Some of the best ideas come quickly and simply.

In a conversation with a good friend, we were mulling over the unique challenges we both have with clients, agencies and production houses when it comes to being effective marketers.  He made a very valid point that

“…if everyone worked as quickly as his brain, the work would be TEN TIMES as valuable.”

As the conversation went on, I started assimilating marketing to a constantly moving force in search of it’s next meal… 

“If a marketing department or even a basic marketing campaign is to have value or any spec of success, it needs to be constantly moving. Like a shark, if it stops, it suffocates under its own pressure and drowns – suddenly, another corpse for other sharks in the ocean to feed on…”

One thing lead to another and the phrase “Sharketing” was coined.

The conversation came to an abrupt stop. Our eyes grew to the size of the plates that sat below us, and we both started laughing.

“Sharketing…  Are YOU Sharketing?” I yelled. (to some pretty strange looks at Palmer’s Deli, mind you)

“Ha…  what a cool idea.” He added.

So I immediately went back to the CreateWOW office and registered the domain, AreYouSharketing.com and the seed was planted.

Jump ahead a few months and we come to Sunday, February 20, 2011. A day that Sharketing was given breath and the ability to swim in the ocean of marketing phraseology for ever.

Sharketing defines the action that ALL MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS professionals should be taking. Ever moving, ever searching, hunting, tracking and focused on the next meal. Sharketing allows the campaign to run, unfettered by politics, red tape and the lack of return.

AreYouSharketing.com is a portal for all marketing communications professionals to gain the speed they need to become TRUE marketers.  It’s a resource for learning.  It’s a resource to extend your brand equity. It’s a resource for additional outposts for your marketing messages.

Some of the best ideas come quickly and simply. And it should always work that way.

I invite you to go on over the AreYouSharketing.com to see what’s in store.  So far we have a handful of collaborators, but we’re always looking for more. If interested, please contact me!

Thank you!

And, remember… Sharks Swim in Schools…

Keep Cooking!
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

If I include my college internship, this September will be my 20th year working in, on and around marketing. I’ve seen some successful campaigns. I’ve seen some pitiful campaigns. Fortunately, I’ve learned something from them all, but the most important thing I’ve learned is how to tell them apart. (Trust me, some can’t…)

So what IS the difference between a successful and a pitiful marketing campaign? STRATEGY.

All Marketing Strategy Is Not The Same

If you walk through any marketing department or advertising agency, without a doubt, you’ll see computers, printers, scanners, cameras and all of the nifty tools that go along with the production of marketing. But without a strategic process, those tools are worthless, as are the people using them.

Some marketing departments and agencies swear by their specific system, their standard to which all campaigns must abide. Others are a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of shop that take a “more organic” approach. But all successful marketers and agencies alike understand strategy is imperative to their success. Strategies vary, and one agency doesn’t have the corner on the market (no pun intended), but marketing without a strategy is just plain ignorant.

So for your ease and my pleasure, I’ve put together The 8 D’s Of Successful Marketing:

1. Dream
   Contrary to some companies, marketing still requires a little creative forethought. At the onset of a campaign you and the client need to dream, and dream big. Set goals for the campaign and create the passion you hope to have the consumer “buy into.”
2. Demographics
   So many campaigns fail to take full advantage of this step. If you don’t know your target audience, then how do you know where to shoot? Do some research on your product or service to find out how it fits, where it fits and, yes, if it fits within the marketplace.
3. Develop
   Start bringing those dreams along to a logical and executable campaign that can be performed by the marketing team. Narrowing focus and slicing the fat from the creative until all you have left is a laser-focused campaign targeted to the demographics you found in the previous step.
4. Design
   This stage encompasses more than the “look” of the campaign. Design the vehicles and all parts that go into it. From the mailing lists to the website to the logo and packaging, design applies the dream to the product or service.
5. Disseminate
   Get the dream out there. You’ve picked the right idea. You’ve targeted the right audience. Now deliver the dream to them.
6. Discover
   Measure results and response. If that’s analytics or responses to a direct mail or sales; you need to track and discover the strength and weaknesses of the campaign.
7. Doctor
   Based on the discovery stage, make the changes that are necessary to focus the campaign even more. A great idea is to split the campaign into A and B versions for further refinement and testing.
8. Do-it-again
   And again… and again!

Put that in the squishy pink blob between your ears. You’ll thank me later.

Everyone approaches marketing differently. My approach is different than another marketer’s approach. If 20 years has taught me anything its the truth about successful marketing campaigns. Simply put, ALL SUCCESSFUL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS START WITH STRATEGY!

Where does your marketing start? Is my 8 D’s of Successful Marketing similar to your strategy or strategies? What would you change / add / subtract from the eight?

Help me (and others) continue to learn and help create successful marketing.

Keep Cooking! (TRUE strategic marketing decisions)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

Feel that? It’s your life slipping away. Yep. Every second of every minute that you spend reading this post, you’re slowly dying. Breath by breath, each heartbeat with each syllable, you creep closer to the end.

oooooooooh….

Pretty ominous, huh? So, why the dark perspective? Well, this is what got me writing tonight. It’s what motivated me to pick one more juicy word from my mental nostril just to see what it looked like.

In other words, I had writer’s block.

It kills me every Wednesday night. While I’ve known all week that I have a personal deadline set to post every Thursday morning; I wait until Wednesday night (or later) to actually start writing. I take notes, jot ideas, scribble and doodle all week, but when it comes to Wednesday, I open TextEdit and just sit.

CRAP…

Suddenly, tonight, a voice in my head said “What the hell are you doing? Just start writing, you moron!” So I did. I wrote, “You’re going to die anyway.” and POW, the words started rolling.

Many (many) moons ago, I wrote a post about having writer’s block. More to the point, I wrote about the keys to getting the writing wheels out of neutral and making a connection with my readers. For me, it starts with a title. It can be anything – like free association. Eventually the words and images start connecting in my brain and the solution reveals itself.

I wrote:

“… All I want is a headline – a short sentence that would communicate something about YOU or about something you want to discuss… Below are a few examples…

‘Without feathers, I’d never…’
‘But I can’t feed my kids on your wisdom’
‘Forget the President, I want to eat Jell-O’
‘The importance of Balsa wood and Miller Lite.’
‘It’s not Rocky Science’

And so on… and so on…”

Unfortunately, the response was less than stellar…  maybe because I’d only just begun blogging and Drew McLellan was the only one that ever read my posts?  Who knows? But he was gracious enough to leave me a comment. And I dropped the ball… (sorry Drew)

So let’s try it again.

Send ‘em in. Post your headline and your name / contact info in the comments section below. Once I have enough (5-7 or more…) I’ll hold a contest to see who’s headline will be the start to a future blog post – AND THEY’LL BE VOTED ON BY YOU!

Maybe we’ll make a connection and create something the whole world will love. Maybe we won’t and it will be another piece of gravel on the shoulder of the information super highway. If anything, it will be a way for me to get to know some of you.

Hell, we’re all going to die, eventually. We might as well have fun while we’re here. I look forward to reading your headlines…

Keep Cooking (free-wheeling, fun ideas…)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

There it stands before you – a big eyesore. It’s weathered and showing it’s age. Your neighbors scowl and roll their eyes as they drive by. Time and the environment have dilapidated the exterior, showing flakes and deep veins of coarse texture. But the foundation and supports within are thick, stable and as strong as the day your grandfather built it.

As you look at it you see more than a dusty, old building. You see a lifetime of sweat equity. It’s not just a barn, it’s part of your life. From a simple point of view, it provided shade on hot, Summer days. But in perspective, it created a focal point for your entire existence. It sheltered livestock and equipment. It kept dry the seed and fertilizer for the upcoming planting seasons. It was a playground for you and your family. But through the memories, through the anxiety of change, you realize… it’s time.

So, with your hand on you son’s shoulder, just as your father did with you, you say, “Well, boy, it’s time to paint the barn.” He looks up at you not realizing this is HIS time.  Time to take the first step into his own destiny.

How do you think you, the farmer, would continue that conversation? Do you picture handing the boy a big bucket of red paint (’cause all barns are supposed to be red, you know) and yelling “HAVE AT KIDDO!” I’m sure the boy would have loved that! Ker-SPLASH! Or do you think “the farmer” would have knelt down beside the boy and explained the need for planning and preparation?

It’s a story that we hear almost on a daily basis (especially those of us in the Midwest). The passing of the torch. The changing of the guard. It’s called succession. Succession is the road map that the above farmer’s family has lived on for generations. While this story talks of a farmer and the “family business,” it applies perfectly to any business looking for success and longevity. It’s imperative when it comes to planning for business and development. It’s imperative to remember when branding.

It’s all about PLANNING for the future.

So, what happened with the boy and the farmer?

Of course, as the boy rolled his eyes, the farmer told him about preparing the surface of the walls for painting. He told him about removing aged paint and sanding the rough spots. He told him about pulling old nails and replacing boards that were too weathered.

He explained to the boy that protecting the barn was one of the most important jobs on the farm, for the barn provided the shelter and a starting point for virtually everything that took place around them. And he told him that his father taught him these things, just as his grandfather had done. And some day, the boy would pass the same advice and values on to his children.

When the farmer was done talking, they both stood there surveying the barn. It was huge. It was going to be a lot of work to paint this barn. It would take days, if not weeks for the two of them to get the barn back to it’s original glory. Intimidating. Tiring. Frightening.

Soon, the boy looked up at the farmer and said, “Dad, why don’t we just rip it down and sell the scrap to craft shops and mills at 170% more than your original purchase price? Then we can parcel off the land to out-of-state commercial developers for $3,500 an acre making you and mom millionaires! That way, I could go off and live on a beach with my gorgeous, yet vapid trophy wife…”

Sigh.

How does your company plan for the future? Are you looking for growth, sustainability and generations of pride and quality? Or are you looking for a quick buck and an escape to an “easier” life with little effort or accountability?

Food for thought.

Keep Cooking (for a future worthy of your children)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef

There are a lot of positive signs that small businesses are starting to adopt social media marketing as an integrated component of their overall business plans.  One significant change, based on a February 2010 Small Business Success Index report, is the fact that social media usage among small business jumped from a meager 12% in 2008 to 24% in the following year (Yes, doubled).

Of those using social media, 69% post regular updates / articles of relevance to sites like FaceBook and LinkedIn. Two additional stats that made me smile were: 54% monitor positive / negative feedback via social networks, and almost 40% of the small businesses author a blog pertaining to their field of expertise.

OUTSTANDING!

But hold on, that’s still only 1-in-5 of those surveyed.

So, let’s address some of the restraints keeping small businesses form jumping on board?

According to the report, 50% of the users say it takes more time than they expected.

This is a surprise? Okay, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but the reason they may have been caught off guard is a result of one or a combination of following:

1. Some “Social Media Expert” duped them with dollar signs and drummed up statistics, set up a Twitter account and a FaceBook page and then ran off with  little to no strategy or support.
2. They took it on by themselves with little to no understanding of building a social media community or marketing.
3. They underestimated how little they knew about their brand, the audience and the business.

Of course social media marketing takes time! Just like scheduling  time to check voice-mail or email, small business owners need to adapt to make time for a little proactive community engagement. It pays off in the end.

Then there’s the statistic that made me laugh the hardest.  17% expressed that social media gives people a chance to criticize their business on the Internet.

Do they actually think criticism won’t happen if they stay away?  Go ahead, try it.  Then, call me when the business folds.  I know Realtors that need the square footage.

***

Come on, folks, this should stand as a call to action for all small business owners (as well as those that market to/for them).  Social media is not going away any time soon.  And the quicker you figure out how to use it to your advantage, the better chances you’ll have for surviving the years to come.

Here are 10 starting questions I like to ask those looking into social media for marketing.

1. What will make you stand out among the others “yelling into the chasm?”
2. Who is your target audience?
3. Who are your direct competitors?
4. What could be some indirect inhibitors?
5. Do you have a marketing plan – written down with goals, strategies, tactics and a reasonable budget?
6. Is there a strategy or tactic within your marketing plan that social media could compliment / support (Public Relations, etc.)?
7. Do you have the manpower/ time for social media marketing?
8. (If not) Do you have the budget to outsource components of social media marketing?
9. Do you know how to carry on an engaging conversation?
10. Do you have patience?

As with any marketing tool, social media has a unique profile in each company’s marketing plan. While a blog is a great core component to a social media marketing strategy, Twitter, YouTube and FaceBook may not always apply. Heck, If your target audience isn’t active online, don’t be a fool and put your time into broad social media integration. Just make sure to do a little research before jumping in and you’ll know what’s right for you / your company.

Where does your small business stand when it comes to integrating social media into your marketing plan?  Is it an add-on that will eventually fade away?  Or do you have the plan and vision to make social media work for you?

If you’re a small business that hasn’t embraced social media as a marketing tool, then I have two things to say:

1. You’re losing out on a fantastic way to extend your marketing message as well as build brand equity.
2. You’re probably not reading this and I’m writing for my already savvy followers and this is pointless.

Food for thought.

Keep Cooking! (Purposeful, results-oriented decisions)
Andrew B. Clark
The Brand Chef