How PC Caused a Huge Upset in DC
By Leticia Remauro
On November 8, 2016, pollsters, newscasters, the Hollywood elite and big city dwellers were all dealt a shocking blow when Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States of America. I watched the returns in my home, surrounded by my family who had spent the last 18 months glued to the television following the campaign on 24 hour news shows such as CNN and Fox & Friends. In the 23 years I have spent in politics, never has my family been this interested in an election.
What made this election different from elections past was that they had a candidate with whom they could identify. A straight talking, unabashed, billionaire who didn’t mince words and who gave a voice to millions of people who feared punishment by the PC police if they dared to speak their mind.
Americans have been forced to acquiesce to pressure from newscasters, college professors and those who make their living in the sports and entertainment industry to strike certain words from the English language because those words might make people feel bad. They tell us that it is better to be “fake” than to speak honestly and risk hurting someone’s feelings because, as Americans, we all have the right to feel good all the time.
Well, fake is what they wanted and fake is what they got. All those polls that showed Hillary Clinton winning were flawed because the masses didn’t answer the questions honestly.
Anyone who bothered to venture out of the big city and speak to voters one on one could have told these political pundits that Donald Trump was going to win. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, Women, Men, Muslim, Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Gay, old and young all had the same opinion about government – it didn’t represent THEM. They felt disenfranchised and they wanted to vote for someone who sounded and acted more like them – so they did.
Many of my political pundit friends have spent the last few days scrambling to figure out “what went wrong” with the election. That question, in and of itself, demonstrates why their election predictions were flawed. Nothing “went wrong” with the election – what went wrong was their belief that people would give them an honest answer while the political talking heads and Hollywood elite were telling them that only racists, idiots, the uneducated and right wing lunatics would cast their vote for Donald Trump.
It amazes me how the “thought police,” who preach sensitivity and acceptance for all people have zero compunction about shaming those who believe differently than they do.
In the days following the election, Madonna, Cher, Lady Gaga and Mark Ruffalo have abandoned their PC philosophy to march alongside protesters holding signs calling President-elect Trump “Hitler” while his likeness is burned in effigy. While they have every right to express their political views, they shouldn’t be surprised when the people who supported Donald Trump become offended and stage a boycott against them.
Just look at what happened to the NFL when they went down the PC path by allowing Colin Kapernick to kneel during the National Anthem. American’s responded by boycotting football games causing ratings to plummet by double digits.
Speaking at a Dealbook conference last week, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ignored that fact and instead blamed the ratings tank on the broadcasts being too long and the referee’s calls being bad. Maybe he needs to do what the political pollsters didn’t do and give a bit more credit to the American public before it is too late for him too.
Marketing Budget: How To Determine Your Monthly Marketing Spend
If you are not devoting any money towards advertising, you may as well pick a day to close your business.
All successful, long operating businesses have one thing in common: a marketing budget. Many business owners underestimate the importance of marketing and view it as wasted money or an unneeded expense. This is extremely far from the truth and a very short sighted way of thinking.
There are a variety of factors that go into what your marketing budget should be: your industry, your company size, your competition, growth stage, and location. All of these are main factors and one may carry more weight than others.
We recently sat down with a close friend who owned a business that was closing after being opened for over a decade. When we asked what his advertising budget was he said he never had one. Increasing rent on his location and declining sales were believed to be the primary factors he stated, however he did not know that not spending a dollar on marketing was really the cause.
Give your business, and your hard work, the recognition it deserves. Pick a suitable budget and stick with it. Tell people about it! Give them a coupon, give them some incentive to visit you! Have a sale and tell the world about it! Give things away! The more outlets your message is distributed on the better your chances are of getting a new customer, or increasing the frequency of a return visit from an existing customer.
What Do You Spend?
A good starting point is 7% of your average revenue. That number should be your annual marketing budget. From the annual budget divide it by two: one for branding and one for promotion.
When Do You Spend?
Will you be advertising weekly? Monthly? Quarterly?
Where Do You Spend?
Television / Local Cable Commercials – Discuss with your marketing representative ideal time slots for running your advertisement. Television commercials can be expensive to create and produce, so make sure they will be displayed when people are actually watching television. Less expensive time slots are less expensive for a reason: most likely no one is watching television at 4:00AM.
Radio (AM/FM/Satellite) Spots – Same logic with television spots. The commuting hours to and from work are ideal time slots.
Billboard – A well positioned billboard can receive hundreds of thousands of impressions.
Internet – Depending on who handles your web work, this could be your most powerful way of advertising.
Social Media – Social Media accounts are free, but the work that goes into your postings can be costly if you do not have a dedicated social media representative.
Print/Newspaper – Offering a discount on a flyer or newspaper advertisement is a great way to raise brand awareness.
Mailing – Bulk mailing in a locally distributed coupon or advertisement flyer.
E-mailing – Make connections with loyal customers and distribute promotional material to thousands of potential customers.
Don’t Blow Your Budget On One Media Spend
Unless you’re trying to reach one specific target audience, it’s generally unwise to spend your whole budget on one type of media. Diversify your media spends, just like your investment portfolio, for maximum results and exposure. Contact Go Social for a free consultation on what your marketing budget should be and the best avenues for distributing promotional materials.
How to Choose the Right Marketing Firm
There may come a time when your company will grow beyond its own marketing capabilities and when that time arrives, you will need to hire a marketing firm. However, the idea of hiring a marketing firm is easier said than done. Not every marketing firm may fit your business goals and company needs. So where do you start?
Start by establishing how you will evaluate different firms so you can avoid wasting time exploring options that turn out to be unfruitful in your key decision making. Below are key factors that you should take in account when considering a marketing firm for your company.
Relevant Experience. The marketing firm should have experience with companies of your size and with similar business models. It is important that the marketing firm has the capacity to service the size of your company. The firm does not necessarily need to have experience within your industry though it would be a big plus, but if the firm has experience in various industries, this will prove helpful as the firm can provide an outsider’s perspective into your business. Your company can differentiate itself from the competition.
Handling Challenges. Ask the marketing firm to provide you with reports on how they raised the profile of other companies. Did their strategies increase reach new audiences, increase profits or visit frequency? You have a marketing challenge in mind and you need to know if the company has previous experience in successfully accomplishing similar challenges.
Creativity and Strategy. Inquire about the marketing firm’s creativity and strategy capabilities. Not all ideas and strategies that worked for one company may work for another. Every company is different, so recycling ideas may not be good idea. It’s important that the firm can think differently. The firm should demonstrate its ability to think creatively and critically about your challenges and offer solutions.
Options. If you haven’t established a budget for marketing efforts, ask the marketing firm to provide you with proposals for high, medium, and low budgets. Ideally, you want to give the firm a budget so they know what they’re working with. No marketing firm has mind reading capabilities, so openly discuss how much you can spend on marketing efforts. No one’s time is wasted and the firm can provide a range of options for your budget.
Success. Marketing efforts and its success does not happen overnight, unless you’re willing to spend grand amounts of money. How would you rate success? Your measurement of success and the marketing firm’s are likely different. Discuss what you expect from the firm because when everyone is on the same page, the firm can push your company forward into new directions.
Compatibility. The marketing firm must be compatible with your company. Water and oil never mix. You want a firm that can work with your company on every level. If your company likes to joke around sometime and the firm is stiff, then it may create social tensions. Get to know the firm before you commit to any long-term partnerships. Meet the firm’s staff and get a feel for yourself if this firm will have your company’s best interest in mind. You can also assign the firm small marketing tasks so you can gauge how effective and compatible the firm is.
Hiring a marketing firm is not an easy task. Don’t rush to hire a firm because wouldn’t you rather take the time to do it right the first time instead of making a mistake and starting all over again? Don’t waste your time and money. Good luck!
The Times Have Changed: Social Media and Relationships
