Marketing Today

Got $100? Start a business online!

So often, I have friends tell me about a great idea that they have for an online business, but that they don't know how to get started.  I always tell them to just give it a shot and see how it goes.  The journey is the reward.

I headed up PR & marketing for four decorator show houses in a 10 year period and had a lot of knowledge in my head as to how to make these fund raisers successful.  So, I started a little business called ShowHouse 101.  For under $100, I bought the URL on Network Solutions and used their templates to create a simple website.  Next I went to Vistaprint and bought business cards and address labels.  And, then I built a database of 100 people who I thought might be interested in my expertise; wrote them a letter and that I customized and sent out a mailing.

What did I get?  A call from a nice man in Cape Cod who was on the board of a not-for-profit who got my letter and had some questions as to how to handle in fighting by volunteers on a project like a show house because that's what he was dealing with.

What did I learn?  For $100, I learned that I had an idea that was interesting, but that wasn't anything to build a business around.  Not-for-profits don't always think like businesses when they start out to plan a major fund raiser.  Often they chose to just trouble shoot issues throughout the project and wait for a white knight to come in and bail them out.  And, not-for-profits don't pay what corporations pay for consulting work.

Got an idea for a business?  Test out your idea simply.  Research doesn't always have to be a cumbersome process.  For $100 these days, you can make yourself look pretty legitimate while you see if your idea has any merit.

Are you Joe the Plumber?

Poor Joe the Plumber.  Here's a hardworking guy in Ohio who's concerned about having his taxes raised who was raised to national prominence in the last presidential debate.

If you can relate, the McCain campaign invites you to make your own video and send it in.  If chosen, you could be included in a commercial on national TV so that you can be raised to national prominence as well.

In the mean time, are you worried because your home has been foreclosed and you don't know where to vote?  Just call Obama to find your correct polling location.

If you're like me, you're ready for this election to be over.  My absentee ballot has already been sent in and my mind was made up a long time ago.  With two wars going on and an economic crisis, it's time for the bickering to end and for leadership to take over and focus this country on some goals that will make Americans proud and this country strong.

Tell me that you're not green washing

I learned a new term this week - "green washing".  I was at an American Marketing Association event in Boston that was focused on green marketing.  As someone who has marketed products at EMC based on energy efficiency, I was wondering if green marketing was even effective two years after I started doing it.  Do consumers really care?

This event had a guest panel that was focused on sustainability within their own organizations and they discussed measures for carbon footprint, and how to make "green" a realistic and meaningful aspect of your marketing strategy and budget.   Bottom line - you need to jump in and start somewhere when it comes to corporate environmental responsibility.  Companies like Timberland and Walmart are making a difference with sustainability efforts.

What's Green Washing?

Well, if you have to ask, then you should be careful.  It's actually not a nice term because it's what companies do when they want to make themselves look more environmentally friendly than they really are and their claims ring false.

Does Green Marketing Work?

Sure, sometimes it does.  It depends on what you are trying to market.  When Clairol calls Herbal Essence shampoo "a truly organic experience", it backfires on them.  Why?  Because according to an industry report, they use chemicals such as sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol and D&C red no. 33, which are not organic.  Now, that same report said that Clairol does use some organic ingredients, does not test on animals and uses 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic in its bottles.  These are all good things, but they get buried when people start dissecting their message and challenging false claims.

All in all, it was an interesting session and made me think about the backlash that could occur when not thinking through the entire green marketing message if that's what you chose to be the center of your campaign.