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Where’s The Caring

February 7, 2010

Tags: Albany, business review, cadillac, chevy, hannaford, honda, price chopper, toyota, walmart
Categories: Ad/Marketing Agencies, Advertising, Brand/Reputation, Customer Focus, Marketing Blueprint, Marketing Message, Strategy

They may as well go ahead and declare today a national holiday. As I write this, Super Bowl XLIV kicks off in a matter of hours.

Tens of millions will tune in. Most for the game. Regardless – it’s what they call “appointment TV.” The Olympics start soon too. American Idol is in full swing. Fire up the DVR.

Pulling interest and creating loyalty to a group of stars or a certain concept is what network programming is all about. They seek the magic formula that will get you coming back for every episode. What gets you to care.

That’s your job too. What gets your customers to care about you?

The Albany Business Review has an article on Price Chopper’s (Golub Corp.) Fuel Advantage program this week. That’s the program that gives you a discount on gas for shopping with them. They’ve meshed two things you deeply care about.

Food and Gas. Basic.

The equation is even clearer for them because local competition is among just a few major brands. Although they are tough competitors – shopper in this market basically choose from Price Chopper, Hannaford, and WalMart when it comes to supermarkets.

You win the tug of war, more come to you. Of course, there’s a new match regularly. Each seeking that little edge over the other.

It’s more difficult to find the caring when you offer a product or service in an exceptionally crowded field. Or if you’ve basically become a commodity.

Now what?

In this scenario, finding the caring often comes down to who’s the more relevant to the customer. What are they looking for besides your offering? Is it comfort and trust. Personal relationship. How green you are? Convenience? Who your other customers are?

It’s somewhat different in each market category. Each geography. Your job is to find it. Find what’s most relevant to your targets and ensure that your businesses authentically offers it.

For years, saying something is the “Cadillac” of [insert type product of service] said it was the best of the best. A “Chevy” or a “Honda” (sorry Toyota) means affordable and/or reliable.

Find the caring. Be real. And find your customers.

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Flexible Not Permanent

January 18, 2010

Tags: Burst Marketing, businessweek, Recession, temporary workforce
Categories: Brand/Reputation, Business Development, Courage, Customer Focus, Decision Making, Economy, Management, Ownership, Strategy

The current issue of BusinessWeek features a story on the pervasiveness of a flexible, temporary workforce.

It’s not hard to understand why.

The Great Recession has made everyone gun shy. Using temporary workers is a way to hedge your bet. Wait until you can be sure business is back before taking on the expense hiring full-time workers.

26% of America’s workforce are “non standard” – temps, contract workers, and part timers. And from a risk-control perspective it makes sense.

But here’s a question:

Is your business part time? Is serving your clients and customers a part-time gig? How about sales?

The danger of a temporary work force is that they may have no real investment in your Company’s success. Caring about the job is a paycheck thing, not a customer thing.

Investing to add a qualified member of your team or paying to have a specific task done or hours filled -

Which is the bigger risk?

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Does “Free” Really Work?

January 3, 2010

Tags: 2010, Albany, Burst, free, marketing
Categories: Advertising, Customer Focus, Marketing Message, Strategy

Over recent years I’ve taken to reading a few business books that I think might be relevant over the coming year. Sort of a way to get the mental matter primed and ready to rock in 2010.

One thing I really want to know is what makes people tick after 18+ months of this oppressive economy.

So I spent a couple of hours in Borders and picked up a few books to start with. The one I started this morning already has my mind reeling. And I’ve only read the introduction.

Here’s why I’m a little freaked:

Greed (money, offers of discounts or “free” things, etc.) may actually interfere with getting a target to do what you want them to do.

Again. Paying Money or giving something for Free won’t work.

As I find out more I’ll keep you in the loop. Stay tuned.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Early Results on Holiday Spending

December 7, 2009

Tags: Albany, consumer, holiday, marketing
Categories: Advertising, Customer Focus, Marketing Message, Strategy

Reports of consumer spending over the Thanksgiving weekend, including Black Friday, noted that overall spending was slightly above last year’s. However, before we get all giddy, the numbers also showed that spending per person was down quite significantly.

It seems that many were taking advantage of discounts not necessarily to buy fun gifts for those on their lists, but rather were buying more expensive necessities that they couldn’t afford without the discounts. For example, sales of vacuums are up. As are towels and sheets.

Sure there are plenty of LCD TVs moving, but entry-level sets can be had for 50% of what they were last year. So the splurge is relative.

For current marketers, the implication seems to be that consumer (and most business) purchases will remain in the arena of “gotta have” vs “wanna have.”

Spending is slogging back – so long as interest rates and inflation don’t begin to spike. Your marketing message ought to emphasize the pent-up demand for obtaining the items that keep things running. Greater efficiency is nice too, but not at exorbitant cost. Some reasonable upgrades will makes sense too.

We’ll see how things develop. But start making plans to come out from your hiding places and keep it down to earth.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Pass or Fail?

November 22, 2009

Tags: Albany marketing, Burst Marketing, Customer Service, Lego
Categories: Brand/Reputation, Courage, Customer Focus, Lead Management

Here’s a quick customer service test:

On Saturday 11/21, Lego – they of Danish building block fame – put on an event called Lego Kids Fest at the Hartford Civic Center in Connecticut.

They promoted it in their magazine received by Lego Club members across the country, on their website, in calendars, all over locally and was picked up in many corners of cyberspace.

My son and his mom drove the 2 1/2 hours from Albany yesterday afternoon, he’s a Lego-head and a member of the club.

Turns out, they weren’t even allowed to get off the exit for the arena.

The event was mayhem. It was oversold and over capacity. The fire department started to eject attendees. Hundreds of 7 year olds stood outside with their parents howling in disappointment.

My wife called Lego in San Diego and a customer service rep said that they hadn’t promoted it and were taken by surprise. When informed that it was promoted everywhere an event could be, a supervisor came on and came clean. “I’ve gotten calls from several families. We just weren’t prepared.”

OK. Fine. A case of be careful what you wish for. Now we’ll see how Lego will respond.

What would you do?

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Don’t Take The Meeting

November 8, 2009

Tags: Burst Marketing, business meetings, communication, reputation
Categories: Brand/Reputation, Business Development, Customer Focus, Ownership, Sales Process

One of the worst things any marketing organization can do is to take a meeting for the wrong reason.

A face to face meeting is a prime opportunity to accomplish something valuable in a business relationship. So you need to be clear on why you want this meeting, and that whomever you’re meeting with has the same or similar understanding.

Recently, I attended a meeting where a consultant thought he was there to help a client develop an approach to solve a particular problem. However, the client already had a pretty good handle on the plan of attack, they simply were looking for help to hone the plan and to execute it.

This joint misunderstanding led to frustration for both the consultant and the client and ultimately a major opportunity was diminished.

Moral: We work hard and spend money to make and develop new relationships. Be sure there is up front agreement on the reason for an encounter and check in along the way to be sure you’re staying on course.

Your reputation and your business depend on it.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Vanity Made Me Stupid

June 7, 2009

Tags: Albany marketing, blogging
Categories: Blogs, Brand/Reputation, Customer Focus, Websites

Sometimes, even I don’t listen to myself.

Just ask my friends. There’s a lot not to listen to.

I use AWeber as my email service. It’s pretty good. Don’t like it as much as I thought I would. But it has some nice features that the other big names didn’t have when I started with it.

It allowed me to easily set up a blogcast each week. But it was deceptively easy and I was determined to design it myself…hey I know blogs.

Know your limits my friends, that’s all I can say.

I’ve changed the design of my blogcast template 6 times. It gets worse every time. I’d like to publicly thank those of you who’ve suffered though my stubbornness. Others didn’t.

Sometimes the teacher needs to be reminded of his own lessons. It happens to the best of us.

I’m going back to the drawing board. I’m hiring my web design partners to do a professional job.

Like I should have done in the first place.

Lesson learned.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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You’re Not Paranoid

May 25, 2009

Tags: 1 to 1 marketing, albany lead generation, Albany marketing, personalized marketing
Categories: Business Development, Customer Focus, Lead Nurturing, Strategy

That’s right, people really are following you.

As the world continues to shrink, the number of things competing for our attention has gotten way out of whack. That’s been a big problem for media outlets – TV, Newspapers and Magazines in particular.

So marketers have been keeping a closer eye on you.

Don’t be surprised. You used to be able to simply buy a list of “high net worth investors” or “dog lovers” or “golfers” or “cooking enthusiasts.” But now, those categories are way too big to be cost effective.

“Dog lover” is too broad. You need to drill all the way down to “Labradoodle lovers in Upstate NY.”

The era of 1 to 1 marketing is finally maturing. Mass advertising is inefficient. Enter “on-demand” TV. Direct mail needs more fine tuning. So add a personalized URL (PURL, landing page) to further qualify your list.

Finding your target is a tricky thing. Creating a virtual marketing “GPS” is the way to go. Surround your target and triangulate their coordinates. Then fire off your rounds of communication.

***************

In appreciation

As a father raising a growing boy, I don’t like that at all times, war wages somewhere on the globe…and that all too often our nation is caught in its grip.

Today, however, is Memorial Day. A day to put aside ideology and honor those who have followed their convictions to serve our country. I want to offer my sincere gratitude to all our veterans and to the memory of those who passed in service. My dad is a Holocaust survivor and neither he nor I nor my son would be here without the sacrifice of those in our armed forces.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Love The Ones Your With

April 19, 2009

Tags: Albany, albany advertising, Albany marketing, Albany Sales Leads, Albany Social Media, Branding, recession marketing
Categories: Advertising, Brand/Reputation, Business Development, Courage, Customer Focus, Decision Making, Marketing Blueprint, Strategy

Driving down I-75 in Ashworth, Georgia you can find what’s claimed to be the world’s largest peanut. I know what many of you are thinking – “Who cares”, right?

A giant peanut may not be your definition of fun, but for many others it may be just the right fit.

Millions of Americans take in one or two of the hundreds of quirky roadside attractions each year. The family roadtrip wouldn’t be the same without it. Neither would sales at the gift shops and local merchants surrounding these landmarks of kitschy architecture. They bet their livelihoods on it.

Albany Marketing - World's largest peanut

Business owners are often worried about alienating some portion of the marketplace. “If I focus my marketing towards older customers, that’ll put off the younger end of the market, won’t it?”

Maybe, maybe not.

One thing’s for sure though. If you try to be all things to all people, then you’ll be nothing to nobody. To be successful in your marketing efforts, you’ve got to stand for something. It takes a little courage. But think of it this way.

Square peg, square hole

If you were looking for the best steak in town, would you think first of your local diner or of the place with the picture of a cow out front? Diner’s have huge menus – there’ll be a steak there for sure. But the place with the cow and all the cars in the lot tells you that this is where your red meat craving will be satisfied.

Creating a business of excellence is naturally exclusionary. Developing your detailed expertise, your customer service, even your accounting process is all tailored to fit the unique relationship you have with your customers. It’s not meant to fit every type of customer.

Competing in a crowded market, especially in more difficult times, requires you to focus on the segment of the market that’s the best fit for your business. There are 300 million people in the United States. Almost 30 million businesses. And a couple more outside our borders.

For most, capturing even a small fraction of their market will constitute a huge success.

So don’t worry about pleasing everyone, it’s not possible. It’s not even desirable. Be who you really are. Be authentic. Strive for excellence – and you’ll attract your kind of people.

You’ll be more profitable and happier for it too.

Posted by: Steve Banis

Want to Know More about Albany Marketing firm Burst Marketing?
Visit us at www.burstmarketing.net

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Get In Touch

Burst Marketing

Where’s The Caring

Flexible Not Permanent

Does “Free” Really Work?

Here’s why I’m a little freaked:

Early Results on Holiday Spending

Pass or Fail?

Don’t Take The Meeting

Vanity Made Me Stupid

You’re Not Paranoid

Why choose us?

Get In Touch

Here’s why I’m a little freaked:

“Thou shalt never stop producing new content.”

Square peg, square hole