If you are a marketer or an entrepreneur, you likely have more than a few challenges. But one of them is most likely, where to spend your time and resources. There is finite time and money, and you want to make sure you are doing the thing that will bring you the most return. Mike Michaelowicz turned me onto this idea in his book “Fix This Next.” Mike created a “Business Priority Pyramid” so that entrepreneurs can decide what is the right thing for them to be working on each day. I found this to be a powerful tool in order to make sure my efforts are going in the right direction.
But I find this to be a challenge for marketers too! There are so many marketing options to spend your time and resources on, it can be tough to know what to work on next. In addition, it seems like every day, a shiny new marketing tool comes out. As marketing professionals, we want to stay on top of the latest trends. But you don’t want to spend all of your time distracted by the newest toy…and lose out on the foundation.
That is why we created our HMC Marketing Pyramid
The concept is simple. We have created our HMC Marketing Pyramid as a worksheet for marketers. We have created levels so that you know where you are on your marketing journey. It also helps you prioritize what you need to work on next (or budget to work on soon). As you go through the pyramid, you want to check each box where you feel you are strong (or at least comfortable) where you are. After you go through the whole checklist, go to the lowest part of the pyramid where there is an unchecked box. That is where you need to start! You need to have a strong foundation if you want a pyramid that is going to last.
Rookie Level
If you love sports metaphors, you are going to dig this. If not, think of this as the foundation of your marketing plan. You might be starting a new venture, or you want to get back to basics. You start at the Rookie Level. At that level, you want to make sure you are happy with your logo, basic branding, website, and more. If you leave something un-checked here, no problem. It just shows you that it’s time to work on that to move your marketing efforts to the next level.
Starter Level
And speaking of the next level, now you are a starter! At this level, you have mastered the basics and you want to begin to be more intentional and more consistent. This is when you “up your game” on communication and letting your best customers know you love your fans.
All-Star Level
All-stars take it to the next level, and that is exactly what this ranking means. Once you have completed all of the tasks at Rooke and Starter, you can take bigger swings. Sure you have social media pages, but do you have a plan? Have you made the transition from rented media to owned media? I talk about what that means here. This is what happens at the All-Star level.
Hall of Fame
Marketers and entrepreneurs at the Hall of Fame level are truly building brands. They have custom events to showcase their services and to connect with their tribe. Many also feature custom apparel that their customers actually pay to wear! Now THAT is a brand!
So where do you land on the HMC Marketing Pyramid? This is a jumping-off tool to help you plan what should be next for marketing your organization. Let us know if you want to meet with one of our Hasseman Marketing reps to go over the pyramid…and plan the next steps!
A week or so ago (as I write this), something happened that rocked a huge group of people to their core…Facebook and Instagram went down for around 6 hours. While you can comment about the addictive qualities of social media and our phones (and that’s a blog for another day), I looked at it through the eyes of a marketer. The fact is, many businesses use social media exclusively to market their businesses. Some businesses talked about losing millions of dollars during that 6-hour stretch because everything they did (marketing, selling, and collecting money) all happen through Facebook.
So it begs the question…what happens when Facebook goes away?
What will you do if the largest social media platform stops? How will you market your business or your organization without Facebook? Now before anyone gets on your high horse, this is not a blog designed to bash Facebook, or using the platform to market. From my perspective, an organization would be crazy not to use this resource. You can find us on Facebook here. For all its faults, I still see Facebook as the number one platform to promote just about anything online. But some of us (maybe me included) have become overly reliant on this one platform to meet our needs.
The most obvious and immediate strategy, if this happens, is to move to another social media platform. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what happened that day. Twitter usage took off, as did Linkedin, TikTok, etc. And in talking with other marketing experts about this very situation, that was their first suggestion. As my friend Bill Petrie said, “When Facebook goes away it will likely be because another platform became more important.” That’s a great point. So first step…go to where your clients are hanging out.
While this is good advice (and it is), there are challenges here too. What if Facebook goes away quickly? What if the platform that takes on most of the users is not one you have a following on? You have the audience built on Facebook. The challenge, of course, is that you would need to start over to build your audience again. So if you need to build that audience on another platform at some point, maybe you should begin before you need to.
Takeaway: If your audience can only access you on one platform, you might want to consider building another.
Using Physical Marketing
One of the most powerful things that social media has allowed companies to do is to create a real relationship with their customers. Traditional media was one-sided. But social media allows for conversation. While Facebook is a powerful distribution tool, it does allow for you to hear from your tribe. That is really cool. Now that you have done that work, it’s important to continue to solidify that relationship. One powerful way to do that is by using high-quality branded merchandise. Get your brand in the hands of your advocates and let them help you spread the word.
This is what the best marketers did during the pandemic. When there was no way (other than social media) to reach customers, creative marketers started to send boxes of branded merchandise to their employees and their customers to their homes. This created a connection that did not exist in the “real world” because of our isolation. It’s powerful. So why wait? Start a campaign to get amazing coveted merchandise in the hands of your best customers.
Takeaway: Create a quarterly appreciation program targeted at your Top 20% of customers.
Rented Versus Owned Media
Since the early days of marketing, we have become very comfortable with “rented media.” That is when another entity “owns” the audience and we just rent their attention for a short time. We did this with radio, newspapers, and TV. Those companies owned the audience and we paid for access. As social media proliferated, this relationship became a bit more confusing. As we built our audience on these platforms, we got lulled into thinking that we “owned” the audience. But we don’t. If Facebook decides to change their algorithm, they don’t have to check with us. They own the audience. So does every other social media platform. That became incredibly clear when Facebook and Instagram went down. Boom..”our audience” was gone.
That is why it’s so important to create an audience that is actually our own. How do we do this? The best way is to get your fans to sign up for an email or text list. When a customer opts in to receive messages from you, they are really a part of your audience. You have the right to send them messages when YOU want to. While many marketers ruin this by spamming people with too many offers, many do a great job of providing value and giving great offers that the audience is excited to see. Do that.
But we all know that (thanks to those spammers) most people don’t just go around handing out their email address to everyone. Most of us have been burned by that! So it’s important to create an offer of real value so the audience is excited to hand over their information. Then, it’s equally important to value that audience. The audience you “own” is a true value to your company. We do this. That is why we have created this 5 Day Marketing Course. It’s totally free…and we hope it provides you value. Sign up today and join our VIP list!
Takeaway: Create an offer for your customers to “opt-in” to sign up to get emails (or texts) from you.
Have A Website That Works For You
I have repeatedly heard from new small businesses, “Why do I need a website? I have a Facebook page!” Well, my friends…this is why. If that platform goes away, so does all of your ability to tell your story. In addition, though Facebook is a powerful marketing tool, not everyone is on it. That means that even if they WANT to see your message or learn about your service, they can’t. You need a website.
But you don’t JUST need a website. You need a website that works for you. Many companies have what I call a “brochure website.” That is a great start. But if you want to succeed in a world without Facebook, you need a website that can help people find you. That means a website that Google can find. Have you done a search for your service? Not your name…your service. Are you coming up near the top? If you are not in the first few search results, you are effectively invisible to your potential customers.
In addition, your website is a great place to start providing actual value to your clients. You are the expert in your field. Start acting like it on your website. Write a blog that answers questions. Create a podcast. Start a video series that helps clients. Create content and host it on your site. This builds your credibility in the marketplace. It shows that you are willing to “Give First.”
In addition, it’s the place where you can not only sell your service but also have offers that allow customers to give you their contact information and you can build that audience you own.
Takeaway: Create a website that really tells your story and acts as a business builder for your company.
Put It In Writing
We have all heard prognosticators tell us “Print is dead.” But a funny thing happened when nearly everything shut down during the pandemic. Businesses needed an affordable way to tell their story and promote their business. So they turned to print and direct mail. Social media is a great way to promote your organization. But I don’t recommend abandoning all other forms of marketing. If Facebook goes away, you will still need to tell your story…and do it affordably. That is when you might want to turn to print.
And here’s the thing, with many of your competitors moving away from print, it might be a great time to get valuable attention in that same place.
Takeaway: Don’t forget about print to tell your story…today and in the future.
So what can you do if Facebook and Instagram go away? How will your organization tell your story? These are just a few ways you can still stand out. And if they work then…it might be time to start implementing these strategies right now.
At Hasseman Marketing, we are all about creating content that provides you value, inspiration, entertainment, and (hopefully) some joy! It’s about “Giving First” and we are big believers! But we have heard that sometimes, it’s hard to keep up. We get that. And while it’s totally okay if you are not able to see every piece of content we create, we don’t want it to be because of a lack of effort on our part. So I wanted to take just a moment to highlight a few pieces of content we are consistently cranking out.
Each Monday we create a motivational video for PromoCorner. The idea is to give you a quick boost of motivation to start your week off on the right foot. And because it’s quick-hitting…we hope you can find the time! If you have never taken the time to listen, you can find them all right here. Feel free to binge-watch them all and get fired up!
In Stock and Ready to Rock
As we write this, inventory is a challenge in nearly every industry. We have been talking about it a lot because we want to spare you some stress and headaches. But we didn’t want to just complain…that’s not our deal. So we created the “In Stock and Ready to Rock” shop. Each week we will feature one item that has deep stock and is ready to be branded with your organization’s logo! Click here to check out the latest!
The Kirby Hasseman Blog
Each week I work to create a personal development article that might help you move your business in the right direction. I often file these under “messages I need to hear,” as they resonate with salespeople, entrepreneurs, and leaders that want to level up. Here is my most recent (as I write this) about 3 Things To Do Every Day if you want to be more productive and happier. If you enjoy that one…there’s plenty more where that came from!
Delivering Marketing Joy
This is what I call the “OG” of our online content. With over 350 episodes, that means we have been doing Delivering Marketing Joy for nearly 7 years. Every Wednesday we interview leaders, marketers, entrepreneurs, and authors from (quite literally) all over the world. This is one of the pieces that updates to our blog page each week, but you can head here to binge hundreds of episodes on PromoCorner.
Thirsty Thursday
One of our newest pieces of content has quickly become one of our most popular! Each week we try a mystery drink in a different piece of branded merchandise. Sometimes the drinks are good…but not often! The reactions and the cool branded merchandise make it all worth while. This is posted on our Facebook page and is just one reason why you should follow us if you are not already. Watch the latest episode here!
Oh…and if you are interested in any of these pieces of drinkware for your organization, you can head to our shop here!
Fashion Friday
Each week we have some fun featuring a simple apparel piece for our Fashion Friday! This is another Facebook/Instagram exclusive, so head here and give us a follow.
Ohio’s Heart
Finally, I want to highlight Ohio’s Heart. Some of you may remember that we created OhiosHeart.com to highlight positive things going on in our region. While I have been a bit distracted from this site, I still believe it has a great opportunity to spread the good word! So we have been posting more to it recently (like this drone footage of a local expansion)…and I want to continue that trend. So if your organization has some good news, please feel free to share with us! Please add us to the list of press releases you are sending out to lift up the good news!
Whoo! That’s a lot of content…but we do it for you! If you want to have most of this content delivered directly to your inbox, join our VIP list here. Each week we send ONE email to the members of our list so you have it in one place!
I was on a call with a bunch of amazing content creators the other day and the topic of “re-posting content” bubbled to the surface. The people on this call are talented. They create great content that is created for the audience. They “give first.” That is to say, they create content that provides value. Even this group struggles with this simple question.
Is It Okay To Post Content More Than Once?
Let’s start with the assumption that the content is evergreen. In other words, it’s a blog post, podcast, or video that is just as timely today as it was when it was created. We also can assume that it was well-done.
If the answer to both of those questions is “yes,” then the answer is very simple. Yes.
To me, this is a funny discussion. And the reason most people struggle with it is a combination of hubris and insecurity. It’s a funny mix, I know. The hubris comes from the idea that everyone has already seen the content. Intellectually, we know this is not true. Even the best blog post is not read by even a tiny percent of the population! That is why I mentioned the group of content creators. This group understands the metrics better than most. Most of the time, we are frustrated because only our “25 readers” are seeing our blog post. But somehow we can’t repost it because “everyone has already read it.”
That is silly. If you believe the post has value to your audience…share it again.
But that leads to the second reason, our insecurity. We don’t want to re-post because we are fearful we will get called out. Or even worse, we think people will notice and think we are being insincere. These fake opinions of imaginary people hold many people back in life. Don’t let them hold you back from sharing (or re-sharing) your content in the world.
We watch movies and television shows again all of the time.
The same commercial airs on a loop, and no one thinks the advertiser is not being creative.
Facebook has even created “memories” to share because we like revisiting things from the past.
So set yourself free from the chains of insecurity. If you have a great piece of content, share it with the world…again and again.
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.
