The Growing Influence of Boutique Agencies

What images or feelings come to mind when you hear the word “boutique?” Small yet elegant? Cozy and intimate? Specialty and unique? According to Dictionary.com, boutique is defined as:

1) A small shop or a small specialty department within a larger store, especially one that sells fashionable clothes and accessories or a special selection of other merchandise.

2) Any small, exclusive business offering customized service.

In marketing we hear a lot about “boutique agencies” these days. The staff is small and is composed of high caliber talent. A boutique agency will often call in freelance talent they would consider ideal for the work at hand. These talented small teams are often engaged to augment the work of a brand’s “agency of record” and in some cases they may actually replace the larger agency.

Boutique marketing shops endeavor to provide a concierge style of client experience while offering highly effective specialty services. Boutique agencies rarely have more than 5 or 10 full time staff and many only have 2 or 3. Whatever the size of the boutique, a large amount of value comes from the owner’s business network.

Typically, she has been an advertising and marketing professional in larger organizations over the years and has developed valuable contacts in creative as well as digital and broadcast production services. She understands business from both the client and agency sides of the table because she’s sat in both chairs.

According to the mainstream notion, a boutique agency usually specializes in the creative aspects of advertising. In the past they have tended to offer only those services that have to do with the creation of advertisements. Today, however, the term "boutique agency" #boutiqueagency is used in a few different ways. Business executives tend to view such agencies as small companies that represent a limited client list and offer highly personalized service. Most boutiques don’t focus on market research and studying demographics. Their work tends to be creative in nature and clients approach them when seeking specialized insights.

A boutique agency tends to keep its client list short, and it can be very selective about the types of jobs it accepts. Agency principals are respected as strategists as well as artists and creators. They strive to develop highly individualized print, web and video campaign concepts along with message creation and copywriting. Companies seeking to revitalize their brands and stand out creatively may choose to tap the talent pool of the boutique agency community.

This niche business model has grown from the necessity of “the new normal” – the economic conditions that have stifled growth and permanently eliminated many corporate jobs. Highly talented and skilled people have, in record numbers, discovered they can put their ambition and talent to work in a newly frugal marketplace that welcomes smallness, simplicity, low overhead, nimbleness, cost effectiveness and independence.

2DiFore Marketing Solutions fits the contemporary definition of boutique agency to a tee! If you want to take your best creative swing to grab your customers’ attention, go with the pro. It makes sound executive sense to work with a small, specialized team that understands every aspect of the course. The competition may be fierce but the club pro always knows the best approach to the green. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!

Does your business need a blog?

We all know that having an internet presence is an important part of your marketing strategy. For many businesses this includes having a blog. But for some, they wonder – is a blog really going to help me reach my customers? Is it worth the effort?

The short answer to that is YES. The longer answer follows; 

Times have changed and as a company, you can now reach more people on the internet (using a smaller marketing budget) than ever before. One way to do this is with a blog BUT (and that “but” is in capital letters for a reason) you have to make sure that each and every blog post gives value to your customer.

Sometimes the value is in a hint or a trick that will save them time. It may be advice about using your or a competitor’s service – a sort of “be careful of” post. And sometimes, it might mean that you provide your clients with entertainment in the form of a joke or photo.

A blog is NOT about how you spent your day or what *you* think about anything (unless those musings add value.) Readers don’t want to hear about boring things. They want to have a reason to go to your site.

And much like the baseball field in the movie “Field of Dreams”, if you build a value-packed and entertaining blog, your customers will come – again and again.

So what does an effective blog look like?

• A good blog has a schedule. It’s published 2, 3 or even 5 times a week, you decide the schedule and then you stick to it.
• People are for the most part visual, make sure that your blog has graphics, pictures, and that each of your posts has a visual that fits with the writing.
• Let’s talk about time, no one has enough of it. An effective blog post is short – between 400 -600 words, if you go any longer than that, you run the risk of losing your audience.

A blog post, unlike traditional journalism, should have a voice. People want to know that a real person is writing the information, so feel free to add some of your own voice (style) to the posts. People read differently on the internet, they tend to scan vertically instead of reading horizontally, as they would in a book. Take advantage of this by using techniques like:

• ·        Shorter paragraphs
• ·        Shorter sentences
• ·        Bulleted lists
• ·        Bold text

See what I did there?

A blog post is not a newspaper article. Journalists are tough to write for newspapers by including the Who, What, When, Where, and How in the first paragraph. Blog posts are written to lead the reader to the most important idea which is usually located at the end.

Sometimes it’s a punch line, or a call-to-action, or even a “moral to the story.”

The point is to make your post be of ultimate value to your audience. Once they see that you are credible, reliable (in your schedule, format, and topics), and that you have sometime worthy to say, trust me, your audience will start coming out of that corn field that is the internet to start playing on your ball field.

Need help? Contact us at info@2difore.com and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Manta & Google+

Don't Forget Your Friends!!!

It’s easy when talking about a marketing campaign to think “big and sexy.” You want to get people’s attention and you definitely want to make a splash.

This is all well and good however; many companies make the mistake of forgetting about their existing customers when they design their marketing plans.  You know - the loyal guys who came back again and again to consistently buy your product or services.

It’s easy to take existing customers for granted. After all, they’re a captive audience, right?  They’re not going to go anywhere soon, or at least you hope so. But here’s the thing – your existing clientele is also a gold mine of feedback and goodwill that you can use when trying to attract future customers.

Your current loyal customers are the ones who will loudly speak your praises, if – given the chance.

And that’s where a lot of marketing plans go wrong. They don’t account for catering to (and let’s face it, if you want to cater to anyone, it’s to the people who are loyal to your brand) those who already support your brand. So how do you balance your marketing strategy so that you attract new clients, as well as support and acknowledge your existing clients?

Newsletters – I’m not talking about a boring newsletter that, for all intents and purposes, is just self-promotional verbiage.  I ‘m talking about a newsletter that gives your existing customers extra value. Do you have tips to share? A new way a product is being used? Let them know the inside information of your company, let them feel like insiders.

A forum where customers can communicate – sure you might get a few complaints but those complaints can then be quickly addressed. More likely, you’ll find customers who are banding together in solidarity over your product or services. You might even be able to use some of their comments as valuable testimonials in your other marketing. And of course, when two or more start singing the praises of a product, others are going to take notice.

Solicit input from your customers – everyone likes to know that they’ve been listened to. Send out surveys, create polls, and make it easy for your customer to contact you and send feedback. Once you’ve collected that information then do something with it. Make sure that your customers know you are hearing what it is they have to say, institute changes due to the comments, alter a policy, or acknowledge a success.

Reward your customers – if they’ve spoken highly about your product, thank your customers publically. If they’ve referred another customer to your business, hand out a reward. Offer special deals to those who have purchased from you in the past. People like to know that they are doing a good job and a gift or reward from a company they know and trust can make a huge impression.

Want to know more about 2DiFore Marketing Solutions...visit us at 2difore.com today!

Do it well or just don’t do it! 

The classic “make or buy decision” has its roots in manufacturing and is one of the most common of important business decisions companies make all the time. As manufacturing firms encounter new or expanded opportunities, the question often becomes how to fulfill the need profitably. Do we invest precious capital in new equipment to make additional products ourselves or do we partner with another manufacturer from whom we can buy those parts cheap and continue to sell finished products at a good profit? “Make or buy” applies to all kinds of business services in our daily management march. Marketing leads that procession.

A business owner can spend time doing all kinds of business functions to save labor and service costs. Before delivering any billable products to customers, he may be struggling through the learning curves of Wordpress CMS and Constant Contact email design templates. He may get overload shock from the fire hose delivery of industry chatter online, not understanding the point of it all.

So, Mr. Entrepreneur, what do you want to do with your day?  Work toward becoming the leader in your industry or teach yourself through trial and error how to be a great marketing communicator? We have another question to add perspective. Let’s say you rarely or never play golf. If you had to represent your company with a player in a high profile charity golf tournament, would you send a scratch golfer from your team or go for the glory yourself, risking the embarrassment of player disqualification?

The problem with Do-it-Yourself Marketing can be likened to this scenario: While you’re hacking divots all over the fairways of marketplace, your competition is hitting sweet spots and setting up the birdie putts of better products and fortified relationships. While you’re practicing marketing executions (probably poorly), your competitor is out playing golf with your customer. He’s telling the customer all about product upgrades and service efficiencies while his expertly managed marketing program is delivering new leads to his sales team. One of those new leads happens to be another long term customer of yours.

Whether it’s for legal services, taxation, HR staffing, training or marketing, doing it yourself means going it alone and that can be dangerous. Lacking the support of caring professionals with the proper training and tools to address your challenges can put you at a major disadvantage. On the other hand, having an savvy expert marketing consultant working on your behalf ensures that a consistent quality message is being communicated to the right audiences at the right times. This helps you focus on your core business and enables you to better meet the needs of your customers – the product/service needs as well as the need to maintain good relationships.

The reason most business owners ultimately call 2DiFore Marketing Solutions is because word of mouth referrals dry up for whatever reason. They need more qualified leads to come in. They often say “Once we sit down with the customer and have a conversation, we almost always win their business!”  So, that’s your job – to work with customers and keep winning new business. Our job as marketing consultants is to help convince those prospective customers they need to talk with you so you’ll get to have more of those winning conversations and keep growing.

Do you know who we know?

Do you know who we know?  

Your employees are vital on all fronts.

It’s hilarious when, before being admitted somewhere, a haughty celebrity or tycoon is asked for credentials and quips, “Do you know who I am?” The garage door installers at Raynor Door Authority of New England would laugh good naturedly at such silly arrogance. Installing commercial and residential doors may not draw shutter flashes from the Paparazzi but it will draw the attention of building owners who delight in the craftsmanship of stylish, tight-fitting new doors.

You wouldn’t automatically think of specialty door installers as having a power network of movers and shakers in their social & business circles. Well, thinking automatically is hazardous. Guess what? Your employees may be very close to your next source of new business. And how many Facebook friends and LinkedIn connections do they have?  About 300 each - on average!

Think through some everyday business situations and you’ll realize the dangers of dropping your guard, even for a minute. Your reputation is perhaps the most vital component of your company’s sustainability. Your brand’s quality perception may be compromised in the minds of potential customers by only simple miscues, like a poorly timed cuss word or a dirty delivery truck.

Now consider your employees as business associates, for a minute. For some of you that’s natural and for others it may be a stretch. If it’s a stretch for you, then would it be a stretch to assume your employees view you as just a boss? When your employees finish their work day, do they shut off all thought of your business so they can go about their own? Or, do they feel proud of where they work and what they do. Are they happy to discuss their job and company with friends and family?

Will your employees eagerly recommend your company’s products and services to people in their networks? If your answer is, “Of course!” then you’re due hearty congratulations because you’re earning referrals just by being a great boss. If not, then there’s trouble brewing and it could be serious.

Everybody at Raynor Door Authority of New England, including the salespeople, office staff, and installers understand what it means to be part of a team of motivated and caring individuals. General Manager, Mike Babineau notes, “It’s good to treat your employees like family and show them respect because a strong company culture leads to great work for our customers... Service and quality craftsmanship are our top priorities here at Raynor Doors.”

Finally, there are the “little things” that customers notice like clean uniforms, appropriate dress & grooming, smiles, eye contact, responsiveness, clean vehicles, packaging and so on. Employees of Raynor Door Authority of New England are trained to “watch each other’s back” and take care of the details for customers. Constructive discipline, positive attitude and good company culture create a cheerful, encouraging work environment which attracts new business.

Your employees are paying attention to you. People of influence – your customers and potential customers – are paying attention to your employees. See the connection?

2DiFore Marketing Solutions is the Agency of Record for Raynor Door Authority of New England. Visit the company online at: www.raynordoorauthority.com  Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Raynor.Door.Authority.New.England

Why Social Media Works!

Many of my clients and colleagues ask me why I think social media works! It's simple, it is a combination of old fashion networking, marketing like it use to be and newsletters all on steroids! Yes, that is right steroids :)

I have been in the marketing business going on 28 years going to breakfast, luncheons and dinners for 99% of them. Now when you attend the various events you can stay connected with those you have met through LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms making the introduction last much longer than ever before.

Be sure to always remain professional on these very visible sites, don't post what you wouldn't say in front of them, it's just not cool!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sharing the Christmas Spirit

Many of my followers know that I belong to a BNI networking group and each Thursday we are tasked with developing a "memorable" way to help our team members identify great referrals for each other! This week it was based on the song "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth".......two stood out for me!

Michael Hauptly-Pierce of RE Marble & Granite did a "rapper" rendition about their products, usage and how to identify referrals while celebrating over the weekend! Real cool!

Don Hammer, Manager of Ed's Flooring America stayed true to the song while helping us to identify friends and family who are wishing for a new wood floor or carpeting, nice voice!

Now, at 7:30am my voice is not quite cranked up but I did attempt to sing the following:

All I Want For Christmas is…..

A great Marketing Plan, Marketing Plan, Marketing Plan

Gee if I could only have a mobile strategy

Then I could have a great Social Media Brand

So all I want for Christmas are your small business friends looking to make it big in 2012!

May you all enjoy the sights and sounds of the Christmas Season with family, friends and those who could use a lift.

Merry Christmas,

Dianne