Tony Note: reprinted from chapter 7 of Mind Capture: How You Can Stand Out in The Age of Advertising Deficit Disorder (2008 Morgan James).

I’m often asked by non-profits and cash strapped startup businesses to assist them in their marketing and promotion efforts. I’m fully aware that will usually entail me listening to a long litany of reasons from the business owner or Executive Director that low cost marketing techniques are challenging to find such as,

“We have such a limited budget, where do we begin?”

“We have no money for marketing.”

“We can’t seem to get any media attention or publicity for our compamy, cause, event or announcements.”

“XYZ Foundation gets all the money and recognition.”

I’m a huge proponent of giving back to worthy causes. I call this enlightened capitalism and you’ll see it get more and more press because it has a lot of incredible benefits for everyone involved.

The comments I listed above that I often hear from startups and from far too many people in the non-profit world test my patience and overall mental health greatly for three major reasons:

#1. They’re often positioned as perceived roadblocks that are impossible to get around

#2. Many times it’s an excuse, because many folks in non-profit land in particular have this sense of overwhelm or are afraid to get marketing feedback, look at new ideas and think like an entrepreneur.

#3. I’m a solutions based person and this attitude is often a sabotaging and self-fulfilling prophecy unless the business or organization is truly committed to change and trying new initiatives versus hiding behind excuses.

When I do agree to offer assistance or advice to a group or cause I immediately point out a few strategies that a non-profit can use to jump start new life into the organization. Let me now share with you Ten Great Benefits of Cause Marketing.

#1. You’re helping an organization that you truly believe in

#2. You have a direct hand in helping others

#3. Many times it can be fun and you learn more about your community

#4. It strengthens the image of your business and employees in the public eye

#5. Great publicity for the cause and your company or organization

#6. Generates a feeling of goodwill towards the non-profit and your business

#7. You often meet movers and shakers in the community

#8. Great way to rally employees to share and give back to others

#9. Tax benefits by donating money, products and services

#10. Often times the positive exposure and feedback from tying in with a local non-profit is more cost effective and memorable than advertising

Tony Rubleski
Mind Capture
616-638-39121
www.mindcapturegroup.com

Well, it’s that time of year again for football fans: college bowl season. From car companies to credit cards, corporate America and colleges from across the land unite and become allies to promote their names, brands, prestige, hype, and oh…I almost forgot, play a game called football.

College football is always a hot topic of conversation, especially with proud alumni from competing schools, but as a marketing professional and student of persuasion, I’m always intrigued as to why people get so fired up and create debate when there are so many other competing options for time, attention, and priorities.

With that in mind, here are three BIG marketing lessons from college football as we enter the season of highly hyped and promoted Bowl games.

#1. Cash is king. Companies of all shapes and sizes spend major money sponsoring everything from naming rights, half-time shows, to other game related promotions in the constant battle to build their brands and force their way into the mind of fans and competitors.

Universities who typically pride themselves as being institutions of “higher learning” and separate from business reverse course during football season and seem to quickly forget why they exist and partner with current and newly created Bowl Games for one central reason: money.

Yes, school pride (Go WMU Broncos – BBA, 1994!) is a major reason cited and spoken by University brass for being a part of a Bowl game, but don’t be fooled by this blanket response as being the main one. At the end of the day it’s not only about pride, but the cash. Football is a huge business in the U.S. and major money maker for many colleges. With a range of revenue streams from merchandise, ticket sales to TV related Bowl payouts; the colleges use the gridiron as much more than a football game with rivalries and school pride, but as a source of revenue.

Now, I’m not saying or implying that this is good or bad, but the fact is universities will often look the other way when publicity and large amounts of money, even from companies they’d sometimes never consider endorsing, are placed before them.

#2. Conversations engage and pull people in. Colleges also love Bowl football games for the conversations they build amongst alumni, current students, and prospective new students and possible ‘blue-chip’ football prospects weighing their university against others salivating to recruit them.

I have to laugh out loud each season how the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) committee denies fans a playoff system and rely on hype, polls, and biased coaches votes to generate massive amounts of publicity, press, passion, and heated conversations. Do you really think the BCS cares or are willing to listen to fan concerns? Are they secretly laughing behind closed doors?

I pose these two questions as they are instructive to look at from a marketing perspective. With so much competition for people’s attention, free time, other sports, money, and other sports many organizations would trip over themselves to have this kind of buzz, attention, and debate. It’s fascinating to see the rabid college fans because they’re really the ones who help co-create the problem and opportunity for the NCAA. Like a two-sided coin they are one in the same.

#3. Controversy is their biggest marketing ally. If people are talking about, debating or giving attention to the way the BCS system determines rankings, bowls, and the national champion, this is a HUGE benefit to the sport. It generates interest online and offline with alumni, football fans, the media and more importantly the sponsors who shower the NCAA with huge money.

Yes, a playoff system is done in almost every other sport but at the beginning of each season the NCAA turns a blind eye from Division 1 football. You may not like the way the system is, but the more people are talking –even arguing- the more attention the games are given by sportscasters, the fans, and sponsors.

Tony Rubleski
Mind Capture
1-800-420-1450
www.mindcapturegroup.com

If you have been reading my articles for awhile… you know I am a huge Seth Godin fanboy. Yes, fanboy. I decided to pick up his book Free Prize Inside in order to give it another read… for the fifth time. In the beginning of the book Seth states:

“If your goal is growth, marketing is all that matters–and everything you do is now part of marketing… Every product and every service can be made remarkable. And anyone in your organization can make it happen!”

This excerpt is speaking directly to social media! The concept of EVERYTHING you possibly do in your company (both large and small) being connected to marketing is still an idea that has been somewhat ignored over the years. I still have conversations with corporate employees and small business owners who are still stuck in the void between PR, marketing, and communications. Why is it that the three sides fail to communicate more often than not?

Every service you create. Every phone call you take. Every PR release and marketing campaign you run. It is all connected to growing a brand… to growing your company. If you want your employees to talk about it. If you want every piece of your business to be a marketing vehicle… doesn’t social media make sense as part of the communication platform?

Zappos has perfected the use of Twitter as an employee communication model. Why can’t you? It is time to stop being afraid of the massive force of online communication. It is time to stop putting firewalls up because your afraid your employees are not being productive. They are not being productive for a reason… and it’s not Facebook. If they love what they do… maybe it is time to allow them to communicate that fact..

and if they don’t…

You probably have more problems than communication.

Empower your employees to be the true intersection between marketing and PR. Allow them to be the voice and the advocate to drive interaction within the company and beyond!

kyle lacy
(blog) www.kylelacy.com
(join) www.smallerindiana.com
(tweet) kyleplacy

ShareMarketing and advertising are illusions for many people; their theory, throw something against the wall and hope it will stick. Not so according to Alan Baker, President and Founder of Creative Marketing Concepts in Latham, New York. Alan, a guest on my radio show indysmallbiz.com gave me the scoop on what it takes to make it work. By the way, indysmallbiz.com provides information and tools for small business; look for blogs and podcasts by authors like myself who work with small businesses.

“Good marketing starts with good communication, says Alan, you must know who you are, what you do and know why a client should do business with you if you want to make it work. After that it takes lots of persistence and focus. With business being soft many companies start cutting expenses and often the first to go is the marketing. Businesses should cut programs that don’t show results but a good marketing program should be measurable. ”

Alan’s positive outlook shows in how he works with businesses. The key is to spread the word so that people know who you are even if times are tough. There are still customers with money and your job is to find them and entice them with your offers. A promotional piece is designed to provide added value to your customer and keep your business in the front of their mind. One of the things I found interesting is what Alan calls the “hobo pen.” I thought people bought pens so they could give them out for their customers to use. Alan assures me that the pen’s job is to travel from business to business and eventually wind up in a buyer’s hand. His trick; sign the restaurant check with their pen and replace it with his pen!

Alan left us with three tips for using promotional materials that are worth noting:

1. Promotional materials are good for all size companies. Even the littlest of companies should have something to give their customers which has their brand and their logo. Products will successfully get your name out and keep it prominent in the market. I know whenever I pick up a pen, I always look at the name and the design of the pen. Promotional items can range from the usual coffee mugs, magnets, blankets, first aid kits and toys. In my case, I bought hot sauce bottles and Alan had a Red Hot Customer Service label made for me and a photo of my book.

2. Think about “spreading your name around” wherever you can. The object of promotional products is to maximize your profits and your investment. Before you choose your products set precise goals for your promotion. This will help you choose the right products for your business. Are you using the products to increase sales, show appreciation to loyal customers or to thank customers for buying your products? Not one size fits all so it’s important to have set goals.

3. Plan your promotions for the year. It’s wise to have a calendar for the year so you can plan how to spend your dollars. Holidays often mean larger expenditures, especially for your better customers so it’s wise to know what you have to spend. Alan often helps his clients plan for the holidays as well as creating new ones for his customers. If Buca di Beppo can have a “Meatball Day” why can’t a mechanic have a “Wrench Day” and send out tiny wrenches with his name on them?

4. Get involved in Small Business Saturday. This year (again) it’s all about the SATURDAY following Thanksgiving when we continue to show our gratitude by supporting the lifeline of the American economy – our small businesses. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there were nearly 28 million small businesses in the United States last year. Over the past two decades, they created 65 percent of net new jobs. Directly supporting the communities in which we live, every $100 spent in locally-owned, independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures, according to the small business advocacy group The 3/50 Project. My suggestion, go big, go Made in America, tout your small business and be proud of what small businesses have done for our country.

You don’t have to make this one up; American Express is out there again waving the flag for small business and investing plenty of dollars in our behalf. According to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Spend Survey 2011 61% of consumers plan to shop at locally-owned clothing and accessories stores on November 26.

Lisbeth Calandrino
Fabulous Floors
Associate Publisher &
Director of Consumer Research
lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com