Agent for the Arts

Creative Footprints

Every month, Marc Dennis reports from his Creative Footprint Blog on regional artists in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier Region of Upstate New York. "Creative Footprint" encompasses a series of dialogues with creative people and art enthusiasts exploring and examining the ways in which we leave our mark on culture and community.

Last month, Rhonda Morton and Alligator Mouth Improv were featured. Read about Rhonda's inspirations, what makes Alligator Mouth Improv tick, and what she thinks about the connections among art, economics, god, and community. She has a lot to say, but it's worth all the time in the world!

Check it out at Marc's Blog!

Sean Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin Tiers Young Professionals and a consultant for Pipeline 4 Progress. Visit his website at www.SeanLukasik.com.

But Wait... There's More!

Try our new product free for 10 days. If you're not satisfied, return it for a full refund.
Come to our open house. If you don't like what you hear, there's no obligation to stay.

We hear a lot of similar pitches and taglines in the media today. In fact, most of us are trained to ignore these messages. No matter how big and loud an infomercial announces, "But wait, there's more," we still don't swing our heads around to see what the next big offer is going to be.

That's why it's frustrating when local businesses in our small towns imitate the national advertisers. We have a unique infrastructure here - we have a much greater opportunity to influence word-of-mouth advertising, to build a recognizable brand, and to earn the trust of our local consumers. But only a handful of companies in the Twin Tiers appear on Facebook or Twitter, and several don't even have a website.

These days, an online presence is virtually free. Social media pages are a given, but blogs and simple websites are also next-to free. E-Bay lets users set up online stores, chipping off a small percentage of sales in exchange. Yahoo offers web-hosting packages with templates and content management tools for a minimal monthly charge. iContact.com will manage your email list and allow you to send newsletters to hundreds of customers at a time for about $8 / month.

The point is not to suggest that you lock your doors and only do business through the Internet. But you should make it easier for your fans to share their enthusiasm about your company. When a consumer hears of a positive experience from their peers rather than a radio ad, they're more likely to try your product.

When Pepsi issued their "Pepsi Challenge," they beat Coke in national taste-tests, but that doesn't mean everyone who tries Pepsi will be hooked. In fact, Coke is still the leader because they offer a better soft drink experience. Pepsi is sweeter, and will naturally be more appealing after a few sips, but that's not how people drink soda - they drink full cups and go back for refills, and generally prefer Coke.

The same is true for more complex products. A 10-day trial or an open house is not a true customer experience, it's just a taste-test. Try giving your current customers a better experience, and they'll be more likely to talk about it with their friends. Combine that with making it easier to spread the word by building your online presence for free, and see what happens to your future sales.

Sean Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin Tiers Young Professionals and a consultant for Pipeline 4 Progress. Visit his website at www.SeanLukasik.com.

Hold Your Horses

The Internet gets overwhelming at times, especially when you start talking about social media. Marketing meetings are drenched with discussions about Facebook and Twitter, and "what ever happened to MySpace?," and "should we create a YouTube channel?" The coolest guy at the table is the one who can name the site that no one else has heard about yet.

But don't get too far ahead of yourself. Understand what you're working with, how you can use it to your advantage, and whether there's a better tool out there for your business. Social media sites only work if enough people are using them, so the newest aren't necessarily the best until they gain enough momentum.

For example, lots of people are starting to talk about Me2Everyone.com -

It's "going to be a cool new virtual world where you can meet friends, chat, shop, play, watch videos, [...] and make money from your own online store," according to a recent LinkedIn discussion. The site also offers "100 free shares, with no liabilities," just for creating an account.

In my opinion, its a scheme to collect as many email addresses as possible and sell them to spammers - the opposite of Seth Godin's "permission marketing" techniques. But even if it becomes a legitimate social media network, you won't be any worse off by joining later in the game.

Let the sites work themselves out - then let the marketing gurus figure out the advantages and disadvantages before you dive in.

The harm in jumping the gun? You might put a target on your back for potential spammers, or you might waste lots of time and stress on "the next big thing," only to find out it's the next big scam.

Sean Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin Tiers Young Professionals and a consultant for Pipeline 4 Progress. Visit his website at www.SeanLukasik.com.

Thank You

On Monday morning, I got a free copy of The Blue Sweater in the mail - thanks to the marketing collaboration between the author, Jacqueline Novogratz, and Seth Godin, who purchased several copies of the book so bloggers like myself can review it.

I've already started it, and I'm looking forward to all of the author's travel stories throughout, as I've already heard some wonderful reviews on how inspirational they are. Check back in a few weeks for my take.

Sean Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin Tiers Young Professionals and a coordinator and consultant for Pipeline 4 Progress. Check out Sean's monthly column in Twin Tiers Business, published by the Elmira Star Gazette.

New Acts in Town

It's not often that you hear of successful artists moving away from the hubs (New York, Los Angeles, Boston). After all, when you spend so much time building a network in a big city, why would you want to leave it behind? Probably because it's not about the network, but its the artwork that brings happiness.

That's part of the reason why a couple of experienced artists have moved to Corning, NY - and they're looking for ways to weave themselves into the small-town fabric while maintaining the Hollywood limelight.

Marc Jackson is a professional composer and custom songwriter who works in film, television, and advertising with clients in New York City and Los Angeles. His music has been featured in movie trailers for Michael Clayton, Enchanted, Harold and Kumar 2, and Transporter 3, in addition to compositions for TV, DVD features, and much more.

His wife, Jennifer Li, is an accomplished choreographer who also has a wide range of clients across the country. Her collaborations include American Dreamz for Universal Pictures, Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in LA, Cornerstone Theater Company, and the Comedy Central Stage.

Marc and Jennifer have been actively seeking to connect with local artists, advertisers, and media outlets in their new Upstate New York community... a wonderful testament to their respect for artwork and desire for a better quality of life.

Check out Marc's Website, or read his bio on IMDB. Jennifer's page can be found here - also worth a good look!

 

Hopefully, with the housing market spinning out of control and technology making it easier and easier to work from anywhere in the country, more artists and business people will realize that Upstate New York isn't such a bad place to call home!

Sean Lukasik is a Creative Agent / Marketing Professional in the Elmira-Corning region of Upstate New York. He is President of Twin Tiers Young Professionals and a coordinator and consultant for Pipeline 4 Progress. Check out Sean's monthly column in Twin Tiers Business, published by the Elmira Star Gazette.