366 Marketing Blog

How Niche Marketing Can Help You Win More Business

Travis A. Baker — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:18:00 GMT

Ever notice that you don't see a lot of dentist/auto repair? Ok, that might be bit of a stretch. But a lot of small businesses market themselves as everything to everyone. And that really doesn't work. You can’t do everything, at least not well.

But you want to maximize revenue, right? And if you turn something down you don't make that money. However, I think the better plan is to say no. Maybe you should even say no more often than you say yes,.

Find your niche and market to it as hard as you can. Be honest with your customers and they will respect you for it. Don't try and hide your weakness, embrace it. Take heart in the fact that because you are weak in one respect means that you can take the time to be strong in another.

So how do you find your specialty?

What are you really good at? What can you do better than your competition? Or at least give your competition a run for their money. Make it your specialty. If you make awesome cupcakes and so, so crepes don’t open a bakery, open a cupcake shop.

What makes you the most money? Yeah, yeah, it’s not all about money but that’s why have our business instead of hanging out at the beach surfing or whatever. If you don't make money what you have instead of a business is a hobby. So find out what generates the most profit and structure your business around it.

What don't you like doing? For instance I love internet marketing but don't particularly like editing releases. So you know what? I don't do that. I outsource it to someone else.

What can you cut out? What takes up a lot of your time and doesn't return a lot of money? What only elicits from your customer an ehhh, ok vs. awesome! Cut it. Stop providing it. If it ain't great, eviscerate. Or something like that.

So what have you cut out of your business to focus on what you do really well? Let us know. If you need help marketing your small business give us a call maybe we can help.

Ignoring Social Media Marketing is Ignoring Word of Mouth

Travis A. Baker — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:09:00 GMT

According to a recent article, small businesses say they don’t consider social media an imperative to business. However, they say word of mouth is very important. That seems like a disconnect to me considering social media marketing is word of mouth!

In fact social media is the most powerful of word of mouth. Here's why.

Unlimited: Word of mouth happens online at the speed of the keyboard. And the audience isn't limited to your best friend or buddy at work. The potential audience is billions strong. Word of mouth has always had weight. Now combined with social media it has breadth as well.

Expanding: Along the same vein is that now word of mouth can build. If one person says something negative and another agrees, the audience has grown exponentially. It can go from one network to another and to another. Or conversely, if someone says something great and no one else agrees or pushes the conversation it can die.

Unending: When someone posts something online there is a good chance it will be there a long time. What happens on the Internet stays on the Internet. Forever, in many cases. That means that mistake from years ago, can still sabotage a sale today.

So why is all this seemingly negative information great for business? Because you can see these conversations and respond to them. In a traditional word of mouth scenario, it people share something negative and you never hear about it. All you hear is that new customer never calling.

But with conversations happening in social media not only can you hear the conversation, you can shape it. You can respond to complaints and turn a brand killer into a brand barbarian.

Social media has been described as a cocktail party where everyone is invited. You should go. Find out what people are talking about. Be available and start a dialogue.

And check out our new E-book 5 Marketing Tactics for Small Business.

QR Codes to Increase Sales and Build Engagement

Travis A. Baker — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:12:43 GMT

First of all, what is a QR code? A QR code is simply a 2d barcode. It looks like the picture right there. You know, the one that looks like a QR code.

You’ve probably seen them around, but might not have realized what they were. Or more importantly, not realized what they can do for your business.

Ok great….so what does it do? With a simple program you can embed information into the QR code so that it can be read by a Smartphone. For instance, the contact information on the back of your business card.

The great thing for a small business is that it solves one of the main problems between marketing in the real world and marketing online. You can now lower the disconnect between the two.

Instead of hoping that your potential customer remembers your message and searches for it online (and your SEO is good enough that they find it), with a QR code one click can get them exactly where they want to go.

So as a small business owner how can you use it?

A QR code can help foster engagement. Let’s say a potential customer sees your ad where you offer a 10% off coupon they can download. They simply scan the QR code and get the coupon. And of course you give them the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter, so they can get coupons in the future. They get something they value and you get a way to connect to them again.

In b2b marketing you can use the QR code in trade shows or on a piece of literature. It allows your customer to connect with you quickly. You can also send them to a targeted page.

Let’s say you put a QR code in your brochure about SEO. The QR code can direct your prospect to a page that specifically pertains to SEO vs. say your online relationship management.

A QR code gives shopping in a brick and mortar some of the benefiets of shopping online. Not the shopping in your underwear advantage, but some of the other ones.

You can add a QR code beside a product so users can read reviews and even compare prices. I buy more now in the stores vs. online because I get the advantage of seeing the product in real life combined with reading customers reviews..

Well I hope this gives you some ideas about how you can use QR codes. There are numerous creative ways small business can use QR codes to increase sales and help their customers.

Want to talk more about creative ways you can use QR codes to market your specific business? Contact 366 for a FREE one hour marketing consultation. We promise at least one actionable tactic you can put into use to increase your marketing efforts.

Business Marketing Strategy: Velvet Rope

Travis A. Baker — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:14:00 GMT

Secret marketing strategy weaponry time, boys and girls. That’s right, time to bring out The Velvet Rope.

Not the best secret weapon in a street fight, but it can be pretty effective as a marketing tool. In a street fight you would want the velvet chain.

Anyway, here is the top secret philosophy the secret marketing weapon is based on:

People want what they can’t have.

Pretty deep, huh? I named the approach after the velvet rope at clubs. You know the one has the long line coupled with a tiny list and big bouncer. (I think, sometimes promoters pay those people to just stand there).

You especially want what you can’t have, when other people get it. Your new purpose is to get through the velvet rope, no matter how long you have to stand in this line, in the cold, dreary rain.

So when you do get a chance to get in, you are super happy and impressed that you are one of the lucky few. If you want to get all Maslow’s law-y it fulfills your need to have achievement and status.

The game is to make what you can have seem like you can't have it. Not unattainable (I think I will call that the Rolls Royce strategy). Your customers just have to put a little effort in to get to the "vip" status. That's the whole key to the marketing strategy.

Here are 3 tactics for using the V.R.S.

Event: Prospect and customers get into a closed off area by meeting a prearranged criteria before the event. Signing up for your email or being a loyal customer, whatever you decide.The closed off event has better food, drinks whatever will appeal to your targets.

The key is to recurring events is to give the "rabble" a chance for next time.

“Oh sorry you had to do ‘this’ to be involved today. But if you want to do ‘this’ (whatever the next entry is), now, we can make sure that you will be included in our VIP club next month.

Online: Let’s use facebook as the example. You can build a “like wall” so that only people who like your page can see your preferred customer perks. That might be coupons, interesting video or premium content.

It works for a b2b company too. Put a white paper behind the like wall.

That’s the key. Make what’s behind the wall have some value to people looking over the fence. Make sure your language conveys the benefits of being a member, the advantage of being behind the velvet rope.

Storefront: Wine and cheese might work especially in a high traffic area. A closed off event for only the "best" customers. Do a preview sale one day. Be sure to advertise with a sign and on social media that for those certain hours you will be closed to the general public..

Want to see how The Velvet Rope strategy might work for your business? Contact 366 marketing for a free marketing consultation.

The Best Way to Market Your Small Business Online

Travis A. Baker — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:21:00 GMT

I struggle with blogging for my business, too. It's kind of a chore. Sure you get to write your thoughts and be creative and junk, but man the golf course is calling. Or twitter or TV or anything else. It’s a lot easier to not do it, than do it.

Here are the reasons that I force myself to keep it up.

Search engines love blogs. They are in love with new content which the blog supplies.

Google is like the cool kids in high school. Stuff (i.e. content on your website) gets old quick. They want to find the the new and cool thing.

Oh it's that, awesome, let's like that!

Also when you do it right, you can have very targeted content, another thing that the search engines love. When people type a key phrase into Google the search engines want to deliver results that the person wants, so they make sure that it is relevant content.

It also gives you more places for people to find you on the web. Search engines want as many options as possible to present to someone searching online.

So every blog article functions as another page that the search engines can index and leads back to your site.

Your customers and clients love your blog as well. Everyone wants to be more involved with the companies they work with. Blogging is a way to cut past all the marketing and corporate speak and get to the actual relationship.

Also if you are doing in right (i.e. to educate your customers instead of just selling them something), everybody wins. You are perceived as a thought leader and your customers become more knowledgeable.

So whether you are considering starting a blog for your business or thinking about whether to write that new article or to go to the beach….well go to the beach. But while you are sitting on the sand, watching the sunset, write down notes for your next great blog article.

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Business Marketing: Design vs. Substance

Travis A. Baker — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:44:00 GMT

Shh, I am going to tell you a secret.

You ready?

Selling the steak makes a lot more sense than selling the sizzle. This is doubly true in regards to online marketing.

I know it sounds weird.   Especially to those who aren’t used to someone in marketing telling them something that would have the boys at Sterling Cooper spinning.

But what is the sizzle with internet marketing?   It is the flashy website with a ton of production value. And cool widgets that move and flash and dance (hopefully metaphorically). Video, flash, but not a lot of, well steak.

And the steak is relevant content.

I want to be clear that this post is not to beat up on my graphic and designer friends. Design is very important. And clearly very hard. I know this since I can’t do it very well.

However it isn’t as important as people tend to think. Functional trumps pretty every day of the week.

Here’s why.

Beauty is Less than skin deep: You can have the most beautiful website in the world, but if people don't find it relevant it doesn't matter. Google values links over everything else. If you aren’t relevant you won't get links, hence you won't be valued by Google. (Hint: value translates into a higher ranking).

Search engines don't have eyes. The way Google or Bing sees your site is not the same way a human sees it (at least not yet).   You have 2 markets to appeal to, humans and search engines. Both value good content. Only one values design, and even to them it is secondary. So where do you think the most value should be placed?

Pretty doesn’t convert. How a website functions and how easy it is for someone to use drives conversion on your site.   Conversion is when someone does something that you want to happen, i.e. buy something or signup for a newsletter. Having the newest gizmos or a cool feature can distract from conversions instead of enhancing them.

If people can't figure out what to do on a site the website isn’t doing its job. Build for function first and foremost. Design is just the icing on the cake.

Or steak. I think I confused my food analogies.

If you want to learn more about how 366 Marketing can help you with online marketing check us out here. Please follow us on Facebook for more impromptu tips on online marketing, and occasional ones on cooking.

Are You Marketing Your Business Like a 3-year-old?

Travis A. Baker — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:08:00 GMT

I like to cook, so I do a lot of the shopping. As I walk down the aisle looking for the right ingredients for whatever marinade I have decided will save my often overcooked pork chops, I see toddlers grab their parent’s hand and drag them to what they want. What they want is usually chocolate based and heavily fortified with sugar.   Occasionally this tacit will work, but most of the times it fails.

Why? Because the parent is not in the “buy my kid something to rot their teeth” mindset.

And I got to thinking that is the way you market your business? Are you walking up and pulling on your prospects hand and pointing to what you want them to buy?

Of course not, you say.   Well ,i don't think I am.....Well maybe you aren’t literally grabbing them, but perhaps you are figuratively.

Answer these questions.

•   Are you sending unsolicited emails?
•   Are you calling them again and again?
•   Is your mailing list from the phonebook?

Why are you harassing people that won’t or can’t use your product or service instead of focusing on providing your service to people who can and will use? It’s a waste of time, money and effort.

So what should you do?

Get a website: It is 2011, people. Some cats have websites. And not like famous cats either, regular cats. I understand if you don’t have the time or knowledge, there are lots of people around you that do (just saying…)
The main advantage of having an optimized website is that people who need your service can see what you do and see if they want to give you a call or contact you. How great would if for your phone to ring instead of constantly dialing out.

Use Social media: People are out there talking, they need your help. Why won’t you go help them? And you don’t have to be on every site, pick one to start with like facebook, or LinkedIn and work on building your network.

Help people and direct them to your site and your idea/product. Post information that deals with your industry. Be careful not to just use a bullhorn to announce your business. You are here to help, after all, not just sell.

Get Involved: Join the chamber of Commerce, get involved in your community, and volunteer to lend your services to an organization.

People want to work with companies who care about the community and other things beside the bottom line.

Reward your Current Customers: Give people the tools to share your ideas and business and give them the motivation to share you with the world. Whether it is a loyalty card or just the fact that they “know a guy who can help”

Hope these suggestions help you get more inbound leads and help your marketing efforts.

If you would like personalized Internet Marketing consider contacting 366. Also sign up for our Small Business Marketing Newsletter.

Why Small Business Needs to Have Everyone in Marketing

Travis A. Baker — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:42:00 GMT

I recently saw an article about how small businesses should Get Your Employees on the Social Media Bandwagon . There were some great suggestions about how to educate your employees and the payoffs your business can receive. Since this is a great idea for both small and medium business marketing I thought I would chime in with my own thoughts.

The beauty of having a team instead of relying on your own effort means that overload can be staved off. And since the search engines love fresh content the more people you have helping you the more content you have out there.

There are a variety of tools that you can use to manage the effort and to jumpstart your team. For the purpose of this exercise I will assume you are already on the “Big 3” and want to better leverage your team (bear in mind these are my “big 3” Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin).

No. 1: Create a company page for Linked In . Large companies have one, why can’t you? With the advent of “following on Linkedin” this can be a powerful resource for small to medium size businesses.

The advantage is that once you create your businesses page, your team is joined together when they say they work at your company. If your team is engaged on Linkedin it becomes a powerful recruiting and lead generation tool.

No. 2: You really can’t write anything about social networking without mentioning Facebook , can you? With the advent of “Groups” and the continuation of pages there are a lot of options for managing and coaching your team. You can also use the new “groups” for a private network, as well.

And of course there is your company Facebook page. This page can function as a mini site on Facebook. A word of caution; be sure to create a page and not a profile. Profiles are for people and pages have some cool analytics that profiles don’t.

No. 3: Simply put more faces your company has on Twitter the better. Just make sure that you are all pulling in the same direction.

Using a product like hootsuite you can exponentially increase the power of the group. Using the pro you can manage your team to make the sum more than the parts. It can make all the team members into, well a team.

The great thing about hootsuite is that you can control a variety of social networks from one dashboard. (I use the pro, I think it is around $5 a month) .

A couple tips as you launch your new wave of awesome.

There needs to be guidelines enacted, but don’t stifle your team members. You want to use this to give them an outlet to be a person and carry on conversations.
If something backfires, admit the mistake and correct it. It is a brave new world and your business should be a part of it.

If you need some help feel free to contact 366. Oh, and you can follow us on facebook ,twitter and Linked In too.

5 Reasons to Send a Business Thank You Card

Travis A. Baker — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:22:00 GMT

I wrote previously about how powerful a thank you card can be. Everybody loves to be thanked and the personality of a properly executed thank you card can do wonders.

So we agree about the need, but when do you break out the quill and ink?

New Business: You received new business from a customer. This is the best and most exciting reason to send a thank you card. You are excited and the client is energized about their new partner.

It can also help cement the relationship, while reassuring them that they chose the right partner.

Proposal: They let you submit a proposal or a bid to them for new business. You are thanking them for the opportunity to win their business. You know they didn’t have to let you in the door, but they did and that deserves a thank you.

Referral: They referred you to someone else. This clearly deserves a thank you because they went out of their way to mention you.

People love to “have a guy” who they can refer, whatever industry it may be in. A car guy, a pool guy, a money guy, a (plug here) marketing guy . So when people refer to you as their “guy” (by the way I think guy is an appropriate moniker for both sexes in this instance) that is a strong endorsement that should be acknowledged.

Testimonial: Whether it’s a quote, a video, anything that you can post online, they deserve a thank you card. Actually these are so powerful that they probably deserve a steak along with that thank you card.

They attended an event: They took time to attend an event you sponsored or in some way were affiliated with. Not only did they take time out of their schedule, they show others (prospects and people in general) you are valuable enough for them to go out of their way.

There are other “smaller” things that someone can do for you. For instance, a mention on a social network might not warrant a card but an acknowledgement on that same network might.

The above scenarios are a few reasons to write a Thank You card to your customers. Remembering and thanking a client or prospect who has helped you and your business should never go without mention.

So let me know when do you write a Thank You card to your clients? Follow us on Twitter @travisabaker or on facebook here or our RSS feed.

Small Business Marketing and the Thank You Card

Travis A. Baker — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:13:03 GMT

Do you remember when getting mail was fun? When you were little and could run to the mailbox in hopes of a package addressed to you or a birthday card from your Grandmother. You were excited about the mail. Ripping open your letters with excitement and such zest. Oooooo, the anticipation.

Then you got older and mail means junk and bills. Maybe an occasional card, but mostly bills and junk. And let’s not forget about our electronic mailbox. Full of e-junk and e-bills and an occasional virus. Tons of fun, right?
Now think about this, what is the value of something cool and interesting in your mailbox? I would think fairly high, right.

Enter the Thank You Card, new and improved. And to separate it from all the mass produced garbage it distinguishes itself with 3 characteristics.

Be Handwritten: Everything is done with printing today. The only thing that should be printed is the art on the card. Everything else should flow from your hand and be personal as possible.

**Note on the printing: Nice paper, good art. (For those in the Charlotte area, ask for Hutch here.

Have an Actual Stamp: Look at the letters you get in the mail. All of them have been run through a postage machine. It is great for direct mail, but not so great for a thank you card. Take the time to buy a stamp. It is eye-catching and unusual. Even better find an interesting stamp or one that conjures up your product or service. Check out some cool stamps here .

Most importantly, Be Honest Thank your customer or stake holder and be(delete) while being honest. Sound like a person. Sign it from Travis (if your name is Travis), not from 366 Marketing (again if your company is 366 Marketing). People want to deal with people not corporations.

So you have the tools all you need is a reason to send the cards. I think I will do that in my next blog. If you can’t wait, like us on Facebook and I will send you the list a few days before the blog goes out. Sign up here 366 Marketing Small Business Newsletter or follow me on Twitter.

4 Reasons You Don’t Have an Email Marketing Campaign l 366 Marketing

Travis A. Baker — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:26:00 GMT

A newsletter (electronic, of course) is a wonderful way to keep your brand front of mind. It establishes a connection and is a great vehicle to drive promotions.

So, why do many small businesses not have a newsletter? Here are my four favorite excuses.

Why do I need a newsletter? I am a painter, restaurateur, lawyer, monkey trainer, whatever. Nobody wants to read what I write. Wrong. People love knowledge and learning about new information. How else can you explain this ? Theoretically you should be at least as twice as interesting as snail ownership. Hell, I’m in marketing and I am more interesting than that.

I don’t have time. This is probably the number one concern. However, most of being a small to medium business is sales. Whether you are actively selling or passively networking, nothing happens until someone sells something. So you don’t have time not to write.

I don’t know what to write about. Well, what questions are your customers asking you? What did you not know when you weren’t such an expert ? What is new in your industry that you can comment on?

I don’t have anyone to send it to. Boom, wrong. You have plenty of people to send it to. Put a form on your facebook fan page and on your website and tweet about it. Check out 366 Marketings . It is simple and effective. Every time you talk to a prospect ask them if they would like to receive it. You should ask every customer you have if they would like to receive your newsletter.

Note: Although you may be communicating often with a customer or a prospect now, how do you know that this relationship will continue at the same level in the future? The answer is you don’t. People drift away from each other. A newsletter makes it easier to keep in touch.

So, are there any more excuses that you can think of? Want to receive my email newsletter? Sign up here for our monthly mailing list .

Small Business Marketing with Barbarians

Travis A. Baker — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 22:10:00 GMT

“Barbarians! Barbarians! My kingdom for Brand Barbarians.”

That famous quote is from William Shakespeare’s “King Richard III”. If he was in Marketing, instead of frittering his time away being a playwright, that is.

So what is a Brand Barbarian?

People talk about “Brand Ambassadors” (I know I have) and they are wonderful to have on your side. They are the ones that pipe up when the conversation gets around to something related to your product.

However at the cocktail party that is social media, the ambassadors politely wear your flag on their lapel, while the barbarian inspires with her passion (often from atop the buffet table). Instead of waiting for the conversation to flow the barbarian will guide, or damn near commandeer, the conversational boat.

BB’s defend your honor when you aren’t there. They are the first responders when your brand is in peril. Met an Apple Fanboy on a forum and dare to impugn Mr. Jobs? That’s the classic Barbarian.

People with tattoos of your logo (Harley), that own everything bedecked with Red and White waves(Coke), that carve your logo in their hair (Nike). Those are the shock troops in the war for market share.

So what are the first steps of getting your own horde?

Build them a castle. First you have to give them a great product/service. That is the castle from where they launch their invasion. Nobody wants to support something that can’t be bothered to support itself.

Crappy product and services that leave you wanting don’t have barbarians. In fact the competitor’s barbarians put their (theoretical, hopefully) heads on pikes.

Allow people to feel that the product is theirs, it is theirs. It is their widget, iPod, bike, vending machine. People own the experience and the brand, not you.

Be a good King or Queen. When there is a problem you need to do whatever you can to resolve it. People love to defend companies and products that went the extra mile for them.

I paid for “a”, but I got “a, b, c and they threw in d”! When your customers know that you have their back they want to have yours.

When you talk about someone that you have known forever isn’t one of the most telling bit of information that, “he was always there for me.”?

Arm Them. Give them ammo things to convince unbelievers. Give them content and make it shareable. These are the slings and arrows that your Barbarians can use to protect and grow your brand. Great content, articles, video anything.

Something that is cool and relates to the brand and can be co-opted and owned by your horde.

Anyway those are my thoughts. If you have any comments feel free to post them below. You can also follow me on twitter at travisabaker to hear my random daily thoughts.

(366) Marketing with your Signature

Travis A. Baker — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:21:00 GMT

People try to make Small Business Marketing difficult sometimes. You can really get in there and focus on the minutia of data and get lost in a mountain of results. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and think about little things that we can do to help market our business. Like your signature.

Think about it your email signature is on every electronic correspondence you send. And instead of being a static line giving your name and phone, why not make it a portal to your business and a way of capturing fans and leads?
How so? For example:

Travis A. Baker
Chief Idea Guy
366 Marketing
704-826-5861

Now this is fine, it has a couple of ways to get in touch with me, my title and phone. Serviceable but it can be so much more powerful with the use of some strategically placed hyperlinks.

Travis A. Baker
Chief Idea Guy
366 Marketing
704-826-5861

How about hyperlinking my name to my facebook or Twitter page so people can get to know a little bit more about me?

Let’s say you went with the facebook link, add your twitter handle in the signature with another link.

How about having the 366 marketing link to the website?

How about a RSS feed for my blog?

Or a link to my email database to be added to newsletters?

So instead the above you have

Travis A. Baker
Chief Idea Guy
366 Marketing
704-826-5861
@travisabaker

How much easier have you made it for your prospect or clients to find you or find out more about you?

Need help with your small business marketing in the Charlotte area? Drop us a line, or email or connect on facebook or twitter. (See my signature, above for the links)

Oh by the way I am torn about what to do with my title? Should I have a landing page explaining what a chief idea guy is? A link to my philosophy as CIG or what? Any comments would be great!

How to Lose Control of your Brand and Love It

Travis A. Baker — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:21:00 GMT

I was recently on a panel about Social Media at my alma mater Winthrop University. It was a great experience and I was glad to be asked. I truly hope that the students that attended got as much benefit as I did from it.

At one point there was a question about how using Social Media you can retain control of your brand with all these other people taking part. Others who can’t care about your brand as much as you do.

The question was not directed at me and by the time I spoke again the conversation had gotten around to something else. The person who answered explained that it was difficult but that it was possible to keep control and that it was very important to do so.

However driving home that afternoon I kept turning the question over in my head. In marketing your brand is holy. It is what defines your company and you must treasure and protect it. It is your colors, your image, everything that people see and say “oh that’s McDonalds, that’s Apple, that’s Verizon, that’s 366Marketing…or whatever.

Right?

10 years ago a whole hearted yes. Everything about your brand must be controlled and administrated by a person or team of people who rigidly protect it. And it made sense. You were broadcasting you had ultimate control over your brand. You could and should protect and baby it and send it out into the world with a suit of armor to protect it. You spent a lot of money and time and money building it up.

And it was fairly safe unless there was a big disaster. Or maybe a loony with a pen might mark your ad up in a Dr’s office but besides that you were good.

Now not so much. I mean still have your brand and as the owner of your company you need to stay true to your own standards. But absolute control is a thing of the past. There arethousands of loonies wanting to get their say about your brand. I proudly count myself among them.

But the upshot is that now instead of the controller you are more of a guide for the brand.

And they aren’t trying to damage your brand. They just want their say. Hell a lot of them want to help you! A lot of them (hopefully) are your brand ambassadors (hyperlink). And who cares if when they forward your email or coupon they change something or don’t stay totally true to “THE MESSAGE”,they are invested enough to tell others about. If you are mentioned on facebook, twitter, myspace, linkedin, whatever, you need to have the bravery to let people have their say and still soldier on.

The skillful thing is to be able to respond and guide the conversation where you want it to go. But bear in mind no matter how great a guide you are there are unexpected turns in the path and no matter how great you are bad things will happen. Just be honest, weather the storm and hopefully your fans will take care of you.

Storm clouds gathering and not enough umbrellas? Contact 366 marketing, maybe we can help or at least offer some hot cocoa.

Marketing Baby Steps

Travis A. Baker — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:45:00 GMT

I have a 9.5 month old baby. I feel all techie when I type it like that. Like she might be an android. Not the phone, the not quite a human not quite a robot thing.

She is too young to walk so right now she does a weird low crawl, kind of like a snail thing. But I am not complaining,it saves me having to sweep.

My point is that when she does start to walk she won't start off running; she will begin with cautious incremental movements. And that makes sense because walking is a very complicated process,there are a ton of little things you have to do or you fall or fail, both really.

And you just can’t start walking you have to learn to pull up. Then you have to learn to balance when you are up. Then you let go and balance. Then you take a step and keep your balance. Then you move one step forward. And so on and so forth.

Kind of like when starting a marketing effort, you need to prioritize and start with one task complete it build. So what should you do first? Start a blog or website? Get on Twitter or Facebook? The first thing I think you need, as I have said before, is to listen.

Hear what others in your space are saying and how that pertains to you and your business. Spend some time on your competitor’s site. Read their blog and comment, see what their customers love and or hate about them. Surf the webnets and Twitter to hear what others are saying. Oddly enough people love to tell you what they think.

The next step is to start your website or blog. Depending on your business one or both can work just as well. Then when you are talking online you can send others to what you think. Gradually build your following thorough having something to say and contributing. Listen then talk. Sounds like a conversation almost.

After that you can continue to build. Just get one thing down before you start the next. The key is to do something until you can safely add to it. Like jenga. Business Jenga. It is way too easy to get overwhelmed and want to do a hundred things at once. I have to have a Facebook page or I will look like a joke!!

Do the one and build to two. Two to three,three to five, five to eight. This is why I took marketing instead of accounting.

Snowball,baby, snowball. Too warm where you are to get a good snowball going? Give us a shout at @travisabaker or at travis@366marketing.com

Listen Up! Putting Your Marketing Ears on

Travis A. Baker — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:32:00 GMT

I have a revelation, hold on for this one. People are obsessed with talking. They will talk about anything. We share opinions, reviews, recipes what kind of jell-o they are enjoying. We want to talk in different avenues, channels and venues. 140 characters to thousand word manifestos. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to get someone to talk.

And small business owners may be the best. They love to talk, and talking is good for business. You can tell people about what you do, how you do it, what you produce. You have a business and you are passionate about it.

The unfortunate part is that no one cares.

So why don’t we listen? I suppose listening is not nearly as glamorous. Perhaps not as cathartic either. But how else are you supposed to find out what people want? Maybe they want your product to have different features, or you are open when your customers don’t want or need your product. You keep spouting information but it is not what they need or want so they ignore you.

So instead of broadcasting, try communication. You know back and forth. There are roughly, oh I don’t know, a billion, online communities out there and your customers and prospects would love to have you out there exchanging ideas with them. So put down the bull horn and have a chat. Listen and maybe learn.

We at 366 Marketing are always listening so let us know what you think, comment below.

Embracing Your Businesses Marketing Weakness

Travis A. Baker — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:02:00 GMT

A lot of times I see businesses try to run from or disguise whatmakes them weak.

Why do we do this? Ithink it has a lot to do with business wanting to look “professional”. If you are a professional you can doanything, no job too small or big for Professional Man (or Woman). And maybe if we cloak ourselves inProfessionalism we become a little less vulnerable.

The downside of being Professional is that you aren’tallowing yourself to be human. And Idon’t know about you but I would rather deal with a human than with a businessany day of the week. I am friends with people not corporations.

So the next time you are thinking “We are too big, or toosmall, or too niche or too broad, or….. too full of monkeys”. Try to embrace your weakness and garnerstrength from it.

You have a one-person shop. That means you can offer personal attention and your customers alwaysdeal with the owner.

You are too niche, that’s called specialization and customers will kill for that. They knowif they go to you they can get exactly what they need.

You are too big, you can do anything for anybody. It seems to be working for Wal-Mart.

You have too many monkeys……you can open a zoo. Kids love zoos. Hell I love zoos.

The important thing to do is not to shy away from yourweakness because in the age of Al Gore’s internet you can’t hide for long. The chinks in companies armor used to be alot less evident, but now one unsatisfied customer can open huge can of worms….orarmor…stupid mixed metaphor. And you will spend so much time and effort trying to hidesomething you aren’t you can’t focus on being good at what you can do.

Be a people. People love people.

Need help being a more people like person? Contact us at 366 Marketing for a FREE Marketing Consultation.

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