Author: Garth Beyer

You Wouldn’t Think It Would Work, But It Does

You Wouldn’t Think It Would Work, But It Does

Garth Beyer

Beating A Dead Horse

Some of the best writing comes from challenging a cliché, turning it on its head, and getting original with something overused. Weird is original and original is often uncomfortable.

Think of this concept in terms of advertising, not just writing.

Epic ads are often about challenging stereotypes. Pantene for example. Or the famous Cherios ad, aired during the Superbowl.

If you want meaningful buzz, go creatively challenge status-quos, clichés, and stereotypes.

Spare some time this weekend to incorporate this tactic into your PR, your brand, your writing. See what happens.

 

Stay Positive & Don’t Take The Flack Personally

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If You Love Your Business So Much, Why Not Marry It?

Garth Beyer

I’m half-joking.

Legally, it’s not even possible, but what’s stopping you from thinking of your business like a companion?

I’ve suggested you write an obituary for your business, now how about those vows?

What are you committing to? What are you willing to go through with your business? What promises are you making? Reflect on your business, highlight the key memories, and make those vows.

 

Stay Positive & How Can Anyone Not Trust A Business Whose Owner Has Vowed So Much

Under New Management

Under New Management

Garth Beyer

Teddywedgers under new managementTeddywedgers, a fantastic and rich-in-history corner-place to grab a pasty in Madison has signs up stating it will be under new management when it reopens. A colleague and mentor of mine, Doug Moe, wrote about Raymond Johnson and his journey to owning Teddywedgers. To this day, I have never heard a single complaint from anyone who bought a pasty from Johnson or any past owners for that matter.

So, I wonder why there is a need to state the establishment will be under new management?

Must people worry now that they will get less of an experience than previously? Will they be searching for the slight changes and critiquing them harshly?

For those who never went to Teddywedgers, was there a reason it needed new management? That’s sort of a turn-off, isn’t it?

Having a sign that says “under new management” is like a really poorly written essay or speech where you begin by telling people what you’re going to write or talk about and then you write and talk about what you just said you were going to write and talk about. Why not just write about it? Skip the unnecessary introduction, it makes your full fledged points seem redundant.

Let new management take place behind-the-scenes and have the new experiences they bring with them be for the customers to experience unexpectedly.

 

Stay Positive & It’s Better To Be Pleasantly Surprised Than To Simply Have Expectations Met     (…or not met)

Photo credit (apologies this is not a photo with the new management signs up, if I walk by Teddwedgers again in the new week or so, I'll snap a picture and update this post)
Two Ways To Start A Business

Two Ways To Start A Business

Garth Beyer

Starting A Business
One way is to start with your own idea, build a business plan around it, and shout, shout, shout with hopes people hear you, switch from competitors to you, and give their attention. To be successful with this, you have to change the way people think, act, and feel.

Damn difficult to do.

Another way is to start by searching for a niche, an area that’s been untouched, perhaps listening to more than a million complaints of people until you come up with a solution. The method: you find a small problem and you provide a small solution.*

To be successful with this, you gather a tribe of like-minded people who have the same complaint, the same problem and you give your solution to them. Instead of changing the way people think, act, and feel, you’re listening, understanding and reacting to how people think, act, and feel.

You can shout, advertise and sell or you can connect, gather, and give.

Two ways to start a business. I think you know which way is better.

 

Stay Positive & Either Way, Have Fun With It

*All big problems have been solved with big solutions. Times have really changed. Think the taxi industry. Big solution for big problem. Then think of Uber and Lyft. Small problem. Small solution. Huge success.

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The Best Way To Grow Your Business Locally

The Best Way To Grow Your Business Locally

Garth Beyer

Brooklyn Brewery President

Being president of anything means being the best marketer of the organization or business.

I’m learning from the beer brewing industry that when it’s difficult to expand large geographical areas because of competition, success all comes down to marketing local.

The best way to do that as President?

Be personal. Talk to everyone. Always be available. Be human. And, most importantly, you have to be outrageously passionate. No exaggeration here. If anything, I’m under-exaggerating how much it takes, how connected you need to be, how much time and care you need to give the community.

PR agencies aren’t vital for local growth. You don’t need to hire marketers on your team if you don’t want. You’re far better off taking the role as marketer yourself. The best businesses (breweries especially!) have the best Presidents and the best Presidents are often the best marketers.

This all seems obvious, sure. But look at your schedule, analyze what you do each minute of your day. Are you behind the scenes? Are you in an office? Or are you out greeting people, asking where they’re from, connecting with them, sharing your knowledge of what you know about the history of your business product or service with people face-to-face?

It’s one thing to have a business logo on your shirt. It’s another to put a face to the logo and by extension, the business. Customers need to know the face of the business or organization for them to connect on a personal, committal level.

As President and the best marketer, that’s your job.

 

Stay Positive & Being The Best Locally Often Attracts National Attention

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The Necessity Of Being Dynamic

The Necessity Of Being Dynamic

Garth Beyer

Dynamic Personality

Even as a freelance PR strategist, I never tell anyone I work alone on assignments. I always have a team. I always reach out to friends, experts, and alike. I ask for help, I have a couple other PR folk review my press release before a send it back to my client. PR is always a team-based activity whether you go at it as a freelancer or on an agency.

There’s a personality necessity I learned very, very early on that’s benefited me endlessly. I’ve also seen the lack of this personality be the downfall for other PR folk. You won’t make it the PR industry if you lack the ability to be dynamic.

If you’re being hired or doing the hiring, your team’s personalities will never align perfectly, nor should they. I like to think of perfect examples this way:

  • She can be pretty pushy, but she’s damn good at what she does.
  • He procrastinates and most of the time turns in assignments at the end of his deadline, but he always turns in absolutely brilliant work.
  • She’s an introvert, for sure, and you’ll be nervous if she understands what you’re asking her to do, but her work always proves she knows.

Madison Magazine mentioned a freelance writer of theirs who never makes deadline, but they know she always turns out the best work. (Naturally, they just give her a deadline that’s a few days before their actual deadline. It works.) If MadMag cut this freelancer, the quality of the magazine would suffer. So it goes with many many agencies and teams alike.

Be prepared to be dynamic with others, for we all have flaws others will work to overlook.

 

Stay Positive & Make It Easier For Them By Shipping Remarkable Work

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There’s A Reason It’s Called A/B Testing

There’s A Reason It’s Called A/B Testing

Garth Beyer

AB Testing

Much of the time when pitching options the only rule of conduct you need is “Here’s option A… and here’s option B, which do you choose?”

No remarkable designer goes into a pitch with only one option. Doing so makes the audience feel obligated to find a reason to dislike it or pick on it or point out a miniscule detail they don’t care for.

Just showing option A is not a smart move.

Nor is showing five to 20 other options.

It’s called A/B testing, not A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L testing.

You can certainly develop a bracket system, but I would push on whether your ideas are great or if they are merely good, which is why there are so many to face-off.

 

Stay Positive & Just Think On This Next Time You Pitch Anything

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