Here at R.O.Why! Marketing, we've had quite the new business development push going, and it's really starting to pay off. We are very fortunate to have been recently chosen as the Cincinnati marketing firm by two area companies: DocuStar and also by Star Base Consulting. We will be delivering a variety of solutions including marketing strategy, email marketing, direct mail, interactive marketing, and a corporate blogging platform.
The other story behind our new business push is the flurry of requests we're receiving for quotes. It seems that many firms are talking with Ohio marketing agencies and shopping price. We are being asked for quotes on search engine optimization, quotes on ROI marketing measurement, quotes for email marketing programs, etc.
While we certainly appreciate the interest, we will not reduce what we do to a commodity. At R.O.Why! Marketing we sell marketing solutions that grow businesses. Period. Have a problem like too few leads? Not enough sales? Customers not fully engaged? We can help you solve that, but it starts with a relationship. We need to build one together in order to properly address your challenge.
How much to send emails to my database?
In one example, a company asked us for a quote for an email marketing program. Well, anyone can provide email software. Anyone can deliver a tool at a price, but it's what you get for that price, the expertise in email marketing, the best practices, knowing what to avoid, the support, the on call status, etc. that makes all the difference in the world. I just can't communicate all of that without meeting the company. or without writing a ridiculously long proposal that no one would read. You need to hear it in my voice, read it in my face, shake my hand and know that you're talking to the company that CAN make it happen.
We sell the solution to the problem, the expertise. The tool is just the tool, and if it's just quoted like that, it will be compared to other tools without an appropriate appreciation for the differences in features/functionality, and the company and people behind it.
Everything can be obtained cheaper. Are you sure that's what you want?
Posted Wednesday, April 23, 2008 by
brian lecount
I had a meeting with a business owner and the VP of sales recently to discuss the findings of their new customer & prospect research project, which would culminate in a new marketing strategy and marketing communications plan. They had recently hired a Cincinnati advertising agency, but were less than pleased with the output.
I had met this company before. I understood the business. They fit nicely into a box called IT staffing and services. Yet pouring through the volumes of feedback, a very different company was coming to life in the comments from its customers and prospects. What became clear was that this company was, and would become, much more.
Having long ago set the goal of distancing itself from the commodity business of staff augmentation and consulting services, this company was already delivering the 'trusted expert', solution oriented experience. The problem is that too few people knew it. Customers' understanding of the business was limited to the services they purchased. Most had no idea the depth and breadth of talent and experience that lived here.
It was time to start telling the story.
As we pieced together the major elements of the marketing strategy, this new direction fit the company better than the path they are currently on. We needed to capitalize on the intellectual capital resident in the people. We need to get them talking, blogging, and connecting with customers and prospects. We must capture customer successes and tell powerful stories of how this firm has changed the business landscape for its customers. We must define and claim a thought leadership position in the market, sharing educational content and valuable resources at every opportunity. The enthusiasm for this newfound clarity permeated the room.
Then it was time to talk about the identity.
Considering the time and expense of historical brand development efforts, the owner of the firm preferred to 'stick with the logo we have.' Sure, as a business owner I can understand the complications of such a change. Materials, market communications, and the associated efforts can be expensive. Meanwhile there's a closet full of trinkets with the current logo. He felt like he'd be taking a few steps back before really getting started. I understand.
The problem is that the packaging no longer fits the product. The product is amazing. It changes businesses. It delivers increased productivity and revenue, decreases costs across the enterprise, and lays out a deliberate path for using IT as a strategic advantage. Yet it's sold in a paper bag.
The market can't see it. They can't sample it's uniquness. They can't form a connection with a brand that doesn't clearly fit the products, services, and people it represents. It gets pre-judged before anyone has a chance to realize its value. It doesn't form a connection, tell a powerful story, and inspire the market to act. And so, neither will the company. Judging a book by its cover may not be fair, but you do it everyday, and so do your customers.
Does your brand fit?
I had met this company before. I understood the business. They fit nicely into a box called IT staffing and services. Yet pouring through the volumes of feedback, a very different company was coming to life in the comments from its customers and prospects. What became clear was that this company was, and would become, much more.
Having long ago set the goal of distancing itself from the commodity business of staff augmentation and consulting services, this company was already delivering the 'trusted expert', solution oriented experience. The problem is that too few people knew it. Customers' understanding of the business was limited to the services they purchased. Most had no idea the depth and breadth of talent and experience that lived here.
It was time to start telling the story.
As we pieced together the major elements of the marketing strategy, this new direction fit the company better than the path they are currently on. We needed to capitalize on the intellectual capital resident in the people. We need to get them talking, blogging, and connecting with customers and prospects. We must capture customer successes and tell powerful stories of how this firm has changed the business landscape for its customers. We must define and claim a thought leadership position in the market, sharing educational content and valuable resources at every opportunity. The enthusiasm for this newfound clarity permeated the room.
Then it was time to talk about the identity.
Considering the time and expense of historical brand development efforts, the owner of the firm preferred to 'stick with the logo we have.' Sure, as a business owner I can understand the complications of such a change. Materials, market communications, and the associated efforts can be expensive. Meanwhile there's a closet full of trinkets with the current logo. He felt like he'd be taking a few steps back before really getting started. I understand.
The problem is that the packaging no longer fits the product. The product is amazing. It changes businesses. It delivers increased productivity and revenue, decreases costs across the enterprise, and lays out a deliberate path for using IT as a strategic advantage. Yet it's sold in a paper bag.
The market can't see it. They can't sample it's uniquness. They can't form a connection with a brand that doesn't clearly fit the products, services, and people it represents. It gets pre-judged before anyone has a chance to realize its value. It doesn't form a connection, tell a powerful story, and inspire the market to act. And so, neither will the company. Judging a book by its cover may not be fair, but you do it everyday, and so do your customers.
Does your brand fit?
Posted Thursday, April 10, 2008 by
brian lecount
Breaking down big revenue goals into actionable steps & aligning with sales
I keep running into sales & marketing alignment 'opportunities' and felt compelled to expand on my thoughts from a few posts ago...
If you're like most marketers, you struggle with how to champion your company's brand, set forth marketing programs that drive revenue and profit objectives, and to align your activities with the efforts of the sales team. Add the responsibility of conducting ROI marketing and that's a big job!
Often times we see marketing communications strategies that 'swing for the fences'. After all, that's what heavy hitters do, right? But in baseball, the most successful players aren't always the home run kings; often they are those that get on base the most. They hit singles and doubles consistently.
Marketing should do the same.
Now I'm not saying that we should take our eye off our financial targets, or broader brand development objectives, but by breaking down the big goals into smaller, easier-to-achieve milestones, I believe we stand a better chance of scoring big.
When it comes to email marketing, event marketing, interactive marketing, or other such lead-generation programs, focus your marketing communications on the sales cycle. Focus your marketing strategies on the sales cycle What steps does your sales team follow today? I contend that every business has to do 4 things very well:
1. Attract
2. Cultivate
3. Close
4. Retain
Every sales organization has variations of these basic steps. For some it's 5 steps, or even 10 or more, but the main objectives are the same.
Next, in which steps of your sales process is the team lacking? Perhaps you're creating tons of highly qualified sales leads, but failing to cultivate the opportunity. You might be finding great leads and cultivating well, but fall short at the close. Proper marketing strategy can play a big role here. Consider implementing a series of communications designed to mirror these steps in the sales process.
Attract: Use your Cincinnati advertising agency for brand development and broad market awareness, and search engine optimization and blogging as attraction methods. Cast a wide net
Cultivate: Email marketing is built for building and maintaining relationships. So are event marketing programs and interactive marketing endeavors. Build an educational video series for your blog, or a strategic customer event to get in front of your market. Use these opportunities to build a solid understanding of those you serve.
Close: Of course, nothing happens if you don't make the sale. Document your past successes and leverage case study programs and customer testimonials. Deliver 3rd party content and proof of concept. Demonstrate the use case and ROI.
Retain: The worst thing you could do to a customer is leave them all alone. Using the above methods and channels, deliver value added content. Your email campaigns turn to a nurture marketing approach, offering tips, resources, and ideas on how to get more value. Your blog is an obvious channel to deliver content from your product managers, engineers and manufacturing staff. Leverage these channels to constantly collect customer feedback and new use cases. Let your customers know you're listening and use their insight to improve the product or service, or to even build and entirely new one.
If there's one common mistake we see in small business marketing and that within larger enterprises, it's the fact that marketing communications programs are tasked with too much. With such big expectations of any one effort, it's tough to deliver and even more difficult to measure.
Break down the big goals. Create small wins. Measure success in inches, not miles. Focus on hitting lots of singles. It's easier to win and make corrections when you're not swinging for the fences.
I keep running into sales & marketing alignment 'opportunities' and felt compelled to expand on my thoughts from a few posts ago...
If you're like most marketers, you struggle with how to champion your company's brand, set forth marketing programs that drive revenue and profit objectives, and to align your activities with the efforts of the sales team. Add the responsibility of conducting ROI marketing and that's a big job!
Often times we see marketing communications strategies that 'swing for the fences'. After all, that's what heavy hitters do, right? But in baseball, the most successful players aren't always the home run kings; often they are those that get on base the most. They hit singles and doubles consistently.
Marketing should do the same.
Now I'm not saying that we should take our eye off our financial targets, or broader brand development objectives, but by breaking down the big goals into smaller, easier-to-achieve milestones, I believe we stand a better chance of scoring big.
When it comes to email marketing, event marketing, interactive marketing, or other such lead-generation programs, focus your marketing communications on the sales cycle. Focus your marketing strategies on the sales cycle What steps does your sales team follow today? I contend that every business has to do 4 things very well:
1. Attract
2. Cultivate
3. Close
4. Retain
Every sales organization has variations of these basic steps. For some it's 5 steps, or even 10 or more, but the main objectives are the same.
Next, in which steps of your sales process is the team lacking? Perhaps you're creating tons of highly qualified sales leads, but failing to cultivate the opportunity. You might be finding great leads and cultivating well, but fall short at the close. Proper marketing strategy can play a big role here. Consider implementing a series of communications designed to mirror these steps in the sales process.
Attract: Use your Cincinnati advertising agency for brand development and broad market awareness, and search engine optimization and blogging as attraction methods. Cast a wide net
Cultivate: Email marketing is built for building and maintaining relationships. So are event marketing programs and interactive marketing endeavors. Build an educational video series for your blog, or a strategic customer event to get in front of your market. Use these opportunities to build a solid understanding of those you serve.
Close: Of course, nothing happens if you don't make the sale. Document your past successes and leverage case study programs and customer testimonials. Deliver 3rd party content and proof of concept. Demonstrate the use case and ROI.
Retain: The worst thing you could do to a customer is leave them all alone. Using the above methods and channels, deliver value added content. Your email campaigns turn to a nurture marketing approach, offering tips, resources, and ideas on how to get more value. Your blog is an obvious channel to deliver content from your product managers, engineers and manufacturing staff. Leverage these channels to constantly collect customer feedback and new use cases. Let your customers know you're listening and use their insight to improve the product or service, or to even build and entirely new one.
If there's one common mistake we see in small business marketing and that within larger enterprises, it's the fact that marketing communications programs are tasked with too much. With such big expectations of any one effort, it's tough to deliver and even more difficult to measure.
Break down the big goals. Create small wins. Measure success in inches, not miles. Focus on hitting lots of singles. It's easier to win and make corrections when you're not swinging for the fences.
Posted Monday, April 7, 2008 by
brian lecount
I had a great meeting today with a company that is looking for a Cincinnati, Ohio marketing firm / agency. They operate in the IT consulting space and are faced with a cluttered market of "Me Too's". As we talked about brand development, marketing strategy, and host of other issues, I asked them:
How unique do you want to be?
It's an important question because as many small and medium sized businesses develop marketing programs to compete against the big guys, most of them that I see choose to, at best, say the same things as differently as they can. Of course this rarely results in a strong competitive differentiation.
How unique do you want to be?
It's an important question because as many small and medium sized businesses develop marketing programs to compete against the big guys, most of them that I see choose to, at best, say the same things as differently as they can. Of course this rarely results in a strong competitive differentiation.
- Are you willing to be different, not just in your marketing, but from the inside out?
- Are you willing to change your company entirely? Product, service, culture, deliverables, customer experience and then your marketing?
- Are you willing to be confident enough in what you're great at to cross off all of those other 'services' from your list of capabilities and focus on your top 3?
- Are you willing to hire people that stand out?
- Are you willing to fire your ad agency for not pushing you to be different?
Saying yes to any of these questions requires you to be willing to take the risk of being the Purple Cow. To quit playing the game your competitors play and to change it entirely. You'll face scrutiny. You'll attract attention and naysayers.
And people will remember you.
Apple did it.
So did Google.
And MySpace, 37 Signals, Mint.com, Marc Cuban, Boon, Chipotle, Slide and Obama.
How unique do you want to be?
Are you willing to change something, or everything to get there?
Posted Friday, April 4, 2008 by
brian lecount
I'm a relatively new user of Mint.com's online money management software and have been thoroughly impressed with the tool's ability to give me both 'at a glance' and detailed views of where my money is going. Uber easy.Beyond the tool itself, there's plenty more to admire about this company. They've done a great job at brand development, leading with the tagline "Refreshing Money Management." It's not just a tagline: it's a philosophy that's built into the product itself - one of the measures of what makes a great brand to begin with.
It's in the use of the product that the relationship with the brand truly starts to develop. I get a nice summary each week that shows me where the money went. Upon logging in, I can categorize and track expenses, set budgets, and Mint presents money saving strategies that can make a real difference.
But what really got my attention was an email I received a few days ago that reminded me of a question I was asked by a prospective client recently who is developing a new software product: "How can we make sure that existing customers renew?" One of my answers was to suggest that the company surround customers in an experience they cannot get elsewhere and find every opportunity to deliver value. Here's where Mint.com really gets it right.
Click the thumbnail to see the email I received. With a subject line of "Your money misses you," who wouldn't open it? Instead of sending me a boring email marketing reminder that I haven't logged in recently, Mint.com took an opportunity to extend the "Refreshing Money Management" tagline even further. With just a little more effort, Mint.com made boring 'please come back' email communciations, well, refreshing.The email was a delight to read and yes, it got me to come back and use the tool again. They're developing a relationship with me, not allowing my use of the tool to go stagnant, and working hard to make sure I continue to experience the brand's value that got my attention in the first place. This is how you get existing customers, subscribers, readers, followers, congregation members, employees, channel partners, members of your professional and personal networks, and anyone else that matters to renew their contracts and relationships with you. It's a great marketing strategy for small businesses and large enterprises alike.
I have a feeling that these guys are going to have me for a long time.
Posted Thursday, April 3, 2008 by
brian lecount
I don't think there's a company we've spoken to that didn't want a better return on their marketing investments. Everyone understands the concept of demanding a tangible ROI from marketing. The challenge lies in helping clients understand that in order to effectively monetize marketing results, you must break down the initiative into smaller, digestible parts.
Swinging for the Fences
When we evaluate marketing programs, the most common mistake we see, whether it be an interactive marketing program, an event marketing strategy, an email marketing newsletter, or even a brand development effort, is that the promotion itself is trying to accomplish too much. If we understand the buying process, and embrace all of the steps necessary to take a someone from cold prospect to loyal customer, we can start to shed some light on this. With the exception of pure impulse buys, how many times has one ad, one email, one promotion causes you to make a major purchase? We shouldn't expect the same from our customers.
In my experience the best approach is to break down the overall goal of increased revenue into digestible steps that mirror the buying process. At the simplest level, we need to attract, cultivate, close, and retain. Now, what should your next print advertisement, tradeshow or customer event marketing program, or email marketing campaign be designed to accomplish? I might argue that it should be one clearly-defined step in your sales process or the customer's buying process.
For example, if I do a great job of getting people to sign up for a webinar, attend it, download a whitepaper afterward, participate in a demo after that, and discuss their particular requirements with me following the demo, I stand a great chance of developing a solution that meets their needs and closing the sale. My communications around each of these should focus on accomplishing just that one step. My goal is to achieve multiple small commitments from a prospective customer that are likely to lead to a signature on the proposal.
By separating my communications and properly aligning my expectations with the achievement of these small steps in the buying cycle, I stand a much better chance of measuring my success and marketing ROI on each endeavor, and monetizing the results along the entire spectrum of marketing programs. That's how you build an effective ROI marketing strategy.
Posted Wednesday, April 2, 2008 by
brian lecount
In my trip around the internet this morning I stumbled across a great tool for creating custom tag clouds for your website. As you know, a tag cloud is a means of visually representing information of any kind. It could be the contents of a website, a song, a speech, a whitepaper, whatever. It gives you a visual representation of word frequencies within any piece of content.
Here's a tag cloud with terms related to Web 2.0
There are lots of applications for this:
Here's a tag cloud with terms related to Web 2.0
There are lots of applications for this:
- As a means to visually measure keyword density for a search engine optimization campaign
- As topic summaries for a business plan or interactive marketing strategy
- An 'at a glance' resume
- As brand clouds to give companies a view of how the world sees them before launching a brand development effort
- A means for political figures to visually measure popularity
- A research tool before you make your next hire, or before you choose your next Cincinnati advertising agency
The list goes on!
Want to have some fun? Plug in your website, your advertisement, email campaign text or press release into the tool at http://www.tagcrowd.com/. You can even get the code to place your very own tag cloud on your website.
Posted Monday, March 31, 2008 by
brian lecount
Just received another notice of the April 18th luncheon from the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Marketing Association which will feature Ken Pendery and Chris Tomasso of First Watch Restaurants, Inc.
Here's an excerpt from the announcement:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First Watch was founded in 1983 on this simple concept. Today, First Watch Restaurants, Inc. is the largest privately owned, daytime-only restaurant company in the country. Headquartered in Bradenton, FL, and operating more than 76 restaurants in 11 states, First Watch offers something for everyone, from traditional Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch favorites to their signature creations. Business or pleasure, First Watch takes pride in meeting the special needs of their customers.
Ken Pendery, President and CEO of First Watch Restaurants, is a visionary in the restaurant business. He has created several restaurant concepts and has held numerous executive positions. Ken and Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Tomasso will speak on the concept building and brand marketing strategies that have led to the success of First Watch Restaurants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've known a few restaurant owners who have really struggled with brand development, and defining a niche. First Watch has definitely done a great job of that and I'm looking forward to learning just how they did it, and potentially bringing back a few tricks I can share with our clients. As I've already said, I really do love this place.
Posted Monday, March 31, 2008 by
brian lecount
As a full service advertising agency and marketing firm in
Many companies are unsure of how a blog fits into their overall marketing strategy. We try to help them understand that unlike a website, which is communication from an institution, a blog is a much more casual, person-to-person type of writing. As such, the range of topics and the overall tone of the blog is much different.
When it comes to blogging for business, extend the voice to as many employees as possible, and encourage them to talk about the common successes and challenges of their day.
- If you're a staffing company, blog about a candidate you helped today.
- If you're a technology firm, how is a client benefiting from what you delivered?
- If you're an attorney, what advice did you give a client today that others can benefit from?
- If you're a florist, remind your audience of an upcoming holiday.
- If you're a company that supports IT networks and/or desktop PCs, what tips can you deliver that will make someone's life easier?
- If you're a printer, what are some potential pitfalls of not setting up the art files correctly before delivering them to your pre-press department?
The possibilities are endless. Blog about what you know, what you experience, and how you go about helping your clients. Just blog. You'll soon be seen as an expert in your field.
Posted Friday, March 28, 2008 by
brian lecount
I was reading Seth Godin's blog recently and he was talking about how he's found himself using words like 'just' and phrases such as 'sort of' a lot recently. 'So what?' you might say, but his point is that we should all just get around to saying it. To often when we marketing folks write, we get caught up in the vocabulary, 'hiding behind terms that don't mean anything,' as Seth explains. Our email marketing uses unnecessary adjectives, drawn out explanations and meaningless modifiers. Our marketing strategy documents become lengthy dissertations of goals and approaches and methodologies and justifications. Just say it already.
His blog post also reminded me of some advice I received from Compendium's CEO Chris Baggott - advice which reportedly also came from Seth Godin - "Be Pithy". Really great, and humbling advice.
Another great piece from Seth's blog: "Humans like humans. They hate organizations." Websites communicate as an organization. One reasons blogs are such a great tool for growing a company is that a blog is communication from a human. All of your marketing should communicate like a human. Write in a conversational tone. Just say it already, and be pithy about it.
Posted Thursday, March 27, 2008 by
brian lecount
As you embark upon selecting an advertising or marketing agency, is their physical location important? As a marketing agency in Cincinnati, Ohio, we serve clients across the country, in addition to many here locally. There are definitely some cases where I would say that location is important, but as communication and technology evolve, for many the location of their ad agencies doesn't matter much.
We just began work for two firms based in
A great tool for addressing the issue of location of our marketing firm has been online marketing project management and client collaboration software. We use a great produce called Basecamp from 37 Signals. It's fast, easy to use, and our clients love it. The product centralizes communication, files, milestones, and tasks in one place and has dramatically cut down on the email clutter & confusion.
My advice for companies selecting an ad agency in
Posted Friday, March 21, 2008 by
brian lecount
I was talking with a client today that needs to grow its database of job candidates quickly. We discussed several options for accessing the candidate databases of 3rd party publications and websites. Typically these publications and websites won't actually send you their email marketing lists; they'll broadcast your message or post your ad on their site, but retain ownership of the list.
Here's a great small business marketing strategy for companies looking to not only gain internet marketing exposure, but to actually capture the list for follow up interactive marketing campaigns.
Here's a great small business marketing strategy for companies looking to not only gain internet marketing exposure, but to actually capture the list for follow up interactive marketing campaigns.
Develop a very compelling lead generation marketing strategy and a hook or offer.
Rather than just promote your product or service, focus on the goal of capturing the list. Develop an attractive offer that encourages people to sign up. A contest, a white paper, an email marketing educational series of topics, etc. Give something away that the target audience cannot ignore.
Craft a focused website landing page.
Create a new website page designed only to collect responses. Deliver graphic and text content that speaks only of the offer and the benefits of signing up. Insert a very short contact form, requesting only the information that you need to have now. You can collect more later. Avoid adding links to other pages on your site. Remember there are two objectives of this landing page: Visitors should fill out the form or close the window. If you give them too many options, they'll get lost in your site and never fill out the form.
Collect your data, deliver what you promised, then build a relationship
Once you've fulfilled the primary offer and delivered the value you promised, now you have an opportunity to get to know them. Use an email marketing tool to continue the communication, ask follow up questions to gather more information, and gently introduce them to what your company has to offer.
If you pick the right offer, you'll get a high percentage of the target database to respond, you'll capture their information for your own marketing purposes, and you could decrease your dependency on having to advertise in these publications or websites in the future.
Example: I did this very thing years ago and partnered with a major industry publication who wanted to grow their database as well. The offer: A new Mercedes Benz 320 AMG or a cash prize. We obtained over $250K of free advertising in the print publication (in return for sharing the database) and generated 10,000 responses (new leads) in just a couple months. I canceled my print advertising shortly thereafter and focused the budget on email marketing and interactive marketing strategies directly to the new database. Result: Over $30 million in new revenue at an investment of under $100K.
Posted Thursday, March 20, 2008 by
brian lecount
I met a good friend of mine yesterday for a breakfast meeting at a local First Watch restaurant. I have to say, I do love this place. Great menu, fast, attentive and efficient service. Perfect for a business meeting. Well, almost perfect.
We were discussing a variety of approaches to marketing strategy and small business marketing in general, and different methods used by advertising agencies and marketing firms in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our conversation soon turned to blogging for business. His client is interested in developing a blogging strategy and internet marketing effort to gain market awareness, position the company as an expert, and to attract search traffic. Blogs can be a great tool for B2B companies to dominate market niches.
As we were talking I wanted to show my friend some example blogs, including this one and proceeded to try to connect to the free WiFi service at First Watch. The problem? We were short on time and when attempting to connect I was asked to register first.
Now, I'm a marketer, so I fully appreciate the desire to collect a small amount of information from customers wishing to connect to the service, but it struck me that this initiative went against some of the things that I like about First Watch. To me, First Watch is fast, easy, comfortable, and accessible. Yet accessing the WiFi service was slow and painful. We asked our waitress if there was a quick way to connect without registering since we were short on time and she politely said she'd be happy to get me a pamphlet. Huh? I didn't want a pamphlet, I wanted to know how I could get online quickly. It might have been better if she would have showed me just how fast I could be online by registering, and if she helped me understand that if I registered, maybe the next time I tried to access the service it would recognize me and log me in right away.
But wait. I was already registered. After filling out the registration form I learned that First Watch already had my email address in their system. Then why was I asked to fill out the form again? Why didn't it recognize me as a frequent user?
A Missed Marketing Opportunity
Long story short, we did get online and were able to conclude our meeting. And the friendly staff efficiently cleared our table so we could meet without the mess, but I can't help think that First Watch may be missing some great internet marketing or email marketing opportunities here.
First, get rid of that registration form. Everyone gives away WiFi access and most don't make you jump through hoops to get it. In my view, First Watch should take the opportunity to make everything they do as fast, friendly, efficient and comfortable as their restaurants. If you can't take away the form entirely, consider asking for less information. What information do you need from me right now to a) let me do what I need to do, and b) start to market to me with email marketing or offers or some type of interactive marketing that strengthen our relationship? That will work to further develop the brand, it will make a mark that customers won't forget, and it will have them (and me) coming back for more. Can we say ROI?
Second, you've got my email address. Why haven't I received any communications from you? Invite me back. Make sure I know how many locations you have that are close to my business. Remind me of how easy it is to conduct a business meeting at First Watch. Throw me a coupon from time to time. Ask me some questions about how you could serve me better. Deliver some value in return for me giving you my contact information.
I must say, First Watch gets it right on so many things. I really do love the place and I bring many clients and friends there for a meeting. But could they take another step or two and making sure I leave with a 'wow'? You bet.
First Watch: You know who I am. Now, get to know me.
We were discussing a variety of approaches to marketing strategy and small business marketing in general, and different methods used by advertising agencies and marketing firms in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our conversation soon turned to blogging for business. His client is interested in developing a blogging strategy and internet marketing effort to gain market awareness, position the company as an expert, and to attract search traffic. Blogs can be a great tool for B2B companies to dominate market niches.
As we were talking I wanted to show my friend some example blogs, including this one and proceeded to try to connect to the free WiFi service at First Watch. The problem? We were short on time and when attempting to connect I was asked to register first.
Now, I'm a marketer, so I fully appreciate the desire to collect a small amount of information from customers wishing to connect to the service, but it struck me that this initiative went against some of the things that I like about First Watch. To me, First Watch is fast, easy, comfortable, and accessible. Yet accessing the WiFi service was slow and painful. We asked our waitress if there was a quick way to connect without registering since we were short on time and she politely said she'd be happy to get me a pamphlet. Huh? I didn't want a pamphlet, I wanted to know how I could get online quickly. It might have been better if she would have showed me just how fast I could be online by registering, and if she helped me understand that if I registered, maybe the next time I tried to access the service it would recognize me and log me in right away.
But wait. I was already registered. After filling out the registration form I learned that First Watch already had my email address in their system. Then why was I asked to fill out the form again? Why didn't it recognize me as a frequent user?
A Missed Marketing Opportunity
Long story short, we did get online and were able to conclude our meeting. And the friendly staff efficiently cleared our table so we could meet without the mess, but I can't help think that First Watch may be missing some great internet marketing or email marketing opportunities here.
First, get rid of that registration form. Everyone gives away WiFi access and most don't make you jump through hoops to get it. In my view, First Watch should take the opportunity to make everything they do as fast, friendly, efficient and comfortable as their restaurants. If you can't take away the form entirely, consider asking for less information. What information do you need from me right now to a) let me do what I need to do, and b) start to market to me with email marketing or offers or some type of interactive marketing that strengthen our relationship? That will work to further develop the brand, it will make a mark that customers won't forget, and it will have them (and me) coming back for more. Can we say ROI?
Second, you've got my email address. Why haven't I received any communications from you? Invite me back. Make sure I know how many locations you have that are close to my business. Remind me of how easy it is to conduct a business meeting at First Watch. Throw me a coupon from time to time. Ask me some questions about how you could serve me better. Deliver some value in return for me giving you my contact information.
I must say, First Watch gets it right on so many things. I really do love the place and I bring many clients and friends there for a meeting. But could they take another step or two and making sure I leave with a 'wow'? You bet.
First Watch: You know who I am. Now, get to know me.
Posted Friday, March 14, 2008 by
brian lecount
R.O.Why! Marketing recently launched two new client websites.
Health Force
For over four years, R.O.Why! Marketing has served as the outsourced marketing department for this national travel nursing and allied health staffing company. Health Force wanted to take a big leap forward in their overal marketing strategy, brand development, and the level of interaction on their website. Built with the specific needs of healthcare travelers in mind, the new website allows candidates to build a profile and receive specialized job alerts as opportunities come available. Travelers can also easily build a customized job cart and apply to many different positions at one time. Our work now is focused on driving traffic to the new site using search engine optimization, email marketing, print advertising, and soon, a blog just like this one.
IPLogic, Inc. is a leading provider of communications technology solutions across 
the northeast United States. Coming off an acquisition of a telephony solutions provider in 2006, the company redeveloped its marketing strategy to better communicate its offerings across the 7 geographic markets in which it now operates. A series of interactive marketing, email marketing and event marketing programs throughout 2007 culminated in the lauch of the company's new website in early 2008.
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