Of all the mascots I would expect a high-end luxury hotel to have, the lowly mallard duck is certainly not one of them. And yet, that was what greeted me when I stepped into the Peabody Orlando Hotel.There is an actual story behind the ducks (which is printed on the napkins) but the reality is the story is less interesting than how the hotel has built a brand around ducks.First, you have the “March of the Ducks” — at 11 am the ducks “march” (or more accurately waddle) on a red carpet to spend the day in a luxurious fountain. This fountain is located in the middle of the hotel and is actually quite a nice place to get a little work done or enjoy a coffee and cupcake (while watching the ducks splash around). At 5 pm they then “march” (waddle) back to their Duck Palace to enjoy a duck dinner and a “quiet evening” together.Now the fact they make this an event — with marching music, a red carpet and an actual Duck Master (which is trademarked — yes if you were thinking about hiring a Duck Master for your own Duck March you would be out of luck) is one thing. But the ducks are also front and center to their branding.There are ducks on the carpet, duck soaps in the rooms, drinks named after ducks, ducks embroidered on the staff’s clothes — the list goes on and on. It’s all quite tastefully done and the ducks are elegantly and subtly woven throughout the hotel’s brand and image.Now the real question is, of course, is it worth it? Only the Peabody knows for sure but from the outside it certainly appears like it is.First off, remember where the Peabody Orlando is — it’s in Orlando competing against Disney World (who knows a thing or 2 about branding themselves) Universal Studios and other theme-oriented attractions. Without the ducks, the Peabody would be a very nice, high-end hotel that would be like every other very nice, high-end hotel. With the ducks, now you have your own attraction. Now you have something to talk about. Now you have something your kids might want to see almost as much as Mickey Mouse.(Now there is another Peabody, complete with ducks, in Atlanta as well. The Atlanta Peabody certainly wouldn’t be in competition with Mickey and company, but I suspect there’s enough other competition with high-end hotels and history that the ducks earn their keep there as well.)One of the main ways you can successfully market yourself to an affluent clientele is to provide an experience. People like experiences. It gives them something to talk about (or write ezine articles about). And if you wrap an experience inside your brand, you just transformed yourself from a “good” business to something extraordinary. And extraordinary is what gets people to notice, to “take a chance on” if nothing else to witness that experience for themselves.So, for you, what can you do to create an experience for your clients? And is this something that can be woven into your branding strategy? (And if you can make it unexpected or off-the-wall even better.) Or maybe it was an accident you overlooked at the time — with the ducks Mr. Peabody came back from hunting and was enjoying some Jack Daniels with a friend, when they decided it would be a nifty idea to put the duck decoys in the fountain. Well everyone loved the decoys floating around so now we have actual ducks in the fountain. (See what I mean about how lame that story is? But no matter, the point is they saw an opportunity and seized it — do you have any of those “happy accidents” in your own business you can capitalize on?)Remember the point of a good brand is to make yourself memorable to your ideal clients. And a great way to make yourself very memorable is to wrap your brand around an experience.

Some people don’t feel comfortable in their hometowns and seek to live somewhere with more opportunities. Others are studying or pursuing a career that makes them relocate. It’s good to research the state where you plan to live. For the past years, Oregon has been one of the hottest states that attract newcomers. But what makes Beaver State so attractive? How does the housing market look?

Is it worth it to hire a real estate agent in Oregon? Those are the questions you might ask yourself. Laws and customs in real estate might indeed vary from state to state. You need to know the market to avoid running into troubles and make the moving process a lot easier for yourself. Whether you’re looking for real estate agents in Salem,Guest Posting OR, or Portland, OR, there are some customs you should be aware of before buying a house in Beaver State.

Reasons why Oregon attracts newcomers

Being one of the most popular states for relocation, Oregon has plenty of exciting advantages to offer. Let’s discover the main reasons Americans choose Oregon as a new home.

1. A paradise for nature lovers

Except for stunning beaches on the Pacific coast, Oregon has a crazy amount of great lakes and rivers. If you love water sports or fishing, you will find your happy place here. For hiking or biking lovers, there are many trails, forests, and mountains that you can enjoy in each season.

2. The state economy is looking bright.

The financial future of Oregon is bright, attracting more investors and business owners. The employment rate increased by 46% in the last ten years. The tech and IT sectors are getting bigger, creating a new “Silicon Forest.”

3. No sales tax

Significant relief for people coming from out of state, there is no sales tax, so you pay what you see in the price tag—no more surprises at the check-out.

4. Relaxed way of life

One of the main reasons why Oregon attracts new homeowners is the quality of life the state has to offer. Extensive job opportunities combined with fresh air and fantastic nature create a combo for perfect and worry-free living. You can easily find a scene for any of your hobbies and interests, from water sports and hiking to the big art scene in Portland.

5. Diverse political scene

You can always fit in Oregon, whether you’re liberal or conservative.

6. Famous vineyards and breweries

The wine and beer industry is what attracts lots of tourists. Oregon is the place for you if you’re a fan of good-quality wine and love to explore different kinds of beer.

Real estate market in Oregon

Moving cross-state could be challenging, but the construction industry is strong and can provide new affordable houses to match demand. The quality of life in Oregon is high, so there is no problem finding a property for different budgets. Finding a property is accessible regardless of whether you’re interested in Portland or smaller Salem.

What laws and customs do you need to know about buying a house in Oregon

The real estate market might play by different rules than you used to. In that case, by familiarizing yourself with how Oregon people handle the housing business, you gain some advantages for making a successful purchase. Here’s what you have to be aware of when entering the housing market in the Beaver State:

1. Know who the real estate agent represents

Oregon has many dual agencies, meaning the buyer and the seller are represented by one party. Is it beneficial for you as a buyer? Not always. After all, you cannot expect the same agent to protect the interest of both seller and buyer. When you have the first contact with the agent, you will receive the Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet, which will describe your cooperation with a real estate agency. Remember that having a buyers’ agent won’t cost you extra. Commission money from the sale price would be divided between sellers’ and buyers’ agents. That way, you can make sure you have a representation of your interests.

2. You might never meet the seller while buying a house in Oregon

As it’s common in Oregon for both parties to be represented by the agents, buyer and seller don’t even meet on a closing day. Most communication and signing are performed through the agents or even in their office.

3. Should you hire a home inspector?

If you’re in Oregon, you must provide a property disclosure statement. It contains all the information about the state of the house, like the water supply system, repairs on the roof, etc.

4. Closing and signing procedure

Closing and signing in Oregon is relatively quick and takes around 40 days from the moment you accept the offer. Another thing is that all official business is performed in the office. Don’t be surprised when you get the keys to your new place in the real estate agency.

5. Laws regarding the purchase agreement in Oregon

As a buyer, you construct a Residential Real Estate Agreement with your agent stating all the terms under which you will proceed to purchase. After that, the agreement is handed to the seller to review and accept the terms. Usually, the procedure is handled by the clerks.

Are you ready to move to Oregon?

Finally, it’s time to answer the main question after knowing more about Oregon’s housing market and quality of life. Would it be the right place for you to move? Oregon became home to many Americans and foreigners. It’s an excellent venue for your career and educational opportunities and has a variety of scenes. You’ll be able to relocate to Oregon smoothly and worry-free.

You’ve no doubt heard about the K.I.S.S. principle – “Keep it simple, Stupid.” Or as I like to say… “keep it simple, silly.”

K.I.S.S. has been around the block a few times. In fact, it was a design principle noted by the US Navy in the 1960s.

The phrase was coined by aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson. It’s nice to note that Johnson was the lead engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works (creators of the Lockheed U-2 and SR-71 spy planes).

Though the acronym has been used mostly by the US military, namely the U.S. Navy and United States Air Force, civilians, businesses and lots of other groups use it too.

Heck, I bet you’ve used it a few times yourself.

We all tend to over complicate things, including myself.

But I prefer simple any day and twice on Sunday. When tackling any problem, my number one rule is to start with the simple basics first (is the power on? Is the lamp is plugged into the electrical outlet?)

And you’d be amazed at how effective the simple way of doing things can be. After all, you can always complicate the hell out of things later, if you like.

You’ll be pleased to learn “simple” also works in marketing your biz too! Truth be told, simple has taken me a long, long way in the marketing of my business.

Let me explain…

The Three Pillars Of Good Marketing

OK. Let’s break this down into, you know, simple terms. You can easily and simply market any product or service if you examine the 3 pillars of marketing.

But before I go into details, I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. While, I’d love to think that I’m a marketing and advertising whizz, truth be told, I’m scratching the surface here.

What I have learned came from the true geniuses of the game. The guys who figured it out and have been in the marketing trenches for decades.

With that said, what you’re about to learn came from marketing top-gun Dan Kennedy. I recommend that you get your hands on any books, programs or live events he puts on. It’s nothing less than pure gold.

OK. On with the show. The pillars of good marketing are:

Message

Market

Media

Let’s talk briefly about each one.

Pillar 1. Message. This is the “what” you say to your prospects or clients. It’s the communication part of the equation of good marketing. If you get this wrong, then your efforts won’t necessarily fail but will suffer greatly in terms of results and sales.

Keep in mind, even if you have a great message and you shoot it to the wrong market, it’s going to land upon deaf ears. And you’re wasting marketing bullets… time, money and other resources.

Pillar 2. Market. The is the “who” you want to sell to. It’s the group of people most likely to be interested and willing buy your stuff. These are the prospects you are communicating with and who will receive your sales messages (sales letters, print ads, landing pages etc.)

So, your mission is to match your message to the correct market using the correct media.

As you know privacy is essentially dead these days. So, getting the names and addresses for nearly any target market is a fairly simple process.

Mailing lists comes in all shapes and sizes today. If you know what market you want to go after, you’re likely to find a list. It’s just a matter of contacting a list broker and describing who you’re looking for.

For example, If you are looking for people who are at least 7 feet tall, drive a BMW, live in South Carolina and subscribe to Psychology Today, you can get that list. It may not be a very large list, but nevertheless it still exists.

Pillar 3. Media. This the delivery system. It’s the vehicle that your message rides in. Think: magazines, newspapers, newsletters, social media such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and list goes on forever it seems.

The best way to select which media to use, starts with the market. Are you targeting folks over the age of 65? There’s a good chance they do not use social media as a primary medium.

Yes, they very well may have a Facebook account, but this is not their main means of communicating or staying in touch with others.

They do read the local paper and use their cell phone regularly. They probably listen to the radio and watch TV.

But the only way to truly know is to ask your clients and prospects.

How To Target Your Market

One popular way that business owners use to target their market is by geographic.

Using geographic marketing you choose your market based on a specific location, for example, businesses within a 10-mile radius. This is a very simple way to choose your targets but it’s like dropping flyers out of a plane and hoping one lands with the right person.

Yes, a bit of an exaggeration but with a few simple tweaks, you can make your geographic marketing more effective. And you can do this by using…

… Demographic targeting. Demographic targeting is selecting people by age, gender, how much money they have, whether they are conservative or liberal, or what religion they are, single or married and so on.

Next, you have psychographics. Psychographics deals customer behavior, attitudes, interests and lifestyles. It’s useful when segmenting your market. This can be very powerful (and effective). Plus, it allows you to customize your marketing messages based on whatever market segment you are going after.

Hey, you could combine all three. And many of the cloud based programs, such as Adobe Marketing Cloud, Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketing 360 and more do just that. You could also check some of the open source solutions.

Again, you don’t have to get all “techie” just be sure you have details such as their contact info, and carefully track how much they spend, what they buy and how often. Simple with Excel.

Of course, I could go way deep into this topic, but staying the “simple” approach, suffice to say keep good customer lists, learn what your prospects and clients want and become the “go-to” company that fills their needs.

So, the next time you start a new marketing campaign, consider the ideas presented here. If you are tired of dumping big bucks down the advertising toilet and you’d like more profitable results, then I encourage you to give me a shout. Do you have questions about this article or would like to see a subject covered? Again, just shoot me a line. I’m always happy to help.