Friday, October 9, 2015

While We Wait - Buy Local!

As usual, I've been lax on updating this blog. I really should have, by now, finished my series on how to steal from the stores.

In the meantime, I provided below some free episodes of two television shows; I think most of them are no longer available. Right now, I'm going to provided some complimentary content.  Below is another article by Tyler Sickmeyer of Fidelitas Development. As with other articles, the embedded links were added by me.



Buy Locally - In business and life, RECIPROCITY is key!

By now everyone is familiar with American Express’s well-crafted “buy local” campaigns. I think I could go so far as to say that most of us make some sort of an effort to buy locally and support other locally owned businesses. But what about brands? If brands want to truly enjoy success in a market, they need to invest at a local level.

Too many marketers look at things strictly from the immediate ROI, and they’re partially justified for doing so. But what if marketers started playing chess instead of checkers and made long-term investments into the communities they serve? I think the results would be most profitable. Reciprocity has long been evident in society-at-large. Recently a San Diego firefighter told a story on the news of a woman insisting on giving them all hugs. He tried to convince her otherwise, as they were dirty, sweaty, and recently removed from fighting the fires. She insisted, saying that it was the least she could do after they saved her home.

Given that most people feel obligated to support those that go out of their way to help them, why wouldn’t brands take more of an interest in helping their communities? Sure, funds are tight, but the last I checked it’s never rained money. Marketers and brands that decide to invest in their local communities by supporting events, youth sports and after school programs, and local charities will gain far more than brand awareness. They’ll gain a sense of belonging within their community, and those that they serve will be more inclined to patronize them.

No one has figured this out better than Chevrolet, which has figured out numerous ways to invest into local communities by partnering with its dealers to support youth programs and give back. If a national brand like Chevrolet can find the time and rationale to give back on a local level, there’s no reason local and regional organizations can’t do the same.


Note: This article is borrowed from the Fidelitas Development blog.






How Americans Can Buy American

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Breakfast all day! Thank You, McDonald's!

If you arrived at 10:31am (or perhaps 11:01am), it was too late!

But now, McDonald's is offering it's awesome breakfast (is it the whole breakfast menu, or just select items) all day!

Our local McDonald's had actually already started All Day Breakfast, a couple of weeks or so ago. I've been getting the Sausage McMuffin, without the meat.

McDonald's is a GREAT company (I wish that CEO was still there, though), and thanks to them, for this business decision!

I think I might do a McD run right now (I found at least one local store that's still open 24/7). Maybe not tonight. :-)

Saturday, October 3, 2015

While we wait: Free Halloween Marketing Advice

As usual, I've been lax on updating this blog. I really should have, by now, finished my series on how to steal from the stores.

In the meantime, I provided below some free episodes, via YouTube, of two television shows; I think most of them are no longer available. Right now, I'm going to provided some free content.  Below is an article by Tyler Sickmeyer of Fidelitas Development (from a year ago), with some tips for businesses during Halloween.  I don't support Halloween, and I'm not endorsing everything in this article (or in any other article I share), but I wanted to provide this here, while you wait for me to get my blogging act together.



Halloween Marketing Tips: So Simple It's Scary!

The holiday season is among us, beginning this weekend with Halloween. The holidays offer perfect opportunities to humanize your brand and relate to your audience. Consider your marketing plan and how you can use promotions to further engage and build relationships with your audience over Halloween.

The best way to plan a successful holiday campaign is to plan something fun that can be used across all marketing platforms and tailored to your audience members.

If you don’t have a campaign in place for this Halloween, you still have time! Use these Halloween marketing tips to create a last minute campaign that is sure to capture your audience.

1) Offer a Halloween special

The holidays are a perfect excuse to launch special offers and discounts. Whatever your product or service may be, find a way to incorporate halloween aspects into your incentives. For example, restaurants can offer specific specials on halloween decorated desserts or pumpkin treats. Other businesses can offer discounts or special offers to only customers who come dressed in costume. Encourage customers to shop during the holiday by offering coupons that are only valid through October 31st.

2) Use a Halloween theme

Depending on the products or services you offer, consider developing a Halloween theme to market your business. For example, a restaurant can use witch’s brew as a theme to market their ingredients and meals, a doctor can use a skeleton theme, while dentists can use vampires. Pick a theme and a creative tagline, then use it to market your services and products across all platforms.

3) Decorate

Enhance the experience of your customers by simply decorating your business for the holiday season. Consider hanging cobwebs from doors and ceilings, playing scary music and displaying carved pumpkins with your business’s logo. Take photos of your decorated space and pumpkins and post to social media to show customers that you are in the Halloween spirit! If you want to go even further, have employees dress in costume on the days leading up to Halloween. This will give a fun, friendly atmosphere that your customers will enjoy!

A few more last minute ideas to boost your brand with a Halloween promo:

- Run a best costume contest on social media
- Hand out bags with your logo and website that trick-or-treaters can use
- Hand out candy or treat bags at your business
- Send a Happy Halloween email to subscribers
- Host a Halloween coloring contest for children
- Write a list of Halloween safety tips to pass out
- Create a special menu with Halloween names
- Pass out candy to children and coupons to adults
- Place scary clues around town that lead to your business
- Offer candy to anyone who signs up for your newsletter

Setting up a campaign for Halloween can take little effort, and enhance customer relations. Whatever you choose to do, the most important thing is to have fun with it! Your customers will enjoy it and they will be encouraged to come back!



Note: This article is borrowed from the blog of Fidelitas Development.