Archive for Branding
When Someone Else Toots Your Horn – accept it and be grateful
Posted by: | CommentsA few weeks ago a reporter from our local newspaper asked for some time to talk with me to get to know me better. She said she was investigating the topic of business in our community and business innovation. I have a very diverse background in giving back to our local community and I also own and participate in a number of business ventures so I felt comfortable meeting her to discuss the topic. What I didn’t know was what the article was going to look like.
When the article hit the front page of our business section, I was listed as one of the Top Five People to Know in our Community if you are starting or growing a business. And as I read it was not because I am the best business person in our community but it was because of a mixture of things including my ability to connect people with others and be a liason, my public service and my business expertise. I was and am honored and humbled. This was unsolicited and yes, it made me feel good after years of hard work.
You can click this link to read the short article.
http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/may/26/Vancouver-business-people-know/
My biggest and loudest goal is to be an advocate and an inspiration to help the small guy/gal – the solopreneur, the home business owner, the little guy who has an idea and wants to “get it out there” but doesn’t know where to start, the network marketing who is looking for a little side income.
It is my opinion that the Entrepreneur is going to continue to be the engine of our “new economy” (geez, I really hate that over used saying!). It’s true. Those who have been laid off and cannot get their traditional roles at a different company are venturing out to start their own thing. And to that I say, “Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.” Get yourself a mentor or coach and go get ‘em!
Yes, we need large companies and innovation in our communities and we need to find ways to encourage that piece of economic vitality and development. At the same time, I believe that our independent entrepreneur is amazing and you never know what can happen. Something that starts in a garage next can end up being the next Apple Computers. It all starts with an idea and then takes action and work.
As for the article, it can be hard to hear good things about yourself or your company. We’re not used to tooting our own horn. As kids we hopefully heard a lot of Kudos from our Parents (“good job”, “you did great”, “keep up the good work”) but as business owners and entrepreneurs we don’t often get that from the landlord, our employees, or our vendors. There’s no, “Thanks for the rent on time” or “Man, thanks for that paycheck” or “Thanks for taking the risk and being an Entrepreneur”. So, if earned media comes your way be grateful and accepting.
And next time you take your dry cleaning in think about saying, Thank You for being in business, to the owner. You’ll at least put a smile on their face 
When to Issue a Press Release for Your Business
Posted by: | CommentsI spent some time this week working with some folks on plans to issue a press release. At the same time I was getting ready to send out a release for one of my own businesses/projects. Over the years I have learned from some of the best and I currently have some great PR partners that I work with when I need help. That let me to think about this post and to start talking about Press Releases.
Aside from the details in the release of Who, What, Where, When, Why or what’s the Wow – timing of a release is important. (We can talk about structure in another post)
Many releases get sent out too early and don’t attract any attention. Others get sent out too late and receive the same effect because it is old news. If you have an event coming up, it is key to undertstand the news cycles in your area. For example, is the cutoff for Sunday’s business section Tuesday of that week? Make sure to send your release in plenty of time. And it helps to put a plan together of a release schedule if multiple press releases make sense for your business.
If timing isn’t as critical to a specific day, you have a little more leeway. Writing and distributing the press release is only one piece of the puzzle. Building relationships with your media and press folks is the other. The more they get to know who you are and understand your business, the more they will listen. If they get that you only send a release when something is important or pertinent they’ll pay more attention. Releases should be newsworthy. There’s nothing worse that news releases that are full of fluff.
Announcements can be made around the following topics:
1) A new partnership with another company
2) A new location or a move
3) New management taking over
4) A new product being launched
5) An owner takes a new community role
6) Any winnings of awards or competitions
You get the idea – something that you want the world to know that will draw a little or a lot of attention your way.
Never written a press release? There are a lot of free resources that can help with the process. Drop me a line and I’ll point you in the right direction.
Larry Beacham on Network Marketing and Why Most Fail at It
Posted by: | CommentsI have been following Larry Beacham’s teachings on Network Marketing for a while and his most recent article hit me like a ton of bricks because it makes so much sense. I read a lot of what many of the self-proclaimed guru’s put out there. There is a lot of information to sift through and not all of it is right on target and a lot is downright cheesy. However, some of it is firmly based on marketing principles and reality, which I believe this article fits into. Therefore, I am posting it here in it’s entirety.
I do not benefit for promoting Larry, other than helping others, so if you’re interested in more of what he has to write check him out on LinkedIn or visit his website.
His Article:
I was having dinner the other night with one of my favorite couples, and in the midst of our conversation the subject of how difficult it is for most to succeed in network marketing came up. I believe the single most important reason why only a tiny few succeed was revealed, and I want to share it with you today.
The fact is, 97% of network marketers don’t see themselves in the same way that their MLM company sees them – as their “reverse” ad agency. You see, every network marketing company could easily be operated like a traditional company, which hires an ad agency to handle the mass exposure of their goods or services.
That ad agency would employ multiple strategies, including endorsements of celebrities and athletes, to help promote the products. Millions of dollars are put up year after year in this way, and the risk is very high because there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to recoup the upfront expenses tied to this conventional approach.
So instead of putting those millions in harm’s way through traditional “front end” marketing, the network marketing company instead puts those ad dollars into the compensation plan and pays you and me on the “back end.”
Look at it this way. Let’s say that the company has budgeted $50 million dollars per year towards advertising expenses. Those funds will be paid out proportionately to the individuals who have generated the most business. If there are reps making ungodly amounts of money in your company, it’s because they are the most successful advertising agencies within the company. Everyone is an ad agency; the question is do you see yourself in this manner?
So, for those of us who understand that we are an ad agency, our creativity spawns our many different mediums in which we employ the acquisition of clients and reps. While the “average” network marketer limits their “marketing” to the extent of only his/her social network, a “real” network marketer takes it a few steps further.
My sponsor PERSONALLY recruited over 140 reps in less than 60 days, and in the same time period, I recruited 43. Now, either number may sound astronomical, even unbelievable, but when you consider the methods that we implemented in our marketing strategy, you’ll soon see that we clearly see ourselves in the same way that the network marketing company sees us.
Friends and family had little to do with this growth. Strategies such as video marketing, PPC (Pay-Per-Click), CPA (Cost Per Action), Classifieds, webinars, blogging, social media marketing, public speaking, and a host of other methods were dispensed into the marketplace to attract literally thousands of interested people to what we have to offer every single month. With this influx of interest, massive growth is inevitable. Some of these strategies cost, while others don’t. But really it doesn’t matter if they do cost because if you are successful, you’ll retrieve every dime you invest and then some.
If you are part of the 97% who can’t seem to get off square one, maybe you need to shift your thinking. Stop thinking like a part-time sales rep and start thinking like a multi-million dollar ad agency.
After all, that’s what you were hired to be.
Larry Beacham
“The Stonecold Millionaire”
http://www.LarryBeacham.com
614-516-9906
