pâine. 2. Fig. Hrană necesară pentru trai; mijloace de existență;
Poate că încă nu vi se pare relevant sau chiar normal dar pe mine unul mă cam calcă pe nervi. Ţăranii(respect) şi chiar şi noi, cei care trăim în oraşe şi ne credem orăşeni că doar avem o facultate şi ne credem culţi, folosim acest termen pentru pâine/pită. Îl folosim când suntem undeva într-un cerc unde ne permitem să fim “ţărani”, un cerc mai familiar, un cerc mai relaxat, DAR acolo unde încercăm să fim ca toţi cei din jur şi nu e “normal” să folosim cuvântul “pită” folosim termenul de “pâine”, că doar ne facem de râs sau ne scade popularitatea. Deşi dacă stăm să ne gândim, pâine sună mai dulce decât pită, dar pită e mai familiar decât pâine şi mai ales că “pită” e de la mama ei de acasă.
Dar să revenim. Cum poţi folosi cuvântul “a consuma” în aceeaşi propoziţie cu “pită”?
Am ajuns să trăim această boală a “crizei” pentru că am consumat mai mult decât am produs. Deci. Negativ
Cum e posibil să pui un cuvânt folosit ca regionalism cu un cuvânt care e folosit deobicei în termeni economici şi nu numai?. Adică, ţăranul care foloseşte “pită” nu se va gândi el “oare consum prea multă pită?” sau oricare alt gând unde există în aceeaşi propoziţie “a consuma” cu “pită”.
Poate că “idiotul” sau “idealistul” sau “cel cu idei” sau… a vrut ca să-l urbanizeze pe “pită” dar să nu cumva să îi iasă din brand. Dacă e “pită de lugaş” atunci lasă d-le ca toate cuvintele din motto să fie pe aceeaşi lungime de undă, brand-uieştel cu regionalisme şi crede-mă că vei fi mai respectat decât dacă încerci să-l urbanizezi.
It’s that time of year again when everyone is counting down the top moments of 2009: the top movies, the top songs, the top news stories, etc. In the spirit of the season, this week’s post is dedicated to the most read articles posted on my blog this year. Without further ado, here is the Top 10 Posts of 2009:
1. How to Setup a Facebook Business Page
2. Twitter Your Way to New Clients, Part One
3. Worksheet: Using LinkedIn to Market Your Business
4. How to Construct a Marketing Plan & Budget
5. How to Use LinkedIn to Market Your Business, Part One
6. Worksheet: Twitter Your Way to New Clients
7. A Social Media Marketing Success Story (Guest post by Cathy Curtis, CFP®)
8. Touch Your Clients 24 Times per Year without Breaking a Sweat
9. Four Marketing Mistakes Every Advisor Should Avoid
10. Social Media Marketing for the Everyday Advisor
I look forward to helping you prosper in 2010 by providing you with more great marketing tips and strategies through this blog. Happy New Year! Kristen Luke is the Principal of Wealth Management Marketing, a firm dedicated to providing marketing strategies and support for financial advisors. Kristen works with independent advisors to develop effective marketing plans and provides the back office support required to implement the strategies. For more information, visit www.wealthmanagementmarketing.net.
as i wrote earlier, i had this project on my mind for over three years. now i’m constantly hitting reminders of the fact that i may have hesitated for too long …
first i hit that with the name/domain issue. then we found out there is a similar project launched by a university team on a non-for-profit basis and funded by government grants. now, after we developed a marketing concept, we have discovered that the same idea is embedded into the university project as well.
now i have another dilemma. i like our concept. we have developed several characters with different profiles like age, interests, reading preferences and so on. each profile has a cartoon “personality” and is to be linked to parts of the portal content so that it’s easier for users to navigate. and now i found out that exactly the same scheme is already implemented (may in a less sophisticated way, but the main idea is still the same) in the university project.
so the dilemma is – if i stick to our marketing concept, will it look like we are plagiarizing the university project or is it possible to make it work anyway?
What make a consumer buy? This the core question of any business….and everything is business. Don’t mistake that. You are always selling something. Maybe you are selling attendance to an event, or a line of sweaters, or tax advice or yourself to get a new job. No matter what you are always selling.
So the major question of every endeavor becomes…..what makes a person buy?
The answer is quite simple and complicated at the same time. People buy a good story.
As humans we are all connected to our emotions, so more, some less. But all connected none the less. When we tell an effective story, one that combines our passion, our product, our beliefs, our struggle and our success…our listeners become engaged. They want to know more and they want to participate.
The greatest teachers I have ever had were great storytellers. The were able to wrap wisdom and learning into a great fable that answered the “Why’s” and “How’s”. I would also say the same of the greatest sales professionals I have ever met….and the greatest entrepreneurs.
Take a moment and think of Steve Jobs. He is responsible for selling the story of Apple. He has the most fanatical users and has established his company as an innovator by telling a story of the triumph of design. He is known as being ruthless on design specific details. His keynotes are riddled with references to poor design and it’s even prevalent in the uber-famous “Mac vs, PC” commercials.
His story is consistent and engaging. It speaks to a niche population but invites in anyone who may be listening with a small amount of interest. Mostly though, the story is authentically Steve Jobs. Some will argue that the story then will die with Steve Jobs. I challenge that it is too soon to see where the story will lead.
When you choose to root your business strategies in the art of storytelling, you are opening your business to be flexible and to grow. A traditional fable takes twists and turns, embraces new characters and takes on new risks. But it also has a core set of values. These are what guide the customer through the transition of characters and ultimately drive the engagement with the product.
In this day and age, a business cannot be nameless and faceless. Consumers are demanding that “Oz” be revealed. Let the world see that you are behind the business. Let them understand and relate to you as a person. Share your successes, failures, dreams and accolades. Your story is the story of your business.
Here are 3 steps to crafting and sharing your story.
1. Determine your core values – What do you and your business stand for? Many a motivational and business speaker have discussed virtues of having defined values. They were right. I’ll also say that these values should be realistic and able to be upheld. Identify 3 strong values that your customers can count on receiving each and every time they interact with your product. From “Fun” to “Honesty”, take the time to Identify and Define these.
2. Define where and how you communicate - Really these two are at the core of all marketing plans and should be at the core of your business strategy. If you don’t have a pre-determiend path you’ll spend all your time looking for the right path. Forget “right” for now and focus on movement. Will you reach your customers via Social Media, print ads, Radio, direct mail, phone call, horse and buggy, lighting of lamps….you get the point. Figure out where you want to put your focus and then start applying your values to that message. Think “soft sell” in this part and leave the hard sell to the so called advertising professionals.
3. Listen to the story you are telling – Too many business owners and professional marketers get caught up int he details of what they are trying to share. do yourself a favor, go find a six year old and ask them if they understand what you are saying. If they get it and are excited by it, your on the right track…if not, time to re-evaluate. Keep it simple and focus on the big picture. What gets people excited about your product? What builds engagement? These will lead to the deeper questions down the road.
Your ability to tell a great story will have a profound impact on your business if you take the time to build it. These tips and this concept is not a simple “How To”. This a concept and mind set that you must adopt….for the long term.
Salah satu iklan Walls yang istimewa, Saya selalu suka iklan ini. Menurut saya, iklan ini berhasil menarik perhatian saya, karena pada akhir iklan tersebut berhasil membuat saya tersenyum “nyengir” tidak jelas.
Iklan ini ditujukan untuk kaum muda atau lebih tepatnya remaja. Hal tersebut dapat kita lihat penggunaan RAN sebagai lambang dari anak muda yang dinamis, kreatif dan aktif. Saya rasa penggunaan RAN tersebut adalah hal yang tepat. Kenapa? di satu sisi RAN cukup digemari remaja dengan aliran musik mereka yang ringan dan ceria. Hal ini menjadi salah satu keunggulan tersendiri dari RAN, karena aliran musik tersebut cocok dengan remaja yang tidak menyukai hal-hal yang memusingkan diri mereka.
Hal kedua yang menjadi titik kecocokan antara walls connelo dengan RAN adalah tema dari keda belah pihak yang mengusung tema “cinta”. Tema tersebut terlihat dari bentuk skenario drama sang cowok mau nembak sang kekasih, yang notabene menggunakan cara kreatif. hihihi, lucu banget iklannya..
Hal menarik lainnya dari iklan tersebut adalah konsistensi penggunaan lingkungan taman. Tempat ini adalah sarana paling mudah untuk menggambarkan suasana ceria, tempat orang untuk melakukan berbagai aktifitas, dari mulai berolahraga, santai untuk menyegarkan pikiran, sampai dengan tempat menyatukan dua hati, sebagaimana tema walls “2 become 1“. Walaupun terkesan kurang kreatif, karena tema ini juga digunakan di iklan Walls negara lain, menurut saya iklan ini cukup berhasil meningkatkan “brand awareness” dari calon konsumen es krim tersebut
Or this:
Yes, UVA can have its own Snuggie after all!
Texas should prominently display the Longhorn logo on burnt orange. Carolina the interlocking NC on its signature Carolina blue hue. Virginia Tech would use the interconnected VT. Florida: the Gator. The Jayhawk for Kansas. You get the picture. Make it simple. Make the primary team color the star, not the blinding repetition of several logos.
