Obama Marketing Campaign - Blogs are great! Twitter and Facebook are Hot!

The Obama Marketing Campaign turned the marketing world into a whole new ball game. I was teaching a hybrid International Marketing class for a university in partnership with a university in Mexico. The students were all 20-22 years old. One of the group activities was analyzing a great marketing campaign on the Internet. I began the activity with one question. "What was the greatest marketing campaign of 2008". They all respond quickly – "Obama for President". It took me back that they all had realized that without a hesitation. Mentioning this to a colleague they said, “Yes, they were all in their 20s”. Yes I agreed with them. But yet, I was taken back by the global impact of the marketing campaign. 20 year olds are businesses' "New Customer". I realized then I wanted to capture that approach to marketing.

As a small business there are several successful free sources you can do that mirrors the Obama Marketing Campaign.

1. Look the Obama Home page over. http://www.obama.com/
2. Check out the links of Obama Everywhere.
3. Establish yourself on some of those “hot” sites.
4. Start Blogging.
5. Start a Twittering. http://www.twitter.com/
6. Join FaceBook.
7. Follow the lead of the successful such as:
a. Ellen DeGeneres http://ellen.warnerbros.com/
b. Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com/
8. Be prepared to spend time learning the process. This is not done in one day….I wish!

I am just learning and every day I am bringing my marketing campaign into the 21st century!

This is where you can find me:

My Blogs are:
http://www.empresspublishing.blogspot.com/On A Woman's Song of Power - http://proverbswoman.blogspot.com/On Sustainability - http://thoughtsfromwisdom.blogspot.com/About Business - http://womanofwisdom.blogspot.com/An Author's Thoughts - http://judysramblings.blogspot.com/Tips for Candles, Fragrance, Spa Products - http://illuminatingthehome.blogspot.com/

My Twitter - http://twitter.com/empresspublish
Facebook - Judy Justice

Website:
http://www.empresspublishing.com/

Enter Marketing for the 21st Century!

Judy

Taxes are Good!

Yes, I said Taxes are good. Businesses and individuals are forever grumbling about taxes. Yet, they enjoy the following things that taxes pay for:

1. The highway system I drive on everyday.
2. Protection for me and mine.
3. Keeping the water, air and food I use safe.
4. Maintain a US voice in the world community.
5. See that those that cannot help themselves have help.
6. Help with Education.
7. Help Sustain our wonderful country and do things I never think of that help me and my businesses everyday.

Just taking the contrarian view and counting the good things taxes do!

Judy

Marketing at its Best! Portuguese Water Dogs

Portuguese Water Dogs are Hot! The Obama Presidential family selected a breed that has under 1,000 dogs registered in the United States in 1995 according to the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America's website: http://www.pwdca.org/breed/history.html. The website also points out that the dog's history can probably be traced to 1297. Poodles, Kerry Blue Terriers, and Irish Water Spaniels can probably be traced to the "water dog".

Sustaining a breed like this took great care by owners through the centuries. Sustainability beckons to us from many windows of time. Peaking into this window of time shows that Sustainability involves keeping a line of dogs in tack for centuries. Just like plants that need preserved, dogs add quality to our lives and need preserved.

Marketing a breed requires care as well. I would hope the PWDCA has a marketing plan. The SWOT would be something like this:

Strengths - Quality Breed, Established since 1297.
Weakness - Limited numbers of the product (only 919 registered dogs in United States in 1995), not well known.
Opportunities - The President of the United States is looking for a dog.
Threats - All breeds are hoping to take the prize of being the "President's Dog".

The plan would have included strategies I am sure such as:

• Target Market the Presidential Family.
• Use the Kennedy family's recommendation as a method.
• Promote the Sustainability of the breed (centuries of care in the breed's line).
• Promote the breed's ability to be friendly, family oriented with a masculine and feminine appeal.
• Have the Kennedy family make a gift of the breed to the Obama Family.

Now the breed is internationally known instantly. The costs of the marketing plan was minimum. The results phenomenal!

Small business and families can use a SWOT to market themselves. Maybe you need a Marketing Plan!

Here are some great pictures of the dogs. http://www.pwdca.org/slideshow/

Enjoy!

Judy

Strategic Planning and Income Tax Savings for the Small Business and Home

Strategic Planning in business involves putting into place a plan and strategies for the next 3-5 years. In doing that the business looks at the big picture and asks questions such as:

What is our Mission?
What are our goals?
What new ways can we create a profitable revenue stream?
What should be eliminated that is not profitable to us?
How can we accomplish the goals?
What are our Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats?
How will the plan be implemented?

This week is "Income Tax Week". The news is humming with tax saving tips. Be sure to Google or search “Tax Savings Tips”. You will find great articles that will help you save money.

If you did not meet the criteria in the last tax year, consider how you can in this current tax year. Saving money includes making sure you qualify for some of the great tax benefits that the government is offering.

Take a “Strategic” view of the situation. Ask yourself, “Where can we as a small business and family save money for this current year on our taxes?” Ask the questions listed above. Then turn the ideas into reality through actions.

Judy