Does that seem right? Does that mean we should be a fourth of the way toward our yearly goals? Does that mean we should have a fourth of our new clients, a fourth of our revenue, and a fourth of our leads?

Well, if you are like us and asking yourself these questions (and quite possibly more), then here is some advice: if you are NOT on track, it’s NOT to late. Here is some practical thoughts that may help you make the turn.

Do what YOU do best

With that, I don’t mean your company, I mean YOU. Do what YOU do best. If you are like most business people I know, you are all trying to be everything to everyone and do everything yourself. But that is exactly how we get off course from our goals. Stop and assess what you should be doing for your company – quite possibly they are things only you can do for the company. Focus on those things and find others to do the rest.

Oh wait, that reminds me about my next point….

Find other resources / partners to help take the load off you

Can’t afford it? I know, we say that here all the time as well. But the fact of the matter is you CAN’T afford not to. If your business model is truly as strong as you believe it is, then you have to let go of some of the things that are holding you back from reaching your goals. You have to let others do the things they can do to help your company succeed and allow you to focus on the things only you can.

Now this doesn’t necessarily mean hiring. It could mean outsourcing some work to a virtual employee or company (I know a good one when it comes to marketing), or it may mean partnering with some companies to trade services or resources. Be creative and make every dollar you spend count toward reaching your goal.

Break the goals up in manageable pieces

We see many companies only make yearly goals and the numbers they stare at each day are so large they become paralyzed. Break them up. What do you want to accomplish by this time next quarter – or maybe next time this month? Keep your eye focused on a goal that is reachable (with a stretch) within a shorter period of time.

I hope these thoughts help trigger your mind to think of other things you need to consider as well. If you have other ideas to share, add them to the post by using the comment box below.

If you are struggling with your goals, your message, or your plan. Give us a call and let’s see what we can do to help you now.

Well, I have news for him and anyone else who thinks this way. You will be quite surprised how far you and your business will be behind when you pull your head out of the sand. Here are some things I hope you can understand and consider about today’s small and medium-sized business landscape.

Your business will never be the same as it was before the economic downturn – period.

Those who think that, once this economic crunch is over, they will go straight back to offering the same business model as before our financial crisis will have a huge wake up call coming. The businesses that are working to reinvent themselves are already leaps and bounds ahead of you. Why is this important? See the next point…

Your customer’s needs (and maybe wants) are different now.

With money being tight for everyone, your product or service is more scrutinized than ever before. Therefore, the value you bring your customer must be like never before. It’s a buyer’s market in most industries, so your product or service must stand out above the rest and solve an important need of your target audience.

There are many things I have noticed businesses doing to make forward strides in spite of the dip in the economy. Here are some of the trends I see that you can implement:

Allow employees to telecommute

Save cost for the employee and the business by allowing employees to work from home several days a week. This can cut down on office costs and offers employees flexibilities in trade for other “perks” you may not be able to afford in today’s market. Work is still getting done but for less cost.

Reduce print marketing / increase internet marketing

Print marketing can be an effective means to communicate to your clients and prospects, but it is also one of the most expensive means to do so. Cut marketing costs by going electronic. Email marketing, website improvements, and social media efforts are typically dollar for dollar better spent money than print anyways.

Hire virtual employees

Companies are starting to recognize that they do not have to invest in employees the same way they used to. The objective is to get the job done right – most efficiently and effectively – as a result businesses are turning to virtual employees. Websites like elance.com and Odesk.com make finding these resources much easier. If you have needs that are consistent and easily replicated you might consider even an international virtual employee through sites like virtualemployee.com and remoteworkmate.com. These sites can help you find cost-effective resources to help through the peaks and keep you from having to hire in-house employees to get the work done.

One of the service offerings we have at Three Hats Marketing is virtual marketing employees. If you have recently downsized your marketing staff or are considering hiring to meet current needs – give us a call. Our approach will definitely save you money and offer you better results.

And although our monthly email newsletter is titled “Hat Trick” it is more of a play on the hockey phrase as it relates to our name than it is a “tip of the hat” to the game. To be perfectly honest, that is probably all I know about the game – except for one other thing.

The great Wayne Gretzky once said something that has become one of my favorite quotes. He said, “Don’t skate to where the puck is…skate to where the puck will be.”

I love that quote because it says so much in so little. It speaks to me personally in how I try to live my life, but also how I hope we continue to run our business. It puts a focus where it should be. It is the definition of wisdom exemplified: knowing the outcome before it will happen.

So how can we get into this mindset with our business? How can we continue to operate as we need to today, but watch and know where our “puck” will be in the future? Well, would you believe our marketing efforts can help? Here are some thoughts on how.

Plan your marketing for where you want to go, not for where you are today.

It’s hard, I know, when you are muddling in the day-to-day issues of a business to stop and plan, but that is exactly what makes the difference between a long-term, successful business and one that’s short-lived. Market to the type of client you think will help your business long-term. You can certainly “sell” to those you do business with now (and do whatever a client may ask of you), but marketing is a proactive effort – so spend your effort (and your money) on where you see your business going, not on where it is today.

Budget for where you want to go, not for where you are today.

Now this one is easier said than done, but if you have planned correctly as we stated above, then you should have the confidence to spend the money you need to to move the ball forward. I don’t mean spending large sums of money as if you are where you expect to be 10 years from now, but spend to get yourself further down the path. Times are tough, I know first hand, but now is when you can “out-skate” your competition if you know (and are confident) which direction to go.

Speak to where you want to go, not to where you are today.

In your language (both written and verbal) speak like you want your business to be – not necessarily like it is today. Start setting the groundwork now. You will find that people will instinctively pick up on what you are say about yourself – and sharing the message of where you are going will allow those around you to help get you there faster.

Much like hockey, being good at business is about thinking two steps ahead and being at the right place at the right time. Allow your marketing efforts to help you get there. And much like hockey, everyone needs a coach (even the great Wayne Gretzky), so if we can help you in any way – just give us a ring.

But as a business owner or executive, you probably are starting to see more and more business opportunities present themselves every month – and being “lean and mean” is hurting you. It’s common in today’s economy that businesses don’t have the resources in-house to respond as quickly and effectively as they need to.

So what are your options? Do you always have to hire extra employees to be ready to respond? How do you know what abilities do you need?

One of the services Three Hats Marketing offers is virtual marketing employees. Simply put, what this can bring your business is the flexibility, resources, and the experience your business needs, when you need them. It alleviates the need to hire full time, in-house personnel and incur the on-going expense. It is the smart answer to the peaks and valleys all our businesses have.

To learn more about how a Three Hats Marketing virtual marketing employee can help your business, give us a call.

So what is your website saying to clients, potential clients, and prospective employees? Do you even know?

Here are some practical reasons why your website IS important:

It speaks on behalf of your company in ways you can’t.

The first thing I do when I hear about a company that I want to learn more about is go to their website, and so do most people. It has been said that when someone goes to a company’s website, they draw an opinion of that company within the first 3-5 seconds. The opinion could be good, or it could be bad. Nonetheless YOU have the ability to positively affect that opinion with an effective website.

It’s a marketing tool available 24/7.

Your business development folks may tell you they work 24/7, but they really don’t. Make the most of this tool by understanding what your target audience is really looking for. It gives them the ability to learn more about you anytime, anywhere. And also update the site frequently so people have a reason to come back to learn more about you and what you can offer them.

It should be a destination point for marketing efforts

At Three Hats Marketing, when we help clients with their marketing, their website becomes a great foundational tool for our marketing efforts because it offers the prospect a place to go to learn more. That effort on the part of the prospect is then tracked, which makes our marketing much more measurable and effective. How are you using your website? Is it just an online brochure? Or are you using it to the fullest potential?

It’s extremely cost effective

Unlike printed marketing pieces, your website can change constantly. And as a result, it should be the most recent information available about your company. If you don’t have resources internally to handle your website, consider contracting with a company like Three Hats to handle it for you.

Now, go ahead, visit your site and see what you are saying to the world. See if it represents your company well. If not, put together a plan to fix it. Could be one of the most important marketing efforts you do.

Correct or not, it has presented an anology that has been used in business over the years and I would like to make the point we see many businesses doing this with their marketing as well.

Here is a common conversation we have with business owners.

3hats: “So tell us what marketing activities you have done in the last 6 months.”
owner: “Well I had an ad in the local coupon pack.”
3hats: “Did it work for you? What was your goal for doing it?”
owner: “I don’t know….”
3hats: “What was your reason for doing it?”
owner: “I don’t know… I guess because my competitor did it.”

Often times business owners take actions with their marketing efforts solely based upon the actions of their competitors. Why is that wrong? Well, even though you are competitors and may offer customers similar products or services, there are many more things different between your businesses. Potentially your budget, your ideal customer, your geographic target area, your capacity, your services, your profit margin on certain products or services, your business model, your business goals, your vision, etc.

Instead, we advise companies to stick to the following for their marketing activities:

Follow your goals

Understand what you are trying to accomplish with your business (as well as your marketing) and stick to it! Set goals for yourself and determine the best ways to accomplish them in the most cost effective way. Know what your competitors are doing, but try not to let that influence the decisions you are making for your business – because as we pointed out above, you may not understand why they are making those decisions and as a result, may not be the right ones for you.

Follow your audience

Make sure you know where your ideal client is looking for the type of products and services you offer, and how they like to be communicated to – then go it ‘em. Be creative in how you reach out to them. Understand under what circumstance do they have a pain you can fix with your product or service and reach them then.

Follow your plan

Almost weekly businesses are presented with new marketing opportunities and new ways to spend their money. Develop a plan and weigh each marketing tactic against that plan. Is this the best way to spend these dollars? Do I know what I can expect as a result of spending this money? Does what I expect align with my business goals?

A little bit of thought and a little bit of discipline with your marketing can go a long way to help you reach your business goals. If you would like to discuss marketing planning or evaluate some of your marketing tactics further, please give us a call.

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Now you can move into your new Estridge home, fully furnished and completely finished – on move-in day. Work with our professional designers, who decorated our Estridge model homes, to fully furnish your home exactly the way you imagine it – with you living in it, not just building it. Not only will you have a brand new home, but brand new furniture to go in it!

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Three Hats Marketing is announcing a brand new marketing program for local businesses spending $1000 or more per month on yellow page advertising and not seeing the results they are looking for in this investment.

Three Hats Marketing will put together a marketing program for these companies, utilizing the same budget amount currently being spent on yellow page ads per month – and as a result, even go as far as to guarantee greater results than companies are getting from their current Yellow Pages investment. If after three months of work and a business doesn’t agree they are getting better results, Three Hats Marketing will refund their money.

Three Hats Marketing is currently looking to take on one business per yellow pages category for this special offer.

“This is certainly a ‘no-loss’ opportunity for businesses,” says Matt Maudlin, co-owner of Three Hats Marketing. “Most Yellow Page advertising is done by companies who either see their competitors doing it and therefore feel required, or just do not know of a better way to reach their target audience. Now there is a custom solution available for them, and even at no risk.”

Advantages of this program over the traditional yellow page ads:

For more information on this program, or to schedule an assessment appointment with Three Hats Marketing, please call Matt Maudlin at 317.407.9110 or Chad Myers at 317.431.4306

FAQs

Q. Can I participate now even though my yellow pages commitment has not expired?

A. Yes, this program does not require you to do only one or the other. It is however geared toward those businesses who want to leverage a pre-existing marketing investment into a program that is guaranteed to yield results, but if you want to do both, that is your choice.

Q. Can I have you hold my spot until my contract with Yellow Pages has expired?

A. Yes, we can put you first in line in that spot, but if another company comes along and is ready to begin paying for our services in that category, we will give that category to them.

Q. If I choose to participate, what is the process we go through?

A. If you choose to be a part of this program, Three Hats Marketing will sit down with you for a free consultation, learning about your current marketing initiatives, the results of those initiatives, business goals, ideal client and more. We will then assess if we believe we can yield a greater result than you are currently getting with your Yellow Pages investment. If we believe we can, we will take you on as a client. If after three months of working with you and we are NOT meeting our pre-established and agreed upon results, then Three Hats Marketing will allow you to get out of the contract and we will refund your money.

Q. Do you have a pre-existing system that each company is put through?

A. No, because every company is different. Their goals, their audience, and how their audience wants to be communicated to – all different. That is why we meet with each company before we agree to take them on as a client.

Q. Would you consider working with a company who is investing LESS than $1,000 per month on Yellow Pages?

A. The simple answer is no. For us to be effective with our marketing, we need to be doing a minimum amount of effort each month and that is where we have seen the cutoff to be most effective.

Q. If I am investing more than $1,000 per month on Yellow Pages currently, would you consider helping me for a less investment (but still at or above $1,000)?

A. It depends. We really would need more information to evaluate whether the goals you currently have with your Yellow Page efforts can still be exceeded by reducing your investment. We don’t want to suggest either way until we meet to discuss your business.

Q. Do you have any case studies where you have helped a business in this capacity?

A. Yes and no. First the yes part – at Three Hats Marketing, we have helped many businesses grow efficiently and cost effectively with our efforts. If you are interested in talking with some of our clients, we would be happy to put you in touch with them. Now the no part – our Yellow Pages program is new for us. We saw a need and are filling it – simple as that. To us, the problems are the same how can we assist a company in reaching their business goals through effective marketing strategy, management and execution, so we are confident we will be successful with this effort as well.

Marketing budgets have certainly been reduce compared to years past, but there are three other points have stuck out the most for me.

• Reduction of marketing staff
• Decrease in advertisement in traditional media
• Continued decline of newspapers

One way we serve our clients at Three Hats Marketing is by operating as their Outsourced Marketing Director / Department. We are seeing more and more companies cutting their in-house Marketing Departments and turning to outsourcing as cost-cutting tactic. While outsourcing the marketing director position or event the entire marketing department responsibilities has been around for a while, we are seeing businesses explore this route more seriously as budgets continue to contract.

In preparing the 2009 marketing plans for our clients, we were surprised by how many clients proactively approached us about reducing advertising in traditional media. The effectiveness and ROI of these tactics have always been ambiguous and difficult to measure but in general clients always “felt” it was just something they had to do. The ever-changing tides of our economy is forcing marketers and business executives to be more aggressive with measuring the effectiveness of every dollar.

It seems that every week I read or hear of another newspaper cutting staff or even closing their doors. This is occurring at a much more rapid rate that I expected. With the amount of digital media outlets, Smart Phones, Twitter, Blogs, etc, information is being digested differently than it had been even 3 years ago.

Geoff has other sound predictions and background information. Below are Geoff’s marketing predictions and the full post can be found here Seven Predictions for 2009 and we highly encourage you to read it.

Let me know your marketing and advertising predictions for 2009 and if you’ve noticed any surprising trends.

1. No doubt about it, marketers will be cutting back on advertising spending this year.

2. Among traditional media, newspapers, radio and magazines will see the worst declines.

3. Advertisers’ pull-back in overall marketing spending, coupled with a serious re-examination of traditional media, will set in motion a series of permanent changes that will affect how media is planned and measured, as well as the media mix itself.

4. Throughout all this economic shrinkage, the Internet will continue to grow, though at a far more constrained pace. eMarketer projects online ad spending will rise 8.9% in 2009, after an already ratcheted-down rate of 11.3% in 2008.

5. Despite the general consensus that online will ride out the storm, expect to see a growing contingent of bearish forecasters disparaging its prospects. Ironically, many of these doom-mongers will hail from the Internet space.

6. Growth in online display advertising will languish—but only in terms of absolute-dollar spending, and the effects will be temporary.

7. E-commerce, already hammered in 2008, will see growth slip even further, from 7.2% in 2008 to a measly 4.1% in 2009.

Tom Smith is the founder of Trendstream, a research consultancy that specialises in providing research and consultancy on social media, web and mobile. He formerly worked as Head of Consumer Futures at Universal McCann.

Social media continues to grow globally in terms of adoption, usage, interest and impact in a massive way. It’s undeniably changing the way that content and information work particularly in terms of the publishing of consumer opinion. This has transformed the way that consumers relate to brands and the way that brands should operate, driving direct interaction, transparency and a more consultative approach.

However, we still operate in a system defined by the old media world and consequently big brand involvement is still in the main tentative and sporadic. From my experience of trying to get big brands to embrace the social revolution, there are a number of reasons why they have yet to embrace the real opportunities that involvement can deliver:

1. Social Media is often viewed as just another marketing channel: It is of course so much more; it is a completely different approach to interacting with consumers and customers. Of course, you can advertise in a social media environment, but the true return on investment comes from developing communities, creating content to be shared, and talking and listening directly with consumers.

2. It does not fit into current structures: True social media falls somewhere between marketing, PR, communications, content production and web development. No one is quite sure whose responsibility it is and who should ultimately deliver their organisation’s social media strategy.

3. Communities and content are global: Users of social media connect, consume, and share content globally with little care for international borders. Marketing and PR departments and objectives are set up nationally or regionally. Very few organisations have a truly international structure and perspective.

4. Social media needs a long term approach: To build community, distribute content, or get people actively involved in an application takes time. Marketing and PR work on short time frames and are wedded to sets of individual campaigns or short term objectives. Social media is not a campaign, it’s a permanent approach.

5. No guaranteed results: You book advertising and it’s guaranteed to work. For, example you book a web campaign on page views and you keep going until you reach your goal. This is what advertisers call a push medium, i.e. you choose when people see it. Social media is a pull medium; usage and interaction is totally dependent on the user choosing to do so. If it’s not relevant or lacks creative brilliance it will not work. This makes it hard.

6. The metrics are new: Companies are used to the big numbers of advertising, but these numbers are different. Advertising is measured in booked exposures, i.e. page views, while social media is measured in direct interactions, i.e. number of friends, number of views or number of users. These numbers will always be smaller, but not necessarily any less measure of success.

Read the full post at Mashable.com