Hudson Fusion

We're Moving!

2010-11-02T09:06:00.002-04:00

We're moving our blog to a new home. Please click here for a sneak peak and to read the latest post on the value and challenges of blogging for your business "To Blog or not to Blog".

AND...to celebrate our 15th year of web design services, we're about to announce an exciting giveaway. We'll be making an announcement within the next week or two about you could win.

See you at our new space!

Cindy

Say it in a newsletter

2010-09-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

A newsletter is a powerful way for you to stay in touch with your customers and keep you on their minds. The problem for some companies and organizations is, they don’t think they have enough to say to warrant an “official” newsletter. But you’ve probably got more to tell than you realize.

Think of your newsletter as a single whole with several distinct parts. Normally there’s a “lead story” along with a varying number of smaller pieces. Most of the pieces should focus on some aspect of your operation, but you can also add things that are simply fun. Here are some common newsletter topics to consider.

Instruction: Share your expertise. Teach people something that relates to the use of your products or services.

Personal letter: A message from a principal in the company lends a nice touch. The message should be welcoming and at the same time influential.

What’s new?: If you’ve got new products or services, your newsletter is the perfect place to talk about them.

Tips: A bulleted or numbered list of how-to tips is easy to read and follow.

Deals: Include coupons and discounts with ordering codes that make the specials good only for newsletter readers.

Company/industry news: You probably have more newsworthy items than you realize – new staff, recent awards, new machinery or equipment, expansion or relocation. And finding general industry news is as simple as a few clicks.

Calendars: If your company is involved in the local community, let people know where you’re going to be and when. You could also include a general calendar of events for your area.

With a good master plan, you can create newsletters every month or every quarter that are informative, helpful AND good for future business. We can help you set up your newsletter and get you moving fast with a compelling design and strong, engaging content.

Adding more life to your website with staff photos

2010-09-06T10:00:00.001-04:00

As more and more websites (like hundreds of millions) keep appearing every time we turn around, companies engaged in online marketing are more concerned with differentiation than ever before. Fortunately, there are many ways to set yourself apart on your website. An easy and effective way is with photographs of your staff.

Even though your customers and prospects probably don’t know you personally, they’ll feel like they do when they see your picture. Of course they already know there are real people behind your business, but when they can “see” you, it becomes personal. And that strengthens the seller/buyer relationship.

A company with 75 employees obviously doesn’t need to post photos of each person. But nice shots of the company leaders are always appropriate. If you have a Bios or an About Us page on your site, those are good places to put the pictures. If you’re a one- or two-person shop, consider placing your photos on the Home page as a nice welcome.

In acquiring photos, hire a qualified photographer. Resist the urge to use the standard “school-picture headshots” you might have lying around. Your web designer will then take these quality photos and creatively enhance your company’s image and the overall attractiveness of your website and message.

There’s a saying that goes “People like doing business with people they like.” We can modify that for the digital world to read, “People like doing business with people they can at least see.” Posting photos of you and your staff can really bring your website – and your business – to “living” life.

NEXT WEEK: Say it in a newsletter...

Website content: how much is enough?

2010-08-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

If you’re mapping out your website and wondering how much written content it should contain, here’s the answer: The amount that will support your sales goals.

When writing website copy, determine what your “ideal” prospects need to know in order to take action, which can mean contacting you for more information, arranging a meeting with you, or buying outright. Your offering and your sales strategy should dictate the amount of content.

Just as important, determine what your readers do not need to know. Websites that are bloated with content get that way because the company has tried to tell every possible thing it can about what it does and who it is. The average reader doesn’t need that much information.

This is where a good copywriter comes in. He or she can look objectively at your key goals and figure out the best way to structure them into the website while keeping the content as concise as possible. Company principals usually aren’t the best choice to write the final draft of web copy, because they know too much about their offering and tend to put all of it into the content.

So write only what’s necessary to make the sale or continue the sales process. If it’s a lot, write a lot. If it’s four web pages with two paragraphs each, write that. Readers will stay with you if they feel what they’re reading is in their best interests. But if you overload them, they might get confused and find something else to do.

NEXT WEEK: Adding more life to your site with staff photos.

Content Management Systems-Part II: CMS service providers

2010-08-23T10:00:00.001-04:00

CMS tools acquired through service providers typically offer functionality code within a variety of applications. For example, a CMS service provider might include a robust calendar in its package, whereas for you to program the same calendar using Drupal could be so costly, you may just decide to do without it.

Some CMS service providers have designed tools for specific industries that let you avoid a lot of programming hassle and give you functions you can use right away. CMS tools with event-registration and donation modules are prefect for not-for-profit organizations. A CMS application for law firms may have built-in tools for attorney profile pages and article-publishing.

The CMS applications I've researched for Hudson Fusion clients include some really nice features that deliver functionality you might miss out on if you had to program your own website with an open source CMS. These features include:

Online payments and event-registration
Multiple calendars with searchable content
E-mail newsletters with the ability to manage subscribers and distribute directly from the CMS
Archives of articles, newsletters, etc.
Social networking modules that send content to friends and post to Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Members-only areas with password-protected content
Searchable information databases
Ability to print pages as PDF's or have print-friendly versions of all pages
Specific-author control over restricted areas of the site

For companies and organizations that don’t want to do a lot of “back-end” work and don’t mind spending a little money each month for the service, using a CMS through a service provider is a smart idea. You’ll be up and running fast and be able to use your web development firm to fine-tune and customize your web application so your unique brand shows up everywhere.

NEXT WEEK: Web site text - how much is enough?

Content Management Systems-Part I: Open source vs. service providers

2010-08-16T10:00:00.001-04:00

Are you thinking about using a content management system (CMS) to create and manage a website for your company? You have two main choices, and there are pros and cons with each of them. In contemplating a CMS, start by answering these questions.

1. Do you want to host your site on your own server?
2. Do you have a web developer who can build and maintain the site?
3. What features do you want to include in your site?
4. How many authors do you plan to have?
5. Will you need to approve content from multiple authors before publishing?
6. What is your initial budget? What is your budget for ongoing costs?

There's a lot of "buzz" about open source solutions such as Joomla and Drupal. “Open source” means the code is free, and you can customize as you like. However, don't be fooled into thinking that “free” means you can just install and go. Open source code requires programming knowledge to use and customize. It’s not an "out-of-the-box" solution for the lay person. To get your site running and be able to perform regular maintenance on it, you’ll need a web developer who’s familiar with the code base for these tools.

If you’re looking for a “do-it-yourself” tool, consider CMS paid services. They give you much more functionality and customizing ability than open source applications. There are service costs, but none of the higher costs associated with programming.

If the options have you confused, we can help bring clarity. Hudson Fusion works with clients who take a variety of approaches to using content management systems, and in every case, we’re able to help them get the absolute most out of their websites and online marketing programs.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 NEXT WEEK: CMS SERVICE PROVIDERS

Working with a marketing firm: it starts with trust

2010-08-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

For many small business owners, hiring a marketing firm for the first time is an exercise in “letting go.” It’s like sending your child off to her first day of school. So far, you’ve been the sole provider of everything that helped her grow to this initial stage of independence. Now you’re trusting the teacher (and school) to be excellent in what they do for your child and to always have her best interests at heart.

Working with a marketing firm for the first time is a big step for small business owners who have managed every aspect of their growth since day one. You’ve fed your business the best “formula” for success, watched over it, protected it and loved it. But now it’s growing and requires more than you can give, so you need to trust someone who has the experience and training to take this growth to higher levels.

Like a parent “letting go” of her child, you as a business owner will also be letting go, in the sense that you’re trusting another professional to make suggestions for your business. At times, these suggestions may feel uncomfortable, strange or even counterintuitive. But remember – the reason you wanted to work with a marketing firm was to get new ideas and avoid doing the same thing over and over.

Choose your marketing partner wisely. Choose a firm that you trust to care more about what’s good for your business than what’s good for the firm. Work only with a group that is good at cleaning up confusion and pointing out a clear direction toward success. Finally, listen to what they have to say, because there’s probably a very good reason they’re saying it.
And then, like the parent after she’s waved goodbye to the bus, you can take a deep breath and say, Wow – what am I going to do with all this extra time? Like that parent, I’m sure you’ll think of something.

6 ways to crank up e-Commerce

2010-08-02T08:09:00.002-04:00

Owners of successful retail stores don’t just turn the CLOSED sign around to OPEN each day and hope for the best. They put up signs, have sales, position merchandise and communicate with customers. Running an eCommerce store on the web is no different. Here are six ways to increase sales by making your operation more active.

1. Send reminders: If your product has a “shelf life,” track customers’ buy-dates and contact them when it’s time to re-order. A simple reminder is often all it takes.

2. Send promotions: These should be specials that are available only online. Possibilities could include a discount code to receive a great deal, or free shipping through the end of the month. The point is to keep customers ACTIVE and happy doing business with you.

3. Announce new items: Depending on the scope of your operation, you could send out a general e-mail blast. If you have a huge line of products, contact just those customers who your new items would appeal to, based on their buying history.

4. Sales: Always announce price cuts on any products or services you handle. Determine an end-date for the sale, and word your announcement to show customers the benefits of ordering NOW.

5. Birthdays: Add a function on your order form that asks for the customer’s date of birth (make it optional, not required). When their birthday rolls around, send a Happy Birthday message along with a discount coupon or even a free gift.

6. Customized account page: If your e-customers have their own account page, give them a few ways to customize it and make it feel like their own. Something as simple as color or template choices will let them take “ownership” of their place in your store.

We can show you how to coordinate and automate all of these powerful functions. This way, you can easily stay on top of multiple sales processes and keep your 24-hour-a-day business rolling in the right direction.

Tips for Taglines

2010-07-26T21:05:00.002-04:00

A tagline, like a slogan, says something important about you, your company or your organization. It’s usually placed under your name in a logo and in other strategic places, and at the least, it gives your market something positive to think about. But if you get lucky, it could become part of the English vernacular.

Here are five tagline tips to get you started.

1. The best taglines promise or at least imply a benefit. “You’re in Good Hands.” “The Ultimate Driving Machine.”

2. Before you put your tagline in quotes, ask why you want to put it in quotes, and then don’t put it in quotes. Quotes make your statement look like an “as-if” or a figure of speech, rather than a fact.

3. Taglines that open with “ing” verbs can be very effective ways to show what you do: making . . . designing . . . serving . . . bringing . . . creating . . . giving.

4. Be leery of using we, us, I and our in taglines. Your company name is enough about you; now it’s time to talk to your reader. (Monoliths can do it without looking too self-centered: “We Sell For Less.” “We Bring Good Things to Life.”)

5. The shorter the better, and use words that make it easy for the reader to grasp the meaning and context. “Just Do It.” “Gets the Red Out.”

And always remember: a good tagline doesn’t necessarily present the most important truth about your company. Rather, it presents the most important truth about your company that people need to know.

How memorably ingrained can a tagline/slogan be? Have you ingrained any of these?

“Reach out and touch someone.”
“The quicker picker-upper.”
“A little dab’ll do ya.”
“Have it your way.”
“Where do you want to go today?”
“It’s everywhere you want to be.”
“Drivers wanted.”
“Because I’m worth it.”
“Finger lickin’ good.”“We try harder.”

What’s in a “Hit”?

2010-07-13T21:00:00.001-04:00

We live in a hit-crazy world these days. Everybody’s talking about how many hits their website gets, how their count is moving up. But what’s in a hit? Would a hit by any other name still sell as sweet? Okay, enough bad Shakespeare. Let’s look at some good facts.

A “hit” in digital marketing vernacular means somebody accessed your website. Is that a good thing? Might be, might not. What did that person (assuming it was a person) do while on your website? Did she click to other pages? Did she click on links? Did she buy anything? Did she stay for five seconds and then run away?

No digital marketing firm preaches the need for increasing hits through search engine optimization more strongly than Hudson Fusion. But we realize that getting a visitor to come to your website is not the same as getting that visitor to become a customer. Digital marketing is absolutely a two-sided proposition.

Yes, you want to use the latest search technology to increase your visitor count. But what good is a website that attracts 20,000 people a day but barely makes enough money to pay the rent? Too often people look only at the hits side and neglect the sales side.

And what sells? Content. Clear information. Exciting headlines, promises and testimonials. Flash that informs and doesn’t just entertain. Streamlined customer cultivation processes. And don’t forget differentiation. You gotta stand out!

Hudson Fusion designs websites with both hits and sales in mind. The two blend perfectly to create the ideal marketing environment for your business. Any other way wouldn’t make sense, so we wouldn’t do it.

Before You Hire a Web Designer

2010-07-06T20:55:00.001-04:00

Choosing a firm to develop and handle your website is a critical undertaking. Here are some questions to answer before you sign on the dotted line.

1. What, specifically, do I want my website to accomplish? After you’ve answered that question, here are a few more important ones: What are you selling? What action do you want your readers to take? What are you going to tell them? How many pages are necessary? Do you need eCommerce capability? Flash? Strong search engine optimization? A blog?

An experienced web designer will listen to what you want out of your website and then help you determine which technologies will allow your organization to best reach its goals.

2. Is the designer I’m considering experienced in the applications I will need? Believe it or not, just because somebody calls himself a “web designer” doesn’t mean he has a wide range of skills. Talk with your prospective designer and make sure he can do everything you need to have done. A designer who is inflexible probably has a limited skill set.

3. Are service/maintenance plans offered? If so, what kind? Know in advance the level of support a web design firm will provide. Know the cost, and know how quickly the firm’s staff can make changes, updates and application additions. Not every designer works at the same speed.

4. What kind of products has the web designer created? Take a look at the designer’s portfolio. Click on the website thumbnails and actually navigate through the websites, just as if you were a regular reader. Look for quality of layout, color schemes, ease of navigation, readability of fonts, page-loading speed and overall presentation.

5. How will this firm communicate with me? No website is static, and that means there will always be a need to discuss changes and upgrades with your web designer. Is this person easy to talk to? Does she seem to care about your project and your business? Is she even available? Is she excited about her work? You want to partner with people you can relate to and trust.

Hiring a web designer is a lot like hiring any other professional to do an important job. Hudson Fusion encourages you to do your homework and choose a firm that knows its business and always has the best interests for your business in mind.

Google Helps Non Profits Through Grant Program

2010-06-29T20:49:00.002-04:00

Nonprofit organizations are always looking for new ways to stretch their marketing dollar. A great strategy to investigate is the Google Grants Program.

Organizations in the grants program receive a Google pay-per-click advertising account (text ads) through which they can solicit funds, recruit volunteers and generally spread the word about their outreach. On the Google page linked below, Google gives examples of how UNICEF and CoachArt have used the grant to increase sales and volunteers.

The program is self-managed – meaning you will create your ads using key words related to your organization and the services it provides. Fortunately Google gives you plenty of support and lots of instruction on creating effective pay-per-click ads.

At Hudson Fusion we recommend that all nonprofits look into the Google Grants Program while making sure that their website and other online marketing materials are fully optimized for search engines in order to get organic rankings. The inter-connectivity out there is amazing. If used to the fullest, it can bring you huge success.

Click here to learn more about the Google advertising program for nonprofits. Then go to the Hudson Fusion website to find out all the other ways you can position your nonprofit organization to be magnetically attractive to both the search engines and your online audience.

5 Reasons You Should Be Blogging

2010-06-24T20:45:00.003-04:00

A lot of companies resist blogging because they’re not sure if the time spent would be worthwhile. Actually most any business can benefit from creating and maintaining a blog, as long as it’s done correctly and with certain ends in mind. Here are five immediate benefits.

1. Blogs that are keyword-rich drive traffic to your connected website. Search engines scan blogs just like they scan websites. When you’ve strategically placed key words and phrases related to your products and services in your blog content, your blog becomes “visible.”

2. Blogs can impart information to your customer base. With interesting blog entries on topics related to various elements of your business, customers have yet another way to connect with you and learn about how you can serve them.

3. Blogs attract new contacts and expand your network. Between search engine traffic and traffic gained by placing your blog in appropriate places across the Internet, you reach lots of new people who are perfect contacts within your market scope.

4. Blogs legitimatize your organization. Blogs today are like websites were 10 years ago – if you have one, you’re seen as a serious player with plenty to say through an accepted communications media.

5. Blogs allow for great feedback and ideas from your readers. Blogs that are set up to receive comments from readers provide you with priceless feedback on the topics and ideas you’re putting out there that relate to your company’s products, services and system.

Hudson Fusion can get you started quickly with your own blog. We can set up your account, work out a plan of action and even assist with content and topics for blog entries. It’s easier than you think, and the payoff can be extreme.

PRINT DESIGNERS VS. DIGITAL DESIGNERS

2010-06-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

How many times have you sat there staring at a website, thinking, “I really like the way this thing looks. Too bad I can’t figure out how to use it”? You can blame the designer for that.

People who are not fluent with ALL the pieces that go into making a website work often turn out sites that are, to use a popular term, dysfunctional. There are differences between a static print piece and a “living,” interactive website. The most important difference: a single website must accommodate the needs and desires of a virtually unlimited number of users.

That’s quite a challenge for a web developer. She has to think ahead and ask herself, “What will people want to do on this website?” “What does the company want people to do here?” “Where and how do I place content, links, graphics, pages?” The correct answers to these and many other questions lead to a website that is truly a powerful tool that helps a company or organization meet its promotional objectives.

Print designers turned electric often put together websites that look okay on the surface but are impossible to use and are nightmares to manage or re-work. For many of these “newbies,” web design is an afterthought, an “add-on” service. Expert digital developers, on the other hand, know how to keep the technology from getting in the way of usability. This means that readers (i.e. potential money-paying customers) have positive, rewarding experiences with the website.

True interactive designers also know how to get a website found by search engines. They create sites with seamless SEO technology and layer them with ways and means for readers to get around quickly and easily. Digital pros, like your team at Hudson Fusion, should always be the first choice when you’re looking to win – and not just to compete – in the online race.

Social Media: What do we do when we get there?

2010-04-15T18:09:00.007-04:00

More and more, clients are asking about social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Most of the time, the questions are similar to “Should we have a Facebook page?” or “How can Twitter help our organization?” You may be wondering what these forums can do for you.

Actually, the question you should be asking is “What can they do for your customers?”.

Facebook and Twitter are wonderful tools in that they enable you to reach a wider audience, much more quickly than by simply building your own database of contacts. But, there is a huge difference between social media and email or direct mail marketing. Your followers on Facebook and Twitter are choosing to interact with you. They will continue to do so if you give them something to come back for.

If you sell a specific service or product, think about your customers and what they might like to talk about. For example, if you sell flavorings for food, rather than talk about your products, talk about baking and recipes. If you are a not for profit organization that serves the community, talk about issues surrounding your cause. If you own an art gallery, talk about events that you are hosting at the gallery and feature different artists’ biographies. If you sell pet supplies, promote causes that help pets or events for pet owners.

If you start to use your Facebook page or Twitter account as an advertising medium, you’ll quickly lose your followers. But, give them something interesting to read, and connect them with other people with similar interests and you may find that social media is definitely worth the time you invest in it.

Bland Brands

2010-03-09T10:54:00.003-05:00

People often come to us to redesign their web site or brochure. But these “one-off” assignments are typically a symptom of a larger issue – a bland brand. They simply haven’t established a connection with their customers. There is no meaningful engagement or interaction to keep their customers returning, and they think a facelift will work. Short-term, it will provide marginal relief – most everyone is interested to see what is NEW! But long-term, if there are deeper brand issues (and usually there are), it’s the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.

So how do you make your brand enticing, compelling, memorable and engaging? It does take a professional, but it pays off when you rise to the top of the class and are the “go-to” in your industry (read: more customers), wouldn’t you say?

First, research: 1). Customer wants and needs, and 2) competitors positions. Don’t guess about any of this; the information is out there, USE IT to your advantage.
Develop key messages that address the “hot buttons” that you uncovered in your research and that speak to specific customer segments. When you talk right to them in a language they understand and tell them what they are looking for, you have invited them into your world.
Craft a unique marketing position: why you are unique and why customers should choose YOU over your competition. If you say “quality service,” “my people” or “excellent price,” start over. These qualities are NOT unique, but the benchmark qualities that customers expect from ALL companies these days.
Create a relevant, professional, timeless identity that they’ll remember and associate with your brand. Put down your pencil, and leave this to the professionals so that your house (your brand) is built on a strong foundation.
Deploy your brand via a multi-channel marketing strategy so that customers get to know you and love you. A seasoned marketing professional will look at online marketing, social media, advertising, direct marketing, public relations and more. The more channels you penetrate, the higher the probability that your ideal customer will see your message and make a lasting connection. A web site alone will not cut it

There are MANY brands vying for attention, and in order to capture the attention of your customer you must engage them with a relevant and unique brand. With increased competition, mediocre brands fall off the radar, and rightly so. When has anyone ever been rewarded for being average? -- KB

Differentiation

2010-02-24T18:12:00.004-05:00

While savvy marketers know the importance of having a marketing position, we often find that they, and small business owners alike, lack the final critical component of a solid marketing position, differentiation. Marketing positioning is quite simply how you position your company in its marketplace. When companies do similar things as their competitors, differentiation becomes the key to your company getting the top spot in the mind of your customer. Just like the Winter Olympics I am watching, first is coveted, and GOLDen.

So how do you construct a differentiating marking position? Step back and assess the same things your customers do: look at your product/service offering, price, quality, location, customer service, distribution, and brand identity. What is truly unique about what you offer in these areas? Can you differentiate on price – do you offer more value or freebies? Can you differentiate on product offering and be the first to offer something? Can you differentiate on customer service – are you open 24/7, do you deliver fast? Find what is different, and build your marketing strategy around that, in the form of customer benefits.

Competition is stiff out there. Craft your company’s differentiation, and hammer home that message each and every time you communicate with your customers and prospects — preferably using an integrated approach :) Not differentiating your company gives customers permission and a reason to not to buy what your company is selling. -- KB

Brand Hub

2010-02-09T13:27:00.002-05:00

I am reading a book called Inbound Marketing by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah. In it, they propose that a company’s web site should be the hub of all marketing activities surrounding a brand. In other words, all marketing initiatives and activities that a company undertakes should drive customers and prospects back to your company’s web site. If you guys were sitting in front of me right now, I’d kiss you both!

So often at Hudson Fusion, we find that:
1. Companies place a disproportionate emphasis (a mindset) on their web site, neglecting other activities that drive traffic to their web site such as email marketing, paid keyword campaigns and advertising. OR,
2. They don’t budget appropriately and use their entire marketing budget on their web site, leaving nothing left over for additional marketing activities that will round out a successfully integrated marketing program.

(Cue analogy here:) Think of your marketing budget like a diet: a well-rounded menu of food from all food groups keeps you healthier. No one ever stayed healthy eating just potato chips. Take a look at your marketing mix and make certain your marketing activities use a variety of different channels in addition to your web site – direct mail, advertising, social media, public relations, networking, email marketing and more. If you narrowly focus on only your web site, you’ll not feed your company with the food it needs to thrive. -- KB

Brands vs. Marketing

2010-02-04T20:47:00.002-05:00

I was all set to write on another topic today when our copywriter decided I needed to expound my wisdom on this topic: the difference between a brand and marketing strategy. It seems silly that the two could be confused, yet today a client did just that, so perhaps others are making this same mistake. Let’s start with definitions:

A brand is a set of perceptions and images held in a customer’s mind that represent a company/product/service. While some people erroneously refer to their logo as their brand, a brand is actually much larger entity. A brand recipe can include the following ingredients: a logo, tagline, colors, personality, tone, images, sounds and more. A brand is all these elements combined in the mind of a customer to form an expectation of the experience they will have with that brand.

A marketing strategy is a process by which a company devises a plan to achieve a goal (such as increasing sales, launching a new product, gaining market share, etc). Marketing strategy chooses a target audience and tactics, then deploys creative work joining the brand with a unique positioning and compelling message to differentiate a company/product/service from its competitors.

A brand is the cornerstone of any company/product/service. Without that strong foundation, there is nothing to build on. A brand should be unique, memorable, flexible and withstand the test of time. Marketing strategy, however, often changes yearly to work with the economic climate, a company’s (ever-changing) business goals, addresses new target audiences, even consumer trends and tastes.

So think of a brand as YOU with (constant) personality and style, and STRATEGY as how you express yourself (differently) using your wardrobe. You remain the same, yet you change your clothes to fit certain situations. (Ah, you didn’t think you could escape an analogy in this post, did you?) --KB

Research Perspective

2010-02-01T17:43:00.007-05:00

“The goal of (advertising) research is to tap into the inner thoughts of the consumer, to reach a deeper level of understanding, to know how they think, feel and behave; and then use those observations and discoveries to kick-start the creative process.” Jon Steel, Truth, Lies and Advertising.

All types of research, including competitive research and customer intelligence (research gained from your existing customers) are extremely helpful and very critical in determining the direction that marketing strategy and creative work takes. Without research, marketing becomes a guessing game, really – a ‘throw it up against the wall and see what sticks” approach that wastes money.

What kinds of research are useful?
1. Online research via competitor websites is the easiest and least costly. It allows you to analyze strengths and learn from them, and uncover weaknesses that can be exploited.
2. One-on-One interviews with staff and customers (administered by an impartial third party) allow a different perspective to unfold in a non-judgmental environment. They often bring to the surface common themes, perceptions and insights from the “front line,” and include everyday issues and challenges.
3. Focus groups can yield insightful feedback and meaningful observations. See reactions from your desired target audience on new creative approaches, test the reception of specific offers, hear first-hand buying triggers and patterns, and more.
4. Surveys to existing customers can elicit specific feedback. If you are thinking of adding a product or service (or changing one), find out how that impacts your current (loyal) customers and what they think BEFORE you plunge too deeply into the investment.

Doing your “homework” (research) allows you to “get inside” the mind of your customers and prospects before developing your marketing strategy: it eliminates guesswork. The insight and observations obtained by research will guide you to craft a more effective marketing message, one that has a much higher likelihood of success. -- KB

Constructive Networking

2010-01-30T10:44:00.003-05:00

One channel of a marketing mix that is often overlooked is networking. Some may argue that networking is a function of sales. But with sales and marketing so closely entwined, I consider it another channel to build your business, just like advertising or direct mail. But networking is not about handing out cards and PUSHing your 30-second elevator pitch. It’s about PULLing in strong connections that lead to business opportunities.

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing said it well when he said, “Effective networking is about listening, adding value and engaging, and not primarily about selling.” So here are some tips to make your networking more efficient: raising awareness about your company and leading to connections that could generate leads.

1.Get out there. Stop avoiding it, and set an attainable goal to attend functions for networking purposes only. I try to network 1-2 times per month and pick venues that are NOT frequented by the same crowd, but by those who may be connected to my ideal customer. Yes, this sometimes takes me out of my “comfort zone” but it allows me to meet different people (who know different people).
2. Stop selling. Networking is about making connections that lead to a sale, NOT to making a direct sale. Cut the sales talk and meet people. Find out what they do, who they know, and….
3. Start listening. Before you network, make a list of “triggers” that signal a connection might warrant a deeper discussion at a later date. Then listen for those triggers, or guide the conversation to those triggers, making a mental note to...
4. Follow up immediately. You want to be the first to fill a need, and you want to signal to the connection that you heard what they had to say – how flattering!

Networking is one of the least expensive ways to gain exposure for your company and generate leads. So, to combine the advertising slogans of Royal Caribbean and Nike: Get out there and just do it! -- KB

Brand Loyalty

2010-01-26T13:17:00.002-05:00

No one will argue that the relationship between a company and its customers is a valuable, profitable and meaningful one. Acknowledging this, it then becomes critical to attach meaning to a product or service so that customers choose to maintain a relationship with your brand. These repeat customers become loyal to your brand and add to your bottom line. Even better, when loyal customers become the disciples of your band, they convert prospects for you, eliminating your sales cycle!

An easy way to understand how customer relationships grow is the “Brand Loyalty Ladder “– a series of steps a customer passes through on its way to connection (or disconnection) with your brand. Each step of the relationship requires satisfaction of the previous step before moving on:

1. Suspect: There is no relationship; the customer is aware of the company but may be wary of what the brand is or stands for.
2. Prospect: A relationship has opened (notice I didn’t say formed) and the prospective customer shows interest. They may be on the verge of purchasing, but they need a push to be converted to buy.
3. Buyer: The Customer is now attracted enough to the brand to purchase for the first time.
4. Frequent Customer: The Customer has made repeat purchases and will likely continue to purchase, unless the experience is unfulfilling or another brand takes up their mind space.
5. Loyal Customer: A Frequent Customer who chooses your brand over all others, even when it is inconvenient, becomes a Loyal Customer. The brand connection and experience is so strong, they will go out of their way to purchase.
6. Advocate: When a Loyal Customer becomes your disciple, spreading the word about your product or service, they move into Advocacy. These customers are gems and need to be rewarded.

According to Pareto, 20 percent of your company’s customers (numbers 4-6 above) provide 80 percent of your sales – these folks are your most valuable customers! So “touch” these customers in an integrated way though multiple media, and you will be rewarded with a healthier bottom line. --KB

Budget Setting

2009-12-14T14:12:00.003-05:00

Apologies, it had been over a month since my last post. Every year at this time many clients decide to release budget for new projects to ready themselves for the New Year, or have leftover budget they need to spend before they lose it. So we’re in full swing (that’s putting it mildly) for the entire month of December.

Budgets are tricky. Even though our clients allocated marketing funds in their 2009 budget, they were hesitant to spend them during 2Q and 3Q, preferring to take a “wait and see “approach. I have a few tips about budgets that may help you in the planning stages, or give you a chuckle or two depending on your mindset:

1. Setting Marketing Budgets. As a rule of thumb, companies should determine their marketing budget in terms of investing a percentages of their annual gross revenues: 2% - 3% for maintenance when their brand is strong, 4% - 6% when work is needed to increase brand awareness and further penetrate existing markets, and as much as 7% - 9% when perceptions need to be changed, their launching a new product/service or entering a new market. Have you set aside enough?

2. Bringing Projects In-house. Companies think they will save money by bringing some marketing tasks “in-house” vs paying an external firm. But what they neglect to add into the cost-saving equation are elements such as the educational curve for their employees, the talent of these employees, the available time of these employees, the dilution of their brand if the campaigns look cheap and unprofessional, and more. If you brought work in-house to save money, I challenge you to ‘show me the money’!

3. Keeping Ahead of the Joneses. That doesn’t mean you have to spend more, you just have to spend smarter. Analyze your competition; find out what they do well and where they fall short. Leverage your strengths; take advantage of their weaknesses. Competitive research provides valuable guidance.

4. Mixing It Up. Don’t put all your marketing dollars in one area, but spread them using both online and offline channels to increase the efficiency of the whole campaign – a rising tide lifts all boats. Integrated marketing results in cost-savings because all areas of marketing communications work together as a unified force leveraging the same planning and creative work across multiple disciplines.

No go forth and set a realistic budget for 2010 to accomplish your goals. We wish your company a prosperous new year. --KB

Social media du jour

2009-10-13T16:36:00.004-04:00

There is such a proliferation of “how-to’s” and “must do’s” in the social media realm that it is overwhelming to many business owners. Should I have a Facebook account? Should I Tweet on Twitter and how often? While it is great to reach customers in the channels that they are comfortable in, don’t minimize the importance of all the other (dare we say traditional?) channels. That’s right – that dang “marketing mix” that we always talk about. From branding, to direct mail solicitations, to email marketing, to mobile marketing and beyond, there are many, many choices that can and should be a part of an integrated marketing strategy.

Do your homework on the audience you are targeting. Find out how they want to be communicated with and then “touch” them in those multiple ways for maximum effectiveness. What is right for one company might be completely wrong for another, so don’t fall prey to the social media bandwagon if it's not right for your businesses strategy. Stand strong! Find out what is right for YOUR customer, and deliver in THOSE WAYS, even if it’s not the social media du jour.

So, at the risk of today being labeled cliché day: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. My mother always said “everything in moderation” and she was always right. -- KB

Customer relationships

2009-10-05T14:14:00.002-04:00

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a key component of marketing. CRM encompasses all aspects of interaction a company has with its customer – from sale procedures, to customer-service behavior, to the marketing message, to data collection, and more. If you think that something as basic as how you answer your phone or what you include in your newsletter doesn’t impact CRM, you’re missing a tremendous opportunity to build a lasting relationship with your customer.

CRM is more than “customer satisfaction” or a piece of software that manages contacts. It’s a strategy to manage the relationship you have with each customer. It means learning about their habits and needs, anticipating future buying patterns and finding new opportunities to add value to the relationship. Having a CRM strategy is a whole new way of doing business and has the ability impact the bottom line. How? A loyal customer = repeat business. But be careful: does loyal = profitable? Depends on the frequency of buying, the involvement with the brand over time, value of each transaction and the lifetime value of the relationship.

Companies that survive this recession and beyond are the ones who form a strong bond with their customers and keep them engaged, not just give them a points program. --KB

9/11 remembered

2009-09-11T13:03:00.002-04:00

No marketing talk today.

Today is the 8th anniversary of one of the most horrific tragedies in recent American history. It is a day that, as many say, is etched in our minds forever. My office was at 32nd and Madison in NYC during that time, and my memories of that day, of our office and staff, and of my friends and colleagues who were downtown when it happened are still very vivid.

That day was a turning point in my life, as it likely was for many others. When I am referencing an event, it is usually “before 9/11” or after “9/11.” When I see the time on the clock as 9:11, it’s not time for me, but a date, and makes me pause and reflect, even eight years later. The enormity of the losses and how they were caused made me even more alert to my surroundings. But most of all, it made me appreciate people and time, not things. I am thankful for all the wonderful people in my life; we’re here together, experiencing life’s ups (and downs), but mindful of those who suffered losses and lost that connection with someone that they deeply cared for.

So, even though it’s not “Thanksgiving,” take a moment today to give thanks for all the relationships and support you have in your life: your friends, your family, your co-workers, and yes, even your clients. Celebrate all that these people add to your life, and, whenever possible, do what you can to make their life easier. Be a hero in your own world, everyday. --KB

Printer selection

2009-08-27T12:48:00.001-04:00

Although we offer a full range of marketing and creative services including printing, occasionally we encounter a client who wants to handle the printing of a project himself or herself: they know some one in the business, they think they can save some money, they’ve been promised a great deal. Here’s three reasons why this can be risky, especially if you're unfamiliar with the production process:

1. The design process involves many steps, the last of which is printing. This important step is the culmination of sometimes months of hard work by many people — and the choice of a printer can mean the difference between an effective piece and a mediocre piece, between a lukewarm response and an exciting connection with the reader.

2. Successful relationships between designer and printer don’t happen overnight. They are the result of working closely together for years, of communicating openly, of getting to know how each other thinks, and of finding the most effective ways to get the best results. So turning over complicated files to an unfamiliar printer will send most designers screaming, and will likely add to the total price of your project anyway.

3. Printing is a hybrid between technology and art and, not coincidentally, its quality is clearly related to its price. We carefully choose the right printer for each project based on the highest level of quality consistent with client requirements and budget. We’ve established relationships with a myriad of printers, many with specific talents that we can call on for the job at hand. They range from quick copy shops, to short run experts, to high end, full-color printers — and everything in between.

Printing is of vital step in the evolution of many creative projects. Rely on the expertise and established relationships of your creative agency and you’ll save yourself a great big headache. -- KB

Strategy drives creative

2009-08-13T17:09:00.001-04:00

Companies who have a marketing strategy in place, or at the very least embrace the concept, get the most effective work from their creative firm. Why?
• A marketing strategy formalizes a company’s overall mission and marketing objectives for a defined time period (usually one year.) This allows us to keep the timeline and goals in sight as we are working.
• It clearly communicates each marketing tactic, outlining what goal is desired, and what funds have been allocated to achieve that goal. This prevents outrageous creative ideas that drain the budget. (That might sound like a bad thing, but it’s actually a good thing — we don’t want to waste your money!).
• Within those tactics, it defines sales-driven activities vs. marketing-driven initiatives, which are often confused with one another. No matter how creative we are, production and promotion do not necessarily guarantee that customers will buy what you have to sell!
• It identifies your competition and highlights their activities, allowing us to be another set of eyes and ears.
• It offers a deep understanding of your business, and expands our knowledge bank, so we can become true partners.

Cutting-edge creative is great but not if it fails to deliver results or strengthen our client’s brand. We don’t just create smart solutions, we want to make them work hard, too -- KB.

Trail blazing

2009-08-04T14:18:00.002-04:00

I was reading a great blog by Alexandra Samuel on HarvardBusiness.org today. “It's fruitless to try to keep up with the latest social-media trends -- but that's OK, because trying to stay ahead of the curve is a waste of time” she writes. "Keeping up is about following someone else's agenda. The minute you stop trying to keep up, you open a far more exciting possibility: getting ahead with what matters to you, your team and your business."

Thank you, Alexandra, for letting us off the hook. And let’s boldly take that one step further: let’s stop following what others are doing in ALL areas of marketing, not just social media. Let’s all pledge to set our own marketing agendas and choose the path that is appropriate for our individual businesses. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had companies call and love a web site they have found on the Internet, wanting theirs to look just like it (picture: eyes rolling here). First, there are copyright issues. But putting those aside for a minute, every company has different needs, different points of differentiation, different personalities, different services – different everything! That requires the formation of a different brand, one that is custom and unique and fits them “like a glove.” Borrowing someone else’s web site idea would be the equivalent of borrowing someone else’s clothes – they doesn’t quite fit, you look disheveled, your not comfortable, people may not recognize you, and so on.

By creating a brand that is unique, you stop being a follower and become a leader. Emerson once said: “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” --KB

Compartmentalized marketing

2009-07-14T09:48:00.002-04:00

Lately, I’ve seen discussions on topics such as “Crafting your Elevator Speech,” “Can Too Much Advertising be Bad for your Brand?” and more. On the surface, these contain valuable information. But they can be dangerous, too, because they can be evidence of compartmentalized marketing thinking. Yes, in order to engage a prospective customer you must have a compelling “elevator speech.” But let’s for arguments sake say you do, and you’ve successfully conveyed it to a prospect (in an elevator!). You’ve grabbed their attention, now how are you going to keep it? By consistently reinforcing that message EVERY WHERE, making sure that their interaction with your company (your brand) remains constant. That translates into keeping the same message on your web site (when they go there to check you out, which they will do), to how your administrative staff answers the phone and fields questions, to your sales and customer service teams, to your company brochure and more. A “disconnect” in any of these areas will occur if the customer experience is not consistent and will in time create confusion and misunderstanding, and finally they will disengage. (Think about how frustrated you feel when you call the phone company with a problem, and different people give you different answers?!) So the very thing you thought would engage a prospect has, in the end, proved to disengage them!

How can you avoid that? Know, live and breathe your company’s key differentiating factors, and then convey them through every touch point you have with customers and prospects. And don’t fool yourself thinking its not important how your business card looks, or how your administrative staff answers the phone... every opportunity counts. -- KB

Three-legged stool

2009-06-26T17:54:00.002-04:00

Marketing has been compared to the proverbial three-legged stool. To function effectively, all three legs need to be solidly in place:
-One leg is your goals: Without clear goals you won’t move forward.
-One leg is marketing knowledge or expertise: Without this you'll waste your time on ineffective, inefficient and poorly executed programs instead of attracting more clients.
-One leg is your Marketing Plan: Without a plan of action, your marketing won't get done.

This post focuses on the 2nd leg: Hiring marketing expertise. We were at a prospect meeting today, when the decision maker expressed confusion as to what kind of firm he should hire. It can get confusing with so many “experts” claiming to do “marketing,” how does one decipher all the options and select a vendor? Here’s a quick breakdown:

Advertising Agencies. Advertising is one type of “channel” used in marketing. While these agencies often claim to offer a full range of services, they are strongest in advertising, specifically Print, TV and Radio.
Design Firms. These types of organizations focus on a few key competencies such as corporate identity or annual reports and execute them brilliantly. Their focus is narrow.
Public Relations Firms. PR Firms use the media and publicity to gain public understanding or acceptance when dealing with an issue, or helping launch a product or service. PR is an excellent marketing channel used in many marketing strategies — one that offers a legitimacy that advertising does not, since it is not paid for.
Web Development Companies. Most web development companies offer design, programming, production, search engine optimization, consulting and even multi-media integration — but only as it applies to your website. If you engage with only this type of organization, you’ll likely find they are not as familiar with other media, resulting in a nice web site, but a fragmented brand identity. (Different looks and messages for different mediums).
Freelancers. These talented individuals come from one of the above organizations and want to “do their own thing.” Because they generally are home-based and have no other staff, freelancers are often a cost-effective solution for companies who need projects done overnight, or for small er or specific budgets.
Marketing Firms. Integrated marketing firms will market your product or service in multiple “channels” — advertising, direct mail, internet included — so that your company’s message reaches as many target customers as possible, and is seen and remembered in many different contexts. Integrated marketing firms (with the key word being “integrated”) are not biased to any one channel (such as PR), and create a strategy that the channels that are most appropriate for your specific needs and budget.

To find the second leg for your marketing stool, it is important to thoroughly research all your options, and not just base your decision on price. A "pricey" firm may end up saving you money in the long run when the one you paid bargain price for doesn't deliver what you need. -- KB

Direct mail demise?

2009-06-23T16:13:00.001-04:00

As an integrated marketing firm, we preach the usage of multiple channels to convey your marketing message — maximize the reach to your target customer. But some industry players (Borell Associates, for one) predict that more businesses will soon abandon direct mail campaigns in favor of email campaigns. The upside? Email campaigns are cheap and eco-friendly. The downside (isn’t there always a downside?) is that email campaigns require good email management software, familiarity with a whole different set of rules and regulations and a database that’s clean as a whistle.

Once again, it all goes back to your database, or list. If it’s not clean, you’ve just “spoke to deaf ears” and possibly killed a few trees at the same time. The US Postal Service claims that 3.4% of First Class Mail is UAA: undeliverable as addressed. For standard mail (marketing and promotional offers), that figure jumps to a staggering 6.4%. Lets do quick math for a moment, shall we? In a simple #10 direct mail letter package we did for a large fortune 500 company last year, we designed, printed and mailed 35,000 pieces, for a total cost of $15,003 or .43 each. (This is a fairly low number — costs typically range from .50 to 1.00 per piece for multi-component packages). If 6.4% of those were undeliverable (quantity of 2,240), that’s a waste right off the top of $963 for each mailing. We did four mailings of this particular campaign, which in the span of 6 months could have resulted in a loss $3,852, if their list was dirty. Thankfully it wasn’t.

So what can you do? Whether its for direct mail or email, cleanse your database and then allocate some resources internally or externally to maintain it. And then work with a marketing professional to determine the right channel for your message – print or email. --KB

Marketing momentum

2009-06-19T09:12:00.005-04:00

I try to keep the topics in this blog relevant to our everyday marketing experiences at Hudson Fusion. This post is no exception. One challenge that has reared its ugly head lately is momentum, or lack thereof. Clients have started projects and for one reason or another have “hit the pause button.” Reasons? One client cited they were “massively sidetracked with a business opportunity that is consuming 100% of our time” while I suspect another has analysis paralysis.

“Intermittent marketing” or marketing that doesn’t maintain momentum can be devastating. Here’s a scenario we often see: Clients do some marketing and get some results, and then think they don't need to do any more marketing because they’re finally doing well. What then happens though, is that business slows down (because they’ve stopped marketing) and they have no prospect pipeline. And filling that pipeline takes time (and, surprise, marketing!). By marketing consistently over time, this does not happen.

Here are a few things your company can do to maintain marketing momentum:
1. Pick your battles. Even with the most solid marketing plan, there never seems to be enough marketing money to support every activity. Assess initiatives and prioritize what is of most importance, and then KEEP GOING. A recession is not the time to lose touch with customers, and certainly we all need to acquire new ones.
2. Create an Action Plan. Notice I avoided using the term “Marketing Plan?” People are intimidated with the nebulous and often misused term of “marketing.” Having an Action Plan helps keep your marketing initiatives working smoothly, effectively and almost mechanically in the sense that it doesn't require a lot of thought or effort to keep the activities going.
3. Keep an open mind. If the same old marketing activities (in your above Action Plan) are not reaping ROI, consider shifting the mix of your marketing channels. Every day, more solutions present themselves and a marketing professional can help you determine which channels are right for your message.
4. Consolidate your resources. It’s difficult to manage multiple vendors — it’s both a time and money sucker and can get overwhelming. Using fewer more qualified vendors can eliminate frustration, allow you to leverage the same creative muscle and net you a deeper level of commitment from those few.

William Wrigley Jr., the founder of Wrigley Company once said: “I keep marketing for the same reason a pilot keeps his engines running once he gets off the ground.” Businesses that stop marketing soon find that their customers have taken off. --KB

Marketing experts

2009-06-17T13:56:00.003-04:00

Physicist Niels Bohr once defined an expert as “a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.” In marketing, there are a lot of mistakes to be made, especially by small businesses. Here are three that this expert has often witnessed:

1. Not having a marketing strategy. It can be as complex as a formal marketing plan, or as simple as an informal outline. But you can't get anywhere without mapping out a path to get there. The good news is that a strategy can be developed at any time, and refined over time to take into consideration economic factors, market changes, competitive players and industry trends. It’s a fallacy to think that if you make a plan, it cannot be changed. Make a plan, and monitor it monthly, even weekly, and continually refine it to make sure your business is headed in the right direction.

2. “I could do this myself if only I had the time”. This is the critical tipping point, where most small business entrepreneurs fail to take their business to the next level. They never grow from their “do it yourself” mentality to where they hire the expertise that they don’t have and then “let go” enough to take advantage of that relationship. You would never hire an attorney and then not take their advice or represent yourself in a big case, or go to the doctor and decide to do some needed surgery on yourself because you have the time. In other words, don’t hire a marketing agency because you don’t have the time to market effectively; hire a marketing agency because you want their experience and expertise.

3. Thinking just your logo is your Brand. A company’s brand, everything from the use of color, design, photographs, language style, personality, logo and taglines builds a specific and calculated image of the company it represents. These characteristics give a clear indication of how the company behaves, looks, talks and feels. Just like a person, a company has a brand personality from which people make judgments about whether to use (and how often to use) their products and services. Create a total brand for your company so your customers will see you as you want to be seen, not as they (sometimes erroneously) perceive you to be.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes in marketing, try new things, and keep your mind open. And if you want to shortcut mistakes, consult a professional. To quote a famous Rolling Stone song: “You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes not getting what you want is just what you need.” -- KB

Recognized professionals

2009-06-11T16:28:00.005-04:00

Last night was the Advertising Club of Westchester Big W Awards and Gala. It’s an annual event when my industry comrades and I gather to showcase our creative work from the past year and congratulate each other on being clever and brilliant. Hudson Fusion worked hard in 2008, and so far have been awarded 14 creative awards this year including the 10 awarded last night: two Golds, five Silvers and 3 Bronzes in all (for more info go to: http://www.hudsonfusion.com/news/index.html). I am proud to be associated with such talented people, and grateful that most (unfortunately, not all) of this creative community understands that as a united front, we all stand a better chance of surviving this recession.

But the atmosphere at the event this year had another dimension. Sadly, we were also congratulating each other on still being in business. The economy has been tough on those of us in the marketing and advertising world. While clients admit they need to stay visible during times of recession, what’s the first thing that gets cut? Marketing and advertising. The very vehicles that keep their company’s message “top of mind” to their customers are slashed, or worse yet, eliminated. What can we do as an industry? Forbid our customers from proclaiming doom. We can’t allow them stick their heads in the sand and pretend this is not happening. We need to guide our clients to understand the implications of their actions (or lack of them). Cutting a marketing budget during a recession is rarely considered a smart move and can be one of the biggest mistakes a business will ever make. As money becomes tighter, they need to know how to hold on to existing customers and yes, even find new ones.

Now more than ever we need to couple this clever brilliance we possess with marketing innovation and guide our clients to market smarter. They need to be gently reminded to stick to their goals, and not be sold on a project (by anyone claiming to be “in marketing”) just because it’s inexpensive or “cool.” Not all marketing activities are appropriate for all companies. And if a marketing activity doesn’t show a return, or add to the credibility and awareness of an organization, it needs to be examined for validity. Only recognized marketing professionals can do that. -- KB

Creative (public) service

2009-05-22T14:47:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, Hudson Fusion initiated a creative public service event. As part of our “Giving Back to the Community” initiative, we asked the Volunteer Center of the United Way (Westchester Chapter) what we could do in our community to inspire creativity. We live here, work here, and love this community. They matched us with the Lois Bronz Children’s Center in White Plains. The idea was to read a book to the kids, and then create an art project around the book, using our creative juices. We took it a little further…

We secured a local author and illustrator, Jennifer Thermes, who agreed to read her book Sam Bennett’s New Shoes to the kids as part of our event. Then the art began! Not only did we create and bring seven different drawings of shoes to color and decorate, Education Coordinator Tonya Johnson came up with two other projects to stimulate the kid’s imagination. A shoe sculpture was constructed with screws and masking tape and finely decorated with foam cutouts, and shoe prints were made by filling a roller with paint and imprinting shoe tread onto paper.

I was quite thrilled that the kids used their creativity and imagination to further their lessons learned from Sam Bennett’s New Shoes. I was humbled by the staff and their patience, knowledge wisdom and training – these kids were wonderful! Kudos to all the Staff at the Center, and to Felice Harris, The Center’s Executive Director, for their amazing dedication to these kids. It was fun and fulfilling to be a part of it, if only for a day. -- KB

PS. We’ll post pictures on our facebook page: http://tinyurl.com/c5rd9b

Strategize vs. Panic

2009-05-14T09:12:00.004-04:00

As I talk often with fellow business owners in my business community, and fellow creative service firm owners across the US, I’m finding a great disparity in how they are dealing with this current recession with regard to their marketing. At one end of the spectrum are panicking business owners who are reducing their minimal spending to a full stop. At the other end are businesses, like Hudson Fusion, who are continuing their carefully planned marketing strategy. I am quite puzzled by the differences in approach during these troubled times. Why would you cease doing the things that brought you to success in the first place?

People always ask us what we’re doing, and sometimes that question is asked with an edge of defiance. So, without giving away ALL our secrets, here’s a rough idea of how integrated marketing works for Hudson Fusion:
--We have an ad campaign running in three regional publications designed to provoke, and send the viewer to our website or to call us for more information.
--We’re sending out press releases (we just won two Summit Awards!), and planning a creative public service event with the Lois Bronz Children’s Center in White Plains next week. We know PR builds our organic search rankings and provides greater awareness.
--We’re continuing our SEO pay per click campaign, which brings us leads from businesses searching for our services online. We monitor the keywords monthly, shifting budget from one keyword to another as needed.
--We’re continuing to blog and twitter, about everything, as often as we can.
--We’ve deployed segmented direct mail campaigns, with specific messaging that drives targeted sectors to our website and to the telephone to call us.
--We've instituted an enewsletter called Infusion, which we write and send out quarterly with one topical article and one case study from a client, which links to our site.
--And we’re continuing to network both online (LinkedIn and Facebook) as well as offline at events….

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Integrated marketing, where “channels” cross to support one another, works. Remember, for every action (or lack thereof) there is a reaction. -- KB

David vs. Goliath

2009-05-12T09:24:00.005-04:00

I read an article in Adweek last week ("West Coast Ad Vets Launch Motta + Morris," May 7, 2009) that got me thinking (doesn’t take much, does it?). Two industry veterans, Brian Morris and Phil Motta, formed a new agency, Motta + Morris. This alone is not monumental; agencies come and go every day. But their business model is an indication of the shift in mindset of today’s business culture. One that is long overdue, in my opinion.

According to the article, people questioned the duo “if it's really the right time to start a new advertising agency,” and they replied “yes, if it's the right kind of agency for the times we're in.” With clients demanding fewer and more experienced people to work on their account, their business model is focused on efficiency. Thankfully, clients are tired of the layers needed for execution and the services they don’t want or need, and are actively looking for alternatives.

In an article in The New York Times last week titled "How David Beats Goliath" (May 11, 2009), Malcolm Gladwell writes about when the underdog breaks the rules and how they win almost 1/3 of the time. The story of David and Goliath has become a cultural paradigm for us -- standing for the battle waged against long odds. People just make the assumption that Goliath always wins. Not so.

The lesson learned is about facing your giants, assessing their weaknesses and crafting a strategy to beat them at their own game. Motta + Morris have done that. We urge our clients to do that. Do you? -- KB

Eco-friendly marketing

2009-04-23T14:32:00.004-04:00

Earth day was officially yesterday. I propose “Earth 24/7” as an initiative, so that we keep the preservation of our environment top of mind, every day, in every action we take.

When the desktop computer was in its infancy, I heard a gloomy forecast that went something like “this is the end of print” (meaning printed company literature would cease to exist). Well, that hasn’t happened. But businesses have gotten smarter about using multiple channels, not just traditional print channels, to deploy their brand and message, and that is a positive step towards environmental friendliness.

Take for instance, direct mail. Communicating with customers and prospects is vital to the success of any business. Paper can be reduced to minimize waste (and save money) by using email instead of direct mail. BUT, you must first find out HOW your customers prefer to be communicated with —some favor printed pieces they can hold and look at, while others prefer the simplicity of email. Don’t make blanket changes to remove print communications and replace them with email without understanding how that switch will impact the experience your customer has with your brand. Second, if your customers do wish to be communicated with by paper, there are ways to do that responsibly. Use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Papers (or at the very least recycled papers), vegetable-based inks, and eliminate metallic inks is a start.

Other ways to reduce waste include cleaning up your database, and segmenting your customers so that only those interested in a particular message will get that message. Consider altering your product packaging or even your manufacturing process to reduce or eliminate chemicals.

Making a business environmentally friendly is not only good for the environment but good for your business's bottom line because conserving resources and cutting down on waste saves money. --KB

Online brand reputation

2009-04-17T12:35:00.003-04:00

It is undisputed, social media has changed the way we communicate with others, and the speed of which that happens can be breathtaking. For businesses that need to spread the word about something they have in the works, Twitter, Facebook and even LinkedIn work almost instantly. Conversely, unthinking employees, unhappy customers, disgruntled staff and even competitors can and will take advantage of the amazingly simple process of tarnishing your brands reputation online. And once some information is posted “out there” on the Internet, it is difficult to remove.

Online management of your company’s reputation is not a public relations problem, it’s a part of your brand strategy. You should monitor news, social media, blogs and forums for what is being said about your company, products and key executives. If your business serves customers, you may want to monitor yelp.com to keep abreast of the chatter. It’s never too late to start monitoring with google.com/alerts and keotag.com. Continue to post more positive, relevant content so that the search engines “push out of the way” (meaning place deeper onto search pages where practically no one bothers to go) the “bad stuff.” If you find a negative mention, research the situation to see if it merits correction, and then be prepared to take action either by discussing it in person or via your own blog.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” --KB

Self-promotion works

2009-04-10T16:21:00.003-04:00

One challenge that I see many businesses grapple with is self-promotion. They are reluctant to stand out because they don’t know how to promote themselves without sounding like aggressive “chest thumpers.” These businesses often take a very passive approach and hope to get noticed by their actions, ultimately assuming that people will connect their actions to their skill and expertise. Rarely happens.

Self-promotion can take many forms. It can be as sophisticated and costly as direct mailings, or as simple and cost-effective as word-of–mouth. Positive word-of-mouth is an excellent (free!) form of self-promotion, but is again passive — you have to wait (and assume) that others will spread the word about you. But another more active method is to learn to brag about your company. Tell others what you are doing in an informative, yet promotional way. Here are two different responses to the same question people ask me all the time: “What have you been up to?” I could say “Busy, busy, busy…working like a dog,” which is factually the truth. But, if I was to self-promote, I might answer this way “Working day and night on a new brand identity for a large regional law firm. It’s my own fault though, they saw the work we did for another firm and now they want to improve their image, too!” By explaining what I’ve been up to, I’ve subtly promoted what we do, and that its sought out by others.

I encourage all my clients to read an excellent book called “Brag: The Art of Tooting your Horn without Blowing It” by Peggy Klaus. People like successful people; they think that your success will rub off on them. So practice promoting your successes every chance you get. --KB

Bad reputations

2009-03-27T13:38:00.004-04:00

Every industry has “bad guys” who tarnish the reputation of the entire industry. On Wall Street we’ve seen some very specific examples lately, like Citigroup and Merrill Lynch (see January 23 post). In the marketing world, the Federal Reserve is taking action that (unknowingly?) helps the marketing industry’s reputation. On April 9th, in 7 of the states hit hard by foreclosure, The Fed is running advertising to head off predatory marketers who charge high fees for foreclosure advice that is available for free from government and accredited non-profit organizations.

Everyday, we as marketers preach to our clients that in minds of their customers, perception equals reality – what they think is their truth. When you deliver (or are perceived to deliver) on what you promise, you send a message out into the world about who you are – that’s your brand. Consumers are savvy: when you send a misleading message, your brand will inevitably get a negative perception and the trust your customers have with you will deteriorate. But even worse, these negative perceptions can snowball and impact an entire industry, even if only a few culprits are involved.

So for us marketers, acts like that of The Fed help counter our industry’s negative perception. And if all of us responsible marketers continue to market our client’s products and services with honesty and integrity, consumers will climb back up the loyalty mountain and trust again. -- KB

Marketing drivers

2009-03-26T15:17:00.003-04:00

Living near a major metropolitan city, I believe you can tell a lot about a person by how they drive. This post takes that premise one step further, and draws parallels between how people drive and how these same people would likely approach marketing.

Leadfoot Lenny. This driver is always in a rush, and speeds right by every opportunity on his way to get to his destination (often a “crisis du jour”). In the marketing world, this guy thinks his fast actions are a good thing. But in reality, the speed in which he operates blinds him from ever seeing any other possible route to get to his destination.

Timid Theresa. This driver sits and waits a very long time to enter busy traffic. You’ve seen the type -- she is afraid to inch her way out, and as a result, she waits, and waits, and waits for someone to allow her to go. Theresa is not a risk taker and it takes her much longer to get to her destination than it should. I’ll hedge a bet that sometimes she even changes her plans to avoid the pressure and anxiety of entering busy traffic.

Helpful Hannah. This type of driver lets everyone in front of them, making the rest of us look bad. By being overly considerate, she is looking out for everyone, often forgetting about herself. In the marketing world, she is so busy connecting people and giving free advice that she neglects her business. Helpful Hannahs are truly good-hearted people, but tend to go out of business quickly.

Roadrage Regina. This driver is hostile and prone to sudden emotional outbursts and inappropriate reactions. If another driver does something wrong or reckless, anger and frustration overrides any good judgment this driver posesses. In the marketing world, erratic, reckless behavior is the antithesis of planned strategy.

Flexible Frank. This driver is generally one of the pack and “goes with the flow” of traffic. He has his destination in mind and has planned a route to get there. He is, however, flexible enough to change his route without panicking, if there is a detour. If he were to be involved with marketing his business, it would be with planning and determination.

What kind of driver are you? --KB

Irresponsible marketing

2009-03-24T21:54:00.006-04:00

I apologize for the infrequent posts lately. As I tweeted last week, I am “knee deep” in Discovery for a new client in the legal services industry. Discovery is an exciting time at Hudson Fusion because it allows us to totally immerse ourselves in our client’s world. We gain a deep understanding of their business landscape from all angles (not just what they tell us): first from them in a Discovery Workshop, then from their customers in one-on-one surveys, and finally from their competitors via research. This step in the process gives us an un-biased perspective that guides our strategy, and ultimately the creative work we develop.

For those of you unfamiliar with Discovery, it’s the first step in our own three-step process of what I call “responsible marketing.” Discovery>Strategy>Creative is the process in a nutshell. Discovery at the beginning of a client relationship uncovers conflicting perceptions, hidden truths and yes, even hidden gems. Having this 30,000 ft view allows us to formulate a strategy that is based in fact and research not whim or gut reaction -- a marketing strategy that is more responsible -- which in turn nets creative that is more on target.

Irresponsible marketing is not just about selling alcohol to teens, or tobacco to an addict. Irresponsible marketing is also spending a clients marketing budget without appropriate research and planning. -- KB

Social Tweeting

2009-03-12T18:23:00.002-04:00

Social media is exploding — people can’t be connected enough! While LinkedIn serves to introduce and exchange business contacts, and Facebook (and MySpace) gives a personal face to a business, Twitter is now coming to the forefront as a viable means of pushing out messages for businesses as well. What is Twitter? A micro blogging platform that allows users to publish short messages (only 140 characters) that can be delivered like instant messages on the web or your cell phone. “Tweeting” is simply a way of attracting attention. Here are a few ways businesses can use Twitter:
--Direct Traffic: to your website, or a specific page on your site
--Get News: get the quick scoop on news and events that are happening in your industry
--Communicate with your Customers: A twitter feed can provide them mini updates on new products or promotions
--Human Resources: hire a consultant, connect employees, set up meetings, or quickly feed updates to field workers
--Crowd Sourcing: blast a note asking for advice and get instant feedback

While social media is a relatively new medium, it hasn’t been fully embraced as part of organizations marketing mix. Keeping connected with customers and prospects is what it’s all about. --KB

Company culture

2009-02-27T10:52:00.003-05:00

Countless companies cite their “people” as one of their main points of differentiation amongst their competitors. And in an ironic twist, some of the same companies are clueless as to the culture these people are creating within their organizations.

What is “company culture” and how does it impact the brand of a company? Every time people unite for a shared purpose, such as working for a company, a culture is created. This culture is a compilation of the entire groups values, behavior, dress, attitudes, and more. When a company’s culture is weak, there are no shared values, staff loses confidence in the management, and they tend to concentrate more on problems vs. opportunities. When a firm has a strong culture, the company can achieve great results because employees not only understand what to do, but how to do it.

Why is this important to your brand? Your “people” are often your front line of defense – with the exception of your web site, they may be the first interaction your customer has with your organization. How your people act (behavior) and react (attitude) play a huge role in the overall experience your customers have with you. A great experience nets loyal customers: think Apple and Google. A bad experience because of poor customer service (your people) often loses customers and has a ripple effect to everyone they tell.

In light of this poor economy, take a look at your company culture right now. It is much more difficult to change your corporate culture once it has fully emerged than to proactively create a corporate culture you want while it is still malleable. -- KB

Brand overload

2009-02-19T09:24:00.005-05:00

According to Advertising Age (2/17), part of General Motors restructuring plans will sell, spin off or eliminate some of its brands (Hummer, Saturn, Saab) and focus on Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick. Does anyone else think they need to dig a little deeper?

GM claims finding buyers has been extremely difficult during this recession, and I have no doubt that is true. Do you think this might have anything to do with the fact that the auto market is saturated with so many of the seemingly same options?

During the last couple of decades while the economy was stronger, American businesses increasingly gave consumers more personalized products, more varied experiences, and more choice. Consumers demanded it -- they deserved it! But last year, as the economy showed signs of halting, a movement began to emerge. Some Americans began to downsize and streamline their consumerism, almost ashamed at the excess that had become a part of their lives. Now, in the middle of a recession, with no end in sight, Americans are telling companies they don’t want or need such a vast array of choices anymore by their spending habits. They want more than a few good choices that are worthy of their dollar, but not the confusing array has been paraded in front of them as “new” and “unique.” It’s the job of companies like GM to assess what is needed and wanted by their customers and then deliver on that. It seems simple, but in this case more (product offering) does not necessarily equate to better.

Some would argue that a recession is like a cleansing: the brands that are not strong, and fall short when differentiating themselves, fail. GM is luckier than most companies; it has a government bailout to help it survive. Now lets see what it does with this opportunity. --KB

Value Propositions vs. Marketing Position

2009-02-18T10:30:00.004-05:00

As I was doing research for a law firm client, I was stunned to find that firms in this industry sector do a fair job of defining their marketing positioning, but a poor job of stating their value proposition. Perhaps they don’t see the difference? Perhaps they need Hudson Fusion?

A value proposition is a clear statement of the results a customer will get from using your products or services. The more tangible your value proposition is, the better. There are three basic types:
• A product leadership value proposition offers one-of-a-kind products and services, state-of-the-art features, and innovative solutions. Customers embrace and buy from these companies because of their distinct capabilities. Think Apple.
• An operational excellence value proposition offers unrivaled price, quality, on-time delivery, selection and availability that their competitors can’t match. Think WalMart.
• A customer intimacy value proposition focuses on the quality of their relationships with customers and offer "complete solution" They don’t try to have the lowest price or the most innovative products. Think Nordstrom.
Companies achieve success by choosing one of these and concentrating on it, yet still maintaining satisfactory levels in the other two areas.

The value proposition of a company is not to be confused with its marketing position — its points of differentiation from competitors. A marketing position is a clear statement that conveys what you do for whom, and why you do it differently (and better) that your competitors. Your marketing position should address these 4 key areas:
• What specific market category you are in
• Who your target audience is
• What are your competitive points of differentiation
• Why tour target audience should buy from only you

Having clarity in these two areas will direct your company to make better decisions about marketing, operations and sustainability. -- KB

Social Media "Pull"

2009-02-10T20:58:00.008-05:00

My business partner, Cindy Penchina and I made a presentation this morning to about 10 CEO’s in an executive forum. Well, actually Cindy did the bulk of the presentation – the topic was how businesses can market smarter in this horrid economy, and she gave an overview on social media. The crowd was receptive, and it was a productive hour.

While we are an integrated marketing firm and embrace a multi-channel approach to marketing a business, we took a moment to explain the difference between “inbound” lead generation (a pull strategy) and “outbound” lead generation (a push strategy). In a down economy, a pull strategy makes more budget sense because you are pulling in prospects who have already expressed an interest in your company, so the conversion rate and sales cycle should be shorter. In a "push strategy", you are pushing out your message to whoever will listen. When budgets can accommodate a more well-rounded plan, you should combine those inbound initiatives with outbound programs such as direct mail, advertising and for maximum reach. But in a economic downturn, social media can be good alternative to build your business.

Most companies are still finding their way around social media, trying to understand how and when to use it. From LinkedIn, Facebook, and MySpace, to YouTube, Twitter, message boards, podcasts and blogs, choose and use each media the way that is most receptive to its audience. Monitor (and address) what is being said about your company, build your company's reputation and connect with influencers and decision-makers. --KB

Ineffective RFP's

2009-01-28T21:37:00.006-05:00

My partner and I have been responding lately to an increased number of RFP’s (Requests for Proposals). Today, when I read an article called “A Decent Proposal” by Cal Harrison, it prompted this post. Cal challenges that the RFP method that is supposed to objectively select and hire the best professional for a particular job, actually does just the opposite, and I agree.

RFP's are the industry standard in marketing, communication and other service-type organizations in the business world. They attempt to evaluate and select from multiple service providers, scoring on criteria such as service capabilities, service levels, hourly rates, timelines, industry expertise, references, pricing and more. Each criterion in the RFP is given a score, and the highest score wins.

On paper, that may sound like a good deal. But we find that RFP's are often lengthy, confusing and contain irrelevant criteria. Who cares what the hourly rate is if the work is project based? Scoring on this criterion is an easy, but inappropriate way to measure intangibles such as creative services. Even how RFP’s are written is unclear because organizations don't know what to ask. We’ve seen our share of vague and nebulous requests that have prompted more questions than answers, and we’re baffled as to how these organizations can make an intelligent decision. Finally, an RFP with out a budget, as many do not have, is a red flag to a reputable firm. A budget puts everyone on a level playing field — with everyone’s price consistent, it’s much easier to compare expertise and value! It’s a waste of time to blindly guess as to what a prospects needs.

So why do we do RFP’s? We rationalize it by convincing ourselves that if we get a project opportunity from a substantial company, it will open the door for more projects. The jury is still out on that one. We can’t change the industry, but we can look for relationships with clients who don’t waste the time searching for firms they could hire, but focus on engaging the firm they should hire. --KB

Customer (un)profitability

2009-01-22T09:31:00.006-05:00

I’ve recently talked a lot about using this recession as a time to re-group, re-think your strategy and plan for the future. (See “Planned direction” my January 6th post, “Unrealistic expectations” my December 29th post and "Emphasizing value to customers," my November 11th post.) But there is another angle to surviving this recession and building profitability that could use a second look: your customer base.

Larry Selden, professor emeritus at Columbia University and co-author of Angel Customers and Demon Customers asserts that the bottom 20 percent of customers can drain profits by at least 80 percent, while the top 20 percent can generate 150 percent of a company's profit! Knowing this, how can you use this information to transform your business? Marketing (of course!) — profile your customer base. If your customers are consumers, collect information on gender, age, income, current use of products/services, purchasing behavior, geographic location, and more. If your customers are businesses, look at information such as company size, geographic location, annual revenue, industry, purchasing patterns, length of engagement and more. Compare the information from your top 20% to find “common threads” and it will reveal the type of customer that is the best fit for you and the type of customer you should be targeting in your marketing efforts. So, if your marketing budget is shrinking, like it is for many businesses, why not use the funds you do have to acquire more profitable customers?!

Customer profitability analysis is time-consuming, but the results will yield tremendous insight and define a portfolio of customers worthy of your products and services. --KB

Embrace change

2009-01-19T14:11:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow’s Presidential Inauguration will make history and we here at Hudson Fusion are very excited. President Obama seems poised to make change. As with any good leader, he has surrounded himself with talented bi-partisan individuals, and seems ready and willing to call upon them to help run this country.

As I ponder some suggestions to offer our new president, here is my strategic thought du jour: eliminate excess. America -- consumers, businesses, and yes, the government -- needs to look at proportions (or rather over proportions) and learn to operate on what we need, not just what we want. Are 4,800’ square foot homes really needed when 2,800’ would suffice? Are executives in failing companies like Goldman Sachs really entitled giant bonuses? Do consumers really need so many different car styles from each maker? Should the government really bonus investment staffers (Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System) when the fund lost significant money?

You may be scratching your head and wondering ‘what does this have to do with integrated marketing?’ Work/life parallels are endless in my book. I believe businesses need to look at their budget, marketing or otherwise, and see what they are doing that could be done differently, and more efficiently. Think about every dollar spent, and the consequences of spending that dollar. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – now is not the time to stop marketing. Now is the time to market your company smarter. Look for tactics that can provide the most bang for your marketing buck. And if you haven’t already, start measuring the effectiveness of your programs. Learn from this, and change your tactics if the data tells you to.

CHANGE! It’s not just for government, anymore. --KB

Planned direction

2009-01-06T10:40:00.002-05:00

Running a small business is no easy feat. Everyday, we see entrepreneurs do something well so they start a new business. They tend to “fly by the seat of their pants” and initially succeed to a degree, but long-term success is always just out of grasp. Why? A good gauge is of their success or failure is whether they embrace planning, specifically marketing planning.

One of the top areas we see organizations fail is lack of marketing planning. Businesses start with some marketing activities, but when sales improve, those marketing efforts cease. Then when sales slow down, they restart their marketing efforts. Their activities are erratic (as are the results) because there is no plan to follow.

Reaching success — however you define it — takes planning and then discipline to systematically follow the plan. Marketing planning can happen internally with key members of your team, or externally through experienced professionals. But in both cases, businesses need to identify their best customers, and then devise ways to anticipate and satisfy their needs. No customers, no business.

The more time you take to invest in planning and marketing (the discipline) the more it will pay off. You’ll stay visible and you’ll keep the momentum going. --KB

Unrealistic resolutions

2008-12-29T20:56:00.004-05:00

This year, make a resolution to stop making unrealistic resolutions. Since it is reported that only 8% of those making resolutions actually achieve those resolutions, the time has come to take a look at where we (the collective we, including businesses) have fallen short in the past year and craft resolutions for 2009 that are attainable. Small steps forward are better than standing still, or worse yet, stepping backwards.

While we are an integrated marketing firm, we understand that to run a successful business you need to approach it holistically and from every angle. Before you make any impractical New Year's resolutions, take a look at operations, sales, customer service, marketing and more to see if any improvements should be made that will help your bottom line. It costs nothing but time and brainpower to take a deeper look into your business. Assemble a team -- those that work “on the front line” not only management -- to help in this assessment. Leave the mindset of “we’ve always done it this way” and “that hasn’t worked before” at the door. We’re in the midst of an entirely different economic climate and that requires some new and possibly unconventional solutions. Listen, gather suggestions and input, and then as the leader, make the decision on the few areas in which you will focus your resolutions. A good idea can come from anywhere.

Once you’ve chosen those few areas to target, devise an uncomplicated plan of action and make a promise to monitor those areas throughout the year. If you pick just a few, and they are realistic, you’ll minimize failure and set yourself up for success. --KB

Apples to oranges

2008-12-19T10:37:00.007-05:00

I was chatting with a prospect earlier this week who was confused why our design costs for a brochure were so different than those “design” costs quoted from a local copy shop. I’ve had very similar conversations with other prospects comparing our fees to a Freelance Designers fees. It’s an “apples to oranges” comparison. Let me explain why…

A Freelance Designer is generally a “one-man” show, a “Jack of all Trades” if you will. While many are tremendously talented, they generally take on less complex projects since their resources and time are limited – its just them! Local copy shops hire layout artists who might have a graphic arts background, but not necessarily a graphic design background. Design Firms have different employees who have a breadth of expertise in different areas such as copywriting, branding, marketing, design, production, etc all making contributions to your project.

The biggest difference between these types of choices is brand development and strategy. Design Firms (specifically integrated marketing firms) make sure all projects (website, brochure, PR, advertising, etc) support one another, across multiple platforms. Freelance Designers focus on the project they are assigned, and often times there is a “disconnect” with other materials the company is using that they did not create. Local copy shops will require you to know what you want.

The cost to work with a Design Firm is higher because you are given a higher level of expertise, in all areas. They offer insight into how one project relates to other materials already in place or currently under development…. guidance with messaging, branding… recommendations on production methods to produce more cost effective or dynamic work. Great Design Firms will not ask “what do you want?,” and give that right back to you. They will listen to your needs and blend them with what you should have. --KB

Misunderstanding marketing

2008-12-10T11:28:00.010-05:00

The holidays are a time of celebrating, reconnecting and even networking (you never stop being a business owner!). Last night, as I was attending the Annual Holiday Blast of the Westchester Business Council at Antipasti in White Plains, I was met with several blank stares as I introduced myself as being from Hudson Fusion, an “integrated marketing and design firm.” It’s terminology that most people don’t understand, and I struggle daily to redefine the terminology of what we do so that it is more understandable. Here’s a snippet of one conversation:
“…we’re an integrated marketing and design firm.”
“Oh – can you help me get more speaking engagements?”
“Absolutely. Do you have a website?”
“Yeah, but it needs updating. I need to find someone to do that.”
?
This gentleman clearly did not connect that a website was (or should be) an integrated part of his marketing strategy. And, as he gave me his business card, he embarrassingly apologized for the photography on it: “ I need a new headshot, it looks terrible on this card.”
?
When it comes to marketing, this man was no different than many small business owners I meet. While they are highly skilled and possess expertise in a specific area, marketing is unfamiliar territory for them. And thanks to some bad marketers (all industries unfortunately have their imposters), widely misunderstood. If I could give only one piece of advise to small business owners, it would be to understand that everything “customer-facing” (everything that a customer could potentially see) — a website, a business card, a brochure, an article in a newspaper, a sign, your “elevator” speech when you meet a potential customer — IS marketing and it all needs to be consistent and connected.

Using multiple resources to integrate marketing is often difficult (but not impossible) because no one person or firm “owns” the strategy. Integrated marketing is best implemented by a firm specializing in integrated marketing (!) because they will ensure all your messages in every medium —website, brochure, public relations, etc — are connected and come from a single unified voice. --KB

Advertising shortfalls

2008-12-09T11:00:00.001-05:00

Is anyone else tired of the advertising on TV lately? I am IN the creative industry and my tolerance is waning. I keep seeing ads telling us why we should buy this, or donate to that, and they don’t seem relevant or credible to me. This morning, it was Kellogg’s telling me it wants the ‘best’ for my family… ‘the best conversations, ‘ the best (whatever). Really, Kellogg’s? You want the best for me?

I must be very jaded, but I don’t think I am alone. We’re always preaching to our clients about conveying their unique selling proposition when they advertise or market their products or services – make it clear why their customers should purchase from them and not their competitors. But I see a lot of brands fall short of this these days. Yes, they are advertising to gain awareness, and yes, they are doing it with frequency to gain familiarity. But the next step in the decision-making process involves consideration, and when a buyer asks himself or herself “does this meet my needs?” and they have no instant answer, the buyer will simply not make it the ‘choice’ stage and the connection is lost.

Consumers are bombarded with messages, they didn’t ask for, don’t need and even find disruptive. Businesses need to look carefully at their target audience (with the help of a qualified marketing firm!), and craft messages that are meaningful, relevant and timely. Not just fill up “white space” or airtime because its there. --KB

Backseat designers

2008-12-08T12:58:00.000-05:00

Once in a while a new client asks to “come in and sit with us” as we design or create their work. While this doesn’t happen often, it does make me take pause to explain why that doesn’t work for most agencies including Hudson Fusion.

First, good direction is critical. We ask our clients for a significant amount of information at the onset of every project so that we have very clear direction before our designers set pen to paper (or hand to mouse). Sometime, we even reframe and rephrase it back to them for approval in the form of a Creative Brief. This document gets us all on the “same page” and even forces our clients to double check their thinking, and refine or re-clarify their direction. So if a client is asking to come in and sit with us, that typically means they haven’t thought things through, which sends up a red flag. Second, the creative process is not linear. It happens at any moment, and we run with it when the timing works. But because it’s a process, some parts of it are methodical — we go through steps of elimination, trial and progression — to build something. So again, to have someone come in and “sit with us” at the opportune moment as concept(s) are devised would be difficult to arrange; and even if that WAS possible, to explain or educate as we use our training and expertise though the trial/elimination/building process would be exhausting.

But (and this might be a whole other post), this is usually more about trust than direction. When you select a creative firm to work with, you are, in essence, transferring trust. You need to trust yourself — that you have done your homework and provided clear guidance. And then you need to trust your agency to use its expertise and skills to develop work that is unique, memorable and on-target. --KB

Holiday giving

2008-12-04T13:17:00.001-05:00

As our team sat around the conference room table at our weekly production meeting a few weeks ago, we brainstormed about ideas for client gifts this holiday season. Not only is this the time of year to recognize and thank all our clients for their support, but also it’s a time to reconnect (and yes, sometimes disconnect). But with the economy the way it is, giving gifts just seemed out of place. Many businesses are struggling to stay afloat, and even more non-profits are struggling to survive, with donations shrinking. So it didn’t take much for us to connect those dots: expensive gifts were out this year (and who can afford them anyway?), and in their place would be a heartfelt message and a donation to support a local charity. It’s hard to put our intent into words for choosing to do this, but when the trampling to death of a person at a WalMart in Long Island on Black Friday occurred, we knew we were on the right track. We wanted; no we NEEDED to focus on humankind, not bargains or gifts.

In lieu of gift-giving this holiday season, Hudson Fusion has made a donation to The Volunteer Center of United Way, on behalf of all our clients. The Volunteer Center works with more than 600 nonprofits in the community and refers over 12,000 people to service projects each year, increasing the quality and quantity of volunteers who give their time to Westchester and Putnam Counties. For more information visit www.volunteer-center.org.

From all of us at Hudson Fusion, we wish you a warm, meaningful holiday season. --KB

The talk AND the walk

2008-12-01T17:47:00.001-05:00

I’ve read many articles recently from marketing “gurus” that claim the key to business success is to craft a market position that conveys you as an expert in your field or industry. While that is usually effective, it’s not the whole story. Here’s the “rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say.

Yes, crafting a unique marketing position (also known as your USP, your Unique Selling Proposition) so that your business stands out from your competition is critical. But if your points of differentiation are your “people”, your “exceptional customer service” or your “high quality” product or service, get back to the drawing board. Those are a given these days. Customers are looking for more, something that everyone else doesn’t say or do, something they can believe in. What truly makes your business different? If you can’t answer that with anything more than those three things I just mentioned above, you may need to take a serious look at repositioning your business.

Equally as important to carving out a unique positioning is to put your money where your mouth is, and deliver on it. I have seen many infant companies fail to develop their USP, and then when they do, fall short of conveying it within ALL their marketing messages. Customers want to buy from a company that fulfills their needs and they want to feel good about it. Set expectations, tell customers who you are and what makes you different, and then be accountable. They’ll reward you with trust, loyalty and coveted word-of mouth referrals. --KB

The communication connection

2008-11-26T13:16:00.000-05:00

Communication connects people. Clear communication is critical to understanding. Since I’ve encountered two different types of miscommunication in the past few days, I thought my first post, post vacation, would be about this subject.

First, my vacation was wonderful and Barcelona has now become one of my favorite cities despite an accident on the last day. Not paying attention to where I was going, I whacked my head on a streetlamp, got a nasty, bloody cut near my right eye, passed out, and was treated via ambulance to a visit to a Barcelona ER. I speak very little Spanish, and the very nice residents who stopped to help spoke very little English, so communication was a struggle. But we worked hard to connect: they conveyed to the ambulance and police what they saw happen, and I was transported to the ER and treated by a Doctor who spoke English, so the communication chain was successful. (And I am eternally grateful to the citizens of Barcelona!).

The second incident of miscommunication came with a client just yesterday and was not as successful. On a conference call showing creative concepts for a website design, we were trying to uncover what was not working for them since we had executed our designs based on direction they gave us. When we present work, we only show concepts that fulfill the direction given and that are representative of good design. In other words, we don’t do crap, and we won’t present crap! And 99% of the time, we are on target with our first design concepts. However, this particular client was asking for a certain style to be conveyed, and yet each time they communicated examples of what they wanted it was contradictory to that style. We were (are?) at a communications impasse, not understanding each other!

Most miscommunications are the result of poor listening and hidden agendas, not poor articulation. Effective communication involves effort from BOTH sides. Understanding, trust, good listening skills, and the ability to reformulate your message in different ways to convey your point will help make your communication more effective. --KB

Empasizing value to customers

2008-11-11T13:54:00.000-05:00

The dreaded “R” word (Recession) – some say it has arrived. Companies are “getting back to basics” (as if they should have ever strayed so far to begin with?). They are cutting unnecessary spending, ending business class travel and 5-stars hotel stays, and preserving cash. But smart marketers know few businesses can shrink their way to success. Case in point: luxury marketer BWM. They are retooling their ads to emphasize how their products offer value to consumers during tough economic times. (Notice I didn’t say they are cutting their ad spending?) Dell seems to be using this downturn to invest in research and development and product innovation. Recession-proof strategies of pushing out more and more product aren’t going to work any more. What will? Looking closely at your customer base may provide insight into different customer segments that need to be served. Assessing if what you market can be bundled differently, providing more value. Innovating new products that will be ready to launch when this “R” ends. --KB

Presidential race lessons

2008-11-06T09:49:00.001-05:00

Now is the time for change. Barack Obama promised it, the American public believed it. So as we enter this monumental time in our nation’s history, I can’t help but to draw comparisons with the businesses I talk with every day. Obama’s team were genius marketers. Experts say that Obama’s strength was his unwavering strategy, a motivational “Yes We Can” empowered people to believe that change can and would happen. On the other hand, McCain changed strategies several times, causing some to use that as evidence to support the observation of erratic behavior. Jack and Suzy Welch say Barack Obama won the White House by sticking to three leadership principles: Having a clear vision, executing it cleanly and making friends in high places. A key takeaway from this LONG election escapade is that proactive strategic planning sets a steadier course to achieve a goal. Conversely, “quick fixes” that are reactive to address a “now” issue, often cause a mission to veer off course.

So with this new administration, a sort of “re-branding” of our government, we (I am talking like I have a part in it?!) have yet another chance to craft a new economic strategy: one that builds over time on goals and accomplishments rather than reacting to current events piecemeal. I see evidence of this on a smaller scale every day – new companies launching, existing companies re-branding and re-positioning themselves as they move from infancy or a “pre-teen” business mindset into maturation. There is a mission to grow, to increase revenue, to enter a new market or to introduce a new product, and yet there is no real strategy on deck to accomplish the goal. Next to developing a brand, it’s the next biggest marketing component I see companies “skimp” on, thinking they can accomplish it themselves.

Business leaders and owners can learn vital lessons from this presidential race. You may have a great idea, but it takes a team with a clear vision and the discipline and ability to execute it, to win the race. --KB

A business challenge

2008-10-30T11:33:00.001-04:00

Earlier this week, the Marketing Communications Council, a subset of the Westchester Business Council met for a roundtable discussion about the local business climate. We were privileged to also have in our attendance, Jerry Gleeson, a business reporter from The Journal News. Knowing this, I was on my best behavior! But in all seriousness, my industry comrades and I shared strategies about what we were seeing, what was working for our businesses, and conversely what was driving us bananas. Nearly all of us agreed that while the phones were ringing less, there was business to be had out there; it was just more challenging to find. Jerry wrote an excellent article, which can be found at: http://www.lohud.com/article/20081029/BUSINESS01/810290342/1066

So as the phones are quieter, I challenge every company to use this time of slower business movement to reflect about the direction of their business. Is your differentiation from your competitors clear? Do your give your customers a compelling reason to choose you and not those competitors? Does your brand connect with your customer? Is it consistent? Where are you getting the most bang for your marketing buck? There is no better time than the present to assess, make adjustments, plan for change and come out of this economic downturn a stronger and better organization. --KB

America the brand

2008-10-27T10:09:00.001-04:00

As we get closer to the presidential election, our patriotism as a nation gets stronger. And even though we’re divided among party lines, one thing still unites us— the American brand. The United States of America is arguably the most powerful brand in the world. We have dominant military to defend us. Other nations talk about us, try to relate to us, emulate us. We’ve continued to deliver our brand promise of the “American Dream” for a few hundred years. We also possess one of the most iconic symbols in the world, the American Flag. It encompasses a brand that represents so much: rich history, our strength as a nation, honor, freedom, and unity. Even at half-staff when we’re mourning a loss, it’s a sign of respect and we come together to grieve.

To remain a superpower, the ultimate brand leader, we all need to protect the American brand and our reputation. How can we do that? Quite simply, vote. Do your research, and exercise your right to vote on November 4. It’s one of our most important civil liberties. It’s our obligation to protect the freedoms we enjoy. And it's what will keep the American brand strong. --KB

Humor has its place

2008-10-20T16:15:00.001-04:00

As I was guest teaching at NYU last week (see previous post), a student made a comment that warrants discussion. I was speaking to these direct marketing students on how good design is the conduit that bridges marketers to consumer behavior. Of course I was expounding upon the virtues of a strong brand, and urging them not to define a brand as a “logo” as so many others in my industry erroneously do. A brand is NOT just a logo or a mark, it’s all the intangibles of a company as well: visuals, sounds, words, emotions…. It was at that point when one young man wanted to know why creative people didn’t “use humor for everything.” “Wouldn’t it be better, more memorable?” he defiantly asked. “Better for whom?” I retorted. I gently reminded him that HOW he delivers a message must work hand-in-hand with WHO is receiving the message. One size does not fit all. Hallmark uses emotions to tug at the heart strings of its target audience, Jet blue uses tongue in cheek humor. You have to understand what appeals to your target audience, and then craft your message to be accepted. And this is where great creative work comes into play. Humor IS a wonderful way to get attention, but different things are funny to different people. Humor worked for Taco Bell with the tiny talking Chihuahua. But, as another student so pointedly pointed out “it wouldn’t work for an ad for suicide prevention.” --KB