Archive for 'marketing'
Business Builders Talk Radio is Here
January 15th, 2008 by John Herman, under Succeeding Steps, branding, marketing, operations, planning. No Comments
We have teamed up with Jennifer Gniadecki from Marketing Curve to create a great new Talk Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio.
We will be covering ways to Build your Business. Click here to check out our website for the show and listen to past episodes. We will be on and taking your calls every Sunday at 5 pm EST. Drop us a line if there is a topic you want us to cover.
Want to learn the truth about your business? Hire a blogger.
January 24th, 2007 by John Herman, under blogs, client communication, marketing, public relations. No Comments
Want to learn the truth about your business? Hire a blogger … says a recent article in Inc. Magazine. They chronicle the hiring of an outside blogger to blog about the company BzzAgent in a project they call: 90 Days of BzzAgent.
I am not sure how much I agree with blogging completely about the ins and outs of your company. I am more of an old school "using a blog to become an expert" kind of guy. I do see how showing how you work, especially when it is a fairly new concept like BzzAgent’s word-of-mouth marketing service, could be the best sales material.
Their take on the experience of using a professional blogger to write about BzzAgent:
No doubt this was an interesting experiment, but could it or should it be tried by other companies? "I absolutely feel other companies could benefit–if they have the stomach for it," says Pearl. "If you trust that the message will be honest and clear, then go for it."
This kind of blog really does open communication with clients and potential clients, but is it too much information?
Viral Marketing- This IS Something You Want to Catch
December 11th, 2006 by John Herman, under marketing, viral marketing. No Comments
Viral marketing is when customers promote a product or service by recommending or sending it to friends, family and co-workers. It spreads like a virus. It’s a wonderfully inexpensive marketing tool for many small businesses and it requires very little effort.
A successful viral campaign requires a few basic elements. David Cotriss does a good job of explaining these elements in his article Viral Marketing. A good viral marketing campaign, according to Cotriss:
- Spreads itself. You only put out a small initial effort. Attach your marketing message to a product or a service, and if customers like your product, they’ll pass it, and your message, on. Viral marketing relies on good experiences. If a company doesn’t satisfy customers, they won’t recommend its product or service.
- Sells through existing communication networks. This can take the form of articles or press releases to get your message displayed on others’ Web pages or e-zines. Or you can place your message into existing relationships between people. Many online greeting card companies exploit communication networks by providing electronic cards people can e-mail to friends and family. Recipients are then invited to send their own cards.
Attach a short marketing message to a free product or service to encourage effortless transfer of information between customers. E-mail, graphics, and software downloads are ideal examples. Hotmail struck gold with this strategy by including a brief note in every e-mail message that read: “Get your private, free e-mail at http://www.hotmail.com.” Scads of people forwarded the message to their friends as a recommendation for a free e-mail account. Read the entire article at http://www.inc.com/articles/2001/01/21879.html.
To discover ways to use viral marketing in your business, stay tuned to our blog. Future entries will examine viral marketing in greater detail including how write press releases and articles and how to use them in your own viral campaigns. Taking steps to incorporate viral marketing into your overall business strategy will increase your chances of succeeding.
Holiday Business Gifts
December 2nd, 2006 by John Herman, under clients, customers, marketing. No Comments
To gift or not to gift, that is the question. So it’s Christmas, does that mean I have to buy presents for all my clients? Should I just buy something for my favorite clients? How can I make sure I don’t spend all my profits on presents?
Gift-giving expert Hillary Mendelsohn offers a number of do’s and don’ts when it comes to shopping for holiday business gifts. The most important thing to do is to make a list! Put some thought into your choices and show your customers you really appreciate them, and if you have staff – don’t forget them. A well thought-out gift can speak volumes about the value you place in your employees.
Here are some other Do’s for Mendelsohn’s list:
- Get creative. Think about the personal interests of your recipients (movie buff, sports enthusiast, music fan, etc.), and buy thoughtful gifts that will show you really put some time and effort into choosing the right gift. Remember to write a personal note to let that person know the gift was chosen especially for them.
- Research your options. According to a new study by Office Depot, 46 percent of shoppers report finding the perfect gifts for family, friends and colleagues the "most challenging" aspect of the holiday season. Reduce stress and productivity by doing your research online before actually making any purchases.
- Visit unexpected locations. From the post office and the U.S. Mint to your local office supply or hardware store, there are a multitude of unexpected locations that offer interesting gift ideas.
- Combine shopping trips. Pick up great holiday gifts–from digital cameras and DVRs to MP3 players and GPS devices–at stores that you’re already visiting or that are nearby other places you’ll be stopping.
Mendelsohn’s list also includes several don’ts:
- Don’t reinvent the wheel. If you’ve given the same business gift every year, clients might look forward to the present. It’s perfectly acceptable to send a consistent annual gift.
- Don’t overspend on big ticket items just to make an impression. When purchasing technology items, make sure the products you choose are compatible with the recipient’s current configuration.
- Don’t wait too long to purchase your gifts. If you have the time, you’re more likely to come up with better ideas sooner rather then being forced to "pressure" shop later.
- Don’t feel confined to have your gift there before the holidays. If you’re pressed for time or you really want your gift to be noticed, send it as a New Year’s gift–it’ll be a welcome surprise.
- Don’t stress over the holidays. It’s a great time to show clients, colleagues and employees just how much you appreciate them!
The most important don’t on the list – don’t stress over the holidays!! It’s supposed to be a time of joy, peace and some level of self-reflection.
Hillary Mendelsohn’s complete article can be found at: http://smallbusiness.aol.com/manage/managing/article/_a/shopping-tips-for-holiday-business-gifts/20061128120209990003 .
Small Business Lessons from the Crossing Guard
July 21st, 2006 by John Herman, under marketing, operations, sales, small business. No Comments
While out running errands the other day, I found myself stopped at a crosswalk. The crossing guard was leading young schoolchildren across the quiet street in a very organized fashion. I thought to myself, “What will the children do when they have to cross a busy street by themselves?” Hopefully they will learn by following the crossing guard’s system. I often work with small businesses that need help crossing busy streets. They had no trouble in the beginning, when traffic was light. But now that their business has grown, the traffic is much heavier and the street much busier. Many could use a crossing guard to help them safely cross. However, most business owners don’t have a crossing guard and they have to cross on their own. Don’t worry, if you remember the lessons of the crossing guard: Stop, Look, Listen, Think, and Walk….Don’t Run; you’ll be able to safely cross the street no matter how heavy the traffic.
Stop
You wouldn’t just run across the street would you? No, you’d stop first! Stop and take some time to evaluate your business. Where is it going? Up until now, you’ve run your business all by yourself. Now you need to add more staff, develop a plan and a budget. There seems to be thousands of options. Stop and take some time to think about it – don’t make snap decisions!
Look
Would you cross the street without looking? No, you’d look both ways! Take stock of your business. Look at what you’ve done in the past and what you’re doing now. Look at what works and what doesn’t? Look at what your competitors are doing and what seems to be working for them? Look at ways to incorporate some of those ideas into your business.
Listen
Would you cross the street if you heard a siren? No, you’d listen to see what was happening! Talk to your clients and listen to what they say. Talk to your staff (if you have any) and listen to their ideas. Talk to your vendors and listen to their perspective. You can learn a great deal from people who experience your service or product on different levels.
Think
Once you’ve stopped, looked both ways, and listened, then it’s time to think about when and how to cross the street. The same is true for your business. Take some time to think about it. Develop some plans and then evaluate which plan will work best. Determine what would be involved, when it will happen and what you need to make it happen. Intuition can be your best guide. Often, if it looks too good to be true, it is. Make sure the plan is a realistic one you can follow.
Walk…Don’t Run
Would you run across the street if there wasn’t enough time to walk? No, you’d stop and make sure you had enough time to cross the street safely! The same is true as you implement your plan – make sure you don’t rush it. Remember plans change. Make sure you don’t lock yourself into anything and always reevaluate as you go along. Rushing into something can be costly and you may back yourself into a corner. You might really get hurt.
It may seem overwhelming, but you can do it. When you were a kid, it was overwhelming to cross a busy street for the first time, but you did it. As a business owner it can be overwhelming as your business grows, but if you follow these “lessons from the crossing guard”, you’ll be taking steps to ensure your business succeeds, safely. We call those Succeeding Steps!