Marketing – general

As Many As It Takes

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How many marketing plans does your business need? The answer is: as many as it takes.

A simple, single plan

If you’ve got a hotdog cart on the corner of 1st and Main, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll get by with just one marketing plan. You’ve got one business (the cart), with one division (the attendant – you), selling a single product (hot dogs on buns), to a single target audience (hungry people from the immediate vicinity who want a quick meal).

Your marketing media may consist of print (words on the cart & umbrella, a sign stuck to the window of a shuttered business) and audio (shouting, “Get your dogs here!”).

More variables, more plans

But once you start opening new locations, or adding new products or services, or even servicing different target markets, you might find marketing easier if you have plans that address those specific differences.

Imagine there are several buildings down the street on the corners of 5th and Main, packed full of law offices. Another cart down there (same business, new division) selling an upmarket product (new product) to a different target audience (lawyers with more cash, or using digital payments). This would require a different marketing plan. Instead of hawking cheap dogs, your marketing pitch might be for quality served quickly, in a wrapper that will keep food from falling on their expensive clothes.

That new target market will probably respond better to different marketing techniques. Hand drawn signs and shouts are less likely to draw them in.

Specific plans for specific differences

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a brick-n-mortar store, or a virtual business. As you begin to grow and diversify your lines, it’s inevitable that the things you’re selling will appeal to different audiences. Having a plan on how to best reach them – to introduce them to your products or services, and convince them to buy from you – is important.

I have a friend who has a business making earrings. One line is made from recycled paper, and the other line is made of metal and gemstones. Yes, they’re both earrings, and there is some crossover from one target market to the other, but not much. The women buying the brightly colored paper earrings like to buy several pair at a time, giving them a selection to wear throughout the week. The women who buy pairs from the gem line usually only buy one pair at a time, although both audiences buy from my friend an average of four times per year. But her message to each audience is not the same!

The paper earrings are at a lower price point, but her profit margin is higher. In her emails to that audience, she emphasizes the bright colors and wide variety. They’re inexpensive enough that the audience can afford to buy several different sets to go with different outfits.

The gem earrings are marketed as unique – no pairs the same. They’re made of more expensive materials, and are promoted as going with higher-end clothing. Something worn for special occasions. While the prices are higher, the profit margin is slightly less than with the earrings made from paper.

Two different lines, two different audiences, two different marketing messages – two different marketing plans.

But the basics are the same

Building those plans may seem difficult, but you can create almost all marketing plans using a basic template. I’ve created a checklist for those that want a framework. This free version will allow you to make sure all your bases are covered. I’m currently building a low-cost online course covering the checklist items in much more depth.

Download your PDF of the free marketing plan checklist right here.

Free PDF: Starting from SCRATCH

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No matter the size or age of your business, sometimes it’s good to step back and look at things as if you were a rank beginner. Imagine you were someone just starting your business. What are some great questions to ask yourself before you jump head-first into the deep end of the pool?

Aside from building (or refining) your marketing plan, the answers to these questions can help you build the culture of your company. What do you want new employees to know? How should old hands think about, and act towards, customers and prospects?

It doesn’t matter if you own a small business, or manage a division of a large corporation, these questions apply to you and your marketing efforts.

I encourage you to grab a copy of this PDF, and actually take the time to answer the questions. You may discover something about yourself, and about your business.

Got questions or comments? Please feel free to put them below!

Why Engage in an Appreciation Program?

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For years, I’ve told my clients that the first additional marketing program they should implement is a Certificate of Appreciation program.

  • It’s inexpensive
  • It brings your business to the attention of others
  • It makes others look good
  • It works

The Point

Presenting Certificates of Appreciation needs to be an ongoing program, and not just a one-time event. Why? Because the number one reason for doing this is to get your business mentioned by the media over and over again, across an amount of time. I’m not talking about days or weeks, I’m talking about months and years.

The second most important reason for running an appreciation program is to demonstrate to others that you’re “good folks.” That as people, you (and your staff) truly appreciate the good that others do, and want to call it to the attention of their customers and prospects. You should be seen as appreciating others.

Why Promote Others?

“If I award others,” goes the usual argument, “I’m promoting their business and not mine.”

And this is exactly why you shouldn’t pull 20 people into a room, and give them all certs at the same time. Each individual time you submit a media release, you’re promoting the recipient but mentioning yourself as the giver. Over time – say, each month over the space of a year – you’ve promoted the recipients once each, but you’ve promoted yourself twelve times!

Worth A Thousand Words

When you choose folks to whom you’ll award certs, make sure they know ahead of time you’ll be taking pictures and/or video clips and submitting them to the media. Each picture will mean a ton to the individual recipient. After all, very few people get their picture in the media unless they donate a wing to the local children’s hospital. So here’s something special for them to hang on to: a photo of them getting an award. If they’re lucky, they can get a print-out of the photo and the release when it appears in the media.

The Results

What are the results – the benefits to you – of running an appreciation campaign?

You’ve done something positive for many individuals, who will then be inclined to do something good for you.

You’ve promoted yourself and your business in a positive manner, over and over again in searchable media.

You’re building an image – that is, building a part of your brand – that says a large part of your personality is gratitude and appreciation. Those are positive qualities prospects look for.

The Cost

The most expensive part of these programs is the time invested. That’s maybe two hours per recipient; you travel to them, take a pic, write and email the release, print the pic and the release, and hand deliver those back to the recipient. You can buy the frames and the certificate paper in bulk, along with the ink or toner to print them. The desktop printer is a one-time expense. You’ll sink maybe $5 into each recipient. Over a year, you’ll spend maybe $60.

And for thousands of dollars worth of positive publicity, isn’t that worth it?

Have you tried an appreciation program? If so, what were the results? If not – why haven’t you? I’d love to read your comments below!

“Collaborate” Doesn’t Mean “Screw Me Over”

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The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines collaborate as: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor. Personally, I’d modify that a bit. I’d add something like: working towards a common goal, with a shared reward.

LinkedIn Connections

Over the years, I’ve had a number of people wanting to connect on LinkedIn who use the word “collaborate.” As in: “I want to collaborate with you on X – let’s connect.” Now, I’ve messaged most of these people back, asking exactly what they meant by using that word.

Here’s my first complaint – I never heard back from most of those folks. Frankly, I never hear from most of the folks to whom I’m connected. Let’s be honest – most people who reach out to “connect” on LinkedIn are collectors; they simply want to be connected to an ever-increasing list of people. That is to say, they’re more interested in the list than the people on it. Those who are interested in the people they’re connected to, want to sell to their connections.

And that’s exactly what the people who get back to me say. When they use the word “collaborate,” they simply mean “sell to (me).” They’re not interested in whatever goals I may have, and they don’t actually want to work on something together. They simply want to sell their service or product to me, have me pay, and promptly disappear.

Most of the folks who have replied to my questions have no idea of what Agile’ does, or what I might need. This is EXACTLY like walking up to a stranger and asking them to marry you.

When I see the word “collaborate” in a connection request, I read it as “screw you over.” Because, in my experience with connecting requests, that’s what it means on my end. “Hi! Let’s connect – I want to screw you over.”

Photogs & Models

I have a friend who is a professional model. No, not a supermodel – just a regular Jane Doe who has a decent body and some makeup skills, and is happy to spend her days playing dress-up. For cash. I’m unhappy when I see the phrase, “I’d like to collaborate with you” – but not as unhappy as she is.

Basically, when a photog says that to her, it means something similar as it does to me, but much more dastardly. When they say “collaborate,” they mean they want to waste her time and talents, make her travel across the country on her own dime, treat her like dirt, and then not pay her anything. In the end, they get all the images, and she gets. . . [wait for it!]. . . the experience. Wow, you know what they say – after 15 years of working in my field, the one thing I need is unpaid experience!

Let’s Collaborate

So here’s what “collaborate” means when I use it: if Agile’ collaborates on a project with a client (or any other company, for that matter), we work together on a shared project, towards a shared goal. We share the risks and expenses – perhaps not equally, but equitably. After the results of the project are in, we share the fruits of our labor. For instance, we often get clients who are looking to increase their marketing list, increase the number of sales a customer makes or their average purchase amount, or even increase their profit margin. We often collaborate with clients on those jobs. If our efforts don’t move the needle, they don’t pay. If our efforts meet the goals we mutually set, then they pay a certain fee. That fee is usually based on ROI – the larger the return, the more they pay.

Agile’ offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and I prefer it if everyone we work with does the same thing. You’re happy, or you don’t pay.

If you have questions, reach out. Comments? Post ’em below!

How To Save $485

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I use an Epson WorkForce printer in my office. I bought it a number of years ago, when it was first released. It’s very handy, because it can print on paper up to 13 x 19 inches. That means I can make mini-posters for clients right here, instead of having them printed elsewhere.

Lately, I’ve been having trouble with the printing. Specifically, the black print head has been leaving blank streaks, and what is printed is faint. I’ve replaced the ink cart twice, and it still wasn’t any better. I went online to look for a new printer.

I don’t need a scanner or a fax machine, so the closest thing I could find is a refurbed version of the next model up. Cost? $500 – and that was for the “cheap” one.

While I was looking, I came across something I hadn’t really considered – a cleaning kit, consisting of an oral medicine syringe and some “special cleaning solution.” That and the instructions would only set me back $15. Oh – and a week’s wait for shipping.

Now, I’d wanted to reach under the head and wipe off the nozzle, but for some reason, I’d never considered washing it from the inside. And now that I knew about it, I didn’t want to wait, either.

Somewhere, we have an oral syringe we got for giving medicine to our cats. Couldn’t find it. So I looked online again. Most places had them for about $8 – plus a week’s wait for shipping. Damn!

Just for the heck of it, I looked on the Walmart site. Found a kid’s syringe at my local store for only $3. After a 20 minute trip, I was back. I went under my sink and grabbed a pre-mixed spray bottle of Simple Green. I poured that in a juice glass, and used it to give my black print head three squirts of cleaning goodness.

Today, my printer’s churning out some great-looking black pages. That means I can now send back a wheel that doesn’t fit my new car – that I waited a week for.

Yeah, I think we have a problem with shipping, at this point. But I digress. . .

Anyway, between gas, the syringe, and my purchase of a huge jug of Simple Green at some point in the past, I figure I spent at least the same on all the supplies, as if I had ordered the cleaning kit. So by spending $15, I didn’t have to spend $500 for a refurbed printer. Total savings: $485.

7 Things to Offer Via Memberships

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1: Consumable Content

Text, video, audio, physical products, graphics – each post (or serving, or entry, etc.) expresses a complete idea. “One and done.”

2: Stackable Content

Like consumable content, except that each post builds on the previous entries, creating a larger, more complex item over time.

3: DIY Instructions

Recipes (for food, a physical product, a process, etc.) and patterns allowing the consumer to follow along, provide labor and materials, and create something.

4: Done-for-you Service

A mass creation, or even individualized for each consumer, this is the opposite of #3. You complete a service for your member.

5: Unsorted Library of Content

A collection of products, services, or information “all in one pile” that the consumer must go through on their own. They have to find what they’re looking for, and decide in what order they want to go through it.

6: Sorted Library of Content

Just like #5, except you group the items into categories, or sections, or whatever. You can also suggest an order for the member to go through it, but they don’t have to follow your suggestions.

7: Coaching or Advice

The member is responsible for making a product or performing work. You provide encouragement, advice, mentorship, etc.

Easy Way to Build Online Courses

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When you created an online course, the hardest part is coming up with – and then producing – the content. I mean the nitty-gritty stuff: the lessons, and the text/audio/video/PDFs that make up the content.

Or, that’s the way I see it. If you’ve got a simple structure, I’ve made courses where I just number the lessons, stack them in order, and then that’s how the student takes ’em. If you want to break the course into modules, and the modules into lessons, and add quizzes after lessons, then creating the structure of your course gets to be a pain.

Recently, I’ve been converting a couple of my books into online courses. I did the first one “all by myself,” making the content and the structure all by myself. But at the same time, I was looking into Learning Management Systems (LMSs). When it was time to create the second course on a different site, I took the plunge and bought a license for LearnDash. It’s a WordPress plugin that handles almost everything you’d want for running a course, including taking payment.

Look, building and administering one or more online courses is still work. But using an LMS to create the structure makes things simpler. You can just plug in your content in the places you want them to be. Want to re-order your lessons? Just move them around in a list. Lesson 3 becomes lesson 8.

But you still have to know what you want to teach, and then create the content to build the individual lessons.