I often get asked -- what social media/marketing conferences should I go to? Ask 100 people, you'll get 100 answers, I suspect. But here is my answer, based on the following criteria: ~ You are a marketing professional or a business owner who wants to get a handle on how to connect with your prospects and customers through social media and/or content generation or curation. (In other words, you don't make your living just by blogging) ~ You want tangible, practical ideas you can implement when you get back to... Continue reading

If you look at most marketing copy -- it's about the "thing" -- whatever is being sold. We get features and generic benefits but our focus and the thrust of the message sits squarely on the shoulders of the product or service. And it's no wonder. When you focus on something, you tend to write/talk about it. Let's demonstrate. If I asked you to write a headline for an ad selling these red shoes to the right -- what would your headline say? (Seriously, take a couple minutes and jot... Continue reading

About 12 months ago, people thought I was crazy for launching the Drew McLellan app for both the iPhone and the Droid (download it for free by clicking on the link in the sidebar) but I was just jumping on a trend's tsunami of a wave -- all to get my ideas and recommendations out to you. If you prefer to access information with your smart phone, I want to be there too. It's that simple. Is your company thinking along the same lines? The trend's wave, if anything, is... Continue reading

Selling isn't a one size fits all proposition. I'm not telling you anything new when I say -- the more you know about your prospect, the better the experience for all concerned. We've all read the sales books that talk about being observant when you walk into someone's office. You know -- noting that they have pictures of their Irish Setter, their golf outings and their twin boys on their desk -- you strike up conversations about those interests and make a connection between you and the prospect. That's all... Continue reading

My greatest teacher when it comes to all things marketing was not a professor or professional mentor. It was Walt Disney. Somehow, in the midst of ROI, measurability, counting clicks and studies that can track a person’s eye movements to see what part of an ad captures their attention first -- we have forgotten that marketing and branding is ultimately about wooing and winning someone’s heart. But Walt never did. At MMG, we talk a lot about creating a love affair with your customer... but Walt knocked it out of... Continue reading

The whole world is abuzz about Groupon. And who doesn't love $10 worth of Cold Stone Creamery ice cream for $5? But is Groupon right for your business? Groupon and other social-coupon sites (like LivingSocial and SocialBuy) all work the same way -- a specified number of people have to pre-purchase the coupon for the deal to be activated. In theory, that's how everyone wins. Groupon makes a prescribed amount, the buyers get a super deal and the retailer gets a guaranteed influx of cash and in theory, new customers.... Continue reading

One of the most tangible and visible aspects of any organization's brand are its employees. How those employees look, act and perform their job functions speaks volumes to customers, prospects and even the other employees. As I was driving into work this morning, I was behind a car with the vanity plate NAWTGRL. At first I just laughed to myself but then I got to thinking about the consequences of a license plate like that. Putting legalities aside...let's say that you had interviewed a woman and found her to be... Continue reading

Running a website can be a challenge. But today, having a website that works hard for you 24/7 is a business given. Here are three things every business owner must have on their website. Call to Action Visitors need direction. With ever-shortening attention spans, you have moments to engage your visitor and guide them to the next step in the sales process. Determine what you want your visitors to do (submit a contact form, sign up for your newsletter or purchase your product) and make sure you have a prominent... Continue reading

Selling has always been tough. But with the economy, changes in buyer behavior, the web, social media, sales enablement tools, and increased competition -- holy buckets! To make 2011 a year of growth and prosperity, the folks at RainToday, voted the Top Sales Resource in the world in 2010, are opening enrollment to their popular Selling Consulting Services with RAIN Selling online course next week. I have personally looked through the entire course, listened to the audio files, watched the webinars...and done some of the exercises. I can tell you... Continue reading

Recently, three big brands have made the shift to a new, simplified logo. Each provided some rationale for the new look -- but I'm curious what you think about them. I've placed the old logos on the left and the new on the right. YMCA -- read rationale by clicking here. You can click on the logos to see them larger. The Children's Miracle Network -- read the rationale by clicking here. You can click on the logos to see them larger. Starbucks -- hear the rationale by clicking here.... Continue reading

MailerMailer released their 10th study about 6 months ago on e-mail open rates and some of the findings are worth thinking about. As you can see in the chart below, the average unique open rate is dropping. Image blocking, the increased use of mobile devices for e-mail and list fatigue were listed as key reasons for the drop. One of the more ponder worthy facts was that the day with the highest open and click rates is Sunday. (with Tuesday in 2nd) I found myself wondering if that's the day... Continue reading

My agency, McLellan Marketing Group's, bank has a branch near our house, so I am usually the official "deposit the checks" guy at our company. Like most bank drive throughs, they have a commercial lane on the far left and then several "everybody and anybody" lanes to the right of that. The branch I go to is no exception. Except that their drive through isn't straight -- it's curved to the right. So already my car needs to be at an angle to reach the commercial window. Add to that,... Continue reading

We're having a lively discussion over at Marketing Prof's Daily Fix about how to handle a sticky problem I found myself in a few months ago. I was asked by a website owner to delete a comment someone had made about him and his service offering. It's a loaded issue that asks some tough questions about social media's transparency, the risks of having an online presence and much more! Come on over and add your two cents by clicking here! Continue reading

Last year I told you about JWT's (J Walter Thompson) Top 12 Trends Report for 2010. It's by far the most comprehensive and helpful of any of the trend pieces we see this time of year. Here's a quick video peek at their trends for 2011. (e-mail subscribers, click here to view) I had a chance to ask Ann Mack, JWT's Director of Trendspotting a few questions about the report. As you can imagine, I'm sure she was crazy busy as the report has just been released. So I am... Continue reading

Your brand is not your logo….your brand is not your logo. (tired of hearing me say that yet?) Your brand is the essence of your business. From 20,000 feet -- it is who you are, why you exist, the unique value you offer your customers, how you behave, what you believe in, what you promise and of course, how you keep that promise. When you not only understand but can articulate all of that to a prospective customer, potential employee and your current staff and clients -- you now possess... Continue reading

I suspect that many of you received iPads as holiday gifts this December. Now, you're trying to justify to family and friends exactly why you need this absolutely awesome toy. I have the solution for you. Here's how you turn your iPad into the business tool you won't be able to live without. Here are the apps worthy of your home screen. Some notes before we get going: As a mac laptop, iPhone carrying, iPad user -- I give extra props to apps that synch between all of my devices... Continue reading

No matter which holiday you choose to celebrate in December -- it seems like it's a season for sharing, for hanging with the people we care about and for giving gifts. I don't want to get all mushy -- but I am so grateful that you keep coming back to the blog to share your ideas and thoughts on the blog posts, I value your friendship and collegial spirit and look forward to exploring 2011 with you. To that end, I've rounded up some gifts I'd like to share. I... Continue reading

It's the holidays and everyone is not only crazy busy but bombarded by ads. So we tune them out. But as of 12/23 -- 1.5 million people booted up their browser and went looking for this video. (email subscribers, click here) They didn't get tricked into watching it -- they sought it out. And they not only watched it for almost 5 minutes -- they shared it with their friends. Who also watched it. Welcome to the future of advertising... Related articles Top 10 Digital Advertising Innovations of 2010 (mashable.com)... Continue reading

As you may know, I am a Disneyophile. I love the Disney parks, I love the Disney movies' happy endings, I love the unrelenting pursuit of better customer service that drives Disney to their own level of excellence. I also love Walt Disney's story. I know he wasn't perfect by a long shot. But he was a dreamer, a story teller and a man who believed so strongly in his own vision that he ignited the people around him until they were as caught up in the dream as he... Continue reading

We've just started working with a client who launched his own blog about 6 months ago. We've re-designed his website (with the blog on the home page) and are just about to go live. As one of the last things on the To Do list, I was taking his old blog posts from his original effort and moving them to the new site. God love him....but yikes! As I was preparing a document for him on business blogging basics, it occurred to me I should share it here too. These... Continue reading

Maybe it's the time of year and the fact that we're having a beautiful evening snowfall, but as i watched it snow, I got thinking about the uniqueness of snowflakes. They say there are no two the same because they're all asymmetrical in their own way. And yet, when we draw them or use them for decorations -- we can't help but draw them incorrectly, fixing the asymmetry and making them "perfect." In our pursuit of perfection, we actually take something unique and make it common and ordinary. And yet... Continue reading

This is the sort of job I wonder about sometimes. How does one become the person who selects the color of the year? Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute® must know -- as her organization has declared Honeysuckle the 2011 color of the year. Here's what Pantone had to say about the selection: A Color for All Seasons. 
Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s... Continue reading

As business owners, we often make decisions that at first blush serve the business well. But, as things roll out, there are consequences that we didn't anticipate and don't want. The airlines are living this out as we speak. A while ago, to boost themselves out of the red, most major airlines instituted bag fees. A passenger must now pay an additional $25-$35 per checked piece of luggage. I'm sure that when the airline executives came up with this plan -- they were elated. I can envision the equation on... Continue reading

Saw this on a recent layover at O'Hare airpot in Chicago. They were on the escalator handrails going up/down into the tunnel that connects the B and C concourse. (Yes, I risked my life by not holding onto the handrails to take these pictures for you!) In many ways -- pretty smart placement on Hampton Inn's part. Talking to travelers in a very unexpected place and way. What do you think? Related articles ADRailUSA™ Escalator Handrail Advertising Debuts at Chicago O'Hare Airport (prweb.com) Continue reading

You will need to be a content creator and curator…or else you won't survive some of the new shifts in how people gather information, make buy decisions and build brand loyalty. We can't rely on others (mass media, press releases, other "official" sources) or hype to tell our story anymore. It's our responsibility to tell our own stories and create content that helps people find us, understand us, and ultimately buy us. This isn't a new topic for this blog -- and if you're a regular reader, you know how... Continue reading