Marketing God

Is it wrong to advertise against God?

It's the big story in Toronto today and the TTC (our public transportation system administrators here) are in the process of answering that question.

A group called the Freethought Association of Canada (http://freethoughtassociation.ca/n2ew/) are going to place adverts in Toronto buses stating "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

Provoked yet?

Now, religious advertising on the transit system is nothing new. A group calling itself Bus Stop Bible Studies (http://www.busstopbiblestudies.com/) have been advertising for a while now. And no one ever seemed to raise a stink about Bible verses hanging over their heads on the commute to work.

Religious groups are –of course- poised to protest the Freethought Association for what they deem to be offensive advertising. But I would caution them against that.

This is a golden opportunity for religious groups to reach out and engage in the kind of marketing push God really needs right now.

Let's be honest. It's been a tough time for The Supreme Being. Holy Wars, cultural shifts, value changes have all left the Big Guy a little deflated. If anyone needs a re-branding, it's God.

Part of the reason for the God Brand being hurt, is that he's been marketed wrong for years now. Old man with beard, angry deity demanding sacrifice, dispassionate omnipotent force calling for judgement. Doesn't exactly make you want to rush to church.

But those that know their stuff, know that that isn't what God is about. And it's time that they start re-introducing us to Him. What better way than an advertising campaign?

I ask –and I challenge- religious groups of all kinds to take up the cause and fire back with a pithy ad of their own. Find a marketing firm that will rise to the occasion, and launch a counter strike. This could be the most important series of advertisements since Pepsi and Coke went at it during the 1980s.

God has always been marketed. "Our god is better than your god" is probably the oldest slogan in history. "God is great" is really just a religious company motto.

Religious groups should see this as a chance to reconnect people to the God that inspired people to great things: for Jesus to love his enemies, for Muhammad to demand social justice, for Ghandi to seek peaceful means to an end.

Marketing God is just another exercise in sophisticated branding. The marketing of God is not about proving His existence. It's about relaying the experience of the divine, and the transformational power He's had throughout history.

People say that Coke is the biggest brand in advertising. Somehow –after today- I think they are wrong.

Yusuf Gad

President, a5MEDIA inc

http://www.a5media.ca

7 DOs for Successful Marketing on Facebook

Facebook is one of the most important marketing weapons in a small business arsenal. It’s free, it’s easy to use, and it’s a great way to get your message out there. AND it does work! I can say that in the last month we at a5MEDIA have picked up three new clients because they found us on Facebook. If you want to see results with Facebook and get the biggest bang from your online marketing, here are 7 key DOs for you to follow:

1. 
   DO have a Facebook group page AND a Facebook fan page. Having both allows you to do two things. A) It lets you have twice as much correspondence for people. B) It gives you twice as many chances to invite people to get to know your brand.


2. 
   DO link to your website, contact info and blogs. A Facebook page is just a teaser about your company. It won’t have all your company information. You need to give an avenue for people to discover your brand and services on their own terms, and find the information that is important to them.


3. 
   DO upload photos . People are visual. They want to ‘see’ the story before read it. So show off your products, services, clients, and team on Facebook by uploading their pictures. Use the picture description to tell the world a little story behind each photo, and watch your members’ interest rise!


4. 
   DO invite EVERYONE you know. The more people you invite the faster your brand awareness grows. In face it starts to grow EXPONENTIALLY, because each person that joins your group or page will set off a News Feed that will allow others to see that they have joined. People who have never met you will learn about your company!


5. 
   DO keep your pages up to date. There is no point in creating Facebook groups or pages if you aren’t going to use them as one of your ongoing marketing touch points. You need to keep posting relevant information on a continuous basis. News, product launches, success stories, tips, tricks - all of these need to be fed into your Facebook scene!


6. 
   DO send out messages regularly. Facebook is perhaps the EASIEST e-marketing tool invented. Your pages allow you to easily send messages out to everyone. What a great way to let people know about your next sale, your new open house, or your grand opening. Keep in touch with your fans, and you will always be in their minds when they are making a purchasing decision.


7. 
   DO respond to messages on your pages. If all goes well, your Facebook pages will be seen more as a community and less as a billboard. People will start talking about your business, asking you questions, and giving you testimonials. You need to be vigilant and answer each and every one of these, so that you maintain close contact with potential buyers. Become friends with them and you will have a customer for life!

7 simple DOs, when done right- and consistently -will help you get new clients and grow your brand awareness. And, hopefully, stop you from having any marketing D’OHs!

Yusuf Gad

President, a5MEDIA

http://www.a5media.ca/

6 Ways to Get FREE Marketing

As we all know, 2009 is going to be a living hell for many businesses. Revenues are going to be down, and sales will be anaemic. However, that doesn’t mean you stop going after new customers. On the contrary: you had better double your efforts! For the budget conscious, here are 6 ways to get your message out there for next to NO money:

1. BLOGGING. Blogging is a free way to get your message out there to the masses. Anyone can do it, and best of all, it is FREE, FREE, FREE! Personally, I recommend using Google’s free Blogger, but there are LOTS of different blog sites to choose from.

2. YOUTUBE. It is FREE to post videos on YouTube. Doing so can get you some free advertising. Better yet, you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Have something to say? Record it on your webcam using free webcam recording software, and add titles and special effects using Windows free editing software. Get creative and you can have a viral hit on your hands!


3. VIRTUAL DEMOS. Showing is always better than telling. So when you need to SHOW something to someone, consider producing your own demos right from your desktop. Just use free screen capturing software and you can showcase your new software , product, website or anything else on your computer, then easily upload it so that the world can watch it.

4. REMOTE COLLABORATION. Is distance an issue when trying to conduct business? Today, it is easier –and cheaper- than ever to expand your client base globally. Companies like DimDim are providing FREE online collaboration tools that allow you to connect with people anywhere in the world and review materials, do presentations, VOIP, do white board sessions – with clients anywhere in the world! No more need to currier things back and forth, or to take long trips to see potential customers.


5. FACEBOOK. Getting your business on Facebook is a great way to expand your brand awareness and to introduce it to the world. Facebook allows you to set up pages for your business, where you can showcase it and develop legions of fans for it. Invite people to join your page, and watch the word of mouth spread!

6. EMAIL MARKETING. Staying in contact with your clients is vital for business success. Free email marketing solutions like Email Marketing Professional allow you to produce professional email marketing campaigns, and eNewsletters that keep your message front and centre to your clients. Better yet, it can be integrated into your website to allow people to sign up to your correspondence!

Don’t let cost be a factor for your business growth in 2009.

There are many ways to get your message out there without breaking the bank.

Do you have any ideas we’ve missed? Let us know! We love hearing from you!

Yusuf Gad
President, a5MEDIA inc
http://www.a5media.ca/
**Don’t forget to ask us about our FREE marketing consultation service!**

Greenwashing: the buzzword for 2009

You’ve heard it here first. The marketing term for 2009 will not be Green. But Greenwashing.

What is greenwashing? Simply put, greenwashing is the act of selling your product or service as being “green”, but in essence, there is no true environmental net benefit for the planet or society.

Wikipedia has a great article about greenwashing you can read

here.

I want to talk about greenwashing in terms of the marketing backlash, and potential disaster it can spell for your business.

You will be seeing many businesses green branding in 2009. For starters, it is a hot selling point now and for good reason.

We are all becoming more conscious about the damage we are doing to our society. And, with the election of President Obama, environmental policy is suddenly coming back to the forefront in the US.

Many companies will seek to ride this green wave to profit.

Now, there is nothing wrong with green branding to increase profits. In fact, I hope that people make BILLIONS going green.

But greenwashing is what we are more likely to see in 2009, and if you aren’t careful you will get caught greenwashing and your business might never recover its reputation as a result.

If you want to go green –even if it is purely for marketing purposes- it has to be seen as a sincere commitment to improving environmental standards across the board of your company and the planet.

Here are 8 important green steps you can take to ensure that you are really going green, and not just greenwashing:

1) Redeveloping your products using mostly or only environmentally sustainable materials
2) Phase out all products or services that you cannot produce or provide in an environmentally friendly way
3) Upgrading your infrastructure to use mostly or only green energy
4) Re-engineering your products to use mostly or only green energy
5) Selling only organic and green products
6) Ground your sales staff, and hold only virtual online meetings. No more flying across the country needlessly
7) Spend the money and get green certified. You can learn more about green certifications here. There might be provincial or state certifications you can look into as well
8) Ensure that your business participates in carbon offset programs

You’ll notice what is NOT listed above: things like emailing invoices instead of printing them out and mailing. Things like email signatures that say: “Please think of the environment before printing out this email.” Empty actions such as only using recycled paper.

Those are baby steps. And steps that your business should be taking whether you are going green or not. These are the LEAST we can ALL do for our environment.

You’ll also notice something else: going green in a marketable way really is not for everyone. Not because it’s not a good thing to go green (and you should regardless). Going green will do nothing for your brand if you are an administrative company like a legal firm, accounting office, or IT company. You have to either be producing a green product or service for it to make sense in a branding perspective.

Going green is about a firm commitment to have an environmentally sustainable and positive business offering. It means sacrifice and re-engineering entire business models and processes. It means a lot more than just recycling your junk mail.

In 2009, going green is going to be big. But getting caught greenwashing is going to be even bigger. If you are going to develop a green brand, make sure you do it right. If not, you will be risking your reputation in a manner that it may never recover from.

Yusuf Gad
President, a5MEDIA inc
http://www.a5media.ca

5 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Business!

Well, it's official. The economy has tanked.

With word today that super store Circuit City is closing its doors and laying off 30,000 people, we can only assume one thing: We're in a serious recession, and it will only get worse before it gets better.

Right now, businesses everywhere are in panic mode. And when businesses –especially small businesses- get into panic mode they do stupid things.

What they almost all do is freeze up. And I'm not talking about this week's ice age temperatures.

Let's get something straight: you will NOT survive this recession by doing NOTHING. No one has EVER survived a recession by doing NOTHING. And NOW is not the time to test the idea that you can.

Are you a small business? Are times looking tough? Then it's time to take ACTION! Here are 5 fool proof ways to jump start your business even during bad times:

1. Take risks. That's right. Now is not the time to play it safe. You MUST be different and stand out to capture the attention of potential buyers. Spending is going to be scarce in 2009, and you are going to have to fight for and earn every dollar.
   
2. Advertise. Newspapers, magazines, TV and radio stations are now desperate for advertising revenue. You are never going to find a better time to get a deal on advertising space than now. Set aside some money and run 3-5 ads. Even small ones can make a huge difference in sales.
   
3. Get Back to Basics. Someone once told me: "People buy from people they like". So it's time to reintroduce yourself to your customers.
   Work on your customer service skills, get back on the phone and do sales calls personally, and take your top clients out to dinner. Become their friend and your chances of keeping their business -and maybe even getting more- sky rockets.
   
4. Press the flesh. It's time to go out there and meet new people. Start networking. Make new contacts. Buy the stranger standing next to you a drink. Every person you meet is now a potential customer. The more people you meet, the more chances of one of them becoming a client.
   
5. Visit your competition. Drop by your top competitors and see what they are doing. Have they updated their website? Are they having a sale? 2009 is going to be one massive economic chess game. Predicting and reacting to your competition will be essential to your survival.
   

Don't think for a second that you will survive 2009 by not marketing yourself. You need to be out there more than ever, because consumers on all levels are staying home. You need to go out there and FIND your next customer –not wait till they walk into your store or business.

Yusuf Gad

President, a5MEDIA

http://www.a5media.ca

Learn Branding by Watching Spongebob Squarepants

Who would have thought a cartoon could teach you so much? But it can. I sincerely believe that you can learn a lot about branding from watching Spongebob Squarepants.

If you don't know who or what that is, let me give you a quick rundown:

Spongebob is cartoon character. He's a yellow, square shaped, impossibly positive, sea sponge that lives in the under water city of Bikini Bottom. He works at the restaurant called the Krustry Krab, serving their signature dish called the Krabby Patty. His boss is a penny pinching, giant, red crab called Eugene Krabs (Mr. Krabs to you), and his co worker is a grumpy, squid called Squidward Tentacles.

Got all that?

So what can you learn about branding from Spongebob? Lots:

Internal Branding: Employees That Champion Your Brand

Spongebob – Every business needs a Spongebob or Spongebob's as employees. These are people that are not just happy at work, but LOVE what they do. Spongebob takes great pride in what he does. He goes out of his way to service his patrons, and to push the Krusty Krab brand.

Squidward – Every business –unfortunately- has a Squidward. This is the office clock watcher, the cubical grump. They only see what is negative about a company, and making clients happy is the last thing on their minds. Squidwards must be minimized or eliminated completely from your company. Unhappy employees have no business at your business. They will kill your brand.

The lesson here: finding the right employee is essential to developing a brand from the inside out.

Brand Management: Developing Your Brand Smartly

Mr. Krabs – This should be you – the entrepreneur. Mr. Krabs enjoys his work. He is proud of his business and works hard at it. But he doesn't do the cooking or the cleaning. His job is to make his business money. He is always looking for ways to increase sales, and to cut wasteful spending. He only spends to get more.

Krusty Krab – The best restaurant in town, and it has a wonderfully memorable name (hint, hint). The Krusty Krab is run efficiently, like a perfectly tuned watch. Mr. Krabs spends all his time ensuring that it is full to capacity. In real life it is your business.

What can you learn from Mr. Krabs? That your company should almost run itself, that you should spend your time growing your brand, and that you should invest wisely in your marketing.

Your Brand: Be Unique or Go Home

Krabby Patty – It is the only reason that people eat at the Krusty Krab. It is their signature dish. In real life, your Krabby Patty is your product or service. Your employees should know it by heart and love making or doing it. It should be delicious. It should be beautiful. It should be sought after. It should be perfect.

The Secret Formula – The Krabby Patty isn't just any other patty. It has a secret formula that makes it special, and makes Mr. Krabs very wealthy. It is so sought after that Mr. Krabs actually has an arch-nemesis that keeps trying to steal his formula. Your business has to have a secret formula. It has to have something that makes it unique. Coke has its 'ingredient X', KFC has its secret recipe of herb and spices.

The lesson here: your brand and business has to stand out. It has to offer something that no one else does. Being unique is the ultimate selling point.

Sounds weird to admit, but every time I watch Spongebob I learn more and more about marketing. Watch it sometime, and you'll be amazed at what you will learn!

Yusuf Gad

President, a5MEDIA inc

http://www.a5media.ca

The Power of Now

Today, I want to write to you about an important moment in time in a businesses' life.

As an entrepreneur, I know how distracted we can get with the daily ins and outs of business. We are constantly focused on our next deadline that we forget about now. Right now. This moment.

Books have been written on the subject of now (including the great Power of Now, from where I stole the title of this blog from). Songs have been sung about now (Any Van Halen fans out there?)

But I'd like to approach now in a slightly different angle.

I've watched many businesses differ to the future, what they have to deal with now. There is always some excuse, some reason to push something to a later date.

Right now, many businesses suffer from major weaknesses.

They hire a company like a5MEDIA and they ask us to help them, but when they hear our recommendations we are told, 'we don't have time to deal with that now. We'll deal with it later'.

They are often surprised at our response:

There is no later in marketing. There is no future. There is only ever now.

Now is said to be one of the most powerful words in marketing. You see it all the time:

Call now.

Buy now.

Sign up now.

Now on sale.

Now available.

Now for the first time.

But now is not just a buzz word. It's how you survive in business.

Right now your competition isn't waiting for you to get started, isn't waiting for you to get funding, and isn't waiting for you to make it a priority.

Right now, the market place isn't holding back until you return from vacation, or waiting for the price of gas to drop to lower costs.

Right now, the frustration of your clients is reaching the tipping point, and they are already on Google looking at other options.

Right now, that million dollar idea of yours is worth half of what it was yesterday, because someone else just thought of it.

Now is not just a measurement of time. It's a plan of attack.

Now is the time to start thinking about a new website, or dealing with your internal HR issues.

Now is the time to start researching that online billing system.

Now is the moment to begin planning to upgrade your product line to meet the needs of your clients.

Now is the moment to imagine your advertising campaign.

Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you can revolutionize a company in a moment. But you can always ask yourself: "what can I do right now to be better?" Now is always a great time to take a first step.

Do a little brainstorming on an idea, ask for advice from a mentor, drop in on your competition and take a look around. Simple things that can be done now, at any moment of now, to make your next now even better.

Now is the time to start thinking differently. Now is the time to start becoming better. Now is the beginning of something great.

Now… what can we do for you?

Yusuf Gad

President, a5MEDIA inc

http://www.a5media.ca

**Don't forget to ask about our FREE marketing consultation services!**

Marketing Pains?

Are you a small to medium sized business feeling marketing pains?

Not sure how to grow your business? Is branding getting you down?

Let us know! That's why we created this blog!

Tell us what's on your mind and let us help you make 2009 the best sales year ever for you!



Yusuf Gad
President, a5MEDIA inc.
http://www.a5media.ca
**Don't forget to ask about our FREE marketing consultation services!**

Happy New Year! Now Let's Get to Work!!

Happy New Year everyone!

Welcome to the first blog posting for 2009. a5MEDIA is thrilled to be able to do start regularly posting blogs and assist small to medium sized businesses everywhere with their marketing needs.

This blog is set up not only to dispense advice and solutions, but to be interactive. We want to hear from YOU. About your thoughts, concerns, and issues with growing your business and we will be more than happy to help out.

Before we go any further, let me just tell you a little about a5MEDIA and why this blog is different from other marketing or business blogs you might be subscribed to. a5MEDIA is unique.

Since 2004, we have been serving small to medium sized businesses with our affordable full service marketing solutions. We don't just help businesses design logos or develop websites. We provide them with the 5 KEY creative solutions needed to grow:

1. Branding
2. Market Research
3. Copy Writing
4. Design
5. Publicity and Advertising

This is the blog we hope you turn to to address ALL of your marketing needs from start to finish. So whether you are a start up company, or a firm that has been around the block a few times, allow us to answer your questions and concerns about how to grow your business.

2009 is looking to be a tough year for a lot of companies. Hopefully, with this blog, we can take ease the burden on some of you, and help you get where you need to go.

For now, I want to wish you all a great start to the New Year! If you have any questions, post them, or email us and we'll get back to you soon.

All the best,

Yusuf Gad
President, a5MEDIA inc.
http://www.a5media.ca