marketingspeakerauthor

Can You Do Too Much Marketing?

2012-01-27T09:48:00.000-05:00

Are you tired of the ads, direct mail and phone calls fromthe political candidates yet? Sometimes it feels like the elections never stop;we just roll from one right into the next. At what point do viewers simply tuneout the message?

Major political campaigns are big business. The candidatesare marketing themselves to the voters, and they spend a big chunk of changedoing it. Those candidates without deep pockets must get creative, takingadvantage of free press through debates, town hall meetings and the creativeuse of social media. Candidates with more money rely heavily on TV and radioads in the major markets, hire services to call voters to encourage them to getout on election day, send direct mail, etc., etc., etc.

If we add to this money spent by special interest groups andSuper PACs in support of their candidates (just under half a billion dollars in2011[i]),marketing essentially becomes a free-for-all. And because these groups aren’tdirectly linked to the candidates, the ads and approach can be down anddirty—in some cases influencing viewers and in others causing them to tune outall political ads.

Statistics are out on the amount of money spent on TV ads byeach Republican candidate leading up to Saturday’s South Carolina primary. Acombined total of $13.2 million was spent on TV ads alone, with Mitt Romneyshelling out $4.7 million, Newt Gingrich spending $2.4 million and RickSantorum $1.7 million[ii].Yet, spending more than the second and third place finishers combined on TV adsdid not guarantee Romney a win.

A political consultant referenced in The Charlotte Observer article(see end note below) believes that there were so many ads being shown that theysimply lost effectiveness. Is this a case of too much marketing? And what doyou risk if your competitor has a huge presence and you don’t?

One of the basic tenets of marketing is to know youraudience and reach them via the channels they use. This is morethan TV and radio, it includes online options and social media. Candidates arestill figuring out how best to connect on these channels. When the competitionis fierce, however, it’s important to see if you can find creative options toreach your viewers and catch their attention. One opportunity is to make sureyour ads are not “typical fare” – make them stand out from the competition. Extremelytough—especially in a political campaign—but sometimes your best option to makemarketing work for you. We’d love to hear your thoughts on how you would marketyourself if you were running for office. Comment below and let us know!

[i] http://www.tvb.org/planning_buying/Political/251654

[ii] The Charlotte Observer, “TV ads didn’tpay off in S.C.,” 1/24/12

Foundations

2012-01-13T16:05:00.001-05:00

I was watching a home improvement show last week. The newowners discovered after buying the house that, while the house looked great,some interior walls had been removed to open the space up. Unfortunately, theperson who removed the walls had no understanding of structural requirementsand a load-bearing wall was taken out, leaving the house and its occupants atrisk of harm. This got me thinking about the foundations on which we build.

When you build a business – or a career for that matter –you cannot succeed without a solid foundation. There are certain core buildingblocks that are necessary and without them you will likely fail. Consider thefollowing questions:

Why does your firm orbusiness exist? What value will you provide to your customers? Considerformalizing a vision, mission and goals.

Who is your primary& secondary target customer? Your product or service will not be amatch for every potential consumer. Defining your target will make it easierand less expensive to market.

Do you have a uniquesales proposition (USP)? What makes you different from the competition? Youmust know the answer to this question in order to effectively market yourself.

What does your budgetlook like? Yup, it’s reality check time. Everyone has budget limits theymust adhere to. Know yours and look for the most effective ways to spend yourmoney.

Do you have thesupport you need? Support can come from many directions. You may need helpwith specific business skills (i.e., a tax accountant or IT professional) ormoral support from family and friends. Build your support network as you go.

Setting up a solid foundation may take some time, but in thelong run this effort is necessary and well worth it. We’d love to hear howyou’ve built your foundation. E-mail us at cs@vitalinkweb.com.

Fightin' It Off

2012-01-09T14:35:00.000-05:00

I don’t know about you, but it seems like everyone I’ve spoken to over the past two weeks got sick over the holidays. It used to be that you called in sick and stayed home until you were well. With the introduction of new technologies that have us “linked” and accessible 24x7 and the current economy leaving employees insecure about their jobs, we tend to work through any illness that doesn’t land us in the hospital! We’d love to hear what you do when you are sick. Do you:
The good news is that many employers are okay with folks working remotely, so at least the germs aren’t shared at the office. From my point of view, I encourage anyone who works at a restaurant I may frequent to PLEASE stay home when you are ill! If you have other ideas on the best way for employers and workers to deal with cold and flu season, please share them! Aaaachooo!!! And get well soon.

Babies, Cats & Dogs...

2011-12-12T13:42:00.002-05:00

Have you ever noticed how many businesses sell theirproducts using cute pictures of babies, cats or dogs? While little scientificresearch has been done to determine exactly how and to what degree these imagesinfluence our purchasing behavior, these images do catch the attention of mostviewers – a good thing when you have only seconds to grab the prospectivebuyer’s attention.

Some other ways to grab attention:

Whether you’re writing a book, article, e-mailor social media post, a catchy headlinewill encourage readers to stop and look at what you have written. Note that theheadline must be related to what you have written; if it’s totally off-topic,the viewer may open the e-mail this time but may discount future e-mails fromyou or unsubscribe.
Your business (or individual) personality should shine throughwhatever you do.
Make your posts timely. Value is lost if the discussion becomes “so yesterday.”
Keep your content brief. Everyone is busy and if your content is too long, it’signored.
Use interestingphotos. If you are posting on Facebook, don’t just post a singlephoto. Add at least three to an album and comment on the photos for morefollower interest.
Includestatistics or numbers (“…90% of people surveyed say our hot sauce is thebest they’ve ever had!”).
Use humor,if it’s appropriate for your product or service. Don’t try this if yourbusiness provides funeral services!
Another option is video. Provide short, educational or informative piecesviewers will be likely to share with friends and associates.
Use client testimonials. Real people talking about the benefits they received canbe persuasive.
Musiccan also catch attention. Match the music to your product or service.
Trysomething different. Have you ever looked up at the TV when the chatterstops to see a commercial with only moving pictures or text across the screen?

Finding new ways to catch the attention of prospects is anongoing challenge and you may need to test various approaches to find out whichis the most successful for your business. You’ll also want to monitor theresults over time and adjust your approach as your audience changes or grows. Wantto learn more? Send us an email at cs@vitalinkweb.com.

Employee Information Exchange

2011-12-05T13:10:00.001-05:00

Many businesses pay for their staff members to attend seminars and conferences with the understanding that they will learn professional skills they can apply on the job. What most businesses do not do is encourage those staff members to share what they have learned with their co-workers and others.

Websites, shared document portals, social media and other tools allow all of us to easily disseminate information. But many times conference attendees return to work only to be overwhelmed playing catch up. Why not permit that employee to take some time upon his or her return to publish some high level notes that others might find valuable and save them on a shared document portal? Or, better yet, arrange a “lunch and learn” style presentation for the conference-goer to share some of what they learned.

Do you have an internal method or knowledgebase for employees to share information? Or maybe you’ve got a closed employee-only Facebook group or a blog that requires a login? Encourage employees to share what they have learned here, as well. Set some overall structure (for example, all information must be dated and placed into high level categories or have post tags applied to make searching easy) and basic rules (i.e., the information must have value, not a forum for complaints, must be verified when appropriate, etc.). Over time as the information base builds, employees will become used to adding new information and searching the site for answers to their questions.

Even better news with this type of knowledge-sharing: those folks in your company who are responsible for creating content will have a great source of new ideas for their future web content, blog posts, social media updates and more! Encourage sharing…you’ll be glad you did.

We Did It Together!

2011-12-01T15:59:00.001-05:00

The second annual vitalink coats & blankets drive has officially wrapped up, and we're happy to say we collected more coats, blankets and financial donations than last year. The total number of cold weather items donated was 390 and we collected $725 in cash to benefit the Raleigh Rescue Mission. Way to go, team! Our partners were a big part of the drive. A huge thank you to our 2011 partners:

We hope you all tune in next year for the 2012 vitalink coats & blankets drive. Have a warm and happy holiday!

While We Were Sleeping©

2011-11-21T14:02:00.001-05:00

By Guest Blogger Jeff Nischwitz, Think Again!™ Coaching

For years businesseshave been searching for what we considered to be the holy grail in business …satisfied clients, and mountains of information, hundreds of books, andthousands of hours of videos have been dedicated to providing the ideas,tactics and strategies for achieving this objective. While all of these ideas are worthwhile, theproblem is that while we were sleeping thetarget moved. Satisfied clients (or even clients that like us and our work) areno longer good enough; and perhaps were never good enough. In today’s businessenvironment the only “good” client, is a client that loves us and our productsor services. Today’s business truth is that if we only have satisfied clientsor clients that merely like us, then we’re losing the game.

“In the beginning” (of businessthought) the concept of creating satisfied clients made sense because the barwas artificially low due to limited competition, which allowed for easierdifferentiation. As a result, businesses could just do the bare minimum (andachieve satisfied clients) and rely upon their other differentiators to createand sustain their revenue models. But as competition improved and increased,the prior differentiators became less and less real or valuable. We all startedlooking alike, which meant that merely satisfying a client was not enough todifferentiate our business or to provide a strong foundation for sustainability(let alone growth).

What’s “wrong” with merely satisfiedclients? First, satisfied clients “fire” us (often without warning) and leaveus wondering “what did we do wrong?” In truth, we often didn’t do anything“wrong,” but we did fail to understand their needs and deliver the type ofvalue and experience that makes us memorable and indispensable. The problem isthat because these clients are only satisfied, they are likely to move to one ofyour competitors who happen along with a better price or which talks about agreat client experience. In fact, it’s often the case that merely satisfiedclients leave us, while clients that are unhappy or even dissatisfied choose tostay and make our lives miserable, distracting us from our good clients.

Second,satisfied clients are silent – they don’t talk about us with anyone. While wecould fashion a story that makes this sound not too bad (after all, it could beworse – they could be proactively complaining about us), a silent client is ahurtful client. This is especially true when they’re silent (or neutral) whenour business or our industry comes up in a conversation. Imagine that a groupof business owners are talking at a business event and you or your businesscomes up in the conversation. The good news is that one of our existing clientsis a part of this conversation. The bad news is that this client is onlysatisfied and responds with a neutral and non-committal statement (e.g.,“They’re okay,” “They’re pretty good,” “They do a nice job,” etc.) While notnegative, these neutral (at best) comments are the kiss of death for ourbusiness because not only was the opportunity lost to have a raving fanendorsing you in the conversation, but the neutral response is heard by mostpeople as a quiet complaint.

Being“okay” is not good enough and certainly will not differentiate you or yourbusiness. Instead, we must commit ourselves and our teams (in words andactions) to delivering a client experience and exceeding expectations so thatour clients actually love us and are “Wowed” by us (which is usually more aboutthe experience than our actual products and services). Clients that love uswill pay for our value (often significantly more than the price they could getwith our competitors). Clients that love us will talk about us (when asked andespecially when not asked) and endorse us to other potential clients. What wecall Raving Fans! Clients that love us will also usually stick with us evenwhen we make a mistake or drop the ball because their prior experience (thatcreated the “love”) built up a reserve of good will with the client. Mostimportant, clients that love us will help us grow our business beyond survivingto thriving.

Thebar has been raised on the client experience and whether spoken or not, ourclients and potential clients are making it clear that they expect to be morethan just satisfied. While the bar has been raised by clients, we must continueto raise our own internal bars so that we continue to focus our efforts, energyand tactics on wowing clients and building the “love.” Like so many aspects of business life in ourculture, the game and the rules have changed and we must change as well.Otherwise, we’ll all wake up to find that our clients and our business havedisappeared … while we were sleeping.

Jeff Nischwitz is a speaker with The Expert Speakers. He can be reached at jeff@thinkagaincoaching.com.

Mission MidTown Postscript

2011-11-14T10:10:00.001-05:00

From Guest Blogger Doug Austin of WKIX AM-FM after the Raleigh Rescue Mission Radiothon on November 10, 2011.

I don't know why I woke up at 2 in the morning and hadto send you this email....but I know I did.

I don't know if my feet have ever hurt this bad after standing for 16 hours onconcrete...but I smile when I think about why they do.

I don't know if any number of variables could have changedthe success of yesterday Radiothon...but I know I could not be more proud ofeach of your efforts to pull off what we did.

I don't know know if this group will get a chance to do thisagain, to change a life....but I know I hope we can.

I don't know if the crazy world we live in, that we see,hear and read about daily will ever settle down...but I know I came hometo a loving Family, a warm bed, and a safe place many will not tonight.

I know we did some good for some needy folks, I know we madea difference, I know I'm lucky to be surrounded by people with good hearts thatworked very hard, without complaining, and came together with a common goal inmind.

I know that any sacrifice anyone of us made was well worthit when my little girl tucked ME in to bed and read me a story and asked whyDaddy had to work so late - and I said that I was helping the homeless, and shesaid "well,. that's good"

I know at times as we put this together I felt like the"Our Gang" kids from old TV "puttin' on a show" in thebackyard, and I know that all of us together are stronger than any us ofindividually and we built a team.

From Leslie at Raleigh Rescue Mission.....

Just to give you an idea of what you all helpedaccomplish today…we raised enough money to provide 871 meals, or to lookat it another way, we raised enough to provide 69 days of life changingcare to an individual.

I know I'm a better person for it, and I know I couldn'thave done any of it with you.....Thanks.

Humbly Yours~

Doug

Planning for 2012

2011-11-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

November 1. Every year I intend to spend time at thebeginning of third quarter planning for the next year. And every year when Iflip the calendar from October to November, I recognize that, yet again, I ambehind in giving serious thought to what must be done the following year toensure success. Now, I do push my clients to plan early, but somehow I alwaysend up behind!

When you own a business, it’s really hard to take a full day(or more) away from operations, so here is my plan:

I am setting aside one afternoon withoutinterruption to brainstorm about next year. Some of the questions I’ll ask:

a. How successful were we at meeting last year’sgoals?

b. Where do we want the firm to go in 2012 (and 2-3years beyond)?

c. Have we integrated our message across allplatforms well?

d. Have we taken advantage of new marketing meansand the tried and true?

e. Do we have the right resources to get there?

f. What can we do differently to help us succeed?

g. Are we meeting the needs of our clients?

h. Have things changed within the firm where weneed a brand review (or do you have a brand image and message)?

i. Without consideration to budget, what would Ido?

After mulling the answers to the above questionsover, I’ll dedicate a second session to laying out a high level plan.
Session three will have to include the budget.Love brainstorming, but not so much the budget process…
The fourth and final session will be a moredetailed planning session based on those pesky budget numbers and key benchmarkgoals.

Last but not least will be the old company meeting where wetalk through next year’s plan and how the team can meet our goals. It’s a bigtask, but breaking it into manageable chunks works every time. Do you have aprocess you follow to do your annual plan? I’d love to hear what works for youand what doesn’t!

Our Partners are HOT!

2011-11-03T12:37:00.000-04:00

Or maybe warm. At least, that’s the goal of the secondannual vitalink® coats & blankets drive, where we and our partners will be collectingcoats, blankets and cold weather gear to keep the Triangle homeless and poorwarm this winter. The drive benefits Raleigh Rescue Mission.

We’d like thank our partners for their involvement and commitmentto this great cause. They are:

Items we needinclude: winter coats, blankets, hats, gloves, grocery or discount gift cards(Sam’s, BJ’s, Wal-mart) and financial donations. If you would like to donate,we are accepting items at our office at 4900 Falls of Neuse Rd, Suite 115 in Raleighfrom 8:30-5pm business days from November 1 through November 18. If youcan’t get to our offices, our partners are also accepting donations at theirlocations. Click on the partner name to access their website and locationinformation.

Questions? Pleasegive us a call to learn more at 919.850.0605 or e-mail Mary Ann Grooms at maryann@vitalinkweb.com. Have a safe and warm winter!

Coats + Blankets 2011

2011-10-28T10:59:00.000-04:00

As a small business owner, I have learned over the years how important it is to occasionally step away from my own concerns and remember that there are millions in need in the U.S. and across the world. As part of the vitalink® 15-year anniversary, we committed to doing 15 “points of service” – pro bono and volunteer activities – throughout the year.

One of these activities is the second annual vitalink coats + blankets drive! Last year, with seven of our business partners, we collected hundreds of coats and cold weather items and quite a bit of cash to benefit the Raleigh Rescue Mission (www.raleighrescue.org). The economy is still struggling and there are many individuals and families here in Raleigh (as elsewhere) that are homeless or very close to losing their homes. Many are unable to afford to heat their houses or apartments and cannot buy warm coats for their children. Every time I think about my problems, I recognize how lucky I truly am compared to some others who struggle every day with the basics.

I encourage you to find a charity or a cause and donate your money, your time, or both. It can put things in perspective and you’ll feel better about yourself. If you are in the Raleigh area and would like to give to the vitalink coats + blankets drive, send us an e-mail or give us a call at 919.850.0605. If you’re not in the area, search locally for a shelter or other good cause and give them a call. You’ll be glad you did.

Lessons from Tebow

2011-10-25T15:39:00.001-04:00

I know not all of you are football fans, but we can all learn lessons everywhere when we look for them. I am a fan of Tim Tebow, the rookie quarterback for the Denver Broncos and Florida Gator (like me). Tebow was a two-time college championship winner and was awarded the prestigious Heisman Trophy in only his sophomore year. In Gainesville and the greater “Gator Nation,” folks thought of him as a kind of football super hero. Great intensity, leadership, and a warrior on the field. He’s also a down to earth person who loves God and his family.

While he has amassed great accolades and went in the first round of the draft, Tebow is far from perfect. Many thought he would go in a much lower round of the draft due to his throwing style. Many questioned if he could play in the NFL at all as a quarterback. Hmmm, I seem to remember some of the same nay-sayers with former Gator and Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith (the NFL’s all time leading rusher). They thought he was too small, too slow. He was just determined and set records that still stand today.

Bottom line, Tim Tebow inspires me to accomplish things. One of his high profile team mates commented that his style and delivery may not be pretty, this guy is “magical.” I agree. He inspires his team mates. He inspires followers. The game this past weekend was in Miami and the Dolphins fans were cheering for Tebow (the other team)! His jersey, #15, is the #1 selling jersey in the NFL.

Here are a couple of lessons I’ve learned from Tebow:

1. You don’t have to fit the mold or have the best “mechanics;” be passionate and work hard— don’t let anyone say you can’t do something. You might just succeed and inspire others along the way.

2. In a “bad boy” athlete era, Tim Tebow is respectful talking with the media, respectful of opportunities and of his team. Kudos. Be respectful and you’ll get that back a hundred fold.

3. Being the best (as defined by others) or having the best grades doesn’t mean you’ll be the best leader. It also doesn’t make you the best producer. So what if you are a little different. Play your game. Work at it and play hard and with heart.

4. This guy would literally pick the team up on his back if he could. His most memorable speech came after a loss at Florida when he said he’d let the team down, but nobody would ever work harder than him. He took responsibility and then worked his butt off.

5. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Share your passion and you will find like minded people and earn respect. Tebow went on mission trips as a youth and still thanks God. Like it or not, you gotta respect him.

6. He is passionate about this game. Find something you love and commit to being your best. It won’t always be easy and you won’t always win, but there is joy in it.

Football fanatic (like me) or someone who doesn’t know what pigskin is, these are some great lessons. What have you learned from someone that you didn’t expect to learn from? I’d love to hear some other words of wisdom from unexpected sources!

BUILD YOUR TEAM

2011-10-05T13:52:00.001-04:00

In today’s hectic business environment, managers and employeescan lose focus on strategy and long-term goals while fighting daily fires. Itdoesn’t matter if your business has five employees or 50, a retreat or annualmeeting can be a positive, team building experience that can refresh attitudesand renew a common sense of purpose.

Your retreat should always take place away from the office and technology.Depending on the type of retreat you choose and your budget, this can rangefrom meeting in the backyard of a senior manager who lives on the lake torenting space at a local hotel to a full-service weekend “adventure” retreatthat includes outdoor team building exercises. The point is that you are awayfrom distractions. Have everyone dress comfortably and intersperse somephysical activity with your sit-down sessions to keep people from tuning out.Add a creative session or two to get the juices flowing; this doesn’t have tobe anything fancy—you can use something as simple as an opposites word game orsimple drawing exercise. And don’t forget healthy, nutritious food to keepeveryone alert (okay, and some chocolate for good measure).

There are several types of sessions that may be of value during a retreat:

Social Presence: Get input from your staff on your social mediapresence and policies, and get them involved in representing the company. Inthe “Facebook world,” all employees can and should help by watching for commentsabout the company and sharing the good things you do.

Branding: Do your employees understand the company brand? Engagethem on ways to ensure brand consistency and ask them for new ideas that willpromote the brand.

Strategic Planning: What is the firm’s strategy? Its goals? Areemployees aware of the goals? If the strategy and goals have been defined,involve employees so they understand and can help focus on meeting these goals.If the goals haven’t been set yet, get employee input. Many times people atlower levels have insight into the customers and market that senior managerslack.

Team Building/Motivation: Wrapping up your day with amotivational session sends everyone away energized and ready to tackle theworld when they return to work!

Tell clients that the office will be closed that day and providean emergency-only number for them to call if necessary. The goal is to get yourteam back on track and focused on the long-term health of the business. Needmore information about sessions for your retreat? Give us a call at (919) 850-0605or e-mail us at info@theexpertspeakers.com.

Post Seminar Engagement

2011-09-27T09:35:00.000-04:00

We’ve all been there. You attend a great session witha great speaker and walk away feeling like you’ve been empowered—eagerto get back to the office and put your newfound learning to work. Then realitycrashes in and when you get back to thinking about the seminar it’s three weekslater and you’ve forgotten much of what you learned.

As a speaker, there are some things you can do to help youraudience avoid that post-seminar letdown and remember you favorably. Considerthe following:

Create a Facebook Group and invite attendees to join to continue the discussion online. Groups can be open (anyone can seecontent) or closed (limited access).
Send a follow up e-mail with a link to the materials or reminder tips from the session.
If the number of attendees is manageable, send handwritten thank you notes with brief reminders outlining the top points ofthe session. You might include a logo item with a salient message as a reminder.
Make sure to include your Twitter handle,Facebook info, e-mail and blog address (encourage RSS) so attendees caneasily contact you and learn more. Click on the icons below for ours!

Giving your audience a variety of options to contact you andget follow up information will encourage them to continue down the learningpath that started in your session. It will also keep you top of mind so theymay refer you to their friends and business associates when they need a speakeror business partner. Engaging and continuing the discussion lets attendees knowyou care and that they are important to you.

If you have any questions or need a management, marketing ormotivational speaker for your next event, please e-mail us at info@theexpertspeakers.com or callJeanne Frazer at 919.850.0605.

CRM&M Series, Part 3: Using New Technology

2011-09-20T13:41:00.000-04:00

In part 1 ofour CRM series, we talked about approaches to relationship building. Part 2 provided tips for making your CRM & Marketing efforts more effective. In part 3 of the series, we follow withways to incorporate some new technologies into the mix and further engagecustomers.

Seems likeevery time you turn around there is some new technology that changes how wemarket to or communicate with our customers. There is always that first bigpush of excitement and then reality sets in as we marketers try to figure outhow to make the new doo-dad work for us! It is important to remember that whilethe shiny new penny may be fun to play with, it isn’t always the best tool toreach every customer out there.

CRM & Marketing Article Series - Part 3 provides tips on how you can integrate newer technologies into your marketing mix.

So what does your marketing firm do?

2011-08-30T10:37:00.003-04:00

I've had several conversations with different people over the past couple weeks about what our Raleigh marketing firm (aka ad agency) does and what we do best.

My old answer would have been to list our services and talk about how we are great at reasearch and strategy. Not just the dry technical part, but how we make it work for real life marketing campaigns. I might have gone on to talk about how our creative director is amazing at what he does, media buying skills, etc. I'd have had a list of other things. But I'd have put the passion we feel about helping our clients solve problems much lower on the list. I would have been guilty of burying the lead.

There are a number of marketing firms out there that can do great creative, media buying, websites, research, etc, but that is only part of the equation. We tend to go a little deeper to help with business development. Where the magic happens is the thought, planning direction and working WITH the client to get the campaign done in the best way possible. I've realized over the years, while we provide a single source for many clients, there are others who have internal or external resources that can get the job done too. Working with all team members concerned to integrate the campaign and make it cohesive is huge.

Want just an ad? We may not be the right 'vendor' to do it. Want someone who solves problems in a thoughtful and strategic manner? Want someone who cares about your business deeply and works as a brand manager? That is us.

I've learned that I'm OK if we aren't the right firm for every client. That lets us concentrate our efforts on those who fit us the best. Then this amazing synergy happens. We get a psyched and our clients benefit from better results. We love what we do and it shows.

~ Jeanne Frazer

CRM Marketing Series: Part 2 | Relationship Building

2011-08-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

In our recent article, To CRM or Not to CRM? Why Market to Current Customers? we challenged you to look at your business and evaluate how your company approaches relationship building and how well your employees build those relationships. We wanted to follow with more tips to make your CRM&M work for you!

Tip #1: Our favorite reminder—avoid the hard sell! If you communication is always about your business and products, people will tune out.

Tip #2: Let your personality shine through. Read the full article…

CRM & Marketing Series: Part 1 | Why Market to Current Customers?

2011-08-22T09:37:00.003-04:00

That’s a great question. The best answer I can give you is that it costs 3-8x more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one. In today's competitive marketing environment, business owners and managers need every advantage they can get. Customer relationship management and marketing (CRM&M) keeps your business on the top of the mind of your customer. By doing so, customers are more likely to buy again, or upgrade to the next level, and the ‘reminder’ encourages them to be your advocates, and can generate referrals as your current customers recommend you to their friends and families.

There are both newer and tried and true methods you can utilize to stay top of mind with your customers. The channels you use will vary depending on your audience and what products or services you provide. Here are a few of our favorites:

1. Newsletters – newsletters are a popular way to educate and interest your clients. You may want to alternate printed and email versions. Read the full article...

An Intern's Perspective

2011-07-20T14:48:00.002-04:00

By Guest Blogger & vitalink Intern Adrienne Bryant

When I began looking for an internship this summer, I was a little nervous from the many stories I’ve heard about interns getting stuck behind a desk and made to do all the grunt work. The first couple of interviews went okay, but nothing jumped out at me until I sat down in the vitalink office and began talking to Jeanne and Mary Ann. I couldn’t have wished for a better company to intern for. Here at vitalink, I’ve been allowed to actively participate in multiple projects for clients including research and creative work.

One of the creative projects I was assigned recently was to take photographs of an automobile accident scene for the cover of a book called Wrecked. The whole process was extremely fun. One of the first things I had to do was find old broken car parts I could use to create the scene, so the morning before the shoot I picked up an old headlight from a local body shop. As I was contemplating how exactly to bust it up, smashing it with a baseball bat kept replaying in my head, one of my good friends texted me. The conversation began with the typical, “What’s up? I’m good, how are you?” and changed when my friend said, “I’m okay, I got in a car accident yesterday and my car is destroyed.” Thinking about it now, I probably didn’t respond in the most thoughtful manner when I said, “OMG that’s awesome! Do you have a broken headlight?” After explaining myself, she agreed to let me have her busted headlight and I was now prepared to set up my accident scene.

When I got home from the office the day of the shoot, I quickly changed clothes and grabbed the headlights and my baseball bat. I set the headlight down in the middle of the front yard and got ready to swing. I was pretty excited since I hadn’t swung a bat since I had stopped playing ball a few years ago. After a few hits, the headlight was busted but not into small enough pieces. I had to think bigger, I glanced over at my car and decided to put all of the headlight pieces in a plastic bag, place it in the middle of the street, and run over it with my car. I probably should’ve done this in the first place because I successfully smashed the headlights into tiny pieces and the momentum from the car spread the pieces out perfectly over the street.

So many cars drove by while I was shooting pictures that I had to continually stop and wave them around. A lot of people looked at me like I was crazy standing in the middle of the street with broken glass, headlights, and a camera, but some people actually stopped to ask if I needed any help. I got tired of explaining and soon adopted the short explanation of, “school project.”

I started taking photographs from multiple angles, but one of my favorites was with the camera positioned low on the street so I could get a longer perspective. I arranged the headlight fragments in a few different ways to get multiple scenes. In one particular series, I used a bigger piece of the headlight in the foreground. I feel like this gave a focal point for the eye and allowed for the viewer to understand and take in more of what was going on in the scene. In some of these shots, I tried to achieve a balance by having the bigger piece in the front left and a shot of the speed limit sign in the back right corner.

Overall, the shoot was a lot of fun and I loved that it allowed me to use more of my creative side. It’s kind of surreal to me that I was allowed to do all of this as an intern and that one of pictures I took is actually going to be used on a published book cover. I would’ve never gotten the chance to do this at a larger company. I’m extremely grateful for all the opportunities I’ve gotten at vitalink; to have hands on experience, learn new things and use the talent and knowledge that I have.

Do Your Press Releases Attract Media Attention?

2011-07-08T15:57:00.004-04:00

With the decline of traditional news reporting and the increase in number of individual contributors providing information, it can be extremely difficult to capture the attention of the most influential media players. At vitalink, we write and distribute countless press releases and media kits with varying results.

Over the years, we have compiled some “best practices” that we would like to share. Even for our clients who continue to use our PR services, these guidelines may help you to determine whether or not an event would be newsworthy so that you may let us know to proceed with a PR. Here are some thoughts:

Is the item unusual enough to warrant the attention of the public? A milestone business anniversary, revolutionary new product, free seminar offering, acquisition of another firm, or the fact that you won a big case would likely all be of interest. On the other hand, if you write a blog post about a subject that has been covered by a hundred others before you, it is likely not press worthy.

Is the notification timely? Many businesses—especially if they are large—struggle with getting communications out the door quickly. With the pace of information flow these days, old news is just that. Plan ahead whenever possible and react quickly if there is no prior notice.

Does the item position the firm in a positive light? Ideally you want to showcase news events such that the firm benefits. There are exceptions, however, so if there is a negative item that should be addressed with a public statement, get it out there quickly. Controversy can generate a lot of discussion!

Is the news item a “feel good” people story? People like to know who you really are on a personal level. Showcasing employees as they give back to the community or if they have a positive event can help with relationship building.

In short, items that are interesting, relevant—and sometimes even controversial—will generate media attention and, with luck, that elusive notice by (and conversation with) customers and prospects. We'd love to hear what types of press releases you've found generate the most interest. Let us know!

Session Formats + Audience Involvement

2011-06-28T12:19:00.003-04:00

When you attend or plan an event, you must consider the presentation format for each session. The overall size of the event, number of concurrent sessions, topics to be covered and location space must all be considered. The most common presentation settings are:

Auditorium: Generally a larger room with chairs facing a stage or podium from which the speaker delivers the presentation. Room size can vary but may include hundreds in the audience.

Classroom: Typically a smaller room with tables. Chairs face a white board or screen for presentation. Hands-on computer or training sessions favor this set-up. Room capacities are usually smaller (up to a few dozen people).

Roundtable: Most roundtables are very limited in size (fewer than 20 attendees). A conference style table with chairs surrounding it is common, though not required. Roundtables are usually highly interactive.

Panel: Panel discussions typically are held in auditorium-style settings, with at least two panelists (experts) who will answer questions and offer opinions during the session. This is an interactive format, but tends to be more structured (Q & A) than a roundtable.

Virtual or Web-based: Virtual sessions have become commonplace as companies try to curtail travel expenses. These can be done through a phone conference, webinar (using web conferencing software like Webex), or using the newer and highly functional virtual trade show software packages (for example, ON24) that have concurrent sessions in different virtual auditoriums, chat rooms, trade show “booths,” etc.

In our experience, the most effective seminars or presentations involve the audience to some degree. How you encourage participation is often dictated by the presentation setting. In an auditorium setting with 200 attendees, asking for and receiving input has traditionally been done by asking participants to hold questions until the end of the session and then having a moderator carry a microphone from person to person so they may ask their questions of the presenter. A current popular option is to ask participants to send (or “tweet”) questions via Twitter using a pre-defined hashtag. In a virtual setting with a large number of attendees, online chat or tweets are also common. The best option for true interaction is still the roundtable. This format encourages back-and-forth discussion that is not as easily accomplished in other settings or using Twitter.

Most event agendas will specify the type of setting for each session. This gives attendees a good idea of what to expect. If you are planning an event, in addition to the factors mentioned above, consider also the style of your speaker and audience expectations. To learn more about our professional speakers, please visit The Expert Speakers website.

Tips for Delivering Bad News

2011-06-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

By Guest Blogger Kathy Horn

As the president of my homeowner’s association board, I recently had to deliver news regarding the need for a special assessment to cover unanticipated repairs to our pool decking. Two-thirds of homeowners would have to approve the special assessment for us to be able to make repairs. Given the current economic environment, the timing couldn’t have been much worse. I tend to be very analytical and my approach to problem resolution follows: research the issue, determine options, and select the “best” option from the bunch. Unfortunately, when you ask the owners of 225+ homes for money, their opinions and emotions come into play!

So, what’s the best way to deliver tough news? In my experience, whether you are delivering news that your audience considers negative or simply explaining change (we all know how much most humans like change!), there are some basic protocols that can help:

Do your homework! Ask questions of the “experts” you’re dealing with. Don’t be embarrassed if you do not understand what they are telling you or their recommendation. Make them explain. You can’t know everything. The Internet is a great resource to gather information, but you may find that the answers you get conflict by source. Log all your questions and add to the list as you go. Answer the old basics: who, what, when, where, why and how.

Lay out all your options. You don’t have to like them, but you should consider ALL options (including “do nothing”—what if we don’t open the pool this year?).

Investigate any vendors you deal with. Check the Better Business Bureau and ask for references. Get everything in writing.

Be prepared to have your audience question what you did and why you made a particular choice. If you’ve done your homework, you will have most of these answers. The goal is to build your case and show that you have done the necessary due diligence. Several owners came to the open meetings intending to vote against the assessment. After hearing the presentation and getting a better feel for the amount of research we had done, they all changed their minds.

Communication is paramount. Communicate early and often, and keep records of everything that is communicated. When confronted with change, people tend to push back. It’s important to give them sufficient information to gain their acceptance and trust that you have made the best decision.Note that you may not want to communicate 100% of the information you have garnered through your research, but you should provide documentation that explains the options you considered and justifies your decision.

If you have to present information that you feel will be negative, controversial or are concerned that people will be upset, plan out how and when you will deliver the news. Ideally you will not deliver the news until you have done your research, but sometimes it gets out anyway; be prepared to hold a pre-meeting meeting. If you don’t know the answer, say so and then find out.

Include in-person meetings whenever possible to allow the audience to ask questions. You do not want to be in the position of answering questions one at a time via email! I have found face-to-face meetings to be much more effective than phone calls, email or video conferencing. When all else fails, a large bottle of Tums just might help!

TV Viewing Habits are Changing

2011-05-03T14:11:00.001-04:00

While overall TV Households have decreased (for the first time in years), the Hispanic, African American and Asian TV Households have all shown growth. Check out the latest numbers from Nielsen:

A comparison of the Advance/Preliminary 2012 National Universe Estimates with 2011 National Universe Estimates for Total TV Households, Black or African American U.S. TV Households, Hispanic or Latino U.S TV Households and Asian American U.S. TV households is provided below:

Total U.S. TV Households
• The advance Total TV HH estimate decreased to 114,700 (000) from 115,900 (000).
• Persons 2+ in U.S. TV HHs declined 1.8% to 289,290 (000) from 294,650 (000).
• Overall, we are seeing the aging of the U.S. population, with Baby Boomers “aging out” of some traditional buying demographics and fewer Gen-Xers to replace them.

Hispanic U.S. TV Households
• Hispanic TV HH experienced an increase of 5.2%.
• Growth remains strong at 3.9% for Persons 2+ in Hispanic TV HHs. Strongest increases were demonstrated for older categories where Age 55+ increased by 11.1%.

Black or African American U.S. TV Households
• Black or African American TV HHs experienced an increase to 14,230 (000).
• Persons 2+ in Black or African American TV HHs remained relatively stable, increasing to 37,613 (000) from 37,596 (000). The largest population gains were in 18-34 and 55+ showing increases of 3.8% and 2.8%, respectively.

Asian U.S. TV Households
• Asian TV HH growth saw the largest increase of 9.8%.
• Persons 2+ in Asian TV HHs showed 9.0% growth from the official 2011 Estimates. Gains were predominately in the younger categories, where 2-11 increased by 10.8% and 18-34 increased by 16.2%. While Asian populations outpaced Hispanic populations in terms of total population growth, this should not be interpreted as a single year change in U.S. populations as adjustments due to the integration of the 2010 Census data contributed heavily to the increases in the Asian UEs.

Keeping Customers Engaged

2011-04-28T14:56:00.004-04:00

In last month’s article on privacy concerns, we promised some ideas on keeping your customers engaged and ensuring they want to continue to receive your communications. In today’s information environment, marketers are tasked with the challenge of capturing the viewer’s attention while they are being bombarded with messages from all directions.

So, what can you do to be the firm that captures attention? Here are a few tips:

First and foremost, ask permission to continue communications. If you are mailing information out, have a phone number or email address for them to contact if they wish to opt-out of receiving mail from you. An easy unsubscribe process is required for email. While it’s great to have a large mailing list, there is a dollar cost associated with each contact. If they are really not interested, you are wasting money and annoying the reader.

Educate, don’t sell. Your goal is to provide value. Does that mean you can’t use a 20% off coupon for e-mail newsletter subscribers? Not at all! An occasional coupon does provide value—but there are so many other options.

Look for ways to connect on a more personal level. This might be including an employee profile in a newsletter or posting photos of a recent community service project on Flickr and adding a link to view them to your e-mail.

Make it easy for people to share. There are free social sharing buttons available. Use them!

Provide the information you promise. It can be extremely annoying to see a message that says, “Like us on Facebook to receive special discount offers,” only to be bombarded with other messages that do not meet expectations.

Vary style and content – within reason. I say “within reason” because you don’t want to go so far off track on the subject or style that you have loyal viewers unsubscribe. But you also don’t want them to drop off because they hear and see the same message over and over. Keep it interesting!

We hope these ideas help you to capture the attention of your clients and prospects and, ultimately, drive new business to your door. We'd love your feedback on how you keep customers engaged. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us at info@vitalinkweb.com or call 919.850.0605.

Law Firm Vanity Number Available!

2011-04-13T17:59:00.002-04:00

Attention attorneys...we have a great vanity number that is just being released for firms with injury clients. 1-855-GOT-HURT.

This number is great for marketing messages. 1-855-GOT-HURT? We'll help. OR Get Alex. OR Get Paid. Think how you can use it in your state.

Vanity numbers increase ad effectiveness and help use every second of your ad to convey a message. Contact us if you'd like to secure your state. State monthly rates start at $449/month.

1-800-HURT-NOW is now available for Massachusetts. Contact jeanne@vitalinkweb.com for more information.

REACHing Out to Help Others

2011-04-12T11:32:00.008-04:00

By Guest Blogger Mike Steele, Creative Director, vitalink

Over the past several years, I have done pro-bono creative and graphics work for a number of worthy causes. From a personal perspective, I truly enjoy volunteering with substance abuse programs—especially those that help teens. My most recent project was the design of a new logo for the REACH program in Cabell County, West Virginia. REACH is designed to give those in need of substance abuse treatment one place to go to start. The program is new and is expected to streamline the assistance process.

When I began to work on the design concept, I took into account my own personal experience. The main concept of the logo is to present an outstretched hand—a person reaching for help. The letters REACH as an arm with a handprint/heart at the end convey that help is available and there are those who care. I created both color and black and white options, some of which are shown here.

As a recovering alcoholic, I go back a couple years ago to the time when I hit ‘rock bottom’ and had to ask for help. Admitting we need help is one of the most difficult things for an addict to do. I remember being paralyzed with fear, feeling completely and utterly alone, even when surrounded by people, and feeling like I was the only one on earth who had ever felt this way. I was very skeptical and cynical about recovery programs because I didn’t believe there was hope for me. I chose the tagline, “You Are Not Alone,” to accompany the REACH initials.

While the heart is a “soft” symbol, the overall feel of the logo is a little ‘rough around the edges’ and has more of a ‘street’ feel to it. I wanted to present an image that these individuals could relate to—one that is more real in their world than the “sunset in the distance” concept that sometimes is used. The truth is when you are designing a logo, it does not have to “work” for everyone—it just has to resonate with the target audience.

About the Author

Mike Steele is the Creative Director/Graphic Designer for vitalink and has been with the company almost since the beginning. Most of the logos, newsletter templates, and creative design work that are produced by vitalink for its clients are the result of Mike’s talent and efforts.

Social Sharing During an Event

2011-04-08T10:09:00.004-04:00

Beginning a couple of years ago, I began seeing conference attendees using their laptops and smart phones during sessions. I figured they were just checking e-mail, but many of these folks were out on social sites like Twitter and Facebook posting real-time comments about the session itself. The first time I saw this happen, my initial thought was that it was really rude. But then I began to think about the implications. How can a speaker, moderator or host utilize this information?

This practice of sharing during an event has become commonplace. Many conferences and virtual events now provide instructions on how attendees can provide feedback or ask questions during a session. A common example is asking attendees to submit questions for the speaker using Twitter and a pre-defined hashtag. This does require that the speaker have a moderator who can monitor the real time feed and ask the questions. The moderator can also monitor the feed for comments and help direct the speaker if necessary. For example, if someone posts, “audio stinks-can’t hear this guy,” the moderator can intervene and address the problem right then.

We’d love to know what you think! Post your comments and let us know!

Planning an Event? Using Internal vs. External Speakers

2011-03-29T08:52:00.012-04:00

Whether you are planning a client conference or putting together an employee retreat, you are probably working to line up speakers and fill the agenda. How do you decide when to use internal or client speakers versus hiring an outside speaker? Here are a few tips:

If you do an annual client conference and you have internal resources that are subject-matter experts AND are good speakers, add them to the agenda. Okay, you should probably ask them first!

Have a client who is knowledgeable AND a dynamic speaker? Invite him or her to speak.

We recommend you mix up internal and external speakers – it adds depth to the agenda. Do make sure you have a large number of sessions that add value for the attendee. They should leave the event thinking they got more than their money’s worth!

Bring in an outside keynote speaker to either do a motivational address or hire an expert speaker to talk about industry trends that your attendees might not have learned. Get them excited about the future and thinking about what your firm should be doing now to plan for the future!

If you are doing an employee retreat, you may also want to bring in an outside speaker—either on some specific topic as an educational speaker or as a motivational speaker. It’s a change of pace from listening to the same internal folks year after year, and can bring new perspectives. It can also tell employees that you think they are important.

No matter what, do your research on your presenters—nothing is worse than an interesting topic delivered by a boring speaker! Tell us about the best (or worst) speaker you've ever heard. We'd love to hear your story! If you have questions, feel free to contact us at info@theexpertspeakers.com.

Email Still Outpaces Online Networking

2011-03-22T09:46:00.004-04:00

Internet users spend about 4.6 hours a week on social networking, a survey from global market research firm TNS reports, but e-mail is what they use the Internet for most often. The survey found that users spend about 72 percent of their time every week reading and sending e-mails, which accounts for about 4.4 hours of activity.

Checking their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles and related activities takes up about 46 percent of their weekly time. Almost 75 percent say they check their e-mail every day, but fewer than half visit their social networking sites as frequently.

Given these statistics, it makes sense for you to have email as a component of your marketing plan. This may consist of monthly newsletters, coupons, invitations to special events or for free whitepapers or books. If you are not doing email now and need some help, give us a call at (919) 850-0605 or send an email: jfrazer@theexpertspeakers.com.

Spring = Beautiful Weather & Increases in Outdoor Risks

2011-03-22T09:29:00.002-04:00

Spring has officially arrived. There are robins in the yard, daffodils are out, new green grass is starting to come up and the trees are budding. The nicer weather weather draws folks outside and into activities like walking and biking. Unfortunately, sometimes as we enjoy ourselves outdoors, we end up at risk.

A friend missed work yesterday. This morning, he limped in wearing a cast on his arm and hand and a knee brace on one leg. Turns out he decided to ride his bike to work to enjoy the nice weather and save money on gas. He was hit by a car on his way to the office. After a short hospital ride and fun day in the ER, he was sent home to recuperate. Fortunately his injuries were not too severe. Unfortunately, this type of accident is all too common during nicer weather.

I just read an interesting article on bicycle accidents by attorney Annie Reynolds that offers some statistics on bike accidents and some safety tips. I thought I'd pass it along to you all. Be safe out there!

Handling Bad Press

2011-03-01T13:14:00.006-05:00

I recently read an article by Philadelphia attorney Neil Murray about the recall of a product that I personally have used. Here’s a portion of the article:

“On January 6, 2011, the United States Food and Drug Administration announced that the Triad Group notified doctors and patients that alcohol swabs, alcohol pads and alcohol swab sticks, which were sold under a variety of brand names, were being recalled. These products were recalled after it was discovered that they were contaminated by a bacteria, Bacillus cereus, which can cause serious and potentially life-threatening infections.” [read more]

From my perspective as a consumer, I was shaken that this medical product was unsafe. As a marketer, I started thinking about the challenges businesses face when they must address recalls and similar issues in this age of rapid dissemination of information.

At some point in their lives, almost all business owners or managers will have to deal with negative publicity. This might come in the form of a product recall that hits the national news or it could be an unhappy client posting a review on Google Places, Facebook or any number of other sites. Whatever form it comes in, reputation management should be part of your plan.

In today’s information-based world, bad press stays out there on the Internet. The wider the original net was cast, the harder it can be to counter the after-effects. The level of response depends on the type and severity of the negative publicity. Here are a few things to consider when you put together your response plan:

You absolutely must have a plan ahead of time. If one of your products is recalled, you will have very little time to consider options before the news spreads and you are forced to respond. A timely and proactive response will allow consumers to see that you “get it” and are working toward a resolution.
Respond, you must. Ignoring the problem will not make it go away and can make it significantly worse.
Attempts to cover errors can be much worse than admitting the error and announcing your firm’s action plan to deal with the problem.
Your response should match the scope of the original issue. As an example, for a major national product recall, your firm’s survival may be at stake and this should be an “all hands on deck” response. For a negative online review, you might respond directly to the reviewer with a public commitment to resolve their complaint (i.e., we’re sorry you didn’t like the product, here’s your money back).
Be proactive – don’t wait for the complaints to come in. Invite all customers to post reviews and let them know you value their opinions. Build your community now. The folks who love you and your product/service will frequently step up and defend your firm if someone does post a negative comment. Most consumers are savvy enough to recognize that one or two extremely high or low reviews are probably outliers and should be ignored.

Your plan should be developed by a team that includes senior management and your marketing and PR folks. It wouldn’t hurt to have an attorney review the plan and provide suggestions for minimizing liability. Various scenarios/contingencies should be considered.

We’d love to hear how you have dealt with negative publicity. Comment and let us know. If you have additional questions, contact us directly at jfrazer@marketingspeakerauthor.com.

“Time is of the Essence...”

2011-02-11T13:43:00.003-05:00

We’ve probably all used this expression at some point in our lives, but it is truer today than ever before, especially in the business world. Consumers have a tremendous amount of influence, and their voices are more easily “heard” everyday thanks to social media. They can be your best advocate or cause damage to your reputation. Your response model must change.

In the past, large firms typically had defined processes for handling consumer correspondence, complaints or suggestions for future products. In today’s environment, businesses that have not moved to a more immediate response mechanism are struggling. As an example, think about the huge Toyota recall that took place in 2010. From all indications, the acceleration issue had been going on for quite some time. When the story hit the national news, Toyota was unprepared to handle the public outcry; indeed, their slow response has been used in case studies on ways NOT to handle a business crisis.

There are several keywords that can guide you in defining a response plan:

Monitor – it’s important to know who is talking about your firm and staff. You cannot address an issue or thank someone for an endorsement unless you know it is out there. Has someone mentioned your firm, staff or product in their blog? Was a staff member quoted in the online news? You need to know. It’s also good practice to monitor your industry keywords and your competitors. You may find great ideas for a new product or service by listening to what those interested in your industry are saying.
Involvement – the more involved you are in activities related to your industry, the higher your “expert” quotient will be in the minds of your clients and prospects. As you monitor articles related to your industry, you can quickly respond and gain exposure for the firm. Some businesses have monitored consumer discussion boards for product feedback, and when a consistent enhancement is requested, implemented it quickly to please customers. Others have contacted their local media when a relevant story appears to go on camera with a response or follow-up information. Timeliness is again key.
Responsibility – it’s difficult for one person to monitor and respond to all mentions of your firm. Setting some base rules and empowering all employees to watch for and respond to activity will expand your reach (business footprint) and make your staff members feel more a part of the team.
Now – you cannot delay in responding to comments or issues that concern your business. Timeliness is critical. This is true for both publicly posted and private comments (which can easily become public-Wikileaks, anyone?). If the comments are negative, you have an opportunity to immediately address and resolve the issue. And if you do so in an effective manner, most clients and prospects will applaud your efforts. If the comments are positive (maybe a great mention in a news article), you can push these out to your client and prospect base, who may then share with their friends, giving you some positive “viral” activity.

Our reality as business owners and managers has changed and there is no going back. It’s important for all of us to move forward. Those businesses that find ways to take advantage of these changes will be the ones that succeed. We'd love for you to share your tips for managing your online reputation. Let us know what works for you!

What Everyone Should Know About Medical Mistakes

2011-02-03T13:04:00.002-05:00

By Thomas Sheridan

Thomas Sheridan, founder of Sheridan & Murray, and respected Philadelphia personal injury lawyer discusses the facts about medical mistakes.

In 1999, the Institute of Medicine released a seminal study titled “To Err Is Human”. This study concluded that as many as 98,000 people die in American hospitals each year as a result of medical mistakes that are preventable. Ninety-eight thousand deaths per year is a staggering statistic. More people are killed each year by medical mistakes than car accidents. Medical mistakes account for more deaths every year than breast cancer, and medical mistakes account for more deaths each year than AIDS. Simply stated, health care in the United States is not as safe as it should and must be.

Nevertheless, hospitals, doctors, and medical insurance companies continue to bombard the public with claims that tort reform is necessary to “fix the healthcare system in American.” The medical and insurance lobbies contend that frivolous lawsuits have driven up the cost of medicine in the United States and are a significant cause of increasing healthcare costs. This is simply not true. The real problem with the healthcare system in America is that patient safety is not paramount.

Hospitals and doctors have failed to take any significant action to improve patient safety in America. Among the common medical mistakes that are preventable are improper blood transfusions, surgical injuries, operating on the wrong part of the body, adverse drug events, falls, mistaken patient identities, and burns. Significant error rates are commonly found in intensive care units, operating rooms, and emergency departments.

In 2010, the Office of Inspector General of the US Department of Health and Human Services reported that 1 in 7 hospital patients experienced a medical error. Of these medical mistakes, 44% were preventable. These medical mistakes cost Medicare $4.4 billion each year. These Medicare cost estimates do not include the additional costs associated with follow up care following medical mistakes. This important study concluded that since most medical mistakes are preventable, the need and opportunity for hospitals to significantly reduce the incidence of mistakes is significant.

To learn more, click here.

Buzzworthy Lawyers

2011-02-03T13:01:00.001-05:00

Buzzwords become buzzwords because they strike a cord. While they’re hot, phrases like “win-win,” “think outside the box,” “convenient location,” “free consultation,” all make the advertiser appear to be on the “cutting edge.” But what happens when you are using a buzzword past the expiration date?

You lose clout and become part of the incessant background noise and not the hype buzz you’d wanted. Attorneys, for example, are egregious over users of the phrase “free consultation.” It is hard to think about other ways to impart this benefit—especially if you are using pay-per-click or other advertising with limited space, but when you do find other ways to invite people “to learn more about their rights for free” results will increase.

Your advertising is supposed to make you stand apart and tell the story of why you are different. It should not make you blend into the crowd because you are mimicking other competitors. Attorneys are very good at looking within their own industry and following the lead of the big dogs-the problem is it creates an environment of sameness, almost inbred advertising.

If you are going to use a buzzworthy term, be the first to do it so you set the standard. Look to other industries for a fresh approach. Better yet, stop writing “ad copy.” Really analyze who you are and what you do best. Make sure it matches the reality of what your clients like about you, then find a way to include words that your clients use and understand. And make sure you monitor your ads to avoid “ad fatigue”—change them based on what you learn works best through your testing. Online ads need more updates, but television ads can and should run for a longer time frame.

We all want to be different, but actually having the guts to do it is another thing. Are you up for being truly buzzworthy by creating your own path?

Power of Positive Press

2011-01-17T09:54:00.005-05:00

Guest blogger Lauren Black Currin is the President of Lawyers Marketing Agency. While this post talks about law firm marketing, it is relevant to almost all businesses.

Did you know that March 6-12, 2011 is National Consumer Protection Week? So, you run a law firm; why am I telling you about a nationally sponsored campaign run by the U.S. government and various non-profit agencies?

There are hundreds of annual community-focused events just like this one that present a great opportunity to promote your law firm through your participation. These events run the gamut from National Safety Awareness Month to Perennial Gardening Month. Choosing and supporting an event that works for your law firm and staff gives you the opportunity to promote a cause and garner positive publicity for your law firm.

Many of the sponsors of these national “event days” will have press kits that you can utilize to showcase your efforts. For example, National Consumer Protection Week offers press release templates, re-usable social networking content, free flyers and even web buttons and banners you can use on your website to spread the word. In another great example, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides planners, brochures, research data and video clips to help you promote their Share the Road (www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/Motorcycles) motorcycle safety program (a great idea for you PI attorneys out there).

The first thing to do is decide on a cause to support. Get buy-in from everyone to build the “buzz”, and then start planning. Allow 60-90 days to plan and implement, just to be safe. Things to consider:

Website content and updates
Publications you might use, i.e., links you can place on your website, a downloadable “tips” PDF or a printed brochure you’ll distribute
Include information about your event in your newsletter and blog
Involve your clients and those on your prospect list
Plan related seminars or other events
Write one (or more) press releases to be distributed and add them to your website
Include a link to the event page on your website everywhere possible
Make it meaningful and have fun

Finally, use your employees and their networks to promote your sponsorship of the event by having them comment on their Facebook and Twitter pages so their friends, family and other contacts all hear about it. If all goes well, this can be an annual event that your staff and clients will look forward to! This type of human interest story and positive press allows people to get to know you and builds that all so important connection. Need more ideas? Just give us a call!

Perception vs. Reality

2011-01-10T12:21:00.004-05:00

Do your clients see your business the same way you do? In many cases, we proceed under the assumption that our perceptions of ourselves and our firms or businesses match those of our clients and prospects. But that is not always the case.

What happens when there is a “disconnect” between our perceptions and those of the client/prospect? From a business perspective, the client/prospect view of our company IS “reality”. When business drops off, there is a shift in client demographics, or marketing/advertising efforts no longer work, it may be time to see if there is a gap between who we perceive ourselves to be and “reality”.

Identifying gaps begins with research. Here are just a few of the things you can review to see if there might be an issue:

Ask. It sounds simple, but it is not always easy to do this. Many people are reluctant to ask others for what may be an uncomfortable truth. And the clients or former clients may not want to be honest for fear of hurting feelings or burning bridges. A third party source doing the asking helps.
Get input from your employees – including lower level folks. This must be done by a third-party to ensure confidentiality and promote honest answers. You might also ask your vendors what they hear from others about your firm.
Analyze. Pull out all the statistical information you have on your business over the past two to five years and look at what the data is telling you. Make sure you factor in trends and external changes.
Look at your primary competition. Note that this may not be the same group of businesses who were your competitors two years ago.

We can help you find out where you have gaps between your customer’s experience and what you believe you are delivering. vitalink offers competitive and market research, conducts confidential surveys, analyzes your current business focus and presents a strategic marketing plan to move your business forward – making sure that you are on-target and your message is on-point. Contact us to learn more.

The Expert Speakers has added this topic to the roster as well. Perception vs. Reality: Close the Gaps to do More Business addresses the challenges businesses have when their own perceptions do not match those of the client or prospect.

Who really Tweets on Twitter?

2010-12-29T14:05:00.005-05:00

Twitter Bits:

The percentage of Twitter users who are African American is 25% - double the percentage of African Americans in the current population. Take-away: If your prospective clients or existing clients include African Americans, start tweeting!
Tweeting isn't just for Tweens and Teens. 1 in 3 monthly Twitter users are 25-34 (31% are 35-54)
Twitter users are more educated
Twitter users have higher household income
Twitter users are Early Adopters. Take-away: have a new product or service....Tweet about it!

Want to learn how to use Twitter to help promote your business or law firm? E-mail jeanne@vitalinkweb.com for a free consultation.

Let us know other Twitter Bits you've found and your take-away to use the information!

Source:
Twitter Usage In America: 2010
The Edison Research/Arbitron Internet and Multimedia Study

My top 5 reasons to use social media

2010-12-29T12:32:00.008-05:00

There are so many reasons to be using social media as part of your marketing. Here are my top 5:

1. Engage vs Push. Marketing used to simply 'push' messages at the consumer and you'd hope to make a connection if they liked what you had to offer. Times have changed and so has marketing. People want to feel more connected with products or companies they choose to do business with. Social media helps to 'engage' people.

2. Transparency. When done correctly, your prospective clients get to know you better. They see if you have some of the same beliefs as they do, allowing them to form connections with you. Don't just advertise sales to them. Give them a taste of who you are beyond the sale. What is your commitment to the community? Do you contribute to your industry as an expert? Why do you do what you do?

3. Handle the Haters. Within social media, you actually want a small percentage of your followers to raise issues. If it is all a love fest, it is boring, self serving and you'll actually lose credibility. People like a little controversy (think Rush Limbaugh). You may even find other fans coming to your defense when someone raises an issue, which is wonderful marketing. You should develop a response plan to handle the haters, because how you handle the issue will say something about who you are.

4. Google Footprint. The search engines give high value to social media channels. When you have a robust presence in the big 5 (Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter, Flikr), you will see a better Google Footprint and this will also help your websites search engine optimization (SEO) with backlinks from all your social media channels.

Be sure and define which channels will work best for your target audience and then spend your time accordingly to build the best channels for your needs. Social media can become a black hole where you spend far too many hours and valuable resources. Set limits on your time or hire someone to help you keep your content current.

5. Need another reason? Your prospective clients are on social media right now!

CAUTION: Many businesses and law firms are jumping on the bandwagon to the exclusion of other marketing channels. Social media SHOULD be part of your marketing, but it should not be the only thing you do. Consult a professional to help you with your planning and budgeting so you have the right marketing mix.

vitalink's coats & blankets drive

2010-12-14T14:45:00.002-05:00

Google eBookstore could create ad-supported book publishing model: experts - Direct Marketing News

2010-12-13T10:33:00.001-05:00

Google eBookstore could create ad-supported book publishing model: experts - Direct Marketing News

The Career Advice: 6 Secrets to Staying Employed After Age 50

2010-12-13T09:49:00.000-05:00

The Career Advice: 6 Secrets to Staying Employed After Age 50: "How to hold on to your job as you approach retirement Losing your job later in life can be particularly devastating. Once unemployed, olde..."

Corporate Gifts from NC

2010-12-09T09:24:00.006-05:00

The NC BBQ Company is one of our newest clients. We like their product so much we're giving it as our corporate gift this year! Rick and Ryan were just had another appearance on FOX news. Check out the story.

Here is more shameless promotion of one of our clients and the amazing art our Creative Director, Mike Steele did for them.....

The North Carolina Barbecue Company (www.ncbbqcompany.com) is promoting its line of traditional mail order barbecue to NC-based companies looking for a way to showcase the state to their clients and prospects. The company, based in Greensboro, sells traditional Eastern and Piedmont-style barbecue, along with a “Battle Box™” that offers both products.

“Whether you were born in North Carolina or just recently moved here, NC “cue” is a tradition,” says Ryan Pitz, co-founder of The North Carolina Barbecue Company. “North Carolina is a great place to do business, and we want to offer an easy and unique gift option for businesses that are based in the state as a way they can promote their business. A traditional NC BBQ package offers a taste of North Carolina that clients won’t soon forget.” Adds co-founder Rick Scott, “the Battle Box is a favorite of our corporate clients. What client wouldn’t want to get a package of NC BBQ from Santa? Because it contains both Eastern and Piedmont styles of BBQ, many companies promote dialog with clients by asking them to be the judge of which style is best.”

The North Carolina Barbecue Company was founded in 2010 by Rick Scott and Ryan Pitz after hearing from some former North Carolinians that they were unable to find good barbecue in their new locales. Three primary packages are offered: Eastern, Piedmont, and the company’s trademark Battle Box. The business delivers “the authentic barbecue experience anywhere in the United States.”

vitalink Coats & Blankets Drive a Success!

2010-12-03T13:14:00.004-05:00

A huge thank you to our partners and the individuals who donated new and gently used coats and blankets in support of the Raleigh Rescue Mission. In total, we were able to donate over 200 coats, more than 40 blankets and an assortment of gloves, hats, and scarves. In addition, we collected $625 in cash to donate to the Mission!

We could not have done this without the help of our generous partners. They are:

The News & Observer

Leone Noble & Seate

David Allen Company

Catalyst Group

Fearrington Plastic Surgery

Ingleside Farm

dermatech aesthetics

The vitalink Charlotte office also donated coats and blankets to the Mens Shelter of Charlotte. Thank you to everyone who helped. We hope you'll join us again next year in support of this worthy cause.

We'd love to hear your feedback on our coats & blankets drive or have you share your story or comments about the charity or charities you support. Happy holidays!

Expert Advice

2010-11-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

With the growing influence of social media and new ways to communicate, it is getting harder for your voice to be heard above the chatter. To succeed, you must not only be heard but believable. This begins with positioning yourself as an expert. Here are a few tips that might help:

Choose the one thing that you do best and are passionate about and build on that strength. If you are a marketer and your passion is branding, focus on that. If your business is local, start by targeting your efforts close to home.

Talk about your passion to everyone who will listen. Okay, this should not be the only thing you talk about at holiday parties, but have an elevator speech ready to use when someone asks what you do!

Participate in online conversations related to your topic. Follow other bloggers or news sources and comment on their stories (make sure you include your website URL in your response); contact local radio and TV stations and offer to comment on news stories; submit commentary or offer to be interviewed by reporters. Check out the website HARO.com (Help a Reporter Out); this is a good way to get quoted as an expert.

What is your Google "footprint"? Will people find you when they search? Press releases and social media like LinkedIn (a business must), Facebook, Twitter, Picassa, Flickr, having a website URL with your name (even if it redirects to your bio page on your business site), and creating a Google Profile all increase your footprint and make it easier for others to find you online.

Start a blog. Make sure you add new content at least a couple times a week. Even if no one reads the blog at first, it helps get you “found” by the search engines and gives you another place to post relevant content. If you don’t feel you have time to blog, guest blog for others. Note that it makes sense to secure a URL related to your passion and use this on your materials.

Write a book or produce a video. Both are great ways to add credibility and position you as an expert.

Building yourself as an expert in the eyes of the public is not an overnight process. It does take time and effort, but keep at it and you will be surprised at the results! Let us know what you have done to distinguish yourself and become more visible to colleagues and the public.

Warm hearts

2010-11-29T09:49:00.003-05:00

We have just received an amazing donation from the folks at Cypress Landings in Chocowinity and several others today. Deadline is tomorrow. Click here for more info.

Reasons to be Thankful

2010-11-24T12:13:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all who have contributed so far to the Coats & Blankets drive this year. We got an anonymous donation this morning of six coats and I'm getting ready to pick up a bunch more! Our drive ends Monday, so you still have time to donate gently used coats, blankets, hats, scarves. Our offices are closed through Friday, but we'll be here on Monday morning! Happy Thanksgiving to all.

'Tis the Season for Giving

2010-11-19T15:40:00.007-05:00

I am filled with the spirit of the holiday season today. Mary Ann and I loaded our first group of coats, fleece, and blankets in the trunk and front seat of her Jetta and she took them to the Raleigh Rescue Mission today.

Not only were we running out of room in our office, with donations filling the drop off box and conference room table, but the Raleigh Rescue Mission said they needed coats and blankets now. So Mary Ann jumped to help. Today she delivered vitalink's first donation of 11 blankets, 5 coats, and 6 fleece/hoodies. She also took the donation from Catalyst Group. Catalyst did an amazing job, donating 13 brand new winter coats, each had a hat and pair of gloves attached. Go Catalyst! Our first delivery of coats and blankets filled a big bin at the Raleigh Rescue Mission!

This is just the start of our coats and blankets drive, vitalink and our partners will be collecting until November 29th, so you still have time to help. I look forward to seeing what the rest of our partners have collected and to bringing more from coats and blankets from vitalink.

A special thanks to Mary Ann for seeing the need and coming up with the idea to do the Coats & Blankets drive, to Mike for developing the logo that conveys the heart behind the program (and for collecting coats & blankets from his church and closet and donating them in his hometown of Huntington, WV), to Kathy for writing all of our content and press releases (and for donations in her hometown of Charlotte, NC and Raleigh, NC), and to our partners who are helping raise more.

The people in the Triangle have warm hearts that will help warm the homeless this year. If this story warmed your heart, let us know by commenting below or sharing this (click on share buttons below for Facebook, Twitter, etc).

New Twitter Text Notification

2010-11-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

Interesting new feature. Twitter just rolled out “push” notifications. You can sign up to be notified via SMS whenever someone mentions your name @NAME in their post. Only available right now for iPhone and Blackberry. Cool.

Strategic Plans that Grow Your Business

2010-11-12T09:41:00.003-05:00

The last few months of the year are generally the months when businesses work on strategic planning and budgeting for the upcoming calendar year. Planting seeds so to speak. And for many business owners and managers, the task can seem overwhelming!

Strategic Planning helps save money when you set solid goals and develop your plan with checklists for your target markets, brand messages and budget. By setting up these checklists, you have an easy decision making guide process to follow and you will be less likely to make impulsive decisions or follow paths that will draw you away from goal conversion.

The overall strategic plan is supported by sub-plans for each functional area. The strategic marketing plan will define how the marketing department will support the overall plan and aid in accomplishing the stated goals. These sub-plans cannot be created in silos, but rather all departments must coordinate their efforts to ensure the plans are integrated and working toward the same end. As an example, if the overall plan includes the introduction of a new product in 2011, marketing must work with operations to learn product features and the timetable for release so that it may create packaging, sales materials, update web content, plan advertising campaigns, etc. Marketing must also coordinate with finance to ensure that funds are available for these programs.

In its’ supporting role, the strategic marketing plan should include the following elements:

1. A clear definition of the target markets. These targets may be different by product or service and may be narrow or broad, depending on your needs. You may also define secondary and/or tertiary markets, if appropriate. Consider geography, demographics, preferences/”likes” and behavioral restrictions. The majority of marketing efforts should focus on this group (or groups) and use the appropriate messages and channels for the group. Generally, the more defined your target is, the higher the conversion rate will be.
2. A detailed list of action items to accomplish the plan.
3. Assign budget dollars to each task or set of tasks and assign a team member to be responsible for managing to the budget.
4. Resources and due dates must be assigned, and teams built to coordinate efforts.
5. Define measurement & review checkpoints to keep the project on track.

A strategic marketing plan is a living document, like a plant. Results should be reviewed on an ongoing basis and tasks, focus and budget adjusted to ensure goals are met. Integration and coordination are key to an effective plan. A well thought out strategic plan is an asset and should help you manage to the bottom line and grow your business.

The Dark Side of Creative Direction

2010-10-26T09:15:00.012-04:00

By Jeanne Frazer, President, vitalink® and The Expert Speakers & Mike Steele, Creative Director, vitalink

Taking an idea or concept and translating it to a graphic design that represents the subject matter takes a certain type of talent – one that really cannot be learned. The graphic artist must understand the subject to be put to the “canvas” – the essence of what is to be conveyed to the end viewer. The artist must step outside himself to make sure the design conveys the brand, message and overall impression needed to sell the product or service. It is rare to find an artist able to put aside his or her own style and step into the shoes of the intended target market.

So how does the artist start with a blank screen and come up with an extraordinary design? vitalink’s Creative Director Mike Steele recently created a design for his daughter’s high school theatre production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. He walked us through the steps he took to move from an empty screen to final product.

Step 1: Research
As with most projects, the first thing the artist must do is research the subject of the design. If it’s a product, this may include talking with the brand manager or product manager to understand what the product will do, who the prospective buyers are, and to understand more about the company selling the product. Searching the web to find similar products is a must, as is understanding what’s different about the version you will depict in your design.

In the case of Dracula, the book was written long ago and has been “done” many times in movies and plays; recently, the popularity of vampire books and shows has exploded. What Mike really wanted to do for his design was to show something totally different than what has been done in the past. The research here was to understand what not to do.

Step 2: Brainstorming
After the research is complete, it’s time to take your findings and come up with ideas you can use for your design. As we like to say, throw the ideas against the wall and see what sticks. What first came to mind when Mike thought of Bram Stoker’s Dracula were the words “dark” and “sexy”. (Okay, this is a high school production, but we’re selling to an audience of adults, right?) He also knew he wanted to convey an impression of quality to draw a larger audience. Ideas started to stick to the wall.

Step 3: Implementation, a.k.a., Trial + Error
Mike began by searching for a font style and colors that would match the concept starting to form in his mind. Taking a font that represented his concept, he created the first layer of typography for the poster to promote the program.

The next two layers combined some photos he found of columns and clouds. This is where that innate artistic talent comes into play—it’s not easy for all of us to look at single photos and make that creative leap to see how they will look when combined or after their color is modified!

Combining the type, tweaking colors and layering the adjusted photos gave Mike a background he felt represented the dark, sexy image – the essence – he wanted to convey for the production.

Step 4: The Final Product
When the overall design is almost complete, it’s time to step back and see what else needs to be added to promote the product or service. For the Huntington High School Theatre group, that meant turning the design into a poster to be used to advertise their production. As usual, including the who-what-when-where-why-how answers is a must. After approval by the brand manager (in this case, the school), you have your final product.

“I love the whole “creative” process,” says Steele. “Taking a concept and making it come alive for the client is a tremendous rush. I work to take the personality and unique qualities of each client and incorporate them into the design.” Adds vitalink President Jeanne Frazer, “we are so lucky to have Mike heading up our creative group. Over the years I have learned that we can do a bit of brainstorming on a concept and Mike will come back with some fantastic designs for our clients. I think it’s great that he chose to donate his time and efforts to the Theatre club’s production. The Theatre group was so excited with the final design, they had T-shirts printed for the cast!”

About the Authors
Mike Steele is the Creative Director/Graphic Designer for vitalink and has been with the company almost since the beginning. Most of the logos, newsletter templates, and creative design work that are produced by vitalink for its clients are the result of Mike’s talent and efforts.

Many are struggling to find the path to success in today’s tough economic times. Jeanne Frazer will motivate and inspire individuals and businesses to discover their strengths that lead to long term success. Frazer makes concepts easy to understand and implement. She has significant experience speaking and has authored articles on a variety of marketing topics, including public relations, research, integrated marketing, branding, media, niche marketing, and strategic planning. Her unique point of view has been sought after by the media to provide input as a marketing expert. Frazer writes a blog that offers marketing tips and information. For a detailed bio on Jeanne Frazer or information about our expert management, marketing, non-profit and motivational speakers, visit www.theexpertspeakers.com.

Help us keep the homeless warmer this winter!

2010-10-25T13:42:00.003-04:00

Join vitalink® in supporting the Raleigh Rescue Mission!! This year, the Mission's supply of winter items is low and they need our help! Please join vitalink in making this winter a little warmer for the homeless by donating gently used winter coats, scarves, hats, gloves and warm blankets from November 8-30th at our office. E-mail jeanne@vitalinkweb.com if you'd like to learn more about becoming a partner!

I'd like to thank our first partners in this project: The News and Observer, Ingleside Farm and the David Allen Company. To learn more, click here.

Jeanne Frazer | Marketing Speaker Author

2010-10-07T14:25:00.002-04:00

Jeanne Frazer and her team of speakers have significant experience speaking and writing on a variety of marketing, management, and motivational topics. Our passion is helping the underdog succeed without breaking the bank. This is reflected in the workshops and seminars we conduct across the U.S. on topics including public relations, integrated marketing, branding, niche marketing, strategic planning and various management and motivational topics. These sessions have been presented to law firms, associations, and education groups, among others. We also work with clients to create and present custom seminars or workshops to meet their specific needs.

Why The Expert Speakers? Our speakers will:

1. Motivate and inspire individuals and businesses to discover their strengths - the "core truths" about who they are.
2. Teach you how to refocus on high value activities that get results, whatever your budget level.
3. Make marketing and management concepts easy to understand and implement.

In addition to speaking engagements and writing marketing focused articles, books and other materials, we offer marketing coaching and mentoring services to small and mid-sized businesses, and service professional practices looking to expand and grow the skills of their managers and staff. Contact us today at 1.919.850.0605 to learn more or watch our video now.

Parental Alert: Fisher-Price Recalls 10 million tricycles, toys and high chairs

2010-10-01T09:21:00.002-04:00

Fisher-Price has issued the most extensive recalls in history of more than 10 million tricycles, toys and high chairs. Mattel, the head of Fisher-Price is voluntarily recalling the items from the U.S. and Canada over safety concerns.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, many of the recalled items present a safety concern or a choking hazard!

According to the Vancouver Sun, the largest Fisher Price item recalled is its trikes and "Tough" trikes. Over seven million are recalled. It was reported that ten children fell and hurt themselves against an "ignition key" area on the toy ten. Health Canada stated, "A child can strike, sit, or fall on the protruding ignition key, resulting in serious injury including genital bleeding." That definitely sounds dangerous and the trikes should be taken off the market!

We recommend that you take steps to ensure you have a safe product. Click on the links below to learn if you have one of the recall items or to for more information.

Recall list: http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp

Letter from Fisher-Price: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=recalls

Stretch your advertising investment with a “value add”

2010-09-30T15:47:00.005-04:00

A special thanks to guest blogger Mary Ann Grooms for this post.

As a media buyer I’m often asked, “How can you help me get me more out of my advertising investment?” In an economy where every cent counts and budgets are getting smaller, stretching those dollars to obtain improved results is even more important. In the past, “value adds” or “value added” has been seen as icing on the cake for a large advertising investment. Today, media companies are more willing to negotiate value adds for all levels of advertisers. The most important lesson I’ve learned is: if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Here are a few tips to help you stretch your advertising dollars:

Ask your station rep, media contact or ad agency partner about adding your logo and a link to your website on the station’s website during the ad campaign.
Offer trade – (free services or gift certificates in exchange for advertising or promotional exposure) - to your cash investment to really beef it up.
Inquire about bonus “spots” (commercials or ads) or bonus color – when ad sales are sluggish, many stations are willing to run your ads for free during non-peak hours or as fill-ins really stretching those dollars. Print publications may give free color that will spruce up your black and white ad.

It can’t hurt to ask what your media contact or agency partner can do to help you get the most for your investment. After all, if you succeed, you’ll likely buy more advertising—and they’ll succeed!

Mary Ann Grooms has been with vitalink (www.vitalinkweb.com) for over three years as Project Director/Media Buyer. She handles a significant amount of market research and sends out the firm’s press releases through her extensive list of media contacts. Mary Ann also volunteers her time for a variety of causes, such as NC Special Olympics, Raleigh Rescue Mission, and Light the Night. She can be reached at 919.850.0605 or via email at maryann@vitalinkweb.com.

Growing Fast: Location-Based Tools

2010-09-27T15:45:00.003-04:00

You may have heard people mention Foursquare, Gowalla or Facebook Places—maybe you even use these tools. They all have fans and are growing rapidly. But if you aren’t sure what location-based tools do, you should learn more about how they work and how you might incorporate them into your marketing toolbox.

From a marketing perspective, let’s say I own a retail boutique at the mall and participate as a Foursquare vendor. Foursquare knows when my potential client is at the mall. Foursquare can send a special offer to her mobile phone telling her that if she “checks in” at my boutique, she gets a 10% discount on the new fall styles that just arrived. Built-in analytics features allow me to track the number of shoppers that use the check-in feature. Don’t forget to cross market this in displays that people will see. Put a poster in your store window asking people to check in, which gives them another reason to enter your store. Then add a reminder such as a register topper and a postcard letting people know about your location based promotions and asking them to participate.

According to a recent article by DM News, only about 1% of people currently use location-based services, and 85% of them are under age 40. But this number is growing daily as more merchants are joining the bandwagon and more people buy new mobile devices to replace their old cell phones. The usefulness of the tool does depend on your industry, client base and how you market it, but think outside the box and consider how you might include this capability in your marketing arsenal. We’d love to hear how you use these tools or if you have a success story to share!

Using Books to Market Your Firm or Business

2010-09-21T17:51:00.003-04:00

Easy access to the internet and the subsequent explosion of data has changed how most of us research subjects and obtain information that we need to do our jobs and live our lives. You must get noticed – and writing is a great way to position yourself as an expert in your field. There’s nothing better than “buzz”—you want people talking about you as an expert—it drives new clients your way; in many cases, clients you capture without spending lots of money to advertise. A big benefit of posting content on the internet with your name and web information linked to it: getting the search engines to pick it up.

You have a number of options, based on the amount of time you are willing to spend and (in some cases) the amount of money. These options include:

* Books – printed versions or e-books: use as give-aways at seminars and events.
* Articles – published in trade journals or posted online.
* Blogs – write your own or guest blog.
* Social Media Discussions – find a blog, LinkedIn group or online news articles that will allow you to comment as an expert.

Ready to get started? Here are a few simple rules that should help:

1. NO SELLING!
2. Write to the level of your audience
3. Relevant topics only and they must add value to the reader – what’s in it for them?
4. Use keywords
5. Include links to other relevant content on your site or others
6. Let your personality and the personality of your law firm come through
7. Be true to your brand
8. NO SELLING!

Can't think about writing a book all on your own? Ask us about ghostwriting.

Marketing Speaker

2010-09-21T17:45:00.002-04:00

I wanted to say that I get so energized when I'm asked to speak to a group. Especially when you have great feedback and input. Last week I spoke to the Raleigh Chamber AM group on the 5 Myths of Creating a Marketing Plan and Budget and last night I spoke in to the Charlotte Business Professional group on Using Social Media and the USPS to Create Customers. Both of these groups had a variety of industries represented and they were engaged in the process and had great questions.

If you have any marketing questions or comments, please ask. This blog may not be an in person event, but it can still be a learning forum.

Strategy and Insight

2010-09-10T14:19:00.003-04:00

I just saw Rudy Guiliani speak and thought I'd share some of the inspiration I got from his speech. Engage the mind. Write, listen to people, and read. This develops your ability for decision making. I am a big proponent of his philosophy -figure out how something can work for you - always think - how can I use this? During 911 he used plans developed for other things to help w/this disaster. His ability to think how could he use things helped the nation through a crisis. The world we live in is going through a revolution of information and changing economic times, become engaged in learning about how you can use this knowledge to help.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Do no evil…. The monkey’s marketing lesson.

2010-09-08T11:30:00.002-04:00

See no evil, hear no evil, do no evil. The three monkeys had it right in describing the 3 learning styles. And, like this famous image shows, we don’t all learn the same way. These primary learning “styles” of seeing, hearing and doing impact how an individual receives your marketing message.

What does this mean to you as a marketer? Your approach may need to integrate elements of the three learning styles to be more successful. This same theory applies to combining marketing channels to conduct a more effective campaign (a.k.a. integrated marketing).

Within the “seeing” group, some individuals are more drawn to your content and want to read all they can to learn. This group may ignore your graphics; the ad creative is not as important to them as the written word. Others are drawn to images, layout, and information delivered in short chunks. Think USA Today.

The “hearing” group learns best when they have auditory messages. This could come on the radio, recorded messages (on hold, website), music (web background), and also video which combines images, movement and sound (website, TV, in office, mailed DVDs or CDs, via smart phones).

The final “doing” group likes things “hands-on” and might be approached best with a free sample that they can touch, taste, or smell (depending upon your product!) or product demonstrations (live or on the web).

Whichever method or media you choose, don’t forget to include a “call to action” (i.e., what do I want the prospect to do with the advertisement, commercial, blog, sample, or video). Here are some ways you might combine techniques to effectively target these learning styles.
• In a printed marketing piece, position graphics and headlines to provide the highlights, then include more detail (if there is room) or add specific website information for those who want to learn more. As an option, offer a free newsletter for signing up via email (this allows you to capture key prospect information as well).
• If you produce a video, include written captions, a link to an information-filled website or blog, or offer a downloadable whitepaper or tips sheet with more information. Post segments of the video on your website and YouTube.
• Offer video viewers the option of subscribing to future videos or signing up for a written (e-mail or printed) newsletter or blog (or both).
• Sending a targeted direct mail piece for a new software product? Provide each user with a personalized link to a demo of the software that allows them to go hands-on and see how it works.
• Promote a new food product line using social media – offering free samples with a coupon that can be either printed or stored on a mobile device to show to the cashier!

Take a look at the ads you see over the next few days and see if (and how) they combine techniques and channels to reach more than one learning style. There’s not one “right” way to do this—it takes some thought, planning and testing to see which methods will work best for your target market. Begin thinking about how you can take these ideas and use them in your marketing. Good luck!

How to Approach a Magazine Editor

2010-09-01T10:18:00.003-04:00

I was recently asked to submit a tip for approaching a magazine editor. Editors are beseiged with input on a daily basis, so you really have to get creative to be noticed and recognized as having valuable information. Find some great tips (including #47 - mine) by visiting The entreprenette Gazette.

Making your Marketing Explode

2010-08-25T12:06:00.007-04:00

Remember the really cool science experiment to make a volcano? You use simple ingredients like baking soda and dish soap. On their own they work for baking and cleaning, no wow factor. But when you combine the two you get a volcanic eruption. Pretty cool.

Marketing works in much the same way. If only one channel or technique is used to promote the business, firm, or product, many find they get so-so results and come to the conclusion that whatever channel or technique they used didn’t work. Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently and some marketing gets a bum rap.

The magic with marketing happens when you take an integrated marketing approach. Much like our volcano experiment, when you combine the right ingredients (marketing channel or technique) you’ll see an eruption in your results. Research shows that consumers must be exposed to your message multiple times before they notice you. It also helps to reach people in more than one way, as integrated marketing’s use of various channels and means to deliver your message also helps to reach people who have different learning styles. Someone may see an ad and have it barely register in their subconscious, but when they see a detailed description or recommendation through another source it clicks. Somehow they remember hearing about the product so they know it and now they have another message that hits them to ignite the volcano. Magic.

What does this mean? When you are working on your strategic marketing plan, you must expand your horizons. Look closely at the channels used by your current customers and those you would like to be customers. Even though integrated marketing requires multiple channels, you should only include as many channels as you can do well and consistently. This will vary based on whether you are a B2B or B2C company. The demographics of your customer base will also have an impact, with younger age groups more likely to respond to social media and mobile marketing channels.

Plan campaigns that will touch each person a minimum of 4-6 times and use more than one channel. Many people run to the web, social media, TV, direct mail, newspaper, or radio first. These are all good options depending on who you are trying to reach. But don’t neglect to have a strong, consistent Customer Relationship Management & Marketing (CRM&M) campaign, it is one of the most cost efficient marketing tools to increase business. If your business is referral based, also include a Professional Relationship Management & Marketing (PRM&M) campaign.

Be consistent with your branding and message. To make magic, your message and brand must be recognizable from channel to channel so people can make the connection in their minds. Monitor campaign effectiveness; don’t be afraid to adjust campaigns that are not working as well as you’d like. Converting new customers is frequently a numbers game—it all comes down to planning and effectively executing on those integrated marketing plans.

Think about how you can incorporate these ideas into your marketing strategy to improve your results. Questions and comments are welcome. Please share any success stories or challenges as well.

Follow up note: This article was picked up by the B2C Marketing Insider and appeared on the front page of Social Media Today!

Buzzworthy?

2010-08-19T09:53:00.001-04:00

Buzzwords become buzzwords because they strike a cord. While they’re hot, phrases like “win-win,” “think outside the box,” “convenient location,” “free consultation,” all make the user appear to be on the “cutting edge.” But what happens when you are using a buzzword past the expiration date?

You lose clout and become part of the incessant background noise and not the hype buzz you’d wanted. Attorneys are the most egregious over users of “free consultation.” It is hard to get them to think about other ways to say this phrase, but when you do find other ways to invite people to learn more about their rights for free results increase.

Cvent Survey - There's No Need to Swear, Surveys Aren't Going Anywhere

2010-08-12T08:52:00.001-04:00

This is an interesting article I was quoted in that talks about the changes with online and social media research versus traditional research. Cvent Survey - There's No Need to Swear, Surveys Aren't Going Anywhere

How to Use Social Media and the USPS to Create Customers

2010-08-09T11:50:00.003-04:00

Just had another article posted on the B2C Marketing Insider site. Using social media to reach customers and propsects can be very effective, but including traditional channels - like sending a personalized note through the USPS - can really make your campaign pop. Read the full article...

Has DVR usage made TV commercials obsolete?

2010-08-06T11:58:00.002-04:00

DVR usage has grown over 90% from May 2007 to May 2010, with DVR playback almost doubling in the past two years. The number of people who have a DVR still varies greatly by market, ranging from 26.5% to 47.1% in the top markets.

So with the widespread usage of DVRs and expected continued growth, are TV commercials obsolete? The answer is a resounding No. While the media mix for advertisers is changing to include more social media and two way conversations, TV commercials remain one of the most effective ways to advertise for many business categories.

Do people with DVRs even watch the commercials? You might be surprised to find 40-50% of those who watch a watch the entire program, including TV commercials. I have a friend who doesn’t like to fast forward through the commercials; for him, it “messes with the flow” of the program. I’m in the “fast forwarder” group: so does this group see the commercials? There are studies that confirm commercials that are fast-forwarded are seen and have good recall. The theory on this is you have to pay even closer attention to the commercials so you stop the fast forward in time to not miss any of your show. I couldn’t agree more—I’ve even found myself repeating lines from commercials while fast forwarding through them!

Advertisers might worry whether time sensitive messages will still work in this new DVR world. To read the rest of the story...click here.

This article was also picked up by b2cmarketinginsider.com.

Source: Nielsen 2010 analysis of live and same day ratings.

Has Social Media research killed Traditional Research?

2010-07-29T10:09:00.001-04:00

Social media surveys tell you about people who are on-line, have an interest in taking a survey, and/or your product. Traditional surveys do this, plus they tell you about people who aren’t on-line (there are still a few out there) and those who didn’t know about you or who might be interested.

While social media surveys have a place in research and marketing, they will not replace traditional surveys. Traditional surveys reach out to those not looking to fill out a survey and cover a span of demographics (age, sex, race, etc). They also present a picture that is more statistically accurate. This gives marketers the opportunity to truly understand the market better and/or to reach out to new groups and understand the other side of why some have not been interested.

If You Build It, Will They Come?

2010-07-26T09:39:00.003-04:00

An article I had written a few months ago was just posted on the B2C Marketing Insider site. This article speaks to some of the changes in marketing best practices - especially related to online marketing. Hope you enjoy it!

Make Your Booth Stand Out at a Trade Show

2010-07-23T09:34:00.003-04:00

I was recently asked to add a tip for an a blog on trade shows. The article offers some great advice on ways to really stand out and catch attention when you are competing against so many others for the conference attendees' time. I thought you might find these tips useful. My tip is #47: "Woo the Senses". Enjoy!

Should Video Be Part of Your Firm's Marketing Efforts?

2010-07-16T14:13:00.012-04:00

The marketing channels available to you to market your firm continue to expand. From blogs to social media websites to e-marketing to old fashioned direct mail or television ads, you have many options. Video offers a flexible option to reach and educate prospective clients. While you can spend a large portion of your budget on professional videos, they are not always necessary. A January 2010 Nielsen survey showed that YouTube had over 100 million visitors who viewed over 6 billion videos. Google Places (formerly Google Local Business Center) links YouTube video to your Google listing so that web visitors can learn more about you through video.

But isn’t video pricey? I’ll give you my favorite answer: “It depends.” Done properly, video can position you and your firm as the subject matter expert in the eyes of the viewer. Done poorly, you can position yourself as untrustworthy just by not having fine attention to detail. Proper planning, knowledge and doing it right the first time will help your return on investment. As an example, if you are an estate planning/elder law firm in a highly competitive market and are looking to be noticed, you might choose to professionally produce an educational video in a news program format. This video could also be made available to interested groups, giving them permission to run the program at a group meeting or event. On the other hand, many subjects lend themselves to a less formal video format. You might choose to create a short video (1-4 minutes) in your office with home equipment on a tripod that presents one of your attorneys offering “need to know” points on workers’ compensation in your state. Any video could be posted on YouTube (make sure to include appropriate keywords) and on the appropriate practice area page on your website. It should also be promoted through your other marketing channels.

Who’s using video? Many businesses and organizations are utilizing video to promote their messages. YouTube is a favorite place to post these videos. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has posted a number of boating safety videos on YouTube and promotes these videos on their website. The National Transportation Safety Board has also used YouTube to post informative video clips on such topics as how to choose a motorcycle helmet. That particular video was used as an integrated part of the May 2010 Share the Road motorcycle safety campaign. The campaign included a press kit with free photos, resources and links that supporting organizations could use on their own websites at no charge. And don’t forget—you may want to have your video set up in a loop on a screen in your waiting area for visitors to watch.

CNN’s Twitter posts recently showed that for the first time ever more viewers get their news online than from radio or newspapers . As peoples’ use of online media continues to increase, providing information in a video format will become even more commonplace. If your firm has not yet considered how video will play into your marketing mix, it’s time to do so.

When you’re ready to add video to the mix, here are some things you need to know:

Videos must be educational – consumers can spot a sales pitch a mile away. View some sample videos done for law firms.
The style, message and “look” of your video should support your brand
Determine your audience before you begin – audience should determine the presentation style, language and the content
Choose your presenter with your audience in mind – you want to find a good “match”, so that the viewer feels a comfort level with the presenter but still views your presenter as the subject matter expert
The length is not as important as content – when you watch the video, does it provide value to the audience? Keep in mind though, attention spans tend to be short, so lead with the important information.
Choose one topic for each video (or segment of a show) and provide a mid-range of data – you want to educate and add value but not so much that the viewer feels they don’t need you!
Make the video part of a multi-step marketing plan – if you do a monthly e-newsletter, add a link to the video and promote it; if you print your newsletter, provide the URL so interested viewers can watch it. Promote the video on your blog. And make it easy for readers to forward the link to their friends!
There are options to promote your video via paid advertising. The effectiveness will depend upon your market and the subject matter. You may wish to try a short test to see if it is effective.
Consider also using a dedicated phone number or website landing page to track business coming from the video.

Using video to market your company can be a great option to reach and educate potential new clients and to position yourself and your firm as the experts. It should be a part of your firm’s long-term marketing strategy.

Jeanne Frazer is a well-known marketing speaker and author. She is the President of vitalink® (http://www.vitalinkweb.com/), a creative and strategic marketing think-tank, and partner with Lawyers Marketing Agency (http://www.lawyersmarketingagency.com/). Jeanne has many years of marketing experience marketing in a variety of industries and has just launched a new innovative educational television news program to market law firms, Spotlight on the Law. She can be reached at jfrazer@marketingspeakerauthor.com or at 919.850.0605.