Another Sign Of The Times: Just In Time For Valentine's Day

As you, my faithful readers, know very well, I constantly post interesting marketing, PR, and social media news stories and trend items on the official CMAC Twitter stream: @CaddyMarketing. However, I very rarely reiterate those topics here...until today.

According to a story by Bruce Horovitz in USA Today, New England Confectionery, the maker of the ubiquitous and highly-popular Sweethearts candy, has come up with a new and extremely clever message to be included on its hearts just in time for Valentine's Day: Tweet Me.

The new, and very timely, message resulted from an online survey which the company conducted last year, and which generated over 10,000 responses. The runner-up entries. Text Me came in second, and Love Bug, a hit song from the Jonas Brothers, finished third.

A publicity stunt or another social media invention? Check out the following statement from Patricia Martin, cultural guru and author of Renaissance Generation: The Rise of the Cultural Consumer and What it Means to Your Business. "This is an indication of the new media yet to come. It's a new way of advertising when two brands get together to create cultural meaning. That's very different from creating a 30-second TV spot."

Actually, it's neither. In my book, it is simply a brilliant marketing move which captures the essence of a white-hot communications trend (i.e., Twitter) and reverts it back into traditional form. Oh, yeah, and one more thing: this tactic also received the blessing of Biz Stone, co-founder of Twiter, who said, "It's even more proof that people can say anything in short messages. A 140-character message may seem short. Sweethearts are even smaller."

A New Year...A New Marketing Plan Part II: How To Build A Marketing Plan For Small Business

I wanted to offer my readers a timely, relevant follow-up to my post the other day which emphasizes that the beginning of a new year is a perfect time to either refresh a business's existing marketing plan, or build an entirely new one from scratch. In either case, the plan must reflect changing market conditions and company dynamics.

Since that post went live, I have received numerous inquiries from small business owners, all with the same question: how do I actually build a marketing plan for my company?

It's not as hard as it might seem. For good, solid guidance on this exact topic, please check out my recently-posted contributed article entitled, "How To Build A Marketing Plan For Small Business," on UnderstandingMarketing.com. This piece provides step-by-step instructions on how to build a marketing plan from the ground up, and insight into the various issues which small business owners must explore when finalizing the scope and depth of their marketing efforts.

If you're not familiar yet with UnderstandingMarketing.com, you really need to be, as it is an excellent resource for small business marketing and communications strategies, tactics, and techniques. Founded and managed by John Sternal, UnderstandingMarketing.com offers readers a bounty of “do-it-yourself” marketing and PR information and advice so they can remain competitive and also maximize tight budgets. The Web site helps by providing how-to advice on everything from traditional marketing, such as direct mail and loyalty programs, to today’s more complex social marketing opportunities found on Facebook and Twitter. Make sure to check it out when you get a chance; you won't be sorry. And it looks like I will be working with John on a regular basis as a frequent contributor to the site.

And as always, please stay dialed in to the Marketing Mulligans blog for even more great content, counsel, insight, and perspectives on marketing and communications strategies for small and mid-sized businesses.

Best wishes for a great weekend...

A New Year...A New Marketing Plan

If you're anything like me, you're still recovering from a very business holiday season, and slowly but surely getting back into full-time work mode after taking time off to spend with your friends and family over the past few weeks. If this describes you, then welcome back to reality! It's really not so bad once you get back into the flow of your normal business routine. Or so I remind myself...

During the initial week of January, I always like to spend the first few days totally closing out the previous year (e.g., filing, completing year-end accounting, preparing financial statements, etc.), and then devoting significant time to finalizing all business plans (i.e., finance, operations, marketing, etc.) for the next 12-month period. As part of this process, I carefully review the plans I have already written, and then modify them accordingly based on specific goals and objectives I want to achieve, specific trends I have identified, and market conditions that I know will impact my company, positive or negatively. Most importantly, I evaluate what worked, and what didn't, in the previous year...across all business functions, including marketing.

And that brings me to the main point of this post. As I've mentioned before in this forum, many business owners simply ignore the strategic planning process altogether, and that's a HUGE mistake on many levels. An even larger error in judgment is to embark on a marketing effort, regardless of its size, without having a detailed marketing plan in place. I see it way too often in the SMB sector, and this approach (or lack thereof!) almost never works out to the company's advantage.

Now that it's 2010, do yourself two favors: 1.) Please don't ignore the strategic planning process; your business will thank you in the end!; and 2.) If you intend to market your products or services at all this year, then take some time to develop a comprehensive marketing plan so there is a concrete rationale and approach in place to guide your efforts as you move forward.

It's a new year, and that means you should have a new marketing plan in hand to assist you. Times change, people change, businesses change, and industry conditions change. All of your plans should reflect these shifts, but your marketing plan will BEST outline how you continue to reach and interact with your core customers as these dynamics remain fluid.

Marketing Trends for 2010…and Beyond

The month of December can always be counted on for the same holiday goodies every year: the endless parade of parties and television specials; the flood of incoming greeting cards in the mail (and the dash to send them out!); the last-minute shopping rush (crush?) to buy gifts for loved ones; the festive decorations at home, in the office, and around town; and wishing for peace and goodwill for all mankind. And I just scratched the surface of the many sights, sounds, and traditions of the holidays, all of which are too numerous to list here.

Source: nwdrizzle.com; November, 2005.

And so it goes in the marketing discipline. Beginning just after Thanksgiving, we begin to see many well-known publications and blogs issue their respective predictions for the coming year. Not surprisingly, many of these lists spell doom and gloom for the profession; after all, these negative forecasts often generate the most buzz, with the more outrageous predictions attracting the greatest number of readers (or Web site visitors). Other predictions are much more realistic, or simply not as bold, particularly since it looks as if the U.S. economy is beginning to show signs of recovery.

Here is just a small sampling of outlets which have issued predictions thus far:

Adweek: Consumers to Stay Thrifty in 2010
CNN Tech: 2010 Web Trends To Watch
iMedia Connection: 9 Digital Trends to Watch in 2010
iMedia Connection: 5 Digital Media Trends NOT To Focus On in 2010
MediaPost’s MarketingDaily: UNpredictions for 2010
MediaPost’s Research Brief: Marketing Spend for Email and Social Media Top Plans for 2010
SEOmozBlog: 8 Predictions for SEO in 2010

After reading all this stuff, the key questions that come to my mind are: 1.) Which predictions should I believe/trust the most?; and 2.) Which trends are most likely to impact my business, if at all?

The answers are actually pretty simple. With respect to Question #1, you have to take these lists with a grain of salt, which is why I never place much stock in any one forecast, even if the source is highly credible. Essentially, I read a bunch of articles about a singular trend, such as consumer spending at retail, and then I begin to form a fairly detailed perspective based on many stories and data from multiple sources.

To answer Question #2, it’s always best, no matter what time of year it is, to be aware of trends that can impact your business, and to have plans in place that leverage or mitigate these circumstances. But let’s face it: some of these trends may never come to fruition, and the doom-and-gloom orientation of some predictions mean that they’re never really viable in the first place. For me, I select 4-6 trends which I feel are most critical and relevant, and I make it a point to follow what’s going on in those areas over the next several months. If there is much movement in these sectors, then I am fully up to speed, and I can use that information to help my business. If nothing happens, and those few predictions turn out to be just hot air, then I’m also fine. Either way, I’m constantly monitoring my environment to stay on top of what is going on, and to evaluate ways it may impact my firm. That’s smart business.

This time of year, predictions are a dime a dozen, and not all are created equal or meant to be gospel. So be smart when you read this material, and identify a core set of trends to monitor over the next several months so you’re not caught flatfooted. With this approach, you’re sure to start off 2010 on the right note.

Talk The Talk…Walk The Walk

Have you ever noticed how many advertising agencies, PR firms, and marketing consultancies out there are absolutely dreadful when it comes to branding themselves, and marketing their own services and capabilities?

I certainly have. It’s a trend that’s been going on for years, and unfortunately, it has not improved much in the Internet age. I see countless firms out there that constantly drop the ball on this front, and it’s shameful. They know it, and their clients know it.

Sure, most of these entities have nicely-designed brand identities, functional Web sites, and solid sales and marketing collateral materials. Most are probably quite active in the social media space with their Facebook fan pages, corporate Twitter accounts (as well as individual employees posting Tweets), MySpace profiles (not that MySpace is even relevant anymore), LinkedIn groups, and so forth. But, these activities matters hardly matter if they are not executed strategically, intelligently, and, above all, correctly. And this is where I take issue.

Let me put it to you another way. Would you hire a bookkeeper that can’t even maintain his own books properly? Would you willingly work with CPA who is routinely investigated by the Franchise Tax Board or the IRS? Would you retain an attorney who has legal troubles himself? Would you select a Web site designer whose own Web site looks like it was developed on the now-defunct Geocities platform? The answer, of course, is no. So why should it be any different when hiring an ad agency, a PR firm, or a marketing consultant?

In my field (i.e., marketing consulting), as it is in any other professional services sector, qualities such as professionalism, trust, credibility, knowledge, expertise, and experience are absolutely paramount to long-term success and reputation. In discussions with a prospect, I not only have to convince him that I possess these characteristics, that I know what I’m talking about (marketing strategy and execution), and therefore, I am the right individual to assist him and his business, but also I have to prove it. It’s pretty simple: no proof, no business.

So where does my prospect find the most obvious proof? By looking at all of CMAC’s countless marketing channels and materials, including this blog. This explains why I spend so much and time effort on these activities, aside from the obvious value and benefits of consistently marketing my services to various target audiences: generating leads, enhancing brand awareness, furthering my individual and corporate reputations, reinforcing credibility and expertise, and educating existing and prospective clients about various marketing strategies and options.

The moral of the story? If you want to work in this discipline, or any other field for that matter, you have to practice what you preach. And that means talking the talk, and then walking the walk.

The Power of Differentiation

To my dear readers, I sincerely apologize for the lengthy time lag between posts. With tremendous client work, extensive holiday travels and preparations, and year-end financial planning, the last month or so has been an absolutely whirlwind. I promise not to go so long in between entries the next time around. Now, on to the good stuff...

My PR colleague David Rodewald, who owns and operates a very successful tech PR firm (The David James Agency) here in Ventura County, wrote a very interesting piece last week on his blog regarding Steve Jobs and the executive's being named CEO of the Decade by Fortune. David maintains that Apple's success over the past 10 years can be attributed to "Jobs' use of disciplined messaging and communications to build the image of Apple." While I don't disagree with David, I'll go one step further. I firmly believe that Apple's resurgence in the past 10 years can be traced directly to the company's extraordinary innovation in product design and development -- and continuing to introduce radically-different, game-changing products which raise the bar for all other PC and consumer electronics manufacturers. In the end, Apple's new product offerings -- the iMac, iTunes, iPod, and, of course, the iPhone -- have always been far DIFFERENT than anything else on the market. That all of these products are elegantly designed, flawless in their operation, and ingrained now in the public consciousness and pop culture are just bonuses to the company and to end users (although also very important to sales and overall user acceptance, to be sure).

And that brings us to my main point. There is no question that Apple's PR efforts are second to none, and the company, with Jobs as the public face, creates a landslide of buzz and media coverage with each and every product announcement -- all with carefully-planned messaging which hits home with Apple fans. However, without clear differentiation, none of Apple's offerings, or any other product introduction for that matter, regardless of the type or industry, would ever resonate with consumers.


Let's boil it down: every company, product, and service requires clear differentiation to be successful. This is the set of attributes which distinguishes one offering from another, and upon which ALL purchasing decisions are based. These are also the characteristics which MUST be incorporated into any marketing program. Unfortunately, there are a ton of businesses out there that never quite figure this out, and that leaves their offerings in no man's land: where no one buys. In fact, in talking to small business owners on a regular basis, I find that many simply cannot articulate to me how their enterprise are inherently different from the competition, or how their products are better than competing offerings on the market. Are they different because of its price? Colors available? Higher performance? Longer lasting? Better features? More functionality? Never before seen? Greater expertise/experience? A combination of some or all of these? Frankly, many principals just don't know.

This a major issue. Why? Because any subsequent marketing effort will not have differentiation to emphasize and leverage. Therefore, the marketing activity just becomes a waste of money that never hits the mark with its target audience. It becomes white noise to which no one pays any attention. And that will kill a business.

So ask yourself this question: what makes my business, product, or service different than my competitors' offerings? And take some to answer honestly. Obtain feedback from peers, and then develop a list of key differentiators. After that, make sure to emphasize these points in all of your marketing and communications materials. You'll be glad you did.

In the end, without differentiation, you have nothing.