I left corporate to explore other interests… namely, I started an organic herb nursery on a second property we’d purchased on the other side of our backyard fence. 5,000 square feet of greenhouse space, 1,500 square feet of beds… and guess what? In 2008, I circled right back to marketing – albeit a marketing company of my own – and here I am today. The nursery has been dissolved, the greenhouses sold.

So, you’re thinking, did I make a mistake by spending all the money I spent in starting the nursery and leaving corporate? I can’t tell you how often I’ve gotten that question – including from my mother! Without any hesitation, I ALWAYS say no.

Could I have anticipated the fall of the economy 2 years into my endeavor? No. However, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me; it actually caused me to step back and assess if the gazillion hours of work I was putting in each week was worth sticking it out through a tough economy, when the herb growing business is probably one of the industries with the least amount of margin – even in organics. So, did I love it? Yes, I sure did. Did I love it enough to stand by it as a business through the economy issues? Turns out, no.

As synchronicities have it, I found that shortly after becoming an entrepreneur, I found that I met a lot of other people who were business owners, too. And, before I knew it, in discussions with other business owners, I’d hear, “I’m really ready to get to _____________ (fill in the blank, whatever level or benchmark that would be)… but I have no idea how to get there!” or “I’ve done this cruddy little templated Website, and I’d really like to get to the next level and do something that looks professional, but have no idea how to do it or who to call…” And lo and behold, I just couldn’t stay away from it! Before I knew it, I was doing side marketing jobs for others, from helping them write and implement marketing plans, to creating/improving Websites, to designing logos, brochures, and ads for them, too.

So, when our world started taking an economic nosedive in 2008, and I found I’d had a long enough time away from the corporate stranglehold, I remembered that I really do love marketing and communications. What I didn’t love in the corporate environment was the politics, being Kevlar for my staff so they could do their job (because otherwise, they would go nuts with the politics I had to listen to and deal with every day), and having to spend an inordinate amount of time, money, and staffing to do research and provide well thought out, intelligent recommendations only to get those recommendations ignored by the top executives. Why? Because someone in the ivory tower had thought up a ‘FANTASTIC IDEA’ in their bunny slippers one weekend when up at the Cape (or wherever), on which I would subsequently have to implement, engage staff, and then get beaten down when it didn’t work – even though I’d told them until I was blue in the face that it wouldn’t work with certain elements in place, or whatever, in the first place.

Back when I had days and months like that, I hated getting up in the morning. I hated going to work.

However, with those elements removed, I found I could actually go back to doing what I love – the actual art and science of marketing and communications.

So, in starting and building my business, I made a conscious decision that I would focus on small and medium businesses – and the large agencies can go ahead and focus on the large corporations of the world. Do they get the big bucks for their efforts? Yes; I know I could easily bill twice as much per hour if I wanted to work with large corporate vs. working with smaller businesses. But they can keep it; as I found when I was on the inside, it just wasn’t worth it.

You know why?

When I get up in the morning, I can’t wait to get to work… and, sometimes much to my husband’s and children’s chagrin, I don’t always know when to stop! I can say, without a doubt, and without hesitation, that I LOVE WHAT I DO. Do I have stressful days, weeks, and months? Definitely – I’d be a liar as a business owner to say that I didn’t! However, when you ask me, “Is it worth it?” I can say, without a doubt, ABSOLUTELY.

So, this is what I tell clients – from personal experience – before we ever even start working on a marketing plan together: Take a minute, a day, or a weekend, step back, and REALLY think about what you’re doing, and what you’re providing with your business. If money were no issue whatsoever, would you still be doing this? When you get up in the morning on a workday, are you excited about the day ahead and work you’re going to do… or do you get a pit in your stomach more often then not, and dream about better days, better places? Does it come easy to you, are you proud of what you’re doing, or are you struggling to create your product or service? When you talk to someone about your business/product/service, do you feel like you’re forced, plastic, reciting a script, or rushing through a “pre-recorded” conversation so you can get on to “better things”?

If you answer yes to any of those questions, then maybe you need to reassess, refigure, and/or repackage what you’re doing and/or what you’re offering…. before you ever put the first sentence of your marketing plan on paper. Because here’s the lesson I’ve learned from the path I’ve taken: Granted, you’ll have some stress, no matter what you do. BUT – and this is a BIG but – if you absolutely love what you’re doing, regardless of what it is, and you have that OOMPH in your core that wants to get up and go, go, go every day because you just can’t wait to get on the job, you are already a winner… because you’ll have the tenacity, creativity, and endurance needed to compete in the marketplace. Also, your customers will feel it and know (whether they recognize it consciously or not) that you are sincere and passionate about what you do… which means that you start out several steps in the right direction, ahead of many others. Whether it’s stated anywhere or not, it will be part of your message and your brand.

Now, I’ve gotta run… lots of work to do… 

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Here’s another admission: When I do that, I’m usually pretty accurate at arrival time once we’re in the car!

My kids – 12 and 14 years old – are amazed that I can even DO that kind of math in my head – God forbid the world existed without calculators today, right? When they ask me how I know how to do that, I tell them, “Because I had to learn math the OLD way… we weren’t allowed to use calculators in class until Pre-Calculus.” (Yes, not only did I take Pre-Calc, I took it all the way through Calculus II in college… and loved it! But that’s a story for another day…) My husband and I have both been frustrated with the way the school system has taught our kids math – using calculators since FOURTH GRADE – and when we show them how to derive a formula the long way (aka THE OLD WAY), they look at us like we have 2 heads. Don’t get me wrong – I use a calculator as much as the next person today – but when there are none available, I know I can still do a good portion of figuring in my head, or on paper.

My kids know it works… so they readily come to me when they’re stumped on figuring out an algebraic equation, because they know I can typically figure out the answer quickly and work them through it… THE LONG WAY (aka, THE “OLD” WAY, in their minds! LOL).

I also think it’s what helps my capability with what I do.

In reading that, you might ask, “So, how in the world does figuring out math problems in your head have ANYTHING to do with marketing strategy and programs?!”

I thought you’d never ask.

I’ve had the AWESOME opportunity to be actively working in professional, strategic marketing for 21 years now – through transition from THE OLD WAY of doing things to today’s split-second, digitally integrated methods. Because strategic marketing has entailed watching and studying consumer/market behavior change through a magnifying glass for 21 years, while I’ve been changing and adapting myself, that experience allows me to be able to see the big picture of what really changes, and simply becomes taking the short cut – like using the calculator.

I don’t think either are completely right or completely wrong – though people and our societies have changed, the meaning of marketing hasn’t. When you pull away from it and see it from the birds eye view, electronic capabilities and the Internet have simply provided the ability to gain and provide a wide scale of information much more quickly (statistics, market and competitor information, and information an individual is seeking).

When I first entered the marketing field, I was quickly taught – and saw the evidence of – the number of times (in the marketing field, it’s called “impressions”) it took before someone would take notice, of an ad printed in a publication, shown on TV, or played on the radio; a flyer, direct mail letter, or a postcard; a billboard; an event; mention in the media; or any other communication tactic available and logical in the integrated mix. The numbers and percentages that I had on hand for measurement were based upon the number of impressions the target market was typically exposed to in one day, as well as what type of media (what magazines, newspapers, radio stations, etc.)  interested the target market

The resulting numbers were typically pretty accurate.

Things have sped up exponentially over the past few years… and relatively few in the marketing field take the time to gather those numbers, to provide some kind of quantifiable result or quantifiable expectation. And fewer and fewer – especially in the world of small or medium business – demand them, or even take the time out to understand them.

So, what am I spewing on about? Here’s an oversimplification of come very complex formulas:

20, 15, even 10 years ago, if you ran an ad in a publication that your target market actively read, you wouldn’t see the majority of ANY response until the ad ran at least 10-15 times in that publication. And that would typically be a pretty large, well-designed ad. If you added the integration of radio, other publications, and a number of other mixes, you were simply better seeding the field – if a certain person in the target market missed that edition of Their Interest Weekly, they might still hear it on their favorite radio station or maybe pass a billboard about it on their way home from work or the store. Why 10-15 times? Because of the items that competed for attention in that person’s consciousness – between work, home, what was for dinner, why they had indigestion from their lunch, who’s turn it was to take the kids to soccer practice – and when those practices were that week, what was going on that weekend, the faucet leak in the bathroom at home, etc., etc., etc. It was typically about the fifth or sixth time an individual saw something that something would “click,” and they would remember what they saw… and then typically several more times of that same information being pushed into that person’s consciousness before they would even act on it. Of course, this would deviate depending on the cost, market, seasonability, level of urgency for that type of product, and a variety of other things. But you get the idea…

So, here we are, years and awesome technologies later, and guess what? Now it takes an even higher number of times for someone to see and remember something. Why? Because we are bombarded with marketing messages, everywhere, almost all day, and we have to process A LOT more information than we used to. Recent statistics estimate that the number of messages the typical American receives per day is more than the same person would have been exposed to over a year just 35 years ago.

Now, on top of it, the world has changed to expect a relationship with the person behind the product company!

Yet, at the same time, we all want it yesterday.

So, how does that translate to the business owner? More messages, of course! Luckily, the Internet and the digital world allow that capability, if the effort is made… efficiently and strategically.

Too often, someone who is starting a new business and/or has been in business for a number of years and is ready to “take the next step”  is too busy dealing with the delivery of the products or services of their company to pay close attention to the marketing world and what’s changing on a daily basis. Yet, they know they need to enter, expand in, or further develop their visibility efforts. So, when their daughter, son, -in-law. neighbor, friend, or someone else who has influence in their lives tells them they “need to be blogging,” “need to be on Facebook,” or something else of the kind, they tend to say, “OK,” but they don’t know why they should be… or if it really applies to them and their business. Nor do they often know the need for longevity and consistency needed (how many times, where, and when to put their message out) to really make a difference from those efforts. So, they press ahead, start to blog, create a Facebook page, and… after two, three, or five posts (sometimes over the course of a few weeks or a month), just decided to abandon the idea, because people didn’t magically start wanting to buy their product or service out of thin air.

I’ve even had that issue with long-term clients. At the onset, I explain that we need to work on their efforts over a period of time, and that they most likely will not see immediate results. So, they write 6 or 8 blogs, don’t want to promote it to their friends, family, or colleagues (because they don’t want to “bother” them, even if they would be perfect for their product or service), don’t post anything to social media sites where their clients would be looking for their product or service, and yet will spend time looking around at what others are doing in their industry. Then, often just when things are starting to turn around, they completely abandon the efforts because they didn’t see a quick enough result. Then they asked me why those efforts failed!

So, what this boils down to: There’s always a method to the madness. If you’re a business owner and someone tells you, “You need to blog!” or “You need to be on Twitter!” First step back and ask, “Why?” They might be right; but before taking that step, make sure what they recommend is informed. Ask if they know the demographics of your market(s) – does the age group, gender, income level, profession you target use that medium regularly, and in the mindset they would need to be in to want to get your product or service when they’re using that medium? If an engineer is on their computer at work and sees information about something they want to buy when they’re not working, they’re going to have to remember how to find you when they’re home, and actively thinking about purchasing that product or service. That would be a disconnect!

So, whatever the tools you use to employ your marketing effort, make sure what you do is informed, and that you have the patience to potentially ride it out over a period of 3-4 months before seeing a solid response (or, set realistic response milestones along the way). To me, there’s nothing more wasted than the efforts of a business owner on the implementation of a marketing tool that is either irrelevant or poorly executed (including if it’s implemented over too short a period of time). Knowing the questions behind the questions – knowing the whys as well as the whats – will make you agile, easy to adapt, and give you a higher incidence of success in your market efforts than constantly shooting from the hip, just because everyone around you is, as well…. even though they might be misinformed and/or are really targeting a different demographic that would not be relevant to you.

Now, if I could only figure out the accurate algebraic formula for getting out the door in time!!! 

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I found it wasn’t.

As I tell the story to others, I call that realization my “Early Midlife Crisis” – because I’d finally reached that goal, and realized it wasn’t what I expected it to be: long hours that belonged to someone else, migraines and physical sickness, no time to enjoy my family, my friends, and my life. I saw people around me, in my own age group, having heart attacks and life-threatening, stress-related maladies, and realized there was nothing that was worth losing the ability to enjoy – and experience – life! So I decided to jump off the cliff and start my own business… growing and selling organic herbs.

Today, when I look at it from the outside in, I think of the question so many others have asked me when I’m telling this story: “So, where did that come from?” I mean, really – I was born and raised a LAWNG ISLAND girl, never really gardened until we settled here in NC and bought our house in the late ’90s, and yet there I was – in 2003, I bought a piece of land that coincidentally was on the other side of my backyard fence, wrote a business plan, got to work… and eventually took the plunge into entrepreneurship in April 2006. And though discussion of that business is a blog for another day, I will say that I actually loved it…for awhile.

The way I look at it today is that regardless of the other circumstances that led me to create that business and do what I did, it gave me the chance to put in a buffer between myself and my life as a corporate citizen – aka “Corporate Me.” For 3 years (starting even before I left corporate), I dedicated my heart and soul to that business, in the solitude of what grew to be 5,000+ square feet of greenhouses and 2,500+ square feet outside of tending to those herbs. Instead of the hustle and bustle of 18 years of corporate life – people, staff, executives, communications, people, branding, messaging, people – it was the plants and me for a majority of the time (save for all the critters with which I became fascinated during my integration with nature).

In the end, that was how I found myself again. It cleared my head, I heard my voice, and I discovered I hadn’t really heard my own heart for a long, long time.

Fast forward 2 years, to mid-2008: The economy crashed. The herb nursery income became rather suffocating as customers began feeling the forthcoming effects… and the dotted syncopation of the occasional marketing side project I’d taken on became a regular hum, until I was actually bringing in as much money doing that – on a really part-time basis – as I was working in the nursery full-time PLUS!

I started attending business groups focused on entrepreneurs, and soon found through a succession of events that I was asked to speak – not about my herb business, but about marketing. I remember the first one: I had to dust off the ol’ mental cobwebs, since all of my presentations and classes for 2 years had been related to the herbs I grew. A friend of mine – also a business owner who had been a client, because I’d been helping her as one of my side marketing jobs – came with me to that meeting. She had seen me do my presentations regarding herbs, herb gardening, and organic gardening, and had previously complimented me on my presentation skills. However, she is simultaneously the best and the worst person from whom to solicit feedback on anything personal – both because she’ll tell you the honest truth, and because she’ll tell you the honest truth – so I wanted her to be there to give me a temperature reading on the value of this particular presentation.

Later, as we left the meeting, I noticed she was unusually quiet and pensive. We left the building, got into the car, and drove away, all the while without her saying a word. As confident of a professional as I had been, the longer she was quiet, the more nervous I became, and doubt started to tinge my mind (you know how sometimes that inner voice starts to panic) – had I flubbed it up that badly? Was she trying to find the words to tell me how terrible my presentation had gone, without hurting my feelings?

Just as I was about to burst from her uncharacteristic silence, I was opening my mouth to ask her what she’d thought when she turned to me, completely solemn, and simply said, “You know, first I just want to say that I completely respect you as a business owner, and I want you to know that I think you do a wonderful job with your nursery. I’ve heard you speak before, and I’ve always felt that you are very good at what you do.

“However, after today, I would undeniably say that THIS is what you need to be doing. THIS is who you are.”

It’s funny, how a simple conversation between friends in a car can sometimes really be that memorable. Her candor that day really helped me to take a serious, honest look at myself – and realize that it wasn’t the marketing that I’d grown to hate, but the environment in which I’d practiced it! In the time I’d been away, working with the plants, I’d become so much more comfortable and familiar with myself again that I was able to see that in corporate, I had tired of all the time away from actually doing the marketing, and instead having to play ridiculous politics and act as the proverbial Kevlar so my staff didn’t have to get distracted by the nonsense that went on in the ivory tower, and they could get their jobs done.

The rest is history. Here’s the report, 2 years later: AboutFace Marketing is flourishing, and I’m expanding! I STILL love marketing, more than ever; however, now I also love the environment in which I practice it ! In all honesty, I can tell you that I love working with small and medium businesses, where the owner is completely passionate and in love with what they’re doing. I love knowing their passion and drive is 110% behind what they’re doing; when they’re frustrated, I’m frustrated – but likewise, when they succeed from the help I give them, I feel like I’m on top of the world!

It seems that there’s all this noise today about “heart-centered marketing,” which is quickly becoming a catchphrase before the general population really understands what the term is supposed to mean. Does it have to do with your message, and the way it’s delivered? No doubt. Does it need to reflect that you have consideration and care about your target market(s)? Absolutely. However, your message, your brand, and your product or service will never be effectively relayed as genuine and “heart-centered” unless you, as the owner (and in turn, the people who work with you) really feel it in your core!

So, as you continue to build your plan, your brand, and your business, don’t forget to look into the mirror with regularity and ask yourself:

1. Am I passionate about this?
   
2. Do I love doing this, all day, every day?
   
3. Do I believe in my business and what I’m doing, 110%?
   
4. Do I really feel like I’m able to make my customers’ lives better by introducing myself and my company into their lives?

No matter how crafty your branding is, and no matter how snazzy of a Website you may have, “heart-centered” marketing by nature will only exist if and when you can honestly answer yes when you ask yourself those questions. It’s not simply another method or approach du jour; it’s a result of that state of being. You can’t fake that!

This isn’t just marketing; here’s a simple business tip in relation to this exercise: If you answer no to any of these questions, but yes to the rest, don’t skip over it, but figure out what you can do to change your business and/or approach so your answer is yes. Often, this simple reassessment can transform a stumbling block in your business to success in one short step – yet there are many businesses that struggle for years because the owner(s) and/or whomever is running the business never does.

Case in point (and this is the hardest, since it’s looking in the mirror): Had I ever asked myself the above questions with the herb nursery (or heck, even back in corporate), I know I would have had to waffle a bit about #2 – and I will say in both instances. Did I love the herbs? Yes; I completely believe in organics, I believed in the high quality of what I produced, and I loved sharing how to grow and use them with other people. However, I’ve since discovered the downfall, and why I really didn’t have the endurance to continue on when the going got tough: Though I really like having my hands in the dirt and working with plants, today I can admit what I probably wouldn’t have been able to back then: that I didn’t like having to work 5am-5pm often 6 days per week, and 5am through noon on the seventh for most days of the year, without the flexibility of when those hours were (I was a slave to the plants, the heat, and the sun); and then in North Carolina summertime suffering through 110+ degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures in the greenhouses while having to continuously exert myself past the point of physical and mental exhaustion. I got tired. However, did I have the opportunity to change the environment? Not really – plants are plants! And when the going got a little tough, instead of really pursuing the flexibility I needed to keep it going (something I would have counseled my marketing clients to explore), I instead went back to my original career equation (marketing), reexamined it, and altered that situation so that all the answers to all of the questions above became yes.

Here I am, 2 years later. Do I work long days? You bet – often as long as those hours were in the greenhouses. Do I tire myself out? Definitely. However, when things really started getting  overwhelming recently, guess what I did? I took a reassessment – and now I’m hiring someone (actually, it may turn out to be some two) to help out, which will put me back into my Yes Zone.

So before you start attending any Webinars, seminars, or workshops about “heart-centered marketing,” first make sure you’ve taken a good look inside of yourself,  and that all systems are a go in terms of how you feel about what you’re doing on the business front. It’s only when you’re truly in that comfort – and passion – zone in all areas that you will be able to honestly make that connection with your target market(s) and customers via a true reflection of that passion via your branding and marketing efforts.

P.S. Thanks, Loni, for that comment in the car that day… you’re a great friend, and you are one of the most humble but dedicated and passionate businesspeople I know!

7SF28XF3GNWB

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…and I FINALLY got my own Website updated!

I got tired of telling people NOT to look at my Website, with the excuse of the cobbler’s kids having no shoes and all…I had to take the counsel I give to my clients about the importance of an up-to-date Website! So, I finally just sequestered myself (and hubby – my trusty, if somewhat cranky, IT guy), put the cell phone on MUTE, stayed in my pajamas for most of the weekend, and JUST DID IT.

Spring’s here, and we’re all in the midst of spring cleaning, making a fresh start, yadda, yadda, yadda. I’ve been itching to get the site redone for hmm…. maybe 6, 7 months? Regardless of how richly filled my project schedule is right now (I need to hire someone part-time, but working on finding the time to write a job description and post it for oh, 2 months now), it was well past time.

What broke the dam is that I just have so much to share, so much to say, and my business has developed quite substantially since I wrote the original Website almost two years ago. I love what I do, I love the clients that are continually coming my way… and I LOVE the fact that I know (and have been able to help) so many small and medium businesses that have persevered – or better yet, started up and gotten rolling – during such a tough economy!

Here’s something that I’ll bet you haven’t heard anyone say lately: This has turned out to be one of the best periods of my life.

Here’s why: Instead of these tough times causing people to cut each other’s throats and becoming vicious and petty with each other, this time around, it seems many (and a great many who have thus far survived and thrived) have taken the better road – we’ve huddled together, collaborated, and supported each other. Instead of becoming completely myopic and self-consumed, we’ve looked at those around us and learned from, helped, and listened to each other over the bumpy seas – even competitors! Somehow, at the end of the day, many of us have simply decided that we’re all in this together, and I think we’ve all become better businesses, better businesspeople, and better people for it.

I think back over the years before I became a business owner in 2006, and no matter how well I “knew” most of the people with whom I worked, there are fewer than I could count on one hand that I knew even a fraction as well as some of the clients, colleagues, and friends I have today. I also don’t remember noticing my community as much, knowing what’s going on around me as much, or caring about the rest of the world so much, either.

It’s funny – all this has come about regardless of the rough sailing almost all of us have been going through!

Now, I know that the steering is still difficult worldwide. However, if our business community isn’t the exception and becoming more the rule, it makes everything worth it, don’t you think? That even though it’s taken such a tough time to wake many of us up to take part in the world around us, all I have to say is, at least such a number of us have woken up.

It reminds me of a saying my great-grandmother used to repeat to me over and over again, when I was a child: That which doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger. I’m going to add to that: and better.

The same goes for both the person and the business, doesn’t it?

My good friend (and client) Loni Holm of Holm Made Cookies (http://www.holmmadecookies.com) pulled off a nice, short, and sweet presentation last week to a great group of women business owners to which I belong (Women’s Power Networking – commonly called Coffee & Contacts). To make a long story short, Loni makes an AWESOME product, but one of her least favorite things is getting up and speaking in front of a group of people. She’d much rather let her baked goods – now carried in more than a dozen Whole Foods stores in the Southeast, as well as other local specialty stores – do the talking for her. In addition, this one was thrown at her in a pinch, during an overwhelmingly full week for her; however, instead of talking about baking or any of a thousand things having to do with just her business in particular, she spoke about why starting a business during a difficult economy can be the BEST time to do it.

She was awesome!

Anyway, to get back on topic: With such a mutually supportive business and personal community, it has become far easier to look beyond ourselves, our little communities, and at a wider expanse and bigger picture.

How about the planet, and how we (don’t) take care of ourselves?

I’ve had a number of clients that fall into the green and whole health categories; all of the thinking and strategy I’ve had to do for them has made me think, well, why doesn’t everyone else do all of those little things, too? Why don’t more people use Web hosting services that use renewable energy? Or make sure to print their materials on recycled paper with veggie-based, low-VOC ink? Or go electronic in the right situations altogether? Prices have become pretty comparable, so that’s not typically an excuse anymore, but the list goes on and on…

So, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to start doing all of that myself – and to encourage others with whom I work to do the same. Not force it on them, but at least educate them about what they could do, and give them the choice – because many people don’t realize they have one!

At the same time, I’m HUGELY proud of the work we’ve been able to do across the board since I started this business in 2008; it’s been an increasingly painful thorn in my side that our own Website – a key representation of AboutFace Marketing – up until now hasn’t done a good job at showing how exciting things have been, as well as the awesome businesses we’ve had and continue to have the pleasure of doing business with! As we continue to grow this year, I wanted to make sure I had a great place to use as the “home base” for all the exciting things that will be going on – not just for us, but other great businesses and business owners, as well!

So, since it’s prime time to put the dark winter behind us, open the windows, clean out the cobwebs, rake and weed the gardens, change out all the curtains and bed stuff, do that Spring cleaning, jump in rain puddles, and put a breath of renewed life into everything… what better time to get the new Website up?

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That’s because marketing and corporate communications is typically the place where branding a company is managed; it always includes guidelines to use the logo, as well as the colors, on pretty much any documentation that leaves the hands of the company.

Now, there were always naysayers who rolled their eyes and tried to break the rules. However, I usually took it upon myself to educate anyone involved as to why it was so important to a) use the right logo, and b) use the right colors.

Let’s back up for a minute and talk about branding. The concept is that the “brand” isn’t just a logo or color palette – it’s everything that touches the target market for a company. The goal for successful branding is simple: Every time a target customer for a particular product or service sees anything related to a particular product or service, the association creates the proper mental and emotional connections that prompt them to purchase and/or continue their relationship with that product/service.

In today’s world of marketing, the challenge is rising above the noise! Current statistics show that today, the typical American is exposed to somewhere in the vicinity of 2,000-3,000 marketing messages per day.

Pretty daunting when you think about it, isn’t it? That’s a LOT of noise! So, though it’s always been important, accurate and consistent branding is more important today than it’s ever been.

So, once you’ve done some market research and understand the mindset and expectations of your target market(s), the first thing you must consider is the color palette you use for your company’s logo and communications.

As a small business owner, I know it’s hard not to slip into the simple mindset of “Well, it’s my company, so I’m just going to pick my favorite colors!” Often, I can start working with a company and comfortably recommend changing processes, production, presentation, packaging, messaging, and everything down to the coffee maker in the reception area; however, when I approach the recommendation to change the colors used in the logo and company color palette, you’d think I asked to cut off the person arms!

The typical response, “Well, I really like the colors I’m using. I think I’m just going to stay with what I have.” I’ll debate that until I turn blue in the face; however, you’d be surprised at how emotional someone can get about their colors!

It’s a bad choice.

Although it’s not even a conscious thought, color is typically the first emotional response someone has to any brand. There are tons of studies out there that have proven the psychological effects of colors. In large corporate, that was one of the few fights I almost never had to make – in fact, though many people deemed my department the Branding Police (and some even less flattering terms), most people – especially in senior management – understood its importance! In fact, there are consultants regularly hired by large companies to strategically set up lobbies, receptions, and/or retail displays (or any other place a customer would visit and relate to the company) to create the desired emotional response by that customer. This even includes the colors on the wall, carpets, and furniture!

So, when you think about your target customer, think, “How do I want them to feel about my company, product, and/or service?” Then look at your logo and the colors you use – on your product label, business card, Website, brochures, presentations, handouts, and anything else that a prospective or existing client would see – and see if they match that expectation.

Here are some quick, topical guidelines:

• Cool (Calming, Life-Sustaining) colors: Blues, greens (including turquoises), and white, gray and silver neutrals. On one end, these colors can be soothing and nurturing; if too extreme, the can be too impersonal and antiseptic. They also represent nature, with blue representing water and the sky, and green representing plant life. Combinations of these colors can create a nice, soothing watercolor palette; to warm up a palette a little, you can use deep versions of the colors and/or add some red tones (making blue not quite purple, but warmer).Cooler colors appear smaller than warm colors, and even if there’s an equal amount of cool and warm on a page, the cool colors will recede and the warm ones will be dominant.

  Specific psychological associations:
  
  Blue: Cool, calming, helps sleep, helps time pass more quickly (too much can dampen spirits)
  Green: Same as Blue; denotes harmony and stability
  Turquoise: Same as Blue and Green; lighter shades create feminine appeal; darker shades (like teal) are sophisticated; some shades denotes a retro 50s-60s feel
  Gray: Neutral, balanced, doesn’t evoke strong emotion (too much can feel cloudy or moody)
  Silver: Cool like gray, but a little livelier and “more playful”; can impart wealth/riches
  White: Purity, cleanliness, innocence (too much can be blinding and cause headaches)

  Cultural associations (if any):
  
  Blue: In many cultures and religions, can represent peace, keeping bad spirits or evil away; conveys importance and confidence; intelligence, stability, unity, and stability
  Green: Can represent earth-friendly; Ireland/Irish; Islam; spring; paired with red: Christmas
  Gray: Mourning, formality; strength, sophistication
  Silver: Can represent riches, wealth; glamorous and distinguished; 25th anniversary
  White: In the West, it’s a symbol for brides; in the East, it’s a symbol for mourning and funerals; can represent “Good/Pure” (such as angels); can represent hospitals, doctors, nurses (the medical profession)

• Warm (Exciting) Colors: These colors rev us up, increase the blood pressure, and get us going, from optimism to violence. In nature, warm colors can indicate the change of seasons or the eruption of a volcano. You can tone these colors down with neutrals and/or a touch of cool colors, or even using pastel versions of the colors, such as pink or peach.Warmer colors tend to dominate a picture/image, even if there are an equal amount of cool colors.

  Specific psychological associations:
  
  Red: Take action/take notice; excitement; passionate love; anger; fire; heat
  Pink: The “sweet” side of red; large amounts can cause physical weakness in people
  Yellow:Happiness, joy, cheerfulness (“sunny”); hazard/warning; cowardice, deceit
  Gold:Wealth/prosperity; happiness, joy; somber
  Orange: Vibrance, energy, warmth; stimulating to the emotions and the appetite; fruity, vitamin C, good health
  Black: Considered a “warm” color because of its strength; conservative, serious, conventional; mysterious, sexy, sophisticated
  Brown: Purity, cleanliness, innocence (too much can be blinding and cause headaches)

  Cultural associations (if any):
  
  Red: Power (“red carpet”); danger; emergency; stop; in some countries (like China), it represents purity, joy, celebration, happiness, prosperity; communism; worn by brides in the East, and mourning in South Africa
  Pink: Femininity; romantic love; playfulness, tenderness
  Yellow: Symbolizes families waiting for members gone off to war (“the yellow ribbon”); hazard signs; mourning in Egypt; in Japan, courage; in India, merchants
  Gold: 50th wedding anniversary
  Orange: Pumpkins, autumn, Halloween
  Black: In the West, mourning and rebellion; in China, little boys; the “bad guy”; a mysterious person (like a spy); evil
  Brown: Warm neutral that can stimulate the appetite; natural/nature; warmth, honesty, wholesomeness; casual

This is a VERY basic overview of colors and their uses; there are many other considerations when developing a logo and/or a palette, including the strategic effect of certain color combinations and shades.

So, with that in mind, step back and take a look at all of the colors you use in your company. Do they say the right thing about you and your product or service?

(Loose reference source: About.com)

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I’m waiting on a phone call from my husband at any minute.

Here’s why: Since my daughters are going back to middle school from holiday break this morning, they have a new semester schedule… and one of the electives they put on my older daughter’s schedule was incorrect. Since they didn’t get this updated schedule until the last day before break, we haven’t had any time to get it fixed (it was different than what we were given as her year-long schedule on the first day of school last summer). So, it has to be taken care of this morning; as my husband drops them off on his way to the office, it was easier for him to go in and speak with someone about it. However, there’s not a lot of faith that it will be a successful effort, and I’ll have to make a slew of follow-up phone calls myself.

Why, you ask? I can think of no other reason than “I’m the Mommy.”

Regardless of the fact that I’m not (nor have I ever been) a stay-at-home mom, and my husband is as engaged (if not even moreso) in caring for our children as I am, when it comes to their welfare – whether it’s had to do with nannies, preschool, school, medical care, or any product or service related to caring for them since the day they were born – the whole temperament, expectation, and experience has been geared towards me. It’s like he’s almost invisible, and he hates it! I’ve often gotten frustrated and asked, “I’m sorry, did I fall into a time warp and come out in the 1950s or something? Are dads not allowed – and not encouraged – to be involved with their kids’ schooling and personal welfare?”

Regardless of how far we *think* we’ve progressed, there are still many false gender stereotypes, and a lot of them are perpetuated in today’s marketing and advertising. When was the last time you saw a commercial with kids at home or coming home from school, and there was a :::gasp::: DAD waiting for them with some goodies? When was the last time you saw a family together in a commercial where the dad was anything more than a griping, irritated, cranky sidekick – or just acting like one of the kids himself? Or a cell phone commercial that claimed women or teenage girls did anything besides talk all day? A perfect example of that is the new Virgin Mobile ad campaign; see a link to one of the ads below this paragraph. Though this campaign is purportedly geared towards women, it’s done from a stereotypical man’s point of view: Not only does it focus on the stereotype about a woman’s endless talking, it also makes a lame attempt at trying to empower a woman by including inappropriate “locker room talk” on the phone about her boss. Grrr, I’ll just let you watch for yourself:

Virgin Mobile TV ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1myX82TuWA

The funny thing is, I don’t think this ad hits the mark on either women or men. It’s just sort of lame.

Regardless of how “progressed” we’re supposed to be today, these kind of generalities and sexism still pervades a majority of industries… and it causes a lot messaging, branding, and advertising to completely miss the mark to both genders.

I’m not saying that men and women don’t have different criteria when making purchasing decisions! Plenty of studies have shown that there are generally two very distinct differences:

• Men generally purchase based on a check-off list of criteria, so they tend to scavenge Websites, to see if they can find the features they desire;

• Women tend to really focus on the value they’re getting, including the connection or relationship with a product/service/company they feel is best in the long run. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that today’s fastest adopters and users of social media are – you guessed it – women!

So, unless you have a product or service that is undeniably geared at only men or women – and there are really very few – when you’re developing the messaging for your product or service, you have to make sure you address both genders, the way they make their purchase decisions, and how they would relate to it in terms of today’s world – not the 1950′s!

:::sigh::: Now, if you’ll excuse me, as expected, I must call the guidance office at the middle school…

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“Oh, I’ll be fine; don’t worry about it! I’ve presented to rooms of ___ people with no problem…”

Over the years – through my corporate career and beyond – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this when approaching someone about prepping for a presentation on camera! It’s funny; this is regardless of position, age, or whether they were a PhD, MD, or growing crops out in the fields (actually, the growers – when I worked with Cargill – were typically much more realistic when I needed them for video, admitting they would probably get nervous and need some practice).

Guess what? Almost every single time, that person who would say the statement above to me would end up thoroughly surprised about how different it actually was when that red light went on and the camera(s) started rolling! Some of the most versed, brilliant, and outgoing people I knew would begin to sweat, stutter, and bumble through what they needed to say, when just moments before, they’d been confident that it would be no big deal.

Here’s the follow up statement I would almost inevitably get from the same person who would make the statement above: “Wow, I can’t believe how DIFFERENT that was! I don’t know why that felt so different – how weird! That light went on and I felt like a bumbling idiot!”

For some reason, that little red light can be more distracting and unnerving than a room of 100 people; this happens regardless of format – interview, structured, discussion/forum, or individual speech; out “in the field,” in a closed studio, or even front of a studio audience.

So, why does this happen?

To put it simply, we psych ourselves out! A large part of it has to do with almost subconscious self reflection – when you’re in front of 100 people, you typically don’t have to look at yourself, and watch your own idiosyncrasies. Who’s our biggest critic? Ourselves, of course! So, when the camera rolls, in the back of your head, that critic inevitably raises its ugly voice and says,

“Oh, GOD! I HATE the way I look on camera! it’s going to make me look so pale/shiny/fat/gaunt/dorky/…; is my hair out of place? Does this color look good on me? I’ve always THOUGHT it did! Am I going to look like I know what I’m talking about? What if I lose my train of thought, and make a mistake – then it’s on record for the world to see!”

With video becoming more prominent as a standard communication medium today, getting in front of the camera will inevitably be a necessity at some point for most business owners who need to interface with their target market(s) – which I think will end up being almost everyone. And really, take it from me – since I’ve had to use video as part of the marketing and PR mix for more than 20 years – regardless of how many times you’ve been in front of a room or even a stadium of people, it is different when the camera’s rolling!

So, when that situation arises, here are some simple tips that should smooth out the bumps the first few times out of the gate:

• Don’t simply be prepared; really know exactly what you’re supposed to discuss/present! Be able to do the whole thing on auto-pilot: This way, if you do still freeze up a little, your brain won’t, and you won’t lose your content (which would in turn stress you out even more).

• Engage your emotions. There’s nothing worse than watching a robot – and with such an ADD society today, it’s even worse when it’s on video. If you don’t engage your passion and emotions on your topic, you will lose your audience in less than 10 seconds.

• Practice in front of a mirror or on home video beforehand. If you know what you look like while you’re in the spotlight, you can correct any physical idiosyncrasies to your liking beforehand – so you can quiet that nasty critic in your head before it starts and instead replace it with the voice that simply reminds you of what you want to do to make the best of yourself.

• Pretend you’re having a conversation with someone (in situations when you’re alone and looking into the camera). One of the hardest psychological aspects of filming – especially in a closed studio with no audience – is that you can’t “read” the faces of your audience to see how you’re doing. Even if we don’t realize it consciously, what often helps us relax in front of an audience is when we look out and make eye contact with someone who’s nodding in approval, smiling, and/or intently listening. When you’re speaking to a camera, it can feel like you’re in a black hole. Visualizing someone having a conversation with you over coffee can make it easier, and make you seem more relaxed.

• Don’t overfill your schedule on the day(s) of production. Rushed = tense. If you have to run from a slew of meetings to “squeeze in” the video production, many things can happen to get you stressed before you even get there, from spilling a drink on yourself and staining your clothes to spoiling your mood and taking your focus off of the situation at hand. It will show up on camera!

• Make sure the shoe fits. Unless there’s a costume required for filming, wear clothing that complements you color-wise and fits you well. If you’re standing, make sure the shoes you wear are comfortable. It’s not a good time to wear shoes that are brand new and not broken in, and to women – no spike heels! If you wear something that’s too tight and/or uncomfortable, you will definitely be able to tell on camera, and you will come across as pinched.

• Breathe… and hydrate. If you feel yourself starting to trip over your words, take a moment and take several deep breaths from the heart and diaphragm. Make sure there’s water available (preferably room temperature or slightly warmer, with lemon), to help avoid your throat getting dry – so you don’t have to clear your throat a lot.

• Remember the BEST part about video – that it can be edited!!! Except in rare, live situations, if you make a mistake, SO WHAT? You can shoot it again… and again… and again, until you get it right.

Practice these simple tips so you’ll be able to keep your confidence and breeze through your video presentation. Remember, you’re the expert here – if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be in this situation. You know what you’re doing, so let others benefit from your knowledge, and let yourself shine!

Have you had a surprisingly stressful or nightmarish video experience? Tell us about it, so everyone knows they’re not alone!!!

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Of course, that attracted my interest; the first thing I did was look at who wrote it (the President of an “e-marketing solutions” company). Next I read the posting, and then I looked at his profile to see what his background entailed.

And had you been sitting next to me at the time, you would’ve simply heard a big sigh.

This type of comment fascinates me, yet also punctuates a lot of what I’ve been saying (especially for the past year) about many I have encountered who have decided to focus their recent career in the “e-world” – specifically, those who started as IT and now work in social media (which was basically this guy’s background). We have people out in the public saying things like this while totally missing the point, because they decided to enter a field without knowing it’s place or real application.

That would be the same as me deciding to go into the accounting world, then walking up to an accountant and saying, “QuickBooks is C**P!” To some people, that may be true – especially those who don’t know how to use it, those who are intimidated by it, and/or those who don’t have any sound financial practice to their company to begin with.

Here’s my advice: LEARN YOUR MARKETING BEFORE WORKING IN THE MARKETING WORLD!

That’s the problem today; people don’t look at someone’s background anymore before accepting what they say at face value, or understanding that person’s motivation behind what they say.

So, as a 20+-year strategic marketing veteran, I’ll say this: Contrary to what many “gurus” say, social media in itself isn’t a be all, end all. It’s not a strategy – it’s a TOOL that helps to accomplish a strategy. And how effective or ineffective that tool is depends on how sound the strategy is behind it.

So, what you really need to say to make your statement true, with the proper marketing understanding applied to it, is actually:

TOOL USE + NO STRATEGY = C**P

You can’t say that social media in itself is c**p – in my opinion, it’s actually one of the most effective worldwide “one-on-one” communication tools that has been developed, probably ever. However, as in any other marketing and/or communications tool, if it’s used without a strategy or direction in mind, it will do a whole lot of nothing for you. However, if there is a strategy behind it, and there’s a plan regarding it’s approach, it can actually be a VERY effective medium, especially in terms of:

• target market predisposition to buy
• establishing expertise
• establishing visibility
• adding value to the producer-customer relationship

Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen a major paradigm shift in the marketing world: What used to be most important to consumers was the PRODUCT or SERVICE; today, it is now that the PEOPLE behind the product or service is JUST AS IMPORTANT as the product or service itself – especially regarding interaction via customer service.

Another important statistic: If you look at research statistics today, 85% of all brand purchasing decisions are made by women. There have been a lot of studies looking at purchasing psychology, too: Where men’s buying decisions often have to do with a feature checklist, women are much more aware of the QUALITY of the transaction – customer service, understanding of the product/service, and understanding of the philosophy behind it. It’s relationship based. Therefore, social media is a beautiful tool to accomplish this. And guess who is the fastest growing population in the adoption of social media to influence their buying decisions? Yep, you got it – women.

So, you see, I always raise an eyebrow when someone just flat out tells me a TOOL is c**p, whether it’s social media, a Website, a brochure, an advertisement, or anything else. Because the first question I ask is, what is the strategy it’s supposed to support? The next is, what was your specific objective in using it? Then I ask them to tell me about the rest of the integrated marketing mix that’s being used to support that strategy and objective.

99 times out of 100, they can’t provide me with a viable response to any of those three.

Enough said.

What are your thoughts on this, in terms of your business?

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