How a 40-year old marketing campaign helped us

Our client, Provost Academy, was struggling to separate themselves from the competition when they came to us for assistance -- and it was already late in the recruiting season for virtual schools (June). So, we had to move quickly yet efficiently to re-imagine their strategy, and develop assets to implement the campaign to help them achieve their goals.

Before we dove into landing page development, SEO/SEM campaigns, and overall strategic marketing development, we had to figure out how to position them in the market that would separate them from other virtual schools.

Virtual schools (e-schools, cyber schools) tend to all look alike with one of the key issues being socialization (or lack thereof). Provost, on the other hand, wanted to build a school that was bridged the divide between online and together. They desired to bring students together on a regular basis, and move beyond the typical field trips and online clubs in order to allow their students opportunities to connect.

Now, how to convey that story? We found the solution to that question in a campaign that was over 40-years old. In fact, it's story was similar to ours. One of the greatest marketing campaigns of all time was the 7-UP campaign that turned it into the UnCola. It was so successful because it positioned 7-UP as the anti-Coke and anti-Pepsi, who were both vying for market share. So, instead of competing directly with them and trying to look like them, 7-UP became the UnCola.

Could we do the same with Provost? Thanks to 7-UP we did. Provost Academy became the UnVirtual Online School. In doing so it caught the attention of parents and students seeking an alternative to the current type of virtual school, and our results exceeded even our expectations.

The landing page we designed for them saw a 65% increase in lead capture the first month alone, and we outperformed previous the previous year by over 200% in lead generation.

In South Carolina they raised the enrollment goals in mid-stream due to the increase in leads and enrollment, and we still met them by the end of October.

In Colorado they had their first wait list of students in the history of the school.

In Ohio where enrollment growth in charter schools and e-schools was a meek .5% for the year, Provost achieved double-digit growth.

They say the best idea is a borrowed idea. If you are stuck today and seeking inspiration for your marketing campaign sometimes looking back over 40 years can lead to something new today.

If we can be of help to you with marketing strategies, web site/landing page design, and/or SEO/SEM campaigns, don't hesitate to contact us today.

houston@figment-consulting.com

FIGMENT Consulting
Data driven. Imagination crafted.

Consulting a la carte

Are you struggling to attract new leads?

Are you wasting money on ineffective advertising?

Is your message not resonating with prospects?

Is your executive team not aligned with the core mission?

Is your marketing plan proving ineffective and inefficient, and your costs are rising?

Need help positioning your company or product effectively?

Do you simply need new ideas?

Want to know how to stand out from the competition?

Recently I have spent time on Google Hangout consulting with clients helping each one find a solution for each of the questions posed above. They didn't have the financing in place to hire a consultant full time, or they were in go-to-market mode and simply needed a one-time consultation to better align their plan with their values. So, they reached out to me and asked if we could consult with them on an hourly basis rather than full-time program.

It has proven successful for our clients over these past few months, and we are now rolling it out a little more formally as Consulting a la carte.

We work together over a Google Hangout to minimize any and all expenses, and spend the amount of time you determine you need to achieve your objective. You walk away with ideas, plans, and solutions you can measure to see the impact. You only return if you need us again. No strings attached.

Visit our web site at www.figment-consulting.com to see all of our services, and to learn more about our Google Hangout Consulting a la carte.

Or, go ahead and email me at houston@figment-consulting.com and we can arrange a time for you from the comforts of where you are.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Crafting a Virtual School Marketing Plan Webinar (Updated)

THIS EVENT IS NOW FULL. Email me if you want to attend a future webinar on this topic at houston@figment-consulting.com.

Yesterday I shared details on my upcoming 90-minute webinar Crafting a Virtual School Marketing Plan, and the initial response has been better than I anticipated.

There are still a few spaces remaining though for the webinar. So, if you want to register, simply go to my web site Figment-Consulting.com and fill in the information. The event is scheduled for Monday, March 28, at 11:00 a.m. ET. A link will be provided to all registrants prior to the event.

During the webinar we will cover a variety of topics, strategies, and messaging to help virtual schools create a more effective and efficient plan to reach better-fit students, capture more of them, and retain them.

We will cover topics such as:

Positioning -- how do you differentiate yourself from other virtual schools?

Price -- if it is tuition-free why is price so important?

Public relations -- how do you get your message out in a toxic environment toward virtual schools?

Place -- what does it feel like to be with you? When people visit your web site, your event, your office, what does that do to them and for them?

Other topics will carry us down the path toward a cohesive approach to marketing that is applicable in whichever state you operate in.

So, I invite you to join me for this webinar. It is guaranteed to generate a great ROI for you.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Relationship Strategy v Marketing Strategy

A marketing strategy is a funnel-down system -- drop as many leads as you can in the top, sift them as they flow down to the bottom, and hopefully the ones who emerge as customers will stick.

A Relationship Strategy turns the funnel on its side, focuses first on existing customers and allows them to use the funnel as a bullhorn to help share your story.

A marketing strategy is about brand messaging.

A Relationship Strategy is about sharing your story.

A marketing strategy is developed around a conference table.

A Relationship Strategy grows from customer to customer.

A marketing strategy is all about which channels to use to broadcast the message and try to reach as many people as possible.

A Relationship Strategy is about determining why you exist, who you can best serve, then laser focus on sharing your story with them.

A marketing strategy focuses on leads and enrollments.

A Relationship Strategy focuses on right-fit students.

A marketing strategy focuses on the start of the school year.

A Relationship Strategy focuses on the end of the school year.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Don't believe the lie

Unless it happens to be the truth. And therein lies the difficulty - - discerning what is true and what is not.

What is most disconcerting is how quickly we as consumers make that decision. We quickly form our opinion then look for facts that support it while we tend to ignore potential red flags. Most of the time we do this without realizing it.

So, is it marketers that distort the truth, exaggerate the truth, or do we simply forget to read the fine print, because it is too fine?

houston@figment-consulting.com

What is Aspirationgraphics? (from my Virtual School Manifesto)

A while ago I published Virtual School Manifesto: Nine Essential Ingredients to lay out my vision that would allow virtual schools to fulfill their promise. One of those ingredients included a term I coined called Aspirationgraphics -- an idea I covered in depth at a recent conference.

Our friend Webster defines aspiration as a "hope or ambition of achieving something." For me the key word there is ambition.

Virtual schools market themselves as tuition-free yet fail to mention the investment required by the students and the parents.

Virtual schools focus too much on where the students come from instead of their willingness to put in the effort required to get where they want to go. This is where Aspirationgraphics comes in.

Aspirationgraphics focuses on the ambition of the student and the parent and requires virtual schools to be more authentic and transparent.

It works when virtual schools are more concerned about how many students are with them at the end of the school year instead of the count date at the beginning.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The customer is always right.

Unless they are wrong.

Then, the real question becomes, "How do you handle the fact that they are wrong, yet believe they are right?"

The answer to that question depends upon the horizon you have with your customers. Do you look at profitability as a requirement for each and every sale? Or, do you look at the long-term value of the customer spread out over months or years (multiple sales) as opposed to each transaction individually?

The answer also depends upon your customer-service mission. Are you customer-obsessed like Amazon, or are you more like Comcast where customers (even long-term good customers) tend to get in the way of efficiency and more profitability?

Take time to determine your customer horizon and your customer-service mission. Doing so will help you align your efforts with your message and be more authentic to those you wish to serve.

houston@figment-consulting.com

I don't know.

Three simple words, and yet so difficult for many of us to say.

It took years for me to master these words, and there are times where the small voice inside me continues to provide me with doubt as to whether or not they should be said again. But, I also understand the power that comes with being able to say, "I don't know."

Saying it doesn't mean you can't learn it.

Saying it doesn't mean you can't find the answer (see google.com for that).

In fact, saying it frees you up to grow, to further your knowledge and expertise, and to become even better at what you do.

You may want to give it a try.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Change perspective and perspective can change

Much of what I write about, and do in my consulting business, has to do with challenging perspectives, and changing them. It allows for fresh ideas to occur -- sometimes they work brilliantly and sometimes they do not.

One of my mentors is author and creative thinker Michael Milchalko. I found his book Thinkertoys at a Barnes & Noble years ago, and it has been a constant companion of mine since then. Fortunately it wasn't the only book he decided to write. I have had the good fortune of being in contact with him over the years and continue to enjoy his thoughts, his perspective, and his writings.

In addition to authoring books, he puts out a regular blog dedicated to creative thinking. You can read his latest post here.

In it he will challenge you to change your perspective in order for your perspective to change -- allowing you to see things in new ways.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Customer service v customer experience

Customer service is meeting needs.

Customer experience is fulfilling wants while meeting their needs.

If you concentrate on the experience you have the potential to create loyal customers.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Two mistakes made by email marketers

Having someone's email address is of high value, and carries with it great responsibility.

For marketers, there is constant tension in how to handle the email addresses within their database, knowing the degradation rate each year.

And, many of them tend to make two primary mistakes:

1. Emailing too often

What prompted this blog post for me this morning was the fact that within a span of 30 minutes I received two emails from Rosetta Stone -- both pertaining to the same content centered around Valentine's Day. The first one had a title of "Ignite Your Child's Love of Language" and arrived at 9:13 a.m. this morning. The second one arrived at 9:37 a.m. with the title "Your Special Offer Has Arrived."

Each morning for the past week I have received an email from Rosetta Stone. But, they are not the worst. That would fall to My Publisher, in my opinion. Rosetta Stone is at least trying to offer some content-oriented incentive (love of learning, enriching experience, etc.) whereas My Publisher, in the words of Meghan Trainor, is all about the discount, bout the discount, bout the discount - no full price.

2. Not emailing often enough

I sign up for Inbound marketing from different companies to watch and learn how they utilize the permission being granted to them. And while most companies tend to make the mistake listed above, there are others that tend to be too hesitant in the use of their email database.

In today's short-attention-span world, is an email once a month enough to keep your database of families engaged?

The goal is to find that middle ground where you are contacting them regularly enough to illicit positive behavior from them, but not too often that it becomes a commodity, or worse a nuisance in their inbox.

Sure, content is the main driver, and that is expected here in this discussion -- give them something that is valuable to them (other than just discounts). But, with all of the CRM tools available today, companies should be able to determine where that middle ground of frequency lies based on the analytic information at their disposal.

Who do you think is doing the Inbound Marketing right? Who are those that are bombarding you? Interested to hear your thoughts.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Moving at the speed of trust

Your customers, your prospects will only purchase from you at the level to which they trust you.

It creates for you an amazing opportunity: If I build trust then I can increase revenue.

And while I know it is not quite that simple, and there are other factors involved, the two are directly related. But they do have a prescribed order.

Focus on trust and revenue will follow.

For more on this idea, read The Trust Game in economic theory.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Paying the Cost of Free in Virtual Public Schools

Virtual public schools may be tuition free but there is a cost.

And, the more they promote tuition free the more they will recruit families who are not willing to pay the cost.

It's time to re-imagine virtual schools.

houston@figment-consulting.com

The tribe of #YourTurnChallenge

It was a brilliant idea really, perhaps even taken from the playbook of the master of inspiration Zig Ziglar himself.

"You will get what you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." Zig Ziglar

Over 500,000 people follow Seth Godin and his daily blog. We are, in essence, the Tribe. And, with the #YourTurnChallenge, Seth is able to give the Tribe what they want. In return, hopefully he receives what he wants (and it is much more than sales of his new book).

The beauty of it all is the Tribe has come to life, sharing their stories, and "shipping their art" as Seth likes to call it.

And because of Seth's genius idea, we are all benefiting from being introduced to such talented artists.

Andy Stitt poured his heart into the Day 1 Challenge and through it we learned how to simplify the complexity of generosity.

Priscilla Tallman reminds us we are all in this together and that one voice can changes lives -- though only when it speaks.

Vanessa Thomas took the Challenge to new heights by starting a blog in response to it. She was ready (Junbi) to choose herself, and we are all better for it.

Tosinger is sharing her art, inspiring us all to stretch our dreams.

Catrina Ossman reminds us that sometimes all we need is a little motivation to get started.

Drew Griffin is thinking deeply about the Challenge itself, sharing insights into what it means to ship, opportunity, and acceptance.

But, one of my favorites of Day 1 was Tom Larsen. Tom is in insurance and somewhere along the way I saw a note from him lamenting the fact that he is concerned that blogging about insurance is not exciting enough.

Yet, in perusing his first post it led me to look over his blog overall. I encourage you to read Tom's blog. Insurance may not be sexy but saving money, protecting your belongings, and increasing your wealth is sexy. Sometimes they just disguise themselves under the insurance heading.

The Tribe is much more extensive than this list, and I could truly not do it justice in trying to describe it, or even the ones I listed here. However, I simply encourage you to join us. We are a worldwide Tribe who share the commonality of following Seth Godin and his writings.

However, there's always room for you in our Tribe. We need to hear what you have to say.

#YourTurnChallenge

houston@figment-consulting.com

The problem with mediocrity . . .

. . . is that it is easy to accomplish. It takes minimal effort, no imagination, and only an average amount of energy.

However, maintaining mediocrity is more difficult than maintaining excellence.

We tend to think excellence requires much of us, yet in reality, it only takes a little more -- a little more effort, a little imagination, and a little amount of energy.

houston@figment-consulting.com

McDonald's - Carry on, carry on.

In November of last year, McDonald's sales were down 4%, the largest decrease in over a decade. On a global scale, same-store sales for the month were down 2.2% with the third quarter same-store sales decrease clocking in at 3.3%. Clearly a brand-refresh was needed.

The question is, will their "Signs" campaign turn sales around? Will an emotional appeal drive more people to their restaurants? Is it designed to attract new customers, or to bring existing customers back?

As for the video itself, it is a good story, and continues the "I'm Lovin' It" narrative by showing that McDonald's "loves" their communities, and is connected to them.

The mere fact that this effort is beyond what one would expect is interesting. Meaning, you would think McDonald's would lead with ads offering discounts, pushing the low-priced products, or offering some new product. Instead, they offer up a feel-good advertisement in an effort to re-establish their position in the market. I expect this is the first ad of an integrated campaign that will have a mix of feel-good and product-based offerings so it will be interesting to see if it proves effective.

The question remains though, are they focused on the core issues in order to turn around sales? Or, are they hoping marketing can save the day?

houston@figment-consulting.com

The snowball effect.

It's easy to predict the upcoming success of Avengers II: The Age of Ultron but many tend to forget the first Iron Man movie was a risk by Marvel.

In early 2014 there were multiple stories about why Frozen was resonating with families and continuing to draw audiences in to watch, sing and enjoy. Yet, there is not one story in October of 2013, right before the release of the Disney movie, that predicted the overwhelming success it would have. This Christmas was inundated with Frozen-themed products but not so much in 2013 because it even caught Disney by surprise, along with the timing of the release.

And, go back in time in the early 90s when animators at Disney were clamoring to be part of the next installment they thought would be huge, Pocahontas. This meant that many junior animators were left to work on the secondary movie in production at the time, Lion King.

Companies, organizations, and even individuals spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out, even predict what will be the next "blockbuster" in their field. Yet, predicting the future is difficult, at best, to do -- impossible is more like it.

What Disney does so well is they plan for what I call the snowball effect. In essence, Disney rolls multiple snowballs down the hill and stand ready for the ones that begin to grow, waiting to take advantage of the opportunities (albeit sometimes slowly).

In 2014 Disney released Maleficient, Big Hero 6, and Into the Woods - each performed well at the box office. Also that year, they released Million Dollar Arm, Planes: Fire & Rescue, Muppets Most Wanted, and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day -- each one opened and closed quickly at the box office. However, each served as a small snowball for Disney to roll down the hill and watch for momentum to kick in.

In 2015 Disney will release Avengers II and the next installment in the Star Wars franchise -- each, in my opinion, a snowball effect in that the success tied to these movies is based in large part on the small snowballs that were released at the top of the hill years ago.

However, can anyone right now predict the success of Disney's Tomorrowland movie releasing later this

year? Will it become the next Frozen? Disney is not sure either yet they have packed it up into a small snowball, and they will roll it down the hill and see if momentum grows it -- if it does, then they will kick into gear all of the other facets to take advantage of its success.

What can we learn from this? Yes, it is vital to spend time to determine which snowballs are worth releasing at the top of the hill but do you, as a company, have a plan to take advantage of the growth momentum of that snowball should it begin to gain speed and size?

Have you spent time on What if scenarios to extend the brand? To expand the distribution channel? To increase the awareness and revenue once the little snowball begins to grow?

It is difficult to predict which video will go viral, but it is not difficult to be ready for it should it gain momentum.

UPDATE: Since publishing this blog post this morning, a friend sent along this story from the Disney CFO that provides further evidence of what this post is all about: Disney CFO Outlines Movie Financing Strategy

houston@figment-consulting.com

Sometimes the obvious is obviously difficult to see.

With a first name of Houston, and thanks to NASA, I have had to endure introducing myself to people and then hearing the phrase, "Houston, we have a problem. Bet you have never heard that before have you?"

I have always tried to reply with a polite and oftentimes witty answer to make light of it, and make them feel at ease. Truth be told, it grew old early on in life. I always related to the actors who had delivered a memorable line, or found themselves trying to avoid being typecast because of a particular role. In interviews, they would often be asked about people approaching them on the street and asking them to say that line. Or, the comedians who would be at a gathering and people always expecting them to be funny. For me, it was similar -- new person, first introduction, okay, here we go again. "Houston huh, I bet you have never heard . . ."

And then, an epiphany of sorts (though after this length of time, not sure it can be called an epiphany) in that I realized that perhaps I was looking at this all wrong. After all, Prince was a great name for a musician, thought he did change his name to a symbol (maybe I should consider that). No, the real answer, the real solution here is to realize the potential of this and even send NASA a thank-you letter.

I have spent my life, in essence, solving problems. I work with companies and schools to solve their customer loyalty problems, and relationship problems. I work with individuals to solve their self-esteem, minimal vision, and internal belief problems. And, I work with organizations to solve their branding, messaging, and communication problems.

In fact, if it weren't for problems, I am not sure what I would be doing each day. It's hard to solve for success, but problems present opportunities.

As Jimmy Fallon would say, "Thank you NASA for placing your space center in Houston, and for having problems."

Let me encourage you to consider what may be right in front of you. Are you overlooking something so obvious that it is difficult to see? Are you avoiding something that when embraced might actually be an asset?

For me, it has taken over 28 years of a professional life to embrace the obvious. When people call me and say, "Houston, we have a problem" it is actually the best call I can receive.

Now, what is the phone number to the Copyright Office?

houston@figment-consulting.com

Thank you readers.

When I started this blog last year, I wondered if anyone would even read it. Now, over a year later, I want to thank the thousands and thousands of you who have taken the time to read what I have shared (or, maybe it was one or two people reading it thousands of times - either way, thank you).

I hope you will continue reading in 2015. And, I know that much of that depends upon me and what I have to offer you. With each post I will continue to work to get better -- at content, at writing, at sharing.

For now though, I hope your 2015 is the best year you have ever had. And remember, we need to hear what you have to share too.

houston@figment-consulting.com

Moe's Southwest Grill - Pavlovian conditioning leads to greater tips.

Moe's Southwest Grill is a Mexican cuisine restaurant that allows you to walk down the buffet-style line and have them prepare your meal for you. Their food is fresh, the servings are large, and the taste is good.

What fascinates me though is the use of peer pressure in order to increase the tips they receive. You see, their servers never leave their space behind the counter, yet they work hard to prepare your meal the way you want it. So, as you make your way toward the register, you continually hear this little bell each time a customer pays -- or, at least you should if you want to be part of the tribe.

You see, each time a customer leaves a tip, the person at the register rings the bell and all the employees yell out a robust "thank you" for the tip.

Talk about peer pressure -- would you want to be the next in line and not leave a tip? It's a classic case of the Pavlovian effect of conditioning. And while I have not been able to determine the exact rate at which customers leave tips, the tip jar is always full.

Next time you eat at Moe's, pay attention to how many times the bell rings. Then, look at the tip jar in the next Subway you go into and notice the difference.

The cost of the bell? Probably $1. The return on investment? Priceless.

houston@figment-consulting.com