What is Toluu?
Toluu is a free service for sharing the feeds you read and discovering new ones.		 Get Invite

KyleLacy.com


The One Place You Should Focus ALL MarketingJuly 2

Many times we (marketing professionals) talk about the concepts of an integrated marketing approach. “You should be doing email marketing, billboards, radio ads, blah blah blah blah. ” Sometimes it gets a little heavy… Sometimes it gets a little burdensome.

Business owners want to know one thing: How do you drive brand awareness or revenue. As a small business owner there is one form of marketing/communication strategy that should be the MAIN focus of all of your endeavours: word-of-mouth marketing or referral marketing. We are a small business economy built off of referrals.

When building out your marketing plan or talking with a marketing company… make very sure they are discussing the leveraging power of referrals. There is no better way to build your business.

Related articles by Zemanta
Giving More than You Get and Living the DreamJuly 1

We have a half-day planning session at Brandswag today. You know how strategic planning goes… you go through values, vision and mission statements, marketing initiatives, and the like… However this is not why I am excited to attend the planning session. I am excited to see the power of six creative minds joined together to brainstorm around the future of a company… a company that we all love.

It has been two years since Brandon Coon (my partner) and I have opened the doors at Brandswag and now we have the most talented team a person could ask for..

I consider myself blessed to be running an organization who has a mission/vision statement that isn’t lengthy and boring it is simply:

To help companies incorporate creative tools that build strong relationships with their clients.

There is one other statement that we try to live by at Brandswag:

By creating ideas that infect business, we move beyond thoughts, ideas &  theory.
It is about producing intentional campaigns and dialogue that move customers to buy.

In the words of Mike Lantz, one of my mentors and owner of LQ Strategies: I am living the dream.

Related articles by Zemanta

The Failing Marketing and PR WorldJune 30

I am becoming increasingly concerned with the lack of blog writing by public relations, marketing, and advertising firms in the city of Indianapolis and abroad. The simple fact that a communications company is not in-tune with the changing landscape of the consumer driven world is troubling… to say the least.

If there are any industries that should be on the forefront of social media and blogging it is the public relations and marketing worlds. YOU are the communications arm for major brands both large and small. YOU are driving them out of business because of your lack of knowledge pertaining to the changing world.

If you do not believe in social media as a valuable device for communication (two-way communication)… I am concerned for your company health and your clients bottom line. You may be riding the fair wave of strictly using traditional marketing and media buys… Don’t get me wrong… it is still extremely valuable to use and implement but only when integrated with new techniques.

But what happens when 6 to 12 months down the road… when you realize that you did not change in the right direction… What happens when you are surpassed by smaller, more agile firms and your market share is ripped away because of one thing..

THEY realized it was important to talk to single consumers instead of a HUGE demographic mix. They realized it was important to communicate instead of blasting messages over the airwaves.

It is important t

Your Customers are Changing. Are You?June 29

This video has be circulating for quite some time and it is absolutely brilliant. If you want to understand how the marketing and communication world is shifting watch the video below.

Are You Vomiting Ideas Through Social Media?June 29

I know. I know. This is probably not the best title to read early in the morning. For that matter, it is probably not the best post title to read any time of the day.

When writing your blog, participating in social media, or just communicating (period) it is important to remember that your readers and participants are consuming your data. There is plenty of regurgitation happening on the Internet… an idea is started on one end of the world and re-written hundreds of times. Where does the original content come from? Is there really such a thing as original content? Yes, there is and it happens from the personal realm.

Many would argue that there is no such thing as a new idea. We all write and read marketing, accounting, financing, and business content that has been hacked a part and repurposed countless times… so where does original content come from? Your personal experience.

Remember to write about what you learn on a daily basis in your business. How do YOU help your clients and customers? How did “Mary” feel about your product? How did an individual experience your thought leadership? How are you building trust?

We are all trying to produce content that people will read and share. The most original content you can create is through your personal experience. Write about what you learn, know, and experience and we will love you for it.

Related articles by Zemanta