Tomato Fish Marketing

On Friday, November 13th we will be hosting our monthly Whiteboard Strategy Session (Broad Ripple office) from 10a to 11:30a.

This month we will discuss the TOMI Triangle:

• What it is.
• What it does.
• How you can use it.

Don’t bother with Google – you won’t find it, just show up and find out what the TOMI Triangle is.

Please RSVP so we have enough refreshments for everyone!

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Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, 27-year-old entrepreneurs, have built the world’s largest eco-friendly cleaning brand, Method (sold at Target). In February 2001, they mixed their first four cleaning sprays and had the managers of 20 independent groceries itching to try them. Once they researched the market opportunity and got these stores to agree to try them, they pooled their money and built Method.

Reader’s Digest interviewed this entrepreneurial pair asking how they pulled off the launch of their new products in the middle of a recession (2001). Their answer? The recession forced them to sharpen their differentiators and make their product USP easy to grasp. To someone starting a business, Eric and Adam suggest understanding how your product or service brings value to consumers with extreme clarity.

Be clear and concise about your unique selling proposition.

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Every month Jon Speer (Creo Quality) and I host a Whiteboard Strategy Session in my office and ultimately the discussion moves into Social Media and all that it entails. Most of the time we have at least one person who is Social Media adverse and is pained by trying to keep up with everything that is going on in the Social Media world.

This morning Harvard Business Publishing had a great post on this very topic – check it out…

“Social media trends happen fast. Just when you’ve got your Facebook account set up, everyone’s tweeting instead. When embarking on using social media at your organization, don’t get hung up on trying to keep up. Even technology gurus have a hard time keeping track of all of the emerging tools and technologies. Instead, focus on what matters most to you, your team, and your organization. Only a few technologies will truly be helpful in achieving your goals and those are the only ones you need. By shutting off the noise of trying to keep up, you free yourself to make the most of the tools that will support you in what truly matters.“

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Reblog from Creo Quality:

I caught about 10 minutes of NPR today. Author John Freeman was on the Diane Rehm show. Freeman was talking about his latest book, “The Tyranny of Email: The Four-Thousand-Year Journey to Your Inbox“. I have not read the book nor did I catch enough of the interview to comprehend the author’s point of view. However, Rehm offered a statistic that I think is remarkable: employees spend 40% of their work day dealing with emails.creoquality.com, The Tyranny of Email, Oct 2009

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I recently got the Glodan postcard in the mail and loved what “Dan the Paper Man” had to say…

“A lawyer had successfully handled a difficult law case for a wealthy friend. Following the happy outcome of the case, the friend and client called on the lawyer, expressed his appreciation of his work and handed him a handsome Moroccan leather wallet. The lawyer looked at the wallet in astonishment and handed it back with a sharp reminder that a wallet could not possibly compensate him for his services. “My fee for that work”, acidly snapped the attorney, “is five hundred dollars.” The client opened the wallet, removed a one-thousand dollar bill, replaced it with a five-hundred dollar bill and handed it back to the lawyer with a smile.

However, a spelling error caught my eye and took my attention away from the story.

Lesson #1 – Direct Mail is more effective with poignant stories.

Lesson #2 – Review carefully and know that spell check doesn’t catch everything.

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I found this fascinating quote today:

In reality, anyone can submit the necessary paperwork to “start” an Indiana business. In fact, there seems to be a direct relationship between business layoffs/cut backs and an influx of new start-ups. But, being out of work is not a good enough reason to start a business and starting a business is not the same as sustaining a business. As the stats for small business start-ups show, sustaining your business isn’t a walk in the park, regardless of the industry.creoquality.com, Is Now A Good Time to Start A Business?, Apr 2009

You should read the whole article.

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I found this fascinating quote today:

In a few of weeks, we will be offering another Free Whiteboard Strategy Session. The topic for next month’s event — 7 Tips to Market Your Business on the Web . Please come join us with any business development or marketing questions you’d like answered. The session takes place from 10:00 – 11:30am on September 11.creoquality.com, October 9, 2009 – FREE Whiteboard Strategy Session, Sep 2009

You should read the whole article.

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This blog post was copied from the “Welcome to Management Tip of the Day”, a free daily alert from HarvardBusiness.org. This is a great excerpt from David Armano’s “Debunking Social Media Myths” post.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Social Media is Fast, Cheap, and Easy. Well, Not Quite.

The allure of social media is that it is easy to set up, costs nothing, and grows exponentially. Yet, many companies are discovering exactly the opposite. When considering your company’s foray into social media, remember that it requires time and effort. Invest upfront to grow your social ecosystem and regularly feed it new ideas, insights, and content. Whether it’s an internal wiki, a Twitter account, or a blog, all social media initiatives require careful monitoring and management to capture
value. Social media that isn’t well-tended risks lack of adoption and participation, and becomes anything but social.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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What is Segmentation?

In a few words, it means the process of dividing into groups or categories. In email marketing, we take this a step further and say that segmentation is the creation of groups of people or organizations that share one or more characteristics that causes them to have similar product and/or service needs.

So, how can segmentation help you?

I was meeting with a client of mine yesterday and we were discussing his marketing plan, or lack thereof, and we decided that he had a great opportunity to segment his email marketing list based on 14 months of enewsletter data. Segmentation will allow him to better serve the needs of his clients through email by making sure that each segment is getting the information that they are interested in receiving. This in turn keeps his enews recipients more interested and forms more of a partnership than a “hey let me blast some general info out to you”. Also, segmentation will allow him to create small lists and achieve more targeted marketing regarding specific events or products. Smaller lists that are more targeted mean lower mailing costs and a higher return on investment.

Segmentation examples:

1. current list consists of all clients
2. split current list into 2 groups: entrepreneurs and service providers (in my clients case)
3. split those 2 groups into more targeted lists: by industry or product type

So, let’s say my client has a new entreprenuer client that has developed an idea for a new product. How will he best get this product out to the market for feedback from service providers? With his lists segmented, he can now send a simple “new product” email to those service provider types that fit that product industry or type and he knows that the right people are getting the targeted message.

This is just a simple example of how to split your lists, but it should give you a basic idea on how to get started segmenting your lists. If you’d like to learn more or want help segmenting your lists, drop us a line.

Are you an entreprenuer with a product idea or a service provider? Contact Jon Speer.

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I found this fascinating quote today:

The group (GIIRT) is about fostering innovation in businesses of all sizes and in all markets. Our next gathering, “The Big Event”, is a re-launch of sorts to really raise awareness about GIIRT and start our official cycles of “Connect – Learn – Do.”creoquality.com, September 25, 2009 – Greater Indy Innovation Roundtable (GIRRT), Sep 2009

You should read the whole article.

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