Small Business

Mobile: the Bacon of Tech

01/17/2012 By Therran Oliphant Leave a Comment

It’s no secret, I love mobile, smart, cell technology. It’s intriguing and it’s been so for years, even though the year of mobile has never truly arrived. What does that mean, anyway? What will the year of mobile look like? Has anyone ever defined it and if they have why haven’t they shared it with the rest of us? I say the smartphone has hit the grown up mark, since (as the Boy Genius Report tells us) smartphone penetration has grown from 18% in 2009 to 44% at the end of 2011. Now that’s a big deal. Why? Because media is powered by advertising. Media loves advertising dollars to flow through for their ability to give content to the consumer, cheaply or for free. This is what keeps the masses coming back. Given that and the fact that the power and usability of mobile technology has advanced to the point where they can handle all media consumption and technical uses, mobile has become the bacon of tech.

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Filed Under: Facebook, Hand-Raiser Blog, Mobile, Small Business, Social Media, strategy, Twitter, Video Tagged With: Android, Apple, Bacon, iOS, Media, Mobile, Smartphone, Social Media, Tablet

Build Your Own App!

11/05/2011 By Therran Oliphant Leave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago, I had an idea for a mobile application, and thought I would research it to find out if I could get it done. While not really important, I would feel remiss if I were to neglect to mention what it was, it was a parking application for those of us who like convenience in the city. What I found was Appsbar.com, and I’ve been playing with it a little bit ever since. Truthfully, I think that this could open up things for another of my favorite technologies, QR Codes, for mobile advertising and marketing. However, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Appsbar Logo [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding, Business Growth, Free Marketing Help, Hand-Raiser Blog, Mobile, Small Business, strategy Tagged With: Android, Applications, Apps, Droid, google, iOS, iPhone, iPod, Mobile phones

The Lords of Strategy

09/06/2010 By Therran Oliphant Leave a Comment

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Filed Under: Business Growth, Marketing Services, Small Business, strategy Tagged With: business strategy, economics, Management, marketing, The Lords of Strategy

Direct-Response Digital

07/06/2010 By Therran Oliphant 1 Comment

Every now and then, we hear at the Hand-Raiser Marketing offices get our dander up about something. Right now, I’m feeling like direct response has gotten a bad rap online. I’m going on a mission to either dispel or prove the theory that brand building isn’t the only type of advertising that is accepted in digital – by the average consumer. I believe this is a bunch of hippie crap but I will dive deep into the archives to see if my postulation is truth or misguided marketry.

Why do we think mobile has taken off so much? Well, because there have been spikes in purchases when direct-response ads are sent to mobile phones. When the proper display ad pops up on the webpage of the browser, clicks, learning and purchases magically appear like marketing rainbows of moments after the storm goodness. Yes, in my humble opinion, direct-response works. I’m not willing to see it mischaracterized by marketing miscreants looking to further the cause of their fluffy rhetoric or offline dinosaur-ness.

Furthermore, I have a beef with the fact that rarely do we (myself included) give the growth of digital (period) to the success of direct-response. Direct-response finds its ultimate mate in digital. The interactivity and engagement that can be coupled with a call to action can be wildly beneficial for brands. In fact, even Media Post released a blog touting that direct-response moves the needle for brands. And in a world where we’re searching for the next innovation to help digital make the huge ad spend leap that should have already happened, why wouldn’t we look to the one thing that businesses love to see…sales increases. Direct-response offers this and in a measurable way in the digital space.

Before I go to do some research, I must mention that the whole point of permission marketing is to get call to action and immediate purchase driving messages to the people that have indicated a willingness to hear that from you. Sure, building communities is great and necessary for long-term value but short term relevancy is derived from the idea that effects are to causes what “oh no she didn’t” statements are to unflattering clothing.

I like to cause things to happen. I’m like a toddler in that way – hit the pot and hear a sound. That is all. I shall return. In the meantime, if you have any research on the subject at hand, feel free to turn it over to the Hand-Raiser team for analysis.

Filed Under: Branding, Creative, Hand-Raiser Blog, Integrated Marketing Communications, Market Research, Small Business, Social Media Tagged With: beef, dander, digital, direct response, internet, marketing, messages, miscreant, online

Podcasting?

05/23/2010 By Therran Oliphant 2 Comments

Recently, I was lucky enough to be able to speak about my views on “The Value Equation” for businesses in digital marketing. I had never done a podcast before, but found that I really enjoyed being a part of it. In the podcast, on Portage Digital Media, we discussed the changes on Facebook, matching messages to an emotional connection, and the pitfalls of the “freemium” model. Central to the conversation was, “why do people pay me money for what I’m doing”?

I don’t know if this will become a regular thing, but I hope people will check it out because there is some great value interspersed with fun and jokes. David Lingholm and Jeremiah Staes of Portage are some smart guys that get it, when it comes to making money and communicating value properly.

Please check it out and tell us what you think. I truly hope you enjoy. And as always, be brilliant.

Filed Under: Branding, Customer Relationship Management, Email, Facebook, Hand-Raiser Blog, Integrated Marketing Communications, Small Business, Social Media Tagged With: content, Facebook, freemium, interruption marketing, marketing, ning, permission marketing, podcast, Social Media

In the Beginning…

05/19/2010 By Therran Oliphant 1 Comment

…marketers were able to control their message in all facets. As a business, you had 100% say over what messages about your brand were being received. Some (many) are still clinging to the idea that they can accomplish resonance via pushing messages out to consumers. Meanwhile, there are others out there that realize this is simply not possible. You can no more push messages and expect that to be a holistic view of what your receivers see, think or feel about your brand, than you can expect the telegraph to come back. Sorry, but the private business sector and general public have discovered the cell phone of marketing.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, so don’t despair! There are a multitude of ways to influence brand perception and still be effective at promoting your company. Let’s look at a couple of them. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding, Creative, Customer Relationship Management, Email, Hand-Raiser Blog, Integrated Marketing Communications, Small Business, Social Media Tagged With: advocacy, brands, development, Integrated Marketing Communications, permission marketing, Small Business

Matching Technology to Need

05/06/2010 By Therran Oliphant 2 Comments

How To Gain Respect with Businesses

Usually I write for businesses and since this is a small business marketing blog that would be appropriate. Today, I want to speak with some of my cohorts in marketing who focus on technology. The social media, web dev, app dev folks of the world apparently need to be reminded that they are often ahead of the rest of society in technology acceptance.

Think of technology as hip-hop and businesses as your parents in the late eighties-early nineties. Remember hearing, “this stuff isn’t music,” and the ever popular, “rap will never last”? Well, we knew what was up, but Young MC and DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince’s mainstream hits were needed to get the late adopters to finally resign in acceptance. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding, Business Growth, Hand-Raiser Blog, Integrated Marketing Communications, Small Business, Social Media Tagged With: coneect, Integrated Marketing Communications, sales, Small Business, Social Media, technology, tweetea

Measuring Cost Per Lead

04/27/2010 By Therran Oliphant Leave a Comment

The Case for Inbound Marketing

Convention tells us that trade shows, cold calling and direct mail will elicit results. Truth is, they do and have for quite a while. The problem is we rarely measure the cost per lead and conversion of those activities. There are no financial or accounting tricks to doing so, but the regular blocking and tackling fundamentals sometimes fall through (as one of my former coaches used to say). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hand-Raiser Blog, Integrated Marketing Communications, Small Business, Social Media Tagged With: balance sheet, expense, investment, leads, marketing, roi

Future so Bright the Midwest Needs Shades

04/19/2010 By Therran Oliphant Leave a Comment

This past weekend saw a conference of epic proportions. Typically I’m underwhelmed by conferences; they promise these mind-blowing, motivation inspiring experiences that rarely metastasize into realization of the guarantee. This was not to be the fate of the Future Midwest Conference (#FMW10 on Twitter), held in Royal Oak, Michigan. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding, Business Growth, Hand-Raiser Blog, Integrated Marketing Communications, Links, Market Research, Networking, Small Business, Social Media Tagged With: detroit, digital, future midwest, inspiration, marketing, Networking, Social Media

I Got The Feeling

04/13/2010 By Therran Oliphant 1 Comment

Yes, this post is a play on Sir James Brown’s epic ditty. Yeah, I said “ditty” and I Knighted James Brown today. ”Baby, Baby, Baaaaby.” Sometimes people don’t think that entrepreneurs need that extra kick when they get a feeling on something, as they are natural risk-takers. On the contrary – the more I work with entrepreneurs the more apparent it becomes that getting the ‘I got the feeling’ mojo needs to be followed up by pragmatic strategy with implementable tactics.

Too often excellent ideas are conjured but fall short of hitting the mark or driving revenue, due to a lack of follow-through. Follow through is the number one thing that can change the arc of an organization. Conversely, there is no greater feeling than taking an esoteric idea and turning it into a tangible product or service that can move the needle.

First, you need to take incremental steps to reach that larger idea/goal. Map out exactly what it will take to get you to the end which you seek. If necessary, form strategic partnerships to help map out the parts that don’t fall into your area of expertise. Don’t be so arrogant as to prevent yourself from seeking help. Also, go toward your goal in achievable and manageable increments. [Read more...]