Action Required

"Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action."                                                                                            – Benjamin Disraeli

  

Maybe its time for us to take massive actions and get  our business moving in a new direction; one that doesn't rely on "hope as  a strategy." 

The time is now. Isn't it?

Eco Logic Time

My friend, Jon Perper - a proprietor of multi-bowling centers in the South Jersey area,  took me to a ":green meeting" today involving the use of green products in Restaurants. I thought it was a neat idea and began asking some of the restaurateurs how valuable these 'green" products are to building their business.

Their responses were fast and furious.

First they all agreed that green products can be leveraged by green marketing and everybody, except for the few curmudgeons out there, would prefer to do business with a "green company" simply because it makes them feel good.

Secondly, just because they use green products doesn't mean they don't have to tell people about it. Its a unique benefit that one restaurant can have over another for attracting more environmentally conscious customers; usually better educated, more income and more frequent diners and take out people

Third, employees feel better about working at a place that respects the environment and has clear and enforceable policies about energy management, sanitation, food preparation, detergents and cleaning fluids  With all of this good stuff, employees happily pass along this information to their customers who in turn feel good about themselves and invariably tell their friends about the "green restaurant" in the neighborhood"


Fourth, these restaurants also get the benefits of being the ones people will call upon for fund raising, company parties and events because these organizations want to ALSO demonstrate their  social responsibility to their membership, employees or donors.

Gee, do you think bowling centers could get into this and make it work for them.

Please let me know what you think?

Facebook Crashes Advertising Industry Party

While traditional advertising groups jostled for awards at a recent annual industry gathering in Cannes, the year's biggest star was a newcomer to the beaches: the social network Facebook.

The company has gone from nowhere a few years ago to become the biggest single seller of online display advertising in the United States with more than $2 billion in revenues this year, according to research firm eMarketer.

Online ad sales have boomed in recent years largely because they finely target consumers in a way that print media and TV cannot match. Google and Amazon initially pioneered the trend by analyzing Web surfing and internet searches to target customers' tastes.

Now Facebook has brought a new level of sophistication to the game: mining data from its social network about users' likes and dislikes as well as those of friends to better target ads.

The stakes are high: industry insiders and analysts say brands are willing to pay more for such 'social ads' than they would for traditional online ads since they see them as more effective.

Mykim Chikli from Performics, a division of Publicis, which helps big companies with online advertising placement and strategy said, "You can target people who like golf, cars, and watches and you can start to push ads to that profile of person."
 
In a demonstration of Facebook's current advertising power, Google recently launched a social network dubbed Google+ in its boldest attempt yet to crack the medium and tap the advertising dollars it brings. 

The move toward social ads shows how the Internet is transforming the whole industry.

Major companies from Nestle to Ford are increasing the proportion of their ad spend on the Internet to the detriment of traditional press ads and big ad agencies are scrambling to evolve.

Facebook's influence is also spreading beyond its own site as more web pages allow people to use their log in details from Facebook to enter instead of a separate password.

Users can then share content and post messages within those sites as they would do on their social network, which in turn allows the website to access their profile and determine the user's likes and dislikes. Twitter has a similar system.

Beyond more sophisticated targeting, Facebook also serves to amplify traditional word of mouth on everything from new movies to the latest smartphone.

"If I have a good experience with a brand I'll tell a person offline -- I might tell my friend -- but if I do it on Facebook the average person is telling 130 people," said Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. "We think that explains the very healthy growth of our advertising business."

Four Tips for Fall Leagues You can Use Right Now

For those of you getting ready to start thinking about fall leagues, here's a couple of things I hope you WILL think about.

1.Starter leagues or feeder leagues for NEW bowlers - short seasons tot hem are 4 to 8 weeks not 16 to 24 weeks.

2.Think about starting LTB programs in mid July that will end at the end of August just in time for an 8 week HAB program

3.Provide benefits to your traditional league bowlers (the 32+ weeks folks) that are greater than your short season league members and include not just discounted open play benefits, but special incentives for them to have their company parties, fund raisers, group outings at your center.

4. Go back to your Company party people and invite them in for a FREE party (bowling, shoes, chips and soft drinks) in July IF they book a paid party during the holiday season.
 
We have lots of tools to help you implement these programs; just call us and we'll show you how
516 359 4874.

New Marketing vs Old Marketing

Old marketing has been defined as the "movement of goods and services from producer to consumer that meets a customers needs or wants via the use of the 4P's (price, product, promotion and place)".

Throw that definition away. Well not all away; you still need a product; still need to price it, distribute it and promote it.

But the New marketing is a bit different. It has 7 steps.

These 7 steps require you to take action to get the customer to ultimately buy your product, return to buy it again and then positively refer your product or service to someone else.

1. Customers must get to KNOW your products via ads, articles, social media or referrals.

2. Customers must LIKE your product via your website, introduction/reception or newsletter.

3. Customers must TRUST your product, via a Free trial, Free report or a sales presentation.

4. Customers must TRY your product via a free offer, a through evaluation or by you nurturing them to take that step at "no risk."

5. Customers must BUY your product via your inside service /sales team, receiving a new customer kit or being able to give them multiple options yo pay for the product.

6  Customers must REPEAT their purchase of your product via bounce backs, cross selling, special offers, quarterly events, newsletters.

7. Customers must REFER your product to friends and family via results reports, introduction to other consumers who are endorsing your product or by creating special events for "new members" only.

Does your NEW marketing programs address these specific steps or do you have other steps that you work on?

Share it here, please  or contact us @ fredkap@verizon.net to get you into the "New marketing mode" quickly, effortlessly and efficiently.

Good luck and good hunting.

There’s Really No Such Thing As Mobile Marketing

"Funny thing is though, as small businesses rush to jump on the trend, they are approaching it in much the same way they did when the crush of social media’s hype finally won them over: by looking at the tools, technology and tactics as some sort of new marketing frontier.

In my view, there’s really no such thing as social media marketing or it’s newly minted cousin, mobile marketing; it’s all just marketing in a world that’s turned increasingly social and mobile.

The very first question you need to ask yourself as you analyze this new beast is this: How can I use any of the new tools and mediums to build deeper and more efficient relationships with the customers I already have?

If you can answer that question then using any new tool to generate new business will be a snap.

The most personal medium

As you draw up your mobile plans, you must remember that mobile devices are different. This device is in your customer’s pocket, at arms length at all times, and even on the bedside table as they sleep. This is a trust-building or eroding device like no other.

The key question

As you scan the conversation about mobile, always use your current customer as a guide. People get tripped up with things like SMS as some new form of lead-spamming evilness. And it can be that, but when you view it as a way, for example, to equip your current membership customers with the latest update of information, it might just turn into a power tool for you.

The things to consider now

I believe there are some core areas regarding mobile that need your initial attention; cover these and you can start to branch out.

1. Get your mobile website up to standard

Use tools such as WPTouch WordPress plugins. And start to explore mobile landing page builders and campaign builders such as BuildmyMobi from Network Solutions.

2. Take another good, hard look at local search directories

Get your Google Places, Bing Local and Yahoo Local pages rocking with content that makes it easy for mobile searchers (brimming with buying intent) to find the facts—store hours, brands, directions, coupons and specials.

3. Look into local paid search and display ads

Look into services such as those offered by Google Boost, AdWords Extensions and Where.com as a way to connect directly with mobile shoppers looking for something right now.

4. Look into text messaging or SMS Text messaging as a tool can create another potential contact and communication option (you don’t ever have to spam anyone so don’t discount this option just because you’ve been spammed). Use things like short codes to make it easier for people to request information or sign up for your newsletter. Think of ways to use text as a special status tool for your insider’s club or referral champions. Create a way to move merchandise to your best customers in flash sales. Check out tools such as Mobile Storm, CallFire and EZTexting.

Again, if it you can find ways to use the new breed of mobile tools to make life better and more convenient for your current customers, you’ll never go wrong."

This article was excerpted from my friend at Duct tape Marketing Guru: John Jantsch. 

One Killer Interview Question

Lately I have talked about marketing programs, promotions and to do lists so I thought I would switch to a little human relations; specifically hiring employees. Like you I have the same problem in my bowling centers - finding people who care enough to serve the customer right.

Well, I came a cross one question that makes all the difference in hiring; a question that separates those who want to be accountable for their actions and those who do not.

Here's the question: "Please tell me the last time you made a mistake and what was the mistake?"

Be prepared for three types of answers and two of them are bad.

Bad answer #1: "Uh, I went for a job interview once and I mistakenly wore two pairs of socks". OK, a mistake was admitted, but because it had absolutely nothing to do with a work product, you have to figure this joker isn't taking the question seriously and isn't owning up to anything he or she did on the job.

Bad answer #2:  "Well, I developed this program to promote our products, worked for two weeks on it. and then when it came time to distribute the emails and set up the auto responder, I thought someone else was going to do it, so it didn't go out. Really wasn't my fault, so and so just forgot to do it.  Boy I could have killed him/her I was so angry."  Well, if you worked so hard on it, why didn't YOU see to it that the product got over the goal line? At worst, why didn't you check with that person before leaving for the night. Take some responsibility, dude!!

Good answer #3:  "I was backed up on several projects and had lots going on and I missed a step in the distribution channel that caused my company to almost lose a bid for a big dollar sale. The next day I went In and told my boss and volunteered to call the client and explain the situation. Initially he was upset, but realized that Ii was too.'

Now don't you want to hire someone who takes responsibility seriously, who fesses up when he/she screws up and then offers to make it better?

Yup, that's who I want.

What's your favorite interview question?