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The perception of big business is not good. Only a few large companies share a

favorable impression with the public. I think I know why. One simple reason

is big business has the tendency to be faceless or lacking personality. BB has rigid

rules.

To change their rules is a major ordeal through multiple layers of management.

To examples of big business that have overcome this negative perception are

Virgin Airways and Apple computer. Why?

Clearly their founders were very visible and cool.

Their products and services were superior. Interestingly, their prices are higher

than their large scale competitors. Why is this important to small business owners?

It’s a fact  that even with big company competition, you have an advantage over

big business. It’s all about you.

Maybe that’s why 95% of advertising doesn’t work.

Do your ads look like ads? Most do!

My wife is a serious bargain hunter. When she comes home from a shopping spree,

one of the first things she does, after walking through the door, is reach into a bag and pull out a

new item and say “How much”? It’s highly unlikely your guess will even come close to the price

she paid . Sometime she will give you a second guess. (That means it even lower)

Consumer today are much smarter. They recognize a real bargain from a totally

fabricated sale. The scam where the retailer marks-it-up to market-it-down that’s sure to turn

people off and be bad for business. Successful men’s clothing retailer Sy Sims had a great

advertising line. “An Educated Consumer is our Best Customer”. He said sale or bargain without

saying it in the headline of an ad. The ad copy did go on to say every day is a sale. Very smart.

Customers are being programmed to wait for a sale, especially from stores that have sales all

the time.  (I do it myself; one high-end retailer has a big summer shoe sale, when it starts I

pounce on it and grab some bargains. (I think?)

You might be wondering. Why then is “Promotion Bad for Business” I am glad you asked.

• Have sales to often it will cheapen the brand and questions it’s value.
• Run sales on consumables will only sell future purchases, reducing net profits.
• Big sales don’t reward your dedicated customer’s, they promote smart bargain hunters like my wife who knows a great sale from a fake one. You can blame it on the internet.

The other day I hit a major milestone. I wrote my fiftieth blog post.

Now, if you are one of the truly prodigious bloggers like Seth Godin,

who post “good stuff” three times a day. Then this post is not for you.

But, if you are thinking about creating a blog, you’re kind of new at it (6-mos-1-yr)

Or just darn curious about my experience and what you can learn after

about a year and a half of blogging.

Please keep in mind the following is not in any particular order. I learned a lot

of these tips by trial and error, reading article, books, seminars, experimentation

and having some fun and a few screw-ups along the way.

• I found the morning around 9:30 (EST) to be the best time to post.
• Don’t try to sell’em tell’em it supposed to be about sharing.
• Before you start writing your post, remember it’s about the reader not you.
• Pick 5-10 blogs you admire in your area of expertise and comment on them.
• Consider guest bloggers periodically  (Truth be told I need to do more of this)
• Try to include some of your keyword in headline or the first couple of lines.
• Make post 150-200 words when possible.
• Every once in a while “break the rules” These are not rules. They are just tips.

The Good: Viral is the ultimate word for marketers.

The more connected we all become with technology,

the more powerful Viral becomes.

Last week an elderly lady of 84 years old wrote a review of a local restaurant.

It went viral; almost overnight 290,000 people read the review on the internet.

That’s some serious exposure within 24 hours. Viral is the new “game changer”.

The Bad: Viral can also become a public relations nightmare. When a person or company

intentional tries to slide something by the public and gets caught. Then it goes viral.

It can easily end a person’s career; severely damage a company’s reputation and sales.

Summary: I see no downside to things going viral. It’s a terrific way to let people

know what’s going on Good or Bad.

If you thought I was talking about the beautiful island of Puerto Rico.

Than this post is a MUST read for you. Most of the following points are

pretty darn basic, but like most good teachers will tell you “assume nothing”

• Some practioners of public relations at large and small firms are still telling prospects that they have contacts in high places. They may know a name and title but that will not guarantee placement. A good story is a good story.
• Clients that spend money on advertising in a specific medium are entitled to FREE media space (PR articles).
• The most important event for a client has NO INTEREST to the publications readership.
• Social media sites are just another tool, not the only tool.
• Integrating your PR program with all other forms of marketing is critical to your success.

This is a very good place to start, especially with a new client who has never done PR.

So does all the other media celebrities Democrat and Republican,

who think they are special and can say whatever they like.

They are bullies and thugs. Everyone knows the best way to deal with

bullies are to confront them head on. (I don’t mean you should wallow

in the dirty with them.) You need to inflict a little pain in their life,

not in a physical sense. In a place that will hurt even more, their pocketbook.

There are several ways to do this: I suspect you could take legal action and

have it drag through the courts. A better way, would be to focus your attention

on the businesses/corporations that help pay his salary and keep him employed.

Television advertisers are ultra-sensitive to public pressure, they will jump ship in seconds.

After all who would really miss Bill Maher he is a joke and a repeat offender of insults.

And in need of a swift kick in the a_ _. No apology needed.

At 3.5 million dollars per ad just for media space alone. It’s hard

to imagine that you could sell enough product to justify a “media buy”

for this gigantic sporting event.

The salespeople selling this venue will be the first to say things like: “Are you kidding this is a

bargain with one-hundred and ten million viewers tuned into your message”. (Maybe you could

convince them, that in fact its more like105 million, because 5% could be in the bathroom)

Either way, it’s still a lot of eyeballs being exposed to your ad/s. Advertising is about exposures

and impressions. Right? Well, yes but. How many people around the world are interested in

Acura’s new sports car version of the NSX, starting at $95,000? How about a Chrysler 300 ad

with a “dirty Harry” Clint Eastwood spokesperson message. That more than fifty percent of

viewers polled in focus groups, after the ad ran, misunderstood. My personal favorite was an ad

for an insurance company that was creative, but I couldn’t remember the name of the brand

who made the ad.

So what should a company do in a world-wide recession, which has say 20

million to waste? Forget about mass merchandising it so yesterday. Pick five targeted

categories. Make one a charity. You’ll not only score and pick up fans you’ll also be a winner

learn from the best.

When I first started to think about blogging,

I had the mindset, to identify some of the best in the business.

Forming a short list of really great marketing bloggers was easy.

Before I ever put my fingers on a keyboard to write a post

I read these blogs religiously for a couple of months. I learned how the best shared their

knowledge in the blogosphere. I still read many of the same blogs to this day and a few others.

Not surprisingly, the one that stands out the most is the number one business blog in America,

Seth Godin. Why? He goes well beyond “sharing information” He makes you think.

He offers opinions. He poses questions. He cites examples and he lets you draw your own conclusions.

“Oh, he’ll never go for that or when it comes to creative she is very conservative”.

I have heard statements like that many times before. It’s a mistake to pre-judge.

I understand the frustration about presenting new concepts to clients. Most especially

existing clients, who you have established a “predictability factor” based on past history.

Remember, if you are in the advertising business as an in-house agency or outside service.

It’s your job and responsibility to create fresh, new concepts that just might blow the

doors wide open for new sales. It’s a risky proposition but that is the nature of advertising.

Nothing is guaranteed and you need to explore new ideas to get attention.