Last April everyone was screaming about the Google update that would derank (word?) websites that were not mobile friendly. Well, mobilegeddon came and went without much fanfare… or did it? The Google Webmaster Blog came out March 16, 2016 with an update about the update. As of May 2016, Google will “start rolling out an update to mobile search results that increases the effect of the ranking signal to help our users find even more pages that are relevant and mobile-friendly.”

[thrive_megabutton mt=”FREE CONSULTATION” st=”Sign up today for talk with Mark!” color=”red” link=”http://www.hackworth.co/marketing” target=”_self” align=”alignright”]What does that mean?!?! If you have a mobile friendly website, you’re all set! If you don’t you could see your website drop out of search results on mobile devices including smart phones and tablets. Turns out a lot of people use mobile devices to search for stuff.

Back in 2015 Search Engine Land reported that “Earlier this year Google announced that for the first time, it was seeing more search activity on mobile than desktop.” When they first came out with that news it was just 10 countries which included the US and Japan. The other 8 countries were a mystery. Now the trend is worldwide. People be using their phones to find stuff!

How does this affect the local business person trying to make their way online? If you’re site is already mobile ready, you’re good! Maybe some of your competitors don’t really care about mobilizing their website and it will benefit you in the long run! If you’re not ready, there is hope. I’d be happy to talk with you about your online marketing efforts. Good news is that I offer a free marketing consultation.

And if you do not know if your site is mobile ready, here’s a handy tool from Google that will let you know: Mobile-Friendly Test. Now you know.

To sign up for a free marketing consultation visit Hackworth.co/marketing.

Do customers stand in line for hours on end through blizzards, hurricanes and earthquakes just to get their greedy little hands on what you are selling? No. No they do not. Unless Tim Cook, Michael Jordan and Kazou Hirai are reading my blog now the answer is going to be no for just about everybody. (Not gonna lie. I had to look that last guy up via the Googlin’ Machine. He’s the Sony CEO if you are as ignorant as I am.)

If you have not heard, Apple released this little thing called the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+. I called it the iPhone Super the other day because I’m cool and I’m getting dangerously close to the age of 40 when people start saying things like that. Weirdos like my good pal Brian Fanzo (pictured above in the scraggly Pirates hat) decided to camp out so they could be one of the first to have the new iPhones. I will not be discussing the sanity of those who have chosen this type of lifestyle. I will be discussing loyalty. That is what it comes down to. Brands that have created services or products that get people to react irrationally to their releases have created superior customer loyalty. I still love you, Brian, despite your questionable life choices.

Here Come the Excuses

I can’t create customer loyalty because … waaaaaa! We may not say it out loud but these excuses find their way into our little brains anyway. I will emphatically dispel these excuses and you will be eternally grateful for it.

• But they have an unlimited budget … Guess what? No one except for the US Government has an unlimited budget and that’s only because they can print their own money. A company can have some serious cash flow and still not be able to connect with their clients. Having lots of money just increases the chance of self destruction if they do not know what they are doing. More money can mean you are doing it wrong faster.
• But they have the best talent … True. They are much better than you. You should just give up. NO. That is incorrect and I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!!! Great companies do attract great talent, but we are seeing these guys at the top of their game. How did they get to that point? What’s the corny sports quote … “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Getting real: what separates the successful is not their talent but their refusal to give up.

I Want To  Go To There

Let’s get this straight. You may never have people camping outside your door for days waiting for something they won’t care about at all in two years, but you can still be highly successful in creating customer loyalty. I believe there are a few things we can all do to help people stick around and like us.

It starts with you. Every great idea started inside of a person. A person that knew who they were and what they wanted to accomplish. The Greeks graced us many a year ago with “Know thyself.” This still rings true as individuals and ultimately as organizations. Figure out who you are and why you are here. That leads us to what we can do for others. If you need help “finding yourself” I’d love to help you offline. You don’t need to travel the world to discover your inner child or whatever. Just come to me. I will show you the way. For realz.

Steve Jobs had a good handle on “knowing the why” as Simon Sinek has taught us. Think Different has driven Apple to do just that and in turn it has attracted people that resonate with that message in some form. Techies are quick to point out that Apple does not innovate in the sense that they only improve upon what other companies have already done. This is very true, but who they are has enabled them to make lots of cash money by staying on point with their internal mission.

Grind it out. I touched on this earlier pointing out the successful don’t quit. Part of the success of Apple has been their ability to get it right instead of being the first. They don’t hit the market first but when their product hits the shelves it works and people like stuff that works. It’s weird. The idea of not quitting works hand in hand with knowing who you are. Once you’ve pinpointed yourself and what you can bring to the table that is unique, don’t stop moving forward.

Think of our little buddy the tortoise from Aesop’s Fables. He knew he was not Usain Bolt but he never quit. SPOILER ALERT! He won the race. “But that is fable,” you say. “It’s not real life.” Listen, 99.9% of humanity does not do it perfect on the first try much less the second and third try. Just keep grinding.

Make people love you. Be a real person and talk to people in a real way. You’ve found out who you are. Don’t over professionalize yourself so that you look like everyone else. Business etiquette is a real thing so don’t go waltzing into a client meeting in your overalls and trucker hat. If you had to take that advice to heart … well … I am sorry. Someone has failed you miserably. People really do enjoy talking and getting to know other people. The whole relationship builds business works. Try it out.

People will also love you when you meet their needs. So don’t be so selfish. Lend a helping hand. Warning: you may have to do something for others with no strings attached! Actually this is recommended. This should be a life practice. Give with out reservation. It’s a basic tenet of nature. Sow something and in due time you reap something of like kind. It’s neat.

I have solved all of your problems so now I will stop writing. You are welcome. I now leave you with a special GIFt.

CARPE DIEM!!!!

If you liked this post and it made you a better person comment, share, print it out and tape it on the bathroom stall.

One of my strengths is making fun of things. Also, I have no friends. Anyway, buzzwords lend themselves to “pointing and laughing.” How can anyone be taken seriously when this is uttered, “We need to accelerate the actionable best practices in order to have end-to-end collaboration within our brand.”

I frequent some industry Twitter chats and the buzzword discussion will come up from time to time. Generally people agree that buzzwords are the pits, but that doesn’t stop marketers from using them. There’s a tendency for professionals to use industry terminology in order to show they know what they’re talking about. (This is what we in the “biz” would call “authenticity” but I won’t mention that.) I will mention that my eyes glaze over when “engagement” and “ROI” start getting thrown around. I have the sneaking suspicion that customers have the same reaction.

The question may be raised, “How do I let everyone know I’m the real deal and I actually do know what I’m talking about?” That’s it. Be real. When you’re hanging with your pals or walking your dog I doubt that there’s a whole lot of talk about “transparency” and “social proof.” That’s not to say that you go all “Who’s a good boy! Who’s a good boy!” when talking to clients. Of course, we adjust our discussion based on who we are talking to, but we don’t need to adjust who we are … unless you are Charles Manson then please adjust.

Marketing is about connecting with people as much as anything and people connect with people. So be a people. #GrammarWin

I have something that can benefit another person. How can I effectively communicate that to other people?

By acting like a person. Not by spewing terminology that only your industry peers are down with.

Breaking It Down

Here come the steps. There are always steps. This couldn’t be a real marketing blog post without the helpful tips. These are the steps to buzzkill.

Number 1. Realize you have a problem. That growth on your toenail is not natural. Get it checked out. Also, if you find your self saying “I’ve got a win-win rightsizing I’d like to run up the flagpole” you need to stop immediately.

Numero Dos. Find yourself. Who are you and what are you doing here? No, really. Give me your name and number, I’m trying to make a living here. You are unique. Buzzwords make you like everyone else. Don’t be like everyone else.

Point C. Make friends. So you may not be best friends with everyone in business, but you can always be cordial and make others feel comfortable. Buzzwords make others strain to follow along therefore they are uncomfortable.

Pièce de résistance: Solve a problem. People have business issues. You have the answers. Now that you speak their language they can stop, collaborate and listen. Dun, dun, dun, dada-dun, da…

Lastly … join #STAAAHPChat on social media. It’s an online movement that stands up to Buzzwords and says enough is ENOUGH! Whenever you see an overused and unnecessary term, slap em with a #STAAAHPChat.

Industry terminology doesn’t have to be left out in the cold completely. Don’t use it as a crutch to prove that you are knowledgeable. Buzzwords are too easy. If you want to really position yourself as an expert, flash them some uniqueness.

Jay Baer told us to Stop Worshiping Originality in a recent Jay Today video. I agree. There’s no need to constantly go where no man has ever gone before. It’s not possible. There is a need for every last person on earth to be themselves. That is unique. Show everybody that you know exactly what you are talking about.

Now let’s be proactive and take this immersive topic offline. ROI and stuff.

If you liked this post and it made you a better person comment, share, print it out and tape it on the bathroom stall.

Dude. You’re doing it wrong. Brash, I know … but the truth hurts. Your business has some marketing failures. I’ve been on your websites and social media profiles. I’ve seen your print collateral. Or worst of all, I’ve not seen anything and I don’t even know you exist!

We could all gather around, point our fingers and laugh at your utter failure, but we’re not going to do that. We are about building up. Not tearing down. Don’t feel bad if you find your “marketing self” on the following list. Today is a day of redemption! It’s not too late to turn the beat around as Gloria Estefan so wonderfully sang. That song will not leave your head for the rest of the day. You are welcome.

1. No strategy – What’s the plan, man?

If your business has a website, brochures and a bolded phone book listing, that’s not a marketing plan. Also, if you heard Joe Bob’s Fantastic World of Carpets had some success with Google Adwords or you got Wreck-it Ralph’s Auto Repair direct mail piece and decided to give it a go, that’s not a plan.

If you have no goal, you will not hit it. The World Cup is happening right now. It would be pretty useless for the teams to kick around the old fútbol without any goals. Nobody wins! Your customer won’t know you can meet their need and you won’t have any customers.

How do you formulate a plan that works? Know yourself, your brand promise and your customer. Once you understand who you and where you are going, you can get there. This will allow you to stay focused on the marketing that will work for you.

2. No call to action – Give them something to do.

Websites, brochures and all other marketing tactics are great, but if your potential customers do not respond it is pretty much a big waste of time and money. That is why a clear call to action on all your marketing materials is essential.

Many businesses are focused on what they want to tell the customer about themselves. “Oooo, look at the pretty pictures and the fancy artwork!” Yeah, that’s great and all, but in reality you want the customer to take action by purchasing your product, contacting you, signing up for your email list,etc. Make an offer that they cannot refuse. For instance you could have something like this on your pet care website:

“5 Tips to Keep Your Cat From Murdering You in Your Sleep” – Fill in your email to download now.

Sorry, I don’t actually have that whitepaper for you to download. This call to action gives the customer some useful information (you never can be too safe) and it gives you their contact information for future marketing correspondence.  A CTA works best when it’s paired with something people actually need or want, and that goes back to your plan.

3. No engagement – It’s called “social” for a reason.

Reminder: so•cial [soh-shuh l] – pertaining to, devoted to, or characterized by friendly companionship or relations.

Did you catch that? Devoted to friendly relations. If you want your social media to be successful stick with it and make friends. Who doesn’t like friends? He who wants friends should be friendly. Being friendly, in case you forgot, is having conversations with people, encouraging them, helping them out.

Social media is necessary part of your overall marketing efforts in today’s connected business environment. The key is to find the right social media platform for your business and be devoted to it. Social Media is not a fix it and forget it tool. You do need to fix it, though. Fix it and friend others.

4. No content – You’re the expert … let the world know.

If you had the wherewithal to start a business then you hopefully know something about what you are doing with your life. Knowledge is power, my friends. Sharing not only helps others, but it will make you feel good inside, too. Yay!

Maybe you do not have the literary skills of Shakespeare, but that’s not required. What is required is the ability to provide good answers to questions that your customers are asking. There are many outlets to produce content that connects with people: blog posts, infographics, video or a combination of all of those.

If you really struggle with creating content, find someone to help you out. You are still the source of knowledge. It’s always best to come from the originator, if at all possible.

5. No personality – If you’re happy and you know it, tell your face.

Generally speaking people want to be happy and if you can help make them that way it’s a good thing. Be yourself in your marketing efforts. Not all companies should follow in the footsteps of the goofy Old Spice or GoDaddy campaigns. Once again, know yourself and then be yourself.

Being in business should make you happy and if it does not find something else to do. We all have to choose how we face each day. We can address it with a smile on our face or with something else entirely that will not help anyone. Smiling literally will affect your mood for the positive and that should be carried out in your marketing tactics.

Make others happy with your message. You choose.

A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose. – Tom Wilson

You can do it! Tweak these marketing issues and you’ll see good things happen. Let me know what you think. What other marketing problems have you seen that need to be fixed?

Direct mail is soooo last century. Amirite? Actually, no. Direct mail works today.

Caveat alert! It works if you do it right.

How do you do it the right way? Two quick tips.

1. Audience: Know who you are trying to target and find those people. If you are looking for new customers, there are great list services that will allow you to get a bead on the exact market you need. Otherwise you should be building your own list. This is the most valuable asset you have. They already know you and hopefully they have already done business with you. This is what we in the industry call, “easy pickins.” No one says that in the industry, unfortunately. But I say it!
2. Message: Make sure you are speaking the language that your audience will respond to. There are many ways to craft a message, but the best message is one that your customer connects with.You must know them. Know thyself and then know thy customer and then craft thy message.

Some may have abandoned the tried and true method of reaching potential customers for new-fangled contraptions like websites and social media. A good overall marketing strategy will include all these elements and more.

Don’t be that guy. Deliver the mail. Just like Karl Malone.

I don’t think anyone has ever answered this question in the history of social media. So I’m going to take a crack at it. (Written in sarcasm font.) It is a legitimate question because the landscape of social media is constantly changing. The heavy hitters aka Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have established themselves as the go to platforms in the last few years but just because everybody is doing it doesn’t mean you should, right?

What about Pinterest, Instagram and Slideshare? Are they worth the effort? Can’t we just answer the phone and get on with doing business? What in tarnation is a hashtag? What is tarnation?

hash·tag

ˈhaSHtag/

noun

1. (on social media sites such as Twitter) a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic.

   “spammers often broadcast tweets with popular hashtags even if the tweet has nothing to do with them”

That clears that up. Now on to the rest of the post.

Facebook

Let’s start with the 800 lb gorilla or the 1.3 billion user network. Basically 57%  United States’ population is posting cat videos for their friends to laugh at while they’re supposed to be working. While “lolcats” are a great service to mankind how does this work out for the business user?

It turns out that Facebook is an important piece of the marketing puzzle according to a Hubspot study.

• 42% of marketers says it is critical or important to their business.
• 73% of B2C companies got customers via Facebook; 42% for B2B.
• 80% of US social network users prefer to connect to brands via Facebook.

Some other realities learned from the study include: auto-posting is not very effective, lead generation is difficult and the retail industry is most successful in acquiring new leads via Facebook.

If you are going to use Facebook, try to do so in the most effective way. Buffer has complied some stats that give us insight on what works best for engaging customers on Facebook. Think about utilizing some of these tactics on your next post:

• Photo posts get 39% more interaction.
• Shorter posts get 23% more interaction.
• Using emoticons increases comments by 33%.
• Question posts get 100% more comments.
• 35% of facebook fans like a page so they can participate in contests.
• 42% of fans like a page to get a coupon or discount.

Advertising has become a huge part of social media and Facebook is no different. This cuts through having to go out and find your target audience the old fashioned way via shares and likes. Facebook ads have gotten more effective, as well. As of the first quarter of 2014, clickthrough rates were up 160% from the first quarter of 2013. With this success the rates have also increased. During the 2013 holiday season the rates increased 120% over 2012. According to Adobe, 75% of the social media referral traffic to retail sites are being generated by Facebook Ads. So, Facebook is winning.

Twitter

In reality, Twitter is more of an information network than a social media network. News spreads fast  through the 750 million users. If you’re a recognizable brand and you drop the ball, the entire internet will know in 1.3 seconds — scientific fact. As we all know, good news will not disseminate as quickly and your tweet about your awesome new product won’t spread at all … unless your Apple.

In order to get the most out of your business experience on Twitter there are some best practices to follow.

First of all make sure you have someone dedicated to the cause of tweeting. Make sure they know your business and that they are not a knucklehead. Also, establish your voice. This should be done across all your social media. People like to deal with people. So make it known who is managing your account. Follow people and companies that are relevant to your business and then engage with them. That means retweeting, favoriting and replying. Have a conversation but only 140 characters at a time.

Buffer also supplied some helpful info on how to tweet successfully.

• Twitter engagement for brands is 17% higher on weekends.
• Tweets with image links get 2x the engagement rate of those without.
• Tweets with less than 100 characters get 17% more engagement.
• Twitter’s fastest growing demographic is 55–64 year-olds.
• Tweets with hashtags get 2x more engagement.
• 6% of user-generated tweets that mention brands come from mobile users.
• Twitter users who mostly use a mobile device are 181% more likely to be on twitter during their commute.

Twitter offers sponsored tweets as their advertising outlet. These ads show up on your timeline based on the information Twitter has gathered from your profile. You can choose to promote an account as opposed to merely highlighting a tweet. Also, a Twitterer can see ads based on their Twitter search. The latter has been more successful since it targets the exact phrase or word that a user searched. Reviews are mixed on whether or not Twitter Ads are effective. Buyer beware.

LinkedIn

At first glance it would seem LinkedIn is the perfect place to have your business social media presence. It is the World’s Largest Professional Network with it’s 300 million users. Of course, a whole passel of that network is looking for a J-O-B.

Today, I received an email from LinkedIn evangelist, Karen Yankovich, stating that LinkedIn is 277% more effective for lead generation than Facebook or Twitter. This information was released in 2012 by Hubspot. Two years is an eternity is social media so that stat could have easily changed. The general idea is that people visit LinkedIn with a business mindset so the content from your business will perform better.

The main three ways to promote your business on LinkedIn are a profile, company page and groups. If you do not have a profile on LinkedIn absolutely nothing is going to happen. This is the gateway to LinkedIn Land just like any other social media site. Fill out your profile properly. Make sure you get a good head shot with a smile. Some of the profile pictures I’ve seen are troubling. Make an effort, people! I won’t go in depth on how to have a show stopping profile here, but there are plenty of resources for that. Just use the magic Google box.

Now you can create a company page. Your company page is completely separate from your profile. If you want your 500+ connections to know about groundbreaking insights your company has you will have to share it via your profile timeline. Only the company page followers see your company updates.

Groups can be a very powerful way to engage with potential customers. You can join up to 50 groups. Choose wisely. What groups are your customers most likely to be a part of? Once you’ve joined, establish yourself as an active member providing real knowledge. Become an expert voice that customers can trust.

Adobe CMO compiled some useful stats on LinkedIn that will help you understand the landscape better.

• 47.6% of the users spend between zero and two hours on the network per week.
• 10.5% spend more than eight hours on LinkedIn per week.
• 64% of all social media visits to corporate website originate from LinkedIn.
• The ten most-liked brands on LinkedIn are B2B.
• 38% of visits to LinkedIn are via mobile.
• The average CTR for ads on LinkedIn is 0.025 percent.

As you can see LinkedIn also offers advertising. That click through is not that inviting. They offer native advertising which is the new rage that allows you to post ads that look like regular content. Facebook and Twitter also offer native ads.

Which One Should You Do?

That’s the $64,000 question, right? There is not a simple answer of “This works for business and this one does not.” Each of these major social media players can be used effectively to generate leads, raise brand awareness and generally make more money. The real question is directed back at you. Are you committed to make it work? Take time to make a plan, set goals and follow through. Having a successful business takes commitment and social social media is a part of today’s business world.

Everybody is not doing it the right way. Opportunity! Someone else’s lack of commitment leads to your opportunity for success. Be the social media voice for your market that everyone has to listen to.

You may be wondering about Pinterest, Instagram and Slideshare as I mentioned earlier. Soon enough, my eager learner, soon enough. Keep your eye out for the next post.

Tweet at me: @mark_markets

Facebook me: MarkSRowan

LinkedIn me: MarkRowan

My nine year old daughter lost her bid for Vice President of the Student Council by 20 votes. Obviously, I’m going to demand a recount. There had to be some hanging chads. We’re still determining whether or not a Congressional Inquiry is needed. Ok, ok, ok … she lost fair and square. Thankfully, according to her teacher, she took the defeat much more gracefully than I did. There’s a lesson to be learned here. I just haven’t figured out what it is.

In actuality, it reminded me that we often have failures in life despite our best attempts. My wife and I were very proud of Elena Kay because we know she did her best. The children of Holland Elementary were just not ready for her revolutionary style of governing. Marketing fails all the time. If marketing were a sports franchise it would be any team from Cleveland. (Sorry Cleveland. You still rock in my book.) This is a good thing. If marketing had a 100% success rate no one would have any money. The lack of winning should not and does not stop marketers. It also does not stop Cleveland from trying. Good job on winning the number one NBA draft pick for the third time in four years, Cavaliers!

Terrible Marketing Statistics

To back up my point about the utter failure of marketing tactics, here is some scientific proof.

• Online ad clickthrough rates – 0.10% ( that’s a tenth of a percent not 10%)
• Direct mail response rate – 4.4% (400 times better that online ads)
• Website visitor intent conversion rate – 11.94% (Winner!)

These success rates are almost as bad as the weatherman’s. Really, how bad are marketers at their jobs! What if the mail man delivered your mail to the wrong house 99.9% of the time? Of course, I’m being facetious. The comparisons I’ve made are not equal. If you get 10% of your targeted market to respond, you are doing great. All of the examples given are great ways to market your business if done correctly. Success with marketing can be measured in many different ways. As a business, it should ultimately effect the bottom line in positive fashion.

How To Know If You’re Marketing Really Is Failing

Really you want to know what is working. Sure there are industry averages to shoot for but each business must determine what works best for their needs. Here are three simple things to minimize failure and be a great success with your marketing efforts. Acquiring Target. No ladies, you are not going to buy your own Target to simplify your shopping needs. It’s about knowing what you are shooting for. If there is no target, how will the archer know he missed? Clearly define your objectives in marketing. There are several goals you could be trying to accomplish. Maybe one of these objectives:

• Acquire leads
• Sell widgets
• Increase followers
• Establish your brand

How Much Is It? You need to know the cost. Arrows aren’t free, you know. What are you spending on marketing efforts and how is that correlating to your revenue? Break out the Excel spreadsheet and determine what is going out and what is coming in.

Track it. In other words if the archer turned around after taking the shot he would never know if he hit the bulls eye. You are probably throwing lots of cash away if you do not have a system that allows you to know if your online advertising actually produced a sale. We’re talking about return on investment (ROI). Marketing efforts like social media ROI can be measured, as well. It may not be as easily quantifiable as a “$100 print ad brought in $200 of business” but the same principles apply. For more information on that subject check out How to Measure Social Media ROI.

The other day I came up with this great quote: Every failure is a stepping stone for success. Ok, maybe someone else said that first, but it absolutely rings true. That means you get 99 tries to eventually create a great online advertisement! I’m sure several years from now our family will look back and see our daughter’s first step and laugh heartily while eating filet mignon and enjoying the sunset from the veranda of her Vice President of the Galaxy mansion. And it will be worth it. Fail on.

When it comes to powerful media venues none is more so than a video. Well, that’s if its done right. If not, it can literally make someone sick at worst or cause confusion and boredom at best. So that begs the question what is the right way to do video? The answer, much like the rest of life, is not a simple one. It will depend on who you are, what you do, who you are trying to reach and what you are trying to say.

Who are you & what do you do?
If you are a law firm that goes with 3-piece suits and Italian leather briefcases don’t try to be the funny guy. Stay true to who you are. You won’t get the joke and most importantly your customers will not get it. Your video production will need to fall in line with the other marketing collateral your company disseminates. In cases like these, a production company will be the best avenue for videos.

On the other hand, if you are the funny guy and your workplace is a lighthearted, easy-going atmosphere skip the corporate feel. You can get away with having Billy from maintenance shoot the video and do some editing on your own PC. Don’t worry about having Stephen Spielberg quality production. Get your message out and have fun with it.

Who are you trying to reach & what are you trying to say?
Within your business you may have differing target audiences depending on the services and/or products you offer. This is the instance to tailor your message to those that will most likely see it. For instance, a corporate business working with individuals needs to make sure not to alienate the customer by being too impersonal. We are a media savvy society and can quickly spot an actor or corporate spiel. Use real people with real stories.

Secondarily, be aware of the subject matter. If the message is explaining your company’s trustworthy safety products, don’t have BoBo the Circus Clown giving your pitch.

Also, please use real people words. Not everyone that needs your products and services knows your special lingo. When your technician Raymond starts spouting off about the intricacies of the flux capacitor you’re sure to lose a hefty percentage of the viewing audience.

There are many options for video production. If a professional look is need there are video production houses available with high-end equipment ready to do the job. Most small to medium sized business will be looking for a more affordable option which would include small business videographers and editors. And of course, there is Billy from maintenance that knows how to edit videos. In house production is an ideal option if possible. Those on your staff know the business already and can articulate what you do and hopefully do it in real people words.

Your videos should be relevant not only to your company but to your customers. If you choose to do it yourself, get educated on best practices and and try, try again. Have fun!

It seems like every year the push to market Christmas starts earlier. I know my wife and I have had a couple discussions about the over zealousness of some to break out Christmas gear. I have it on good authority that the Christmas season starts in August next year.

In the world of retail, Christmas is the time to get in the black as people buy stuff like it’s going out of style … which it is. With the economy not zinging along as some would like, I can see why many retailers would be eager to stretch out the season. When the stores break out the tinsel early, the consumers naturally follow suit. Recently, Nordstrom hit the headlines when they proclaimed they wouldnot be decorating early for Christmas. They got a few pats on the back for their stance against the Christmas Creep.

I, for one, am all for Christmas cheer, but when it’s still a month out from Thanksgiving and the sleigh bells are jingle-ing. ring ting tingle-ing too, I do have some objection. Now, that it’s a week from Turkey Day, I’m ok with decking the halls. I’m sure you are relieved that I have given you the yuletide go ahead. Waiting for Christmas is a time honored tradition in America, but in today’s instantaneous society, we rarely wait for anything.

Good things come to those who wait. That’s a great phrase of truth. I give you permission to use it. The seemingly early entrance of Christmas season, has reminded me that everything has it’s right time. Pushing something into reality before the timing is right can be disastrous. Just ask Netflix. One of the problems they created in their recent change of service fiasco, was the idea that more and more people would be using the streaming service as opposed to their DVD service in the future. That is a safe assumption but not only was the idea of how to do it questionable but the timing was not right. Consumers were not ready for major changes. This lead to many subscribers leaving and stock prices falling.

As Tom Petty sang, waiting is the hardest part. This goes for all aspects of life, whether it is waiting for Christmas or waiting for the right business opportunity. Sure, there is always the need for working hard, taking risks and making things happen, but that should be balanced with the wisdom of waiting.

There’s a sweet spot for taking action. One good month of celebrating Christmas is about right. Once December 25th has past the celebrating is not quite the same. A week after is the New Year, a symbolic time to move on. Throw out the tree, put up the decorations and start that diet … again. So, we must wait the appropriate amount of time. Waiting too long to take action can lead to millions of disappointed basketball fans. Wait, what … no NBA!?!?

Somethings you can never wait to do or say. Tell your family and friends that you love them. Show your co-workers you appreciate them. The perfect time to do something good is now. In all other matters, wait for it … wait for it … wait for it …

Have you ever had the realization that a phrase you have been using your whole life makes no sense? I had this epiphany the other day while driving and asked my wife, “What does ‘brand new’ even mean?” Of course, through many years of hearing the phrase in context we understand that it means something new that has never been used. But where does the “brand” come into play? And then add “spanking?” So confusing.

The Phrase Finder helped my understanding immensely:

A hot burned wooden stake has been called a brand since at least 950 AD. To brand means to ‘make an indelible mark of ownership’, especially with a hot stake or iron … The earliest citation of ‘brand new’ is in John Foxe’s Sermons, 1570: “New bodies, new minds and all thinges new, brande-newe.” … It appears that whoever coined ‘brand spanking new’ did so by appropriating the imagery of ‘spick and span‘, the rhyme of ‘bran’ and ‘span’ and the meaning of ‘spanking’.

Well, that clears everything up nicely … not really. We may never really understand the origin of this phrase, but we can understand the importance of branding. No, not so we can keep track of cows. Your company should have an indelible mark of ownership in it’s branding, though.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

Laura Lake of About.com says, “It makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it is about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.”

Two areas of importance in branding are consistency and credibility. Your brand should have a consistent feel and should inspire confidence in your company.

Consistency. If you are tweaking your logo or slogans every month, you are confusing your customers. Pick a font and stay with it. Slogans do not change with the seasons. Debeers has been using “A diamond is forever.” since 1948. This does not mean you cannot have short term advertising campaigns centered around a specific statement or idea. When you are ready for a major overhaul in branding, be committed and go all the way. Having multiple versions of your brand floating around will also create confusion. The goal is to inspire confidence not incompetence.

Credibility. Does your branding communicate your expertise and professionalism? (Side note: Incredible means “not credible” or “impossible.” It does not mean “really credible.” You’re welcome.) Pulling your logo out of Word’s clip art catalog is not choice number one for establishing credibility. Significant time is needed to research your target audience and then marry that information to what you offer in order to successfully brand your company.

Branding is very important to the overall success of any company. If customers cannot figure who you are, what you do and why they should purchase from you in a short period of time it decreases the probability of capturing their confidence and winning their business.  Today, make a brand spanking new effort to have consistent, credible branding … until the cows come home.