<![CDATA[Lantz Consulting

<![CDATA[Lantz Consulting - THE BLOG]]>Mon, 19 Jun 2023 05:03:24 -0400EditMySite<![CDATA[What small BUSINESSES can learn from nike]]>Thu, 04 Apr 2019 14:22:27 GMThttp://www.lantzconsulting.com/theblog/what-small-businesses-can-learn-from-nike

Despite being a mega-global brand, Nike has demonstrated an important strategy that would significantly benefit many small businesses: a model that takes a systematic, thoughtful and client-centric approach to build and position its brand over time.

A few years ago, for fashion week, Nike created a “concierge” program to help engage editors while keeping them fit as they went to Fashion Weeks in London, Milan and Paris. This in turn created a unique "experience" that related back to the Nike Brand. The "experience" led influencers to post pictures on social media such as Instagram, building a following and legitimizing the brand (social proof). This was all done in advance of the launch of a new athletic sportswear line, creating buzz before the product even came to market.

The approach is classic good business and small businesses should heed the core steps:
1)   Create a plan.
2)   Slowly increase the awareness through intentional buzz and outlets.
3)   Develop relationships with influencers that play in your target markets.
4)   Never forget the actual product (Lululemon learned this the hard way a few years ago with its unfortunate roll out of see-through yoga pants).
5)   Remain patient but continue to test, experiment, and pivot in response to what you know and learn about your core market audience.
6)   Segment your audience. Nike sells on various social platforms depending on the buyer (ie Millennials, Gen X) and then finds the right marketing mix.

Nike tries to find the experience and cache value which can even drive an established Brand to the "hottest Brand at the moment” status if done correctly and with a little luck.
Building on this backdrop, Nike quietly launched its "Runway Athleticwear" in 2014 by mixing the ubiquitous Nike popular Sports Stars with Runway Models at NY Fashion Week. In this forum, Nike was able to test out the product, material, style and appeal across categories. Nike also opened an invitation-only training facility on Grand Street in Lower Manhattan in summer 2014, where glossy-magazine-ites do yoga and work out with models and other influencers.

On Instagram today, Nike with 86.2mil followers, is successfully tweaking the singular brand voice typically evident in its marketing to allow for access to athletes that feels more real and authentic to fans.

"We have to be just as interesting as Beyoncé and your friend's avocado toast. In the feed you're stacked up all the same," Jackie Titus, the brand's global head of social strategy, said during an Advertising Week session in October. "You can't top Beyoncé, but it's a good goal."*

Nike is moving with the trend, pivoting to stay relevant and fresh, but always ties its products back to successful athletes which are core to its success and legitimacy. Nike never forgets the quality and core drivers of its brand and small businesses would do well to follow their lead.
*https://www.marketingdive.com/news/marketer-of-the-year-nike/541560/

]]><![CDATA[The Beginning Of A Successful Brand]]>Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:59:34 GMThttp://www.lantzconsulting.com/theblog/the-beginning-of-a-successful-brand

When it comes to creating a successful business, organization or service, just creating a brilliant product with huge potential for success is not enough. That bridge between your product and your consumers needs to be built…and that bridge is your brand, how you convey it and how you position it. Without these, even the best products can end up being monumental failures.

Your brand is about who you are, the customers you serve, your unique qualities and your customer guarantee. Your brand’s success depends on your ability to deliver value to your customers- time and time again.

That’s all well and good, but first, they won’t know how good your brand-your product- is if they don’t know it exists, and further, if they know it exists but have no interest in trying it. Right?

So, what has to happen first? YOU HAVE TO TELL THEM. This is your beginning; and it can be the beginning of the end, or the beginning of a great ride to the top.

Riding your brand to the top starts with a great package. Yes, your logo and name are part of that package and are important for on-going recognition, but more important are the words in your package-your content.

Your content is how your customers know you. It’s the only thing they can associate with you WITHOUT buying your product. It establishes relationships, trust, brand image, and goodwill.
The first contact your potentially loyal customer base will make with your product is when they read about its pros and cons, contemplating whether to forego all the other similar products in the market in order to have a taste of yours.

Now, once your content about your brand has enticed them to try you, your brand is now responsible for keeping them. If customers know exactly what to expect from your brand they will keep coming back for more. And customers are willing to pay more for a service that is associated with quality and value.

You only get one chance to make a great first impression. If your content is going to be compelling it needs to start pushing all the right buttons.

The level of competition in the market today is cutthroat; there is absolutely no way a company relying on poor content can manage to carve a place for itself. Make sure your words as well as your logo and tagline say who you are with a spark that ignites interest for new customers, keeps your existing customers happy yet grows and evolves with them.

]]><![CDATA[Featured in Fit small business as a pro for home improvement lead generation ideas]]>Wed, 25 Apr 2018 18:05:07 GMThttp://www.lantzconsulting.com/theblog/featured-in-fit-small-business-as-a-pro-for-home-improvement-lead-generation-ideasGreat article for any small business owner to read! Top 25 Home Improvement Lead Generation Ideas from the Pros for 2018

]]><![CDATA[Proud to see our client in cfo magazine]]>Sat, 03 Mar 2018 18:10:28 GMThttp://www.lantzconsulting.com/theblog/proud-to-see-our-client-in-cfo-magazineExtremely informative article featuring our client Bill Shipp co-founder of Vaxient: Cyber Compliance, Security & Risk Management, and Greg Romano on getting published in CFO Magazine along with E.J. Cyran and Jonathan Marks on a terrific article we drafted on GDPR. https://lnkd.in/dw4Uzhg

]]><![CDATA[Digital Marketing Checklist 101]]>Fri, 27 Jan 2017 02:20:12 GMThttp://www.lantzconsulting.com/theblog/january-26th-2017Whether your company is small or large, in retail or food service or finance, digital marketing has become a crucial aspect of every business. The team here at Lantz Consulting created a basic digital marketing checklist to help you achieve the first steps of your digital presence.

1. Google & Apple MapsIf your business has a physical store or location, it is vital to create a Google and Apple Maps listing.

Make sure that every detail is correct, including where the pin is dropped on the map. It is also advisable to test out finding your location, both walking and driving. Set up your listing now with the below links:

2. Social Media
While social media is an incredibly important step in getting your business recognized, not every social media platform will make sense for your business. For example, if you sell automotive parts, Pinterest is unlikely to be fruitful. Consider your target audience and take a look at the below demographic research conducted by Pew Research Center.

3. Search Engine Optimization
Optimizing your website for the best SEO (search engine optimization) value is a continual effort and learning process. While SEO can be different for every business, we can make sure you are not making any common black hat SEO mistakes:

Google Analytics – having Google Analytics set up is an important way to gather statistics and data on your website and audience behavior.
Duplicate content – Any kind of content on your website or on another site that is duplicate, or the same written information, will not be searchable by Google. Make sure all your content is original and there is no duplicate content on your website pages.
Backlinks – Backlinks are any link coming from another website to your website. Many websites have some spammy links. Cleaning these up just helps the authority of your website.
Keyword “Stuffing” – Keyword research is very important for SEO. However, if the use of the keyword does not naturally fit into your content, Google will also devalue your website.
Hidden Text and Links – At one time, stuffing a number of keyword in the footer of your website would help your rank. Today, this will cause Google to remove your site from Google searches.

Blog
Providing valuable content and information on your blog and in your email campaigns is crucial for inbound marketing, SEO, and developing your brand. Blog content should be based off keyword research, search trends, and (of course) related to your line of business and brand. Some of the different kinds of content you can provide include interesting and relevant blog posts, infographics, videos, and interactive quizzes.

Audience
As always, your customer’s perspective should lead the direction of all marketing initiatives. Conducting market research and getting to know your client base is by far the most important foundation of all the above digital marketing strategies.

If you are interesting in our services or you have an ad hoc request, contact Stephanie Lantz today for a quote: stephanie@lantzconsulting.com

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