Who Are You, and Why Should I Care What You Say? June 12, 2008

This is one way that you can end up spending money unnecessarily–by jumping on the social bandwagon without really knowing what you are supporting. If you mess up, it then costs you money to undo the damage, or at the very least, throw away what you spent on a message that lands–with a thud. Can you see the frugalness in the following message? Comments are welcome!

Companies are becoming increasingly involved with sponsoring social causes, such as encouraging consumers not to drink and drive. These do-good practices are laudable. They also support socially redeeming causes, which are in the best interest of the community at large.

But does involvement with social causes benefit the companies themselves? The answer may depend on each company. Results from two recent experiments suggest that consumers view socially oriented messages differently based on the identity of the sponsor. For example:

• Participants who viewed an anti-drinking and driving message sponsored by the non-profit organization, MADD, inferred more positive, society-serving motives to the sponsor.
• Participants who viewed the same ad sponsored by Budweiser inferred more negative, self-serving motives to the sponsor.

The study also demonstrated that attributions telling why the marketers were participating in the cause-related marketing did not change consumer attitudes toward the sponsoring company. If the company had a perceived “bad” or otherwise “negative” reputation, their altruism was viewed as self-serving.

The message here for marketers? Prior corporate reputation affects public perceptions about corporate philanthropic messages.

The Point: Match your history to your cause. Your reputation will proceed you when you engage in cause-related marketing.

Source: “Does of a Socially-Oriented Message Make a Difference? An Investigation of the Effects of Sponsorship Identity on Responses to an Anti-Drinking and Driving Message” by Lisa R. Szykman, Paul N. Bloom and Jennifer Blazing. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2004.Corporate Sponsorship

The power of increments. June 11, 2008

This is kind of a rant.

We live in a ‘right now’ society. There are many things for which, if we want it, and we want it that second, we can go and get it. This kind of luxury has also spoiled us, I think, and I’ve seen it carry over in business.

To be more specific, I pose to you this question: why are you in business? Why are you on this network? Why do you visit leads groups, or exhibit at trade shows?

To give you a good analogy of where I’m going, answer this: is your brochure’s job to A) sell your product, or B) generate interest in your product?

Are You Positive About That? May 31, 2008

The anonymous nature of the Internet frequently empowers those who visit blogs to make more strongly worded statements in a comment section than they would if speaking face-to-face. If you have a blog, you’ve undoubtedly encountered some scathing comments. And in a post at MarketingProfs’ Daily Fix blog, Mark Goren suggests a way to handle this negativity, which usually fall into two general categories:

Must it take a disaster to remind us to be grateful? May 14, 2008

It seems oftentimes that we only really sit and become grateful for what we have when someone else is suffering.

I agree that you can’t appreciate the good without the bad, regardless of who is dealing with it at the time. But I often wonder, must it take a disaster to remind us to be grateful for the good?

Whether it’s an earthquake in China or the news that a friend is ill, it seems that our gratitude can often only be triggered by bad news. I’m guilty of this at times. And then, I feel guilty after feeling gratitute because I don’t think I live in the moment enough.

But I also believe that we should have a purposeful purpose, if you will.

Can LinkedIn Increase Your Sales? May 9, 2008

I’m a member of LinkedIn, along with other groups and sites, and this free report about finding the gold in LinkedIn is, well, a gem.

Many people are drawn to the promise of millions of connections on LinkedIn but suffer from the “now what” syndrome once they get signed up. There is gold in LinkedIn, but like any social network the secret lies in understanding how to open up access points and begin to make them pay off in mutually beneficial ways.

http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.com/content_display.jsp?top=8486&mid=76812

 

WellthyLifeStyle.com moves into Phase 2! May 9, 2008

I’m so pleased to announce that we are now in Phase 2. Namely this means we are doing a soft launch and engaging in initial publicity to promote the site. We are also now charging for memberships. Our goal is to do a hard launch this summer. That’s not too far from now!

If you haven’t already, please finish your listings and get them polished and spiffy!

We’re also looking at the possibility of holding a launch party downtown, with booths for our members to promote their services. How do you feel about that? Let us know.

 

How do you turn down business you don’t want? May 9, 2008

An interesting discussion I brought up at a networking lunch today. How do you turn down business you don’t want?

I don’t mean, “I’m too busy to take you on, here, let me refer you to someone else.”

I mean, “I don’t want to work with you–I don’t get along with you, I’ve heard too many bad things about you, I don’t like how you operate,” etc.

Marketing to Women April 15, 2008

GET REAL
If you want to market to women, ground your message in reality.

When women look at your advertising, do they see themselves? For decades, advertisers have depicted an idealized version of a woman. But now, women are looking for their true selves mirrored in the message. So abandon outmoded and unattainable ideals and positively portray real women. Also, understand that female shoppers approach the buying process differently than men. It’s not about dumbing down the message or coloring the campaign in shades of pink, it’s about creating a campaign that reflects women the way they see themselves, plus following these important guidelines:

1. SHOW REAL BENEFITS TO REAL WOMEN. Women consumers are not monolithic, and an effective marketing campaign must be based on a clear understanding of your female prospects’ unique characteristics. Look beyond basic demographics and discover their hobbies, their habits, and how, where and what they buy. Women make purchases based on the relationships they develop with your company or brand, so listening carefully and fostering an exchange with women customers is vital. Uncover what they really want from companies or products and services like yours, and then communicate with them based on the issues or selling points they care about most.

2. DEVELOP WOMENCENTRIC MARKETING. There are important characteristics that define a more feminized shopping experience. Value and price are critical, but they’re often merely opening salvos in the decision-making process. Women tend to require more detailed information than men when considering a purchase, and that information is best received if presented on a peer-to-peer level, so address women from a ‘we’ point of view. Expect women customers to look for deep content on your website, thoroughly examine the benefits of your products or services vs. those of your competitors, read product reviews and seek input from family, friends and co-workers.

3. GO FOR A COMPLETE MAKEOVER. Integrate these women centric marketing methods into all your campaigns and materials. It’s not enough to just add deeper content to your site or produce a few ads that target women. The best campaigns integrate their marketing messages across multiple channels and feature an equally fine-tuned sales effort. Work with your salespeople to incorporate this attitudinal and contextual change into day-to-day sales activities for a completely integrated approach.

source: Entrepreneur Magazine, April 2008. by Kim T. Gordon