Fact:

Marketing’s purpose is to set the foundation for sales, to design a long-term approach that supports every sales call and presentation—by qualifying leads; establishing recognition of your organization, products and services; by generating interest; by differentiating you from the competition; by creating higher perceived value.

Marketing provides the continuity that generates interest, distinguishes you from the options and then continues to support the conversation while your audience chooses to engage with you—enroll, refer, inquire, join, click through or purchase.

An ongoing branding and marketing program accelerates your sales activities. It provides the foundation needed to grow the organization. Good marketing clearly defines your audiences and how to reach them, while crafting the key messages—the messaging architecture—that will separate you from the competition and resonate with those you need to reach.

It’s time to optimize your brand for 2011

Messaging architecture—establishing the key messages that differentiate you—is just one part of an optimized brand. Beginning with the critical point of choice—the setting, situation or context where your target audience chooses to respond—our brand optimization process generates higher impact at a lower cost. It delivers accelerated sales and bigger results, whether you’re looking for more inquiries, more members, more online activity, higher enrollment or bigger dollars.

There has been a lot of buzz lately about whether or not the phone call is dead – and I think it’s safe to say that while it might not be dead yet, the phone call is definitely dying.

A recent report by Nielsen, sums it up with the title “U.S. Teen Mobile Report: Calling Yesterday, Texting Today, Using Apps Tomorrow.” Read the full report here.

The report states that voice usage is decreasing by all age groups except those over the age of 54. “78% of teens recognize the functionality and convenience of SMS and [consider] it easier (22 percent) and faster (20 percent) than voice calls…” 43% of teens claim that texting is the primary reason for getting a cell phone.

When we’re really honest with ourselves – what do we use our smart “phones” for? Facebook, email, texting, foodie apps, navigation, Googling, Pandora, etc. Our smart phones are becoming less and less phones, and more and more mini-computers.

Teens and young adults might not be the reality of the current business environment, but as we all know, these age groups are reliable predictors of what is to come. I recently heard a woman who works in HR talking about how fewer and fewer candidates will return her calls. Everyone is emailing her to communicate throughout the interviewing and hiring process. It might sound taboo, but according to research, it looks like this is the future.

Gary Vaynerchuk sums it up better than I can. “The phone call is the new handwritten letter.”

How are we as business owners, marketers and communicators preparing and/or paving the way for this communication shift?

1. Apple

Thank you to Apple for the iPhone, the iPad, the iPod, Mac computers galore and … for ongoing leadership in establishing and maintaining true brand DNA. The Apple brand experience is consistent in everything from product use and beauty, to marketing, to retail experience and packaging. Branding at its very best. www.apple.com

2. Nordstrom

We are thankful for so many things at Nordstrom, but mostly for a brand that represents the epitome of great service and the ideal shopping experience – good people, great sales, wide selection of products, and a no questions asked return policy. www.nordstrom.com

3. Downtown McMinnville

For developing a main street (which towns across America want to emulate) that showcases unique, unusual shops, bistros, wine tasting and more! Other brands we love include: Golden Valley Brewery, La Rambla, Thai Country, Wednesday Wines, the Sage, Accessory Appeal, Mes Amies … and the list goes on! www.downtownmcminnville.com

4. Dutch Bros.

For nailing the drive through user experience – fast, energetic, lively – plus good coffee!! And for creating a brand that lends itself to citizen marketing. We’ve all seen the bumper stickers, antennae balls, clothes, mugs, and other miscellaneous Dutch gear. We want to be a part of Dutch Mafia! www.dutchbros.com

5. Google

Because it’s fun to say, easy to use, and offers free solutions for just about anything you want to do in life. But mostly because it’s hard work owning a category and becoming the generic term (think Kleenex and Tylenol). You don’t  search it, Yahoo it, or BING it … you Google it. www.google.com

6. Dr. Martens

For developing a brand that remains relevant across decades, social groups, and continents. Originally intended for police and postmen, and today worn and loved by rock stars, politicians, teachers, hipsters, models, artists, and possibly a few production managers and graphic designers. www.drmartens.com

7. Salem Health

For being true to their brand and ensuring “the Heart of Healing” is experienced not just in the quality of patient care and treatment, but also in the quality of staff, the environment, internal and external communications, and the visual brand. (Disclaimer: Salem Health is a client, but their dedication to excellence inspires us!) www.salemhealth.org

8. Travel Oregon

For developing a brand that sheds light on all the best kept secrets Oregon has to offer while personifying our state’s wild, rugged and adventure-filled personality. www.traveloregon.com

9. Costco

Or is it the $100 (or more) store … or shopping for giants? You know what to expect at Costco, and that’s free samples and quality – the very best avocados anywhere, amazing meat and seafood, big bags of Starbucks French Roast coffee beans to keep us going, lots of books and CDs, great gifts, essentials like toilet paper, and prices you just can’t beat on high-end home goods. Costco, we love you! www.costco.com

10. Gap

And last, but definitely not least! We are thankful for Gap, who in the face of brand disaster, listened to their customers instead of forging ahead with a logo we are very thankful not to have created. Although for the record, we never would have designed anything that … inane. www.gap.com

From all of us at Creative Company: Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Believing all the buzz about social media means it’s the right choice for your marketing investment

Fact:

While social media and its rapid growth is getting a lot of press, it is not the be-all and end-all answer for marketing. It’s a fact social media use has grown dramatically across all age groups, and use among internet users ages 50 and older has nearly doubled. But that still means only 42% of 50 and older internet users are accessing social media. (Not everyone, just internet users.) By comparison, social networking use among users ages 18-29 is at 86%.

And keep in mind, it’s called “social” … not “business” media.

So the first thing to consider—let’s hear it again—who is your target audience? The next thing to consider—what is your audience’s primary source of information about your category, your company, your products and services? Where do they interact with you to request information or make a purchase decision? And last—don’t even consider social media until you’ve addressed how the brand-building, communication-inspiring, lead-capturing ability of your website measures up.

Social media is rapidly becoming another communication tool our society uses regularly. And it may be appropriate to support other marketing, and the right fit for some categories of businesses that rely on referrals or “social” communication, but it is not the definitive answer or the best “new” way to build your marketing program. You must first address the scope of your brand, the profile of your primary audiences and how people find out about your products and services.

It takes living a brand at the cellular level to create the kind of following … and the kind of business …  that Apple commands and is. His focus on simplicity, clarity and beauty is demonstrated in every new product introduced.

The following excerpt from an article in the October 11, 2010 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek titled “Communication Breakdown” is a perfect example of why Apple, and Steve Jobs, rule.

“When Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad last January, he took the stage … and held his new tablet computer like a precious jewel. The device, he told the crowd, was a ‘truly magical and revolutionary product,’ something ‘extraordinary’ and ‘unbelievably great.’”

Then the competition … Blackberry … discusses their answer to the iPad. The difference in message is incredible.

“Jim Balsillie, the co-CEO of Research in Motion … said: ‘ There’s tremendous turbulence in the ecosystem, of course, in mobility. And that’s sort of an obvious thing, but also there’s tremendous architectural contention at play. … We’ve taken two fundamentally different approaches in their causalness. It’s a causal difference, not just nuance. It’s not just a causal direction that I’m going to really articulate here–and feel free to go as deep as you want–it’s really as fundamental as causalness.’”

Seriously? Causalness?

Wow, I’m really inspired. And now I really want a PlayBook, don’t you?

Steve = Brilliance. Again.
Jim and Blackberry. Painful. And clueless about messaging and marketing. Seriously clueless.

Fact:

Even if your product or service is extraordinary, you have to let people know about it. You have to market. And now it’s more important than ever to be targeted, focused and effective when you communicate about your business to potential customers or clients.

After more than thirty years in the marketing business I have talked to many organizations—from colleges to associations, manufacturers to financial services—that provide an outstanding education, experience, service, support and products to their customers. Yet they still claim “we’re the best kept secret” in their region or category. What’s missing?

Although each company may have a loyal customer base, each also wants to grow and reach new audiences. They have not yet uncovered how to distinguish themselves in their market or category … from their audience’s perspective. They have not identified the most important point of contact, the point of choice, and they have not leveraged or distinguished what their customer’s value the most. In other words, they have not built their brand.

Building a brand is communicating what makes your organization unique and valuable from your audience’s perspective, not your own. What resonates with them? What generates the “wow” response—“wow, I didn’t know you did that, could do that for me, provided that!” What’s the inherent story that people respond to? This is where to start building your brand message, and articulating the value you have to offer.

And … you can’t just hope people will find out. You have to tell them, in a clear, simple and direct manner, and in the channels they are using for communication.

Over the last decade Creative Company President Jennifer Larsen Morrow has been sharing her insights through the one-day BrandACT workshop. Hundreds of participants rave about what they learned at the workshop and how their business has benefitted. But in the current business environment, we realize that the time and financial commitment of a one-day intensive workshop is not always feasible.

And so we are beginning to throw around ideas for new ways of sharing. Yes, we could brain dump everything we know into a .pdf for your downloading pleasure, but we still believe in the power of human interaction. Here are a few ideas we have:

Marketing roundtables: Businesses come together at a local venue for roundtables facilitated by Jennifer Larsen Morrow – either bringing marketing issues to the table or gathering to discuss recent marketing trends.

Mini-BrandACT sessions: Regular, one-hour sessions presented by Jennifer and/or other local marketing professionals on branding and marketing topics with tangible take-aways. (Food and adult beverages could be an option here).

Webinars: On a variety of marketing topics for expanding your knowledge in the comfort of your office chair.

What do you think? Do you have any other ideas??

Fact:

If you’re a baby boomer (aged 46 to 64) and your primary target audience is Millennials in their teens or twenties, you must understand what’s important to them and how and where they communicate in order to be successful.

We all inherently know the generations are different, have different perspectives and communication styles. It’s often called the Generation Gap. But how does that impact your marketing strategy and program?

“Millennials are the first generation to be raised with online media. As young adults, ages 18 to 34, these digital natives quickly adopt new technologies, then adapt them to fit their lifestyles. If something that suits them better comes along, they are quick to move on. Indeed, 24% of respondents in this age group chose ‘technology use’ as the trait that sets them apart from previous generations, according to the Pew Research Center. … it is not only ingrained behavior but practically part of their DNA.” eMarketer, September 7, 2010

Think Starbucks. It’s just coffee, right? There was a time when people thought anyone would be crazy to pay $3 or more for a cup of coffee. The Starbucks’ focus on the experience, not just the cup of coffee, created a whole new category and a whole new reason to spend $3 on a cup of coffee … with no free refills.

You’ve seen communication technology change rapidly in the last five to ten years—from the internet as a primary source of information to the rapid growth of social media to the now ever-present mobile media on smart phones and devices like the iPad. It can be overwhelming!

How do you sort through the options and choose the best one? First get clear about your target audience—generational perspective, expectations, choices they have and preferred communication methods. Local newspapers will still reach an older audience, but a twenty-something will never see an ad in the paper. And a student looking for information about a potential college will look first at the website and then participate in social media to make connections and discover the inside story.

You don’t need to cover all the bases, just choose the channels your audience chooses.

New research by Kantar Media, which studied online behaviors, found that the types of websites visited and the reasons consumers go online for health and wellness information is strongly influenced by type of ailment, stage of condition, age and gender.

For example, individuals who used the Internet for finding information on diabetes were more likely to revisit sites that provided helpful tools and connected them to a larger community of people also dealing with diabetes.

For people with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions, the most popular sites were those that offer easy access to medical professionals.

In regards to age – 18 to 34 year olds were most likely to go online to find and review healthcare professionals, while individuals over 50 were most likely to go online to find out more information about a treatment or condition after visiting a doctor.

It’s simple. Know your audience. Target your content.

For more on this topic, visit: http://www.marketingforecast.com/archives/8151

Fact:
Although price seems like it’s more important in a rocky economy, it’s still not the most important factor in a purchase decision. And focusing on price as a primary point of differentiation will not build your brand over the long term.

Unless you’re Wal-Mart, hammering on being the lowest price is a losing battle. Instead identify the ideas that provide value to the customer and differentiate you from your competition, then build your sales presentation to focus on those benefits. You will provide more reasons to select your product or service than just price. And when you build your brand to be a leader in your category, you will build market share and generate additional sales.

The default in a sales pitch is to go to price—who has the best price? Yet most people will pay more if they are confident they’re getting more, if they trust the brand, if they feel confident the product or service will deliver as promised. And of course, building a brand is building perceived value.

Think Starbucks. It’s just coffee, right? There was a time when people thought anyone would be crazy to pay $3 or more for a cup of coffee. The Starbucks’ focus on the experience, not just the cup of coffee, created a whole new category and a whole new reason to spend $3 on a cup of coffee … with no free refills.

When you create a context for the idea of your brand, that adds a story and value to what you’re promoting, you’re on your way to building a powerful brand. And a powerful brand allows you to charge more, because you have built in value for the customer.

Where do you start? Start by distinguishing your organization, products or services from others—from the audience’s point of view. What matters to them? What do they need or what do they value?