The Brand Perception Pt. 1.5

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I hadn't planned on doing another brand perception until January but I ran across an

article

that made me think. Recently America was captivated by the spectacle that is the presidential election this fall and for some reason my interest in it was for reasons other than politics. I wasn't into for the tax cuts, or the foreign diplomacy, or economic do’s and don’ts. My attention was purely focused on the public relations tactics used by both parties. This campaign may have been the most “branded” presidential race I have seen in my 27 year life span.

I chuckle every time I see the candidates walk across the stage to give a speech and rest on a podium that has their logo on it. A presidential candidate with a logo just seems…..misplaced. Trademarked logos make me feel like someone is trying to sell me something, which in a nutshell the candidates are trying to do. But why does the leader of the free world feel the need to brand him-self? To represent his (or pretty soon her)self as an entity rather than, what I always saw the president as, a protector.  The answer is clear my friends.....perception. Companies with the highest rate of success seem to have a clearer brand understanding among its consumers. With perception being everything, brands with a clearer public image are quicker to receive the trust of the consumer. Politicians understand this and bank the success of their campaigns on this theory. Something to keep in mind for you business owners out there.

The Brand Perception PT.1



.........Quick question?

How important is branding? Matter of fact what does branding even mean in today's society? In the scheme of business priorities, it always felt like the word branding was considered an afterthought. Like it didn't belong in the same conversation as terms like finances, administration and projections. It was almost like the word was crossing into the realm of a stepchild. My how times have changed and anyone who pays attention knows it has. Branding is now everything in today’s economy. If economics is the blood of the proverbial business body, then brand identity is the soul. For those who don’t know or haven’t paid attention to the term, branding is the personality of a business.
How it looks, speaks and how it represents itself in the public eye which begs the question. How important is your brand's perception to the consumer? Does it matter what the consumer thinks of your brand? Or does it only matter what perception the business wants?
For example, when creating a business, corporations use marketers, ad men, PR firms and etc. to create an image of themselves to appeal to their target market. Fashion companies like Ralph Lauren depict their brand as high end and cultured which is the general perception of the brand my most consumers. This is one of those cases where a brand’s perception of itself matches that of its perception in the market place. Now on the other hand, you have a company like Nike which has tried to recreate itself over the years from an athletic clothing company to a casual lifestyle brand. Their marketing over the last few years show images of people in non-sports related situations trying to convince us (the consumer) of this change. But when you think of Nike don’t you still think of it as the company that makes half decent cross trainers, as opposed to the company that makes a nice t shirt for Saturday night?
This is the conflict that most companies have to deal with in terms of how to portray their brand. Do you stay true to your (the business) plan, sculpting the image of the company as you see it? Or do we follow the perception of the consumer………decisions? 

The Value of Print: Misconceptions



Our last article spoke about the impact and importance of Direct Mail to your marketing campaigns. The best marketers can not only communicate effectively, but provide tools so their clients and prospects’ message cuts through the clutter. Direct mail is still an effective and valued tool to have in your arsenal. But, sometimes as marketers, we often forget that our audience (customers/prospects) are responsible and savvy, as well as try to be conscious of being eco-friendly. We too, need to make sure our message contains language that lets them know we are responsible environmentally as well as fiscally.

So with that, here is a good tidbit that can help clear up misconceptions about Direct Mail, the Value of Print, and its effectiveness, when it comes to the marketing mix.

Misconception:

USING PAPER KILLS TREES!

Answer:

Yes, the primary raw material for paper is trees, but they are a renewable resource. The trees in North America used for paper production come from well-managed forests or farms. Private landowners plant about 4 million trees every day, which is 3-4 times more than the harvest. (International Paper)(Print Grows Trees)

In fact, just 11% of the world’s forests are used for paper (as compared to 28% for lumber; 53% for fuel) (IP)

By providing a market for responsibly grown wood fiber, the U. S. paper industry encourages forest land owners to continue managing their lands rather than selling them for development or other non-forest uses. This is an especially important consideration in facing economic pressure to convert forest land to non-forest uses. (Two Sides)

Today the U.S. has 20% more trees than it did on the 1st Earth Day (AF&PA), which took place in the spring of 1970.

If you think about it, Forests “left to themselves” would perish due to disease, fire, and other natural causes.  

Misconception BUSTED!!! Now… Spread the word, and let’s go get personal!!!

The Value of Print Effectiveness: Direct Mail



Following is one of several valuable marketing finds that focus on the value of print and its effectiveness. Some would argue in today’s fast paced marketplace, there is little room for direct mail. But let’s take a closer look…

First of all, Direct Mail is an important part of any marketing campaign.

85% of consumers sort through and read selected pieces of mail every day! 

40% of consumers say that they have tried a new business after receiving direct mail!

73% of consumers prefer mail for receiving new product announcements or offers from companies they do business with as compared to 18% from email.


If you want to continue to be an effective marketer, you not only have to venture into the ‘new’ media to stay current, but you can’t abandon the tried and true ways traditional marketing, like Direct Mail, can add to your marketing mix. The key is to make it relevant so you can cut through the clutter and to make it personal! We will explore more on this subject in the weeks to come.

Somebody’s got to pay the bills...but who pays the price?


There are opposing views on the state of advertising that we are constantly bombarded with. One might think there’s too much especially outside traditional marketing and media arenas (TV, Radio, Print, Billboards, etc). Now, for instance, if you go online you can rarely watch a clip or view any video for that matter without there being some form of ad you have to watch first. On one hand, there’s the argument that it is a necessary inconvenience in order to not have to pay for each video, stream, or piece of music you want to watch or hear online. Another view might feel that it’s advertising overload, and it’s getting to be too much. So, as a marketer, what do you think? How do you feel personally when faced with it, and is it a necessary ‘evil’ as a marketing professional? Well, Tim shouts and The Intern weighs in…

Pro-Tim Shouts!...The way I see it, for example, if you are going to have a ‘free’ medium where you can view content over the internet, then someone has to pay for it, correct? Otherwise that would fall on the content or site holder’s shoulders. All they wanted to do is provide a service or content that others want to see. That doesn’t seem practical. The advertisers aren’t going to advertise for free either. So who else would be paying? You got it: those of us who are the content viewers. The internet or any social media outlet isn’t a right, it’s a privilege. And no matter what you do or how nice you try to be to provide that content, some will abuse it or try to exploit it. The same goes for just about any other non-traditional medium. Therefore, the necessary evil as it were, is to have paid ads that precede the content we really want to see. A mere or major inconvenience depending on your level of patience, but I’d rather wade through that to get to my coveted content than to have to pay for it myself. Personally, I love a good ad (especially if it’s well crafted), but not in my face all the time. Let’s face it, there are some obnoxious and poorly put together ads. In the world of instant gratification however, we are now relegated to make that sacrifice. You only need to ask yourself is the cost worth the price? I say yes! 

Con- The Intern weighs in…As a marketer I understand the war cry “more is better”,  “over saturation is better”, “over kill is better”! I get that. We all want more opportunities to push our product to the masses as quickly and efficiently as possible. It’s our job. I was a consumer 20 years before I became a marketer, and that bond runs deep. As a marketer I feel we all use that bond to do our jobs better and with that being said I have my own war cry: “common sense drums the unnecessary!” Advertising is slowly growing into the last drunk at the party who wants to spend the night on the couch and have breakfast in the morning. Dude, too much! All advertising has a purpose and that purpose is not to be a symbiotic integration in your everyday life. Going to the bathroom in a subway shouldn’t be seen as a opportunity to sell a Volvo. There is a personal space factor that I feel companies are starting to lose respect for and we the consumer suffer because of it. This epidemic has gone on for so long, and has rooted itself so deep in the fabric of society, that we forget it’s there. Case and point: remember when you could go to the movies and not have to sit through commercials?…….I don’t! It is one thing for Hollywood to capitalize on the marketing staple that is product placement in film, but it’s another thing to let it spill out even before the picture starts.  Sometimes I think ad executives actually sit in a room and say “hey I bet I can sell this guy a Mac before he makes it to the bathroom”. It’s everywhere and enough’s enough. Dude you’re invading my space!  

So, in conclusion, it seems that no matter what side of the fence you stand, if you are a marketer for your company or contracted to market for other companies, you know you will eventually explore content advertising outside traditional marketing and advertising avenues. If you haven’t, you are already behind. Effective exposure is the key to winning. Your main thought is to keep it simple, cohesive to your brand, make sure there is a clear call to action. As a consumer yourself, it is important to consider whether it will be regarded as something done well and subsequently viewed, or like many others, regarded as a mere irritant that carries no weight or impact with the end user. (Here’s a hint... try making it personal!)

Are You 'WILD' Enough?


“A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages.” ~ Tennessee Williams

WELCOME TO WILDBREW 2012!!!


When you think of being wild, do you immediately think of crazy parties, or being the one who can outdrink everyone at the bars, or doing something off the wall like jumping off the roof with an umbrella, or cow tipping? Or is your definition more like running and yelling in the night full of feral laughter with your friends? Yes, you could say all that and think of many other things that would describe ‘Wild’, but is that more like crazy, and do we truly know what being wild means? I share a belief that being truly WILD is more about real adventure, whether in the world, or in your mind. A personal or professional step that unleashes the caged bird and teaches it how to fly free, or that free bird that is taught the limitless sky lies before it. Only the true adventurers believe that about themselves and can, by their own actions, shine a light for others to follow. The question is… Are you WILD enough? 

There are so many ways you can take that for yourself personally, but let’s focus a minute on how  you can take that Wild spirit of adventure, and turn it into something of real value in your challenges of business. I give you a great example of this straight from the pages of Wildbrew 2012 in Tulsa, OK! Those of you attending this year’s event, WELCOME!!!  This event has been a labor of love for a number of years. From personal experience, it’s a wild adventure that embodies the best of Tulsa’s businesses, restaurants, entertainment, and the highlight of local, national and international beer brew houses coming together to support a worthwhile cause that benefits Avian conservation through The Sutton Research Center. It’s been an amazing event that embodies the best of all aspects of marketing and event planning. We applaud their adventurous and successful efforts year over year, that include the best of traditional marketing,  and adapting to the ever changing marketplace, that now include all aspects of social and interpersonal cross media marketing.  This comes from bright, creative, Wild thinkers and marketers who started with a simple thought, planned a modest event, that’s now something Tulsans look forward to as a premiere event of the year! If you haven’t moved toward this change in marketing automation strategy, you are already behind the curve.
 
One2one Marketing powered by JD Young is our newest division, and proud supporter and sponsor of such a break from tradition to WILD adventurous marketing tactics. These same tactics can easily be utilized in any aspect of marketing with any company. No matter if your goal is to plan a successful event, or to create awareness for fundraising, or just to generate high value leads and retain your customers, You too can break from tradition, and unleash your WILD side, and take your business to the next level. Stand apart from the competition! Challenge yourself! Talk to us about how we can help you and then… GO WILD!!!

Yet to be seen......

      Graduation day is a moment all under graduates look forward to. It’s a celebration of all the hard work, effort, time (some more than others) and money (again some more than others) that individuals have invested in their future. As you walk on to the stage and shake the dean’s hand there is a sense of over whelming pride. A understanding that you are now amongst the percentage of people who wanted more out of their education in order to obtain a better life. He hands you your diploma, well…..it’s actually the case the diploma comes in. You won’t get the real thing until you pay the $75 dollars left on you bursar account, education meet capitalism. Anyway, where was I. Oh yes, he hands you the “diploma” as you turn and see all your friends and family who beam with pride to see you accomplish your goals. It truly is a remarkable feeling. All students then rise, move their tassels on the other side of their caps to represent the transition from student to graduate, and then toss their caps in unison. It’s a moment that you will always remember…..until you realize you now need to find a job.

        In order to obtain a marketing job in today’s market, my experiences lead me to believe that unless you have a position waiting for you when you graduate you’re going to need a plan. Now it’s hard to say what will actually get you employed but it’s not hard to say what will provide the opportunity for you to get employed. With the way today’s job market is  one will need all the help he or she can get to break into a congested and competitive career field such as marketing. Here are three tips that may make getting your foot in the door a little easier.

1.      Use your professors: Contrary to popular belief most college professors are actually not as socially challenged as they appear. Use this to your advantage by taking the time to build a relationship with them by speaking to them after class and during office hours. Why you ask? Because most college professors have a pretty good amount of experience in your field, experience that they would be happy to pass down to anyone that would care to listen. Professors also still may have active ties to that respective field they could possibly connect you with if you’re deemed worthy. Make sure you ask plenty of questions and express your interest thoroughly and you might be surprised at the result.

2.       Be unconventional: Now when I say be unconventional I don’t mean go to the hiring manager of the local marketing firm, handcuff yourself to him with a sign on your chest that says “I’m dedicated”…..that would be stupid….and a little creepy. I mean use methods that most people don’t take advantage of to gain employers attention. For example, the internship, the most common of the uncommon methods. Why is this considered uncommon you ask? It’s because people have a tendency to want to get paid for their work and I’m not talking about being paid in hopes and dreams (experience).
Understand that experience is very valuable in the job market and could give you a competitive advantage against other applicants. Another unconventional method is the effective use of email. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to obtain interest from a company by simply emailing different employers. Using this method, contacting a person such as a director, manager and even some cases a president can provide information and exposure that you may have not received otherwise.

3.      Be annoying: Contrary to popular belief there is nothing wrong with a little persistence. Following up with contacts that you have made (see previous two bullet points) on a regular basis creates the impression that you are very serious about getting an opportunity. Now again, I said annoying ……not crazy. If you lay it on too thick possible employers might take it as a sign of desperation instead of dedication. Keeping the channels of communication open will also cause people to remember you, which can put you in a pretty good position when it’s time to hire someone.

       Understand that these three tips will not guarantee you a job, they’re not supposed to. They are meant to create an opportunity that isn’t currently there. By creating connections with in your field, making your interest known and following up with the contacts you have made, it will only be a matter of time before you find yourself at the door step of your career.

Marketers... I'm CALLing you out!!

Ok, so in my last blog post I discussed how important it is to protect your brand and the need to be consistent. I also introduced one of the ‘secrets’ to better your success in getting and keeping clients. That secret is having a better call to action message.
Taking a hint from Tara Horner of Marketing Profs, she says there are a couple of key points to address when building your call to action:
1.     Use the right words
2.     Lead your clients/prospects into your call to action
3.     Test, test and test again your call to action
Now, every call to action should be customized for each client/ prospect or campaign, so there is no straight rule on what to do, but following are three of six tips Tara has singled out, that can be followed in order to go from beginner to intermediate in a hurry. And to get to expert? It’s all about the testing! And you thought you were done with tests when you graduated huh? Think again!
1. Verbs
The first thing to consider when composing a catchy call to action is the introductory verb you will use. The very first word of your call to action should be a hard-hitting, action-calling, no-nonsense verb.
Keep the verb short and to the point, such as read, call, and click. Don't distract potential customers by throwing in nouns and adjectives that describe them; they know who you're talking to. Describe what you want them to do, and do so with confidence.
2. Show, Don't Tell
Do not, however, simply demand that a person do something. But instead, lead them toward a way to contact you very clearly, and if need be in a large bold way. If you, for instance, are doing a TV commercial, and you tell them to call now, make sure the number is visible and there long enough to get them to write it down to call you. If web driven, make sure there is an obvious link for them to click on and not search every where to find it. If appropriate-big and shiny button vs. ordinary click here button gets the most and best attention.

Make it easy like spoon feeding, and don’t give them an excuse not to contact you, especially if they are already there.



3.     Make It Snappy
 
You’ve heard that line right? Well, simply as it can be put, you want that message to hit hard and fast. Your prospects don’t have a long attention span so it’s important they know yours is the best opportunity of a lifetime and they don’t want to miss it. Make that catch phrase short and memorable. We’ve all heard them and repeat them all the time. ~ Do you hear me?... Can YOU HEAR ME NOW!!!?? …Right about now, you’re saying to yourself, now I’m going to have that statement in my head the rest of the day!...hahahahahaha!- Nuff said.
Next post I will give you the other 3 secrets to a better call to action. In the meantime, try to make it personal!

“Proper” Capitalization


I was recently dividing a data list, a list my client assured me was clean, into smaller lists to send out and test different campaign options.  While working on the list I noticed several records that looked like this.

Rj Mcgrath Ii, 4415 Sw Market Way, Springfield, Ks

Anyone who has used the “Proper” function in MS Excel or a script to correct capitalization in a database program will recognize this format immediately.  It is the result of trusting that function too completely. If you are new to data management it is easy to miss details like this that can adversely affect campaign results.

In the book, In Search of Excellence, the author tells a story about a frequent business traveler who refused to fly on a certain airline. When prompted, the traveler said that the last few times he had flown on the airline in question, the fold down tray in front of his seat was left dirty with crumbs and coffee stains from the previous flight.  When the author asked why he reacted so drastically to what seemed an inconsequential annoyance the traveler told him that if the airline could not be trusted to clean their planes between flights, how could it be counted on to properly maintain their engines?

Data is the engine of one2one Marketing.  If your data is not properly maintained, why should your clients trust you to do anything else?
Take Rj Mcgrath Ii as an example.  Why should Rj bother to read a marketing piece when its author hasn’t even bothered to capitalize his name correctly?  This is how Mr. McGrath’s record should read.

RJ McGrath II, 4415 SW Market Way, Springfield, KS

Simple capitalization scripts like Excels “Proper” function will read everything between spaces and beginning and end of cells as words and capitalize the first letter and make all subsequent letters in the word lower case whether that is correct or not.   Not only can this flaw be irritating to some segments of your audience, it can affect overall deliverability of direct mail pieces.

Common errors produced by capitalization scripts include:

1.   Initials – Especially common in company names.  Abc Equipment.

2.   Credentials – MD, DDS, LLC often end up looking like Md, 
     Dds, Llc.

3.   Mc names – McKinney, McDougal, McCall are usually spelled with the first letter after the Mc capitalized.

4.   ‘s – Often, after an apostrophe, a cap function will capitalize the next letter.

5.   Company Names – Some company names are meant to be spelled in all caps as part of their brand Identity.

Build trust with your clients, maintain your engines carefully.  Anytime you make changes to data, double check your work carefully.  It could be the difference between a successful campaign and one that crashes prematurely.

It's Time to Work Smarter

Newsflash… “We” are “They”! Ever wonder who ‘they’ are? Guess what… we are! Genius I know. No no… no thanks are necessary. This is a big secret revealed. Think about it. You hear all the time “They said this and they said that”… and then when it’s not what we want to hear or see or do, we ask who ‘they’ are. Well, wonder no more! So when evoking your marketing prowess for your company or another client, make sure ‘they’ get it. I’ve got a few more secrets for ya…

In the ever increasing competitive market place we are in, it is less about your successes and now about being a person of value… So… What is your marketing net worth? If you understand anything else in this post, definitely get that point. And in the famous words of Oprah Winfrey…. SECREEEEETTTT!!!

 I  recently attended an AMA lunch meeting that featured 2 attorneys that specialize in Trademarking and patents Law. Let me tell ya it was an eye opening experience. The thoughts that come to mind when you hear this is the lunch meeting you are attending brings in the yawns and need for more coffee right? Well, in some respects you could say that, but overall, you have to understand a little deeper the intent behind knowing some of the facts as it relates to your brand, your customers brand and what message you want to communicate as it relates to that brand. As Marketers, it’s more important than ever, especially in light of how fast information travels with social media and the internet. Bottom line: PROTECT YOUR BRAND! Either by promoting who you are through the logo, or tag statement. And then make sure everyone knows it and it’s properly protected. Don’t just assume that because you designed it or wrote it, and it’s unique, that no one could use or steal it. Happens all the time, and without protection, you are vulnerable. This little secret could potentially save you or cost you everything! For example, when asking for a tissue, how many have asked for a Kleenex? Or heard someone else do that? Now, name recognition has protected this brand so there is no significant loss or damage to its ability to be profitable. That’s not likely to happen to you unless you are as big as their brand. But even so, how does that one mindset on what you are asking for change if you are not Kleenex, and someone is asking for one but pulls out Puffs instead? Think about that one…

 I’m also a partner in a local, now regional BBQ sauce and competition company, and we routinely teach cooking classes (www.smokinfoods.com) . In our classes we teach basics and advance basics of BBQ and culinary Smoke and Grilling, but there are some ‘secrets’ that can help make what they do already even better, or easier in some cases. But we say Consistency is always key, and it’s your next best secret! Always keep it classy, but be consistent in your message as it relates to your business plan, identity, and direction of your company or client’s company.

And to that end, I will begin a series that gives the behind the scenes secrets to being a ‘smarter’ marketer. No matter what business channel you are in.

Marketing Secret #1  

YOU MUST HAVE A BETTER CALL TO ACTION!

One of the most important elements in any marketing materials, from a print piece or email campaign, is a strong solid call to action. If you don’t have one you are not telling your customer or prospect what next steps they need to take, and there is no sense of urgency that creates impact. Without that impact you’ll see little or no return on your marketing investment (ROMI). I’m taking a page straight from industry expert, Tara Horner of Marketing Profs. She has given 6 ingredients to composing a successful call to action. In my next post I will reveal those secret ingredients that will help you shape a better call to action. Time to be a meaningful specific (working smarter), and not a wandering generality (working harder). Let’s make it personal!

The $3500 Piece of Junk Mail

Most Marketers have heard this statistic.

“78% of all people read their mail over a trash can.”

My source for that statistic is a USPS/DMA Survey.  I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that number.  I’m pretty sure they didn’t go around and watch people open their mail to verify it.  One thing I can guarantee is that I am one of the 78%. 
We all get a lot of “Junk Mail”.  That’s almost all I get any more.  I probably average less than one significant piece of mail a week, usually a bill.  The rest of my mail consists of sale ads and special offers, credit card offers and insurance offers, even cleverly disguised offers designed to look like important legal documents or even checks to pique my interest.  I generally sort through this garbage on the short walk from my mailbox to my Kitchen trash can and dump most of it without giving it a second glance.  I usually know when to expect important mail and keep an eye out for it.
Tuesday is my big mail day.   I get a big wad of sale inserts like the ones that come in the Sunday Paper.  Some of them come from stores I shop at all the time so I usually look through them for bargains.  There are usually several direct mail pieces in the bundle as well.  Last Tuesday I got an offer to buy life insurance from a company that had used by bank’s letterhead to entice me to open the envelope.  I got a rebate offer from a car dealer that looked like a check.  I got a card sized envelope addressed with a hand font soliciting donations for something and another offer from a financial company that looked like a check.  I pulled out what I wanted and dumped the rest.
Later that night as I was preparing for bed, I realized that I was expecting a benefit check from a financial company that I did not usually deal with because they are benefits that are handled by HR at work.  It was trash night and I got an ugly feeling about my usual mail routine and went out to the curb in my pajamas and started digging through my trash.  I’m sure my neighbors thought I had lost my mind.  Sure enough, the “direct mail” piece from the financial company was actually a $3500 benefit check I had casually thrown in the garbage.
While I understand that I made a careless, stupid mistake, if I will throw away a $3500 check, what are the chances I’m going to read a piece of advertising just because it has my name on it.  Consumers are wise to all of our little tricks to get them to open our direct mail.  We’re not fooling anybody anymore.  If you want your marketing to get noticed it has to speak directly to each recipient on a personal basis.  If it doesn’t, it will end up out by the curb with my benefit check.

Call me “Jack”

I had a friend in college named Michael Johnson Ridgeway III.  Everyone called him “Trip” and he hated it.  His mom always called him Michael and in high school, his friends called him “Mike” and he was alright with that.  His sisters called him “Mikey” and he hated that almost as much as he hated “Trip” but his dad called him “Trip” and that was what stuck.  I always called him “Mike” because he cringed every time anyone said the word “Trip” around him, even if it was to warn him about possible walking hazards like rakes or extension cords. “Don’t trip over that!” would cause a seizure.   I ran into him a few years after graduation at a business convention and addressed him as “Mike” and everyone in his group started looking around to see if they had missed something.  “Call me Jack,” my friend said, “everyone calls me Jack now.”   (His great, great grandfather’s first name was Johnson and he went by the name “Jack”.)
Personalized marketing can be a tricky business.  Contact information alone may not be enough to truly grab a prospect’s attention.  Just because a person’s business card says “Michael Johnson Ridgeway III” doesn’t mean he goes by Michael, or Mike, or ever Mikey.  If you want your prospect to believe that you actually know enough about him to recommend a course of action, it helps if you address him by the correct name.
In my last post, I suggested you start a top 100 list of your most important clients and prospects and make sure it is accurate.  Before you start adding more prospects to that list, I suggest learning more about these contacts and using that information to market more effectively.  My favorite piece of additional information is the “nickname” field.  Adding that to your current data set is a good place to start. 
The label “nickname” can be misleading.  Most people that go by an abbreviated form of their full name like “Bev” for Beverly or “Bill” for William don’t consider these nicknames.  While you will probably want to address a mail piece using their formal names, Beverly Jones or William Smith, in the body of the mail piece you may want to use the more informal address. 
“Bill, we want to help you find the right car.”  Or “Bev, we’re having a shoe sale for special customers Saturday only.”
This will give the impression you are actually speaking to them and not some name on a mail list.  If a person goes by their formal name, go ahead and copy it into the “nickname” field so that it will populate the variable print piece correctly.
Depending on how you chose to market, other demographic attributes can help you customize your message to appeal to more specific groups within your prospect base.  Marketing to women differently than you do to men will, in some cases increase your response rate so you may want to add a field for “sex” into your database.  It is also common practice to market to different age groups with different messages.  By adding a field for “Date of Birth” you can not only customize your message, you can send birthday greetings to your clients, letting them know that they are indeed important to your organization.
Over time, adding information to your data base like buying preferences or budget cycles can also help the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns but adding the three fields I suggested today, “nickname”, “sex”, and “Date of Birth” is a really good place to start getting more personal with your customers. 

Missing in Action

We are all familiar with the acronym MIA.  Missing in action, and unfortunately that is the case with many marketing plans.  Excuse my analogy, but the fact is so many companies are very reactive in communicating their message.   In most cases when a marketing plan exists it typically focuses on mass marketing alone and on a campaign by campaign basis.  Personally, I think the epitome of marketing would be to change the reality of “Missing in Action” to what I call the “Marketing intelligence Association.”    I meet with various organizations and I find the following scenarios.  Don’t be ashamed if you fall into one of these categories.  You are not alone. 

      The non-believer
      No written marketing plan and don’t feel marketing is necessary

      The Reactor
      No written marketing plan but market on a project by project basis

      The Disconnected Marketer
      Mass Media, Social Media, Event Planning and Direct Marketing Programs exist 
      but are highly manual and not connected.

      The Auto-Pilot Marketer or Aggressive Marketer
      Detailed marketing plan exists that is somewhat automated and more efficient but
      not quite predictable, not completely connected and no way to track and
      measure.

      The Marketing Intelligence Association
      Detailed marketing plan that is highly automated, relevant, personalized to the
      different targets, predictable, completely connected and with tracking, measuring
      and a real ROMI

So which one are you?  Would it surprise you that only 4-5 thousand companies have made it to the “Aggressive Marketer” and an even smaller amount could be considered the new “MIA”
First, let’s face it as marketers our number one challenge for years has been to provide sales with more qualified leads and most importantly drive revenue.  In many cases, the sales team is still bringing in the larger percentage of leads which is a long process for most organizations that everyone wants to speed up.   Well, I don’t know what you are thinking right now but I look at this as an exciting challenge and opportunity for any marketer today.  With the technology available today, the right amount of research, marketing intelligence and creativity the only thing I’m starting to see that could be “missing in action” in the future is your competition. 

Now, let’s talk about how to become the elite, the new “MIA.”  This is what we have to become as a marketer.  What has been missing for so long is the information.  Not so much the information itself but the putting it to real use.  Our databases are a mess if they even exist.  And let’s face it an excel spreadsheet is not a database.  We don’t know enough about our prospects and clients and all too often we make too many assumptions on what we think they want and need without asking.  There are times we ask so we adjust our message, design and content but by the time we get it all launched their needs have changed faster.  We can all agree our most important assets in an organization are its people and its information.  We manage our people every day.  Sadly, we poorly manage our information and do not fully realize its power.   If we are not personal and relevant in our marketing messages not only do we not get noticed in the clutter out there but we will never get the results we desire. 
In the end, if we are not relevant, at the right time and at the right place we are all wasting our beautiful creative minds.  Therefore, we have to start at the basics and truly begin to analyze our customers and prospects.  Yes, the answer to becoming the “Marketing Intelligence Association” is to use our information to build relevant, personalized messages to our audience.  Now, I never said this was easy. It might sound like a huge undertaking but it is a process that you start and continue to grow.   I will admit it’s going to be a lot of hard work on the front end but the pay-off has proven to be huge for the brave. 

The Other Side of the Super Bowl . . . Marketing Made Primal.

Saturday, February 4th 2012. The night rain turns to a steel tipped mist that cuts through the city sky. All I have are my wits, my camera and a back pack full of Slim Jims against the unforgiving masses consuming down town Indianapolis. I’ve been separated from my party and thus parted from any method of extraction. I’m alone. Alone to do battle against the elements, annoying New Yorkers and the hell bound hordes of street marketers pulling at your being as if to drag you to the pit of damnation. No. This isn’t the cute cookie cutter commercials that you watch during half time from the safety of your own home. This is advertising at its most gritty, at its most ugly, at its most primal ……….I give you the Super Bowl, welcome to the jungle.

It’s 9:30pm. I have been standing in the cold rain waiting for my ride for an hour now. We’ve relayed locations and I’m starting to wonder if I’m going to make it out of Indy without losing a body part due to frost bite. While searching for my rescuers, my paths cross with numerous marketing street teams, trying to persuade and even sometimes force me to pay attention to their product. Flyer here, sample there. Scan this QR code for your chance to win whatever. I even saw a woman wearing fish net stockings in 39 degree weather standing on a wooden barrel twirling a hula hoop in order to get people to come into a bar…… I’ve got to get out of here.

What causes businesses to use these sorts of methods in situations such as these? The more important question is how effective are these methods, really? Out of the estimated one million people who passed through Indy, how many took those flyers and scanned those QR codes? I would understand more if it were local business using these methods. With the lack of resources that larger companies have, one has to do what is necessary in order to compete. However; companies such as the NFL itself were using these methods and it begs the question, why? People standing on the corner waving flyers just seems very 18th century to me. All that’s missing is the bell and Paul Revere hat.

I guess what I’m asking is, do we as consumers respond well to “in your face” advertising? I know I don’t respond well to it at all. It seems desperate and impersonal. In all actuality it makes me see the brand they’re representing in a negative light. I even came into contact with various religious factions using these tactics in order to spread their message. Everybody is clawing for attention, looking for the slightest sign of weakness before they attack. This wheel needs reinventing.

At this point I’m ready to give up. It was well passed 10:00pm with no word from my convoy. I had started to come to grips with the fact that I might have to find a hotel room for the night. But with the drastic increase of hotel room rates because of the game, it would make more sense if I just put a down payment on a house. All seemed lost. Lost, until I heard a loud honking which cut through the crowd with reckless urgency. My ride! I’m saved! Using the small amount of energy I had left, I sprinted toward freedom and away from the armies of overaggressive advertisers.

As the city faded into the background and I began to regain feeling in my toes, I was already thinking of ways to improve what I saw; understanding what is wrong and thinking of ways to fix it. How can we become better? As a marketer it’s in our blood to build a better mouse trap………the wheels are turning.

More from the Data Guy - Your Top 100

I recently downsized my life by moving into a small house in a pleasant, but older, neighborhood. With the kids gone I no longer need all the space and this is much easier to take care of. The only thing I really miss about the big house is the garage. When I first moved in to the new place a lot of stuff just got stacked into its small one car garage out of necessity. Boxes of unnecessary junk, remodeling supplies and materials, paint, appliances, tools all went into this cramped space. Before I knew it, my garage looked like this.
(Not my actual garage.)
The first winter came and went with record snowfall and by Spring I was determined to get my truck back into my garage.
I was working in my yard over the weekend and my neighbor stopped by and asked me if I had sold my truck. I laughed and opened the garage door to show him my F150 neatly tucked into its new home. He had seen my garage in its previous state and was shocked, “Dude, how’d you get all that stuff outta there?” he asked.

I answered simply, “A little at a time.”

Organizing your data can be a lot like cleaning my garage. If you try to clean up a mess that big all at once, it looks impossible, leads to frustration and ultimately failure. That’s why I recommend you begin with your top 100. Everyone has heard of the 90/10 rule. 90% of your business comes for 10% of your customers. If that holds true for your business, you should be targeting this segment for intensified marketing already. Chose fifty current customers who you believe could be spending more with you and chose the fifty prospects you believe have the most potential for sales revenue and build a database template using these records.

Sample Customer Data
This is what most companies’ customer data looks like, it’s contact information, and it’s a good place to start but you need make sure you begin with everything formatted correctly.

Always divide contact names into separate first and last name fields. You may want to add a field for middle name as well. When you use this list to personalize a mail piece, you don’t want it to read “Hi Elmer Fudd” or “Hi Elmer J.” You want it to read like you are speaking to a friend, “Hi, Elmer.” Make sure everything is spelled and punctuated correctly, I would suggest outlawing the use of all caps company wide. It’s a bad look on most marketing pieces and can be difficult to fix in most database fields. If you need all caps for a particular piece, most variable data software will let you format text that way regardless of how it is entered in the database, but none I know of will generate proper capitalization from all caps. Additionally, you need to make sure your contact for each account is actually the decision maker for purchasing your product. Marketing to persons not authorized to make purchasing decisions seldom bears fruit.

The address fields should be formatted using postal bulk mail requirements. You can find these here.

http://pe.usps.com/businessmail101/addressing/deliveryAddress.htm

You may not be ready to take advantage of bulk mail rates at this time but it could save you a lot of time, money, and headaches if you use these guidelines from the beginning. You may want to set up separate fields for a second address line, a PO Box, suite or room numbers, and a plus four zip code, depending on how you wish to organize your data. All of this information will have to be mapped to a mail file later so if you want to separate all of this data, you may also want to include a separate field for “mailing address.”

Phone numbers, especially cell numbers, should be entered consistently in the simplest format possible, either with dashes or no separators at all. Mobile marketing text generators vary, but most will allow these two formats.

Once you have all of these guidelines in place, enforce them. Everyone entering customer information into whatever system you are using should be held accountable for entering that data correctly and there should be consequences for not doing so. If these consequences include some type of financial pain, you will find you will always have good, usable data.

When all of this is done, you will be ready to begin tapping into the power of personalization. Next time we will begin to expand on this data to help make your marketing truly speak to all of your customers.

Allow me to introduce myself.....


"The Intern"

Webster defines the word internship as an advanced student or graduate usually in a professional field gaining supervised practical experience. The urban dictionary defines the term intern as an extremely gorgeous/handsome university student or graduate in their 20's that usually works for little or no pay in order to gain more experience. I feel that I lie somewhere in between the two.
            
Hi, I’m “Brian the Intern” and for the next few weeks I’ll be posting entries on the one2one blog, describing the experience of being a marketing professional from the perspective of someone new to the field. Just to give you a little bit of my background, I have a degree from the University of Central Oklahoma with a marketing focus, I have done a previous marketing related internship, I have worked on marketing related projects for several previous jobs and I’m currently playing the role of brand manager on a business venture I am partnered on. Needless to say, the world of marketing has been a huge part of my life for the last 7 years and I’m proud to finally call myself a Marketer.