Getting your brand priorities straight

Published by Mike Lake on June 27th, 2010 in category Branding, Promotions | Comments Off

I recently created a video for a client who is a franchiser to a number of small franchisees all over the country. I was asked to leave a blank 15 second ending so that the contact info of a particular franchisee could be inserted for their own use on their web site. Simple enough. It’s like the True Value commercials with the inserted billboard at the end for a manufacturer’s product.

I was asked by one of the franchisees to create an ending for them. They gave me their logo, contact information and a line of text for a 20% off special.

So I created the ending slide, and took the liberty of making a graphic box highlighting the 20% off special. I put it all together and sent it to the franchisee owner.

Within 5 minutes I received an email telling me that the special graphic was too distracting and took focus away from their logo. He asked me to just make the special a simple line of text in order to prevent it from distracting from the logo. Now, in fact, the logo was the biggest element on the page and took up about 1/4 of the screen. But, do you see anything odd about his request? Think about it for a moment.

What is more important to you: Your logo or an offer to motivate buyers? The offer, of course. The mistake this franchisee made is a common one for small businesses. They are more focused on themselves than on the customer. Many small businesses are so in love with their company and their branding that they think those things are of interest to the customer. Or, they think that their branding elements actually motivate buying activities.

They don’t. Does the logo of a company motivate you to buy? Sure, seeing a Starbucks logo tells you that your favorite coffee is there, so I’m not suggesting to remove your logo. But, understand that your logo is simply an identifier, not a purchasing motivator. Your offers are the most important element of your ads. Offers are what motivate people to call you, go to your web site, or visit your store.

So, when you are creating your next ad or flier, make your offer loud, because that is the element that will motivate the reader, listener or viewer to take action. Remember, fall in love with your customer, not with your logo!


The marketing gimmick NOT to give for a birthday gift

Published by Mike Lake on June 17th, 2010 in category Branding, Promotions, Strategy | Comments Off

Today is my birthday. YEA…

So of course, my email is full of automated well-wishes from vendors, social media sites,  and companies I barely know. The one that caught my attention was from Borders Books.

They sent me an email with a coupon for a free SMALL cup of coffee or tea. Now, I forgive them for not knowing I don’t drink coffee or tea. But com’on. A SMALL cup. I mean, that probably costs them less than a dime, right?

It said to me, “We feel the need to recognize your birthday, but we want to do it in the least expensive way possible.”

So, as I’m prone to do, Iwrote the head of marketing and told him that this birthday email has made me feel less about Borders. And I suggested that, rather than a small cup of coffeee, they should give a 20% discount on anything I buy today (and I can even use my discount card on top of that.) They’ll still make a profit, they’ll increase store traffic, AND i might even go to the cafe and buy some food, even though I WON’T be buying a small cup of coffee!

Here’s the lesson for you: Think of what you can give people that will get them to remember you. In fact, give them something that will change their life! As I’ve talked about many times in this blog, my book andmany marketing videos, it doesn’t need to be a lot. It need cost very little.

Think of the border’s 20% off. How many people will go into Borders on their birthday? So pretty much anyone they can get in there on their birthday is increased business, even if it is somewhat low margin, right?

What 5 page report can you write today that will help people with some aspect of their life that you work with? Then send that out to everyone you know, and ask them to send it out to everyone THEY know, and so on…

Read my previous post, “Free is the new discount”. Start thinking about the value you can spread that will increase your notoriety and brand image.

Oh yea… I’ll give you every Holistic Business Bounty product for free if you use the coupon code “free”. And I hope you share that with everyone you know, and that they share that with everyone they know…


FREE is the new discount – so here you go…

Published by Mike Lake on June 1st, 2010 in category Marketing, Strategy | Comments Off

Free has always been everyone’s favorite word. But in the age of web 2.0, free has taken on a whole new role.

Information is power, right? Well, the Internet has made information available like never before and much of it at the unbelievable price of FREE.

Eban Pagen, a hugely successful internet marketing guru has a concept called “move the free line”. The idea is that as providers of information, we should strive to give away the best possible value that we provide for free. Getting our best stuff into more hands spreads our influence, notoriety and credibility. So where will you move the line between free and stuff for which you charge?

It assumes, however, that your entire commercial value is NOT tied up in just one piece of information. You have Read the full article…


Do the small thing they will never forget

Published by Mike Lake on May 25th, 2010 in category Branding, Strategy, Success | Comments Off

As if I need any more reasons to love Apple. You know… iPods, iPads, Apple TV, etc.

Yesterday I got another lesson in Excellence, and it’s a lesson all of us can learn from if we are to gain customers and, more importantly, hold on to them.

My beloved Apple TV wasn’t working. Apple TV is that $230 box that allows you to download movies from iTunes and play them on your TV. It’s where I rent all my movies and buy most of them.

Well, it stopped working. That damn yellow light on the box was flashing, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop it. Calling the 800 number for Apple put me in touch with a very nice, professional man who quickly surmised that I needed to bring it in. So I drove an hour to take it into the nearest Apple store.

Another friendly professional man greeted me at the Genius bar (what a great example of branding!), hooked up my machine and within 2 minutes of tapping on his keyboard, told me that it was broken and could not be fixed. (There was a little more to his explanation, but in essence, the box had turned to trash).

The bad news was that it was 55 days out of warranty.

The good news was that he was going to give me a brand new one nonetheless! Hey, it was out of warranty!

While at the mall yesterday after getting my new Apple TV, I picked up a book by the legend, Tom Peters (In Search of Excellence). It’s called “The Little Big Things”. 538 pages about how BIG a difference small things can make in life and business.

Here’s one for you regardless of if you are running a $10 billion technology corporation or your own Reiki practice: Do something small that makes one customer never forget you. EVER.


How will you crack the code?

Published by Mike Lake on April 30th, 2010 in category Advertising, Branding, Strategy | Comments Off

There’s a fantastic book out there called Culture Code written by Clotaire Rapaille.

Mr. Rapaille has made his fame by helping half of the Fortune 100 crack the code on reasons people buy (or don’t buy) their products. This book illustrates how Mr. Rapaille uncovers the subconscious associations for everything from sex to food to wealth to Presidents. The word “Culture” in the title refers to the substantial differences people make of these various aspects of their lives based upon the country in which they live.

Now, there are a lot of marketers who conduct focus groups to determine what people want in, for instance, a car. But what Mr. Rapaille reminds us is that traditional focus groups tend to provide little real insight given that they are usually attended by people giving feedback on what they think the sponsor wants to hear. The questions also tend not to delve too deep into the subconscious. “What color do you like best?”

At the end of a three hour process lead by Mr. Rapaille, he is able to determine Read the full article…