You're all well aware of how much noise there is out there when it comes to marketing.  And I'm sure you're all well aware that if you want to cut through the noise, sometimes you need to do something a little...well, outrageous.

One of the owners of Monaco Ford in Glastonbury is a Marine.  While he, a cop friend of ours and I were recently sipping on bourbon...we were discussing this whole narrative about the "toxicity of manliness" and how it's no longer ok to be a real man.

Given the fact that a massive portion of the dealership's demographic is truck buyers...we decided to do something a little outrageous.  And by God is it working.  

Episode one brought in more than 250,000 eyeballs in about a week.  There have been countless messages of support for the company and shockingly, barely any internet trolls.  Episodes two and three have rolled out and also been greeted with overwhelming support.

We've also had nearly 100 messages sent from individuals and groups in the area with epic ideas for the show...and in episode four we'll be expanding to feature other businesses for some insanity that includes everything from extreme roller coasters to blowing up a car with C4.

Click here to watch the premiere episode of The Real Man Show.

Sometimes it takes a .50 cal to make a little noise....

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing.  He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media.  You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat (@dasilentpartner).

Just a few weeks ago, I watched what was nearly a fistfight break out between two dealers over the whole idea of being "politically correct".

This ultra PC world that we live in forces us to have a conversation about sex appeal - can we still use it?

I'd love your thoughts on this latest piece.

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing.  He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media.  You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat (@dasilentpartner).

Thanksgiving Eve.  Turkeys were being prepared to go in ovens.  Drinks were being poured.  And we were preparing to launch a video that we knew would be shared around even more than grandpa's special eggnog.

You probably heard the story about the schmucks at Hampshire College.  The day after the election, the campus went into "mourning".  They lowered the flag to half-mast (which, as those of us with half a brain know, you aren't supposed to do unless you're the freaking Governor).

The students then took down the flag and burned it - on Veteran's Day.  And the college, in keeping with safe spaces and bubbles and all of that liberal horse shit decided to remove the American flag from the campus.

That pissed off a whole bunch of vets....and many of us who are actually proud to be American.  So...we put together a little video.  You can watch it here.

In less than a week, more than 100,000 people had shared it and we surpassed four million views.

We've received more than 25,000 private messages and emails of support.  

The video also pissed off a whole bunch of tender snowflakes, which was more delicious to me than my smoked bourbon.

What the hell does this have to do with marketing?  Simple - it's strategy.  I want to share with you all the recipe of success when it comes to achieving viral growth.

1) Know your demographic.

Understand that I'm not necessarily suggesting your company take on topics nearly as controversial as this.  Our company doesn't do business by "volume"...so we're not afraid of pissing people off from time to time.  But in our case, when it comes to business, we work directly with business owners and the heads of corporations...and they tend to share one big thing in common with us - they at the very least lean conservative.  Know your demographic and double down.

2) Engage your audience.

We didn't produce this video to grow our business.  Just the opposite, actually, I knew it was risky.  This was produced to demonstrate our support of veterans.  And so when we were blessed with comments left by them, we engaged with them.  

On the flip side....when internet trolls left comments....I had a field day with them.  Why?  The higher the level of engagements - good or bad - the more it shoots the organic reach through the roof.  

3) Tap into cross-promotional marketing.

There are always going to be organizations out there - non-competitive organizations - that share in your philosophy when it comes to cause-based marketing.  Tap into these resources to help spread the message and watch it take on a life of it's own.

4) Be timely and relevant.

Be ready to jump on topics and produce content quickly when it hits the news cycle.  The media - and the internet - was going nuts on the topic of flag burning.  We simply contributed to the conversation. Understand what is trending and do your best to be a part of the national conversation.

5) Have fun.

Allow your personality - and that of your team - to shine in your content.  Don't take yourselves too seriously.  Understand that social media is just that - SOCIAL.  MEDIA.  If you aren't enjoying what you are doing...people will know it.  

FINALLY... stop selling shit.  No, really.  You're so focused on selling your products that you forgot to actually nurture relationships with your audience.  Put them first and everybody wins.

Written By:

Kyle S. Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing. He’s also anacclaimed keynote speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media. You can find him on Facebook and of course be sure to follow him here on LinkedIn. 

There's a lot of anger in our country right now - for a variety of different reasons.  

Sadly a lot of that anger is coming out against the men and women who serve our country and our communities.

My agency announced recently that we'd be donating $250,000 worth of video production services to police departments to help combat some of the negative perceptions that are out there.  If you're interested, you can read about that more here.

But when one of our clients heard about it, they wanted to do something special to give back as well.  

Enter: Mazda of Manchester.

In partnership with the dealership, we featured an officer from the local police department and captured his story.

The post on Facebook read:

"We support our local police departments and we are so grateful for the service and constant protection they provide for our communities in order to keep us safe. In this Ride Along video, we interviewed Officer Robert Dwy from the Manchester Police Department and learned a little bit about his story and why he loves keeping his community safe. Give it a share to show your support for the brave men and women who protect and serve."

You can see the video here.

Within days, the story was shared hundreds of times.  The local media featured the dealership.  The backlash on social was, well, surprisingly almost none.

In the comments on many of the shares, we watched as people expressed incredible support for the local police - and for the dealership for standing behind the men and women in blue.  

Community.  It's that little thing that so many of your dealerships have been a part of for years.  Don't give it up as you try and find your identity in the world of social media.

Embrace it.  Double down on it.  Understand your community and the conversations that are happening in it.  Then be a part of them.  Do it right and you'll be glad you did.

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing.  He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media.  You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat (@dasilentpartner).

Why am I not surprised to hear from countless automotive executives that their “marketing agency” didn’t tell them about this?  One word: shenanigans. 

Here’s the deal.

Beginning on January 10, 2017, Google is going to deal a major blow to the most annoying pop-up ads.

We’re talking about the mobile ads and full screen pop-ups that take over your phone.  Google is going to start severely spanking companies that use them by lowering their page ranking.

Now to be fair, Google says there are “hundreds of signals” that go into how they rank websites.  But what this ultimately means is that many publishers are going to have to rethink how they’re allowing advertising on their sites so they don’t get slapped.

The goal here is pretty simple.  These ads are pissing people off…and so Google wants to fix that.  And before you freak out, perhaps you should be asking yourself…do you really want your ads to be pissing consumers off?

Now Google says that “reasonable” banner ads will still be acceptable – they just plan on lowering the rank of websites upon which “content is not easily accessible”.  We’re talking about the ads that gray out the content below them, the ads that are nearly impossible to find the (x) and those that generally screw up the user experience.

As a consumer, I say great.

As a marketer, I say awesome.  It’s about damn time we weed out some of the crap that agencies are using to pad the numbers they are giving their clients regarding the “results” of these obnoxious ads.

No wonder why so many ad agencies are calling it ad-maggedon. 

I suppose we’ll see what happens come January 10.  Which, on a side note, is only 10 days before the inauguration…when we hopefully won’t be swearing in someone who will lead us to Armageddon. 

#MakeAdvertisingGreatAgain

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing.  He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media.  You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat (@dasilentpartner).

I’m going to blame this one on the entitlement culture that’s been created.  All of a sudden, nobody wants to actually hustle for a living these days.  But everyone sure does like to bitch about how bad business is.

In the last six months, I’ve kept a running tally of how many points of contact I tried to make with assorted “sales people” (anyone who relies on your business to pay their bills).  Here’s what I came up with.

·      14 out of 16 contractors didn’t call or email me back.

·      3 out of 5 car guys didn’t call or email me back.

·      4 out of 4 plumbers didn’t call or email me back.

·      4 out of 5 tree service companies didn’t call or email me back.

·      6 out of 6 mulch companies didn’t call or email me back.

The numbers blow my mind.  And keep in mind, in many of these cases – I made at least two points of contact…email and phone.

Yet constantly, nonstop, I’m hearing people talk about how “bad things are”.

Things are spectacular for my agency.  Want to know why?  We actually call people back.  We actually give a damn about customer service.  We actually focus on providing the same level of experience for people that we’d want.

Know who else things seem to be great for?  Every single one of the “sales guys” who ended up calling me back.  THEIR business is off the hook.

The irony is that the busy women and men are the people who are making the time to get back to people.  

Oh, wait – that’s not irony.  That’s how shit works in a world where you have to hustle harder than everyone else to provide for your families.

The moral of the story?  Nobody wants to work for a living any more.  Which is why it should be extraordinarily easy for you to KILL IT.

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing.  He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media.  You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat (@dasilentpartner).

It’s time to end the insanity.  Really.

Today, I read not one but TWO articles about how millennials are consuming content that were massively flawed down to their core.  And yet, for some reason, you people are sucking this crap down like a glass of cheap vodka after you blew the sale of that $90,000 Corvette.

Here’s one of them.  It’s called “Millennials Spend 18 Hours A Day Consuming Media – And It’s Mostly Content Created By Peers.”

It’s on Entrepreneur.com and so you’d think it’d have some credibility.

Except for one minor detail.  Most millennials aren’t awake for 18 hours a day.  

Hell – half the other articles out there start with “millennials sleep in their parents’ basement for 18 hours a day”.  I’m more likely to agree with that one – at least when it’s talking about the millennials who love Sanders.  

(Author note: I’ll save some of you from having to say this in the comments.  Yes, I made a political joke on an automotive focused website.   You’re car people.  Relax – you’re fine.  Please continue reading.)

Lesson One – Shut Up And Listen

There’s actually a relatively simple little thing you need to keep in mind if you want to successfully sell to millennials.  

Back off the hardcore close.  

Now before you scoff and move on, let’s talk this through for a second.

You’ve been taught that you should always be working towards and pushing hard for the close.  But for some of you, it’s put a mental block in your brain.  You’re so focused on “the close” that you’re not focused on “the listen”.

You keep hearing the 20-something talk about how sexy that Camaro is, but you missed the part where his heavy college debt leaves him with just enough of a monthly payment for a Spark.

You keep hearing that the young woman really likes the Fusion, but she mentioned she’s hoping to be pregnant soon.

These might sound like silly examples – but when you think about it, they have one thing in common.  You stopped trying to be helpful because you were focused on closing the deal.

The reality of it is that this lesson can be applied to ANY generation.  But millennials?  They just happen to be the group that’s less likely to come out and communicate that with you.

Lesson Two – Stop Whoring Out Social Media

You’re slapping ads on Facebook for your cards.  You’re putting up specials on Instagram.  You’re tweeting out promos.  You’re complaining that “SnatchChat is for teens to share porn”.

Stop the insanity.

Stop.  Selling.  Shit.  

I get it.  You’re sales people.  You’re conditioned to sell stuff.

And that’s exactly what you’re doing wrong.  Again and again and again on social media.

Social media is all about engagement.  Interaction.  Unique, creative and engaging content.

Wonder why you’re not selling more cars on Facebook?  Because you’re not supposed to be.

Want some examples?  Look at Yeti.  The North Face.  Red Bull.  Or follow me on Facebook.  I’ll bring you guys some more examples from time to time.

But please.  Stop the desperate scramble for studies on millennials…and start doing a little studying on your own.

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing. He’s also an acclaimed keynote speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media and has been dubbed "The Millennial Whisperer". You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat @dasilentpartner.

I'm a big believer that no great idea ever started with a glass of water.  That's why every Wednesday, I have our entire agency come together for a big team meeting over cocktails and lunch.  Sometimes the best brainstorming comes out of those magical lunch sessions.

That's exactly what happened with our latest video.

The idea was to put together a piece about how people "identify".  It occurred to me that as a conservative business owner in a state of liberals, I sometimes feel like I'm 80 - despite the fact that I'm a millennial.  (Relax, liberals.  It's not an insult.  It's just the truth.)

And so we allowed one of our interns to get his feet wet with a video project.  I put him in charge of the production and gave him creative license on this.

You'll see the video in the post below (which was written to explain the video).

We launched it quietly yesterday.  It started blowing up last night when Steve Crowder picked it up.  More than a thousand shares and four thousand likes in just a few hours.  Not bad, eh?

So what's the lesson in all of this for dealerships?  If you want to engage people at an economy of scale...sometimes you just have to stop selling them stuff.

Enjoy the piece.  And give it a share if it gives you a chuckle.

---

I’ve known that I’ve been different since I was a little kid. I never really understood it. It was just something I felt.

In middle school, while other kids were listening to No Doubt and NSync, I was listening to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

In high school, I was hanging out with college kids and adults and was constantly told I’m an “old soul”.

In college, I wasn’t going on dates – I was eating them. (Granted they were wrapped in bacon – but they were still dates, damnit.)

Then, one day, it hit me. I’m not a millennial. I’m a senior citizen.

I’m a trans man. Trans-age.

Before you say it, I know…I know. Biologically I’m not a senior. But that’s how I identify.

Every morning, I go into work where I run a business in a state of liberals. I feel like I’m 82.

My personal trainer looks like a black version of Lou Ferrigno and he makes me feel like I’m about 90.

I listen to business news. I drive a Chevy friggin’ Impala.

My friends, I’m a senior citizen trapped in a millennial’s body.

Trans-age is something you might have witnessed before without knowing what it was.

Perhaps it was the time you saw the 55-year-old woman walking around in booty shorts.

Or the 62-year-old with a 20-year-old in the passenger seat of his brand new Corvette.

All are prime examples of people who are trans-age.

One could argue we’ve all struggled with our identity. Dads of toddlers who have vomit on their shirts and think the young co-eds are checking them out. No, you’re not 21 any more.

Young co-eds who think the 50-year-old sugar daddies are interested in them for their maturity.

Little boys who wear their dads’ ties.

Old men who wear speedos.

In some way, shape or form, many of us are struggling with our identity. Our age identity.

Now that I know who I am…who I TRULY am…I’ve embraced it.

Last week, I went on the road to a bunch of drive-thru restaurants. I asked them for my senior discount. And you may be surprised to see how they responded. You can watch the video here.

What can I say? Seniors are the new millennials.

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing. He’s also an acclaimed keynote speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media. You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Snapchat @dasilentpartner. Read his past blogs here.

It’s a question I get asked time and time again by everyone from owners of car dealerships to the CEO’s of Fortune 100 companies.

“What’s the next big thing in marketing?”

What if I told you that in a recent focus group, we learned that what may be the next “big thing” in marketing…has already happened?

You’re probably thinking about Pokemon. That’s a fair assumption, given the recent reincarnation from the Gameboy graveyard.

But that’s not what I’m referring to.

I’m talking about Twitter.

To Learn, Listen

Let me start by giving you some insight as to how we’ve been so massively successful as a marketing agency.

We follow the eyeballs … and we start with the kids. I’ll explain to you why.

It all started with my first cellphone.

It was back in the 90’s and our family plan had something like five text messages a month. Remember those days?

One afternoon, my mother called me on my cell and I ignore her call and responded with a text – “what’s up?”

Her response? “When your parents call you – you pick up the phone.”

“Ok. Cya at 5.”

My parents raised hell. Not long after, they were also texting.

Look at where we are today. I have family friends in their 70’s and 80’s texting me (granted IT’S IN ALL CAPS AND A PAGE LONG FOR EACH TEXT MESSAGE). But you get the point.

The Eyeballs Moved To Social

How about Facebook? Started out with college students. The parents followed.

The demographics have shifted. A May 2015 study found that 73% of people 30-49 are on the platform, 63% of those 50-64 and 56% of those 65+.

Then the kids went to Twitter. The parents followed.

So the students went to Instagram. And the parents followed. The fastest growing demographic on Instagram? 40-60.

So much for your “my demographic isn’t on social” card.

Then what? Snapchat. Hundreds of millions of users. We’ll end up spending millions of dollars on Snapchat marketing initiatives, because it’s where so many eyeballs are.

What We Learned From Our Focus Group

From time to time, we’ll put together various focus groups of various demographics for clients or for our own research.

Last week, we brought a group of teenagers together at the local Dave and Buster’s. The goal? To get in their heads.

We spent an afternoon pigging out on junk food and chatting marketing before we handed them gaming cards and let them run wild.

It wasn’t long before a couple of my suspicions were validated.

None of the kids had Facebook. And they’re all extremely aggressive on Snapchat and Instagram.

But the hot “new” social platform that they’re all flocking to? It’s not Music.ly, After School, Peach or any of the others we’ve been following.

It’s Twitter.

The main reason?

It gives them access to people and businesses that you wouldn’t normally have access to and it’s easier to cut through the noise.

Go. Freaking. Figure. What’s not really that old is apparently new again.

The Verdict

Before you all go invest in Twitter advertising (which I am NOT recommending you do – yet), take a step back and breath. Social media – any platform – is only as good as your ability to innovate and provide tremendous amounts of value to your followers.

It's time to start marketing like it's 2016.

I want to know about you and your companies. Which platforms are you on? Where are you finding your customers?

Do share…I think everyone can benefit from your perspective!

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing. He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media. You can find him on Facebook, LinkedIn and of course on Snapchat @dasilentpartner.

When the debate over presidential candidates hits the sales floor, who wins and who loses?

It was Thanksgiving dinner.  I was maybe 10 or 11-years-old.  We were at my grandparent’s house along with all of my aunts and uncles.

That side of the family has a bunch of big Italian mouths.  Combine that with the fact that we grew up in Jersey and this dinner conversation only had one way to go.

I don’t remember much – but I do remember everyone yelling.  And I remember the words of advice my parents shared with me after.

“There are two things you’ve always got to be careful talking about – religion and politics.”

How true it is, especially now in 2016 as we’re in perhaps one of the most polarized times we’ve seen in years.

But do you entirely have to avoid talking politics in business?  Or can it actually help you grow?

Risk Assessment

There are a few different important factors what a business owner has to consider when determining whether or not she or he will make a policy against talking politics.

1. What is the political and socioeconomic climate of your area?

Take, for example, the car dealership that started giving away certificates for AR 15’s for people who bought a car from them.  If your company is in a very pro 2nd amendment region or state, this could be a spectacular marketing and public relations strategy.

Take that approach in a state that’s uber liberal – say, Connecticut – and you’re most likely going to be destroyed and vilified.

2.  How thick is your skin?

It doesn’t matter which side you’re on – conservative or liberal – you’re going to take heat when you get political.  Period.  You’re trying to do business with an economy of scale, which means that there are going to be people who are pissed.  You just can’t avoid it.

And what do pissed people do?  They turn to the internet.  How thick is your skin and how willing and able are you to deal with internet trolls?  What’s your social media strategy for dealing with backlash?

3.  What’s the climate of your staff?

Are you a die-hard Republican with a staff full of Clinton supporters?  If so, you’re going to want to rethink your strategy (and your data security).

Let’s keep in mind, in this massively divided country, people are often looking for something they can use to “stick it to you”.  Proceed cautiously when executing marketing strategies or even policies that involve politics.

Core Values

Every business owner has core values that guide them.  One could argue that leaving politics and religion out of the workplace is crucial.  But we’ve seen otherwise.

Chick-fil-A, In-N-Out, Forever 21, Tyson Foods, Mary Kay, Timberland, Alaska Air, Marriott, JetBlue, Interstate Batteries, Trijicon, and Hobby Lobby are just a few national companies not afraid to hide their religion or in some cases political perspectives.  And these companies are absolutely killing it.

If you’re the kind of business owner who is willing to put their values forward and not just stand behind them, but rather double down on them, then having these conversations could serve you well – especially when incorporated with a strong marketing and public relations strategy and crisis communication plan.

In the past couple of months, we’ve brought on some unbelievable new clients – all of whom contacted my agency after hearing and seeing some of my guest appearances on shows from Fox and Friends to The Jim Polito Show.  On these shows, we were talking about everything from millennials (somehow they’ve ended up dubbing me The Millennial Whisperer) to politics (where I picked up the nickname The Caffeinated Conservative).  Being on these shows and embroiled in controversial conversations is enough to make countless business owners cringe.  Luckily, it also works the opposite way as well – it’s enough to make countless business owners pick up the phone and call as well.

Let’s Make Business Great Again

Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is a genius.  He’s not running a political campaign.  He’s running a marketing campaign.  And there’s an important lesson for you to all take from him if we’re going to REALLY think about whether we should talk “politics” in the workplace or with customers.

But to understand what’s happening – what’s REALLY happening - I need you to cast your feelings about him aside for a minute.  Don’t think of him as a political hopeful.  Think of him as a marketer.

This is about niche marketing.  

The internet has given us this incredible opportunity to reach more people than ever before.  And as a result, countless business owners and leaders are dumbing down their message and their identity.  They're walking on politically correct eggshells, desperate to win over everyone.

It's time we stopped the insanity.

So removing the politics surrounding Trump for a minute, I need you all to take a look at what he's doing.  Because it's powerful.

He's leveraging one of the most underutilized tricks in the book - authenticity.

Let's take that a step further.  His authenticity in marketing is accomplishing the most important thing you can possibly do in this digital age - niche marketing.

All of a sudden, he's got a group of Republicans supporting him...Democrats supporting him...and people who don't even know what the hell a Democrat or a Republican is.  He has a message and he knows that that message will resonate with not everyone - but with many.  He knows that being a bull in a China shop (no outsourcing pun intended), he's set himself apart from his competition.

I'm not looking to get into the back and forth in the comments about politics.  But I DO want you to think about your own marketing.  Are you being 100% authentic in your marketing...or are you trying not to ruffle feathers?  Are you speaking to a highly targeted demographic...or are you trying to appeal to everyone?

Perhaps it's time we pull the Trump card when it comes to marketing yourself or your business.

I’d LOVE to hear your perspective about when it is and isn’t appropriate to talk politics in the dealership.  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.  And give this article a share on your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  Let’s see what kinds of conversations we can start.

POSTED BY

Kyle Reyes is President and CEO of The Silent Partner Marketing.  He's also an acclaimed Keynote Speaker on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and social media.  You can find him on Facebook,  LinkedIn and Snapchat (@dasilentpartner).