Nomad Marketing Blog

Recently, I had the opportunity to contribute a column to the April issue of New Business Minnesota. My article, Marketing Made Easy, focused on the fundamental marketing activities any new venture needs to consider – research, planning and simple, consistent execution. Here’s a link to download the entire column, along with good advice from my colleagues in the banking, legal and accounting fields.

Too many small businesses take the Ready, Fire, Aim approach to marketing. Successful businesses, though, take careful aim at a specific audience, develop a plan to tailor their products and services (and messaging) to that audience and then deliver that message in affordable, effective ways.

Step One: Understand The Customer
Intuition is important, but there is no substitute for good solid information. As I learned from the engineers I worked with at 3M, “In God we trust, all others must have data.” Doing market research can be simple and affordable. I highlighted a few inexpensive research options in my previous blog post, "Marketing Research for the Masses”

Step Two: Plan Your Work
SBA lenders all require a detailed marketing plan as part of the loan process. That alone, makes one critical for aspiring small businesses. Equally important, though, is the benefit of the plan over the long term. By using the marketing plan as a roadmap to growth, a business has the ability to take measured steps to success.

Step Three: Keep It Simple
Marketing doesn’t have to be rocket science. The key to success is delivering the clearest message to the most receptive audience. A clear elevator pitch, a clear, concise website and a compelling leave-behind printed piece are all many businesses need to get their story to their audiences.

Step Four: Be Consistent
Consistency means keeping the message constant and keeping communications regular. Customers and prospects should receive something at least every quarter. Those “somethings” should all feel like they fit together. An e-newsletter should reflect the website, which reflects the sales presentation which reflects the advertising campaign.

Marketing can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be complex. A well-thought-out plan, focused at a specific audience builds the foundation. Simple, consistent execution makes the plan a reality.

Come out and see us

As part of our work with New Business Minnesota, Nomad Marketing will be participating in two upcoming events. During the Building a Better Business Workshop, I’ll be presenting marketing tips and tricks that all small businesses can use.

Spring Small Business Resource Expo – April 29, Ramada Inn Mall of America

Building a Better Business Workshop – May 6, Doubletree Hotel – Park Place

A quick video overview of social media for small businesses.

New Year’s Resolution:  Keep your customers!In this frustrating economy, it’s more important than ever for small businesses to solidify their existing customer relationships.  Losing customers and having to replace them is more costly than ever.  The added cost of attracting new clients vs. keeping existing clients has been well documented.Making a fresh commitment to current customers is a great way to start the new year.  Keeping their loyalty helps preserve top line revenue and reduce marketing expenses.  Here are three suggestions for maintaining your customer connections and getting them to work for you:

• Communicate!  

Start the new year by thanking them for their continued loyalty.  Tell them about your plans for the coming year.  Invite them to share stories of their work with you.  Testimonials are always valuable.  Think about starting a regular newsletter or blog.  Whatever you do, let customers know you appreciate them and want them to stick around.

• Create incentives for extending relationships

Loyalty programs are a great way to reward loyal customers and can help attract new customers.  These programs don’t need to be expensive.  Offering early or preferred access to products and services encourages loyalty, helps in production planning and costs little.  Early notification of new products and frequent flyer discounts are other valuable and low cost loyalty rewards.

• Ask them for help

Satisfied customers are usually more than willing to put in a good word for you.  Referral programs encourage customers to do that in an organized way.  A small reward for a new customer referral goes a long way.  The new customers you land from these referrals are more likely to be good long-term partners, too.Social media offers many opportunities for customers to promote you, as well.  Getting them to follow you and interact with you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. can expand your sphere of influence and increase your brand awareness.

Start 2009 with a fresh commitment to your current customers.  Your customers will reward you with continued loyalty.

Marketing,Nomad Marketing,Loyalty,social media,new media,Facebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,New Year’s Resolutions,referral programs,e-newsletters,blogs,economy

Yesterday, Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons left this plane and entered the Astral Plane.  He was 69.Gary’s influence on the world of gaming cannot be understated.  All online role-playing games, fantasy card games and many video games owe their existence to Gary.  Without D&D, there would be no World of Warcraft, Magic the Gathering or even Second Life.Gary, through Dungeons and Dragons, took an arcane game genre and made it universally known – if not universally cool!   He created a game category, invented the hobbyist game convention concept and parlayed the game’s popularity into cartoons and movies.  As an entrepreneur, he had quite an impact on the entertainment industry.  A very young Tom Hanks even starred in the D&D TV movie, Mazes & Monsters!My adolescence included a heavy dose of D&D.  Yes, I was THAT guy.  But I’m not the only one!  Over 20 million people are estimated to have played the game.  More than $1 billion in game gear and books have been sold since 1973!In junior high school, I even had the chance to meet Gary.  My family was vacationing in Lake Geneva, WI and I insisted that we visit his hobby store – I think it was called The Dragon’s Lair.  He was there!  He autographed the D&D books I bought and spent an hour talking with me.  It was very exciting for a low-level Druid like me.I haven’t played for years, but hearing of Gary’s death has made me nostalgic. Here’s hoping his latest adventure leads him to rich rewards!

Nomad Marketing,marketing,Gary Gygax,Dungeons & Dragons,D&D,World of Warcraft,Gen Con,Magic the Gathering,Second Life,Lake Geneva

The Microsoft-Yahoo merger headlines recently have all focused on Yahoo’s share value, the impact on M&A in Silicon Valley and whether anyone can ever beat Google.  One aspect of mergers routinely gets overlooked in these articles:  The importance of marketing to the employees of each firm.Regardless of the strategic fit of the companies being merged or the technical talents of the employees, mergers create a potentially fatal mash-up of corporate cultures.  It’s critical that merging companies prepare their employees for the transition.  Well-planned internal communications and “marketing” of the merger’s benefits and opportunities can make the transition easier and more productive.  A good internal marketing campaign can create a slingshot effect – motivating employees and fostering collaboration with their new colleagues.  Poor communication leads to distrust, misplaced feelings of superiority/inferiority and slow and ineffective integration.I have experienced several mergers (from both sides) during my career.  From a portfolio perspective, these mergers have all been very sound.  As is often the case, the benefits were less than expected.  The challenges in each merger resulted from the interactions among the employees of the merged firms. Merging organizations often fail to clearly communicate the benefits, vision and new business structures and processes.  Few efforts are made to integrate the business teams and corporate cultures.  The resulting information gap leads to confusion about hierarchy, responsibility and rules of engagement.From a marketer’s perspective, a few simple communication strategies can enhance the merger process and improve the results of the merged companies.

• Celebration of the new entity – prior to the transition period.
• Clear communication of roles and responsibilities in the new organization.
• Clear communication of brand integration/hierarchy.
• Business team strategy sessions/brainstorming.

These may seem like HR activities, but the marketing organization has a vital role to play in positioning the merger to employees, developing collateral materials and events, and establishing brand rules.  Without clear internal communication and “marketing” the merger to employees, firms risk higher costs, lower revenue and employee dissatisfaction or defection.Much will be made about the financial and market challenges for Microsoft and Yahoo as they ponder the viability of a life together.  The nuts and bolts of making the merger work are likely to be ignored by the press, though.  It will be critical for the two companies to manage the internal “marketing” of the merger to their employees.  Only with enthusiastic, motivated workers will the merged company maximize the potential of the new enterprise.

marketing,Nomad Marketing,merger,Microsoft,Yahoo,Google,communication

Hello!  Welcome to the Nomad Marketing blog.  I’ll be posting entries from all over the marketing map, profiling cool companies, cool ideas and ranting every now and then.

This is my first trip to the blogosphere.  It feels a little bit like my trip to study in Poland in 1989.  I didn’t have a guidebook, spoke no Polish and carried all of my gear in a ratty tennis bag.  Needless to say, I was a little unprepared!  It became one of my greatest adventures.

I’m more experienced now - and a lot older!   The blogosphere is uncharted ground for me, but I hope to make it an educational and worthwhile trek.  Each week, I’ll share stories of interesting businesses and novel trends from the world of marketing.  Stop by often to check out the latest post from the edge!

Jason Lardy

Chief Travel Officer