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When a modern day gas station becomes a "service" station and how it applies to your marketing, sales & business development.

2010-05-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

So, if you are anything like me, when you get an idea for a blog post that flies in the face of conventional wisdom or current events, you mull it over for a bit, unlike the days when your blog post flows freely from your creative juices. Well, today's post, when taken in light of the current Gulf of Mexico oil spill fiasco by BP, would at face value seem to be ill-timed. I urge you to hold off for a little longer with that sentiment and hear me out...

You know I like to share stories from time to time of how people or companies think outside the box, up the ante, and/or generally buck the status quo to encourage a new level of provision in the sales, marketing and business development arenas. This morning, the gentleman at a local gas station, where I was stopping quickly for a cheap and easy car wash, did something that reminded me of the old "Service" station days and I feel that you should know about how he made a difference with a simple act.

Let me set the stage a bit. This station is one with the full convenience store, automated carwash, self-service pumps, and extremely modern look and feel. It is well maintained and clean, but run by only ONE person at a time, even though it is one of the busiest stations in the area.

When I asked the gentleman work the register for the basic carwash, he began to ring me up... smiling and making small talk as he did so. So far, nothing out of the ordinary or what you'd consider extraordinary. When my receipt printed up is when he stepped things up a notch with a largely sublime and seemingly insignificant action... he took out a highlighter, highlighted my carwash code, and handed me my receipt, making sure to let me know that my carwash code was highlighted on the bottom of the receipt. He could have just as easily handed me the receipt without highlighting the code or even saying that it was at the bottom of the receipt, but he went the extra bit and gained a new fan in the process.

Here's to hoping the old "Service" station mentality can somehow mesh with our modernization of literally everything... including the ways in which we market, develop business, and sell.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

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This one is a Sales Buzz Tip: DO YOUR RESEARCH

2010-05-24T10:51:00.000-07:00

You know what really irks your potential customer? When you've not done your research into them, their situation, and their needs. Information is easily accessible now-a-days and it is imperative that you, the Sales Guy, come prepared with knowledge about my situation. Not assumptions, but real knowledge.

There is a solar sales guy (calls himself an Energy Analyst) that works in the Santa Ynez Valley and northern Santa Barbara county who is ALWAYS prepared. His customers (yes, even potential customers... as he seems to have an extremely high closing ratio) tell him often that he seems MUCH more prepared than his competitors. His trick? He sells "solar first" by informing the customer about why solar is a good choice and how it can help their situation (which he knows from extensive initial research). He then sells his company as the one to provide the solutions for the needs he's just explained. This Energy Analyst, Todd is his name, is setting the bar high for any solar salesmen in his area and for that I applaud him.

I hope his story encourages you as it does me.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

HOW TO: Market Your Small Business With No Budget (by Matt Silverman for Mashable)

2010-05-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

The following article (see original by clicking on the pic above) was taken from Mashable.com today via their daily email informing of their latest articles. This article, by Matt Silverman, contains excellent, executable actions that small businesses can undertake to increase their target demographic penetration with a limited budget. Enjoy.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast
DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com
WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

From a marketing standpoint, it’s a great time to own or start a business. The social web makes it more cost-effective than ever to get the word out about your products and services, no matter what industry you’re in. Most social media accounts are free to set up, and many targeted online ad platforms are inexpensive. The most it will cost you to get your marketing campaign rolling, at least in the beginning, is time.

In fact, the toughest challenge facing small business marketers these days is not cost, but finding a strategy to get your message heard over the din of a noisy Internet. For advice on this, we checked in with a few experienced social media marketers. Here’s what they had to offer.

Become an Expert

Advertising is not always the best way to market on social networks. People crave valuable content, and it can be as niche as the very products you’re selling. By blogging, tweeting, sharing, and updating about things relevant to your industry, you can build credibility in your field.

“Whether you’re selling specialty cookies or enterprise software, you probably have significant expertise that you can share with potential customers,” said Leyl Master Black a Managing Director at Sparkpr. “You can write how-to articles, create educational videos about your products in action, or post pictures and tweet out commentary from an industry trade show. Every piece of content you post online — whether it’s on your blog, your Facebook Page, or on third-party sites — has the potential to boost your brand and drive search results and traffic at very little or no cost.”

Black notes that YouTube is an often overlooked platform for building low cost, high impact content. A small investment in a consumer-level camera and editing software, and a bit of time learning the basics of video production can pay out big in the long term.

“E-commerce vendor BigCommerce, for example, is generating tens of thousands of views for its online marketing video series for small business on YouTube,” said Black.

Cultivate Super Users

The social web has changed both the medium and the message for marketers, and we’ve discussed extensively how the users are now in control of your brand’s image. This can be a very positive thing if you understand the social media ecosystem and leverage it to your advantage.

The key is targeting and cultivating super users — customers who are already fans of your brand, and share their positivity about it on the web.

“If I know there’s a Twitter user who loves purses and talks about them a lot (which I can find using Twitter Search), and I sell purses, I reach out to her and offer her 20% off to come in or check out my catalog online, just because I know she digs purses,” said Jason Falls, a social media strategist and consultant whose blog discusses the online marketing industry. “If she blogs about purses, maybe I send her a new model with a note that says, ‘Thanks for telling people about purses. We dig you.’ I’m betting she’d talk about me, and I didn’t have to break the bank to get the conversational love.”

When an endorsement comes from someone outside of your company, like a trusted blogger or social sharer, it has greater value and reach than anything you could send through official channels. You can’t control what the social web says about your brand directly, but by identifying and wooing brand ambassadors, you can certainly have an influence — the kind that no paid advertisement can match.

Ensure People Can Find You on the Web

This point may seem obvious, but it’s a common misstep, especially for new businesses. If and when people hear about your brand, they will go straight to their favorite services — Google, Yelp, and other listing sites — to find out more about you. Take the time to ensure that your entry there is accurate, and that there are direct links to your website and phone number.

But there’s more you can do to get your brand out there for free.

“Look beyond Yelp for free business listings,” said Black. “MerchantCircle, Google Local Business Center,Angie’s List, Yahoo! Local, YellowPages.com, SearchLocal, and SuperPages are some of the online directory services that allow businesses to create a free listing. Make sure that you’re on these sites, and if the site already lists your business, you should ‘claim’ it by adding more details to the listing, such as your company website URL, a map, phone numbers, or business hours.”

Black also noted that many of the directory sites allow customers to leave feedback and reviews. “Encourage your customers to post reviews of your products or services, or provide incentives for them to do this. For example, one merchant applies an additional 10% discount to their coupons on MerchantCircle if the consumer leaves a review on the site. This encourages repeat business as well as reviews.”

Offer Ad-Funded Payment Options

If you have a steady flow of customers, and you’re looking to boost the size of your transactions and increase customer loyalty, one low- (or no-) cost strategy is to implement transactional advertising.

“Popularized by TrialPay, this ad-funded approach to payments works to turn browsers into buyers,” said Black. “Consumers are able to get your product for free in return for buying something from a brand advertiser such as Gap or Netflix. The advertiser then pays you once the sale is completed.”

For companies selling relatively low-cost or web-accessible products, a highly targeted “reverse advertising” strategy like this could be a smart move.

“For example, IntroWizard used TrialPay to convert ‘intermediary’ customers who had tried their free Flash web design software but hadn’t made a purchase yet — boosting their profits by 15% at no additional cost,” said Black.

Your Thoughts?

Have you found any web or social media marketing solutions that are easy on your budget and big on return? Be sure to share in the comments.

Series supported by Bantam Live

Bantam Live is a web-based collaboration workspace for small business teams that combines “Social CRM” with project/task management and microblogging communication – all centered within a real-time activity stream. Business teams can share an address book and track contacts and conversations, track prospects and sales pipelines, and organize projects and tasks to get work done. With integrations to social networks, team members can search for keywords and reply to and import new contacts and their real-time profiles intoBantam Live.

For more business coverage, follow Mashable Business on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Images courtesy of iStockphoto, cmcderm1, GustavoGoncalves

You have GOT TO check out Kurrently.com for Twitter & Facebook monitoring

2010-05-19T09:19:00.000-07:00

If you monitor Twitter and Facebook for topics close to your business or integral to your industry, you MUST begin using kurrently.com. The link in the title (if you are reading this on my blog) or located above (if you are reading this as an email as a subscriber of mine) will take you to an example search for brand marketing. The best part is that it automatically updates as new info is posted on Twitter and Facebook.

This gives you the ability to monitor nearly anything on the two largest social media microblogging/status updating sites online in one easy place.

Enjoy and please, let me know how you end up using kurrently.com as well as what tools you find helpful to monitor social media for topics that matter to your business, your business name & what's being said about it/you, who your competitors are & what they are saying, and most importantly... who your customers are and what THEY are saying.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Don't let others dictate your social media usage... get creative & share!

2010-05-17T07:13:00.001-07:00

BUZZ TIP: Whoever told you that any particular social media platform was for a specific reason & that it should only be used a specific way, is wrong. Just ask video blogging wine guru Gary Vaynerchuk.

Buzz Tip: calculate your risks & undertake them intelligently and passionately

2010-05-12T21:17:00.001-07:00

Buzz Tip: No effort, however small, when calculated and undertaken intelligently and passionately yields anything but success. - "Dado" Phares

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Family Matters... Sorry Jaleel White , No Urkel Here!

2010-05-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

It seems as though many of the men and women I look up to (and learn a great deal from) in the marketing industry have families and yet all I seem to read from them (in addition to great theory) is a new tweet here or blog post there about how they're off at the next uber-meeting or super-swell conference. This is all fine and dandy for building a business and establishing one's self as an industry thought leader, however, I wonder how well things are going on the home front. (Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the perfect home life AT ALL, but at least I am not gone all the time for periods of time at the latest super cool conference or seminar... my home life matters to me.)

Take a good hard look at your marketing company... do they forsake family to work on your projects? When it boils down to it, is that what you want? Do you want another work-a-holic father or mother depriving their child(ren) of much needed family time? Or would you rather have a marketing company (firm, consultancy, etc.) that makes time for family, is home with their spouse and kids virtually every night and on most weekends? If you ask me, I'd rather have a person working with me that prioritizes family values.

SO, when you look at farming out your marketing strategy, ad campaign, public relations, or content development, ask one simple question first... "Will you forsake your family to get my jobs done?" If they answer "yes"... I'd suggest moving on.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Great Comment on my post from Sunday night (Monday morning) March 28th (29th)

2010-05-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Gillean has posted a great comment to my March 28th post "Caring IS Sharing... A Call To You - Share About What You Care About."

Take a look and add your comment as well. AND feel free to comment on any of my previous posts... if you'd like to post an article here sometime, please, by all means, let me know and I will give you free reign one day to share your article as my post for that day. Small caveat - I'll need to approve it, just to make sure people are not offended or alienated by anything in the post.

I hope your work week ends with great news from your marketing analytics as well as from your sales teams!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Rethink "Out of the box" - Yo Gabba Gabba & Devo did!

2010-05-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'll admit, I'm a fan of both Devo and of Yo Gabba Gabba (the second one because of fatherhood, but I'm still a fan none-the-less)... however, the marketing geniuses behind Yo Gabba Gabba really had to think beyond just outside the box to capture an adult audience of children when they decided to have Yo Gabba Gabba meet up with Devo. But how brilliant of an idea was that? I'm MUCH more likely to WANT to watch a Yo Gabba Gabba episode with my daughter, buy my daughter some Yo Gabba Gabba toy(s), or even attend a Yo Gabba Gabba event NOW that they've appealed to me as the parent of a child interested in their show. No offense to the other shows my daughter watches (Dora The Explorer, Little Bear, Handy Manny, Sesame Street, to name a few), but when it comes to gifts from me that my daughter does not specifically ask for... they'll most likely be Yo Gabba Gabba in nature.

Now let's look at Devo... they gain a whole new crop of potential fan base helping to ensure relevance in the collective whole of the music scene for some time with young listeners who will want to hear the band from Yo Gabba Gabba. So, Devo, too wins!

That my friends is an example of thinking WAY outside the box to grab market share. Does your marketing team (inside or outsourced) operate with that mentality? They should!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Buzz Tip: Consistency - Not Just Good For Sauces

2010-05-03T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today I was chatting with someone about some marketing collateral that was being used heavily in a company's marketing strategy. We were discussing the inconsistencies in the message contained in the marketing collateral. We both could definitely see that while the imagery, colors, and taglines were creative and catchy, the message was lacking consistency from one side to the next (one page to the next as well... on multi-page versions).

I cannot stress enough the importance of consistency in your marketing message. If you consult, use the word consult throughout the copy in your marketing materials. If you advise, use the word advise. If you assess, use the word assess. If you do all three, use all three. BUT DO NOT USE them interchangeably. Your audience needs to know you understand the subtle difference(s) between the synonyms used to describe what you do... and they want to see a consistent message. Trust me on this one.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

WEB / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Dedicated Manistream Fanbase or Cult Following? (Enter The Dragon or The Last Dragon?)

2010-05-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ask yourself the following question honestly about your company's marketing strategy...

Does your company's marketing strategy seek to gather a mainstream fanbase and hence capitalize on the mass market like the classic Bruce Lee film Enter The Dragon?

Or is your company's marketing strategy seeking to gather the cult followers and capitalize on a niche like the harlem blacksploitation karate film The Last Dragon?

It is imperative for you to know which because it will dictate the way in which you implement your marketing strategy.

What do you say?

Let's see who's the meanest, who's the prettiest, who's the baddest mo-fo, low-down, around this town? I'm guessing we'll be kissing the converse of the one who is!

ShoNuff!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

Buzz Tip: Put On An Event AND Make Sure It Doesn't Suck!... Here's Why and How.

2010-04-29T23:04:00.000-07:00

Think back to your first concert... mine was (barring the local fairs, festivals, etc where local bands played) The Rolling Stones with Guns & Roses and Living Colour. Now think back to the event itself. Do you remember the sponsors of the event? The concert I attended was sponsored by KLOS (95.5 FM in Los Angeles... the home of the Mark & Brian Show). Why do I remember that? It was important to me. They made it important to me.

Now think of an event you attend fairly regularly... I think of the National Scholastic Surfing Association's Nationals event. When I was competing Rip Curl was the big sponsor... now it is Nike 6.0 (Nike's foray into the "extreme sports" arena).

I am the target audience of the bands in my first concert as well as the NSSA and they know what I like. They put on events that I want to attend, funded by sponsors I want to buy stuff from or interact with. Do you know what YOUR target audience likes? Do you offer them events that appeal to them with sponsors or co-branding affiliates that resonate with them?

Something to think about... you might want to add an event or two to your marketing budget. Poll your best clients as to what event THEY'D like to see with specific sponsors or co-branded affiliates THEY'D like to see help you throw the event. That will help you attract similar clients and hence greatly increase your exposure within your target audience.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

You should meet Erin @ Sprigs N' Things - Great Story, Great Service

2010-04-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.sprigsnthings.com/

I figured today would be an excellent day to introduce you all to a new friend of mine and her business which has a cool back story.

Erin McClellan is the Owner of Sprigs N' Things, a flower shop with Innovation, Elegance, & Flair. Erin learned her craft from her nearest competitor, literally. As a transplant here on the Central Coast of CA, originally from the mid-west, Erin always had a fascination with flowers, trees, and all of nature. It was at a position with Bella Fine Flowers and Gifts that Erin learned the business and honed her skills. Her business is now quite literally a neighbor to Bella Fine Flowers and gifts and it appears that there is plenty of business for the both of them to go around. I'm guessing though, that with her infectious personality and simply amazing arrangements, she'll soon be the only flower shop in her vicinity.

If you need floral or plant arrangements for literally any occasion, contact Erin and let her make you look extremely good. The recipient of your gift will LOVE it.

Of note, I met Erin recently at a San Luis Obispo Professional Networking Group mixer and was intrigued by her story as well as her vivacious telling of it. She exudes excitement for and about her craft and genuinely wanted to share it with me... not in the typical networking kind of way, but they way your child wants to share something they created or achieved... out of excitement, pride and the desire to have you share in that with them.

Erin created buzz by simply being infectiously excited about what she does while at the same time being interesting and having a compelling back story... take note and see if you can employ similar, easy BUZZ yielding tactics to your business.

OH, and go see Erin now for Mother's Day... it is THIS SUNDAY!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

Social media marketing in 10 minutes a day

2010-04-26T23:19:00.000-07:00

Spencer Kollas hits one out of the park with this article on how a short amount of time each day (JUST 10 MINS!!!) could yield potentially huge win-falls for your small business. Imagine if you spent just a little more time than the 10 minutes he suggests? Enjoy & EMPLOY! (To read Spencer's article: Follow the link above if you are reading this in email... click on the title of the post if you are reading this on my company website/blog.)

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS

805-550-8273

http://www.dadosmarcompr.com/

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr

michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Who Says Play Time Isn't a Building Block of Marketing? Getting the creative juices flowing!

2010-04-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

People who are not in the Business Development fields of Prospecting, Networking, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Sales, and Social Media often think all we do is play all day while they do the "real" work. Well, what I'm about to say may not help the cause...

Our work can be so tough at times that we MUST keep the creative juices flowing somehow. Many times that means taking a needed break to get some REAL play time in to regenerate the creative juices. For me this has changed recently from time spent riding waves to time spent playing with my 2 year old. I often find my creative juices flowing full bore after I've spent some time with Madilyn. I don't quite know why this is, but I'm not really going to look a gift horse in the mouth now am I?

Now, the play time I am advocating here is different from the much needed time to one's self for personal, emotional, mental, and physical replenishment... that is something that I will put my wave riding into at this stage in my life because these times are the ones we need further and fewer between whereas the breaks we must take to keep the creative juices flowing are quite indeed more often necessary if our endeavors are to keep the business doors open and the money flowing. Plus, what business wants to hire a business development, marketing, or public relations consultancy that doesn't have any creativity? The businesses would be better suited keeping their money in-house at that point.

So, today, Friday, April 23rd (that should be when you read this, although it is being written late in the evening on the 22nd), resolve to re-energize your creative juices by taking a moment to play! Play how you need to in order to get your creative juices flowing. Continue that regenerative effort over the weekend somehow and see how your Monday begins next week. My guess is you'll be reinvigorated to tackle those BHAG's on your marketing plan's to-do list.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Etiquette, The Business Savvy Lacking In Everyday Interaction

2010-04-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

From a handshake to a sneeze. From an innocent flirt to cutting the meat in your meal. From the volume of your voice during business conversations to how often you pause during a presentation.

These are all situations which fall under the banner of etiquette, which is, in fact, a very fundamental marketing tool for businesses that often gets overlooked out of sheer ignorance.

How you greet someone the first time you meet them tells a great deal about your personality which is perceived as reflecting the culture of your business. Do you know how to properly shake the hand of a new business associate?

How you sneeze reflects the corporate etiquette of your company as well. When sitting in a seminar amongst colleagues and potential clients, do you know the proper way to sneeze without being perceived as rude, or better yet, with being perceived as professionally courteous?

My friend, Anita Shower, is Miss Etiquette and she helps teach people and businesses proper etiquette so that when situations arise (even everyday situations like lunch meals with prospective clients or affiliate colleagues), they are properly managing the perception of them through their handling of proper etiquette. She is so incredibly proper and yet so amazingly dynamic that she is highly sought after to teach people how to be proper without being stuffy. I suggest that you check out her website and consider contracting her to speak with your employees, at your next professional association meeting, or at your next corporate event as she will wow the socks off of your attendees and actually make a difference in how you and your company are perceived... which as you know is one of my fundamental building blocks of marketing (Perception in your target audience is of the utmost importance).

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Personality - Your marketing needs a dose of it

2010-04-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

Lloyd Price said it well in his famous love song...

   "cause you've got... personality
   walk... personality
   talk... personality
   smile... personality
   charm... personality
   love... personality"

You remember the song, don't you? Poor Lloyd was getting grief from his friends over his apparently unrequited love.

I'm not advocating you behave like the object of Mr. Price's unrequited love... However, something about her keeps him pining for more.

Does your target audience pine for your brand, product, service, event, etc.? Maybe they do not because you are not putting your personality into and behind it? I've said it before and I'll say it again, YOU make your business, brand, product, service, event, etc unique. USE the uniquely differentiating factor of YOU in your marketing strategy and watch your target audience swoon like Lloyd Price. Imagine the object of his love was your company, brand, product, service, event, etc. and you did the following...

Walk (strut) your stuff in your industry.
Talk (teach) your stuff as an expert.
Smile in everything you do as it dictates how you come across.
Charm is usually thought of as a salesman's character trait... but it can (and should) be used by your marketers as well.
Love what you do, sell, make, create, promote, etc.

You would have quite a few Lloyd Price-esque customers/clients knocking at your door, ringing your line, visiting your website, etc.

Just remember to treat them well... few people today will stay around as long as Mr. Price!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Storms Are Inevitable. Preparedness Is Key.

2010-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

In our lives and businesses, it is inevitable that we will suffer through storms... literally and figuratively. As it is with the actual rain, hail, snow, sleet, thunder, and lightning storms... it is with the figurative storms in our lives and businesses... how we've prepared for the inevitable will invariably dictate how we fare on the other side.

Marketing is to the figurative storms in business what sandbagging & boarding up windows is to literal storms in weather... these simple activities ensure that once the storm is over, the damage is less than it would have been without preparedness.

Even better... The return to normalcy is much quicker when proper preparedness has carried us through the storms.

Have you shored up your marketing to weather the next storm in your business cycle? I can help.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Buzz Tip: Healthy Companies Have Healthy Marketing

2010-04-18T11:18:00.000-07:00

Healthy lifestyles have at their core healthy eating.

The same rings true of your company's marketing. Healthy marketing yields healthy companies.

Search your memory for the companies you think are successful. Now look at their marketing campaign(s). They were/are fairly robust weren't/aren't they? That's because healthy companies realize that marketing keeps them healthy by keeping them on the forefront of their target audience's mind.

Is your company healthy? If not, it can be with a simple marketing strategy. If so, keep it healthy with a fresh dose of marketing strategy.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

* Please forgive the sporadic posting over the next few weeks... my 2nd daughter was born Wednesday, April 14th @ 6:28pm... Makenna Elise Phares - 6lbs, 13oz & 19 inches long. Needless to say, once family leaves town, time will be scarce at best.

Your Marketing Could Use Some Profundity

2010-04-15T08:56:00.001-07:00

Buzz Tip: Profundity is one of the keys to effective target audience penetration & engagement. People are naturally drawn to it. Use that to your advantage.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

When marketing & business development take a back seat - my child's on the way!

2010-04-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Just an fyi... this blog will be on hiatus for a bit.

Many of you know that my wife is pregnant with our 2nd daughter. If you don't know... now you do. :-)

It is now 7:30 am on Wed, 4/14/10 and she's been having consistent contractions since 3:00 am (PDT). Needless-to-say, we are on Code Red birthwatch and as such I'll be focusing solely on family for a bit. Please know that I'll be back posting as soon as I am able but that I want to spend as much time as possible with my family and my new daughter, once she's born.

This is when marketing and business development definitely take a back seat to life.

Chat with you again soon!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

The 80's - DayGLO, Pegged Pants, Feather Hair, Parachute Pants, AND GREAT Marketing

2010-04-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Remember what this is? This, my friend predates your Pandora online radio, mp3 player, even CD. It is what I grew up listening to and yet you'd be hard pressed to find a tape player that works well now-a-days.

In the era of the Brat Pack, New Wave, Jelly bracelets & shoes, Valley Girls, O.P. shorts, vans slip on shoes (or Sperry TopSiders), and all the coming of age John Hugh's movies, the thing that sticks out to me was the amazing marketing that still rings in my head to this very day. Remember the Simon Says electronic video game?

Or how about Stretch Armstrong (no not the early 2000's Screamo-Core band... the fun toy).

And who could forget the Un-Cola?

The marketers and advertisers were incredible in the 80's! Has their art been lost or are there just too many other options in today's multi-media world? Have we become so numb that we simply miss genius in marketing & advertising? OR do we just need to be that much better because everyone learned from those 80's marketing and advertising professionals and as such the bar has been set that much higher?

What do you say?

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Buzz Tip: Auto repair industry is a GREAT affiliate marketing alliance opportunity

2010-04-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

So this morning I had to take my suv in for necessary repairs since we're planning on keeping it until it dies... Which wold be much sooner rather than later if I did not take it in to fix the oil hoses, brakes, and engine mount (A Whopping $750 estimated cost that I quite frankly do not have right now!).

As I sat there at 7:35am I could not help but notice how incredibly busy my mechanic was. With the economy the way it is, people are simply holding on to vehicles much longer now-a-days and this means more work to be done on them by mechanics everywhere.

I, being as far from a grease monkey as can be, could still not help but think of how I could capitalize on their good fortune. These folks are literally making money hand-over-fist right now servicing everyone from the local doctor, attorney, butcher, insurance agent, teacher, baker, contractor... you get my point. EVERYONE (minus the mechanics) gets their vehicles worked on in an auto repair shop. If ever you wanted to pinpoint a catchall affiliate marketing opportunity, this is it...

Offer to do something for them for free or extremely cheap in return for a bunch of flyers set in their office or link to your website on theirs, or even a patch on their shirts and/or jackets in return for purchasing them for their staff... kind of like a "This jacket/shirt brought to you by our friends at (insert your company name here)"

If ever their was an "out-of-the-box" marketing opportunity to grab a TON of attention, this is it!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

2010-04-09T09:57:00.001-07:00

Big dr appt today to see if We'll induce my wife's labor & expedite Makenna's birth. Prayers would be welcomed.

It'd be nice... engage, communicate, succeed, live up

2010-04-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the due date of my second daughter, Makenna Elise Phares.

I've been trying to engage you, my readers in an interactive way through my Sharing Is Caring SO Share About What You Care About campaign. Your response has been unexpected. I've received quite a few offline compliments on the campaign as well as "I meant to" replies. However, I've yet to receive one comment on any of the campaign blogs. C'mon people... we are a unique bunch. We are a talented bunch. We are a caring bunch. Let's show each other and maybe the world!

In order to show how easy and quick it can be to share about what you care about, I've created my own post. I care about my daughters. I want the best for them in life. I do not want to see them schlepping for income like their father. I want to see them succeed in every way possible. I want them to not only know the joy of knowing our creator God through a personal relationship with His son, Jesus... I also want them to be happy... genuinely happy. I want them to WANT to face each day without worry knowing that they have the tools and skills necessary to "make it" far beyond what they could even ask or imagine with what God's blessed them with.

In short, I want for my daughters everything my parents (at least my mom) wanted for me.

It'd also be nice to live up to that on my end, someday, for my mother, God rest her soul.

Somedays are just heavier than others... deal with it and choose to succeed anyway... Lord know I'm trying to... for my daughters' sake.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Lesson from my 2-year old's world

2010-04-07T09:01:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how much better the marketers of toddler products/services are than the marketers of adult products/services (not THOSE adult products/service... sheesh, get your mind out of the gutter) are. True, we adults DO have more maturity and hence more of a filter on what we react to. However, even this fact has been taken into account by the marketing contemporaries in each demographic marketing sector.

Case in point... many people believe the recession is behind us (I do not). If one were to look at a Toys-R-Us parking lot on any given weekend between 10am and 6 or 7pm or even after 5pm on a week day, one would be led to believe that tons of people are doing just fine and are spending money on the products that have been marketed to the demographic of their kids. Now look at your nearest Williams & Sonoma, Sears, Fine Art Store, or Car Dealership... you'll see that they are still scrambling to market their sales, lure you in, & make sales; will make almost any (reasonable) deal happen; and are full of over qualified employees eager to make a sale to augment the $10 per hour they are being paid with some commission(s).

I wonder what would happen if the marketers at the adult product/service companies shadowed the marketers at the child product/service companies for a week or two. I'd bet we really see a recession in the rear-view mirrors of our new cars as we head over to Williams & Sonoma for some new lighting fixtures for our homes!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Duke Blue Devils Win NCAA Championship & teach us something about focus

2010-04-06T09:44:00.001-07:00

Buzz Tip Learned from the Duke Blue Devils attaining the NCAA championship: Stick to the plan to achieve your goals, even in the face of naysayers. Congrats!

*Special thanks to the lifeDesign Group at Duke University from whose blog the image above was taken.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Even "The Happiest Place On Earth" Is Affected By Disaster

2010-04-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

What can we learn from Disneyland's precautionary evacuation in the moments following Sunday's 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Baja California that was felt quite literally all over Southern California? Even though they stood to lose hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of dollars by evacuating patrons to ensure their safety and the operational safety of the theme park, they acted with the safety and goodwill of people as the primary goal in the key moments immediately following the earthquake. Their disaster preparedness, while also safeguarding them from potential litigation due to ensuing disaster, is a key element in success. What will your company do when disaster strikes? Have you taken the proper steps to ensure your patrons, customers, clients will be cared for? Have you established procedures that will allow you to focus on these people because you know your company will be taken care of?

Time to get to work. It is amazing how much easier it is to create BUZZ when you are not worrying about what will happen if disaster strikes... after all, the best BUZZ is about people not stuff.

*Photo provided for by @ms_kristen via @mashable.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

http://twitpic.com/1daagw

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T13:26:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter - Resurrection Sunday. God bless you and your friends & family.

Michelle, Madi, & Mike 'Dado' Phares

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Buzz Tip: Never "Mail It In"

2010-04-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

According to Double-Tongue Online Dictionary to "mail it in" is described as: v. phr. to perform in a cursory or sub-standard manner. phone it in, is more common in non-sports entertainment.

I believe it goes without saying that your business development, marketing, and sales efforts should NEVER suffer from this. However, people often confuse powerfully short and poignant content for "mailing (or phoning) it in."

Enrest Hemmingway was the master of utilizing economy and understatement to deftly convey meaning.

Seth Godin's Blog often conveys immeasurably useful content to marketers and business development professionals with nothing more than a few carefully crafted sentences.

Find the writer in your company, empower them to tell some stories (true, please) about the people that make up your company or about the way in which your product or service helps people or businesses and then take those stories to your marketing team. This should prevent them from mailing (or phoning) it in like the '03/'04 Los Angeles Lakers.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Recession changes are necessary. Worrying about them is not.

2010-04-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Feeling the need to change something in order to survive the recession? That's perfectly okay. But as our marsupial friend here is demonstrating, chill out about it. If you are willing to "go lean" for a bit and accommodate your target audience with a bit of a price break, there is absolutely no need to worry about impending change. After all, what does your worry earn you? In fact, in many cases, it can derail the desired effect in whatever change is impending... or in the very least make the change much more difficult than it need be.

Take for instance the necessary change in your pricing to accommodate changes in buyers' spending habits now that the recession has become as part of life affecting virtually everyone's pocketbooks.

Case in point... while speaking with my mother-in-law this evening about her recent trip down to south Orange County, CA to visit my brother-in-law, her son, she recounted her and my father-in-law's wonderful stay at The Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort. She was quite surprised that for the amazing property, amenities, and on site upscale restaurant, they spent much less money than they would have expected for such a posh ocean front resort in Orange County (under $200 per night!!).

She told me that someone at the front desk explained that they were offering rooms at such a great discount to beat the economy because, let's face it, a room rented at $195 per night is better than a room un-rented at $0 per night. No worries, just adapting.

Funny thing,.. they were at 100% occupancy. I doubt the other nearby luxury resort was anywhere near that occupancy. Get this, my mother-in law and father-in-law also received a coupon to come back before December 15th for a free night's stay with the purchase of an adjoining night. Mind you, this is a 4.5 (out of 5) star resort... NOT Motel 6 where Tom Bodette will simply leave the light on for you.

She said it best when my mother-in-law explained that once the recession has passed she is not likely to stay at another luxury resort down there because The Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort had gone out of their way to stay recession proof... and for that, my mother-in-law, who by the way is exactly their target audience, will bring her resort stay business back for more, regardless of the economic climate.

Please share how YOU are ensuring you stay afloat during the recession by helping your target audience. Tie that into how it has eased your mind a bit due to the results you've achieved. I look forward to it during our week of Sharing is Caring SO Share About What You Care About.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Photo for today's post taken by Michelle Meiklejohn who's portfolio can be found: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=901

Sharing Is Caring SO Share About What You Care About Campaign Update

2010-03-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of our Sharing Is Caring campaign.

Please read post from Sun night/Mon morning for more info.

Wow, zero comments... zero participation.

If you've been thinking of sharing about something you care about, please take a moment to share with us... you may just be the impetus to open the flood gates of sharing. Someone may draw inspiration from you!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Social Media - A Company-wide Endeavor... at least it should be.

2010-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

Question for you? Who won the most recent Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Championship, World Cup (Soccer)? Was it Drew Brees, Hideki Matsui, Kobe Bryant, or Zinedine Zidane? NO. The most recent winners were the New Orleans Saints, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, and the German Soccer Team. All TEAMS, not individuals.

The same goes for your company's social media efforts. While you may have an MVP of your company's social media efforts, namely the person who champions the cause the most or who gets paid to make sure the efforts are "coordinated" correctly, it is your company's efforts as a whole that determine whether or not you win or lose.

Your best bet is to make sure EVERYONE who is utilizing social media anyway, is in some way, shape or form including the company in their efforts AND that they are being rewarded for doing so. I'm not advocating giving everyone a raise simply because they list the company somewhere in their LinkedIn profile or on their FaceBook page or even in a post on their blog... However, if your Social Media MVP can be encouraged to educate those in your company who are already utilizing social media for personal use, to integrate into the company social media strategy, your company will be better off... more exposure, better team unity, higher SEO (when done properly... pay the MVP more to ensure this), and stronger communities surrounding your company online. I'd imagine this is worth something to the company, no? Then reward the participating employees with a company-wide recognition ceremony, or get them gift certificates for a family dinner at their favorite restaurant, or better yet, give them a quarterly bonus correlating to the amount of company exposure in their social media involvement.

Social Media marketing does not have to be as difficult as envisioned for most companies... just motivate your employees that are already involved in social media and watch the exposure yield some buzz that will undoubtedly help your sales teams drive more sales... see there it is again... CREATE BUZZ, INCREASE EXPOSURE, DRIVE SALES. You CAN do it!

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

7 Ways to Use Social Media to Create Buzz-Worthy Events (by Jay Baer)

2010-03-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

It used to be you spent five minutes registering for an event, and then showed up on the big day, went to a few workshops, drank two free Coronas, and went home.

Social media changes all of that, enabling events and their planners to have long-term, nuanced, shifting interactions with attendees.

Click on the link above (in email) or on the title of the post (on my blog site) to read further.

Using The Building Blocks of Marketing to... Create BUZZ. Increase EXPOSURE. Drive SALES.

Michael Phares, Proprietor & Communications Enthusiast

DADO'S MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, & PUBLIC RELATIONS
805-550-8273

http://www.dadosmarcompr.com/

http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

2010-03-30T09:07:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of our Sharing Is Caring campaign. Keep those comments coming. Please read post from Sun night/Mon morning for more info.

Sharing IS Caring... A Call To You - Share About What You Care About

2010-03-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know that I have a beautiful 22 & 1/2 month old daughter. To be honest, if you do not know that, then you: a) do not pay very close attention to this blog, b) do not know me very well, c) are a brand new follower, OR d) am seeing one of my posts for the very first time.

Regardless (she's the one who nicknamed me Dado which is the name of my company), being a father of an "almost" 2-year old affords me quite a few luxuries that I'd never been privy to until now: Baby Signing Time, Yo Gabba Gabba, "Swiper NO SWIPING!"... "Oh Man!", story time, nap time, strollers, watching my daughter experience something for the first time, oh and I can never forget diaper changes... in the middle of the night!

But an unexpected reminder of an idea I've always wanted to try but never had the arena in which to try it came from everyone's best friend Barney, the purple dinosaur...

You see, ever since I started experimenting with social media I always envisioned a collaborative effort of some sort as a project that would rally many of my friends, constituents, colleagues, family members, clients, and potentials in all of these categories together... many of whom have never met. This very blog might just be the impetus needed to provide for this collaborative effort.

Hear me out.

On Friday, March 19th I asked here, in my company blog, for you to get involved by sharing about yourself, your company, etc, something that is unique to you, your company, etc. I got absolutely no responses and I realize now, that was the wrong way of seeking your input.

SOOOOO, I'd like to propose a new possibility, spurred on by my friend Barney! Since SHARING IS CARING, let's care for each other by taking time this work week (Mon 3/29/10 through Friday 4/2/10) to share with one another the things we care about. All you need to do is comment on this blog post with something that you care about (do so by clicking on the "0 comments" "1 comments" "2 comments" or whatever number the comments are at when you go to share). BUT, don't just share what you care about... read what other people care about and comment on those "shared-cares" as well.

With a little luck this one post will have some incredible interaction between some incredible people about the incredible things we care about!

In my mind THIS is the best way for companies to reach their target audiences... by caring about them enough to drop their agenda from time to time and allowing their affiliates, customers, and potentials in both categories to share with others in that same audience in a place/forum/etc where they might not have expected to find the ability to experience some caring and some sharing!

Using the Building Blocks of Marketing to:
CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.

Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations
805-550-8273
http://dadosmarcompr.com
http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Buzz Tip: DO NOT STEAL! Get your own, ask permission, or give proper credit

2010-03-26T10:17:00.001-07:00

Today I must briefly vent a frustration: while at the TwestivalSLO event on Thursday evening at Spike's in The Creamery on Higuera in downtown San Luis Obispo, someone lacking virtue stole my company door magnets from my SUV. Let's hope my biggest fan(s) enjoys those vehicle magnets. If you hear of anything or about anyone "bragging"... please let me know. I'd like to speak with them... in private... man to virtue-lacking-man (men).

Enough said for today or I might end up showing too much anger and disappointment.

Buzz Tip: Success hinges upon Ambission AND Ambission = Tenacity + Tact

2010-03-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

In life as it is in the business world, it is one's tenacious attitude coupled with one's tactful approach that will produce the ambitious spirit needed to succeed.

Telling a story on the label - Another Moment of Marketing Brilliance from Seth Godin

2010-03-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today, Seth Godin, in a moment of brilliance, dissects the label of a $20 bottle of "mineral botanic" or what you and I would commonly refer to as soap. He deftly explains why AHAVA (the manufacturers of this mineral botanic) can charge $20 for this bottle and why people will pay for it!

Click the link above (if you're reading this in email form) OR click on the post title (if you're reading this in my blog), read the article, and know that you need not have the least expensive brand, product or service when it/you is/are properly marketed.

While you are at it, buy this book for your sales people to help them overcome selling based strictly on price. Look for it wherever you buy your books.

Using the Building Blocks of Marketing to:

CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.
Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations
805-550-8273
http://dadosmarcompr.com
http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Buzz Tip: Focus is a necessity

2010-03-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a Buzz Tip for you since March 16th so I figured today would be a good day to provide you with another. When working with your marketing, advertising, promotions, communications, social media, and networking FOCUS is as important of a skill as any other.

Take a look at the two pictures above. You'll notice the obvious... focus is placed on a different part of the bass guitar in each picture. While I am no bass guitarist, my brief stint in musicianship during the early 90's introduced me to an interesting fact... very few musicians can completely master EVERY aspect of their craft. Take for instance bass guitarists. You can be an incredible slap bassist (like Les Claypool) or an incredible fret player (like Cliff Burton). Rarely are bass guitarists both and yet there are bass guitarists making a living all around the world solely playing the bass guitar. Why is this? They focus on being extremely good at one aspect of playing bass. That aspect keeps them employed and keeps them doing what they love.

Drawing commonality in the business realm, we can see that while it is good to be a Jack (or Jill) of all trades, the savant is truly the money maker. True, it does help to have many skills, but to excel at one is the way in which we differentiate ourselves from one another.

Focus on that which you do best. Make it a point to achieve notoriety for your expertise in that which you do extremely well. Sting is in no way the best bass guitarist ever, but his rhythms are super catchy and he knows it. Mix that with his excellent vocal talent and it is no wonder he had a successful career after The Police broke up... after all, he was a rhythmic bass player which lent itself well to contemporary fusion of soft jazz and soft rock.

If you'd like help targeting that which you need to focus on, contact Dado's Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations and let us help you. After all our FOCUS is on utilization of the Building Blocks Of Marketing to Create BUZZ, Increase EXPOSURE, and Drive SALES. It's what we do well and is therefore our FOCUS.

Using the Building Blocks of Marketing to:

How To Build Brand & Customer Loyalty Through One-to-One Communication: 7 Tactics (from Marketing Sherpa)

2010-03-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY: A corporate-style branding effort requires a corporate-sized budget. But if fancy logos and mass advertising aren’t in your budget, you can try building your brand one customer at a time.

Read one marketer’s recommendations for using personal communications to connect with your best customers. Through simple, low-cost tactics, you can build stronger relationships and establish a brand identity that’s more than just an image.

When a freelancer changes the game - Seth Godin

2010-03-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

[From Seth Godin's Blog Today, Sat March 20th, 2010]

Often, businesses hire freelancers (writers, photographers, process consultants, trainers) to solve a specific problem for the lowest possible cost. And a good freelancer at the right price is often the right approach.
Sometimes, though, you spend more and get something great. You seek out and find a linchpin who combines inspiration and professionalism and initiative and pushes back on your quest for average. When you interact with someone like that, you might pay more but you get far more than you paid.

I recently did a photo shoot with my friend Brian, and from the moment I walked into the studio, I discovered that he and his lighting guru were relentlessly pushing to change my perception of what was possible at the same time they were focused on overdelivering on the project. They had little interest in settling on merely doing a good job.

There's a lot of pressure for freelancers to fit in, conform and comply. It seems easier to generate new business that way. That's not really true. It's easier to become an easily-described commodity that way, but the person who's willing to push themselves out to an edge that matters is on the only path that actually leads to success.

And then it's up to the client to care enough about the project and in making a difference to have the guts to hire you.

What Social Media Users Want [STATS] (via @Mashable)

2010-03-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

While I wait for more emails (michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com), tweets (@DadosMarComPR), and comments to yesterday's post asking for you, the readers of this blog, to share with our community about yourself in an effort to help us see the uniqueness of both our community but also your endeavor (company, brand, organization, event, product, service, etc), I figured I would share this great study by Chitika that appeared in today's Mashable email. It is interesting to see the different ways people use the top social media platforms. I'm guessing you could make extremely good use of this information in your social media marketing strategy, no? Read the short article accompanying the graphs above by following the link (either listed above if you receive this via email, OR by clicking on the title of the post if you're reading this on DadosMarComPR.com).

Have a great weekend everyone.

Education NEEDS you! Get involved with the #TWESTIVALSLO (read below)

2010-03-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am on the board of an awesome professional organization in SLO for Creative Artists, Web Designers, Creative Application Designers, Marketers, and Communicators... San Luis Obispo Creative and Marketing Alliance. We've decided to join Concern Worldwide in the Twestival efforts to raise money for education worldwide. Our TwestivalSLO will be at Spike's on Higuera at 5PM the same day as all of the other Twestivals worldwide, Thursday, March 25th.

We have information about how to get involved through sponsorship, attendance, donations, etc at the link in the title of this blog post. Simply click on the post title to find our more about the Twestivals that will be occurring worldwide that day, the TwestivalSLO, our benefiting charity Concern Worldwide, and about how you can become involved!

Time to hear from YOU! Who ARE you? What makes you UNIQUE?

2010-03-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Thursday and Friday I want to hear from YOU. Yes, YOU. I'd like to post to my readers some fun facts about other readers. After all, this IS SOCIAL media, right? And after all, what makes YOU and/or YOUR COMPANY unique is truly YOU, right? And isn't that pretty much what I am always harping about... making your company, brand, association, event, etc different by capitalizing on the uniqueness of the one special thing that differentiates each and every endeavor from one another? That thing is the people involved. Mac people are different than PC people and that drives the unique marketing and advertising campaigns of Apple and the various PC companies. Coke people are different than Pepsi people. Sure, the formulas are slightly different enough, but it is the people's reaction to those formulas that drive the marketing and advertising campaigns, right? Look at Domino's Pizza... they've reinvented themselves around the changes to their pizza based on what PEOPLE were saying about their pizza.

SO, I'd like to hear from you. Send me an email (michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com) and tell us something about YOU. I will make sure it is not vulgar and then post all of the replies I get on Monday's blog post.

I'll start with the sharing... In case you did not know, I'm addicted to fantasy basketball. I love translating my box score reading into fantasy dominance in the fantasy basketball league that I am commissioner of. How can I utilize that in my business? You tell me? I'm interested and I'm listening.

5 marketing battles that make no sense - iMediaConnection.com

2010-03-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Chris Tolles shares some great insight about some unfortunate, baffling marketing battles that quite frankly need not be... see if you can apply these lessons to your marketing.

CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.
Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations
805-550-8273
http://dadosmarcompr.com
http://twitter.com/dadosmarcompr
michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

Buzz Tip: Gimicks are best left to Carnies & Snake Oil Salesmen

2010-03-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

For today's Buzz Tip, I could not help but address this time of year when the advertisements begin to target the parents of teens either getting ready for their 1st summer with a driver's license, their last summer before heading off to college, or simply just another summer time where they'll have time on their hands.

It seems as though every year right around Spring Break, most of the commercial breaks on television, the ads in magazines & newspapers, and the ads on radio get a tad bit silly with their gimmicks. Recently I heard a car dealership's (new/used) ad claiming that it is never too early or late to secure the car of your child's future. Since we recently took photos of my 22 & 1/2 month old daughter behind the wheel of her papa's jeep (that's childspeak for grandfather, fyi), I figured it'd be a perfect representation of the absurdity of the car dealership's claim. Now, I know not all car dealerships suffer from this type of gimmicky shenanigans, so please do not take my rant the wrong way... this particular dealership happened to employ some less than admirable radio advertising gimmicks, but most in our Central Coast area do not.

Don't let your company, brand, organization, association, club, etc succumb to the urge to go overboard with your marketing and ad campaigns just because the sun is out longer and the weather is getting warmer. Instead, get creative and capitalize on something unique about your product(s), service(s), event(s), etc. Then if you want to get a little gimmicky, do it with the spokesperson, presentation, or merchandising.

We here at Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations work with some amazingly talented creative designers to graphically represent your product(s), service(s), event(s), etc while we craft the content. Let us help you create the BUZZ and increase the EXPOSURE you need to increase your sales, attendance, and/or membership.

Leave the rest to the companies utilizing gimmicky ad & marketing campaigns like the hair product pushers (yes YOU Axe!) and the next carnival coming to town... after all, those are the modern snake oil salesmen, aren't they? :-)

CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.

Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations

805-550-8273

http://dadosmarcompr.com

Marketing Sherpa - New Chart: Rating the Effectiveness of Social Media in Terms of Objectives Achieved

2010-03-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

SUMMARY: We wanted to find out the effectiveness of social media in terms of achieving various target business objectives, such as increasing brand or product awareness and increasing sales revenue. See the responses we received from more than 2,000 marketers in this week’s chart.

For the full article from By Sergio Balegno, Research Director at Marketing Sherpa click here or click on the title of today's post.

These findings are extremely interesting and poignant for measurement of your social media efforts... Remember, social media is SOCIAL media, so the fact that Increase Sales Revenue ranks last on this list should not surprise you. The SALES team should be closing sales and increasing revenue per sale. Your social media presence should be for exactly the reasons that rank atop this list... Increase Brand or Product Awareness... and... Improve Brand or Product Reputation. It is these that are BUZZ. It is these that are EXPOSURE. It is these that DRIVE SALES. However, they, in and of themselves are not sales. Your business development and sales teams must close the deals.

Have a great week and remember, if you need to CREATE BUZZ, INCREASE EXPOSURE, and DRIVE SALES, Dado's Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations is a mere phone call, email, or blog post comment away and can help your company, brand, product, service, event, etc gain the necessary BUZZ & EXPOSURE needed to give your business development & sales teams the leg up on the competition.

CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.

Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations

805-550-8273

http://dadosmarcompr.com

Buzz Tip: Exploit Your Unique WOW Factor

2010-03-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

Besides the amazing connotation this image has for me of the awesome 80's video game Q-Bert, it also represents a great point...

That one block. Yes, that one. Were it not red, would you pay any special attention to it? Probably not, right? Why? Well, because it isn't the top block or one of the two bottom corner blocks. Heck, even those are bland, boring, and white.

Your company, organization, association, event, brand, etc sits amongst it's contemporaries in much the same pattern as the blocks above. The difference is that in real life, the red block, due to it's intrinsic eye catching color, would inevitably move upward, over time, in this "industry" of blocks.

The same applies to your company, organization, association, event, brand, etc. There exists within it, that one special thing that sets it apart... find that thing and bring it to the forefront of your marketing efforts. Yes, even if it does not directly relate to what you do. Does GoDaddy.com sell anything whatsoever related to beautiful, scandalous women? No! But someone there is a huge pervert and realized that they could sell their domain buying & hosting services simply by appealing to the perversion of the human male (which I, personally, do not agree with... but it works for them). Now, granted, they have long been known to also deliver phenomenal pricing on domain purchases and hosting, but that in and of itself does not sell domains to the mass public... sex appeal does.

What can your company, organization, association, event, brand, etc. capitalize on to catapult yourselves above and beyond your competition? Find it and center your marketing efforts around it. Your sales people will thank you with more closes.

CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.

Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations

805-550-8273

http://dadosmarcompr.com

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10150099269000246&index=1

BUZZ Tip: GREAT Customer Service drives repeat business.

2010-03-11T09:06:00.001-08:00

BUZZ Tip: GREAT Customer Service drives repeat business. While IHOP is not known for great food, rather good food & generous portions, the SLO IHOP's customer service sets them apart. Emulate this.

BUZZ Tip: Be clear in and with your message

2010-03-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

BUZZ TIP: Be clear in your message. For instance, here at Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations, our job is 3-fold for our clients...

Create BUZZ - Worker bees make sure you know their hive is there... we do the same for your company to your target demographic(s).

Increase EXPOSURE - Ever been on a long road trip, driving in the middle of nowhere, when you see the billboard alerting you to the diner in an upcoming town? Yeah, we're that welcomed billboard for your company to your target demographic(s).

Drive SALES - Every company/organization/etc. likes to see their business development teams create more business opportunities, their sales teams close more sales, and their membership teams gain more paying members. With marketing communications upon which they can rely to convey the value of your product, service, or organizational benefits, their close ratios will most assuredly increase, yielding new financial winfalls.

Your turn... let us know what your message is. Better yet, let us help you clearly define an even better message!

How Can YOU Get Involved in Bringing Google Fiber to SLO?

2010-03-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

In case you are wondering how you can get involved in helping the efforts to bring Google Fiber to SLO, I've assembled some of the various ways you can help (with the help of my friend Jami from Fillerup Marketing).

Join the Bring Google Fiber to San Luis Obispo, CA Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=303673457163&ref=ts

Attend the Bring Google Fiber to San Luis Obispo Rally on Tuesday, March 16 from 5-7

Send Your Nomination to Google for San Luis Obispo to be their Google Fiber Community

http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options

Enter the Video Competition

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=354766212415&index=1

Here's our chance to radically affect the history of SLO in much the same way those that worked to get the railroad here in the 1880's.

Michael Phares, Owner & Communications Enthusiast

Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations

http://dadosmarcompr.com

michael.phares@dadosmarcompr.com

805-550-8272

2010-03-09T16:36:00.001-08:00

'Bring Google Fiber to SLO' rally- Tue 3/16 @ 5pm @ Mission Plaza. 1st 500 ppl receive free t-shirts. Bring the whole fam to this.

2010-03-09T08:35:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's Blog BUZZ tip was about imagination. Today channel that into innovation & create something of value that people will talk about. Viral exposure.

2010-03-08T08:09:00.001-08:00

BUZZ Tip: Use your imagination in your marketing development efforts. It's not just for child's play anymore. Imagination drives creativity.

The Times, They Are A Changin' (When tired gets old and the old get tired)

2010-03-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

When change is in the air, as it often is during the early spring, many companies, organizations, brands, events, processes, etc are put under a microscope and measured against their original goals. This undertaking is necessary and I applaud those who undertake it. However, I must wonder if, before the task is undertaken, the goals shouldn't be revisited as they might need to be revised to capture new sentiment or adapted to new climates (economic, socio-political, etc). Many times we measure new efforts against old standards and come to the conclusion that the efforts failed, when, in actuality, they were wildly successful. This is usually the case because the status quo has been such for some time and those in charge are afraid of changing it. Maybe it is time to get rid of the tired old paradigms and usher in fresh new ones yielding true growth.

While you digest this, please enjoy this trip down memory lane with a most appropriate song by the great Bob Dylan...

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s naming.’
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’.
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’.
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’.
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’.
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’.
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’.

Worlds Without Maps - Chris Brogan speaks about Why social media is of interest to businesses right now?

2010-03-04T08:54:00.000-08:00

In an ultimate BUZZ tip, Chris Brogan shares why social media is of interest to businesses right now. For the full article, please click on the title of this blog post. The first paragraph is as follows...

Why is social media of interest to businesses right now? The answer is simple: it’s what the people are doing. Who benefits the most from connecting with people via these channels? Companies who adapt to the new territory, who use the new tools accordingly, and who strive for human connections over traditional marketing capture/conversion. The trick of it all? This is a world without maps. Your old maps don’t work. This is a space where new ideas often trump the old, and where purpose/intent matter more than tradition. FULL ARTICLE

CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.

Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations

805-550-8273

http://dadosmarcompr.blogspot.com

http://dadosmarcompr.blogspot.com

michael.phares@gmail.com

Where Independent Professionals Succeed and Large Firms Fail - RainToday

2010-03-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

This article speaks to 8 fabulous reasons why you should do business with independent marketing/communications/public relations/advertising professionals instead of large firms. Remember, my company (Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations) is a small, independent, sole proprietorship... I fall into the category that is described in this article and provide these very services that large firms cannot deliver.

Where Independent Professionals Succeed and Large Firms Fail - RainToday

Interpersonal Communication - It goes both ways and defines your Marketing efforts

2010-03-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, the innuendo in the title not withstanding, when you communicate with your target audience, clients, vendors, affiliates, colleagues, etc... no matter what communication vehicle is used... there are TWO critical elements of your communication: Sender's Message AND Receiver's Feedback.

If we begin dissecting this basic communication paradigm, we find that, first of all, each Sender becomes a Receiver when they listen to the Receiver's Feedback and each Receiver becomes a Sender when they deliver their Feedback as a Message.

Would you not agree that in order to properly Receive a Sender's Message and formulate proper Feedback, one must be listening to the Sender's Message? And does it not follow suit that the Sender, who becomes a Receiver when listening to the Receiver's (now a Sender) Feedback, also must listen to that feedback in order to properly digest the Feedback, grow from the content or be able to act on the information?

I would propose that because of this very fact... the need for listening in order to have effective and proper communication... the picture above is incomplete. Imagine instead that the head of the Receiver has near it, the word Listen. Imagine now that the image was replicated in another, similar image, where the Receiver's title is replaced with Sender, The Sender's title is replaced with Receiver, the arrow descriptions of Message and Feedback are switched,, the arrow heads are switched, and our added Listen element is now near the new Receiver's head.

NOW we've properly diagrammed interpersonal communication. It can now be visually digested quite easily in it's totality and applied to our verbal communication whether in person, on the phone, over email, via snail mail, via blog, via wave, via microblog (Twitter/Buzz/etc).

I hope this exercise helps you get back to the basics when it comes to one of the KEY elements of creating BUZZ... the essential Building Block of interpersonal communication.

CREATE BUZZ. INCREASE EXPOSURE. DRIVE SALES.

Dado's Marketing, Communications, & Public Relations

805-550-8273