Why Don’t People Buy From Me? | Getentrepreneurial.com

May 19, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Biggest Marketing Challenge WE All Face

The biggest challenge we’re dealing with today is change. Things are changing so fast. As a result of this rapid pace of change people do not know who to trust!

There are six questions your prospects want answered before they will buy from you. These questions are designed to allow you to think like your buyer and speak with them so they know you are the right and safe choice.

Why the Six Questions are Important

When I started my business back in 2001, I lacked trust. What I really mean is that I did not know who could help me get clear on my ideal client. Every time I ask someone they said things I did not understand. I was confused and a confused mind does not take action. This is what we’re dealing with.

Stick with me as I talk about things you may not have thought about before. Keep an open mind because, to grow your business, you need to find someone you can trust.

Remember we stated earlier that “trust” is the biggest marketing issue we need to address. This is what marketing is about – helping our prospects to trust us so we can start the sales process.

Let’s jump right in.

Want Leads? Use YouTube Remarketing | Small Biz Trends

May 12, 2015May 11, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Remarketing on YouTube has become almost as commonplace as remarketing on the Web. YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine with over 1 billion active users each month. Perfecting your marketing strategy for such a large platform can have huge benefits for companies, and what many are realizing is that the remarketing aspect of YouTube has huge potential.

It’s ultimately a great way to get a viewer — whether they clicked on your video, subscribed to your channel, unsubscribed from your channel, viewed your in-stream ads, etc. — coming back to your channel as you upload new videos. In the end, this is a great way to generate more quality leads to help you drive your business growth forward.

4 Steps to Creating a Killer Marketing Plan Today | Small Biz Trends

April 20, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Marketing is one of the most critical components of your business’s success. You may have a fantastic product or service, but if customers are not aware it exists, there’s no point in continuing the line of work.

In order to make sure your product is exposed to your target customers, you need to develop a robust, killer marketing plan. Once you’ve spent time identifying the four Ps, start adding some elements and details to your strategy. Let’s look at the areas you should focus on when developing your marketing plan.

Infographic: Millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomer Device Preferences | Adweek

April 14, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Each generation uses digital differently to consume content and shop for products and services, and marketers need to understand these differences to target their desired audiences on the devices they are most likely to be using.

Millward Brown Digital surveyed more than 1,000 consumers in three generations (millennials, born after 1980; Generation X, born 1965-1980; and boomers, born from 1946-1964) to see how different age groups favored different screens for various activities.

“What the data demonstrates is that even with our advanced knowledge of digital today, advertisers and marketers can’t make assumptions about how various demographics and targets are using digital devices and mobile to access content,” said Joline McGoldrick, research director at Millward Brown Digital. “It is easy to stereotype and say the best way to reach millennials is on mobile, but that is not always true. As the analysis shows, device usage varies from generation to generation based upon what the activity is. There needs to be a more granular understanding of how activity and type of content dictates preferences for screen usage in order to make a truly effective and efficient marketing strategy.”

4 Things You Need to Know to Market to Millennials | Adweek

April 3, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ 1 Comment

If anyone understands the millennial mind (or that of Gen Z, coming up right behind it), it’s Kevin Lyman. Since founding the live music event and brand strategy firm 4Fini in 1995, Lyman hasn’t just immersed himself in youth culture—he has helped brands like Truth, Ernie Ball and Journeys stay connected to it. The Vans Warped Tour—his cornerstone event, which jams up to 100 bands into 10 hours of portable, mud-filled mayhem—is now the longest-running festival tour in North America. In his more than two decades as a marketer and promoter, Lyman has learned a thing or two about reaching teens and young adults. Here, he shares some of his best practices.

3 Ways To Market Yourself Without Sounding Like A Late-Night Infomercial | Forbes

March 9, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

My husband hates marketing. He thinks that it’s generally hype and BS, cynically calculated to manipulate you into acting, vs. an honest communication of value.

He’s not completely wrong. Most of us are pretty skeptical about the marketing messages we’re subjected to in the media, because so much marketing focuses on convincing us that product X is the answer to all our prayers (think Ginzu knives or Sham-wow), or on trying to terrify us into buying product Y in order to avoid some horrible consequence (home security systems and life insurance tend to rely on this approach).

But there’s another side to all of this. Many of my clients are well-intentioned, high-integrity branding and marketing folks who are honestly trying to figure out how to let people know, in a compelling way, that they have something great to offer. And my colleagues and I spend a good deal of time thinking and talking about how to communicate Proteus’ value in a way that’s both meaningful and true.

Megan Hyman – Overcoming Challenges – Pawfection | CBPS

November 3, 2014January 22, 2015 ~ CBPS ~ Leave a comment

Our client, Megan Hyman, opened her dog daycare, grooming and boarding facility in 2013. She took a huge bet on herself in which she wagered an inheritance to pursue her desire for a new future. Nearly two years in, she’s winning, but not without some serious challenges that we went through together.

In this video she discusses the difficulty of finding the right location and how she got out of her own way to fill her business with enthusiastic clients.

Branding Made Simple | Businessweek

October 16, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Why did Google GOOG whip Yahoo! YHOO so decisively? How did Apple AAPL become the world’s most valuable company? Why have we all heard of Intel INTC? The answer is simple. Or, to be more precise, simplicity.

The ability to distill highly complex business concepts into simple consumer propositions is one reason why Google, Apple, and Intel are three of the most valuable brands in the world. Google’s breakthrough insight was to make everything about its brand and user experience clean and simple, unlike Yahoo and other search engine companies that thought a busier page somehow communicated more value. Apple rejected complexity in everything from its operating system to product design to advertising. And Intel created a five-note musical signature and two-word catchphrase to make us all believe that a computer was better if it had “Intel Inside.”

What (And What Not) to Do If You Want Your Content to ‘Go Viral’ | Adrants.com

October 2, 2014 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Oh you’ve gotta love those online college degree schools for their content marketing savvy. They’ve mastered the art of creating compelling and informative infographics that double as a promotion for the school. That’s not a slam. Just an acknowledgment.

Anyway, here’s a well thought out inforgraphic from Best Marketing Degrees on viral marketing. It’s got examples of successful virals. It’s got examples of failed virals. It’s got tips on what you can do to increase the likelihood your content will go viral and its got tips to keep you out of hot water.

Check it out below.

Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing |ducttapemarketing.com

August 13, 2014August 12, 2014 ~ lmehit ~ Leave a comment

B2B lead generation seems to be a mystery to many marketers. Just do a search on the topic and you’ll find little that’s helpful.

In my opinion, there are two reasons for this. One – people are searching for that one killer lead tactic that will mask all ills or, Two – people fail to realize that successful B2B lead generation is made up of activities that are by nature very hard to quantify and pin down.

The latter then leads to plenty of articles spouting the virtues of practices such as inbound marketing and content marketing, but little hard advice on how to make any of it pay.

Here’s my take – the real problem lies in the fact that you don’t simply generate a lead today, you guide it.

You can no longer run an ad that say’s “hey, we’ve got what you’re looking for come and get it” and expect much. Once a prospect actually knows what they are looking for, they’re already looking for a price.