It’s time for Thirsty Thursday! Thirsty Thursday is the award-winning piece of content from Hasseman Marketing where we take a mystery drink out of a piece of branded drinkware! It’s funny. It’s irreverent. And we will show you some really cool merch as well! This week we feature the Klean Kanteen Eco Insulated Classic 20oz. And in case that did not bring you enough intrigue, we have guest taster Walter Bergeron joining the show from Main Street Station. Watch the latest episode below!
Why Klean Kanteen?
The Klean Kanteen Eco Insulated Classic 20oz- Loop cap is constructed from 90% post-consumer recycled 18/8 food-grade stainless steel. It features Climate Lock™ double-wall vacuum insulation, keeping drinks hot for 24 hours and iced for 63 hours! This bottle features a wide mouth that fits ice and makes filling and pouring easy. Includes a loop cap with an easy-carry swivel loop. This item is BPA-free. Its slim design fits most standard cup holders. Its electropolished interior does not retain or impart flavors. Recommended hand wash only. 20oz.
Each Thirsty Thursday, we feature a cool piece of branded drinkware. To learn more… head to our shop here.
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.
Several years ago, we started doing a fun piece of content we call “Thirsty Thursday.” Shout out to the brainchild of the video series, Skylar Hasseman, who suggested we start it (and ran with it). The idea behind the video series is, a crew at Hasseman Marketing tries a mystery drink out of a cool piece of branded drinkware. We thought it would be a fun way to promote some of the best drinkware we have to offer. And fun it was! Each time on the show, we are delighted or disgusted (usually the latter) by the drinks, and we give our very real opinions on them. As we like to say, it’s fun and irreverent.
Spreading the Word
But up until recently Thirsty Thursday was only being shown on Facebook. We would organically load it there…and that’s it. So if you were not on Facebook, you were out of luck. We decided to update that so that Thirsty Thursday would be available to the world. (We felt like the world needed it). So now you can find our Award-Winning piece of content (seriously, we got a national award for this!) on Facebook, Youtube, and this blog. And while we are at it, sign up for our weekly newsletter and you can see all of our content…but I digress.
Some Thirsty Thursday Greatest Hits
If you have never seen an episode of Thirsty Thursday, now is a great time to start. It is, after all (as we post this) a Thursday. So we wanted to give you a primer of three “must-watch” Thirsty Thursday episodes.
The Thirsty Thursday Heard Round the World
This episode is one of the reasons we wanted to expand our reach. This one is not for the faint of heart. But we got lots of requests to see it from people that were not Facebook users. There is a lot of cursing and laughing. If you are easily offended, well, don’t say we didn’t warn you!
We Actually Liked This One
For the most part, we don’t all love the same drinks. This was one that most of us liked. And there was a dance number.
It’s a liqueur!
This one is clear and we all know it could be trouble. But…we like it!
So as you can tell by now, we have a lot of fun on Thirsty Thursdays. So we would love for you to follow along each time. And, if your organization would like to check out any of the amazing drinkware we feature, please check out our shop here. Or you can reach out and talk to one of us at Hasseman Marketing. We hope to continue to make you laugh…and to continue to Deliver #MarketingJoy!
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.
Despite the fact that there always seems to be a new, shiny tool for marketing each day, email marketing is still incredibly powerful. Don’t get me wrong. I get plenty of emails each day that go directly into my junk mail. But just because some businesses stink at email doesn’t mean the whole tool is obsolete.
Whenever I see a headline that reads “email is dead,” I think to myself, “No…it’s not.”
My recent guest on Delivering #MarketingJoy, Luke Charlton, agrees. Luke Charlton is known as the Aussie Hermit and he teaches business coaches how to increase their business by sending amazing emails…every day. Yes. Every day. You can watch my full conversation with Luke here.
Here are his 3 steps to big email success.
Tell A Story
As Luke says, if you want to send an email every day, it needs to be interesting. They have to include a story. It needs to entertain. That might be something that makes your audience laugh, cry, or be angry. It just needs to be interesting!
Tie In A Lesson
With each story, there should be a lesson. Regardless of the service or product, you are selling, the point of telling the story is to relate it to the audience. How does this help them? What can they learn? And of course, this lesson should relate to the product or service that you offer.
Give An Offer
Finally, after you have told the story with the lesson, you need to tie it to what you sell. What offer do you have that will help solve a problem for your audience? Make that offer!
There you have it! According to Luke Charlton, that is the key to building an email list and creating big sales success by sending an email every day. Those are the 3 steps to email success. Again, you can watch the full interview here!
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.”
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.
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!
I love football, marketing, and music. So you could say that the Super Bowl is like my, well, Super Bowl. To me, it’s one of the best American holidays…and yes, I want to be able to sleep in the day after. And since it is the most-watched television spectacles each year, companies from all over spend millions to advertise on it. So from my perspective, there is a lot to learn from the best ads. But more than that, there are marketing lessons all over the event. So here are the marketing lessons from Super Bowl 56.
Guerilla Marketing Still Works
Ryan Reynolds is not just a bankable Hollywood star. While some of you were not paying attention, he has also become a genius marketer. He has done some amazing work to promote his own brands including Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile, and he was at it again. While this is not one of his best ads, Reynolds and his team shot the ad upside down to grab our attention. This is an old-school Guerilla Marketing tactic, and it still works. When things are different, they stand out and make you take notice. This was an ad that made me pay attention.
It Pays To Give First
Every year it blows my mind that the NFL gets some of the biggest acts to perform for the Halftime show…for free. Why would Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, and now Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem do that? Because this is the biggest act of exposure you can get…and it will pay off in the form of selling music and merchandise. In essence, they are giving first. When you provide value upfront (in the right setting and to the right audience) wonderful things can happen. In that spirit of giving first, you can get my book on the subject for FREE here.
Using Short-Form to Drive to Long-Form Content
When you spend the kind of money that BMW spent to have Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek in their ads, they want to get some bang for their buck. So leading up to the Super Bowl I kept seeing short-form content that teased the spots on the Super Bowl. In addition, they encouraged you to head to their website to see the full story. Using that short content to build interest and drive traffic to your site is a cool way to increase the value of your marketing.
A Call To Action Still Works
The best commercial on Super Bowl 56 was the Coinbase ad. Was it cool and fun? Nope. Did it have amazing celebrities and a funny storyline? Not at all. It was just a QR code that looked like a 90’s screensaver on the screen for 60 seconds. So what did people do? They scanned the QR code! More than 20 million people hit the landing page and took Coinbase from 186th place on Apple’s App Store to 2nd. So many people did it that it crashed their website! While crashing the site is not ideal, it shows you the power of giving people a call to action.
Many marketers and advertisers work so hard on “the creative” that they lose sight of the goal of the ad. What do we want customers to do? What do we want them to remember? Let’s make sure we focus on that.
Oh…and as a side note, sometimes NOT having a crazy creative message is really creative. And yes…I downloaded the app.
There are plenty of lessons to learn from the best of the best in marketing. And the Super Bowl certainly showcases the best of the best. What was your big takeaway?
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