The Checkerboard Design and Marketing Podcast

The following audio is from a blog post and video in our Marketing-to-Go series. Marketing to Go: Company Vision

Oh, hi. I'm just planning a route for a secret road trip I'm about to take. I've been looking forward to it for a while now. I've never been to this place, but thanks to GPS and smartphones, I can just put in the address and it will guide me right there.

All of this trip planning actually segues quite nicely into Company Vision. Let’s get into it!

All companies should have a plan for where they want to be in the future. A landmark on the horizon to aim towards. This is what is called a "company vision". This is typically created by the company founder or leader and communicated to the rest of the company. That's kind of like the destination for my road trip.

The first thing to keep in mind with a company vision is that it is what the company one day INTENDS TO BE, not what it CURRENTLY IS! It’s purpose after all is to be a goal for the company. Otherwise, that would be like me asking my mapping app for directions to my current location.

(Speaking to smartphone) Give me directions to work.

Also, you want your company vision statement to be short. That way people will be able to remember, understand, and recall it. If it's too long, it not as valuable. In a similar way, when I tell my GPS my destination, I use an address – which is relatively short and specific, not a long description of the place I want to go.

(Speaking to smartphone) Give me directions to that place I went to last week. You know, the place with the tall green building next to the stop sign?

Finally, reference your company vision periodically to make sure all activities are in line with that vision. At a high level, all company activities should be in line with the course that is set by the company vision. If they’re not, then a refocusing may be in order. Like, if I went off-course during my trip, my GPS would recalculate my route to ensure I arrive at my destination.

(Speaking to smartphone) Hey, isn't the world's largest chocolate waterfall around here? Let’s go there!

Hopefully this helps you understand "company vision" a bit better. Now of course, once you achieve your vision, it's time to create a new one. That helps you avoid stagnation and keeps your company moving forward.

(From off-camera) Hey Shawn, I hear you are going on a trip. Where are you going?

Thanks Siri.

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The following audio is from a blog post and video in our Marketing-to-Go series. Marketing to Go: Marketing Segmentation Strategies

Oh hey, you caught me about to eat lunch. Y’know pizza is a pretty cool thing. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also very versatile. For instance, if i’m sharing a pizza with a vegetarian, I can get meat on my section and only veggies on theirs. Or to take it further, I could split up this pizza into many smaller slices each with their own toppings so that each piece would appeal to a smaller set of people. What I’ve described here is actually very similar to a marketing concept called Market Segmentation. Let’s talk about that!

So, marketers sometimes divide their audience into similar groups called submarkets. But how many submarkets should you market to? Three? Eight? Fifty? None at all?

Let’s review the four basic Marketing Segmentation Strategies.

• Undifferentiated

First, the undifferentiated strategy.

The undifferentiated strategy means that there is no market segmentation. The entire market is treated as one group. Everyone in your market gets the same message, or with the pizza example - the same toppings. Your promotions treat your entire market as one persona.

The Concentrated strategy.

With a concentrated segmentation strategy, you isolate one, two or three primary market segments that have the most potential value. It’s like only offering three types of toppings for your pizza, appealing to three types of people.

Next, the multi-segmented strategy.

A multi-segmented strategy creates separate marketing messages for four or more different market segments. Now we’re adding more toppings to appeal to even more people.

Finally, a micro-segmented.

A micro-segmented strategy targets marketing to a very small group of people, perhaps even all the way down to the individual level. This is like offering so many different slices of pizza that have various topping changes, like anchovies and black olives or blue cheese and hamburger meat, slices that probably only a few people have an appetite for but we want to appeal to them nonetheless.

The market segmentation strategy that is right for you depends entirely on the needs of your organization and product. The best strategy for one company may not be good for another company. Choosing a segmentation strategy, however, will help give you the discipline to commit your resources to the most valuable market segments.

Now that you now about market segmentation, I’m about to segment this pizza into my mouth. Mmm … segmentation…

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The following audio is from a blog post and video in our Marketing-to-Go series. Marketing to Go: Market Segmentation Variables

Conceptualizing and building a profile of a target customer can help you more effectively market to them. Market Segmentation Variables are characteristics you can use to build that customer profile or persona. Begin by thinking of your customer as a stick person. From there, add characteristics until you build a comprehensive individual.

Here are some of elements you can use:

Demographics

Geographics

Psychographics

Geodemographics

Benefit Sought

Usage Rate

You can also use Market Segmentation Variables to create compelling examples in your marketing. For example, if you determine the average age of your typical customer and know whether your product appeals more to a male or female, you can research common names for people of that age and gender. Using those names will help you build believable characters with whom your customers in that market segment can more easily identify. Moms who were born in the late 1970s may identify with other women named Amy or Jennifer, whereas their grandmothers may relate to women named Estelle or Dorothy.

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The following audio is from a blog post and video in our Marketing-to-Go series. Marketing to Go: Product Mix

The product mix is a table that categorizes a company’s products into “product lines.” Large companies with many products may have groups of lines called silos or platforms. If a company doesn’t categorize its products and consider its product mix, confusion can result. Having a methodical system of organizing products is much more efficient and easier to work with. In addition, once a company has organized its product mix and come up with a written system of categorization for its products, this categorization can be used across the company.

A product mix table can provide a nice overview and also identify opportunities as well as problems. For example, a chain of trendy women’s clothing stores may offer a huge variety of merchandise to its customers. The people who manage the chain’s new offerings need to keep track of all the merchandise by category, to make sure that each season they offer casual clothing, professional clothing, activewear and accessories. If management assembles a product mix table for the new season and notices that there are no new activewear styles, they can put more effort into that area.

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The following is an audio version of the blog post Social media trends you need to know.

You’re a marketing pro. You’re on top of seasonal trends and upcoming challenges as well as your competition. And of course you understand your products better than anyone else. With all that swimming around in your head, I realize you may not be following the latest social media trends. Thankfully, we have a team here that does!

Here’s what you need to know to make the most of this ever-changing promotional platform.

Number One: It’s all about stories.

Facebook recently introduced Facebook Stories for its mobile users. It’s nearly identical to Instagram Stories which debuted last August. Both use the format made famous by Snapchat: personal videos or photos (and of course, filters) which disappear after 24 hours. Similar to Instagram, Facebook stories appear on the top of your news feed. Keep in mind that Facebook has a much broader audience, so many of its users may be unfamiliar with this communication style. That doesn’t mean you should ignore this trend. It’s a smart way to share a limited-time offer on your personal account (Stories aren’t available for business pages yet) without overpopulating your page with promotional posts.

Number Two: Social posts have a small window of opportunity.

The lifespan of a social post is probably shorter than you think. The majority of Facebook engagement occurs within the first few hours after your post. And a Tweet gets cold in less than 20 minutes. Chances are, you’re not posting enough. We suggest most businesses increase their number of weekly posts to reach a greater percentage of their audiences. According to LinkedIn1, you need 20 posts per month to reach 60 percent of your audience.

Number Three: Personal sharing is down.

Your Facebook page looks different than it did a few years ago. Fewer people are posting personal updates2. Instead, Facebook users are sharing links and stories they find on other websites. While this makes it harder to stay connected with your high school friends, it makes it easier to market your business. Make sure you are creating plenty of content that can be shared by your followers. Pro tip: The lifespan of these blogs, graphics or videos is much longer than a simple post – think months rather than minutes – so invest in quality content that has a viral bent.

Number Four: Mobile is driving the bus.

It’s clear that most consumers are using their mobile phones to access social media. We see it in our clients’ analytics and in every data nugget revealed, such as Facebook announcing it now has more than one billion mobile users3. Some data indicate that nearly 80 percent of all social media time is spent on mobile devices. So what does that mean for marketers? You better make sure that the action you want your followers to take is mobile-friendly. Nix any long forms and make sure your website is device-agnostic.

Meet with me and my social media team. We’ll work together to develop a no-nonsense strategy and implementation plan. We’ll take care of those tasks that cause you headaches – such as creating quality content or managing digital ad campaigns – while you can keep doing what brings you joy.

Consider us your social media helping hand. Let’s talk. Call us at 952-697-5269 or requesting a free consultation.

Sources

1Reference 1

2Reference 2

3Reference 3

The following audio is from a blog post and video in our Marketing-to-Go series. Marketing to Go: Brand Statement

Imagine this: It’s Saturday morning and your neighbor stops by with their dog. The neighbor begins to talk about the new dog food they just bought. The neighbor says: I bought this new dog food and my dog just loves it. He was always a picky eater but not anymore. XYZ company came up with flavors based on the popular meals people eat — like leftover turkey dinner and day old lasagna. Another thing I like about it is the food comes packaged in individual serving sizes based on the dog’s weight. You should try it for your dog.

This is what you would call a brand statement.

A brand statement is a short paragraph written in the words a customer would use if you overheard them describing your product to another person, and they got it exactly right.

Every marketer needs to construct a brand statement for their product. It will help you create the messages you need to accomplish your goal. Remember, the goal of marketing is to create an audience that thinks of, and describes your product exactly how you would wish.

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The following is an audio version of the blog post Four reasons to include video in your next marketing campaign.

Your digital marketing strategy needs to include video. It’s more than just a trend. It’s just may be the future of marketing. If you’re not already using video on your website and social media channels, it’s time to get started. Here’s why:

1. Video can get you in front of a massive audience

According to Pew Research Center, 78 percent of adults watch or download online video1. That figure has more than doubled over the past 10 years. And it’s projected to keep growing. You need to tell your story the way your customers want to consume it. For many products, that means a video posted on YouTube (the internet’s second largest search engine) and shared through other channels.

When a potential customer arrives at your website, the right video can grab and hold their attention. This study found that video can double the amount of time users spend on a site2. Couple this “stickiness” with well-written website content and strong design, and you may gain a boost in your search engine ranking, better informed customers and ultimately more sales.

Today’s consumers want to know who they’re buying from. A video can share your company’s story as well as the people in it. This builds consumers’ trust in your business and product. One caveat: Videos only build credibility when they look professional. That’s why we produce our videos in our professional facility with high-quality equipment.

There’s a reason why all the top publishers on Facebook are posting more videos: It works3. The average amount of shares of video posts has doubled between August 2015 and July 2016. This makes videos even more likely than still images to appear on more people’s newsfeeds.

We make it easy to include video in digital marketing. Give us a call at 952-697-5211 or requesting a free consultation. You’ll be surprised how simple it is add video to your integrated marketing campaign.

Sources

1http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/10/main-findings/

2http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/how-to/videos-attract-300-more-traffic/

3http://buzzsumo.com/blog/facebook-share-data-every-publisher-needs-know/

The following is an audio version of the blog post Keep your website current with a digital marketing assistant.

Websites are only valuable if they are current. Today’s consumers go online to find answers. If your website is filled with outdated information, doesn’t answer their questions or worse – can’t be found – it won’t solve their problem. And you won’t make the sale.

Keep your website working for you by making sure it fills your customers’ desires.

• Does it function well on mobile phones, tablets and desktops? Many businesses have found that visits from tablet and smart phone users have nearly doubled over the past year.

This may seem overwhelming. Many areas of your business need your attention. How do you find the time to stay up to date on digital best practices and monitor your website analytics? This is why a professional digital marketing assistant is so valuable.

A digital marketing assistant keeps your website current and customer-focused. If you sell jewelry at a retail store, you notice when your customers begin crowding around the chunky necklaces display and walking past the charm bracelets. You probably make adjustments, such as moving the trendy necklaces to a prominent store location.

Digital marketing assistants are just as attuned with your website and can make similar changes. They know what content results in sales and make sure it’s easy to find. They also know what’s not working, and provide advice to make it better.

An employee doing double-duty updating your website is definitely helpful, but they probably don’t have the experience of our digital marketing assistants. Our team lives and breathes websites. They know industry best practices. They stay informed of trends and search engine algorithm changes. They’re also experts at digital advertising and can use this tactic to cost-effectively bring customers to your door, whether it’s virtual or brick-and-mortar.

Put our team to work for you by calling at 952-697-5211 or requesting a free consultation. Our support is scalable to your needs. You’ll rest easy knowing that your website is being monitored by an industry professional with the skills needed to keep it current and working for you.

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The following audio is from a blog post and video in our Marketing-to-Go series. Marketing to Go: What Should I Include in My New Business Website?

Your website can make or break your business. Eighty percent of people look at a business’ website at some point in the buying process. I consider it your most important salesperson. So it’s critically important that your website has what it takes to bring people through your sales funnel, from discovery to information-gathering to action. I’ll explain what you need to include on your website. Truth be told, this piece has potential to make or break your business.

Let’s get started.

1. A smart website is easy to use.

Your customers need to easily navigate through your website, regardless of the device they are using. Make it obvious where your visitors should go to find information. And, don’t bury your most valuable and requested information! It should be one simple click away from your homepage.

Help your customers take the next step in the buying process, whether that is signing up for your newsletter or making a purchase. Provide multiple conversion opportunities. For example, include a newsletter sign-up form or a link to your online store on every page.

A website needs to be easy for you to use, too. At Checkerboard, we build our websites on WordPress engines because they are powerful, flexible and so user friendly. Plus WordPress integrates with other marketing tools, such as email and social media. This saves our customers time, effort and money.

2. A smart website contains the right content.

This is where some websites miss the mark. In addition to the basics about your product — what is where, where to buy it, etc — a smart website needs to clearly identify your product positioning.

Positioning refers to developing the difference between your product and the competition’s product in the thoughts of consumers.

Chances are, you don’t have a one-of-a-kind product. So why should customers choose your product over your competitor’s? That’s where positioning comes in. Positioning tells your consumers where your product fits into the market. Is it the highest quality? Lowest price? Closest to the beach? What makes it unique?

Some factors that you may want to consider include:

• Price

What’s important is that you clearly communicate your positioning through written content and design.

That brings us to number 3.

3. A smart website must be well-designed

Some business owners and web designers focus too much on the visuals. They give the website all kinds of bells and whistles to dazzle the viewer. Don’t fall into this trap. While design is critical, what’s more important is that your website actually drives sales.

But don’t ignore design either! Poor design detracts from your message, and can even turn away a customer. Remember, you have just seconds to catch a visitor’s attention. Make them count!

Good designers use your positioning statement to develop your design. This way, their visuals add to the user experience. This helps your customers better understand your story and take action. The best designers combine technical skills with marketing know-how to create a website that functions as well as it looks.

When you build smart — your website helps visitors take action. And isn’t that what you want from a website?

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The following audio is from a blog post and video in our Marketing-to-Go series. Marketing to Go: How Can You Get People to Buy Your New Product?

Having a great product can go a long way, but unless you’re an established company or have an unlimited marketing budget, you may find it a challenge to get your product into people’s hands. I’ve helped hundreds of companies boost their product sales through strategic marketing.

My secret: Sending the right message to the right people at the right time.

Let me tell you a story:

In the 1930s, Everett Rogers was just a young boy on his father’s Iowa farm. At the time, the surrounding farms were all adopting a new drought-resistant seed corn. His father, however, resisted this technology.

When a drought came, his father’s crops died. But his neighbor’s crops all stood tall. It was then that Roger’s father decided he should start using these new seeds.

Fast forward 30 years and Rogers is now a Sociology professor of at Ohio State University. This experience on his father’s farm inspires him to develop the innovation adoption curve. This is the theory that describes how and when the public adopts new products. It’s critical information that every marketer needs to consider when promoting their new product.

Rogers split consumers into five groups based on their tendency to try a new product. Here’s the gist:

So what does this mean for marketers? Quite simply, you can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to your marketing. You need to have a rich understanding of who you should be trying to reach, as well as which messages will resonate with them, and when and where to use them. A “new” product may be appealing to some, but it was a turn-off to Roger’s father. He’d prefer a product “trusted by thousands”, but that term would not appeal to innovators. Good marketers know how to adjust their sales content to target the right audience for their product.

Writing marketing content isn't easy. There's a lot to consider, from the Innovation Adoption Curve to the Product Lifecycle. Our Marketing-to-Go series can be a lot of help, but if you want more assistance promoting your product contact me, I'm here to help!

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