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.