Wiki states that the average person remains at their job for 13 years. Sounds good, right? I mean 13 years. True, it’s an unlucky number for some, but better to be employed for any time in this economy. Heck, Uclue.com states that the average US marriage only lasts 8 years.
So, maybe it’s the advertising industry that is averaging down the 30-year gold watch anniversaries. A Spencer Stuart Blue Paper cites that: “It’s jarring to note that the average tenure for CMOs at the top 100 branded companies is just 22.9 months. Based on our data, only 14 percent of CMOs for the world’s top brands have been with their companies for more than three years — and nearly half are new to the job over the last 12 months.”
Just as in the lifecycle of a marketing manager, I often hear about the “lifecycle of a client” with an ad agency. I took an informal poll with some peers, and most stated that they expect to work with a client for about 4-5 years and then poof – the client goes off to perceived greener pastures. In fact, a client of ours stated that 4 years for an agency / client relationship is long, (pause for reflective swallow, as we’re in year 3).
So, does a client have a lifecycle and why? OK, this is where the stats stop and theories start, so jump off the bus now or open your mind…
Let’s say your contact at your favorite client makes it past the 22.9 months and actually wants to make a career out of it. That doesn’t mean that everyone else there does and he or she probably reports to a COO or CEO who may in fact report to a Board or Shareholders. Results have to keep coming. Here is why they may not be…
I hear things like, “the creative just wasn’t exciting anymore” or “no new ideas” or “just time for something different”. Yes, often, the creative goes stale, but it is not, in my opinion for a lack of creativity. Sounds weird huh? I’ll explain. By year three, the creative should be more on target and yielding much better results. I mean, you’ve been doing your unaided and aided branding research studies every year right? What client doesn’t want to pay for research? Never heard of such a thing…but, I digress. We’ll post about that later.
Here is my theory…The creative is there, the account is known better than ever and results should be increasing. But, you are now working in fear. What fear you say? The fear of losing the client.
When agencies go after a new client, one of my most and least favorite parts of being an agency principal, most go all out – balls to the wall – creative juices flying everywhere. We do. Why? Because they’re really not invested financially in the account. The revenue they could earn is “hope to get” money. “Hope to get” money is fun. It’s like a lottery ticket before you check the numbers.
But when an agency lands a client, it needs to staff up appropriately, buy needed research studies/tools, join relevant associations, upgrade some software, spend some time meeting with some new subcontractors – it’s time and money. So, the new “hope to get” money gets spent quick. You start servicing the client with all these tools, are in the new-relationship love affair with the client and integrating the new tools or new people into your team.
After a year, you’ve produced some results, the client is loving you, but you’re also loving the new tools, team members etc. Now, the money is still there, but it’s no longer “hope to get” money, it’s “need to have” money. It’s need “need to have” money because you’ve made all the commitments to service the client and it’s not like you were out there going after more “hope to get” money because you’ve been busy trying to get your new relationship off to a good start, and your team was already running thin anyway in this economy and you may not have the manpower to win new business and win over your new client at the same time. You made a choice.
In your second or third year with a client, you’ve now gotten accustom to running your shop with the new tools / resources etc. and have forged personal relationships with your new team members. They are really part of the team now – your family. You’ve met their families, understand their hopes, dreams and really care for them. Now, you’re afraid. You’re afraid of letting them down. You’ve put yourself in a position where the “need to have” money is “gotta have” money. You know that if you lose the client, you’ll lose the revenue and ultimately may have to lose some of your team members.
So, you as a manager may stifle the great ideas that are on the edge in favor of more conservative ideas that are “mainstream.” You don’t push the client anymore. You agree too much. You say you think “their ideas” are good whether they are or not. All, because you’re afraid to lose the client and by doing so, you do just that. You lose the client. No client wants a “yes man”. They want new exciting invigorating ideas. That is why they came to you at first, right? Are you afraid to give them what you feel they may not want? Are you afraid to push the envelope?
Like most things, it revolves around money. I hate that part of the industry. Really, I do. Most people who think they know me, think I’m all about the money, but the people who really know me, know I’m not. I’m about family, first, second and last, and my team at the office is part of my family.
Do I think there is a client lifecycle? Yes, for some clients, for some agencies. But, I believe it is not because of the talented team of people in your agency. It comes from fear and we, as leaders, need to be stronger, bolder, more willing to take risks – even in today’s economy, especially in today’s economy.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Is There Really a Client Lifecycle? | Evok
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Funday Morning Web Comics, Funny Cartoons, and Funny Comic Strips: Mark of the Wolfe
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Facebook Security - Best Practices For Protecting Yourself On Facebook - Sophos
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
5 Ways to Strengthen Client Relations
All too often, freelancers look at their clients as one-off opportunities. They do a job, complete a project, and when payment exchanged, they wave good-bye and never look back. But regular contact with former clients should be an integral part of your freelance business.
Call it public relations or just good business practices, but treating your clients as part of your regular business network– not just as cash cows– can be a wonderful strategy.
Not only will clients feel that you care about them for more than just a paycheck, they will also feel more inclined to recommend you to their colleagues for future projects. The time you devote to nurturing those client relationships becomes a kind of investment that can lead to returns later down the road.
If the rapport is particularly strong, you can also ask clients to be active promoters of your services by having them write recommendations and testimonials that you can later use for your own marketing efforts. In other words, maintaining good client relations means more and better business for you.
Here are five tips for strengthening your business relationship with clients.
Keep track of everyone.
For my own business, all my editing clients get recorded on a spreadsheet that details existing and past clients, as well as their projects. It includes the client name, the project description, client contact information, such as e-mail address, telephone number, social media accounts, and a “client notes” column.
The notes column is where you can write in comments about each client, listing personal details (interests and hobbies; family details), as well as your impressions about each one (were they difficult to work with? Did they have trouble communicating over e-mail and prefer in-person meetings?).
Drop a line to your clients.
When is the last time you were in touch with an old client? It doesn’t take much effort to send off a short e-mail message or to make a quick “touching base” phone call. More often than not, your client will have some thoughts about a prospective project or may send a few leads your way.
During any meeting or interaction, avoid the aggressive sales pitch, and focus the conversation on the client by asking questions about their business and work (be sure to review your “client notes” from your spreadsheet for any useful “intelligence”). Read more on how to create value for your clients and to get quality referrals.
Get the big picture.
Take a holistic look at your clients needs. First-time clients may have hired you to solve specific problems or to work on a particular project. But you can often generate more business by pitching new ways to help them.
If they have a business and are growing, they may have needs that you can help them fill. One time, after I had completed a ghostwriting book project for a client, I found out through casual conversation later that the book was now part of a larger effort to launch a website and to reach out to fellow professionals.
It was clear she had no idea how to start a promotional campaign around her book. I offered her a few bits of advice and she ended up contracting me on a mini-marketing project where we worked together to craft several press releases for different audiences.
Make it easy for clients to get updates on you.
Maintain a blog and write about your experiences with your freelance business; write about the industry you’re in; address common problems your clients might have and write about potential solutions.
Push those blog posts and any other relevant content out to your clients via a newsletter or regular e-mail updates. Fire off this communication campaign on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. If you have a big roster of clients, use an e-mail marketing service like MailChimp, AWeber, or iContact.
Aside from blogs and regular updates, you can also show your engagement to clients through your social media channels. Make sure you have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn and find out if your clients have the same accounts– and interact. Read more on how to maintain a dynamic social media presence.
Don’t be stingy.
If your client mentions a problem, be generous with advice. You don’t have to conduct a full-on consulting session, but if you’re meeting over coffee, you can give a few pointers.
I had a colleague ask me to read over web copy for his new social networking community group. I gave him some pointers to help him tweak the writing. While the meeting didn’t lead to a job, the colleague bought one of our books and has been active introducing me to his network on LinkedIn.
Sometimes doing a little pro bono work earns bigger rewards over the long run.
Photo credit: Some rights reserved by dolgachov.
Tags: client relationships
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Finding A Good Web Designer Is Easy With MWD
Knowing what makes an effective website is only half the battle. Communication with the designer is crucial.
Here is some verbiage to understand as you seek a designer:
• Dynamic Content (Interactive features on a website. The content the user sees is sometimes updated based upon the users input. Dynamic content can be information stored in a database, user input, or even cookies. Forms and a Search option on a site are perfect examples of dynamic content.)
• Search Engine (A program (website) designed to search a database of information from and about other websites. Google, Yahoo and others use this kind of program to create a directory of sites which you can then search through.)
• HTML (how to write the code that displays the website)
• CSS (Cascading Style Sheets - controls font colors and sizes and removes code bloat)
• Server (A computer that delivers web pages to users. It is the "computer" where website files (the whole website) reside and are accessed through the Internet. A server can also be called a host or node.)
• SEO (Search Engine Optimizaztion - how to get top ranking in search engines for your keywords)
• Graphic Design (The design of logos, navigation graphics and editing images)
• Composite (Comps) (The look of the website without actually creating it. This is achieved with graphics only, and is usually presented to the client in printed form or as an attachment in an email.
• Contact Page (The page in a website that contains all information as to how to contact a business or individual. This usually includes a mailing address, phone number, fax number, email addresses and any other criteria that may be necessary. This page can also include a map and directions.)
• Content (The body of a web page. Content includes words, selling points, graphics, animations, etc. that do not comprise the framework of the page. This is the information that changes from page to page.)
• Debugging (Detecting, locating and correcting errors or problems in a computer program or web site.)
• Forms (Interactive elements which allow a user to input information to be utilized by the website. Forms can be used to gather information supplied by the user in order to help the user interact with various components within the site.)
• Homepage (The entry page to a website, also known as the index page. Often mistakenly referred to as the "Portal" page.)
• Hosting (Most commonly thought of as the place (think of a heavy-duty computer) where your website's files reside. An Internet host has a unique Internet address (IP address) and a unique domain name or host name. A host can also refer to a Web hosting company.)
• Marketing (The process of planning and executing the promotion of a website via printed and other media, and the Internet. How you make others aware that your website exists.)
Some things to look for while looking for a designer:
Is the designer's website professional looking and clean cut or is it full of Google ads and affiliate banners or links at the top of the home page?
If it's the latter keep looking for another web designer because they are attempting to gain a living via advertising instead of their web design skills.
Do they claim "award winning" designers?
Anyone can apply for a web design award and often get one because these award sites usually offer awards with one goal in mind - getting links back to their website. Emblems from web design guilds may look impressive, however if you check into the means to attain these you will see that most of them charge a fee for membership with minimal requirements, and thus anyone with the most basic web design skills can gain awards or buy memberships and that is not always proof they are quality designers. That can be better assertained by the guidelines offered in this article.
Do they Guarantee a Top Listing in the Search Engines?
No. Genuine web designer can guarantee a top listing in search engines and especially on Google because they change their algorithyms often. What used to work last week may not work next week as Google is preventing any methods that attempt to manipulate their search engine. A top listing can usually be achieved by providing unique and interesting content on the web pages, by the designer having a good knowledge of SEO and by submitting the site to numerous other websites so it has adequate links. Some designer sites are SEO Ripoffs and use spam techniques that will get your website banned.
Do they provide Site Hosting?
A web designer that boasts hosting is known as a reseller for a large hosting company. This means they have bought a large space on their host site and they host the sites they design in that space (i.e., shared hosting), and they will be your sole tech support. Sometimes they have a computer they use for a server in their home. Either way this is not a good idea because if they get sick or their computer breaks down your web site will be down also. Often they do not keep up with expensive hardware or software upgrades to prevent hacking attemps and other problems and thus your website will be more vulnerable than if it was on a real host.
Are they in your country?
It's not so important that a designer be in the same city as most design communication can be covered by phone or email. However if they are in another country you may have problems if they don't complete the job after you paid them (and no legal recourse) you're screwed. Check their contact page for phone, address and email to make sure they are in the same country.
Most important: Looking at a designer's own website is not always proof of their ability because they may be too busy to keep their own website updated. Looking at their web design portfolio will give you a better idea of their skill level.
Before you look at a large agency (which often farm out web designers), your neighbor's kid, or someone in your office that knows a little Microsoft Word, please contact Mark Wolfe Design!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011
Apple under Steve Jobs was bolstered by people who were MBA's and marketing specialists. This set Apple apart from the mainstream at the time. This made the mainstream work harder and employ those elements to their products.
Design, quality, understanding the market and being true to your values. What a concept. That's why I love Apple and that is how I approach my work. MWD and Apple sort of grew up together and during that time I've tried to learn from Steve and Apple. Hopefully I will still continue MWD with these core values and strive to be an active apostle of these for years to come.
Thanks, Steve.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Creating a virtuous circle with search and social media: a Q-and-A with GroupM Search CEO Chris Copeland
This blog series, featuring interviews with speakers from the SES Conference & Expo, scheduled Aug. 15 to 19 in San Francisco, is brought to you by Incisive Media.
This Q-and-A is with GroupM Search CEO Chris Copeland.
How do you see the influence of social media changing search engine marketing?
Research we’ve conducted looking at the impact these channels have on one another suggests that search has an authority to it and that consumers are becoming more and more reliant on the views of others, whether or not they are trusted friends in the social graph. With that being said, it makes sense that Google and Bing continue to move toward a model where third-party opinions factor into the relevance of a results page and help keep consumers from abandoning search as their decision tool of choice.
In the future, I expect two things to happen: 1) the signals will get better thanks to scale and data and create an even greater need for brand-owned assets to be optimized across social media for search inclusion; and 2) social media will begin to be more like search with relevance and intent forming experiences more so than ever before.
When companies are trying to figure out the return on their social media investment, should they be taking the intersection of search and social into account? How so?
In 2009, we released a study that showed a 94% increase in search (click-through rate) for three advertisers when consumers saw the brand’s social media in-channel as well as search listing. So, if a brand wants to give attribution to a channel for its impact on search performance, the social channel is a good one to consider. It is clear that a virtuous circle exists between the channels with consumers bouncing from one to the other to fulfill their research needs on the pathway to making a decision.
What advice would you give companies looking to use paid, earned and owned media as part of a single campaign? How do you make those components harmonious?
When it comes down to digital signposts, outcomes and measurement are important. We see each step of a consumer’s journey as an opportunity put a sign out to direct them to their next encounter with a brand. Consumers are willing to shift between mediums from paid to owned and earned platforms to expand their knowledge and make the best decisions. Brands need to have a strategy for connecting and execute on this strategy by determining the right media type for the moment.
There are obvious times when in order to create scale and establish reach, paid media is the best solution. But, more and more often we see consumers wanting opinions from their social graph and beyond using social media and the wisdom of an earned response from a community built up on behalf of a brand. The data and measurement components validate the process. If brands cannot measure the movement and connectivity between their brand and consumers, they have lost sight of their own relevance in the process and then outcomes will be questionable.
How can businesses use the data they’re getting from their search and social marketing efforts to improve their marketing efforts? How do you create a virtuous circle?
Search has been the single biggest Petri dish of consumer intelligence for the better part of a decade. Every search is an expression of consumer intent. Every click is a response (positively or negatively, depending on whether or not they clicked your ad) to the connection your brand tried to create and their intent. Now, social layers in their ability to follow information, share information and take up arms as an activist on your brand’s behalf. The combination of intent expressed and relevancy between the consumer and a brand cannot be gathered anywhere else compared to the depth and degree that search and social offers today. This can shape everything, including your future marketing efforts, by tightening up the connection points via signposts on the journey. It can also shape future product development and macro business decisions. The data, when measured properly, is just that powerful.
Can a corporate blog place too much emphasis on SEO? How does one find the line?
Priority needs to be given to your owned assets based on the role you want them to play in the journey consumers are taking. If your brand is built on hearing from the authority of your own people in a confined setting, then you should optimize it to the fullest. If you believe that third-party opinions and a variety of experience beyond blog formatted text are important, then you have to find balance. No one sign will get people from A-to-Z, so the weight you give to SEO efforts should be proportionate to the impact and influence that asset will have on your brand in helping customers reach the final step of a journey to engagement.Related Posts:
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
5 Tips for Using Humor in Your Social Media Activities | Social Media Examiner
5 Tips for Using Humor in Your Social Media Activities
By Jason Miller
Published July 28, 2011
Can you remember something funny? Humor can go a long way with social media.
Are you considering using humor with your social media activities? If so, this article reveals some tips to get you on the right track.
Why humor?
It’s no surprise that using humor in advertising is an effective way to connect with your audience and humanize your brand or company, but what about using it for social media?
Adding humor to your social media strategy can be a great way to get people’s attention.
If you appeal to your audience emotionally, you’ll have a much better chance that they will further engage with your brand or product. Doing so will help your customers remember you, share your content and have a better understanding of what you stand for.
Finally, an emotional appeal differentiates you from the millions of other companies out there bombarding their social channels with nothing but self-promotion.
If you’re not “humorizing” your brand, product or business, then you might be missing out on a ton of unseen potential.
Here are 5 tips to help you get started:
#1: Ask yourself WWJD?
(What Would Jerry Do?)
Jerry Seinfeld has a simple formula for comedy. He takes everyday situations and asks himself, “What’s funny about this?” Apply this type of thinking to your brand, product or company.
A perfect example of this is Otterbox, a manufacturer of protective gear for handheld devices. Check out how they take a seemingly boring product and make it funny as hell.
#2: Keep it clean
Steer clear of controversial topics and jokes in bad taste. A good example is earlier this year, fashion designer Kenneth Cole tried to be funny but instead won the award for most insensitive tweet of the year.
The offending tweet was eventually removed entirely from Cole's feed, and a statement about the incident was posted on his Facebook fan page.
#3: Wittiness is terribly underrated
Twitter and Facebook updates can go a long way with the right quip. Use your wittiness to compete against big budgets. Here are three perfect examples of how the wit is mightier than the ad dollar.
Here’s a tweet from “Rebel Red,” part of the www.MiddleSisterWines.com.
Their philosophy: Smile! It won't mess up your hair.
A witty take on a popular quote for a Facebook update from Cups and Cakes Bakery.
Join them on Saturdays for Cupcake Super Happy Hour!
And a brilliantly funny Facebook update from Boccalone: Tasty Salted Pig Parts.
Known for their authentic Italian sandwiches.
#4: Just because your company is serious doesn’t mean all marketing has to be
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Poke fun at yourself by doing a parody of your company or your industry. HubSpot wears their marketing mullet loud and proud—mixing the business up front with the party in the back. Check out how they spoofed social media with Foursquare Cops.
And in this video parody, IBM had some fun with Art of the Sale.
#5: The best humor comes naturally
Experiment by recording video interviews with quirky customers and employees. Again I reference Otterbox as they apply this principle very well. Check out:
Being Funny Is a Risk
Some people might not appreciate your company’s brand of humor. Business owners need to observe their target audience to make sure humor fits.
Being funny may not work for healthcare, financial services or any highly regulated industry.
The target market must always be considered. Running tests and focus groups to gather feedback is always a great idea. Try using an online survey to test your attempt at humor against an internal audience before you send it out. Comedy is subjective so don’t expect to please everyone.
Using humor in social media levels the playing field between big-budget creative ad agencies and a clever marketer. Try having fun with your social messaging. You’ll know it’s working when your customers enthusiastically reply, “That’s gold, Jerry!”
What do you think? If you’re using humor with your social media, let us know how it’s working for you. Leave your comments in the box below.
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Tags: branding, comedy, emotional appeal, funny, funny content, funny video, humanize, jason miller, joke, social media humor, Some Fun
