A new challenge to start on September 1st!

As some of you know, I’ve written about six half novels — create a good beginning and good end but no middle — I just write better in spurts. So after watching Julie&Julia and thinking a lot about goals of late, I’ve been wondering about a blogging goal for one year — what could I write.

I think I’ve hit on it. To start on September 1 – Project184. 184 is the average number of elementary school days  Deadline is June 1st to complete 184 short stories with people providing me two “items” to include — locations, colors, a name, drink, mood, etc.

I’ll post to to my project184 blog which will be connected to my Facebook too and we’ll see if putting all these short pieces together into a collection doesn’t get me a published book. Or a few together spark me to really write a novel.

I’ve got a lot of energy right now to channel and this feels like a good direction to go.

Looking forward to your thoughts and ideas.

2009 Marketing Trends in brief

So much has been going on for me that I have neglected this blog. I plan to do better in 2009.

I could not leave 2008 without commenting on all the trend articles that are out there. So many viewpoints, so little time. To that end, her eis my last bit of help in 2008… here are the 2009 marketing trends articles I found most thoughtful, thought-provoking and pretty on target from what I’m seeing in the world.

Many blessings for business prosperity and talk to you in the new year!

BEST MARKETING TRENDS of 2009 ARTICLES

1. Felipe Korzenny’s Hispanic Marketing Trends for 2009

2. KEY MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2009 (Canadian but definitely going to see south of the border too)

 

3. PART 1: 50 Youth Marketing Trends for 2009 by Graham Brown

 

4. Strange Corporation – News – Online Marketing Trends in 2009

5. Greg Verdino: Marketing, Media & Trends: If 2009 will be the ‘year …

6. Email Marketing Trends for 2009

 

7. Cliff Allen on Marketing: 9 Marketing Trends for 2009

Krispy Kreme going cold?!

This week in USA Today I learned the following news…

Krispy Kreme’s signature glazed doughnuts may be best hot, but its sales have been anything but in recent years. Now the chain is hoping that going cold — with its new soft-serve ice cream — will be the catalyst it needs.

The company has been trying to revive its sales for nearly three years, amid a health craze that made its glazed doughnuts an indulgence that many just couldn’t stomach.

Now industry watchers say Krispy Kreme Doughnuts’ latest turnaround plan — which includes launching the new ice cream as well as opening smaller stores and expanding overseas — still may not be enough to help the chain climb out of its hole.

WHAT?!! You know in television this would be called “jumping the shark.”

So much for building credibility as a doughnut god. At the very least they could have selected a by-product as Dunkin’ Donuts did with coffee.

Why not work to develop a “baked” variety of doughnut like so many potato chips company have done for health reasons. Or an alternative gluten-free version? This makes no sense other than the company’s mission is to make America fat.

I truly wonder what their management is thinking and what kind of research was done that said this has a shot of working. Or perhaps research was not done.

Marketing research is cut from the marketing table many times so that more can be spent on media buys and product development. “We don’t need to do research. I asked ten people I know and they love this ice cream recipe. It’ll be great.”

Hmmmm… will it?

For full article, click here.

What does your brand smell like?

Okay… too tough for you? How about… what does your company sound like? If I picked up the fabric of your culture what would it feel like?

This week, I’ve been conducting internal interviews for a hotel looking at its branding. Industries like hospitality need to understand their brands from all five senses and more. People want the “experience” of your brand and if it is a fabulous time, they’ll come back again and again.

Take a tip from hotels and explore your brand from more than just sight. Make it really come to life.

SEO and the rest of your marketing efforts

A new report from iProspect, conducted by JupiterResearch,  says that 45% of search engine marketers do not integrate their search marketing efforts with offline channels.

In addition, it uncovers a big disconnect between search engine marketer strategy and search engine user behavior…The study finds that just over half of search engine marketers (55%) intentionally integrate their efforts with at least one offline marketing channel.

Other key findings: The two integration techniques most frequently employed by search marketers are prominently including the company Web address (84%), and the company name (66%), in offline marketing initiatives.

Only 26% of marketers utilize the same keywords in offline campaigns as are used in search marketing campaigns in their integration efforts.

24% of companies do not participate in offline marketing at all.

Can you hear me grinding my teeth on this one.

It’s articles like this that bother me as a marketing professional. I have been saying for years that it is not about Search Engine Optimization but Web Optimization that must happen which includes getting your PR efforts and branding materials to all be utilizing the same language, content, tone and keywords.

It irks me more to know that small business owners everywhere get sucked in by some so-called SEO expert that this will solve their marketing woes when in reality what they get in sales goes right back out in word$.

If you are working with an SEO “professional,” challenge them on this. Question how they plan to cross-train your SEO with your direct mail piece planned next month. If they give you a deer-in-headlights look or it’s silent on the phone, cut your losses and find a true marketer that gets it the first time.

See full article here.

Done ranting.

Five sites for inspiration

I have just returned from a long weekend in Michigan. Headed back to visit with old friends and made some new ones. I needed to turn off, shut down and reboot… don’t we all sometimes?

It’s important, especially in one-person operations, that we keep our creative juices flowing. To that end, here are five sites I visit for daily inspiration. Stay passionate!

1. Direct Daily: Great blog that highlights great direct mail and grassroots marketing tactics from around the world. Complete with photos.

2. MelissaJill.net: I think this woman is an amazing photographer and fun human being. Photography is not only a personal passion of mine but I also visit because it shows what happens when you look form a different angle. When I get married, I’m calling her.

3. Logopond: Search and discover logos. Rate them, praise them, add your own. Helps rev up the design juices.

4.  CrazyLeaf: Always sharing new Adobe techniques, design trends, etc. Uber design geeky and I love visiting their world for awhile pretending I fit in.

5. MediaPost.com: Mega-ton site of research and marketing knowledge galore. So much to read! So much to absorb!

3 steps to take this week

Finish out the year: Create a marketing calendar for the remainder of the year. I like to use Word and create a table with four columns:

1. the month

2. product/service specifically to push then

3. what 2-3 marketing tactics I plan to use (pr, direct mail, etc.)

4. creative notes – brief timelines keys, maybe the headline has already come to me, etc.

Review your headlines: Take a look at upcoming marketing materials you have. Direct mail, website, ad, sales letter. What’s your opening line? 90% of the receiver’s decision is going to be made at the gut level by what that one line says. Make it compelling! Irresitible!

Ask for quotes: Contact 3 clients for testimonials this week. Two sentences will suffice. But get them! And then start using them on your site and in collateral.