Sorry, Guys: There Is No Marketing Silver Bullet

As an agency (and you as a business owner or manager), we are constantly hit with a barrage of the newest, best, latest and greatest ideas to hit the advertising marketplace.  While there is probably a place for most of these ideas in someone's marketing plan, there is absolutely not one singular item that will solve all of your marketing woes.  Despite what you might hear, there is no silver bullet. I'm sorry. If there were, we'd give it to you, and be happy to do so!

Here's the thing, guys... integration is the only thing that works for all your needs.  Facebook and Twitter should never be your entire marketing effort. Their reach is just too limited, and there is no genuine proof that either will help improve your ROI.  When handled correctly, and within a larger plan, they can work for you. But if you are reaching out to consumers, you might still need some mass medium to tell people that you are on the blogosphere, and where they can find you.  

Likewise, you can't build a great website and hope people think about looking for you...you have to tell them it's out there and where to go look for it.  And as much as we love email marketing, without a decent website and a comprehensive branding approach to support it, sending just another boring email into the stratosphere will wind up killing your credibility.  Oh, and if your TV and radio ads aren't working like they used to, it's most likely because you either don't have a website or the one you have is ruining your reputation...and your lack of an SEO plan is probably sending people to your competition's websites because they are on page one of Google and you're on page 3. 

In short, you can't rely on only one approach to your marketing. You must integrate across as many channels as is feasible within your budget.  If you'd like to hear more about integration, join us for our upcoming seminars in Joplin and Pittsburg in October.

Or, if you'd like to meet with us to discuss your marketing plan and integration strategies, give Ron a call at 417-889-1658x102 or email him ron@redcrowmarketing.com.

Target Practice: Who & Where Are Your Customers?

Here is everybody.  Young, old, rich, poor, married, single, you name it.  Everybody is here.

Any given product or service does not appeal or apply to everybody equally.  So why advertise to those people who will not ever use your product or service?  That would be a waste of advertising money, right?  Small businesses do it all the time.

One of the most costly and overlooked planning staging is determining who you should be targeting as customers.  Too often this is not done very well, creating a “shotgun” blast of advertising that generates a lot of expense and little return.  Advertising to “everybody” is very, very expensive.

The idea here is to isolate your most profitable or best potential slice of the “everybody pie” and focus your advertising dollars on them.  Gaining market share in these groups whether their defined by demographics, psychographics or geographical boundaries will increase the odds your advertising will pay for itself.   Often you will still gain exposure to secondary target segments - but target the bigger returns first.

To reach qualified prospects with your advertising, you’ve got to have a clear idea of who they are.  This will help you select the right media, create the right message, as well as improving your closing ratio.

Tight Targets

Sometimes your target audience will be very “tight” or a specific segment of the public.  You may be trying to reach only nurses, or men who like to hunt deer, or retirees needing electric wheelchairs.  These simple characteristics make our target easier to reach with advertising.  Most of these groups have specialized magazines, publications, websites just for them.  Some of the even have specific cable shows   they like to watch.  It just takes a little research and common sense.

Loose Targets

Often, our targets are a wide group of people with different characteristics and interests.   For instance, an optometrist needs to promote himself to just about everybody: men and women, young and old.   In this case, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to find simply one publication or television show that will reach them all.  You might have to use a multi-media approach, and that will be more expensive than simply trying to reach only deer hunters.

Multi-Segment Targets

There is also the issue of more than one target for the same advertiser.  Take for instance, Sears or Wal-Mart.  They have items for just about everybody.  Both of these chains run “image” advertising that is designed to a) create an impression and b) remind you about them.  Again, advertising dedicated entirely to image is normally only for the privileged companies who have big financial resources.  This is because it does not generate the immediate return and price and product advertising required by small businesses.

Although they spend a lot of money in image advertising, most of the advertising the big guys and gals do is targeted campaigns; using different media and different messages to target specific buyer segments within their wide and diverse audience.  Sears will send a direct mail flyer to a database of men that might by Craftsman tools.  At the same time, they may have a Fall Fashion Clearance advertisement running nationally on television shows with large numbers of women viewers.  Here you have the same store trying to reach two different audiences, using different media with different creative approach in the ads.

No matter if you have tight targets or multi-segment targets, you should try to know them and define them as closely as you can.  You need to target “who it is” that you are trying to reach with your advertising.

Get Your House In Order: Fixing Bad Business Practices

Before you can hope for business improvement from your advertising, take a look around.  Is your house in order?  Is all this new business brought in by your marketing efforts going to be pleased with what they see?  You can't hope to keep new customers if you haven't fixed the fundamental problems with your business.

You have ONE chance to make a first impression.  Stop and look at your business from the position of the prospect on a first visit.  Is your appearance right?  Is your staff knowledgeable?  Is your product or service mix right?  Before you spend a dime on advertising to get more prospects, make sure you’re ready for them!

Ideally, advertising effectiveness should be measured by the number of qualified prospects it delivers, not the sales volumes.  Time after time I’ve sees advertising improve traffic flow for businesses who fail to convert the prospects into customers because of poor service, bad pricing, poor inventory, dirty store, and a variety of other reasons.  The slow sales were not the fault of the advertising; the problem was with the business itself.

For instance, I had one client who had a great advertising campaign that delivered qualified prospects.  They then opened a new store in an old warehouse where the only entrance was in the back (in an area enclosed by chain link fencing.)  I literally watched customers drive in and immediately drive back out because there were no signs telling them this is where they were supposed to come in.  They thought they were in a delivery or contractor only area - so they left.

Worse still, another client was not seeing sales generated because their sales person was rude and unhelpful (when the boss wasn’t there).  We had to send in secret shoppers to prove it to the client.

The point here is: 

Good advertising does not fix a poorly run business.

Marketing Educators Warned to Keep Up With Rapidly-Changing Advertising Trends

August 20, 2010--“The battlefield of business marketing has changed radically,” Ron Marshall, owner of Red Crow Marketing in Springfield, MO, warned educators at the 10th annual meeting of the Missouri Marketing and Cooperative Education Association. “When clients come to us, they are looking for innovative solutions to their marketing problems. In the current economy, businesses who want survive must find a way to gain more market share from a smaller buying pool. It’s tough going,” Marshall stated.

With social media, email marketing and mobile media adding to an already- fragmented message delivery system, businesses require far more complex marketing campaigns. According to Marshall, “marketers must change their approach. Technology has altered the way consumers search for and receive information. Businesses need to reach their existing customers and prospects across a wider contact and touch platform, so there needs to be a well-defined marketing plan in place.”

What does all this mean for marketing and advertising educators? “It is imperative for students and educators to understand the new fundamentals of marketing today. Trends in consumer usage mandate the marketing student be ahead of textbooks printed just two years ago,” Marshall advised. “Website design, search engine optimization (SEO), social media and email marketing have changed the landscape forever, and are still changing it almost daily. Educators need to try to stay ahead of these trends and pass their knowledge on to their students. The marketing textbooks are almost obsolete before they are printed.”

However, Marshall did remark that while traditional advertising channels are less popular, they are still a critical component of most marketing strategies. The uses of demographic and psychographic profiles are even more important in campaign planning because new media allow for pinpoint-marketing to very specific segments.

In today’s challenging economy, “branding is still important, but right now price is king”. Marshall continues, “It’s not just about mastering the way to get offers in front of consumers. Advertisers need to get serious about the offer. If the offer doesn’t compete or is not substantial, it doesn’t matter how you put it out there, consumers will not respond.” Students today must also understand the imperative need for new and innovative solutions that produce measurable results. Marshall encouraged the MCEA educators to arm students with a “Swiss army knife” education: knowledge to work across several media and the ability to independently research better solutions. "If they can't provide these skills to an employer, they'll have a hard time finding work."

“The business climate has changed, and marketing is changing every minute. Educators need to encourage their students to learn on the fly, research new trends thoroughly, and be prepared to master more than one skill,” Marshall emphasizes. “And when you’ve mastered one trend, get yourself prepared—there’s a new one coming around the corner at lightning speed.”

For further information, please contact Ron Marshall, owner of Red Crow Marketing at 417.889-1658, x. 102 or ron@redcrowmarketing.com. Red Crow Marketing, Inc. is a full-service marketing and advertising agency located inSpringfield, MO. Red Crow has been providing marketing and advertising assistance to clients since 2001, and its current client list includes Prime Trucking, Back Yard Burgers, Summer Fresh Supermarkets, and Mid-Missouri Bank.

Marketing From the Bleachers: Who's to Blame for KFC Meltdown?

This story was recently posted on MSN's business page, depicting the battle for marketing and advertising control within the KFC corporation. Local franchisees say the corporate "blue blazers" don't have a clue what goes on in individual stores and have lost sight of what made KFC famous...namely, the FRIED part of their moniker.

This is a truly fascinating example of what can happen when the guys in the ivory tower lose sight of their customer base. Take a gander, and let us know what your thoughts are. As an agency who works with a few local franchises, we can see both sides to the argument. Brand protection versus local control....what do you think?

Read the whole article from MSNBC here.

Guest Blog: Blow Up Your Marketing Department

Today's guest blog comes to us from Jim Arnold, who makes a bold statement - blow up your marketing department and start over.  This might sound scary, perhaps even dangerous, but it's a solid idea with a strong foundation.  Here's a sample, explaining why Arnold would suggest such a thing:

Social Media is changing everything related to Sales and Marketing.  The tactics we traditionally used to market things in the past have become obsolete and impotent in today's crowd influenced reputation-based marketplace.   If you think the only change you need to make is to hire a social media expert and put them on your staff, you've missed the point.  Social Media is driving such fundamental changes in the ways customers purchase that traditional marketing departments just do not have the structure, mind set and skills to be successful.  The brand leaders of tomorrow have already made sweeping changes and they are well on their way to stealing your customers and market share.  Are you willing to make the changes needed to catch up?

Read the rest of Jim's article here.

Mad Men: What Can An Ad Agency Do For Me?

AMC's hit show "Mad Men" presents ad agencies in the glamorous, often uncomfortable light of the 1960s.  Though entertaining, it can muddle the common man's opinion of what an ad agency can do for his business.  That brings the question to the table:  what CAN they do for you?

Whether you’re a big or small business, you can and should investigate working with a reputable ad agency or professional. The additional expense you’ll add will most often be minimal to the money you’ll lose making mistakes on your own. If it’s important enough, such as health, legal or accounting, you’ll seek professional help. Advertising is certainly important enough to seek professional help with.

Ad agencies come in all sizes, from working out of their spare bedroom to Madison Avenue high-rises. Although most tout themselves as a “full service agency”, most usually work in one of six primary areas:

• Graphic Design
• Audio/Video Production
• Media Planning
• Web Design & Development
• Consulting
• Public Relations

A true full-service agency does all of these service but they are far more rare. One big advantage of working with a full service agency is that they can offer better brand maintenance because it’s all handled in-house. This also gives you better cost efficiency than farming all the components out to individual production shops.

I think another advantage is that their clients get more honest and un-biased counseling because the agencies services are not limited to any single production they must sell to generate income, i.e., video, graphics, etc. The best solutions can be freely recommended because the full service agency will be paid either way.

The basic thing that an agency should for you is help you plan your program, assemble the creative and production, place the media and (sometimes) monitor the results.

Advertising agencies are paid several ways: retainer, hourly fees, by project, for media placement, etc. An agency can even be in-house, meaning they work exclusively for one firm.

Working with an advertising agency should be considered if your business’s advertising volume is substantial. Planning, adjusting and running large ongoing multimedia promotion can be very distracting from your normal business tasks, and should be left to the advertising professionals.

Red Crow Marketing covers every area mentioned above;  if you have any questions about what we can do for you as an advertising agency, please contact us at 417-889-1658 or info@RedCrowMarketing.com.