by Kirby Hasseman
It’s hard to believe it, but we are almost halfway through 2020. Depending on you are feeling this morning, you might be thinking “I can’t believe we made it this far!” Or you could be thinking “Oh my God this is only half over?” Regardless of what camp you sit in, here we are near the end of June. So I thought it might be good to look back at some of the top marketing posts we have written so far this year. This is your chance to make sure you are caught up…and ready to take part in the second half of 2020 (may God help us all)!
Products You Need To Re-Open Your Business: While you may or may not already be open, this post is worth a look. Check back and make sure you are doing all you need to keep your employees and customers safe. We all want to get business back on track, but a recent surge in Covid-19 cases reminds us we need to do it the right way. Read this now.
Replacing Events with Branded Merchandise: This is one of my favorites. Why? Because while we all want to get “back to normal,” I think that in many ways, that is not happening anytime soon. We need to start living in the now (like I talk about in this post) and working to create marketing that works today. This blog talks about a different way to go to market…and one we should all be considering now.
The Real Reason Masks Matter: There is some sort of political divide over masks that I really don’t understand. But this post explains the real reason you and your business should care about them. It’s called “commerce.” Read more here.
What Message Are You Sending: While we should always be thinking about what message we are sending to clients, it’s really important right now. It’s also a great time to really look. Customers are more open to change than ever. Take a look and honestly ask “what message are we sending?”
Creating A Work From Home Kit: More and more employees are going to be working from home. That’s fine and dandy, but how do you continue to create a work culture that matters? One way is to create a kit that makes your team feel valued. Here is a post to get your wheels turning. We can help creating a custom kit just for your team.
These are a few of the top marketing posts we have written so far in 2020. Now that you are caught up, it might be a great time to consider jumping in on Hasseman U. Learn more about that program and how to sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for Episode 40 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 working from home. Most people were forced into working from home during the quarantine. Some people say it’s here to stay. Kirby and Amy discuss their thoughts on what is next on “working from home.”.
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind we talk more updates on the building at 539. The 2nd floor is really coming together and Amy talks about that. If you are interested in being on the waiting list you can find that here. Oh…and we are trying to think of a name, feel free to weigh in with your ideas.
Lesson In Life
This week in the “lesson in life” Kirby and Amy talk about the difference between being “interested” versus being “committed.” What is the difference? They talk about it here!
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week Amy shines a light on the group of people that organized the Black Lives Matter rally in Coshocton County. Well done! Kirby talks about the OPPA group that is working to keep some events going on during 2020 to help keep the wheels of the economy moving.
So that’s a wrap! Thanks for listening to Episode 40 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
It’s becoming a bit overwhelming, isn’t it? Studies have said that 89% of what you see in the world is negative, and right now that seems really low. Between COVID-19, Racial injustice, arguments online, and an Election Year, the level of negativity is off the charts. As a culture, we seem to be drowning in it. It makes giving out joy even more important than ever before.
Why Joy Is More Important Than Ever
In my book “The Give First Economy” I pointed out that the strategy of giving out joy was solid because it helped you stand out. If nearly 90% of what you (and your customers) see in the world is negative, then you can stand out by pushing out good vibes. This is still a powerful marketing strategy, in my opinion. In today’s world, however, it’s not enough. There is just so much heaviness, and anxiety, and worry, and hate surrounding us, pushing out joy can become more than that.
3 ways to become a Beacon of Joy.
Much like sailors lost in a rough sea, many of our friends and customers are struggling. They are fighting to keep their lives and their mental health on track. It can seem overwhelming. We need something to help keep us on track. We can act as that lighthouse in the storm for the people in our life. Here are 3 ways to be that Beacon of Joy for others.
Seek Out Joy
As I mentioned, our culture is drowning in the negative. While there are still stories of hope, you have be intentional to look for them. Make it a habit to look for joyful messages to start your day. Meditate on things you are grateful for. Spend time each day actively looking for the good in your life. The fact is, you will not be able to push out anything joyful if your brain is full of anger. You need to take care of yourself first. Spend some time each day to find something that brings you joy in the world. It’s there. But sometimes, you really do have to seek out joy.
Point Out Joy
When you see something, say something! There are people in every community doing good. Unfortunately, these people are often not lauded for their efforts. Be one of the people that shines a light on those joyful souls. Spend a moment (and sometimes that is all it takes) to say “thank you” to those that are working to create joy. In addition, be their cheerleader. Point out the good they are doing…even when it has nothing to do with you. Help them spread their message of good by pointing out the joy you see in the world.
Give Out Joy
If the world needs to see more joy, it’s time for you to be the light. Each of us has the opportunity to be a reason someone smiles today. Most, unfortunately, are not willing to do the work. You can be the beacon by looking for ways to breathe joy into people’s lives. You might do this be simply being kind. Or you might create videos or a podcast that meets people where they are. Despited the challenges facing the world today, there are so many tools that allow us to push out our message…if we choose to do it.
Today…choose to do it. Be a beacon of joy today. The world needs it.
Thanks for reading. Want more content? Head to our blog page now to find videos, podcasts and blogs.
by Kirby Hasseman
Different times call for different solutions. We are in a different place than we were 12 months ago. So NOW THAT WE ARE HERE (I wrote about that here), what do we do? How do we find ways to go to our clients now? It might be time to invite your client to coffee.
Coffee with Clients
For those of us in sales (and we are all in sales), we need to create new ways to connect with our customers. That bad news is, it has become harder to physically get in the room with them. Some companies are banning travel, while others will not let anyone in the door! The good news is, many people are starved for human contact. So they might be more open to creative solutions in order to connect. Why not invite them for coffee?
The idea is pretty simple. Select your favorite mug or tumbler for coffee or tea. Send them a package with the mug, a K-Cup, and a note inviting them to join you for coffee over Zoom. You can each have a cup of coffee and re-connect while chatting about upcoming business needs for the rest of the year. Either way, you have created a powerful branding “touch” while showing your customers and prospects you can think creatively in the world we are in.
As a side note, make sure the coffee mug is worth keeping.
Everyone has coffee mugs. But if you give them one that is really cool, they will want to use your coffee mug instead. As we always say, the cost of an item is not determined at the time of purchase. The cost is decided at the time of use-age. We used this mug for this idea. I think they are functional and elegant.
Of course you could invite your client without the tumbler. But by adding this simple item, you will increase your response rate 10 fold. And you add a long term branding opportunity as well. Good luck…now go invite your clients to coffee!
As I said, we need to think creatively during this time. Using Branded Merchandise like this can be a powerful way to increase your effectiveness. If you want to dig deeper, check out this blog about how to Replace your cancelled events (anyone have one of those?) using branded merchandise.
If you want help creating a targeted campaign that will get results…please let us know! We would love to help!
by Kirby Hasseman
Nearly everyone has heard the saying “People buy from people they like, know and trust.” It’s often repeated because it’s true. But in the chase for sales and profit, even the best of us can lose sight of that. It’s ironic really. As we take our eyes off the ball of being human to chase the profit, we often lose both.
That being said, sales are still important. And during these strange days, we need to think creatively to still go to market. I have talked about that here before. That is why we have created this 5 Day Marketing Course. It’s free and you can sign up here. We have also created a Weekly series called Hasseman U where we give our customers access to our best suppliers. You can learn more about that (and sign up) here.
Thinking creatively about going to market is what led us to do a day of “Sprint Calls” too.
Everyone at Hasseman Marketing got on the phone to call and check in with our clients. We spent 2 hours last Wednesday calling as many customers as we could. And while anyone in business is always interested in sales, we took a bit of a different approach. It was more of a mental health check-up.
We asked a simple question “How are you holding up?”
And many of us were pleasantly surprised by the results. You see, it turned out this was not a sales call. This was a human check in. It (hopefully) showed we cared. Most of the time, as a salesperson, you can feel like you are interrupting, or a bother. This did not feel like that at all. As a matter of fact, many times we were on the phone for quite some time!
People are hungry right now for real human interaction. Yes, we have Zoom meetings. But how often do you dig below to the surface to really check in? I know I am guilty of just checking off the box so I can get to the next thing on my To Do List. But last week showed me that I need to take more time to be human.
I saw a shirt last week that stopped me. It’s said HUMAN*Kind. Be Both. Let’s take that into business this week. We might be able to do some good…and make some profit too.
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