Is competition a bad thing?
9:12 am | No Comments »Easy answer? No. Competition is good. Very good. It makes everyone pick up their heals. It makes you do your job better. Competition is healthy. And no one is healthier that us.
Some of my favorite people work at CKBW. They’d be considered our competition. But my standard answer when someone tells me that they’re doing a radio spot as well as a print campaign, is this: “You’re a genius! Paper and radio work very well together. You’re optimizing your chances of a successful campaign by doing both.”
If someone told me they were going to put their hard earned dollars in one of those flyers that sits on the shelf at fast food places, I might say, “well, it is only $25, but you get what you pay for. There is a reason it’s only $25. But $25 can buy you a lovely Marlot.” Just my opinion.
My advice is this: Ask yourself the following questions before making an advertising decision. What do you use as a consumer? Do you read the paper? Do you listen to the radio? Do you go to fast food places and read those flyers? Do you go to a reputable website for your news and information? If the answer is yes, you likely aren’t alone.
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June 23, 2009
Good reads
11:01 am | No Comments »There’s nothing I love more that a book about self development. A quick easy read can really do a lot for getting you on track. I call them “shot in the arm books.” I always say if you don’t learn anything new from them, at the very least they can confirm what you already know.
These are a few books that I highly recommend. I’ve posted them from most recently discovered to books that I have had on my shelf for years, and dig out whenever I might need that “shot in the arm.”
She Inc. is a great book for helping you market your brand. You being the brand. If you want a promotion or to move to another opportunity, this is a great start. Admittedly this is directed more toward women, but anyone would find value in it.
The One Minute Manager is a really short read. I need to read this book once a year. Again, it doesn’t tell you anything you don’t already know, but to hear it again doesn’t hurt.
Who Moved My Cheese is a great book for anyone who relies on sales to live. It’s fun in it’s analogy.
Fish is great for anyone in a management position, or in charge of HR. There is also a movie based on the Fish philosophy. There are also other books along the same lines by the same author.
Managing Brand You is good as well.
Care to share any of your great reads?
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June 16, 2009
Honey or Vinegar?
1:44 pm | No Comments »We’re inundated with negative messages. On TV, radio, in the paper, even on this website that you’re reading right now, there is often bad news mixed in with the good. That’s part of telling the news. Being a positive person, I believe there’s a big difference between publishing news that might not be so good, and scraping up as much bad news as one can find and publishing it.
Have you ever had a friend or acquaintance who sucks the life out of you? Whenever they’re around, you feel sick and cranky? Your mood changes from good to bad? The literature you’re reading sets the tone for how you’ll react to the advertisements found there. We buy based on how we feel (click here for good read).
Before choosing to spend your hard earned marketing dollars somewhere, consider this: do you attract more bees with honey or vinegar? (assume that the bees have money and are your customers)
You want your product or service to be associated in a way that’s positive, fair and balanced, not frustration and negativity.
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June 7, 2009
Humour me
10:35 am | No Comments »The best way to market to your customers is to educate them. But let’s fact it, we love to be entertained.
You can educate your customers and still be funny. And if you can make them laugh, well, you may have yourself a new customer. Many times I see ads both in the internet and in print, and I may not remember what the ad was really for. Thats where consistency in your marketing message is so critical. But I will remember next year what these commercials were promoting. Why? Because they made me laugh. That, and I think if I find the child in the first one, I will make him mine.
Enjoy.
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June 2, 2009
What are we promoting to our children during this election?
12:03 pm | No Comments »I hope to write this post without showing any kind of bias, only observation. Marketing and promoting a candidate during an election is critical.
We hear election ads on radio, watch them on TV and on-line, and read them in print. We see signs on lawns and get phone calls at dinner hour. But is all this for not? We’re inundated with election propaganda, but I don’t know the plan for any of the candidates buying for Premier. I’ve had no one knock on my door. Yes, I know, I do need to take more of a leadership role in what I know about politics. But having said that, I went to the Obama site when he was running for President to find out why he was different, yet I haven’t done that for this election. Perhaps because I was inspired by him and maybe because of the hype, but I tend to think it’s because his camp made it really easy.
I read the Obama Plan for Change on Facebook.
By now, if a candidate doesn’t have a group on Facebook, videos on Youtube or a Twitter account, they might want to think about getting a new campaign manager.
After hearing and reading about all that has gone on in this election, I’m less concerned about how these candidates are marketing themselves during this election as I am disheartened at how their marketing politics to our children. Are we confused as to why they’re not engaged?
Lets talk less about what our opponents can’t do, and more about what we can. That’s what we need as a leader.
Here is a link to all of the websites of those running, and I encourage you to read up before Tuesday.
I have a bit of reading to do.
In alphabetical order:
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May 24, 2009
Let’s step into the future.
10:08 am | No Comments »It’s interesting you know.
We read everyday, and watch on TV, how newspaper people are nervous. Scared about the future of our industry. Laying people off. Putting their people under strict ‘no travel orders’. Charging their employees for the use of toilet paper. That last one was a joke.
Well I’m here to tell you, that what I just witnessed for the last 3 days in Montreal at the Ink and Beyond newspaper conference has left me with an excitement head ache. And yes, I’m sure the headache isn’t due to the red wine.
Imagine this: You’re walking down the street in Lunenburg. You have brunch at Trattoria Della Nonna, the Eggs Benny, yum. You receive a notice on your handheld device, that just around the corner from where you are, at Stan’s Dad and Lad or at Montague Fashions, there’s a sale that you won’t want to miss. 30% off. The goggle map picked up where you are. Then it shows you exactly how to get there with the GPS. You go and take a picture of the items you purchase and it shows you how to care for the alpaca wool sweater. You’re on your way home and hop on the 103 highway and you get a notice on your hand held devise that says there’s construction ahead. Dang. You take the next exit to avoid it and enjoy a lovely seaside drive. You take a picture of a boat on the water. The website of the boat-builder appears on your handheld device. It’s a Bill Lutwick boat. You can buy it right from your handheld device and pay for it with Pay Pal. You do, because this is my daydream and I say so. You stumble upon Indian Point Mussel Farm and you take another picture with your hand held device. A recipe for Creamy Mussel Chowder appears on your handheld device appears, so you buy 5 pounds.
This is not happening 5 years in the future. It’s happening right now in parts of the world. And soon enough, it will be here too. And just like computers, some people will resist it. But those who don’t will love it and they’ll require it.
So why does this excite newspapers? Well this is all information, and we’re in the information business. Parts of what I explained in my little daydream are possible right now. Like when I was in Halifax graduating from a course at Saint Mary’s and we were notified via Blackberry and the southshorenow.ca newsletter, that there was an arrest for Karissa Boudreau’s murder. While the news was unsettling, we were relieved that finally justice may be served for this little girl.
Their were people at our table from Halifax. At the same time that we received notice from southshorenow.ca about the arrest, people waited nervously for updates of a fire in an adjacent community, wondering if it had spread. They waited and waited and received no notification. People were calling family members, but because they were evacuated they couldn’t reach anyone.
Being a subscriber to our newsletter has it’s benefits.
One of the speakers showed an article written in the 60’s that showed what a home computer would look like in the year 2000. It was huge and barely fit in a room. At the time, I’m sure this was amazing! Of course now we all know that not only is it possible, it happened, and then some. Technology is happening so fast and while we might not be blazing the trail worldwide, we certainly are in Atlantic Canada. That’s exciting for me.
So I suppose the point of this is, newspapers are changing. Some of what I explained will not interest all people. And newspapers will still be here for them. For those who want more, admittedly me, multi-media companies will provide it. And that is what we have to be, and we are.
Maybe not tomorrow, but likely the day after that, South Shore businesses will have to adapt their marketing strategies to reach these people as well as those that reject technology.
Exciting indeed.
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May 19, 2009
Surround yourself with experts in your industry.
7:15 am | 4 Comments »Today I board a jet plane and leave for Montreal for the annual Canadian Newspaper Associations. For 3 days I’ll be surrounded with leaders in our industry. Some of them are to newspapers what Oprah is to talk shows. To say I’m excited is an understatement.
As much as this will be a pleasure for me, it’s all business, and by the end of it, I’ll be exhausted from information overload.
We’ll learn about how to make our papers and website more relevant to you the reader, and more beneficial to our customers, the advertisers. A lot of what we’ll be learning about it on-line content. What I take away from it, I’ll be sure to share it here with you.
Stay tuned.
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May 3, 2009
Video killed the radio star.
10:11 pm | No Comments »The Internet is a wonderful terrible thing. On one hand, you have copious amounts of information at your fingertips. You can get anything, everything, all that you need. That can be both good and bad.
In the newspaper industry, some have concentrated on the negative. Who could blame them. It’s just another attention diversion away from newspapers. But we’ve decided to see the positive and concentrate on the possibilities that this new media has open up to us. Possibilities that weren’t there prior to the Internet.
At one time newspapers were only visual. We were unable to entice our readers with sound. This is no more. Our newspaper website, the site you’re on right now, offers news video, interviews and video commercial.
There was a time that I’d go to a business and take a couple dozen pictures of merchandise, pictures of the store and even the owners. But due to the size of the ad or the budget of the business, I’d be limited to one or 3 (I always work in odd numbers). Now I may use only one for the ad, but with the addition of a voice over, I can turn that into a quick time video, just like that. Here is a sample of what I’m talking about. mainline-ap-09
Now your business can not only have a video commercial, but that commercial can lead to a sale by having the commercial link to your website. Your customers can contact you directly from your advertisement. No other media can do that.
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April 23, 2009
Advertise the positive.
6:11 pm | No Comments »Consistency with your advertising message is important. You want your customer or potential customer to know that they can always count on you. But at the same time when you’ve been advertising using the same graphics and the same information, week after week, month after month, it can get a little tiresome.
Do you drive down the same street to get home from work? You know where the stop sign is, and where the white picket fence is, and everything is very familiar and comfortable. But have you ever notice when one of the houses gets painted, and you think, “Wow, I’ve never noticed that house before.” Well, it’s not that you didn’t notice it yesterday, it’s just different today and with a new look and that draws your attention.
It’s much the same with advertising. You can send the same message just in a newer, more effective way. The best way to show you is with an example. Here is an example of an ad for an insurance company. It almost scares you and forces you to reevaluate the insurance your family has.
But by asking these questions of the business owner, they can take a fresher, more effective approach.
1-Who do I need to reach?
2-What do I need to say?
3-What would they respond best to?
If you answered
1-Mothers
2-We can help in times of devistation.
3-A safe and happy family
This might be more effective.
Here’s another example for the same type of business but attracting a different customer.
Again, ask those questions
1-Who do I need to reach?
2-What do I need to say?
3-What would they respond best to?
The answers might be
1-Farmers
2-We care about keeping your assets safe.
3-A thriving, prosperous farm.
Remember, it’s best to remind your customer about what they want and that you can provide it.
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April 16, 2009
Is there any such thing as free advertising?
10:37 pm | No Comments »Eyeballs aren’t cheap, or at least they shouldn’t be. Just like with anything else, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If an ad in a publication is so inexpensive that you find yourself saying, “Wow, that’s really cheap”, you should ask a few questions:
Who is seeing this publication?
What is the method of distribution?
How many people will be seeing it?
What is the cost per reader?
The answers to those questions might surprise you.
With the emergence of websites we have access to hundreds of directories, many of which are free to list your business. By devoting about an hour of your time, you could turn a pretty simple free listing into a great website presence. Take the directory on southshorenow.ca. Any business can have a free directory and you’re encouraged to personalize it to make it your own. Like this directory listing for The Two Chefs for example.
There are also hundreds of websites that charge you for your businesses listing. And again, I urge you to ask a few questions before signing up for any paid listing:
How many unique viewers does the site get per week? Unique means a new visitor. Any website can get a million hits if the creator visits a million times. Ask for documentation from an independent tracking service that illustrates their traffic. Here is a sample of ours.
What is the cost per impression? It’s important to know the cost before signing any contracts.
How is the website drawing traffic? With over 9 billion pages on the web, sites need to have something that draws people to it. Simply having a website with a directory isn’t good enough.
Explore the web and find out what’s available and take advantage for free directories.
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