Is it worth marketing an anniversary? As Oprah Winfrey once said, “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.“

We, the awesome Arkside Marketing team, are celebrating our five year anniversary in 2015. Each anniversary of your company’s beginning represents the end of a chapter and the simultaneous start of another. But that is a generalized observation with arguable meaning. Of strategic importance is the marketing value of that anniversary and how it can be used with employees, vendors, investors, customers, and potential customers.

What is an Important Business Anniversary?

Let’s jump into a couple you may not have considered:

1 year – Your first year in business. You made it!
5 years – Most businesses fail in their first five years. If you’re still around, its time celebrate.

Always commemorate the traditional increments of 10 (10, 20, 30, etc.) and half-10 (15, 25, 35, etc.) anniversaries.

Also consider numbers that are relevant to your particular industry or company:

• Investment companies could celebrate their 11th birthday since the New York Stock Exchange is located at 11 Wall Street in New York City
• Law firms can celebrate 1 year (Supreme Court is at 1 First Street, Washington D.C.) or 9 years (9 Supreme Court Justices)
• Casinos and any entity with the word “lucky” in its name should celebrate 7 years
• Masonic lodge may want to celebrate their 3rd and 33rd anniversary
• Auto shop could do something with their 5(years)W30 anniversary
• Dentists should celebrate their 32nd anniversary (number of teeth in the adult mouth)
• Baseball teams have 9 players on the field
• IT companies can have fun with their 1-0 (10) year anniversary as a nod to binary code
• If a company is Christian-focused, or there is a triangle in your logo, or perhaps you have three core elements to your mission statement, the number three gives you an anniversary to promote.

How to Excite Your Customers About Your Anniversary

These milestones give you an opportunity to reconnect with your customers using a completely non-sales touch point. You are suddenly empowered with a new way to stay top-of-mind, offer a unique incentives, and provide an experience unmatched by your competition. (Assuming they aren’t celebrating an anniversary at the same time).

The key is to share your excitement with your customers. Tell your story. Your employees may be your best source of material, especially if they have been around for multiple milestones or even from Day 1. Share trivia and experiences from the company’s history: how did the company begin? What was the last milestone like? How has your city or cities changed over time? Do you offer new products or services?

Here are ways for getting customers excited about an anniversary:

• Create a special version of your logo just for the occasion
  • Add the logo to all sales or other collateral throughout the year
• Host an open house or other party event to celebrate. All employes, family, clients, vendors, local dignitaries, and partners should be invited.
• Create a new page on your website with the stories and trivia mentioned above
  • Include the new logo
  • Share the page across social media
  • Make sure it is linked in your main navigation
  • Add a link to email signatures
• Create sales incentives such as “10% off” (for a 10 year anniversary) or “save $20” (for a 20 year anniversary) or “first 50 customers” (for a 50 year anniversary). Be creative and think of your customer first. What would have value to them?
• Invest in specialty promotional products for the occasion
• Share company trivia on a regular basis on your social media channels
• Create contests or giveaways centered around the anniversary in which your employees can participate

These are just a few ideas to help cultivate ideas for your particular situation. Your customers will enjoy knowing about your success, longevity, and whatever may be in store for them. Most importantly, each of these steps humanize a business. The management, the staff, and the brand as a whole become more “relateable”. In other words: great marketing. Few things can help a company grow like a positive relationship with a customer. They turn into referrals. Those referrals will be around for the next anniversary and so will your business.

We are proud supporters of first responders. There are brave men and women who protect our rights, property, and lives by running in when others run away. Sadly, some are lost in the line of duty. They made the ultimate sacrifice in the performance of their duties.

Each year, the California Police Chiefs Association hosts a training symposium which includes a tribute to fallen officers. Family members are brought to the tribute from around the state to receive the praise of colleagues and thanks on behalf of the community their loved ones served. Their travel and lodging are covered by donors. This year’s symposium and tribute is being held in Riverside, CA February 22-26, 2016, hosted by the Riverside Police Department.

We are proud to be a donating sponsor of this touching and worthwhile event. These families deserve to know that their loved one did not die in vain. Their sacrifice is appreciated and won’t be forgotten.

I decided to write this because the new storm surrounding legendary comedian and family icon Bill Cosby has stunned me. I watched The Cosby Show, Cosby, loved the book “Fatherhood”, and saw his standup comedy specials. When I started ProActiveDads in 2008, he was a role model for what we fought for when it came to dads in the media. Now, the accusations are coming in waves with woman after woman dating back 45 years. As all of this unfolds and I see Cosby’s reaction (or lack thereof), I continue to think that Bill Cosby is making PR mistakes.

Before this post continues, I want to make it clear that I am not second-guessing the PR people employed by Bill Cosby. From what I have seen and heard over the years, they are some of the most successful people in the business and have been for decades. But they are not the only people involved. A-list celebrities are surrounded by a variety of advisors including public relations specialists, lawyers, agents, studios, costars, friends, family, and many others. All of them have opinions. Most of them offer advice. Some are paid for their advice. That advice doesn’t always agree with another party or the celebrity. Ultimately, the celebrity needs to choose their own action.

Silence Anything But Golden

This is where I believe Bill Cosby is faltering. He is facing an expensive, damaging, and career-ending barrage of accusations. Could the lawyers really be the best helpers when they advise total silence? Every interview has been a “no comment”. Even when the AP tried to play “gotcha” with their recent interview release, he still said nothing.

I find myself more and more in the camp of spectators who believe that this many accusers can’t all be making this up. It is already public knowledge that Bill Cosby has cheated on his wife Camille. Also shocking is the fact that I haven’t seen or heard any reports of his Cosby Show cast members coming to his defense. Most of them were female. Where are they? Thus far, only Raven-Symone has said she was never a victim. But where are Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Sabrina Le Beauf…all of whom knew and worked with Bill Cosby when they were young? Where is his TV wife, Phylicia Rashad? To have so many accusers and so few supporters is surprising for a man so well respected. And each of them is now suffering financially because The Cosby Show reruns have been pulled from TV Land.

The women making accusations are not just unknowns who may be seeking a pay day. They are an assortment of women from all walks of life with a similar story: Cosby allegedly drugged (or tried to drug) them, then took advantage of them physically and/or sexually. Some have tried to sue him, others have come out now for the first time and say they aren’t seeking a dime.

Take PR Advice

Agents and PR experts are usually the ones advising clients to “get in front of the controversy”. Make strong denials, be bold, circle the wagons with friends and family, etc. Lawyers usually advise absolute silence because anything said can be used against their client in a trial. These accusations have been around for more than four decades and will not be going away any time soon. They seem to be the “nail in the coffin”, as Carla Ferrigno said, to his career.

Were Bill Cosby my client, I would certainly be advising more than “no comment”.

• Speak to the media
  • Put your face out there to show a human side against so many accusations of inhuman acts
  • Don’t let the accusers control the story
  • Give the media new material
• Work WITH the lawyers – but don’t allow them to be the only voice
• Get your friends and family to defend you. Strongly. In public.
• Highlight your history of charitable giving
• Stop asking people to do things online, like recording laugh tracks and asking social media to “meme” you.

If he is guilty, he needs to admit it. Get counseling, stay with your wife, go to rehab, do jail time if necessary, and work to help victims. Take a page from Lance Armstrong – lying makes it worse. If he is innocent, he should proclaim it all day, every day. The truth shall set you free.

What Happens to Bill Cosby?

So many accusers.
So few defenders.
So much silence.

I don’t see any way for this to end well. Cosby’s career is destroyed. His wife and children (who many know about his true behavior) are forced to endure this. His former co-stars are forced to endure this.

He needs to speak. Now.

What do you think? Can his career be saved? Is he right to stay silent? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

This post reflects the opinions of Nathan Greenberg and may not represent the official position or opinions of Arkside Marketing, Inc., its employees, clients, vendors, or partners.

NAME OUR RECORDER!

We have recently upgraded our portable audio equipment with a new recorder from Sony. This allows us to capture audio from our team and clients virtually anywhere with clearer sound and easier editing than ever before. Once we topped it off with a new windscreen (to make those “p” sounds less “p”unctuated) we thought it looked like a person. So that’s when it hit us…

It needs a name!

But why should we have all the fun? We turned this into a contest and the winner will receive up to $100 in concert tickets at any venue in North America! Submit your name idea in the comments below. Is it Alfred? Beulah? Cleopatra? Diablo?

The winner will be chosen at 12:00pm (noon) PST on Thanksgiving eve, November 26th.

Share this post with your friends and family across social media. Anyone can enter as many times as many names as they like. Do you know someone that would like free concert tickets?

POST YOUR NAME IDEA IN THE COMMENTS BELOW…

This is the first of our new weekly #WisdomWednesday feature. We will share an important tip, strategy, or other sage-like wisdom each week. It is always our goal to give you actionable marketing or advertising advice that can help improve your business. If you would like to suggest content for this feature, feel free to email us at www.arksidemarketing.com/contact-us

For this week, we want to draw attention to the need for refocusing priorities. It can be easy to get lost in the minutiae of developing or redesigning a business logo. The right font, the right colors, the right alignment, the right whatever. All important. But they pale in comparison to the importance of staying focused on your customer. The right logo won’t mean anything if your customers leave due to a lack of attention.

Pick a font, pick a color, pick an alignment, pick something…then get back to work.

You have years of experience.

You have a nice office.

You have a strong track record of success.

You will fight for your client.

What makes you different?

As you market your firm, you need to communicate what makes you different from your many competitors. Keep in mind that before someone chooses to hire you, they have to choose to contact you. Your marketing should give them reasons to do that. Focus on your competitive advantages, then tell the world why you stand out.

FINDING YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

We always remind our clients that they will never know why someone didn’t contact them. Maybe they didn’t like the website. Maybe the phone number in your radio ad was too complicated. Maybe they saw negative reviews on Avvo. Whatever the reason, the lost client has no reason to take time and explain how you lost their business.

Instead, tell them exactly why they should contact you. Here are some potential advantages you should broadcast to the world:

• Graduated with special honors from law school
• Recognition or citation from a governing/oversight body
• 5-star rating online
• Team of specialist attorneys
• Large verdict in a previous case
• Long list of satisfied client testimonials
• Decades or centuries of firm existence

Whatever makes you stand out from the competition is a necessity to communicate. Never assume people know about you. The items above are reasons to contact you. They matter for very important and material reasons because they can help win a case. Many of them also speak to having great customer service. Firms that treat clients badly aren’t around for very long. The level of service you provide will reinforce the brand you presented in your marketing.

Attorney Level of Service

Communicating your competitive advantage will lead to phone calls and emails. Now the hard work begins: meeting expectations. Your level of service is another way to stand out from your competitors. Beyond capturing new clients, it can help you retain current clients.

Analyze the client experience with your firm:

• How are clients greeted (in person and on the phone)?
• Are phone calls kept on hold for more than 10 seconds?
• Do you serve tea and coffee at your office?
• Are letters, calls, and emails responded to promptly?
• Does your collateral (letterhead, brochures, business cards, etc.) easily identify ways to contact you?
• Do you send “Thank You” cards or other tokens of appreciation to new clients?

Summary

Don’t lose business because it was taken for granted. Clients always have a choice for their next attorney. Work with your ad agency to ensure that you are communicating your competitive advantages, and finding ways to make your law firm stand out. Once you have earned a call, put the time and effort into retaining more business and earning testimonials that can be used in future marketing. Small investments now can lead to large returns in the future.

Arkside Marketing is one of the top law firm branding agencies. We are a full-service ad agency, specializing in heavily regulated industries such as law firms, car dealerships, and hospitals. If you would like a complimentary analysis of your current marketing efforts, please contact us today to schedule an appointment. We can come to your office or conduct the analysis online via Skype, Google Hangouts, or Join.me.

New opportunities have opened at Arkside Marketing, Inc. and we are looking for a driven, success-oriented, problem solver.

First, some background:

Arkside doesn’t operate like a typical agency. We don’t have typical sales reps (Account Executives). They take time to learn about our clients and how we can develop efficient and cost-effective solutions. They are never told to sell a product. We go so far as to discourage the use of the word “sell” in daily conversations.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop new business with potential clients
• Own the client relationship from initial contact to campaign completion
• Develop marketing strategies with the Arkside team to meet our clients’ goals
• Deliver marketing strategy proposals
• Coordinate client deliverables with Arkside staff and third-party media partners
• Develop client budget recommendations
• Deliver and review campaign performance reports with clients
• Conduct client, market, and competition analysis
• Present campaign conclusions and wrap-ups to clients
• Identify optimization opportunities for all elements of active campaigns
• Fully understand team member roles and media partner capabilities
• Maintain open and positive communication with our clients, team members, and media partners
• Log all activities in our CRM
• Participate in weekly creative development meetings

REQUIREMENTS

• The usual stuff:
  • High school diploma
  • Reliable personal transportation
  • Smartphone
  • Knowledge of MS Office
• The really important stuff:
  • Positive attitude
  • Self-motivation
  • Desire to help our clients succeed
  • Minimum of one year sales experience for any media format
  • Ability to multi-task
• The “it would be nice if you had this” stuff:
  • Experience with digital and traditional media
  • Knowledge of social media best practices for professional development
  • Previous ad agency experience
  • A love of marketing industry research and news

COMPENSATION

• Based on experience
• Generous commission schedule on all media
• Base pay available
• Association/non-profit memberships may be provided
• Performance bonuses

If you are interested in becoming a Marketing Consultant for Arkside Marketing, Inc., please contact our CEO, Nathan Greenberg.

Reach out today and we look forward to speaking with you.

951.579.4121
opendoor@arksidemarketing.com

We have said it before and we will say it again: advertising works.

As this example illustrates, it works so well that two law firms have gone to court over who can advertise the most!

Beginning in 2012, Lundy Law, L.L.P., a personal injury law firm, purchased all of the bus advertising in Philadelphia. Their competitor, Pitt & Associates, went to court claiming Lundy had violated antitrust restrictions by locking out all other advertisers. The judge disagreed because Pitt and other competitors had alternative media in which to advertise.  In Pitt’s view, that wasn’t enough.

WORKSHOP:
SUCCESS through Sales and Marketing Integration

DATE:
January 23, 2014

HOSTS:
Arkside Marketing
Empire Sales Strategies

SPEAKERS:
Nathan Greenberg, CEO of Arkside Marketing
Ryan Stephens, CEO of Empire Sales Strategies

LOCATION:
Canyon Crest Country Club
Riverside, CA

ATTENDANCE BENEFITS: Complimentary lunch
Nearly $1,000 in raffled business products and services

We were proud to co-host a great workshop titled, “SUCCESS through Sales and Marketing Integration” with our friends at Empire Sales Strategies. It was our first collaboration and the results were not only great for us, but for each of the nearly 50 business owners and managers that attended.

The goal was to highlight the benefits of integrated sales and marketing efforts to improve performance in both areas, increase revenue, and decrease wasteful spending.

For example, it was revealed in a national study that businesses which integrate their sales and makreting efforts see an average of 39% year-over-year revenue growth when compared to their non-integrated competition. Our CEO, Nathan Greenberg, and the CEO of Empire Sales Stategies, Ryan Stephens, used that fact as their guiding principle when developing the workshop.

Throughout the one hour workshop, both presenters illustrated the “why” and “how” to make changes in current business operations to improve performance and decrease waste. Each attendee was given a worksheet with five “take away” items they could apply to their business and begin making changes that afternoon.

As part of a good marketing program, each attendee was given a feedback form at the end of the event and asked to rate various aspects and the event overall. With comments like these, you can bet another workshop will be hosted in the second quarter of the year!

We would like to thank the following companies for donating a raffle prize to the event:

• Tax And Bookkeeping Solutions
• Carefree Romantic Vacations
• Canyon Crest Country Club
• eTop Technology
• Inland Empire 66ers
• Ashley Lyons Floral Artistry
• Paychex

by Nathan Greenberg, CEO

We begin our celebration with words of thanks.

Those that have invested in our company have given us the financial security to make necessary decisions.
Those that have trusted us with their marketing have given us the relationships we value and seek to build in a unique and dynamic way.
Those who have referred their friends, family, and associates to us have given us the trust and support to grow.
Those in the media who have partnered with us and delivered amazing results to our clients have given us the tools to make marketing and advertising exciting and profitable.
Those friends and family who have supported our decisions, helped us avoid pitfalls, and let us toil away at odd hours and miss other moments.

To all of you I give a personal “thank you”.

Four years is only our beginning. This year, in particular, has been so radically and positively different from the first three. I humbly admit that every decision has not been right. Nevertheless, I remain committed to my foundation of giving the best customer service and building relationships with clients, the media, and our fans who have helped us grow.

I have more exciting plans for this year including new services for our clients, new opportunities for our clients and partners to network with each other, and bringing on new talent to further expand our well of services and abilities.

The years ahead are bright and I look forward to sharing them with all of you.

–Nathan Greenberg, CEO
Arkside Marketing, Inc.