The Wax Blog

How much time should you spend on a weekly basis doing marketing and promotion tasks? It will vary of course but there are some rules I've learned working with a broad swath of companies and industries over the past couple decades including B2B, B2C, online and retail.Feel free to poke holes in my theories here...but tell us all WHY so we can learn from your successes.

[caption id="attachment_928" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Wax Marketing mug to the first 5 who ID this photo"][/caption] I got so many questions about my last post "7 Steps to Bigger Marketing Muscle in 2010" I thought I'd give you some detail on each one of the steps.  Measurement seems to be really tricky for people - but it's actually pretty simple. Once you have some basic measurements in place and you feel a need to go deeper, visit KD Paine's measurement blog - she's the real guru. I'd love to hear specific examples of how people are measuring their own results, so comment away! Here's my quick and dirty take -

I  tell my clients that marketing is a lot like working out - you have to be consistent or you won't see results. No one expects to see muscles popping out all over after one visit to the gym. For the same reaons you can't expect immediate, lasting results from one promotional campaign. As you look toward 2010 and what will surely be a better year for all of us, it might help to build a marketing practice that looks a bit more like a workout schedule. Here are few ways to do just that.

[caption id="attachment_887" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="John Wooden, the greatest coach of all time"][/caption] A couple years ago I started a coaching service called Waxcoach - it was a fun and inexpensive way to help small business owners, authors and entrepreneurs learn the basics of PR and tactics for doing it themselves. And then I got REALLY busy working on some high profile campaigns like Dan Buettner's The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest , Yale University's Weight Bias Campaign and others. Time's a bit more manageable now and I'm really excited to announce that I'm doing one on one coaching again. Here's the scoop - it's pretty affordable, you just buy a package of hours - minimum of 10 at $125 per hour. Folks who read this blog also get a 30 minute phone consultation totally free.

There are so many books out there for business owners on how to do your own marketing and/or public relations. Frankly most of them say the same thing - know the reporter, don't be too salesy, etc. Here are my top five picks - not only are these books current, they go into real tactics that you can use right away. I think if you read these books, whether you're a  small business owner, author, entrepreneur.... you can  start promoting or upgrade what you're already doing and get some results fast.
  1. Obviously social media  is one of the best (and cost-effective) ways to promote your business, service, book, whatever.  The definitive manual (and New York Times bestseller) on the subject is Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. Smith and Brogan describe not only HOW to use social media, but WHY you want to use it and most importantly, how to measure your success.  The book covers the basics of social media so a newbie can learn but also dives into the more sophisticated aspects of the medium

We've had some juicy celebrity crisis' lately that make writing this post lots of fun. When your company, product or personal brand encounters a crisis it's important to decide what 'voice' you're going to use.  Choosing the right approach is one of the reasons little-known (but uber-powerful) flacks like Marty Chalmers and Eliot Mintz make the heavy wood.  Let's take a look at some of the characteristics of voices being used most recently - as well as a few thrown in from the past.

Above It - How can I write this post without addressing Tiger Woods' current situation? As I write this, he has refused to meet with the police and has posted a note on his website thanking his well- wishers and telling everyone the rumors are all lies and he wants to keep this 'private'. First of all, not cooperating with the police right away sends the message that the guy has something to hide. Second, he doesn't tell us what happened. Apparently we aren't privileged enough to hear the real story. How would we feel if Oprah showed up 50 pounds thinner and refused to tell us how she did it? This voice implies arrogance and an attitude that Tiger's above it all. Not a good move for America's favorite sports hero and NEVER a good move if the law is involved.

I'm straying way off course and off schedule in honor of the 7th anniversary of Wax Marketing - today! My biggest lesson? Dealing with the big GWF - the gut wrenching fear that comes with owning a small business. I don't think it's good marketing strategy, or business acumen, or networks that makes or breaks a small business. I think it's the ability to deal with fear. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, right?So the next time you wake up in the middle of the night worried about that big check you need to cover payroll - or  when half your customers decide your service is a "luxury" they can do without - try these and see if they work. Here's how I've learned to deal with GWF  over the past seven years. I hope you'll add your own fun tips and ways to get around it too!

Hopefully you haven't had a crisis that made you pull your hair out but chances are, if you stay in business it will come sooner or later. Communicating during crisis is a big topic - but content is scarce on this one so I'm going to write about it in at least a couple posts. For this one I'll define crisis in the PR 2.0 world, give you an example of a couple bad responses to crisis - and a few ideas for devising your own crisis plan. Would love to hear any stories about crisis you've got as well.

Flacks get a lot of, well, FLACK. Some of it deserved and some of it not. If you're a new product, new author, small business or otherwise lower profile brand it can take a long time to establish a media footprint, digital or otherwise. Getting placements right away isn't always the best measurement as things can take a long time. It's time to give new buyers of public relations services a checklist for separating the rock stars from the ones with rocks in their head. Please add your own thoughts but let's not rant. We've got the Bad Pitch Blog for that!