The Follis Marketing Report

Repetition works. Studies show that people need to see the same message several times before they  even recall it, never mind act on it.

Repetition works. Studies show that people need to see the same message several times before they even recall it, never mind act on it.

Humor works too.

You can’t expect to do it yourself and do it well. I don’t know why some business owners still challenge that idea. Then again, maybe I do. Because it doesn’t seem like it should be that hard a thing to do. After all, it’s your business, right? So, when they try something and it doesn’t work, they simply conclude that marketing doesn’t work. It doesn’t occur to them that their marketing strategy is off base, or that they’re not really targeting the right audience, or that their creative excecution or production value is horrible, or that their website and/or online strategy sucks, or any number of other things that they’re not aware of because 1) it is their business and they don’t have the necessary objectivity, and 2) they don’t have the marketing expertise.

Businesses that are most successful, hire the best lawyer when they legal help, the best insurance person when they need insurance help, the best CPA when they need tax help, and the best marketing resource when they need marketing help.

I can’t recall being around as many people with a passion as I was last week at PodCamp NYC. It was delight to be around such positive energy and so many friendly folks sharing ideas and information about podcasting.

In his visionary book, The Pursuit of Wow, Tom Peters describes why the only products with a future are those created by passionate people. A bold statement. And yet, in an equally fascinating book, How They Achieved: Stories of Personal Achievement and Business Success, by Lucinda Watson, it turns out that twenty-one of the country’s most successful CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and visionaries all share one powerful characteristic:

(more…)

No matter what your business, 99% of people could care less about it. Why? Because some people simply aren’t good prospects. But for many others it’s because you haven’t convinced them otherwise. In fact, there are thousands of people who’d buy you IF you got them excited and convinced them of the value of your product.

Do you Believe in Marketing? (more…)

Whether you’re selling cars, beauty supplies, or professional services, no doubt you’ve heard the words: “Sorry, but I just can’t afford it right now.” Everyone involved with sales, or managing a business, has. When it happens you have three choices: 1) Accept it. 2) Try to convince them otherwise. 3) Lower your price. None are good. So, how do you avoid that scenario?
(more…)

Smart creativity is the only unfair legal advantage you can have over the competition. Be it an ad campaign or tagline, it must clearly inform, excite and persuade. And, done right, it enables a business with limited funds to compete against its better funded competitors. For an example, see this Guerilla Marketing campaign.

Two Simple, but Important Tips:

1) Be as clear as possible upfront.
Try to cover every nuance of the assignment — what you want/don’t want, like/dislike, etc. The more you talk before the project, the happier you’ll be with the results. (I had a client who, just before the final presentation, mentioned a specific preference that he’d never mentioned before. I had to bite my tongue and calmly remind him of that explaining that I’d be happy to address his new comment moving forward, if we needed to. Fortunately, we didn’t.) For the benefit of both parties it’s always best to document all project related discussions and agreements in a simple memo. It may seem like a pain sometimes, but it’s a smart insurance policy.

2) Never use the expression “It just doesn’t ‘wow’ me.”
When responding to a creative presentation (more…)