Power to the Small Business | Branding / Marketing Plans & Ideas / Social Media / Customer Experience Design / Digital Market Jay Ehret

With only one chance to make a first impression, you're tempted to cram all of your product or services benefits into that small pitch. But instead of bragging, why not reel in your prospects with something unexpected, interesting, and creative? A marketing message is that main line of communication with new customers, so capturing their attention through a message that reflects your personality, gives the customer value, and is unexpected may give customers that so called "love at first sight".

The Dean of Marketing Know-How shares his three "Hitches" to get people to pay attention to your marketing message.

Give people your personality + Add your brand’s promise + be clever and say something that is unexpected

Chapter Five of The Marketing Plan Podcast will guide you through three principles to create the perfect brand message.

Also in this chapter two guests on how to be creative with your advertising. Luke Sullivan, author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze This, and Tom Altstiel, Author of Advertising Creative.

One goal of your marketing plan is to get people to have conversations about you. How do you earn word-of-mouth in the Age of Social Sharing and Connectivity? Special guest Andrea Goulet Ford joins us to earn customer conversations through brand engagement.
In Chapter Four of the Marketing Plan Podcast, it’s time for us to discuss earning the trust and recommendations of your customers. We discuss how to engage your customers, to start the flow of word-of-mouth conversation for your brand.

In Chapter 3 of The Marketing Plan Podcast we will consider the main character of the story the customer.  Looking at most business models, we can see that the customer is a target. Something to be captured. Customers are often considered transactions to be acquired, trophies to be won. This is the essence of transaction hunting, but I think that’s running the wrong way.
The goal is an emotional bond between your brand and the customer, this transcends product and service. When you establish this bond, sales happen. And while the key to sustainability and growth is sales, creating a relationship does not come from sales tactics. I believe they arrive through four, simple relationship principles.
Principle 1: Understanding
Principle 2: Empathize with Action
Principle 3: Give Unconditionally
Principle 4: Safety

Chapter 2: Four Questions to Create Your Brand Story
My new show, The Marketing Plan Podcast focuses on transforming your business into the brand you've always dreamed it could be. In Chapter 2 of The Marketing Plan Podcast, I will guide you through four, Level 1 Branding Questions. These will drill down and reveal the  essence of your brand to help you build your brand story. Below you will find a worksheet, listen to Chapter 2 for complete guidance through the questions, and examples of answers.

It's Time for a Transformation Plan
This is my new show, The Marketing Plan Podcast. It focuses on transforming your business into the brand you've always dreamed it could be. Power to the Small Business is no longer being produced. This feed will continue until June 5, 2015, and then it will shut down.
If you like the new show, you can subscribe in iTunes or your feed reader at http://MarketingPlanPodcast.com/subscribe
But now, I'd like to treat you to the premiere episode of my brand new show: It's Time for a Transformation Plan. ...because it is time. If you find yourself in a continuous search for the answers to take your business to the so-called "next level" then I invite you to give Chapter 1 a try.
My special guest is Tim Berry, founder of Palo Alto Software and LivePlan.com. He's a pioneer in business planning software and online businss planning. Complete show notes are available at http://MarketingPlanPodcast.com/Chapter1
Included in the show notes is one free month of business planning at LivePlan.com
Thanks for listening!Jay EhretDean of Marketing Know-HowThe Marketing Spot

This podcast will reformatted and premier as a brand new show next week, April 24, 2014. But don't unsubscribe! I will post the new show in this feed for the first month so you can get a taste and see if you like it. It will be a focused, marketing podcast with lots of actionable ideas, AND a plan for you to become the business you've always dreamed you could be.
Big promise, right? Tune in next episode to see if I can deliver. Meantime....
I invite you to enjoy the most popular episode in the history of the previous 99 episodes:
Megan Duckett of Sew What: An Entrepreneur's Take on Marketing
Megan has a great philosophy on branding. Take a listen and see why listeners made this the most popular episode of all time.
For a list of the top 5 episodes of all time check out this link:
http://themarketingspot.com/?p=6354
Thanks for listening!- Jay Ehret