PreFocus Updates: True Branding Derives From Patience and Consistency.

Apr 24, 2020 | blog, Branding, consulting, Documenting the Journey, strategy | 0 comments

PreFocus Updates: True Branding Derives From Patience and Consistency.

Slowing Down, Not Complacency, is Forming My Brand Identity.

When it comes to building a business, one of the most difficult things to embody is patience. As a visionary, I’ve always gotten sucked into my end goal and detoured by possibilities along the way. But you have to realize at some point that consistency (or constancy) wins the race. While every experience is dense with fruit, rushing things can sometimes be costly. This is why I’m so passionate about branding. The thing is, you have to build things the right way, if you’re really for the consumer.

A Little Story For Big Perspective.

Many business owners eventually find themselves putting on the same golf course over and over. While they grow tired of the stagnancy and repetition, there is a sense of comfort there. They know the clubhouse manager and routinely visit with the same people – the common folk that rarely challenge them to try anything new. There’s a relativity there that allows a sense of satisfaction to reside. It causes many to become complacent or even feel like the ceiling has been reached.

What ends up happening is they start skipping holes that they’ve become bored with. They stop playing the whole course and start to forget the whole reason why they started playing. The people around them tend to downplay their desire for a purpose and passion. They start to doubt and even settle for what’s seen as “enough.” There’s not really a standard there because they’re just winging it. But no matter how many holes-in-one we sink outside of our element, something will always be missing.

Now, many of you may not understand this analogy – or what I’m even referring to – and that’s OK. I’ve realized who my ideal client is and where they need to be in order to value what I bring to the table. Those that want to charge course will. The element of branding is who you really are and what you want your customers to experience. Don’t you see? They’re your marketing team.

Before You Combat a True Brand Identity.

Proving myself to those that disagree with an intentional identity that withstands external refinements is a waste of time. You may be able to make money but the grass isn’t greener. People are always eager to boast that making money online is easy. That there is a way to market a bad product or solution and still sustain the business. I’m not arguing with that. But if you have a purpose and an element of value you’re marketing, then you shouldn’t go about it this way.

Reaching for attention and sales pitches can never compete with reputation. The fact of the matter is, you (as the business owner, CEO, founder or president) really ought to be set out to accomplish, improve or supply something of value. Millions of marketers will tell you they can get you leads now but are they quality leads? If you offer a genuine, premium service, why pigeon hole yourself? No matter what the argument is, products and services should be provided or manufactured for the consumer.

Although I’ve been studying unethical advertising since 2006, it’s still hard to tell where we went wrong as a society. For whatever reason, marketing has turned into a sale. Corporations no longer aim to serve but to persuade. Quality and value has essentially been replaced.

Be Patient, I’m Getting to the Point.

My whole thing is, why compete here? Why try to garner attention or follow trends to funnel leads? Why partake in a look-alike competition? If you have a genuine purpose or passion behind your business, then you will stand out. There’s no need to listen to those that are chasing the money. Far too often, business owners with a real vision get sucked into distractions as well. They believe that they have to do what their competitors are doing in order to remain alive.

Not only are those of you with “big ideas” distracted by the marketplace, you’re also misled by marketers. Like I said before, millions of people are trying to sell business owners and CEO’s on their “idea” of marketing. The sales pitch oftentimes works here too. But the reason why so many companies are unable to reach their goals after coming to market is simple. They forget why they started. They don’t understand that brand establishment takes time.

Working with someone who’s willing to set them up for success while earning their trust and respect is important. Far too often, companies chase the revenue or listen to bad advice to get ahead. They put the buggy before the horse or chose to go after demographic audiences instead of patiently waiting for their ideal customers to find them. Many of you need results now – I get it. But if you’re really providing value and there’s a purpose behind your business, then customers need to know this about you.

Consumers need to view you as something and understand your promises. They need to be able to recognize your experience and know what to expect consistently. Shortcuts rarely result in sustainability. If you truly care about your customers, you have to be patient with the process. You won’t have anything to prove if you falter before you even get started.

How Direction, a PreFocus, Has Guided My Business.

Why would I take on a client for SEO services when they don’t value quality work or they have unreasonable expectations? Why set up a cheap PPC campaign or build a website for $1000 when it won’t really drive results? Why design a newspaper ad when a company could garner a higher return on Google ads? Where is my integrity if I forget what I stand for? How will people ever trust my insight when I partake in projects that aren’t fruitful just to get by? Even though I know I could do a good job, it’s not the point.

The point is, I know I bring so much more to the table and you probably do too. Every time we chose to be complacent, our brand suffers. Chasing the buck never got me anywhere. Standing for what’s best for the business has. Sometimes, saying “no” has cost me a lot of money. But it’s allowing me to create a consistent experience that decision-makers can trust and rely on. Today, I know what type of client we help the best. I know for a fact that waiting on them instead of giving in to make a little money is far more fulfilling.

My business partner and I are even getting phone calls from previous clients that we previously fired. They now understand the value and purpose behind the things we do. They know that the little things are important and are willing to have patience with us as we get them back on track. While we’re still faced with some conflict and kickback from clients, we know that our consistency is important.

If we want to stop going down the same paths or playing the same courses we hate, then we have to remain in our element every day. Reminding each other of this is essential. My goal is to one day direct a Super Bowl commercial. I’m not going to get there by managing 15 PPC campaigns and getting websites to page 1 on Google.

I’m going to get there by helping companies communicate their brand with a message that resonates with their ideal audience. Those that are looking for help here will eventually find me. However that may play out, I’m willing to wait. In the meantime, I need to continue documenting my journey and staying true to the same vision. Consumers deserve to know who can provide them with real value.

founder of prefocus jordan trask directing client during branding photoshoot for purpose and passion in phoenix az consumer audience

Applying Business Growth to My Everyday Life.

I mention all of these things because I’m constantly reminded to remain in my element and be patient. Every day, I’m faced with a number of challenges that could be better if I skipped some of the steps I’ve strategically laid out over the years. But I know that doing will take me off-track. Honestly, I don’t even know if I’m ready for certain advancements in my life right now.

While all of us would like to move faster, it’s always good to stop and smell the roses and see where the real opportunity lies. For the first time in a while, my family and I are enjoying the fruits of our labor. I’m especially grateful to have what we have during a global pandemic. We’re extremely blessed right now.

Not only do I have foundational partnerships and clients that lean on my loyalty, but I have a family and a wife that needs me a present as possible. I mean, we’re expecting our 6th child for crying out loud. All of this is a part of my branding and I need to be consistent here too. Staying mindful and doing what’s best for everyone is what my company is all about.

If You’re Struggling, Try to be Smart.

You see, chasing things because someone else is – or because someone else tells you to – is rarely advantageous. Many times, we get in our own way. We have this desire to knock down all of the dominoes fall when they’re not falling accordingly. But I urge you to try a few new courses. Explain your ideas and the vision of your culture to more people in new places.

Don’t allow complacency to sneak in. Build a brand that means something. Especially if your product or service is meaningful! Don’t allow narrow minded people to detour you. Find help piecing together your goals and find ways to create small wins in order to drive momentum.

Building a company from an idea is hard, I know. I have a lot of regrets myself. But as cliche as it sounds, grow through what you go through. When you’re vulnerable throughout, the public knows you care. We’re all human here so show your heart. Create an aura around the business. This is branding. An ability to harness a purpose and communicate a value is more important now than ever before. Everyone is trying to sell something online because we’re all home.

Anyone is now a marketer with the magic touch. So stop looking for sales to win and build a brand that lasts. It may be a tough time to be patient because of COVID-19, but the fruits of a PreFocus are worth it.

“If you want to live like no one else, you have to be willing to live like no one else.”

– Dave Ramsey

3 Simple Ways to Hold Your Marketing Team Accountable.

May 15, 2019 | blog, consulting, strategy | 0 comments

3 Ways to Hold Your Marketing Team Accountable.

Over the years, I’ve become quite frustrated by the efforts of marketers across the board. From agencies building cookie cutter campaign initiatives to amateurs over promising on things they’ve never really delivered.. Marketing has really lost it’s creative direction. What I’ve truly realized is, not everyone is cut out for the gig – and that’s not a mean thing to say. Marketing is a business decision, I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to help companies thrive if they’re willing.

Remember first cuts during basketball tryouts in middle school? How about auditions for the lead role in high school musical? All you have to do is watch a few episodes of American Idol to understand not everyone was meant to be a singer. If you take a look at a good percentage of marketing efforts, you’ll easily see the same. But you have to know what to look for. Otherwise it’ll continue to be too easy for these sleazes to keep robbing you.

I mean no disrespect. I’m actually saying this out of respect – for those ruining their own reputation and the reputations of their clients. Attempting to do something they truly don’t understand (or have a passion for) is wrong. Listen, marketing is tough. It’s a cut throat balancing act of customer desire and brand understanding. No business should be marketing the same. Every business has unique value propositions, origins and culture. You can’t just put “efforts” into a conveyor belt. You have to really dig into the business and it’s customers in order to truly develop a successful strategy or single campaign. Doing things off a whim is ignorant.

With that being said, I’ve set out to help business owners identify their direction. But not necessarily the creativity behind their marketing – rather the direction their company is headed. Duplicated efforts and unoriginal content is wasteful. It’s an “awareness” technique that typically doesn’t close. Sure, people might stumble across your stock photo’d social media post when they need you, but why pay someone for that?

What type of marketing is worth paying for?

Marketing is all about reaching people with the right measures and the proper message. There’s no such thing as the absolute “right” message. It’s about creating clarity and value behind what you’re saying. It’s the reason I started PreFocus nearly 3 years ago. While its taken me quite some time to get people to listen, they’re starting to understand MY message. But it wasn’t because I pivoted or revised it to conform – it’s because I remained consistent.

What do real marketing results look like?

I set out to prove the worth of a PreFocus by helping a global company decrease their advertising acquisition costs from $445 to $105. This same company has seen their organic traffic increase from 140 in August 2018 to 7,000 this month. They now have a $65K monthly budget that uses the PreFocus model. Competing with and overcoming their competition was exciting for them. Our weekly marketing calls are a lot more enjoyable now that results are in the picture.

how-to-hold-marketers-accountable-in=todays-digital-world-with-nate-seeley-and-jordan-trask-of-prefocus-solutions-in-surprise-az-during-video-shoot

A physical therapist I work with has already hired 3 people in his first year. He’s currently planning his summer vacations while spending more time with his daughters. We turned around a medical practice that was thinking about selling the business 4 months ago. They’re now cleaning house and investing in a first impression and brand culture. They now understand how impactful shaking up the normality of the industry can be. Their PreFocus has allowed them to triple their advertising budget.

I’m not telling you these stories out of arrogance. I want you to experience marketing this way too. But what would you say if I told you that you didn’t have to hire us to see improvement? Look, I get it. Many business owners want to give people a chance to pull through. But you have to do what’s best for your business. While it may feel good to provide someone with autonomy, you have to know what they’re doing and understand why they’re doing it.

At the end of the day, you’re the owner. You’re the expert. You should know the industry and your customers best. Getting too cute or investing in affordability just to market something just isn’t sustainable. You have to build authority, it doesn’t just come. With all things considered, here are 3 simple ways to hold your marketing team accountable and ensure your efforts are worthwhile.

1. Understand How to Understand Your Marketing.

While you probably hired someone to manage your marketing so you wouldn’t have to, you still need to understand the basis of their efforts. Trusting their judgement or believing their experience isn’t always the best approach. For whatever reason, marketers have become uber focused on selling their services instead of enhancing their competence. You have to take the time to understand the basics of what they’re going to be doing in order to know if it’s working. If you’re paying $250/month for a social media strategy because someone told you that you have to, then they need to explain the fruit.

Similar to most sales organizations, many “marketers” are always going to be able to excuse a lack of performance. I’ve even witnessed them making things up to keep the business owner under contract. Social media is a platform that only certain business models can excel at. Don’t just have them prove it’s worked, have them prove it’s worked for a similar business. You’re probably going to have to do a little research yourself, but it’s better than 6 months of $250 ($1500). Confidence in what they’re doing is more than a belief in the person. When you understand how social media works, you’ll be able to ask the right questions and make a solid decision.

This can also be implemented for PPC strategies. Nearly every business can benefit from a paid ads campaign. But does your PPC manager really know what they’re doing? Is ad copy compelling? Are they tracking accordingly? Do you know what your ideal CPA (acquisition cost) is? Do you know what PPC means? Do you know what similar businesses are spending and why? The point is, you really need to understand what each type of strategy entails. This allows you to say “yes” with confidence. If you’re being sold on a strategy without proof, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.

2. Make Sure You Know How to Analyze Results

I recently met with a local company looking to transition out of their current marketing team. Not only have they experienced poor results, but they’ve been waiting for the agency to turn things around for quite some time. They’ve experienced the misleading statements, excuses and lack of focus. They’re completely exhausted.

Although the agency was referred to them by a well-known vendor, they are the absolute epitome of a lazy marketer. For years now, they’ve been milking the business without any type of clarity because of a contractual agreement. The company is now willing to pay them thousands of dollars to cancel. Even when performance isn’t satisfactory, the agency still wins. It’s a sad ordeal.

After looking closer at the ordeal, we were able to uncover that the agreement didn’t require the marketing team to update the client. They were literally held to zero standards. This was because the business didn’t have access to anything. They weren’t able to monitor results or review performance. They’ve simply been at the mercy of this marketer for far too long. While I want to be mad at the agency, I have to blame the business.

When signing a contract for marketing services, you have to understand that it just might not work. In my opinion, you almost have to assume it won’t. Not only should you never sign a contract without industry proof, but you should never agree until they’ve proven their worth to you! A month to month agreement should be required until results are delivered. If the agency balks at your request then you’ll know it was a good decision.

Once you’re under way, it’s important that you schedule routine checks ins in order to understand the direction. Before any campaign is started, you need to determine what success looks like. The marketer should be required to hit a certain number of goals or expectations in order to retain your business. Force them to go through performance reporting with you so that you know what to look for throughout. Again, if you’re unwilling to invest time into your own understanding so you can hold your marketing team accountable, then you’re hurting your business. Monitor your money with clarity and you’ll have a good idea of what you really need to do.

3. Ensure Your Marketer Understands Your Brand

While the aforementioned tips are absolutely crucial, nothing will matter if your marketer isn’t invested in brand understanding. At PreFocus, we develop brand books for our clients. Not only does this prove to the client we understand their business, it creates cohesion across multiple channels while helping them cut costs for other projects. If an agency or marketer isn’t interested in spending additional time to learn about your company then the effectiveness of your strategies will suffer. I cannot harp on this enough.

In order for you to ensure your marketing team is bought in, you have to buy in too. Take a second to notice the theme of this article. Your commitment quality and your effort to help or hold them accountable makes the difference. Banking on the mouthpiece of marketers can be a recipe for disaster. One poor message or statement can alter the trajectory of your business in a heartbeat. Allowing someone to assume or guess with your money (especially when they haven’t proven their worth or commitment) is a recipe for disaster.

In the end, it’s your responsibility to understand the purpose, performance and priorities of your marketing campaigns. If you’re thinking about hiring someone that refuses to bend from their services to cater to your customers – then it’s not a good match. Paying 30% less can cost you 300% growth over a long period of time. Holding your marketing team accountable and making sure campaigns align with the core values of your business is invaluable. You just got to take the time to understand enough to do so.

Be purposeful with everything you do guys.. and always remember to PreFocus.

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Is the Value of Quality Really Valued?

Apr 20, 2019 | blog, consulting, strategy | 0 comments

Is the Value of Quality Really Being Valued?

jordan-trask-quality-guest-speaker-for-brand-identity-development-in-glendale-az-for-small-business-owners-looking-to-take-marketing-tactics-to-next-level-in-2021

Whether a purchase causes inconvenience or disfunction, it normally forces you to re-evaluate your decision. (I say normally because purchases, like cable, don’t really apply). Often times, people pass on higher quality options because the affordable price or message speaks louder to them. But is the affordable option really that much more affordable? What if I told you that in most cases, cheaper was more expensive? Before going into my point, I wanted to take a look at why people might continue making these decisions.

Today’s online scape gives consumers the ability to pretty much buy anything online. When products or services fail them, they’re more likely to take repetitive risks instead of investing in quality for more money. It’s almost as if their subconscious is telling them they already decided to avoid the better option. The ability to haggle online, price shop or negotiate with competitive offers almost forces the consumer to sustain this mindset. But are they really being cheap?

Without getting too much into the psychological element of this (because I’m not a psychologist), can we assume skepticism gets in the way? Maybe they’ve been burned and bitterness now surrounds the need. Maybe the perception of the product or service is vague at best, who knows.. Besides, why would a consumer spend more when they need to balance out their mistake?

If we look into this further, can we assume pride gets in the way? Is their judgment clouded because they’re unwilling to admit their mistake? If so, most customers are content blaming the product or business. But what if their hesitancy was due to their inability to define what a quality purchase is? If this is the case, then they’re more than likely incapable of feeling comfortable spending more. Let’s take a look at a few examples to make sense of this.

1. An Average Consumer that Climbs

Joseph is an avid hiker. He enjoys broadcasting all of his hikes across the Valley. He’s just an average Joe, so he doesn’t necessarily have the best equipment. If you were to ask him what he relies on the most during his hikes, he wouldn’t tell you his camera. He’d tell you it was his boots. But Joe doesn’t believe in spending $250-300 on something he relies on.

He actually despises some of the high ticket items and believes he’s fine with the $100 pair he buys. They’re better than most, he thinks. He’d rather spend that money on a GoPro, right? But time and time again, he captures his boots malfunctioning during a hike.

Quality Doesn’t Change Behaviors Unless It’s Valued

Joseph feels good about traveling back into Boot Barn for some off-brand tread. He doesn’t even think twice about the time he spends doing so. It’s become a part of his reality. This average Joe doesn’t even see the opportunity in front of him to grow his following by reviewing (or endorsing) high quality boots!

The real reality is, he’s buying 2 pairs of low quality boots per year when he could buy a quality pair that would last him 2 birthdays. He’d have nothing to lose but he doesn’t believe in spending more. His pride or stubbornness is playing a big role in his ignorance. With that being said, how are the better boot businesses focusing on this? Is quality being presented in a way that it’s valued?

While I really want to help my man Joe get started as a social media influencer, I also want to help this man realize he needs some better wheels. Even if my only value proposition is finding a girlfriend instead of going to Boot Barn! It’s important that he knows I understand his stance but want him to improve HIS quality of life. Why would he listen to my “better than” pitch if he doesn’t believe my product is better than?

Quantitative Over Qualitative Reasoning is Risky

In my opinion, the most difficult job of a quality business is persuading someone to buy from them when they don’t really have the money. In reality, most people don’t have the money to pay more for something that could be the same. In other words, they choose not to.

Service companies that invest a lot of money in higher quality solutions tend to struggle closing lower income families because of this. They tend to stick with targeting those who have excess capital because the probability is higher. But, they’re missing out on a huge opportunity to educate and benefit a consumer that’s on the verge of trekking down a long trail of misfortune. Let’s take a look at another example.

how-the-value-of-quality-marketing-makes-a-big-difference-in-your-business

2. A Struggling, Broken Down Consumer

Mike ArrSucks bought a “beater” two years ago in order to work as a pizza delivery boy after school. Instead of paying more for a better car, he settled with the 250K mile gem that lacked AC. After finally saving up enough money to get his AC fixed, he let one of his buddies install some new parts he bought cheap on RockAuto.com. After a few malfunctions, he had a friend’s friend (who was a “mechanic”) take a look. After paying him to make a few adjustments, he ran into problems with the AC compressor.

When it was all said and done, Mike was forced to take his car into a mechanic. He ended up paying 3x times the amount it would have cost him to just have them install a new AC. But he remained positive and viewed it as a learning experience. It’s the car’s fault, right? Mike was able to enjoy his cooled cockpit for only 2 months before his transmission went out. Desperate to get rolling again, he followed the same blueprint as the AC problem. Not long after he was rolling again, the head gasket blew.

Low Quality Decisions Cause Low Quality Results, Not Misfortune.

After a few rounds of ignorance, Mike was car-less and broke. Truth be told, Mike got fired as a pizza delivery boy. He ended up taking a job as a janitor at his old high school just to get back on his feet. Talk about a string of bad “luck,” right? Wrong. All of this stemmed from a string of bad purchase decisions where he didn’t value quality solutions.

Why was Mike so afraid to change his behaviors? Did his pride get in the way? Should he have simply scrapped the car and invested in a better option to secure his ability to make money? If he could do it differently, would he have paid $4,000 to avoid all the headaches? I’m not sure. But if someone helped him understand the cost of quality I bet he would.

You see, a bad experience doesn’t necessarily create an “ah ha” moment. To Mike, it’s too easy to blame misfortune or bad luck. Even though he’s to blame. How do we help him now and why wasn’t anyone helping the young man before?

Why Understanding the Value of Quality Matters to Me.

As a strategist, I can’t help but analyze these types of scenarios. It helps me improve our client’s approach while helping consumers actually satisfy their needs. This is something that’s always caught my attention. It’s allowed me to really put myself in the consumer’s shoes and make sure I’m asking the right questions when positioning a brand. I’ve struggled with this myself. As a business that provides a different element of quality, I have to be able to nurture and not sell. If I don’t, then I become susceptible to comparison. If I’m compared off price, I’ll lose. If I’m unable to define why quality costs more, I lose.

I have to understand who values quality first. Then I have to be able to understand why people don’t so I can help them avoid the same mistakes Joseph and Mike made (but from a marketing standpoint). I have to be able to explain why a PreFocus is worth every penny and why avoiding it can be costly. Not in a bashing way – but as an educational approach that feeds their ego. Pride stems from a belief that one’s opinion (or perspective) is better.

The only way I can get them to buy into quality solutions is explain what quality means. An article like this cold create a paradigm shift in itself. When business owners see the value, they feel like they’re making the decision themselves. They’re not being sold on ideas and concepts, they’re understanding the reasoning. When worth is visible, price is invisible.

Executing a strategy that converts for higher priced (quality) items is becoming more and more difficult in today’s digital world. Far too many low quality products and services are able to strategically persuade, “better.” Higher quality products and services need to do more than saying “we’re better than.”

How We’re helping Quality Businesses Overcome at PreFocus

In my opinion, the advertising element is the only thing that’s persuading “better” right now. People are being talked into the fact that cheap is enough. That it’ll satisfy their needs for now. That it’s a safe choice that delivers.. for now. While buyers remorse may plague society more today than ever before, it still hasn’t been enough to really get people to change their behaviors. It’s more likely that they continue to try similarly priced options to avoid paying more for what they need.

Whether their decision is based on need or want, their ability to purchase the item right then and there is extremely opportunistic for marketers. Hounding people (quantitatively) for their business just isn’t sustainable – but it’s what many low quality businesses are winning with right now. Whether consumers have the money or not, they’re always going to want to save as much cash as they can. Persuading with quality is a lot more difficult than persuading with price. The only way for high quality brands to overcome this is to change the market’s perception of quality. Helping consumers see through the pitch and understand the value of quality will eventually help them change their purchase behaviors. It’s really all you can do.

Be purposeful with everything you do guys.. and always remember to PreFocus.

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Advertising Analysis With Action Planning by PreFocus.

Aug 1, 2018 | blog, consulting, Content, strategy | 0 comments

Advertising Analysis With Action Planning

Over the past few months, I've been committed to promoting transparency. I realize others may copy the strategies I use - but, they'll never be able to mimic my passion, creativity and personalized service. With that being said, I wanted to share a recent analysis I did for one of my current PPC clients. I want to be able to show you how I piece campaigns together and why..

I’ve been working with this company since February on a lot of initiatives, but their main focus has been Adwords. Even though PPC in their industry is extremely competitive, they want to increase their adspend by $10,000 to $25,000 per month. This may seem like an easy decision (because it means more money for me). But, making more money isn’t necessarily my prerogative. It’s about helping my clients prioritize opportunistic channels while constantly improving current campaigns. There’s no reason to throw more money at something when there’s room for improvement. If you have a hard time following this analysis, send me an email and I’ll answer any questions you might have.

Increased Adspend Forecast

In order to avoid overpromising, here is my baseline projections for your ROAS (return on adspend):

$20k = 105 Conversions (about 4/day)
$25k = 131 Conversions (about 5/day)

The last few months, we’ve been talking about transparency during the sales cycle. This would definitely help me forecast more efficiently. For example, how many conversions are actually turning into clients? – and what are your margins for each? What are monthly margins?

Anticipated PPC Return

If you were to convert 50% of form submissions and make $500 (low) on every client, that’s a $26,250 (+6,250) return. With a $25k spend, it would be a $32,750 (+$7,750) return. This is a 1.3:1 ROI. For every thousand you spend, you’re guaranteed to make $300.

Analysis:

The ROAS is close because your industry is saturating the PPC market instead of playing the long game. CPA (cost per acquisition) has been consistently rising over the last 6 months because of this and some keywords are now well over $60. In my opinion, an increase in your paid advertising budget may not be a wise investment. Even though I anticipate improving the Adwords CPA, putting an additional $10k into evergreen methods will be more fruitful. Let me explain why..

One-Time, $10k Investment in SEO:

This is the main reason why we’ve been pushing for SEO. With PPC, we’re guessing the intent behind every search and don’t have an ability to get bad clicks back. There’s also no true way to determine if the “searchee” is a qualified candidate. Even when visitors are qualified, they’re comparing and contrasting other websites and pricing. Blogs allow you to nurture like we were talking about today – and it becomes an autopilot campaign that compliments a pay-per-click strategy.

Anticipated SEO Return:

Say you invest $10k on 4 blogs a month over the next 6 months and garner 250 emails and 100 leads.

At least 50% (125) of those 250 emails will be qualified customers at some point.

Using the same math as above, closing 50% of the SEO leads would drive a $25k profit ($15k margin) and almost a 3:1 ROI.

Imagine if that same investment drove you 200 leads over the course of the next year – $10k could turn into $50k ($40k margin) and a 5:1 ROI. and so on..

Suggested Marketing Action Plan:

If you do all of the work in one month and plan out the next 6, you’re left with an additional $50k that you’re still wanting to invest.

I recommend putting more money towards improving your on-site conversion rates. Revising some of the deficiencies of the website and improving your brand image will maximize your current clicks in Adwords.

Reasoning:

In July, we were right around a 7% conversion rate. In the last two weeks, we converted 68 of 975 clicks.

If we can get this closer to 20% (195), that would bring our CPA down around $65. Once we’ve executed this number, we can talk about scaling the campaign by adding $10k to the monthly budget. In addition to SEO, I think there are a lot of little things we can do to improve CPA – outside of bidding, tracking and writing compelling ads.

Additional PPC Improvements:

Conditional forms (similar to what Bluesoft uses)
- submission funnels that encourage people to continue filling out info by asking questions they can relate to.
Short Youtube Videos
- 10-15 second attention grabbing/pitch videos
- 1 minute interviews answering legit questions
- I’m confident in my ability to write and capture these videos by understanding the obvious wants/needs (and hidden wants/needs) of your target audience.
Original company photos on landing pages.
- You speak to consumers more when they feel like they can get to know the company before calling.
- Stock photos or basic images don’t allow you to stand out from the standard pictures everyone else uses.
- Capture photos that show landmarks (signage, building), branded props (letterheads, coffee mugs, pens) and actual employees/clients (meetings).
Graphics Showing a Simplified process
- Icons and branded graphics that explain your process with visuals and minimal text.
Email subscriptions on Landing Pages
- Offer deliverable (ebook, guide, free gift)
- Position valuable information in exchange for email
  - Industry news, law changes, lawsuits, educational content, etc..
  - This would go hand in hand with the blog strategy.
- This encourages interest if they don’t want to fill out a consultation form
PPC Management increase for Retargeting
- Youtube
- Display ads

Other Opportunities:

Hosting Workshops and Special Events
Sponsoring relevant events for brand exposure
Former Client Testimonial Strategy
- Email Campaigns to solicit more reviews (Facebook, G+, Yelp, Angies, Trustpilot)
- Free gifts for cell phone video testimonials (authentic and not a production)
Contests on Social media
About videos for stakeholders, managers, consultants, attorneys.
Create pricing transparency page ($1995 vs $1200 example)

Conclusion to: My Advertising Analysis with Action Planning

As you can see, simply increasing a budget isn’t always the best option. It may improve your lead generation, but if you’re not continuously improving – you’ll eventually become stagnant. Competition is real and they’re always looking for a way to bring you down. So, stop “competing” with them to see who can spend the most money and start investing in your customer’s experience.

The better your first impression is, the more likely people are going to choose you. Just because they click and arrive doesn’t mean they’re going to buy in. Improving conversion rates by a few percentile can save you thousands of dollars every year. Don’t make the selfish decision and PreFocus this time around.. Thanks for dropping by! -Jordan

Would You Like a Free Analysis?

I take pride in my ability to understand a business and it’s customers. In addition to sharing my time and perspective during consulting sessions, I avoid selling at all costs. I would rather you reach out to me down the road than try to talk you into buying into my mentality. At the end of the day, our PreFocus has to be cohesive. I have to know you’ve bought in before we can proceed.

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Positioning Purpose, Passion and Perseverance with a PreFocus.

Feb 8, 2018 | blog, Branding, consulting | 0 comments

Positioning Purpose, Passion and Perseverance.

Have you ever ran with an idea but failed to reach fulfillment? Are you tired of being an employee but don’t believe you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? There are plenty of ways to fail, but they all stem from your lack of passion and purpose. If you’re considering taking a leap of faith or are struggling to stay afloat after your leap – this live video dialogue is for you! In order to find satisfaction in life, you must allocate your purpose. But, if it doesn’t include passion, then you’ll never be able to deliver on a promise. In other words, you can’t promise squat without being passionate about your purpose.

Looking for a Brand Champion?

I’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into developing a process that magnifies my client’s brand identity. Solidifying the aura and voice of your business allows us to formulate a purposeful marketing plan that speaks to your ideal customers consistently. Cohesion across all channels enhances brand recognition and drives loyalty. I also help my clients establish a culture and determine who fits it best. So, let’s get to work!

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Tuesday Thought Series with Jordan Trask

Nov 21, 2017 | blog, consulting, strategy | 0 comments

Tuesday Thought Series with Jordan Trask

Every week, I come up with a new way to explain how you can use your brand identity to improve your marketing. No one has time for being basic and it's time for you to stand out amongst competition and be memorable!

Contact About

Episode 1: Standardizing Design Elements

In the first recording of my Tuesday thought series, I wanted to focus on something that drives me crazy: Businesses investing in and promoting cheap looking (or copied) social media designs. Instead of taking the easy way out and losing people’s interest along the way, develop standard templates for your publishing efforts. You’d be surprised at what a little design cohesion and the right color contrast will do for your social media engagement and support.

Episode 2: Should You Use SEO or PPC?

This is a topic I love talking about and I had to include it in the Tuesday thought series. I might bust your bubble, but there isn’t a definitive answer here. Every business is different. Until companies can understand this, they’re going to keep shoveling money at both without direction. And the contractors your paying will gladly take the money. Being able to analyze your opportunity through your brand identity and customer audience gives you a practical advantage. Although the right mix of both will increase recognition, understanding how to use them is what creates revenue and return rewards.

Episode 3: How to Formulate a Solid PPC Campaign

Pay per click is something that a lot of people think is simple to manage. Although most anyone can find some popular keywords and start flushing dollar bills, I want to encourage you think a little. In this episode, I talk a little bit about long tail phrases and how important it is to focus on user search intent. If you’re throwing money at traffic, but your conversion rates suck, it’s time to reevaluate.

Episode 4: Targeting the Right People on Holidays

It cracks me up how many businesses fail to take advantage of Halloween. Since I was feeling this type of way during the Tuesday holiday, I thought it was a good time to give you a reminder. Marketing the generalities of holidays is like going to the petting zoo and watching the animals. You need to think about the ways your IDEAL customers are thinking during the season so you can speak to them in ways that make you memorable.

Episode 5: Invest in Social Media Publishing Strategies

Most of you reading this are paying a “social media manager” that has no clue what they’re doing. They’ve been making money posting random (and copied) nonsense for people they know since they were in high school. No element of strategy whatsoever. Some of them aren’t even publishing with purpose, just to collect their check. If you think this might be you, ask your SSM what times of day they’re posting on each channel. There are times of day that are most popular, but you should be focusing on the time of day YOUR audience is online. Not everyone.. Cmon..

Episode 6: How to Discover Your Brand Identity

Listen, marketing isn’t just about developing a certain number of deliverables and crossing your fingers. It isn’t about following trends and trying to engage people’s short attention span. It’s about establishing a presence for your business. Anything outside of this can be so wasteful. My passion is to help businesses uncover their true identity so they’re marketing strategies make sense and attract the right audience – not just a bunch of likes or shares. I had to add my favorite step of the PreFocus branding process to the Tuesday thought series. Press play to learn more about bucketing adjectives to define who you are.

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