News

We’re Hiring!

May 06, 2013

With the recent addition of a handful of B2B and retail accounts, we're looking to add two people:

Account Executive - 3 to 5 years with an agency, media outlet or client-side marketing experience. You'll be working directly with our client partners, as well as selling the agency's services to new business prospects. You'll want to bring a broad knowledge base and it would be benefitial if you had online marketing/digital advertising experience.

Client Support Specialist - This is an entry-level position working directly with our team of account executives. Perfect for a smart cookie looking to learn the ropes from the best of the best. Self-starters only. We're not a babysitting agency

Applicants can send their resume and cover letter directly to:

Michael Fasone, CEO
Fasone & Partners Advertising
4003 Pennsylvania
Kansas City, MO 64111

Or email us here: roar@fasonepartners.com

Good luck!

 

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Bullet Points Kill

April 09, 2013

 

Overwhelming your prospective customers with data, and bullet points in an attempt to answer every possible question is easy. Oh, it feels like you're doing a lot of work, but all you're really doing is stating the obvious – and the obvious is quickly forgotten.

Where's the creativity? Where's the risk? Where's the storytelling?

Smarter, more effective marketing creates a vacuum that your product or service can fill. Amp the awareness of a problem. Demonstrate the opportunity your business creates. Kill the bullet points. Tell your story.

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Pay-Per-Click and Kansas City’s small businesses

March 22, 2013

Google is our Yellow Pages. It’s our encyclopedia. It’s our world, national and local news source. If you want to be found, you want to be found on Google. The fastest, cheapest and easiest way to find yourself on the first page of a Google search is by using their AdWords Pay-Per-Click (PPC) product.

But here’s the rub. While any business can buy their way onto the first page, Google’s own data shows that companies that aren’t household names perform poorly. Google PPC works wonders for brick-and-mortar businesses that have already built a name for themselves. But if you’re not an Olathe Ford or a Crowley Furniture, then you need to build your brand before PPC will work wonders for you. Ad Wizard Roy H. Williams talks about this in a recent Monday Morning Memo.

…if you’re still trying to build your name, put all of your eggs into a single mass-media basket and then lift that basket to the sky. The biggest mistake you can make is to spread your ad dollars around, thinking you should ‘cover all of your bases.’ You don’t have the money for that. Have courage. Talk loud and draw a crowd.

Google may be our collective go-to, but if Kansas City doesn’t have a connection with your business before they go-to Google, they’re going to go-to the competitor who has made one.

 

 

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It’s not easy being one of my clients

March 01, 2013

I love featuring my clients in their own ads. They’re so imperfect, so not-ready-for-primetime and yes, sometimes even grating. But they’re real. As a small business in Kansas City, your ads are up against a blur of high-dollar production values and professional talent. The best thing you can do is be yourself. 

Hire an outsider to help you craft your message, but don’t leave the delivery to the “professionals.”

Your voice will cut through the commercial clutter like a knife through butter. Use it. As the owner, entrepreneur and head honcho, your customers actually want to hear what you have to say. I mean, who knows your business better than you?

The more you don’t belong on air, in print or online, the more you’re going to stand out.

http://youtu.be/CmUe90EsBGE

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Keep your friends close and your mobile customers closer.

February 14, 2013

First it was Walmart and the big Box Stores. Then you had to compete with Amazon.com and free shipping. Now, thanks to internet-enabled smartphones your local business in a price battle with every retailer in the world. It's called "Price Transparency" and it's turning your neighborhood store into a showroom for online retailers. 

According to a Google report, almost half of all of your smartphone toting customers are using their mobile device to perform product research and browsing while in your store. Oh, it gets worse... 39% of walk-outs, shoppers who leave without making a purchase, were influenced by what they found on their smartphone. Short of banning smartphones from your store (which isn't very smart), you have three opportunities to turn these lookie-loos into paying customers:

Improve your in-store experience. If you can give shoppers something they can't find over the internet, there's no reason for them to leave empty handed. Offer expert service and advice. Provide free pick-up/delivery. Give 'em a guarantee. It can be as simple as introducing yourself and demonstrating that they're a valuable customer. You know, good old fashioned customer service.

Make it hard for them to compare "apples-to-apples." If they can't find exactly the same item online that you offer right on hand, it's going to be harder for them to price shop you. Bundle products together like snow shovels and ice melt. Sure, they can find each at a hundred other stores, but at your store they'll get both for one price.

Keep your friends close and your mobile customers closer. They've got a smartphone, they obviously like using their smartphone, so give them something to do with that smartphone in-store. Offer free Wi-Fi. The easier you make it for mobile users, the longer they'll stay in your store and give you a chance to win them over. Display QR codes next to your products. These codes can link to videos, product information or even special offers. If your website is mobile friendly, send them there for discounts or online specials.

Smartphones aren't going away. Embracing how your customers like to shop can move smartphone window shoppers into buyers.

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