Not only are we Out & About San Diego, but we love finding new favorites all around the web! With 2016 around the corner, we figured you might want to buff up your resolutions with some of our favorites. Keep in mind, these are just a few sites that make our inner-nerd freak out over. Sharing is caring!

Time Management & Productivity
Right Inbox: Send scheduled or recurring emails and set reminders.
Remember The Milk: Prioritize and organize your daily, weekly and monthly tasks.
Acrylic App: Store all your personal information, i.e. passwords, credit card numbers, and much more with wallet!

Email
MailChimp: Send styled and professional e-mail campaigns with easy data reporting.
WiseStamp: Create your own stylized e-mail signature. For up to 5 users ($99/ yr) click here or for up to 10 users ($199/ yr) click here.
Google Apps for Business: Use the Google interface for your email with your customized email domain (@yourcompany.com).

Online Tools
Word Counter: Literally counts your words for you.
Feedly: Get all the information and news you need in one personalized web page.
0 to 255: Color cards with web safe color hex codes.
Eye Dropper: Snag the hex color code on any open Chrome web page.
Dropbox: Share and store all your documents and files in one online database.

Online Classes
Open Culture: Free online courses you can take according to interest and passion.
Yale: Free and open access to introductory courses taught by Yale professors.
Khana Academy: Easy to understand tutorials in basic academia and relevant subject matters.

Let us know some of your favorite resources! Part 2 of our favorites, including social media, images and music tools will be posted next week. Stay tuned!

By Sherin Tebbi & Kyle Magee

Let’s face it -- your computer is your Partner in Crime (P.I.C.). It’s there with you through work and leisure. You continuously count on it for answers, communication and hilarious videos. Even though you might spill some crumbs or coffee on it here and there, you know, that in reality, you would be nowhere without your computer.

But what happens when this so-called P.I.C. starts flashing an unexpected and very official error message? You can’t seem to get off of the message so you find yourself following its prompts to call the help-line. Soon enough, you’re speaking to a friendly and knowledgable representative pointing out exactly what is wrong with your computer in surprisingly accurate details. Finally, the rep gives you two options:

1. Take your beloved P.I.C. into your local OfficeMax/Staples/computer store to fix. This option could take 5+ business days.
2. Let the representative remote in and solve the probably immediately for a hefty price.

So, you agree to have him solve the problem immediately. Why not, right? The rep knew exactly what was wrong and thoroughly explained the process to you -- handing over your credit card information is a no-brainer. Remote away, Representative. Relax, your partner in crime will be back in no time to finish binge-watching your latest Netflix addiction.

Stop Right There

You’ve become a victim of social engineering. This is a tactic that scammers/hackers use all the time. False pretenses are established so that the victim is lead to believe that they're talking to: a remote repair service, a customer seeking personal info or a department within the same company who needs some authorization information. All of these are lies that the hacker will tell an unsuspecting victim. All of these are real things that happen all the time.

First off, know that we don’t think don't think less of you! It sucks but it happens all the time. The reason people do stuff like this is because it works. And they only need it to work once on someone. Unfortunately, everyone learns this lesson at some point in their relationship with their computer.

So, what now?

If someone had access to your machine or if you installed something to get someone else into your machine and you continue to have full access there is a number of things that could have happened. We’ll leave out the nitty gritty details, but let’s just say it could take a very long time to find and fix. Many times the machine is first infiltrated and then the attacker waits several weeks to ensure any good backups are non-existent. But it totally depends on the level of sophistication of the attacker/when they first compromised the system.

Our Advice

Invest in a defender that will protect you. You should be relying on something to keep your precious sidekick protected! Think of all the information on your computer that someone could have access to -- your identity, bank info, address, etc. -- you wouldn’t give this information to a stranger, don’t let a stranger take it from you. Many products provide excellent protection that stop you from going on sites that are infected. In many cases they also warn you (before you get to the site) if something is fishy.

Please, please, please be cautious about the sites you are going on. There is no substitute for a simple understanding of how, when and why people might try to psyber burgle you. Take a minute to Google search on what behavior is most likely to leave you vulnerable to online scammers.

By Lauren Hong

There are a lot of “necessary” line items on your expense report as a small to mid-sized business owner. There’s your staffing; your utilities; your travel; your... marketing. Unfortunately, when it comes time to budget, it’s the marketing category that often draws the biggest question mark next to it.

Why is it so frequently the most disputed category? Most often, it’s because there’s not a clear idea of the return you’ll receive on it. But here’s the thing: when you budget and delegate those dollars correctly, your marketing spend will come back to your business in spades.

Where to start when budgeting for marketing

It’s tough to say what’s best for your business without being close to it, but in general, the U.S. Small Business Administration recommends spending 7 to 8 percent of your gross revenue for marketing and advertising, if you’re doing less than $5 million a year in sales and your net profit margin (after all expenses) is in the 10-12 percent range.

There’s a benchmark from which you can start, yet the truth is you’ll find marketing experts report recommendations all over the board when it comes to average spend -- anywhere from 2-3 percent for startups to 20 percent for highly competitive industries. The key to finding your sweet spot? Knowing the right questions to ask, tracking results, and adjusting until it works for you. Let’s get started.

(Believe us: if we could give you the answer in one sentence, we would. Bear with us!)

Questions to ask to decide where to spend your marketing dollars

Asking the right questions about where to spend your marketing dollars can unearth answers that will help you determine your overall marketing spend. Here’s a list of questions to get you started:

1. What are your most important lead-generation tactics? This is a good time to look at historical results to see which of your lead-generation tactics have performed best. Did last year’s email marketing campaigns see the highest conversion or was it the yearly gala that drew the most leads?

2. If you were forced to choose just one lead-generation tactic to focus on in growing your business, what would it be? Where do you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to the high-performing tactics you listed above?

3. How do you implement that tactic? Take a look at the strategy behind the actual implementation of that tactic. What goes into it? Consider the cost of it, including time spent by you or your staff.

4. How do you package the process around that tactic? It’s not uncommon for businesses to say they “do” content marketing or in-person networking. But when’s the last time you documented the process around it? It’s only when you detail out the steps it takes that you can eliminate the unnecessary and streamline for the best outcome.

5. How do you measure both the process as well as the results? You can’t improve what isn’t measured. Measuring the process and the results it gleans is what will allow you to refine it and save time and money in the long run. (Keep reading to learn more about how to measure those results.)

So, we just threw five seemingly simple questions your way that will deceivingly take some time to answer, and may inspire some work on your part. In case you’re wondering why, here it is: it’s the answers to these questions that will allow you to set some standard benchmarks and spend your money where it counts most.

Ways to measure the results of your marketing efforts

Once you’ve identified your highest performing marketing tactics and the cost it requires to make them happen, you can take the following measurements to truly benchmark effectiveness:

Cost per lead

Cost per lead measures the total spend versus the amount of leads generated, allowing you to compare which lead tactics are the most cost-efficient. (Keeping in mind that cost efficient and “cheapest” are not always synonymous.)

Marketing Tactic*Total Cost(6 months)Total Leads(6 months)Cost Per Lead(Cost/Total leads)Trade Show$10,000100$100

Cost per sale

Cost per sale measures the total spend versus the amount of actual sales generated, proving which marketing tactics attract buyers

Marketing Tactic*Total Cost(6 months)Total Sales(6 months)Cost Per Sale(Cost/Total sales)Trade Show$10,00010$1,000

Return on investment (ROI)

Your return on investment is based on your gross sales divided by the total cost of acquiring those sales.

Marketing Tactic*Total Sales(6 months)Total Cost(6 months)Gross Sales(Total Sales x Total Cost)ROI per $1(Gross Sales/Total Cost)Trade Show10$10,000$100,000$10

While determining the ROI is the overall goal of any marketing measurement, the way you go about getting there will largely depend on the goal of your marketing, and how it aligns with the overall goals of the business.

Why the work? Zeroing in on your most effective lead- and revenue-generating tactics will allow you to systematize and measure them, so you can factor in the total cost when determining that dreaded marketing budget.

Don’t ignore inbound

Let’s take a little detour: your marketing budget will likely include a mix of outbound marketing (think: print media; TV  advertising; etc.) and inbound (i.e.: content marketing and social media). These days, with our constant access to the internet and consumers’ desire for permission-based, earned marketing rather than that which is pushed at us, your budget will likely include more of the latter.

The good news? Not only are inbound tactics more likely to keep prospective clients, referral sources, and current clients top of mind, but they also generate an average of 54 percent more leads at half the cost.

Planning for a (profitable) future

The most important thing in budgeting for your marketing is that all of your tactics -- both inbound and outbound -- support an integrated marketing strategy that supports the overall goals of your company. Market with a purpose so you can budget better. It’s what we help you do at Out & About.

By Lauren Hong

Last week, I came upon a job posting from a company looking to hire a “marketing associate.” This person would be tasked with developing a big picture marketing strategy, managing day-to-day marketing tasks, answering the phone, and manning the front desk -- not to mention that they expected them to be qualified in working within Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) regulations.

Now, color me cynical, but I’m quite certain this person doesn’t exist. Because here’s the thing: if you’re a strong strategist experienced with FINRA, you’re overqualified to answer the phone and man the front desk. Likewise, if you’re a skilled people person who’s used to answering the phone and greeting people at the door, you’re most likely not enthralled with the idea of running the company’s overall marketing strategy.

See where I’m going? Yet it comes down to this: so often, a small business’ marketing gets lumped in with other tasks, taking the focus off the marketing that’s going to generate leads, nurture relationships, and bring traffic in the door.

Unfortunately for you, business owner, it means your marketing dollars are likely being massively misspent.

The myth of the one-man marketing team

Similarly, many-a-small business will also find themselves delegating all marketing tasks -- from the big picture strategy to the graphic for that tweet -- to one person. Again, you’re risking a misspend of marketing dollars, as your marketing expert most likely isn’t well-versed in graphic design, video editing, or website development. So, what’s a business owner to do?

Build the perfect marketing team

Like many startups aim to launch a minimum viable product, let’s look at what your minimum viable marketing team might look like:

• Strategist: the big picture thinker who gets buy-in from other key players in the business to craft a multi-year strategy that supports overall business goals (revenue increases, lead generation, community growth, etc.)
• Creative director: oversees the creative roles on the team, working largely in a project management role that ties the roles below together.
• Graphic designer: understands the brand and can articulate it through different design pieces, from direct mail to digital elements.
• Copywriter: understands the brand and can articulate it through copy on ads, websites, email campaigns, blog posts, and more.
• Web developer: takes the brand vision and brings it to life online with a fine understanding of user navigation and functionality.
• Multimedia manager: directs all digital assets such as videos, podcasting, and more.
• Social media strategist/Community manager: crafts content and manages the online community around the brand’s social channels.

There’s a reason lawyers and doctors have specialties: you don’t want the same lawyer drawing up your real estate contract as the one defending you in a personal injury suit, just like you don’t want the podiatrist performing brain surgery. The same goes for your marketing staff: the same person shouldn’t be answering the phones while writing the code and copy that power your lead generation form on your website.

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. Even if you don’t have the financial bandwidth to bring these specialties in-house, you have a very fine alternative option: hire an outsourced marketing team.

Outsource your marketing

Outsourcing isn’t a cop-out: it’s a strategic business move that’ll put the focus back on making your marketing work. So, when you find yourself in any of the following situations, consider looking outside your office walls for talent:

1. Your marketing just isn’t getting done. The best marketing is consistent marketing, and consistency requires discipline and time. Sometimes you have the skills, but you simply don’t have the time.
2. You don’t have the skills in house. On the flip side, sometimes it’s the skills that are lacking. You might very well know that blog posts with images get 94% more views than those without, but if you don’t have a graphic designer on the team that can source or create the best images for you, it simply won’t be as effective.
3. Your lead generation is non-existent. “We have too many leads!” -- said no business owner, ever. But what we’ve found with many owners who come to us looking for marketing support is that lead generation has come to a halt or was never really a successful endeavor in the first place.
4. You don’t have the money to hire a full, in-house team. Finally, you might very well understand marketing and what it takes to get it done right, but you just don’t have the budget to hire specialists to build even that minimum viable team.

If any of the above resonate with you, it’s time to consider hiring the marketing team that can make it better.

Benefits of an outsourced marketing team

Outsourcing your marketing will do a couple key things for you: it’ll give you access to the specialists you need to get the job done right, it’ll allow you to expand your company without taking on additional full-time employees, and it’ll give your marketing new life. Let’s explore that last one a bit:

Much like a writer needs a second set of eyes, the marketing organization often needs a fresh perspective. While you and your employees know your company best, those outside the organization can often lend new ideas on how to position a story, what will make your brand more cohesive, and what will generate leads. Yes, this comes with the expertise you’ll gain by outsourcing, but it also comes from opening your minds to new ideas from those just getting to know your brand.

Outsourced marketing done right

At Out & About, we’ve had the pleasure of lending our specialists to organizations as their outsourced marketing function for years. Here are just a few of those success stories:

1. We helped a local outpatient treatment center go from working in a coffee shop with no name to 300% growth, expanding their team and their offerings. We did this by working with them on website design and development, brand management, graphic design for a new logo and collateral, award submission, event planning, and other ongoing support.

2. We acted as the outsourced design and development team for an e-commerce site, building a new site that saw a record-breaking launch in both page views and sales.

3. We got our PR specialists working for a financial services firm, securing five media opportunities within one month of us doing media outreach. In addition, we now oversee their overall marketing strategy, joining their former siloes so all their efforts work toward the same goal and achieve a higher ROI.

4. We helped a digital agency swamped by internal work to get out from behind the computer and in front of the community through print and online publications, a guest blogger program, and six awards in one year.

When you outsource your marketing, results are the rules, more than the exceptions.

Get your marketing back in action

As a business owner, it’s time to stop wishing your marketing was more effective when you’re not blessed with the time, skills, or budget for it to be so. Make it happen by outsourcing it to pros who will get to know your brand and take your business to the next level. (And take the stress off that all-star employee who can go back to focus on what they were hired for!

By Mandy Fisher

Post originally published in Advisor Perspectives

I can’t tell you how many people I have spoken with who don’t believe marketing works. They lament all the marketing tactics on which they’ve spent their money. If you are not strategic about the dollars spent on your marketing efforts, you will truly be wasting both your time and your money.

So develop a marketing strategy that will succeed and bring results in the New Year.

The first step is to decide who your firm-level marketing is targeting. This should be your ideal client. When I hear advisors say they want to target women, I cringe. Women make up half the population; your ideal audience must be better defined.

Take a more narrow approach. Identify the clients that you have now that you love working with and you would love to grow. Then list why they are awesome: their demographics, where they live, where they work, what they do for fun, what they read and who they hang out with. See if there are any overarching themes. Maybe you will discover that you want to target successful corporate ladder-climbers in the Bay Area with an entrepreneurial mind and tendency to stay up with the modern world who also need an accessible financial partner to build out their dreams.

Whom you define in this step is the target and the base of your marketing strategy.

Many of you want to work with a variety of niches and target them all. In this case, decide what you want your overall firm marketing message to be. Yes, you might want to target the corporate climber and the successful entrepreneur. What is the one message that would resonate with both? Maybe they both have an entrepreneurial mind that you could target with messages about innovating their business. Think of it this way: What do you want people to associate with your name? Maybe that your firm is innovators in the industry. It should be one message that resonates with all of your prospective clients. It does not have to resonate with your current clients if you are looking to grow a different direction.

Now that you have defined your target message, review your current marketing. Does your website, brochure, e-newsletter, events all reflect this message? Test it. Ask people who do not know your firm well what they think of when they see your website or brochure. Ask them whom they think your marketing piece is targeting. Their answers are invaluable and will tell you whether your marketing is articulating your company’s story the way it should.

Before meeting someone, you probably research him or her. You check out their website and then their social media profiles. This is your first impression of the person. Quite often this first impression does not line up with the real person you meet.

When I see outdated websites, whether financial sites or others, my first thought is that they are not a top-of-the-line competitor. Most of the time, this is not true. Ineffectual marketing created that wrong impression. The reality is that you lose the majority of your prospective clients on misled first impressions. If your company’s online presence fails this test, then revamping your company’s first impression should be the top priority in your 2016 marketing plan.

Taking these priorities and your marketing message, you can now develop your 2016 marketing plan. The plan should consist of the ongoing tactics and one-off projects. The ongoing tactics are the ways you distribute your marketing message throughout the year. This might include events, PR, social media and/or blogging. The priority projects you identified earlier as needing a refresh are likely the one-off projects since updating your website and brochure is a one-time effort.

It seems like marketing can be a guessing game, but it’s not. It is all about strategy. If you are going to spend money on marketing next year, then be smart and develop a strategy now. This is the only way that you will ensure the highest rate of return on your marketing efforts.

Let us help you or a friend! We're offering complimentary strategy sessions until the end of December. Contact us now to begin developing your strategy for 2016!

Did you know that videos are one of the most engaging forms of content marketing? Videos can help bring your customers awareness, information, conversion, and loyalty. Sounds like a win-win!

Lisa Gonzalez, one of our favorite marketing superheroes, sheds some light on video content marketing through her e-book, Video Content Marketing: The Strategic Foundation. Lisa covers target questions our readers should be asking and how they can position themselves to create the right content for the right channels!

Click here to download Lisa's Video Content Marketing: The Strategic Foundation e-book!

It was such a treat to interview Trang Hammond of Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream! The ice cream shop, located in North Park, introduces guests to out-of-this-world, premium ice cream each day. Can't decide on one of their delicious flavors? We recommend going with their famous flight option to try many flavors in one trip (yum!). Trang, take it away!

Please tell us a little about Hammond’s Ice Cream. What makes Hammond’s different than other local ice cream places in San Diego?
Hammond’s Ice Cream is super premium ice cream, consisting of 18% butterfat and very low overrun resulting in a dense, creamy and silky smooth ice cream eating experience. We take our ice cream seriously.

Our factory is located on the Big Island of Hawaii. The milk used comes from the happy cows grazing the grass on the factory farm and the fruits, coffees and nuts used all come from the local Hawaiian Farms. This is why you can taste the fresh flavors in our product. We also offer over 100 different flavors, but only 32 at a time. Some flavors we rotate but some we keep around all the time because of its popularity, like Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Peanut Butter with Oreo Cookies and Lychee Cream. What makes us different is that besides the super premium quality of our ice cream, we offer them in flights. We have specifically designed flight containers just for the flight cones and we are the only ice cream shop to offer them in hand made mini waffle cones as well. Because we offer so much ice cream, it is difficult for people to pick just one or two scoops, so we created the ice cream flight concept. We wanted the ice cream eating experience to be relaxing and enjoyable, so we created an atmosphere that both young and old could enjoy. We incorporate a lot of local art as well as used reclaimed pieces of wood for our counter tops and tables in order to preserve our environment as much as we possibly could.

Our customer service is also a big deal to us. We take our customers needs very seriously. We have a running list of customers to contact once their favorite flavor is back in the rotation.

What made you realize that you were an ice cream connoisseur? What’s your favorite flavor?
I never intended to open up an ice cream business, until a few years back when my husband and I tasted this ice cream in Hawaii and realized this is the best ice cream we had ever tasted. We had always wanted to start a small business so it pretty much came together after that first taste.

How do you come up with all your different flavors? Can we look forward to any new flavors for the fall?
The main chef for our ice cream used to be a pastry chef for Wolfgang Pucks. She has had many years creating flavors upon request. We trust her judgment and creative genius. Sometimes, I have an idea and I throw it out there. For example, I recently came up with Honey Lavender and it is currently one of our most popular flavors. I have some ideas in the works, but those will remain a secret for now. For the fall we currently have out Pumpkin Cheesecake. Starting mid-November we will be rolling our some Apple Caramel Pie and Praline inspired flavors. Once we get into the winter, we will be presenting flavors that are richer, like Hot Cocoa, Jack Daniels Cream, White Chocolate and Caramels, and Gingerbread Cookie.

Why did you choose to open up your first shop in North Park? Where is your next location going to be?
North Park is home to all of us. There are three owners (my husband and I and our business partner Dan Szpak). We all live in North Park and love the community. Interestingly enough, we are North Park’s very first ice cream shop. We knew North Park needed an ice cream shop, so we were happy to jump on that opportunity. Our next location is going to be in Pacific Beach on Garnet Ave. We are very excited about it.

Where is your favorite spot to be out and about in San Diego?
We have a two-year-old son so we love going places that he can enjoy. We like taking him to Balboa Park, the zoo, and the beach. Oh and the ice cream shop, of course!

Can't stop thinking about ice cream? Neither can we! Until you find your way to her shop, check out Hammond's website, or follow Hammond's Gourmet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

By Lauren Hong

When it comes to running a business, it’s no secret that your expense docket is likely a mile long. There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to keeping the doors open and the lights on. There are also a lot of places where you can follow lean principles to do more with less. But let us get one thing straight: your website isn’t always one of those places.

Your website is your online home; your 24/7 salesperson who’s welcoming people in the front door when the rest of the crew has long been fast asleep. It’s the lead-generating, customer-satisfying, information-offering machine that, when well-oiled, is going to differentiate your business from the rest before your potential customers even get a chance to meet your (stellar) team.

But when it comes down to it, a great website -- one that does all of the above -- can end up with a bill of anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000 -- and sometimes, even more.

Before your jaw drops fully to the ground, let’s be clear: most web designers and developers aren’t trying to give you the runaround. It’s simply that most people just don’t understand the true cost of what goes into building a website -- and why and how a project can jump from $5k to $30k in no time.

You want to be the educated customer going into a web development deal with understanding. We want to help you get there so that you’re not catching flies when they hit you with the price.

When you’re buying art…

Let’s talk about that wide gap in price estimates, first. Why the discrepancy? Consider this scenario: you’re walking down an alley in a big city when you stumble upon a small studio. Inside is an artist toiling away at paintings that you just happen to fall in love with at first sight.

After browsing, you find that you can pick up this artist’s work in a few different forms: the original piece, which is going to run you a cool $30k, a limited-edition canvas giclée for $8,000, or a run-of-the-mill print for $200.

Here, the discrepancy seems obvious. When you buy the original, you’re paying for something one-of-a-kind; something that took the artist hours on end to complete; something uniquely made only for the person who ends up buying it.

The scale of website costs will vary in the same way, with major variants largely based on three elements: customization, talent, and experience. Customization will dictate the amount of time and energy put into designing it and developing it, and talent will dictate that level of customization. Finally, as with most things, you often pay for the experience you want. Your designer/developer is the artist, and you’re the customer that decides exactly how unique you want your site to be, and what bells and whistles are going to set you apart.

With that established, let’s take a look at what average price breaks might look like.

1. The DIY and/or cookie-cutter template

We like to think of this as the starter home for your online presence. Basic websites -- especially those that are DIY -- can be created for anywhere from $50/month to $2k+ at once.

When it comes to DIY, there’s no scarcity of resources to help you get it done, or platforms to enable you to do so. You can get your business started with a clean-cut site on platforms like Squarespace or Wix for anywhere from $5 - $36/month and not have to worry about hosting or domain (for the first year). The benefit? They make DIY-ing decently straightforward. The bad news? The potential is limited.

For a simple splash page, a standard blog, or even a multi-page site that’s purely informational, these are fantastic options for a business or individual that doesn’t need a strong web presence. And if you’re not completely comfortable using them yourself, a developer will have minimal costs for setting you up on these platforms.

But if you’re looking for anything more -- from a custom template to a bonafide e-commerce store -- you’re either going to spend a lot of time attempting to figure things out that you don’t know much about, or you’re going to end up paying a developer a handsome fee to give a cookie cutter template that personal touch.

This is the print when it comes to that painting you really liked before. Let’s take a look at what that giclée will get you.

2. The tailored-to-you site

So, you know you don’t want cookie cutter -- and you certainly don’t want to go to a developer each time you want to publish a blog post. Let’s take a look at what spending a little more -- we’re talking anywhere from $5,000-$15,000 -- will get you.

Content management system: What makes platforms like WordPress and Shopify so popular is that they have built-in content management systems (CMS). This lets you update your website easily.

Customized aesthetics: With the help of a graphic and/or user experience designer, you lay out a site that is uniquely you -- your brand, your tone, your navigation.

Specialized coding: At this level, you’re likely engaging an experienced developer that can take a pre-made template or a theme and overlay custom code, including custom storefronts or optimized lead generation funnels. Responsive design, which easily adjusts your website depending on the device it’s viewed on, shouldn’t even be a question here.

Extra bells + whistles: Depending on where you fall in the price range here, your development team may also include copywriters, SEO specialists and data analysts that can help develop content, optimize your site for search engines, and set up goal tracking for analytics.

When you go this route, you’re not looking at a start-from-scratch, completely custom website, but you are looking at spending a little more to work with designers and developers that can take a standard site and tailor it to your brand and your business. Best of all? You’re not required to crack open HTML for Dummies, saving time upfront, but you are able to make your own updates later, saving money down the line.

3. The completely custom, uniquely you site

We’ve finally arrived at that original painting you’ve been eyeing for that cool $30k. Only, when it comes to a website, a completely custom site built just for your business can run you anywhere from $15,000-$100,000 and beyond.

What does it mean for you? A fully custom, easy-to-update, SEO-optimized site that includes more pages, databases, and unique functionality than you could receive at any other level. This option is made for two types of businesses: big businesses with complex business models, divisions, or offerings; and businesses that, no matter their size, hold a heavy web presence and do most of their business online.

This requires developers who are incredible problem solvers; who know several coding languages and can intertwine them; who understand your business’ goals and can build a site that enables you to reach them.

4. Custom apps

This one’s in a league of its own: custom applications (think: web apps that function separately from a website like what you find in the Chrome app store, or stand alone apps on your mobile devices).

If you’re enlisting the help of a developer to build a custom application, you’re likely out to solve a very specific problem. Despite that, building custom apps that can function on several platforms is hardly simple, so you can expect yours to cost anywhere from $2,500-$10,000+ as a rough ballpark.

After all… Instagram wasn’t built in a day.

What does your business need?

To help you make the decision, here are a few questions to guide your thought process:

What’s the opportunity cost? We’re willing to bet that when it comes to web design and development, your time is better spent doing what you
do best than peeling through CSS and PHP forums trying to figure out where you went wrong in the code. Time is money.

What’s going to set me apart? Depending on your industry, it might be enough to have a clean website that presents accurate information. If competition runs a little stiffer than that, you’re likely going to want to up the functionality and customization to set your business apart. Consider the top 3-5 things that would do so (things like built-in scheduling software, a searchable directory, or sharing capabilities, for example) and focus your efforts there.

What do I need my website to accomplish? Like most things in business, bring it back to your overall goals. Where does your website fit in? Is it a lead generation machine that’s crucial to cultivating relationships and sales? Is it a self-functioning store? Or a simple digital brochure for your business?

You get what you pay for

We can sum it up as simple as this: you get what you pay for. Can you get a beautiful, functional website on the cheap? Sure. But in most instances where you want your website to work for you, it’s best to value custom over cookie cutter and talent over a tight wallet. Be the customer who appreciates the original painting, and you’ll have something to show for it. Growing businesses can’t afford to have a web presence that isn’t modernized, responsive (works on phones, tablets etc.), and aligned with your brand. You’re losing dollars by not letting your website be the sales and marketing introduction to your business.

Financial advisors: what sets you apart from your counterpart down the street – or the one with a similar Google page rank?

The market is saturated with people just like you. There, we said it. That’s the bad news.

The good news? There’s hardly a market that isn’t saturated, and saturation does not mean you can’t stand out.

What you need to do is identify your true differentiator, build that into your messaging, and adopt a voice that is uniquely you in all of your marketing. On board? Let’s explore.

Why try to be different?

The goal, of course, is to set yourself apart so that clients have a reason to choose you over your competitors.

It means getting past your service offerings – because you’re all selling the same thing. What’s going to set you apart is the way you sell it, the experience you deliver with it, and the way you talk to your customers. Your differentiators need to be specific to you and the way you and your company do business.

Yet when we ask advisors what makes them different, we often get a laundry list of the same replies:

• I provide my clients peace of mind by making their lives easier.
• We have world-class customer service.
• We take a holistic approach to financial well-being.

We’re going to let you in on a little secret: if the same things you’re listing land on your competitors’ list, then they’re not your key differentiators.

How to Differentiate

Differentiation doesn’t require coming up with a new service offering or overturning your current business model. What it does require is that you position the way you deliver your services differently -- and then create messaging around that difference.

Sounds impossible? We promise, it’s not. The key is to consider your target market, your true strengths (where you can differentiate), and how they align with your business goals. Here’s a brief glimpse at a framework:

1. Get to know your target market. Research, survey, and drill down into the specifics of who you are ideally serving. “45-year old couples” is not enough. Where do they live? What do they do? What do they care about?

2. Identify your true strengths. What truly makes your practice or your firm different? Get specific. Some ideas to prompt your thinking:

• Proprietary models or software. Is there some distinct aspect of your financial model or software that makes you better able to serve your clients’ needs?
• Mission. Do you work for a higher cause that will resonate with your clients? Social responsibility is well respected – but must be done authentically.
• Experience. Is there an aspect of your past experience – either in business or life – that sets you apart and would be valued by potential clients?

3. Consider what’s important to your clients. Knowing what you do about your target market and your true strengths, ask yourself this: what does this distinct difference mean for my potential clients?
Remember: you’re in your business to serve your clients. If your differentiator doesn’t have a positive impact on their lives, it won’t have a positive impact on your business, either.

4. Develop your message with your clients in mind. Speak to the things that will resonate with them. Forget the fluff and skip the non-essentials that don’t set you apart. Don’t be boring. Differentiation doesn’t require an incredible amount of cleverness, and it certainly doesn’t have to be absurd. But it does require stepping outside of your box to break tradition and add some flavor. Perhaps you try to sound more hip and conversational like FitBit or Apple.

Once you’ve run through these steps (yes – it does take time!), it’s crucial that you put your message front-and-center.

Marketing Your Differences

With your position defined, it’s time to go big or go home. Apply your message to your physical collateral, your advertising efforts, and your digital presence. Let it drive your content strategy.

Shout it from the rooftops: tell the community who you are, what you do, and how it’s different.

Most of all, be consistent, be patient, and be true to your core values. Authentic, sustainable positioning that fits your brand will take time to settle in – but the upfront investment is well worth the long-lasting reward of building your client base with customers who appreciate you.

Considering attending the Sales and Marketing Summit 2015? Want to learn more before registering? We're here to help!

Ken Schmitt, the President and Founder of TurningPoint Executive Search/Sales Leadership Alliance, and the Moderator of the upcoming Summit, is here to give us the inside scoop about the event while sharing some extra facts with our blog only. Ken, take it away!

What is the Sales and Marketing Summit 2015?
The Summit is an all day, two-track, innovation conference that caters to sales and marketing leaders. While other events may support sales professionals or the marketing community, this Summit will bring these two constituencies together in one place and one time. Rather than focusing on innovative products, this year’s event will focus on innovative sales strategies and creative marketing trends. Our theme is “Dynamic Disruption”, highlighting companies that are truly disrupting their respective marketplace. From leveraging analytics to amplifying customer engagement, our lineup of speakers hail from leading edge organizations and will address the significant changes taking place between buyers and sellers on the externally, and sales and marketing internally.

What was the genesis of this event?
I had been thinking about hosting this type of an all-day event for a couple of years, as the lines between sales and marketing became more and more blurred. Back in 2011, as I rebranded my recruiting firm, TurningPoint Executive Search, to focus on placing sales and marketing professionals, I quickly realized there was a lack of opportunity for sales and marketing professionals to receive training and professional development in the marketplace. I launched the Sales Leadership Alliance (SLA) to meet this need, providing a venue for sales and marketing leaders to learn from some of the region’s best, hear stories of success and lessons learned, while networking and sharing leads with their peers across a variety of industries. The 2015 Sales and Marketing Summit is the next step in fostering this atmosphere of collaboration here in Southern California.

Who should attend and why?
This Summit is uniquely geared toward sales and marketing leaders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs who support the sales and marketing function. Regardless of industry or company size, we see a huge need to provide opportunities for professional development among this group. Our speakers range from industry giants such as GE Capital, CNN, Illumina and Smith Micro, to cutting edge innovators like CrowdStrike, Ziprecruiter and Global Transitional Care. Attending the Summit will expose our attendees to a wealth of best practices and up and coming trends designed to increase customer engagement and conversion.

How would millennials gain value from this summit?
Thanks to social media, the sharing economy, big data and a heightened reliance on consumer generated recommendations and reviews, it is much more difficult to pinpoint where marketing ends and sales begins. Moreover, fewer and fewer companies are providing any formal training to equip their sales and marketing leaders with the tools necessary to build and motivate a successful team. Millennials are bearing the brunt of this training deficiency. As they make their way up the corporate ladder, taking on more and more responsibility, they are expected to foster an environment of partnership and accountability across departments. However, they are afforded very few opportunities to gain exposure to the various functions outside of their area of expertise. More and more of our recruiting clients are asking for sales and marketing talent that possess the communication skills and hands on experience to collaborate with one another. This is the perfect venue for millennials to gain these skills.

Why is it essential that sales and marketing work together?
I have always been a big believer in the power – and need – to bring sales and marketing professionals together. Too often, companies end up creating a somewhat adversarial relationship with sales on one side, and marketing on the other. Marketing blames sales for ignoring the leads they generate and promising the world to their prospects and customers; sales blames marketing for providing less than ideal leads and creating meaningless campaigns. The Sales and Marketing Summit will help break down these walls, allowing these two integral parts of the company to come together and learn from one another, ultimately making the individuals and their respective businesses more productive.

Where can our readers find more information and register for the Sales and Marketing Summit 2015?
The website is www.salesmarketingsummitsd.com. The site includes a video with interviews from some of our speakers, the full agenda and location of the event, and or course, registration links.