Small Business Marketing: Influentia

This blog is moving!

If you've been wondering why I've been posting a little less frequently as of late, it's because I have secretly been working on a new blog, or rather, I've been getting ready to move this blog to a new domain (with a custom design). Rest assured, the new blog, Manizesto, will continue to bring you great small business marketing tips, news, insights and the studies you can use to market your small business successfully. My format and approach will be exactly the same, but the blog will just look better and be completely unique!

Plus, I've already began posting so there is already some great content for you to catch up on, such as Why You Should be Like a Cockroach, The Five Phase Marketing Approach, 25 Reasons You Don't Need a Tagline and What You Can Learn from Chileans. Check them out!

I'll no longer be updating this blog, so please, take a minute and subscribe to my new blog Manizesto now!

Many thanks to web designer and programmer Tanner Christensen for helping with my new blog design!

This is what viral videos are all about

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

HP has nailed it with these three viral videos, targeted to small business customers. They are funny, well-written, of high quality and get the point across in a memorable way. But unlike many viral videos, these also have a pseudo call to action, which many companies forget to include.

Life without HP: Car wash

Life without HP: Bubble wrap

Life without HP: Experts

What more can you ask for?

(Disclosure: I work for a division of HP, Logoworks)

Worst Flags in the World

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

How bad can they be? Would you put a woman apparently crucifying a harp (Montserrat), an AK-47 (Mozambique) or the most baffling clipart you've ever seen (Northern Mariana Islands) in a flag design? C'mon Faulkland Islands, you've got to be able to do better than that. Sheep? Really? (left)

There seems to be no correlation between the flag designs and the power or money of the corresponding country, but flags from third world countries generally fared worse than industrialized ones, and colonial flags or flags design by another country are by and large the worst (the U.S. gets a C).

See the results:

A-graded flags

B-graded flags

C-graded flags

Failing flags

And some basic flag design guidelines:

1. Don't write the name of your country on the flag.
        1a. Do not write on your flag.
        1b. Do not write some stupid slogan on your flag.
         1c. If you must write a stupid slogan on your flag, do not do so in a living language!

2. Do not  put a map of your country on your flag.
        2a. Do not put a picture of anything on your flag.

3. Do not use a tricolor flag unless you are in Europe.

How to add new customers without alienating existing ones

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

Your business will never grow unless you're able to add new customers on a consistent basis. Targeting those new customers is a must, but when doing it, be careful not to alienate your existing customer base.

Case in point: Scion, one of Toyota's (NYSE TM) brands, recently gave a makeover to their wildly successful xB econo-box, which is a good thing. But the changes have been so drastic that many people who loved the quirky, stand-out car with lots of room in a small package are finding the newer generation too big, too mainstream, and too much like their dad's car, which is a bad thing (See comments on the new design).

So here's what you can learn:

• Changing something successful is good, but not if you change too much
• Broadening your target audience is good, but adding a new product might be better than reformulating one that is already successful with a customer base.
• Researching why people are not buying your products is good, but deciding to target that group and the one you already are may not be the best approach.
• Building up a new brand with a strong target audience is good, but don't suddenly target a different group when you already have loyal customers.

Want more scrumptious tidbits of marketing know-how? Then subscribe to Influentia today, or check out my new, work-in-progress blog, Manizesto.

Confetti coupons in Times Square

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

The thousands of pounds of confetti that falls in Times Square to bring in the new year should be printed coupons. It will bring in business, subsidize cleanup costs, and encourage people to pick up the confetti to redeem the coupons.

Are you listening small businesses?

PS. Happy New Year!

Why your small business needs a full-time marketer

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

If you've ever wondered why your small business might need a full-time marketer, here are 33 reasons to get one now:

1. You have no website, logo, business cards or brand identity to speak of.
2. You don't know for sure that $6.99 is the best price to sell your home-made, organic soap.
3. You have never sent an html email to a customer.
4. You don't know what your competitors are doing better or worse than you.
5. You've never heard of SEO, SEM (or PPC for that matter).
6. Your brochure consists of prices and descriptions written on a paper napkin during your business lunch.
7. You think your advertisement worked because a lot of people have called in. They'll probably be buying sometime.
8. You have never conducted any primary research to find out what you should be doing that you're not.
9. You have no sales leads.
10. No one you talk to (besides your spouse and business partner) has ever heard of your company before.
11. Your customer relationships management consist of calling them regularly to ask them if they want to buy any more yet.
12. You stay awake at night wondering why no one is buying your great products/services.
13. You stay awake at night wondering if you have the right products or services.
14. You stay awake at night wondering if you're targeting the right customers.
15. You've never been in the black.
16. Marketing plan. What marketing plan?
17. You don't know what direct mail is.
18. You think advertising means being on TV and in magazines.
19. You have asked your doctor if you should be concerned about the "viral marketing" disease.
20. You think marketers are akin to used car salesman and Fox News.
21. You have no way of knowing how your customers came to you or how to get them to buy more.
22. Your customers buy from you once and never come back.
23. You cannot describe your average customer.
24.  Your last "marketing guy" demanded a large salary and brought in nothing.
25. Your small business marketing consists of attending chamber of commerce meetings and giving out a business card at least once a week.
26. You've emailed everyone you know about your business. Why haven't they bought anything yet?
27. You're thinking about closing up shop.
28. You don't get what brand awareness has to do with sales.
29. You think branding is just for Coca-Cola and ranchers.
30. People confuse your company with your competition.
31. You don't think you can afford to advertise.
32. You feel like you're in the dark when it comes to making important pricing and product decisions.
33. You identify with this list.

Marketers, if they are seasoned and competent, can truly take your business to the next level, help you understand who your target customers are, how to appeal to them, how to build relationships with them and how to increase their lifetime value. A good marketer will do a lot of testing to help you find out what works, what does not and how to reach your customers in the right way, with a message that will resonate well. It's never too late to start.

Marketing your small business is a business all in itself. Make sure you know how to do it. Subscribe to the Influentia Blog for daily tips and updates that will help you take your business to the next level.

Why I'm not yelling "Autobots Unite!" from my cube

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

Is it just me, or does it seem like Hasbro really missed out this holiday season by not positioning Transformers action figures as the must-have gift this season? Instead of flying off the shelves, I found myself wondering why I didn't see any Transformers toys in any of the toy stores I visited this year.

Movies that bring in more than $600 million just in ticket sales, like Transformers did, typically generate many more millions in promotional products also (Transformers toys). If Hasbro would have marketed them better, I probably would have Optimus Prime sitting on my work desk right now.

Lesson to small business owners: check your calendars for significant events that will help you sell your products or services better. For example, have a promotion to sell your nursing products on National Nurses Week. You'll be reaching out to and building trust with your target audience. Do it repeatedly and you'll find yourself developing long term relationships with your customers and increasing recurring revenue.

Want daily doses of small business marketing tips to help your company get ahead? Then subscribe to the Influentia blog.

Case Study: When to rebrand your business

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

It has been barely a year since Court TV rolled out with a brand new logo and corporate image, but the cable channel is doing a complete rebrand all over again. Two days ago Court TV announced that starting January 1, they will be known as TruTV to better "describe the kind of programming we do in prime time," according to the channel's executive VP and GM Marc Juris (Full article). TruTV's new lineup will include shows that "would happen whether the cameras were there or not," Juris says, which differentiates them from largely scripted reality TV shows blasting the airwaves.

So is it a smart move to rebrand so soon after recently doing so? Is the Jan 1 launch date a good idea? Does the name really matter, and will rebranding alienate those familiar with the already established brand?

Although it is never easy and it is never a "good" time to take an established brand and change it to a new one, the timing seems to be right for Court TV. The channel is still in a growing stage, adding viewers every quarter for the last two years (something most networks would love to be able to claim). And the network's well-received shows that focus more on true-to-life events has clearly changed the direction the channel is headed.

Alienation when launching a new brand is always risky, but follow examples of good brand changes (a la Cingular > AT&T) and the transition will be smooth. Also look at recent rebranding efforts by other cable networks: OLN > Versus and The Nashville Network > TNN > The National Network > The New TNN > Spike > Spike (new logo).

If you're a small business looking to rebrand, consider the timing, audience, strategy, costs, and long term goals to help you decide if and when to begin launching your new brand.

For regular insights and helpful analysis of real small business marketing, subscribe to the Influentia blog.

Santa still endorses Coke after 75 years

Note: This blog has moved! For continued updates about small business marketing, visit my new blog Manizesto, or subscribe to the Manizesto feed.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) has been using Santa Claus for more than 75 years to sell their classic beverage. Here's a little history:

Coca-Cola commissioned Chicago artist Haddon Sundblom (Bio) in 1931 to illustrate several lifelike versions of Santa Claus for advertisements to boost sales during the normally slow winter months. Sundblom's first work appeared in publications such as the Saturday Evening Post (below), Ladies Home Journal and National Geographic, and it was so well received that Coca-Cola hired him to paint one each year from 1931 to 1964.

From Coke:

"[In the 1920s], many people thought of Coca-Cola as a drink only for warm weather. The Coca-Cola Company began a campaign to remind people that Coca-Cola was a great choice in any month. This  began with the 1922 slogan "Thirst Knows No Season," and continued with a campaign connecting a true icon of winter - Santa Claus - with the beverage."

What a brilliant move; taking a nationally recognized (and not trademarked) image and using it to sell your products. The campaign has resulted in instant brand recognition, created a strong emotional connection and invented probably one of the first "celebrity" endorsements of a product in marketing. The Coca-Cola Santa Claus still lives on today.*

Small businesses take note: marketing your product is all about how you utilize people's perceptions of their world and relate your products to that world. You don't have the advertising budget of Coke, but you do have the ability to use well-recognized images, sounds, themes etc and connect them to your business.

For daily doses of interesting ways you can give your small business marketing success, subscribe to the Influentia blog.

*See many of Sundblom's original illustrations here (sorry about the ads), and read all about Cokelore here.

Why the generic brand feels generic

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Generic brands always feel inferior to name brands. Why?

Every major grocery store has a line of generically branded products (think Western Family, Kroger Value and Great Value). They are usually placed on the highest and lowest shelves since stores make so much money from other brands vying for the eye level shelf positions. They are priced way lower than name brands and normally taste slightly different from name brands.

But what stands out most to me is the horrible designs generic brands boast. Compared to name brand products, generic brand's designs are way, way under par. Consider the evidence. If prices on these two groups of products were the same, which one would you rather buy?

This one...

...or this one?

I think the answer is obvious. The fact that generic brands don't invest in good quality packaging and design tells me they are banking on people purchasing their products solely based on price and are undervaluing what good packaging design can do. Maybe they've done the market research and found that design is not relevant, but my gut tells me if there is an opportunity here for competitors (especially small businesses) to compete strongly in this space. If you invest in good packaging design and have basically the same products, you have an edge on traditional generic brands.

If you'd like more small business marketing tips, news and insights, subscribe to the Influentia blog for regular nuggets of marketing insight.