Posts Tagged ‘Small Business’
Posted by Scott Dunn on October 7, 2009
Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to speak on Social Media and even been fortunate enough to help clients leverage it and make money. Anyone who has been in the field for a few years has seen social media go from a “No way this will work in business, my kid uses it” to a legitimate sales tool that generated three million dollars in sales.
Yes, we do live in exciting times! Media companies are merging, magazines are closing and the newspaper industry is in a fight for their life. Do I believe social media is the end all be all? In a word…NO! Do I think it is another way to connect with millions and millions of people who are either your target market or are your customers? Yes, I do.
If you have ever been to a networking function you know exactly what I am talking about. At a typical function, you can meet anywhere from 20 to 50 people through the course of the event. Not bad for a few hours of work and out of those contacts you may or may not find someone interested in your products or services. Note I said interested in your products or services. Your company still has to add this prospect to your sales funnel and work through your individual sales process.
Using social media is really like going to a networking event that is on steroids. Think about it. With social media you can connect with thousands or hundreds of thousands of people. The only limits you have are the limits to the number of people in the space. Like networking in person, there are still “best practices” to networking in the social media spaces. As is the case in any group, you can quickly alienate yourself in the social media spaces as easily as you can face-to-face.
The easiest way to avoid being ostracized in the social media world is have a strategy. Yes, a strategy. You have a twitter account, a Facebook account and a LinkedIn account, so how are you using them to connect with your target market? Better yet, why does your target market want to connect with you in these spaces? This is where strategy comes heavily in to play. Next, you need to have sound tactics. What message are you putting out and should it change depending upon the social media space?
Below you will find a chart (developed by our own Sean Nelson) that SONARconnects uses when we discuss social media with our clients.
I look forward to your comments and hearing how you are using social media in your business.
How is your company using social media to connect and monetize?
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Posted by Scott Dunn on September 19, 2009
I speak one language. I did learn a few word of Latin in my freshman year of college. And growing up in New Orleans and spending time in Lafayette, La I learned a few choice words in Cajun French. But for the record I claim just the one.
I don’t know a single shortened word of Text (as in to txt). No desire to learn the first. But Twitter is simple enough that even I can figure it out. For those of you still working on speaking the native language of Twitinese, I offer this basic primer course.
Tweet
A tweet is simply a statement, message, or string of words composed of a 140 or less characters. It’s a slightly elongated headline, but like a headline, the more interesting the tweet the more likely someone will react and take action with it.
@username
This is your handle on LinkedIn. I’m old enough to remember when CB radio’s were the hot thing (Think Smokey and the Bandit) and every trucker and some other interesting people had creative handles. “That’s a big 10-4 Big Momma, I’ll catch you on the flip flop”. CB’s were the Texting of the 70’s.
Want to send a tweet to someone use their handle. Respond to a tweet and it adds the @ of the person you are replying to.
Unfortunately there’s a downside too. @’s done solely for the purpose of getting your marketing message are @ssinine. There enough to make me unfollow someone. If your message can’t gain traction in a regular tweet what makes anyone think it will do better by adding my @seanenelson.
Direct Message or DM
A good idea, that isn’t much use if you have a couple of hundred followers. When I first started on Twitter I tried to look at and reply to direct messages. Now the only time I do is when I’m waiting for an oil change and have nothing better to do with my iPhone.
Automated replies when you follow someone pretty much killed DM. If you want to send someone a message you’ll have better luck putting a message in a bottle than sending a DM on Twitter.
I speak one language. I did learn a few words of Latin in my freshman year of college. And growing up in New Orleans and spending time in Lafayette, La I learned a few choice words in Cajun French. But for the record I claim just the one.
I don’t know a single shortened word of Text (as in to txt). No desire to learn the first. But Twitter is simple enough that even I can figure it out. For those of you still working on speaking the native language of Twittinese, I offer this basic primer course.
Favorite
This is Twitter’s bookmark function. If you want to save a tweet to reference at a later time simply highlight the tweet and click on the star to the right. Now you can reference a past tweet. It’s also a great way to quickly find a profile.
Retweet or RT
Gold. Money. Bullseye. Retweets are one of my favorite parts of Twitter. When I write a new blog post I can somewhat judge it’s effectiveness by the number of Retweets. This is a great way to share information and recognize someone for putting good tweets out there. The viral nature of Twitter rewards interesting tweeters
Hashtag (#)
This is the Dewey Decimal system on LinkedIn. When you tweet there isn’t a category that you assign to your tweet. So if you want your tweets to be viewable based on specific searches use a hashtag.
I try to keep up with tweets about LinkedIn. At least once a day I search the term LinkedIn. I also add the #LinkedIn hashtag when I release a new LinkedIn related blog post.
TweetUp
An excuse to hit the bar on the way home from work. A TweetUp is simply a meeting of folks that see an announcement and show up at the designated location to network and share a beer .
Tiny URL
This is simply a service that allows you to shorten a URL so that you have more characters to convey your message. I’ve seen URL’s out there that wouldn’t fit on Twitter without a trim. There are several different services that will create these shortened URL’s.
Spam
The universal word for garbage. It means the same thing here as elsewhere. Another good definition of spam is “an ineffective marketing message that actually decreases your brand value and results in being unfollowed”.
That’s the basics. Learning to speak Twitinese is easier than learning Pig Latin. Now that you can speak the language fluently get busy building your community, communicating your message, and interacting in 140 characters or less.
I’m sure I’ve missed a word or two so feel free to share.
If you need help learning another language such as LinkedIn”dia”, Facebook”en”, YouTube”ish”, Flickr”oan”, and Blog”istan” call me at (404) 663-3997 or visit the SONARconnects site for more info on how we help our clients become fluent in social media/networking.
Sean Nelson
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Posted by Scott Dunn on July 29, 2009
Gone are the days of idle teens and all night web-dwellers posting petty comments alongside relevant articles. Blogging is a sensation that businesses turn to as a method of smart, relevant, and budget-friendly advertising in a careful attempt to navigate their growth and survival. Today’s savvy business owners use blogging as a method of communicating carefully planned and enticing information that is designed to reel in customers.
A shop may communicate a new product, a restaurant–live band night, a bookstore–book signings. Professionals, too, can use blogs to establish credibility or relevancy among their consumer base. Doctors may use it to communicate useful information to their practice such as medical opinions concerning vaccination and autism, or to communicate timely information such as symptoms that should prompt a medical visit when the Swine Flu was spreading throughout the U.S.
But effective blogging takes time, a keen sense of business, and an intuitive approach to what customers need to hear. Hiring a professional to maintain your blog can do wonders for your business and reputation.
The benefits of maintaining a business blog are:
- Search engines will rank you higher based upon your readership and how recently your content was updated. Higher rankings mean more visitors, resulting in more clients and more dollars.
- You can communicate instantly and effectively with your client base, many of whom will come to rely upon your blogs as their information source.
- Clients can reach you about topics relevant to them, providing feedback they may not offer in person.
- You establish credibility and create a connection with your consumers, showing you are an astute and thoughtful human versus a big, inaccessible corporation.
- The casual nature of blogging allows your company to gain recognition for things that may have no place in mainstream advertising. (I.e., charity work, employee profiles, product reviews, industry advice.)
- Blogging communicates the culture of your organization and builds both trust and authority with your readership.
Blogs should always contain:
- Relevant Information
- Accurate Communication
- Timely News
- Frequent Updates
- Proper Grammar and Spelling (limited abbreviations)
- Text that is Casual and Friendly in Tone
Do you have a business blog? How are you using it as part of your social media strategy?
Leave a comment and include your business blog and I will add it to my blog roll.
Shelly Kent
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Posted by Scott Dunn on June 25, 2009
Iran couldn’t keep the news out. They blacked out the airwaves, banned reporters, jammed the internet, and crushed heads.
But the new tools of technology—the Social Media—prevailed, and the whole world watched and listened as the Iran Thugocracy was revealed.
The information age is here, and there was nowhere to hide. Twitter, cell phones, Blackberry and all the rest put an unyielding spotlight on the evildoers.
The genie was out of the bottle and the tyrants couldn’t stuff it back. Social Media is a tool for freedom. It gave everybody a voice.
The Iranian people were heard, not just because they protested, but because their message was powerful. The message was not about the election: it was about freedom.
There are lessons here for marketers. First is a new definition of “transparency.” Now the beams you send come right back at you, reflecting your warts. No make-up can hide your blemishes, no spins can deflect your misstatements.
Second, the sounds you utter are amplified, and you’re in an echo chamber.
Marketers aren’t on a stage any more; they’re out in the audience.
And third, no matter how new the media, the message is the key.
Social Media gives people a new voice, and it’s virtually free. Freedom of speech can’t be denied, but there’s no guarantee that anyone will listen, or react. Why should the audience give attention, why should they care? The Iranian people had something powerful, interesting, and universal to say: we are oppressed and we demand our rights.
What is the key benefit that a marketer wants to convey? Why should anyone pay attention and care enough to buy their product? Social Media can make new connections, but by itself can’t deliver new customers. The Iranian protesters had a worthwhile cause to communicate, and they did it. What is so important about our product, and how can the new Social Media connect to new users for us?
George Lemmond
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Posted by Scott Dunn on March 26, 2009
Be careful what you tweet! Twitter has been around for the last three years or so and has become all the rage with the Internet 2.0 crowd. One thing that I caution my clients about when they go onto twitter is this: Make darn sure you UNDERSTAND that anything you write can and will come back to bite you in your ass…so be very, very, very, very careful what you tweet about. For some strange reason many people think that because a few tweets a day are good, a tweet a minute must be better. Or because I have a thought right now, I must share it with the world. Not so says I. DO NOT tweet, just because you think you need to.
This Tweet came back to bite the person from Ketchum (New York office) who made some disparaging remarks about the city of Memphis the morning before he presented on digital media to the worldwide communications group at FedEx (150+) people. A Fed Ex employee found it, was offended by it (as well they should be) and responded as such. But wait, it gets better…they also copied the FedEx Coporate Vice President, Directors and all management of FedEx’s communication department AND the chain of command at Ketchum.
The tweet:
What not to say when your client is FedEx
The employee response:
Mr. Andrews,
If I interpret your post correctly, these are your comments about Memphis a few hours after arriving in the global headquarters city of one of your key and lucrative clients, and the home of arguably one of the most important entrepreneurs in the history of business, FedEx founder Fred Smith.
Many of my peers and I feel this is inappropriate. We do not know the total millions of dollars FedEx Corporation pays Ketchum annually for the valuable and important work your company does for us around the globe. We are confident however, it is enough to expect a greater level of respect and awareness from someone in your position as a vice president at a major global player in your industry. A hazard of social networking is people will read what you write.
Not knowing exactly what prompted your comments, I will admit the area around our airport is a bit of an eyesore, not without crime, prostitution, commercial decay, and a few potholes. But there is a major political, community, religious, and business effort underway, that includes FedEx, to transform that area. We’re hopeful that over time, our city will have a better “face” to present to visitors.
James, everyone participating in today’s event, including those in the auditorium with you this morning, just received their first paycheck of 2009 containing a 5% pay cut… which we wholeheartedly support because it continued the tradition established by Mr. Smith of doing whatever it takes to protect jobs.
Considering that we just entered the second year of a U.S. recession, and we are experiencing significant business loss due to the global economic downturn, many of my peers and I question the expense of paying Ketchum to produce the video open for today’s event; work that could have been achieved by internal, award-winning professionals with decades of experience in television production.
Additionally Mr. Andrews, with all due respect, to continue the context of your post; true confession: many of my peers and I don’t see much relevance between your presentation this morning and the work we do in Employee Communications.
Wow!!!
Did I say content was king?????? You have the power to the information highway, what you do with it is up to you. What you tweet about, will be held against you.
By the way, this happened in January. Not only is it still being discussed at the major social media events (like the one last month at Kennesaw State), but it is also still being written about. I know I always say there is no such thing as bad press, but I might have to rethink that!
Bottom line: No mater what you think about the social media space , it is here to stay. So, learn how to use it to your advantage and create something good.
Scott T. Dunn
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Posted by Scott Dunn on March 3, 2009
In the musical “Oklahoma” a guy went to Kansas City and declared that everything’s up-to-date there. “They’ve gone as fer as they can go,” he sang. “I counted twenty gas buggies goin’ by themselves— when I put my eye into a bell telephone, a strange woman started into talk—You can turn the radiator on whenever you want some heat..What next? What next?”
So, have we “gone as fer as we can go? Should we close the patent office because everything has been invented?
Fast forward a hundred years from 1909 A Wharton School nationwide survey says that the most innovative advances in just the past thirty years are—no surprises—-
The internet
PCs and Laptops
Cell phones
Email
It’s hard to imagine that communication and information can go much farther. It seems to me that we are nearly to a point where–
All information is available everywhere,
right now,
free,
and everybody is connected!
Maybe we’ll have chips implanted at birth that will think for you and enable you to transmit your thoughts without talking or writing. And the symphony hall will reside in your inner ear.
Progress doesn’t ratchet back. It’s different than trends, where most of them fall and reverse through their own weight. We’ll never go back to no cell phones; they’ll be replaced with something better. Technological progress will be incremental, until a great leap forward will shatter the status quo.
By 2039 we’ll look back on 2009 as a dark, barely literate year. Cancer may be cured, energy solved with nuclear fusion, poverty gone. Maybe, I hope, we’ll finally be out of debt and enjoying the cool of the evening, wondering what climate change was all about.
Back to Kansas City. What innovative changes can small businesses do to survive the recession of 2009 (plus?) so their heirs will have the chance to be rich and proud in 2039
Here’s a starter list:
Assume survival, rather than slow death.
Concentrate on the essence of your brand, not the add-ons.
Advertise loudly and wisely.
Nourish relationships, one at a time.
Pick and groom your successor.
Watch your market change, then change faster.
The visitor in the musical found that
“They went an’ built a sky scraper seven stories tall
About as high as a building orta grow.
Everything’s like a dream in Kansas City
It’s better than a magic lantern show.”
Change happens. Recessions happen. If you want, good times and a magic lantern are about to happen.
George Lemmond
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Posted by Scott Dunn on January 21, 2009
One of ways stores and companies try to find their strongest positioning is by asking people what they want. And of course that’s good. But they should look hard at the results of their research.
As I said earlier, you can’t wish a position, you have to earn it.
Many studies confirm that “Service” is what customers want, so OK, says the store or a manufacturer, we’ll say that’s what we give. But “Under-service” and “No
If your selected position is “Service,” it will fail. Call us and we’ll find a better one for
The promise of service is fraught with danger, embodied with every employee, tested with every encounter. The worst sin of marketers is to not deliver what is promised. If they fall short, they have broken a trusted relationship.
I can think of two companies that could proclaim good service as their claim to fame: Nordstrom and Ritz-Carlton. ? They deliver it every day. It is part of their culture. Can you think of any more?
So until a company is known for its service and they live it, they should talk about something else.
“Lowest Price” is also a losing positioning. There can only be one lowest price player in every category. Wal*Mart owns that game. If you go that route, be ready to get undercut.
The same is “Value.” That word is worthless, the king of vagueness.
I’m certainly not saying that “Service” is bad; it should be pursued and treasured.
Once a company delivers it, unbroken, for about five years, then it could be shouted from the roof.
I was with an ad agency that had a hotel client. We sold them a “Service” strategy and created a campaign, “If it’s not your mother, it must be us.” Their service was
lousier than their positioning.
“Service” is a cop out. It’s like trying to invoke motherhood. “When your argument is weak, shout louder,” said the debate coach. You must think smarter. We can do better.
George Lemmond
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Posted by Scott Dunn on December 23, 2008
The keepers of Dr. Pepper’s brand flame blew it.
They pledged a free can of their soda for every American if a new album—
“Chinese Democracy” by Axl Rose”— would be released by the end of the year. They didn’t think that would happen, but it did. So Dr. Pepper told their fans to go to their website within 24 hours for a coupon redeemable for their treat.
But the site crashed, and customers tell of being blocked for four hours from the site and from a customer service phone line.
The album’s lawyers sent on irate letter to the soft drink maker, complaining about its “appalling failure to make good on a promise it made to the American public.”
Dr, Pepper broke the most important rule of branding: ALWAYS DELIVER!
· Screw with the product. Little incremental reductions of quality add up to blandness.
· Don’t thank users, take them for granted. (You should remind them how grateful you are to be treasured by them.)
· Be scarce. Don’t produce enough, have holes on the shelf.
Will this glitch be end of Dr. Pepper? No, but it’s certainly not good for it. It’s a little chink in their brand loyalty. A brand should be your friend, one you can count on, every time.
A brand is nothing more that a promise. It’s a pledge of future quality, based on past consistent delivery.
I tried to think why Dr. Pepper goofed. I guess they didn’t plan for success. They didn’t think through the consequences—what would happen if the promotion works too well?
If I’m in charge of keeping a brand’s flame (and future) alive, I should worry a lot. What could go wrong here? Will there be unintended consequences if it succeeds?
After I worry enough, then I should err on the side of victory.
George Lemmond
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Posted by Scott Dunn on December 23, 2008
Does WalMart force thousands of small stores out of business? Or do their customers do it for them? The lesson is that you can’t compete with the big guys on price and variety when you don’t have a big box or big bucks.
The internet makes things even tougher for the small ones because comparison is so easy.
Here’s a story about a little guy. His name is John Lamb and he runs “Bagel Boys,” right next to a Starbucks in the Atlanta suburbs. Here’s why he is successful, and this is a template for anyone who wants to survive and prevail:
He has a great distinctive product. He worked for a big bagel chain for years, so he knows all their secrets. He knows how to make a better product even though it costs more.
He knows his market. Location is key. He chose a high traffic spot right next to a Starbucks! He stole some of their customers, and he’s proud of the comparison and the choice. The moral—don’t hide it, flaunt it!
He knows his customers and how to serve them. He calls most of them by their name, and they say, “Hi, John.” His presence is there.
He lives his business. It’s personal. The “Bagel Boys” are literally his boys. Life sized pictures of his adorable sons are the art works of his décor. It depicts them joyfully turning dough into bagels.
He sticks to his guns. He sells tasty sandwiches and salads, but he closes shop at 3:00.
“Nobody eats bagels for dinner,” he says. If Burger King wants to stay open ‘till 2 AM, that’s their problem. “I have a life after work. I want to go home with my boys.”
He knows where he’s going. I’d bet his formula works. He’s looking for a second location, and possibly franchising is in the future. But I can’t see him trading his life for a position as a corporate executive.
He has the secret. He works hard, and he smiles. “I love this business,” says John Lamb.
George Lemmond
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Posted by Scott Dunn on September 19, 2008
What are your favorite current ads? A lot of my young students answered that question with the Chic-fil-A “Eat More Chikin” campaign. (Others chose products and ads that I’m not familiar with. I guess those advertisers know who their target is not.)
I had to suggest my choice, and here it is, and why:
In case you are one of the few who hadn’t seen it—
- Yogi Berra is in the chair and admonishes the barber not to cut it too close—“Do you think I got that insurance?”
- The barber asks, “What insurance is that, Yogi?” A dialogue ensues between Yogi and the Aflac duck, thatincludes the memorable lines “The one that you need when you don’t need it,” and “And it gives you cash, which is as good as money.”
- The duck leaves the shop, with a trail of mystified customers.
I think this is a classic, because:
- It uses a recognizable and likeable celebrity. (It’s risky to use famous people, because they sometimes they fall from fame, some consumer groups don’t like them, or the connection with the product is vague.)
- The central point is the benefit of the product.
- The conversation is low key and short.
- It is funny. Why do I think it’s funny? Because I’ve seen people laugh.
- It lasts. This is at the least its third year.
Back to the “Eat More Chiken” ads. It has legs—tt lends itself to other related materials. It is centered on the benefit of eating chicken. It has a memorable charm.
We ask you to nominate the best of the current ads. (Or, if you prefer, What makes them click, what makes them timeless?)
Oh, before we forget. The Aflac/Yogi and the “More Chikin” ads have the most important attribute: they (at least apparently) have sold a lot of insurance and chicken sandwiches.
George Lemmond
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