Avoid Costly Advertising

Advertising ... cheap is not always good. I have had many non-clients tell me they have found a great deal on advertising with blah blah blah publication and have just signed a contract without doing their homework. There are a lot of great deals out there right now, it is true. The problem to their detriment is some people have repeat-bad-behavior syndrome and willingly sign up for the next good deal, and then the next good deal. And all of a sudden they have completely pissed away (for lack of a better word) their marketing budget with nothing to show for it because they did not take the initial research steps.

1. Is advertising a good fit for your business? Not all businesses benefit from ads - and if you do not know ask a marketing professional. I hear more often boo-hoo, "I wasted my money on X publication" than not.

2. Ask the publication for a media kit and rate card. The media kit will cover demographics (circulation, numbers, male/female readership, age, etc.). Demographics are key to determining if the publication is even a good fit for your business. Keep in mind cheap/expensive needs to result in results period. Please do not make me call you a "whambulance." Wha wha wha ( I am probably spelling this wrong).

Atrocious Advertising

At M Communications - we recommend avoiding the following:

Size Matters. It really does. It never fails to amaze me that some people take a business card-sized ad and attempt to tell their whole life story on in minuscule writing. Come on people, as far as I am concerned, business card means business card. One other thing, if your marketing professional is not doing the research before recommending you buy the Wall Street Journal spread, you need to ask the "why's" behind it before agreeing to the purchase. Keep in mind who your audience is before advertising in a publication and ensure you have a tracking method, special offer, and/or discounted service. You will most likely be able to track results that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside because you know your ad is working ... or not!

Paint by numbers - Oh NO. Please do not attempt to scare off your potential clients by designing your own ad. We all have our strengths and weaknesses ... please do not fool yourself into thinking you are a graphic designer. It will reflect poorly on your whole company. I have seen the whole glaring mess including bad fonts, bad colors, wrong fonts, day-glow pink (they still make that???). Hire a professional!

Tacky graphics! Please don't go with cheap, cheesy or tacky. Hire a graphic designer with class. Unless you're selling gumball machines to five-year-olds, please avoid bright colors, in-your-face star bursts, and ugly fonts.

The LOUD and obnoxious pitch!! Gosh is this a "Sham-whammy" advertisement on the Shopping Channel? If not, tone down the pitch (copy). A loud, infomercial ad appeals to a small segment of your audience and will turnoff others. Now if this is YOUR segment, go ahead and create one of those "only-scene-on TV" advertisements. If not, please go with the nice, descriptive and information-based copy.

Networking? ... Nevermind!!

Here are a couple of signs that you attended the wrong networking event:

Lady Lecturer - bad format for new business. Most people attend new events for meeting people to create new relationships that result in business. It really is not a good idea to start lecturing the event attendees about business protocol in an attempt to snag new business. Here is the deal ... I really do not need a coach, but if I wanted one I would just ask - especially since I am not new to networking. Even more annoying, lady lecturer introduced the speaker at this particular luncheon and it was quite obvious that she did not even look at the speaker bio. She instead prattled on about herself and what she does for a living. Hello? Not about you lady lecturer -- and the poor speaker looked pretty reluctant to go up to the stage after her little performance.

Schizophrenic Meeting Agenda. If you are president of your organization, you need to stay in control of the meeting or at least have an agenda that makes sense. We attended a meeting last week that turned out to be a recruitment rally for a new organization. Let's just say the meeting agenda was all over the place, and the information disseminated really did not make a whole lot of logical sense. If your agenda is not making sense, I am pretty sure you are not going to get volunteers for the vice president of craziness position. The highlight of the meeting was when a new member stood up, gave her introduction, and basically asked if she could update us on the economy during lunch. Instead of squashing the craziness, we proceeded to listen to hear about how all of the banks will be shutting down in the next three days, a new currency will be issued, not to be frightened but to liquidate everything immediately. At this point, I was absolutely about to lose it in a fit of giggles. When I am sleep deprived, it really does not help my self control ... and by this point the meeting really went way off the radar.

I pledge Allegiance to What? I am a proud American and am perfectly fine with saying the Pledge of Allegiance to start meetings. Although, I have not said the Pledge of Allegiance since grade school, I do realize some networking groups start with this. The kicker happened when everyone had to turn around and say the Pledge to something that resembled a lawn ornament stolen from some party last 4th of July - thank God someone pointed out the "real" American flag in the room. I am really proud of myself for getting through this event.

My overall advice ... be wary of new groups and try to get the inside skinny before you spend two hour of your time subjected to the craziness.

Confessions from a Hot Sauce Addict

I have a confession to make ... I am addicted to hot sauce. Each time I travel, I not only bring home hot sauce for myself, but as souvenirs for others (whether or not they even like hot sauce). Over the years, my favorites have included a habanero 3 pack from Playa Del Karmen and the Red Rectum hot sauce (mainly for the funny bottle) from New Orleans. My favorite hot sauce to date (and I am really wondering what this is doing to my stomach), happens to be the Baron hot sauce from the West Indies (see photo). I left this hot sauce on my counter for a month (as a reminder I was out) debating about ordering more, but I really couldn't stomach ordering a hot sauce from St. Lucia when shipping costs about the same as the bottle. Guess what? I caved. Not only did I order this particular sauce, I happened accidentally-on-purpose order the 28 oz. bottle. My thoughts? Yummy.

Just Because it Looks Pretty ...

At M Communications we are constantly noticing the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to marketing. And, one thing I have noticed is that just because a marketing piece looks pretty it doesn't mean it is functional. It's kind of like those really cool nail files that are pretty to look at, but the don't really file your nails. Below is an a example of recent "No-No's":

Wonderful websites gone wrong. There are sites out there that are wonderfully designed and very esthetically pleasing. It is obvious that someone was smart enough to hire a professional graphic designer. The big oops here is that when it came to the navigation and someone decided to create a labyrinth. You have seconds to grab a visitor's attention when they stumble on their website and the more they have to click, the more likely they are going to go "bye-bye." Also, don't get me started on slow loading websites, even if the flash presentation is pretty cool. In both cases, you lose customers.

The Two Best Referrals Ever

At M Communications, we do a lot of public relations work ... a lot. I am talking about everything from authors to fitness professionals to musicians, etc. And, we only take on the fun clients and I will get to that in a later blog. The two best referrals we have ever received were from a news station and the other from another publicist. Both are a compliment. Typically, the media does not like publicists and they get bombarded by some pretty lame press releases. As for referrals from other publicists ... awesome. Another good reason to partner up with people in the same industry - you may promote books and they promote health. Why should you not have a strategic partner?

Setting the Bar a Little Bit High

Hello M Com Blog followers - I will get back to business tomorrow, but had to share. First fish: 1 1/2 pounds, 17 inches ... and this is when no one else was catching fish. My thoughts? I think that is setting the bar a little bit high for a first fish.

Time Out

Hello M Com Blog followers -

We are giving ourselves a timeout until 5/32/11 and will chat with you then. In the meantime, sign up for the M-Dash by clicking here for extra funnies.

Cheers!

The M Communications Team

Dear Karma Police

Dear Karma Police,

I adore you. I know you do not always show up when needed, but when you do it is in a VERY big way. I also know that taking the high road is not always easy, but completely worth it in the end. Thank you Karma Police. I plan on sending you a very nice Christmas present this year.

Sincerely,

A really huge fan of the Karma Police

Fake Camping

There are many signs you are a fake camping. Since I grew up with this type of camping, I took it for granted that was how everyone camped ... until I was thrown in a tent. Here are a couple of signs:

1. You are not staying a tent, but in a RV which has an ice maker, washer & dryer and stand alone shower.

2. Champagne is a staple during lunch.

3. Theme nights come with required theme attire and themed appetizers. A pig is buried in the ground during Hawaiian night (just kidding, but pineapples are cored out for the Mai Tais).

4. Televisions are present inside and outside the RV.

What can I say? I like fake camping.

Perception is Everything

Perception always fascinates me. Last night I asked a friend to bring me a stack of business cards. She brought two. Maybe she forgot I asked for a stack, but two is not a stack. (From a marketing standpoint, the cards looked great so I will not be shredding her marketing material this morning.)The same situation normally occurs when I go through a Taco Bell drive thru and ask for extra hot sauce. The Taco Bell employee will give me three, so I have one and a half for each soft taco. To me, three does not mean extra - more like 6 - 8 so I can add to my stash at home. What can I say, I have a thing for hot sauce. My real point? When you figure out what your clients and potential clients perceive you will be able to put together great proposals and deliver great service. For example, some clients who are not so tech savvy think a blog is a website, confuse media relations with written releases and so on. I recommend always over explaining and always asking the "right" questions so both parties have the same expectations.

Down With Minivan Drivers

I can't stand minivan drivers and think they are more pretentious than drivers with luxury cars. Below a couple of reasons why.

1. Minivan drivers feel the need to take over the whole road. I am not sure why this is, but I am pretty sure you should share the road and not drive down the middle. Oh, and they do not care if they are inconveniencing you and having you stop dead in their tracks with their bad driving behavior.

2. Minivan drivers brag non stop. Everyone that I know who owns a minivan brags nonstop on how it is the safest, best vehicle on the planet. Attention all minivan drivers: stop bragging, there are other cars out there with televisions for the little kiddos to watch.

3. Minivan drivers drive too slow. Now, I am all for driving the speed limit (kind of), but I firmly believe these drivers are driving 10 mph under the speed limit because they are too busy playing with all of the buttons in their vehicle. In general, I think they should all get tickets for driving too slow. Or, maybe just for owning a minivan in general.

I will never drive a minivan.

Think Big With Your PR Campaign

Most of the time at M Communications we are educating our clients on what public relations is and what it does. And, most of the time clients get fixated on the small picture, not the big picture. For example, one client recently was obsessed with a certain local radio station because it was in her backyard. What do you think will get your product more exposure, local radio or national radio?? The obvious answer here people is national. My advice for this morning? Think Big with your PR campaign and think national. You will thank us for it later.

Putrid PR Campaigns

Putrid PR campaigns stink. You may have hired the wrong publicist if you witness the following:

1. Your press release is not "newsworthy". If you are bored reading your own release, that is a really bad sign. Your release should have a hook and should be "new" information. Media typically does not want to report on "old" news.

2. You publicist has disappeared. This is also very bad. You need to have some form of contact weekly and know exactly what publications (or genre) are being contacted. Oh, and coverage is great too - be sure to put this on your website. Also, if something is not working ... you should be contacted immediately.

3. The media outlets being contacted have nothing to do with your product. If you have a make up product and you are being cc'd on emails to Sports Illustrated editors that's a big red flag.

Stay away from putrid PR campaigns.

You Know When You Are A Mom When ...

Hello M Com Blog followers - this one is in honor of Mother's Day. Here are a couple funnies for all of the moms out there. You know you are a mom when ...

1. You are on Facebook at 5 a.m.You know you are a mom when you post a message on Facebook that you are awake and drinking coffee. Or ... why, why, why, is he not sleeping. Yes, you are a mom.

2. You are playing "Words with Friends" on your iPhone at 6 a.m. Yes, you have a baby and you are up.

3. Throw up is no longer a problem. Your child eats a bunch of gummy worms and gets sick. Your first thought is that you are not upset with cleaning up the vomit, because it smells like gummy products.

Happy Mother's Day!

Tillamook Cheese "The World's Best Cheddar"

We specialize in marketing at M Communications as a result our marketing eyes and ears are always open. Recently, I watched a commercial for Tillamook Cheese and the tagline was "The World's Best Cheddar". Now, Tillamook is a good every day cheese, but the world's best? I think not. Especially if you have had smoked cheddar in the deli section - mmmmm. My point? Chances are if you have to announce you are the "World's Best" ... you are not.

I Love Neurotic

People are interesting, and at M Communications we only take on the interesting and different. Why? These people, products and ideas are totally marketable. It is really a publicists dream. For example, I think most people should start eating ice cream with a fork. Why? It was recently pointed out to me if you eat ice cream with a fork the ice cream melts less than with a spoon. How marketable is that concept? My point? In the end with the neurotic you have a fun client and a fun product to promote.

Why state the obvious?

I love it when people tell you something so darn obvious that you want to roll your eyes and give them a profound response such as "Really?". Chances are that if it is that obvious and you are speaking with someone who is clueless, they probably already have a pretty good idea and know. My favorites are:

1. You look tired. This is usually told to someone who has been up with a family member overnight in the hospital for two days. I am sure they did not notice the dark bags under their eyes when they got up in the morning.

2. I think you gained some weight. The person you just told this too probably steps on the scale every morning and also knows. P.S. Don't tell people this. I personally have a relative who is obsessed with weight gain and weight loss. She will tell you who has gained weight and who has lost weight. I keep telling her that it is not very nice, but she is elderly and I am thinking when you get to a certain age you can say what you think at all times. Oh, but I do that now.

My point? Don't state the super obvious.

From New York to Chico

At M Communications (a California based company), we have clients from coast to coast. I had a meeting go over this AM, and the day plummeting on itself. Great new project in New York and now all I have is Chico on the brain. I am on aiport shuttle duty tomorrow as well. Any marketing advice in this blog? No. My only point is as an entreprenur you can play with clients in one state and stay in the next.

Hang Loose!

I had to share this picture - I am guessing his future office will be on the islands.