Entrepreneur.com offers an incredibly practical article on the importance of having a good solid website for your organization.  Since we are in the middle of a series on blogging for businesses, I thought I would share this with you.  The author, John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing, shares this critical tip about blogging:

Your prospects are going online in increasing numbers to search for answers, products, solutions, referrals and relationships—not just to find and buy products. The more relevant content you can produce to address the types of questions your prospective customers have, the better your chances are of building trust. Blogs are the best tools for easily creating this type of educational content for your site.

Your website may not be suited for alot of content, nor an appropriate place for you to share your views on the value of certain products you offer.  So create a blog and link to it from your static website and then go crazy!  Think of it like the static website being the ad in the paper.  The blog is like sharing a cup of coffee with a prospect who saw your ad in the paper.  See the difference?

More in the series on blogging to come . . .

-Randy 

OK - instead of teasing you through post after post of samples before I show you how, I’m going to share this article with you today.  It’ll give you the basic choices to make in setting up your blog for your business or organization.  REMEMBER:  you’re not setting up a silly new fad “just because the young kids are doing it”, this is part of your marketing strategy.Yesterday morning, I was working in my office.  My 4-year old son came in with a paperclip.  “Daddy, what is this?”  I told him and he responded, “how does it work?”  I showed him the benefits of this incredibly practical and affordable tool, and the ease of using it, and he said, “cool, Dad, I’m going to use this for everything!”  He proceeded to spend his day figuring out how to incorporate the paperclip into his life … he paperclipped his masterful crayola drawing to some of the junk mail on our kitchen table, he paperclipped one of the Christmas photo cards on our fridge to the coupon we got for the pizza deal of the week, and even tried to attach his 3-year-old brother’s blanket to the back of his shirt (“this way Jonathan won’t ever lose his blanket”).  Creative kid!

Blogging has so many uses and it is practical, effective and very affordable (just like …)  Get started today!

-Randy

Today I’ll try and offer up some good examples of preachers and pastors who blog effectively. Now “effectively” is a relative term - somewhat subjective. I’ll go back to our basic definition of marketing (based on John Jantsch - Duct Tape Marketing):

MARKETING is getting someone with a problem or need to know, like and trust you.

So in the world of church, most of pastoral leadership is trying their very hardest to communicate their message of love, hope, transformation, mission, purpose, etc….and share that message with as many people as possible. (The discussion of whether individual congregations should consider honing in that strategy for some niche markets is a topic for another post). Anyway, assuming you are trying to reach a local audience as part of your strategy, and you desperately want the non-church-goer to know-like-trust you, what better way than to blog!

In the culture we are in, where churches, pastors and priests are often characterized by the missteps of a minority, it is important to build some bridges to the relationships we desire. While you could spend your blog energy spouting off about theological and doctrinal beliefs (guess that might reach some), a blog can inspire, teach, educate, inform as if you had a DAILY PULPIT! And you could even begin to use this blogosphere as one of your primary venues for touching the heart of people. For many people in the teaching or pastoral role, your time in the pulpit does not permit an intimate level of transparency. Alot of people still want their preacher to preach about things we SHOULD do and not to be open and honest about his personal struggles. I would dare say that in the blog world, while perhaps not used as your own personal confessional, it is a place to remind people that you are human. And for those in church leadership, your Sunday morning “conversations” with members of your church (much less non-members you ultimately are trying to reach) tend to sound like this:

“Great job, pastor. See you next week. ”

“Great job, preacher, but … (insert complaint)”

“If you preach like that again, you’ll be out of a job!”

Where’s the relationship building? Following a traditional model, you get about 30 minutes of instruction once-a-week. That’s insufficient and likely the reason why churches, by and large, are not growing in the U.S. (different story around the world … by the way, where teaching is much longer and relationships are not so fragmented as in the U.S.). You need a venue to perpetuate the ideas you present on the weekend. As a pastor, you will find a great energy in the interactive environment of a blog (yes, you might get some critics, but you might find a world of support as well).

Blogging allows transparency for any small business, organization or ministry where people are perhaps skeptical of the players involved…isn’t that alot of people’s problem with the church today? So blog your heart out (I would advocate you not trying to usurp your pastoral or shepherding leadership … blog in a way that honors them and the mission of your congregation). You are not trying to lift up yourself here … you are attempting to further the mission of your church by stretching out into the homes and personal computers of members and potential “prospects.”

When my wife and I were living in Africa, not only did WE find our blog as a way to communicate with a world from which we were simply geographically cut off, but there are so many people who said our blog kept them in touch with us, praying for us and even giving to us. We were not some forgotten missionary; we were on the minds of people.

In the church world I am a part of, this guy has held a loyal following for years (and 30-100 comments is average for his DAILY posts)!

I find this pastor’s blog intriguing and engaging (the photo at the top of this post is just one of the photos he likes to use to arrest your attention!)

A few other blogs that can show you some different formats you can use: Pete Wilson, Andrew-Missionary in Brazil, CC3, Gary Lamb, LifeChurch pastors, and on and on and on . . .

IF YOU WANT TO RECOMMEND A BLOG in this category (broadly defined as “church”) please leave it in the COMMENTS section!

- Randy

Today, in our series on “Why You Need A Blog NOW!” (not the real name, but that’s what I’m trying to tell you!), I thought I would turn to the business services like PLUMBING. I picked this because I would assume that this is one industry where there are few business bloggers…there’s a market for you to be the new plumbing expert in your area! Perhaps you also might be a painter, a carpenter, a handyman, etc…these are similar types of businesses where I, the consumer, call you to come to my house to fix something. For me, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW I CAN TRUST YOU BEFORE I LET YOU IN MY FRONT DOOR! So a static web site can provide information but a blog can give me a little insight into who you are (I know, there are ways to fool the consumer with this, but if you are blogging consistently and there are comments from your friends, family and happy customers, I’ll likely tend to believe it). If you blog and throw around filthy language or crude jokes, then I’ll have a better insight into whether I will call you or NOT. If you blog and I read things that show me we share similar values (even personal blog posts scattered or a link to your family’s blog), then that resonates with me and I’ll make the call.

John Jantsch, creator and founder of Duct Tape Marketing adds:

“Effective bloggers kind of let their guard down….and the marketing speak goes away and people really get to see who you are and I think feel a much greater connection to that.”

Some blogs are not periodic updates, but rather answering common questions (this is not my favorite way to suggest you do it, but I guess it offers some insight into your personality and shows that you are willing to share some of your free advice…this does build trust. Even if you offer some advice for me today, the fact that you are MY expert on plumbing, I’d likely call you when something bigger goes wrong). In some industries, you could show pictures of your work (before and after pics).

I’m not an expert (yet) on SEO, search engine optimization, but I do believe that having a regularly updated blog, that links to your business web site, increases your page ranking because the search engines like Google and Yahoo index these blog posts as individual web pages. So the logic, to be super simple, is that the more web pages (from your site or your blog) that talk about you and link to your business web site, the higher ranking you will be. So those who think “I’ll put a one-page website about my business on the internet so people can find me when they Google our industry” - I’m sorry to say that’s likely not going to get you anywhere. In the Yellow Pages day, businesses would call themselves AAAAAAAPlumbing or 123Plumbing because why? SO THEY COULD BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST when the customer goes searching. In today’s Google environment, this is the equivalent of getting in at least one of the top 10 rankings (the first page of Google search). If you are a plumber in Southlake, and a customer in your area googles “Southlake plumber”, you want to show up on top. There are MANY factors that determine your page ranking (I will likely be inviting an SEO expert to be a guest blogger on that topic some day). But I do know that while a blog can help teach your customer about you (builds trust), the blog also serves as a necessary tool in determining your page ranking on the internet search engines.

*OK - I tested “Southlake plumber” and I found lots of plumbing sites, but on the first 10 rankings (first Google screen shot) there were lots of plumbers, but where’s one with a blog? NOWHERE! If you are reading this in Southlake, and you’re a plumber, take my advice and start a blog. While some people don’t shop the way I do, if you had a blog, I would skip over some of the other plumbers in higher rankings, and read your blog to get to know you more.

MY FAVORITE: If I were in Austin, Texas, I think I might know who I would call…a great plumber’s blog (be sure and click on the “Meet Brad and Sarah” video….this is masterful! Great job Brad and Sarah…and NO, I don’t even know who they are, so I’m not getting any referral fees…)

Start blogging people….this article highlights the importance of a blog in your marketing (note it was written 2 years ago!!! Where’s your blog?????)

DO YOU HAVE (or know of someone who does have) A BLOG THAT FITS IN THIS TYPE OF SERVICE OR INDUSTRY?  Please share it in the comments (post the URL so we can check it out!)   I pick on some different business sectors over the week.
 -Randy

OK - since yesterday’s post, I decided to start a series about the importance of YOUR BLOG in today’s marketing…whether you are doing small business marketing or in other cases, you are marketing your church, ministry, or even non-profit.

YOU NEED A BLOG.

This week, we’ll look at some effective uses of blogs. Some will be entertaining, some will be informative. I hope this inspires you to learn how to incorporate a blog into your marketing strategy.

One of my favorite church marketing blogs is one from the Center for Church Communications. Click on the logo above and you’ll see what they have to say (oh - be warned - they don’t use Center for Church Communications as the title of this blog … “shock value” is another marketing technique and a discussion for future posts. Be warned if you are a traditionalist when it comes to church stuff.)

-Randy

There was a USA TODAY article this week about the power of blogging … in business. Perhaps you or your kids have been blogging about your personal lives for a long time (my wife and I have been since 2004, even while we lived in Africa!)

But if you think blogging is only some diary of your PERSONAL life, your pictures, your kids, etc….then think again. Hopefully that is one reason you are here at MarketingTwins.com!

There are lots of reasons and ways that a small business owner can incorporate a blog into their comprehensive marketing strategy. Among many, the article highlights the importance of being “conversational” - (DTM’s John Jantsch is their reference on this!) This allows you to have your blog be active and dynamic like a kitchen table conversation at the holidays. Your website, even stocked with good info as it is, is kind of like the guys laying around watching the Thanskgiving day football. Nobody’s talking. They are just sitting there. No interaction. Even a few nodders. A blog provides for ACTIVE participation, opinions, idea sharing, and story telling. It is a way for your clients to get an inside look into who you are (you’re ABOUT US page on your website is usually filled with boring stats and history about yourself, but nothing of personality). YOU NEED A BLOG!

My new website at 1429 is LIVE! Check it out….on the page called “Marketing Products” (under the Marketing Solutions tab), you can find a great audio series by John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing called “Harness the Internet”. You should really look into getting this and understanding how your small business can make the internet a successful part of your marketing strategy.

* Blogs are ideal for small business owners as well as churches who want to put a personal face on their church.  Most church websites are informational…but where does an outsider learn about the people.  We used to say, “come to church and get to know us.”  That’s archaic and ineffective.  TRUST is built…or at least cultivated PRIOR to someone stepping one foot into your church sanctuary.  A blog is a great tool for this.  Your church members have tons of personal blogs, but you as a pastoral leader need to be doing this as a marketing tool for the church.  Non-profits can benefit as well because it builds trust…and if money-raising is critical to your non-profit’s success, then TRUST must be there before the checks start coming in.  BLOG and BUILD TRUST!

-Randy

OK - it’s real late and I just wanted to update my blog now because tomorrow I am swamped with work on a very important website and also trying to design a marketing direct mail piece!

Have a good Friday…hope you can laugh a little.

-Randy

John Jantsch, creator and founder of Duct Tape Marketing, shares on his blog this new valuable resource for small business people interested in staying current on innovations, thoughts, strategies and ideas for small business … this targets you folks who are too busy running your own business to read 50+ small business focused online magazines, so this summary tool is perfect!!!

AllTop collects the last five posts from dozens of blogs and puts them all on one page, kind of like a feed reader all done for you.  John adds:

It’s a great place to start your day and find lots of new reads. Because it lists only the title of each post … I find that it’s also a great study in the writing of blog post titles, which are much like headlines or ads for the post.

While MarketingTwins.com is not yet on this site, you’ll see John’s Duct Tape Marketing site for sure!

 -Randy

“Business owners, non-profit leaders, and ministries often believe they can’t afford to market their organizations,” says Dr. Tara Robinson, owner and CEO of Zugunruhe Coaching. “They think marketing is too expensive or too complicated or too time consuming. But without marketing—the actions and deeds that allow prospects to know, like, and trust you—you’re operating from blind faith alone.”

Just like myself, Tara is also an authorized Duct Tape Marketing coach. She adds:

“When you know the principles and understand the foundations of good marketing practices, you acquire the flexibility to innovate and be creatively courageous in how you market. In essence, you learn how to present your organization—it’s missions and motives, it’s intentions and approaches—in authentic and compelling ways. Using the Duct Tape Marketing system, you work with proven principles, strategies, and tactics to get the results you want.”

Is your church or ministry uncomfortable with incorporating “secular” marketing into your “spiritual” ministry? It’s a common erroneous thought that needs rethinking. The Ministry Marketing Coach Chris Forbes says,

“We make no apologies for using marketing in ministry. We believe that marketing is a management discipline—like time management or budgeting—that can help ministers be more effective communicators of the Gospel.”

One of the foundations of the Duct Tape Marketing system is that it is just that … a system. A discipline. Just like your organization probably has some form of systematic program for bookkeeping, financial accountability, payroll, benefits administration, etc…you NEED to organize your communication strategy around a system that makes sense! If you treated your accounting like so many churches and ministries approach their marketing … we can all say one 5-letter word: A-U-D-I-T !!!

At 1429, we believe that marketing means building trust and communicating with excellence in order to most effectively share your message with the people who need to hear it! Whether you are a for-profit small business or a not-for-profit ministry, you could richly benefit from marketing principles that are solid, affordable, practical and effective!

Contact myself or any other authorized Duct Tape Marketing coach and we can help you create effective marketing solutions!

-Randy

As a small aside from small business marketing, I think it is cool that President Bush is going to Africa for his 2nd tour there…and most significant to me is that his likely first stop over this weekend is BENIN - the country where I was living just last year! We know the country of Benin so well (after almost 9 years of living there)….I can’t imagine what it would have been like to have been living there when President Bush arrived. I think he’s probably on the ground less than 24 hours…so I doubt he’ll get much chance to visit Aplahoue where I used to live. (If you care, you can go back through some of the archives on my personal blog, linked on the blogroll on the right sidebar, and read quite a bit about our years in Benin….it was an amazing experience!)

President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Africa from February 15-21, 2008. They will visit Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Liberia. This trip will be an opportunity for the President to review firsthand the significant progress since his last visit in 2003 in efforts to increase economic development and fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other treatable diseases, as a result of the United States robust programs in these areas.

Randy

**UPDATE**

President Bush and Benin’s President Boni Yayi shake hands after a joint news conference at Cadjehoun International Airport in Cotonou, Benin, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008. Bush is visiting Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Liberia on his Africa trip this week. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) Source: Associated Press

Here’s a good article for you this Valentine’s Day….are you participating in the $17 BILLION marketing extravaganza that marks this holiday of love?!!

Even if you don’t sell flowers or chocolates (if you are interested I know a neat little chocolate shoppe in DFW that is a wonderful small business and makes incredible homemade chocolate!!), you can….uh…SHOULD tap into the Valentine’s spirit and hopefully get a bump in your holiday sales this week.

If you don’t take advantage now, you’re missing out…while car dealerships often use any and every national holiday for “spectacular savings events”, how much marketing mileage can you get out of PRESIDENT’S DAY (Feb 18th)?

Tap into the generous Valentine spirit and promote like crazy!!

-Randy

Mark Mark your calendars for MARCH 24-27 for a virtual conference targeting small business!

This FREE online event provides hours of valuable small business programming each day. You’ll get tips, advice, and secrets from experts, all designed to make the hats you wear each day fit more comfortably. Whether or not you have time to listen online to all this conference, I would stronly urge you to check out the KEYNOTE speaker…John Jantsch, creator and founder of (I talk about this enough on this blog, that surely some of you might be wondering, “who is this guy?” or “what is this Duct Tape Marketing?”)John delivers the keynote address on SALES & MARKETING, so get yourself registered for this FREE conference! Check the website for the exact time, but I think it will be late morning (before noon) on MONDAY, March 24th.

To really impress you all, here’s my very own picture with Mr. Jantsch at one of our Duct Tape Marketing training events. I am an authorized Duct Tape Marketing coach, particularly interested in helping small business owners in the Fort Worth area implement successful marketing strategies.

This Microsoft Small Business Summit session will no doubt be very practical…that’s why John chose to use the DUCT TAPE name associated with his branded marketing strategies. I can guarantee you that you will find something useful to use. I will be listening in…will you?

-Randy

John Jantsch, creator and founder of Duct Tape Marketing, writes a great article here explaining how having not just ONE web presence, but TWO sites can actually drive traffic to your sites, capitalizing on the ever-complicated search engine optimization magic. You need to read this!!

I’m getting www.1429creative.com up and running in a couple of weeks and www.MarketingTwins.com will link to it (and vice versa). This tells the search engines that my sites are good enough (people are linking to them…even if its just my other site linking to me), that they recognize my value and that helps move me up that Google search you did when you googled “Small Business Marketing Fort Worth”.

So you don’t have ANY site yet? Nothing? Don’t fret . . .

At 1429, we help people get on the web and yes, we will even show you innovative ways a 2nd site can help drive traffic. Whether it’s a traditional blog (where you write as an expert in your industry) or if it is another site that is a little more “content” than your “simple” web site that people normally associate with your business … this is a way you can begin to harness the power of the internet!

Who is John Jantsch & Duct Tape Marketing: Someone listed John’s book as the #2 best small business marketing book! Read more….

-Randy

First of all, thank you to my friend and fellow marketing coach, Varju! She helped determine how to get this WordPress blog to accept comments….this has been a stress of mine this past week and I’m so thankful she lend a hand to help!! If you’ve come here before and not been able to comment, forgive me…but now you are free to start letting me know what you think about each post! I really desire that this be a venue for small business (or anyone who leads in the marketing efforts of a small or mid-size organization…business, non-profit, church, etc…) I want it to be a place where we share ideas and learn from one another. This is your place for small business marketing resources!!

Speaking of resources, I wanted to share with you this little tool…perhaps you have already heard of it. JOTT. It’s a unique tool for all of us multi-taskers who still tend to get a piece of paper to write…uh…JOTT down important notes to ourselves. Or for those of you (uh…myself included) who text ourselves or others with short reminders or to-do items…EVEN WHILE DRIVING! It’s a practical tool for small business and independent business owners (who have a million things on your plate already!!) that allows you to dial a toll-free number and jott yourself (or someone else you have set up on your contact list) and leave a text message or email (or both). The recipient, if receiving an email, will receive a transcribed message from what you jotted down on your telephone message. And according this the article I read in our local Fort Worth Star-Telegram yesterday, they say that it’s not some computer transcribing your message but actual people! So the message comes to your recipient with a fair degree of accuracy (you can and should spell out proper names or difficult-sounding words or names).

You could Jott yourself (“don’t forget John’s employment anniversary date tomorrow”), your assistant (“Can you email Tom and ask him if he is available for a lunch meeting tomorrow?”), your employees..yes a group (“hey guys, just got news that we got the Robertson account!!! Let’s gather at 4p to hear more and celebrate!”), or even your wife (“hey honey…can we….” well, I’ll let you fill in that little romantic Jott this Valentines Week!)

Pretty cool, huh!

Right now, Jott (www.jott.com) is totally FREE so you can start using in less than 10 minutes. Someday they will likely charge for this, but use it while it’s FREE…yes, FREE! And it will FREE you up to do more important things…like driving with BOTH hands!

Jott yourself today!!

-Randy

To read what a small business marketing guru says about Jott, go here!

Randy has asked me to weigh in on this past weekend’s Super Bowl Ads. The one ad that I enjoyed the most (and which resonated with those with whom I watched the game) was the Budweiser ad featuring Hank the Clydesdale and the famous Budweiser Dalmatian.

Here’s the ad if you need to watch it again:

I loved this ad for several reasons:

BRAND: It’s hard not to watch an ad on TV and when the famous Clydesdales show up, you immediately think “Budweiser”. These famous horses have produced alot of great commercials, including the famous “Naw, they usually go for 2″ commercial from 1996. To watch it, go here:

EMOTIONS: The music in this ad is great. Of course, the use of the Rocky theme song and the piano ballad at the beginning certainly draw in your emotions. The beginning of the ad has a sense of sadness and “rooting for the rookie” while the middle and end has the famous Rocky theme wanting you to cheer on good ol’ Hank as the also famous Dalmatian cheers him on.

HUMOR: There’s a lot of well-placed humor in this ad that’s not as slapstick as some of the other commercials. Just watching Hank pull the rope while the Dalmatian sits atop a bail of hay. Then watching Hank in the snow as he weaves in and out around the trees (similar to a good Rocky movie)…that is priceless. Of course, it ends with a “high-five” between Hank and the Dalmatian a year later as Hank has earned his spot onto the hitch team. Great humor !

When I read about John Jantsch’s definition of marketing being: GETTING PEOPLE WITH A SPECIFIC NEED OR PROBLEM TO KNOW, LIKE AND TRUST YOU, sometimes that TRUST is built over time as you offer your customers reason to think highly of your brand. This can be done in a million ways (perhaps an idea for a future post!!) I think this ad hits the mark in terms of strengthening their brand! There’s something trustworthy about those Clydesdales … makes me want to own one right now!

What are you doing to strengthen YOUR brand?

Are you leaving people with such a strong positive feeling about your name that they leave you compelled to return again AND refer you to their friends?

Are you offering such extraordinary service that your brand sticks out from among the others?

Are you going greater things in the community that people can’t help but take notice?

These are things that strengthen your brand name and you need to be doing them TODAY!

Thanks Randy for letting me guest post!! Those of you reading this should consider contacting Randy if you are interested in achieving this type of success for your organization. As a Duct Tape Marketing Coach, he has the tools and resources to make that happen!

- Donny “The Other Twin” -

Here’s the FedEx commercial:

In a long line of effective Super Bowl ads, the FedEx ad agency of BBDO/New York (19 years and running for FedEx!) has produced another great ad:

1. HUMOR: This is probably the most common element among all the ads, but it works. It’s probably what has made the Super Bowl ads so famous (when is there ever such a buzz about commercials?) The shot of the smaller Cleveland-bound pigeon “equipped with GPS and night-vision” was hysterical.

2. PROBLEM IDENTIFIED: With a little exaggeration, the clerk is showing off his solution to the obvious chaos in the mail department of this company. The problem is then posed by the presumed company president, “what about the big stuff?” This is likely an issue alot of companies have…they may use FedEx for smaller packages, but think of other carriers for large shipments.

3. CURRENT SOLUTION EXPOSED: With the help of some exaggerated enormous carrier pigeons, we are shown the disastrous work of these birds with “the big stuff”. The one dropped package sets off a chain of horrifying events that triple the chaos!

4. NEW SOLUTION PROPOSED: Alot of times, ads will mention their product names early on or in the middle but fail to capture that final word: FedEx scores big with the company president’s directive: “Let’s switch to FedEx.” Brilliant. (I think it’s a nice touch, too, that it is the clerk’s very own car that comes crashing into the top-floor suite…evidenced by the clerk turning off the car alarm…funny.)

John Jantsch, creator and founder of the Duct Tape Marketing system, defines marketing this way:

GETTING PEOPLE WITH A SPECIFIC NEED OR PROBLEM TO KNOW, LIKE AND TRUST YOU.

At the heart of the Duct Tape Marketing system is this principle…and I believe this FedEx ad demonstrates the first part of this definition. In your own marketing (minus the 3 million dollar budget), consider ways to identify clearly the problem you know your clients have…even using exaggeration to make your point. Try and show the depths of your understanding by not just identifying the quantifiable problem, but the emotional problems, too (how this problem causes anger, frustration, sadness, confusion). This is where you grab the client’s attention.

Without going too negative on the competition (most small business owners I talk to are not really into getting into a war with their competitors)…you can identify differences. Or you can try and demonstrate (again with the help of exaggeration) the reasons why the client’s current solution is not a good buy (most likely you will need to focus on your client’s frustration with their ROI).

Then you have to be prepared to present with clarity why YOU are the true answer to the client’s problem. FedEx doesn’t get to do this in a 45-second spot, but this will come as they deliver on their promise (no pun intended). Getting people to know you (and understand why YOU are the true solution to their problem) is a huge first step…the “like” and “trust” part are significant elements of your marketing as well and the Duct Tape Marketing system can help you understand how to do this. A great marketing system helps put you on a path toward success…and a good marketing coach can help you get it done. I am a Duct Tape Marketing authorized coach and would love to help you implement this success!

-Randy

OK, so this is probably not the absolute best commercial of the day (but I saw one poll where it ranked #10), but I wanted to review the ad because it has some unique elements that we can all learn from:

First of all, here it is again for your review: Tide:TalkingStain

Here’s some reasons why I like it and I believe you can learn some things for your marketing as well:

1. HUMOR - It’s hard to beat humor, especially when you are marketing a somewhat dull product like a stain remover tool. These ring-around-the-collar guys have gotten funny!

2. EARLY ARREST - this ad (unlike some of the Bud Light commercials) grabs your attention right from the start, assuring that you don’t walk away and head to the fridge just yet. In our day and time, amidst all the clutter, to get someone’s attention early is key!

3. OVERKILL ON IT’S PRACTICALITY - OK, what idiot would go to an interview with a stain that big…but that’s not the point…although we’re not that dumb, we could all imagine ourselves in a similar situation where a smaller stain (or some other physical imperfection) could totally ruin the job interview…so we relate, even if it’s exaggerated. This is a product that could save us if we were in a similar situation (although I always saved my meals for post-job-interview for this very reason!)

4. ACTION ITEM AT END - I’m not sure if people caught it because they might have been laughing too hard to hear the announcer say, “Get Famous at mytalkingstain.com”…..but they are banking on the fact that some of you did or at least you’ll hear it when you replay the ad today on blogs like this one….so you are instructed about this practical laundry tool, but they are counting on you to retain your affinity for this product (and the Tide brand name) by going to this site that has a YouTube feature where you can create your own talking stain ad or watch other homemade versions (that they promise to choose the best and air on national TV). By the time I am writing this (about 18 hours after the airing of the commercial) there were only a few spots…I wonder how many they’ll end up with (the men’s restroom one is pretty funny). Not all of you will be able to encourage your customers to go to some website that allows people to create their own spoof videos (much like the ElfYourself phenomenon of OfficeMax), but the idea of getting people to engage in free follow-up PR (putting their own Tide to Go spoofs on YouTube…free PR for you!)…well, it’s a strategy that will enable some audiences to maintain their affection for Tide long after the 30 sec spot is done (which is probably what happens with alot of the million dollar commercials). Without spending millions of dollars, you can still take advantage of the web to give people a place to go to learn more, see more, or hear more about your product (and the effective use of creative domain names….mytalkingstain.com….it helps create a little buzz about what you have to offer.) This is a key element to the Duct Tape Marketing system…I am an authorized DTM coach, so I can tell you more about it!

Well, that’s it for today….either myself or the other TWIN will chime in with more as the week goes on. These are fun to review and watch, and even though you may not mimic the same ad buy budget, you can glean some elements that will be important for your small business marketing.

-Randy

Be sure and vote for your favorite Super Bowl ad below! And check back daily and let MarketingTwins be your resource for great marketing ideas, tools and solutions!

- Randy

OK - it’s Super Bowl Weekend and I’m going for the underdog, the Giants.

But to be honest, since the Cowboys fumbled and lost their chance, I’m more in this for the fun Super Bowl ads. When I lived in Africa, I didn’t always to get to see the Super Bowl live….and there was one time when someone videotaped the game and mailed it to another American friend who then passed it on to me. My friend (a non-marketing guy) said to me, “Here’s the Super Bowl….I had my Mom press pause each time it was a commercial so I could just watch the game straight through.” WHAT???!!! A Super Bowl without the ads?????? It wasn’t near as much fun.

I hope to have by Monday or Tuesday a good ranking of the ads. It’s not very useful for small businesses (since most of don’t have million dollar ad budgets), but the creativity is fun to watch (well, sometimes…..you’d think for that much money EVERY ad would be a homerun….but it just doesn’t happen).

Have a great Super Bowl day….

-Randy

From the Brand Autospy blog series by John Moore, every small business should ask itself this very penetrating question:

Would my customers miss me if I closed my doors? Would there be people walking around saying to themselves, “I can’t get through life without ________ (your business, product, church, organization)_____…..what shall I do?”

ASK THESE QUESTIONS:

Do you provide such a unique product or service that customers would be saddened to see you go?

Have you forged an emotional connection with your customers that another company couldn’t duplicate?

Could your employees find an employer that treated them as well as your company?

There’s many other questions that these stir in me…but you get the idea! You have to manufacture an addictive presence in the lives of consumers…can anyone say “Starbucks”! Or Wal-Mart. Or Your Mechanic. Or Your Favorite Donut Shop. Or Your Attorney. Or Your Handyman. Or Your……

In order to make your customers addicted to your products and services, you must ensure that not only do your customers know you and like what you have to offer, but make sure they TRUST YOU ENOUGH that they become lifetime customers AND they begin to refer you to others! This is the heart of the Duct Tape Marketing system and I would love to help coach you through this powerful (yet simple and practical) small business marketing system!

Let us help!