At Hasseman Marketing we are so excited to announce that Kirby Hasseman is releasing his new book “Hit The TARGET.” The new book, which is a parable, is based on the TARGET marketing framework that we teach our clients in order to market their organization better.
“I am so excited about this new book,” says Kirby Hasseman, CEO of Hasseman Marketing. “I have never written a book like this and I hope it will make our TARGET marketing framework relatable to everyone.”
The new book is about Michael Mark. Michael’s life is in shambles. His wife died in a tragic car accident, and his business is falling apart. Michael gets a call from the bank and learns that he is about to lose his family home…and he has 3 weeks to save it. Michael meets Charles and begins to learn to take control of his life. Charles teaches Michael about the TARGET marketing framework in order to help him turn his business (and his fortunes around). While the lessons are powerful, will Michael be able to turn his business around in time to save his home? Will he be able to Hit the target?
Kirby Hasseman is the author of several other books including Delivering Marketing Joy,Fan of Happy, and the Give First Economy. In addition, he is the CEO of Hasseman Marketing. Hasseman Marketing is a full-service marketing agency in Coshocton, Ohio. Learn more about Hasseman Marketing at HassemanMarketing.com.
I was incredibly saddened when I heard about the passing of Jimmy Buffet. As I say below, his music has meant a lot to me for years. The blog (and podcast) below, was created years ago. But I felt the need to dust it off, refresh it, and give us each a chance to go to that “One Particular Harbor. Here are 5 Lessons from Jimmy Buffet. Read below…and Sail On, Sailor!
Let me say from the beginning, that I am a Jimmy Buffett fan. I have liked his music since college and have been to, probably, 10 of his concerts. As I have told my daughters, his music just takes me to a place with a smile on my face and a drink in my hand…no matter where I am.
But on my way to work the other day, listening to Tin Cup Chalice, it occurred to me that Jimmy has a lot to teach entrepreneurs and content creators if we are willing to listen.
Create a Niche
When Jimmy Buffett came to Nashville many years ago, it seemed nobody wanted him. He didn’t look like a country singer. In those days, he didn’t sound like a country singer. But he stayed willing to sound like “Jimmy Buffett.” Over time, he created a niche audience that wanted to hear the island sound at One Particular Harbor. Once he created it, that audience has loyally followed him for years!
Lesson: Don’t wait for someone to choose you. Create the audience yourself.
Have Fun With It
If you have ever listened to a Jimmy Buffett song, you know he talks about Changing his Latitude and his Attitude. His audience buys in. One time at a jam-packed concert (in the beer line) I accidentally bumped into another guy, spilling his drink. I quickly turned to apologize (that sort of thing can get you punched at many concerts). The guy said, “It’s cool! You are at a Jimmy concert!” Jimmy oozes a fun laid-back attitude…and people respond.
Lesson: If you have fun with what you are doing, your audience will too…and they will love you for it.
Don’t Focus on Your Weaknesses
Though I am a big fan, I certainly can recognize that Jimmy Buffett is not the best singer or best guitar player. I am sure there are times you feel the same way about being a content creator. There are better writers. But don’t let that stop you. Had he worried about his weaknesses, he might never have moved to Key West in the first place. Bet on your strengths and put out your best, consistently. Soon, like Jimmy, you will be playing for a packed house.
Lesson: Don’t let your weaknesses stop you from telling your story!
Age Is Just a Number
Every year I hear a rumor that “this tour” will be Jimmy’s last. But every year, he keeps traveling the country to entertain his fans. Too many of us want to work hard so they can retire. If you love what you do, keep rocking as long as you want!
Lesson: Keeping rocking and doing your thing as long as you want!
Nail Your Core…Then who knows?
For years, Jimmy Buffett was “just” an entertainer. He had some songs like Margaritaville that were popular and he played concerts around the country. But somewhere along the way, his music became a way of life. Recognizing this, Jimmy built a restaurant and bar called “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” Now he has huge restaurants, and casinos and even brews his own beer. He nailed his core and then built his brand from there. Jimmy started as an entertainer but has built himself into a true entrepreneur.
Lesson: Do what you do best…then keep your eyes open for opportunities along the way!
So let’s take a lesson from Jimmy and work hard at having fun. By taking his lead, maybe we can create the next iconic brand…and spend some time in Key West too!
It’s time to reach…and it’s time to build your reach. This blog is part of an ongoing series of blogs featuring the TARGET Marketing Framework. You can get our TARGET Marketing Playbook for FREE here. Now let’s talk about how to increase your reach in business.
The first part of Reach is to simply reach across platforms and start to build your brand. This is when you want to create content targeted at providing value to that perfect customer. The format may vary (as will the social media platform), but you must create more content than you are comfortable with.
This is when you will hear that voice in your head…pushing back.
The more you push, the louder this voice will get. You will hear things like:
“Who do you think you are?”
“No one wants to hear from you!”
“This is too much!”
“You are full of yourself!”
“Yeah, but…”
And much more. This is the voice inside your head that is trying to keep you safe and comfortable. And when it comes to Reach…you will need to get uncomfortable.
Gary Vaynerchuk, in a recent interview, said that you need to be creating up to 40 pieces of content a day, across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Read that again. 40 pieces of content per day!
Hear that voice yet?
While I am not going to prescribe a specific number of posts you need to make per day (though I love that Gary V does), I will say, it’s more than you think. This is brand building in a noisy world. One post per week is not going to cut it. You have to force yourself to reach.
It’s time to Give First
I have said that we are in a “Give First” Economy. The entrepreneurs, marketers, salespeople, and organizations that provide value first, are the ones that are going to win. This builds trust and integrity with the exact audience you want to reach. It means you are creating content that actually provides value.
So many small businesses use social media like all other forms of advertising. They just sell, sell, sell. And while there is a time to go for the sale (we will talk about that next), now is the time to answer questions, give tips, and entertain. During the R stage, you are building the relationship and building a brand.
Need a basic jumping-off point? Start with the ten questions you find yourself answering all of the time. Now create content that honestly and thoroughly answers those questions. These might be blog posts, TikToks, YouTube videos, and Instagram posts. But by answering the questions and giving first, you are starting to build a real relationship with those you want to serve.
Finally, while you are Reaching across platforms, don’t forget to build your Reach. What I mean by that is, to keep nurturing the list you are building for your organization. Now is a great time to continue to promote your lead magnet. It’s also a great time to deliver this relevant “give first” content to your list.
This is a great way to continue to build the value of your list by giving them value on a regular basis (that is not just a sales pitch).
How big is your list? This blog is part of an ongoing series of blogs featuring the TARGET Marketing Framework. You can get our TARGET Marketing Playbook for FREE here. Now let’s talk about how to build a list for your business!
What do I mean? I simply mean, how big is your list of customers and prospects that could buy from you? And do you own that information? Do you have their phone numbers, mailing addresses, and emails?
Oh…and do you have permission to contact them when you want?
If you don’t have a list…you don’t have a business.
The A in TARGET means it’s time to Attract your perfect customers and prospects to your owned list. This will not only allow you to provide them with valuable content but will also let you provide them with great offers when the time is right.
But what is “owned” media?
As business owners, marketers, entrepreneurs, and salespeople, we have gotten very comfortable with “rented” media. Rented media is when someone else owns the audience, or the audience’s attention. They decide who and what is exposed to it. And they charge to give access to that attention.
The radio station owns the audience. The TV station owns the audience. The newspaper owns the audience. We simply rent some time. And to be fair, they should own the audience. They have spent the time to create that relationship with the audience. They have created valuable content for them.
It’s not your audience. You are paying to have access.
And for those of you saying, “I don’t use traditional media; I have my audience on social media.” Bad news. You don’t own that audience either. Facebook owns it. YouTube owns it. TikTok owns it. The reason I know that is, if that platform goes away, or changes its algorithm, or just gets mad at you, it can all go away…just like that. You don’t own those contacts, the platform does.
A couple of years ago, Facebook and Instagram just went down for about 6 hours. No explanation. Just…down. And many of my entrepreneur friends lost their minds. Their entire business went down with it. They had no way to contact their clients.
It was a great reminder. While I am a big fan of social media (and we will talk about that in just a minute), we need to continue to work to grow our own audience, so that when (and I did not say “if”) one of these platforms goes away, we still have access to the audience we have created.
You need to create “owned” media.
So how do you do it? Here are 3 ways to grow your list.
Start with the low-hanging fruit.
First, if you have an existing business, reach out to those clients you are already working with. Explain to them that you are starting a newsletter (to provide them with value, content, etc.). In it, you will send them special deals for being a part of this “VIP” group. In addition, I like to let them know how often I will be sending the email (and promise not to spam them). We have all been on the list that sends 12 emails a day. That’s no fun…and it diminishes your trust with the audience. You want to provide real value for your perfect customers and prospects!
Now that you have established your list, it’s time to actively grow it.
Second, use your social channels to ask. If you have created a following on social media, this is a great place to invite people to follow you for “VIP” access. Explain the same thing that you did to your customer list. What are you going to send them? How often will you send it? Why would they want to sign up? While not everyone will sign up from this invitation, some probably will jump on board!
Third, it’s time to create a lead magnet. A lead magnet is some piece of content that will provide that prospect or customer with something that has a lot of value to them. This is why it’s so important to spend time on the (T) section identifying that perfect customer. By knowing them, you can create something that really addresses their needs.
This lead magnet might be a PDF, a video, an audio, or a video series. But it’s something that helps your perfect customer go to where they want to go. And let’s face it, it needs to have real value. If someone is going to give you their email, they want to make sure it’s worth it. So, I am a big believer in trying to over-deliver here.
This is a perfect place to start your relationship on the right foot.
Now that you have the lead magnet created, don’t be shy about sharing it! This needs to be prominently placed on your website, social media, and maybe even on your business card. Make sure you are giving every prospect and customer the opportunity to give you their contact information!
Remember…if you are proud of the content you are sharing on this email…then they need to be a part of it!
Bonus Idea for Starting the List
Another idea for kick-starting the list is by creating a contest. In this example, you might give away something really cool (that your perfect customer would love) in order to gather names for the list. This can be a great way to get your list started.
My wife and I renovated an old building in Coshocton, Ohio. She did a ton of work on the building, and it is now a successful Airbnb. We have people from all over the country coming to our community to visit…and they stay with us. It’s really cool. (You can learn more at ChooseCoshocton.com).
The problem, as I see it, is that we don’t “own” the audience. Airbnb owns it. And to be clear, we think they do a great job. But what happens if Airbnb goes away? Our business goes with it.
So, we decided we wanted to be more intentional in creating an avenue that we could communicate with our intended “Targets.” The problem was, we had none of their contact information.
So, we started with a contest.
We posted a contest giving away a two-night stay in our community. In addition, we offered a $50 gift certificate at two local restaurants. We created a landing page to capture the information and posted to social media. In addition, we also asked the local Convention & Visitor’s Bureau to include the contest in their email (an audience of people who visit our area that they had created).
The result was great! We got several hundred people who signed up for the contest and became the beginning of our own “owned” media. We have since created a lead magnet for the area and continue to build the list.
Hasseman Marketing, a leading marketing company in Ohio, has been named to the PPAI 67 Best Companies to Work For list. This recognition is a testament to the company’s commitment to creating a positive and engaging workplace for its employees.
According to PPAI magazine, the 67 companies that made the list were selected based on several factors, including employee engagement, work environment, benefits, company culture, and opportunities for professional growth. Hasseman Marketing stood out among the many businesses considered, thanks to its exceptional performance in these areas.
“This is such an incredible honor,” Hasseman Marketing CEO Kirby Hasseman said. “I am so proud that our team has created a culture where we all want to work together…and do great work for our clients.”
One of the reasons why Hasseman Marketing is such a great place to work is its dedication to fostering a culture of innovation and creativity. Employees are encouraged to think outside the box and come up with new and exciting ways to help clients achieve their marketing goals. This approach not only benefits the company’s clients but also allows employees to feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. In addition, Hasseman Marketing works to create a culture of fun.
Overall, being named to the PPAI 67 Best Companies to Work For list is a significant achievement for Hasseman Marketing. It is a testament to the company’s commitment to creating a positive and engaging workplace for its employees. As the company continues to grow and expand, it is clear that it will continue to prioritize employee engagement and development, setting an example for other businesses in the marketing industry and beyond.
The Apple TV series Ted Lasso has been a hit with audiences and critics alike, but it’s not just a heartwarming comedy. It’s also a treasure trove of leadership lessons that can be applied in any workplace. Here are five lessons in leadership from Ted Lasso.
5 Lessons In Leadership from Ted Lasso
Create A Vision: Give your team something to BELIEVE in. If you want to build a great culture and a great team, you need a unifying vision. Your job as a leader is to create that vision…and get them to buy into it.
Listening Builds Trust: Sometimes as leaders, we think we need to tell people what to do. And sometimes, we do need to do that. But often, when you listen to those who are on the front lines of your team, you can uncover real issues that need to be fixed. And when you do that, you build trust.
Forgiveness Is a Superpower: This is a theme over and over in Ted Lasso. We all make mistakes. Some of your team members will too. But when you can forgive those mistakes and move on, you can forge real and strong relationships.
Toxic People Kill Culture: We have all seen it. When there is an uber-talented team member, they often get special treatment. And when that person is a jerk, it can really tear down the culture of the team. Getting rid of that talented team member can often be the bravest and most powerful move a leader can make.
Power In Positivity: When you create a culture (like Ted does) where you continually lift people up, they feel better about the organization. And in my experience, if you spend time lifting them up on a regular basis, when you need to provide candid feedback, they are more open to it. Ted Lasso created a positive culture that provided a fertile ground for success. I hope you do too!
