Archive for February, 2009

February 26th, 2009

Good Economic News: Part 5

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As many of you know, this week, we’ve done a 5-part series on Good Economic News. Our point-of-view, which is supported by the data, is that while times are tough, they’re not nearly as bad as the news media would lead you to believe.

How many of us have watched in horror as CNN or NPR or CNBC does a “special report” on the “global economic disaster”?

To be sure, times are tough. They’re downright B-A-D. But the world isn’t ending. The sky is not falling. In fact, you and your business will be here tomorrow and the next day — if you stop focusing on the negative and start focusing on the positive.

Joe Rollins writes one of the best financial blogs on the web. He’s frank, honest and outspoken on his opinions on what’s really going on. As Joe points out in a recent blog posting, the news media paints a worst-case-scenario even when the story is relatively positive.

In one recent story, the spin was negative even though the data in the story was about the fact that the Fed is forecasting a significant turnaround in the economy only six months from now, which should progressively increase to extraordinarily high growth by 2011.gdpchart

Why all the negative press? What’s going on here?

We’ll tell you what’s going on – good news doesn’t sell. Which is why news about plane crashes, murders and economic disasters gets a disproportionate amount of coverage. (Anybody who tells you differently is pulling the wool over your eyes.)

The chart on the right was borrowed from the Rollins Financial Blog. It points out that the GDP in the United States at the beginning of 2001 was essentially at $10 trillion. As of today, the U.S. GDP is at aproximately $14.3 trillion. Therefore, the GDP has grown at a stunning 43% over the past 8 years!

For those of you who didn’t have time to read every one of our postings this week on Good Economic News, here’s a run-down of what we reported:

  • PepsiCo revenue grew 10% last year to $43.3 billion.
  • Walmart sales rose 6% last quarter, net sales rose 1.7% to $108 billion.
  • McDonald’s global comparable sales were up 7.1% in January. More specifically, the U.S. was up 5.4%, Europe up 7.1, Asia/Middle East/Africa up 10.2%.
  • Coca-Cola had an 11% increase in revenues in 2008 to $31.9 billion; net income was up 17% to $7.4 billion.
  • Oil is 76% lower today than last summer.
  • H. J. Heinz fiscal 3rd quarter net income climbed 11% to $242.3 million, up from $218.5 last year.
  • Box Office receipts for the movie industry are up 28%.
  • Interest rates at historic lows.
  • Home prices dropped/most affordable level since 1971.
  • BKV (the parent of 60 Second Marketer) is growing at double-digit rates and is on a hiring spree.
  • The S&P 500 is predicted to rise as much as 20% towards year end (Source: NPR).
  • In December, inventories declined at twice the rate than was anticipated, which means manufacturers will have to make more stuff to compensate for low inventories.

So, as you can see, things aren’t nearly as bad as the news media would lead you to believe. The 60 Second Marketer is part of a small but growing community that has decided to focus on the positive instead of the negative. Our belief is that companies that are poising themselves for growth today will be well-positioned to benefit when the economy starts growing in earnest later this year.

All week long, we’ve asked our readers to join our list of companies that refuse to participate in the recession. It’s grown quite long. Have you jumped on board? Leave us a comment and let us know that you’re going to join the team that’s preparing for growth now and in the near future.

Onward.

Here’s our list of companies that are focusing on the bright side of things:  refusetoparticipate0022

  • Harris Interactive Media
  • Insol
  • PinC Bubble
  • Mike Wittenstein
  • Southside Broadcasting
  • RadioX
  • Whitestone Marketing Services
  • Spiritus Marketing Directory
  • Bella Web Design
  • FORTE’partners
  • VoiceQuilt.com
  • Todd Miechiels + Partners
  • SleepytimeStore.com
  • Piano Expectations
  • Response Mine Interactive
  • 60 Second Communications
  • 60 Second Online University
  • 60 Second Marketer
  • BKV Interactive and Direct Response
  • A School Bell Rings

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February 26th, 2009

Good Economic News: Part 4

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It’s been a pretty good week at the 60 Second Marketer. We started by stating our belief is that these challenging economic times have been a little bit over-stated by the media. Then, we did some homework and uncovered that companies like PepsiCo, Walmart, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola are seeing revenue increases across the board. And now, we’re here to report some additional good refusetoparticipate0021news.

According to the Wall Street Journal, H.J. Heinz Co.’s fiscal third quarter net income climbed 11%. “People are coming home and preparing inexpensive meals such as pasta,” Chief Financial Officer Art Winkleblack said. Net income for Heinz Ketchup, Classico pasta sauces and Bagel Bites reported net income for the quarter ending January 28th of $242.3 million, up from $218.5 million a year earlier.

And as if that weren’t good enough, the New York Times reports that box office receipts for the movie industry are up 28% as consumers flock to theaters in an effort to find an inexpensive escape.

All week long, we’ve been reporting the same thing: Yes, things are tough. And yes, we’ll get through this.

The smart companies are exploring ways to re-position their products as “great values” or “cost-effective.” The very smartest companies are seeking ways to benefit now and in the future when America will be bigger and stronger than ever.

So, there you have it. Companies like PepsiCo, Heinz, Walmart and McDonald’s are reporting revenue increases. (Shameless plug: BKV, our parent company, is reporting revenue increases, too. It seems clients really like the idea that BKV’s work typically generates between 4:1 and 10:1 returns on marketing investment.)

Are you one of the companies or individuals who would like to join our list of organizations that refuse to be dragged down by the recession? Then send us a comment or shoot us an email and we’ll add you to the list.

Onward!

Here’s our growing list of companies that are positioning themselves for growth this year:

  • Insol
  • Kapp Koncepts, Inc.
  • PinC Bubble
  • Mike Wittenstein
  • Southside Broadcasting
  • RadioX
  • Whitestone Marketing Services
  • Spiritus Marketing Directory
  • Bella Web Design
  • FORTE’partners
  • VoiceQuilt.com
  • Todd Miechiels + Partners
  • SleepytimeStore.com
  • Piano Expectations
  • Response Mine Interactive
  • 60 Second Communications
  • 60 Second Online University
  • 60 Second Marketer
  • BKV Interactive and Direct Response
  • A School Bell Rings

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February 25th, 2009

Good Economic News: Part 3

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See what happens when America reads our series on Good Economic News?  The stock market jumps up 236 points. And when you combine that with the “Times are tough, but we’ll get through this” speech from President Obama, there’s a lot to be hopeful about.refusetoparticipate002

So far this week, we’ve talked about several positive economic stories, including the fact the monthly tally of Leading Economic Indicators rose last month;  that Coca-Cola reported an 11% increase in revenues in 2008; that Walmart saw sales rise 6% last quarter and that oil is 76% lower today than it was last summer.

C’mon, folks. We’ll get through this. We’re Americans for God’s sake. (Apologies to our readers from overseas, but we’re on a roll here.)

But wait, it’s not just Coca-Cola and Walmart that are reporting increased revenues, McDonald’s is, too! Just a few days ago, McDonald’s reported that their global comparable sales were up 7.1% in January. More specifically, the U.S. was up 5.4%, Europe was up 7.1% and Asia, the Middle East and Africa were up 10.2%.

And PepsiCo sales increased as well. Revenue grew 10 percent last year to $43.3 billion!

Do you think it’s safe to say that there’s a little bit of an over-reaction to the economic news? Sure, times are tough, but they’re not anywhere near as tough as the news media is reporting.

So spread the news. In fact, here’s what we’re telling our friends and family:

“There’s no doubt that these are difficult times, but PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Walmart and McDonald’s have all seen sales increases recently. Plus, oil is 76% lower than it was last summer. And interest rates are at historic lows at the same time home prices have dropped. We’re optimistic that we’ve reached the bottom and are poising our businesses for growth later this year.”

C’mon and jump on board. We have a list of companies that are refusing to participate in the recession.

Want to include your company? Then send us a comment in the comment box. (Better still, send your logo to The FriendlyPeople@60SecondMarketer.com.)

Here’s our growing list of companies that are poising themselves for growth this year:

  • Southside Broadcasting
  • RadioX
  • Whitestone Marketing Services
  • Spiritus Marketing Directory
  • Bella Web Design
  • FORTE’partners
  • VoiceQuilt.com
  • Todd Miechiels + Partners
  • SleepytimeStore.com
  • Piano Expectations
  • Response Mine Interactive
  • 60 Second Online University
  • 60 Second Marketer
  • BKV Interactive and Direct Response
  • A School Bell Rings

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February 24th, 2009

Good Economic News: Part 2

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Oh, sure. The stock market dropped again yesterday. But as mentioned, the 60 Second Marketer and many of our followers are refusing to participate in the recession. It’s our belief that, while times are clearly very difficult, there are glimmers of hope and, as such, we’re positioning our companies for success now and in the future.successsign

So, why do things look so bad right now? It’s because the government reports on information that’s several months old. Remember last year when the government told us we were in a recession? Our collective response was, “Where have you been? You’re just catching on to that?”

Here’s a scenario that explains the lag time: Large Corporation A realizes it needs to cut staff in month 1; it plans the cuts in month 2; it executes the cuts in month 3; the government processes the data in month 4; the government reports on the data in month 5.

So, the government reports data that’s many months old, and the stock market responds with triple digit drops. But running a business based on 5-month-old information is like trying to drive on a highway by looking in the rear view mirror.

Yes, things are tough. But there’s some stuff you can be encouraged by:

  1. Interest rates are at historic lows and housing has become affordable. Real estate agents we know in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. are busier than they’ve been in years. Why? Because housing is now at its most affordable level since 1971.
  2. A source on National Public Radio predicted that the S&P 500 may rise as much as 20% towards the end of the year. Why? Because as soon as investors acknowledge we’re at the bottom of the cycle, they’ll quickly start buying stocks that are steals.
  3. Energy prices have dropped. Oil is 76% lower today than it was last summer. Cheaper energy means that people who were putting money into their gas tanks are now able to put money into restaurants, vacations, new tires and home improvements.
  4. Low inventories equate to increased production in the near future. In December, inventories declined at twice the rate that was anticipated. When the economy starts to rebound and demand begins to rise, companies will need to boost production to meet demand. This means there will be a need for more employees, reducing the strain on the government’s unemployment program.
  5. Walmart posted a quarterly profit that beat Wall Street forecasts. The world’s largest retailer saw sales rise 6% in the quarter as it attracted more shoppers trying to save money in the recession.  Net sales rose 1.7% to $108 billion.

Again, we’re not in denial here. Times are definitely tough. But you have two choices — be part of the team that’s wallowing in the negative news stories, or be part of the team that’s figuring out how to be poised for growth in the  future.

Here’s to healthy growth in the future.

Onward.

P.S. Would you like to be added to our growing list of companies that are refusing to participate in the recession? Then leave us a comment and we’ll add you to the list.

Here’s the list so far:

  • FORTE’partners
  • VoiceQuilt.com
  • Todd Miechiels + Partners
  • SleepytimeStore.com
  • Piano Expectations
  • Response Mine Interactive
  • 60 Second Online University
  • 60 Second Marketer
  • BKV Interactive and Direct Response
  • A School Bell Rings

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February 23rd, 2009

Good Economic News: Part 1

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This is the first in a five-part series on some of the good economic news happening around the globe. As mentioned previously, we’re tired of the gloom and doom perpetuated by the news media. To be sure, times are tough and the economy is suffering. But the way we see it, you have two choices — wallow in the bad news and feel sorry for yourself, or acknowledge that things are tough right now and get working on digging yourself out of the hole.

Despite all the bad news reported on CNN, Fox, NPR, ABC, NBC and CBS, there are some glimmers of hope. The monthly tally of the Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose, contrary to expectations. It rose only 0.4%, but it continued the turnaround that began with a 0.2% rise in December. It was enough to prompt Ken Goldstein, an economist for the Conference Board, to speculate that the recession could begin to ease in the coming months.

In other news, Coca-Cola recently reported for 2008 an 11%  increase in revenues to $31.9 billion. Excluding one-time costs (such as write-down at its largest bottler) Coca-Cola net income was up 17% to $7.4 billion.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Coca-Cola will do well (in the future) because it sells an affordable luxury delivered through a strong global distribution system … It also is pushing more innovations into the market. Among those innovations, the company has redesigned graphics for Sprite and Fanta. It has extended Coke Zero’s no-calorie tag to other drinks such as Fanta and Sprite.”

So … what does all this mean if you’re a marketer or a business-owner?

Here’s the take-away:

1) We’d encourage you to stop focusing any energy on the bad economic news. Successful business-people surround themselves with energized, optimistic people. Be a successful business-person.

2) Remember, no matter how bad the economy is, there are opportunities for smart business-people. They’re the ones figuring out how to take the current situation and make the best of it.

3) Re-position your product or service to bring out the “value” and “cost-savings” aspect of it. (Side Note: When we launch 60 Second Online University in a few weeks, you’ll notice we’re positioning it as a cost-saving alternative to sending your employees to conferences and seminars.)

4) Get started on a path towards recovery. Once the economy starts ramping up again in full, you’ll want to be ahead of the curve so you can take advantage of the upcoming growth.

5) Finally, send your company logo (or just an email) to TheFriendlyPeople@60SecondMarketer.com so you can be added to our list of organizations that are refusing to participate in the recession. There’s a group of us out there who are determined to make something good out of these challenging times. Join us!

That’s it for today. We’ll see you tomorrow in Part 2 of our series on Good Economic News. Send us your good economic news and we’ll include it in one of our upcoming stories.

Onward!

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February 22nd, 2009

5-Part Series on Good Economic News

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Are you as tired of hearing all the doom-and-gloom business stories as we are? We’ve done an investigation into some businesses that are weathering the storm quite well. They range from Mom-and-Pop stores to mega-brands like Walmart and Coca-Cola.

Tomorrow, we’re starting a five-part series on Good Economic News. Each day, we’ll share stories about businesses that have refused to participate in the economic downturn.

Do you know a business that is weathering the storm? Then leave us a comment about it and we’ll include it as part of our 5-part series called, simply, Good Economic News.

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February 17th, 2009

What Are the Best Days of the Week to Send Email Campaigns?

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Last week, we asked our loyal readers to tell us which day they’d like our free e-Newsletter delivered. So far, 67% have said Friday works best for them.

That survey prompted us to revisit an article on the 60 Second Marketer entitled What Are the Best Days of the Week to Send Email Campaigns?

In case you haven’t had a chance to read the article, here it is posted on our blog in its entirety:

One of the most commonly asked questions about email marketing is, “What are the best days to send out emails?” But studies designed to answer this question have proven inconclusive. No two email campaigns are the same. As such, what might work for one test audience will not necessarily apply equally for another, due to different campaign objectives or target audiences.

With that in mind, we took a look at each day of the week and analyzed the positives and negatives that might help you determine which days will work best for your needs.

Monday
Positive: Office work has not filled inboxes yet

Negative: Consumers are in work mode and won’t be focused on non-work tasks

Best Practice: Send emails late Monday morning, after consumers have cleaned the weekend spam from their inboxes

Tuesday
Positive: People have organized their week, and can find personal time for emails

Negative: Emails poised for a weekend response may be too early

Best Practice: Use Tuesday for emails that request action during the workweek

Wednesday/Thursday
Positive: Consumers are planning their weekends and gearing up for personal time

Negative: Time during the workweek is running short, and requested action may be pushed back to the following week, or even forgotten about

Best Practice: Focus leisure and weekend notifications during these key weekend planning days

Friday
Positive: Studies indicate fewer total emails sent compared to the rest of the week, increasing visibility among the myriad of other messages

Negative: Consumers hurry to leave the office early, and may not take time to view non-work related emails

Best Practice: Send emails early in the day to give consumers more time to take action. An unopened email from Friday will sort to the bottom of an inbox on Monday, and is often discarded

Weekends
Positive: People check emails on weekends, too, so weekends may have untapped potential

Negative: A weekend email may seem overly-intrusive to some people

Best Practice: If possible, try to avoid Sundays and focus on Saturdays, which may have a better response rate

The most important point to keep in mind for an email campaign is a proper and thorough evaluation of a test group. By making a practice of consistently testing your email campaigns, you’ll be sure to get the most bang for your marketing buck.

If you’re interested in more helpful tips like these, consider signing up for our free weekly eNewsletter. It’s delivered directly to your inbox.

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February 16th, 2009

Marketing Tips via Podcast on Bob Knorpp’s BeanCast

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On Sunday evening, Bob Knorpp, who runs a marketing blog called the BeanCast, interviewed several marketing specialists for his weekly podcast.

This week’s guests included Bill Green who is the publisher of Make the Logo Bigger, Jamie Turner who is the Chief Content Office with the 60 Second Marketer and Scott Monty who is the Digital Communications and Multimedia Manager with the Ford Motor Company.

The podcast covered a wide variety of topics, some of which include the following:

  • Life After the Stimulus Package
  • Behavioral Marketing Rulings from the FTC
  • Problems with Contextual Marketing
  • Monetizing Twitter
  • Google Pulling Out of Radio
  • Do Netbooks Threaten Mobile?
  • Post Office to Cut Delivery Schedule

You can download the podcast by visiting this page at Beancast.us. Bob does a terrific job with his show and covers important topics in marketing on a regular basis. Be sure to bookmark Bob’s site — it’s a winner.

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February 16th, 2009

How to Brainstorm New Ideas for Your Business

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Working with a creative group that is high energy, productive, and problem-solving can be very exhilarating. Creative problem-solving sessions need structure, even if that sounds at odds with the creative process. Here are some ground rules borrowed from a book by Floyd Hurt called Rousing Creativity: Think New Now that you can apply to your next creative session.

Ground Rules for Creative Sessions:
#1 – Avoid judgment of any kind until the right moment: If you allow the possibility that every idea might be the answer your team is looking for, you open up a whole new, wild, creative, cutting-edge world. Besides, if judgments start, a group will shut down. Fast.

#2 – Everyone is creative: Overcome the limitations that others set, and allow the ideas to come out. No matter how crazy the thoughts, don’t let your logical thinking brain squash them before you say them. Encourage the “less creative” people around you, giving them opportunity to throw out some ideas, too.

#3 – Be aware of your own defenses: An ideal creative setting would not have this issue, but all too often our ideas get shot down, victims of early judgment. Shake off your natural reaction to defend your self, and keep contributing.

#4 – Develop your passion: Commit to your ideas, and the passion will flow.

#5 – Keep it in the room: confidentiality counts: Creative sessions should be safe places, and if the fear is present that a “dumb” idea will get back out to the boss or coworkers, participants aren’t going to want to take risks.

#6 – Build on other’s ideas: It’s an exhilarating feeling when a group members takes one idea and adds to it, and another idea is added, and another. It’s even more exhilarating when you acknowledge the idea you are building on. When a team member is recognized for their idea, they earn a feeling of team spirit and are more likely to continue participating.

#7 – Keep the energy up: Move around. Draw pictures on a whiteboard or flipchart. Stand. Have colored markers available. Play a quick word game. Do anything that ups the energy on the room. Energy is derived from movement, and fosters creativity.

#8 –Stick to the problem/topic: It’s ok to wander away from the problem at hand now and then. It can allow for different perspectives to an issue. Assign a team member to bring the team back, though, when the ideas are no longer moving ahead to solve the problem.

#9 – Keep it fun to keep it productive: An atmosphere of fun allows the mind to relax, and that is a good place to be when creativity is required. Have a good time!

#10 – Embrace ambiguity: Allow for the ideas to be blurry, and some new ideas will likely fill in the gaps.

#11 – Foster constructive dissatisfaction: Don’t limit or eliminate an idea just because it doesn’t “fit”. Instead, try keeping the idea, and building on how to change the space so it does fit.

#12 – Nothing “bad”: Keep the word “bad” out of your vocabulary and replace it with “unique” or “different”. Bad is bad, but different is fun.

Floyd Hurt, author of Rousing Creativity: Think New Now!, has been in every phase of sales, marketing, and advertising, and is a speaker recognized for his expertise in creativity.

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February 11th, 2009

What’s Your Marketing IQ? Find Out at the 60 Second Marketer.

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Over the past several months, we’ve been working with Reshma Shah, PhD and Professor of Marketing at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University on a Marketing IQ test. It’s designed to provide businesspeople a way to see how they stack up when it comes to their marketing skills.

Dr. Shah, who is also a Co-Founder of Inflexion Point Marketing Group, drew from years of experience testing some of the best and brightest young students in the U.S.

The tests aren’t easy. The Intermediate Test score average is a 90, but the Advance Test score average is only a 73.3.

How will you do? To find out, click What’s Your Marketing IQ?

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February 10th, 2009

51 Low-Cost or No-Cost Ways to Promote Your Business

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Not long ago, I sat down and came up with 51 low-cost or no-cost ways to promote your business during a recession. There are enough good ideas here that you should be able to use a good number of them for your business and, as a result, grow your sales and revenue.

We’ve broken them down into several categories to help you segment and prioritize which ones you’d like to use.

Here goes:

New Media Ideas:
1. Upload presentations on your area of expertise to SlideShare (best if you’re in a service business or if you’re a consultant). Do this regularly. It generates buzz and increases visibility.

Here are some fun, innovative and inexpensive ways to grow your sales and revenue.

2. Supercharge your blog by writing one new post a day for 45 days in a row. It’s what Chris Brogan has done (several times) and it’s made him one of the most relevant social media bloggers today.

3. Create a LinkedIn Group around your cause or discipline. Don’t just do this, do it, then put some effort into promoting it. It won’t work unless you nurture it and add relevant content just about every day.

4. Create a Facebook Group. Ditto.

5. Create a YouTube Channel. The best way to do this is to offer “How To” videos. Please don’t upload 5 minute videos from the CEO that regurgitates old press releases. Just don’t do that. Really.

6. Create a viral video. Way harder than it looks. Just search under “Funny Office Videos” in YouTube. Still, if you can make it work, it’s worth it.

7. Send a message to a prospect via video on Facebook. It’ll help you stand out. Just use your webcam. Easier than you’d think.

8. Get a Twitter account. Don’t over-promote yourself or your company. Instead, provide useful Tweets on a regular (daily) basis.

9. Do a social media scavenger hunt to get prospects engaged with your company or brand. Place code words in your Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace pages. Add them to your Twitter page and your website. The first customer prospect to collect all of them wins $100.

10. Comment on other people’s blogs. Provide really useful stuff, too. Don’t just say, “Nice post.” And don’t bother putting your web address in your response since it’s usually recorded in the response anyway. Just be a good member of the blog community and write something useful and helpful.

11. Do a webinar. Make it interesting. Don’t over-sell your product or service. Just be helpful.

12. Make sure your blog is built INSIDE your website. When you use Blogger or some other free service, you’re not driving traffic to your website, which is where you want people to go. So, for example, make sure your blog is at www.MyWebsite.com/blog, not www.MyWebsiteBlog.com.

13. Re-post someone else’s blog posting on your blog. Give them credit with a link back to their site. Get their permission. (If they know anything about generating awareness, they’ll gladly let you use the posting. Hey, why don’t you re-post this blog on your website?)

14. Ask a friend to write a guest post for your blog. You’ll get a break from writing your blog. Plus, they’ll promote their article to all their friends and associates.

15. Contact high school and college friends on LinkedIn and Facebook and tell them about your business.

Time-Intensive, But Big Impact:
16. Interview local CEOs for an eBook. This accomplishes two things. First, it gets you in front of high-profile businesspeople who may be future clients. Second, the final eBook is a great door opener when you promote it to other businesses.

17. Conduct primary research that your customers/prospects would find interesting. Offer it for free  — provided they supply their name, company and email address.

Events:
18. Hold an International Party at your home.  Set up different rooms with food from different countries. One 60 Second Marketer staffer did this several years ago and the party is still talked about today.

19. Hold a Battle of the Corporate Bands party. There are a ton of corporate bands out there who would love to play for free. Bonus Points: Donate money raised at the event to charity.

20. Conduct a Chili Cook-Off. This one has been done to death, but it still creates buzz and builds awareness.

Oldies but Goodies:
21. Create a referral program: It’s an old idea, but a good one. If your Customer Lifetime Value is $1,000, then giving a $100 gift certificate every time you close a customer is money well invested.

22. Start an eNewsletter that provides tips and techniques. This is perfect if you’re, say, a real estate agent. Provide tips on home staging. Mention your services in the margins.

23. Create an online magazine. This has worked like gangbusters for BKV, the parent company of the 60 Second Marketer. It’s a lot of work, but may be worth it.

24. Write hand-written thank you notes. You’ll be surprised at their impact.

25. Return calls from salespeople, even if you don’t want their product. They’ll be so flattered, they’ll talk your company up to everyone they come in contact with.

26. Hold an open house at your office.

27. Better still, throw a party for your suppliers. They’ll be flattered. And honored.

Charitable Affiliations:
28. Donate to a charitable cause on behalf of your customers or clients. Let them know, but not in an overt or obnoxious way.

29. Sponsor the Kids 4 Kids program at A School Bell Rings. This is a program that engages elementary schools in the U.S. to raise money to build schools overseas. It can build awareness for you and your company in the process.

Personalized/Customized Ideas:
30. Go to one of those pottery painting stores you find in the mall that fires the pottery you’ve painted. Paint a coffee mug for your clients. Give it to them. They’ll think of you every morning. Seriously.

31. Buy a bottle of wine, take the label off and put a new one on with your company logo on it. Give it to a high-value prospect.

Buzz Marketing and PR:
32. Ask your friends to talk you up. It works. Really. And it’s cheap.

33. Write your own eBook. It worked for David Henderson. He wrote a useful eBook and, in the process of promoting the eBook, promoted his traditional book as well.

34. Write an article for a magazine. Or write an article for a blog.

35. Write a press release each week for 8 weeks in a row. Make it relevant and helpful. Don’t broadcast it out — send it to specific journalists who you’re familiar with.

36. Give away a week’s stay at your lake/beach house as part of an online promotion on your website. Don’t have a lake or a beach house? Borrow a friend’s!

37. Sponsor a company service day where every person in the office helps clean up a park or an old cemetery. Promote it. Gently.

38. Take a journalist out to lunch. They’re interesting people. Don’t sell your story too hard. Just build a relationship and follow-up a week later with a good story idea.

39. Invite your biggest customer out to dinner. Simple, yes. But it works.

40. Get a local high school group to help you clean up a park. Put 30 ten dollar bills under 30 random pieces of trash. Tell the kids. The park will be clean in no time.

41. Get 10 members of your office to go down to the street corner to raise money for your local Red Cross. Wear hats with your company logo on it. Donate the money to the Red Cross.

42. Give one of your products away.

43. Give 10 of your products away.

44. On one random Tuesday every month, give your product or service away for free for one hour. This is especially effective if you’re a restaurant, a florist, a spa or even a dentist. Make it a random Tuesday for just one hour. Macaroni Grill did this when they first opened their doors as a way to build mid-week traffic. It worked like gangbusters.

45. Call in to a radio station talk show. Mention your company name gracefully.

46. Contact the producer of the TV news with a good, relevant and helpful human interest story.

47. The Programs Director at most local trade organizations is almost always looking for people to do speeches at upcoming events. Contact them. Be prepared to send them a one-sheet on your topic and why it’s relevant to their audience.

48. Always be the first person to ask a question at a luncheon or event. There’s usually a pregnant pause when the speaker finishes and says, “Any questions?” Be prepared for that pregnant pause and be the first to ask a question. Identify yourself and your company. Ask a smart question. Or ask a mediocre question. But ask!

49. Talk about your business at parties. C’mon, get over it.

50. Ask your building if you can put a sign up in the elevator about your business.

The wildest and Craziest Idea of All:
51. Take 500 $1 bills with a yellow stickie on them. Write your URL on the yellow stickie with a mention that the first person to contact you off of your website gets another $500. Go into an office building, a mall or a hotel with an atrium. Throw the 500 $1 bills with your URL on them off the balcony. Video tape it and upload the video to YouTube. Promote the YouTube video on your website. Watch the buzz start flowing almost immediately. Seriously. It’ll work.

That’s all folks. These are some of the best ways we know of to grow your business with little or no money. Oh, and one other thing — our attorneys say that if you try idea #51, it’s at your own risk. We aren’t responsible for twisted ankles, fist fights or riots.

Are there any other ideas we missed? Tell us what you’ve done!

If you like what you read today, you can have these blog posts delivered to your in box each morning by clicking here. Or, you can sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter by clicking here.

Posted by Jamie Turner, Chief Content Officer of the 60 Second Marketer, the online magazine of BKV Digital and Direct Response. Jamie is also the co-author of How to Make Money with Social Media.

CategoryBlogs, Facebook, General Marketing, Interactive, Social Marketing, Twitter, Viral Video, Web 2.0, YouTube | Comment11 Comments »

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February 9th, 2009

The Top 18 Things to Measure in Your Next Email Marketing Campaign.

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Email marketing continues to be one of the most cost-effective tools for marketers. A good email marketing program keeps you connected with your customers and prospects. It also provides a great source of incremental revenue, assuming prospects can purchase your products or services online.

One of the key questions we get asked at the 60 Second Marketer is “What metrics should I measure in my email marketing campaign?”

With that in mind, here are the top 18 things you should measure in your next email marketing campaign. These are pulled from an excellent white paper put out by Lyris|HQ called “Guru’s Guide to Email Marketing Success”:

  1. Open rate
  2. Click-through rate
  3. Click to open rate (number of unique clicks/number of unique opens)
  4. Bounce rate
  5. Delivery rate (emails sent – bounces)
  6. Unsubscribe rate
  7. Referral rate
  8. Number of or percent spam complaints
  9. Net subscribers
  10. Subscriber retention
  11. Web site actions (number of visits to a specific web page or pages)
  12. Percent unique clicks on a specific recurring link(s)
  13. Number of orders, transactions, downloads or actions
  14. Percent orders, transactions, downloads or actions of emails sent or delivered
  15. Total revenue
  16. Average order size
  17. Conversion rate
  18. Average dollars per email sent or delivered

For the full report, be sure to download the “Guru’s Guide to Email Marketing Success.” It’s an excellent white paper with tons of great information.

CategoryEmail marketing | Comment6 Comments »

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February 4th, 2009

How to Use Twitter for Your Business

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Here’s the challenge — you’re a business with a Twitter account and you’re trying to figure out how to use Twitter to promote your business.

The problem is, some people who follow you on Twitter won’t take well to the idea that your company is using Twitter to push sales of your product. Some people think it’s contrary to the idea of the internet. Other people believe that it’s okay to use Twitter to drive business, but that you have to do it carefully.

Dell Computer has done a great job using Twitter to drive sales. The word on the street is that they generated an incremental $1 million in revenue last year by promoting special offers via Twitter.

But not everybody has the resources that Dell has to launch a robust Twitter program (remember, doing what Dell did requires more than just doing Tweets — it requires inventory management, marketing, IT development and other things to make it work.)

But if you’re a small- to medium-sized business, you can still make it work. A great example of this is to do what WineGlobe does. Instead of pushing out Tweets that exclusively promote sales of their product, they do Tweets that help create a community around their culture (Wine) and their brand (WineGlobe).

Interested in learning where the word “toast” comes from? Find the answer by clicking through on one of their Tweets. True or False: Red wine gets its color from the red grapes used to make it. You can find the answer to that question via their Twitter account, too.

If you’re interested in using Twitter for business, you should take a look at how the folks at the 60 Second Marketer break down the different types of Twitterers:

  1. The Self-Promoter: This is the business, typically a one-person consultant, who exclusively promotes their own eBooks, webinars, services or products. Don’t be this guy.
  2. The Newbie: This is someone who really doesn’t get the idea of Twitter. They Tweet about the weather, their dog, their girlfriend and their mood. Don’t be this guy, either.
  3. The Retailer: This is a company, like Dell, who uses certain Twitter accounts to promote discounts on their products or services. It’s okay to be this guy if you don’t mind having short-term followers who will jump ship once they’ve bought your product.
  4. The Community Builder: This is who you want to be. Offer news, tips, insights and information via Twitter. Occasionally send out information on your own products and services that would be helpful to your followers. Most of all, create a conversation that builds on itself and helps you differentiate yourself from your competition.

Twitter is still in its youth and it’ll evolve a great deal over the next few years. But right now, if you’re thinking about how to use Twitter for business, use the Community Builder approach. That’s what WineGlobe has done and it’s what you should do, too.

P.S. If you aren’t already following us on Twitter, you can do so by clicking 60 Second Twitter.

CategoryTwitter | Comment3 Comments »

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February 3rd, 2009

E*Trade Embraces Social Media with “Baby” Facebook Page

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E*Trade is making some smart moves with a Facebook page they created to leverage their “Baby” TV campaign.

It’s a great example of how a traditionally conservative agency (sorry, Grey Advertising) can knock it out of the park with a terrific campaign. Better still, they’re embracing social media by putting up this Facebook page.

Excellent work, gang! Keep up the good work.

CategoryUncategorized | CommentNo Comments »

February 2nd, 2009

22 Tips on Using Online Video to Grow Your Business

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If you’re a small- to mid-sized business, you’re probably wondering how you can leverage online video to build awareness for your brand or company.

Mike Turner, Jr., a freelance creative director based out of North Carolina (and a relative of one of the members of the 60 Second Marketer team) has successfully used online video to engage prospective clients and to position himself as an alternative to using a full-service agency.

His website is designed to promote his services, but on the last page of his site, he uses a funny, tongue-in-cheek video called “Humility” to add some personality to his personal brand. It’s a fun example of how you can use an inexpensive video to differentiate yourself from your competitors and have some fun in the process.

With all that in mind, here are 22 tips to remember if and when you decide to use online video to promote your product or service.

Here goes:

  1. It’s mostly about the visuals. If you watch the evening news, you’ll notice that what you’re really paying attention to is the video, not the script. Sure, the script enhances the video, but at the end, you remember what you see more than what you hear. Think about the Miracle on the Hudson — you remember the video of the airplane, not what the journalist said about it.
  2. Don’t regurgitate a press release. Videos are not press releases. They’re separate animals of their own. Write them that way.
  3. Focus on one, or at most two, key points. Keep things simple. But if you do decide to focus on more than one point, be sure to include a recap at the end so the viewer gets a second chance to see your key points.
  4. Don’t cheap out. Bad video production makes for a bad user-experience. If you’re an Apple user, you can use Garage Band and iMovie to make high-quality videos. If you’re not an Apple user, you can use some PC based solution that’ll probably be less elegant and harder to use. Sorry.
  5. Don’t cheap out #2. Use a professional-quality microphone (about $300) and, if you can afford it, a compressor (about $200). Whatever you do, don’t buy a cheap microphone. It’s like printing a brochure on cheap paper — when the sound quality is cheap, it sends a bad signal to your prospective customers. Invest in a good microphone and you won’t regret it.
  6. Keep the videos short. People don’t have the time or the patience to watch something more than two or three minutes long.
  7. Write in concise sentences. Jerry Seinfeld said that the art of telling a joke was to get as much information packed into as short a sentence as possible. In similar fashion, the more content you pack into each sentence, the crisper and more fulfilling the video will be.
  8. A committee will kill a good video. As with most things creative, the more people who are involved, the more likely a good concept will get watered down. Keep things simple, crisp and efficient.
  9. Add variety. Use photos up front, then cut away to a short interview, then come back to a pie chart, then show more photos — the more variety and texture in your video, the more your audience will stay engaged.
  10. Don’t ad lib. Plan your video out. Write a script. Record it. Drop in the visuals and graphics. Don’t wing it — if you do, it’ll show.
  11. Script writing secrets. Write your script. Then write it again with 25% fewer words. Then cut that back by another 25%. The secret is to keep things short. People are used to watching 30-second commercials. Two minutes is an eternity in online video world.
  12. Keep the transitions between scenes simple. There are over 100 ways to transition from one scene to the next. Do you know how many of those Hollywood uses? One. It’s called a dissolve and it’s still the simplest, easiest, cleanest way to move from one scene to the next.
  13. It’s all about the lighting. What separates the pros from the amateurs? Lighting. In fact, the third person hired on a film crew in Hollywood (after the director and the director of photography) is the lighting director. Use good lights. And use more than one to shoot like the pros do.
  14. It’s not about the lighting. Of course, if you’re just using still photos and PowerPoint (or Keynote) to create a short video, then you don’t have to worry about lighting at all. That’s a solution for people who don’t want to buy a lighting kit.
  15. Create your own YouTube channel. If you’re going to shoot a lot of videos, create your own YouTube channel like the one The 60 Second Marketer has. That way, people can subscribe to your videos and get updates whenever you upload a new one.
  16. Use TubeMogul. Looking for a way to upload your videos to over 20 different channels on the internet with the flip of a switch? Then use TubeMogul. It’ll save you hours and hours of time.
  17. Get comfortable with QuickTime. QuickTime, like all things Apple, is easy-to-use and the standard for online video. If you’re still using Windows Media Player, dump it and get with the program.
  18. Hire an outside video production firm. If you don’t feel comfortable with your own video production skills, hire someone to do it for you. 60 Second Communications produces online videos for its clients. So does TGCMedia and plenty of other companies around the country.
  19. Check out Veeple, which is a cool, new video production technology that allows you to make certain spots on your video clickable. That way, people can click a video of a document to download a hard copy, or they can click on a video of a website to visit the website. Cool.
  20. Check out MultiCast Media’s VidegoPro, which is a self-serve streaming video solution for small, medium and large businesses. It’s what we use at the 60 Second Marketer and they’ve been a top-notch solution for us.
  21. Follow the 2 second rule. The average 30-second TV spot has between 15 to 30 shots. If you keep the shots in your video to under 2 seconds each, you’ll keep your viewer engaged the same way a 30-second TV spot does.
  22. Don’t follow the 2 second rule. On the other hand, you could go the other direction and just shoot one person on camera for 3 minutes like Mike Turner did. It’s proof that for every rule, there’s an exception.

Those are the key ideas we have for shooting online videos. Did we miss anything? What would you add?

CategoryGeneral Marketing | Comment7 Comments »

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The 60 Second Marketer is a free online magazine brought to you by BKV Interactive and Direct Response. We try to provide quick updates on the newest tools, tips and techniques in marketing. We also try to accomplish that with a dose of humor or levity. As it turns out, we're pretty good at providing tools, tips and techniques, but we're not actually all that funny. Which would explain why people don't call us "funny" as much as they call us "laughable." Bummer. Our offices, for those of you who are interested, are located in Atlanta (404-233-0332) and Kansas City (913-648-8333). We also have offices on Bora Bora, but they don't have the phones installed yet.

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