Why your website is not working!

Websites seem to be a never ending frustration for most business owners. It's an ongoing battle to communicate your vision and yes grow your business on the web. So what are you trying to do? Do you have clarity among the people on your team? A Web page isn’t a place the way Starbucks is a place. A Web page is a step in a process. The steps on the stoop in front of your house understand (if steps understand anything) that they exist in order to get you up or down. If you asked the architect what any particular step is for, she wouldn’t hesitate. The answer is obvious. The purpose of this step is to get you to the next step. That’s it. So bear with me for a moment, and pretend you have a Web page that does just one thing. And that it leads to another page that does just one thing. And soon (as soon as possible), your Web pages lead people to do the thing you wanted them to do all along, the reason you built your Web site in the first place. It seems really simple, doesn’t it? It’s not. It’s not simple because many Web pages are compromises, designed to do three or six or a hundred different things. HTML is a powerful tool, constantly misused by people who believe that just because they can do something, they should. If you want to have a successful website you have to design it like it or not so that every page on your site has a tone or voice. That tone must match the expectations of the visitors or they will leave. That tone must lead them to do exactly what you want from them. It must lead them to the action you are looking for. It could be to buy your product, donate money, or tell others about you but you must be clear about how (vibe) and what you want people to experience when they come to each page on your site.

Perhaps some of the frustration people feel is that most websites are not truly designed to take us anywhere. They have no vibe no voice and lead us to nowhere. So it's time to stop crying and get busy designing with a purpose with an experience, a journey with a clear destination in mind for your clients...

Starbucks and Toms...have they forgotten about telling their story?

Starbucks is often used as an example within the world of marketing. They have an experience, they knew how to tell their story.
Yes, I said “knew how to tell their story.”
I’ve had numerous conversations with business leaders about Starbucks’ concept of a “third place” and how other businesses or non-profits could harness that feeling. We have work, we have home … Starbucks was that third place, a getaway, a place to relax, etc. etc.
Then they installed a drive-thru. So much for a third place, it was just a stop on the way to either home or work. They’ve put another nail in the coffin now with instant coffee. Doesn’t get any less third place than that.

Starbucks no longer has a story to tell. Their story is now the same as McDonald’s and Folgers.
I’ve seen the same thing in other businesses and non-profits. They start off with a core calling, know who they are and what their vision is. Then they either get bored or see the business down the road try something new and they change their story. Toms is another great example of a business that started off just wanting to help shoeless kids clothe their feet. The main idea was, you buy one of our shoes, we’ll give another pair to a child in an impoverished nation. But as Toms got popular and trendy they started building off their cool appeal and lost the core of their story. No cause just cool and that is always changing.
Excellence as marketers is all about being great storytellers. Know your story and stick with it. Don’t let things–even seemingly good things–distract you from your unique story. When you start to change your story, often you don’t end up with something new, you end up without a story to tell.
Let someone else sell instant coffee or add a drive thru. Put your efforts into creating a more excellent third place, whatever that unique component happens to be for your business or non-profit.

Marketing & Money

The truth about money and marketing has been muddled by corporations heaving huge sums of money at T.V. and print ads. It has caused non-profits and small businesses to think that they can't "do marketing" because they don't have big dollars to spend. The truth is that if you are not marketing your business, you're dying. And on a deeper level, spending huge amounts of money on T.V. and print ads is an old paradigm that really is not relevant any longer. If you want to succeed in marketing your business, it does require spending money--but not the amount you would think if you're carrying an old paradigm about what marketing means. The real truth about money and marketing is that you can spend millions and fail because you have no idea about how your clients get their information and how people want to be communicated with. Knowing how and where to speak to your clients is in fact the most important equation in successful marketing. One really smart and funny video on a social media site could do more for your business than spending thousands on a cheesy T.V. ad that in the end makes you just look lame. In this age of design and technology, being smart is better than being rich. Money is important, but not the most important equation in successful marketing. I am working on a series of blogs on how to market your business on a limited budget. I hate even saying the words "limited budget" because it really is not about money, it's about so many other things. It's time you and I discovered that new paradigm when it comes to money and marketing. Stay tuned for more--it's going to rock your world....(paradigm)

Never fear the small begining-be a bootstrapper

We are all afraid of the big machines that run most of corporate America, the big guys who are spending millions marketing to your clients. The real truth is that the lean and mean may have a real advantage in today's market. Technology has truly leveled the playing field. Here are some words of encouragement for all of us who are "bootstrappers", which Seth Godin calls his "Bootstrappers Manifesto". Tape it to your bathroom mirror and read it every night before going to bed.
1. I am a bootstrapper. I have initiative and insight and guts, but not much money. I will succeed because my efforts and my focus will defeat bigger and better-funded competitors. I am fearless. I keep my focus on growing the business—not on politics, career advancement, or other wasteful distractions. 2. I am the underdog. I realize that others are rooting for me to succeed, and I will gratefully accept their help when offered. I also understand the power of favors, and will offer them and grant them whenever I can. 3. I have less to lose than most -- a fact I can turn into a significant competitive advantage. 4. I am a salesperson. Sooner or later, my income will depend on sales, and those sales can be made only by me, not by an emissary, not by a rep. I will sell by helping others get what they want, by identifying needs and fulfilling them. 5. I am a guerrilla. I will be persistent, consistent, and willing to invest in the marketing of myself and my business. 6. My secret weapon is knowing how to cut through bureaucracy. My size makes me faster and more nimble than any company could ever be. 7. Surviving is succeeding, and each day that goes by makes it easier still for me to reach my goals. The real game of being a marketing success depends not on your size but on your creativity and passion. Stay in the game! And read your bootstrappers manifesto every day. YOU can do this--don't give up!

OLD GUYS, Unbelievers, and Holdouts

Okay, for all you old guys, holdouts and unbelievers, it's time to give in and admit that social media is here to stay and that it has transformed the way we communicate and do marketing. Social media is a phenomenal tool for sharing. You can share insight, share resources, share tools, share tips, share news, share knowledge share experience, share talent...I think you get the point. Social media is the place where you can share your "brand" your message, your ideas, and even your products. It's the place where you become a voice for others to hear. Social media allows your stories to spread. We all have our audiences, but our audiences also have their audiences, their friends, their colleagues, their family, and their networks. That means they have the power to take our stories farther than we ever could. Our job is to invite and empower them to do so. It's time you jumped into the deep end of the pool and embraced the power to get your message, brand, and story out to the world. The possibilities are endless.

Reinvent Yourself

My marketing guru Seth Godin says that we have to reinvent ourselves because the system is bent on keeping us average, reliable, safe and just doing the easy stuff. Working for "the man" makes you just another clog in the wheel of the bland. His call--and I guess it's mine, as well--is that it's time to do the amazing and the outrageous, to create real art and change things. Here are his levers for reinventing yourself:

1. Connect: Digital media can offer you a chance to make real connections, to earn permission and gain insights from people you’d never have a chance to interact with any other way. 2. Be Generous: The generosity economy rewards people who create and participate in circles of gifts. 3. Make Art: If you interact with others, you have the platform to create something new—something that changes everything. I call that art. 4. Fight the Lizard Brain: It’s the part of our brain that worries about safety and dishes out anger. Being laughed at is the lizard brain’s worst nightmare. And so it shuts down our art. 5. Ship: If you can get something out the door while your competitors cringe in fear, you win. 6. Fail: The reinvention of the marketplace demands that one have the ability to fail, often and with grace—and in public! 7. Learn: School isn’t over. School is now. School is blogs and experiments and experiences and the constant failure of shipping and learning.

Throw something against the wall and hope it sticks marketing

Having been in the media and marketing business for a while now I have discovered something that truly surprises me: Most businesses don't have a real thought-out marketing plan. They tend to run on the "We need more business, so lets do some marketing and hope that something works" plan. It's not hard to understand, then, why so many businesses are struggling to make it. We can blame the economy or our industry, but perhaps it's because we have no plan, no marketing budget, and no creative ideas about how to reach our customers. From my conversations with business owners I'm baffled at why it's so hard for many of them to understand that if you don't have a plan, if you are not willing to spend money to get your message out to your clients, then you simply can't grow or perhaps even survive. So what's the answer? Get a plan, my brothers. Spend some money, hire some genius you know to help you put your plan together, and then stick to it. Marketing is really not all that hard--you just have to make it a priority if you want to survive and thrive.

Church marketing sucks....how do we fix that

In the last blog we talked about the problem the church has with the marketing of itself and the message of Jesus. I promised an answer, so here are my thoughts: First, leaders and pastors have to come to the painful realization that there is a problem. This might be the hardest thing of all, because if we acknowledge that the problem exists, then we have to commit time and energy and vision to fixing it. Most pastors regularly give most of their time to preaching, counseling, and administration, not to website development, social media,  technology, and marketing. It's an area that is outside the usual pastor's wheel house. For things to really change, Christian leaders and pastors are going to have to make educating themselves in technology, marketing, and media communications a new priority. This will require a real shift in investment for the 40-somethings who are leading the church. For the guys in their 20's it's already a part of their lives. If you are a 40-something pastor and need help, there are a lot of young people in your congregation that can help you get started. Just ask. Believe me, they would love to "school" you on how to live in a technology-driven culture...it's time we embraced it!!!

Church Marketing Sucks

Don't get worked up it's the truth. In fact for many people just using the word marketing and the church in the same sentence is heresy. As if there is something twisted with wanting to present the message of Christ in a way that the culture can understand it. Here is the the truth unfiltered, the church is behind, outdated, and in most cases uncaring in how it presents it's brand and the message of Jesus and His Kingdom. Thinking that it's more spiritual to be boring, and hopelessly out of touch with the way people in the culture communicate. There are some exceptions...my own church Christ Church Kirkland has really taken some amazing steps to press forward in how it shares it's message. The Mar's Hill church in Seattle is leading the way in website development and the use of video. But for the most part we are still the but of jokes on youtube and other social media for the way we present ourselves and sadly Jesus. So what's the answer? Sorry that is coming in the next blog.

Check out this awesome website about marketing and the church. Its called church marketing sucks I love that. Just click this link church marketing sucks

The ever changing face of technology and me

Technology is moving at warp speed with new innovations almost every day. The past 5 years have given us culture changing social media, smart phones, ipods, ipads, really the list could go on and on. The fact is that if you don't continue to change the way you communicate your message people will simply stop listening to you. It's not that people will stop caring about what you are saying but how and where people are listening has dramatically changed. We live in a design driven visual culture and that has dramatically changed the way we have to communicate our message and vision. Business as usual simply doesn't work anymore. Its a whole new game and if you don't choose to get in it you will get left behind. We must make a decision to embrace the media age and then re brand, and repackage our message so that we are communicating how and where people are listening.

Using lighting to tell your story

I fought with the lighting 3 times on this video. It really is the key to telling your story on any video production. I realized that the most important idea on great lighting is....don't give up. We knew what we wanted to do but getting there can really be hard. We ended up putting a "snoot" (black paper) around the LED light that we suspended above our subject and then put about 25 black table cloths around her to create that dark background you see in the video. The moral to this story is that genius does not have to cost a lot of money you just have to use the things you already have around you. Most importantly don't give up, we worked and adjusted till the lighting was exactly the way we wanted it. Take a look at the video and let me know what you think, its posted just below. Great lighting is critical to creating mood and vibe for a video shoot. Try a few ideas and work with what you have, don't give up on the vision you have for your video. Vibe is everything!!!

I found this amazing look on a site called I am second. I was so blown away I had to try it. Check it out by clicking on this link iamsecond