Communication, Marketing, Sales

As I was checking my email this morning, I read one that was from our design team (we're re-branding & re-organizing the company – more on that later).  They were sending me the proofs to look over, along with a brief explanation from the team with their thoughts on each one.  The design process entails three rounds of iterations, and we'll generally have three options to review in each round.  Pretty straight forward….

…but what struck me is what they had to say about Option 3:

"Option 3 comes from our experience of working with Fett Marketing.  The concept is that Fett looks at the foundation of our business, and out of this foundation we see growth.  Believe it or not Chris, this is unique!  We work with a lot of marketers and 90% of them are too busy working through tactics to worry about the foundation of those tactics.  My two cents is that this unique ability of Fett is what you should be leading with."

I always think it's cool when a company's essence is repeated back to that company, especially when it is just given as straightforward feedback.  What moved me was that this IS what we're about here.  This IS a unique aspect of our company.  We're not a typical marketing firm / SEO company / graphic design company / copy writing & ad agency / social media / "local marketing"  / etc. 

…and because that is unique, it sometimes makes it hard for prospective clients to understand us (sounds like a "marketing problem", eh??  ) – which is part of the reason why we are going through the re-branding project.

At Fett Marketing, we've assembled a team of people and partnerships that brings all of the tools & resources that the business needs to drive growth in their company.  You see, there is always opportunity for growth – especially in this economy! 

But the above quote is what is embodied in the very essence of our company.  Yes, you need to be able to execute on your tactics, but without an integrated strategy and a solid foundation, you are simply wasting your money.  It's better for you to go to Vegas & put it all on "Black 32", or else put it under your mattress (I would have said to put it in a bank account, but they don't seem to be able to do a good job of that these days).  Either way, you'll have more money or more fun, and at least that's something…but (and I'm about to be uninvited from all of the marketing parties with this next statement):

Spending money on Marketing, with ZERO accountability for results is just plain stupid!

(…and as my Dad used to say, "Stupid ain't against the law!"  Yep, true enough…thanks Dad…)

Four of the businesses we met with this week have a wide revenue range, from $0/yr (startup) to $15M/yr, and have been in business from less than a year to over 30 years.  One thing they all have in common – they lack a consistent approach to marketing, and consequently they can't hold themselves or their vendors accountable for the results (that's true for the Billion dollar companies we've worked with in the past too; these are just the most recent examples).  When we asked them questions like:

- what is your cost to acquire a new customer?

- what is the lifetime value of a customer?

- what is the current ROI on your marketing spend, per channel or per campaign?

…none of them could give us an answer (…and these were the EASY questions…)

But it's not their fault!

Nobody told them how they should market their companies, or that they could hold their marketing people accountable for results.  They've had to figure it out on their own, the hard way.  If he were still alive, John Houseman would have been a great spokesperson for us, because:

"We make money the old fashioned way – we eeeaaarn it!"

All of these owners started these businesses because that's what the love to do, and they were good at it!  But in order for them to be able to do what they love, they need other people to participate with their company – through sales, by being "customer advocates" / raving fans, etc.

It's about the relationships FIRST, and the business SECOND…and that's where good marketing comes in to play.

Marketing should move a prospective customer to take action – join your list, buy your product or service, pass along an offer to a close friend or colleague, etc.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO),  Social Media, Video or <INSERT LATEST "THING" HERE>  won't bring in more sales.  These things could make you more visible on the Internet – but you still need a compelling offer, targeted at the right customer – and then you need to be comfortable with the fact that people buy in their own time and for their own reasons (that doesn't mean you can't induce them to buy sooner!).  You still need to understand your market and how to package & present your products or services, so that your customers want them.

Want to know the best way to see if you've got a Marketing company that knows what they are talking about?

Ask them about their level of accountability with what they are proposing to you, and then listen to their answer.  It's best if you can do this in person, so you can watch their body language…

…you can actually, physically see the "bad" marketing firms squirm in their chairs!  It's kinda funny…

(…and it's true, too…)