When I’m not instructing the Canon camera classes at The Association, I’m usually out in the field shooting video. This time I was the gaffer on a video about a new airship called the P-791.  Much of this material, including all the interviews, was filmed on a Canon 5D by cinematographer Eric Schulzinger, who is the head of the digital media department at Lockheed Martin.

Click to start video:

Tom is a very experienced D.P. who has shot projects in Asia, Europe, Central America and every state of the Union. TV Commercials, Internet advertising, documentaries, and corporate image projects from Lockheed-Martin and Boeing to Bratz Dolls demonstrate not only Tom’s versatility but point to his unquestionable demand for excellence in image which is the Director of Photography’s responsibility.

One of the key instructors of The Association’s Canon Camera Classes, Tom is a master of the “film look” using the Pro 35 adapter with Cine Lenses or the new “Cine Style” Optimo zoom lenses from Angenieux and the “Cine Style” Zeiss Primes. These “tools” are the foundation for achieving excellence in image ..that’s what Tom does every time out!

E-mail: tom@theassociation.tv

Tom’s personal site: http://www.myrdahlHDVideo.com

Is your marketing budget sucking your company dry?

You spend a ton of money on promo and get one lead?

Or NONE!

It’s a bloody shame !

But you don’t have to put up with anemic marketing. You COULD have an effective marketing plan.

What if I could show you how to make your promotional dollars go four to eight times farther? So you could get 4 to 8 leads for your marketing dollar, instead of one?

Wouldn’t it be great to get EIGHT responses instead of ONE out of a hundred (1%)?

The Association has perfected a method of getting four to eight times the industry average. The Association’s Stat – 4 to 8 times the industry average.

The Association’s Pay Per Click campaigns perform 4 to 8 times better than the industry average?

HERE’S THE PROOF

Below is the Google Report: The Association’s PPC ads are pulling an average of 8.48% !!

The proof – 8.48% conversion rate

How do we do it?  We use proven, scientific marketing methods that WORK.

Wouldn’t you like your email stuffed with leads in the morning? Clients have literally asked us to turn off the marketing campaigns because they were so backlogged following up on the leads we generated.

How does this apply to your marketing?

Let’s say you spend $100. on your promo marketing. Let’s say you make a $100. on each close. Well, if  you only get one reach out of the hundred (a 1% return), that reach cost you $100. If you close that one lead, you make $100. So, you break even. If you don’t close that reach, you just lost $100. This is why people stop marketing. THEY’RE LOSING MONEY. DUH!

There’s NO WAY you can EVER, EVER, EVER make money with anemic marketing. Period. But we still see people throwing money away on marketing that only gets a 1% response.

POWER MARKETING – But with The Association’s scientific methods,  you can get four to eight leads.

Applying this to the example above, instead of a lead costing  you $100,  you know get 8 leads which cost you $12.50 per lead.  If you close a $12.50 lead, you make $100 (you pay back your marketing investment of $100). But here’s the good news. If you close two $12.50 leads you pay back your marketing expense and you make another $100. If you close three you made $200. profit. This is the secret to paying for your marketing and making a lot of money. This is “power marketing”!

Be smart. Let us put our scientific methods work for you.

This is the time to grab market share, when everybody else has cut back. Power Marketing will give a better return on your marketing dollar and increase your profits. Break out of anemic* marketing. Call us.

*(def. anemic – lacking force, vitality or spirit.)

(def. anemia – Anemia is a condition in which you don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your tissues. If you have anemia, you probably feel tired a lot. Etymology – anemia – 1824, from French medical term (1761), Mod.L., from Gk. anaimia ”lack of blood,” from anaimos ”bloodless,” from an- ”without” + haima ”blood”)

I’m Nancy but the guys I work with call me "Office Mom".  I mostly handle all areas of communication within the office but I’m most famous  for my coffee.  And,  I frequently throw in muffins or cookies or fruit, hence the title, "Office Mom". 

My mind has different production lines:

This week’s idea comes from the “Third Grade Shelf” in the half-baked idea locker.

Why serve half-baked ideas?

Well, I tend to think that people like to come up with their own solutions, so they may like half-baked ideas rather than fully-baked.

The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other publications are stuffed with fully-baked ideas. All the thinking’s been done for you and the
articles are just poured in you like baby food. All you have to do is swallow and nod.  But if you want to do your own thinking, if you want to be
your own chef, so to speak, you might prefer half-baked ideas.

So, I present half baked ideas. With fully baked ideas  I risk losing the interest of the reader.  So, here goes with another half-baked idea.

HALF BAKED IDEA 20110717 – Let’s say you’re in line at a restaurant. In this half-baked simile, the main difference is that you don’t tell the waiter
what you want. You just show up, sit down and take what the waiter brings you.

You may grumble, but you eat it anyway and hope for something better next time, something more like what you really want.

(Here’s the philosophy part) Life is like the  restaurant. Life brings us many items we didn’t order. Life will continue to do so.  If we place our
order though, we might be happier with what Life brings us.

So, tell Life what you’d like.  Then, you might start liking Life.

NOTE – Careful inspection of what Life is bringing you now may reveal what you’re really wishing for. So maybe it isn’t everyone else’s fault.  Those
hidden dreams you have may be quietly placing orders for you. You may not even be aware this is going on.

Anyway, don’t go too deep on this.  Just place your order. Be specific as you can. You don’t even have to realistic. Let ‘er rip.

©2011Fletcher Murray

We went on a hike once with friends. It became the hike from hell. 357
magnums firing into the sky from fellow hikers to break apart their
pitbulls.  Then, a brush with honest to god quicksand. Followed by a narrow
trail down a thirty story high mountain with grapefruit-sized boulders along
the trail to help you stumble and twist your ankle.  All this as the heat
bore down and dehydrated everyone.
The group was so exhausted that when we finally got to the valley floor,
everyone just rolled their bedrolls out and slept in the open. The whole
reason we took the hike was to get to this idyllic series of hot tub pools.
Someone had dragged bags of concrete down to the river to capture the
steaming water and mix with the freezing river water to make pools of
varying degrees.  Only my daughter and I dragged ourselves over there to
enjoy the hot pools after a long, long hike.

And the bad news continued. One of the survivors came over and said that
everybody should be ready to move out at 630 a.m.. No sleeping in.  Why?
Well we had to get out of the valley before high noon, when the sun would
again beat down on us. We wanted to be up the thirty story mountain trail
and into the shade before noon.

So, we happily set out the next morning. No one talked. The out of shape
straggled behind. Those who were in shape pushed ahead, tired of trying to
cajole, cheerlead, Dale Carnegie them from quitting every five minutes.

I was soft-hearted.  I stayed with the last one, trying to get her somewhat
motivated.  But she was tough. She would say things like, “Just leave me.”

or

“Don’t worry about me. I don’t want to live.”

or

“I’m not taking another step. Send a helicopter for me when you get back.”

Well, I thought she’d run out of quips eventually and decide it was easier
to walk out than listen to me.  Also, I couldn’t let my daughter leave
another human to die. So I stuck it out.

In one especially long “rest stop”, what turned out to be the last time
she’d stopped, she turned around completely. She stood up, took a deep
breath and said,

“My mother said you can get used to anything but hanging.”

And with that we walked out. Five hours later we were laughing at Sizzler,
ordering steaks rare and some nice Bordeaux.

Her mom was right.

http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/docs/ebooks/101marketingquotesjune2011.pdf

Language.  In our mind there are two forms.  The first, and most obvious, is the actual content you use in your social media plan.  The second is the technology you use to display your “written language”.  Old ways of marketing such as posters and mailings, the second form of language, are falling by the wayside.  The digital age has arrived and its technologies are making and breaking many companies.  Utilization of social media is essential for an effective marketing plan.

Potential clients search the web and seek something with which to relate.  They understand that you are trying to sell them a product or service, but they do not need a pitch thrown at them every time they turn on their computer or pick up their phone.  The old ways of doing business are exactly as they say: the old way.  “Dog and pony shows” have become annoying and clients want you to relate to them on a social level, much like a friend would.  Social media blogs are a great example.  These blogs allow you to relay information, in a non-confrontational way, to your clients.  No pressure, no push; just simple, reliable marketing.  The actual language you use is vital.  Social media should be used for “socializing”.  Clients and customers do not want a strong sales pitch on their social sites; they want to meet new people and learn new things.

Entertaining.  Meaningful.  Dedicated.  These three adjectives are a great way to outline your blogs or content.  Follow these words.  Was your information entertaining?  Did it have a meaningful purpose?  Do you seem dedicated with your work?

Good companies will follow.  Great companies will listen and follow.

http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/docs/ebooks/101marketingquotesjune2011.pdf

We do not know everything about social media marketing.  In fact, there is a lot we do not know.  The one thing we are sure of is that the on-line world is rapidly changing.  New blogs, social networks and other corporate social media tools are becoming available every day. Although we cannot possibly retain all of this information, we do our best to utilize all of the advice and growth we can.

Listening goes farther than attaining new forms of marketing.  Listening to your client’s wants and needs can increase the quality of your social media blog or marketing plan.  We talked about this in our last article.  People want to hear what they care about.  How do you provide this information?  You listen.  Discover their interests and the quantity and quality will come without a hitch.

Obviously, as stated above, listening is also directly related to new resources and advice.  Social media engagement means more than just Facebook and Twitter, it has to do with new ways to market and advertise.  There are so many wonderful sites and techniques that are oblivious to the common business because they fail to listen and learn.  Every good marketer will tell you the same thing: know your customer.  Social media is perfect for that.  You have the ability to read and learn about them with the click of a mouse.  Listen to the movement, it is telling you to accept the rapid changes and take advantage of this wonderful experience.

If you listen, you will learn and if you learn, you will win.

http://blog.hubspot.com/Portals/249/docs/ebooks/101marketingquotesjune2011.pdf

How does quality affect advertising?  Quality is the fuel for the marketing flames.  For example, if you eat at a restaurant where the service is great and the food is phenomenal you will most likely do two things.  The first is revel in the fact that you found such an amazing place to eat and the second is tell your friends or family about your wonderful experience.

There is a common misconception that word of mouth recommendations are lost in the on-line world but this couldn’t’t be further from the truth.  It is called Social Media for a reason.  Socializing in an on-line world is faster and more effective in many ways.  In fact, people are more prone to recommend or promote your business through social sites then through direct encounters.

These recommendations are steeped in quality.  People enjoy quality information, or information they can use themselves.  How do you find this information and provide it?  People are naturally intrigued by things they don’t know.  Revealing information or products that have a new, but direct, benefit to your audience will put your company in a very positive light.

Quality is the strong base of what we call Advertising.  Aspects such as proper grammar, personal touch and quality products do most of your advertising for you.  Everyone knows what a Hershey chocolate bar is, but why?  Is it from their advertising campaigns?  Of course not, the world knows of Hershey because they supply a high-quality product all the time.  This is same with corporate social media marketing.  Providing a quality site, blog or page has a direct impact on the effectiveness of your advertising and inbound marketing campaign.

Teachers, coaches and mentors love the phrase “practice makes perfect”.  It makes sense as the constant repetition of math problems, business writing or free throws will make you an expert in due time.  Unfortunately, these activities provide little variation and often cause people to quit from the monotony.  Blogs are different.  They offer variation.  Content, layout and even writing style can vary with each post and allows those writing to explore their creative side.  The problem is consistency.

Consistency is the Achilles heel of the blog.  Your clients or possible customers will resent your site if blogs are not updated.  For example, there are some sites you will not visit for the simple fact that they are never updated.  You must stay consistent.  Creativity will come with time, but to effectively stay competitive in your social media campaign, you have to post weekly at a minimum. Ideally several times a day.  Review your competitor analysis reports and glance at their websites or blogs.  I’d be willing to bet that they update constantly.

When providing a social media course or seminar our first point is blogging.  You never know who will read your blog; it could be your most loyal customer or the biggest potential client yet.  If you can get one person to follow your blog consistently, then you have won.

Do yourself and your business a favor and blog consistently.  It will help to keep your marketing plan consistent and effective.  Customers will come to you and the optimization of your site will increase as your index pages and views grow.  Make it fun, make it daily…make it a blog!