The above photo was taken by Brandon Tigrett Photography at an engineering STEM camp Open House featuring a Lego Sumobot Tournament.  Do you see how the image jumps off the page?

A picture is worth a thousand words. It's NEVER been more important for businesses to have high resolution images for your website, materials, Social Media and to accompany press releases than it is right now.

Last week I received a message from an editor needing a high res image for an article.  The photo submitted was too small (less than a 1mb). I had to scrounge up the only suitable photo I had on file.

My client was able to locate a good photo but it was too late – the deadline had passed. The article as it appeared in print was well written by the reporter but the picture was just “OK.” What could have been a strong promotional piece was diluted by a lackluster photo.

Why? High quality photos are powerful.

A great image can complete a story in seconds and draws the reader in. Think of how you scan online. What do you notice first – the photo or the text?  A visually interesting photo gets attention and needs to be a higher resolution so that it reproduces well in print and online.

By the way, when a photo is requested it is usually needed NOW.  You typically won’t have time to line up a photographer and publications are running so lean that it’s rare that a photographer is sent on location these days.

Do yourself a favor and have a professional take photos at your business, in the field and at events (and PLEASE have a good updated head shot, too – no selfies).  Yes, you can use your Smart phone but using an experienced photographer is well worth the investment.  Unprofessional photos make your brand look unprofessional.

It will be one of the best investments you ever make for your image, your business and your brand.

Let’s face it –love it or hate it, email marketing is still quite effective and has an amazing ROI (approximately $43 for every dollar spent – not too shabby).

The Story: While working on the 2012 Arizona Centennial Conference one of my tasks was to send out weekly e-blasts.  With a program consisting mostly of presentations on historic preservation, water rights and other topics I knew next to nada about, coming up with subject lines other than “Register Now” was rather daunting.

Then I discovered a portion of the program that was rather juicy: The Mock Trial of Winnie Ruth Judd!

Judd was a medical secretary from Phoenix found guilty of murdering her friends Agnes Anne LeRoi and Hedvig Samuelson over the alleged affections of Jack Halloran in 1931. Apparently Winnie and her buddies had a thing for good old Jack that resulted in dismembered bodies stuffed in trunks on the Golden State Passenger Line headed to LA (and we thought crime was bad today).

The notorious crime was the subject of the book “The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd” by Jana Bommersbach and inspired the reenactment of her controversial trial at the 2012 conference.

Now, for the subject line that got one of my best open rates ever – can you guess?

Trunk Murderess to be at Conference.

Sometimes you just have to think outside the trunk (sorry, couldn’t resist that).  

Years ago, while working in the petroleum industry, I met a salesperson at an Exxon Trade Show. While his products weren’t anything that my company needed he would still occasionally call to follow up.

Each conversation would start this way:

“What can I do for you today? Is there anything I can do to make your life easier?

It sounds so simple, but those words would always touch me.  How many times do you hear that? In our hectic lives, how often does someone ask you how they can help you without expecting something in return?

During these brief conversations he would also ask about my family and how everything was going with my business. If he ran across a potential customer for my company he would email me the lead. 

One day, while researching trade associations, I discovered one that wasn’t a good fit for my company but was perfect for his product line so I gave him a call.  He contacted them and within days he had several new customers.

Over time I discovered that he was the top salesperson for the global company that he worked for and had a huge following within the industry.  Is that any surprise? 

If you can make your customers or colleagues feel that they “matter” in this world and that you care, it’s a gift to them - and it may result in a "gift" to you down the road.

What can I do for you today?

 Calling all Trekkie's!

For anyone who has watched a Star Trek rerun or movie we all know the inimitable James T. Kirk:  Virile, brash, with an extreme dislike for anything Klingon.

What you may not realize is that he was a brilliant marketer. He knew that ANYTHING could be accomplished with ingenuity – and a team.

When faced with impending danger he would decisively assess the situation (Tribble trouble, evil rulers of vast space empires, etc.), get Vulcan advice when needed - and often unheeded – and determine an implausible solution that his trusted subordinates would carry out with only minutes to spare!

Star Date 2016:  With the ever-changing Social Media options available and traditional marketing rules turned upside down, enterprises need a “team” of marketing specialists working for them more than ever before. 

Kirk knew we all have our weaknesses (in his case, blondes and brunettes).  When marketers try to be all things to all mediums their core talents are at best diluted  - and at worst, ineffectual.

Working with experts in different capacities helps marketers implement campaigns at Warp Speed and better serve their clients.  

Think of it this way: What would Kirk have done if he didn’t have Spock on-hand for the occasional Mind-Meld, grumpy Bones McCoy to challenge him and Scotty to “beam him up?”

So get your team together and set Phasers on stun!

Seinfeld fans, do you remember the episode when bald, unemployed, wimpy George Constanza decided to start doing the OPPOSITE of everything he had ever done and suddenly got the beautiful girl, stood up to obnoxious movie goers, and even got his dream job with the Yankees?

What would happen if you tried that with your marketing?

So many times business owners make marketing choices based on what OTHERS are doing or what they’ve “always done.” Of course, if everything is going great -if it ain’t broke don’t fix it – but if sales are flat isn’t it worth it to you to try something new?

If your target customer is a 50+ CEO but you only market on Facebook, you are missing the mark. Or if your product is geared towards 18-year-olds and you are using email marketing, you have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting their attention. 

By being where your customer isn’t, you are doing yourself – and more importantly your customer – a huge disservice.

Try “mixing things up” by investigating the buying patterns of your clients and potential clients. For example, busy moms use online searches on their phones and tablets more than ever before to make purchases.  If your product is targeting these all- important decision makers and your website isn’t mobile ready, well, you get the picture.

Try something NEW – even if it feels uncomfortable at first. Instagram, Pinterest, Video, Periscope, email, blogs.  Research, test, evaluate and tweak.

We’ve ALL heard the phrase “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”  Be like George.

And don’t forget to order the chicken salad on rye with hot tea. 

“Energy is everything and that’s all there is to it.”  – Albert Einstein

A few years ago I was Marketing Director of a beloved nonprofit in NM when I stumbled upon a mysterious and powerful force: Marketing Energy.  

My challenge was to promote our programs and fundraisers during an economic downturn with a buck-fifty marketing budget. I had to find creative and inexpensive ways to “get the word” out (and keep in mind that this was BEFORE Social Media).  

Press Releases have long been a cheap and effective way to promote a business or event. I started sending weekly notices to media contacts, asked contacts to forward our information to their networks, gathered addresses for current and former clients for frequent e-blasts, updated our website with event photos, changed the messages to keep content "fresh" and our fundraisers were posted on every free online calendar imaginable. We were EVERYWHERE.

In a few months “MAGIC” started to happen.  

One day our webmaster called to tell me that our site was getting more hits than large, well-funded, agencies in the state! Our events were well-attended. I started getting calls for radio interviews and TV shows.

People started CONTACTING US to see how they could help!

Why did this work? When you reach out to your audience CONSISTENTLY on MULTIPLE CHANNELS (PR/Online/Email/Outreach,etc.) with changing content you are essentially creating ENERGY for your product or service.

Your efforts develop into a centrifugal force that builds momentum and creates a “BUZZ.”  People will start to be drawn to you!

Consider this: Traditional marketing wisdom says that a message has to be seen 7 times before it is remembered (and some say that number is higher now due to the huge volume of data we receive daily). What do you would think would happen if your prospects saw you 10 times, 20 times or more?

When an audience “SEES” your business repeatedly you become memorable and even more credible. By using different channels you also reach a wider and more diverse audience and it reinforces your message. 

And now, with Social Media and Blogging you can reach more prospects than you ever dreamed of (although DON'T rely solely on Social Media  - remember you have to "mix it up" if you want serious momentum). NOTE: You may get a "jump" in interest from using one marketing channel but it won't be sustainable. 

Marketing “Energy” works and it works every time. Try this approach and let us know the results. May the FORCE be with you! 

Let’s face it. Most businesses are not really unique. 

You are not the first HVAC company, commercial printer, multi-level marketer or nonprofit (yada, yada, yada) in the universe. Much as we like to think that what we do is completely different, better, special – there are probably a zillion other entities that are most likely doing the same thing you are.

I know. Why is this person telling me that my company is not the next best thing after all the obstacles I had to overcome and all the rotten customers and/or employees I’ve had to endure???

OK, you deserve a medal. Trust me - I know. Before you think that I’m cruel (or just plain ignorant) to point out the fact that the business you have dreamed about and labored over might not be the proverbial “best thing since sliced bread,” consider this:

Your business is you. 

Of course, if you’re part of a larger organization this might not pertain to you, although if you are a key innovator in a position you might be. While what you do to survive may not be the cat’s pajamas (sorry for the clichés) there is a good chance that you are.

Feel better now? Yep, for the same reason that your business is not completely “new,” what the other companies don’t have is someone like you who started your first business at age 10, or was published at 17, or sold 500K of a product that no one else wanted when the market dived or did all of the above while taking care of a family or an aging relative. 

Every business needs a story and HAS a story. Think about this:  

Would you rather buy something from a huge, faceless, conglomerate or from a business that you know that has successfully survived a market downturn, been started by someone who was laid off or gone through a personal crisis but didn’t give up, gives a portion of proceeds to homeless shelters or from someone who simply is incredibly likeable and honest and offers a fair price?

(By the way, this is an INCREDIBLE success story. I could hate him because he's so rich, but with his attitude I can't help but want to buy his products.

Tell your story. Don't think you don't have one! You do have a story and people want to know it. Write it down. It could be that while your product is similar to others on the market that you have had amazing success in a particular area and have concrete data to support that.

Blow your own horn! I haven’t run into any clairvoyant customers lately. So if you don’t have your story on your materials and website or in press – nobody is going to know how great you are!

Sigh. I know, despite my years of marketing experience, that, while I am pretty good, there are others that can run circles around me.

Of course, being an intrinsically stubborn person with workaholic tendencies, I am doing my best to rectify that situation, but you know what? Once I started letting customers know how much I truly care, and how my other clients love how much I care, and get the job done no matter what and am a bulldog (big time) in getting exposure for them, raised two great kids with little to no support, and that my clients are not just a walking dollar sign to me AND how I strive to hire single mothers so they can make money and stay home with their kids – well, they got it.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. I would love to hear yours.  Bet it’s awesome.