Hard Pass.
This ridiculously simple quote would save so many small businesses so much time, aggravation, and money if they just digested it and took it to heart. As a small business owner, sometimes the tendency is to get that product or service in front of EVERYONE.
“Everyone is NOT your customer.”
This ridiculously simple quote would save so many small businesses so much time, aggravation, and money if they just digested it and took it to heart. As a small business owner, sometimes the tendency is to get that product or service in front of EVERYONE. And while I completely understand that in terms of exposure, etc., it's almost NEVER a good idea to focus on this strategy.
I learned so many lessons owning and operating a digital marketing agency, especially in the early days. I would take ANY customer just to pay the bills, and over time, thank GOD, I came to realize that this strategy was a runway to nowhere. I had to learn how to say no and how to pass on all of the little guys who simply didn't have budget, OR didn't "get it", or simply wanted instant results.
By chiseling away until you find your target customer sweet spot, you start to also find the real value that your company brings to the marketplace. You start to stand firm on your pricing, you start to design your material for that certain demographic, you start to grow and thrive within a niche, you start to truly speak the language of the customers that are going to gravitate to you. You now KNOW your customer, and that is by far one of the fundamentals of marketing and branding.
It's not easy to pass on a customer, especially when people rely on you for paychecks, but the headaches, trouble, and the money that it costs in the long run far outweighs the quick benefit of some cash. Remember, niches make riches.
Thanks for reading, sharing, and Hard Passing on customers who don't spark joy.
Your Authentic Brand Self
With a barrage of constantly churned out content splattering all over the interwebs on the daily, it's becoming more and more challenging to garner attention for brands.
With a barrage of constantly churned out content splattering all over the interwebs on the daily, it's becoming more and more challenging to garner attention for brands. Today's consumers are hit at all angles with slick marketing messages, content being created by influencers, and ads. It's become so much that our brains can't process all of the content being thrown at us so we start to ignore the nonsense automagically.
The Humanity of it All
Some brands have a tendency to speak their own language. They do this because its the path of least resistance, it's easy. They craft messaging points about their bundles, or their products that are riddled with engineer speak or worse yet, lawyer speak. This is the stuff that becomes noise, this is the stuff that today's consumers will simply ignore.
Heroes Of The Day
The brands that are breaking through are the brands that make their consumers/prospects the hero of the message. They don't obsess about the details of their products in their messaging, rather, they focus on the impact of their goods on the target consumer. The end result, the brand triggers an emotion in the prospect, that emotion leads to a stronger connection, that stronger connection could lead to a sale, or at least, be top of mind for the consumer when they are ready to buy.
A Fine Line
How can your brand be more authentic? It starts with defining what's at the core of the business. What drives the business, why does the business exist, what does the brand care about? Articulating this "stuff" into the brand's messaging, social media content, ads, and most importantly, internally, is mission critical. Ensure that your internal messaging and reality matches your external messaging and reality, this is often the trap where consumers start to see chinks in the brand armor.
It's also critical to know your customer. What fuels them, what will make their life easier, how can we save them time, money, and aggravation? Weaving that knowledge into our brand footprint allows us to always put the customer first and ensure that any messaging point puts them first.
The Feel Good
When your prospects feel good about your messaging, or an ad brings a smile to their face, you win. You many not win this second, but you are changing something within them. That's what true marketing is, changing the way that someone feels about something. That's what we're after in all of our messaging and in all of our interactions. The brands that ask themselves, "self, how can I spark joy today" already set themselves up for success.
The Bottom Line
Be human, be sincere, be genuine and always put your customers first in all of your messaging. Striving to be different for the sake of being different will almost always result in tripping consumer bullshit detectors. Thanks for reading and sharing!
How To Be On-Brand
"Let's make sure that every social media post that we put out has our logo on it, so it's on brand." - One of my previous clients
"Let's make sure that every social media post that we put out has our logo on it, so it's on brand." - One of my previous clients
This still makes me cringe. I'd always have to explain that the brand's logo is already in about 4 other places already on the social media channel itself. But, my frustration with the above request goes way deeper than that. Branding is NOT just about your logo. Throwing that bad boy all over the interwebs isn't going to endear anyone to your "brand".
Branding is about a relationship. A relationship between the world and your company. It's about feelings, it's about humanity, it's about emotions and how your organization makes others feel when they interact with it. Branding is about building trust, and that trust is earned by being authentic. Many companies are trying to be "someone" they aren't, consumers see right through that BS.
Sure, using the same marks, the same color scheme, and the same fonts all help to eventually build some recognition, but what really helps a company connect is its ability to connect with consumers through a human voice. Corporate gobbledygook nonsense speak has never caused a consumer to fall in love with a brand, never caused them to talk about that brand, and never caused them to stay loyal to that brand.
So, how can you start to earn and build trust? Look at your words. The words on your website, your social media channels, your ads, and your other touch points need to be HUMAN. The personality of your brand should shine through each and every touch point, it should evoke an emotion, whether its fun, loving, joy-filled, or snarky, it should always stay on-voice. One of my pro-tips is to always make your target consumer the hero of your story and content. One last tip: never start a piece of content with the word WE. Put your consumer first, talk to them like a human, be consistent, and feed them what they are hungry for.
Content Marketing & Non-Profits : Tell Your Story, Tell Your Outcomes.
Attention all non-profit organizations! Have you ever considered the power of content marketing in achieving your mission and goals? Content marketing is a highly effective strategy for reaching and engaging with your target audience, and it can make a significant impact on your organization's success.
Attention all non-profit organizations! Have you ever considered the power of content marketing in achieving your mission and goals? Content marketing is a highly effective strategy for reaching and engaging with your target audience, and it can make a significant impact on your organization's success.
By creating valuable and informative content, such as blog posts, social media updates, and videos, you can establish your organization as a thought leader in your industry and build trust with your audience. This trust can then translate into increased support, donations, and volunteerism.
Content marketing also allows non-profits to tell their stories in a compelling way, showcasing the impact they have on their communities and the world. This storytelling approach can help build emotional connections with supporters and help them understand the importance of your work.
Furthermore, content marketing can be a cost-effective way to reach a large audience. With social media and email marketing, non-profits can distribute their content to a wide range of people without the need for expensive advertising.
So, if you're looking for a powerful way to increase awareness and support for your non-profit organization, consider incorporating content marketing into your strategy. With its ability to build trust, tell your story, and reach a broad audience, content marketing can be a game-changer for non-profits. #nonprofitmarketing #contentmarketing #socialimpact
One Trick Marketing Ponies.
We all have a lens that we look at things through. Things like philosophies, convictions, religion, politics, ethics, etc. and that’s what makes the well-rounded world go ’round. It’s the hodge-podge of thought, the situations that have brought us to how we think and see the sun that help shape the world.
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
We all have a lens that we look at things through. Things like philosophies, convictions, religion, politics, ethics, etc. and that’s what makes the well-rounded world go ’round. It’s the hodge-podge of thought, the situations that have brought us to how we think and see the sun that help shape the world. Sometimes, though, we get tunnel vision. One thing, and one thing only is, in our world, the only way. The only path to whatever, the only way to think, the only way others should think and when those ‘others’ don’t see it our way, they are obviously wrong. Dangerous for certain.
When it comes to digital marketing, one-sided thinking will lead to failure, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but without a doubt, soon. Dirty lenses or lenses that aren’t even capable of being cleaned to let the ‘light come in’ turn into archaic thinking, and ultimately, lead to a catastrophic failure. It’s ok to have theories, it’s ok to have philosophies, but in the marketing world, there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat and honestly, the best way to skin the cat is through utilizing a wide variety of methods, a holistic approach if you will.
Meet The One Trick Marketing Pony
The one trick digital marketing pony knew about one way to do things, fifteen glorious years ago. Back in the day, this worked or back in the day, our marketing team scored hits because we simply focused on one angle. Guess what? the Internet changes EVERY day. The methods, what works, what doesn’t work. The algorithms, the attention span of a hungry digital populous, the platforms that we as a society use to post cat photos and spread proud dad photos of our kiddos. Marketing folks who rely on the way we used to do it are destined to fail. Marketers who cannot clean their marketing lenses end up in a brand tail-spin and look for the next people to blame for its failure.
The one trick digital marketing pony can’t continue to grow. The digital marketing space is fluid, as fluid as can be and certain lenses just don’t work anymore, and will probably not work again in the future. As long as we as a society keep changing the way we pay attention to stimulus and outside influences, the marketing folks worth their salt will continue to adjust strategy on the fly. They remain committed to learning, they remain OPEN to new ideas and concepts. They try, they fail, they try again and win. They rely on multiple strategies in order to skin the cat properly and cover all of the bases. They simply continue to clean their lenses.
Thanks for reading, and for cleaning your lenses from time to time.
Take care and thanks for sharing.
@TomJelneck
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Monastery Walks.
Many moons ago I spent a lot of time with monks. Benedictine monks to be exact. I went to a 4 year college seminary at a VERY remote monastery in Southern Indiana. The view from my dorm (or cell) was corn fields and soybeans. It was indeed a very peaceful place.
— NOTE — I wrote this one a while back, but actually took a monastery walk TODAY to clear my head and discern some important things. I hope this inspires you to get out and take a walk. BTW: be sure to listen to the church bells audio clips, it adds to the whole experience.
Thanks for reading, Tom.
“Walking is man’s best medicine. - Hippocrates ”
Photo Courtesy of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana
Many moons ago I spent a lot of time with monks. Benedictine monks to be exact. I went to a 4 year college seminary at a VERY remote monastery in Southern Indiana. The view from my dorm (or cell) was corn fields and soybeans. It was indeed a very peaceful place. A place of solace, a place of reflection, a place seemingly separated from the real world. It was a great place to get to know yourself.
Being 18 and from the city (Orlando) it was way more than a culture shock when I got dropped off outside those steeple towers. Unlike many colleges, this place had insane structure. You were required to attend morning prayer, daily mass and evening prayer. There were mandatory conferences to attend, there were mandatory service requirements, there were mandatory spiritual direction appointments and then of course, there were classes. Add a part time job to the mix so that you could afford a monthly trip to the local truck stop for a greasy burger and cultural experience and you had about 6 extra minutes to yourself.
I learned MANY life lessons while attending this school. I learned discipline, I learned study habits, I learned interpersonal skills, I learned leadership skills, I learned how to believe and trust in myself. I learned to be self sufficient. I also learned that I need to reflect, a lot. I also learned that the smell from Turkey crap used as fertilizer on corn fields is strong and pungent enough to gag a maggot.
6 Extra Minutes
So with such a busy schedule at school, how do you clear your head with the remaining 6 minutes of free time that you have? How do you discern or contemplate life's great mysteries? How do you keep your sanity? How do you process and digest all that's going on? You walk. I learned from the monks as I saw them in silence roaming the hilly terrain of the campus in their black, Jedi-like habits. I learned to walk. Not just for physical exercise, but for mental / well-being exercise. I'd get up at the butt crack of dawn, whether freezing assed cold or humid as hell and walk. I had a route and I remember that route to this day, but that 6 minute walk every morning focused and centered me.
Fast Forward To Today
Today, I'm pretty sure, I have less than 6 minutes for that walk. Life can get crazy, owning two businesses is nuts, serving on multiple non-profit boards, TV appearances, podcasts, a busy family with two very active girls, a siberian husky who demands my attention, church activities, you name it, today, more than ever, I need monastery walks.
Walks today consist of a busy sidewalk here in Orlando. I've traded the sounds of rustling corn and monastery bells for the hustle and the bustle, but deep within that noise is peace and solace. The buses, the impatient drivers, the honking horns have all become a place for my mind to escape and become clear. When I have a problem to solve at work, or if my creativity meter is running on empty, or if I need to work through a marketing problem, I take a walk. That's when I reset, that's when I solve problems, that's when I reflect and recharge my business, life and spirituality batteries. I've had some of my best ideas while out on 'monastery' walks.
Where's your monastery? I encourage you to get up and walk. Walk and reflect. You don't need to wear a monk habit (unless you're into all that), you don't have to pray, sometimes you don't even need to think. You just need to walk and take it all in. I bet you'll find that you'll get some amazing ideas. Get out there, go take a walk, it could change your life.
Go ahead, I'll wait....... Go!
Nag, Nag, Nag.
No one loves to be interrupted. At work, school, sleep, play, wherever, interrupting people while they are doing them is just plain rude, so why would anyone employ interruption as a marketing tactic?
“Instead of interrupting, work on attracting.” — Dharmesh Shah, CTO & Co-Founder, HubSpot
How to interrupt:
- Send crappy emails to people you don't know.
- Connect with them on LinkedIn and then instantly message them a sales pitch.
- Send copious text messages to people you don't know with HUGE savings and all kinds of other obnoxious sales messaging.
- Spam neighborhood apps with your sales pitch and cross your fingers.
How to attract:
- Inspire.
- Don't sell.
- Be remarkable.
- Elevate your team.
- Be kind.
- Be human.
- Create something different.
- Be authentic.
- Be a giver.
No one loves to be interrupted. At work, school, sleep, play, wherever, interrupting people while they are doing them is just plain rude, so why would anyone employ interruption as a marketing tactic?
Which brand are you more likely to buy from? The one that nags you or the one that makes you smile and stands out?
The Archer In The Fog.
I've been listening to a great book lately, The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib. Allan is basically laying out his approach to how businesses can create a remarkable easy to follow marketing plan that actually does something for your bottom line. One of my favorite analogies that he used to describe people who don't take the time to perform market research and profile out their target consumer is an Archer In The Fog.
I've been listening to a great book lately, The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib. Allan is basically laying out his approach to how businesses can create a remarkable easy to follow marketing plan that actually does something for your bottom line. One of my favorite analogies that he used to describe people who don't take the time to perform market research and profile out their target consumer is an Archer In The Fog.
The archer in the fog can't obviously see a damned thing when he's trying to hit his mark.
Successful marketers take the time to get to know their audience. They understand that not everyone is their intended client / customer. I've asked so many business marketing departments who their target audience is and the response that I often get sends shivers down my spine. "Everyone." We can sell to everyone. But can you? Can you realistically compete against Amazon? Can you compete with Wal Mart? Do you have the funds to compete with Apple who can spend millions upon millions to transmit their message over and over? You can not. So stop trying.
The Niche
Let's take for an example an aesthetic medical practice that performs botox and other cosmetic procedures. The ambitious doctor opens her practice and is out to rule the world. She decides she wants to market her services to EVERYONE within a 20 mile radius. She thinks to herself, "they all need my services." Here's the problem. No they don't. Here's the other problem. There are 500 OTHER aesthetic practices within the 20 mile radius all trying to do the same damned thing as her. She needs to niche. What if she targeted pregnant moms that are looking for cosmetic work? It's a solid niche filled with resources. There are plenty of newly pregnant moms. And even better, they ALL talk to each other and learn from each other. Why not create your marketing campaigns around THEM? Give them resources, support them, be there for them, and oh yeah, sell to them when they need your cosmetic services.
The argument is always, well, I'm losing out on a huge market share by niching, but now you're the archer without the fog. You're targeting CLEARLY and acquiring your targets. Once you own this space, if you have the capacity, figure out another niche and market the crap out of that. FOCUS and you'll win.
The Human Factor
All too often marketing is all about the products that people sell. "We sell the best damned reciprocating saws," or, "Our computers are made with 90 gigowatt plasma induced gingerbread flux capacitors." Yes, this CAN be important to some, but the problem is, you're not solving anyone's problems by dwelling on the specs of your product. Have you ever heard Apple Computer tell you in a commercial how powerful their core processors are on their iMacs? They sell by being human. They sell by selling a lifestyle, an attitude, a sense of belonging to something larger and great. Take a look at your marketing, your ad copy, your website, your messaging. Is it product centric or people centric? If you find yourself always talking about how wonderful your company is, or just how awesome your products are, odds are, you're turning people away. Make it about them, and seize the day. Make it about them and come out of the fog. Shoot with clarity and reap the benefits down the road.
Communication Is An Artform.
Communication is an art form. If your brand is spewing out corporate gobbledygook and not evoking an emotion in your intended recipients, you're probably not growing, thriving, or kicking ass. Words can move mountains.
Communication is an art form. If your brand is spewing out corporate gobbledygook and not evoking an emotion in your intended recipients, you're probably not growing, thriving, or kicking ass. Words can move mountains.
“Your ability to communicate with others will account for fully 85% of your success in your business and in your life.”
Lessons Learned... From A Benedictine Monk.
I just recently sold my digital marketing agency, On Target. After owning, operating, and being the chief marketing officer for a full service agency, I’ve learned MANY lessons. My next few posts will be dedicated to the lessons I’ve learned over those 16 years, and hopefully, you’ll gain a tiny tidbit here or there that will help you along your way. Oh, by the way, I’m not retired. I’m not semi-retired. I’m looking for that next big marketing chapter/thing, so if you’re looking for an innovator, a strategist, a think on his feet kind of leader, I’d love to treat you to some exceptional coffee and have a chat.
Ok, enough with the promotions, let’s get to it.
The Interview.
I had a great job interview the other day and he asked me a great question that has kept resonating through my mind. “Since you’ve sold your agency, will/do you still have the drive?” Wow.
The answer is a resounding YES. In my humble opinion, drive is innate. It can’t necessarily be taught. If you have it, you have it. Can you lose it? Perhaps. Perhaps it gets eroded over time, maybe the drive gets stolen by a series of losses, maybe the flames get kicked down a few notches due to strife. I do, however, firmly believe that it can be recharged. Perhaps a new win, maybe a solid plan comes together, maybe you take a long kayaking trip or walk through the woods and recharge your batteries. Those flames can be re-stoked.
My Trigger.
I remember this day like it was yesterday. During my freshman year at Saint Meinrad Catholic Seminary with a bunch of super cool Jedi-esque Benedictine monks, my grades SUCKED. I mean, lukewarm doesn’t even begin to describe them. I was pulled into the Academic Deans office (NEVER a good day) and was informed that if I don’t get my S#@! together, I wasn’t necessarily going to have the great privilege of studying at that fine institution much longer. THIS sparked the flames. This ignited the drive. It took a nice swift kick in the ass to get my drive throttled.
From that day on, I kicked it in to high gear, got kickass grades, grew as a leader, loved studying, loved writing, loved research, and most importantly, loved to WIN. That kick in the ass from that loving, yet stern monk was what I needed to solidify my hard-wiring to want to win. By the time I had graduated St. Meinrad, I was on the president’s honor role, had become president of the student run non-profit, traveled around Indiana with the development team to tell my story, and received the Pour Le College award upon graduation.
That kick in the ass sparked it all. That kick in the ass allowed me to build a company from nothing. That kick in the ass allowed me to close millions upon millions of dollars of new clients. That kick in the ass gave me the opportunity to field hundreds of live TV interviews and be seen as an expert in my field. That kick in the ass allowed me to understand and know when it was time to sell On Target at the top of my game, and that kick in the ass will allow me to crush it for whoever grants me the opportunity to steer their marketing ship.
Not To Brag.
I truthfully don’t say all of this to brag. I simply want to illustrate a point here. To be a success, you need a fire from within. To crush it and win that deal, or steer that ship, or handle that TV interview, or thread the needle, you need a fire within. For me, it’s all about the win. Whatever that win is, I want it, and I hate to lose. This drive can be a real curse, but it can also be a real blessing. Whatever organization/business I land at, my drive to win for them will never be compromised. It only will get stronger.
Photo credit : Saint Meinrad Archabbey
My Two Cents.
To unlock your inner badassery, challenge yourself. Don’t take NO for an answer. Test your limits. Do the uncomfortable things. LISTEN to people. Listen to advice BUT don’t take advice from people who haven’t crushed it, don’t take advice from people who offer you random critiques and unsolicited advice. Take time to recharge your batteries, whether that’s in solitude, riding your bike, hanging with your kiddos, going on a long drive, listening to podcasts, whatever turns your crank, do it, and make ZERO apologies for doing that.
The flame is there, sometimes you just need a good, swift kick in the ass from a “monk” to fuel it.
If you’re looking for a marketing pro who loves to win, with plenty of real life experience to lead your marketing department, let’s chat. Drop me a line at tjelneck@gmail.com or give me a call at 321-363-6469.