Rigid vs. Flexible

Rigid vs. Flexible

by | Oct 16, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

In the “good old days” of advertising and marketing, a company would often develop a plan for the year and stick with it. That plan would include a budget for this, for that, and have expectations of growth base on doing better than last year, etc.

I still have companies that plan for things annually, which is smarter than not planning at all.

But if you don’t allow for some wiggle room, you could be missing out.

Missing out on an opportunity that you were not aware of when you had your planning meeting 6 months ago.

And what happens when you say, “No, it’s not in the budget”?

Someone else says, “Yes, I’ll do it.”

How does that add up when it is your competitor?

Here’s the math:

Let’s assign a value of $1000/per year to a new customer. Your numbers could be much, much higher. Let’s also assume that the opportunity could have brought you 50 new customers.

You say no. That means you are saying no to inviting potential customers to spend money with you. Using the numbers above, you said no to $1000, 50 times or $50,000.

Well, you still have your original plan, so everything should be fine and dandy.

Try and ignore the fact you turned down an additional $50,000.

But that $50,000 has also been taken out of the marketplace that perhaps you were counting on in your original marketing plan.

Now instead of losing out on increasing by $50,000; you’ve lost $50,000 in business that you were counting on coming your way.

How rigid do you want to be?

Before you jump ship and scrap what you are currently doing, talk to a professional who can help you evaluate what you are currently doing and the other options you have.  Yes, that is me waving my hand and offering you my services.

When I work with you and do a deep dive into what is really happening, we can make smart choices, not just emotional ones.

Last month I reviewed nearly 30 months of a marketing and advertising campaign for an advertising partner and we discovered a couple of things we didn’t realize until we took a big picture look.

You don’t have to be a current advertising partner for me to do this for you.  Just connect and let’s meet face to face and I’m here to help.

4 Questions About Customer Relations

by | Apr 22, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Take a moment and consider these 4 questions about customer relations:
If your best customer was also your best friend, what would you be doing differently in your interactions with them?

If your best friend was also your best customer, what would you be doing differently in your interaction with them?

If you treated all of your new customers the way you treat your best customers, what would you need to do differently?

If you treated all of your current customers the way you treat new customers, what would you do differently?

Take a moment and answer those 4 questions.

Write those answers and ideas down.

Only you know the real answers.

Now I have one more question.

If you implemented the changes and ideas you just wrote down, would your business be more successful and your future more secure?

Follow This Simple 3 Step Plan Before You Spend Any Marketing Money

by | May 14, 2015 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Really? The Personal ScLoHo, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

It’s #ThrowBackThursday, so I pulled this from the 2009 ScLoHo archives:
Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the day to day, week to week process of running our businesses and our life overall, we neglect to put together a plan.

Yeah, I’m going to toss out the big words for a moment and simply call this your Plan.

The most successful and the least successful people you know have the same amount of time each day. Time is the great equalizer.

However it really doesn’t matter how much you get done each week, if it isn’t a part of your plan.

My challenge to you, (and me!), is to create a direction you want to go and include why you want to go in that direction with your company and your life.

Then once you know where you are wanting to go, you can start to put together your plan.

Over the past 20 plus years, I have seen organizations that put together plans, without knowing what direction they wanted to go, and this is backwards.

I’ve also seen organizations without a plan and without a direction, spend money and time on marketing and advertising efforts that they should not have done; and if they had a plan, they wouldn’t have.

Finally, I’ve seen organizations that are going to stick rigidly to a plan and ignore the changes in the marketplace and as a result, die a slow miserable death.

Let’s wrap this up with 3 tips:

  1. Decide what direction to go.
  2. Put together a Plan to take you there
  3. Measure all the marketing and advertising opportunities against #’s 1 & 2. If they fit, consider them. If they don’t fit, double check your direction and plan to see if they are still relevant for you and if they are, then say no (for now) to those opportunities.

Tired of your Commercial?

by | Apr 16, 2015 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

From the ScLoHo archives, an article about radio ads with some timeless advice for #ThrowBackThursday,  (You can also apply this to your web ads and tv ads.)

You as a business owner, or advertising professional will grow tired of an ad a lot sooner that the public that you want to reach.

So if you want are starting to want to freshen up or change your ad, take your time. Hold your breath, let it ride for another week or two unless:

  1. The ad is out of date. (Please stop your Valentines Day Sale.)
  2. Uh, that’s about it.

You are more sensitive to the ad because you are paying attention to it. For the average person it will take some extra time and exposure for them to realize you have an ad, then for them to start paying attention and then for them to respond if they have a need.

So relax, and leave it to the professionals that study this. Or contact me and I’ll help you plan for success. Scott@WOWO.com.

 

Early Adopters & Late Bloomers

by | Mar 24, 2015 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

From the ScLoHo 2011 archives:

Changes are occurring faster and faster.

I’m sure my parents and even grandparents felt the same way in their lifetimes.

With the speed of technology improvements, it seems that what was last months new thing, is already outdated.

And there is no sign that any of this shows any sign of slowing down.

So how do you ride the wave of the next new thing?

Understand that the Early Adopters are always going to be looking for the next new thing. These people will not make you rich, but if they have influence, they can help push your new thing to Mainstream.

Once the new thing becomes Mainstream, the Early Adopters may or may not stick around, since they are always on the look out for the next new thing.

But Mainstream is where the money is at. If there is money to be made by your thing, this will be the time. If your thing becomes really popular, you will face competitors, more than you can imagine.

What about the Late Bloomers? Typically these are the hardest to convince. Usually no amount of advertising will ever move them to spend their money with you. Word of mouth and peer pressure along with a low price is what gets them to become your customer.

Once you understand this business cycle, you can create a focus, a strategy, and the tactics to make it work, and worry less about trying to please everyone, all the time.