It’s Not about having a Great Product or Service.

It’s about having a great product or service and repeatedly convincing many people that you do. How you do that depends on your particular product or service, your target, your specific marketing goal, and your budget. It also depends on how visible, likable, informative, engaging, creative, memorable, and smart your message is.

Examples
Results

The past decade saw a seismic shift in marketing communications as blogs, podcasts,  online video, and other forms of Social Media led the media evolution. It’s an exciting time. And yet, with this evolution, the focus on “message” has, too often, been lost. In many cases, the over-reliance on new media and technology, has sacrificed the focus on development of a compelling, creatively engaging, message.

The most successful companies and organizations (Apple, Google, Team Obama, etc) work with marketing experts to help them develop and maintain a strong brand message realizing that the media and technology is only a tool — a tool to help them get their important message out.

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You can’t be successful at marketing your business if you don’t take it seriously. It takes focus and preparation. What happens when you don’t?

If you’re really to take your business to the next level with strategic marketing help, visit FMT.

See more of the 11-year running campaign that ADWEEK called “Simple and effective.”

My friend, Chris Cree, makes a brilliant point addressing the ever-popular comment, “I just don’t have time for all this Internet, Social Media stuff!”

Thanks, Chris…I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Stay in Touch.

Half of successful marketing is getting in front of prospects. The other half is staying in front of them. How you do that depends on your budget and goals. But whether it’s a national TV campaign, or a newsletter, no business can afford not to do it. Other highly popular and cost-effective ways are via online Social Media, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and having a blog.

If you’re a business owner you’ll eventually get to the point where your question changes from, “Do I really need marketing help?” to “How do I find marketing help? And how do I know who’s good?” So, here’s the 11 key criteria to base your decision on:

1) The Work. Many marketing experts are personable, persuasive people who don’t necessarily have the talent or range of work to back it up. So, you’ve gotta spend a few minutes on their site to see the work they show. And, if it doesn’t turn you on, rule them out.

2) Credentials and Experience. Your main guy/gal had better have there bio on the website, and it’d better be impressive.

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This Catholic Church logo needed a redesign.

If your business would benefit from a redesign, visit our Logo Facelift page.

Home-Made Marketing: Just Don’t Do It.

By nature entrepreneurs are a resourceful bunch. If they see a need, they fill it. If they see a problem, they try to solve it. Generally, it’s a good thing. Where it becomes problematic is with marketing their business. With few exceptions it can be an ineffective use of time and money. In some cases, it can be fatal.

Case in point — a business-owner doctor once hired us to help and then sat me down for about an hour telling me how clever he was at marketing. It was like someone showing me ugly pictures of their baby and bragging how cute he is. The doctor is now out of business. I did what I could to help, but it was a  case of “too little, too late.” He had blown so much money on his own unprofessional efforts, we couldn’t recoup from the damage. So, if your business is more sophisticated than a lemonade stand, it would be wise to get help.

How do you find it? One thing I suggest when seeking any kind of help is to 1) listen to what their clients say and 2) see how well that marketing expert markets themselves. So, check out their website, read their client testimonies, and see what kind of G-Cred they have. That will give you a good perspective on whether they are worthy to be hired.

“G-Cred“, a term coined by John Follis in ‘05, has become part of the Web 2.0 vocabulary. What exactly is it, and why must every product, service, professional person and business have it? Listen to the interview and read the ADWEEK article.