Aligned Marketing Blog

On Saturday I created a LinkedIn Group – Retirement Planning (RP). RP is dedicated to helping those contemplating their retirement leverage the power of LinkedIn. My vision is to bring together retires, soon-to-be retirees, and service providers, such as financial planners, real estate professional, and legal advisors, to discuss options, concerns, ask questions and access specialized expertise in an open environment. 

 

I figured I can’t be the only one asking questions about the winter in Santa Fe, NM, the cost of housing in Tulsa, OK, and healthcare in Laughlin, NV. Sure, I can take the time to research all my questions but why should I when social media tools such as LinkedIn allows me to ask questions from a knowledgeable person. That’s the beauty of social media.

Instead of sorting through a gabillion Google results and trying to sort the advertising lies from the on-the-ground facts, I can just ask a real life person. Sure, I’ll still have to keep my crap-detector on high because people may try to sell me something or worse, outright try to steal my money. So what? It’s not like all of us don’t have to guard against that in the real world all the time.

It will be nice to have a place to go where people who are in similar circumstances can ask questions, get a bunch of answers, and decide what to believe, what to verify (everything), and what to toss out.

Anyone can join. Who knows, maybe you live in a town, we’ll say, Savannah, GA, and someone has a question about that town, you’d be a great person to ask. You already know the good and bad of Savannah. By the way, since I’ve been there many times I can tell you, Savannah is an awesome place. Tons of history to explore and they have some fantastic restaurants.

I expect to attract a few sales-types once the group gets going but that’s fine. The group will decide who’s legit and who is not. To minimize the spam I wrote a simple “Solicitation Policy.”

RP has a flexible non-solicitation policy. This policy prohibits broadcast solicitations and spamming. Our members are expected to provide value to the Group through their questions, answers and opinions.

External links to blog posts and webinars that are relevant to RP Members are acceptable but will be monitored.

External links to blatant promotional and sales pages are unacceptable. If a Member of our RP Group violates this policy, he/she may be subject to membership termination.

That will slow the selling down some. In the end, I’m going to be the final judge and jury. It’s my responsibility to insure RP delivers value, which we will.

Let me know if you have any questions

Steve

800-707-9150

shartkopf@aligned-marketing.com

 

In my book Communication Wins, I write about message structure, types of messages, communication strategies, gaining credibility with your audience, audience analysis and many other topics that matter to writers.

 

One of my favorite chapters is Chapter 14 – Tools of the Trade. Below is an updated version of an excerpt from that chapter. Learn to use these tools and I guarantee that your writing and speaking will improve.

 

Compare and contrast: An apple and an orange are both fruits. They are comparable and alike. However, they are also different. They have contrast in their appearance (red versus orange), outer skin (smooth versus rough), texture and taste. You can increase your listeners’ understanding of one feature by highlighting its opposite. For example, we can better understand wisdom by illustrating foolishness.

 

Repetition: Repeating and summarizing concepts can help your audience grasp important concepts, experience emotions, or heed your call to action. Ministers, coaches, and motivational speakers often use this technique to drive home key points.

 

Metaphor: A metaphor is a game of pretend. A metaphor pretends that something is something else. A word or phrase that describes one thing is used to describe something not normally associated with that word or phrase. For example, “Her heart melted with compassion when she saw her tiny son struggling to tie his shoelaces.” Obviously, her heart did not “melt” in the literal sense.

 

Euphemism: An inoffensive or indirect expression replaces words that may be considered offensive, impolite, harsh or shocking. Saying someone “passed away” is a euphemism for “died.”

 

Simile: A figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike entities using the words “like” or “as.” For example, “She’s smart as a whip.” Similes can create vivid associations in your audience’s mind. Similes are like garlic; they should be used sparingly. The reason to use them sparingly is because they tend to require the audience to pause and think about the comparison and that can interrupt the flow of your message.

 

Symbolism: Symbolism evokes (but does not describe) an emotion, concept or idea. You can use the symbolism of something concrete to represent something abstract, such as a flag to evoke the concepts of duty, loyalty and honor; a light bulb to represent the concept of a brilliant idea; a company logo to represent brand attributes, or a lion to represent bravery and strength. Icons and emoticons are modern-day symbols. Symbols are often more effective than perfectly constructed sentences.

 

Concrete/Abstract: Concrete terms and words refer to things we engage through our senses. Something may be “hot,” “green,” or “loud.” Abstract terms may be just as real but less available to our senses – freedom, love, success and sexism (any ism) are examples of abstract words that have real meaning but are undetectable through our five senses.

Steve

On Monday we learned that About.com forecast Twitter to reach 26 million users (15.5% of adult internet users) by 2010, taught you how open your own Twitter account and discussed being a good Twitizen. Today you’ll learn how to:

How can you locate the right people to Follow? Here are some tools:

• Wefollow (http://wefollow.com) lists the Twitter people –Tweeps, Twits or Tweople – with the most Followers by tag usage. Think of a tag as a subject, such as music or news.Follow the people with the most Followers in the subjects that matter to you.
  
• Twellow (http://www.twellow.com) is “a search directory of people by area of expertise, profession or other attribute listed in personal profiles. Use the same Follow tactic here as you did with Wefollow.
  
• Nearby Tweets (http://nearbytweets.com) is a very cool tool because it lets you find other Twits in your, or some other, geography. Personal note: I walked into an event in my home town and the first person I introduced myself to said, “Oh, I know you, I Follow you on Twitter.” It was cool. We both started laughing. The lesson: Follow people close to your home or work.
  
• Twitter Search (http://search.twitter.com) allows you to search the Twittersphere for keywords or topics and is an excellent way to find like-minded people, potential clients or business partners to Follow.
• Listorious (http://www.listorious.com) was explained in detail in my November 4 post (http://tinyurl.com/yal4ay5) so just let me say, it’s a super directory of lists on Twitter and I highly recommend you use it to locate people to Follow.

How you get people to Follow you:

• The first tip is a no-brainer: Provide good content. Post (Tweet) content that is interesting, useful and/or entertaining and your followship will grow.
• The second tip is to make sure your profile is well written, your page design is well executed and, in general, you treat your Twitter account as a marketing tool. Most people prefer to know the people they Follow and your online presence is your introduction, the beginning of knowing you.
• List your Twitter account on your website, blog, all of your social media accounts, email signature and printed materials, if you have them, and provide a link to your Twitter account whenever possible.
• Pick a tweet-niche and stick to it since it is, in effect, your online brand. Most of my tweets are about business communication and using technology in digital marketing. However, I also throw in a few posts about current events, sports and fun stuff, such videos, to show the lighter side of my personality.
• Since most of the people you Follow will Follow you in return, using the previously mentioned tools will drive your Follower number up is a great way to increase Followers.
• Retweet (RT) the people you want following you. Most Twitters review their list of RT’s and if you are helping them spread their message it’s likely they will Follow you out of courtesy/reciprocity.

How you can locate topics to Tweet and Retweet:

• Follow your passions. If, like me, you enjoy social media, current events and fun-stuff, then post about those topics.
• Visit websites that have great content and either comment (tweet) about what you read or RT articles, posts and videos.
• Here are the sites I visit often for content.
  • Google (http://www.google.com) is my #1 source. When a topic strikes my fancy, I Google it to learn more and that often spurs a post.
  • The Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/home-page). WSJ is right in my wheelhouse as far as business reporting, quality writing and politics. I think the online subscriptions is, like, $69.00 a year.
  • YouTube (http://www.youtube.com) is my #2 source. I’m always amazed at what is available on YouTube. There’s a video on almost every subject imaginable and a lot of them are either hysterical or surprisingly informative.
• For information about technology and what technology marvel is coming next I visit:
  • Fast Company (http://www.fastcompany.com)
  • CNET (http://www.cnet.com)
  • TechCrunch (http://www.techcrunch.com)
  • Alltop (http://alltop.com) is an online magazine rack where you can pick up great information, current thinking, well-written articles and post about almost any subject.
  • There are a lot of great blogs and blogger directories online. Here are the ones I use the most:
    • Mashable (http://www.mashable.com) is a blog dedicated to social networking news and events.
    • Copyblogger (http://www.copyblogger.com) promotes itself as a site for “copywriting tips for online success” and, in my view, it delivers.
    • Problogger (www.problogger.net) helps “bloggers add income streams to their blogs.”
    • The Bloggers’ Bulletin (http://www.thebloggersbulletin.org) is an excellent source for “Tips, Tools and News on Blogging!” (Yes, this is shameless self-promotion since I’m a contributor. So sue me. Check it out, I think you’ll agree that the team is producing good content and helping a lot of people get started blogging.)

Final thought on behalf of all bloggers, most of us put a lot of time and energy into our blogs. We take this stuff seriously. So tell us how we’re doing? Is this information useful? What else would you like us to report on, discuss or teach? If you’re not comfortable making public comments, send me an email at shartkopf@aligned-marketing.com. I’d really like to hear from you.

It’s Wednesday, the only one this week. Do something remarkable!

Steve

Crush the Competition Contest

You can Win prizes valued at over $1,500.00!

Here are the prizes:

• A 1-hour Crush the Competition Session with me. In this session we’ll develop three new ways you can clearly differentiate yourself from your competition. In addition, you’ll receive a condensed version of my sales coaching webinar, including a 30-minute follow up session and a signed copy of my book, Communication Wins.

• A free professionally designed, customized page for Facebook, Twitter or YouTube from M3-SocialMindz (www.M3socialmindz.com), a leader in SEO, PPC and social media marketing. A professionally designed social media page sets you apart from the competition and is a great way to project your brand into online communities and generate new sales leads.

• A video Holiday Card (click on "Holiday Card" to see samples) from ImigPro, just like this one: www.imigpro.com. If you can’t get to their Charlotte studio, email your video or images and they’ll do the rest. This is a unique way to stand out in a  crowd and competitive world. Managers and executives can use the video-card to both extend a holiday greeting and rally-the-troops for 2010.

• A copy of Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book, Crush It!. Gary was using the power of video, social media and the web before most people knew they existed. In Crush It! you learn what Gary has to say about social media, why storytelling is your most powerful marketing tool and multi-channel monetizing. Gary has appeared on CNN, Fox News, The Today Show, and The Ellen Degeneres Show. 

How you’ll Win:
It’s easy. Write one paragraph, at least three sentences, describing what you like best about my interview with Gary and post it here, at www.aligned-marketing.com website blog page (it’s free advertising), under Comments (email address required to win). Then email your paragraph and additional comments to me at: shartkopf@aligned-marketing.com.

Bonus:
Those who tell me what you plan to do with what you learned from the interview will receive special recognition (it's a surprise!) for contributing to the community.  

Contest Rules and Prizes: 

• One winner will be chosen at random to receive our Grand Prize - the Crush the Competition Session, signed copy of my book, free professionally design social media page from M3SocialMindz and Holiday video-card from ImigPro and copy of Gary’s book.
• Five winners will be selected to receive the Crush the Competition Session.
• Ten winners will receive a personalized autographed copy of my book, Communication Wins.
• This contest runs from Tuesday, October 13, 2009, through Friday October 30, 2009.
• Winners will be notified by email on Friday, November 6, 2009.

Good luck!
Steve

The goals for my blog are to educate and entertain. The topics are almost always business related. I have veered into politics a time or two. With the warmth of Father’s Day still upon me I will use today’s blog to unleash my inner self-help guru. Ready?

The third act of life starts when youth begins to surrender to aging, our career may be hitting a plateau, our children are grown and our parents are no longer around to lead our fan club, connect us to our youth, and provide a buffer against life’s harsher lessons. This is also a time of growth and contribution. It is a chance to listen to the melodies of life and not just the drumbeats.

My third act began after more than 25 years in corporate America. The work began to feel routine and the standard corporate decision making process too tedious to tolerate. Change meetings came and went but, from my angle, were ineffective, pointless. The energy to get after the next big it waned. It was time to refresh.

I have always been driven to continuously improving myself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Spiritual improvement is the most important and rewarding. It is also the most difficult. It requires constant work outside of my comfort zone and constant adaptation as major decisions take on life-long and life-fulfilling consequences. As I pondered the next challenge I realized I wanted something enduring.

For most of us enduring means making a difference in another person's life, our children for example. But how do we do that on a broader scale and in a more systematic way? I believe one way is to do what inspires us, what we love. Doing that is a gift to the world and that gift can have unintended and potentially enduring consequences. There are no guarantees because there are never any guarantees. It's a shot.

To release my best on a personal level I focus on my strengths and share my own unique views and talents through my relationships, work and writing, which is my passion. To further extend my reach I decided to think BIGGER. But how? As is often the case, in order to look forward I began by looking backward.

Three characteristics make our generation different from our parent’s and those past. First is the “bonus round” of time, perhaps an extra decade or more, of active life that will be available to millions of people who have treated their body well. Second are the stronger financial resources and the desire for lifelong learning that tends to flow from having earned a college degree. Third is our desire to give back. Some Psychiatrists call this Mattering. What does that mean?
    
I think that means a rethinking of roles. Traditional Japanese and Native American cultures are a good working model. They offer a society where the roles of older people expand: We mentor the young, care for the sick, deliver justice, and tell stories that reveal the meaning of life. In sum, elders in these cultures ensure the spiritual well being of the community, the tribe. That sounds like internal growth and contribution to me so I plan to do more of it. Look out friends and family!

Oprah Winfrey said, “You’ve got to be in touch with your mind, body, and the spirit to live the life you were meant to claim. When all three are completely engaged, you’re able to fulfill your potential on earth. To own the abundant life that’s waiting for you, you’ve got to be willing to do the real work. Not your job. Not your career profile. But heeding your spirit, which is whispering its greatest desires for you. You’ve got to get silent sometimes to hear it. And check in regularly. You must feed your mind with reading material, thoughts and ideas that open you to new possibilities. When you stop learning, you cease to grow, and subconsciously tell the universe you’ve done it all – nothing new for you. So why are you here?”

What does any of this have to do with business? Nothing. Everything.

Aligned Marketing had a fantastic ISA Conference in San Antonio last week. Our technology partner Doug Schust and I scheduled 16 booth appointments. Incredibly, we ended up meeting with 28 companies and approximately 70 people! Here’s what we learned:

With sales declines ranging from 20% to 40% (and more), ISA members are truly open to new ideas and straight-talk. Conservatism is out and traditional fixes, such as loading distributor shelves with products or running sales spiffs, are considered ineffective. That was an important lesson for some excellent companies to learn.

Our sales strategy to confront ISA members was driven by our belief that (1) communication to external and internal customers is average at best and (2) websites that don’t generate new business, that are just an expense, need immediate attention. I admit, we’re biased on this issue since communication and technology is what we do.

Many of the people we met with have built good websites but virtually none of them have done much with search engine optimization (SEO). In our view, it doesn’t do a company much good to have a super website if their customers and potential customers can’t find it. Many people were surprised when we showed them our small company was listed #1 on page-1 of Google.

Similarly, everyone expressed a need for new customers but only a few knew that 70% of all new product and services searches begin online and that 65%+ of those searches begin on Google. Further, 91% of searches are abandoned if the person doesn’t find what they’re looking for on page one or two of their search results. Everyone needs a Page-1 Google Strategy.

Most members said SEO and video technology is expensive, it’s not. If you’re NASCAR you can spend $50,000 (whatever you want) on a 60 second video starring Jimmie Johnson. We’ve created high quality videos for under 5% of that number. In today’s market, technology is affordable for any size company.

Best of all, it is always a wonderful experience to re-connect with old friends and make new ones. It was a great conference for Aligned Marketing and me personally. I truly feel blessed.

Steve

The next two blogs are dedicated to low-cost websites and the the 5 top reasons websites fail to deliver business results. We'll start with $300 websites:

A quick online search for "web design", "web designer" or "web development" will return literally millions of pages. The Internet industry has no shortage of companies and individuals who are enthusiastic about offering "website design packages" for your business.

The ads read, "Get a 3 page site for $x!" or "5 pages and a free email account for $x.” The prices vary but the approach is the same. You arbitrarily decide how many pages you want and they'll build you a site to match, just place the order, no questions asked. That approach is simple and works well when buying a pizza, but it's no way to make a decision about a critical business investment.

Years ago it was common for a business website to be little more than an online business card or brochure, and those bought-by-the-page website designs were a reasonable approach. And while today's cheap web designers provide more graphically rich layouts than in the past, in the end you are still left with an online brochure.

Assuming your brochure-site can be found, and that’s a huge assumption, it may give prospects some basic information about your company, but it won't do much to increase your sales, profits, or improve customer relations. That takes a clear marketing message and an online strategy.

I'm talking about measurable results. This is how most marketing companies differ from those "$300 websites” providers. A sound Internet Solution is derived from true business objectives. It is built with specific purposes in mind and measured according to your business plan, sales goals and activity goals. Good solutions are scalable, so no matter what size your business is today you have the tools and flexibility to be larger tomorrow.

The bottom line is, if your website is costing you money instead of making you money, then you need to change your marketing strategy and online approach.

Steve

I leave for the Industrial Supply Association Conference in San Antonio on Monday. My technology partner, Doug Schust, a leading expert in Search Engine Optimization, is joining me in the Aligned Marketing booth (#1060). We'll be meeting with key executives from 3M, Columbus-McKinnon, Kennametal, Saint-Gobain (formerly Norton Abrasives), Snap-on, Stanley Tools, and several other leading companies.

Some of these companies may not be household names to my readers. However, in the industrial segment of our economy, these are big-dogs.

We plan on making a splash. Here’s what we’re doing:

• We’ve produced a new video for our website that will be viewable Monday morning, just as people begin to arrive at the conference.
• We’ll have Phase 1 of our SEO completed, which will place us on page one of Google for selected (secret) keywords.
• We’ll have our evaluations of every ISA distributor’s website and evaluations of selected manufacturer sites available for discussion.
• We’ll be passing out our new capabilities brochure that was updated in February 2009.
• We’ll have 60 copies of my book, Communication Wins, that I’ll be autographing and giving away during our booth appointments.
• We’ll have our new touch-screen HP computer with several vignettes promoting our communication, technology and video capabilities.
• We’ll be showing nine additional one-minute videos describing our capabilities and services.

I’m very excited about the opportunity to share our full capabilities with my fellow ISA members.

See you in San Antonio!

Steve

In the current economy budgets are tight, so marketers must maximize the return on every dollar spent. As such, marketing initiatives need to be extremely targeted and have measurable results that are beyond debate.

This is where offline marketing often falls short and online marketing excels. With offline marketing, management typically relies on estimates and educated guesses to determine results. For example, "our magazine ad was seen by approximately 25,000 people and, based on the magazine’s readership profile, approximately 5,000 of them are people that use our products and have buying authority." That’s not good enough.

Online marketing produces facts: The number of people who saw the ad, how many times each person viewed it, whether they took action – clicked-through -- or whether they made a purchase, signed up for the newsletter, etc., are clearly visible in the data.

Some online marketing initiatives are offered on a performance-based pricing model. That model guarantees marketers are receiving value. A company wants their target group to read a specific message, so it runs a pay-per-click campaign and directs the customer to a customized landing page where a personalized offer is made. Those actions can all be tracked and reported.

With today’s tools, we can tell you who clicked-through, as well as who didn't and when they left the site. Those hard facts provide clear accountability and a feedback loop that can be used to improve future campaigns. It is a virtuous cycle that leads to increased interaction, better customer relationships, and a known return on your investment.

Steve

A graduate student contacted me looking for articles and insights into recession marketing. There’s no single answer to that question. David Jones, global CEO, Euro RSCG, said in Advertising Age, February 16, 2009, said it well:

“The reality today is that we are all driving in fog [great line], and no one really knows if the fog will lift in one year, two years or more.”

That said, the data is clear: eMarketer's latest surveys show a significant drop in spending for media and advertising and a survey from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) indicates that 77% of US advertisers are cutting their media spending this year. Expenditures for search engine optimization (SEO), social media, mobile and lead generation are the exceptions, spending in these categories are up, which is more evidence that engagement marketing is replacing interruption marketing.

Back to the question, depending on your brand and value proposition, assuming you have one, there are multiple marketing paths available.

One path is WalMart's: They know their brand, listen to their audience and create messages to address (market to) their audience's needs. WalMart fills the "affordability" need and that is a compelling value proposition during a recession. In WalMart’s most recent ads they’ve focused on women’s cosmetics, which to many is both a large and, as it relates to price-point, discretionary expense.

A high-end or luxury brands need another path since they need to be more careful promoting "affordability," even in a recession, lest they undermine the prestige aspect of their brand permanently.

Nordstrom's has to be careful marketing affordability since they tend to serve more affluent clientele than WalMart. The reason is once the recession is over they may never get the prestige attribute of their brand back. They must work to keep their market position in the “Neiman-Marcus light” range and not drift into the “Target plus” range. Tactically that means they can discount sub-brands (Cole-Haan, Coach, etc.) one or two at a time and do more promotion of their private label, a lower cost option for a high quality product, but they can’t go all-in with everyday-low-pricing.

Nordstrom's best strategy is to focus; to hunker down (read: don't expect revenues to increase), and work on strategies and plans to take market share when the recovery begins, which is what they’re doing.

Here are some more examples of what companies are doing taken from Fortune, WSJ Online and www.a-moracle.com, a website we own that is dedicated to marketing and marketing research.

• Staples recently launched a group of high-quality private label products, such as leather portfolios. This was a channel strategy partially driven by the recession. They “went after customers who would buy those products in a mall setting – and won many of them,” according to CEO Ron Sargent.
• TD America CEO, Fred Tomczyk apparently likes recession-driven low pricing. He said, “Dislocation drives opportunity. In October we increased our marketing spend. We were able to get more share of voice for the same dollar because ad rates were dropping.”
• Partner and head of global customer strategy practice at Bain & Co., Rob Markey, made a great point: “Downturns are when the biggest shifts in market share happen. But don’t try to go after different types of customers. The companies that do this well focus on the customers that are at the core of their business.”
• NASCAR would seem to agree with the Bain approach. In August 2008 they announced that the "Southern 500" would return to the Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina in May 2009. Most of my hard-core NASCAR obsessed friends are excited about the return to, what they consider, a tradition. The first Southern 500 ran at Darlington in 1950 and was NASCAR’s first and only 500 mile race until the Daytona 500 debuted in 1959.They all seem to know this. Amazing.
• Christian Dior has decided to go more upscale by unveiling a $2,300 Trente bag as well as a line of Lady Dior bags that start at $1,400. “People are looking for value and asking for quality now more than ever,” says Claudia D’Arpizio, a Bain & Co. partner.
• Finally, Tiffany has taken another path; with holiday sales down 21% they reduced staff and marketing spending. In addition, for Valentine’s Day they began advertising gifts under $250 on their website (a lower cost channel than retail) to show that luxury can be more affordable. It will be interesting to see if there are any long-term affects on the brand.