I know, I know, everyone and their dog are setting new goals to start the new year off right. However, I would like to put a little different spin on the process of goal setting and how it just might pay off to sit down and focus on what you really want to accomplish in 2008. New Year’s resolutions and goals for the year are perfectly good places to start, but I’m suggesting you go much further than just long range goal setting. It is kind of like a business plan, it is not something you do once and then set it on the shelf and forget about. Goals need to be reviewed, focused on and updated constantly. It does not do you any good to set long term goals with no specific date or plan in mind on how you are going to achieve them.

My suggestion is start big and work backwards. Set the big crazy goal, but set a time frame in which you want to accomplish it. Then set 30, 60 and 90 day progress goals based on your final goal. By setting the small goals as well, this gives you more attainable targets that ultimately are reinforcing your big goal in the end.

I also want to stress that goal setting should not just be just a personal thing. Your businesses, families, employees and loved ones should also try and start looking at the power of setting a goal and working toward it every day. Also, if you get others involved in your quest, it makes it even harder to sabetoge yourself and go in a different direction that does not support of your original mission. The more you focus on what you want, the more often you are going to actually receive it. Some of the most successful people in business today, had a dream, set a goal and then worked their tails off to try and obtain it.

2008 is going to be a great year, I hope you all set some crazy big goals for your businesses, your projects and yourself. Goals bring us closer to our vision. Good luck and can’t wait to hear all about your fabulous success this time next year.

I just completed the two very timely books to bring in the new year: “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by Jim Colins (Author) and Jerry I. Porras (Author), and “Success Built to Last” by Jerry Porras (Author), Stewart Emery (Author) and Mark Thompson (Author). Both books focus on what it takes to be a success not only in business but in life.

I thought what a perfect way to start to the new year, with a renewed focus on how to create a life that matters and a business that will truly stand the test of time.  Each book strives to call out the unique qualities that successful individuals and businesses possess, and condense them down into easy to apply steps that will not only transform your business but enhance your life.

I truly recommend both books for the holidays. It never hurts to emulate those around you that are doing something right. Happy Holidays and enjoy.

Chief Marketer just sent out a new article on their view of what is going to be hot in marketing in 2008. They bring up some good points, with new electronic media becoming more and more user friendly, I think the major trend is going to be focused in that medium.

According to TNS, from 2006 to 2007 ad spending on the internet has increased 16.7%, almost three times any other medium. That being said on average the home building industry spends approximately 3% of their entire marketing budget on internet and electronic media advertising. This is compared to 24% of time that an average 40+ adult actually spends using the internet. These numbers also do not take into count paid search, which is equally as important as actually just advertising on the internet. Actually, in my opinion it is more important.

So if you are not already budgeting to increase your internet presence, via a better website, paid search, search optimization or website advertising, you better rethink your 2008 marketing plan. The electronic age is here and it is only going to increase in the opportunities to get in front of your potential new customers.

Upon returning from a series of recent conferences, a consistent theme kept popping up, “Are we speaking to the right people?”. Not only that, but are we even talking with the correct message. For years marketers have gone out of their way to send a unique message. Tell a different story, make it memorable. However, it seems we might be missing the mark if we are consistently telling the same story to the all our audiences.

I know we all are aware of marketing to specific demographics. But what happens when you have more than one generation or gender you are speaking too. Do they all respond the same to your message? Is the message broad enough to touch them all? Often the answer is no. Sometimes it takes a bold approach to NOT talk to everyone, pair down your audience and start sending a message that speaks directly to them. I know it is not easy to cut off potential customers, but if you are not reaching them anyway with your diluted message to the masses, you are not really risking anything.

To market better in these unsure times, speak to a very specific audience, make the message hit home with them and them only. Do not try and cast your net as far as you can and think it will catch you more fish, often it is the single targeted throw that receives the best most profitable results.

Yesterday I attended a speech by Steven S. Little. The topic was on Business Growth and included many of the rules from his book, “Seven Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth“. However, it was rule #2: Outstanding Market Intelligence that really got my attention. I got to thinking how this really could help all our clients in building industry, considering all the changes it is going through right now.

One of the most memorable points he made was, “Pull your heads up from your computer or out of the books/spread sheets and take a look around at what is really going on”. He said we need to take a more macro approach to our businesses and place a bit less emphasis on the internal workings. There always needs to be a balance, and too often we get in the habit of doing what we know, and never lifting our head to see the forest through the trees.

He also mentioned that in order to deal with change, we need to recognize it, adapt to it and finally make a fundamental shift and embrace it. It is one thing to notice that there is a problem, but it is an entirely other to actually act upon it. Change is a scary thing, we are all creatures of habit. However, without change, nothing new would ever be created. I think the way to get through this downturn is to change. If we all keep approaching our businesses and their products in the same way we always have, things will just stay as they are.

Change is good! Let’s stop fighting it, just accept it and move forward.

The World has finally sat up and taken notice. We all need to be doing something to help the environment. We all need to focus on what we can do to aid in the fight. One thing that is being talked about continuously in the building industry is LEED Certification.

Interesting enough, LEED Certification is not all about just the environment, it is about business. Everyone is getting environmental. You no longer have a marketing advantage by saying you are building green. It is becoming something that you have to do, not something that is an option. Getting a LEED Certification is not cheap either, you have to look at many different angles of the entire building process to even gain a few points.

As sited in Fast Company, The Green Standard, here are just a few examples of what the point spread looks like. Each action earns a point.

Siting - Reclaiming a brown field site; build near public transportation

Water Use - Landscaping with native plants, capture rain water run off

With all the attention about LEED and the great things they are doing, there are still flaws in the process. Categories are not weighed the same, there are no regional adjustments and the process is complex.

However, things are still changing at a rapid rate. New procedures are being added all the time, with new incentives and equate to greater impact.

It will be interesting to see where all this ends up. For now it is adding value, I predict at some point it will just be mandatory. I guess only time will tell. For now, this is just my observation.

I just came across an article in Chief Marketer that has another view on social networking. Their main point focuses on viral downloads and not necessarily on just networking in these social places. I have a bit of a problem with this mode of thinking. If a company is to promote something via viral downloads, one thing must be true. The consumer must deem it worthy of passing it on. This is not something that is usually developed by intention. Quite often it is the exact opposite. So if you are trying to start a viral campaign, you might want to visit this article to see the true meaning of viral.

The article on Virtual neighborhoods also mentions that social networks should not be used for all brands and just because another company is doing it, doesn’t necessarily mean yours should too. I totally agree with this statement, if networking this way does not enhance your brand you should stay out of this arena.

Just food for thought, when considering if your company should jump on the social network band wagon.

If you are listening to Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, you just might be convinced that this is our new reality. Recently at the Master’s of Marketing Conference in Phoenix, last week, this was the main topic of discussion. He even went so far as to say, in an article by Brand Week “In ten year, traditional marketing as we know it will disappear.”

Although, I agree things are changing, I’m still a little hesitant to say traditional marketing will completely die, I think it will just be done a bit differently. I tend to reflect back to the dot com boom and look at the predictions of how we were going to only buy goods and services online from that point. Even though, consumers are more and more turning to the web to do their shopping, there is still a great need and desire to have traditional methods of purchasing available.

So that being said, even though I think things are definitely heading for a more digital presence, I think we all still desire to touch and feel some of the more traditional methods of marketing. Thoughts???

Sony Bravia

Finally some ads that hold your attention, are different and get across the ONE targeted message, even though it doesn’t happen until the end. Great Adverting!

Lately I keep coming across articles that are ranting that “Advertising is dead”. No one is tuning in anymore, it is simply information overload. It seems the saying goes “What we resist will persist” just might be true. More and more people are turning to YouTube, the Internet, Tivo and ipods to side step all the advertising that is virtually being shoved down their throats.

Why is it, when people say they don’t want this anymore, that we just keep doing the same thing. As Albert Einstein once said “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Isn’t it about time to start thinking a bit differently?

As a professional in the field of advertising you are probably wondering if I have lost my mind. Maybe I have, but it just seems like when things are not working as they once did, maybe we should change how we are doing them.

It seems like in the building industry this is especially true. We keep sending the same message, the same way, to the same mass amounts of people. Why is it that when marketers try and focus on something new or directly target a very small specific audience, that people get scared out of their mind? Your advertising and marketing approach should scare you a bit. If it does not, then you are doing the same old boring thing as everyone else. No one is going to see it or care.

To really stand out in this world of way too much information, try and send your message differently. Don’t send out the standard postcard mailer, run the average 30 second radio spot and then wonder why they are not working. Start thinking differently, start thinking like your customer and not like a company trying to sell something. Get into the minds of your client and usually what they want is not what you think they want. Find out what they REALLY want. Think like your customer and you will have solved your advertising and marketing problems.