Today we're going to talk about how you're failing on social media...and what we need to do to fix it.  Take a deep breath and come down the rabbit hole with us. MULTIPLE PERSONALITY MARKETING There are a lot of different styles and approaches when it comes to marketing. And for many business owners, CMO's and other professionals, social media is still a brand new world. There's a race to keep up with the latest trends and user habits, and it seems as if every single day there's a NEW place to market.  Facebook.  Twitter.  Pinterest.  Instagram.  Snapchat.  The list goes on and on. Every single day, we're asked the same question over and over: "What's the key to successful marketing on social media?" The answer is simple. Multiple personality marketing. Today I propose to you that each... 11/12/2014

Lots of people hate their boss. I never hated him. I just wanted to strangle him half of the time. It wasn't entirely his fault, to be fair.  I'd actually blame it on a friend of mine who also had the entrepreneurial mindset. My friend made the mistake of planting an idea in my head - and that idea changed the game for me. The idea?  You'll never become a millionaire working for someone else. I set out to prove my friend wrong.  I decided I'd work so hard that I'd become a millionaire while working for someone else.   This is the story of how I ultimately had to fire my boss...and what I learned from him. Chances are good that if you're reading this, you've got these key personality traits: hunger, passion, creativity and the entrepreneurial mindset.  That's all well and good.  But som... 11/11/2014

If companies have any intention of growing in the digital age, there's one HUGE change that many of them are going to need to make. Stop creating roles called Sales and Marketing. And if you, God forbid, have an entire department called sales and marketing, blow it the hell up.  NOW. Where do I get off making comments like this?  It's simple.  Sales and marketing are two entirely different animals that require two entirely different skill sets.  If you were a spa, would you have a position called Stylist/Massage Therapist?  If you were a car dealership, would you have a position called Auto Detailer / Accounting?  Of course not.  So why would you take two entirely different jobs and make them one? To understand how this impacts you, there's one key concept you need to understand. Market... 11/10/2014

I remember our first trip driving down to Florida.  As kids, we were excited to read all of the signs along the side of the highway as we came up onto the border between North Carolina and South Carolina.  For some reason, at the time there was all of this buzz about heading "south of the border" (something that didn't have the controversial connotations that it does today).  The signs were cool and they were everywhere. The truth of it is that people are no longer reading those signs in the way that they used to.  That's right - I'm going to say it here.  Billboard advertising is all but dead.  I'm not talking about the SALE of it.  Oh no - that's alive and well.  Countless companies are pouring millions of dollars into it.  There are fancy new digital billboards where you can get your... 11/09/2014

I'm going to start this conversation by saying what every marketer wants to tell you, and most don't have the huevos to.  ROI?  Get.  Over.  It. Now that I've made a few enemies with that last line, allow me to explain. Your parents.  Your grandparents.  Your aunts and uncles.  If they knew how you were calculating ROI to make business decisions, they'd be incredibly disappointed in you. If you're one of those business decision makers who has decided to NOT jump into the world of social media because you can't figure out the exact ROI of it, then you have missed the crucial lesson of growing up. Your upbringing was everything.  The way you were nurtured and taken care of.  Your family spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on you in money and support.  So...what was the ROI? Can you put... 11/08/2014

Thinking about your brand and your logo?  You should be thinking about colors.  It's a conversation / debate I recently had with a client and a colleague in regards to our client's website design. There are a lot of doubters in the world of marketing about the roles that colors play in buying decisions. So let's dive right into the analysis with a question - one that's specifically geared towards the doubters. What color is associated with Republicans?  Democrats?  Starbucks?  Vimeo? If you knew the answers to at least one of them immediately, then keep reading. If not, then you need to spend a little more time in public. Here's why there's such swirling controversy surrounding color marketing.  Some of it is entirely subjective.  For two reasons.  1) If, from the moment you are born, y... 11/08/2014

A New Jersey guy is ripping mad at Atlantic City's Bobby Flay Steak after the restaurant charged the guy $3,750 for a bottle of wine. And to clear the air on this - as a former Jersey boy - I can say that no, despite what you see on Real Housewives of New Jersey, not everyone can afford 4G's for a bottle of wine.  (Don't ask how I know what happens on Real Housewives, please.) Here's how it went down. Joe Lentini went to a business dinner and the host encouraged him to pick out the wine.  According to Lentini, he asked the waitress to help.  "I don't know much about wine at all," he told NJ.com.  "I asked the waitress if she could recommend something decent because I don't have experience with wine.  She pointed to a bottle on the menu.  I didn't have my glasses.  I asked how much and s... 11/06/2014

Ever hear about the theory on psychological pricing?  It's the reason why you see so many retail prices with odd numbers - like $19.95.  The psych behind it is that consumers perceive these prices to be significantly lower than they actually are...tending to round down instead of up.  The idea is that it increases demand and boosts volume sales.Don't believe me?  Look around.  Start with the gas stations.  So what about what you're selling?  Whether it's homes or services...what's the selling technique that you use?Some retail establishments use a version of this to set aside clearance or discontinued items.  Look at Costco, for example.  If you see a price ending in a 7...i.e. $19.97 - you'd better scoop up 15 of them.  Because the end is near.There was a study done in 1997 by Kaushik... 11/05/2014

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Social media for businesses isn't about you talking TO customers.  It's about you having a conversation WITH them. The best example of failure in this comes from a local television station last night.  Check this out.        The iPhone shot on the left shows the post by WSHM last night - the post to the right are just a few of the comments. The comments went on and on and on - for hours.  It appeared that the only people who weren't paying attention...were the employees at WSHM.  Listen - I get it.  I worked in local television for almost a decade.  Election night is nuts at the station.  BUT - if you can't manage social media - then get the hell out of it.  Don't do it just to say you do it.  Live it.  Breathe it. Social media gives you the ... 11/04/2014

Heard a joke last week that I just had to share.  If you've already read it, then feel free to scroll past it.  I don't want you to miss the tips for your business.   While walking down the street one day a Corrupt Senator was tragically hit by a car and died. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. "Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." "No problem, just let me in," says the Senator. "Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity." "Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," sa... 11/03/2014

A lot of people like to complain about politics.  Not everyone does something about them. Tomorrow, we all have an opportunity to allow our voices to be heard.  I'm hoping each and every one of you goes to the polls. So here's an interesting question for you.  In a world that tells you to never mix politics and business...do you listen? The argument is often made that politics and religion (and perhaps sports) are the topics that should be avoided when handling clients. I, on the other hand, could make the argument otherwise. All of our clients have expressed to us where they stand politically.  Luckily, we share the same core values.  It's given us an opportunity to take many of those relationships to a deeper level.  It's established a deeper level of trust. Many of you are gasping r... 11/02/2014

Society has become so damn politically correct that everyone is afraid to break the rules.   And that often means lost opportunities for your business.   Let's take for example the senior citizen fired from Cracker Barrel earlier this year.  Let's keep in mind - this is the same company that pulled Duck Dynasty products from the shelves during a recent controversy...only to have to put them back up and apologize after a huge backlash.   Here's the story (summarized) - in case you missed it.  A homeless person comes in and asks for packets of ketchup and mayo that he can use to cook fish.  The old Vietnam vet helps the person out...and throws in a muffin.   Boom.  Fired.   In fairness, it's not the first time Cracker Barrel yelled at him for being a good person.   Because, you know...the... 11/02/2014

Starbucks just announced that starting in 2015, they'll start offering limited food and beverage delivery in some markets. It's a move that could either fail miserably or explode tremendously.  But either way...it's got people talking. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz made the announcement on Thursday. "Imagine the ability to create a standing order of Starbucks delivered hot or iced to your desk daily," he said during a conference call following their third quarter earnings report.   "That's our version of e-commerce...on steroids!" It also may be a tremendously stupid idea....on steroids. Let's examine this from the marketing perspective. First of all - in terms of public relations, nicely done.  Everyone and their (hipster) grandmother is talking about Starbucks right now. Heck, my first... 10/31/2014

There's a lesson in every campaign for every business owner.  We just have to find it.  And so as we prepare for countless little brats to demand candy in exchange for not covering our house in toilet paper, let's look back on the case study of a zombie event I ran last year when I was working with a Manchester car dealership. Buckle up.  First - the back story. Two years, the Christmas tree that's lit at a big annual holiday event in on Main Street in Manchester, CT was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy - the top half was blown off.  There was no money to replace it and the committee was going to cancel the huge event.  I proposed that instead we light it...calling Sandy the Grinch that tried to steal Christmas...leaving us with a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. The local media went NUTS.  Th... 10/30/2014

We work with a LOT of different businesses.  From real estate agents to car dealerships.  From lawyers to retail shops.  And if there's one consistent mistake that businesses make when it comes to social media, it's this: social media isn't about talking TO your customers. It's about having a conversation WITH them. Think of social media as the biggest cocktail party you've ever been to. It's all of the different groups you've ever been to hanging out in one place. As you flow from room to room, you have different conversations. In the living room is Facebook.  People are talking about how they heard about the party and what's been going on.  There's talking a little business...they're talking a little Hollywood. You go into the kitchen to grab some snacks, and there's Pinterest.  They'... 10/29/2014

I'm pretty convinced that every house has a soul.  Or something like it. Some houses are evil - like the house we bought last year.  I don't think it was born evil - I think it turned that way through years of neglect and abuse from the previous owners (speaking of evil...). But I think there are other houses that are good.  Like my first home. When I walked in the door the first time I looked at the house, I felt an energy.  It was like walking into my grandparents' house when I was a kid.  Even though the house was empty, it just felt filled with LOVE. Buying a home is an emotional experience - filled with stress and excitement...anxiety and anticipation.  But so is SELLING a home. My parents are in the process of moving.  I can only imagine how difficult it must be to leave a house y... 10/28/2014

  Schedule a Showing/Request Info Search All Homes For Sale Homes Close to Where You Work Free List of Foreclosed Homes For Sale What is Your Home Worth? Short Sale Homes For Sale Mortgage & Refinance FREE HUD Report: How to Buy FREE List of HUD Homes for Sale   Beth McIntyre Keller Williams Realty 860-508-7855 Questions?Schedule a Showing!   Licensed In:CT License #:0388065 Information valid for the date of this posting only. Please contact us for the most current information and status of this property. 70 Wells Street Manchester, CT Scan with your smartphone & take me with you. Description Photos Maps & Local Schools Print Brochure         $ Click for current price 3550 Square Feet Owner will arrange viewing of one unit then if interest others will then be arranged. Extra acreage ma... 10/28/2014

It's a simple question, really.  If you had to pick between losing your wallet or your phone - which would it be?   With Apple Pay hitting the market hard, we're very quickly seeing the death of the wallet.  In 72 hours, Apple saw over a million cards activated.  It makes you stop and think about what else in your wallet is going the way of the phone. Not that I'd want to lose my wallet - I'm sure NOBODY wants to deal with the DMV to get a replacement license.  With that being said, even that can be ordered online through your phone in some states. But it's not about the items of value that are in your wallet - it's about the items of value in your phone. Let's think about this from a business perspective:  Money- I don't know about you, but I have very little cash that I carry around a... 10/27/2014

Last week, I examined the pro's and con's of SEO.  Today, we're going to look at SEM - search engine marketing.  And I'm going to show you how an aggressive SEM campaign can be used in a very evil way. We're not going into too much detail on the individual categories today - but rather on the sick and twisted way you can use them.  Happy Halloween week, folks. Am I suggesting you take this approach?  No - but I'm letting you know that you need to be very, very careful and understand the risks. We're going to start by breaking SEM down into four different categories. 1.  Pay per click - this is where you pay every time someone clicks on your ad - and you don't pay unless they do (with the exception of whatever management fee you may be paying a company to oversee this campaign - more on ... 10/26/2014

Shirley Anita Chisholm once said "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth."   That's what's always driven the caused-base marketing that The Silent Partner Marketing does in partnership with select clients.  And yesterday...we had the great privilege of advancing a campaign with a company called Always Best Care Senior Services of Central Connecticut.   The idea behind the campaign is simple.  Making Seniors Smile is all about doing just that...and inspiring others to do the same.   You'll hear about yesterday's campaign in an upcoming article (when the video is done)...but first, I want to share with you what our last campaign was all about.   We had the privilege of bringing together three VERY unique local companies for one great cause.   A couple in thei... 10/25/2014