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Do you ever have prospects who are very excited to work with you, so you get excited too, and then nothing ever comes of it?
Is there something you do differently with these prospects? Maybe get a little lazy because it seems like such a sure thing?
I'm working on an article about this "excitability in marketing," so if this has happened to you, I'd like to hear about it.
Please post your story and/or comments.
Last month, I was on the panel at the October Taste of Technology session that focused on email marketing (read about that here), moderated by Jennifer Sheehan of Technology Therapy.
During the discussion, we were asked about average "open rates" for email newsletters (that is, now many people "open" the message, according to the tracking through your email marketing provider). As the flood of email increases, open rates seem to be decreasing.
That's when the question came up as to whether, for an email marketing campaign, open rates and click thru rates are even relevant.
I suggested they might not be, based on an email exchange with my client, Bob Bly, who runs a very successful Internet business. (I had asked Bob to share open and click thru rates for his email marketing messages. His response to me: "We don't track that because we don't think it's relevant.")
What do you think? Do you watch yours? What do they really mean? How accurate are they? Does it mean someone actually read your message? Or just that their cursor happened to land on it? And if they do matter, what can you learn from them? How can you use them?
Please answer any or all of these burning questions.
Although our economic climate is changing and we’re facing some
uncertain times, many creative agencies are still thriving. I’m writing
an article for an upcoming issue of HOW magazine and would love from
you about what you are doing, or what you set in place, to weather the
storm. Are you doing anything different with your marketing? Are you
managing your finances in new and creative ways?
Email me your thoughts (peleg AT marketing-mentor DOT com) and you just may see yourself featured in the article!
It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts for clients and
prospects. But with this strange economic situation, things may be a
little different this year.
We're not sure yet what to do. I like to give something useful and relevant and not so expensive, of course. So we're tossing around a few ideas along those lines. (Here's my latest find for something decidedly not useful or relevant, but delicious nonetheless.)
How are you handling holiday gifts? Any different from last year? What are you planning to give, if anything? What resources and web sites do you recommend?
I love this article in Sunday's NY Times Week in Review section, "How Industries Survive Change. If They Do."
In it, we get a list of characteristics needed to survive the kind of turmoil the global economy seems to be facing.
There’s no clear route to cheating industrial death. Those companies that have survived technological challenges have in common some combination of perseverance, creativity, versatility and luck. Their precise strategies vary. Some made sweeping changes, and abandoned their original products entirely; others were able to endure by changing little but their marketing.
Do you have perseverance? Are you creative? Are you versatile? How's your luck? Three out of 4 of those items are within your control.
The article goes on to give example after example of companies and industries that adapted to a changing environment. Did you know that Toyota used to make textile looms and Nokia started as a paper mill in Finland? "These companies survived by keeping their ears to the ground. New customer needs emerged, and smart corporations positioned themselves to meet them."
Are you listening for emerging customer needs? If so, what do you hear? We're working on an article about how creative solopreneurs are doing adapting to the market. If you are, post your comment here and we may contact you for an interview.
As email continues threatening to bury us all, more and more people are coming up with creative ways of dealing with it when we've got to knuckle down and get real stuff done.
If you’re looking for a good place to visit on a regular basis for business articles and ideas check out the newly launched CreativeBriefcase.com. You can find a range of business articles targeted for creative professionals, newbies and veterans too. The membership site includes hundreds of articles about accounting, business planning, client relations, employees, pricing and marketing (with a few articles by Marketing Mentor too!). The site also includes a business directory of essential resources for all areas that can support your creative business. Check it out and let them know Marketing Mentor sent you!
We're big fans of Peter Shankman's Help a Reporter Out (HARO) mailing list here at the Marketing Mix blog. Previous guest poster and NYC-based feng shui consultant Ann Bingley Gallops is, too. Check out her latest experience with the list, and how she addressed the reporter in question to maximize her chances of becoming a journalist's resource.
I am on Peter Shankman’s Help a Reporter Out (HARO) mailing list. One of last Monday's editions (editrix's note: HARO goes out three times daily) contained the following query:
I responded immediately with the following email:
I signed off with contact information and a link so that the reporter could check out my credentials.
The result? The reporter contacted me immediately to ask about my background and experience, and out of over 30 respondents to her query, she chose me for her piece. She told me that unlike the other responses she received, mine was "the most sincere". I interviewed with her the next morning and will be going to her home for a sample Feng Shui consultation. The results will appear on BeautyNewsNYC.com throughout the month of December.
What did I learn? That “Be Yourself” applies in the field of media relations just as it does in so many parts of business life. This reporter didn’t want to hear about all the credentials I’ve accumulated until she was convinced that I was passionate about what I do.
I was recently in Toronto where I had the privilege of speaking at the 9th Annual Design Thinkers conference put on by the Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario. During my talk, called "Design Your Niche," I evangelized about the importance of developing one or two or even three areas of expertise so you can position yourself or your company as the "go-to" experts and charge a premium for that expertise.
I sometimes feel like I'm on a mission to persuade my prospects and clients how much wider the world opens up to you as soon as you start to focus. It's a bit of a paradox.
But creatives are notorious for avoiding focus, especially when it comes to focusing on a market. Why? Here's what I see: 1) You don't want to alienate any potential clients; and 2) you don't want to get bored doing the same work forever.
One excellent point about specializing came out of a conversation I had over dinner with Marketing Mentor clients, Jennifer Neal and Norm Lourenco of K9 Design before the event started (which was good because that way I could integrate it into my presentation). Norm said he thought many people probably already specialize in one or two areas but don't know it or, if they know it, don't position themselves that way, don't demonstrate it in their marketing or on their web site.
That's so true. In fact, sometimes all it takes is a reordering or the categorizing of your client list to show your areas of expertise.
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to sit on a panel of design experts and talk marketing and self promotion at the big AIGA Promo Show. This Orange County event drew top talent from the area and was moderated by Bryn Mooth, editor of HOW magazine. Check out this 8 minute clip of us discussing what kind of marketing materials are effective and what works for leave behind? I promise some interesting ideas and insights. More clips coming soon!
A series of posts documenting Marketing Mentor's search for a new tagline and what happened when we opened up the discussion to the Marketing Mentor community.
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