by Scott Howard | Jul 20, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
As consumers, we put up with a lot of crappy service at times.
Like when we don’t have a choice, there’s only one place to buy ________ so we endure the unresponsive, ill mannered, or simply non-existent customer service that some places dish out. 
But even if you’re the only game in town, (or your neighborhood), customers can speak out and they will.
Take a former co-worker of mine who lives in Michigan. She complained on Facebook Saturday about the problems with her local grocery store. In Michigan they have a 10 cent can and bottle deposit for soft drink containers to encourage recycling. Read what she wrote:
An Open Letter to #Kroger
I’ve just returned from your store in Farmington Hills, MI, and I have a few problems to report:
* As usual, there was a long line of customers waiting to deposit their empty bottle and cans in the bottle return. And as usual, one or more of the machines is broken, causing still more delays for hurried customers. People are fuming.
Look, it’s the LAW in our state that the public must return bottles in order to receive their 10-cent deposit. That means it’s the responsibility of sellers to provide some means by which customers can return empties. You are not living up to your half of the bargain. I’d like to continue to shop at your store, but I don’t have time to play around with malfunctioning equipment, or closures while you wash the floor, or whatever.
* I stood for seven minutes at the deli counter waiting to purchase a salad. No one helped me; no one said “Hello, I’ll be right with you.” When the customers ahead of me were finished, the store employee turned away and went to the back. I walked away without my salad.
HOW LONG do you think I will continue to visit your store under these circumstances?
Now I know there are other stores she can go to and the real question is will THIS store respond? Will they also fix the problems?
As I read the comments, there were plenty of suggestions of other stores nearby that would like to earn her business.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. Take some time this week to do a customer service check with your business and see how well your staff is serving customers, because customer service is NOT optional.
by Scott Howard | Jul 18, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
A friend mentioned to me the old saying that “1/2 my advertising is wasted, I just don’t know which half.”
On one hand I agreed, but the reality is that there are varying degrees of good and bad spending, nearly nothing is clear cut black and white when it comes to the benefits and return on investment.
You need to prioritize your advertising to invest in what will get you the best return on investment.
Easier said then done said my friend.
Not so fast, I responded. There are ways to make smart choices and it all depends on you.
But you may need some help, and that’s why I’m here.
The friend I was having this conversation with last week is an expert in his field. He has the book knowledge, the hands-on experience and I would trust him for his services.
I would not trust him to make good, solid advertising decisions. That’s not his area of expertise.
Likewise, I shouldn’t be trusted to do his work, I have an observational knowledge and have done research on what he does, but I’m no expert in what he does.
Instead, my expertise is in the advertising and marketing world. I can and will help him generate new customers and clients who are looking for someone with his expertise.
The reason why that old saying about 1/2 your advertising being wasted is due to the inability of those trying to figure it out not having the expertise to know the differences.
You wouldn’t want your auto mechanic to remove your appendix just because he is handy with tools right?
Want some expert guidance on advertising and marketing? That’s why I’m here. Let’s talk.
by Scott Howard | Jul 15, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
A marketing tip for those born in the 1970’s, 80’s or 90’s from Mediapost:
Call Me ‘Boomer’
She’s a Baby Boomer. She’s also my wife 🙂
Language in the mature market space can be a minefield, with words like “senior” and “aging” getting a strong negative response.
Some marketers have found ways to dodge the language pitfalls with finesse:
One restaurant I recently came across offers the “Sunset Dinner,” a delicious four-course repast for a very reasonable price. Offered between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m. weekdays, at tables overlooking stunning views of a roaring river, it seemed obvious that this special deal targeted retirees. Many restaurants would have called it an “early bird special,” a well-worn term certain to make a customer feel ancient. However, “Sunset Dinner” sounds appealing and romantic.
As other marketers struggle to avoid alienating stereotypes about Boomers as this demographic heads into retirement, there’s good news: According to a 2015 Pew Research study, you can actually just use the word “Boomer.” This generation actually likes its nickname.
The study found that Boomers are more likely to embrace their generational label than any other age group. A large percentage of Boomers actually feel that their label fits them.
Seventy-nine percent of Boomers identified with their label, versus 18% of the silent generation, 58% of Generation X, and 40% of Millennials.
Boomers also had the highest percentage of those who think their label is a good fit.
Thirty-one percent said it applies to them “very well,” and 39% said “fairly well,” for a total of 70% positive reactions.
The other generations lagged behind in terms of thinking their labels apply:
Silents: 14%; Gen X: 38%; Millennials: 30%.
Some other interesting facts in the study:
- Boomers and the Silent Generation were generally more likely to see themselves in a positive light than Gen X and Millennials.
- Boomers were the most likely to see themselves as environmentally conscious.
- Boomers tied with Gen X as most likely to see themselves as entrepreneurs.
It’s interesting that Boomers’ positive view of themselves also extends to their nickname. Although many words are red flags for mature market consumers, the next generation of retirees doesn’t seem to mind the B-word.
Considering that roughly 10,000 of this generation will turn 65 every day for the next 19 years, it’s nice to know that the term “Boomer” may resonate more positively with them than labels like “senior citizen” or “retiree.”
by Scott Howard | Jul 13, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Media, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
I’m just going to toss out a few items and you can fact check them if you want because I’m not going to hyperlink the sources, there’s too many and I’m sort of busy these days.
I want you to answer a question… that question is what are you doing differently?
If you are using the same media mix to advertise that you were using in 2013, you need to re-evaluate. Some of the media platforms you’ve been using have lost viewers/readers/listeners. Other media platforms that were just getting started back then have become worthy of consideration.
Think about that pocket computer known as your phone. Every 18 months the technology capabilities of our computers doubles. The phone you got for Christmas, 2014 is old, broken, out of date, or you’ve already replaced it.
As I was writing this piece last week, I was using 3 screens. My laptop, my phone and I was watching America’s Got Talent on the flat screen in our family room.
A few days ago I was watching a TV show on Amazon Prime, streamed from my laptop to another TV via my Chromecast.
Every day I hop in my car and listen to at least 4 different radio stations. Besides listening as I drive, I sometimes hear a radio station when I stop to pick up my breakfast and I also sometime listen to the streaming of my favorite stations by plugging earbuds into my laptop as I have my afternoon coffee.
I don’t remember the last time I bought the local newspaper, or any newspaper for that matter. I have read stories from the papers, but it’s because I get a link on Twitter or Facebook that captures my attention and I click and read.
Those are some of the media habits I live every week in the summer of 2016. Some I’ve been doing for years, others for just months.
What about you? What is different about your media habits compared to a few years ago?
Your customers have changed some of their media habits over the years too. My question for you is have you changed your media mix to take advantage of the changes that are going on all around us?
What are you doing differently? If you want help figuring this out so your business can make money, contact me so we can talk.
by Scott Howard | Jul 11, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
Last month I got an email from Roy Williams that I’m going to share in it’s entirety.
Agree or Disagree? Contact me and let’s talk. 
10 Most Common Mistakes in Marketing
1 Inappropriate Use of Social Media
The whole world is on FaceBook, but is that the right place for your product or service to be advertised? To get a clear idea of the kinds of offers that are working well on FaceBook, go to the Success Stories page at FaceBook.com. Judging from this list of success stories, it would appear that FaceBook works extremely well for getting people together socially, not so well for hard goods and services.
(HINT: I think there may be a reason they call it “social” media.)
2 Overconfidence in the Value of Targeting
Jeffrey Eisenberg insightfully points out that, “online customers are exactly the same people as offline customers, yet advertisers tend to think of them as an entirely different species.” For the same amount of money it costs you to reach 5 tightly targeted customers online, you can reach 5 customers who have that same profile PLUS 127 of their friends by using broadcast TV or radio. Do you want your brand to be the one people think of immediately and feel the best about when they finally need what you sell?
3 The Assumption that Every Message is Relevant
Why does every advertiser believe their product or service category to be intrinsically interesting? More than information, entertainment is the currency with which you can happily buy your prospective customer’s time and attention. But most ads have zero entertainment value.
4 Fear of Criticism
Most ads aren’t written to persuade. They’re written not to offend. But any message that has the power to move people will always move some of them in the wrong direction. When you’ve written a good ad, you must brace the advertiser for the negative backlash they will receive from people who are anxious to be offended. The only alternative to this is to forever settle for ads that are mushy, mundane and mediocre. Please don’t.
5 Measuring Ad Effectiveness Too Quickly
Its claim to “instantly and accurately measure every ad’s effectiveness” is part of what makes digital marketing so appealing to advertisers. But didn’t you say you want your brand to be the one people think of immediately and feel the best about when they finally need what you sell? This requires ongoing advertising and longer measurement cycles. You cannot hold every ad immediately accountable and expect to build relationship with your customer.
6 Unsubstantiated Claims
Adjectives are the marks of an ad filled with empty rhetoric. Verbs are the marks of an ad that demonstrates its claims. Verbs – action words – “show” your customer what your product can do. Fluffy adjectives simply “tell” them. In the words of Christopher J. Maddock, “Show, don’t tell.”
7 Believing that “Old” Media No Longer Works
It is true that you need a website and that most customers are going to visit your website before making first contact with you. Therefore, it’s vital that your website be a good one. But if you believe that online marketing is the most efficient way to drive traffic to your website, you need to go back and read Most Common Mistake #2. Do you want to see a massive jump in the effectiveness of your online ads? Begin advertising on radio or television. But Take Note: your elevated metrics will make it appear as though your online efforts are working magically well when, in fact, the credit should be attributed to mass media.
8 Assuming “The Decision Maker” Is The Only Person You Need to Reach
Decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. You must also win the influencers if you want to create a successful brand. If you don’t value the opinions of influencers you’ll evolve into a direct-response marketer. But does your business category lend itself to direct response?
9 Believing that “Millennials” Aren’t Like the Rest of Us
Millennials aren’t a tribe, they are a collection of tribes. They do not behave as a single, cohesive birth cohort. Google “Millennials” and the dictionary definition that will pop up will show the word “millennial” most commonly used in this sentence: “The industry brims with theories on what makes millennials tick.” But when you look at a list of what millennials supposedly want, it’s exactly what the rest of us want. Yes, they’re not like we “50-somethings” used to be, but then we’re not like we used to be, either.
10 AdSpeak
People don’t hate advertising; they hate boring advertising; they hate predictable advertising. They hate the time-wasting, life-sucking sound of too many words wrapped around too small an idea. They hate AdSpeak. But they love entertainment. Learn to purchase your customer’s time and attention and goodwill with delightful, interesting, entertaining ads.
Come to Wizard Academy and we’ll teach you how.
Roy H. Williams
by Scott Howard | Jul 7, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
At WOWO Radio, I sell advertising. Wait, I really help businesses solve their Key Marketing Challenges.
Sometimes that includes ads on WOWO, sometimes that includes using our Federated Digital Solutions and sometime it’s both.
I’m about to show you data from Google Analytics from 3 of my advertising partners.
This business started with embedded live news sponsorship ads, 10 seconds long on WOWO in 2015. In March 2016 we added Custom Audience Targeting and a SEM/PPC campaign from Federated Digital Solutions.
The first source is people directly typing in the business URL, which we have been saying on WOWO 15 times a week for nearly 60 weeks. Number two on the list are the C.A.T. Display ads from Federated Digital Solutions. #4 and #5 are the SEM/PPC digital ads we are doing. (7, 9 & 10 are spam.)
Let’s look at another local business.
This business started on WOWO Radio with Live Endorsement ads in 2015 that include both their phone number and web address. They are an established name with over 60 years in business. In February 2016 we added Custom Audience Targeting and on June 4th took over their SEM/PPC campaign.
Again the results from our Federated Digital Solution campaigns are amazing. #1 on the list is the C.A.T Digital Display ads. #5 is the results from 3 weeks of our managing their SEM/PPC compared to #6 which are the results from 5 months of SEM managed by their old vendor.
One more to share today…
This is a local manufacturing company that sells wholesale. Their very specialized market is worldwide. We are only using a Custom Audience Targeting Digital Display Ad campaign that covers the entire U.S.A. No WOWO radio ads.
This is the results after 6 weeks. Once again Custom Audience Targeting Display Ads, (#1 on the list) is driving traffic to their website which was our goal. We’ve looked at the details of who the people are that are seeing and clicking on their display ads and we are on track to help them make a lot of money.
Questions? Ask me.
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
Spotify
TuneIn
Deezer
CastBox