by Kirby Hasseman
(Coshocton, OH)—Coshocton-based marketing firm and promotional products distributor Hasseman Marketing & Communications is growing again. Hasseman Marketing is excited to welcome Jade Hasseman to their team. Hasseman will be joining the team as an Administrative Assistant and Inside Sales team member.
“I am thrilled to add Jade to the team,” says Hasseman Marketing CEO, Kirby Hasseman. “Jade has an infectious personality and amazing energy and we are excited to see how that helps our clients.”
In her new role, Jade will be the Administrative Assistant to Kirby Hasseman and she will help with social media as well. Jade will be a remote employee as she is located in Colorado Springs. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
Hasseman Marketing headquarters is located at 432 Main Street in Coshocton, Ohio. They can be found online at www.HassemanMarketing.com. In addition, you can follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hassemanmarketing. You can also find more out about our staff at https://hassemanmarketing.com/about/.
by Kirby Hasseman
We know that life is filled with different seasons. Sometimes we live through a season where things are going well…and sometimes not so much. From an economic perspective, this feels like one of those “not so much” times. While I don’t want to over-react and start using the “R” word, I think it’s safe to say we are in an economic downturn. Inflation is a big concern across all sectors, the supply chain is still not back together, and interest rates have risen quickly.
So what do we do now? How do we market in an economic downturn?
While economic downturns are challenging, plenty of companies thrive in them. While the competition and the market panics, these companies seem to not only weather the storm but come out on the other side with a stronger boat (or umbrella…you get the metaphor). Here are some strategies to market your organization in a challenging economic time.
Keep Your Customers Close
When it comes to marketing in tough times, keeping your current clients is job 1. The best organizations take care of their customers all of the time…but especially in tough times. One simple way to do this is to show them appreciation. Studies will tell us that 69% of customers that leave you will do so because of “perceived indifference.” They leave because they don’t think you care! Creating an ongoing system of appreciation is a great way to let your top clients (you know, the top 20%) that you value them and their business.
I say ongoing because it’s not just a one-time thing! Customers are hit with thousands of advertising images a day. By showing appreciation consistently, your organization is able to fight through that clutter and create real relationships that stand the test of time. One way to help customers become a strong member of the tribe is to provide them with quality branded merchandise. The immediate impact is powerful and long-lasting.
Action Step: Create a quarterly appreciation program to consistently thank your top 20% of clients.
Grow With Those Clients
Studies will tell you that it’s easier to get a current client to buy from you than a new one. They already trust you. And yet so many organizations spend all of their time and resources on mining for new customers. New customers are vital of course (and we will get to that), offering your product to your current client base is often the best way to spur sales. Make sure you create campaigns with current clients in mind…especially in tough times.
Action Step: Create a VIP deal for your current clients. Not only will it make them feel special, but it will likely drive sales as well!
Make Your Prospects Targeted
If you want to grow your business, you will need new customers. But during an economic downturn is not the time to do a shotgun blast approach. “If everyone is your customer, no one is your customer.” Now is the time to get hyper-focused on who you want to serve. This will allow you to be more creative and more valuable to your partners during this time. This doesn’t mean you need to get rid of your current customers! It just means that when you are using marketing dollars and resources, you are crafting them to a much narrower audience.
Action Step: Create a niche that you want to target and serve in your marketing and start to create a plan to tell your story to them.
Focus On “Owned” Media
When it comes to marketing your organization, you can rent media or you can own it. Most of us are familiar (and comfortable) with rented media. The radio station “owns” the audience. We pay them for access to that audience for a brief window in time. We rent that media. The same is true for all traditional media. And make no mistake, the same is true for social media. They own those audiences. Even if Facebook makes it feel like the followers are ours, they are not. That is still rented media.
Owned media is the audience that has opted in to hear from us. This is your email or text list. These people have raised their hand and signed up for a newsletter, downloaded a book, or joined your tribe on purpose. You “own” this audience and you get to decide what and when you send them communications. This list is incredibly valuable to your organization and is a powerful tool for marketing during a challenging time.
Pro-tip: Make sure you are adding value through your list…not just barraging them with ads. Remember, they can unsubscribe!
Action Step: Start to create new ways for people to join your “list.” Once you have an “owned audience,” create a schedule of regular communications you send out that adds them value and communicates your value.
Create Content That Adds Value
Adding value is always a great strategy, but especially now. One powerful way to add value to your prospects and customers (and drive traffic to your website) is to create content. This is a wonderful time to create a blog, video series, or podcast that is hosted on your website. We certainly do our best to do that. One of the best ways to get started is to simply create content around what your clients are already asking you. Make a list of the top 5 or 10 questions you (and your team) get asked every day. Now…create a piece of content that thoroughly answers that. This is a great way to add value, drive traffic to your site, and ask them to join your tribe. You can join our tribe here by the way.
Action Step: Start (or re-start) to create content that serves your client.
See The People
Some of the best sales advice I ever got was very early in my career. “When in doubt, go and see the people.” In sales, it is incredibly easy to sit behind your desk and wait for the phone to ring. And when times are rocking, this seems to work. But in an economic downturn, you have to be proactive. You can’t just sit back and wait for customers to come to you. This is the time to go on offense. It might mean upping your social media game, attending conferences where your customers go (read this if you are going to do that), or even just getting out of the office and going to physically “see” your customers.
Action Step: Create a strategy to get out of the office and go to where your customers are.
Increase Your Marketing
Of course, the marketing guy says this, right?
But here’s the thing. During economic squeezes, most people react in fear and retract. The boldest companies dare to do the opposite. Now is a time to invest and look to gain market share while your competitors are afraid to stick their heads out and see their shadow. This doesn’t mean throwing money around irresponsibly. That’s why this is the last tip. If you follow the advice of creating value, focusing on a targeted market, and growing your current client base, you can do this effectively.
At a recent conference, I listened to Dean Graziosi talk about the economic downturn and his advice was simple. “Whatever you planned to spend on marketing this year…double it.”
Update: One place to focus on your marketing is on video. Here are 10 videos we think every growing organization needs to consider.
Action Tip: While your competitors cut back, look for ways to wisely increase your efforts.
Bonus: Invest In Your Team
“Nothing kills a bad business faster than good marketing.” For real. There is no sense in investing in a great marketing campaign in order to send your prospect or customer to a frustrated employee. The experience will do nothing but chase a good lead away forever.
Now is a great time to make sure your team knows you appreciate them. I talk in detail here about how to build appreciation into each day. But suffice it to say, if you are building a tribe with your customers, make sure your team feels a part of it!
Action Tip: Create internal branded merchandise that the team actually wants to wear! It doesn’t need to have a logo on the front. Connect it to the mission!
These are just a few tips on how to market your organization in an economic downturn. If you want to join our tribe, feel free to sign up here. And if you want help creating a plan to help your organization not only survive but thrive, let us know!
by Kirby Hasseman
One thing that we learned over the past few years is that Branded Merchandise can really impact your culture, your messaging, and your bottom line. We know that because, during a time that we could not meet in person, thousands of successful companies reached out to their teams to deliver some “marketing joy” to them while they worked from home. It helped to create a team atmosphere when we could not physically be together. It helped to raise the stature of branded merchandise in the eyes of consumers because nearly all of us saw the power of “doing promo right” play out right before our eyes.
But what happens now that many of us are going back to “normal?”
It would be a real shame to lose the lessons we have learned. Branded merchandise (when done right) has shown that it has the power to lift people up and affect behavior. So now that we are getting back to “normal,” how can you use branded merchandise to create change, build the team, and grow sales?
Let’s talk about how to create a promotion with a purpose.
Determine the Goal
This may sound basic, but it’s foundational. If you don’t know what you want to create, how can you create a campaign around it? Do you want to increase sales or ask people to donate? Determine the behavior that you want to drive. Then you can build your promotion around that! At Hasseman Marketing, our latest mailer is designed to not only increase sales (that is always good right?) but to raise awareness for eco-friendly options in the marketing space. We want to show that you can make a big impact on marketing while decreasing our impact on the environment.
Create the Theme
If you want to affect real change, build that into the theme. Doing branded merchandise right means you don’t just slap your logo on something. Sure…you can do that. But consider the amazing branded merch you love to wear. Most of the time, you are not excited to rep a shirt with one of your vendor’s logos on it. When you create it with a message, you are more likely to want to spread the word. Creating a theme can help you spread the word in a more effective way.
For our mailer, we wanted to create a theme that could be inspirational, and let our customers know that they could start small. So our theme is “Try a little harder to do a little better.” Then we spent the time creating some cool artwork (that did incorporate our logo) to help spread the message.
Select the Vehicles
Now that you have the goal and the theme, it’s time to select the vehicles that you will put your message on. For our new message, we focused on items that all have an eco-friendly impact. From our Allmade t-shirt to our Sustainabalm lip balm, all the items we selected showed that you could create a cool promotional campaign while still being conscious of the environment.
Create the Call to Action
Now that you have done the work to create a cool and powerful campaign, it’s time to tell people what to do! What action do you want people to take? Now is the time to tell them. That might be asking them to donate or to ask them to scan a QR code to head to our online store. You have made this effort to get their attention. Now that you have it, don’t waste it! One our mailer, we put a postcard in the box to explain each product. On the postcard, we included a postcard to take them to our online shop for people to order.
People who are new to sales struggle with this moment when it’s time to “ask for the sale.” They have gone all the way through the process, gotten the meeting, had a nice conversation with the prospect…and then it stops. While it might feel weird to “do the ask,” it’s actually strange not to do it now. If you don’t direct your client where you think they should go…then why have you wasted their time?
Deliver and Follow Up
Whether you ship the package or hand-deliver this “marketing joy,” it’s time to get them in the hands of your clients and prospects. And while you have done the amazing, proactive work of creating a work of art…now can be the most powerful step. It’s time to follow up.
“The fortune is in the follow-up.” This is a sales maxim that is powerful because it’s true. You have created a cool marketing piece that is sure to affect human behavior. But here is a little secret. Humans are busy. And they are easily distracted. They might be dazzled by your package and totally interested, but something urgent has come across their desk and it took them away from it.
Create a disciplined follow-up plan to keep in touch with your prospects if you want the best results. You don’t have to be overbearing, but it’s imperative to follow up. If you don’t, you will be wasting a lot of time and resources. And let’s face it, if you have come this far, you have done it because you have a purpose. You have a mission. Now is the time to act like it. If it’s important enough to create this…then it’s important enough to follow up!
If you want to learn more about the products in our campaign, you can check out the shop we have created here. Please let us know if we can help you create a promotion with a purpose for your organization. We would love to help!
Hasseman Marketing is your one-stop marketing shop. We work hard to “Deliver #MarketingJoy to you. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, now is a great time to become a VIP. Sign up to be “on the list” here.
by Kirby Hasseman
I was at a small group meeting recently with a group of high achievers. These are high-character people who have had success in their life. I respect this group. As we went around the room discussing things that were on their mind, a theme bubbled to the top for me. Many of the people in the room were struggling with a common challenge. They lacked any positive recognition for their achievements.
Leaders in their organizations did not pat them on the back and thank them for their hard work…and it hurt.
These are highly educated, accomplished individuals. These folks show up every day and do their best. But the cultures they were working in did not recognize their efforts…and it was grinding them down. I am sure if you asked them, they might say they didn’t need a pat on the back. “Doing good work is enough.” But it’s not.
Being recognized for your contribution is something we all need.
We might not even think that we “want it.” We need it. Organizations that don’t understand the human need for recognition struggle. I was watching it happen in front of my eyes. These people who are leaders in their own organizations were frustrated…and the solution seemed so simple. But as I have said many times before, simple is not the same as easy.
Organizations (yes yours) need to do a better job of showing appreciation to their team. As I have said before, there is an Appreciation Gap in most organizations. If you ask leadership if they show appreciation, they will tell you that they do. But most employees don’t feel appreciated or recognized. That appreciation gap creates a divide in an organization that frustrates everyone.
Appreciation Has To Be Intentional
The fact is, life and business are busy. Even leaders that have the best of intentions can lose sight of showing appreciation. We have a lot to do and a lot to manage. And let’s face it, some of us are not as good at thinking of gestures of kindness as others. Unless I make a point of it, I lose track too! That is why leaders need to be intentional about showing appreciation.
We need to schedule appreciation.
As I have said hundreds of times, “If it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist.” If that’s true of my appointments and sales calls, why would appreciation be any different? So here is how to build appreciation into every day of the week. If you do this regularly as a leader, you have a chance to bridge that appreciation gap in your organization and improve your culture.
Monday: Do a weekly walk around looking for people to lift up. Someone on your team has probably done something worth mentioning. Call that out. If not, there might be someone that is struggling. Look your team in the eye. Make it a point to listen. Take an hour a week to lift your team up.
Tuesday: Send one thank you card. If you do this before your day goes crazy, this will not take long. When you stack this up, week after week, your team will feel seen.
Wednesday: Bring in the merch! Once a week, pick out a high performer to recognize with a cool piece of branded drinkware or apparel. There is nothing like cool branded merch to help build a tribe. In addition, by doing this, you start to create a habit of “looking for good things” in your organization. A human brain is an amazing tool. When you tell it to start looking for things to celebrate, it finds them!
Thursday: Take a team member to lunch. By taking some time away from the office, you can really build a better relationship with your team members. And of course, if you are willing to listen, this goes even deeper.
Friday: Send out a weekly email to your team commending some cool accomplishments.
Now…put these on your calendar.
None of these are huge time or financial commitments. They can, however, make a big difference in your team. But if you leave them to chance, they won’t happen. Build appreciation into every day of your week if you want to do it consistently.
Hasseman Marketing is your one-stop marketing shop. We work hard to “Deliver #MarketingJoy to you. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, now is a great time to become a VIP. Sign up to be “on the list” here.
by Kirby Hasseman
“If you build it, they will come.” This is a line from an iconic Hollywood movie called “Field of Dreams,” with Kevin Costner. It’s also one of the biggest lies we believe in business when it comes to creating a new website.
Building a new (or improved) website for your organization can be exciting. It takes a lot of planning and hard work. And hopefully, when you are done, you are incredibly excited about the outcome! The problem that many organizations run into is they think that when the website is built, the work is done. They believe the line from the movie. They have built it…now the traffic will come!
Unfortunately, that’s not how website traffic works.
I hate the be the bearer of bad news, but once the site is functional, now the work of driving traffic to the website begins. This is one of the ways that websites are just like a retail establishment. You can’t just put up the “open” sign and have a steady flow of traffic. You have to do the work. So here are 7 ways to drive traffic to your new website.
Paid Traffic
You have likely heard of Google Adwords and Facebook ads. These are incredibly effective ways to drive traffic to your site. The best part about this traffic is that it tends to be very targeted. When it comes to Google Adwords, they have likely searched for the very solution you provide. For all its faults, Facebook is incredibly good at creating traffic as well. This is a great way to get your website on the map. The downside, of course, is that if your entire strategy is built on paid traffic, the cost will just continue to rise.
Press Releases
This is such an often overlooked strategy. When well-written and well-targeted, this can be extremely effective. We recently launched a website called JobsInCoshocton.com. The idea is to educate 17-24-year-olds in Coshocton County about the opportunities in their hometown. While sending this press release out nationally would make no sense, the local media is very interested. If you pick the right target, the audience might be hungry for your news.
Content Marketing
There are a LOT of ways to use content marketing to promote your new website. The first is to create a blog on the new site or to have other interested bloggers write about it to drive traffic. You can also create videos or podcasts that can talk about the importance and features of the new site. You can also request to be a guest on other podcasts or videos. These content providers may already have an audience that speaks to your target, so you can help them (by providing interesting content) while they help you!
In the example of JobsInCoshocton.com, we will likely feature that team on the Coshocton Conversations podcast soon. That podcast already speaks to people who are interested in the area, so they would be a perfect fit!
Direct Mail
We have said it before here, direct mail is not dead. And with the pandemic, its effectiveness has increased. When you want to drive traffic to your new site, a targeted direct mail piece can be powerful. A few tips to help increase the effectiveness include:
- Make it clear what you want the audience to do. Put a QR code on the piece to show people to scan it so they can head straight to the site.
- Do a postcard so they don’t have to open anything to see the information.
- Add an extra feature (like a magnet) so there is added long-term value to promote the site.
- Make it bumpy. Add a piece of branded merchandise to improve open rates and the long-term success of the mailer.
Branded Merchandise
Using Branded Merchandise is a great way to build a tribe. These brand advocates can become the best source of “word of mouth” for your new website. The best brands have a tribe of people excited to tell the story. And if you are smart, you can make that even easier. You can certainly add your website to items that have a large enough imprint area. And just like your direct mail piece, you can create an amazing piece of merch with a QR code as well.
Branded merchandise is (by its nature) very targeted and also longer lasting. So by incorporating a quality piece of branded merchandise into your campaign, you can not only give the website a boost in the short term but give it a longer-lasting impact as well.
Email and Text
We have talked about the difference between brand marketing and direct marketing here before. Branded merchandise can serve both purposes. Email and text messages are hardcore direct marketing! Your own list of contacts in email and text can be one of the most valuable assets you have in your marketing toolbox. You own that list. By letting these “VIPs” know that you have a new website, you can create direct traffic to the site…right away!
Event Marketing
When you know exactly who you are marketing to, you know what events they attend. Whether that is going to a trade show, a community event, or an educational conference, getting face to face with that audience can be powerful. At these events, you can create a buzz around the website and even show people how to use the new site. This “hand to hand combat” can be a great way to tell the story of your organization…and why the new website can be a great tool!
These are 7 ways to drive traffic to your new website. As you can see, I talk quite a bit about targeting the right audience. Traffic only really matters if it’s the right traffic. By using these strategies, you can not only increase traffic…but the right kind of traffic to the website!
Hasseman Marketing is your one-stop marketing shop. We work hard to “Deliver #MarketingJoy to you. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, now is a great time to become a VIP. Sign up to be “on the list” here.
by Kirby Hasseman
When it comes to marketing our organization, everyone wants to make sure they are up on the latest tips and tactics. And we are here for it. Our goal is to keep you up to date on the latest that is happening in the marketing world. But if you (or your organization) are only jumping from thing to thing to try and catch lightning in a bottle, you will often never create long-term success (especially that you can replicate).
So we wanted to create some foundational rules for marketing. These are 7 Rules for Marketing…from Hasseman Marketing. If you follow these, you will create a marketing foundation that can help you tell your story in a way that lasts.
Give Value Upfront
We believe that we live in a Give First Economy. I even wrote a book about it! This means that entrepreneurs, salespeople, and organizations that provide value upfront will win long-term. They will create trust and build integrity and that will create sales. This value might come in the form of branded merchandise, entertaining video, or an informational blog post. But by focusing on the needs of your customers, and then meeting them joyfully, you can create a relationship that will last for years.
Know Your Customer
I mean REALLY know your customer. The best businesses I know are fanatical about this. They create avatars of their perfect customer. Who are they? What do they care about? Where do they hang out? Really dig deep. When you really know your customer, then you can create marketing that reaches them right where they are. So many organizations create marketing “for everyone.” That is a huge mistake. Most businesses I know don’t have a marketing budget that will allow them to reach everyone. So dig deep into your perfect customer and create marketing that reaches them.
Ask For The Action You Want
While creating value for our customers and prospects is incredibly valuable, you still need to ask them to take the action that you want. Do you know why I loved the Coinbase ad from the Super Bowl? It was very straightforward. Scan the QR code. So many Super Bowl ads focus so much on the creative that they forget the point of the exercise. And many small businesses don’t want to seem overly aggressive by saying “buy now.” You don’t have to ask for the sale with every interaction. But when it’s time to ask your audience to do something…just ask.
You Can’t Over-Communicate
This has never been more true than it is today. With the world, the economy, and the supply chain changing so quickly, we need to use every tool in the toolbox to keep in contact with our prospects and customers. Whether that is through video, social media, blogs, email blasts, or a simple phone call, you need to keep your audience up to date. Often, we feel like we have said something so many times that we are tired of hearing it, but it is just breaking through to many of our audience. As Donald Miller says “marketing is an exercise in memorization.” When your customers start to say your message back to you…you are on the right track.
Brand Marketing Versus Direct Marketing (Do Both)
Both Brand Marketing and Direct Marketing are important…but they are different. I talk about this here. Brand Marketing is about raising awareness. You are not asking your audience to buy (right then). Direct Marketing is when you send an email and make an offer (click here to buy now). Both of these are effective and important. But we get in trouble when we try to measure brand marketing using direct marketing metrics. They are not the same. But it’s important to have both of these in your arsenal.
Reach Your Customer When They Need you
We have already discussed why it’s important to know your perfect customer. This digs just a bit deeper by asking this specific question. Where is your perfect customer when they realize they need your product or service? Now…how cool would it be to meet them there? They might be in their car, or in their kitchen. Either way, creating your marketing strategy about reaching them in this moment of need can be a game-changer.
When In Doubt Keep Going
Don’t get me wrong. This does not mean you should keep throwing good money after bad on an ineffective marketing strategy. But so many organizations are incredibly impatient with their campaigns. They don’t commit at the beginning of a strategy about how long they will stick with it. This is especially true with content. An organization decides to start creating content (more brand marketing than direct marketing by the way), but then they want results in 3 weeks. Often the answer is just to keep going…and do it again tomorrow.
While this is not an exhaustive list, it’s a good foundation. If you (and your organization) can follow these 7 Rules for Marketing from Hasseman Marketing, you will be off to a great start. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, now is a great time to become a VIP. Sign up to be “on the list” here.
