The Marketing Dock

This is a brilliant illustration of brand awareness combined at the top of popular news.

This funny video illustrates what two goofy guys can do with simple slap-stick humor to get a laugh.  They don’t make fun of anyone, they aren’t on syndicated late night television – they just do what they do best and make people crack up.  Think of this example when you begin your next marketing campaign – which doesn’t have to get complicated.  Just focus on who you want to reach (or in this case – who you want to make laugh).

It’s time to participate in social media.  So many business owners I know have signed up but don’t participate.  It’s well worth your time.  Running short on time?  Many companies like Seven Waves Marketing can market your business within the social media arenas for you – just to get you started.  Take a look at this video for some jaw dropping numbers and  inspiration.

Do Marketing and Diets Go Together?  You Bet. This is the best inspiration I’ve had in years and knew I had to share.  I subscribe to an email called “The Wt. Loss Minute By Linda Spangle, RN, MA.” Author of 100 Days of Weight Loss – www.WeightLossJoy.com

No doubt, these ideas can be applied to setting goals for entrepreneurs and your small business in 2010.

“Great idea: Pretend you’ve already reached your goals.

Usually we make New Year’s Resolutions on January 1st, and then spend the year trying to make them happen. Here’s a new way to motivate yourself without the typical resolution drop-out. This year, instead of creating a list of goals you plan to work on, I want you to pretend you’ve already achieved them.

Reverse New Year’s Resolutions

Yes, it sounds rather silly and perhaps impossible. But for the moment, let’s assume you’ve reached your goal weight, conquered your emotional eating habits, and built a strong fitness level.

Mentally fast-forward to one year from now. Picture in detail how you want to look, feel and live, now that you’ve met the goals you want to achieve. Next, I want you to write these things down as if they’ve already happened. You can be realistic as you create your list, but don’t be afraid to dream BIG.

Wow! I look great!

In your notebook or on a piece of paper, write “The date now is _________, and here’s what I’ve accomplished.” Then fill in the blank with today’s month and day exactly one year from now.

For each of the following statements, write an answer based on what you’d like to see happen in your life.

I now weigh: (record the weight you desire and believe is realistic one year from now)

My body feels: (use words such as strong, healthy, slender, thinner, toned, flat, etc.)

I’m exercising by: (examples include walking, biking, three to four times per week)

I’m pleased with: (perhaps things such as expressing emotions, self-nurturing, body changes, new attitude, etc.)

I’ve learned: (spell out your biggest challenges such as how to cope with stress, ways to manage emotional eating, etc.)

One sentence that describes my life today: (Dream big on this one!) Read it out loud!

After you complete your statements, read your resolutions out loud. How do you feel as you hear yourself describing your future? Does it sound possible? Wonderful? Scary? Are you skeptical this outcome will ever happen?

Of course, you have work to do between now and next year, but the picture you’ve just created can absolutely come true. For the next week, keep your Reverse New Year’s Resolution list where you can read it every day. Each time you read those words, you’ll reinforce your potential to make them a reality.”

So start your list and envision where you want to take your business or your personal life in 2010 – you’ll be sure to inspire others along the way!

Selecting a name for your business is one of the most important things you will ever do.  The beauty of the internet is you can reserve many domains which will lead to your main identity.

Here is something you may not think about:  is your business name easily miss-spelled?  Why not reserve the domain name of the miss-spelling and have your IT provider point this domain directly to your main site?

Do you know how people are finding your site?   If you see a recurring search theme show up for visitors to your Web site, why not reserve the domain for that as well.   For instance, say you own a coffee shop at Five Points in Atlanta and the name is WG’s Coffeehouse (for world’s greatest coffee).  While establishing a new brand is challenging, it’s even more challenging to have people find you.

By doing a little research, we find that the number one search for coffee in Atlanta is “Atlanta coffee”  but you are in a distinct neighborhood, so why not reserve the name Atlanta Coffee Five Points and have your web provider redirect this name directly to WG’s Coffeehouse.  The power here is in the search.  When your domain name matches search terms, then the higher your ranking will be in the engines.

What about your tagline?  Is the domain reserved for that too?  More on names later.

While visiting Asheville recently, I ran across a local magazine reminding me that what you do should be included in your company name.  If your tagline can reinforce what you sell or further describe the service you provide, then you have really hit the jackpot.

If you happen to have a limited marketing budget (and most do these days), then it’s critical you stick to this strategy.  Think of some everyday brands and go back in time for just a moment.  Without millions of dollars worth of advertising you would never know what Arby’s does, or Zaxby’s, or even Wendy’s.  In the burger wars arena – Burger King would have to be the crowned winner for immediate awareness.

Here are a few vivid examples I ran across in The Laurel of Asheville magazine:
The Organic Mechanic – www.organic-mechanic.com

The Energy Xchange – one of the first studios in the world to be fueled by methane gas in Burnsville, NC – www.energyxchange.org

A Bee Lovers Garden – Bee a solution to sustain the species:  www.Abeeloversgarden.com

Greenlife Grocery is a natural foods grocery and café.  www.greenlifegrocery.com

Seven Waves Marketing has just launched The Cradle of Prayer Website:  www.CradleOfPrayer.org

A totally unique project designed to bring eternal marketing value.  It’s a refreshing way to slow down a bit and make daily prayer part of your life through brief recordings of morning and evening prayers, scriptures and song.  Soon there will be morning and evening prayers available for every day of the year.  The first Sunday in Advent is FREE for you and opens with the first verse of the hymn “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emanuel”  followed by The Lord’s Prayer and readings from the Psalms.  www.CradleOfPrayer.org

Years ago I worked in a newsroom where the editor was feared because he kept a pet tarantula in his office.  Editors are well known for being sort of commanding and non-flexible, but I recall the time he made some hard-line comments on CNN Headline News just as it was making its debut on the cable channel.  The editorial read along these lines, “this is a disorganized and chaotic way to offer the news …. “  Well we all know that Headline News took off to become a success.

New technology is entering the marketplace faster than we can analyze it.  We now have “Dick Tracy” phones we hold in the palms of our hands, and we play virtual games to get our exercise.  Just the other day, I saw a demonstration for phones with TV screens you can buy for under $50 – priced low enough to give to members of your family.  It’s the Jetsons era coming into our reality.  (I’m still waiting on my flying car – which by the way,  could provide hundreds of new opportunities for small business).

There are many ways improve or streamline the way you do business by embracing new technology – but day after day I observe people choosing to remain in status quo.  There are many online applications like Google docs and spreadsheets which offer solutions for collaborative communication.  Slideshare is another online solution for presentations which allows you to share with others in similar professions or on similar subjects.  You can share publicly, privately or have a home base for your own webinar.  Take the time to look around for solutions – here is a great place to start:  Squidoo – where you will find easy to use categorized information on a variety of subjects (after a quick and easy signup.

In a recent blog by Seth Godin, he talks about new market innovations and says “The alternative to joining in is to sit out the game loudly. Don’t just hold back your support, organize your peers. Create a (sometimes illegal) coordinated effort to stop innovation. I’m not going to bet much on your efforts, but it will certainly outperform a solo effort.  Quiet, passive-aggressive whining in the corner is both annoying and ineffective.”

While walking through the neighborhood the other day, I noticed a guy coming up behind us on his bicycle seriously breaking his neck to see who my husband was.   I should have known – he decided to grab the USA Olympic weightlifting jacket out of the closet!  That would make anyone look  – sorry no famous face or huge muscles here, but it made the guy look.   Think about marketing your website and what people are looking for.  If a big hulky muscle guy had been behind that jacket then it would have been what the guy on the bike was looking for and the same goes for SEO or search engine marketing.

For instance, a client of mine has a cabin rental in North Carolina.  Do you know how many cabins there are in NC?   Trust me – the competition is fierce.  With a little persistence and a time, we finally hit on the right formula.  The Brooksong Log Cabin happens to be in Brevard,  but all the tourists want to go to Asheville.  A little more research tells us Asheville is one of the most popular destinations in the state,  with the Biltmore House, etc.  So one of the key terms we targeted is “log cabin rental Asheville”.  Bingo, we are now No. 1 in Google Maps – breaking all the rules with an outdated website and non-corresponding header tags. A new design is now underway so stay tuned (oh – we will lose rankings, but it’s winter season).