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Three Ways to Fulfill The Great Expectations of Your Customers

April 3, 2017 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

For content marketers, the phrase “Know, Like and Trust” is a common objective. Companies and brands wants to achieve this goal by establishing a benchmark of familiarity with their audience, based on common values and reliability.

And it’s paying off.

These days, more people who see ads believe the ads are honest, according to this survey. In other words, 11% more people are likely to trust an ad they see today than the percentage of people in a similar survey just a few years ago.

What’s going on here? Everyone knows that advertisers try to get your attention in order to sell you something, and people don’t like to be sold to, right?

Not necessarily. Consumers don’t want to be “sold to,” but they do like to buy, especially when they’re confident they have all the information they need to make a decision.

Consumers expect nothing less than to know, like, and trust the brands they buy and the companies they do business with; and advertisers are rising to the occasion to meet consumers when and where they they’re needed. They’re also placing ads where viewers expect, tolerate, and maybe even welcome them.

Most importantly, advertisers are supporting those ads with appropriate content.

I believe this is a testament to the efforts of content creators and marketers to provide their readers with valuable content. Since useful content builds trust, the payoff multiplies for companies that run ads in conjunction with good content. They earn their customers’ trust and trust in their brand grows over time.

Ironically, institutions that used to enjoy the benefits of blind trust have fallen from grace in the eyes of the average person. Is it any surprise that the three top losers in this poll — those whose perceived honesty plummeted — are government, which doesn’t advertise except in the case of isolated and, ideally, nonpartisan public service announcements; religion, an entrenched institution whose reputation precedes advertising; and the media, which is undergoing the most disastrous fall from grace since the public’s mainstream addiction to it.

Now it’s not institutions, but rather companies and organizations that people hold to higher trust standards. People go online for an experience that quickly validates and satisfies their expectations.

Because your audience’s expectations are high, you too must send messages that complement and seamlessly integrate with your short-term goals, your users’ or customers’ engagement levels, and your overall brand objectives.

How do you satisfy your audience’s expectations of honesty in advertising? Let’s look at some companies and organizations that place ads that cultivate familiarity, likability and trust, and find out what they have in common. People EXPECT their favorite brands and people to do the following.

Send a consistent message.

Make an effort to keep your content coffers full and on schedule with the help of a content calendar like CoSchedule. If you blog, set a schedule with content topics that predict and speak to your audience’s inquiries. If you host podcasts, roundtables, or Twitter Chats, make sure you keep to a set schedule and format. Make use of the online tools available and fold them into your routine.
Consistency is actually easier to achieve when you allow your content themes to breathe. Some people fear they’ll lose their main audience if they stray from their core topic, but I prefer to think of content as an opportunity to play variations on a theme, like a jazz orchestra might take turns noodling around a tune. A diverse variety of messages within a theme enables you to connect with people in different ways, which goes a long way toward growing a diverse audience with a common interest.
Speaking of diversity, remember that people prefer to consume content in different forms. Your audience is comprised of readers, listeners, and viewers. Consistency doesn’t mean static. Try to provide content that satisfies all the ways people learn: auditory, visual, and sensory. Advertisers that offer a range of content in the form of images, videos, podcast, and blogs reach more eyeballs.
Invite others to weigh in. The voices of fellow experts, loyal partners, users, fans and influencers can make for pretty awesome content. A content manager at Blackbaud, Madeline Turner, asks nonprofit experts to chime in on using technology to further their mission, and pulls off a useful and interesting article for the company’s community of software users. It’s also a great opportunity to ask for their input, too.

Understand your audience.

Data and analytics: The topic of privacy is on many advertisers’ and marketers’ minds this week as old FCC privacy rules are likely to stay in effect for the time being. For some, this means that that it’s possible to cross over from trying to understand an audience to almost (ok, literally) spying on them. Internet service providers with access to consumers’ browsing habits will be able to sell that data to advertisers. That’s edging in on creepy (albeit inevitable) if you ask me, but it’s not what I’m talking about here. For many marketers, a worthy goal is attracting the right people, re-engaging current customers and staying relevant in their eyes.
- One way to transparently keep your finger on your customer’s pulse is to have an opt-in process in place and a reason to monitor and engage with your audience’s actions. Willing participation translates into natural trust. If your community already knows that you operate above a certain self-imposed level, then there are no surprises when they see your ads. Simply asking for permission reaps great returns in trust.
- Another increasingly common trust building practice is to notify your audience of how your collect data. Most websites use cookies and hidden pixels to track where their readers have been and what they are looking for on your website. Some sites go the extra mile to notify their visitors. You’ve seen the bar across the bottom a your screen telling you ‘This site uses cookies to improve your browsing experience,” or similar verbiage. That company cares about transparency and values your trust.

Feedback: Getting and giving feedback is difficult. At least it doesn’t come naturally for most of us who were taught to “be nice,” says Kim Scott, author of the book Radical Candor. If processing personal feedback is confusing, how much more so for a large company with multiple products, services and features! Making sense of hundreds of incoming opinions and questions can overwhelm a service team and muddy their efforts to deliver a great experience. In Evernote’s Taking Note podcast, Gerald Hastie shares how the company manages feedback from its community of users. Practices include surveys, user groups, and community questions and answers. All that information is useless if you don’t use it to improve your users’ experience. Asking is better than guessing when your goal is to fulfill the expectations of your customers. Trust grows when you ask and follow through with knowledge gleaned from hard-earned feedback.

Accessibility: Sometimes the best content is happening right now. If you’re not around, you’ll miss it completely. You’re able now to have real time conversations on social media. Anyone with a phone can host a get together. Storytelling on Facebook Live, Instagram, and SnapChat allows you to meet your audience and instantly harvest feedback on topics your audience favors. Watch a couple minutes of Mari Smith and a roomful of Social Media Marketing world attendees geeking out on Facebook Live with Facebook training. Then imagine how you (or someone in your group who’s a natural like Mari!) could put this easy-to-use technology to work for your company or organization.

Be human.

Effective engagement is inspired by the empathy that develops simply by being human.

~ Brian Solis

If you want humans to engage with you, then you have to act like a human. Some say the quickest way to gain trust is through vulnerability. While you don’t have to spill your coffee on yourself to show you’re human, you might share where you’ve learned a lesson, let people know you have a life outside of work, or even act a little goofy sometimes.

Authenticity sets you apart. Don’t try to be something you’re not. One of my favorite cartoons shows a dog in 1994 telling another dog, “Hey look, Roger, on the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.” The next frame show the same dog, many years later saying, “Hey look, Roger, on the Internet, everyone knows you’re a dog.” You can fool some people some of the time, but if you neglect the first two trust builders (and the great expectations of your audience), you’re sure not going to fool them for long!

Own up to mistakes. The sad truth is that eventually you are going to trip up. Most of us humans fail in a less public way, but the shame we feel is huge. Maybe you’ll never release a sucky version of your software (Windows XP), hand someone the wrong envelope (Price Waterhouse), or make too-thin yoga pants and charge $98 for them (Lululemon). But a mistake you’re personally invested in probably feels just as buzzworthy.

Coming back from failures, even really dismal ones, feeds the fertile ground of growth. It actually makes us strong and brave.

In your personal AND professional life, there are times — and it may feel like years — when you’re facing into a strong wind. Remember that everyone gets their share of trouble. In the world of content marketing, braving mistakes is a great way to build connections with your best, most loyal fans.

If you’re taking chances and developing just outside of your comfort zone, then criticism is inevitable. How you handle your critics makes you memorable in the eyes of your audience (because they’re all watching, you know). Jay Baer is a proponent of “embracing your haters to keep your customers.” A bad experience shared online can unravel years of positive work and appreciation. Publicly setting things right with calm, humor, and even a degree of urgency, you’ll probably rebound with integrity and resilience; possibly even winning increased loyalty from your customers. Most people want to cheer a comeback than watch a house of cards fall.

Share your wins and strengths as well as your challenges. Even in good times, the head-spinning immediacy and publicity of social media may make you want to sit out for a spell. But your audience expects your presence.

Try to stay in the moment, and don’t overthink transparency. The sooner you deal with reality the better. A fortress is a dangerous place. When all eyes are on you and you’re advocating for yourself or your company, avoid telling your version of the story. Focus instead on what you learned. Never forget that while people may be curious about how a blunder went down, your customer mainly wants to find out what’s in it for him.

Relax. Breathe. Shake it out. Lose the uppity voice, the jargon, and inclination to pontificate. Not that you’re guilty of any of that, of course!

One easy way to develop a natural, human voice in your content is to read your content out loud, preferably to another human. (Dogs don’t count.)

It’s a process, but it’s one you can easily get good at, if you strive to know, like and trust your customers the same way you want them to know, like and trust you.

Remember your objective. To earn your customer’s trust and fulfill their expectations, you first have to be there, with consistency and an understanding of their needs and desires.

In the end, content marketing is a two-way street.

Is Your Content A Little Too Amazing?

November 28, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

What’s the purpose of your content? Is “enchanting new prospects” among your goals?

It should be!

The riches are in the niches, you’ve heard that before. So how do you get them to notice you?

Finding your niche is how you build a business or following. You attract one kind of person, sell your unique products and services in that small pool of people who look a lot like that unique person, and gain a small group of loyal customers.

They could be baby boomer entrepreneurs, girl skateboarders, or fountain pen collectors; the more specific the niche, the better.

You get some traction. Winning new business gets easier. You think, “I’ve got this.”

Then, as the word starts spread, you swim out to a larger pond.

Similarly, as a copywriter I adhere to the old adage, “Write to one person. Just one.”

Imagine what that person looks like, where she lives, and what she ate for breakfast; is she rushed, relaxed, disheveled, radiant? I try to get a feel for the customer’s energy as well as measurable facts and demographics.

Identifying that one niche, that one person… there’s no better way to rivet the attention of the customer who’s ready to listen, call, click, or subscribe.

Grab my buyer persona cheat sheet here!

However, social media success requires broader appeal.

In addition to your very specific audience, you’re being viewed by a lot of folks who don’t know you, like you, or trust you. To get their attention, and earn that likability and trust — to enchant new prospects as your paths cross — social media requires a mix of content.

I have a fitness coach friend (let’s call her Jane) who’s as nice as can be. I’ve talked with her at social gatherings, and at school functions, and she’s never once knocked a bagel out of my hand or told me to suck anything up. Let’s just say that her demeanor’s not nearly as hard as her abs.

But it’s so funny to watch her on social media. If I didn’t know her I’d be scared. I would think she ate nails for breakfast. Looking at her Instagram, you never see how sweet and encouraging she can be in spite of her take-no-prisoners persona. I often wonder how many people she’s missing out on serving; and who are missing out on being coached by the real Jane!

So yes, go ahead and say something outrageous, be a little kooky, flaunt your uniqueness. You will click with the right people. But, don’t forget to build your community by being amiable to those who don’t get you yet.

Create plenty of Top o’ the Funnel Content

In addition to the more emotional content, mix in some content that appeals to a more general audience.

Take into account the larger social context of social media. Here, people are their public selves.

On social media, almost everyone wants to be seen as cool, caring, kind, helpful, funny, etc.

How do you come across so that the right people will take note of those qualities in you? Make a slight adjustment in your tone.

Don’t always be telling people what you know. You don’t always have to be The Analyst or The Writer or Coach Jane.

Pretend you are walking around in a public room full of people. Maybe you’re gathered for a party or a conference or some common reason, but you’re strangers to one another.

What do you do? Just be you, be nice, and have fun.

When you write, film, or create images for that “one” person, of course it’s appropriate to share your expertise. You can even get in their face, like my friend Jane.

But don’t assume everyone is in your inner circle all the time. As you build your business and your brand, many will take a chance and follow you just to see what you’re all about. If someone is your ideal customer (the one perfect fit), they’ll notice when you change your tone because, just as in real life, there’s a time and place for getting more personal. It’s almost like your eyes meeting from across the room.

When face to face, you might lower your voice, reveal more about yourself, ask deeper questions. But it’s usually after you’ve both agreed to take the conversation to that level…

Meanwhile, mix in some content that’s a little breezier, or less specific. (“Nice weather we’re having!” or “Have you seen the TED talk about that subject?”) Don’t forget that this may be the first impression among people who don’t know you, so (at least occasionally) use social media to show your friendly face.

If you want to build a bigger community around your brand, social media is the place.

Not everyone will want to take that deep dive with you, but some will. Have fun mingling with lighter, more general content, and you’ll see.

Discover What Your Customers Like For $10 A Day

November 11, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

First, the facts: lots of people claim to be experts at Facebook ads. The truth from the inside is a little more humbling. Facebook ads platform changes weekly.

As a marketer, you can’t get too comfortable.

It’s like a dance. Facebook shimmies, you shimmy. Facebook turns, you turn. If you want hard and fast answers to all your questions, you might get them, in terms of how many eyeballs were on your ad, or how many clicks it got, or how long someone viewed your video; but by the middle of next week, those numbers can change.

Ouch! So what’s a marketer to do?

We’ll probably never know the secret to how Facebook decides to place your ad before its customers, and at what price. You bid (auction style) and then you let Facebook take the lead and trust that they’re mission is to create the best experience for their customers. (Ahem, that’s their users; not you, dear marketer, but stick with me here…)

Facebook is testing new things all the time. As you partner with the most accessible marketing tool on the planet, my advice is to enjoy playing with the platform. There’s nowhere else on the web where you can get the kind of highly targeted positioning of your content, AND (no small thing) detailed reporting about what’s working and what’s not.

Just an example. We’re working on a Kickstarter campaign for a technology company and we’re targeting outdoor enthusiasts. Although the market includes the music and construction industries as well as urban parent markets; for now, we’re only going after outdoor people like kayakers, mountain bikers, hikers, etc.

If you’re a startup, you know the drill. You think you know what people like and want, but you don’t want to spend dozens of thousands of dollars to know what your customers like for sure.

Enter Facebook. Whether personally you love it or not, Facebook will show you if your words and images resonate with your intended market.

For example, we’re running Facebook’s new carousel ad with five different images and different text beneath each image, with a call to action below each image. Now can you imagine getting reports on which picture and which text your customers liked the best?

Wouldn’t you like to put five different ads before your ideal market and see which one people prefer? You can.
Would you like to take that same ad and place it before two different groups of people: people who like mountain biking magazines, and people who like fishing magazines… and see which market clicks the most? You can.
Would you like to put a video in front of your ideal customer and see if they spent at least 10 seconds watching it or if they scrolled right by? With Facebook’s new video ads, you can.

And you can do this very simply for a budget of $10 a day.

You don’t need to be a fancy ad agency or a marketing expert. All you have to do is log in and start experimenting.

If you have a Facebook Page and you’re not dabbling in Facebook’s back room, why not carve out an hour this week and check it out.

And when you’re ready for a quick walk-through to see what you can do there, schedule a call with me and we can talk about your business and your next marketing project.

How To Make Your “Show-Off” Content More Genuine

March 10, 2016 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

Yesterday I created about a couple dozen tweets, branded images, and Facebook updates for a new startup I’m working with. I also worked on their Kickstarter project page. It was a productive day where I did pretty much nothing but create content to “push” out to the folks on the Internet.

I think of this kind of self-promotional content as Show-Off Content.

Yesterday I also read an article on being of service, one on influencer marketing, and one on claiming a space in your market by offering extra instruction in an area related to your expertise. In this case it was a hair products line that offered courses for men on how to braid their little girls’ hair. (If you have a little extra time, I recommend reading this one especially.)

Here’s the conundrum you will face as you start your business with the intent of getting the word out on the Internet:

On one hand you’ll want to show and tell every last feature, benefit and detail about your product or service, especially if you have a technical marvel or a new invention you’re champing at the bit to release on the world. (This is the show-off content.)

On the other hand, you will probably be advised by some well-meaning marketer type (like yours truly) to try to engage your target audience in meaningful conversation about their real-life concerns. (This is the engaging content.)

Hopefully, somewhere, the two conversations intersect.

There’s only one small problem, and that is that no one knows who you are yet, except maybe your mom, and your dog.

Any public move you make is branding your company, product, and business in stark outlines simply because you only have a few strokes of the pen to your name.

That first post is daunting. Your first follows feel like you’re shooting precious arrows out of your quiver into the deep dark wood.

That first mark on the world, it may feel uncomfortable, but it’s exciting and fun, too!

Self Promotion with Finesse

I grew up hearing the phrase, “Self praise stinks.” I was taught that it’s bad to “brag.” Maybe as a result of that, I learned how to listen. I also became a marketer (how ironic is that?), and spent years in sales for corporations where I learned that you cannot sell anything without sharing how you’re good and different.

Of course, relationships rule, and helpful people dominate the sales and marketing world, but there’s no getting around the requirement to “show off” your stuff. How will anyone know unless you share?

If you’re shy about the self-promotion part, I sympathize, but there’s no getting around it, so rip off the bandaid and just do it.

Introduce yourself. Just dive in. Just don’t make it all about what you do.

It’s not about you.

You can become so fixated on making sure people understand you and your product that you forget that they really only care about themselves…

Your primary job as a marketer — and I hope by now you realize that content creation is impossible without understanding your market — is to get to know your ideal customer.

After you’ve been on social media with your new project awhile, you begin to understand your audience better, just like SoCozy children’s hair products owner, Cozy Friedman noticed the dad/haircare trend.

Still, how do you engage the right people? Should you even be worrying about the “right” people? How do you approach someone on Facebook or Twitter and start a conversation? (Because that’s what your marketing person is going to tell you to do, you know.)

Today, I was really glad to get a lot of content “done” for my client because now I’m caught up for a few days. For the next few days I’ll switch mindsets and take in others’ content. From the outside, it may look like I’m being awfully quiet and ineffective, making small comments, and asking what may appear to be inconsequential questions. However, it’s the most important thing I do to balance the promotional content creation activity…

I’ll be listening.

I’ll have the breathing room and the space to simply watch and learn what people are saying to each other.

As a content creator, you must make time to do this regularly. You will perfunctorily receive information about your market every day you are on social media, but you also need to take time to browse hashtags related to your industry or your market’s interests; find, follow and interact with influencers; and research blogs they follow and quote.

See, when you’re busy with the flurry of content “creation” — especially at the beginning of marketing a brand new product or service — it’s tempting to unleash your creativity and hope some of it sticks. (In fact, you have to do something like this, just to get moving.)

It’s OK if it’s not quite right.

It’s even OK if you are wrong, because you are learning how to connect in the right way. It’s like learning a new language. Drumming up the “right” conversation takes a little finessing. Remember, also, that it’s OK to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to wade in there and look a little stupid.

If you are searching for a new market for a brand new product, and you’re not even certain who your first customers will be, then, yes, push some content out there. But take time to listen, too.

Focus groups, Q&A sessions with prospects, and brainstorming with your product development team will only get you so far.

Real live conversations on social media get you even farther as you grow to understand your market. And the best part is you can have some fun with it.

Give yourself time to listen and lurk, watch and see how people are talking and receiving social messages, then join the conversation.

A big viral splash is what every startup hopes for, but it’s the meaningful quiet dialogues, often between one or two people or influencers on social media, that have the most potential to plant the seeds of loyalty for your brand, and enthusiasm for your product.

Good luck! and if you’d like to talk about being a better, more efficient content creator, I’m happy discuss your project with you…

Labor Day, #GoHEB, and Suzie’s Beans

September 7, 2015 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

As summer draws to a close, all of its pleasures seem a little sweeter because they are about to disappear. I always want to hurry up and squeeze a little more out of it simply because summer “over-gives” like no other season.

Lush, bountiful summer. As summer begins to rest, I’m always a little sad about the things I did not receive from her.

That day on the boat was divine… we should have gone out on Lake travis again while the lake was full.
The Texas peaches I bought at HEB were delicious this year… we should have driven to Fredericksburg (the source) and had a bowl of homemade peach ice cream at that place by the side of the road.
And why didn’t I take the kids to Krause Springs?

Fall is edging in, the days are getting shorter, and yes, there are things I regret NOT doing this summer. But there are a couple of things I’m doing today to help lengthen summer’s glory this weekend.

I’ve been meaning to do both all summer, so this is my last hurrah; then I will let summer go.

1. I’m making Suzie’s Beans to bring to a potluck today.

2. I’m posting a #GoHEB pic on Instagram.

Here’s why these activities bring summer full circle.

Suzie’ Beans

Making Suzie’s bean recipe is critical because A. I’ve just been craving this dish like crazy, and B. I haven’t contributed to even one potluck anywhere yet this summer! That’s just not right.

The first reason stands on its own. I’ve been consuming more beans and nuts lately (and a little less meat), and this crock pot dish is over the top as a BBQ side. I always think of Suzie when flipping through my book of recipes from family and friends. Suzie is/was an old girlfriend of a single guy friend of the family’s. This guy always picks really great women to date, and brings them to parties etc., but after a few months the story always goes something like, “We needed some space away from each other.” I never ask details, but I usually wish I’d asked for the the girlfriend’s contact info so we could’ve stayed friends. (Admittedly, that might be awkward.)

All I have left from the Suzie Year is this bean recipe. She was quite famous in the neighborhood for bringing these to get-togethers, and I like remembering her good nature when I see this recipe in my book. I’m making this for the first time ever. Maybe someone will remember it. The recipe’s at the end of this post.

The second reason for making the beans is that, for all the running around this summer, I haven’t connected with the folks closest to me. By close I mean “proximity-close.”

Running a home business keeps me hopping, so even though I work from home, and have managed to get together with family and friends this summer, I’ve been missing many of my neighborly connections.

There’s something special about neighbor friends. I believe in blooming where you’re planted. When people say they don’t even know their neighbors, I’m a little shocked. In a very practical way, you need those people… don’t you? And the bonus is since you never know what you’re going to get, neighbors make life interesting!

We live in Spicewood, just west of Austin. Austin’s slogan is “Keep Austin Weird,” but in Spicewood it’s “We’re all here because we’re not all there.” Some highlights: Willie Nelson lives just up the road in Briarcliff. The golf course he built is a local legend, though not even close to being one of the best in the area. (“Get high and golf.”) Krause’s Springs has the coldest water, and the most beautiful swimming hole. Opie’s BBQ is pretty famous, too, although neighbor Chet’s brisket and sausage is far better.

Spicewood is a quirky place, though getting less so, as everyone from all over the world flocks to claim a little piece of the Hill Country as their home, too.

We met most of these neighbor friends back in the summer of 2001, splashing around in Bee Creek when Willie (my son, not the singer) was just 9 days old. Everyone was playing or lounging in the natural clefts of smooth rock as they sipped on cans of beer while water slipped over their bodies. Imagine Bee Creek as a natural spa designed by God and maintained by our neighborhood association, and you’ll get the picture.

My fondest memory from that day was nursing my newborn on a rock as the water rushed by, and not one of our new neighbor friends batted an eyelash. Good times. We get together with those same good folks every year at a BBQ potluck at the home of Chet and Clara, the best meat slingers in the hood. We’re heading over there in an hour or so. It will be nice to catch up.

#GoHEB

The second thing I’m doing today to commemorate Summer 2015 is post a pic to Instagram with #GoHEB. It’s my way of thanking HEB for sending me a box of BBQ goodies earlier this summer.

About nine weeks ago I posted something on Instagram about prepping meat for the grill. The folks at HEB saw it and tweeted me to DM them my address so they could send me a surprise.

A few days later this box came in the mail with picnic supplies; condiments, french fried potato sticks, sweet hot spread for sandwiches, and aluminum foil.

Care packages from my favorite stores are always welcome (as if this happens every day), but the way this came about got me thinking about the use of hashtags in a brand’s marketing.

I didn’t even mention HEB in my Instagram post, but it got around on Twitter. Because I’m in Texas, HEB’s home state, their social media/marketing people must have identified me as a possible loyal customer.

If I weren’t a loyal customer before, I would be now.

Who doesn’t like getting goodies in the mail? How can you live in Texas and not shop at HEB? How could someone accept a gift and not post a picture with the hashtag they suggested: #GoHEB.

Smooth move, all you content marketers at HEB! Hashtags, especially with a gift attached, entice other people to share their content that’s relevant to your audience. Pictures sweeten the deal.

Not every business can afford to send gift boxes to potential champions of their brand, it’s true. But this social media marketing campaign by HEB certainly gets me excited about hashtag campaigns a small business person might easily develop.

Request pictures of your product used in different ways.
Discover locations of your customers.
Ask for ideas (naming your next flavor) or recommendations (future course subjects), etc.

Well, here is it, finally, the pic I’m posting to my Instagram. I kept forgetting to post pics of the finished product over the summer — the actual burgers, briskets and fish I grill using HEB products — probably because I’m so excited to eat the stuff that it slips my mind. Today as I fixed Suzie’s Beans I remembered to stop and appreciate the labor of the folks who are responsible for making HEB my favorite grocery store. Here’s the pic…

…and now, for the recipe.

Suzie’s Beans

Ingredients:

1/2 lb lean hamburger, ground beef, or ground turkey. (I used HEB’s grass fed, free range, natural beef.)

1/2 lb lean bacon (pork, beef, or turkey)

1 med to large yellow onion

1/2 cup BBQ sauce of choice

1/3 cup (or to taste) brown sugar

1/3 cup (or to taste) white sugar

1 31-oz can pork and beans

1 15-oz can red kidney beans

1 15-oz can black beans

1 15-oz can navy beans

1 15-oz can butter beans

1 10-oz can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 tsp black pepper and/or garlic pepper

1 tsp (or to taste) chili powder

1 tsp (or to taste) paprika

1 tsp (or to taste) cumin

as many diced/sliced jalapenos you think you can handle

Preparation:

Brown meat and bacon. Drain well. Dice and sauté onion and jalapenos. Drain beans and Ro-Tel well. Combine all ingredients in a baking dish or crock pot. Bake in oven at 350° for 1 hour or heat in a crock pot on low setting for 2 – 3 hours. Makes 3 quarts; serves 12-15; may be used as a dip, side dish, or a main dish.

That’s it! lots of ingredients, but easy peasy.

Off to swim and party with the neighbors. (Thank God I’m not nursing a baby!) Don’t forget to use lots of hashtags — especially on Instagram!