The Navigator

Archive for the ‘Business Tools’ Category

1. & 2.  Branding Goes Social

For 23 years, Pepsi has spent millions of dollars on SuperBowl ads.  In 2010, they stopped.  Instead, they are opting to spend the 20 million dollars on a social media advertising campaign called “The Pepsi Refresh Project”.  Not only is this giving Pepsi a boost to their image with the concept of doing good in the world and making a difference, it is providing the opportunity to create increase brand awareness, results that can be tracked and will generate demand for their product – all through the use of social media.

There are two trends in one here that can’t be ignored.  One is the desire for a greater world full of promise and hope.  Especially big with the baby boomers, a company who shows they have a desire to be of service and support others is the company that will most likely get the business from others.

The other is the ever-growing, probably never-going-away social media craze.  With budget cuts coming going deep, why not capitalize on what you have that’s free?  If you’re department or company doesn’t have a page on Facebook or a Twitter account, you may be missing the boat.  With just the right amount of nurturing, you can serve both employees, customers and potential customers alike.  If you have a minute, check out one of my last articles on how to do social media right and begin growing your number of fans now.

3.  Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is all about driving traffic to your website through the use of social media and other forms of advertising AND getting them to buy.  Up to 70% of all leads who visit your site are not ready to buy.  So how do you stay engaged with them in the hopes of turning them into a purchasing customer in the future?

Creating the ability to capture their email address as a way to share information with them in the future is one way.  Remember, though, you need to stay in contact with them regularly (I recommend 2-3 times a month) AND it can’t just be about getting them to sign up for a program.  Nobody wants to feel sold to all the time.  It’s about sharing information you think they might be interested in.  80% of your content shared should be education, tips, information on trends, etc. versus telling them about an upcoming program you want them to participate in.  This is what builds relationships.

Curious how you are doing as far as driving traffic to your site?  Checkout websitegrader.com and get your website evaluated for free.    If you don’t get a great score, don’t panic.  Find someone who is knowledgeable in this area to help boost your site ratings.

4.  Marketing Directly to Your Target

This is the way it has always been, however, with all the information coming at people all the time it is more important than it has ever been before.  You want to make the most of your time in front of your target market.  In addition to your brochure, consider sending out flyers and updates to those who have signed up for similar programs in the past rather than everyone.

Segment out your mailing list is key for this trend.  You might choose to have a list for people with preschoolers and send out an email once a month with an activity they can do at home, something about a park facility and an educational piece about why it’s important for children to spend time outside.  After you’ve filled 80% of the email with this type of content, add a promotion for an upcoming program.

5.  Automate, Automate, Automate

Use an automated system like MailChimp, Constant Contact, Hootsuite, TweetDeck, etc. to automate some of these tasks so you can do a group of them at once and then sit back and enjoy the benefits.  Just remember, it’s all about authenticity and transparency so don’t automate everything.

If you have any questions about any of these trends or are in need of additional resources, please let me know.  I can be reached at michele@lodestonedynamics.com or 763.633.9364.

Yesterday I posted about my scary trip on 35W Monday evening.  If you didn’t read the last post, you may want to before reading this one.

My feeling of floating, of not connecting to the road also connects for me on how it is in business when you don’t have the right tools to get you where you want to go.  It’s tough to get traction when you don’t have what you need and are trying to “go forward” anyway.  Sometimes, we need to take a little detour and re-evaluate where we are at before taking action.

Do you have a business plan?  A marketing plan?  Are you clear about what you want?

These are just a few things to consider when in business for yourself.  Make sure you have the tools you need to be successful (however you define that)!

Isn’t Sunday supposed to be a day of rest?  LOL I guess when I am my own boss, I can’t complain about doing a little work today.  After all, it is my choice and I do love what I do.  I noticed the sun is shining brightly and hope to go into town a little later to get my car washed.  It is in dire need!

I shared a little bit on Facebook last night about how I got lost in the middle of nowhere heading home after a class in WI.  It was late, it was dark and I was tired.  It was all I could do to stay focused on the prize of getting home instead of losing it.  Before I went to the class, I had a nudge to print the directions on Mapquest in reverse…a nudge I obviously ignored.  I thought I’ll be fine, I’m used to following directions, I can figure it out to get back home.

Well, most of the time that’s true.  I’m pretty well versed on the art of following directions but every once in a while, I need that extra help and guidance and this was definitely one of those times.  You’ll be happy to know that I did make it home, in one piece and not too crabby.  I found a nice man at a gas station who gave me directions to get back to the highway (side note:  how come gas station attendants never seem to know where they are??).  Lastly, don’t give up.  I was so frustrated and was on the verge of losing it when that man appeared and gave me exactly what I needed.  Most businesses give up, right before the turning point would have happened where they can experience the success they desire.

Don’t give up on your dream!

I spent Thursday at a great Conference offered by WIN (Women in Networking).  This was my first experience with WIN and it was a great one.  I met several members who were so nice and welcoming and I had a blast interacting with them throughout the day.  The conference content was great too.  I attended three breakout sessions: one on marketing, one on increasing profits and one on networking.  All perfect for what I need in my business.  Sometimes it’s hard for me to attend these types of events because I am an introvert by nature.  I know how important it is to get out there so I can build relationships with others so I step out of my comfort zone and do these kinds of things alone.  I occasionally will sign up with a friend and I love being able to experience something new with them and yet, for my best interests, it’s great to go alone and meet new people rather than having a tendency to stay in that safe zone with a familiar face.

How do you network?  What organizations are you a part of that you enjoy?  I’d love to hear about them.

To most I hide it well.  People don’t know that I don’t really like to be seen.  Often, I’m not even aware of my choices myself and how they keep me hidden away from view.  Safe and content, not in a position to be hurt by others.  When I have done well in various areas of my life, I have lost relationships because they didn’t like it.  I know for some that might be hard to imagine but I guess I haven’t always made the best choices in friends.  And really, can we call those kind of relationships “friendships”?  I don’t think so.  Consciously, I’m aware of this and consciously, I still hear those nasty words from my upbringing about not doing things well enough, not working hard enough, not being good enough which reinforce what I have experienced from so-called friends. 

In some ways it seems odd to me that someone would leave me, abandon me, because I’m doing well or get a great opportunity in my life but jealousy is a powerful thing.  Unhappiness is a powerful thing.  I’ve made choices myself from these places that I would not have otherwise made.  So I guess what I’m trying to say is that I understand.  Understand, yes, but it doesn’t make it easier to have people leave.  It has unfortunately created the belief “If I’m too successful, I will be alone.  Everyone will leave me.  They always do.”  Not a belief I choose to continue to have.

So here I am today.  I’ve done healing work around this belief and now it’s time to bring in the “act as if” as I call it.  This is the piece that I often think is missing in the healing journey for people.  We heal some aspect of our being but continue to live as if we are still a victim, still carry a belief, still don’t feel worthy.  What would happen if we acted as if we were no longer a victim, no longer carried that negative belief, felt worthy beyond imagination?   What would be possible??  Or perhaps an easier question…what wouldn’t be possible?  The answer?  Nothing.   Everything would be possible!

So back to today, the first of many risks I hope.  The first of many acting as if it safe to be seen, acting as if it’s ok to take advantage of opportunities that come into my life, acting as if everyone who cares about me will be happy for me.  Today, I had the opportunity to be a part of the production of an upcoming commercial due to air in January for Minnesota School of Business and Globe University and I jumped on the chance.  I spent the morning down in their production studio behind big, hot lights talking about the things I really enjoy about school.  It was so much fun!  I was hardly aware of all the lights and cameras as I shared from my heart what I love most.  Deep in the back of my mind, I knew I was doing something that would become a part of something bigger soon.  A commercial to air on TV beyond the boundaries of my home, of Elk River, of even Minnesota.  How’s that for choosing to be seen today?!

We are all supposed to get a copy when the piece is edited and I will definitely share with everyone.  I’m done hiding.  I’m ready to live as if I love to be seen, love to be in the limelight and I’m not worried about what relationship will come to an end because of it.  Wish me luck…and join me if you like.  How would you live today if you are living as if you are not a victim, your life is not filled with drama, you are worthy, you do enough because you are enough or whatever other poison thought have slowly crept into your psyche over the years?  What thought or belief are you willing to give up so you can live your best life possible starting now?

Recently Mashable shared these great videos for small businesses owners and I couldn’t resist sharing them with you.  Great lessons!

http://mashable.com/2009/11/14/small-business-video/

If I was only able to share one thing about marketing, this would be it.

In all of my research, education and experience, it boils down to this.   Customers love consistency.  They need it.  We often think they like change such as flyers that look new and fresh each time.  The truth is – they don’t.  Think about major companies like Northwest and Delta who merge.  These two companies took months to make the transition and Northwest just recently took the Delta name and logo.  They let their customers know for months that they would be making changes long before they actually made them.  If they hadn’t, they ran the risk of losing many customers.

It doesn’t matter what field you are in, customers don’t like change and any change must be implemented gradually to be effective.  Having the same look to your brochures, flyers,  website, etc.  creates branding and customers begin to identify with that brand.  Even a color change can cause confusion.

When you develop your marketing plan,  come up with a look you are comfortable sticking with.  Include design elements such as where your logo shows up and the colors that you use  every time in everything you print.  One of the things I did when I worked at Elk River Parks and Recreation was have templates created so all flyers were consistent in their appearance.  I highly recommend this, not just for marketing, but also because it saves time in the creation process and fewer details are overlooked.  To be honest, it’s one thing I haven’t done in my current business that I will be implementing here soon.   I’m not sure why I haven’t because I know how much easier it makes everything.

Additionally, take a look at the next several months or even the next year.  What advertising opportunities do you have that you can always do?  Do you have a calendar of events on your website that you keep current?  Do you take out an ad, not once in a while, but on a regular basis in the local paper?  Do you send out a newsletter regularly?  Whatever you include in your marketing plan, include it without fail.  People will come to expect it and watch for it.  Partnered with consistent looking materials, they will begin to recognize your brand and take notice every time they see you somewhere.  Over time, you’ll be able to watch your numbers improve in all your opportunities.

Encarta defines wealth as “an abundance or great quantity of something”.

Many of us automatically jump to the thought of money when we hear the word wealth.  I know I do. Or at least I did.  When my friend, Cathy, and I decided to co-facilitate a Commanding Wealth Circle I struggled with the name because I didn’t want people to think it was all about money.  Yes, money is a part of it.  We need it to live and enjoy some of life’s pleasures (although many pleasures are free).  I actually pulled out the dictionary as I was creating flyers for the group.  That’s when I saw how expansive the word “wealth” can be.  It’s just how we choose to define it for ourselves.

I am reminded of a story I heard once about a “wealthy” man and his son.  The man wanted to teach his son how lucky he was and thought he could do this by showing the son how poor people live.  They went to the country and spent some time on a farm with a family that would be considered quite poor.

At the end of the trip, the father asked his son what he thought.  The son had a great time and told his father that what he learned was this:

• They have one dog and the family had four.
• They have a pool and the family has a creek that goes on forever.
• They have lanterns in their garden and the family has stars in the sky.
• They have a piece of land and the family has fields that go farther than the eye can see.
• They buy their food and the family grows their own.
• They have walls to protect them and the family has friends.

The son then said to his father, “Thank you for showing me how poor we are.”

It’s all perspective.  Everything in life is that way.  We get to choose how we want to define everything in our world.  It’s both a blessing and curse – depending on your perspective.  Which will you choose?

For more information on the Commanding Wealth Circles, visit our website.

A while back during one of our Virtual Lodestone Networking meeting I shared some of my favorite tips and tricks of social media. I love sharing the things I come across that make my life easier so I thought I’d share just a couple here.

If you Twitter, think about using Hootsuite.com, a free site that allows you (among other things) to schedule out your tweets. This makes it a lot easier to be consistent – a very important piece of effective social media.  They just upgraded it and it has several new features.

Also, on Facebook there is a great Twitter application. When you install the application. It allows you to Tweet right from Facebook AND when you Tweet from anywhere, your Tweets show up on Facebook as a status update. But if you want to be able to be selective, try the Selective Twitter app.  This will only publish the tweets with #fb at the end of them.  This is a great way to manage your social media more effectively.

Most experts in social media will tell you to pick one platform and stick with it until you get really good.  Then add another if you choose.  These two tips will allow you to do both Facebook and Twitter without much extra work.  Let me know how it goes…