The Candidates Are Asking, You Should Be Too!

By Karin Risko

With eight days until the election, none of the candidates are mincing any words. At every stump speech, they're being direct and telling audience members that they need and want their votes. This directness of message, also known as closing the deal, is effective not only in politics but business as well. It reminds me of an article I wrote on the topic some time ago.

Don’t Forget to Ask?

What is it you want recipients of your message to do? Call you? Vote for you? Sign up for your services? Make an appointment? Buy your product right now? Whatever you want them to do, make sure you ask them to do it in a clear, concise manner!

Recently, I was asked to edit a letter from a mayoral candidate. In the original draft, the candidate spelled out her reasons for running and listed her qualifications. She ended the letter with:

“On September 13, 2005, we will have a Primary Election to determine who will be on the Ballot for the General Election on November 8, 2005. I need your support!”

What exactly does this candidate want her constituents to do? What does “support” really mean – financial, emotional? Does she want constituents to contribute money? Collect signatures? Campaign for her? Vote for her?

All of these scenarios are valid answers, especially since the letter went out the first week of August. The candidate probably would appreciate all the responses listed above, however, she had a specific objective in mind with this letter. That’s
why “I need your support” was far too vague. I rewrote the letter and changed the ending. “On September 13, 2005 a Primary Election will be held to determine which candidates will be on the November 8th General Election ballot. I’d like to be
on that ballot! Will you please show your support by voting for me?”

Any question now as to what the candidate wants readers to do?

Don’t be vague in your communications! Don’t hedge; be straightforward with your audience. Ask for the donation, the job, the contract, the sale! Be specific! You may be surprised to see more positive responses when your requests are clear. When people know what to do, and see the benefits of the request, they will respond. When they don’t know what’s being asked of them, they’ll also respond accordingly – by doing nothing!

Trade Show Tips 'n Tactics: Getting The Most Out Of Your Trade Show Experience

By Karin Risko

These tips may be simple, but they're often overlooked. Don't put a table between you and trade show attendees. Make them come into your booth. In addition to promotional literature, have something in your booth that's innovative, memorable or fun and draws guests to your booth. It doesn't necessarily have to relate to your business. For example, turn instant photos into buttons or magazine covers in a frame (with your company info. imprinted on it of course). Or it can relate. If you're promoting a commercial pilot service, a flight simulator could be a fun and a sought after addition to your booth.

Give away really good premiums. However, don't just leave them on the table for anyone to grab. A successful financial planner I know hands them out only after carrying on a conversation with individual attendees and after getting their business cards. If they're very good premiums, people will seek you out and willingly hand over their cards.

Make sure someone is always at your booth. Don't ever leave it unattended. People don't like that. I think trade show exhibits work best with 2 or 3 people in the booth at a time. One person can get tired easily and lose his/her enthusiasm. With two or three people, the enthusiasm level remains higher much longer.

Make Please and Thank You part of your public relations vocabulary

Some of you may remember the magic words from your youth: please and thank you. Well, those words are still relevant today in the world of marketing and public relations. Not only is it still appropriate to say "please" and "thanks" to those who've helped promote your business, it makes good business sense.

Whenever you send out press releases or story ideas announcing a new development in your business that garners ink or air time, it's always proper to send a personal thank you note to those responsible. This is called relationship building. If you're nice, polite and grateful, chances are they'll remember you next time around and give your new press release a look.

I have seen people quickly shoot off letters to reporters and editors complaining about mistakes such as misspelled names made in news articles. These same people, however, say nothing when a story runs without errors. They take it for granted that they got press when that spot could have gone to many other worthy businesses or organizations.

Remember, reporters or radio / television hosts don't have to write or talk about your business. By doing so, they're giving you free PR, so be cordial and appreciative of their efforts. If a reporter has made an error, start off first by thanking them and acknowledging the positives. Then bring up the error.

When launching a new business or initiating a marketing campaign, I recommend that supplies include a nice big box of thank you cards! While gifts can be construed as payola and are not allowed by most organizations, a sincere thank you is always in style and appreciated.

Does Traditional Media Still Work? Part 3

Does traditional media still work?

More experts weigh in on this topic. Read their interesting and informative take on my question in three Marketing Moxie blog posts.

For years we've been told that traditional media such as network television, newspapers, radio, and yellow pages are not very relevant in reaching people anymore. The marketing community is abuzz about trends it finds sexier such as social networking, click on ads, viral marketing, experiential marketing, etc.

Yet presidential candidate Barack Obama, who is known for using the Internet to build his campaign, is spending several million dollars for a half hour slot on prime time, network television. From a marketing, PR and advertising perspective, what do you think of that?

Gary Selvaggio, Award Winning Creative Director & Writer: CGI & Live Action said:
Unlike Mazda or General Mills or UltraSlim, Obama's got to reach a much broader demographic. He has tailored some ads in the past, to reach daytime TV audiences or sports viewers but the half hour buy serves to speak to a wider audience.


Mary Fletcher Jones, Creative Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations said:
I'm not a political supporter of either candidate, but I believe Obama made a wise marketing decision in using both television and social media campaigns.
I think traditional and social media often work well together. For example, you can use a print ad campaign in magazines and newspapers to drive traffic to a website. Social media usually needs a push from traditional media to get started. In terms of traditional media, the impact of cable and network television should not to be dismissed, and while radio ad revenues are declining, there is still value in the reach of radio advertising. I agree that you shouldn't waste money on the yellow pages.
The one thing you did not mention is email marketing, which has the highest ROI of all.


Jacqueline Wolven, Small Business Marketing & PR said:
As an Arkansas resident who actually watches Swing State TV from Missouri I will tell you that he has purchased prime spots to reach middle class voters. He needs a demographic that still gets their news from traditional media. In fact, he is approaching his campaign in several ways by targeting different generations.
It is valuable to point out that his brilliance is that he is a community organizer - he understands that it is person to person that changes get made. It is our personal stories and what we share with our friends and neighbors. By purchasing media spots to target a demographic that gets their stories in that manner he is further giving proof to that idea - he is giving them the tools to share his story. Brilliant.

Richard Kelleher, World’s first (used to be only) marketing sociologist said:
Does traditional media still work? You betcha. Where'd you learn about Sarah Palin, 9-11? If you depended upon Web 2.0, you'd have no knowledge of these.
Newspapers appear to be dead, but television, radio and Web news sites (Wall Street Journal, radio stations and newspapers online, etc.). You won't be making life decisions off what you learn on Twitter, MySpace or Face book. You're going to use traditional media. That's where you learned about government bailout.

Sharon Kraun, Public Relations and Marketing Consultant said:
When television first appeared, many said newspapers would die. What happened was a shift and adaption. While the medium is different, the effects it has will be the same. The media all have an audience. To make them effective marketing tools, we need to understand their strongpoints and utilize their strengths. Our marketplace is more fractured - there's not a handful of radio stations, but thousands with satellite radio: not a handful of television options, but hundreds with cable and satellite: not just a few local websites, but millions of sites, blogs, and social networks. What works? Who is your audience? What is your message? How / what is the best way to reach that audience in a way that is meaningful and will be receptive to that target audience. Each of these media does and will continue to work. Perhaps not in the same way as 5 years, 10 years or even 20 years ago. But each has a place. Barack Obama's team found a unique and impactful way to spark debate and create a dialog between the candidate and consumer. But that audiece is only one of a series of demographics with the potential to vote. Adding in a television mix doesn't mean social media didn't work. It's simply an extension of a marketing mix - a smart move if you ask me. And those who want to reach an older demographic may look to print to continue the outreach.
The cool thing is that we have so many different options. The challenge is creating the right mix for our clients. One size - one medium - doesn't fit all.

Karin's note: A special thank you to all who responded. Remember, your comments are always welcome!

Does Traditional Media Still Work? Part 2

For years we've been told that traditional media such as network television, newspapers, radio, and yellow pages are not very relevant in reaching people anymore. The marketing community is abuzz about trends it finds sexier such as social networking, click on ads, viral marketing, experiential marketing, etc.

Yet presidential candidate Barack Obama, who is known for using the Internet to build his campaign, is spending several million dollars for a half hour slot on several prime time, network television stations. From a marketing, PR and advertising perspective, what do you think of that? Does traditional media still work?

I posed this question to a few experts and here are their responses.

Bonnie McEwan, Owner, Make Waves: Impact Marketing for Nonprofits said:

I believe that traditional media is, on the whole, as effective as it ever was. It is just that it is now relevant to a more targeted demographic. When publicists say that traditional media doesn't work anymore, I think they are reacting to that fact that it is more difficult to make a good placement in traditional media than it once was, especially if a publicist is using traditional media relations tactics. News holes have gotten smaller and media has become consolidated and corporate, with less regulation, so there are fewer of the socially obligatory stories than there used to be and getting a good placement is tougher.

For at least the next 5 to 10 years there are going to be baby boomers who are in decision-making positions of power and they continue to use traditional media, especially television, as a news source. There was recently a poll done by Ragan, in which respondents gave TV a 6.6 rating (out of a possible 10) for credibility, the highest of any medium, traditional or online. Most online outlets scored in the 5 - 5.5 range. See my blog on this topic.

This same group of boomers also tends to make charitable contributions at a level above what younger audiences make, so for nonprofit organizations this is a group that remains important to reach. And, of course, these folks vote. I think that's why Obama has put so much money into television. At this point, he can't afford to take the chance of missing people with his message if he neglects television.

Until this current election cycle older Americans voted far out of proportion to the rate of younger voters, although this will most certainly not be true in this particular election. We don't know, however, if this voting trend among younger people will continue. (Let's hope.) At any rate, there is no way to accurately assess whether the younger cadre will carry the election for Obama, so he really doesn't have a choice other than to stick with the tried and true advertising format.

Many boomers also use online media and are on social media sites and we know that many younger people prefer online news to other, older formats. So digital media strategies must be added into any good marketing mix, along with traditional media and other communications techniques. In my company we give a lot of thought to how we can leverage exposure in traditional media to increase online attention and vice versa. The two together are the way to go at this juncture.

This is a great question, Karin, and I have enjoyed reading the answers that you have gotten so far. I will be interested to see the other answers that you get too.

Paul Gruenther, MBA, Real Estate Investor & Realtor said:

First, Obama bought 30 minutes of air time on the 79th anniversary of "Black Friday". October 29, 1929 was the day that the stock market crashed, officially setting off the Great Depression. Guaranteed... Obama will make this a shocking media event, not just a 30 minute TV show.

Second, keep in mind that each generation gets information in different ways from different sources. The AARPer's and Boomers will read newspapers, watch TV news and listen to talk radio. Generation Xer's tap into progressive media like the internet. An effective campaign must cover all media outlets with a variety of messages to reach all potential voters.

Karin's comment: I didn't realize Senator Obama bought air time on the anniversary of Black Friday. This solidifies my opinion stated in previous post that this does fall under marketing and advertising and not akin to a presidential address.

Does Traditional Media Still Work? Part 1

For years we've been told that traditional media such as network television, newspapers, radio, and yellow pages are not very relevant in reaching people anymore. The marketing community is abuzz about trends it finds sexier such as social networking, click on ads, viral marketing, experiential marketing, etc.

Yet presidential candidate Barack Obama, who is known for using the Internet to build his campaign, is spending several million dollars for a half hour slot on several prime time, network television stations. From a marketing, PR and advertising perspective, what do you think of that? Does traditional media still work?

I posed this question to a few experts and here are their responses.

Kent Hummel, Director of Marketing, Swift Communications said:

What a wonderful and relevant question.

I think traditional media still works well, just not as well as it used to. The audiences have been shrinking but the good ones still have a remarkable reach in many areas. Unfortunately, the "traditional" mass market approach does not take into account how consumers have shifted their tastes and demands for their entertainment and news. I think it would be stupid to pull all marketing dollars out of traditional channels and put them into new media. Like any good plan, there should be a good, solid mix of channels and tools that the marketers have to execute their media buys.

The political question is an interesting one. The standard for political advertising has been TV, TV, TV. I think that is more based on "that is the way we have alway done it" and not based on where the bigger audiences are engaged. You could make a compelling case, and some have, that local, regional and metro newspapers still have a place in our community dialogues about important issues.

I hope this helps answer some of your questions. This is just my opinion but it is hard to ignore when something really resonates with an audience. Look at the huge come-back with SNL and the great political skits. We all need to laugh more. So here is to more laughter and more common sense.

Lisa Ann Schreier, The Timeshare Crusader, Writer, Speaker, Consultant, Educator, Creative Guru said:

I believe that traditional media does indeed still work.

Call me a skeptic, but I'm not all that certain that the so-called "new media" such as Twitter, Social Networking, Viral, Click On Ads, etc. are all that productive. When was the last time you clicked on a "Click On Ad?"

I do however, think that the message must be changed from say, 10 or even 5 years ago. Consumer thinking has changed and the fact that the "sexier" advertising as you call it exists makes it easier for consumers to find out more about what you are advertising than before. Traditional advertising is stil the way to go to get the original message out though.

People still watch television, still read newspapers, still read magazines, still listen to radio and will still respond to an eye-catching billboard. The message must be catchier and either more niche driven or more broadbased than before. Think Target...great television spots!

Brian Olson, Vice President of Public Affairs at Video Professor said:

"Traditional" media has changed. It includes duopolies, multiple pipelines coming out of the same news organization.

Senator Obama's purchases of prime-time TV surprises me, because he's buying on broadcast networks, but not buying more time on cable/satellite networks.

These niche channels have much more easily defined demographics. There's a hidden message in all this in that the networks are willing to take the campaign cash instead of running prime-time programming at the beginning of the key November ratings period.

Says a lot about how their programming is doing vs revenue needs.

You are right in saying "we have been told" traditional media doesn't work. It in fact, does. The print edition also has an on-line edition. The broadcast has an on-line version, that I can interact with via blogs, posting opinions and taking part in polls. Which are used on another broadcast as content. Ditto for the print counterparts.

And in many markets, print and broadcast partner together.

Content generates content. Which then generates buzz on Social Media. Which makes you wonder what exactly is "traditional" media.

Ronald Garner, Communications Director, AudioStockssaid:

It does not work as well as it has in the past, but it does still work.

The reason we're so aware of the decline in traditional media reach and effectiveness is that we have heard or read about it--in traditional media.

Even the internet information available on the subject originates from the traditional media outlets themselves.

by the way, the new media are not immune from decline in effectiveness either as research from ComScore and Google (a public company which provides data on Internet advertising) will occasionally attest.

The key problem with traditional media in today's environment is that its profitability is shrinking.

A problem with new media is that its fragmentation of audiences is both good and bad. Good for targeting demographics, bad for reaching broader audiences, where (traditionally) the money is made.
Article Link:

Frank Feather, CEO, Keynote Speaker, Strategy Consultant - "A Future You Can Bank On!" said:

Buying a 30-minute block of time is beside the point, in my view.

This is an election. The candidates are getting plenty of attention. The debates are televised events. So it is only natural to go to the television audience. This is not really an advertisement. It is like a prime-time presidential address.

Other than such event programming, the old media will continue to lose advertising share to the Internet. In the normal course, that is where the audience is spending its time.

And people will re-watch it -- online.

Karin's comment: I agree with all that the experts say. I do, however, believe Senator Obama's purchase of air time is an example of marketing & PR and not like a presidential address at all. He's not president yet. He's still trying to win over voters and seal the deal. He's using prime time television to reach them. What do you think?

Blogs, Web Site Tips-N-Trends: Is FREE always the best solution for your online marketing needs?

One of the ways non-profits and small businesses can cut costs yet remain visible is through free web site and blog hosting services such as blogger.com. Affordability and ease of use make these services attractive. Free isn't always such a great deal though as members of a non-profit recently discovered when their "free" service failed at a crucial time.

I've posted the non-profit's problem below and called upon interactive marketing guru Scott Burkey of Solar Velocity, an Atlanta-based full service marketing and technology firm to lend his expertise.


Problem

We've used a blog hosted by a community newspaper to promote our non-profit event. The blog worked well for us as we could immediately post information, set up the blog in a nice format that met our needs, and best of all, it was free.

For six months we posted articles of interest relating to our event, press releases and updated event information. Occasionally, we'd find that the blog links didn't always work, but it didn't seem to be a big deal and problems were quickly rectified. However, a few days prior to the opening day of our event, we received publicity in our local newspapers. The result, over 600 daily visitors to our site over the next few days. While the publicity was great, it appears our blog shut down numerous times as our contact person received many calls from people stating the blog wasn't working. This was a big problem as who knows how many people didn't attend because the blog was down or how many other members of the media chose not to pursue coverage as they couldn't access the site.

Soon we'll be planning for next year. How do we avoid this situation again? Do we blog or buy a web site domain? Also, when non-profits or small businesses are looking to set up blogs and/or web sites, what technical things should we be looking at to make sure the host can accommodate our traffic especially at critical times?

Scott Burkey's advice:

Free for most of the year doesn't amount to much if, when you need it, it fails you. That being said, the amount of traffic you are talking about isn't, from my experience, an extraordinary amount of traffic for any web-based application built by a professional to endure for a abbreviated period of time.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. If a blog, website or any piece of Internet technology is mission-critical then it should be tested on a regular basis to ensure it can handle anticipated usage. It seems silly to most, but situations where technology has to stand up to an increased amount of usage should be planned for and tested for.

2. If your blog or website gets very little traffic 99% of the time, but then has to handle an influx of traffic for an event promotion then there are alternatives that will only cost you an extra amount when you need it but not the rest of the time. Load-balancing sites is one option. Stripping down the weight of a site to allow for heavier use is another option. In
extreme cases the site may be cached for efficient retrieval during such times. The option you choose depends on many factors. One of the things my firm does in recommending a solution for a client is to always look at what the right balance of cost and availability. This takes a forward-looking mindset and some honesty with oneself.

3. Any organization needs to look at the reason they are putting up a blog or website when considering how much to invest. If the purpose is solely for information, then the cost can be kept at the low-end of the spectrum. If the site is an e-commerce site then it will likely be at the other end of the cost/feature spectrum. If the blog is "somewhere in the middle" then
that is a decision you're best off making with a guide that is experienced in such matters.

Thanks Scott for your valuable advice. I agree totally with Scott regarding checking your site frequently especially around times you anticipate increased traffic. Six hundred hits isn't a lot of traffic. Rather than the host server being down, the problem could be that a couple of the links are off and that could disrupt your blog or web site.

Anyone else face a similar situation, or any other experts care to comment? Please feel free to share your experiences.