You've Got Mail

So I've been spending some time recently focusing on my own business, work challenges and goals. I definitely need to do more of this but frankly it feels like there are barely enough hours in the day to tend to all my client work, and I always put that first.

As I evaluate the heart of what I like to do and what I do most of, I'm realizing that it's very much the same type of work I was doing for $3.12/hour in college at my part time job and even similar to what I did for free in high school... creating newsletters.

Now at good old Hinsdale Central HS, we called our bi-weekly masterpiece a "newsmagazine" and these days what I do is called email marketing, but labeling aside, the work I enjoy most is creating a blend of news, human interest and interesting information... designed to make the reader pause and ponder.

I attempted just to do just that in my own newsletter this week... here's a link to it. Enjoy!

How I Did It

#114529569 / gettyimages.com

One of my favorite online columns is a regular feature on Maria Shriver's website. It's called "How I Did It."

Reading these stories from women business owners, both large and small is very inspirational. A few of the articles have even spurred me to take action (like directly contacting the author to network/discuss business opportunities) and they definitely help me reaffirm my in-progress work philosophy of "do what you love & be sure you like who you're doing it with."

A re-occurring theme that I see again and again is the integration of our work lives and personal lives. Technology has made this inevitable over the last few years (much to some people's dismay) but I've really been doing it for more than ten, with one year-and-a-half break in time when I worked for a very large company.

I'm definitely back in the integration mode now. I have clients who are friends, neighbors and acquaintances. I also have "strictly business" clients, but I strive to get to know them a little on a personal level as we work together on creative communication efforts and I let them get to know me too. It brings so much more respect and texture to a business relationship. 

I've decided very definitively over the last year to only work for and with people I admire and those who have the respect of the key people around them. I know this may seem like a luxury, but it's one I hope I can retain throughout my work life.

In this week's "How I Did It" one of the things Jessica Herrin, Founder & CEO of Stella & Dot says about her management style is this,

"If you don't allow people to live their best life they'll opt out, and you'll lose their talent for good."

I really love this business philosophy. I know firsthand how powerful and effective it can be when it's truly followed by management in today's 24/7 accessible world. People will work hard for you, even during their "personal time," if you give them true flexibility and respect, not just lip service.

If you want to work for yourself, make a job change or gain a different perspective on how to run your business, take a few minutes to read some of the "How I Did It" pieces.

If you follow Maria Shriver on Facebook, they are linked to on a regular basis.

Time for me to get back to more work for clients I really like working for. Yes!

"This Call Will Be Recorded..."

"This call will be recorded for quality assurance." How many times have you heard that before? I'll tell you I've heard it more than I'd like to remember. Normally when you're hearing that recording you’ve just been on endless hold and the reason you're calling is likely not a pleasant one. You’re either trying to make a payment, bring a cost down, dispute a charge or get something fixed. 

A run-in I had this week with a phone customer service person was so excruciating, so endless, looping and stupid, it got me thinking... does anyone really listen to those recordings? Ever? One clever colleague of mine reported recently on Facebook she was working to get her cable costs down. She told the tale of how she actually challenged the company to listen to the recordings from her calls on 2 different dates when she received 2 conflicting price quotes for the same exact service. She had taken copious notes and told them—“go back and listen to the tapes!” They never did, but they did give her the lower price she was originally provided. Too bad she had to go through that hassle. But unfortunately I believe we’re now all used to situations like that which happen frequently and tend to give “customer service” a bad rap.

The concept of “listening to the tapes” is probably a good one for business owners to think about. Listen to the tapes. Listen to the recording. Really listen. Are your customers being serviced the way you intended when you first started your business? Do you really hear what your valued employee is saying when they mention a problem or concern that's happening internally or externally? Have you actually "quality assured" your company's work recently? If not, then now’s the time to go for it because quality breeds quality. If everything your company does is looked at the through the lens of highest quality, I can assure you you'll attract the best, most loyal clients and the highest caliber talent to work for you. I bet you'll also be fulfilling a promise you made to yourself and everyone you knew when your company was its early stages…providing the highest quality workplace, product or service.

Riding The Social Media Wave - Business Blogging

#148042063 / gettyimages.com

I certainly can’t call myself one of the first surfers, but I've been riding the wave of social media for a few years now. I have a funny memory from 2008 of sitting in on a “Facebook 101” conference call with my colleagues and afterwards asking my college-aged nanny, “Why in the world would anyone want to be on this Facebook-thing?  Checking something else besides email? Who has the time?”

Obviously, at that point I didn't understand the phenomenon social media was becoming, nor the idea that businesses and nearly a billion people worldwide would become regular users and content creators. (Granted some of that “creation” is horrible—people, please stop with the “bet you can’t name a movie that doesn't have the letter e in it” posts!)

Not on Board Yet?
But there are still many business owners who are not yet on board with social media. Maybe they don’t believe it will bring in a return on their investment, they don’t have time to manage the effort themselves and perhaps they’re overwhelmed by the sheer number of channels and changes. I’m in the marketing and media business and I’m overwhelmed sometimes.

Another reason why business owners may not believe in the power of social is because they aren't active participants themselves. Business owners are human and have their own feelings about how public or private they want their world to be. But just because one doesn't personally Tweet, Link-in, blog or post doesn't mean these things shouldn't be happening on behalf of your business.

First Step – A Business Blog
Where to begin?  A first great step is with a business blog. I know the word “blog” makes some people smirk not just because the word is a little funny but because many people associate it with journaling. But a business blog can generate leads, eventual sales and is a key building block to your company’s social strategy. It’s like a newsletter on steroids-- wider circulation, more flexibility, huge sharing potential and less cost. Note I say less cost, not NO cost because it does take someone’s on-going time and effort to create a strong editorial calendar and compelling content. Need more convincing?

Blogging Brings Focus
When you create a 6-month or annual blogging calendar, it automatically gives you the opportunity to focus in on issues that are vitally important to your business. These blog entries will be of interest to potential customers and allow you to showcase your thought leadership with employees, business partners and hiring prospects.

Blogging Helps Search Engine Marketing Ranking
Google and other search engines use complex algorithms to serve up what they deem the most relevant content to their users. Every time you add an entry you’re adding new ideas and stories that were not on your site previously. Fresh content has become even more important because Google recently modified their algorithm to push new content to the top of rankings for many searches. Better search rankings, better chance your potential customer contacts your business instead of your competitor.
Blogging Shows You Are the Authority
Customers and potential customers want to buy from a company that is the authority in the field.  By posting regular blogs, you show them that you are up to date, innovative and thoughtful.

Blogging Helps Showcase Partnerships
Blogging allows you to link internally within your own website and externally to other sites. Links are a major way to increase your ranking on search engines. Linking to partner companies is also a great way to build business relationships and loyalty plus it provides you with the chance to ask that company/partner to reciprocate.

Now You Have Something to Put “Out There”
Once you have built a library of blogs you have created that magic marketing buzzword, “content.” And as long as you keep on blogging, you will always have content to put out there on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Asking potential customers to subscribe to your blog also gives you the opportunity to have an on-going contact with your customers.

If you’re a business owner ready to get started and need some guidance, contact me and let’s make a plan. Also, for some great marketing tips for small business owners, follow this blog "The Boss" at the NYTimes.

Get Your Company Truly LinkedIn!

As I work to refine the services I can provide to small and medium-sized business owners, I have discovered that there are some basic marketing/social networking projects that I can tackle for busy business people.  One of these is the creation of a company's LinkedIn business page.  

LinkedIn is the #1 B2B network and building this profile out provides an excellent opportunity for a company to continue to expand its B2B presence, share compelling news with potential partners as well as increase an organization's reputation when in hiring mode. 

Below are 10 steps NJK, Inc. recommends to create a great LinkedIn Company Page that will motivate people to click the “follow” button and become more engaged/aware about your company's service or product offerings.  NJK, Inc. can manage this project initially to ensure it is completed quickly and serves as a new (free) outlet to syndicate corporate news releases in the future.

1. Write a compelling summary

2. Add products and services

3. Make sure your most important service is listed first

4. Capture attention with a compelling cover image

5. Add career/hiring information

6. Ask employees to connect with your page

7. Ask for product and service reviews from current customers 

8. Publish company updates to make the Page look useful

9. Promote your LinkedIn Company Page – add it to current website and to all company correspondence (including email signatures)

10. Use featured updates to highlight important content (LinkedIn feature that puts your most important story up top)

11. Use targeted updates to promote more effectively (this is a feature in LinkedIN that allows you to promote by audience segment-i.e. customer type, employees, etc.).

This project would cost approximately $250-$500 based on depth and breadth of content.  If this is something you might be interested in, let's connect and talk about the project!