Dog Marketing Tactics

A few weeks ago I took Aaron, our eight-year-old grandson, to the pound to pick out a new dog. I hadn’t been to Lied Animal Shelter in years. Back in the day, it was like San Quentin – a stark, smelly, disease-ridden prison where every inmate waited on death row. It wasn’t unusual to see six or seven animals stuffed into each cell. Tragic.

Today, I’m happy to report that Lied has undergone a total transformation. With more than 20 spacious bungalows, every guest enjoys a private, well-ventilated kennel on a par with those I’ve seen at private pet hotels. The animals are no longer on a 72-hour fast-track. On the day we visited, Lied housed approximately 200 dogs. Of course, Aaron and I had to check out every single one of them. Inviting a new family member into your home isn’t a decision to be taken lightly.

Leaving no pooch unturned, we systematically toured each facility, dutifully jotting down relevant details about dogs that caught our eye (and tugged at our heart). As we made the rounds, it occurred to me that dogs, like their human counterparts, are in a position to help or hurt their chances based on the way they market themselves.

Typically, the pit bulls and Rottweilers lived up (or down) to their reputations, snarling and snapping and generally letting you know they’d rip your lungs out given half a chance. As a rule, the people showing an interest in them looked as mean as the dogs. Target marketing at its finest.

Some of the smaller breeds, Chihuahuas and the like, shook with unremitting anxiety or cowered in the corner. A few managed to wet themselves. We felt sorry for them but gave them a wide berth. Desperation is never an effective strategy.

Others ignored us completely, while some appeared too eager; jumping, wagging and fawning over us like overly-attentive waiters.

After more than two hours, we narrowed our search to three candidates: Chili, a miniature pincer; Cyrus, a terrier with Bambi eyes; and a white poodle mix named Apollo. Lied lets you fill out a form and play with each dog in an enclosed grassy area. While the first two dogs were perfectly respectable representatives of their breeds, it was Apollo who showed just the right combination of playfulness and sensitivity. In a word, he was authentic. Boy and dog bonded immediately.

Twenty-four hours, $155 and one minor surgery later (minor if you’re a dog, that is), Apollo became the latest addition to our family. Although Apollo is no longer his name. (The Lied staff informed us that they name the dogs for convenience purposes; he hadn’t been called that long enough to get used to it.)

At a family meeting, we made out a list of 20 or so potential doggy monikers. Ultimately, Bo, Buddy and Valentine (we picked him out on Valentine’s Day) made the short list. Later, after going home, my wife and I learned that Aaron had chosen “Rex,” a name not even in contention. (T-Rex is his favorite dinosaur, so there you go.)

In that respect, Aaron is like some of our clients – he thinks he knows better. And you know what? He’s probably right.

Brian Rouff is the managing partner for Imagine Marketing.
Contact Brian at brouff@imnv.com

Creative brainstorming best when efficient

Imagine Marketing is an idea factory. And like any factory, the key to success is efficiency. Although the creative process can seemingly take a considerable amount of time to go through, rushing it could eradicate the quality of an idea we develop for a client.

However, just like any service provider in their line of work, we develop and implement standards that help to streamline the creative process. There are simple issues our team regularly avoids during the process, all of which can stifle creativity.

Here are five examples of things we avoid during a creative brainstorm session:

The inner critic: It will always be your greatest enemy. It comes from the fear of being judged or of being perceived as talentless or ignorant. This is a difficult hurtle to overcome, but it is the most important one because your best work will always be left at the bottom of a pile of self doubt.

Piling on messaging: This happens often, especially with people who don’t understand the creative process. Ideas and creativity are mysterious and have the ability to do anything, so people try to cram as much as possible into one idea. There is a limit to the weight an idea can bare. A cluttered, complex idea may feel gratifying to the creator, but it will only be an obnoxious mess to the observer. The message must always be precise and to the point. It is important to realize that although there is no limit to the process one goes through to come up with an idea, there is a limit to effective creativity in the end product.

Lack of knowledge: Writers always say “write what you know.” If you have been hired to create something for a client, you really need to understand everything about them that is relevant to the goal. After a while of going through the process, you should be able to trust your instinct enough to ask the right questions, thereby giving them the creative results they need.

Following rules: The rules in the creative process can be complicated. There needs to be an objective as well as a limit to the development of ideas. If a person offers an idea nobody likes, they should be given a chance to explain why the idea can be effective. It is unwise to kill ideas immediately. Great ideas have often come from concepts that were initially disregarded but fought for. That being said, if the idea is still not effective to the majority after it’s explained, you must move on.

Being too creative: There is a tendency to get excited about an idea and take it way too far. Exploring concepts is dandy, but there is a fine line between creative exploration and wasting time. Always remember the objective and realistic implementation of an idea. Stay on time and within budget otherwise it’s a pointless endeavor.

Alex Raffi is a partner and creative director for Imagine Marketing.
Contact Alex at araffi@imnv.com

Don't overlook easy-to-use relationship marketing tactics

The market has been hard on most of us. However, luckily for me, and my firm, now that the market has started to loosen-up so have sales/marketing service inquiries.

We’re the experts when it comes to integrating marketing and sales strategies, but what frequently surprises me is the lack of general knowledge many business professionals have when it comes to employing basic relationship marketing.

Granted, some marketing programs produce lackluster results, especially if they’re not properly planned for and implemented and don't have the sales support they need, but there are still tried-and-true essentials any professional can use, starting today, to enhance current client relationships as well as relationships with prospects and leads.

Simple tactics which I often see overlooked:

No in-house list – It can be a painstaking task to develop up-front, but kept up-to-date, your in-house list can be your greatest marketing and sales asset. I suggest collecting addresses and emails for your clients, contacts/referral sources/“champions,” vendors, leads/prospects. Your list can be used for just about anything you need to promote your business – from notifying people of new services/products, inviting them to open houses or free workshops, to wishing them a great holiday. It is the easiest, most cost-efficient way to connect with your contacts regularly, thereby helping you remain top-of-mind with clients.

Lack of follow-up – If someone is interested in using your services, follow-up with them within 24 hours of your discussion. If you do not hear back from your lead, follow-up with them again within the next 2-3 days. I recommend picking up an old-fashioned piece of hardware on our desk (telephone) to make the connection. I recommend that phone because too many people are resistant to using it these days, but that’s for another blog. Speaking by phone will build your relationship more quickly and will better relay to your new contact what type of personality you have, which allows them to build a more positive mental picture of you and how you can help their business. (i.e. the "I like you and trust you, so I'll do business with you" feeling.)

Not asking for referrals – This is a very small, yet effective way to remain in the forefront of your happy clientele’s mind when they're out and about. If your business relies on referrals, ask for them. It can be something as simple as speaking or writing to a client after they’ve told you how happy they are with your service, saying something such as: “You’re welcome. We’re happy you’ve been more than satisfied with our services. Please feel free to keep us in mind if you know other folks who could use a firm like ours. Have a great afternoon.”

Regularly contact your clients – This is especially important if you live in the B2B world, where you need to maintain long-standing relationships in order to sustain regular business from a set group of clients. Find small ways to regularly be infront of your clients. Send articles that relate to their business (“I found this and thought you’d appreciate reading it as well.”). Invite them to networking events you plan to attend and help them develop new relationships. Send them personally written notes about how you appreciate their business. Don’t be an annoyance, be a value-added bonus of their relationship with you and a virtual part of their team.

Don’t take a backseat attitude when it comes to building and maintaining business relationships. Sit-and-wait strategies don’t work and these tactics can help push you in a positive direction.

Amber Stidham is the director of strategic planning for Imagine Marketing.

Contact Amber at astidham@imnv.com

*Blog originally posted at: The Biz-E Gal: Life as a marketing pro and parent

Package deal

Recently, while waiting in line at In ‘n’ Out (regular readers of my blog know I’m a burger junkie), I passed the time by adding up the individual item prices and comparing them to the package prices. Guess what? They’re the same.

I have to admit my surprise. As consumers, we’re trained to believe that package deals are somehow better. But as a marketer, I should have known that packages are more about convenience than savings. Convenience for the customer, certainly. But also for the business. It’s one of the reasons behind In ‘n’ Out’s legendary efficiency.

Since its humble Southern California beginnings in 1948, In ‘n’ Out has been the quintessential American success story. Here’s why:

Keeping it simple – When you stop to think about it, In ‘n’ Out features only three items – Burgers, fries, drinks. Makes it easy to order, easy to move people through those lines.

Sense of identity – They know who they are. And who they aren’t. You won’t find any ill-conceived forays into pizza or salad or Mc-anything. The philosophy is “do one thing and do it well.”

Bigger isn’t necessarily better – In ‘n’ Out won’t expand beyond the western U.S. because they’d have to freeze the beef. Frozen beef equals inferior quality. This is a company that protects the product at all costs.

Cult-like following – Nobody’s more loyal than In ‘n’ Out customers. They sport the gear, know the “secret menu” and wait in those lines. The only thing missing is Kool-Aid.

Treat the employees well – By all accounts, the help is well-paid and well-treated (compared to those other fast food joints). That’s why the smiles seem genuine. Hey, if I ever get to retire, I’ll work there for the food.

So there you go. Basic principles that can be applied to any business. What are you waiting for?

See you in line.

Brian Rouff is the managing partner of Imagine Marketing.
Contact Brian at brouff@imnv.com

Thou shalt blog.

I’m not a religious person. In fact, I always joke that when I die and I’m reborn to this earth I’ll be Jewish. Of course, if I’m reborn that’s because I had spent my current life studying reincarnation and hoping the Hindu community would accept me as one of their newcomers.

All joking aside, I had to post a note, blog …whatever you’d like to call it, about a KNPR program I was listening to last week on my way home. The program focused on how blogging and social networking sites help to expand your brand presence, message and therefore modify public behavior.

Although people pay me for my advice and much of that advice has included my suggesting businesses implement these same communication efforts for themselves over the years, sometimes the message just doesn’t stick… at least, not until Pope Benedict XVI proclaims it. (Apparently I don’t have the same pull that he does.)

That’s right. One of the world’s most traditional groups is now promoting social networking to spread its message.

So what does this mean for you, besides having the “will” of the church behind you as you move into the world of Internet, electronic and social networking? It means, in order to encourage behavioral change (regardless of your affiliation or message), you need to be where the people are. That is the goal of marketing my friends.

Check back soon. I’ll be posting another whatyoumacallit that will provide you with suggestions on how to enhance your blog site.

Amber Stidham is the director of strategic planning for Imagine Marketing.
Contact Amber at astidham@imnv.com

Communicating change is your top priority

Imagine that you are the CEO of a large company and you just found out that in order for your company to survive in this economy, you must cut an entire department of 450 employees in the next six months. How would you handle this situation? Would you wait until the very last moment to share this news with your employees, or would you immediately communicate the situation to them – even if you didn’t have all the answers?

Last week I attended the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) monthly luncheon at Maggianno’s in the Fashion Show Mall, and this scenario was part of the discussion. The topic of the luncheon was communicating change. Guest speaker, Adrian Cropley, ABC (shown left), is director and founder of Cropley Communication, a consulting firm that focuses on change communication based in Melbourne, Australia.

I always take away a few nuggets of wisdom at every IABC event, but this is the most widely relevant topic because everyone seems to be going through some kind of change right now. Some organizations have had to downsize their companies substantially as a result of tough economic times in the last year, others are facing consolidation of resources in order to continue to compete in their industry, and still others are considering a change of office space to save money on long-term overhead costs. The point is, not all change is necessarily bad, but it’s human nature to fear the unknown, which is why communicating well during times of change is not only necessary but should be a top priority.

Here are a few of the lessons we can all take away from Adrian’s presentation:

• Change management is better defined as “change communication” because you can’t manage change, but you do have the power and ability to communicate what is happening to your audiences, both internally and externally.
• If employees feel engaged by leaders in times of change, they are more likely to understand, empathize and be less resistant.
• The earlier leaders of an organization can bring in their communication team to begin preparing a communication plan during times of change, the better.
• Organizations that handle change well deal openly with employees resistant to change.
• The focus of change communication should not be on controlling the reaction to the change but rather the timeliness of the message to employees and stakeholders.
• Change is not a step-by-step process; it’s about human emotion.
• The key to an effective change communication strategy is educating your employees with the information you do have even if you don’t have all the information or ultimately know what the outcome will be.

So how did the company that was faced with cutting over 450 jobs deal with its change? It did the best way it could by educating quickly and communicating honestly with its employees. Because of this strategy, all employees returned to their offices the next day and most of them worked through the end of their contracts. With that, I leave you with two questions: What change is happening in your organization right now? Are you effectively communicating this change to your employees and key stakeholders?

Megan Lane serves as an Account Executive for Imagine Marketing.
Contact Megan at mlane@imnv.com.