Guest Posts Archives - Page 4 of 6 - McLellan Marketing Group

The profit and loss (Anna Farmery)

November 30, 2008

While I’m on vacation, I’ve asked some very smart bloggers whom I am fortunate to consider my friends, to share some insights with you. Enjoy their brilliance because before you know it, you’ll be stuck with me again! Next up, Anna Farmery.

Branding is so often seen as the external face of the company. Yet, in my opinion the brand is not what ‘you say it is’, it is what the ‘consumers feel it is’…….and that feeling is created by the people within your organization. To engage consumers, you need to engage employees first and foremost.

After saying that, we must not over complicate this idea of employee engagement and branding. I remember calling round to see my Dad and talking to him about our new internal branding program, he looked at me and said "Can I give you some advice. Don’t make this complicated. What you are talking about is actually being a good leader, forget trying to ‘create an internal brand’, just do 2 things:

1) Allow communication to flow – make sure everyone is listening, talking with and understanding each other…..make sure that people feel excited by what they can achieve – yes as a person, but also as an important part of the team…and you can only do that if you understand what excites them.

2) Understand you cannot create a brand, you create a product or service and an advertising slogan…it is the consumers, the employees that ultimately decide the real brand promise. So concentrate on what you can control, that is how people feel in every interaction with you and not on what you cannot control, and that is how people think.

And you know Anna, (my Dad went on to say) the profit and loss is not a picture of financial wealth, it is a picture of emotional, brand health."

Is the brand providing continuous perceived value – are sales growing?
Is the brand offering something different in the marketplace – is the margin healthy?
Do you have the right balance between creative and process efficiency? – Value added ?
Is your leadership and management team, leading, managing and engaging – Net Profit?

I went back from that conversation with Dad and worked through the figures. What was interesting, actually startling…was that when you broke that profit and loss down, either into functions or profit centers then the following was true:

The high achieving departments compared to objectives had the highest engagement scores.
The high achieving subsidiaries had the highest engagement scores.
The highest customer satisfaction scores came from units with the highest engagement scores.
The lowest performing unit had the lowest engagement scores and the lowest customer satisfaction scores.
All the breakthrough new products or services had come from the high engagement teams.

Great brands understand that engagement comes from within the organization and great brands understand that the way to value engagement is to measure engagement.

The profit and loss is not just a financial statement, it is also a statement on your brand engagement.

Drew’s Note: Anna spends her days helping clients understand that branding begins at home. One of my favorite aspects of her blog, The Engaging Brand, is when she recalls the wisdom of her dad and how he influenced her world view. She also produces one of the most popular weekly podcasts around. You’ll love every episode and want to go back and listen to all the archived editions too. Check it out here.

Five ways to gain notice without losing your shirt (Steve Woodruff)

November 29, 2008

It’s a major challenge for any small business to get noticed. How do you compete with the marketing budgets of larger, established players in your field? And how do you do it without breaking the bank, while still projecting a quality image?

Happily, we live in a time when there are many tools available for gaining exposure. Let’s take a look at a handful of ways you can get noticed that rely on "cheap creativity," rather than extravagant spending.

1. Share your expertise.
Surely you have something to offer to your target audience – unique perspectives, industry knowledge, a network of connections, learning resources. You become a value resource (and a presumed expert) when you share.

The tools now available for systematic sharing blogs, e-newsletters, social media platforms) are ridiculously inexpensive – oftentimes free – so the only barrier to entry is your commitment of time and energy.

My consulting business is founded on an industry blog and newsletter, and a determination to create new connections. No extraordinary technical or artistic talent is needed to establish yourself as a helpful expert. But in the long haul, nothing is more effective!

2. Create a memorable "signature."
Incorporate something in the way that you deal with people that makes you outstandingly memorable. In a past job, one of my co-workers would receive correspondence from a business person who always included a stick of gum in each letter. Memorable.

I remember one conference speaker (male) who came out wearing red shoes. Memorable.

I have a caricature that is included in my e-mail signature – the best $50 I ever spent starting up my business. Memorable. There is a lot of noise out there, and you can find a way to rise above it with something simple and creative.

3. Create a unique and enduring "giveaway."
I’ve seen a thousand forgettable giveaways from many years of going to conferences and doing business. But the best ones are outstandingly unique, or they last a long time.

Candy bars and pens have a short-shelf life. Unique mugs, branded ear buds, classy business card holders, or other such items stand a better chance of keeping your identity and message in front of prospects.

I just came back from an exhibit area where a company had hired folks to roll cigars right on the booth – and was giving them away with lighters and cigar cutters! Bingo!

4. Network.
Be part of professional organizations, go to local meetings, volunteer your time. Be involved, and help get your clients involved.

Consider professional networking platforms, such as LinkedIn. Your best marketing is word-of-mouth recommendations from those who like you and your company, and as you add value to others by networking and sharing resources, they will do the same for you.

Yes, it takes time and effort – but you will have no more effective marketing strategy than building a supportive group of cheerleaders.

5. Finally, and most importantly, have a simple message.
This can’t be underscored enough. You will not be remembered if you blend into the background of a hundred other companies saying the same thing. Work hard with a branding expert to refine your message and your identity, and find a way to occupy your niche in a unique way.

Don’t try to be all things to all people. Seek to be the best thing for a small number of people. Succeed at that, then grow outward as you are able.

These simple steps can help you jump-start a business with very little (green) capital expenditure. And if you want others, here are five steps Drew outlined earlier this year. Do these 10 things and you’ll be well on your way to business success!

Drew’s Note: Steve Woodruff is one of those guys who is constantly a surprise. He’s an entrepreneur and consultant, focusing on helping his pharmaceutical clients develop optimal training and communications programs (His pharma blog). But then he’s also the guy posting some hysterical work on his StickyFigure blog as he probes social media. A man of mystery, of many sons and of wide feet. That is my friend, Steve.

Once again…your brand is not your logo

November 28, 2008

Image by Will Lion via Flickr

I travel all over the country, speaking at conferences and conventions on marketing, branding and social media. One of my most popular and requested presentations for the past couple years is Your Brand Is Not Your Logo.

And yet, I find so many people still mis-define branding. Your logo, tagline, color palette etc. are simply tools you use to connect people to your brand.

So, I always enjoy conversations with other marketing pros who share my take on branding. I recently had the opportunity to ask Bobby Riley, CEO of Soldier Design, a few questions. As you’ll see Bobby gets branding. I have to say — Bobby could come work at McLellan Marketing Group any time. He walks our talk. In fact, it’s the basis of our entire proprietary branding process.

Without further ado….Bobby Riley.

Why is branding such a difficult concept for business leaders to wrap their arms around?

Often business leaders get murked in the details and lose sight of the true brand when looking from the inside out. They sometimes forget that brands are about more intrinsic needs and emotions and connecting with the consumer than about the specific details of the product or service. Often these leaders need someone to help them to step outside of the day-to-day to gain perspective on what their brand means to consumers.

Difficulty can come with the inability to see the big picture in terms of relate-ability. Brand is so much more than a logo and a website showcasing a product or service. Brand is the true essence of the company; it should motivate all aspects of the business because it is what the company stands for.

By approaching “brand” as the core of the business, as the path to gaining a deeper connection to customers, constituents and employees, a loyal and lasting relationship can be born.

How is the Brandseeking process different from how most agencies approach branding?

At Soldier Design we have worked for years to develop a method that can assist companies in discovering their true brand. What we have found is that the hardest part of branding is to break away the layers of jargon and attempts at branding to expose the driving force of the business.

With the Brandseeking™ approach, we help management and everyone involved to overcome those obstacles. We look at the brand from a consumer perspective to focus on the elements that connect with the audience on a profound level. This allows us to help the company to rise above the sea of brands, go beyond simply understanding the aesthetics of brand to determine what drives all of its interdependencies.

Ultimately Soldier helps companies connect on an emotional level with their consumers. We utilize exercises for creating Brand Bonds that address mystery, intimacy, performance and trust. These elements lead us to arriving at what we call B.A.N.D.S. – Brands Achieving a Noble Disposition Successfully. With the B.A.N.D.S. perspective we can develop a direction for the company to move forward and fulfill a noble, honest, and trusting relationship with its consumers.

What is the role of the rank and file employees when it comes to brand? How should the company’s leaders engage them with the brand?

We help companies pull together a “brand counsel” that is responsible for maintaining and propelling the established brand and branding initiatives. This counsel is a great way to establish accountability within the organization because everyone must work together to push forward.

In terms of the rank and file employees it is imperative that they are represented in the brand counsel and feel accountability to the brand. The average Joes and Janes often can have greater clarity than executives deeply involved with specific aspects of the company, and that clarity offers an especially important perspective to the process which can also be important in driving the brand home to the consumer.

I love lists (Todd Andrlik)

November 26, 2008

A wise man on YouTube once said Americans love lists. According to that man…

“A lot of people on the net are saying they’re sick of lists. They say lists are a cheap ‘link bait tactic.’ Oh you don’t like lists, huh? How about these lists:

1. The Civil Rights Act
2. The Bill of Rights
3. The Constitution

“You know who else didn’t like lists? Joseph Stalin. We don’t need less lists. We need more lists. We need lists of lists. We need lists within lists. We lists of lists of lists within lists of lists with an index, which is a list. Lists are the zero emission, renewable energy source that fuels the USA.”

So, in support of lists, here is my List of Lists (That Smart Marketing Pros Should Bookmark):

1. Top 100 Tools for Learning 2008

2. 50 Websites You’ll Wonder How You Lived Without

3. Top 10 Social Media Tools for PR Pros and Journalists

4. 10 Successful Logo Redesigns

5. 35+ Examples of Corporate Social Media in Action

6. 50 of the Best Websites for Writers

7. 13 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing is Worth Your Time

8. 10 Tactics That Could Save Your Online Reputation

9. 25 Free Stock Photo Sites

10. 11 Habits of the Worst Boss I Ever Had

11. 59 Things You Should Be Doing But Probably Aren’t

12. Top 10 Business Applications for Facebook

Drew’s Note: Todd Andrlik should be on a list by himself! This smart marketer painstakingly created the Power 150 list long before AdAge heard about it and invited him to share it with their readers. He’s a community advocate and also a collector of rare and historic newspapers.

Todd blogs at ToddAnd.com and cheers for the mighty Cubs. But I love him any way!

Top 10 ways to bring holiday joy to your small business (Saul Colt)

November 21, 2008

Drew’s Note: As I try to do every Friday, I’m pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet another thought leader who shares his insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Saul Colt. Again. Enjoy!

The holidays will be here before we know it, which means it is time to show your appreciation for friends, family, and clients. During a down economy, it is even more important to keep clients happy and spread holiday joy. FreshBooks suggests the following 10 tips to help your small business survive and enjoy the holidays.

1. Bill Clients Early:
You can’t get paid till you send an invoice and at the end of the year people get caught up in all sorts of other activities…so send your invoices as soon as the work is done so it can be posted BEFORE the folks who sign the checks do something silly at the holiday party. Sure this is good advice for all year around but even more important at the end of the year..

2. Make Billing So Simple That an Elf Could Do it:
If you make bill paying difficult, check that, if you make anything difficult people will lose interest and put it aside and possibly forget about it. Think for a moment…when was the last time you made pancakes or macaroni and cheese from scratch and not a mix? Online invoicing makes sending your invoices like opening a box of pancake mix…simple, quick and satisfying!

3. Add a Holiday Greeting Message:
Show your customers that you are like Flava Flav, you know what time it is…OK maybe Flava Flav is a bad example but show your customers that you appreciate them. Send them a personal message on your invoices. It can be holiday related or just something to say "Thanks for a great year". Whatever you do decide to say just make sure you don’t miss this opportunity to do something nice for the people who support you.

4. Take Advantage of the Moment:
Year end time usually means some extra expenses. With gifts and other incidentals that creep up it is always good to have some extra money to help out. Best way to do this is to grab people (not literally) during the planning stages of a project…you know when most people are excited and tend to be more flexible. Use this opportunity to request a partial payment.

5. Use Online Recurring Invoices:
Holidays are supposed to me about spending time with family, doing things like watching "A Christmas Story." This would obviously take you away from your computer and your ability to send an invoice but you still need to get paid . By setting up an automated recurring billing in a service like FreshBooks you can "set it and forget it". Leaving you more time to do what you really want to be doing and still have the peace of mind that your invoices will still be delivered.

6. Automatic Late Payment Reminders:
Santa Claus (or whoever you think brings you presents) isn’t the only one who will be checking his list…checking it twice just to find out who is naughty or nice…Yep, you need to check your own lists to see who owes you money but calling at holiday time can make you look Grinch-like and possibly damage a good relationship; so set up an automated payment reminder .

7. Keep Employee Morale Up:
When I was a teenager my Dad once told me that money doesn’t buy happiness…that same day I bought a pretty girl lunch and she gave me a kiss proving him wrong. That has nothing to do with this point, I just figured I’d use this platform to tell that story. Oh wait it does fit…see I did something nice for that pretty girl and she rewarded me with something. Show your employees that you appreciate them and they may (figuratively) give you a kiss…or just be a little happier and work a little more efficiently and focused. This doesn’t mean throw a big splashy party. If all you can swing is something small then do something small but done nicely. Why not close for an afternoon and go see a movie together or have an impromptu company picnic. It’s the little things make a big difference.

8. Your Customers are Your Best Friends:
You can never have too many good friends because when times get tough you tend to stick with your friends and support them. Treat customers as you would treat your best friends and be genuine with them always show your appreciation. Small gestures such as sending hand-written thank you notes will not be forgotten and will show you wouldn’t be as happy without these friends being part of your business.

9. Nothing Wrong with Asking for Help:
Use the good feeling that the holidays bring to ask your customers to tell their friends how happy they are with your product or service. One of the best ways to acquire new business is to simply ask for it so go take a holiday leap of faith and ask for help from the people who know and like you.

10. Review Company Year-End Spending:
Do you really need those Chinchilla couches? Ok bad example…of course you do but I bet there are other things you could do without; so stop and take a look at your spending. Make sure you have a deep understanding of what your fixed costs are (office lease, employee salary and other overhead costs) and make sure you are making enough to cover that first before you go ahead and spend a bunch of money on some super awesome beads to hang from every doorway and a new bear skin rug…there is probably nothing wrong with the one you have now. This should be done every six months to maximize growth and to remain focused. Further keeping up with current trends will help your business better evaluate what needs to be spent on and what would be a waste of funds.

Saul Colt Saul likes to build stuff, but since he isn’t that handy he chooses to design and execute great marketing and word of mouth programs. Before joining FreshBooks as its Head of Magic he did a slew of interesting and notable things that would absolutely impress you but he is the kind of guy that throws every inch of himself into what he is currently doing so you won’t see him talking about the past in this bio. Saul is an accomplished speaker and has been doing so since 13 months old. When Saul is not working he can be found watching TV or playing spin the bottle.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

Make trade events deliver in 2009 (Cece Lee)

November 14, 2008

Drew’s Note: As I try to do every Friday, I’m pleased to bring you a guest post. Meet another thought leader who shares her insights via the blogosphere. So without further ado…Cece Lee. Again. Enjoy!

As companies prepare to reduce travel and marketing budgets, marketers will be seeking ways to get the most out of the physical events that they’re committed to in 2009. Physical events, such as product demonstrations, summits, conferences and trade shows, are an integral part of one’s lead generation efforts.

When you prepare to attend a conference or trade show in 2009, the goal is no longer to set-up your booth at a conference. It’s how do you create a PR strategy to fully take advantage of your time at that event? Public relations is a cost-effective way to promote your participation at any conference or trade show. When married with your in-person presence, you can make the most of your participation in 2009.

Here are three ways to maximize your participation:

Research speaking opportunities at the conference
Speaking at a conference is a great way to position yourself as a thought leader in your industry. While securing your exhibit space or sponsorship, ask about speaking opportunities – either as part of your participation or how to submit a topic for consideration.

In the case the conference has a speaker proposal process (a call for speakers or proposals), the key to securing a speaking opportunity depends on relevancy, timeliness and educational value of your proposal. Research key issues within your industry or consider inviting a customer to present with you at the conference. Also highlight the top three or five action items that attendees will learn from hearing your presentation.

After submitting the proposal for consideration, continue following up with the organizer to inquire about the status and get feedback about your proposal. Through these conversations, you may be able to amend your proposal accordingly or uncover additional opportunities that you were previously unaware of.

Unfortunately, organizers receive about 10 proposals for each speaking opportunity. While you proposal may not be accepted initially, don’t assume that concludes your efforts with the organizer.

Due to family emergencies, illness or urgent business meetings, speakers do cancel occasionally. Check in with the organizer about 1 month before the conference to inquire about cancellations. Or due to your conversations with the organizer, you may get a call the day before the conference to step in for a speaker!

Write and distribute a press release
An event based press release highlights the what, when and where of your participation. By posting the release on a free or paid newswire, you increase your online presence as a newswire can distribute your release to an average of 12 – 20 online websites.

Due to the distribution of the release, you also have to consider the search engine optimization impact of the release. Evaluate which keywords drive traffic to your website or are frequently search terms for your industry.

To increase the relevancy of your release in search engine searches, incorporate these 5-10 keywords in your press release. Furthermore, hyperlink key phrases to related pages on your website. Like keyword relevancy, search engines also look at the number of external links pointing to your website.

Besides posting the release on your website, the press release is also a great opportunity to connect with your customers or prospects. While they may not be able to attend in person, this provides an excellent way to stay top of mind when they are ready to purchase your solutions and services.

Connect with media and bloggers
While you’re inquiring about speaking opportunities, ask about previous or anticipated media attendees at the event. Since these reporters (I include bloggers as reporters) are taking time to attend the event, you know that they are interested in the event’s content.

In case the organizer doesn’t have a media list, then reach out to local media about the upcoming event or do a quick search on Alltop.com, a website that lists the top blogs on specific topics, to find a short list of bloggers writing on your industry.

Before contacting each reporter directly, first research what she has written on in the past. Does she look at products only or does she write trend pieces? She may have also included pointers on how to contact her such as likes and dislikes. By arming yourself with this information, you can send a targeted email introducing your company, why she would be interested in your company and invite her to meet at the conference.

While I don’t suggest attaching any press releases or photos, I do recommend including a link to a relevant press release or offer to provide photos to enhance the article visually.

Conclusion
I don’t believe that physical events will disappear as marketers reevaluate their budgets. Rather, it’s how can you do more with less. Public relations is an inexpensive way for you to get the most out of your event participation.

Cece Lee is the author of PR Meets Marketing blog and senior marketing communications manager with ON24. While not writing posts for her blog or working, Cece enjoy taking care of the newest addition to the family – Snowy, a white goffin. Note: The thoughts expressed in this posting are not representative of ON24 and are personal views of the author.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

How to get the most from your podcast (Isobella Jade)

October 31, 2008

Image via Wikipedia

Podcasting isn’t just for those with pursuits to be the next Howard Stern; podcasting is also a marketing tool for your business. Even if that business is yourself.

The question is: Are you getting all that you can out of your podcast?

Podcasting is a tech savvy way to speak to your customers and build awareness of your brand and self. But, is anyone listening to your podcast? Having a podcast isn’t enough; you need to market it the right ways. Here are some tips on how to get more out of your podcast by cross market on the web to build awareness and maybe even make a couple bucks too.

Podcast for Credibility. Podcasting isn’t just a trendy ‘add on’ for your blog or website, it is a serious way to gain credibility for your business. Whether you are talking for fifteen minutes a week about marketing trends, or speaking about the latest in the beauty world for an hour each day, speaking on a podcast is to build an archive of your own expertise and get credit for it within an audio format. Having a podcast can be leverage for other speaking engagements, entrance to events, and of course to promote your own services, company or product. Whether your business is one person or a huge corporation, podcasting makes you, and your image, showcased as an expert on what you know and what you can offer.

Let Search Engines do the Work for you. Be discovered. Many of my podcast downloads come from new listeners. People who are searching on Google and find me. With this in mind, be marketing conscious when titling your podcast segments. Name each show topic something that has to do with the interest of your potential listeners. Ask yourself what do your listeners Google? Your goal is to get your podcast to appear when they are searching on the web. My podcast is about modeling, so I try to base my shows on topics that would interest an aspiring model or those in the entertainment business, such as "How to Get a Modeling Agency No Matter Your Height." Or " How to Find a Quality Photographer for Free." You want your show title to be Google effective and show up when people are searching for terms that relate.

Be Even More Friendly with Google. Better Google ratings can mean more listeners and more downloads. If your show is about "green living" then research on Google what appears when "green living" related search words appear, try "green beauty", "green fashion" and " green condoms" and see what comes up. It will help you shape the content that you share on your podcast so that your listeners will find you. Choose the guests that you interview more carefully, if you know what people are researching on the web then interview people about topics that would appeal to your potential audience’s interests. Include your guests name in the segment title with the topic subject. Just watch, in a matter of seconds, when your guest is Googled your podcast will be found too.

Marketing today is Business Tomorrow. Podcasting is not just for the now; it is for the later too. Your podcast feed will be carried over the internet, so remember it isn’t just about the listeners you have live, it is also about getting listeners after your show too. To get more downloads why not try to get your podcast placed on other blogs, websites, and social sites that related to the topic of your podcast as well. When their blog gets a download or hit, so does your podcast.

Cross Market and Build Your Brand. Myspace, and Facebook, Twitter might seem like a teenager’s hobby but it isn’t. It is business. Place your current podcast feeds on a social site, and before upcoming shows send an invite out, this will lead listeners to your website, to your blogs and to your product and back again. I let my books, my blogs, my podcast, video blogs, and my t-shirts all connect and mesh together on the web. Each social media tool crosses and entwines into the next.

Get your own buzz. When I was featured in the New York Times my podcast received over 10,000 downloads that week. The idea is to keep your downloads as high as possible so that you can make some ad revenue. Sometimes that can mean cross marketing and even getting press on your radio show. The topic of your show could be included in a newspaper story based on that topic. Think inventively and think about promoting your podcast in all areas,-print-web- even on other podcasts. You could be a guest on someone else’s radio show talking about what you know and your own podcast. It is best to write a press release about your podcast to pitch. Then you should start researching reporters and editors who write about the topics involved on your podcast segments. Whether your podcast is about cooking, pregnancy, sexy lingerie news, or eco-friendly fashion, there is a reporter, editor, blogger, or another person podcasting out there, who might want to include you within their next project too.

Make some extra cash while you’re at it. Once you have an audience, and get a decent amount of downloads per week and month. Use the amount of downloads your podcast receives as an Advertising incentive. You can approach brands, and companies that relate to the topic of your podcast, who might want to expand their marketing to radio. If you are planning to get your own advertisers, set it up with a manageable system, such as $40 per 1000 downloads.

See, without leaving your computer, you can market your podcast and build your brand.

Isobella Jade has one of the top shows on Blogtalkradio.com and speaks weekly about the modeling business. Ms. Jade is an author of Almost 5’4" due from an imprint of HarperCollins, The Friday Project in April 2009. Isobella produces and hosts beauty video tips on AOL‘s Stylelist.com. She can be found on over 30 pages of Google, or at her website: www.isobelladreams.com

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

Do’s and Don’ts of Video (Benjamin Wayne)

October 24, 2008

The YouTube craze doesn’t just apply to consumers anymore. Video is rapidly becoming an essential feature on Web sites. Web video is particularly important for small and mid-sized businesses as they represent the largest percentage of online businesses in the US.

But, before a small or mid-size business can successfully dive into the deep end of the video pool, there are a few dos and don’ts to consider:

DO get your message out there
Just creating a video isn’t enough. You want people to find your videos, and through your videos, your site. Submitting videos to search engines is one way to help prospective viewers find you. A simple email button on your video player, or better yet, easy functionality that lets your loyal visitors re-post your videos on their blogs, Facebook page, or family website helps spread your message and your brand, attracting audiences and buyers to whom you would never otherwise get access.

DON’T only rely on YouTube
By using YouTube, you could be driving traffic away from your site if you don’t embed the video’s code. What’s more, the quality of free players can be somewhat poor, and they will not submit your video to search engines, which helps potential buyers find your goods and services.

DO showcase the quality of your brand
Fuzzy, poor-quality video communicates a negative user experience and reflects poorly on your brand. To avoid this, find a video service provider who can ensure razor-sharp video and a player that uniquely reflects your brand. It’s cheaper than you think and the results make all the difference.

DON’T shoot video like an amateur
Almost every digital camera today has an option that allows the user to shoot short videos. Remember to keep the camera steady, shoot in locations with lots of available light, and to move slowly when panning from side to side. Avoid zooming, and instead make sure to fill the frame with the image.

DO turn your visitors into contributors
Visitors to your site are passionate about your subject. Let them help you sell your online experience. A simple uploader can allow any visitor to contribute videos to your site. Those videos can become a gallery that creates more immersive experience and more page views, or become video testimonials that drive conversion and revenue.

Travelblog.org is one example of this DO in action. Travelblog.org has given its members the ability to easily upload daily videos of their travels abroad, sharing their experiences with other travel aficionados in near real-time. This service has been enthusiastically received by travelblog’s members, resulting in increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.

DON’T hide your video
As with any content, make sure your video is clearly labeled and placed on your home page, as this will tend to attract a lot of attention from your site visitors. A video gallery page gives users the opportunity to browse through multiple videos at a time, and some vendors can help you with sharing functionality that allows buyers to email videos to one another.

DO take as few steps as possible when implementing a solution
White-label video solutions have come a long way today in aiding the business owner in implementing a complete package. Take the time to research video service providers to ensure that they have everything it takes to roll out a robust and easy to use solution; uploading, encoding, storage, and high quality playback in a plug and play manner.

DON’T bog your small engineering team down
Your engineer’s priority queue is often overwhelming. Don’t give them yet another project that will cannibalize your project roadmap with a high-touch solution. A straightforward solution that a junior-level web master can implement in days rather than months will keep your engineers focused on other projects.

Benjamin Wayne is the President and CEO of Fliqz. Prior to Fliqz, Benjamin was President & CEO of Collabrys, a leading provider of outsourced customer acquisition and retention solutions for Global 1000 corporations, including Bank of America, Capital One, Visa, Estee Lauder, Clorox, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Target, New York Life Insurance, and Prudential. Collabrys was acquired by E-Centives in 2004.

Every Friday is “grab the mic” day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

Your URL is W-R-O-N-G! (Steve Olenski)

October 10, 2008

Welcome to my first guest post. Have a seat. Please make yourself comfortable. If you’re anything like me, your attention span is as short as… where was I again? You get the point, and now let’s get to my point.

For my initial Guest Blogging foray, I want to talk about something that burns my branding britches.

Everyone and their mother and their mother’s mother knows that having an effective website is vital in ensuring success for any company. Yet for all the bells, for all the whistles and for all the groovy Flash intros – many companies have forgotten one minor detail: If your potential customer cannot find your website, what’s the point?!

Case in point: Driving home the other day when a radio spot comes on for a local home remodeling company. The spot sounds great; the VO is good, the music, the script is fine… that is until they get to the part where the URL is referenced.

This establishment in question has a very ethnic sounding name (lots of vowels and syllables), which is fine in and of itself. Hey, you own a business and want to put your name to it, go for it, that’s why we live in America.

But just because your name is on the door it does not mean it should be in your URL! I heard the URL referenced three different times in the spot, which from a marketing/branding standpoint is good. However, if I were to try to type the URL in, I would fail miserably and eventually give up.

If you asked me right after the spot was over what the URL was I would have said something to the effect of "For information, log onto BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH dot com."

It’s a shame too because the spot was very well done from a production standpoint; kept my attention (no small feat) and I was at the very least curious to learn more.

So what’s the lesson here? Easy. Unless your last name is Smith, Jones or some other household name, resist the urge to put your phonetically challenged name in your company’s URL!

Instead, get creative and come up an easily remembered AND easily recalled URL. In this instance, something such as HomeRemodelForYou.com or even something like CustomRemodelDoneRight.com would have been much better.

Steve Olenski was born and raised in the City of Brotherly Love. He is a Sr. Writer at a major East Coast ad agency, well versed in all mediums: TV, Radio, Print, Direct Mail, cereal boxes. He’s a huge sports fan who has never thrown snowballs at Santa nor booed him. He’s been married since 1992 (best 8 years of his life as he puts it) and has two children, one dog and a goldfish. He blogs at Inside the Eagles, but don’t let the name fool you. He writes about much more than his beloved Iggles. His online portfolio is also available for viewing.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

5 easy steps to start going green (Anita Revzani)

October 3, 2008

It is fairly easy for a business to make a declaration of environmentally-friendly practices and call itself green . But consumers are now leading the green revolution and they are quick to call businesses that do not practice what they preach.

Green or not your business should operate in the most eco-friendly manner possible. But you don’t have to make drastic changes all at once. Most business have been operating a certain way for many years, hence they can make changes at a relatively slow pace. This also allows them to learn about sustainability one practice at the time.

Here are 5 easy steps you can take to start:

1. Recycle. You can pay a little extra to the waste management company handling in order to ensure everything possible is recycled, but this is a justifiable expense…especially if you are going to make the claim that you are a green business. Instead of throwing things away after the first use you may be able to reuse them in a different capacity. If you find a particularly innovative way to reuse something you may be able to share it when highlighting your green efforts.

2. Reduce resource consumption. Find ways to scale back on the resources you use to run your business by printing less and using online collaborative tools , turning off computers at the end of the day etc….. Not only will you save money, but make your business more environmentally friendly. At my company, Bizcard we use recycled paper when producing business cards and other print marketing materials.

3. Buy green. Make sure that the supplies you use for your business are as green as possible. At Bizcard, we buy our supplies from Green certified companies. By supporting each other, we become stronger and easily influence more businesses. Besides your production supplies, you can take a look at what you consume on a day-to-day basis see BuyGreen.

4. Pledge. Unless you are specific in your efforts to be an environmentally-friendly business, your customers may not be clear on what exactly makes you green. A pledge or mission statement about your green efforts spells out what steps you’re taking and what you hope to accomplish with regards to making the world a better place.

Find an environmental cause that you personally believe in and that complements your business and then make regular contributions to the cause. You might even encourage your customers to contribute to the same cause. By creating an affiliation with green organizations you’re conveying an image of unity among environmentally-conscious companies. This may also result in referrals from these companies, resulting in more customers.

5. Engage employees. Don’t just advertise your green intentions without actually explaining them to your employees. You can ask everyone on staff to participate in your efforts to become greener and set up staff outings to do some volunteer work to benefit the environment. Upload photos or recorded videos images of employees cleaning up a local park or volunteering at a community garden on a gallery on your website. This will encourage other companies to do the same.

Every business should take several steps toward sustainability but you do not have to make changes drastic changes in the beginning. You’ll be pleased to find, however, that most of the changes you make in order to make your business green will actually increase your profitability exponentially.

Anita Revzani is the co-founder and President of Bizcard, a print solutions company. Anita’s past experience includes running operations for the ABC Group and helped to create $4 million dollars in annual revenue. Prior to the ABC Group she worked at American Express where she managed key national accounts including high-end brands like Gucci, Neiman Marcus ,Lord & Taylor, and America West Airlines while they were in chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Every Friday is "grab the mic" day. Want to grab the mic and be a guest blogger on Drew’s Marketing Minute? Shoot me an e-mail.

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