Putting Your Best 'Face' Forward

If you want to explore uncharted territory, but you're also worried about sowing cash on unproven social media ground. Well, here's a way to play it safe: ease, ever so slowly, into Facebook. The facts: It's the largest social networking site in the world. In August '08, users spent an average of 19 minutes and 30 seconds there per visit (per Hitwise). And some reports say Facebook folks tend to be more truthful when filling out their profiles (a plus for marketers).

Facebook's Christopher Pan says the secret to its marketing model is this: it hinges on the idea that brand messages are more effective when they're from friends. As a result, Facebook's sponsored efforts are geared toward building both engagement and dialogue.
So, don't arrive with your hand out.

Ann Smarty of Search Engine Journal tested two free promotional options, and describes how to use them optimally: To build critical mass for an event, create a Facebook Group. To form long-term relationships with users, start a Facebook Fan Page. (They also get indexed by search engines!) Facebook's internal metrics will track user activity, visits and demographic interest.

Ready to go for it? Standard Facebook ads enable you to target by demographic or profession. Or buy video placement! It encourages users to engage with your material, and they can also leave comments—for great feedback. Or make like Ben & Jerry's on Election Day: sponsor a free virtual gift that networkers can give to colleagues.

Engage! With a little creativity, you can get your brand passed from hand to hand—er, page to page—through Facebook, while keeping the budget intact.

Seven Mind Traps That Keep Us Busy

I recently ran across this article and parts of it really hit home with me, hopefully you'll find something here that resonates and will allow you [too] to break free.

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Seven Mind Traps That Keep Us Crazy Busy

By Dr. Bruce Gordon

I am sitting in a hotel lobby writing these words. The atmosphere is one of dark paneled wood, comfortable lounge chairs and a view you would die for, looking out over a river sparkling with diamonds from the afternoon sun.

At one end of the room over the fireplace hangs a picture of the Canadian Fathers at Confederation. The 34 men seem peaceful with no computers or Blackberries; I feel almost out of place with my computer and Blackberry buzzing on the table, as if I am violating their calm with my technology to allow me to do 10 things at the same time.

Life must have been easier for those 34; I know that is not true from reading our history, for they had significant challenges and conflict which had led up to this famous session. The difference was the speed of information and this rocket-like pace is now the order of the day and we are well beyond busy.

If I do not have 10 balls in the air at once, I must not be accomplishing much, or so I think; that is a mind trap, which is false and keeps me crazy busy.So, I write these words, more to myself than to you the reader; that being said, if they help, you are welcome to them. Here are what I refer to as my Seven Mind Traps That Keep Me Crazy Busy.

1. We need to be wanted and needed and thus must be available at all times through our cells and email.
It is really a trap of wanting to please people; do you struggle with this? Understanding and acknowledging this trap is really half the battle. I am working through this and asking the question, “Who is in charge?” If it is a severe issue, then you may be struggling with an approval addiction. Look it up on the web, for there are great resources to help.

2. We say yes to too many things and lose focus on that which is best; the enemy of the best is the good.
Some of us are wired to say yes to almost everything, “Yes, I can take that on between 2 and 3 am.” Others are much more selective. I would like to counsel you to clearly understand your style ( there are many great Assessment Profiles available to you ).

Again, self awareness is a major step to addressing this trap. I am currently in the process of handing off a role which I enjoy and have the skills for; the reality is that it is a good thing for me to do, but not the best. Understanding my strengths and leadership style is a must for me to make this decision. Remember, your strengths can become weaknesses.

3. We over commit or allow others to over commit us.
Over committing and under delivering is a trap which will have disastrous consequences for you. I don’t care if you as the reader are responsible for 1000’s of staff or 3 children ( which may feel like a 1000 staff to you ), you need to be able to control the commitments you take on. This goes back to my #2. Practice the word NO; stand in front of the mirror and say NO; did it hurt; did the mirror suddenly fall off the wall.

Of course, it again means having clear priorities and also understanding what season of life you are currently in. That is probably another article, but I believe that we go through seasons of life and these seasons bring different responsibilities. You cannot compare yourself to another person who is in a different season of life from you.

4. Our technology runs us; we do run our technology.
The fact that I have not turned off my Blackberry as I write this article in this gorgeous calm setting reinforces my trap #4.

I have a good friend, who I believe has found a way to address this trap. He disciplines himself not to check emails or voice mail from Friday evening to Sunday evening. Not a bad strategy; I am attempting to practice this and when I slip up, I don’t beat myself up, but rather get back on the “wagon”.

5. Being busy means that we must be accomplishing more than others; it really is an issue of insecurity. Some authors have called it a status symbol. What are your insecurities? It may help you to be honest here. You don’t need to report back to me, just to yourself.

I just consulted with a leadership team, who is struggling with this trap. I suggested that they use a “storyboard” approach. It means going on the offense by writing the story they would like to see for themselves and their organization 3-5 years in the future. It is to be no more than 2 pages. I am already receiving feedback on the positives on this strategy.

The result will be that this team will establish the key priorities for them to address; as others come up, they will be measured against this new template. Actually this process works well for individuals as well and it addresses the other traps which I have mentioned. Try it!

6. Running fast becomes an escape, for it means that we do not have the time to focus on those issues which cause pain.

My wife and I are a speaker couple for the Family Life Marriage Weekends ( you can learn more about them from website ). We see this in life after life as couples come and share their pain with us.

Many men confess to me that they have poured themselves into their career to compensate for the dysfunction of their marriage. If this is hitting a sore spot for you, then seek out help. My experience is that as you leave this unattended, it will become worse; if you need additional resources contact us at ….

7. We live our lives in the future; once I accomplish this, then I can slow down.
I have lived my life in the future. Early in my career, I often would think and at times verbalize, “when I ….. I will…. Now on this side of 50, I realize how wrong I was, for I did not take time to enjoy that season of life. I would ask you to seriously consider what season of life you are in. I know I mentioned this in # 3, but it bears repeating.

Ask yourself 4 questions:-how would I define this season of my life-what will the next season look like-what are the traps which I need to avoid in this season-what can I do now to properly prepare for the next seasonWell, there you have my 7 traps; maybe you were too busy to even read them and skimmed to this last paragraph.

In the painting of Confederation, there are 2 men out of the 34 who have arms crossed with scowls on their faces; what is going through their minds; were they to be the ones which John A MacDonald would need to convince. The Nation does not rest on you; but then again, your future effectiveness does and perhaps even survival.

The Benefits of Outsourcing...

Small business owners wear many hats: manager, buyer, accountant, you name it. It is impossible for one person to take care of everything, and the most commonly outsourced tasks revolve around marketing, branding and design. When first deciding to work with a professional, you are going to be looking at the price tag attached to the promised services. It may be shocking to some small business owners how much certain freelance or consulting services can cost, but there are ways to save.

How Much Does It Really Cost?

The next time a consultant charges you $1,000 a day, don’t fall over backwards. First consider the following: if you would hire a professional on a one year contract, the salary, taxes and benefits packages would amount to about $200 on average. Take into account the consultant only has a certain number of billable days a week, you are paying a premium for the flexibility of not hiring him on a full time basis. You end up saving on benefits, and you probably don’t have enough work to keep someone busy all year so hiring simply doesn’t make sense for your business.

Pricing is, or should be, based on what your best alternative is. In this case, your alternative is to hire someone for a longer term. Considering there are maybe about 236 billable days a year, you need to look at how much an employee costs you a day if you would hire him or her. Don’t just think salary; consider all other costs and expenses associated with an additional hire. You’ll see you still end up saving by hiring a professional for a short term.

Like with anything, you could shop around for the best possible deal.

Contact us directly for small business marketing consulting, flexible pricing plans and al a carte design and copywriting services. http://www.omgatlanta.com/Our%20Services.htm

678.495.6090

You've Been Upgraded!

Let's say you've been working around the clock on an improvement for your product, service or online interface. Because you know all about your upgrade, why it's needed and how much value it offers, you might forget that it will be a completely new concept to your customers. A post at the Service Untitled blog gives this advice for keeping them apprised of an upcoming change:

• Use multiple communication channels to make an announcement. Most of your customers won't actively check for updates at your Web site, but they will monitor control panels, email accounts and text messages. The key is to be creative and to understand how customers prefer to be contacted.
• Outline the change they can expect—and why it's happening. Don't expect lots of buy-in if you don't explain how an upgrade will make a customer's experience easier or more efficient. Be explicit about what's in it for them, and you'll likely discover a more receptive audience.
• Be realistic about timelines. Give your customers honest estimates for the time a product or service might be unavailable—during implementation, for instance—and how frequently such periods will occur in the future.
• Anticipate customer queries. "Communication almost always results in questions. Be prepared with clear, concise answers and a friendly, helpful attitude.

The Point: Guiding your customers through an upgrade process takes effort, but it's far preferable to dealing with confusion or consternation after the fact.

You Know You Want Me!

If you offer an upscale product or service, you probably have "aspirational" customers who take a mix-and-match approach to luxury goods.

The affluent stay-at-home mom who plans five-star vacations and Target shopping trips with equal enthusiasm; the student who gives up daily Frappuccinos to save $200 for a pair of jeans; the bartender who won't settle for less than $300 sunglasses but lives in a spartan studio apartment. Companies that want to continue to profit from aspirational customers must make their brands accessible and relevant to them by taking their lifestyles into consideration and meeting them half way.

Here are a few suggestions: Offer customer service that goes above and beyond. Aspirational shoppers expect to be treated well. Remarkable service not only reinforces their belief that they made a smart choice, it keeps them coming back. Don't cheapen your brand. Clearly distinguish lower-cost collections from your premium lines, and always keep their price points at the top of a product's category.

Chanel offers makeup and perfume to give customers a taste of glamour for less than $50, but within cosmetics its pricing keeps it solidly in the prestige realm. Cultivate a sense of exclusivity. Use online channels to offer very small amounts of stock via micro-specials—some lasting only a lunch break—to encourage high-volume stampedes.

The Point: Marketers who understand what the aspirational customer wants—and work hard to provide it—will be rewarded with fiercely loyal, responsive, and profitable repeat purchasers.

Building Your Brand

Branding can be described as many things, but it's best defined as a promise… a promise of the value of the product… a promise that the product is better than all the competing products… a promise that must be delivered to be successful.

Branding is the combination of tangible and intangible characteristics that make a brand unique. Branding is developing an image -- with results to match.

Here's your starting point... grab your pen:

1. Write down what sets you apart from others, describe the added value you bring to a situation
2. List your Experience and Accomplishments
3. Stay up to date with changes in your field, continuing education is VERY important. What have you done lately to perfect your craft, to prove you are an expert in your field?
4. Building Relationships - a top priority!

Cultivate your existing relationships with clients and/or supporters. Don't lose site of account maintenance while pursuing new business. Nothing is more powerful in building your career brand than what your network of contacts -- your friends, colleagues, customers, clients, and former bosses -- say about you and your set of skills, education, and accomplishments.

Most importantly...Promote Yourself

You can have an amazing brand, but if no one knows about it, you are not going to have much success with your career development. And no one more than you has more reasons to promote your brand. Throw modesty out the window? There is a fine line between bragging and promoting -- and you need to learn it -- but it's always better to err on the side of promoting your brand than not

Final Thoughts

Once you identify and build your brand, remember to continue strengthening and protecting it. There will always be competing brands but you are indeed founder and CEO of Y-O-U, Inc., and the more you do to cultivate your career brand, the more successful you'll be.

Are you lazy in the email department?

Here's another great article for my email enthusiasts!

The informality and low cost of email has changed the way we communicate—but not always for the better. In a post at her Marketing Interactions blog, Ardath Albee reminds us that we should craft personalized, thoughtful messages when making initial contact with prospects and journalists.

Here are a few sure signs you've gotten lazy in the email department:

• Talking only about yourself, not your recipient
• Using clichéd buzzwords to rave about your product or service
• Asking intrusive questions that presume you already have an established relationship
• Placing yourself on the recipient's calendar—without permission—by promising to follow up with a phone call

"By being lazy," she notes, "you're telling your [recipients] they're not worth … your undivided attention. Although you're expecting them to give you theirs."But that's not all. A narcissistic approach to email composition sends a clear signal that you're just as self-centered in your day-to-day work life. "Oh, yes," says Albee, "every interaction you have with them speaks to your credibility and is an example of what they'll come to expect. Why blow it so early in the game?"

The Point: Ardath Albee advises the following: "Take on the challenge to be energetic, passionate about helping your prospects consider how best to solve their high-priority issues and, for heaven's sake, be imaginative about how you do it."

Marketing your services as an entrepreneur; phone calls and face-to-face appointments should always be at the top of the list.

Text Appeal

"While US consumers are fully embracing text messaging," says Alan Berrey in an article at MarketingProfs, "very few enterprises have followed suit." And when you consider that 80 percent of Americans own mobile phones, and send over one billion text messages each day, it makes sense to develop a strategy for this largely untapped channel.

Here are some of Berrey's pointers:
Join in. "Far too many companies do not support text messaging at all," he says. "The key ingredient for most companies is simply to get started."

Let people know you're there. Demonstrate your texting proficiency early in the customer relationship, and you can fully employ the channel throughout the sub-processes of acquisition, support and retention.

Keep it short. Messages need to be relevant, timely and brief. "If you cannot convey the message in less than 160 characters," he notes, "then the message is probably not well suited for text messaging." And be sure to integrate with other channels. "Text messaging rarely stands on its own," reports Alan Berrey. "In most cases, [it] is used to augment other communications."

The Point: "Text messaging has become the preferred communications channel for millions of people, and not just teenagers," says Berrey. "For many people in America, [it] is considered indispensable." It's a reality from which you can benefit.

We would recommend sending advertising text messages to a very elite group of clients, only the ones that you are sure wouldn't mind receiving a text from you. Spam is already frustrating enough but if I got spammed on my cell phone too, I would be angry and maybe even a little violated.

I must admit that last Thursday when I got a pre-recorded voice message from my neighborhood Papa John's... "Today is Customer Appreciation Day, get your $7 large-one topping pizza for today only"...well let's just say, I was hungry at the time.

Text messaging and pre-recorded voice mail, Two thumbs up!