Brad answers these and other questions for us: The economy has been really terrible lately; but you’ve had an excellent year so far. Why is that? How have the demographics of airplane buyers changed in the last few years, and what has DJI done to adapt to that? A really large number of people who have purchased from you in the past purchase from you more than once. How do you keep those relationships going?
Labor Day was initially intended to celebrate the contribution of working people, not necessarily business owners. The media sometimes makes it look as though business owners are all sitting on a beach somewhere with a cold drink with a little umbrella in it, bought with the proceeds of sweat from the brows of working people on their payrolls. But I would argue that things have changed - if that was ever a case.
At one point, while the team is preparing for an operation and stockpiling explosives, the cigar-chomping Smith philosophizes: "Overkill is underrated."
Being dependent on any one thing, especially if that thing is not completely controlled by you, puts your business at risk.
Many people in aviation have a military background. Yet many of the people we talk to don't apply that "military intelligence" and discipline to their marketing. One of the key concepts in both the military and in marketing is the separation of strategy vs. tactics.
While we agree with Meerman-Scott that the web has transformed marketing, we know that a great advertisement is still a powerful part of a campaign. ABCI also subscribes to the theory that aviation companies are typically not Coke or Pepsi. Traditional brand advertising is not the best use of funds or the most successful way to reach aviation decision makers.
On today's show we talk with Jim Gorman of Gorman 360, a former ad agency exec who has won recognition from Cannes, The One Show, Kellys, Addys, Andys, IBAs, Mobius, Clios, Direct Marketing Echoes, and Effies.
We launched a survey to find out what Aviation Professionals think of our Master Class topics for 2012, we have gotten some great responses so far - I thought I'd share what we've received to date on one of the questions: (wiseacres included!)
I belong to several professional groups for marketing and copywriting. My colleagues in these associations work in a lot of [...]
How do you prevent your search engine optimization (SEO) results from dropping over time? Here's a simple way to stay at the top. :-)
We write great content for aviation companies, but the elusive and mythical tagline is something we could all use help with. We have the illusion that the great ones just drop out of the sky onto the business owner or marketing director's head, fully formed and perfect. Lightening strikes, thunder rolls, angels sing and we have no doubt that it's "the one." The reality is not always so dramatic and clear.
In the course of market research, many of our clients find that they need to attract more affluent clients. This is often a great strategy, for the obvious reason that higher-end clients have more money to spend, but also because they are often people with business experience so they're easier to work with. They often have more influence in their communities, so if they like what you do, they're more likely to make referrals.
Gary Vaynerchuk's book The Thank You Economy includes a reference to the sale of a $250k phone system based on a relationship that started with a response to a tweet by Avaya's global managing director of Services and Social Marketing Paul Dunay.
We talk with JetNet's Paul Cardarelli who answers questions about market research in the aviation industry in a straightforward and helpful way.
Most companies, under most circumstances, don't have the need or the resources for that kind of massive media blitz. While it was successful for the circumstances we were in, most companies don't have those kinds of deadlines (or those kinds of budgets!)
Listen here - Podcast Episode 12 - Marketing Starts When the Plane Hits the Ramp Or see us on BlogTalkRadio [...]
I had to share this great comment from LinkedIn. :-) | Interested in the Marketing Master Class? We [...]
Why is great aviation content important for successful marketing? "People just don't seem to be responding. We have Facebook, we [...]
Being an expert in a small niche, breaking the link between cost and quality, and pushing decisions down to the operational level, may originate in the engineering field, but they apply equally well in advertising and marketing.
Unless you're selling snow-cones at the park on a hot day, few people will buy your product or service the first time they meet you. Sales cycles have gotten longer in recent years- especially in business to business sales, and especially in aviation, people research every purchase much more carefully. They do their homework before spending money. If you're a great company with a great product or service, this is actually good news for you in the long-term, because people are taking the time to make good decisions.
