Brand Marketing Blog

How to Get the Most from Your Agency (con’t)

Jenn — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:02:00 GMT

Last week, I talked about the importance of making your relationship with your marketing agency as productive as possible. I shared the first two rules that I’ve learned over the years of being on both the client and the agency side (1. Be respectful and 2. Share). Here are the other two simple rules:

3. Expect the best: If you agency turns in something you think isn’t up to par, tell them so. Don’t accept anything less than their best work. You deserve it and good agencies will enjoy the challenge and the expectations.

4. Treat them as a partner in your success: Your agency is there to help you. Whether it’s for strategic planning and ideas or creative execution, or both, they are there to make your life easier. If you treat them as a partner in your success and share your successes with them, you’ll have a strong client-agency relationship.

The other thing I didn’t mention last week is that if you have a strong agency relationship, you’d be amazed at all the little things they do for you and for which they never charge. Many clients are surprised when they suddenly don’t have that agency anymore for whatever reason and they realize how many little projects they sent to their agency and how much it can suddenly cost. Agencies don’t bother with billing for very small projects because it can cost more to bill for it than to just do it.

A great agency relationship is definitely a primary way to optimize your marketing spend and expand your capabilities quickly.

Jenn

How to Get the Most from Your Agency

Jenn — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Whether you’re just starting out working with an agency or have been doing so for a while, it’s important to know how to make this relationship as productive as possible. There are four simple rules that I’ve learned over the years of being on both the client and the agency side:

1. Be respectful: Respect your agency’s time and resources as you would your own. Agencies are there to help. Let them do that by giving them as much warning as possible when you need a project done, so they can rearrange their resources to accommodate your needs. And be sure to pay on time – there’s nothing more disrespectful than someone who doesn’t pay promptly.

2. Share: Include key agency people in important meetings and tell them any organizational news that is shared internally. Again, give them the tools they need to help you be successful. If they are in the dark about the winds of change, they can’t be thinking of solutions for you.

Next week I’ll share rules #3 and #4.

When you have a strong agency relationship, you’ll have a partner who can pull you out of almost any pickle that can happen in a rapidly changing environment. And that is worth its weight in gold.

Jenn

What to Expect from an Agency?

Jenn — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Now that you’re hired that great agency, you need to understand what you can expect from them as your partner for success.

You should expect great performance. Every agency person wants to be able to do a great job. If you share relevant information and give them reasonable deadlines, they should be able to produce great work for you. Work that takes your breath away. Agencies and creatives live and die by their last project. We walk on a knife edge every day and we love it. So you should expect nothing less than great performance.

You should expect flexibility. Agencies are built around their client’s changing business requirements. Agency life is unpredictable and not for everyone. But for those that thrive on challenge and change, those crazy requests are like a gauntlet thrown down and the drive to fulfill is a thrill. You need something tomorrow? Call your agency as soon as you know. You might be surprised at what they can do.

You should expect them to be a partner. Your agency is as much a part of your organization as any other team. They should be as invested in your success as you are. Be sure you have clear metrics for success and hold them accountable. Most agencies will welcome the inclusion and the expectations.

It’s okay to have high expectations for your agency. You have high expectations for your company and they are a part of that dream now. Next week, I’ll share some guidelines for how you can get the most from this dynamic relationship.

Jenn

How to Choose an Agency

Jenn — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:00:00 GMT

So you’re thinking about hiring an agency. Good for you! That means you’re ready to expand and are taking the next step of securing help so you can get there. Whether you’re looking for a marketing agency, a PR agency, or an integrated agency, there are some important guidelines to help choose:

1. Learn the agency’s style and philosophy: Some agencies are what I call “order takers” – they will do whatever you want without asking any questions or suggesting improvements. If you have a dictatorial style, and are frustrated by people who ask questions, this is your best bet. If you prefer someone who will partner with you at a more strategic level, will challenge your assumptions, will ask questions and make suggestions for improvements, then you need an agency with people who will be able to do that. Be clear about your own needs and be sure you understand who you’re working with before you sign on the dotted line.

2. Check their client list: I am not suggesting this for the usual reasons most people do this, which is to see which “big names” are on their list (sometimes they may have done the creative equivalent of stuffing envelopes for a big company …). You want to know who is on their client list because that will help you address where YOU fit in. You do not want to be their smallest account, nor do you want to be their biggest. The ideal place is to be on the upper side of one of their larger accounts. That kind of client gets the very best attention. The agency has enough experiences and resources to cover most of your needs easily and is hungry to fill the ones they don’t have immediately available.

So go out there and choose a great agency. You’re taking an exciting first step towards realizing your company’s dreams.

Jenn

The Power of Branded Events

Jenn — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:59:00 GMT

A branded executive event can do wonders for your sales cycle. I recently attended an executive forum hosted by a large payroll company and it was a great experience for many of the attendees. The company was seeking to have the attendees sign on as customers, but they provided solid value in the form of information and netwroking opportunities.

The one-day, two-night event was hosted at a beautiful inn in Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley. The agenda for the day included speakers from the venture capital community, risk management experts, and HR experts from various companies. The speakers were informative and helped the attending executives take a broader look at their businesses. Additionally, the day provided many opportunities for isolated C-level attendees to share their concerns with fellow execs. It's often difficult for execs to discuss the challenges they face with anyone inside their own company so being able to connect with others who share the same concerns is a very valuable experience.

As a result of the valuable information and the networking opportunities provided, the host company was bathed in a very favorable light. The host provided these busy execs with a nice retreat and great opportunity to look beyond the day-to-day. In my work with execs, I can tell you that there is precious little time for such strategic thinking.

As my associate said to them, "I really appreciate that today wasn't a pitch. I get that all the time. I appreciate that this was something valuable." So aptly said.

I have developed many executive events over the years and the best are always valuable versus merely a sales pitch -- as this event was in Napa. The execs know why they are there. The host company wants to sell them something. But never abuse trust that by pitching to them AT the event. Provide them with some valuable information, and lots of opportunity to network with their peers and they will remember you when it's time to choose the service or product you offer.

Let's talk about how we can create an executive event that supports your brand and leaves your customers grateful to you.

Until next week,

Jenn

Choosing Your Baby (Company)’s Name – Part IV

Jenn — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:13:00 GMT

Over the last three weeks, I’ve shared some common rules I’ve used in naming new companies/products/services over the years. Hopefully these guidelines will be helpful to you.

Another big decision in the naming process is deciding whether you really want a real word name (or a close approximation) like Apple or Google, or are willing to flex to something that’s an imaginary word made from combination of syllables, like Escalade. It is infinitely more difficult to find a real word or a variation of one that fills all of the criteria above, so if that is something that you have your heart set on, know that you may have to give up on one of the rules above.

Now that I’ve made the naming process sound daunting (unfortunately, it can be …), remember, this is also a fun process and will be an important part of your corporate identity for many years to come. Also remember that the name does not make the company, the company makes the name. Over time, the name you choose will come to be infused with all the brand characteristics that represent your new company.

Best of luck with your new company name!

Jenn

Choosing Your Baby (Company)’s Name – Part III

Jenn — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:11:00 GMT

Over the last two weeks, I shared some important rules about naming a company/product/service including making short, memorable, easy to say, with a good URL and being sure it won’t translate into something awful in another language. The final two rules include that the new name should be:

6. Available in your category – you will need to register your name within a certain category (hence you’ll need legal help) and you need to be sure the name you want isn’t already taken by someone else in the same category. If you’ve followed Rule #2, you should be fine. I haven’t looked, but I’d be willing to bet a large diamond that “American Paint Supply” actually exists and that means that it’s “taken” in the “paint supply” category and you’d discover that once you applied for your new business entity documentation.
7. NEVER be an acronym – this is a major pet peeve of mine and one I see all the time. Folks say, “Well, what about IBM?” Yes, well, when you have literally billions of dollars to spend on marketing and branding, and several decades in which to establish that brand, go ahead, use an acronym. (IBM, by the way, was created because everyone got tired of saying “International Business Machines” (ten syllables … see Rule #1).

Next week, I’ll discuss some broader issues about naming that you should also be considering when you name your new company/product/service.

Jenn

Choosing Your Baby (Company)’s Name – Part II

Jenn — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:10:00 GMT

Last week, I talked about the importance of keeping the new company/product/service name short and memorable. Those two rules are a great start, and here are a few others to consider. The new name should be:

3. Easy to Pronounce – if people can’t figure out how to pronounce it, that will make it harder to remember. Something that follows the natural rules of the English language work well.
4. Not Vulgar/Negative in Another Language – in this flat world, it’s crucial that you have a good linguist look at your list of names. It’s surprising sometimes what the translation can mean. Apparently Chevy had a hard time selling the Nova in Mexico when they launched it. A Spanish linguist could have saved them grief and untold millions since “No va” translates to “no go” in Spanish.
5. Available with a good URL – this is so critical as you need the URL to match with your company name. And, yes, all the good ones are taken. It’s much easier to buy a new URL than it is to try to wrestle it away from someone who’s squatting on your favorite new name. Check before you leap.

Next week I’ll share the final rules for choosing a good company/product/service name.

Jenn

Flaunting It: Why Being Bold Matters

Jenn — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:51:00 GMT

Have you seen the ads for LifeLock? If you have, you know they are very difficult ignore. They feature the CEO, Todd Davis, SSN 457-55-5462, standing there boldly holding out his social security card. And offering you a million dollars if his service doesn’t protect your name and SSN from identity theft.

Now if there’s one thing that everyone has learned about identity theft over the last few years, it’s the fact that you don’t give your SSN to just anyone. But there he is flaunting it. And a cool million to back up his promise. Does that get attention? You bet it does. Why? Because he’s doing the one thing that we know we’re not supposed to do.

I remember the first time I saw it, I thought "Is that man crazy? Why is he holding up his Social Security card? Doesn’t he know that’s dangerous?" That was before I realized he was the CEO of an ID theft company. But then I thought, "What if someone uses his number for the wrong reason?" Then I saw the $1M reward offer. And then I realized this guy and his service were the real deal.

At that point, I just stood there in awe of really great marketing. They used the one thing we all know about ID theft and turned it on its head. That’s boldness. He’s so confident of his service, he’ll give his SSN to anyone. Even me. Or you. And his offer is very strong and compelling service guarantee. $1M is a serious chunk of change. Even here in Silicon Valley.

Those of you who read my blog or who have worked with me during one of our Brand DNA Workshops, know that I stress that one of the key elements of a great brand is being bold in your brand promise. Take some cues from LifeLock. They know how to be bold!

Jenn

Choosing Your Baby (Company)’s Name

Jenn — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:07:00 GMT

So you’ve decided to have a … company. One of the first (of many) decisions is what to name it, right? This is an important, and often emotional, decision that is no less crucial than naming a baby. Except there can be more than one Brittany or Jennifer (trust me on that one … there were five in my kindergarten class!) in the class for babies. Not so for companies, so it’s even more challenging.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share some of the guidelines I’ve used over the years of naming products, services and companies. The new name should be:

1. Short – meaning no more than 2-3 syllables. If it’s more than that, people will automatically shorten it and you’ll be forced to adapt. Beverages and More has gradually adapted to being called by it’s once nickname, BevMo. That works fine but it would have been easier to have kept the name shorter to begin with! And no, 1-3 syllables does not mean 4; it means 1-3 syllables. Period.
2. Memorable – some names are just of so forgettable. Typically they are either very weird (like Zilinx) or very generic, like American Paint Supply. Make it something people will remember, something with style. For this reason, I have never understood why car manufacturers name their cars using numbers. Very arcane and hard to remember. Your company is distinct – make sure the name is too!

Next week I’ll share a few more of the rules for choosing a good name for your new “baby.”

Jenn

Zen and the Art of Speaking

Jenn — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:06:00 GMT

Sometimes less really IS more. I just returned from a weekend at a Buddhist/Zen meditation center (those who know me found it amusing that I chose to be (or even could be!) silent for a full day ... but that's a different story). As always, I was (subconsciously) on the lookout for good marketing ideas. I'm an idea collector and I've learned to be okay with that. ;-> And this weekend produced yet another good one. This time about the art of great speeches.

In my consulting with executives, I'm often in the role of speechwriter and speech coach, both of which I love to do. What struck me about the Zen teachers at the retreat is how very, very, very slowly they spoke. As if every word had a deep meaning. To them each word clearly did, and therefore to the audience, each word took on a special significance.

Personally, I tend to to speak very quickly -- either in front of an audience or just one-on-one. My passion about topics tends to come out as speed. For the Zen teachers, the passion was clearly there but expressed in the exact opposite way (that realization in itself is a Zen teaching ...).

There were often very long pauses before they began speaking and in between thoughts. They were extremely professional and had notes about what they wanted to express but they did so in a very measured and extremely thoughtful way. Especially when answering questions from the audience, you could almost watch the wheels move in their head. They clearly thought through each answer and the process of thinking was almost a of form of honoring the questioner. None of the answers seemed canned although I'm sure they were common questions (this was a beginner workshop). I was fascinated by the way they presented. So different from most presenters, even ones who speak in a measured and controlled fashion.

In Toastmasters, one of the things they teach is the art of the pause. But these two teachers used pauses in a whole different and extended way. I've always been afraid that some pauses might seem too long. Watching these two teachers it became clear to me that a very long pause, as long as it's followed by a thoughtful comment or response can't ever be "too" long.

So next time you're up speaking, and particularly when you're asked a question, use the art of the very long pause before articulating your response. It may give you an opportunity to honor the question and the questioner, and also collect your thoughts enough to let your true wisdom shine through for your audience.

Jenn

A Powerful Tagline Can Make An Entire Ad Campaign

Jenn — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:33:00 GMT

I recently returned from a great weekend getaway with my husband to Las Vegas. Although I was on vacation, I just can’t stop myself when it comes to looking for great ideas — even when I think I’m just relaxing.

We stayed at the Bellagio, and the in room magazine had a GREAT ad on the back cover with a SUPERB tagline. The ad shows a beautiful black, white and gold fine china dish with a woman in a red dress hanging off the edge of it (evocative of the “O” show at Bellagio — very nice). But the tagline is what got me. It reads “Reservations are not only suggested, they’re envied.”

Now I don’t know what prompted this ad but I would imagine that the hotel makes significant income off its restaurants and there certainly is stiff competition for good eats in LV. Or perhaps people were just showing up and not making reservations, wreaking havoc on the operations of the restaurant. Whatever the motivation, it’s an incredibly effective tagline. It raises the status of reservations from merely something I “should” to something everyone else will covet. And it makes the reader with reservations feel just a notch prouder. Nice.

Jenn

Measuring the Value and Cost Effectiveness of Events

Jenn — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:17:00 GMT

Last week, we discussed how to calculate the Impact, a very important metric that measures how many people you impacted at a certain show, versus just the number of attendees (see last week’s column for how to calculate this). Once you have your Impact number calculated, you can use it to determine some additional valuable metrics, including your response rate for that show and your cost per impact.

Response rate is very easy to determine, you simply take the number of inquiries or leads (however you choose to determine “interest” at your booth) and divide that by the Impact. This will produce your Response Rate, which is a measure of the degree of interest (marketing effectiveness) generated at that show.

Another important metric is your Cost/Impact ratio, which helps you gauge the cost effectiveness of each show. As you probably guessed, this is your show cost (total) divided by the Impact. This is an excellent measure of how effective your spend was and also gives you a number to compare across different conferences and shows, so you can decide which ones give you the most value for your money. Over time, this number will help you pick the winners and the losers in your events budget.

Now you should be well-equipped to measure your events beyond simply how many folks came and whether or not they had fun. Now go out and get the answers you deserve!

Jenn

Measuring the Impact of Your Events

Jenn — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:17:00 GMT

Generally, most marketers use the number of attendees as a metric to measure the success of an event. Part of the problem with using attendees as a metric is it’s generally an overestimation of your ability to impact your audience unless you are a very large company, such as IBM or Cisco, or you are at a very small show.

So in order to more accurately measure the impact my company has at a certain conference, I developed a metric called (oddly enough!) “Impact.” This number is determined by multiplying the number of attendees by the “Impact Rate.” The Impact Rate is a guesstimate of the percentage of folks at the show who likely interacted with or at least saw our company brand in some context at the show.

The Impact Rate is obviously much higher for shows where you do a lot of advertising (sponsorships, bus wraps, presentations, pre-show direct mail campaigns, etc. in addition to your basic booth), or where you are a big company within a smaller show. The Impact Rate goes down if you only have a basic booth set-up or if you are a smaller company at a larger, industry-wide show.

This Impact number is important because it represents (approximately) how many people you impacted at a certain show, versus just the number of attendees, which can be very misleading in some situations.

Next week, I’ll share some additional metrics that can help you determine the effectiveness and the cost efficiency of your events.

Jenn

Measuring the Success of Events

Jenn — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:16:00 GMT

I recently taught a workshop for marketers about metrics and using them to inform your marketing programs. Some of this workshop I’ve already shared with you in previous columns (see previous columns (January/February 2008) for the series on email metrics). The topic that seemed to most pique their interest was the section on event metrics. Not a huge surprise, given those events (tradeshows, conferences, customer events, etc.) is typically a huge line item in any brand marketing budget.

There are, however, very few metrics available to measure events. As one attendee said, it’s usually only “How many attendees did we have?” and “Did they have fun?” Hardly solid metrics – especially when these events can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for many companies!

Over the years, I’ve developed my own set of metrics to determine the success of each event. I’ve also used these metrics to compare events over the course of a year to determine which ones we should keep and which ones need to axed from next year’s budget. These metrics all hinge on a concept called “Impact” that I will explain in next week’s column.

Jenn

Email metrics: Conversion Rates

Jenn — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:16:00 GMT

Now that you know when to send your email messages, and how to read your delivery rates, open rates, read rates and click-through rates, let’s turn to the final and most important metric: the conversion rate. This is the one metric that is most commonly NOT measured, simply because it’s a little harder to do technically. All the previous metrics are generally available from your email marketing provider, but conversion rates require you to build landing pages or find some other technical way to track how people are coming to your site and what they do once they are there, and then if they are converting to a sale or a specific action.

The very simplest method is to track the activity on the page/pages you specified in your email. If you assume most people read their email within 24 hours, it’s usually fairly obvious where the blip in traffic came from for that page (assuming you have a regular traffic report) or in sales. If you don’t have a regular traffic report, get one for several week prior to your email and then the week you send out your newsletter.

Ideally, you can build a separate landing page to receive the traffic from your various offers and then have your IT person track the activity, all the way through to the purchase. This combination of web analytics and email metrics will give you the most accurate view of your conversions.

Either way you choose, be sure you’re monitoring the actual conversion rate as this is the most important email metric of all!

Jenn

Email metrics: Click-through Rates

Jenn — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:15:00 GMT

Ah, now we get to the meat of any email campaign … how many of your recipients took an action and clicked through on one or more of the links in your email message? This is really important to know. We send out email messages because we want to change behavior, right? We want people to download a whitepaper, sign up for an event, learn more about a company, or take a variety of other actions.

The click-through rate (or click rate) is how many clicks were made, divided by the number of emails sent (usually, although it can be based on the number opened). This metric will tell you how many people are interested enough in your message to change what they were doing – which, up until then, was going through their email box – and give your message some attention.

An important point to remember about click-though rates is that they are indication of INTEREST, not intent. I may click on the “On Sale” button on the Lands End email that comes through to take a look, but I may not end up buying new ski pants. That’s for next week’s discussion.

Jenn

The Paradox of Super Bowl Sunday in the World of Pay-per-Click

Jenn — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:14:00 GMT

By the time you read this, the most exciting advertising day of the year will be over. Along with the leftover guacamole, we marketing obsessed folks will rehash every ad that aired on Super Bowl Sunday, including who made the biggest faux pas (“What were they thinking??!”), the newcomers, and the trend-setters.

For those of us in marketing, Super Bowl day is better than the Oscars. We get to watch everyone put on their finest (or at least what seemed like their finest at the time …) and strut their marketing finery down the red carpet of the biggest TV day of the year.

The average Super Bowl ad runs well over $2.5M (plus approximately $1M in production costs, according to Wikipedia). It’s hard to imagine why companies spend so much to run a single spot. You would think that in the world of Google ads and craigslist postings, those hugely expensive ad spots would go the way of the dinosaur.

But in the days of audience fragmentation, the Super Bowl is increasingly relevant because it’s one of those rare TV times when most of America (and the rest of the world) is watching (aside from American Idol nights …). It’s increasingly difficult for mass market brands to find a mass market anymore. Super Bowl Sunday has become one of those rare and therefore, increasingly valuable, spots.

Let’s hope this year is as much fun as it has been every other year. Pass the guac and bring on the ads!

Jenn

Email metrics: Delivery, Open and Read Rates

Jenn — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:13:00 GMT

So you’ve sent out your first email newsletter and you want to know who “got” it. Well, that’s a tricky question. Your email provider should be able to provide you with some basic metrics on your message, including the delivery rate, open rate, and hopefully, the read rate.

It’s good to know how many were delivered as many never reach their intended recipient, but remember that this metric does not track how many get caught in filters your recipient may have on his/her computer (spam boxes, etc.). Nevertheless, it gives you a good idea of how many actually got where they were supposed to be.

Most email providers will give you an open rate, which is the percentage of those emails sent that were opened. But beware … just because an InBox opened the email doesn’t mean the recipient read it! Many email programs automatically open each message, so it’s impossible to tell if someone actually read your message. The read rate (less commonly reported) is how many messages that were opened and remained open for five seconds or longer. While this still doesn’t guarantee your recipient read your message (how many times have you been bombing through your InBox when the phone rang?), it’s still a much better gauge of their interest than the open rate.

So be sure to ask your email marketing services provider what your read rate was after you send out your next email campaign.

Jenn

Best Days to Send Email Messages

Jenn — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:06:00 GMT

“What’s the best day for us to send our email message/newsletter?” I get this question A LOT from clients so I’ll share it here.

I’ve always gone by a rule of thumb that messages should be sent on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, only because Mondays are generally hectic and Fridays are check-out days. For this column, I decided to do some actual research to see if my hunches were true.

According to EmailLabs, an email marketing firm, Tuesday is in fact the biggest sending day for sending email messages, followed by Wednesday and then Thursday. This data is from 2003, but I doubt there’s any reason to think things have changed much since then in terms of our usual business patterns.

Interestingly, Wednesday is the day most email messages are opened. That may be related to all those messages sent on Tuesdays. That also means most email is smellier than a dead fish after 24 hours, so time your messages carefully!

The other very interesting this I discovered was that 11 am PST is the peak time for email messages to be opened. Apparently, we West Coasters check email before lunch and East Coasters tend to do it as an mid-afternoon break. Who knew we had different email reading patterns that depended on geography?

Throughout the month, I’m going to explore various email metrics that you may want to track after you send out your next message … on a Tuesday, right? (smile)

Jenn