“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.” Thank you Mr. Bernbach, what a great quote!

As consumers, we are always on the look out for products or services that live up to their claims. Whether it is “The best cup of coffee in town,” or a dentist office that promises no wait, we want a company we can trust to deliver on their promise. As a matter of fact, when most of us find a company we can trust – we are incredibly loyal. Research shows we are even willing to pay more for a product or service we can count on.

As marketers, we understand the importance of consumer trust. Understanding it – and achieving it – are two very different things. It starts with bringing together key members of your team and making sure everyone understands your brand promise. Hopefully you will all have the same answer, if not, go back to the drawing board and figure it out. What makes your company special, what makes your product or service stand out?

It’s okay if your “truth” is that you are still struggling, that your product isn’t quite where you want it to be, or your customer service isn’t exactly the industry standard. Here’s the good news – you can change all that. You have the power to create your brand promise, even if your company has been around for years. Work with your team to develop a wish list – what they wish the company and/or product offered. Is it the same taste no matter where it is served in the country, is it superior customer service that always makes the consumer feel appreciated, or is it on-time delivery every time? These are all great promises, now it is up to your team to put together the plan to DELIVER. How do they achieve the new “truth?”

Once you have the brand promise identified, communicate it throughout your company. Everyone needs to be on the same page. Analyze internal processes and external touch points to ensure your company is doing everything it can to follow through on its promise. You may need to change staff, manufacturing lines, or product profiles. Don’t stop until you have full faith in your ability to deliver on your brand promise.

Delivering the “truth” to the consumer should be the most important objective of everyone in your company. The payoff is higher margins, loyal consumers, and a team that is all driving towards the same goal. Mr. Bernbach had it right – that IS powerful.

The Catalyst team loves food, cooking, and sharing recipes. So much so that for the second year in a row we have published a web site with a few recipes from some of the foodies on staff. We’ve got everything from cookies and kringles, to soup and salad. Give them a try and let us know what you think!

Happy Holidays from all of us at Catalyst!

Today’s post brought to you by 13-year old Shannon in honor of Catalyst’s 13th Anniversary! For the record, my hair was 1/2 my body weight back then.

When it comes to writing a marketing plan sometimes the hardest part is just getting started, right? This is especially true if you are writing a marketing plan for an organization that has never developed one before – you literally have a blank slate and the entire marketing world before you. The first step can feel overwhelming, but don’t let it get you down. There are a few tricks to help you get the ball moving.

First. See if it is possible to schedule a meeting with the leadership to discuss the plans for the upcoming year. At Catalyst, we like to ask what are the key drivers to ensure success for the next year? What has to happen in order for you to say “We had a great year!” For small companies, it is beneficial to bring everyone together and gather opinions. You’re going to get a lot of responses, so most likely you will need to prioritize them as well. Of course this is where the executive team must comment – make sure that they choose, or at the very least, fully agree to the top drivers.

Second. Write an Executive Summary about where the company is today. A little history is nice, but not necessary. The plan you are writing is about today and the next 12 months. Forgo long-winded openings, they most likely will not be read anyway. The exciting part is in strategies and tactics in the following pages.

Third. List the key drivers in their order of importance. These become your objectives for the next year. And remember, you have the agreement and support of top management thanks to the first step.

Fourth. Take each driver one by one and list the strategy and correlating tactics underneath. For example, if one of your drivers is to develop closer relationships with key customers, your strategy might be:

Utilize our CRM tool and sales force to gather relevant information about, and communicate more consistently with, our key customers.

The tactics could be:

• Develop a Facebook Fan page, promote to customers, and push out relevant information.
• Create an opt-in e-mail newsletter.
• Schedule quarterly face-to-face meetings with key customers.

Fifth. Take your brilliant plan and jazz it up. Very few people get excited about a 10-page word document. Drop in photos, add research to support the tactics you choose, add charts and graphs. Make it interesting to read. A few call-outs about the high response rate of e-mail marketing will go a long way.

Hopefully this has taken some of the nerves out of writing a marketing plan. If you have any questions, just let me know. We would love to talk!

Ran across a great article last week that I wanted to share about the success of companies that have green products. As consumers, we see products on the shelf everyday that advertise they are environmentally friendly. I’ll be honest, I do normally give them a second look. I fully support saving the Earth’s natural resources (I can’t imagine there isn’t anyone who doesn’t) and I like knowing I can buy products that help. Seems like a slam dunk for manufacturer’s – take a product that consumers already buy, make it green, and your sales go through the roof.

If only it were that simple. Here are three key reasons you may be facing an uphill battle:

1. The Economy. Even though people want to buy green, they just can’t afford it right now. If you could make an environmentally-friendly item and make it cheaper, that would be great. This is easier said than done – incorporating the necessary tools, processes, and ingredients are an added cost that your company has to account for. And don’t forget the largest generation, Gen Y. Studies have shown that while they love green products, they are not going to pay extra for it. The article states that across the board 61% of consumers think the price for green is just too high.

2. The Quality. Consumers have had a few years of experience with green products and they question whether they are as good as the regular version. In particular, take a look at cleaning products. Industry research is suggesting that people don’t believe the new green products clean or disinfect as good as what they are used to using. The percentage of consumers that don’t believe green performs as well as the original has jumped to 33%. It’s a pretty big hurdle when you realize 1/3 of your audience don’t believe your products are good enough.

3. The Truth. 38% of consumers question whether or not green-friendly products are truly better for the environment. They have an ongoing mistrust of corporations and are inclined to doubt any green statements.

The articles goes on to list 5 things to consider before “going green:”

1. Don’t expect consumers to sacrifice anything, even though they really want green products.

2. Don’t overstate anything.

3. Have more features and benefits that just green – there has to be more to the story.

4. Go green outside the US, other countries are less skeptical.

5. Go green as an organization.

#5 is my favorite because it speaks to more than a single product, it is a cultural change that can lead to greater impact. Look at your organization and find ways to go green internally: save on paper, change your manufacturing process, shut off the lights when you leave, put in bike racks and encourage your employees to carpool. The list goes on and on. Develop a Green Task Force and let the employees take the ball. Truly become a green company through behavior in addition to the products you sell.

At Catalyst we have had the opportunity to work on a green initiatives for our clients, and it is an honor to do so. Don’t give up on creating green products, just understand the marketplace you are about to enter. And …. don’t forget to shut off the lights before you go home!

At Catalyst we define digital strategy as the development and management of a company’s online assets. This includes a multitude of items: corporate sites; microsites; social media; online advertising; blogs; mobile technology; and this is just the beginning. In fact it is quite overwhelming if you try and tackle every possibility at once.

When creating your digital strategy, the best piece of advice I can offer is to think “webspace,” not “website.” Digital is so much more than your corporate website. For me webspace visually expressed the true opportunity – anything that lives in cyberspace is fair game. And don’t forget, that includes what others are saying about you too. Times have changed and consumers are calling the shots. Make sure your company is listening to them.

So let’s get started.

Step 1: Solidify your Digital Goals.

Be realistic and keep it short-term. What are you trying to accomplish next year? It might be:

• Build stronger relationships with customers.
• Drive more traffic to corporate site and/or microsites.
• Develop a better understanding of Social Media and its potential as it relates to my business.

Step 2: Define the Landscape.

Identify all of your existing online assets. What are you currently doing in webspace?

• Use your team to identify everything you are currently doing. You might be surprised to find that several digital elements are already in place, but not strategically connected. Making a master list will force everyone to understand it is one initiative.

Also take some time to get to know your consumer. With digital tactics, you can really direct your efforts specifically to your target audience. The more you know, the more effective you will be.

• Are you practicing relationship building with your customers? Does your sales team know the sweet spot when they are selling? Assemble a team to help identify your customers. The sales team may be meeting face-to-face, but the customer service team may have more contact with your customers and have great insight.

Step 3: Write the Plan.

Tackle each goal one at a time and identify the digital tactics you believe will help you reach achievement. You must set measurements for each tactic to determine effectiveness. Unlike traditional media, digital is not set in proverbial stone – you can see what is working and make adjustments on the fly. By constantly monitoring outcomes, you can determine what is effective, what needs to be adjusted, and what needs to be pulled down. What a great way to market! Here are a few suggestions that might support your goals:

• Review your corporate site for SEO improvements. Identify and implement.
• Set up Google Analytics and track on a weekly basis.
• Set up your Facebook page and set a goal for fan numbers. Don’t forget to include a measurement for fan interaction. You need to have a plan for engagement. Just having people click the “LIKE” button isn’t going to cut it.
• Convert some of your print advertising budget to online. Facebook ads are affordable AND effective. Print is severely declining, start to move advertising online (where everyone is) and see if you notice improvement.

One last point regarding the plan: identify who is responsible for each task and make it clear that it is part of their job description. This is new territory for many and they need to know it is not a fad that the company is chasing. It is the new reality for business today. Also, don’t automatically give the tasks to the Gen Y member of your team. All generations need to be digitally active. While it may be inherent to Gen Y, it is still the responsibility of the entire company (or at least the marketing department) to understand these initiatives.

Step 4: Review

After developing a realistic plan you should review it as a team on a monthly basis. Get into the analytics. You should also ask some key questions:

• What did you learn?
• What surprised you?
• Are you comfortable with the outcomes?
• What new technology exists today that might be relevant?
• What failed and why?

Document the answers to these questions, adjust if necessary, and continue to the next month.

To sum it all up, don’t go overboard. Don’t commit yourselves to more than you can accomplish, especially if you are new to digital strategy. It is definitely the right thing to start small and strategic. Get a little experience under your belt, not to mention success, to build your company’s confidence.

How is your digital strategy changing the way you do business? We’d love to hear from you!