Here is Round #4 of the GIFs I use in emails once in a while to get my point across a little more effectively or just to give someone a laugh. 🙂
Just use this GIF instead of typing, “Wow, that’s awesome!” And who doesn’t love Tommy Boy? ✔
Who gags better than Jim Carrey in Dumb & Dumber?! And you’ll come across at least one reason to send a “gag GIF” over the next few days. Like the addition of 5 new Zoom meetings this week, or a new technology we have to learn because it will make our work lives “easier”. Ha.
And this is when someone requests some task or project from me… and I’m going to get it done PRONTO… and happy to do it!
Nick Cage. Long hair. 5 o’clock shadow. White tank. And a WINK. This is usually a “You’re Welcome” GIF to guys that are cool enough for it. 😎
Here is Round #3 of the GIFs I use in emails once in a while to get my point across a little more effectively or just to give someone a laugh. 🙂
Spongebob happy pants is maybe for someone who might not be “on the same page” as me in the “what’s funny” department. Keepin’ it simple and fun.
But then… let’s just follow it up with a little Spongebob snarky pants for those who will appreciate it. A sense of humor is a must for your recipient. Thick skin. I usually send this in reply to a mass email from a coworker (with a sense of humor) who lets people know they’ll be out of the office the next few days. 😂OR maybe include it in a reply to your boss after she sends you another email of no value whatsoever.
Alright… enough with the cartoons. This one just gets a laugh every time. When you’ve had it with dumbasses. Harsh, right? Or not harsh enough? 😉 I just can’t. Nope. Not doing it. See you on the dark side. I’m done.
This is when I need to let some dude know that I’m not playing around. Or am I? I’d really just like them to ponder on that for a bit. And you can’t ever go wrong with an Inigo Montoya quote from The Princess Bride.
Here is Round #2 of the GIFs I use in emails once in a while to get my point across a little more effectively or just to give someone a laugh. 🙂
This here can be taken 2 ways. I sincerely applaud you… or I’m being a smartass and you’ll know it when I’m using it in this manner. 🙂
The next two are essential. They are “Giddyup” GIFs. The Kramer giddyup is for when a more aggressive giddyup is needed. You’ll see what I mean here…
This particular giddyup almost has a feminine feel to it. Subtle. More of a congratulatory giddyup. Like… yeah… we’re awesome…
Whoops… I was almost going to slip a “Ken Jeong from the Hangover when they’re in the desert” GIF in here. We’ll skip that one and keep this post PG-13. But that one is perfect for old buddies / good friends who have a sense of humor.
I like the old Star Wars. And the characters. Especially Han Solo. Cuz he’s cool as shit. And hilarious. Or am I talking about Indiana Jones? Doesn’t matter. This Han Solo slide is for when I amaze the crap out of someone and do something that most people can’t do. It happens a lot. Or at least it does in my brain. 😉
All I’m sharing with you today are some of my GIFs that I put into select emails to friends, coworkers, and clients when I want to emphasize a particular emotion. These are just some of my faves that I’ve collected over the years. 🙂 This is an attempt to lighten the mood and give you something normal / not normal.
For when I’m a little frustrated, or want to call BS on something…
And I like Arnold.
When I know I’m about to make something really big or exciting happen. When I’m jumping in to take care of business…
I appreciate Blake’s “getrdone” attitude and humor.
There are times I email a client telling them I have an idea, but it’s not quite fully baked yet. So, I tell them I’m still researching, writing, and thinking, but to stay tuned…
Zach G!
Ah, crazy eyes. This is for when a group of you just witnessed or were emailed something that is verging on “off the rocker” or maybe some nervous tension…
Good for a few other applications as well.
That’s all for today. This is the first installment of a 4 or 5-part series. MORE TOMORROW. I have a slug of useful GIFs to share that can be included in some of your future emails.
Of course, you need to know when it’s appropriate and when it’s not. But we’re all professionals and can figure that out. Yes. That’s right. I trust you. Isn’t it nice to be trusted? Whole other issue. Sorry. Have a great day!!! 🙂
#1 You think that the more places you advertise, the better your advertising results. You equate good advertising with “reach”. You feel that if you advertise in many different mediums, you’re reaching more people. The problem is, you’re probably not reaching that many more people since we all watch, read, and listen to multiple different mediums, not just one. By spreading your budget too thin across too many ad mediums, you’re not putting your ad message in front of people enough times to make an impact and be remembered by them. Too much “reach”, far too little “frequency”. You’re trying to reach 100% of the people, but you’re only convincing them 10% of the way.
#2 Your advertising message has no impact on the audience you’re trying to convince to do business with you. You think that results come from the advertising medium you choose. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Your advertising will only work when the words you convey to an audience are relevant, entertaining, and memorable. If your ad message doesn’t resonate and get attention, then your advertising won’t work, no matter where you place your ads.
#3 You believe that anything “visual” is the best way to advertise. The truth about advertising effectiveness is that sound is more easily remembered than visuals. It all has to do with how our brains our wired. All of those big national companies with huge budgets that moved the majority of their dollars from TV and Radio into online advertising are finding out that it was a big mistake. Is there a place for online advertising? Of course. But the bigger chunk of your advertising budget should be put into “sound media”… and the online or “visual only” should be a support media for the “sound media”. There is way too much money being wasted on the new and shiny things in advertising. But that is happening mainly because those advertisers haven’t figured out how to get consistent advertising results. So, you’ll try anything hoping that something will stick… instead of getting to the bottom of how to make advertising actually work.
#4 Your advertisements and marketing (even your social media) only talk about what you do and who you are… instead of talking about what your products and services do for your customers. Your customer doesn’t care about you. They don’t. They only care about what you do for THEM. So, your ads must talk about the benefits of doing business with you. How can you solve their problem? How can you improve their life? Also… why should they buy from you instead of your competition? You want your prospective new customer to subconsciously think that they’d be making a mistake if they didn’t buy from you. And that’s not done by presenting them a laundry list of your products and/or services. When your ad message only conveys “who, what, and where” you are… then, you’re allowing people to dismiss your ad completely. It’s not memorable. It won’t move someone closer to doing business with you.
#5 You’re too “logical” with your ads. The questions you should ask yourself when creating or evaluating your ad message is “Does this evoke emotion in people? Will they ‘feel’ something?” Emotion is the key. If you don’t “move” people in your ads, then, they’ll never be as powerful as they could be. Do you know what causes people to listen and remember what you’ve told them? Tell them a story. And that’s what most of your advertising should be doing. Put your ad in story form and it will make a much bigger impact.
#6 You only think short-term with your advertising instead of long-term. If you only advertise for brief periods, or only for special events and sales, you’re missing out on the bigger portion of the population. Think about how many people need you right now. Not very many. So, as soon as your ad is done, you’re easily forgotten or not even considered because most people weren’t currently in the market for your product or service. How long do you plan on being in business? Then, you have to think long-term. Remind people frequently and consistently with a strong ad message and a story… and guess who people will automatically think of when they NEED what you offer? YOU. That’s the power of branding. When you “stamp” your business name and “what you stand for” on the brains of the public with emotional messages that make people like and trust you before they even meet you… you’ll win this game of marketing by a landslide.
I tell people all the time… if there was a better media to use to advertise your local retail or service business… I’d go work for them.
I had a conversation with someone recently who was concerned about the future of Radio. He was wondering about it because he doesn’t listen to “regular radio” as much any more. But he’s a business owner. Business owners don’t listen to AM/FM Radio like the average consumer does. They have too many shoes, chainsaws, and hammers to juggle every day. The time to listen is limited for them.
As long as the radio industry is proactive with technology and keeping live and local DJs… Radio will be fine. After all… approximately 89 to 91% of adults listen to AM/FM Radio every week.
Some feel that Spotify or Pandora might be stealing a lot of listening time from Radio. But that’s just a perception, not reality……..
The audience share of AM/FM Radio is actually 8x bigger than Pandora and Spotify combined.*
If you’re a business owner, you have to understand that as long as there’s still a FREE option for good music, interactive and entertaining DJs, local news and event info… there’s always going to be a big audience for AM/FM Radio.
Now, that we have that out of the way, I want you to think about what the biggest, most successful brands on the planet do to advertise. It’s all about reach. Reaching the masses. They’re discovering that narrowing their target audience by moving more dollars into targeted, digital advertising was a big mistake. They’re starting to understand that the reason they used mass media from the beginning was because the more people who know about you, directly translates into more customers and more sales.
And why local radio for advertising? Remember? Radio reaches approximately 90% of adults. But the best reason is because radio is intrusive. Meaning you don’t have to do anything to hear them. They’re just there. And you can move or shut your eyes, but you can’t close your ears.
All you have to do is say something in your radio advertising that people would care enough to listen to. And that’s our specialty at Results Radio Townsquare Media. The message. We know how to create ads that get heard and remembered.
It doesn’t matter if you’re advertising on the biggest radio station in town… if your ads don’t cut the mustard, you’ll be unhappy with the results. We’ve acquired a certain set of skills here that can take an average advertising strategy and plan… and turn it into something that has horsepower. Or we can start from scratch and bring something to you that will have traction from the get-go.
The list of our happy clients is pretty extensive. If you’d ever like to speak with any one of them about their experience with us… let me know.
I’m confident that Radio has a bright future, and our radio clients can rest a little easier because of that. This is still the best local advertising medium to build a great brand in my opinion, and it also helps that I work for a great company that is still doing things right. Otherwise, I’d go work for someone else.
Quick story. I’m having the exterior of my house painted. They’re on Day 2. And they should finish up today. BUT… it’s gonna be HOT. Hot hot. So, when they got here this morning, I opened up the window of my office and said, “I bet you’re gonna work fast so you can be done before it gets too hot.”
And I wasn’t trying to imply to them that they should bust their ass, so my house could be finished. I was just kind of feeling bad that they were going to be stuck outside on such a wicked hot day.
But the owner, Dana, said to me…
“I hear ya, but it’s hard to work fast.”
I stopped and thought about that.
He’s a painter. He’s working on the trim today. There’s some delicate work. If he rushes… then the quality suffers.
There’s “hustle” and then there’s “rushing”. There’s a difference. If I rush through any process of creating great ads for my clients… or skip parts of the sales process… then, the end result suffers. So, yes, sometimes it’s hard to work fast… especially when you’re in the good habit of doing the best work for your customers that you can. Which ensures that some day you’ll get a referral from that happy customer.
Here’s another quote – I think I heard it in the movie “Shooter”…
“Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”
Slow doesn’t have to mean turtle-slow or sloth-slow. It can also mean “smooth-slow”. And isn’t “Smooth” something you’d like to be?
There are many times that I need to hustle. And that just means putting a little extra giddyup in my step and staying focused on my task at hand… and when that’s done, starting my next task. And the next. But I don’t rush something that shouldn’t be rushed. Because then the work suffers. When you can see the bigger picture, “smooth” and “hustle” will always bring you greater success in the long run versus just working fast just to get something off your plate.
Maybe you have employees and you wish them to work a little faster. It might not be “fast” that you want out of them. They might just need to quit with excessive “Lolly-gagging”. Or maybe they need more focus and direction. Don’t assume that faster work means more money for the company. Because if work suffers from too much “fast”… then, your customers will “smoothly” never be repeat customers.
We’ve hired our painter multiple times and referred him to others. And we’ll keep hiring him when we need his unique kind of “smoothness”.
I’m not going to ramble… you just have to listen to these. These three radio spots were produced in 2010. The Cake Lady didn’t have a big budget… but they had “Gramma Nanna”.
She had passion. And we captured that. Enjoy…
The Cake Lady – Peanut BrittleThe Cake Lady – Christmas CandyThe Cake Lady – Pumpkin Tort
You can try to fool yourself into thinking that your success is all because of the products you sell or the services you offer. Yes, of course, what you sell is important. You need to offer something to consumers that is needed or desired. That’s a given.
But in my humble opinion, the #1 reason for continued long-term success is your people. You need good people who know how to create, build, and service. And you, their leader, needs to instill in those people your passion and your mission. (Your passion stems from more than just making money, right?)
Now, let’s dig a little deeper. All employees need to be good… BUT… THE MOST INTEGRAL PARTS OF YOUR TEAM, THAT MOST DIRECTLY EFFECTS YOUR SUCCESS OR FAILURE, are the people who deal with your customers and your potential customers ONE-ON-ONE. They’re the ones who make the customer experience a great one. They provide a better customer experience than anyone could get from your competitors.
There are companies past and present who have great products and offer much needed services, but they’ve either gone away or are constantly struggling because the customer experience is… or was… horrible.
When a consumer is uncomfortable during an interaction, sales pitch, or service call – it will all fall apart. If not immediately, it will eventually.
Do not kid yourself. If you run a company that depends on multiple employees… one person does not make a successful company. You may be a great leader, but you also need to identify and mold good talent. And you need to know when someone does not fit the mold. Not everyone is trainable at this very moment in time or sometimes ever. And if you need help identifying “the right stuff” in people when you’re hiring them… then get some second and third opinions on your potential new hires. You have to uncover who people really are in your interviews. You have to get them talking. It’s more than just a sheet of questions asking about their skills and where they see themselves in 5 years. It’s about making them feel comfortable enough in an interview to open up and be honest with you.
But again… not everyone is trainable. You know what I’m talking about.
Think about a time you had a great customer experience when you purchased something. Usually, the big, fat, juicy main reason for that great experience was because of one person. Or a string of people who were on-point with how to interact with you.
It’s how they talked to you. They were pleasant, skilled, positive, and they were REAL.
But have you ever been in a buying situation where a person went into a canned sales pitch, and you just wanted to tell them to stop the bullshit and level with you? It’s like your lizard-brain is telling you to run away. Or have you ever got a grumpy service person, and you vowed right then and there never to hire that company again? Ever talk to a rude front office person who gave you a bad taste in your mouth? Yup. All of them. Me too.
Anyone within your company who deals with your customers (or prospective customers) one-on-one… in-person, on the phone, or even through email… are your main reasons for your success or your failure.
People have more choices than ever before to buy the goods and services they want or need. So, when that one employee gives a customer an easy interaction, and creates an environment of calmness and trust, that customer will stay with that person no matter what. Even if that person goes to work for a competitor of yours, that customer will most likely follow that person. Because we all like to do business with PEOPLE… not corporations.
This blog post was inspired by a buying experience I had recently with a salesperson. We’ve done a lot of business with this person, over many years. And this person always treats my wife and I like we’re human beings. They “get it”. This person is almost the complete opposite of what you usually find. They’re a gem that makes us feel COMFORTABLE. If this person ever changed companies, we’d follow.
The one-on-one human interactions are where your battles are won or lost.
It’s not your social media.
It’s not whether you have great products or services.
It’s not because you just “know” that you’re better.
Make sure you have a team of diamonds dealing with your customers. If they need more training on how to deal with people… give it to them. And then, continue with that training weekly… forever. If you need to hire more diamonds, go find them. They may be hiding in a rough… but they are out there. And if you have trouble KEEPING those gems, then, figure out what you can fix.
If you’re finally ready to shake up the world and make big things happen with your advertising… BUT… your first question is “Where should I advertise?”… then, you’re asking the wrong question. You’ve just skipped about 6 steps.
You should be asking yourself, “What can I SAY to people that will cause them to want to do business with me?” Only then… should you ask the question of where to advertise.
People don’t care about what you have to say in your ads until you’re saying something that’s relevant to THEM or something that entertains them. And what usually entertains people is Humor or a good Story. We all love a good story.
When you want to finally make your advertising work… let’s sit down and discuss your situation. I’ll help you understand the most important factors that make advertising work, plus all the little variables in the formula that can make or break an advertising campaign.
But beware… because I will talk to you about the mighty benefits of branding your business. If you only have the marketing mentality of “I need a fat and instant ROI with every ad investment I make” …then you will be disappointed and forever chasing something that really doesn’t exist. Not profitably anyway.
Of course, there are exceptions – but I’m writing to all those local businesses who have tried just about every kind of advertising and nothing has ever worked worth a crap. You’re frustrated, fed-up, and ready to flick the next Media Salesperson you talk to right in the brain.
Advertising that always brings instant results is the kind that only plucks the low-hanging fruit. Meaning, it’s just the tiny group of people who only need you at this very moment. And most of your competition is advertising TO THAT VERY SAME TINY GROUP…. giving you an even tinier slice of that low-hanging fruit.
But when you advertise consistently with a relationship-building message that engages emotions and causes people to like and trust you, then you’re advertising to that extremely LARGE group of people who may not need you now, but most of them will in the future. When you “brand” your business properly, those people will remember you when they need you. They’ll be more confident in doing business with YOU… even when your competitors try grabbing them as low-hanging fruit with their intermittent advertising.
When you BOND with people in your relationship-building ads, they’ll remember you because of how you made them feel. Because you spoke to them about THEIR NEEDS… not yours.
If you only “shoot from the hip” or “roll the dice” periodically with your “Act Now!” type of advertising, you’re just hoping and praying that people choose you based on luck… or price. Sounds like a bad bet to me.
So, I said that you need to figure out your message and your strategy FIRST. But you might not know how to do that. That’s ok. But neither do most other media and marketing people. Most of them know how to place a media buy and that’s it. And those salespeople hand off some client notes to a “creative” person, and they come up with a pile of garbage that doesn’t work.
I’ll help you with your advertising strategy. Your message. Your plan.
“Trying this… and trying that”… is getting a little old, isn’t it?
Sioux Falls Radio Advertising 