Social Networking has become quite the thing, and it has happened quickly. I can still recall that when I was in college Facebook was just starting to become popular, it now has over 300 million members. Every eight days Facebook grows a Twitter worth of people (about 10M people).

Why does social networking matter for you, the business person? These things are for kids, right? Sort of.  Some social networking sites are for “kids,” but others work like extensions of your “in-person” business network. Is networking important to your business? If it isn’t, it should be. Social media is a way for you to take your business network to the next level by providing you with millions of prospective customers to engage while developing your value perception.

Many social networking sites are for connecting friends and family, like Facebook, but there are several sites set up to help you network with worldwide and local business communities. These are sites that encourage business networking, so you need not be afraid of promoting yourself and making connections for business sake. Continue reading →

Data are the solution.

As good as creativity is, and believe me it is good, there is an easy solution for keeping it in check. The solution is appropriate data, both competitive and consumer or constituent, to drive the creative process. Michael Behe said, “The conclusion of design flows naturally from the data; we should not shrink from it; we should embrace it and build on it.” Data are the first step toward making marketing accountable as well as making it perform significantly better. Continue reading →

Serfwerks co-founder, Nate Gibby, has been invited to present to Westminster College’s Institute for New Enterprise on November 11, 2009. The presentation will focus on some of the problems with the traditional marketing problems such as lack of data in decision making, tactics before strategy and unbounded creativity, including solutions to those problems.

When developing marketing collateral of any kind, too frequently marketers, designers and others involved in the process too often think more about developing a piece that is “creative” or “cool” rather than focusing on what is most likely to be successful. Don’t get me wrong, creativity is vital to good marketing. I appreciate good creativity as much as anyone. Each year when the advertising awards are presented by the various publications and/or associations, I eat them up with the rest of my colleagues.

However, it is the unbounded or unrestrained portion of the creativity that becomes a problem. This is where marketing is viewed as some sort of mystical process that magically generates business. You get a few really creative people on your team, leave them to their own devices, and “bam” sales come in the door, people give you money, and ideas are espoused. Continue reading →

How well do you know grammar? When do you use “its” or “it’s”? When do you say “who” or “whom”? Does it drive you nuts when people say that something is “ironic” when it is actually “coincidental?” Call me weird, but I like to use grammar and words properly, most of the time. That brings me to the word “marketing.” What does it mean?

The Problem

The American Marketing Association defines marketing as: the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.^[1] The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to a market to buy or sell goods or services.

A close examination of this definition reveals that marketing involves many things in order to get a product to market. Please allow me to expound an analogy that might shed some light on this. Continue reading →

Getting customers to respond to marketing efforts has been an age-old dilemma for all marketers. Many think that enticing customers with some sort of promotional offer or discount is the best way to spark customer interest or sales. There is no question the promotional offers can be effective for certain types of products or services. However, once promotional (money lost due to discounting) and actual (price of marketing the promotion) costs are combined in with the conditioning effect that can cause some customers to buy only when a product or service is on sale, the promotional offer can be far more expensive than you could have ever anticipated. Continue reading →

Coupons can be an effective way to induce trial. They can introduce a new product, maintain/ increase market share, attract first-time users and increase brand awareness and switching[1]. A recent study showed that key grocery shoppers in larger, middle-income households are more likely to use coupons[2].

However, there are some serious drawbacks to the practice of couponing. First, coupons decrease top-line revenue by decreasing the amount of money collected by a business through some sort of discount. Continue reading →

The chapter of the American Marketing Association at the University of Utah has invited Serfwerks co-founder, Nate Gibby, to present at its monthly meeting in October. Scheduled for October 21st, the presentation will focus on some of the problems with the traditional marketing process as well as how data-driven marketing solutions can create significantly improved marketing results. The location of the event will be determined

July 28, 2009, SALT LAKE CITY—Serfwerks has been selected by the Brigham Young University Young Professionals Alumni Association to present at its monthly luncheon on August 28, 2009. The 60-minute presentation will focus on marketing ROI and improving marketing results. Attendees will learn how to quantitatively analyze the performance of their marketing efforts, identify opportunities to compete more effectively, and use marketing tactics to significantly improve their marketing results. The event will be held at 11:45 a.m. on August 28 at the Wells Fargo Building (86 No. University Ave.) in Provo, Utah.

July 22, 2009, SALT LAKE CITY—Serfwerks has been selected by the Provo • Orem Chamber of Commerce to present at its monthly Chamber University series. The 90-minute presentation will focus on marketing ROI and improving marketing results. Chamber members and attendees will learn how to quantitatively analyze the performance of their marketing efforts, identify opportunities to compete more effectively, and use marketing tactics to significantly improve their marketing results.

The Chamber University featuring Serfwerks will be held September 17, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. in the Zion’s Bank located at 462 W. 800 North in Orem, Utah. The presentation is scheduled for 30 minutes. Breakfast will be served. To register for the event, visit the Provo • Orem Chamber of Commerce’s web site at www.thechamber.org