Apu marketing seminar

MARKETING 2014Growing a business in a rapidly changing world.

Talking Points…• Why It Matters

• Whether building a business or just keeping an old one going.

• Marketing 101• Wrapping your head around the big picture.

• The Creative Conundrum• How to know what is good when you aren’t sure you know what is

good.

• New World Media• From Facebook to Twitter through Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat

and the Web.

A Business Fundamental

Question

What one thing must any business do to survive?

Answer

Make money.

An All Too Common Mistake

72% of all small businesses fail in their first two years.

Why?

Because they have a “Field of Dreams” mentality about their business.

They think, ‘If You Build It, They Will Come” is an axiom.

The problem is that it isn’t an axiom. It’s just an easy way to go out of business.

Now Wait Just a Doggone Minute!

You May Think…

‘I’m not going to start a business, I’m going to work for someone who is already in business, so I don’t need

to know this.’

You May Want to Rethink…

• We never really know which direction our career will take us and the world is changing fast.

• Understanding the key principles of company growth and effective use of today’s media creates a solid foundation no matter where you end up.

• Otherwise.. For God’s sake, go to Starbucks!

A Confession

• Dr. Farwell, Asked me to come and talk about Websites.

• That’s a little like me coming to you and saying …• “Gee, I have this pain running down the side of my leg. Will you fix

my leg for me?”

• You’re thinking – “Well, I’m not sure the problem is your leg. It could be your back, your leg or your brain.”

• So we’re going to talk about a little more than just websites.

WHY YOU SEE SO MUCH BAD MARKETINGBecause most of the time the sole focus of the marketing exercise is the creative, and most people design creative that appeals to them instead of to their customers…

Bad Ad

British fashion designer Harvey Nichols thought this graphic campaign illustrated the models’ excitement in wearing his new styles.

Marketing Your Business

• Keeping it basic…

• There are four fundamental elements to marketing your business.

1. Identify Your Customer

2. Determine Their Need(s)

3. Create Your Message

4. Make Your Message Heard

Identify Your Customer

• Any marketing exercise starts with one basic step.

• Who are we talking to?

In your business…• Who is your customer?

• What are the characteristics of the customer you want?

• Are you defining a “valid” customer?

It’s actually a harder question than you might think!

NEEDLE SCRATCHING ON RECORD SOUND ….It is very important that you take time to write some of these things down as you go through the process. Otherwise in critical moments you will forget critical factors.

A Valid Customer• Is the customer you’re describing…

• Identifiable? • Can you effectively name who they are in a way that is very clear?• Can you create a “Tommy Bahama?”

• Reachable? • Is there a place where your customer is likely to see your message?• And just as importantly, where will they NOT see your message?

• Able to pay?• You’d think this would be self explanatory but it isn’t.• As an important safety tip, it is important to have customers who can pay.

• Do they have an identifiable need for your product or service?

Know Your Customer’s Need

• You’re thinking… We’re physical therapists, their need is to get better.• And that’s partially true, but it isn’t the whole story.

• The complication is that there are actually a LOT of physical therapists.

Search “Physical Therapy, Pasadena.

The Key is to Stand Out

And this requires a broader understanding of their need.

• “Fix them” by reducing their pain or getting their joints to work again or better is their primary need.• Most patients will believe (rightly or wrongly) that most physical

therapists can “fix them.”

• So what is their secondary need?• Timeliness: “We Get You In And Out On Time.”• Friendliness: “We have the most understanding therapists in LA”• Specialty: “ .. You give it a shot …• Access… “We have the most convenient parking lot to door access

in Los Angeles!”

IN A CROWDED MARKETStanding out may mean that you emphasize those secondary or even tertiary needs above all other.

“We take care of all of your Medicare billing for you and you willnever see a bill.”

WHAT ADS HAVE YOU HEARDThat emphasize the secondary or terciary benefit?

Create Your Message• Don’t Get Too Cute!

• If your message is that you are knee experts just say, “We Know Knees.”

• Saying, “Are you Kneedy? Do your Knees Kneed a Break? Let Us Knead Your Knees,” may sound mildly cute (or rather bizarre), but it it unlikely to hit home to a person with so many options.

• Make sure you use a voice that your customer will appreciate.• Is your customer a young professional?

• Then use short sentences and get to the point.

• Is your customer a senior? • Then use sentences with enough clarity to make your message clear.

Senior CitizenYoung Professional

More Than One Kind of Customer

Convenience

Ease of Access

Medicare Billing

Hot Therapists

Expertise

On Time

Web Based Aids

Patience

High Tech

Friendliness

Hot Therapists

Prioritize Messaging with Highest Overlap

Bad AdUh … Whoops!

A Billboard from Encinitas California was actually for Sunglasses…

Surprisingly, it was coopted for many other purposes on twitter and other social media.

Make Your Message Heard

Then

• Doctor Recommendation• Two Martini Lunch

• Phone Book• Signage• Brochure

• In Doctor’s Office

• Recommendation from a friend

• Billboard• But probably not the “sit on

your face” one.

Now

• Doctor Recommendation• One Martini Lunch?

• Google Search• Website• Yelp

• Keep an eye on your reviews

• Takeaway in Doctor’s Office• Steers patient to site

BUILDING GREAT CREATIVEIn the marketing world, creative is a noun.

A GREAT WAY TO KNOW YOU’RE OFF TO A GOOD START…Does the marketing exercise start by identifying the customer or debating this sort of odd color of orange?

Jim’s Approach to Building Creative• Step One: I hire creative agencies.

• Because I want a broader perspective than I will get from freelance.• I can do it myself, but any agency will do better work than me.• My time is worth more than I spend. (on an hourly basis).• I hire agencies that ask me good questions.• I don’t hire agencies that blow smoke.

• Step Two: I give clear direction for finite projects.• I tell the agency what I want in terms of material, etc., (output) and I

tell them how I will measure success.

• Step Three: I evaluate creative with a methodical approach• Because it is too easy to get caught up in “I like this,” “I don’t like

that” exercises.

Jim’s Creative Evaluation Approach

Content

Does the piece say what you want it to say?

Structure

Does the piece convey the message in a way that makes the priority clear?

“Read Order”

Style

Does the piece use a visual style that will appeal to my customer?

I have to force myself to use this approach every time…

Great Creative

Great Creative II

Great Creative III

BREAK TIMEAfter the Break.

Websites and New Media

Why Social Matters

How to Make the Web Work For You

Bad Ad

Le Redoute

Leave it to the French.

The ad looks just fine.

Fun Kids.

Cool Clothes.

Nice Beach.

Creepy Naked Dude in the background.

Building a Great Website• A great website is engaging.

• It fights off the tyranny of the back button• By making sure the primary message comes through immediately.

• A great website requires no operational thought.• It is easy to navigate• And easy to find the information you seek

• A great website is “responsive.”• It displays readily on whatever device someone chooses to use.

• A great website is well constructed.• It is built to be indexed by search engines.• Its images are optimized for rapid display.• Its navigation works equally well on mobile or desktop.

Is This a Great Site?

VicentPT.com

How About This One?

CatzPTi.com

And this one?

PasadenaPT.com

Content Is King

• Search mechanics have changed.• Hummingbird

• Google no longer ranks on Keywords or Metatags• These components are used to find

content but not to rank results.

• Search ranks on content relevant to the search.• What? You didn’t know this?

• Blogs are extremely powerful.

• Images are powerful, so long as they are “searchable.”

• A Blog Needn’t “Blog.”

• Short, easy to read articles• “Cup-of-Coffee Reads”

• Steps, Interactive Exercises and How To’s

• Every post should include key search terms.• Physical Therapy, not PT.

Blog Posts Should be “Shared” on Personal and Business Social Media

Content is words and pictures, not tags or labels.

How Social Works

The average college graduate has 850 “friends.”

The Web Isn’t Just a Site Anymore• Any promotional strategy must include applicable social media

channels.

• Facebook. Ubiquitous Reach• People come to Facebook to Socialize

• Twitter. A quick, simple message• A daily health thought?

• Pinterest. Used more by women than men• A back exercise Pin board?

• Instagram. Connected to (Owned by) Facebook• Gives an image of the Doctors’ and Therapists’ humanity.

Making the Web Work for You• All channels are interconnected.

Blog Post

“Friend” “Likes”

“Like” is Shared

Searcher sees Share

Share = Endorsement

And the most effective strategies use this as an advantage.

The “Other” Side of Social• Customer reviews have become the bane of many small

businesses’ existence.• “When I left XXX physical therapy I was in more pain than when I

arrived!”

• The key is to understand that these things are going to happen.• Monitor.. Have someone check every morning.• Respond… “please call us as soon as possible.”• Overwhelm… Get happy customers to write reviews.

• “Write a review, next visit we’ll waive your copay.”

• You don’t need to “join” Yelp to manage reviews• And joining won’t make you more likely to be seen.

Beware Snakeoil Hucksters• Small businesses have always been the target of scam

organizations.• Fire inspections…

• These days, sadly, the biggest challenges are advertising scams.• “I can get you on the front page of Google.”

• Use the “mandatory 24 hour cooling off” rule.• Use common sense.• If it sounds too good to be true … “________________.”

Recap …• It all starts with the message.• Who’s the target customer?

• Who are you talking to?• What is the best thing to say to them?• What is the best way to say it?

• Remember the rules for a good website.• The message is clear.• It works.• It’s social.

• Don’t get lost in the creative.• You don’t want to make my “bad ads” examples.

• When you’re ready, hire an expert.• Because you don’t think it’s a good idea for me to do therapy on me.

THANKSIt’s an honor to be here today with you all …

Or at least …. With most of you.