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Answer You - Stop Advertising and Start a Conversation
The pet care business is booming and leading to a very good income for those who love and want to work with animals, especially for those who want to care for dogs. There is definitely no shortage of opportunities in the pet care business and indeed there has been no better time to get established with pet care because pet popularity is at its' peak. Americans and people from countries all over the world literally spend thousands each year on such things as boarding, breeding, grooming, pet sitting and pet accessories. The experts in the field claim that this trend will only increase. Indeed one of the fastest segments of the home-based business is the pet care business. If you are thinking of going into the dog business side of pet care then it is important that you obtain as much dog care information as possible.Statistically the following are true:• 47% of all US households own more than one pet• 40 million US households own at least one dog• Americans spend $34 billion on their pets each year Do you love dogs? Then a dog grooming business might be right for you. There are many dog owners who
Fifty years ago, Bill Bernbach inspired advertisers to talk with consumers like they were real people. Back then, no one thought about the listening. So the advertisers marched off and created millions of ads just like good ol' Bill would've done 'em. After a few generations of advertisers doing the same old routine, consumers learned to tune it out. And why not? Who's listening?
What would have happened if fifty years ago, the industry would have looked at Bill's ads and said, "Wow! This is great! People are going to talk about this one. We better come up with a way to pick up on their conversation." What would have happened to advertising as we know it if all the energy that went into to trying re-create Bill's magic had been spent trying to support the next part of the conversation. The part where the consumer gets to respond.
Maybe it was inevitable. The power of the consumer is so great that they ju
In my work with hundreds of coaches, consultants, and small business owners, I have found that there are specific actions that have created their success. Here are seven success elements that they use effectively to earn $100,000 plus a year. By focusing on these important elements, you too can grow your business to reach this goal. Six-Figure Professionals Focus and Target their Efforts Professionals who narrow their market earn more and have less stress. They operate in a market that can afford their service and one that has future potential to keep it up. They know how to say "no" to anything that detracts from their plans and their goals. They go after their goals with tenacity and never listen to others telling them how hard or impossible whatever they are working towards is. They ask questions to the right sources and listen to those higher than they are on the "food chain." They know their target markets well; what they like and do not like. They stay current with the economic conditions of those industries and watch for shifts that can affect their affiliation or revenue. They speak the lingo of their marke
In the past, companies had to use advertising to communicate. But today, with all the advancements in communication technology, companies, like people, can listen, think and respond. It's time for these companies to stop advertising. And start a conversation. It's time for Conversational Marketing.
Conversational Marketing isn't a completely new idea. Perhaps the earliest sign of Conversational Marketing were those ads fifty years ago that sported body copy that was "conversational." Instead of flat, lifeless copy that espoused the features and benefits of the client's product, some copywriter began speaking to consumers like they were really there.
That copywriter was Bill Bernbach, the man who radically revolutionized advertising creative as we know it. And because of Bill's insight and creativity, advertisers learned that they could be more effective if they talked to consumers instead of themselves. Advertisers learned to talk to consumers as if they were really having a real conversation with them. Right there in their own living room.
Conversational Marketing is the natural endgame in advertising's compromise between genuine communication and fabricated communication. The advertising industry has been heading in this direction for the last fifty years. And headed even faster for the last ten years. The evolution of Conversational Marketing has left a wide trail that's easy to follow.
Remember "direct marketing"? This is the notion that marketers will communicate directly with individuals. Which became "direct response marketing" which realized if you communicate with someone directly, you should give that someone some way to communicate back. And that lead to "relationship marketing". Here's where the industry realized that if they talk to you and you talk back then what you have here is a "relationship."
What you also have is a conversation. But let's not stray too far away from "relationship" just yet. Because it seems that after a few years of this "direct-response-relationship-marketing" going on in the mailboxes across America, along came the World Wide Web. (Yeah, remember how everyone actually called it that for the first couple of years.)
The Internet came along and changed everything. Because the one thing that no one expected to happen, happened. Consumers began initiating the conversation with brands and businesses online. They were actually using those powerful search engines to look up things like Palmolive and Chuck E Cheese and Valvoline so they could ask a question or get a free sample.
And out of this unexpected behavior was born "one-to-one marketing". Which basically describes an e-commerce transaction. Suddenly every other advertiser out there learned about the value of customer data. Not only did marketers sell to consumers online, but they learned so much in the process. What's your favorite color? Who's your favorite band? How many glasses of Ovaltine do you drink in a day?
So, what's a marketer supposed to do with all of this information? "CRM." Customer Relationship Management. It seems that businesses were getting so much genuine dialogue with their customers that they needed entirely new systems to be built just to manage it. Of course, the first order of business for the marketers of these businesses was to make the term "CRM" completely meaningless.
Everybody in the industry, clients and agencies alike, began calling just about everything they did "CRM". If they sent out an email newsletter, it was called "CRM". If they collected information about a customer and added it to a database, it was called "CRM". If they did a customer survey, it was called "CRM". Of course all of these things can be part of a "CRM" program. The problem is that for most marketers, there isn't a program in place—just some convenient jargon.
It's not much of a surprise, though. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is a thing much bigger than just managing customer relationships. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is actually the basis of the business to customer relationship. A basis that has seemingly evolved overnight while most businesses' ad agencies were busy crafting television commercials.
And can you blame the ad agencies for ignoring this profound sea change? After all, what do email newsletters, surveys, and databases have to do with advertising? Who cares about that stuff anyway? As it turns out, the clients are the ones that care. And so now you have everybody and their brother crafting "CRM" campaigns. Customer Relationship Management campaigns? Ad agencies just don't seem to get it.
Fifty years ago, Bill Bernbach inspired advertisers to talk with consumers like they were real people. Back then, no one thought about the listening. So the advertisers marched off and created millions of ads just like good ol' Bill would've done 'em. After a few generations of advertisers doing the same old routine, consumers learned to tune it out. And why not? Who's listening?
What would have happened if fifty years ago, the industry would have looked at Bill's ads and said, "Wow! This is great! People are going to talk about this one. We better come up with a way to pick up on their conversation." What would have happened to advertising as we know it if all the energy that went into to trying re-create Bill's magic had been spent trying to support the next part of the conversation. The part where the consumer gets to respond.
Maybe it was inevitable. The power of the consumer is so great that they jus
Advertising gifts can be a great way to increase your business by getting your name out to clients and potential clients in a way that they will enjoy and appreciate. No one thinks twice about being handed a business card, however handing promotional coffee mugs to a potential client will have a great effect on the way that your client continues to think about you and about your business. It is your job to advertise yourself to your clients and to spread your own name and the name of your business to new clients and to refresh your business with old clients as well.Advertising gifts do not have to be expensive or complicated, either. Consider sending out a postcard with updates to your clients every so often. Make it interesting by having the face of the postcard be a great recipe that you and your family love this way you add that little extra personal touch to your campaign. If the postage is going up, send out two cent stamps to your clients along with a business card and a reminder that you are still available to meet their needs. An advertising gift at the right time to the right people will have them thinking of you for their
Conversational Marketing is the natural endgame in advertising's compromise between genuine communication and fabricated communication. The advertising industry has been heading in this direction for the last fifty years. And headed even faster for the last ten years. The evolution of Conversational Marketing has left a wide trail that's easy to follow.
Remember "direct marketing"? This is the notion that marketers will communicate directly with individuals. Which became "direct response marketing" which realized if you communicate with someone directly, you should give that someone some way to communicate back. And that lead to "relationship marketing". Here's where the industry realized that if they talk to you and you talk back then what you have here is a "relationship."
What you also have is a conversation. But let's not stray too far away from "relationship" just yet. Because it seems that after a few years of this "direct-response-relationship-marketing" going on in the mailboxes across America, along came the World Wide Web. (Yeah, remember how everyone actually called it that for the first couple of years.)
The Internet came along and changed everything. Because the one thing that no one expected to happen, happened. Consumers began initiating the conversation with brands and businesses online. They were actually using those powerful search engines to look up things like Palmolive and Chuck E Cheese and Valvoline so they could ask a question or get a free sample.
And out of this unexpected behavior was born "one-to-one marketing". Which basically describes an e-commerce transaction. Suddenly every other advertiser out there learned about the value of customer data. Not only did marketers sell to consumers online, but they learned so much in the process. What's your favorite color? Who's your favorite band? How many glasses of Ovaltine do you drink in a day?
So, what's a marketer supposed to do with all of this information? "CRM." Customer Relationship Management. It seems that businesses were getting so much genuine dialogue with their customers that they needed entirely new systems to be built just to manage it. Of course, the first order of business for the marketers of these businesses was to make the term "CRM" completely meaningless.
Everybody in the industry, clients and agencies alike, began calling just about everything they did "CRM". If they sent out an email newsletter, it was called "CRM". If they collected information about a customer and added it to a database, it was called "CRM". If they did a customer survey, it was called "CRM". Of course all of these things can be part of a "CRM" program. The problem is that for most marketers, there isn't a program in place—just some convenient jargon.
It's not much of a surprise, though. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is a thing much bigger than just managing customer relationships. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is actually the basis of the business to customer relationship. A basis that has seemingly evolved overnight while most businesses' ad agencies were busy crafting television commercials.
And can you blame the ad agencies for ignoring this profound sea change? After all, what do email newsletters, surveys, and databases have to do with advertising? Who cares about that stuff anyway? As it turns out, the clients are the ones that care. And so now you have everybody and their brother crafting "CRM" campaigns. Customer Relationship Management campaigns? Ad agencies just don't seem to get it.
Fifty years ago, Bill Bernbach inspired advertisers to talk with consumers like they were real people. Back then, no one thought about the listening. So the advertisers marched off and created millions of ads just like good ol' Bill would've done 'em. After a few generations of advertisers doing the same old routine, consumers learned to tune it out. And why not? Who's listening?
What would have happened if fifty years ago, the industry would have looked at Bill's ads and said, "Wow! This is great! People are going to talk about this one. We better come up with a way to pick up on their conversation." What would have happened to advertising as we know it if all the energy that went into to trying re-create Bill's magic had been spent trying to support the next part of the conversation. The part where the consumer gets to respond.
Maybe it was inevitable. The power of the consumer is so great that they ju
Do you get stressed when you see a company logo printed across the front of a spherical stress ball at a trade show? Do you feel that there just has to be something else out there in addition to calendars to send to your customers and clients as a thank-you around the holidays? Do you want to find the perfect giveaway item that’s as unique and distinctive as the company that you created, nurtured and watched mature into what it is today? Believe me when I tell you that unique items are out there, you just need to know where to look.One thing that you need to keep in mind while shopping is that all companies, just like yours, do what they do for one reason, and that’s to make money. Unfortunately there are many companies that hide fees and conceal additional charges in the fine print. Any company that engages in these types of practices, no matter how extensive their selection of promotional items is, is not the company for you.Now, onto picking out your company’s unique promotional item!You’ll need to come up with a budget before picking out your items, so first you’ll need to decide on the purpose of your order. A holida
The Internet came along and changed everything. Because the one thing that no one expected to happen, happened. Consumers began initiating the conversation with brands and businesses online. They were actually using those powerful search engines to look up things like Palmolive and Chuck E Cheese and Valvoline so they could ask a question or get a free sample.
And out of this unexpected behavior was born "one-to-one marketing". Which basically describes an e-commerce transaction. Suddenly every other advertiser out there learned about the value of customer data. Not only did marketers sell to consumers online, but they learned so much in the process. What's your favorite color? Who's your favorite band? How many glasses of Ovaltine do you drink in a day?
So, what's a marketer supposed to do with all of this information? "CRM." Customer Relationship Management. It seems that businesses were getting so much genuine dialogue with their customers that they needed entirely new systems to be built just to manage it. Of course, the first order of business for the marketers of these businesses was to make the term "CRM" completely meaningless.
Everybody in the industry, clients and agencies alike, began calling just about everything they did "CRM". If they sent out an email newsletter, it was called "CRM". If they collected information about a customer and added it to a database, it was called "CRM". If they did a customer survey, it was called "CRM". Of course all of these things can be part of a "CRM" program. The problem is that for most marketers, there isn't a program in place—just some convenient jargon.
It's not much of a surprise, though. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is a thing much bigger than just managing customer relationships. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is actually the basis of the business to customer relationship. A basis that has seemingly evolved overnight while most businesses' ad agencies were busy crafting television commercials.
And can you blame the ad agencies for ignoring this profound sea change? After all, what do email newsletters, surveys, and databases have to do with advertising? Who cares about that stuff anyway? As it turns out, the clients are the ones that care. And so now you have everybody and their brother crafting "CRM" campaigns. Customer Relationship Management campaigns? Ad agencies just don't seem to get it.
Fifty years ago, Bill Bernbach inspired advertisers to talk with consumers like they were real people. Back then, no one thought about the listening. So the advertisers marched off and created millions of ads just like good ol' Bill would've done 'em. After a few generations of advertisers doing the same old routine, consumers learned to tune it out. And why not? Who's listening?
What would have happened if fifty years ago, the industry would have looked at Bill's ads and said, "Wow! This is great! People are going to talk about this one. We better come up with a way to pick up on their conversation." What would have happened to advertising as we know it if all the energy that went into to trying re-create Bill's magic had been spent trying to support the next part of the conversation. The part where the consumer gets to respond.
Maybe it was inevitable. The power of the consumer is so great that they ju
The bursting of the dotcom bubble in the year 2001 was a defining moment in the global web industry. People believed that the web had been given far more significance than it merited, not withstanding that initial glitches are a common feature of all technological revolutions. The shakeouts in fact mark the beginning of new and innovative technology ready to replace the old and the redundant.The concept of "Web 2.0" thus began with a conference brainstorming session between O'Reilly and MediaLive International. Dale Dougherty, web pioneer and O'Reilly VP, believed that the web has not lost any importance; in fact with new and exciting applications coming up daily, it was assuming far more significance than it had in the past. The companies that had survived the collapse seemed to have several things in common and the collapse was actually a turning point for the web. In consonance with this theory, they agreed to coin a phrase known as Web 2.0 referring to proposed second generation web based services. They used this term as a title for a series of conferences resulting in the birth of the Web 2.0 Conference. It is hinted to be an upgrade
Everybody in the industry, clients and agencies alike, began calling just about everything they did "CRM". If they sent out an email newsletter, it was called "CRM". If they collected information about a customer and added it to a database, it was called "CRM". If they did a customer survey, it was called "CRM". Of course all of these things can be part of a "CRM" program. The problem is that for most marketers, there isn't a program in place—just some convenient jargon.
It's not much of a surprise, though. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is a thing much bigger than just managing customer relationships. The thing that everybody is using "CRM" to describe is actually the basis of the business to customer relationship. A basis that has seemingly evolved overnight while most businesses' ad agencies were busy crafting television commercials.
And can you blame the ad agencies for ignoring this profound sea change? After all, what do email newsletters, surveys, and databases have to do with advertising? Who cares about that stuff anyway? As it turns out, the clients are the ones that care. And so now you have everybody and their brother crafting "CRM" campaigns. Customer Relationship Management campaigns? Ad agencies just don't seem to get it.
Fifty years ago, Bill Bernbach inspired advertisers to talk with consumers like they were real people. Back then, no one thought about the listening. So the advertisers marched off and created millions of ads just like good ol' Bill would've done 'em. After a few generations of advertisers doing the same old routine, consumers learned to tune it out. And why not? Who's listening?
What would have happened if fifty years ago, the industry would have looked at Bill's ads and said, "Wow! This is great! People are going to talk about this one. We better come up with a way to pick up on their conversation." What would have happened to advertising as we know it if all the energy that went into to trying re-create Bill's magic had been spent trying to support the next part of the conversation. The part where the consumer gets to respond.
Maybe it was inevitable. The power of the consumer is so great that they ju
Trade show swag usually includes a few pads of Post-Its, maybe a coffee mug and a hundred pens. When you choose novelty plastic pens for your promotions, you can stand out in the sea of pens and pencils. If you choose properly, the trade show attendees will be using your pen long after they’ve culled the plain stick pens and used up the computer-shaped sticky notes.Carabiner Pens Moms and involved dads will tell you that looking for a pen to write down directions or phone numbers on the road or at the park can be a hassle - because finding a pen in the diaper bag or picnic sack can be next to impossible. Carabiner plastic pens offer a fat writing stick at one end and a convenient carabiner clip at the other. Clip it on the strap of a bag or purse. Clipped to a key ring it’s easy to find on the road or commuter train.Carabiner plastic pens take just two weeks to produce after the artwork is approved. Don’t expect to use these carabiner plastic pens as the rock climbing safety devices they were originally created for, at least not for ?0.33 each, but they’ll ink a few thousand miles of letters and numbers.Message Pens
Fifty years ago, Bill Bernbach inspired advertisers to talk with consumers like they were real people. Back then, no one thought about the listening. So the advertisers marched off and created millions of ads just like good ol' Bill would've done 'em. After a few generations of advertisers doing the same old routine, consumers learned to tune it out. And why not? Who's listening?
What would have happened if fifty years ago, the industry would have looked at Bill's ads and said, "Wow! This is great! People are going to talk about this one. We better come up with a way to pick up on their conversation." What would have happened to advertising as we know it if all the energy that went into to trying re-create Bill's magic had been spent trying to support the next part of the conversation. The part where the consumer gets to respond.
Maybe it was inevitable. The power of the consumer is so great that they just had to be heard. They say in a capitalistic society, consumers vote with their wallet. Obviously that wasn't enough of a voice. Which might explain why we have consumers creating Doritos commercials for the Super Bowl. And posting their favorite ads on their MySpace page. And writing about their frustrations with their recent airline experience on their blog. And producing their own video commentary in response to advertising videos they see on YouTube. Whatever the forces are behind this communication revolution, one thing is clear. You can't have a relationship with a customer without having a conversation.
The good news is you already know how to have a conversation. Now you just need to carry this knowledge over to your marketing communications. For example, you know in order to have a conversation there must be a two-way exchange. Someone is talking. Someone else is listening. So the first step in Conversational Marketing is to make sure you can listen. Here are some obvious signs that your marketing communications are ready to listen.
You have a specific call to action. Write. Call. Email. Click.
You make a specific invitation. Join. Register. Sign up. Opt in.
You ask a question. Survey. Poll. Vote.
You open yourself to questions. Search. Feedback. Chat.
Now that you're listening, make sure you're paying attention. Don't listen like the 50s husband with your head buried in the Sports section. "Yes, dear. Uh-huh. That's right, dear." Here are some signs you are really paying attention.
You have a single customer database. It's not divided up into separate databases serving separate departments in your company or performing separate functions for your customers.
Your customer database not only collects data important to your business goals (name, address, payment method) but it also collects data important to your customers' interests (survey answers, search queries, comments).
You make intelligent responses. You send a thank you email when they leave a comment. You customize your newsletter by highlighting content you know they are interested in. You reply to their emails with a personal response as often as possible.
These are the basic signs of Conversational Marketing. You can take your conversation up a notch by inviting your customers to join a discussion group, sign onto a bulletin board, join a focus group, or become an advocate by sharing the conversation with their friends and associates.
Knowing what tactics to employ that enable conversations with your customers is important, but none of it will be effective without a Conversation Strategy in place. So, before you update your website, revise your email newsletter, start a podcast, or open the phone lines, make sure you understand who and where your customers are. And then devise a plan that intersects your business goals and objectives with their needs and expectations. Do this, and you are sure to strike up a very effective conversation indeed.
And soon, you won't be working for an ad agency or a marketing firm anymore. You'll be going to work for a Business Conversations Company. You'll be producing Conversational Marketing. And kids in college will be taking Conversational Marketing Communications 101. And majoring in Business Conversations. And your family will finally understand what it is you do at work because everybody understands what a conversation is.
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