Support the Victims of Hurricane Sandy
Donate 5 % of Net Profits Until
the End of the Year

How can a small marketing firm in Rockland County
fight back against Hurricane Sandy?

This year giving thanks at Thanksgiving has a special meaning to me.  Hurricane Sandy’s wrath is still being felt thought out the NY and NJ areas.  A matter of fact, at this writing, I am one of the ones who are still without electricity or heat.  A tree came down on my place and the branches punched holes like spears though out my place.  They missed me and I am thankful I am Okay.   I can fix my place – unlike those whose homes or businesses that were wiped out.    When I finally got to a place with electricity I saw how many people were impacted  much more severely than me  and I thought how can I help????

How can a guy who’s firm does boutique marketing – Rockland County fight back against Sandy?

I run a small firm that does boutique marketing – Rockland County as well as Westchester, Bergen, Metro NYC and the Hudson Valley.  My associate and I thought of a t-shirt and a marketing campaign with the profits going to the victims of Sandy.   My problem is that I am running around speaking with FEMA, my insurance company and contractors, while still running my company and providing service to our clients.  I thought: “What is a fund-raiser that has minimal time requirement that can have a big impact?”  Then it hit me…. Challenge firms and people to step up and help those who have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy… then do my best to get the message to go viral.  Going viral is where I need your help….

Viral Marketing is People Power on Steroids – Please Help!

I am going to donate 5% of my net profits from my marketing firm in Rockland County to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Will that help? Yes a little.  Here is where is can have real impact…. I am challenging all businesses to donate 5% of their net profits from now until the New Year to the Red Cross or a local charity working to help those who have lost so much.  I ask that business owners  and non-business owners to do two things.  First give what you can to the charity of your choice and secondly share this with as many of your friends and associates as possible (twitter, Facebook, Linked In….).  Business owners – once you take the pledge – go to my website and download the 5% Sandy Relief Supporter icon.   Then place it on your site so that your prospects and customer’s know you care and they are helping Sandy Survivors by doing business with you!    If we can get this to go viral, we can have a huge impact by having thousands of businesses and people step up and help our neighbors get back on their feet.   For those of you with a business that is still operating you know that you are one of the lucky ones…. I ask you to please take a moment at Thanksgiving and give a helping hand to those who need their spirits and lives picked up and jump started.  After all, we are Americans – there is no other county on earth who, when disaster strikes, gives so much.  Yes this time it was our friends and neighbors from New York and New Jersey that were hit.  We know how strong these people are… however this Thanksgiving let’s give them even more reason to be thankful that they live in the USA.  Just give a little and pass this on.  Together we will help the people, who truly need it, get back on their feet.  Can you think of a better way to give thanks at Thanksgiving?

The Robin Hood foundation is putting 100% of each dollar to the relief effort:

Here is a list of Hurricane Sandy charities that have received an A or B ratings form the American Institute of Philanthropy’s website:

Note: Links will open in a new window

• American Jewish World Service (A)
• American Red Cross (A)
• Bowery Residents’ Committee (B+)
• Brother’s Brother Foundation (B)
• CARE (A+)
• Catholic Relief Services (A+)
• Church World Service (B+)
• Food Bank for New York City (A)
• Habitat for Humanity International (B+)
• National Urban League (A)
• Operation USA (A-)
• Oxfam-America (A-)
• Salvation Army (A)
• World Concern, a program of Crista Ministries (A-)
• World Vision (B+)

Top-rated hurricane Sandy charities perform favorably in relation to CharityWatch benchmarks:
1) A charity should spend at least 75% of its budget on program services.
2) Charities should spend no more than $25 to raise $100.

In Rockland County People to People does a great job of getting food and aid into the hands of people that need it most.

Additionally, there are many religious organizations that are on the ground delivering food, clothing and comfort.  You may want to check with your religious leaders too….

I just read an article by another on-line “Guru” ranting about how the Yellow Pages are dead and how they are a waste of your advertising and marketing dollar.  I understand why this twenty- something “guru” is saying this.  From his perspective and the way he searches for new sources of products and services, Yellow Pages are a waste – he will never use them.   The pitfall of believing that everyone thinks like you is an age old mistake that unfortunately has been made by millions of business people when it comes to advertising and marketing.  The truth is that people think in millions of different way.  Rather than judging any media on the way you think and how you search for new sources… track your leads, analyze which media are delivering the profits, and follow the profits!  This is the fastest and most cost-effective way to grow your business.

Track your advertising and follow the profits -
It is the fastest and most cost-effective way to grow your business!

A month or two ago a friend of mine offered to take all of his ads out of the Verizon and Yellow Book yellow pages and give his entire budget to me.  I told him “let’s not go so fast.”  For the next month he asked every new lead where they found him.  It turned out he was still getting calls and jobs from the yellow pages – especially calls from older people – a market he does very well with.  I reviewed his headings and about 80% of the competition has left the yellow pages because they do not produce like they once did.  The knee jerk reaction is to cut it all and invest on-line or in other vehicles because the usage of yellow pages has dropped off considerably.  Here is how I advised my friend:  cut back your ads to the point where you would be the 3^rd- 4^th  largest ad today (n the current book). This enabled him to cut his print budget by almost two thirds…  Since there are only a few advertisers left in his heading, there is a good chance that a few will leave next year too and he will still get calls from most of the people….   The number of yellow page leads has shrunk; but not by 80% (the percentage of his competitors that have dropped out of yellow pages).  There used to be 40 or so advertisers; this year there were 5 display ads and I’m guessing next year it will be down to 3 or 4.  He will spend about 30% of what he spent in print this year and will most likely get 75-80% as many leads (he gets about 2  leads a day from the yellow pages).  I also suggested that he set up tracking number that only run in his ads (a different one for each book) and not in his listings.  This way he can determine who is using the ads and who is just looking up his phone number.   I advised him to invest the remaining 70% to develop a better website, optimize it, market it and to invest in marketing to his warm market – people who have done business with him and people who were interested and decided they were not ready to buy…..  Most business people only focus on getting the next new sale.  Most do not know that it is 3-4 times easier and less costly to get happy customers to buy from you again rather than to just chase new customers…..

Just because a media in not in vogue
does not mean it can not generate profits!

I could have had his full budget if I ranted about how the yellow pages are dead…. But I always advise my clients to follow the profits and let them guide you.  In the end, good advice and helping my clients stay focused on the profits will help me to grow more than 100% of one year’s ad budget.  I told him as long as the yellow pages are delivering profits keep on advertising.  It doesn’t matter that they are not sexy… they happen to be delivering customers cost –effectively.   He no longer needs a half page ad to be one of the dominant ads (they generate the lion’s share of the leads).  As long as he is getting leads with a high return on investment, I will keep advising him to advertise.  I also gave him this advice:  when the “gurus” or friends make fun of your advertising and marketing program… laugh all the way to the bank!  If you are in a small or mid-sized business and you want to thrive…. Follow the profits and not the “pundits”!  If you are interested in working with someone who earns his money by giving you his best advice rather than what is most profitable in the short term…. Check out my website and request a no-obligation consultation.  If you are not yet ready to speak, click hereto request my free marketing tips (like the page and get free tips)….

Here’s to following the profits and maximizing your ROI on your advertising and marketing dollar!!!

I made a promise to deliver some thoughts on Advertising and Marketing that can challenge the way you think about your business.  Hopefully, I did not bite off more than I can chew….

In part one, I stated that advertising and marketing is the life blood of business because it brings the new energy a business needs to grow and thrive.  I also stated that if you help others achieve their goals with your products and services and deliver more value than they pay, you can turn these new customers into steady streams of new energy through repeat sales and referrals.  It is what I believe and I coach my clients to pursue this course as it is one that generates good will and steady profits.  This is my twist but if you read the quotes it gets back to ancient spiritual wisdom (this case the Bible) as most of our positive personal and business development ideas do.  This is a solid foundation upon which you can build a sustainable approach to growing your business.  Now for part two of the series – an even higher purpose for advertising and marketing.

“Our truest life… is when we are in our dreams, awake.”
   David Thoreau

I am going to start with a challenge…. If you are not in a business that you love and that gives you joy – get out of it and find one that does.  It is only time going by.  We are all on a one-way ride called life.  If you choose to spend your energy on things that do not give you joy and you do not love so be it.  Doing things that you love gives you more energy and work becomes more fun, more joyous and your customers feel this which makes them feel more comfortable … which makes sales easier providing that you deliver value.  On the other hand, doing things that are drudgery to you and things you do not like drain your energy and this also come through to your customers….  I’m not saying that your dream business will always be easy because it will be difficult at times – that is why it is called work. But, work does not have to be a drag on your energy or state of mind.    When you are working towards your dreams, you are rewarding yourself with every accomplishment that brings you closer to manifesting them.   For some people running the best auto repair shop in town might be their dream; for others it might be leaving the corporate “rat race” and opening their own franchise.  It can be running your own beauty salon to becoming president of a Fortune 500.  It could be running your own accounting firm or it could be developing a spiritual/personal coaching business.  It doesn’t matter.  What matters is that it is your dream not mine or anyone else’s…

“I think… therefore I am”
   Rene Descartes

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

Jesus

“When the legends die, the dreams end; there is no more greatness.”
   Tecumseh

“It always seems impossible until it’s done. “
  Nelson Mandela

So what does advertising and marketing have to do with finding your place in the universe? 
And what does that have to do with running a successful business?

Let’s start with some dreamers who did not give up:

Fred Smith the founder of Fed Ex

While at Yale, Smith wrote a paper on the need for reliable overnight delivery in a computerized information age. His professor found the premise improbable, and to the best of Smith’s recollection, he only received a grade of C for this effort.  I found this information in a biography on Fred Smith… I guess that shows that even Yale Professors are not always on the money!

Thomas Edison

On the light bulb:

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. “

Later this was written about Edison marketing his phonograph:

“Edison and his copywriters courted the urban middle class with advertising that made prospective customers feel as entitled to enjoy the pleasures of recorded music as anyone.”

Randall Stross “Edison The Inventor, Edison the Showman” – NY Times 3-11-07

Colonel Sanders

“Colonel” Harland Sanders persevered… “and after a little over 1,000 visits (to sell a franchise for his Kentucky Fried Chicken), he finally persuaded Pete Harman in South Salt Lake, Utah to partner with him. They launched the first “Kentucky Fried Chicken” site in 1952.”
Colonel Sanders Bio – Kentucky Fried Chicken Story, Bio.com

Sylvester Stallone

It has been said that Sylvester Stallone tried to sell the script of Rocky over one thousand times.  He turned down an offer over $300,000 when he had a couple hundred dollars in the bank because the studio did not want him to play Rocky.  He persevered and the rest is history….

It Starts With a Dream…

All of these people started with an idea, a dream you might say.  They next met with push back and obstacles that would have made 99.9% of all people give up.  But they pursued their dreams and, upon achieving them, they marketed them.  Fed Ex is now a leader in overnight delivery and advertising has played a key role in their growth.   Edison was one of our greatest inventors who focused on fulfilling human needs (that makes marketing easier).  He changed our world turning night into day with the light bulb and the phonograph which at first was scoffed at, helped to create the music industry.  His advertising made people feel entitled to listen to music… and the rest was history….   Kentucky Fried Chicken, now know as KFC, is the leader in fast food chicken.  They constantly advertise and market their brand of chicken.  The Rocky series was watched by billions of people.  If you close your eyes I bet most of you can see the picture of Rocky on top of the stairs with his fists above his head.  Yes- that was used in the advertising….   All of these started with a dream that was not given up on.  And all of these products and services employed the power of marketing and advertising to reach levels of success that few ever do.

In conclusion, by finding the business you love it is easy to have the extra energy to go the extra mile and make people enjoy doing business with you.  It is also easier to persevere through the challenges that will lie in your path.  If you employ the right kind of marketing and advertising and measure the result you can, over time, develop a profitable mix that helps you to succeed in achieving your dreams.  If you are interested in discovering and effectively marketing to your most valuable markets, we can help.

Accelerated Advertising is a marketing and advertising firm located in Rockland County NY.  We service small and mid-sized firms in  Rockland County, Westchester County, New York City and surrounding areas including  Bergen County  NJ and Fairfield County  CT and throughout the Hudson Valley.  We also serve clients around the country primarily via on-line meetings.

Click here to request FREE INFORMATION on discovering and selling to you your Sweet Spot (the part of the market that values and wants what you deliver)

Click here to go to our website and learn more….

What is the purpose of marketing and advertising?  Many say it is to influence people to buy your products.  I’d have to agree that is one purpose.  Others say that advertising and marketing exists to make people aware of a brand – I wouldn’t argue with that.  Others say the basic reason people engage in marketing and advertising is to make money.  This is a very base purpose and making money in itself is not a bad thing.  Please indulge me as I explain what I believe the highest purpose of advertising and marketing is, especially for small businesses where the owner has put their heart and soul into the business.  In part one of this series I will explain a higher purpose of advertising and marketing and in part two, I will lay out a purpose that I believe is even higher.  So let’s get to it.  I’ll start with two quotes from the guy who changed the way we look at everything:

“E=MC2 “  (In other words… everything is energy)
Albert Einstein

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another.”
Albert Einstein

Advertising and marketing are powerful tools that brings energy into a business in the form of new customers.  These customers offer the business person the opportunity to exchange their goods and services that will help the other achieve their goals, wants and desires in exchange for payment which is the energy that can help your business thrive.  However new customers also offer a larger opportunity that many ignore.  A new customer gives us the opportunity to gain by helping them get what they want.  Ivan Misner, the founder of BNI, International, the world’s most successful business networking organization, has said it as succinctly as I have ever heard it said, “Givers Gain”.   Giving more than you are paid translates to delivering superior value.  All buyers want to know that you, the seller, have their best interests in mind.  Many business people only have their own interests in mind and many have been accused of being willing to do anything for the sale…. I’m from New York and I have sold advertising and marketing everywhere from The World Trade Center, to penthouse suites in midtown, to the gritty streets of the South Bronx, to small business people in Rockland, Westchester, Fairfield and Bergen Counties and throughout the Hudson Valley.  I’ve serviced all types of businesses from “Mom & Pop” businesses to Fortune 500’s.   In my 25+ years of advertising and marketing, no matter the size of the business, I have found that no one is interested in wasting their time with a “B.S. artist.”  However, they will spend more time and money with someone who has their back and will always do their best to make their money by helping the business person to achieve their goals cost-effectively.

Winners invest in quality!
Winner’s marketing and advertising targets their most
profitable prospects and proves how & why they are the best choice….

The winners invest in quality.  This does not mean that they will lie down and just give you gobs of money because you say so.  After all it is New York and the streets of N Y do not treat fools kindly…. but there is a fool who overpays and fools who just buy whatever is cheapest.  The wise business person invests in the best tools that help them cost-effectively achieve their goals.  If your advertising and marketing is effective, it communicates to your most valuable markets exactly how and why you are the best choice to invest in….  When you obtain this new customer, the most profitable thing you can do is under-promise and over- deliver.  When you realize that each new customer can either be a one-time sale or a constant stream of repeat business (energy) and referrals (more energy), you realize the truth behind “Givers Gain.”  You also will realize that you need to take good care of them, help them to achieve their goals with your goods and services and that investing in developing your relationship with them is one of the most profitable things you can do.

If you are a reader of my blogs you know I love to list quotes that come to the same point from different perspectives.  So here I go again:

“Givers Gain”
Ivan Misner

“What you give is what you get”
Lori Moreno

“Instant Karma is going to get you” (So… is it going to be good or bad?  The choice is yours.)
John Lennon

“And in the end… the love you take is equal to the love you make”
Paul McCartney

“Whatsoever a man soweth, that also shall he reap”
The Bible

Stay tune for part 2 of the Purpose of Advertising and Marketing.  I am going to put forward some ideas that may truly challenge the way you think about your business…. and as always, I’d love to get your feedback and thoughts about any and all of my blogs…. By the way, if you would like to receive free marketing tips to help you Out-think, Out-market and Out-Sell your competition check out our website: www.acceleratedadvertising.com (and click on the button for free tips).

Accelerated Advertising is a marketing and advertising firm located in Rockland County NY.  We service small and mid-sized firms in  Rockland County, Westchester County, New York City and surrounding areas including  Bergen County  NJ and Fairfield County  CT.  We also serve clients around the country primarily via on-line meetings.

I had written a post in the beginning of September titled “Thoughts on Success, Perseverance, Marketing and Advertising”. It was comprised of some food for thought and then a series of quotes on:  Success, Perseverance, Marketing and Advertising.  I have had such an overwhelming response that I thought I might do another.  Once again, I have augmented my favorite quotes with some from quote sites that I really like.  There are links at the end to some of these sites.  Check them out and fill your mind with positive thought from thought leaders throughout the ages… To quote one of the most famous lines from an advertisement ever: “Try it… You’ll Like it” – from an Alka-Seltzer commercial.

This time I have not categorized the quotes but have mixed in various subjects that I feel can make people successful in life, as people and in business.  Please let me know what you think and I’d love to read your favorite quotes.

I am starting with some quotes on love.  Why would a marketing and advertising guy do that?  I believe that if you love life enough it will reveal its secrets.  If you love what you are doing, you will show up each day with joy in your heart, your attitude will be contagious and you will attract and keep quality people and customers.  If you love your customers enough, they will feel it and respond to it. The best ones will be loyal and give you referrals for a job well done…. and those are the customers to build your business on!

“Give it your best and remember that life is what you chose.
Follow Your Dream and do what you love to do”
Jim Messina

“I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.”
Og Mandino

“True love begins when nothing is looked for in return.”
- Antoine De Saint-Exupery

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
Helen Keller

“Act as if it is impossible to fail”
Plato

“My life is my message.”
Mahatma Gandhi

“Givers Gain”
Dr. Ivan Misner

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it;
if you can dream it, you can become it.”
William Arthur Ward

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.”
Jawaharal Nehru

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”
Mark Twain

“The Truth Well Spoken”
Definition of Advertising- McCann Erickson office entrance NYC in the 80’s

“Most of the shadows of this life are caused by
our standing in our own sunshine.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them.”
Og Mandino

“What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content
of your advertising, not its form.”
David Ogilvy

“Success comes to those, and only those, who are obsessed
with looking after customers”
Harvey McKay

“Advertising is the life of trade.”
Calvin Coolidge

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted”
David Bly

“Nothing is impossible; the word itself says “I’m possible”!”
Audrey Hepburn

“What lies behind us and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 “Where love reigns the impossible may be attained.”
Native American Proverb

“Discover What the Customer Wants – Deliver Plus One!”
Ken Blanchard & Sheldon Bowles

“Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.”
Albert Einstein

“No man ever achieved worthwhile success who did not, at one time or other,
find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink of failure.”
Napoleon Hill

”If you don’t believe in your product, or if you’re not consistent and
regular in the way you promote it, the odds of succeeding go way down.
The primary function of the marketing plan is to ensure that you have the resources
and the wherewithal to do what it takes to make your product work.”
Jay Conrad Levinson

“The man who stops advertising to save money
is like the man who stops the clock to save time”
Author Unknown

 “Too many times we wait until life acts upon us to react…
Do it Now—Get Moving.”
Scott Palangi

“When the legends die, the dreams end; there is no more greatness.”
Tecumseh

Click here if you would like to find out more about Guerrilla Marketing for small business

Click Here if you would like to Receive Free Marketing Tips To help You
Out-Think, Out-Market and Out-Sell your competition

Here are some of my favorite sites for inspiring quotes:

http://www.great-quotes.com/

http://www.inspirational-quotes.info/

http://thinkexist.com

Once again – let me know what you think and send me your favorite quotes and I’ll include them the next time I do a blog with quotes.  Thanks and love the ride we call life, take it for everything it’s got, because no matter how many ”tickets” or how much influence you have… you only get to ride once!

I am attaching a great article on how one hospital focused on making their customer’s experience really stand out.  Check it out:

Griffin Hospital earns customer loyalty, and accolades, by creating customer experiences. Griffin Hospital’s efforts to understand the lives of patients and their families has earned them extreme customer loyalty. Their goal was to imagine what it would be like to be the patient so they could improve the experience for both patients and their families. But Griffin Hospital hadn’t always received this type of accolade.  Read the rest of the article here

Let profits guide your marketing moves

Where Is The Best Place To Put Your Marketing Dollars?  Part 2

In Part One of this blog, I explained some of the terms that are used when speaking about new media.  I also told a story of a new media “true believer” who would not consider anything but new media.  Finally I explained my radical marketing philosophy that follows profits rather than branding at all costs….

DO NOT BE MARRIED TO ANY ONE ADVERTISING MEDIA, TYPE OF MEDIA OR TYPE OF MARKETING –
BE MARRIED TO FINDING THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE AVENUES TO YOUR
MOST PROFITABLE NICHES (YOUR SWEET SPOT)

Part Two picks up with my thoughts about people who only believe in new media.  My thoughts are the same about those that only believe in traditional media too…

The thing I found funny was the person (who only believes in new media) was holing up a publication that targeted the more affluent people in the area and had a fairly large amount of advertisers.  I have a friend who owns a Super Coups franchise. (You may know them; they deliver the envelopes full of coupon offers.)  His envelopes are nice and thick.  The truth is if “old,” or as I like to call them “traditional medias,” were dead, neither of these publications would have as many advertisers as they do.  Why?  Because you cannot fool all of the advertisers all of the time – if the advertisers did not get their money’s worth, they would no longer advertise.  Have some traditional media lost the reach they once had?  Yes, some have lost readership/audience and do not produce the same levels of impact that they once did.  However many can still cost-effectively help you grow.   Over the past 10 years new media have started to come of age. The dilemma many small businesses find themselves in is that they do not have the advertising and marketing budget to do everything.  So what should they do?  Have you ever asked yourself this question?

I have been helping business develop and implement advertising and marketing programs for over 25 years. I was helping firms develop websites when one-screen sites actually worked.  I have always held a radical philosophy on marketing and advertising.  I believe in following the profits.  Large companies that sell to  mass markets should invest in branding.  In many cases, small businesses cannot afford an advertising campaign on TV, newspapers, local editions of large magazines or continuous mass mailings.  So what should they do?  My advice is as follows; understand exactly who your best customers are and then spend your money targeting them.  I call this highly profitable market segment your Sweet Spot.  Do not be married to any one vehicle, whether it be new or traditional media, but rather commit yourself to the activities that deliver the 20% of your customers that produce the 80% of your profit.  Dedicate yourself to being the best value to them and out sell and out service your competition in your Sweet Spot.  By being the best value to this niche and continually utilizing the most cost-effective vehicles to reach them, you will micro brand your business to the people who deliver the lion’s share of your profits.  In the end these are the ones that count the most and are the ones who have the greatest impact your company’s profits!

If you would like to learn more about new media, traditional media and how to develop profitable on and off-line marketing, check out our website:

www.acceleratedadvertising.com

Click here if you would like to receive free marketing tips that can help you
Out Think, Out Market and Out Sell your competition

New media, traditional media, inbound marketing, out bound marketing, e-mail marketing, affiliate marketing, fusion marketing, white hat and black hat marketing… there are so many new terms in the marketing world it can make your head spin.  What is a small business person to do?   Things are changing so quickly in the marketing world it is almost impossible for a small business person to keep up, much less know where to best place their money to grow their business.  In this blog I am going to explain a few of these terms and then offer what I believe you will find is a common sense approach to investing in you business’s future growth.

Terms:

New media – messages delivered electronically via e-mail, social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and the internet.

Traditional media – media delivered via print, television, radio, billboards, and mail.

Inbound marketing – a strategy of enticing prospects to come to you.  The first of these was directories and the yellow pages. Today website optimization (SEO) and pay-per click (PPC), blogging, social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube) and permission based e-mails are all good inbound marketing tools.

Outbound marketing – Out bound marketing is often confused with traditional marketing because most traditional marketing, except directories, is outbound.  The strategy here is to catch the prospect’s attention long enough to deliver the message of how the product can help him.  Placing ads on the internet is also outbound marketing, as is telemarketing.

E-mail marketing – most people generally understand what e-mail marketing is – delivering a message via e-mail.  However, a very small percentage of small businesses understand how vital gaining the audience’s permission is and how not obtaining it will hurt you today and tomorrow.

A few weeks ago I was at a meeting and someone held up some traditional advertising and announced – “old media” is dead.  We strictly promote ourselves with “new media.”  Continuing, they said we are only going to use the internet and social media.  If utilized properly, these should get results — but I was not convinced they had the skills or were going to dedicate the time and effort to make that work.  Without the proper know-how and constant vigilance, these media will not produce the level of results that they can.

I often hear people say they have a website and have tried social media but they don’t work.  Unfortunately, the reality often is that the small business person does not know how to make these perform optimally and they do not have the time to dedicate each day to maximize their effectiveness.  As a marketing coach and marketing consultant, I am asked to help firms transition from strictly traditional marketing and advertising to a blend of traditional and new marketing that is most profitable for them.  The key is to understand the media in both worlds and then develop a plan that tracks the profit generated from the activities.  I follow a radical philosophy in marketing – Most in my business will tell you to brand at all costs.   I will tell small business to focus on profits, profits and profits.  When it comes to transitioning to new media and developing a blended strategy, I let the profits be my compass.  Whatever media delivers the most affordable leads from my client’s most profitable niches is going to stay in my client’s plans.  If they do not produce, they are gone….

Part two of this series will come tomorrow.  However, if you would like to learn more about new media, traditional media and how to develop profitable on and off-line marketing,  check out our website:

www.acceleratedadvertising.com

Click here if you would like to receive free marketing tips that can help you
Out Think, Out Market and Out Sell your competition

I wish you success in utilizing new media – but don’t throw out profitable advertising vehicles just because they are traditional….

I must warn you –
As a Guerrilla Marketing Master Trainer I hold a radical philosophy on marketing and marketing strategies
                                  – Al Garlick , Pres.  Accelerated Advertising 

We believe that small and mid-sized business must focus on profits, profits and profits!!!  We don’t care about the status of a particular marketing activity.  If it reaches and gets your target market to act cost-effectively, it should be part of your guerrilla marketing mix.

Accelerated Advertising is a big proponent of utilizing unconventional techniques to produce the same results that expensive “carpet bombing” techniques do… and investing the savings in additional cost-effective marketing to accelerate growth and profits!  Many advertising agencies will tell you that you must brand at all costs.  Yes, branding is extremely important.

However, if you are a smaller business that cannot afford hundreds of thousands of dollars to brand, we propose the following.  Let Accelerated Advertising help you discover your “Sweet Spot” and then help you develop a guerrilla marketing plan to Out-Think, Out-Market and Out-Sell your competition in this, your most profitable market.  Our clients commit to being the best value to their “sweet-spot” and by doing so they brand themselves as the value leader in their most profitable, easiest to sell market.

If you cannot afford to brand to the entire market, focus on your most profitable one.  In the end they are the ones that count most and the ones that will produce the majority of your profits!  We’ll help you to develop a guerrilla marketing plan to accomplish this cost effectively.

Accelerated Advertising understands the financial limitations of small and mid-sized firms to “throw money at the market” so we help you develop a guerrilla marketing campaign to out-sell your competition in your critical markets rather than implemnting “carpet bombing” programs with huge budgets.  We have found that firms that commit to our process accelerate the profitability of their advertising and marketing.  In the end that is the name of the game – accelerated growth and profit in a controllable manner!

“Al Garlick, who is the mastermind behind Accelerated Advertising, has joined the Guerrilla Marketing International family — which makes every member of the family very happy because Al is a pure guerrilla marketer when it comes to copy, design, and strategy.  He is a winner in every way which makes us delighted because it means he’ll make a lot of other people out there into a winner as well.”
-    Jay Conrad Levinson
The Father of Guerrilla Marketing
Author, “Guerrilla Marketing” series of books

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Out Think, Out Market and Out Sell your competition

The 5 Keys To Choosing A Marketing Coach or Sales Coach That Is Best For You

What are the 5 most important things to know and understand prior to starting a marketing coaching program or hiring a marketing consultant?  Today you can start a coaching business  by taking a course or two.  I’m not sure that most people are aware of this .  I also  believe that most people want someone who has “walked the walk” by implementing marketing plans for their business as well as others.    Here are the keys to choosing a coaching program or a marketing consultant that is best for you:

1.     This first item to consider before starting coaching is how much experience the person has in marketing and/or sales.  What is their track record?

2.     If the person doing the coaching has a quality track record the next question is can they teach it as well?  If you are doing the coaching in a group setting as well as one-on-one can the individual run and facilitate groups so that each participant achieves the goals of the course?  The marketing coach and/or sales coach also need to be able to work on-on-one.  Make sure that your marketing/sales coach has this skill set too.

3.     The third item to consider when choosing coaching services is whether or not you have a good working relationship with your marketing coach or sales coach.  There needs to be a high level of trust and a certain level of compatibility however I submit the following – it is more important that your marketing coach can help you achieve your goals than be your friend.  You need to have coaching that makes sure that you are held accountable and that you are getting a quality return on your coaching investment.  This should be done in a respectful, friendly manner but the goal of coaching should be to grow your business in a cost-effective manner.

4.     Does the individual providing the coaching “walk the walk”?  make sure that your marketing coach has a positive attitude, and implements the same plans that they provide in the coaching program

5.     Here is a real bonus… Can the coaching service deliver guerrilla marketing coaching?  Guerilla marketing coaching is ideal for small and mid-sized firms that do not have massive marketing budget that allow them to “carpet bomb” the market.  Guerrilla marketing coaches utilize energy, creativity, innovation, information and technology to achieve the same results for less money.  A guerrilla marketing coach will help you focus on what is profitable and then keep you focusing most profitable activities.  This will help you accelerate your growth cost-effectively.

Click here if you would like to receive free marketing tips that can help you
Out Think, Out Market and Out Sell your competition

If you would like to see our background, qualifications and experience in this area click on the coaching link on our website above.  Scroll past these 5 tips, which are on the page, and you will be able to judge for yourself if we might be able to help you