Archive for the ‘Broadreach’ Category
Friday, October 16th, 2009
On the way home from the fair the other day, I noticed a marquee sign in a small community proclaiming “Best Thai Food in Town!”
Now, I like Thai food, and this place might be wonderful. But instead of convincing me that I should stop by, the sign made me wonder: Can there be more than one Thai place in town? Is this the best claim to fame that the owner can come up with, even if there is a second Thai place?
We stopped somewhere else.
I’m not trying to pick on this harried restaurateur. In fact, the experience was one of several I had last week that got me to thinking about the unintended consequences that marketing choices can create in the mind of a potential customer.
If you shoot too low with your superlative, the claim will make the shopper wonder whether there is much of an attraction there. If you overstate your case and claim to the best Thai food in the world, for example, you also are likely to turn them off with a “yeah, right” response. (more…)
Tags: Brand, image, marketing, words
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Friday, October 2nd, 2009
Organizations sometimes behave like sharks when it comes to getting their message out: They do a great job of looking ahead to the next big project, but never back at their existing materials.
Do you have shark vision?
This problem has been on my mind recently because I keep seeing otherwise well-run organizations relying on inaccurate websites, brochures and collateral material to tell their stories. Facts change, but these once-perfect marketing vehicles do not. No longer does the company have 47 stores, or achieve a 15 percent recycling rate, or sell XYZ product.
(more…)
Tags: Branding, image, marketing, public relations, reputation
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Thursday, September 24th, 2009
It’s finally here, the last installment of The Big Three; A Series on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and that means that we are going to wrap up our discussion with a lesson on the social media outlet, LinkedIn. (more…)
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Monday, August 10th, 2009
Aligning management expectations with market realities to increase visibility and improve the bottomline.
As printed in the Yarmouth, ME Chamber of Commerce newsletter.
During tough times, many feel the urge to pull back and with budgets under fire that is easy to do. In my line of work I see it all the time; “cut the marketing, events, memberships, meals & entertainment and any other line item within your control.” STOP!
In a down economy, societal norms are to rely heavier on known relationships, fearful of new ones. Now is not the time to cut back without seriously considering the consequences to sales efforts and current relationships. (more…)
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Friday, July 10th, 2009
The other day, I told somebody that a particular company was small, “no General Motors.”
Now, I realized right away that this phrase has kind of lost its punch, and I switched it over to Wal-Mart, the biggest corporation in the world. General Motors, of course, is just a shadow of its once world-dominating self.
But GM is trying to rebuild. Just this morning, the corporation crawled out of bankruptcy court from the financial wreckage and debt that this once-great company had become.
(more…)
Tags: Brand, Branding, image, marketing, public relations, reputation
Posted in Branding, Broadreach | No Comments »
Monday, July 6th, 2009
Saying that social media is the “hot trend” is becoming a gross understatement as business are jumping, sometimes blindly, to get on board. With the vast number of outlets to choose from, it’s no wonder that many businesses are overwhelmed by the prospect of having a functional social media strategy.
Never fear! There is some good news for those who need to get moving. To easily establish an effective social media presence, just start with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. (more…)
Tags: Add new tag, public relations, social media
Posted in Broadreach, social media | No Comments »
Friday, June 26th, 2009
Not so long ago, when I was an editor at a daily newspaper, I received several hundred news releases and informal notes from the public each day.
Part of my morning routine was to take out the machete and carve a path through this thicket of emails, faxes and regular mail. I also did this on an ongoing basis throughout the day.
I had to go through the releases because I knew there would be real news in there. A good proportion of the topics that media organizations cover originate in such communication. (more…)
Tags: Legacy Media, messaging, press releases, public relations
Posted in Broadreach, Traditional Media | No Comments »
Friday, June 19th, 2009
In junior high, we did science experiments that distilled one liquid from another, leaving us with highly concentrated substances that we’d weigh and measure and use for other experiments.
Branding is a lot like that. It requires you to break down something – a product, business, political candidate – to its essence.
We’ve been doing a lot of that lately, working to create positioning statements and brand books that capture the most-important aspects of our clients’ operations, starting with 25- and 50-word statements and a tagline.
(more…)
Tags: Brand, Branding, image, marketing, reputation
Posted in Branding, Broadreach | No Comments »
Friday, June 12th, 2009
Sometime early next week, Maine’s largest media company will change hands and start working under new leadership.
Now, I don’t have any special insight into what the new owners have planned for the company currently known as Blethen Maine, even though I worked there for many years. Few people — other than the new editor and publisher, Richard Connor – do know precisely what direction his MaineToday Media Inc. will take these outlets.
But those of us who are responsible for communicating client messages should pay close attention to what kind of news and information the new management group chooses to focus upon. (more…)
Tags: Blethen, Change, Connor, Layoffs, Legacy Media, Press Herald, public relations, social media
Posted in Broadreach, Traditional Media | No Comments »
