THE WHITLATCH WEEKLY

Ok, so you have known about the 2017 NADA Show for quite some time now, yet you find yourself freaking out a day before you leave. No worries, we have all been there. Register to Attend here ! FROM THE OFFICE First and foremost, let's think about what you will need to get from the office. Some things will be accessible via E mail , Google Docs, flash drives, etc.  Create a "Note" on your Cell Phone or go old-school and actually write it out on paper. Business Cards / Marketing Materials Laptop / Charger / Back up Charger? Flash drives - power points, presentations, spreadsheets, etc. Email Response - "I will be out of the office..." Who needs to know where I will be during the show?  Last minute tasks I MUST do before I leave? Miscellaneous - headphones, pens, notebook, books, etc FROM HOME Alright, I have my shoes, my jacket, shirt, and tie are on point, where's my belt? My belt! Son of a  $!+@&!!! How many of you have been...

By now, I hope you have figured out who has gradually taken over the throne in Social Media Marketing the last few years.  You guessed it, the CUSTOMER.  By the end of 2016, 89% of Companies expect to compete mainly on the basis of CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE compared to only 36% only four years ago.  Just as Marketing and Advertising on Social Media began to get a little ridiculous, the CUSTOMER stepped in right in time.   Don't get me wrong, Marketing and Advertising are at an all-time high via Social Media and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  However, WHO - WHAT - WHEN - WHERE - WHY and HOW this Marketing and Advertising ends up in the CUSTOMER'S hands is no accident. WHO Defining and Identifying your CUSTOMER (Target Audience) is priority number one.  If you don't know what pond to fish in, how do you expect to catch any fish?  Knowing WHO your CUSTOMER is will help you know where to hang out - Facebook , Twitter Chat, Blog...

Once upon a time, in a place far from here, lived a beautiful Email.  This Email (or E-Mail) was beautiful, friendly, and essentially harmless.  Sending messages all around the World, the Email began to grow greedy, selfish, and a bit shady.  Soon, the Email began to hang around the wrong crowd - THE MARKETING CROWD !   Those clever, creative minds convinced the Email that it could be more.  More than just a message. More than the exchange of a document.  A tool for Marketing and Advertising professionals far and wide.  A Marketing Email is still just an Email.  And so...the Fallacy of the Email is born. A " fallacy " is  a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief or misleading or unsound argument .  The day that Marketing and Advertising met the beautiful Email was a monumental day for business.  Not so much for the Email.  Think about how many times a day you have to delete an Email that was A...

For every MARKETING or ADVERTISING strategy lies a TARGET AUDIENCE . At some point in time, that TARGET AUDIENCE will have a decision to make. Your PITCH, IDEA or OFFER was a SUCCESS or it was not a SUCCESS. Simple as that. For the majority of MARKETING or ADVERTISING professionals, I'm sure you can remember a time where it seemed as if your AUDIENCE was seconds away from buying-in to your IDEA, PITCH or OFFER then all of a sudden, they didn't.  They balked. Your AUDIENCE (for whatever reason) decided not to buy-in to your BRAND, PRODUCT or SERVICE. But why?

Nearly 10 years ago this month, I created my first and last Facebook profile. Sitting in my High School Library towards the end of my Senior year, I cluelessly put together a picture, a couple monumental dates and places, clicked on the "Save" button and wa-la.  Piece of cake. Now, if it could have only stayed that simple.  Social Media profiles are becoming more and more of a reliable source for representation of a person, company, or event. The days of uploading some random picture and being ok with it are gone. Establish what you will be using your Social Media profiles for. Business? Fun? Maybe both? Regardless, your audience needs (and wants) to know what they will be getting. Choosing the right Social Media platforms that fit your lifestyle is key. Don't feel that you MUST HAVE certain accounts to make everyone happy. For instance, I don't use Snapchat or Pinterest. It's just not me. Does that mean Could they work for you? ABSOLUTELY.   YOU MU...

Seeing changes in the gym doesn't happen over night. And the gym is only half the battle. A balanced diet, efficient recovery time, even the equipment and methods of your workout dictate your results. An effective combination of all these things may still not guarantee the results you are hoping for. Any of this ring a bell? Now, let's talk about your Social Media Workout Plan. What's that... You don't have one? How do you expect to grow, expand your knowledge, or allow your Social Media to live a potentially longer life in general?  As I mentioned above, results take time. You won't see results in a week, probably not even two weeks. We all have our own battles in Social Media, just as we do at our local gym . Some swear they can't put on weight or muscle for the life of them. Others feel they can't lose weight no matter what workout or diet they try. The point is, each of us have certain priorities or wants from our workouts, just as we do our So...