Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications

Playing To The Base

Last month a client of ours came back from a trade show in an industry we recommended.  Their response:  "WOW!  These people get it!  They understand what we are saying, what we are selling and who we are.  We need to spend more time here."

Oh...how right he is.  You see....THEY already "Love YOU and get the message!"

Last month I wrote:  "Who do you listen to...and who should you listen to?  It's a solid question for any business.  Last week we talked about the 10% of customers across all categories and how they account for 55% of business profits.  Do you spend your time listening to your "super consumers" or do you spend time listening to "everybody else"? " You might be surprised at what we think.

Play to the base.  That just might be your answer for 2010.  Here's what I wrote in November:

Look, you can spend loads of time, money and effort attempting to turn public opinion and try to make your non-consumer a "casual consumer" and hope (with more money and time) that you can turn them into a "super consumer" but...unless you've got plenty of "time" and "money"....

So...identify the base, play to it and listen to it.  Then...build out to attract others.  It's much more productive...and rewarding.

 

What's Old Can Be New Again - Retail, You Watching?

I'd never seen the original Miracle on 34th Street.  (OK, so where have I been since 1947?)  For those of  you who have watched it...what 50 times or more...this is an admission, a retail observation and a call to go get the movie and watch the amazing business message on customer service.  

One man, Kris Kringle, changed the way retail service was done and moved Macy's from an "everything for me" attitude to "everything for the customer" way of thinking others followed and everybody prospered.

What a powerful message for these times.  Serve the customer FIRST and stand back to share in the profits.  Duh!

Old stories come back to make a new impact!

  

 

 

 

 

Sunday Morning Coffee - December 20

Sunday morning...a great time to catch up and look ahead.  Grab a hot cup and let's visit about loads of things...all in short takes.  A little business, a little conversation...the Sunday before Christmas.  Hmmmm...what secrets are being told to Santa? (You can increase the size of the images by clicking on them...)

Tick, tick, tick...the word on the street is that former Iowa Governor, Terry Branstad is about to make it official in his bid to return to Terrace Hill where he spent 16 years as the head of state from 1983 to 1999.  Meanwhile the media is getting restless.  Here is a firm jab written by Sioux City Journal editor, Mitch Pugh who suggests the announcement will be a non-event.  

Staying on politics for a minute...this week I was asked to travel to Lee County, Iowa by old friend Don Lucas to MC a big Republican bash they hope to hold in January.  I'd have loved to have gone and done the favor for my old Iowa Jaycee friend but can't.  It would have been nice to have had the chance to visit with him, Jaycee State Historian "Andy" Andrews and sit down with Mariannette Miller-Meeks who we think will be the first woman elected to congress from Iowa.  Just a prediction and a major coup for the Iowa Republicans.

Checking the numbers...  It's been three months since our radio station, Des Moines Local...LIVE moved into new studios on the Skywalk downtown and three months since we've been on a new delivery platform   On Friday we logged 1,060,000+ listener minutes...not bad for a couple of months.  And a huge THANK YOU to the, now 55, hosts that are making this first in the nation live Internet radio/tv station a success.  New things coming for 2010!  Yep, that's Paul Yeager from Iowa Public Television and the program The Iowa Journal relaxing (ok..working) in our "living room" prior to coming on as our first guest in the new digs.

The "TOP Media Influencer" for consumers in 2009.  It wasn't TV, not the newspaper, not radio...it was coupons.  45% of consumers (according to a poll by the Retail Trade Association) were influenced by coupons.  A sign of the times and a strong HINT for your marketing plans in 2010.  Oh, and Wal-Mart overtook Target (for the first time) in the ranking of the Top Ten Holiday Commercials for the season.  Here is the story in Advertising Age by Natalie Zmuda.

I recently got the opportunity to attend the annual holiday gathering of the Des Moines Cycle Club.  The club is made up of nearly 600 people from all cycling abilities.  Those who climb on a bicycle a couple times a year to those who, even today, are out or cross-training for the Des Moines Racing Team.  I had the opportunity to listen to and visit with former Polish racing star and US and Canadian Olympic racing coach Walter Golebiewski(here with his wife Elzbieta).  What a thrill for those of us in the room.  Born in 1942 in Nazi occupied Warsaw Coach Golebiewski became an international star for Poland in the 1950's & 60's.  He then coached the US and Canadian teams and still has a home in Colorado Springs the home of the US Racing Center.   For those of you not into cycling...this is sort of like "holy grail" stuff.  Very cool.  Go ahead, read his bio (above) it's pretty amazing.  Coach Golebiewski and Elzbieta live in Colorado and recently purchased a home in Des Moines (son Artur owns the Best Western Des Moines West Inn & Suites.). Welcome to our city!

Staying on Canada for a moment.  Here is my son Aaron with what he calls his "Canadian Six Pack".  Go ahead...count the bottles of Labatt Blue.  I wonder where he gets that sense of humor?  By the way...I think I may have switched beer favs...

The Flip!   Be looking for more "video posts" in the very near future.  We picked one up for our company and it is soooooo simple to shoot and then download images.  Still working on getting it right. Here is 30-seconds of something I shot last evening of the kids...how fun.  Oh wait...this is for business!

Too busy for Social Media?  Read this and do some serious thinking....a tip of the hat to Mack Collier for the "thought start". 

OK...that's it for this week.  See some business and mostly not.  Thanks for coming by.  You can keep up with us on Twitter:  @MichaelLibbie or @InsightADV.  We've got a website and one of those "Facebook Thingys" too.  (For the love of the children...become a FAN already!)   Have a great Sunday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Let's Celebrate Valentines Day!!

It's never too late to plan...doubt me?  Here is a photo I took at the Von Maur store in Des Moines on December 14...eleven days BEFORE Christmas.

So, if retail can "plan ahead" how come you're having so much trouble?  Talk about getting into your head...in advance.   We can all learn something from this you think?

Too Busy for Social Media?

Maybe you've heard about what Google is doing with our friends at Twitter.  But, then again, maybe not.  Here is the quick scoop.  Google and Twitter have struck a deal with "real time search".  In other words when you search for a product, service or business and IF there are "Tweets" being written about that product, service or business it will show up on your Google Search.

And that, my friends, could (or should) push you off the dime to get busy and protect yourself by using social media.  How?  By learning what is being said about YOUR product, service or business...or about you.

Here is a quick read by Mack Collier on the subject:  "No Place to Hide from Google Search"  Please read it and take action...  Remember, it's not "coming" it's here.

Thanks for coming by.  Join us Monday - Thursday at 12:30PM Central for our live radio/tv show, Insight on Business only on Des Moines Local...LIVE!

Sunday Morning Coffee - December 13

Ahhh...Sunday Morning the perfect day to kick back with a hot cup of "joe" and catch up.  That's what Sunday Morning Coffee is all about...  Stick around for a visit?  We'll get back to business on Monday.

The Winter Death Storm 09 blew through his this week and deposited 15+ inches of snow in the Des Moines Metro.  The winners?  The media that hyped this to the max getting loads of people whipped into a frenzy.  Minute by minute of storm tracking was even done by our friends at the Des Moines Register...  The other winners were those who took what they got and made something of the time.  (That's our grand-daughter Jovie...isn't she adorable?

Folks like Heidi Rockwell and her husband Sam who own Yumi's Bakery in Grinnell, Iowa.  The afternoon before the big storm I had, on our radio show Insight on Business, talked about using "snow days" to be creative and proactive.  When the snow came and nobody NOBODY came out to buy Heidi's' baked goods she remembered the article she had read on our blog.  She went to the phone and started calling motels along I-80 and offered them delivery service.  History was made that day as Yumi's Bakery had the biggest day in their history delivering to stranded motorists.  Thanks to Jack Mathews of Our Grinnell for the story!

In another winter storm related story we remind you that your "good name" is valuable.  Jim Ericson works for Group Benefits Limited of Urbandale.  The company is owned by Brian Hewitt.  Jim doesn't own a snow blower.  This past Thursday he was ready for work but the snow trucks had buried his driveway.  He flagged down a guy driving a truck with a snow-blade and offered to pay him to clear out a path.  The truck driver asked Jim if he worked for Brian Hewitt, Jim was wearing his Group Benefits Ltd. jacket.  When the driver learned that Brian was Jim's boss he said, "I owe Brian one." and cleared the driveway for free.  As Jim wrote to his fellow workers, "You can be very proud of where you work and who we all work for.  Don't be afraid to brag about it.  You never know when you'll receive an unexpected benefit."  Neat...and remember to wear your company logo...if you are proud.

Today is the second day of Chanukah.  If you've always wondered what these eight days are about...here is a link.  Enjoy.

Another nail in the coffin?  This past week Editor and Publisher ceased to exist.  The 125 year-old publication, known as "The Bible of the Newspaper Industry" decided to throw in the towel and stop printing.  Might it hang around in some form?  Perhaps...but it is yet another sign that things are changing...fast.  And if you are not making the serious changes in your business by increasing your digital footprint.  Well, you know that story.

If you are a LinkedIn user would you consider taking our Poll on "Holiday Closings"?  Many folks have and it's fun to see what people think about taking time off during the holidays.  And, if you've got a comment...feel free to leave one.

I uploaded UberTwitter on Friday afternoon...so far...so easy.  Do you yet Tweet from your mobile device?  Just checking...

Thanks for sharing a cup of coffee with me.  Learn more about us at our agency website, www.InsightCubed.com.  Keep in touch with us on Twitter:  @MichaelLibbie or @InsightADV or @RuralLifeRadio.  Here we are on Facebook and this is the link to Des Moines Local Live.  Have a great Sunday and thanks again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday Poll

The "Holidays" are just about here.  We've thought for a very long time that many companies slow way down or simply shut down before December 25th.  Now, some of you might be "hard core" and keep on rolling.  So...

If you are a LinkedIn user how about taking this very short poll.  We'll share the results on our daily, live business radio show, Insight on Business.

Thanks for reading, interacting and Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah!

 

Agriculture and The Internet...You There?

Yesterday my friend Mike Winter from Worthington Ag Parts posted this piece about Internet Usage Among American Farms/Farmers.  While I've seen higher connectivity numbers (especially among "rural lifestyle" folks) this is another reminder that if you are not expanding your "digital footprint"...well, your business is dying.

Thanks for coming by for a read...and do click on Mike's piece.  Then the next step for you is to figure out a way to connect to agriculture.

Thanks for reading...you can follow us on Twitter @MichaelLibbie or @InsightADV and yep we're on Facebook too.  Let's stay connected.

 

 

Yesterday my friend Mike Winter from Worthington Ag Parts posted this piece about Internet Usage Among American Farms/Farmers.  While I've seen higher connectivity numbers (especially among "rural lifestyle" folks) this is another reminder that if you are not expanding your "digital footprint"...well, your business is dying.

Thanks for coming by for a read...and do click on Mike's piece.  Then the next step for you is to figure out a way to connect to agriculture.

Thanks for reading...you can follow us on Twitter @MichaelLibbie or @InsightADV and yep we're on Facebook too.  Let's stay connected.

 

 

Sunday Morning Coffee - December 6, 2009

Sunday Morning...that time of the week when we can kick back a bit, review and look ahead.  Grab yourself a hot cup of "Joe" and let's spend some time together over our sunday morning coffee..  As always, I'm really curious on your take about these stories that are not critical just interesting...let's visit.

This past Friday morning, starting at 6:30, we had a big crowd for the monthly meeting of The Central Iowa Bloggers.  It's a group of folks that started down this blogging trail several years ago.  We get together to help each other, share knowledge and visit about possibilities in business.  Tip of the hat to Mike Sansone the "Don" and more lower in this post.  I'm wondering if you, in your city, have anything like this where 25 - 40 people gather once a month to learn and help each other?  Do you??

Staying on blogging a minute. I'm still perplexed at this LinkedIn poll done by my friend Brent Pohlman.  Still 40% of the respondents update their blog "once a month", "a couple of times a year" or "Do not have a blog."  Are you kidding me?  This wouldn't be sooooo weird if it were not on the professional social media site, LinkedIn. So...nothing going on in these people's businesses, with their customers, their lives, their careers?  Strange. 

I like him...but he is in trouble.  Iowa's Governor Chet Culver lost his campaign director Andy Roos this past week.  That, on top of sliding popularity poll numbers and building momentum by the Iowa GOP, isn't good.  Sure it is early.  But, the really weird deal?  Last week I spoke to a guy from a national (right of center) group who played cards for several hours with the Governor.  He said, "Politics aside Chet Culver is a great, great guy."  This sentiment is repeated over and over again by people who know and meet the governor.  I've said it before...if the governors staff would get out of the way and let this guy loose...poll numbers would be different.  Politics is 50% personality..but, nobody is listening.

My son's vehicle was hit three weeks ago during the mid-afternoon while parked in the street near his home.  It was a hit and run, seen by at least two people that got a partial plate number, described the green Jeep Cherokee and the damage to it as well as the driver and two passengers.  But the Des Moines Police Department can't find 'em?   I know this isn't CSI...but seriously?  I was told that they often don't start looking until the insurance company puts on the pressure.  Sooooo....the DMPD works for.....????

Insight on Business, our daily business radio show heard on Des Moines Local...LIVE, is moving to FOUR days a week rather than five.  The daily grind of putting together a 90-minute show is getting to us.  And...because we close our offices at 3:00PM on Friday afternoons this will allow me more time to spend with our clients.  Taking over the Friday slot, starting this week, is the BE Girls...it ain't business...but it's fun. 

At CIB on Friday I visited with a very interesting film producer, Gwen Barker who has just transplanted from Chicago to Des Moines (something about a June wedding!).  We were talking commercial production and I mentioned $6,000 for a finished minute of top quality video and she said, "That's it?".  We're from different worlds...but it was a great conversation.  Also a shout out to my friend Mike Templeton from Catchfire Media.  Good stuff in the way of social media coming to Des Moines.

Last week I had a meeting with the folks from www.LotusMoments.com about expanding their marketing footprint.  Look for stuff coming down the line.  Great family owned company.

Finally, and I am humbled, last night we held a gathering of the Des Moines Local...LIVE radio crew, nearly 60 people were in the room when J. Michael McKoy presented me with "The Libbie"and told the folks this would be an annual award for the best, consistent radio show on Des Moines Local...LIVE.  I know this isn't a big deal for many of you reading...but I was grateful.  And, to have an award named after...me?  Thanks, and seriously...thank you.

Catch you during the week?  Say with me on Twitter @MichaelLibbie or @InsightADV, visit our site, www.InsightCubed.com and yep, you can find us on Facebook.  Have a wonderful week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Poll...

This past week my friend Brent Pohlman from Omaha put up a poll on LinkedIn.  The question was "How often do you update your blog?"  While it's a pretty open ended question the results were startling.  Now, remember this poll is being asked on a professional social media site so we're not talking "newbees" when it comes to SM.  And to be fair not many have taken part...but still.

How can we explain the 22% who update their blog "a few times during the year" and the 11% who don't  have a blog.  In other words, 33% don't think much about blogging as a vehicle to expand a business name, product, service....their marketing footprint.

Astounding....

There must not be much going on in their work, life, business or with their customers, consumers...the world.

What do you think?