Using a Salesman to do Marketing is like using a blender to do Grilling

Steaks on a grill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(AD KITCHEN) Today’s lesson in Ad Kitchen is about using the right tool for the job.  Our kitchen has grills, stoves, ovens, blenders, whisks and many other tools throughout and when faced with a cooking challenge any good chief knows exactly which tool to pull out for each task.

A Gill would work for cooking Steaks, a blender for mixing the sauce, and fork for shoveling the finished product into your mouth. I would call this good chief a Grill Master. He knows which tool is for what and those tools create a savory item that any beef eating client would love.

But, sometimes there are masters that use the wrong tools- like pulling out a blender and expecting it to girll!   It’s as bad as a CEO  utilizing a salesman to do their marketing.  I know this may sound crazy, but it happens!

Business Chambers are like Soup – Mix, Mix, Mix!

Spring soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(BW AD KITCHEN) SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CA –  Business chambers are like soup, it brings a lot of ingredients from the entire kitchen together in a salivating party of tantalizing aromas and spices that makes business owners feel comfortable in a chaotic environment.

This year, it seems there are several new soups in the Central Valley kitchen – from ethic delicacies, to broad-based basics.

These souper business chambers offer spectacular opportunities for business growth but, there may be room for some more spices in the soup bullion – the very base of any soup- or in this case, the basics of a business chamber.

What are the basic ingredients in a Souper Business Chamber?

1 cup of an affordable business rate membership

2 tablespoons of opportunities for business mixers

3 pinches of business events

4 dashes of database directory inclusion

5 heaps of lobbyist representation in local government to promote pro-business initiatives

6 truckloads of membership appreciation

Most local chambers have these ingredients down – except the last ingredient. When spices get old, you have to either buy new or increase the amount used. It could be time for local chambers to consider doing the same with their ‘membership appreciation’ spice.

 The chambers survive based on membership appreciation; it’s much easier to retain membership than it is to find new members.  And, it’s not too difficult to do just a tad more for members.

Chambers could easily show appreciation by giving small membership-only discounts to their events, thank you cards after the attendance of luncheons, or announcing business milestones in their mailers and email blasts and communicate about all the things they are doing to promote business initiatives.

However, the soup is a relationship that is held together by many ingredients and to really get the full flavor it has to be eaten at the right temperature, stirred and served in an appropriate bowl. This is the responsibility of the business to make sure they utilize every possible opportunity in the organization, to attend as many events as possible and participate in every way they can – otherwise this exciting soup could become bland, cold, or unfulfilling.

Once you have all the ingredients make sure to grab a large bowl and mix, mix, mix!

What do Teddy Bears and Newspaper Advertising Have in Common?

bw Teddy

 

 

 

Bilingual Weekly: Ad Kitchen

 Sarah Lippincott 

Teddy Bears (like the one in the photo) are warm, fuzzy and cuddly which is how we feel about Editor & Publisher’s editorial by Jeff Fleming on June 28, 2012 about the effectiveness of Newspapers. Yay! This is what we like to hear – but it is also backed up by very good data – something else we love. If you don’t feel warm and cuddly like we did – you can buy the real Teddy from our online store HERE.  

Here is the Story:

Editorial: Why Newspapers are a Better Ad Buy

by: Jeff Fleming

Impact, reach, and results. Three words marketers crave and three words newspapers deliver more effectively than any other advertising medium. A comprehensive advertising package of all things digital coupled with print. Yes print, that in-your- face broadsheet that offers advertisers a chance for impressive, bona fide visual impact. In fact, a recent NAA study revealed that “print users rate highly the utility of print advertising (44 percent) and that they usually notice it (41 percent).” Yes print, the platform Facebook and Twitter don’t offer. READ MORE