April 24, 2012

Power of Promotion

Oprah's Big Giveaway
(image by sethskim.com)

Nothing comes for free, but everybody loves receiving free stuff.

Whether it’s complete samples or small testers, or in-kind donations, sometimes free stuff can help raise awareness of your company, generate buzz and attract new customers.

But how do you justify giving away free stuff when your return on investment (ROI) is unknown?

For marketing, one per cent return from direct marketing techniques, such as email, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional letters and outdoor advertising is considered a success. For example, if you hope to achieve 20 new customers then you need to target at least 2,000 people or households. Sounds like finding a needle in a hay stack, right? It can be.

Direct marketing was once a very popular method implemented by companies, but with the advancements of technology, some direct marketing activities have become obsolete while more have become more prevalent, but also disregarded.

Consumers are smarter, more critical and have more power to control the messages they wish to receive or not receive. From “no solicitors allowed”  signs to opt-out or spam controls through emails, marketers are finding it harder to reach consumers and gain ROI.

So how can you reach consumers, get their attention, learn more about them and attempt to gain their business?

Why not try giving something for free?

I know this can be seen as a big risk or investment, but below are a variety of options on how you can generate buzz about your company, products or services, get consumers to try your product or service, and build positive brand association. Keep in mind that all of these options can be executed on a small or large scale. Before you choose an option, it’s a good idea to first plan out: a) total budget, b) cost of production and distribution, c) type of outlet or distribution method (store, sidewalk, gala, sporting event, online, email, traditional mail, etc), d) type of audience (demographics), and e) how are you going to measure your ROI?

  1. Give away a complete sample or small tester of your most popular product or a product you feel the majority of consumers will like. If you’re unsure, ask your close family and friends to sample and vote for the best product.
  2. Offer “buy one get one free.” Instead of giving the same product twice, perhaps you can add a personal touch by allowing the customer to choose their free product. You can control their purchasing power by offering any product under a certain amount or they can choose from a selection of products that you have specifically chosen for an important reason.
  3. Give your products or service as an in-kind donation to a fundraiser or corporate event for their silent auction, door prize give away, swag or as a speaker gift. Feel free to ask the organizers if you can supply business cards with the in-kind donation and have them place your cards on the dining tables or at the main entrance, or on the promotions/marketing table. Depending on the amount of your in-kind donation, you may also be eligible for further promotion such as a logo display on the event website or signage and/or sponsor announcements during the event. Tip: choose an event that complements  your company’s brand or represents a target audience that matches your target consumer base.
  4. Organize a contest. This can be a great opportunity to partner with your local media and/or jump start or increase your social media engagement (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare) . The sky is the limit with contests. Let your creativity soar and don’t be afraid to have your consumers work for the prize (fill out a short survey, write a short testimonial, answer a question, execute a treasure hunt) and the list can go on.

Related articles:

6 reasons giving away free stuff can work for your small business (ideas4smallbiz.com)

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April 16, 2012

Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing – What’s the diff?

Thanks to the evolution of technology, businesses have more options to publicize, market or advertise their products or services in more flexible and affordable ways.

Exhibit A: Advertising. What was once limited to newspapers, television, billboards, bus shelters, magazines, to name a few, now a company can produce a video and post on YouTube for millions of people to see. Before Facebook ads, a company would spend hundreds to thousands of dollars buying ad space in one newspaper for 200,000 readers in just one city. Compared to print and television ads, online ads are more flexible in costs and can generate millions of views from all over the country.

Exhibit B: Marketing. From the streets to the Internet, marketing can now reach customers more precisely through blogs, email and  social networking sites, to name a few.

Exhibit C: Public Relations. Since the foundation of public relations in the early 1900s, it has overcome taboo and condemnation of being a heavily biased portrayal of an event or situation. Public relations (a.k.a PR) manages the flow of information between an organisation and its publics, and influences target audiences to maintain a certain point of view about the company. It primarily does not require direct payment like marketing and advertising (though some overhead costs are incurred), and it’s usually conducted in the form of working with the media (a.k.a. media relations), hosting a conference or an event, and inviting the company’s target audience or utilizing key influencers or celebrities as spokespeople. PR activities can be cost effective and if done right and properly, can highly impact the company’s goals and reputation, but are not controlled, therefore can have a positive or negative affect on the company.

I love public relations, so my opinion is a little biased, but if you like the idea of increasing awareness of your company, building mutually beneficial relationships with your customers, clients and key influencers, achieving results and possibly spending less money compared to marketing and advertising, you too should love public relations just as much as I do.

Every day I help clients raise awareness of their products, services or brand by creating unique news angles, planning events and speaking opportunities, building relationships with their publics, employees and key influencers, and showcasing their achievements, successes and values. Public relations activities allow my clients to work face to face with everyone involved, therefore they have more ability and control over the quality of relationships, feedback is instantaneous and the audience feels more valued, because the client is talking with them not at them.

With the right budget, goals, key messages and persistence, public relations can live on long past the immediate impact of advertising or marketing. There are times when public relations activities are partnered with advertising and marketing techniques, but it’s highly recommended to ask yourself the following questions and map out your plan with S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, timely) and thorough ideas:

  • who’s your audience? (children, teens, parents, animal lovers, government workers, athletes, etc.)
  • how does your audience spend their time and where? (at home, at work, leisurely, online, etc.)
  • what’s your campaign time frame or deadline?
  • what’s your budget?
  • who’s going to design, print and distribute? (in-house, subcontractor, agency, volunteers)

The following are some of my favourite small businesses (or were once a small business) that have successfully used public relations activities to their advantage. I’ve linked them to relevant examples of their PR efforts, but if you’d like more details or have questions, contact me or submit a comment below.

  1. Camino (courtesy of everythingupclose.com)
  2. Ottawa Special Events
  3. DNA11 (courtesy of Mashable.com)
  4. The Cupcake Lounge (courtesy of satinandsnowflakes.com)

Related articles:

Guess what…Social media is NOT replacing traditional journalism (davidhallsocialmedia.com)

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April 5, 2012

Lisa Larter shares how you can network to get results

This week’s post for Business Etiquette #2 is a combination between two topics: networking and being a team leader.

As I was writing my post based on the cliche “There’s no “I” in team”, I came across Lisa Larter’s blog post Five Ways You Can Network to Get Results. It’s not the networking tips that caught my attention, but her suggestion to help others while networking.

Beyond the business cards, work day stories and employee banters, Lisa describes how you can cultivate a better network with value: lend a helping hand.

In addition to lending a helping hand, it’s always nice to say thank you and recognize those that have helped you. Here’s a few personal ways you can recognize your helpers or mentors:

  1. #FF – also known as Follow Friday’s on Twitter. Every Friday I use this hashtag to recognize people that have helped me in some way, shape or form. It’s my “#payitforward #FF.”
  2. Send a thank you card. If someone referred me for a job or went out of their way to recognize me, I mail them a handwritten thank you card or deliver in person if possible. Everyone loves receiving mail that’s not a bill. I suggest buying classy, decorative cards that will look good on any office desk, whether it be for a man or woman.
  3. Coffee date. We all deserve a coffee break even if you don’t drink coffee. Business executives take clients and stakeholders out for beer or dinner all the time, but it’s not always about business. Treat your helpful colleague(s) to a coffee or beer, or dinner (whichever you’re more comfortable with) and try not to talk about business the whole time. This is a great opportunity to see if you have common interests or mutual friends. You may also learn a different thing or two that could possibly help your business.
You can read my post on “There’s no “I” in team” here.

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April 5, 2012

There’s no “I” in team

How many times have you heard “There’s no “I” in team?” If you feel you’ve heard this cliché enough and think it should be put to rest, I’d like you to reconsider.

In 2009, the median cost of resignations per organization for a workforce of 500 was $1.2 million. In 2010, the cost increased by 60 per cent to $1.9 million, found the metrics service, a collaborative venture by the BC Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA), the Human Resource Management Association of Manitoba (HRMAM) and the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA).

The study also shows that absences from work were also on the rise and some of the absences were found to be linked to employees looking for new jobs.

Here are a couple more stats from the website:

  • Between 2009 and 2010, the annual direct cost of absences increased by $300 per person.
  • In 2010, the total cost of absences for each full-time equivalent (FTE or measure of hours worked) was $1,800.
  • Cost of time not worked per year for a workforce of 500 FTE was almost $1 million in 2010.
  • In 2011, the cost of time not worked was expected to increase by seven per cent.

The reason for all these numbers is to show you that a healthy team can be a long-standing team.

To effectively accomplish tasks and run a successful business, teamwork is critical to a healthy climate and an effective workplace. It takes strong communication skills and a balanced ego to be an effective team leader. Business owners or managers should always be aware of their communications abilities and ego in order to communicate clearly on an intellectual and emotional level. The following list is a few effective communicators. If you are practicing four or more of these, your team is heading in the right direction. If you are practicing three or less, you may want to reassess your current practices before your team crumbles.

  • Explain ideas clearly and allow room/time for questions
  • Express feelings in an open, but non-threatening way
  • Listen carefully to others
  • Ask questions to clarify others’ ideas and emotions
  • Sense how others feel based on their nonverbal communication
  • Initiate individual conversations with employees if there’s a sense of tension in the workplace

Studies show that when managers communicate with their employees on a daily basis, employees are more willing to communicate openly and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings. It should be a no-brainer that unspoken issues can be very destructive.

It’s suggested that managers have one on one meetings with their employees once every two weeks or at least once a month. If you ignore this communication process, it can negatively impact the attitude of your employees and jeopardize the professional relationship you have with them.

Another role as a team leader is to practice cohesiveness. Not all teams will be happy-go-lucky families – there will be arguments and differences, but that’s why every team needs a trusted leader.

The University of Waterloo Centre for Teaching Excellence shows us that team leaders should help their teams practice:

  • Openness: Group members are willing to get to know one another, particularly those with different interests and backgrounds.
  • Trust:  Develop mutual trust so that everyone is willing to be honest, respectful and demonstrate accountability.
  • Support:  Demonstrate support for one another as they accomplish their goals. Exemplify a sense of team loyalty and help members who are experiencing difficulties. View one another not as competitors (which is common within any workplace), but as collaborators.
  • Respect: Communicate opinions in a way that respects others, focusing on “what can we learn?” rather than “who is to blame?” Also known as constructive feedback.

A case study on evancarmichael.com states that a business owner focused on retaining his employees over an 18-month period. The result was an 89.3% reduction in monthly turnover and a savings from $42,417.50 to $92,686.25 per month! The business went from 172% turnover to just 19% in just 18 months. If money could talk!

I’m not a business owner or manager, but I have seen first-hand high turn-over rates within companies and have worked with amazing team leaders and not so amazing ones. People like myself make business decisions based on the people we work with. I believe that if you can’t change the people you work with, change the atmosphere in which you work in.

Are you currently a manager, business owner or team leader and would like to share your thoughts or advice on how to effectively lead a team? What methods or best practices do you do to help retain emloyees?

Related articles:

6 ways to measure – and boost – internal communications (Ragan.com)

Top 10 habits of bad managers (katecarruthers.com)

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April 1, 2012

Website vs. Blog

As of December 2010, there were approximately 1.1 million small businesses registered in Canada (as reported by CBC.ca). Of these small businesses, only 36 per cent had their own website. That means approximately 700 thousand small businesses didn’t. Say what?!

If you’re one of these small businesses, did you know you’re missing out on about 23 million unique online visitors in Canada? Of 11 countries surveyed by comScore, Canada ranks first in the number of website visits per user per month.

Do I need to explain further the opportunities you’re missing out on if you don’t have an online presence?!

When the Web 2.0 boom took place, the cost of building a website was like buying a new car. Now a day, there are tons of affordable options you can consider when starting a website. I’m not a website expert, but I have been working with an online communications agency for over two years. I do know paying for technology has changed like how microwaves evolved. When microwaves were first invented, you paid over $1,000, now you can buy one for $50 or even less. You don’t have to hire a big-shop agency (most of them won’t even take on client work valued less than $10K), but I do recommend hiring a web designer and developer you know or trust, but buyer beware! Like everything, do your research and remember that spending less $$ does not always mean more bang for your buck.

There are also free or inexpensive online tools you can use to either build a website or even more simpler, build a blog. Want to know how easy it is?! You’re looking at it. For $30 a year I bought my own domain name and created my WordPress blog with a couple of clicks. I have no web development experience and my technical experience is as much as using a computer, but creating a blog with WordPress was easy and fun. WordPress also has helpful resources to answer your questions and so many design choices and tools as described on Smashing Magazine’s blog: Useful WordPress Tools, Themes And Plugins.

I’m not going to lie. Like every business adventure, creating a blog or any online presence takes time and patience. When I first started, I was devoting 4 to 6 hours a night creating my blog, researching and writing content, and making sure everything was just right (I’m a relentless perfectionist).

So how should you decide what’s right for you? Here’s a couple comparisons between a website and a blog:

  1. A website is like a virtual store that sells products and/or services and it’s the perfect forum to self-promote and advertise.
  2. Blogs are a platform to post interesting and useful content.  Blogs are more human than corporate websites. They enable customers to interact with the blogger (posting comments, sharing information) and enable readers to subscribe to them so they can receive updates on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Though, this can be challenging for the blogger/business owner. In order to be highly effective, blogs should have new postings at least once or twice a week. Fresh, original content is very important. The content is exactly what attracts and retains people and many of those people will eventually become customers.
  3. Lastly, there’s the “all-in-one” combo: a website with blog software. More and more websites are now a blend of a virtual store and a blog. For your benefit, this combo has the capability of providing you with both a virtual online store and professional platform (web pages), but also providing you with the creative foundation that blog posts have to offer. Blog software (like WordPress) allows you to design a web presence that contains a traditional website and a blog using one tool.

In conclusion, blogs and websites work in very different ways, serve very different purposes and produce different results.

To help further describe the raison d’être of blogs in a creative way, here’s a three minute video titled Blogs in Plain English by one of my favourite video tutorial creators: Common Craft.

Do you have any questions about websites and/or blogs, or would you like more information? Send me a comment, contact me or send me a Tweet. See you online!

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March 28, 2012

Urbanspoon

We eat, sleep, drink, work and play to keep us alive and sane, and it’s human nature to expect the best.

When I’m looking for the best, one of the greatest online services I use is Urbanspoon.com. A leading provider of time-critical dining data of restaurants, cafes, bars, etc. around the world, Urbanspooon allows you to find a restaurant, bar or cafe that suits your craving, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or a last-minute business meeting, with one click of a button.

As good as Urbanspoon is for customers, it can be the difference between heaven and hell for businesses.

Before the existence of Urbanspoon, customers came and left, and if they liked you they would come back. If they didn’t, well they would simply tell their friends and family, but the next day would come and go and eventually the shame would be behind you and a new customer would be the start of a brand new day.

Now a day  it’s do or die. With over 28 million users per month, Urbanspoon’s mobile app makes it too easy for customers to judge a restaurant from the moment they walk in the door. From the initial introduction to the service, food and atmosphere, customers are rating restaurants with a fine tooth comb.

I worked in the service industry for over seven years and I too judged my workplace based on its food, service and atmosphere, but it doesn’t matter what an employee or owner thinks, customers have more power than ever; it’s called Urbanspoon . A restaurant can spend thousands on advertising and marketing or support all the local charities it wants to win the heart of the community, but if you don’t satisfy a customer’s needs from the moment they walk through your door, you better hope they don’t know about Urbanspoon.

On the other (positive) hand, Urbanspoon has the ability to transform less-known, smaller restaurants into gold mines. I’ve always loved the mom and pop shops, also know as small family businesses. They don’t make a lot of money and most of them are just making ends meet by doing what they love, and it shows, but it’s more difficult for them to gain traction.

My favourite example is Ceylonta. Without checking Urbanspoon, I would never have taken a second look at this South Indian/Sri Lankan family owned restaurant tucked under an apartment building on the corner of Bank and Somerset. I think it would be difficult for the average passerby to even consider walking through their doors. With its dark, black tinted windows and a dim “Open”  neon light, I was quite intimidated walking up to the door. I’m so happy for using Urbanspoon and the owners should be too! Because of Ceylonta’s 84% rating and over 200 votes, I gave them a chance and it was the best Indian food I’ve ever had. In addition to the amazing food, the service was exceptional and the atmosphere was very comfortable, but I honestly don’t know if I would have been a customer without the help of Urbanspoon.

So if you’re a mom and pop shop or a local restaurant chain, you may want to add yourself to Urbanspoon.com. If you’re already on Urbanspoon, have you checked your rating lately?

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March 28, 2012

Business Etiquette #1

During my public relations studies at Algonquin College, I took part in a class called Business Etiquette 101. I’m not sure if it was the vivacious personality of our teacher or the funny, out of the blue activities, but I’ll never forget the lessons I learned. One of them being how to shake hands.

For this week’s business etiquette lesson, we’re going to learn about shaking hands. I’m serious! I’ve shaken hundreds maybe thousands of hands and I feel terrible for the man or woman who gives a weak or bone crunching handshake, even if I’m the one suffering.

Handshakes are very important for business transactions. A handshake is just as important as looking someone in the eye. Since I’m not with you in person, I found this  graphic on Dummies.com to help show you how to give a professional handshake.

  1. Make sure that both hands meet web-to-web and your thumbs are facing straight up.
  2. Shake two to three times up and down while making eye contact.  Don’t shake too hard or fast so you turn the other person’s body into a jackhammer. Be in sync.
  3. End the handshake cleanly with a smile.

An overpowering handshake can indicate dominance or control. A weak handshake can indicate insecurity, disinterest or shyness. An awkward handshake indicates nervousness or a lack of social skills, which in turn reflects on credibility.

The article on Dummies.com also provides some good tips if you’re caught off guard.

Another etiquette tip is when you’re sitting at a table and a guest or business colleague approaches you, stand up to shake that person’s hand. By staying seated it will seem like you don’t care about their presence and you’ll most likely make them feel unwelcome. Introduce yourself like you would if they were guests in your home.

Now that you’re prepared to shake a business deal, don’t forget to look your best!

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