Brandon Boyd is the founder of Lexoydeal Marketing, an advertising agency based in the United States. Like many marketing firms, Lexoydeal Marketing specialize in social media marketing, Facebook advertising, Google AdWords, website management and retargeting initiatives. With the rise of social media and other forms of digital engagement, online marketing has only grown in importance, superseding more traditional channels commonly used in bygone advertising eras.
Brandon was able to take some time away from his business and answer some questions we had about Lexoydeal Marketing and the world of advertising.
Brandon, why did you start Lexoydeal Marketing and how would you have rated your experience in marketing/advertising up until that point?
The genesis of Lexoydeal Marketing was a management consulting company, by the same name, Lexoydeal. The initial focus was to expand small and medium businesses both vertically and horizontally through streamlined internal system upgrades and acquisitions of competitors and/or business compliment companies.
As I started to consult with more clients and looked at their systems, I realized ALL my initial clients and even prospective clients had nearly nonexistent online marketing strategies and horrible brand messaging which led to inconsistent lead generation. They had horrendous follow up systems, which meant that people that didn’t initially buy would be lost forever.
Scale of 1-10, 1 being absolutely dreadful and 10 being the best decision ever. I would honestly rate a 10. Starting Lexoydeal Marketing and working with clients, learning about their business philosophy and processes, and creating strategies that shows results for the clients gives me the warm and fuzzies. I also, naturally love learning new skills. Before I started Lexoydeal, I was an engineer and a pianist. In order to consistently get results for my clients in the recent past, presently and for the future, I have to consistently learn and relearn strategies and principles. I also have to continue to grow personally to be a leader and teacher for my team and my clients.
Were there any big challenges or issues you faced during the establishment phase?
Every day was a new challenge. The biggest issue was showing business owners how their “niece or nephew” running social media campaigns and advertising with no experience or marketing skill was actually hurting the business without calling the owner dumb asses. I burnt a lot of business relationships in the beginning because of my bluntness. I had no subtlety, no tact then. So, I had to face the fact that I was a horrible communicator and worked hard to correct that. 3 years later I am still working on it…
Another big problem was an internal issue of confidence as a marketing leader. Commonly known as imposter syndrome. I doubted my skills as a strategist which led to me being self-conscious of my marketing knowledge. It wasn’t until I worked with (a now business mentor) Gordon Bizar, and he would defer to me when the question of marketing strategy and messaging would arise, did I gain confidence. Now you can’t tell me I’m not a peer to the Godfather of Preeminence Marketing Jay Abraham.
In your opinion, which of your services is the most popular and why do you think this is the case?
The service that is most popular is the lead generation and nurture package (LGN Package).
It’s the most popular because our clients have to do nothing except have open schedule times and a smiling face.
The service also has a high ROI percentage. It’s a $3.5K per month management package with $1K+ per month advertising budget. The LGN Package is best for quick wins for the client to show proof of implementation. It is a fully done for them advertising strategy that goes through an entire campaign from ad creation to nurture campaign. We have several onboarding questionnaires that tell us everything we need to know to create an engaging campaign. This also includes lead nurturing until initial appoints are not only set but met. A sweet add-on that is highly suggested and compliments this package is data base reactivation during the lead nurture process.
From what you have experienced and seen, what are some of the biggest marketing mistakes made by businesses?
Confusing and conflicting messages. Remember this quote if you don’t remember anything else – “A confused mind never buys.”
As we have moved into 20+ years in the tech age, our attention span has decreased dramatically. 50ish years ago it was 12 mins. TODAY, it is 7 seconds… 7 SECONDS… That is 12-13% less than a goldfish, who has a whopping 8 second attention span on average.
For marketing purposes this means that you have to constantly keep the attention of prospective clients. I see advertisements from FB ads and Google PPC that don’t lead to a funnel or even a landing but to the homepage of the website with 5 different messages and 12 different options to buy. This causes a service and option overload because it leaves the customer to figure out what they need, which ultimately leads to none purchasing.
With conflicting messaging I’m talking about the customer centric messages every business promotes but at every point of business/customer contact, it is a consistent “buy this product or buy that service” message. This is a perfect way to numb your audience to buy your product or service.
Think about this, what if a car dealer sent prospective clients a book entitled, How to Care For Your New Car: Even If you don’t have it yet, and asked for three friends of the prospective client to share the book with. Then next send a free Premium Car Wash Voucher to every prospect that gave three friends names plus the 3 friends. Next, send them a new car scent air freshener to everyone that redeemed the Car Wash Voucher. Finally, you can send your “buy a car” message to those that have done all three.
The basic marketing psychology of the car example is you have pre-framed how to take care of their new car. You’ve given them the ability to refresh their old car to simulate what a new car is like, and finally added an olfactory connection to remind them of a new car smell. You did all this before you directly asked for a sale.
For young graduates trying to nab a job in marketing, which attributes are the most important for those wishing to shine and succeed?
First, I would say be a problem solver. Always bring solutions to meetings, not problems. Everyone can find problems. Hell, we even create problems that are at best mere annoyances. The true skill is presenting a way to solve a client’s problem or your company’s problem. Whether you are right or wrong, the initiative will have you noticed by management quickly.
Never neglect the soft skills and learn how to be a connector. If you can create a network of high-profile relationships, you will always have value in your company.
Do you think advertising and marketing will operate the same as it does now in 10-15 years’ time? If not, what do you think will change?
Absolutely. The basics of marketing have been the same since the beginning of trade and exchange. You have a product, communicate why it is important and should be bought, and have it ready to sell.
The only difference that I see are the platforms that dominate attention. I am currently researching marketing with virtual reality and augmented reality. I am exploring how integrative marketing on those platforms will affect how products are sold.
In terms of competition, what makes Lexoydeal Marketing competitive and effective in comparison with your major competitors?
Most of my competition only provide marketing service and at most set up systems to gather leads. We add another level of client success by actually nurturing the advertised and gathered leads. This removes the dreaded “your leads suck” speech most agencies have had with clients. We know that businesses are horrible at communication and follow-up, so we do that. It’s simple and time consuming but we have it down to a science so we can implement quickly.
Thank you Brandon for your time!
You can follow up with Brandon Boyd at www.lexoydealmarketing.com
