Archive for August, 2009
Thursday, August 27th, 2009
Interesting report out on strategic giving by sponsorship experts at IEG. The upshot: philanthropy folks are asking for marketing benefits and have no clue about the value of what they are asking. The “properties” (nonprofits who want to be sponsored) don’t know how to ask for and negotiate additional fees for these benefits. This is a great (and hidden) opportunity for cause marketing, negotiation, and even sales experts who already have relationships in the nonprofit sector.
What the corporate giving folks want most: title rights, more exposure in written material than other folks, and, of course, to conduct their own campaign of bragging rights. The help nonprofits need: negotiating those deals.
Tags: cause marketing, experts, exposure, Marketing, negotiation, nonprofits, philanthropy, Sponsorship, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, August 20th, 2009
Last week, I sounded the alarm about new expectations of “free stuff.” Now, here’s an example of someone doing it right.
I’ve known Bruce Inouye for over a decade. He’s your typical all-around nice guy, always offering to help. He’s been in the seminar and meeting biz for decades and was an early adopter on the whole blogging thing. What he’s noticed: too many bloggers aren’t getting enough out of their blog to be sustainable.
To help others make money from their efforts, Bruce is presenting “Disover the Secrets of Getting More Customers Using a Blog” seminar on August 27th in Scottsdale, Arizona. And, yes, it is free. No selling, no pitching … just a good guy helping others out. Because he believes it will come back to him tenfold. Click here to get the details and to sign up.
It’s easy to give your expertise away when it’s online — it’s another to give a whole morning of your life in real time, giving real, individual help. As for me, I’m nominating him for sainthood…
Tags: blog, Bruce Inouye, expertise, experts, free, Marketing, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Heads up: There’s a trend emerging that can either be your worst nightmare or an opportunity for paradigm shift. I’m calling it the “free for all” syndrome and you better pay attention to it. Trust me, this is not going away when the economy rebounds.
As experts, we all know that giving away free content is just good business. And most of us noticed that the bar keeps rising. What’s happening now: the market now demands free stuff. As in, stuff that is usually purchased, not any of that pep talk with a pitch programs that are bandied about. Don’t give it up and you’ll either be ignored or bashed.
Think I’m joking? Exhibit A: Meeting Professionals International (MPI) got major grief for having the audacity to charge for virtual attendance to their World Education Congress 2009. There was a very loud contingent who felt that all that content — videos of all the presentations, handouts, all of it — should be free. These folks raised enough Cain that MPI actually had to go on the defensive on this. Can you imagine — demanding that you get for free what the attendees paid to get? Wow.
So here’s how I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Last month, I dd a Here’s the Deal call on writing that best-selling book. Folks loved it. Click here to get a free eight-minute preview where I give my best four book angles that will launch your brand. Yep, that’s right. It’s free. Just download and enjoy.
Tags: books, branding, Here's the Deal, Marketing, opportunity, shift, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Thursday, August 13th, 2009
Are you a generational expert? Do you help companies market to millenials? Check out Ford Motor Company. They are going gangbusters with the new Fiesta model set to launch in 2010. Details are sketchy, but now is the time to inquire. Any cause marketing aimed at these folks will get a better hearing. Remember, link your idea to how Ford can sell more Fiestas to this finicky group.
Tags: branding, cause marketing, corporate sponsorship, expert, Marketing, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
A buzzword we’re going to hear for a while: return on investment (ROI). And that’s a good thing to know in our business as well.
Webinars are a great example. Everybody is doing them. Many are becoming free. And that’s fine if you get value too. But let’s not rationalize this tool with the “intangible benefits” argument. Let’s figure out the dollars and sense. Key question: how.
RallyPoint Webinars comes to the rescue with this handy worksheet to determine your return on any upcoming webinar. Given the time to create those things, it’s good to know what you can expect from it. Click here to get the worksheet, along with two white papers filled with more ideas.
Tags: Marketing, presentation, ROI, Speaking, strategy, tools, Vickie Sullivan, webinars
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Thursday, August 6th, 2009
It’s easy to focus on tools: books, websites, anything that gets you “out there.” Why? Because it is tangible — you feel like you’re making progress. Why it doesn’t work: the intangible cart needs to come before the tangible horse. If your differentiation is not clear and compelling, then no slick-looking tool is going to make the phone ring (or the emails come in).
Claire Hatch allowed me to draw out insights she knew but wasn’t using. Together, we created her “manifesto” on the state of marriage today — a toolbox and approach that “affair-proofs” any union. Result: Claire can not only add killer content to her site, but can also have sales conversations that immediately show value. (And yes, brain cells were hurt in the process.) You have to be willing to say what no one else is saying – then you’ll be in that “gotta have” category. Great job, Claire!
The manifesto call is coming up – and I’m gearing up with new strategies to deal with this economy. Click here for info and to register.
Tags: branding, differentiation, Here's the Deal, manifesto, Marketing, sales conversations, strategy, tools, Vickie Sullivan
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Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Whew! The National Speakers Association convention was hot in more ways than one. (It was a blistering 115 degrees outside. That’s bad, even for Phoenix.)
This time the elephant in the room was cussed and discussed. Folks are getting real about how the economy is impacting the business. What’s not being discussed: the big reason why. The brutal truth is that the “nice to have” projects are gone. Buyers are buying what they need right now, not what they might need in the future. So if your topic, your expertise, your brand is not in the “gotta have this now” category, you’re benched for a while. And no amount of spin will help you.
So that begs the question: how are you see as the urgent solution? Buyers compare what you know with what they need. And putting out what you know in a compelling way is what the next Here’s the Deal call on August 11th is all about. Click here to register.
Tags: branding, Here's the Deal, Marketing, NSA, Speaking, strategy, Vickie Sullivan
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