Tag Archives: purpose

40 Years since the 1st Cell Phone Call – a Retrospective

Posted on by
Picturephone

Picturephones never made it…

Mashable posted this morning about today making 40 years since the first cell phone call. I had to stop and calculate how young I was at the time…

Ok – so I was in high school

…and we were happy enough having a phone extension in the bedroom (for you Gen x & Yers, an extension was the teen’s only way to get out of the hall to have a private conversation!) Back then, our parents were panicking that they couldn’t hear all of our conversations anymore. We teens were always worried someone would pick up the other line and listen. Nothing compared to today’s worries over teens and the internet!

So who cared?

I don’t recall knowing anything about this new cellular technology. But then, that is how it was with most inventions in that era. New inventions splashed on the evening news and then disappeared. You learned it was best to not to get too excited because many of these earth changing discoveries tended never to get to the masses due to the huge expense of production.

A great example was Jetson’s style visual communication that featured in the Ma Bell “Future” section of the State Fair (above image) year after year. It was a big flop. Of course, now, the internet has taken over that function with Skype and other internet options. Oddly, visual communication finally surfaced without the use of telephones.

Marketing Potential?

So in light of the simplistic perception we all had about the power of visual communication back then, the only advantage we saw to Picturephones was the ability to see who was on the other end of the line. And we weren’t always sure that we wanted to BE seen! The first concern was whether there was an OFF button!

Never was there any discussion as to the marketing possibilities that would come with portable visual capabilities. After all, this was the era of newspapers, magazines, billboards and only 3 TV networks.

Similar to the beginnings of Social Media, it was just about communication and that’s all. Now, the primary discussion is all in Market-speak.

As with all inventions, you never really know what ultimate usage will evolve, but one thing you can be sure of, someone in marketing will always be asking:

How can we use this to reach our consumer? ;)

You Might Be a Marketing Consultant If the 1st Thing a Prospect Says is “I Really Have No Idea What You Do”

Posted on by

Apparently a lot of people don’t understand consulting services. When many prospects shop for a marketing consultant (like me), they often expect some sort of price and package menu like the image below.

Superhero price packaging

Hmmmm, after looking at the fees for the services in this image… I may have to rethink my fees ;)

So why hire a consultant?

Seriously, the reason you hire a consultant is because they should “consult” with you on what you need and customize their services specific to those needs. And they should have specialized experience and know-how of what you require to succeed. And you don’t have to hire a consultant as an employee – no overhead, no insurance, no commitment to keep them, easy to hire and fire, and many more benefits of a non-employee status. You have total control.

However, you as a business owner typically don’t know what you don’t know outside of your areas of expertise, so package pricing is really of little to no use to you.

Every small business is different in their marketing needs, and every small business is at a different stage and level of marketing. There are thousands of self-help websites, books, tools, and more out there – and many of them free. But, it’s not just knowledge of using the tools you need, but the strategies and applications that would fit your particular business that are far more important for implementation.

Most small business owners do NOT have the time to learn marketing, nor how to properly apply best practices.

And if you start talking to a consultant who doesn’t ask you a lot of questions about you and your business, end that call!

Do you really want to hire someone for a generic marketing package that may or may not bring results to your business? That is why I don’t offer package prices. I do, however, work on a sliding scale based on the size of the job, length of time, customized preparation involved, and so on.

Food for thought:

The overall impact of a consultant is that clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired.

You have total control. That’s the beauty of a consultant. You don’t have to employ another person to get a specific job done. You can retain a consultant for as long as you like as an as-needed go-to resource for your business.

It’s really quite a high ROI.

And why do I work exclusively with SMBs and NPOs? The passion of a SMB owner or NPO leader is contagious and energizing!

 

David Shouldn’t Try to Be Goliath in Social Media – the Pants Just Don’t Fit!

Posted on by
Three wise monkeys

Three wise monkeys (Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn)

It’s common practice for small businesses and non-profits who are new to social media marketing to look at what the big guys are doing.

Let’s take a minute to re-think Social Media Practices – Big Business vs Small Business

The essence of Social Media Marketing:

When we want to buy something important, don’t we often go online and see what others are saying about it? Amazon.com, Yelp.com, etc… or just a simple Google search?

Don’t personal reviews from consumers of that product influence our decisions? Don’t we also pay attention to testimonials when we see them anywhere online?

Of course we do.

In Social Media venues, do we pay as much attention to a commercial, or anything that sounds like a commercial, or even smells like it might be a commercial? No, because it is usually either annoying or a turn off to be sold to in a social environment! Right?

YET – when small businesses and non-profits try to post material on their pages and sites, they often come off, well… like a commercial.

Why not, you say? The big companies do it, you say? Macys, Best Buy, Old Navy, Home Depot… they promote product and are successful. Shouldn’t I follow their example with my small business or non-profit?

NO! NO! A Thousand times NO!

Think about it. Big Retailers and businesses are actually at a disadvantage on Social Media. They can’t begin to interact with fans and followers on the same level as a small business can – much less on a personal level. Since they have hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers from all over the nation, they have to use social media as an extension of their traditional marketing.

Why would you follow the example of a business that can’t even use the medium for that which it was created?

As a small business or non-profit, you have the advantage of local influence. You have the advantage of being a part of the local community. You even know a good many of your fans and followers by name or sight or even have relationships with them.

For example:

Say you were in line at the movie theater and you recognize a consumer in the line in front of you.

  • You might say a cheerful hello and remind them of how they may know you.
  • You might thank them for shopping with you.
  • You might talk about the weather or latest big news or the Big High School game
  • You might ask them what they’ve heard about the other movies showing at the theater….

But would you pull out a picture of your latest product and begin to sell them on it?

Sure, at the end of the chat, you MIGHT remind them to come by your business and check out a new product or service or hand them a business card or such, but you aren’t going to stand there and pitch them the whole time you are in line. At least I hope not!

So why would you do any differently on Social Media?

They recognize you as someone in their community. If you come across as strictly business, you will lose your credibility as “the neighborhood” merchant that they have come to know and trust on a face to face level.

Instead, you’ll just be regarded as just another retailer or business person...  Why would you want to do that?

Did you get that AHA moment there?

Still hungry for the WHY of social media? What good is it? Why should you bother in 2013?

Posted on by
George Takei https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei

George Takei – or as some of us know him from the original Star Trek Cast – “Sulu” Now the most influential person on Social Media in 2012. https://www.facebook.com/georgehtakei

Many social media newsletters and blogs are chock full of the wrongs and rights of 2012 and what’s coming in 2013. But, while that is all truly good information, most of my clients and presentation attendees are still very hungry for the WHY of social media.

  • What good is it?
  • Why should they bother?
  • And lastly – Why should they want to connect with hundreds or thousands of strangers?

So I decided not to discuss the stats on where Social Media has gone in 2012, the demographics and analysis, the projections for where it is going, etc… (my favorite reliable source for that  – http://mashable.com/social-media/)

INSTEAD, let’s walk through the “why” in hopes it will change how you think about Social Media and get you participating on a REAL basis.
I remembered a blog (no link, I’m protecting the innocent), that suggested in your efforts to organize in preparation for the opportunities of 2013, that you should also UN-Follow anyone in social media if you couldn’t identify them on sight of their gravatar.

H U H ?

My Perfect segue into the why…

If you follow the advice of that blogger and UN-follow anyone whom you really don’t know, don’t connect on LinkedIn with someone you don’t know, and don’t accept invitations to friend those you don’t know, then you are missing the point of social media. (yes, you should check out their profile first!)

TO PUT THIS IN THE SIMPLEST TERMS… Here is the why…

Part 1 – Who ARE these people?

  • When you go to a party or gathering, do you ignore everyone you don’t know?
  • When you attend a business networking event, do you refrain from accepting a business card or offering your own?
  • When you are standing in line at the grocery store and the person behind you comments on the long wait, do you turn away and ignore them?
  • At any public sports event or concert or play, if the person in the seat next to you shares positively in your emotional response to the event, do you reject them?
  • When you are at a store that sells products for your hobby or niche, does the advice of a bystander bother you when you make a decision on the products you are perusing…?

Are you starting to get that aspect of it…?

Ok – now part 2 – What am I doing here?

  • Have you  never made any comments to a stranger on the surrounding events?
  • Have you never hi-fived someone next to you at the Sports Bar when the team you both support makes a goal?
  • Have you never offered words of comfort to a stranger in need?
  • Have you never shared business ideas and observations with the vendor in the next rented booth at an expo?
  • At home, don’t you have pictures of family, vacations, certificates of achievement… on your walls for all who visit to see?
  • Don’t you talk to strangers (prospective customers) every day in your business?
  • Have you never been excited to share good news or concerned enough to share bad news?

Enough? Now is it sinking in?

Last Considerations:

  • Do you know the number of friends, acquaintances and colleagues you have in the physical world?
  • Aren’t those relationships of varying degrees?

There are services out there that people get sucked into that will “buy” likes for your social media account…

  • Do you want friends that have nothing to do with your world – in other words, do you “buy” friends who serve no purpose but to add quantity to your circle?

So now… what do you do to get started on a realistic level that works? You begin to think of Social Media as a public venue for all the interaction you do on a normal basis…

  • You stop thinking of Social Media as a badge of distinction based on the numbers of fans or followers.
  • You become open to the possibilities of these tools of social media. Yes, that is all they are… tools. YOU make them what they are and YOU determine the results you get. Just like in the physical world.

I hope this blog has helped explain and inform you enough to get more involved in the use of social media for your business – and get social!  And don’t forget that Google loves fresh content…

Post Script:
And one last distinction that is often overlooked… Social Media is also a manifestation of our 1st amendment rights in the United States of America
Consider that in some countries, there are use restrictions and even total bans…

Example: Section 66A of India’s Information Technology Act, makes it a crime punishable by jail time to use social media platforms to make offensive statements.

Food for thought.

Please visit my archives for more food for thought on Social Media and more…

Just Because We Have the Online Sharing Tools, Do We ALWAYS Have to Share, RT, Like…?

Posted on by

Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present. Roger Babson

It’s just too easy to waste valuable time. Being online can sometimes become like getting sucked into a vortex of time-wasting hell!

In the “old” days, if we wanted to share a piece of news, a funny joke, an interesting article, or some personal event, we had to actually either call or personally talk to someone, or send them a message via snail mail.

Now…

  • Click Like
  • Click Share
  • ReTweet
  • Forward
  • Click a social sharing bookmarklet
  • Request to be emailed on ALL comments to a discussion

…The convenience tools are a list a mile long and it is just too damned easy!

So just because we have all these CONVENIENT(?) online tools, do we have to use them all the time?!

Think about when we had to do it the old way.  We didn’t share EVERYthing! (I am assuming my readers are old enough to remember telephones that had cords and the USPS actually delivered handwritten personal letters).

So when we complain that there is just not enough time to look at all the stuff in our inbox of emails, announcements and newsletters, our multiple social media feeds, our RSS feeds, our bookmarked sites, ad infinitum… it’s time to reassess our priorities.

1. Start with what YOU share. Don’t add to the glut. Take a breath before you share…

Stop for a moment before hitting one of those sharing buttons – think from a new perspective – if you had to take the time to text, call, email someone about what you are about to share or comment on …would you?

2. Inbox never empty? Whose fault is that ;)

If you find yourself repeatedly deleting messages from the same source, it’s either time to consider the unsubscribe button or create a filter for that email to go directly into a folder and skip the inbox. Then YOU choose when it’s in your view and can’t be distracted by it when other items should take priority.

3. Stop turning on the Merry-Go Round!

If you send an email for group review, be careful to only address one point at a time. We’ve all seen it.  A merry-go-round of responses addressing different points from the same email and nothing gets accomplished because it becomes a ball of confusion – and a huge waste of time on all ends with no final consensus.

Bottom Line? Slow down a little…. Really.   What would be your Number 4?