Case Study: A Look at Kia's Marketing Campaign

If you asked me a few years ago to tell you the last car I would consider buying, it would be a Kia.  While a Mini Cooper and a Volkswagen Beetle near the top of the list, Kia stood out because of its cheapness, ugly exteriors, and seemingly poor quality.  What changed? Well to start, all we have to do is look at the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

In this contest, Blake Griffin battled his way to the finals only to pull out a 2011 Kia Optima.  He leapt over the hood of the car and slammed the ball home, winning the contest.  I immediately viewed the dunk as a disappointment, because it really wasn't that impressive.  Most NBA players could do the dunk Griffin did, however, the final dunk was not about Griffin at all.  It was about Kia.

Kia brought out their newest model car, the 2011 Optima.  The car received much recognition for its five minute cameo in a place where cars should not be allowed.  This, is one of the greatest marketing tools there is: do something unusual or different with your product to get people to talk about it.  This did not say anything about the Kia product at all; it was just like a celebrity guest appearance in a television series.  And it worked.  20 percent of people who saw the dunk said they'd consider purchasing one 48 hours after the feat was accomplished.  Since then, the Optima has stood atop the new Kia lineup and has set records in sales over the year, while getting stronger each month.

  

Kia now had a popular name associated with its car, and they made sure that Blake Griffin was the face of Kia.  He quickly put out many commercials for Kia, giving the car an appeal to a younger, hipper, and sports-oriented crowd.  Griffin became the only basketball player to be associated with the Kia brand.

But they didn't stop with Griffin, proving their creativeness and marketing techniques to appeal to more people.  Kia released a commercial in the 2012 Super Bowl that garnered lots of attention.  This Kia commercial appealed to a more masculine demographic, showing that the car was to be something that was sought after, not just one to consider purchasing.

While they clearly improved the quality of the product that they were producing with the new Optimas and other cars, the marketing campaign does not go unnoticed.  This marketing campaign by Kia landed it an Effie Award, taking home bronze in the year's most effective marketing, and three over the last three years.

Convince People in 3 Steps

With any kind of marketing campaign, the goal is to lead to sales.  When thinking about any successful marketing campaign, it really comes down into three basic steps, given to me by Nicholas Boothman.  Boothman defines it as the KFC model, and it is something that I think about daily during my life:

1. Know What You Want:  This comes with analyzing your business or marketing campaign and making a goal.  You want to increase sales.  You want to hook a certain client.  You want to recruit that one kid for your fraternity pledge class.  Knowing what you want is one of the easiest things that a person can do (unless you are a girl entering a relationship).

2. Find Out What You Are Getting:  This comes with the ability to understand the current state of the business of campaign.  You must know the factual evidence right in front of you.  For example, I try to sell an advertising space to a local business.  The business does not see the point in advertising in my publication, so they reject me.

3. Change What You Are Doing To Get What You Want: This is where you must be innovative.  A person will fail at times, and that can be okay, but how do they respond?  In this step, you try different methods to get the results that you want.  And you do not stop until step 1 matches step 2.

A lot of marketing is learned through trial and error.  So you must know what you want, see what you are getting, and change what you are doing to get what you want! Three simple steps that can get your marketing and sales campaign running and growing!



These three steps are borrowed from Nicholas Boothman, an author in the UK.

Conquering Interviews

The first few days of this week have started off unlike many weeks for a lot of people.  As I have written in the past, I have two part-time jobs.  While I love them both, the people and the work, I also find myself frustrated looking for full-time employment.  With CollegeBuzzz, I am having to hire interns for the Clemson website.  So yesterday, I went up to Clemson to interview a girl.  I talked to her at a local Starbucks for about 40 minutes, getting to know all about her life, passions, and skills.  Tomorrow, I have an interview for a full-time position in Washington DC.  While I have very little knowledge of the DC area, I have done my homework of this business and the position I would take for them, and I want to share my thoughts of how I am approaching tomorrow.

Research the Company:  Find out everything that you can about the company before taking an interview with them.  Most importantly, know their mission and industry.  One you find out the outline of the industry and company, get into the details.  Know the locations of the company.  Find out how many employees work for them.  Find out their clients and review their work.  You can even go as far as looking into employees.  Some websites, such as Glassdoor, will give you information of what current and former employees think of the company, as well as look into the process that some of them went through during their interviews.  For example, for tomorrow's interview, I know the work-enviornment, the age of most employees, the company's size, their office locations, the salary expectations, and the chance (or lack of) promotions.

Review the Position Requirements:  Almost always, a person sends in their application to fill a specific role that the company is looking for.  If they give you a description, check it out.  Reading over it before the interview will give you create comfort and a pretty good idea of some of the questions you may be asked.  Be ready to explain how you possess those skills or how you have used them to achieve success in your past.

Research the Recruiter:  If you get the name of the person that is going to be interviewing you, just do a search for them on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google.  (Hopefully they will have a good LinkedIn Profile) Getting to know a few things about the person interviewing you, such as where they went to college, can be of great help to you during the interview. In May, I was being interviewed by the president of a small marketing company.  After discussing that I had attended Furman and lived in Greenville, he asked if I knew his connection to Greenville.  Immediately, I responded that I knew he had attended college there, linking him to one of my previous bosses.  To say the least, he was impressed and I was offered the job a few weeks later.


Create a Good Environment:  If you are in an office setting having a 1:1 interview, then you have no control over this.  If you are having a phone interview, make sure that the setting is quite and has no distractions.  I was interviewed during the middle of my intramural softball games one time.  I had just scored a run, heard my phone ringing, and had to have a conversation right there on the spot.  It was an unneeded challenge and something I will never do again.

Be Yourself:  Do not get nervous.  Relax and realize that they are going to judge you for whatever you say.  You can tell them in a stumbling voice that you have started three companies, or you can state confidently and clearly that you just graduated and are unemployed.  The more confident you are with your answers, the better you will be received by someone that is getting paid to judge you.  Just relax and prepare to achieve a better interview.

5 Tips To Be A Successful Salesman

There are many different types of sales that we must make in our life.  High schoolers may work their summer selling Cutco knives or a 40 year old may have a career out of selling suits at a retail store.  A recent college graduate has to sell himself to a company to get a new job or a college drop-out may have to sell his entrepreneurial idea to local businesses.  As a freshman in college, you may have to present yourself favorably to catch the eye of that perfect girl or, one day, in meeting her parents.  We have to sell ourselves to earn trust in friendships, relationships, and businesses. Knowing that sales are found in many different areas of life, we must be constantly aware of how to make sales.

I wanted to put a picture of a man, or voice I trust. Who better than Morgan Freeman?

1. Establish Trust: Nobody will purchase or believe anything that you say if they cannot trust you.  Establish yourself as a reliable person that can relate well with them.  Provide information about yourself, and know that any question that you ask, you must be able to answer as well.

2. Remember The Little Things: When you are meeting with a customer for a second sale or a boyfriend for a second date, prove that you listened the last time you were together.  Asking little things about their personal life, such as how their kids are, how their last test went, or how their job interview went will make them realize that you care about them.  Caring about your customer outside of the sales situation is vital to making them trust you more . . . leading to more sales.

3. Be Generous At First: While being generous is a trait that you always want to possess, you must be able to draw them in with an act that will make them appreciate you.  This could be something as simple as buying a girl a drink, providing a potential client with a free trial of your service (GoToMeeting),  or giving them a glimpse of your public relations campaign for them and how you can help them out.

4. Care About Your Product:  I know for a fact that I could not sell clothing from Old Navy or happily encourage others to go watch "The Notebook".  The reason you want to sell something to someone is because you like the product that you are selling.  Selling something without caring for it will come across as laziness or a lack of interest to the client, making them not buy into whatever you are selling.

5. Make Them See Their Benefit:  When selling something, the objective is to always fill a need of the consumer.  Make them see what they will get in accepting your offer.  Let them know that if they join your fraternity that they will always have a 60 strong friends.  Make it aware that if they purchase your laptop that it will provide great quality for them.  Prove to them that if they purchase your clothing that it will look good and last for a long time.  If it does not do them any good, they will not buy it.

"Answers": Find Them On LinkedIn

As I have perviously mentioned, LinkedIn is a great way to help jumpstart your future career.  One of the ways that I have learned to used LinkedIn recently is through the "Answers" tab.  "Answers" is a way to ask specific questions to all LinkedIn members.  They are categorized, making it easy to find general of specific topics to help you learn more about the professional world.

How To Check It Out:  To look at the "Answers" page of LinkedIn, just go to the top bar and scroll over "More".  Click on answers and you go to the home page.  This page has a layout with some of the newest and most popular questions in the main section.  On the right hand side, you can browse through general topics and areas of study, such as Health, Marketing, or Business Operations, and then go into subcategories to get more specific questions and answers.

What role can you play? As a recent graduate, I just started using this as an outlet to expand my knowledge and influence within the last few weeks.  Being young and relatively inexperienced in the professional world, a lot of times I just get on a few times a week to read.  I go to the areas that are valuable to me, such as Direct Marketing or Internet Marketing, and just soak in the questions and answers provided by other professionals.  Some are right on, some contradict each other, but thats the beauty of having an individual opinion.  Everyone can provide the answer that they think is best.

You can also participate by answering questions.  Many questions in areas that I have recently studied or have learned about I can provide answers to! It is a great feeling to be able to take something you learn and apply it, whether it is in your work or helping other people.

The other way you can play a role is to ask questions.  A few weeks ago, I got frustrated with my job.  My marketing budget is nonexistent and I just had one of those mornings where you get down on yourself.  So I turned to LinkedIn.  I asked a question that I needed help with.  The next morning when I got on my computer, I had e-mails and LinkedIn responses from 6 people, providing me a great way to learn more about areas of my field that I was unsure about.

Why?  Why should you participate in LinkedIn "Answers"?  Because it helps you become more of a professional.  First, it can help you network with people.  When I posted my question a few weeks ago, my profile views increased drastically.  A few of these people I had personal messaging conversations with, and a few I "Connected" with on LinkedIn.

But most importantly, it helps you grow in areas that you have little or no prior knowledge of.  It helps show that you care about growing as a professional.  Never be satisfied with the knowledge that you have; always strive to learn more from others and through experiments.  One of my favorite quotes is "The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing".

Breaking Bad Strategy: Walter White Teaches Us Success

During my final year at Furman, one of my roommates decided that the two of us should pick a television show to watch over the course of the semester.  After asking a few of his friends and checking on Netflix, Nate decided that we should watch Breaking Bad.  For those of you that do not know, Breaking Bad is an AMC show about Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and starts to cook and sell meth to try to help his family financially.

As you watch the show, the deeper and deeper Walt gets into the drug scene and potential dangers, the more creative and devious he becomes.  Walt constantly lies to his family and friends to get what he wants.  While I obviously do not support his deception and deviousness, Walt is one of the best television examples on how to create new ideas, get out of seemingly impossible situations, and changing the game.  Why is Walt the best in the industry?

1. Product:  Walter White makes a meth product that is more pure than anyone else's.  Because of his chemistry background, he does not sacrifice the quality of the product for quantity or price reduction.  Whenever Walt gets into a tangle in the seasons two and three, he generally gets out of it by letting people know that he is the only one that can make his product, and that it is better than everyone else's. This makes Walt an indispensable part of the business.  Without him, there is no product; with no product, there is a large demand that is not met or satisfied.

Working on his Blue Meth product.

In the business world, you need to make the quality of your product so good that people do that think that they can go without it.  For example, Steve Jobs made Apple the best quality of computers.  People line up outside of Apple stores for a new product that is the most expensive of its kind.  Yes their are cheaper laptops, but will you sacrifice quality for a drop in price.

2. Business Planning: When Walt is about to be murdered by Gus Fring, the leader of meth distribution in the Southwest, Walt is steps ahead of Gus in planning.  He constructs a plan to regain loyalty from his partner Jesse and to kill Gus, eliminating all threats against him.  Walt plays life like it is chess, always knowing his opponent's move before it is made. Even though Walt worked for Gus, he always saw him as an opponent and an enemy rather than a partner.

If you can see into the future and know what the market and competition are going to do, you can adjust your plans and strategy to come out on top.  In the business world, a large part of your success depends on what you do, but if that is all that you focus on, then you will never reach your full potential.  You have to do research about market trends and new things that could impact the supply or the demand of the item, as well as knowing about the competitors' products, marketing, advertising, and service.

3. Loyalty: Even though it builds slowly and is a very rocky road, the relationship between Walt and his co-worker Jesse is a vital part of the success of their business.  Multiple times during the show, Walt or Jesse save each others lives because they consider themselves a package deal.  This is how they end up beating Gus and ultimately having their business succeed.

In a working environment, you need to be around people that you can trust. Having people that you know will come through for you in tough situations makes everything much easier.  If you have loyal people, then the likelihood that you succeed are much better.

4. Risk: Walter is not afraid to put his neck on the line.  He believes in his products and does whatever he can to get them out to people.  In this past episode, Walter and Jesse even robbed a train to secure the most key ingredient of their product: methylamine.

Sometimes, you may have risks that you must take to make your business more successful.  Before doing these though, you must master the business planning aspect, understanding the consequences of your potential actions and decisions.  For example, a few years ago, Tropicana changed its logo and the outburst was enormous.  Sales dropped dramatically and an uproar was created among its customers.  Always play the devil advocate and do a cost-benefit analysis before any move is made.

Instagram For Businesses?

Everyone’s talking about Instagram after the recent $1 billion Facebook acquisition.  In just 2 years the app has aquired more than 50 million users and has become a staple of high school and college kids.  With all of the great filters that allow for pictures to look so much better than they actually are, one big question remains: Is Instagram useful for businesses?

This is a topic that I know very little about.  First, I want to give my few thoughts on Instagram and business.  After those thoughts, I am providing insight and examples of other people.

Instagram is something that can be very useful.  The business success stories that I have witnessed with Instagram all involve fashion in some sort.  Why?  Fashion items are easy to take pictures of.  You can put it on a hanger, a person, a pet, or a nice backdrop, and the picture does the talking for itself.  People see what they are getting with the item, and if they like the way it looks, then generally that is enough to buy it, or at least like it.  

Coach, the famous purse company has 48 thousand Instagram followers.  They generally post about one picture a day, and leave it at that.  The consistency of their posting has made them an Instagram success.  On a smaller scale, a local start-up in the Carolinas called Good Ole Boys has done a great job of taking pictures of their gear and creating a comfort appeal around the brand.  They may not have the largest fan base, but they post consistently, interact with followers, and show their items in ways that make people interested in the product.

After doing research, I have realized that my assumptions are pretty much true.  With digital photography being a great way to show advertisements, many fashion companies use Instagram successfully.  Taking a picture of a dress or pair of shoes and attaching a link to an online shopping cart is an easy way to increase sales.  MyHauteCloset is an example of a fashion blogger who was given many items to model and ended up making a nice fashion business just through Instagram. 

The other industry that appears to have done this is sports teams.  Teams like the Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Braves have succeeded on Instagram because they are sports and entertainment focused.  A lot of people enjoy looking at photos of their favorite athletes as they play the game they love or goof around in the clubhouse.  Sports teams also use it to recap and post photos of promotional events; for example the Atlanta Braves recently had a Star Wars night, and their Instagram shows some photos of fans in Star Wars apparel. 

Instagram really has become almost a hybrid of Twitter and Pinterest.  You post pictures that appeal to you and you make them look pretty through filters.  Then you can comment under them in a short text or post them at somebody.  While Instagram will never overpass a Twitter with text or a Facebook with profiles, it is a handy, mobile application that can connect people on a smaller level.  Maybe it will get much bigger.  Maybe the boom of the Instagram bomb will continue to spread outward, but for now, Instagram is not a do or die social medium for the business world.  If you are in the fashion industry, I definitely think that it would be beneficial to have it.  Otherwise, do with it as you please.  As for me, if I ever get more than 1,000 Instagram followers (@justinsthomason), I will run a 5K in a Batman suit. 

Why College Students Need LinkedIn

I remember last November when I began to search for jobs.  I applied to a few places over Thanksgiving and Christmas break, receiving response e-mails or phone calls to try back in a few months.  When March came, I began to apply for more places, with still little luck.  As April came around, I started to use LinkedIn a lot more.  I had used it some since the middle of my junior year, but just like many things in life, such as working out or shooting a basketball, if you don't use it, you lose it.

The Before:

Before LinkedIn, I was very immature.

LinkedIn helped me mature.  I know that seems weird . . .  a website helped me grow up . . . but it did.  I began applying to jobs, making more contacts, learning more about potential industries, and updating my profile.  While the positions that I currently hold did not come through LinkedIn, I was offered some job positions through the website.  My advice to current college students or recent graduates: use LinkedIn.

1. LinkedIn helps you get your stuff together.  Having a profile on LinkedIn that is incomplete is a terrible representation of yourself.  If you apply to any jobs or have anyone looking at your profile, it is motivation to make your profile complete.  Updating your experience with job titles, companies, dates, and job description are great.  The more experience that you have, the better.

2. LinkedIn teaches you basics about resumes and applications.  I applied to approximately twenty-five jobs on LinkedIn.  With those numbers, you realize that some do not respond, some send you a courtesy thank you, and others are interested in potentially hiring you.  Submitting a cover letter is not an option; it is a necessity. Changing your cover letter and resume from application to application are vital.  Responding to people's e-mails, while this should be common knowledge, are also critical to advancing in the job process.  Show them that you are qualified and that you care.

3. Another great aspect of LinkedIn is company pages.  As a college student looking for job in a specific field, I used LinkedIn to check out companies.  You can see their company description, connections they have with you, the size of their company, and other information that will help you get a basic understanding of what they do.  You can follow a company to stay updated on what they are doing and see job positions that they need to fill.

4. Grow your connections.  LinkedIn is not a Facebook or a Twitter, you do not post what you ate for lunch or pictures of your last sorority function that you don't remember.  Think of it as a Facebook with a coat and tie.  You want people to see you as a professional.  Look into the people around your age, reconnecting with those fraternity brothers that graduated a few years ahead of you or people that you knew in an industry you are interested in.  Then, connect with other professionals, such as your previous bosses, professors, or family contacts.  This will help people know that you are entering, or close to entering, the professional world.  A few family friends on LinkedIn messaged me asking about my interests and qualifications, saying they could keep an eye out for potential jobs for me.

The After:

LinkedIn made me grow up, become professional, dress nicer, and be better with the ladies (slight exaggeration).

Why Should You Blog?

When I was in college, I used to think blogging was a funny idea.  I believed that it was just a way to write a bunch of crap that nobody cared about.  I was forced to start a blog for my Digital Communications class, and over this semester I learned to appreciate the art of blogging.  A degree and three semesters later, I decided that I would create my own personal blog. I try to blog about specific topics (marketing, relationships, sales, social media) that will help people and encourage them think differently, while using my creativity to add my own view to my advice.  The result: Social Spaghetti, a mixing of ideas and thoughts that help people connect in society in a blog format.

These are the reasons that I started to blog:

1) Establish Yourself as an Expert While I know that I am nowhere close to an expert in the fields of marketing, social media, and relationships, they are fields I am interested in and have some knowledge about.  Even though I am young, I still have valuable experiences and advice that I can give people.  You can learn from my mistakes, take some advice from my thoughts, and avoid some potential blunders.  The more you talk about a certain topic, the more people will listen to you.  They know what to expect if you are consistent with your topic and provide some quality advice.

2) Stand Out From The Crowd  In this economy, any way you can stand out from the crowd is a good thing.  I've thoroughly enjoyed blogging the past month because it helps me to distinguish myself from the crowd.  Every new blog post means that I have learned something new, whether this is through personal experience, observation, or reading other material.  The more I can learn, the better off I will be in the future.  The day that you stop learning is the day you stop growing.

3) Connecting with Similar People  Like I mentioned previously, if you are consistent with your content, then people that share the same interests will come and read it.  If you look at my Twitter account (@MarketingYoung), you can see that the majority of my followers are connecting with marketing, social media, blogging, and advertising.  I read a lot of their daily blogs, and hopefully, they read mine as well. Reading, commenting, or replying to these people has helped me make connections across the global marketing community.

4) To Have Fun  Will I ever be a top blogger in the field of marketing, social media, and relationships? Very doubtful.  I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't get some kind of enjoyment from it.  Whether it is analyzing how a TV show can teach you about something (Lost or Suits) or looking at the world of social media, I like the things I am talking about.  If you do not want to read about Stealth Marketing, then you can skip that blog post or not read it at all.  But if you ever lost the enjoyment of writing or thinking of creative articles, then my blog would slowly become outdated and disappear.

Why Use Twitter: Your Following

Everyone knows that Twitter has taken off in the last two years.  With over 250 million users, Twitter is a great way to post personal opinions and get your word out.  But is it good for businesses? Does it work for small businesses? Does it matter if you already have a social media presence on other platforms that are successful?

The answer to all of these is absolutely.  Twitter is a great tool for small businesses, large businesses, or any sized business in between.  The reason I say this though is not because of what you say, it is because of what you don't say.  Whether you are a business that deals with products or services, Twitter is of great value to you because of ability listen.

Check on the Consumers:  As I have mentioned previously, the consumer runs your business. Whether you run a business that sells products or services, or you work B2B or B2C, Twitter allows you to listen in to your customers.  Being able to check on them is invaluable to a business.  You can see their view on your industry, your company & products, or your competitors.

Check on the Competition: The goal of a successful business is to supply a solution that meets a demand of the consumer.  Once that is accomplished, then your goal is to be the best solution in that category.  Being present on Twitter allows for you to check in on the competition.  Follow those companies that are similar to you and compete for the same consumers.  You can see how they interact with customers, new products, events they host, or information or blogs they supply to their followers.  This will allow for you to look at what does and does not work.

Check on the Industry: So you check on the good guys (buyers of your service) and the bad guys (those competitors that you wish didn't exist), now you can check on the the things that can influence the battle.  This could be the passing of a new medical device tax that makes you not be able to expand your company locally, a drought that damages and dwindles your crops, or a new technology that changes the game. Being able to keep tabs on anything that can change the business is vital to know as soon as possible, and Twitter is a great source for immediate and continuous news.

As seen, Twitter is a great tool for listening to the conversation.  You can listen to people and understand more about how you stand in the market and how to better serve your clients.  So many times during our lives, personally or professionally, we talk and never take the time to listen.  Whether you have a yell or a whisper on Twitter, make sure to hear what others are saying.

Why Does Social Media Matter?

My current marketing position has been a struggle to say the least.  I was hired right out of college to create a marketing campaign for a company that had never attempted any kind of marketing.  When I took the job, I realized that there was another catch: I did not have a budget.  My first response: What can I possibly do without anyone else to teach me and without any money to work with?

Luckily, over a few weeks, I began to get VERY involved on the internet.  I knew a lot about social media and knew that this might be the outlet that I could use to drive results.  So my current response is: What can I do to impress my company and clients while successfully marketing with no budget?

Look no further, the answer is social media.  Social media has a wide number of different platforms, allowing businesses to successfully select what they want to do.  Do you want to make videos? YouTube. Are you trying to create articles of content? Blog. Facebook. Are you trying to get a quick following and spread the word? Facebook. Twitter.  Trying to be a wedding planner? Pinterest (Sorry, I had to add this one).

Social media provides us with a rare opportunity to connect directly with people.  We can get linked up with businesses or individuals.  We can form great relationships while getting to know a lot about a company or person.  So these are my reasons of why a business should use social media:

Free This is probably the most obvious one, especially in my position. Most, not all, of social media is free.  You can get more performance out of them through paying more (LinkedIn members, Facebook Ads, Twitter Promotions), but you do not have to pay anything to start.  All you need to do is sign up and get a good user name.  Generally, something short and sweet will do the trick.  Think about your market and products when creating a name.

People WILL See You  Sometimes you may have to branch out and follow people first or try to connect with them, but they generally will respond.  If you provide good content, whether it is general or specific (USA Olympic information or a Rome Braves game review), people will take notice.  It helps you create great word of mouth marketing!

Trials  Social media allow for you to test out some new and creative ideas before running them in more costly places.  Why have something bomb in the pages of TIME magazine? Just put it on a Facebook page and monitor the reach and engagement of the public.

Caution: Social media and marketing campaigns take time.  Do not automatically get discouraged if it does not take off.  Very few things happen overnight, so keep you head up and relax.  If not, then its back to the drawing board.

Why Marketing Is Important

Many people wonder why marketing is important. As a recent college graduate, I often get questioned on what I want to do with my life having studied Communications and Marketing.  I've heard many responses: That's just being with people right?, What can you do with that? or my favorite, "That's what all the football players study right"?

To the surprise of all of my parents' friends, family members, and other graduates that may not understand the importance of marketing, I can back up my choice within just a few minutes of conversation.  Why?  Because any business, whether B2B or B2C, is dependent and profitable through it's sales.  This means one thing: You are not in control of your business, the consumer is.

You can have a fantastic product that sells itself.  You can have an average product, but be the popular item on the market.  You can have a great product with little success.  It all rest on the views of the consumers.  If you know that the consumer is in control of how well you do, then you will start looking at how to appeal more to them, hence marketing.  The amount of profitability of your business is connected to brand awareness, word of mouth, and marketing strategy.

Brand:


Everyone knows the following logos:

Putting one of these logos on anything gives the consumer an expectation for the product.  You expect a great product in a Starbucks cup.  You know that a product with a Nike check will have good quality and durability. Creating a brand is creating a promise to a consumer.  It shows them that they will benefit from using that product.  Making a brand lets people know that they are getting, making it more than just a product.

Word of Mouth Marketing:

Everyone knows about the phases of products and the massive buzz that can drive the success of a product.  Everyone loves the food at Chick-fil-a and their word of mouth marketing never stops.  They are always consistent with new menu items, Cow Appreciate Day, spectacular service, and creative advertisements.  Other items, such as Beanie Babies, Pokemon, Silly Bandz, and Guitar Hero, all become popular items for a small timeframe, and the phase out.  Having successful word of mouth marketing will make products go viral.  It shows that people are excited about your product and want to talk about it.  They willingly spread information, doing free marketing for your company.

Blog Post: 4 Tips to Successful Word of Mouth Marketing

Marketing Strategy:


How do you appeal to a group?  How do you market your product successfully?  While creativity and marketing plans can vary, most marketing strategies all start off the same.  To run a successful marketing campaign, you must put a lot of time into learning about who you are talking to.  You must know your audience, looking at those that you are currently reaching with your product and those that you want to reach.  Then, you must know your product.  Know what you offer and what makes your content stand out above the rest.  Finally, you must know your competition.  Studying what your competition is doing, good or bad, will help you learn from what they have already done.  It will also give you an idea of how you can stand out.

5 Leadership Tips From ABC's "Lost": Jack Shephard

I still hate the fact that Lost is not on TV anymore.  Running for six seasons on ABC, Lost quickly became an American classic by mixing drama, action, and mystery into one successful TV show.  Jack Shephard, the main character, quickly emerges as the leader of the castaways.  Whether you love him, hate him, or have mixed emotions about him, Jack uses his decision making and strategic planning to take on a role that few want or are capable of possessing.  Even with his flaws, Jack provides five major traits that are a necessity to be a successful leader (some a similar).

Decisions & Actions: 

There are many times over the course of Lost where a decision must be made immediately.  Live on the beach or at the caves? Go after Michael or let him wander alone?  Trust Juliet as an Other or not?  Whether he made the right or wrong decision in hindsight, Jack was the only one that stepped up at the time to make it.  He made a choice and stuck with it.  While Jack does not always adapt his strategy to changing situations or admit that he is wrong, he does do his best to make his choice work.  He works hard and he dedicates himself to his strategy.  Whether you succeed or fail, you need to make a decision and dedicate yourself to getting the end result you want.

What Jack Does Wrong: If you are at the point of no return, do not be blinded by trying to finish just so you can be right. Let down your ego, analyze the situation, and attack with a new strategy.

Puts Others First:

Jack does what any good leader should do, he puts others first.  He took blood out of his own body to try save Boone.  He sacrificed himself to let Kate and Sawyer escape the Others.  He eventually takes the role as protector of the island.  The goal of a successful leader is to be selfless.  This does not mean that you do not finish your own tasks or let the quality of your work suffer.  Instead, you add on the work to your schedule or place it in times when you can afford it.  In the business world, this is dealing with clients, co-workers, or interns.  Sometimes we have to cover for an account manager that needs help with a deadline.  We may need to work late nights to get a new campaign ready for a client.  Regardless of your relationship to the person, you need to make sure to put their interests above your own. 

What Jack Does Wrong: Jack can put others first so much that he sacrifices his time and health.  Do not always appear to have everything together; realize that it is okay to take time for yourself and to show that you are not perfect.

Promote Unity:

When Jack and the castaways realize that help is not coming for them, they try to live on their own.  This is when Jack gives a motivational speech with the key phrase "If we don't live together, then we will die alone".  This phrase carries over to any business or team.  Whether your office has six people or five hundred, you must be united.  You must have good organizational communication and strive for the same goals.  A leader helps establish these goals, taking time and effort to communicate with each member of the team they are overseeing.  They also must be able to facilitate tasks for efficiently and effectively.
What Jack Does Wrong: Jack tries to unify the group underneath him for a cause, but does not always facilitate.  Taking on a heavy load is fine and sometimes needed, but it can't be done consistently.  It can wear a person down to the point where they are not effective.

Plan Strategically:

Jack had a plan of how to protect his camp from Ethan.  He later had another detailed plan of how to defeat the Others.  Every great leader has great ideas.  They must be able to weigh all possible outcomes: all successes and all failures.  A leader must play the role of the devil's advocate, whether the ideas come from themselves or others.  Question everything and make sure that the plan has no glaring or underlying issues or flaws.  Another key component of a strategic planner is to analyze and evaluate.  Being able to read previous research and convert it into useful information will give them insight into the future success of their plan.  In the business world this may be looking at competitors, pricing, or consumer trends.
What Jack Does Wrong:
Jack rarely shows the ability to improvise.  Many times over the course of the show, Jack has his plan, and when something changes, he cannot adapt.  This is very similar to deciding and taking action, but Jack's ego is not involved.

Inspiration/Morale:

Jack is a source of hope for those stranded on the island.  They know that he will give his best in planning, fighting the Others, or trying to save their lives through his medical training.  He provides hope in a hopeless place.  A true leader must be willing to go to bat for his team.  They must be able to trust him and know that he will provide in the clutch.  A leader can motivate his team, inspire belief in his clients, and encourage an intern to learn more about the business.  If the work environment is a happy place and morale is high, then the work will be better and get done quicker.

5 Tips for First Impressions that Impress

A large part of anyone's life is interacting with people.  Whether working hard on the job or mixing in a social setting, you can't avoid it.  While some people are painfully shy and others can talk to anyone about anything, being able to successfully interact with someone the first time you meet them is vital to growing and maintaing a relationship.  You are not trying to do what Brad Pitt (Rusty) suggested to Matt Damon (Linus) in Ocean's Eleven:

"Don't use seven words when four will do. Don't shift your weight, look always at your mark but don't stare, be specific but not memorable, be funny but don't make him laugh. He's got to like you then forget you the moment you've left his side"

I know that many people have problems of standing out in a crowd, making a lasting impression, or even just getting the courage to interact with others; it is very difficult at times.  Don't worry, that is natural! We all worry about what people think about us, but worrying about it gets us nowhere.  Take these five simple steps to help people walk away with a positive first impression of you.


Image:


Whether we want to believe it or not, our society is highly judging on appearance.  While this can be shallow and unfair, the way we appear to someone the first time we meet them will always be stuck in their head, even if we haven't said a word.  This judgment can be positive, negative, or neutral, but it does make a difference.  Try to dress appropriately for whatever situation you are in.  I am not going to tell you to buy the nicest clothes or to lose weight, but I am going to tell you to be yourself.  Dress nicely and let your style reveal who you are.

This style shoes originally and individualism while looking nice and approachable.

Tone of Voice & Speech:


When meeting someone for the first time, you need to sound confident.  Whether this is talking to that attractive girl at the bar or meeting a new client, you need to not stumble on your words.  Think about what you want to say prior to meeting them, but know that you can never plan a conversation perfectly.  Planning will only give you opportunities to get into the conversation and easy your mind.  Also, pauses are okay.  God allows for our mouths to shut.  Instead of rambling, making up filler sentences, or saying "uhhhhhh" a bunch of times, just gather your thoughts and then speak confidently.


Say Their Name:


Saying the name of the person that you have just met in conversation can do a few things.  First, it will let them know you are listening to what they are saying.  If you repeat their name, you likely are remembering the other things they are saying as well.  Second, it will let them know that you care.  It shows that you are focused on them, their time, and your conversation.  And third, it will help you remember the girl/guy/client/contact better.  If you see them later in a different setting, it allows you to go up to them, and personally ask how they are doing.  This is always a way to impress people.

Find Common Interests:


Finding something that you share in common with someone leads to a genuine shared interest, a prolonged topic of conversation, and generally more areas to talk about.  Getting an idea of a person's school, job, hobbies, or family can lead to many more conversations if they are something that you can both relate to.


Be Yourself:


Do not try to act like someone that you aren't.  Creating lies or putting up a front during a first conversation will ruin anything you establish on that false foundation.  Don't act like you know more than you do, just relax and be yourself. 

Yep, You Lost It: Losing Your Customers' Trust

With so many platforms to reach an audience, companies have many options of how to appeal to their clients.  E-mails, company websites, and Twitter, to name a few, all provide the chance to publicize and create buzz around a product or service.  But what if you falsify some information? What if you make guarantees about your product that are not true? What if you inflate your opinion on websites or social media by commenting about yourself or bringing your competitor down?  My answer to all of these: You have failed your customer.

The idea of deceiving your client is the easiest way to make sure that your business fails.  All ethics and personal opinions aside, you must create a relationship that is based on trust.  If they cannot trust you, then they will not buy your product.  Many examples come to mind when we talk about stealth marketing, but the most recent one is

Mitt Romney. I am putting aside my political views on this one.  Romney, the Republican nominee for President, may or may not have done what he is accused of with his Twitter account. Purchasing Twitter followers just to increase your number is not a good thing in any way.  These followers appear fake to your actual followers or outside world, while being a base that is most likely not very interested in your product or service.  If you really like something on Twitter or Facebook, it takes 5 seconds to follow or like it by yourself.  Regardless of whether the Romney campaign did or did not buy Twitter followers, with or without Mitt's approval, it is not a bright spot for the campaign.

So you can try to look like you are creating a larger buzz about your product than you are, but you can also display false content, which leads me to

Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart has long been the poster child for giant corporations in this country, destroying the dreams of many entrepreneurs and Mom & Pop stores.  With labor issues seen as the forefront issue with Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart teamed up with Edelman to create a fake blog written by a middle-class family that promoted Wal-Mart stores, employees, and products.  Wal-Mart paid for the travel expenses of the RV, put a logo on the side, and determined the route it would travel.

What should you do? Simple: be who you are.  Do not claim that your nuggets are 100% white meat if they are not.  Do not post comments or feedback on your website under a false name.  Don't try to buy people to create a fake amplification of your reach and buzz.  It is fine to participate, but be honest.  Post comments as a yourself, letting people know you care about their thoughts and the product you are selling.  If you use shady tactics to get consumers, they will leave you just as quickly as they came when you are exposed.

4 Tips to Successful Word of Mouth Marketing

The world of marketing is one that includes two contrasts: many stereotypical concepts and many outside of the box thoughts and ideas.  My question: Why is there a "box" in the first place?  There should never be a limit to the creativity and ideas that you can come up to reach a larger audience.  With social media, connecting and having an extended reach has never been easier, and it helps us with the most successful type of marketing: Word of Mouth.

Word of mouth marketing is free and is the most powerful and persuasive type of marketing.  Hearing someone that you trust give you a pitch about a successful experience they have had with a product is generally enough interest to make someone try it.  A bartender tells you about the new Bud Light Platinum, so you purchase it next time you go to the store.  Your older brother just finished his first year at Clemson University and loves it, making you take a tour of the school.  Your friend wears COAST Apparel or Polo, leading you to their website store to make a purchase.  Word of mouth marketing happens so much that we may not even understand that it is happening.  Regardless of our awareness to the marketing, we are being influenced positively or negatively about a product.

The four things needed for a successful Word of Mouth campaign are:

People: You must find people that are enthusiastic and connected to relay your message.  These can be in the form of anyone, related or not related to the company. These people will talk about your product because they love it, they want to share it, and they want to help others. If you give them something to talk about and they like you, then you have almost everything you need.  For example, Justin Bieber has sold-out concerts and album sales all across the world.  His fans are passionate and they spread the word about him and his music.

Content: You must give people a topic to talk about.  If the product that you are selling absolutely sucks, then you can't expect to sell it.  Allow people to have their expectations met with your product, or blow away those expectations completely. Nobody had any idea that the iPod would be a necessity in the world of technology.  It made CDs irrelevant, and crushed any competitors by continuing to update the product, adding more memory, videos, and touch capabilities. You must make your content so good that it has to be shared.

Tools: When you use tools to help the conversation, word of mouth marketing can have a greater depth or a greater reach.  Someone can easily "Like" your Facebook page or retweet something on Twitter.  Allowing people a "Share" button or to sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the newest items or product updates will help them know more, leading to them sharing more about it.  In addition, if you own a business that sells consumer goods, allow for people to walk out with something that is informative about your store.  This could be for their benefit or for them to pass on.  For example, Rush Wilson, a clothing retailer in Greenville, SC, includes ping pong balls with their logos with any purchase a college student makes.  This gives a constant reminder, a talking piece, and a good impression on the consumer.

Particpate: You have to respond to the word of mouth marketing! Respond to e-mails, complaints, comments, tweets, or questions. The more that the consumer knows your product and can talk about it with confidence, the better they will make it appear to a friend.  Also, if the customer service is always good, whether you are successfully selling an item or fixing a complaint, people will talk about it.  Chick-fil-a is always notorious for having the nicest employees and best customer service.  Having just graduated from college, I cannot mention the number of times that my friends talked about the cute, sweet girl that served them at Chick-fil-a.

7 Things "Suits" Can Teach Us About Sales & Marketing

One of my favorite shows for the past two summers has been Suits.  Suits, a television drama on USA, is based on two lawyers: senior partner Harvey Specter and his associate Mike Ross.  As I was watching this over the past weeks, it struck me that as different as the world of marketing/social media and law are, the core foundations of acquiring and keeping business are the same for all companies. After watching the most recent episode, I made a list of 7 things that Suits can teach us about marketing and sales.

Be creative to get the end results needed


How are you going to get the new business that you want? What makes your product stand out? How are you going to get the end results that you want? Whether it is playing tennis or getting lunch with a potential client or thinking outside of the box to creatively win a lawsuit, Harvey and Mike know to never settle for average.  They want to stand out, and know that being creative helps all aspects of their business.  Think about how to overcome obstacles.  Expect and predict how the market will pan out.  Use many different options to get new business, such as promotional events, advertising, networking, and online presence through a website, blog or social media.

Be confident as a person and salesperson


While there is a huge difference between confidence and arrogance, you must believe in yourself and  product or service to be successful.  Harvey is a lawyer with a witty humor and confidence, but he believes in himself and know that his product is the best.  This is why he knows he can win, because he backs it up and has proved it.  Why would anyone buy something from you if you seem unsure about it? Being passionate for the product you are selling or marketing definitely helps.  Believe in it and believe in yourself, and your chances are a lot better and succeeding.

Care about the consumer

While Harvey believes that he cannot get emotionally attached to a client and that he must focus on the facts and the law, Mike Ross is an emotional lawyer that listens to and believes his clients.  Giving bad customer service, ignoring your client, or not listening to the consumer will get your business nowhere.  If a customer is treated like a king, they remember it and will spread their experience through word of mouth marketing.  In contrast, if they are treated poorly, they will most likely find a rival to take your place while telling others to not use your product or service.

Ask for help if you need it


Since Mike did not go to law school and was thrown into his job immediately, he was inexperienced and did not know many simple things about the law office.  While learning on the fly, he had to ask for help from the receptionist, the paralegal, and other associates.  It is alright to not know how to do something, but figure out how to make it happen! Ask people for help and do not be embarrassed.  Especially if you are new to the industry or company, it is better to do something right with help than to do it wrong by yourself.

Give a simple message


Harvey makes all of his clients know: Hire me and win.  It is that simple.  Using too many words or an inconsistent message will confuse people.  They may not be able to know what service they are getting.  They may not be able to know what the product does.  Being intentional with your message and marketing and making it easy to understand will go a long way in getting and keeping business.

Make people happy


This goes along with caring about the customer, but it is actually acting it out.  They are your clients.  You are offering your product or services.  Make sure that you remember, they do not necessarily need you.  You need them.  They are the ones that choose whether to give your business a chance, so treat them well.  Make sure that you respect them, their opinion, and do your best to get them the results that they expect, just like Harvey and Mike.

Create trust through honesty


Harvey and Mike are always honest with their clients.  In the world of sales and marketing, being deceptive or exaggerating can be easy, but it can also create trust issues.  In the long run, these things will come back to bite you rather than help.  If you are honest with your customers, showing them respect and building trust, then they will go to bat for you.  Another thing: if you mess up, create a bad batch of products, or offer a bad service, be honest about it.  It can be humiliating or tough, but if you mess up, you have to take responsibility for your mistakes.

Does Facebook Help Professional Sports Teams?

Everyone knows about Facebook.  You either have an account or hear people 

talking about Facebook endlessly, wishing you could be a part of it.  The truth 

is, I think Facebook is starting to decline.  Even my age group, college students 

and recent grads, are turning away from Facebook, and towards Twitter, Pinterest, 

and other social media platforms.  Regardless, everyone uses Facebook for 

personal interests.  Does this personal interest overlap enough with professional 

sports teams for them to create their own page, content, and interest on the 

Internet's largest social media website?

The answer is yes.  While many companies struggle to make their Facebook page

 standout or be relevant, it is extremely needed by professional sports teams.  The 

Los Angeles Lakers, arguably America's NBA team, has 445K likes on Facebook. 

 In short, whenever the team adds content to their page, such as pictures, team 

information, schedules, or promotions, it comes up on their fans News Feeds.
Even the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, the toilet of American sports, have 121K
followers, updating them with content of running polls, videos, articles, and
contests.  

Some other notable teams: 

Soccer:

Real Madrid 29 million

Manchester United 26 million

US Men's Soccer 5K

Hockey:

Boston Bruins 1.2 million

Detroit Red Wings 1.3 million

NBA:

Miami Heat 6 million

Los Angeles Lakers 445 K

MLB:

New York Yankees 5.8 million

Atlanta Braves 1.2 million

Boston Red Sox 3.6 million

NFL:

Green Bay Packers 4.1 million

Dallas Cowboys 4.9 million

The other thing that you must consider about these fans: they liked the page on
their own.  This helps the team know that they are reaching an audience that cares.
They will be more inclined to listen, participate, and purchase.

If these pages are updated with content consistently, whether that is weekly or
daily, they provide great insight to a target market.  So my advice to professional
sports teams: Use Facebook, update it daily with relevant content, and provide
links to your website.  It will only increase the buzz, interest, and revenue
of your team.