JoElla Marketing Melbourne BLOG

Are you wrongly judging your customers?

By Megan Barrow | Published: May 13, 2013

Aspire Magazine article image

On my way to gym I decided to drop in to one of my favourite clothing boutiques. I was looking for a dress for an event. I needed help and watched two sales assistants ignore me and walk past.

I grabbed two dresses and helped myself to a dressing room. I came out twice to look in the only mirrors available, outside in the store, and still staff ignored me. In the meantime I noticed one of the girls helping a well-dressed lady who arrived after me.

The sales assistants had seemingly assumed I wasn’t their ideal client as I was in gym clothes, no make-up and had my hair pulled in a ponytail. I was, in fact, one of their VIP customers, a repeat buyer! I have never returned. Read More »

Posted in Client advocacy, Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged Advocate, Assume, Assumption, Brand, Business, Client, Communication, Customer, JoElla, Judging, Marketing, Megan Barrow, Tribe | Leave a comment

Is it a Happy Mother’s Day?

By Megan Barrow | Published: May 12, 2013

Mother’s Day is a time to utilise the opportunity as a marketing platform for your business’ sales. Or is it?

Last year, before I got ready to host my Mum for Mother’s Day, I did a boxing session. At the end of class, our trainer was asked, “Hope you sent your Mum some flowers”.

The trainer was dignified, smiled and said “Yes”. I checked on him later and invited him to my Mum’s dinner. I knew his Mum had died when he was four-years-old. Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged Business, Communication, Connect, Customer, Marketing, Mother's Day, Strategy, Target Market | Leave a comment

Traditional Marketing: Is it Old Fashioned?

By Megan Barrow | Published: May 3, 2013

Traditional marketing seemingly polarises many of my marketing peers. Personally, I’m at a loss at those who are steadfast that being traditional equals being old fashioned.

Traditional marketing often conjures up images of people that haven’t moved with the times. But why do we not consider that some traditions are tried and tested rituals? Read More »

Posted in Marketing | Tagged Communication, Customer, JoElla, Marketing, Marketing Pitch, Megan Barrow, Melbourne, Social Media, Strategy, Traditional | Leave a comment

Your Marketing Message: My Lesson

By Megan Barrow | Published: April 12, 2013

Your business’ marketing message should get to the heart of your business.

When I meet owners who are discouraged at how to market their business, more often than not they have lost focus on why they decided to go it alone.

And here’s my confession: Only a few months into starting my business, I had lost my marketing message – me, a marketer! Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged Brand, Business, Client, Communication, Customer, JoElla, Marketing, Marketing Pitch, Megan Barrow, Melbourne, message, Strategy | Leave a comment

What do Customers Want?

By Megan Barrow | Published: April 12, 2013

The Client Whisperer - The Aspire Magazine

I’m a natural born caregiver. Every personality test I’ve ever taken results in this very conclusion. And maybe it’s this innate ability to empathise with people that makes it so easy for me to understand and communicate “what customers want” from businesses.

For me, understanding client relationships isn’t rocket science. Essentially, it’s putting yourself in the shoes of your customer. So I’m going to do just that and let you know the basics of what I want from you. Read More »

Posted in Client advocacy | Tagged Advocate, Brand, Business, Client, Communication, Customer, Deliver, JoElla, Lose, Loyal, Marketing, Marketing Pitch, Megan Barrow, Melbourne, Tribe | Leave a comment

Delivering your promise

By Megan Barrow | Published: March 9, 2013

Oscars 2013 and a competition was being run through Twitter and Facebook from a lingerie business I follow: “Tweet what you would wear underneath [image of actress at Oscars] for your chance to win 1 of 3 $100 gift cards”.

Not only was this timely and creative Social Media marketing, it was fun! I tweeted my answer and, yay me, they tweeted the next day to say I’d won a gift cards. Read More »

Posted in Brand, Marketing | Tagged Advocate, Australia, Brand, Business, Client, Communication, Customer, Deliver, Facebook, JoElla, LinkedIn, Marketing, Marketing Pitch, Megan Barrow, Melbourne, Promise, Social Media, Tweet, Twitter | Leave a comment

Marketing manipulation?

By Megan Barrow | Published: February 14, 2013

I write this on the so-called most romantic of days, Valentine’s Day. I’m not by nature a cynical person, in fact quite the opposite, but I admit to hating being (knowingly) manipulated by corporate marketing dollars.

Most of you will know the story, Valentine’s Day was a marketing strategy by Hallmark cards to increase sales and, gee, what a success – most marketers’ dream of impacting not only a business’ profit-line so dramatically, but the imaginations of a marketplace. Read More »

Posted in Marketing | Tagged Australia, Brand, Business, Client, Communication, Customer, JoElla, Marketing, Marketing Pitch, Megan Barrow, Melbourne, Strategy, Tribe | 2 Comments

How to: Lose a Loyal Client / Brand Advocate (Part 2)

By Megan Barrow | Published: February 11, 2013

Wow, I have certainly exhaled after my catharsis in How to Lose a Brand Advocate (Part 1) and, on reflection, it is a Blog that highlights for business owners how you can make a customer feel who has invested their loyalty and trust with you.

Why does being by a business advocate cut so deep? Because I truly love being one. Maybe it’s because I spent much of my formative career in the frontline of business where I was often in the line of fire as “shoot the messenger” and no matter how hard I tried or how far beyond my call of duties I went, I very rarely got any formal kudos. Read More »

Posted in Client advocacy, Uncategorized | Tagged Advocate, Australia, Brand, Business, Client, Communication, Customer, JoElla, Marketing, Megan Barrow, Melbourne, Strategy | 4 Comments

How to: Lose a Loyal Customer / Brand Advocate (Part 1)

By Megan Barrow | Published: February 2, 2013

Now, this is not an easy blog to write and I aim to do it with dignity and grace, but I’ve just been through a horrible break-up as a customer and it still hurts.

I loved them, truly, and not only “would’ve done anything”, but I believe, as best I could, I “did” everything I could to help them with no expectation except goodwill. But as with many relationships, it is only through hindsight that you realise you are the only one valuing what there is. Read More »

Posted in Client advocacy | Tagged Advocate, Business, Client, JoElla, Lose, Loyal, Marketing, Megan Barrow, Melbourne | 10 Comments

5 Marketing tips businesses can learn from Tough Mudder

By Megan Barrow | Published: January 25, 2013

Most people know Tough Mudder: The world’s toughest obstacle race course. (Although now they have changed it to “probably the toughest” with the influx of obstacle courses entering its marketplace). Well, lil-old me, she who was once known as scaredy-cat-of-the-world, did it and completed it on Saturday (19 February) at Phillip Island Victoria.

It was an amazing personal achievement for me, one that has left me with many lessons to apply to both my personal and business lives. But reflecting on the day in hindsight has me captivated by the brand’s success and the lessons businesses can learn from the worldwide phenomena that is Tough Mudder. Read More »

Posted in Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged Advocate, Australia, Brand, Business, Communication, Customer, JoElla, Marketing, Marketing Pitch, Megan Barrow, Melbourne, Phillip Island, Social Media, Strategy, Tough Mudder, Tribe | 4 Comments