By Amanda Simpson | September 20, 2011

This is how we feel about your mission statement.

Let’s be frank, here: mission statements are boring. No one reads them, no one cares.

Alright, “no one” is an exaggeration. There’s got to be someone out there who cares, otherwise people would stop publishing mission statements on their websites, right? So, do you have one on your website? It probably sucks.

Look, for most organizations the mission statement is not for the customers. It’s for the employees. It’s for you. It speaks to a vision you should all have and operate from. This keeps things moving smoothly in one direction, ensuring a consistently positive customer experience.

In this case, you wouldn’t put your mission statement on your website. It’s that simple! Frame it and put it in the conference room or break room for internal staff to see.

Admittedly, though – in some cases an organization’s mission statement is relevant to its customers and the public. Maybe that’s you. In that case, follow these guidelines to craft a mission statement that doesn’t suck:

Vague, generalized mission statements suck

Yours should be specific. A mission statement must be tailored to your organization’s specific purpose and goals, otherwise it’s useless. See this example of a completely useless mission statement (hit cancel on the popup).

Puffery in a mission statement sucks

Don’t fill your mission statement with buzz words that are vague and meaningless. Just get to the point and be clear about it. Test it on your employees – if they can’t specifically relate to your mission statement, then your customers can’t be expected to back you. See the above link for an example of “vague.”

Confusing mission statements suck

How many people were in on the development of your mission statement? Too many cooks in the kitchen can make the mission statement confusing. If your organization has a clear goal, make sure that is reflected in the mission statement. Otherwise it’s probably not ready for public viewing.

Boring mission statements…that’s right, they suck

Try asking strangers if your mission statement makes sense. Do they understand what it says? Is it memorable? Does it make them care or get them excited? If not, it needs work. Make sure your mission statement tells a story and sparks an interest among your customers, or it’s useless to you and them.

What do you think mission statements are worth? How do did you craft your mission statement? Share it in the comments!

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Photo courtesy of gonzalomerat

By Kyle McCabe | November 9, 2010

Have a nice cup of ANGRY BADGER!

Change is hard. How many times have we heard that? Change is hard because it involves risk, effort, and some level of emotional investment. We don’t like that stuff – it’s uncomfortable. We fear it (This is one case where “it’s more scared of you than you are of it” doesn’t apply).

The status quo is predictable. It’s controllable. It doesn’t involve any new or extra effort. We like that stuff – it lets us coast and enjoy what we have. It’s all warm and fuzzy. Curl up by the fire with a good book and a cup of status quo. Oh yeah.

But the status quo can change. And when it does …Read more »

By Tarah Heupel | April 29, 2010

Me, in a bad dream last week:  “So, tell me why you want to be on Facebook/Twitter/YouTube?”

The phantom client:  “Because everyone else is.”

Still not using a plan? Time to wake up and smell the bacon.

Me: (Shuddering)

To be fair, we spend a lot of time talking about how important it is for businesses to have a social media presence, and a lot of people are ready to get on board, which makes us really happy. However, when we see a business with a lackluster fan page or a silent Twitter feed, it makes us sad.

Social media is seductive – it’s new, exciting, and a relatively cheap initial investment (in both dollars and manpower), requiring only that you choose a clever screen name and upload the perfect photo.

But then what?

Like everything else on the web, social media is a twisting, turning, ever-transforming thing, and you have to be prepared. It’s like having a baby, but with (hopefully) fewer dirty diapers: you need to nurture it, respond to any messes, and eventually …Read more »

By Tarah Heupel | April 27, 2010

The MacGyver of marketing.

As first-time home buyers, my fiancé and I have discovered that we are woefully unprepared for jobs that require a certain level of handiness. While I have a small (pink) toolkit that has been deemed unfit for manly use, his tools are limited to 1) a hammer, and 2) a Swiss Army knife. Apparently, that little knife is a miracle worker.

In the world of interactive marketing, we have our own pocket-size tool complete with screwdriver and bottle opener, à la social media. Social platforms are serious workhorses that give businesses an opportunity to connect with specific people who might be interested in products or services, learn about them, listen to feedback, stay informed, build the brand, and more.

While a lot of businesses have fully embraced the new frontier, there are still a few hold-outs who want to see concrete proof …Read more »

By Kyle McCabe | February 4, 2010

"The cobbler's children have no shoes."

We’re entering 2010 with a new website, but also a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for the position our clients are in when embarking upon web development projects.

As an agency that offers web development as a core service, we’ve been painfully conscious of the need to update our website for a few years now. It took us a good long while to devote enough attention to getting our own work done, for the obvious reason of being extremely busy with client work. As Robert once put it, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes.”

Of course finding the time was only part of it. It’s often said “you are your own worst critic,” but we never thought we’d also be our own worst client. Turns out we are. …Read more »

By Kyle McCabe | October 15, 2009

I wrote the other day that you already “do” marketing by having a presence in the marketplace – your storefront. From there, all your business activity is, or should be, focused on bringing customers in the door.

Your website is the marketing hub

So unless you’re an online business, your brick-and-mortar store is the hub of your marketing efforts. Your website, then, should be the hub for your online marketing, and in turn, should point customers to your store.

If you sell products directly from your website, customers are already “at” your store. But even if you don’t have that e-commerce element, you’re still making a pitch of some sort to your web visitors, and trying to convince them to take an action. …Read more »

By Kyle McCabe | October 13, 2009

Everyone has goals.

If you own, manage or work in a business, you’re a marketer. Marketing may not be your specialty – that is, you may not be the one calling the shots when it comes to marketing plans and decisions, but you are still an integral part of that activity. You are a marketer, like it or not.

Don’t think so? Think clear back to a time when (generally) a “market” meant a place in town where booths, shops and carts were set up to sell meats, produce, and other goods. That’s marketing at its most basic: a presence in the marketplace.

Bear with me, now, as I try to connect some dots.

Humans, by their very nature, are goal-seeking. We can’t escape it. Since we have goals, we also have strategies. Without thinking we form strategies and implement tactics to achieve objectives. From our perspective it seems like we’re just washing dishes or running errands, but the processes behind these actions relate to our goals. It’s automatic. It’s human nature. …Read more »

By Jillian Anderson | October 5, 2009

Are you ready for the holidays?   Well, it is now October – Rapid City’s first snow has fallen.  Yes, it is long-due time to start thinking about the holidays – and holiday advertising (see tips below).

With a well crafted message, promotion and placement, holiday advertising can be incredibly effective.  Whether your business is retail or service oriented and regardless of your product’s gifting nature, the holidays are an opportune time to connect with people.

Reasons for holiday advertising:

• People are in the buying/giving spirit and feeling nostalgic.
• Your competition is surely advertising.  If they’re not, you have a huge advantage!
• TOMA (top of mind awareness). During the holidays, people have a number of things on their minds.  Even if you’re not selling gifts, you don’t want them to forget about you.
• People are looking for deals and gift ideas – paying attention to ads.
• Increased sales numbers. We’ve seen clients experience a 50% sales increase (or more) from a holiday ad campaign!
• There are plenty more.  What are your reasons for advertising, or not, during the holidays?
  

Ok, but why so soon?

Honestly, the sooner the better – many companies even start planning in the summer. Locally, it is best to have your holiday campaigns planned and placed (or at least started) by mid-October! …Read more »

By Kyle McCabe | September 29, 2009

She's right...

What is “good” web design? Many people don’t understand what makes websites good or bad, and some are even surprised to learn that effective web design takes time, and isn’t cheap. Let me explain…

When you look at a website, you’re looking at an end product. Like a car, there’s really no indication of what went into the creation of the product. We can break it down into its individual parts – wheels, pistons, frame, gears – but we don’t know *why* they, specifically, were used in its construction, or how to acquire and assemble the right types of parts for another car.

Who decides what’s good?

Most of us probably don’t understand how cars are designed, and have only a basic understanding of how they work. But we do know how to use them. We call them “sweet” or “clunker,” seeing distinctions in quality based on various attributes, such as age, safety, power, or utility.

Let’s dwell on that for a second. The designers and engineers who build these complex machines understand them a gazillion times better than you or I, and yet *we* are the arbiters of automotive quality? How does that work? …Read more »

By Jillian Anderson | September 15, 2009

A couple of months ago, Kyle wrote an excellent post highlighting 5 Reasons Not to Cut Your Marketing Budget in a Recession.  His points being:

• Your reputation can suffer.
• When times are tough, people look for deals.
• If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.
• Marketing in a recession can give you a competitive advantage.
• Cut advertising, cut market share.

I want to take another look at the fourth point here, as marketing in a recession really does give you an advantage.  In truth, marketing ANY time gives you an advantage. But when the economy is down and a lot of businesses are cutting their marketing budgets, your dollars can go even further because there are fewer or weaker messages out there to compete with. …Read more »