by Kirby Hasseman
I pride myself on creating content. At Hasseman Marketing, we create podcasts, videos and blogs, and if you are ready this, you probably know this. In addition to enjoying the process, this content drives traffic to our website. That’s all good, right?
Well this week, Eric Dingler did an SEO audit of our website and found something interesting. (Yes we not only do website design, but can provide this sort of service for your website too. Learn more here). You see, some of my blogs are marketing related. These posts are specific to our field of expertise. I might talk about helping your team maintain culture and productivity with a “Work From Home Kit” or we might give you 10 tips on creating better video. These blogs not only help to drive traffic, but they improve our SEO score.
On the other hand, some of the content I write has more of a Personal Development feel. These blog posts are designed to help you (and me) be more productive, chase goals and be more happy. While these blogs are popular (and hopefully helpful), Eric’s assessment of our newly designed site tells us that they “confuse google” as to what Hasseman Marketing does! Well that’s no good!
Would You Be Willing To Change Your Marketing?
The lesson here is simple. It has been well documented that we are living in new and different times. But are you taking a fresh look at your marketing tactics? Just because one path you got you and your business here, does not mean it’s the best tactic to continue today. Are you willing to take a long hard look?
For years, using trade shows and other in person events has been a great way to go to market. But in 2020, that strategy is a tough on to implement. Have you considered Replacing Your Events with Branded Merchandise? This is the right time to have that conversation.
As for me, I am going to work to change too. It doesn’t mean I will stop writing blog posts on why we need to stop being so angry! I enjoy that style of post. It helps me and I hope it helps you too. But I will direct them to KirbyHasseman.com. That is a site I created to promote my books and speaking (yes you can hire me to speak). I will begin posting new blogs there very soon. I am even planning to move some of my older blogs over there too. This seems strange to me, but I am willing to do it if it helps me create better marketing for Hasseman Marketing.
So what are you willing to change in your marketing? It might be time to take a look. And when you are ready, we are here to help.
by Kirby Hasseman
Is it just me, or do people just seem so angry right now?
In nearly every interaction, about every topic, someone seems to have a Ford 150 size chip on their shoulder. No matter what we are discussing, we seem ready to argue. This is particularly true, it seems, online. Everyone seems to be looking for reasons to be cheesed off!
This is one thing the pandemic has created that we can all see…and most of us can easily diagnose. It has created anxiety and fear. And when you combine that with the fact that most of us can’t do what we normally might to blow off steam, have fun, travel, see loved ones, play sports, etc. it gives us time and unused energy. So we are more confined and cooped up, and more reliant on media and social media. While I am a fan of social media for many purposes, I find myself getting overwhelmed by the amount of hate and vitriol you can find there right now.
So what do we do about it?
In times of crisis, I find that the best tactics (for me) is to go back to basics. One of my favorite books of all time is 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. And while I should probably just read the whole book again, I was recently reminded of a powerful lesson from the first habit…focus on your circle of influence. The concept is simple. The most highly effective people spend time focusing on the things they have control over. They do not worry about things that are clearly outside of their control. And, when you continually take care of the things inside your circle of influence, your circle often gets bigger.
To me, that is the clear reason for so much anger right now. We are simply focusing most of our time and attention on things we cannot control. It’s maddening and it’s not helpful. How will the stock market fair? I have no idea. Will there be a football season? Got me. Did Carol Baskin kill her husband? Yes, of course she did. But I can’t do anything about that either!
Lately, when I have been feeling overwhelmed, I try to center myself over the things I can impact. I spend time in my Circle of Influence. When I do that, I find that I not only feel better, but I get a lot more done too.
Make sure you never miss a post. You have some control over that. You can head to our blog page here to catch up. Or you can always sign up for our VIP newsletter here. We send one email per week with all of the blogs, videos and more.
by Kirby Hasseman
Yesterday, my wife and I had lunch at a brand new restaurant in Coshocton. And when I say “brand new,” I mean it. They opened yesterday at lunch…and we were there. The new place is called Main Street Station and it’s next door to the Hasseman Marketing office. So we were able to watch from a close distance at how hard they have been working the last couple of months to get ready for this.
Starting any new venture is hard, but working to open a restaurant during a pandemic has to be top on the list of challenges!
Amy and I were there because we are excited to have a new dining spot in Coshocton. But we were also there because we understand how hard it is to start something new. It is challenging and fun, and exciting and overwhelming and scary. As a matter of fact, it can be all of those things at nearly the same time! Your team is looking at you for answers that you don’t yet know. Everything is being done for the first time.
And during those times of launch and exploration, it’s important for a community (any community) to celebrate new beginnings.
These new ventures require bravery. They also require time and money and hard work. But the one thing that people often forget about new businesses is, they require support. If you want to have new gym in town, you need to join it. If you want to have a successful restaurant in town, you need to go and enjoy it.
When someone in your community starts something new, make sure to celebrate it. Patronize it and spread the good news. Look for positives to share…and be a part of the reason that new venture succeeds.
P.S. Amy and I had a great lunch at Main Street Station yesterday. The food was fantastic (and there was a lot of it) and the new decor looks great! And as a side note, both of my daughters are working there too…so stop in and see them! Good luck Main Street Station! You are off to a great start!
Make sure you never miss any content! Check out our blog here to find more content. As as always, you can sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for Episode 41 of the He Said She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at being married and being entrepreneurs and the projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! We talk about business, family, community and more. So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This week Kirby and Amy talk about the importance of getting away. During this different time, Kirby and Amy discuss their struggle with the idea of needing some time away to recharge…and how to do it.
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind we talk more updates on the building at 539. Progress is really happening as the 2nd floor nears completion and destruction on the 3rd floor starts. Kirby talks about an uptick in print business during this time and the new Hasseman U. You can learn more about that here.
Lesson In Life
This week in the “lesson in life” Kirby and Amy talk about the importance of showing up and doing a little each and every day. You can read a short blog about that here. So many people succeed because they just don’t stop!
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week we talk about two couples in Coshocton County that drove around Coshocton in an RV, playing patriotic music on the 4th of July and handing out hot dogs and popsicles. So cool. Learn more!
So that’s a wrap! Thanks for listening to Episode 41 of the He Said She Said Podcast! Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
One final thing…we have created a 5 Day Marketing Course you can take for FREE. There is no catch. Learn more about it here.
by Kirby Hasseman
So here we are in 2020. A lot has been made about the “unprecedented times” we are living. But here we are. As I have said before, we need to stop talking about things getting “back to normal.” The reality is, we don’t know when that might happen. We do need to take an honest look at where we are…and start working to succeed from here.
We need businesses to get rolling again. I mean, we NEED it. But you might be asking “how do I market our business in 2020?” Times have changed. People have changed. We need to consider that as we tell our organizations’s story today. So here are some things I see working (right now) to market your business in the world we live in.
Direct Mail
In a world where people are less likely to leave their home, direct mail has become more effective. Yes, it’s a bit old school, but it’s a low cost way to reach the masses right where they are. And if you can create a creative, valuable offer, you have a real chance to stand out in a mailbox full of bills.
Email
One of my favorite things that Joe Pulizzi says is that we are very comfortable ( as marketers) with “rented lists.” The radio, tv station or Facebook owns the list…and we just rent access. But a real, vetted email list of people who have subscribed to what you have to say is a list that you own. You get to decide when you send it, what they see, and who gets to see it. You have to provide value, or that audience can opt out. But there is real power in owning the list. And I am not sure how long it will last, but email open rates have actually gone up during this pandemic. Give value through your email list and you can make an impact in 2020.
Postive Content on Social
In this 2020 world of arguing politics, racial divides, mean spirited debates and complaining, your organization has a chance to stand out. Just create content that is nice! Regardless of the content platform, most of us are starved for something that provides us joy and inspiration. If you and your organization can show up like that (consistently), you have the chance to gain a real audience and a real following.
Branded Merchandise Kits
You don’t need me to tell you, but the traditional way we see our customers and employees has changed right now. Many events have been cancelled. Trade shows have been put on hold. Heck, even the idea of going to work has shifted (it’s hard to believe March was only like 4 months ago). With that in mind, Branded Merchandise kits can be an EXTREMELY powerful tool to reach your target audience. When done right, branded merchandise kits can improve brand affinity, affect behavior, help company culture, and yes, get people to pick up the phone. I talk about one of my clients using branded merch to replace an event they were holding here. If you have your team working from home, there is a kit for that. What if your team is coming back to work? You can create kit to (safely) welcome them back. What about creating an online conference and mailing attendees some cool swag to get them fired up? The possibilities are limitless.
Online Learning
I have been a believer is providing value first in marketing for a long time. Heck, I wrote a whole book about it! Well 2020 is a great time to do just that. Create online learning to provide value to your clients. Our friends at Commonsku created an amazing online conference to do that for their clients and over 800 people attended. It was awesome. That is the inspiration for us creating Hasseman U. We also spent some time creating a FREE 5 Day Marketing Course for anyone that wants to take it. The idea is to provide value for your clients in a new way. When you do that during this time, you have the chance to build real trust with customers and prospects, and come out stronger on the other side.
Those are just 5 ways that I see companies successfully marketing in 2020. I hope this gets your wheels turning! While these are not necessarily prescriptive for your business, what I will say is, now is not the time for business as usual. It’s a great time to really consider how you want to tell your story moving forward.
Good luck!
Want more content? Head to our blog page here for more.
