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What Fabulous Las Vegas Has Taught me about Business Marketing

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

Since I was of legal gambling age, I have always enjoyed taking short trips to Las Vegas, Nevada. If you’ve never been there, I highly recommend it, even if you aren’t into gambling. So much to see and do, from outdoor adventures, relaxing by the pool and shopping to shows and of course the decadent food.

How have the Las Vegas casino/hotels managed to get me to return there so many different occasions? With clever marketing practices, of course. And just because your business doesn’t have slot machines or an all-you-can-eat buffet to lure in customers, doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two from the Las Vegas marketing masters. Here are a few things that I noticed about how Las Vegas (and the casino/hotels in general) practice effective marketing:

Get a great Brand and Memorable Tagline: Even if you’ve never been to Las Vegas, my guess is that you know their tagline: “What Happens Here, Stays Here,” which many have copied for their own campaigns. Check out some of their ad campaigns on the Las VegasYouTube channel. They’ve even taken it a step further, and added a page to their website which talks about an oath you must take when you travel there. Hilarous, yet it is so memorable. This great brand helps to build up the mystique and the excitement that is only Vegas. Does your brand convey something memorable or exciting, or give customers a good feeling? If not, it’s time to change it.

Market to Loyal Customers (and Reward them): The casino/hotel where we stay always sends us a postcard within months of our previous stay, with a special offer, asking us to return. Many times, this comes in the form of a giveaway, such as a free night or two of hotel stay, slot play, spa discount or dining credit. Because Vegas knows that once you experience a stay there, you’ll want to return soon. And of course the more you spend, the better the offer. Are you marketing to existing customers to get them to come back for more?

Know your Customers Well: If you have been to Vegas and used one of the hotel’s loyalty cards (which tracks your gambling play, dining activities, and more), or charged any activities to your room, you’ll most likely be invited for a return trip. That’s because the hotel/casinos use this information to learn more about their customers, in order to cater to their likes and dislikes when they return. How well do you know your customers? If not very well, how can you find out more about them by implementing a loyalty program or tracking their purchases?

Market to and Support New Customers: Vegas doesn’t forget that every year, millions of people turn 21. Or that millions of others have never been to Las Vegas – whether they are intimidated or don’t think that it’s for them. They have a section on their page devoted to newcomers, so that their first trip doesn’t seem overwhelming, and that they can take advantage of all that the city has to offer. This serves as a great customer service tool as well, to help people navigate around, and ensures that their customers will have a great experience while there.
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Facebook Fan Pages: Back to Basics & Branding

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

So by now, most of you have heard about or seen the new Facebook timeline and changes to how Facebook fan pages will display at the end of March, 2012. So what does this mean for small businesses?

1) If you haven’t branded your fan page yet, you’re in luck. Gone are the days of custom tabs where companies practically begged you to follow the gigantic arrow pointing to their “like” button. Now, companies simply have a place to post a simple graphic or photo in the top banner, which cannot be promotional in nature. The good news is that if you haven’t really taken the time to customize your page before, you haven’t wasted any resources thus far. But it’s a good idea to keep up with the times and get your fan page customized.

2) Your fan page should reflect your business brand. In many ways, the new format makes your Facebook page more about your brand. So think about what images come to mind when customers experience your brand. The Indianapolis Business Journal Fan page, at the time of this writing, has a cool mural of the city as its backdrop. Use this opportunity to incorporate a tagline or to tell people about your company. Incorporate the color scheme and graphics from your website. Or, simply change out the banner graphic as needed to tell the story and keep fans engaged. A good example of this is Coca Cola’s fan page.

3) Need ideas for good Facebook fan pages? Look to the national brands. On that note, if you’re struggling to decide what to put on your Fan page banner, check out some of the national brands such as, Arby’s who uses (at the time of this post) their fan page to promote a seasonal offering (I hate sauerkraut but this sandwich actually looks yummy). This could work for any business who offers products that they could highlight. Macy’s fan page, as of today, just posts a photo of one of their stores, boasting their tagline “world’s largest store.” This would be an idea for a retail or business that has a really cool office building or storefront, and would also increase visibility.
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You’re Tweeting All Wrong: Twitter Tips for Small Business Owners

Monday, March 5th, 2012

First of all, I want to start by saying that there is not one way to use Twitter. Obviously, there are many types of Twitter accounts. There are celebrity profiles where thousands follow their favorite celeb’s every thoughts, national brands that celebrate the fans that love them, and even customer service accounts, where sometimes irate customers can rant or get advice on a recent experience with a company or service. But what about Twitter for small businesses?

New Chick to Twitter? Learn how to Fly Right.
If your small business has a Twitter account, what is the most effective way to post on Twitter for maximum effectiveness?

1) Start with a goal for Twitter: Is your goal simply for brand awareness? Are you seeking sign-ups for your e-newsletter? Selling a specific product? Filling seats for an event? Retail sales? Or simply to be seen as a resource or expert in your industry? Before you begin a Twitter strategy, really take the time to think about your goals for your business, and how Twitter might be able to take you there.

2) Who is your Audience? Twitter is a big world. In an ideal scenario, whom might you want to become a follower of your Twitter feed? Who might be a good source of information to share with your audience? What companies or individuals that sell to a similar audience or who are in your same industry are also on Twitter? Use the answers to these questions to guide you as you follow others and develop segments of Twitter users to watch and interact with.

3) Who will be the face of your Twitter account? For businesses, you have the option of having one company account on Twitter but also a personal account with your name and photo. If you are a solopreneur, it probably makes more sense to be the official “face” of your Twitter profile, with your company name but your photo on the account. Just remember to let your personality come out a bit and don’t just hide behind your brand. If you have multiple employees, you may want to consider letting your employees cross-promote your business profile through their feeds.

4) 80/20 Rule (at least): Keep your tweets 80 percent conversational or educational, and 20% promotional, at a minimum. If all you do is promote yourself, it will turn your followers off very quickly. It’s okay to provide a link to your latest blog post, new product offering, special discount, or press release, but make sure this is not all you are doing on Twitter. I have seen many accounts that only toot their own horn, and these profiles will not grow in popularity (unless of course, they are a deals site or have a sole purpose of notifying people of special deals).
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Press Release: Science Fiction Book Series Cautions Americans to Think before they Vote

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Fishers, Indiana – After retiring from a successful career as a corporate business executive, international consultant and entrepreneur, Gary Levey, an embattled, Midwest moderate, became concerned about his children, grandchildren and the country’s future. As he debated with friends and business associates on both the liberal and conservative sides, he began to realize that despite different political viewpoints, most people tend to hold the same things dear. With a love of science fiction, history and economics, and a righteous indignation about American politics and the impasses of today, Levey didn’t just get angry – he decided to write. His prophetic, satirical novels – a series of four books he calls The Joad Cycle in reverence to The Grapes of Wrath – predict an American future controlled by greed.

“The purpose of these novels is to provide a more black and white perspective of today’s issues to enable Americans to visualize what the future might hold,” said Levey. ”The characters in the book face the realities of today’s decisions – and their impact on future families, careers and communities. With life so dominated by economics, the book delivers a poignant love story that portrays for the readers an extreme but possible future when greed and power warp America’s institutions and its people.”

Book I of The Joad Cycle, The Golden Rule (iUniverse, August 2010), presents a cautionary tale of how greed comes to dominate America from 2032 onward. Unable to enact solutions that resolve economic, social and political issues, in Levey’s future, the media, politicians and citizens sell out to a group of wealthy and powerful business oligarchs who overthrow the American Republic in a Constitutional coup. The story depicts a few, brave individuals who try to stand against the moneyed interests, but have limited resources to prevent the takeover. Book II of The Joad Cycle, Profit, extends the story of the hero, Gil Rose, a sheltered teen tasked to take on the business interests that now run the government and restore humanity in a new world where people worship the Almighty Dollar (literally, there is a church) and where citizens “disappear” if they do not provide economic value. In Book III of The Joad Cycle, Circle of Life, in these greedy times, the main character continues his struggle to survive in the perverse and bizarre economic America. Book IV, the final chapter of The Joad Cycle, The Rightness of Things, launches in March, 2012. It tells a story of a maturing leader who must learn the true meaning of love and re-teach the values of The Golden Rule to Americans so that they can overcome the greedy and powerful.

“Capitalism like it once was in America has evolved into something sinister, and it’s time to expose the implications of that, and to hold our government representatives, citizens, media and business community accountable to the children of our future, before it’s too late. I chose to write speculative science fiction as there are few non-fiction books that discuss the issues while also humanizing them and foretelling the future.”

Customers can purchase the four novels of The Joad Cycle at major online bookstores, and electronically for both the Kindle and Nook. For more information about your future, visit the author’s website at http://www.joadcycle.com.

About Gary Levey: Levey, a married father of two and a grandfather, was born in Philadelphia and now lives in a suburb of Indianapolis, where he enjoys staying informed in current affairs by reading left and right perspective political science, history, economics, as well as fantasy and science fiction that provide the prism through which he visualizes America’s future. He currently blogs from the future on http://www.joadcycle.com as Bernie, one of the main characters in The Joad Cycle, where he alerts those who care about the future to the consequences of the present.

Contact:
Susan Young – AimFire Marketing
(317) 858-7669 / (317) 414-3623

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