It was August of 1989 when I attended my first ever Florida Jaycees Conference, where I won The First Timers Competition, that I first heard the cheer GET UP OFF OF THAT THANG!!! I thought what did that cheer represent and it represented a call to action encouraging people to get up off their ass and do something. As I got to know the members of The Coconut Grove Jaycees throughout the years of my involvement with The Jaycees as a local chapter president, a district director, a regional director, state director of training, and state-wide vice-president i began to realize that what makes them successful as an organization is their leadership and their marketing strategies. The Coconut Grove Jaycees started The Coconut Grove Bed Race as fundraiser for The Muscular Dystrophy Association. Today that is one of the biggest events in South Florida. Today The Coconut Grove Jaycees have a very recognizable brand and have built a reputation as a top non-profit providing leadership training through community service. The Coconut Grove Jaycees have helped many people to advance in their chosen fields of endeavor and have seen many members become successful entrepreneurs.
To put together The Coconut Grove Bed Race The Coconut Grove Jaycees utilized a tool known as The Chairman’s Planning Guide that should be used by every business to plan, implement, and evaluate projects. Jaycees CPG, this link will give you the format that you can then adapt to your business or non-profit projects.
Advertisement Ideas: Get Up Off Of That Thang – A Case Study!!!
In all my years of involvement with the Jaycees the one thing I learned from The Coconut Grove Jaycees is that you have to take action. When you have an idea take action to implement and make sure after implementation you let people know about it. In my workshops I teach people about obtaining media coverage as I have gotten up off of that thang and secured media coverage for myself and causes I support. below is an article done last year about POINTS FOR THE CURE AND SHOUT OUTS FOR THE CURE, which I will be doing again this year for THE 2015 AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE OF WEST BOCA RATON. Yesterday(8/30/14) I ran SHOUT OUTS FOR THE CURE during The Parkland Rangers VS. Lauderhill Broncos Pop Warner Football Games and raised $62. This was done by getting up off of that thang and using my position as a PA Announcer to do something good to help create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. It is in taking action that you get results. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Get Up Off Of That Thang!!!
Advertisement Ideas: Video Killed The Radio Star!!!
As I was sitting down to write today’s blog entry I thought of a new buzz word that I heard this week, Digital Footprint. It was at this moment that the song from The Buggles, Video Killed The Radio Star popped into my head. As I listened to the song I began to think of the transition advertising has made over the last few years. People used to look for information in the print media and now the majority of the consumers that may be looking for your products or services are seeking the information via the internet. Radio used to produce great results for musicians now it is video and internet streaming. In today’s market if you do not have videos in your marketing arsenal you will be like the radio star mentioned in this song.
On August 1, 1981 MTV launched and revolutionized the way music was presented to the world. MTV is definitely leaving a digital imprint on the world as they now celebrate 33 years on the air. MTV took the lead and over the years others have followed suite such as VH1, and The Country Music Channel. Being a pioneer in your field and leaving a digital important are two important components that will lead to success in your business. The old adage if you are not growing you are dying comes to mind when understanding the importance that video plays in your marketing mix. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Video Killed The Radio Star!!!
Advertisement Ideas Finding and Capitalizing On PR Opportunities!!!
I have posted this question before as I ask it on several occassions as I speak to people who may want to work with me and put my knowledge and expertise in this field to work for them. I have been developing ways to maximize messages for several years and I am always astounded by those who are not taking advantage of Public Relations Opportunities. This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend The Women of Faith Conference on Friday Night (10/26/12) in Sunrise, FL I was very impressed by World Vision and their presence at the event, I stopped by The Liberty University Booth to learn more about them. All the while I was loaded with literature about The Addict’s Mom (one of my clients) to hand out as I knew many of the 6,000 women in attendance may know a mother of an addicted child and may be seeking assistance for that person so I made it a point to talk to people and promote www.addictsmom.com.
As I left the Women of Faith Conference I began to think how many businesses missed out on an opportunity to promote themselves because they did nor know about the event or were so busy blaming the economy and other factors that they missed out on an opportunity to build their brand and strengthen their business. I then cam up with the idea to encourage everyone to visit www.womenoffaith.com and to see when one of theses events is coming to your community and how it can be a benefit to you and your business.
On October 27-28, 2012 I had the pleasure and honor of being The Public Address Announcer at The Sean Taylor Classic, The SUPER BOWL for Youth Football. As I announced the sponsors I began to think how many businesses could have benefitted from being part of this event if they had known about it. In two days over 2,000 people came through the gates to watch youth football. I had the opportunity to cut a video with the help of Generation Next and I immediately put it up on face book. As I have often said if make videos when ever you are at a special event and share them.
Advertisement Ideas: How To Find and Capitalize on PR Opportunities?
I am often asked JDOGG how do you find and capitalize on PR opportunities? Here are a few strategies that I have utilized to do just that.
1: Be aware of what is going on in your community and see if it is synergistic with your business and your message.
Look on the internet for special events in your area, talk to you customers about things they may be involved with and how you can be of assistance. Many times it is just being in tune and having a presence at events that will build your brand.
2: When you attend an event be prepared to do a quick video like this one.
3: Take photos and create a story to send to the media. For example the photo below with a brief story.
JDOGG Lederman Honors Community Leaders and Creates A World With Less Cancer And More Birthdays.
On March 24, 2012 The Unity Church Fellowship Hall was buzzing with joy as JDOGG Lederman hosted The Spiritual Entrepreneurs Visionary Awards, honoring outstanding community leaders for their service to the community. Proceeds from the event went to The Reaching Out To Cancer Kids Program of The American Cancer Society. 50 community leaders were honored and treated to a very special lunch provided by Subway and deserts provided by Chocolate Luxuries. The day consisted of fellowship and speakers on a variety of subjects. For more details about supporting events like this call JDOGG at 954-254-8227.
4: Find ways to provide products and services for events or how to capitalize on existing programs. For example The American Cancer Society has a program for Relay For Life, Stars and Moons, where merchants sell the Stars and Moons to customers/clients and the merchant displays them in their business. You can take a photo of the Stars and Moons with a caption (Insert your business name here) supports The American Cancer Society Relay For Life Program and recent raised (insert dollar amount) to help with research, education, advocacy, and services. “Our reason to participate in this program was driven by the fact that many of our customers have been touched by cancer and we felt this was an excellent way to give back while helping those affected by cancer,” said (insert name here).
5. Use your social media platforms to engage people and ask about ways you can be of service and value. Post how you are being of service and value to others.
Public Relations is not something that is done once in a while it is something that can be done everyday.
Every day you have something noteworthy happening in your business it is imperative that you share and capitalize on public relations. For example a local Dentist is opening up his practice from 8 PM – 10 PM on Halloween to x-ray candy, it is a shame that this has to be done. The dentist has been written about in several local papers, featured on the local news, and interviewed on the radio.
This chart will help you to find and capitalize on PR opportunities.
Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State and More Lead To Creative Marketing
The Spice Girls Reunited for The Closing Ceremony of The 2012 Olympics held in London. As I watched I began to think how can a business truly capitalize on the closing ceremonies and then it hit me, have a contest where you would give away Olympic related items. You could secure items relating to The 2012 Summer Olympics and also secure items relating to The 2014 Winter Games to be held in Soji, Russia. You would collect name, address, phone number, and email from the entrants and every month send out information about your business with a special Olympic Related Theme. This could be the way to spice up your sales.
Imagine being able to create a spectacle that would draw the attention of millions like The Olympics did? Well you can with a bit of creativity and the right promotion. I remember an event That The Pompano Beach Jaycess hosted many years ago called The Zanny Olympics and it was covered be local radio, TV, and newspaper outlets because of the many double entendre names events and the fact that it was also for charity. The businesses that participated all benefitted greatly by gaining brand recognition which also translated into more sales. The bottom line is getting to be known in the community and to build the reputation so people want to do business with you. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Olympics, Jesus, Penn State, and More Lead to Creative Marketing
Advertisement Ideas:Overcoming Branding and Image Obstacles
As I read the article about The Aurora Colorado shootings that took place at a movie theater I kept thinking I would hate to be the marketing director of that theater, then I thought perhaps with the right program I would overcome the branding and Image Obstacles.
The first thing I would do is to issue a statement of condolenscences and then to say we will be helping the victims of this shooting through special promotions at the theater with proceeds from all screenings of all movies being donated to a special fund to offset funeral and hospital costs of the victims.
The next thing I would do is print up a shirt with The Colorado Flag and put a slogan like Aurora and Century Theaters Standing Together in remembrance with the date of the shooting and again collect donations for the victims families.
The third thing I would do is to host a gun Buy Back Program with everyone receiving a free movie pass.
The fourth thing I would do would host a blood drive.
In the face of adversity come opportunity to Overcome Branding and Image Obstacles.
Advertisement Ideas: Branding Ideas and Images Gone Bad
Remember this car it was very popular her in The United States but not so much in Spanish Speaking Countries as NOVA translates into NO GO. The lesson learned here is to know the culture of the countries where you are going to promote your brand and build your image.
The Adult Literacy Coalition was trying to get their message out, however if the audience they are attempting to reach can’t read the bench ad what good does it do for them. The lesson here is when you are spending your marketing dollars on Branding and Image Building use it wisely where it will be most effective.
This ad was placed on the escalator of a local mall.Can you see the problem? Ad placement must be well though out when doing a branding and image building campaign, Had it been reversed it would have made more sense.
I have a question. Would You Shop Here? remember sometimes using an abbreviation creates a branding and Image Obstacles.
When naming your business think about the perception of your business. Would you do business with any of the above businesses.
Advertising Ideas: Branding and Image Building Tips
Many times we may think something is clever and creative however the general public may not think so thus it is important to take into consideration the idea of what are you trying to portray and what is the objective of the branding program. When building your brand and image it is imperative to remember:
1: Be consistent across all platforms of marketing – Develop a logo that will be used on everything related to your business, the tag line should represent who you are and what you do.
2: Position yourself as the best at what you do by being an information source – For example if you are a pizza place explain the difference between certain cheeses that you use.
3: Place your brand in places that are synergistic in reaching your target audience.
4: Build a following that will become unsolicited spokes people for you. For example you create customers that recommend others to you and thus when someone sees your logo they will immediately have a positive feeling about your business. A great example of this is IKEA who does a push when they open and then as a result of delivering good quality products, good customer service, and a shopping experience people line up overnight for their grand openings.
As I typed in the search on bing for the definition of presence this is what I found:
pres·ence
[ prézz’nss ]
existence in place: the physical existence or detectability of something in a place at a particular time
attendance: somebody’s attendance at an event or physical existence in a place with other people
area within sight or earshot: the immediate vicinity of somebody or something
I began to think about the question I ask to people all the time what is your presence. I ask this because it is no longer build it and they will come, it is now build it and give them a reason to come. I am currently sitting in Starbuck’s and there is a steady flow of customers I being one of them. Their presence in the marketplace and online is not by accident. People can go anywhere for coffee, however Starbucks has created the idea that their coffee is part of a lifestyle of prosperity. They have positioned themselves as the place where professional go to meet, mingle, use wi-fi, and to enjoy their coffee and other assorted items. When on sees the following logo they know it is Starbucks.
Starbucks has created a presence and an awareness through the consistent use of their logo and creating an identity. What are you doing to create your identity so as to increase your presence? Continue reading Advertising Ideas: What Is Your Presence?
When I think of the word network the movie scene where the radio host urges people to go their windows and yell out I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore.
Is this how you feel when you attend networking events only to be bombarded by those looking to sell you something or enroll you in their program when the proper aspect of networking would be to share and lern about the other person. I did this today at The Cuccess Mix and Mingle. The word is spelled incorrectly on purpose as there are 3 cs needed to become a successful business person commitment, communication, and collaboration. As you build your network you will begin to see that being of service and value is a key component. Think about what can you do to enhance the lives of those you come in contact with at a networking function. Sometimes it may not be an official networking activity, however you will find yourself meeting people that you can be of assistance so always carry you contact info with you. If your calling card is the book you wrote carry it with you and give it out, if it is a cd you made hand that out, if it is business card hand that out. Remember when you are networking you want to be remembered so make sure you have something that makes you stand out. At many networking events I am asked to make announcements because of my great announcer voice, many times I will meet the organizer at the event and offer my services and many times the organizer didn’t even think about the importance of having a professional voice. This is one way I stand out. The key to creating a deep network is to stand out so people will know about you and feel as they know you, like you, and trust you.
As you network keep in mind that it is like teaching the world to sing as the more people you share with and find commonality the bigger your network will become and the more potential clients you will have. I often stress using a 3 foot rule, where if someone is within 3 feet of you, you talk to them as you never know how you can be of service and value to each other. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How Deep Is Your Network
This week there were two non traditional days celebrated that could have helped you to build your brand and increase your revenue one was on Friday, it was National Donut Day, the other was on Saturday, it was International Hug Day. I began to think how many businesses that rely on foot traffic knew of these two days and did anything to capitalize on them? I came up with an idea that if these two days are close together in 2013 that you can sponsor a campaign I’ll Have a Hug and a Donut. It could be done very simply by advertising two-three weeks prior to these days that on a certain day to commemorate National Donut Day and International Hug Day that at you place of business the first 150 people to make a purchase will receive a free hug and a donut.
There are many non-traditional holidays that you as a business can capitalize on and many are included in this book:
Introducing the 2012 Edition of Quirky Marketing Calendar The Ultimate Ebook to Promote Your Business 365+ Days a Year!
by Heidi Richards Mooney
The ideas in Quirky Marketing Calendar are TIMELESS! It does not matter when you buy it or where you start because these are holidays that occur every year! You can buy this calendar TODAY (or any day) and use it for the next 12 months (or longer)!
Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi) teaches Ralph Macchio (Daniel Son) an important life lesson about focusing. The scene that is very poignant is Miyagi says wax on wax off focus.I used to walk around my office sharing this with my fellow staff members so as to motivate them. It worked as a great strategy.
Advertisement Ideas: Miyagi Says Focus!!!!
I was out in the community representing Life Publications today and realized just how many people couldn’t answer the question of who their ideal client was. I began to think if you do not know who your ideal client is then how can you stay focused and build your brand and increase your revenue. One particular business asked me what I was selling I said eventually I would like to put together an advertising program for you but first I wanted to know who your ideal client is so that I can see if my magazine would be a good fit for you. I was told I am not interested to which I replied sorry to hear that because outside of the advertising I believe I could have been of service and value to you. I continued to stay focused and use this approach as I continued to peel back the onion by asking questions of the potential advertisers that I was calling on. I was doing the sales calls cold, which is not something I recommend, however those that I have relationships with are already in the magazine working with other reps. As I finished making the sales calls I began to realize that their must be a focus on marketing so as to create top of the mind awareness with those that are in your ideal client profile.
Advertisement Ideas: Strategic Focus
When was the las time you sat down and did a real introspection of where your focus is and what strategic partnerships I should be focusing on? Have you looked for a strategy focus that will build your brand? Have you sat down with others to get their input on strategies? Have you sought out groups or organizations that are synergistic with your focus? Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Miyagi Says Focus!!!!
What speciality do you have? How are you carry yourself? Do you walk with a swagger? Do you speak with confidence? This has gotten me to think of the adage flaunt it if you got it, not in a mean or condescending way but is a subtly in their face way.
Angie and her FLAUNT Girls attract a lot of attention as they perform at The Full Throttle Saloon during Bike Week in Sturgis South Dakota. They are used in many promotions and as a result attract many male customers to the saloon. Some may say that this is over the top, however it works. Think about it showing off your skills may be just what a potential client/ customer is looking for. By flaunting your skills in a subtle way you will begin to build strength in your brand. A few year ago NIKE Introduced Customizing their sneakers, where consumers could go on-line and design their own sneakers.Knowing they were the #1 athletic footwear in the world they flaunted their position and offered this opportunity and a s a result remain #1. Imagine if you could custom make a few pairs pf sneakers to wear while doing business that effectively represented your company. This would definitely lead to be a flaunter.
These were designed for a Dance Krew, who won MTV’s America’s Best Dance Krew and now the Jabbockeez are a recognizable brand who flaunt their talent.
After NIKE offered this program of customization others followed suit. Someone designed this from Adidas and I immediately thought if I had a burger place I would order these for my employees with the company name on them.
What a great innovative way to market your business.
Angie and her FLAUNT Girls attract a lot of attention as they perform at The Full Throttle Saloon during Bike Week in Sturgis South Dakota. They are used in many promotions and as a result attract many male customers to the saloon. Some may say that this is over the top, however it works. Think about it showing off your skills may be just what a potential client/ customer is looking for. By flaunting your skills in a subtle way you will begin to build strength in your brand. A few year ago NIKE Introduced Customizing their sneakers, where consumers could go on-line and design their own sneakers.Knowing they were the #1 athletic footwear in the world they flaunted their position and offered this opportunity and a s a result remain #1. Imagine if you could custom make a few pairs pf sneakers to wear while doing business that effectively represented your company. This would definitely lead to be a flaunter.
These were designed for a Dance Krew, who won MTV’s America’s Best Dance Krew and now the Jabbockeez are a recognizable brand who flaunt their talent.
What a great innovative way to market your business.