1.11 Group

Oh man, I love a free sample. 🛍️✨ And I’m not shy about asking for it either! 😏 Shopping with my mom in Sephora—stocking stuffers galore. 🎁💄 Spent a few bucks, but at checkout? Nothing extra. 😤 What the hell? Isn’t the deal: buy stuff, get freebie? So, I asked. The cashier winked 😉 and tossed some samples in my bag. Satisfied? Kind of. Would’ve been better if they’d just offered. I won’t do that to YOU. 🎉 Here’s a freebie for your year-end hustle: Many companies’ actions ≠ their marketing. Want to get your messaging sh*t together? 💬 Send me a quick email 📧 and I’ll share a simple 3-min questionnaire to score your messaging. For FREE. We’re offering this to the first 5 people who email us. Send the request to janet@111-group.com. 🚀 GO! 🏃♀️💨 You can thank me for the free sample later. 🙌 #marketing #messaging #smallbusiness #freebie

“I’m not going to lose joy.” That is what one of my good friends said the other day when we went on a trail walk. Regardless of your political viewpoint, there is an air of anxiety right now. I know I’ve been feeling it. Right after the election, I decided to take off time from social media and wrote a post to friends saying “See you in December”. 🐾Right before I clicked off Facebook, I saw a post about a dog. “Her life is about to come to an end. Her family went on vacation and left her in a high kill shelter.” Are you kidding me right now?? I know I can’t do anything about the election, or how people feel about it, but by God, I can do something about this. So, I asked how to find out about her. Someone posted underneath my post “Go get her, Janet”. I had dreams about her that night - her name was Daisy.🌼 The next morning, I filled out an application and told my husband about her (he was a wee bit less enthusiastic, but the man sure loves me!) Two of our kids were home this weekend, and she arrived from Texas at 11:30 pm on Saturday night. She was hungry, thirsty and tired. The wonderful people at Zen Dog are the ones who saved her and brought her to us. So, meet Daisy Marshmallow Sanders. What are you doing to keep joy in your life?😊 #adopt #ZenDog #joy

Here’s the deal: You can’t be everything to everybody—that’s how you end up offering dog grooming, tax advice, and artisanal pickles in one business. Spoiler alert: nobody’s trusting you to do all three! 🥫When you try to appeal to everyone, you end up being bland. It’s like trying to be ketchup when the world wants sriracha. Spread yourself too thin, and you’re just diluting your awesomeness. 🎸Your people—the ones who really need what you offer—are out there. But they won’t find you if you’re busy trying to please every person under the sun. Want to succeed? Find your lane, own it, and rock it hard. The more specific you get, the more you’ll stand out as the go-to expert in your niche. 🥇You’ll be known for something, not everything. And that’s how you win—by being the best at one thing instead of mediocre at a hundred. Remember: The riches are in the niches, and so is your chance to shine! What is your niche? Leave me a comment below! #niche #marketing #smallbusiness

Not only did our son make the UConn Rugby team, he is starting!! Tomorrow is their first match vs. UMass at home. So give a cheer for this amazing team, especially #11 Harry Sanders! #RugbyMom #UConnRugby #rugby

Ideation is my superpower...but sometimes it bites me in the ass. I can whip up new companies, innovative programs, cutting-edge marketing ideas, or groundbreaking strategies. 💡Some of these ideas are absolute game-changers. But here’s the kicker: not everyone   appreciates new ideas. I know. Hard to believe. ⏩ Sure, innovation is the lifeblood of progress, but it can also be met with resistance. Sometimes, people just aren’t ready for change, even when it’s clearly for the better. They cling to the familiar, and suddenly, my brilliant idea is seen as a disruptive force rather than the opportunity it truly is. 🛑 Navigating this pushback can be challenging. It’s a balancing act of pushing boundaries without stepping on too many toes. But the rewards of breaking through and seeing those ideas come to life? Absolutely worth it. How do you balance the need for innovation with the resistance to change in your organization? Leave me a comment below!

Calling all small/medium sized business owners!! The Community Economic Development Fund asked me to do a live session on crafting BRANDMaps™ - the proprietary tool we use to craft a plan to get clients from where they are NOW to where they want to GO and give them the map with strategy and tactics to get them there. Here is the info on the session: LIVE WEBINAR Use a BRANDMap™ to direct your marketing -- Janet Carlson, CEO,1.11 Group Thur., June 20, 2024; 1 pm – 2 pm EST Live webinar Free, but registration required Understanding why your brand exists for your customers is crucial to setting a direction for meeting your goals. Using a structured process to create a map for your next steps will help you make the most of the marketing tools like branding, visual design and AI-enhanced advertising. Learn how successful businesses differentiate themselves, getting the right message to the right prospects at the right time to achieve their business objectives. https://lnkd.in/eAZJBmax Hope to see some LinkedIn Connections there! Feel free repost or send to someone who might benefit! #smallbusiness #BRANDMaps™ #marketing

While it is tempting to explain things about what we do as an ad agency, sometimes, it is best to let your client speak for themselves: "The Rare Disease BRANDMap™ was an easy one for us at Abcuro. It required no preparation from our executive team, only an hour’s conversation with Janet and Glenna to address questions about our mission, goals, and the current status of our development and commercialization process. A short time later, we received two written reports, one covering strategy recommendations and the other covering tactical recommendations, and had the opportunity to clarify the findings via conference calls. We received two benefits from the exercise. First, the results confirmed the correctness of our current direction and second, they showed us new things we should be considering. Both were very valuable. Any rare disease company or brand team, especially in the early phases of R&D, could benefit from what the Rare Disease BRANDMap™ offers." - Karen Tubridy, Chief Operating Officer, Abcuro I could NOT have said it better myself! Our thanks to Alex Martin, CEO and Karen Turbridy, COO of Abcuro! To learn more, go to www.111-group.com. Do you work on a rare disease brand team or company or know someone who could benefit from working with us? Then please leave a comment below and tag them! #raredisease #rarediseases #smallbiopharma

This past week I took time and hit the road. Spent time with my children, my college roomie and my besties from high school. One of the best things about being an entrepreneur is that you run your schedule. I love these journeys, because it gives me time to THINK and as an ideator, this is gold. I head back to work today, with a fresh mind and lots of great ideas! How do you refresh your super powers? Leave me a comment below!

Nice to see us featured in the Creative Ad Agencies! If you are curious about how we are different, check out www.RDBrandMap.com!