Brands Trump Commodities.

Say what you will. Please.

That’s the lesson of Trump. He is the first politician in years to speak his mind instead of hiding behind fake patriotism and snore-inducing soundbites.

It doesn’t matter if he’s right or wrong. You know what he’s thinking. He gives you a glimpse inside the person who wants to run this country. Mark Cuban recently said that Trump’s outspokenness has been the most important development for U.S. politics in years. Mark the Shark has it right.

Trump is a brand. The other 62 Republicans running for their party’s nomination are commodities. Trump’s bold moves have turned the also-runnings into also-rans. There is an old but true marketing maxim: if you don’t position yourself, your competition will do it for you.

Trump has positioned the other Republicans as commodities. He is bold. They are bland. He makes statements. They mutter tired clichés.

A brand is a promise. Whether you like Trump’s offer or not is up to you. At least he has given, and will continue to give, you solid clues as to what makes him tick and what he believes. Like it or lump it. Donald will trumpet. You cannot please everybody.

How many times have you seen a cool ad or video and then had no idea what the message was or what they wanted you to do? Cool or not, it was a waste of money.

What does your target think of you? Have you clearly defined your positioning? Have you been positioned by your competition?

If you can positively answer these questions, good for you. You’re in the minority.

If you don’t know, you need help. Drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Have to leave you with a classic Trump quote: “If your business is not a brand, it is a commodity.” Ouch. That could leave a mark. Just ask the other Republican candidates.

Ben Franklin Biograffiti

The more you read about Ben Franklin, the more you realize that he was ahead of his time.

Ironically, even more than any of his inventions, he was a lightening rod. I’m reading Ben Franklin, An American Life by Walter Isaacson. I highly recommend it. Isaacson’s research is thorough and his comments on Franklin are thoroughly entertaining. Two of my favorite of Isaacson’s nuggets:

·      Ben Franklin is the founding father who winks at us.

·      But the most interesting thing that Franklin invented, and continually reinvented, was himself.

We always think our society is on the verge of ruin. How many times have you heard, “The founding fathers would be rolling in their graves.”

Well, Franklin was ahead of the good and the bad. While he invented bifocals, he was our first Dear Abby. He was the only man to have a hand in shaping the critical documents of our nation including the Declaration of Independence, and he created fictional characters to write in gossipy, salacious letters to his newspaper, which he then answered and published.

Biographies are entertaining to me. I think of them as biograffiti. We throw all these findings about the subject’s life on the wall and examine and judge every little fact and innuendo. I wonder if we’d all be proud of ourselves under the microscope. Would we like our own likeness?

Franklin’s critics contend that he cultivated his own likeness for prosperity and posterity. Today, our public servants and celebrities hire handlers to do this. Franklin wouldn’t be horrified by our present-day world. He would thrive on it.

Thrive on.

If you would like to discuss your personal or company’s brand story or perception, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

General Patton – Director of Marketing

“A good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed at some

indefinite point in the future.”  General George Patton

In addition to being a decent military man, General George S. Patton would have been a fantastic Director of Marketing. For all of his faults, Patton was inarguably a man of action.

Patton was prepared. He would not have considered going into a battle, much less a war, without objectives, strategies and tactics. In other words, he always had a plan.

He believed fervently that his troops had to be disciplined and well-trained. He would not send them out into the field without knowing precisely what their role was.

He was intelligent and extremely well read, but Patton did not over-research a plan. With the General, there was never analysis paralysis. He knew that to reach an objective, he and his troops had to go on the offensive. He had to provide the strategy, and then the tactics would be implemented for victory.

The biggest hesitation I hear from clients is that they don’t want to invest in a plan because things could change and the plan would be obsolete.

News flash – things always change. There is not one day in your life that goes exactly according to plan.  Patton knew that every battle changed once the shells started flying.

A plan is a road map. If there’s construction, you figure out a detour. That does not mean the map has no value.

In fact, change is the reason the plan is so valuable. Without it, you would be lost.

Patton refused to lose. He always had a plan.

If you would like to discuss strategic marketing planning, please drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

What is Your Brand’s Body Language?

In one of the most-watched (almost 26 million views) TED talks of all-time, Social Psychologist Amy Cuddy said, “We’re fascinated with body language. We’re particularly interested by other people’s body language.”

People make judgments instantly about other people every day.

They do the same thing with brands. Yes, they’re judging you when you don’t even know it.

How do people see your brand’s body language? (Brandy language does not sound quite right.)

Does your logo look at them honestly? Is it simple to understand with nothing to hide? Or, is it cluttered? Badly designed? Hunched over?

Is your brand essence statement clear?

The most interesting thing I took from Amy’s TED talk is that our bodies can change our minds. It’s an internal power struggle.

That’s the key to any marketing – your internal marketing. Is it true? Is it confident? Does your team believe it?

For your body language, you can “open up” for two minutes and it will make a difference in your life. Your brand essence can “open up” your brand.

Give your brand a power pose.

If you’d like to discuss how to open up your brand and your results, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Sales and The Imitation Game

Whenever I hear someone say they could never be in sales, I laugh. If you could never be in sales, you could never do anything.

This weekend, I saw the movie The Imitation Game. It was a WWII thriller based on the life of Alan Turing, who led the charge to break and decode the German secret code dubbed “Enigma” in WWII.

Turing was a mathematical genius who had trouble relating to people. His gift for offending people was as formidable as his gift for math. Although he was the last person you could ever imagine making a sale, he made two sales when he had to – he sold his idea to Winston Churchill and he sold his team on his process.

When he realized that the team, its goals and its leadership were off and needed fixing, Turing was originally rejected. His superior said to get the process going in his direction he’d have to go all the way to Winston Churchill to give his blessing.

What did Turing do? He wrote Churchill what must have been a very persuasive letter and was given authority to run the project his way. He immediately fired two people and offended the rest of the team, but he succeeded in getting the team to move in a new direction. Talk about an effective sales letter.

Later, when the process he was directing was taking longer than expected to produce results and crack the German code, Turing was saved from being fired when his team, who initially hated him, defended him and saved him and his ideas from their demise.

The team agreed to pool their talents and efforts and eventually succeeded. This is an outstanding example of internal marketing. If your team believes in you and the idea, you can move mountains. If not, your results will be rubble.

Sell on, players; especially if you don’t think you have to. Nobody will settle for a pale imitation.

If you want to discuss achieving sales goals and internal marketing, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Shoot the Messenger: You Can’t Market What You Don’t Know.

How can you communicate what you don’t know? No matter how clever or creative you are, no matter how well it’s designed, if you don’t know the message, you cannot possibly deliver it.

You have to do the work. You must put in the time and research. You have to know what your brand is talking about. It sounds like a lot of effort… like you have to do the dirty work.

Here’s the beauty of it…

It’s a blast. There is nothing as much fun as learning about something and uncovering that one nugget, that one insight that makes your brand different. It’s always there and it’s usually hiding in plain sight, right under the brand’s nose.

If someone tells you to create a message without providing any background, don’t walk… run for the hills, get outta town, insert your favorite catchphrase here.

Be the brand investigator. Then, and only then, can you be the sales instigator.

If you would like to discuss uncovering brand insights, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Where have all the characters gone?

This morning, I was working with a longtime associate who is an expert videographer, editor and producer. He mentioned that he recently worked with another editor whom I haven’t seen in twenty (ouch) years.

This long-lost (to me) editor was one of the true, funny characters I have ever met. He was creative and crazy. You never got one without the other. With every project, you knew you’d end up with a great video and end up on the floor laughing at least once in the process.

Unfortunately for me, he moved to greener pastures (swamps) in Florida. He was such a character. Where have they all gone?

The truth is, he still is a true character. I just haven’t seen him lately.

It’s true – I am older. I’m sure I’m guilty of reminiscing through a rose-colored lens. The truth is that the true characters are hiding and creating in plain sight. Don’t miss out on the true characters of today because you’re stuck looking in reverse. The rear view mirror won’t help you break new ground.

Keep moving forward. Work with characters that aren’t afraid to be themselves. They will bring your projects to life… in spite of all the danger. Your brands will not survive. They will thrive.

And you'll laugh more.

If you’d like to discuss true branding and creative character, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

My Mom Teaches Account Service

My mom is a born Account Executive. In the marketing industry, AE stands for Account Executive. Contrary to popular belief, Account Service is not an easy job. In the good old days, people thought of the job as having drinks, three martini lunches and playing golf. That stereotype has been out-of-date for at least then years.

My mom is a good AE. She nurtures, grows and doesn’t let you stagnate. She challenges you to grow, to exceed the easy, safe expectations that you set for yourself. Mom wouldn’t let me slack or settle or plateau. She always expected more and had a way of letting you know without being negative. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few times when I was too cocky and got pinned two out of three falls on the bathroom floor.

My account is not an easy one to service. It is an ongoing process – not a one-time project.

This is true about all good AEs. Don’t underestimate their value. Hug them. Mom would.

If you want to talk about A-1 AEs, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Branding is fluff like survival is fluff.

That’s no bluff. That rhymes with fluff but it’s true.

When everything goes wrong, how do you survive?

When a low cost competitor comes into the market, will you make it without cutting your justifiable prices?

When a recall hits you, how do you take the blow?

When someone attacks you on social media, how do you take it?

The answer to all of the above is by creating and cultivating a strong brand. Your brand is your promise. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room. Branding makes you strong.

It’s not easy.

It’s not cheap. 

It might be one fatal blow or it could be chipping away and a long, slow death.

Either way, not having a strong brand will cost you everything.

Branding is survival of the fittest... and the smartest.

If you want to build your strong brand, drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

“I can’t lift my arms” and other marketing jargon.

“I can’t lift my arms,” I texted Scott, my trainer.

“What a great feeling. Embrace it,” he shot back.

“I agree. And I would embrace it… if I could move my arms.”

Embrace it? I could barely text it. I just finished (barely) one of his grueling workouts. I was fried and I couldn’t feel better.

Scott’s a devil about developing a plan that includes cross-training and challenging you, changing it up and resting. Working on different parts of your body so that the different parts get stronger and support each other. He mixes in cardio so that you have endurance to make it through and keep getting in better shape.

Sometimes, it’s so tough that you wonder why you put yourself through it all… (I really hate burpees) until it all pays off with the results you wanted all along. The results even surprise and delight you as a client.

It sounds suspiciously like an integrated marketing plan to me. The goals sound great, even audacious. Next comes laying out the integrated plan. The plan takes expertise, creativity, and, well, planning.

Execution is next. Do it. Stick to it. No quitting.

Finally, it’s time to measure the results… for the moment. Really, there is no finish line. To stay in (marketing) shape, you have to keep pushing yourself to new and better things for your brand.

Just don’t tell Scott he’s a brand strategist. He has a big enough head already.

My dog is the greatest salesperson in the history of the world.

--> Perseverance doesn’t do him justice. Look up synonyms for the word relentless. You’ll see his picture, tail wagging in a blur. How many times have you heard that Steve Jobs said the difference between success and failure is simply perseverance?

My dog never, ever, ever quits.

If he thinks you have food, he is on you. If he hears anyone open a popcorn bag or the crackle of a belvita cracker wrapper, he pounces without hesitation. He doesn’t wait for permission or wonder if it’s okay to ask for the order.  James Altucher would love that he always chooses himself.

As Dan Waldo would say, he doesn’t stutter-step.

He doesn’t wonder if the timing is right. He goes. He is hungry. And he is on it. Hunger is often referred to in sales. My dog has it. Anthony Iannarino would love it.

Here’s the best part, the key to his unique selling proposition – he always adds value. He never fails to wag his tail. Even though I know he wants my food and not my affection, he makes me feel so good that I don’t care. That tail wag is enough to make me feel good.

We all do business with someone we like over someone we don’t like. This is even more powerful when the like becomes love.

His enthusiasm is contagious. He is genuinely glad to see me every time I walk through the door.

No wonder he always makes the sale.

Do you make anyone feel that way? If you’d like to discuss, please drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Brand Loyalty Cuts Both Ways

In many a conversation with CEOs and company presidents, a recurring goal is it to achieve brand loyalty. Everybody wants brand advocates who will stick by them no matter what. Brand advocates will do more than support a brand in which they believe… they will get active, from organizing events to defending their beloved brands when under attack on a social media channel.

Do you want brand activists?

You have to be loyal to your base. As you grow and navigate and basically write the brand story as you enter new chapters, you have to stay loyal to your core supporters.

They loved you when nobody else did. They were out front in their love for you and always had your back.

You owe. You need to be the same brand that they loved from the beginning. You need to stay true to your core values and protect those who loved you. You need to scale your brand and constantly remind yourself of what got you to the promised land.

Your brand fans. Hold them dearly and never let them go. Never miss a chance to show them the love and respect they have earned.

You, the brand, need to be brand loyal. If you remember this one thing, your brand family will always love.

Brand loyalty cuts both ways.

If you want to talk brand loyalty, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Don’t say the same thing. Say your thing.

 What’s your thing? What’s the one thing that you do that makes you authentically great? If you don’t know, find it. If you have more than one great thing, rank them in the order of importance to your potential customers… not to you.

Don’t worry about trends or what your competitors are saying or how they’re saying it. Don’t worry about keeping up with the social channels. 

Remember how you acted in high school? Did you act like your authentic self? Why do you think so many people hate reunions. High school is the high-water mark for cringing.

Grow up. Don't go for acceptance. Go for authentic.

Don’t worry. Focus. Do.

Act. Don’t react. Redouble your efforts with singular focus.

What’s your thing?

Does your thing help people? Focus on them.

Listen. Do your thing. Say your thing.

If you do a great thing but you don’t know how to say it, don’t turn it over to your assistant. Hire a pro. It is too important. If you can help someone ease their pain but they don’t know it, you cannot help them and neither you nor your potential customer can thrive.

Do your thing… and do it great. If you need help finding the right customer with your own true voice, hire a true pro. Drop me a line at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Marketing is about the buzz… not the buzzwords.

The first rule of Marketing… it doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter if you know the latest buzzwords.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the latest buzzwords.

It doesn’t matter if you know the latest technology.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the latest technology.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the social media channels.

It doesn’t matter if you know the social media channels.

In marketing a lot of what you don’t know you can figure out.

What you do know can hurt you. You may know buzzwords and bore people to death. You may know technology, but if you don’t know your message, you’ll be found out a lot quicker. You may know social channels but if you don’t respect the platform, you’ll just turn people off faster.

Know your mission. Know your market. Listen to what they need. People are trying to tell you. If you can deliver help, you won’t have to know how to tell people.

If you create value, you will create a buzz. That’s marketing.

If you would like to talk about catching a buzz and sharing it with your target, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

You call it marketing. I call it outreach.

“You call it marketing. I call it outreach” said Pastor Robert Pyles.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to produce a video interview of Pastor Robert Pyles of Abundant Faith Church of Integrity in Milwaukee. When Robert says something, it is wise to listen.

In addition to being the Senior Pastor at his church, Robert owns 15 McDonald’s and a realty company in Milwaukee, employing over 700 people. He is a veteran of the US Air Force and of the world-famous McDonald’s Hamburger University.

He is the opposite of so many people often called vampires because they suck the energy and life right out of you. Instead, Robert can infuse you with energy just by being around him and listening to his approach to life.

Between takes of the video shooting, Robert asked me what I did for a living.  I told him marketing. He said, “You call it marketing. I call it outreach.” While I thought about that, he continued, “It’s all about reaching people. We have to figure out how to get to them… to get them to listen so that they will act.”

“I’m not in the restaurant business or the realty business. I’m in the people business.”

Robert is absolutely right. Reach out. Communicate with compelling contact.  That’s the only way to make a difference, whether it’s in sales or in people’s lives.

If you would like to discuss your marketing outreach, send me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Native ads are hooey unless you use your native tongue.

Native ads are the rage. Imagine that.

According to Krystal Overmyer (don’t know her but she is a very smart writer) in a recent post for the ContentStandard:

“Native content is often considered a subset of content marketing, and it generally refers to how brands work with online publications to create paid content that follows the form and function of that platform.”

In other words, respect the platform. Use language that shows you respect the audience. The good stuff keeps coming back into usage. David Ogilvy, in the Advertising Hall of Fame, said something similar over 50 years ago. In a meeting, he once famously told a colleague not to talk dawn to the consumer. He said,

“The consumer isn't a moron. She is your wife.”

Native content creators haven’t uncovered a revolutionary new perspective on how to communicate with consumers. In fact, they have more in common with Ogilvy than they realize. David was a firm believer in long form advertising. He was a blogging forerunner and he didn’t even realize it.

He just knew that telling a compelling story with compelling characters (like the Man in the Hathaway shirt with the eye patch) were more appealing and drew people into the brand. They related to it. That is engagement.

In your marketing, find your brand’s authentic voice. Listen to your advocates. Speak with your native tongue in native content and everywhere else.

Your brand will thrive. If you would like to talk (in your native tongue) further, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

“All the world’s a platform.”

 Okay, Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage.” Forgive the Bard, but the times they-are-a-changin’.

Today’s world is full of platforms. There are platforms for almost anything you can imagine. Today, more than ever, you have the ability to find the right platform for your message.

In this historic opportunity also lies the danger – communicating the wrong message for the platform. You have to choose wisely. You have to know the difference between Facebook and Craig’s List. What tweets well might not twork twell on tumblr.

Most of the time, when people say they don’t understand the value of social media, they don’t realize that “media” means many different things. Media is a plural… as in many channels. You don’t really watch TV. You watch different programs on different channels on TV. Or Hulu. Or Netflix.

Which social medium is best for your marketing? No one can tell you that until they learn about your business, what your message is and what your goals are. Only then can you determine the right mix of the right platform is for you.

Don't give your integrated marketing a medium effort. Do it right.

If you would like to find the right platform to market your message, let me know at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks

What do Marketing Teams do?

“Thanks, but we have an internal marketing team.”

“What do they do?’

“They handle all of our marketing needs.”

“How?”

“If we need a sign or a flyer or something, they do it.”

“Based on what?”

“Whatever we need.”

“That day?”

“Yes. Or whenever we need something.”

“Those are tactics. What’s your current marketing strategy?”

“I don’t know, but they’re up on the latest social media stuff.”

“Those are more tactics. Who does the strategy?”

“They do what we need, when we need it.”

If this sounds familiar, be alarmed. No successful army goes into battle without a goal, a strategy and then the tactics.

Can you imagine if a leader told the troops to go and win a battle… without a plan of how to do it?

Just win, baby.

That’s more like, “Just cross your fingers, baby.”

If’ you would like to drop me a note about marketing strategy,  send me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

If you want people to move, you first have to move people.

Everyone wants customer interaction. Benefits and features won’t cut. You won’t get traction – just inaction.

People buy with their hearts and justify with their minds. It’s so simple that it’s easy to forget this First and Foremost Commandment.

Today, I got a firsthand reminder of how true this is. Recently, I wrote a column in a local newspaper (yes print, the Living Dead) in appreciation of a woman who has served our little burg so well for so long.

I did not list her accomplishments and work statistics (aka: benefits and features). Instead, I told her story and how she helped people. Today, I received this email with her response:

Jack –

Just wanted to take a quick minute to say “thank you” – thank you for that incredible article you put in the News Graphic a while ago.    I have been so moved by the huge response, especially in the past few weeks, by residents congratulating me on my retirement and sharing with me their thoughts.    Every day, I am getting phone calls, emails and visits in City Hall – so many say “I read that article and am here to thank you”.   Some residents I have never met in person – just over the phone or through emails – they are coming in person to say good bye to me.   A few have brought me to tears when they shared their thoughts.

Working for the government can be a thankless job –so often people say “well what do I pay taxes for” – and they need someone to complain to … and so often that was me.   To  have the kind of response I have had upon retirement makes these past 30 years so worth it.

For some reason the words “thank you” don’t fully describe what you have done for me … but know I am sending you big hugs for your kind words in that article!

Wishing you a happy life, filled with love and good health!
Judy

Move people. They will move mountains for you. 

Oscar’s biggest winner… Advertising… dum, da-dum, da-da-dum-dum-dum.

On a night when many declared that Birdman the big winner of the Academy Awards, I disagree. The biggest winner of the night – advertising. It still works.

Right after the first major award was won by J.K. Simmons (Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash), host Neil Patrick Harris had his best moment of the show (granted, there weren’t many from which to choose) when he said,

“He won an Oscar… dum, da-dum, da-da-dum-dum-dum.”

Yes, he hummed the Farmers Insurance jingle. He hummed an advertising jingle to the allegedly coolest, most affected audience that can be assembled. And the audience got it. And people recognized it. And Farmers Insurance got one of the best product placements on one of the year’s most watched television events.

This doesn’t just happen. For every company who will say to their marketing team today, “I want our jingle mentioned in the Oscars,” I have some news for you. Farmers didn’t just get lucky. They worked with their agency, RGA, to create an interesting campaign that is quirky, well-written and memorable. They hired an excellent actor to be their spokesperson.

They also did something else pretty revolutionary – they stuck with it. They didn’t panic and change directions every year. When it comes to marketing, this is harder than you would think. People change jobs. Companies buy other companies.

Everyone wants to make their mark. One of the most obvious ways to do this is to change the marketing and switch up the advertising. Change agencies. Let’s get our people in there. Forget about whether the current work is actually working. Let’s get some excitement and new energy in there.

In pulling the plug, all of the equity, all of the investment, all of the money and all of the real marketing value, goes down the drain. It can take years to recover. Some brands never do.

Not Farmers. They planted the seeds (with a great idea), nurtured them water and sunshine (a realistic marketing budget) and protected their investment. They reaped what they sowed. Their harvest was a clever product placement that far out-valued all of the big budget sponsors of the show.

To all of the nay-sayers who say advertising does not work anymore, I say, “Nay.”

Just ask the coolest crowd in the world.

Advertising works…. dum, da-dum, da-da-dum-dum-dum.

If you would like to discuss how to make good advertising and marketing work for you, drop me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com. 

Thanks.

Marketing - more honest than the movies.

The Oscar for best branding in a starring role goes to…

When you hear those words this Sunday night, or something like them for the less glamorous film industry, that is when the real competition kicks in – the acceptance speeches.

The best actors are the best fakers. The Oscar is the ultimate award for frauds.

Will we accept them? Do they pass the sniff test? Mostly, they don’t. The winners are actors. They win because they are able to make other people’s words seem authentic as their own. When they have to come up with their own words, they don’t seem real. Many times when they do sound real, the real person is someone we just don’t like.

I heard a great quote this morning from a movie critic on CBS’ outstanding program, Sunday Morning. When referring to the Oscar acceptance speeches, the critic said something like this, “The acceptance speeches are when the real best acting will be. The winners are those who can sound humble.”

Actors follow a script. If it doesn’t seem real, if they haven’t faked it well enough, they get skewered by critics and fans alike. In an ironic twist, their faking must be believable to succeed.

Marketing is more honest than movies.

Erin McPherson, Chief Content Officer of Maker Studios, recently told the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Annual Leadership Conference that, “The new authority is authenticity.”

My only suggested edit to her statement is to delete the word “new.” Authority is and always has been authenticity when it comes to brands. People are smart. They can see and feel when a brand is not authentic. They always have been fans of the real thing.

Nothing kills an inauthentic brand faster than great advertising. Trial is induced. Judgments are made. Great marketing kills the greatest frauds… fast.

The Internet world gets too much credit for making brands come clean. People trust online reviews of their peers more than advertising. This is great, except when the online reviews themselves are less than authentic.

Should authentic brands win an Oscar Mayer? The Mark-Ademy Award? The best award is cultivating brand advocates who will help you drive authentic success.

That’s the honest truth.

If you want to have an honest conversation about marketing and branding, send me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Your Social Problem –the wrong place will never be the right time.

 To succeed, you have to be n The Right Place at the Right Time.

How many times have you heard that in your life? You just have to be at the right place at the right time.

Is it luck?

No way, baby. It’s strategy. And hustle. And relentlessness. And even common sense.

The other day, I met with a client who is smart, capable, and usually implacable. I During the meeting he said, “My insurance agent invited me to like their agency on Facebook! Can you believe it? That’s why I hate Facebook. Who would like insurance on Facebook?”

He was pretty animated. He’s usually so even-keeled. But this insurance/facebook issue really had him riled up.

He said, “Tell me that you have some good news for me on my rates. Don’t tell me to like an insurance agency on facebook for crying out loud.”

At this point, I probably should have just nodded in agreement. I couldn’t do it, though. I said, “That’s the problem with social media.”

“Yes, it makes no sense. Insurance! On facebook!”

It’s not the channel. It’s not social media. It’s how badly people use it. Misuse it. Abuse it.

Would you tell a eulogy at a comedy club? That’s what the insurance agency tried to do on facebook. Tell a joke a tthe comedy club. Talk insurance on LinkedIn.

Do your audience a favor. Don’t insult them by not respecting the platform. You have to know where you are. And, you really have to know where they are. They chose to be on facebook. Not at the dentist. Knowing where you’re standing is as important as what you stand for.

This is magnified by the freedom that social media channels have given everyone.  You have to get this right.

You just might have the right message. You’ll never know if you don’t tell it right in the same place. Give yourself a chance. Every time.

Is Marketing Intangible?

 Can you feel marketing? Touch it? Hold it? Better yet – has it hugged you?

People like to have a hard product to buy, sell or distribute. Solid is good. Solid is comforting. Solid can be, well, boring. Solid is reliable.

Branding is part of marketing. A brand is a promise, the promise you make to your customers, to your fans, to your advocates.

If you think marketing is intangible, ask yourself these questions:

·      Does a competitor with a coupon easily replace you?

·      Does your customer think nothing of switching to a suitable alternative?

·      Is there a suitable alternative?

·      Do you have to discount to make a sale?

·      Are your customers really your advocates?

·      Do they back you up on social media?

·      Does your own team believe in you?

·      Are you irreplaceable?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, marketing is tangible to you. You just don’t realize it yet. The ground you gained is not as solid as you thought.

Marketing and brand building don’t happen overnight.

Inconsistent sales results can make anyone’s stomach growl. That uneasy feeling is the tangible result of lack of marketing…. starting with lack of a strategic marketing plan.

Get in touch with your customers. You will be able to feel it.

If you have any questions, get in touch with me at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks.

Why it should be Marketing and Sales, Not Sales and Marketing

Have you ever met a Vice President of Marketing & Sales? In the history of my professional life, I have met many Sales & Marketing officers, but not one Marketing & Sales officer. Some people have been either Sales Directors or Marketing Directors.

Whenever they’re matched together under one roof, Sales comes first. Why is that? It doesn’t make sense, even if you take the safe way out and use the alphabet as your guide.

Yet I have never encountered a company that put marketing before sales. Marketing should make the introduction and strike up a conversation. In a recent meeting with a prospective client, he said it perfectly. We need marketing to “soften the beaches for sales.”

I’ve also met marketing people who think their job isn’t sales. The most important sale that a marketer can ever make is the internal marketing. If your team is not aware and on-board with your marketing and how it will help increase sales, you will not win.

Everything counts. Every potential touchpoint for the brand has to be consistent in tone, message and delivery to achieve goals. Your customers are searching for authenticity. If everyone on your team is not on board with your marketing, your customers will sense it.

Just like with people, when brands are inconsistent, they are suspect. Do you trust candidates that flip-flop?

Get your marketing straight and your sales will follow.

Marketing and sales or sales and marketing? Please let me know at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks

“I hate advertising… but marketing is cool.”

This is a quote I heard in a recent strategic marketing planning session that stopped me in my tracks. Here’s why: People do advertising. They hate being sold. They want to be part of the conversation (More on this in future post.)

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Of course. Why not? Who in their right mind wants to take part in a one-way conversation? A conversation, by definition, is interactive communication. It always has been.

Recent technology has made it seem like the word interactive was invented with the Internet. Has anybody seen Al Gore?

A one-way conversation is not really a conversation at all. I would argue that one-way advertising that does not invite participation is not effective communication at all, either.

The other issue is that people confuse marketing and advertising. They believe that they are one and the same. Advertising is just one principle of marketing. The book definition of marketing is the commercial processes involved in promoting and selling and distributing a product or service.

My definition of marketing is removing obstacles to a sale. I didn’t make that one up. Some smart person simplified that for me. The trick is to not oversimplify.

Removing obstacles does not mean not listening to your customer. It does not mean ignoring questions. It does not mean not communicating and having one-way conversations.

It’s just the opposite. You remove obstacles by answering questions and building trust and understanding. By delivering true value. If people feel good about what you offer and how you treat them, that is marketing and removing obstacles redefined.

Hating advertising is painting all of us marketers is into a corner using a broad brush. I get it. I hate a lot of advertising, too.

Yet, even today, some great advertising is being created. It makes you feel like you are understood. It builds trust. Sometimes, it even gives hope.

Maybe advertising is not the answer for your company, your product, your service or your brand. Marketing is part of your solution.

If you would like to have a conversation about marketing and/or advertising, please send me a note at jhenke@henkeinc.com.

Thanks