PPFA NEWS LINE
from www.pmanewsline.com
- Messages
- 89
- Company
- PPFA
Business Success: Don’t stop now!
September 23, 2014 By Jennifer Kruger
Whatever goals we promise ourselves we’ll achieve, the reality is that the outcome hinges only on our own sustained effort.
In this week’s Business Success advice article, Eisen Marketing Group president Rodger Roeser lays out the steps you need to succeed in your Marketing — or pretty much anything else, for that matter.
Success or Failure in your Marketing Activities
As we near the end of another year we see what became of our well-intentioned efforts to lose weight, get in to better shape, quit smoking, or stay more in touch with family. Is it too early to think of new resolutions for next year?
Rodger Roeser, APR
Resolutions are similar with marketing and public relations: Regardless of the economy, marketing activities are not flash-in-the-pan, quick-fix options, but rather long-term, sustained programs and campaigns that actually yield positive results.
Experts will tell you that the reason most resolutions fail is because they involve sustained commitment and effort. Also, they are often unrealistic in nature – so folks give up altogether. Similarly, good public relations and marketing activities take time and are not a quick fix to your business ills. Finding good publicity angles, creating image and article opportunities, reaching out and sharing that company story or profile — all this takes time, patience and stick-to-it-iveness.
It also takes time and effort to achieve realistic results. One push-up will not make you thin or build your chest. All too often, I see business executives simply increasing sales numbers for no apparent reason except that Excel allows them to plug in a 25 percent in widget sales. It seems solid research and market realities have given way to just plugging in numbers and storming the gates. This is bad practice, and leads to frustration and a lack of business clarity and focus among the employees. Don’t be that executive who says say you want X amount of articles in the newspaper, or any number that appears to be pulled out of thin air, and when those numbers aren’t hit, you’re disappointed. These types of business mistakes are not productive, and surely not good for morale.
A good marketing executive or agency can offer much better and more realistic guidance for these types of numbers, and advise the best ways to achieve those goals. And, like a good personal trainer, help keep you motivated and on track.
Here are four simple steps for your future successful marketing.
1. Get a Plan!
If you don’t have a marketing or marketing communications plan, get one. Do yourself and your business a favor: hire a good firm, and get a plan developed. The investment of just a few thousand dollars may be the best investment you make this entire year. The plan will have realistic goals with realistic prices (You do yourself no favors when you believe you can do a national advertising campaign for $500). A good plan will lay out strategies, tactics, timelines, goals and budgets that should be very easy to follow. The firm should be able to implement the plan, or work with you to share in the implementation duties.
If you don’t have a plan, this is the first and most important step you can take for your business.
2. Stop with the “Magic Bullet”
We all play Monday morning quarterback: surely the coach likely knows more about football than most, but it doesn’t stop people from wanting to share their “ideas.” Same holds true for marketing – rarely are folks short on “ideas.”
Recently it seems there is this great new invention that will revolutionize marketing as we know it and cause all other forms of marketing to wither and die:. Social media. For some reason, all the Monday morning marketers are jumping on the social media bandwagon and putting up any manner of information on Facebook, Twitter, and others – and waiting for the sales to roll in.
While social media and having a good social media plan is important, it is not THE answer. It certainly can be integrated into an overall marketing plan, and blogging and tweeting and friending and updating are all smart – just be realistic and be smart about it. If I ever again hear, “We’re not going to do much marketing this year, because we have a blog now” — I may have to send out the Marketing Police.
3. Keep at It
Regardless of whether your marketing program is grand or modest, continue to work it. Purchase media — billboards are at great prices, and direct mail is a simple, cost effective way to stay in touch and further solidify the brand.
While you must be smart and scrutinize every dollar invested, now is not the time to stop. I had a client that, for all intents and purposes, stopped their proactive marketing outreach months earlier — and now, they have no pipeline, no leads, and no revenue. They’re lack of consistency in their outreach has likely caused yet another business to go under.
Invest wisely, be proactive, and keep at it. Again, a good agency is your best friend here.
4. Change up the Routine
Just like working out, changing things up a bit can yield some quick and dramatic results. Now may be an excellent time to do something different – perhaps an event, a new sponsorship, a cause-marketing initiative, or a podcast. Properly positioned and integrated, new programs can attract entirely new segments of consumers or prospective business partners in a fresh way.
When is the last time you wrote a thought leadership article, or submitted an opinion piece? Take a look at where you may have some holes and fill them; see where the opportunities may exist, and capitalize on them.
Again, if you don’t know all the opportunities you may have, consult an agency. (There is also a great online radio show called “That Marketing Show” that has a top marketing genius as a guest each week, sharing one great tip and idea after another.)
By taking some simple and proactive steps, and hiring an affordable yet quality expert or agency, businesses can look forward to bright future. Now is the time to get out there, stay focused and keep aggressive. Ideas and options are a good thing. Go make some waves.
Rodger Roeser, APR, is the president and owner of Eisen Marketing Group, Northern Kentucky’s largest fully integrated public relations firm. Roeser served as the 2005 president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. He is an accomplished and award winning print and broadcast journalist, and currently hosts Business Focus, an online broadcast news magazine.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL PRESS RELEASE...
September 23, 2014 By Jennifer Kruger
Whatever goals we promise ourselves we’ll achieve, the reality is that the outcome hinges only on our own sustained effort.
In this week’s Business Success advice article, Eisen Marketing Group president Rodger Roeser lays out the steps you need to succeed in your Marketing — or pretty much anything else, for that matter.
Success or Failure in your Marketing Activities
As we near the end of another year we see what became of our well-intentioned efforts to lose weight, get in to better shape, quit smoking, or stay more in touch with family. Is it too early to think of new resolutions for next year?
Rodger Roeser, APR
Resolutions are similar with marketing and public relations: Regardless of the economy, marketing activities are not flash-in-the-pan, quick-fix options, but rather long-term, sustained programs and campaigns that actually yield positive results.
Experts will tell you that the reason most resolutions fail is because they involve sustained commitment and effort. Also, they are often unrealistic in nature – so folks give up altogether. Similarly, good public relations and marketing activities take time and are not a quick fix to your business ills. Finding good publicity angles, creating image and article opportunities, reaching out and sharing that company story or profile — all this takes time, patience and stick-to-it-iveness.
It also takes time and effort to achieve realistic results. One push-up will not make you thin or build your chest. All too often, I see business executives simply increasing sales numbers for no apparent reason except that Excel allows them to plug in a 25 percent in widget sales. It seems solid research and market realities have given way to just plugging in numbers and storming the gates. This is bad practice, and leads to frustration and a lack of business clarity and focus among the employees. Don’t be that executive who says say you want X amount of articles in the newspaper, or any number that appears to be pulled out of thin air, and when those numbers aren’t hit, you’re disappointed. These types of business mistakes are not productive, and surely not good for morale.
A good marketing executive or agency can offer much better and more realistic guidance for these types of numbers, and advise the best ways to achieve those goals. And, like a good personal trainer, help keep you motivated and on track.
Here are four simple steps for your future successful marketing.
1. Get a Plan!
If you don’t have a marketing or marketing communications plan, get one. Do yourself and your business a favor: hire a good firm, and get a plan developed. The investment of just a few thousand dollars may be the best investment you make this entire year. The plan will have realistic goals with realistic prices (You do yourself no favors when you believe you can do a national advertising campaign for $500). A good plan will lay out strategies, tactics, timelines, goals and budgets that should be very easy to follow. The firm should be able to implement the plan, or work with you to share in the implementation duties.
If you don’t have a plan, this is the first and most important step you can take for your business.
2. Stop with the “Magic Bullet”
We all play Monday morning quarterback: surely the coach likely knows more about football than most, but it doesn’t stop people from wanting to share their “ideas.” Same holds true for marketing – rarely are folks short on “ideas.”
Recently it seems there is this great new invention that will revolutionize marketing as we know it and cause all other forms of marketing to wither and die:. Social media. For some reason, all the Monday morning marketers are jumping on the social media bandwagon and putting up any manner of information on Facebook, Twitter, and others – and waiting for the sales to roll in.
While social media and having a good social media plan is important, it is not THE answer. It certainly can be integrated into an overall marketing plan, and blogging and tweeting and friending and updating are all smart – just be realistic and be smart about it. If I ever again hear, “We’re not going to do much marketing this year, because we have a blog now” — I may have to send out the Marketing Police.
3. Keep at It
Regardless of whether your marketing program is grand or modest, continue to work it. Purchase media — billboards are at great prices, and direct mail is a simple, cost effective way to stay in touch and further solidify the brand.
While you must be smart and scrutinize every dollar invested, now is not the time to stop. I had a client that, for all intents and purposes, stopped their proactive marketing outreach months earlier — and now, they have no pipeline, no leads, and no revenue. They’re lack of consistency in their outreach has likely caused yet another business to go under.
Invest wisely, be proactive, and keep at it. Again, a good agency is your best friend here.
4. Change up the Routine
Just like working out, changing things up a bit can yield some quick and dramatic results. Now may be an excellent time to do something different – perhaps an event, a new sponsorship, a cause-marketing initiative, or a podcast. Properly positioned and integrated, new programs can attract entirely new segments of consumers or prospective business partners in a fresh way.
When is the last time you wrote a thought leadership article, or submitted an opinion piece? Take a look at where you may have some holes and fill them; see where the opportunities may exist, and capitalize on them.
Again, if you don’t know all the opportunities you may have, consult an agency. (There is also a great online radio show called “That Marketing Show” that has a top marketing genius as a guest each week, sharing one great tip and idea after another.)
By taking some simple and proactive steps, and hiring an affordable yet quality expert or agency, businesses can look forward to bright future. Now is the time to get out there, stay focused and keep aggressive. Ideas and options are a good thing. Go make some waves.
Rodger Roeser, APR, is the president and owner of Eisen Marketing Group, Northern Kentucky’s largest fully integrated public relations firm. Roeser served as the 2005 president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. He is an accomplished and award winning print and broadcast journalist, and currently hosts Business Focus, an online broadcast news magazine.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL PRESS RELEASE...