Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn | Guy Kawasaki

When Guy Kawasaki blogged about the Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn, LinkedIn had 8.5 million users in 130 industries. Since then we’ve grown to over 12 million users covering 147 industries, but many of Guy’s suggestions on using LinkedIn (see below), still remain a great way for professionals to strengthen their online brand reputation and leverage their professional network. Happy Reading!

1. Increase your visibility.

By adding connections, you increase the likelihood that people will see your profile first when they’re searching for someone to hire or do business with. In addition to appearing at the top of search results (which is a major plus if you’re one of the 52,000 product managers on LinkedIn), people would much rather work with people who their friends know and trust.

2. Improve your connectability.

Most new users put only their current company in their profile. By doing so, they severely limit their ability to connect with people. You should fill out your profile like it’s an executive bio, so include
past companies, education, affiliations, and activities.

You can also include a link to your profile as part of an email signature. The added benefit is that the link enables people to see all your credentials, which would be awkward if not downright strange, as
an attachment.

3. Improve your Google PageRank.

LinkedIn allows you to make your profile information available for search engines to index. Since LinkedIn profiles receive a fairly high PageRank in Google, this is a good way to influence what people see when they search for you.

To do this, create a public profile and select “Full View.” Also, instead of using the default URL, customize your public profile’s URL to be your actual name. To strengthen the visibility of this page in
search engines, use this link in various places on the web, For example, when you comment in a blog, include a link to your profile in your signature.

4. Enhance your search engine results.

In addition to your name, you can also promote your blog or website to search engines like Google and Yahoo! Your LinkedIn profile allows you to publicize websites. There are a few pre-selected categories like “My Website,” “My Company,” etc.

If you select “Other” you can modify the name of the link. If you’re linking to your personal blog, include your name or descriptive terms in the link, and voila! instant search-engine optimization for your site. To make this work, be sure your public profile setting is set to “Full View.”

5. Perform blind, “reverse,” and company reference checks.

LinkedIn’s reference check tool to input a company name and the years the person worked at the company to search for references. Your search will find the people who worked at the company during the same time period. Since references provided by a candidate will generally be glowing, this is a good way to get more balanced data.

Companies will typically check your references before hiring you, but have you ever thought of checking your prospective manager’s references? Most interviewees don’t have the audacity to ask a
potential boss for references, but with LinkedIn you have a way to scope her out.

You can also check up on the company itself by finding the person who used to have the job that you’re interviewing for. Do this by searching for job title and company, but be sure to uncheck “Current titles only.” By contacting people who used to hold the position, you can get the inside scoop on the job, manager and growth potential.

By the way, if using LinkedIn in these ways becomes a common practice, we’re apt to see more truthful resumes. There’s nothing more amusing than to find out that the candidate who claims to have caused some huge success was a total bozo who was just along for the ride.

6. Increase the relevancy of your job search.

Use LinkedIn’s advanced search to find people with educational and work experience like yours to see where they work. For example, a programmer would use search keywords such as “Ruby on Rails,” “C++,” “Python,” “Java,” and “evangelist” to find out where other programmers with these skills work.

7. Make your interview go smoother.

You can use LinkedIn to find the people that you’re meeting. Knowing that you went to the same school, plays hockey, or shares acquaintances is a lot better than an awkward silence after, “I’m doing fine, thank you.”

8. Gauge the health of a company.

Perform an advanced search for company name and uncheck the “Current Companies Only” box. This will enable you to scrutinize the rate of turnover and whether key people are abandoning ship. Former employees usually give more candid opinions about a company’s prospects than someone who’s still on board.

9. Gauge the health of an industry.

If you’re thinking of investing or working in a sector, use LinkedIn to find people who worked for competitors—or even better, companies who failed. For example, suppose you wanted to build a next generation online pet store, you’d probably learn a lot from speaking with former Pets.com or WebVan employees.

10. Track startups.

You can see people in your network who are initiating new startups by doing an advanced search for a range of keywords such as “stealth” or “new startup.” Apply the “Sort By” filter to “Degrees away from you” in order to see the people closest to you first. [Republished from: Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn via "How to Change the World" -- Guy Kawasaki's blog]

Guy is known for bringing the concept of technology evangelism to the masses through his pioneering work at Apple’s Macintosh group. In addition to blogging the above post earlier this year, he has also blogged on topics ranging from LinkedIn Profile Extreme Makeover to LinkedIn and the Art of avoiding an Asshole Boss.
[Source: Guy Kawasaki's weblog -- How to Change the World - http://blog.guykawasaki.com ]

Interviewing Dos & Don’ts

You’ve written a compelling release, determined the ideal time to issue the news, selected the optimum distribution package through your newswire service provider and developed a list of key media targets. Chances are now strong that reporters will respond, and when they do, they’ll want to talk.

This is a good thing. The pinnacle of PR. Unfortunately for some of you, though, media interviews are an anxiety-laden proposition that can limit your ability to effectively articulate the story you’re so eager to tell.

If you’re one of these people, fear not. There are several techniques you can employ prior to and during an interview that can help smooth the process and create an atmosphere of comfort and control.  

What to Expect
The majority of all media interviews are conducted over the phone. The reason is simple. Most reporters are writing on deadline, and the phone provides a simple and efficient way to make contact and gather information. There may be instances when a reporter requests a face-to-face meeting or, given today’s digital age, an e-mail exchange. But for the most part, the phone is the communication medium of choice.

When speaking to a reporter over the phone, there are a few specific techniques you should consider. First, if at all possible, use a landline. Poor cell phone connections can be frustrating and may result in misquotes. Second, try standing during the call. It may seem like an odd thing to do, but standing will put you in a more aggressive posture and can even help you focus your thoughts. Lastly, and most important, limit all outside distractions. Turn away from your monitor, close out of e-mail, shut down your PDA, and lock your door. Background noise (literal and figurative) can disrupt your thought process and potentially cause you to misstate a response.

Whether on the phone, in person or via e-mail, the following tips should be considered each and every time you’re presented with an interview opportunity. Each can help mean the difference between an article that showcases you and your company as a powerful force in your industry and a story that fails to connect with your audience, or worse, paints your company in a bad light.

To prepare for the interview:

• Research the reporter and the publication.
  Does this reporter usually write favorable, balanced pieces, or adopt a more scandal-seeking approach? Does the publication look for a personal (human interest) or factual style of reporting? Does the publication publish long, investigative features or shorter, newsy pieces? The answers to these questions will determine what sort of preparation you need to do. A basic online search should yield a few past articles from a particular reporter, but to really investigate a reporter’s background and writing style, it may be necessary to subscribe to an online media database.

• Prepare at least three key points you want to get across.
  What are the most important facts or ideas you want to communicate during the interview? Your messages should pertain to the specific topic at hand but also extend to your company as a whole. Write out the information, practice talking about it, and have the notes handy when you speak to the reporter.

• Anticipate tough questions.
  No matter the style of the reporter, it’s always wise to prepare for tough questions. It’s likely they won’t be asked, but it’s best to be ready for worst-case scenarios. Perhaps tough questions relate to the company’s past actions or inactions, or its position in the market with respect to its competitors. Think about the issues as if you were outside the company looking in, then prepare some answers in advance. If you’re asked a difficult question during the interview, avoid repeating the negative angle in your response. It’ll validate the pessimism. Use positive words and phrases as much as possible.

• Expertly answer friendly questions.
  Believe it or not, responding to favorable questions also requires forethought. While you may know exactly what you want to say, the way in which you say it is very important. Often, interviewees get overanxious and try to include too much information. This can cause your important messages to get overshadowed or lost completely. Take a breath before answering, and be sure to refer to your notes. Also, when asked something positive, try to rephrase the question in your response. As explained above, linking your answer to the question endorses the reporter’s angle. In this case, that’s a good thing.

During the interview: 

• Think about sound bites and anecdotes.
  Try to phrase answers in easily quotable sentences. Avoid being overly wordy or going off on tangents. Also, sprinkle in a few anecdotes when possible, as these are good for adding color. In both cases, write out three or four sound bites so you’re ready to quickly insert them into the conversation. But don’t sound as if you’re reading them!

• Avoid extensive promotion.
  While it’s tempting, control the urge to be too salesy–present the facts without hyperbole or marketing jargon. Reporters are generally sensitive to hype, and it could impact their coverage of your company.

• Be cordial and complimentary.
  Even if some of the questions are harsh, maintain a calm demeanor. Do not, under any circumstances, threaten the reporter or walk away from the interview. Be diplomatic. A helpful technique when confronted with a challenging question is to compliment the reporter. Say, “That’s a great question, and…” In doing so, you may disarm the reporter a bit, and it’ll also provide a few extra seconds for you to devise a response.

• Avoid “off the record” comments.
  The basic rule of thumb for all interviews is nothing is off the record. Even if a reporter gives you assurances of confidentiality, there’s no signed contract holding the reporter to his or her word. While the majority of reporters will honor off-the-record comments, it’s best to steer clear of such situations.

 TV and radio interviews offer a great way to get your message to the public quickly and directly. While they’re short in nature, TV and radio interviews can have a tremendous impact on your company. However, these interviews require additional planning and training. 

• Be succinct.
  For broadcast, you’ll only have a short window to state your case–usually three to five minutes. This means your answers have to be concise.

• But don’t be fast.
  Nerves can cause people to speak too quickly. Try to keep a measured pace as you speak. A good way to calm your nerves is to concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths. This prevents hyperventilation and focuses your thoughts.
   
• Have one key message.
  The short timeframe of a TV or radio segment may only allow for one message. Make sure to pick your best, most relevant message, and nail it! Repeat it, if possible. 

• Build a bridge.
  The in-the-moment nature of TV and radio gives you the opportunity to avoid answering a specific question and instead can allow you to “build a bridge” between the question and the message you want to deliver. For instance, a query about sales figures could be turned into a discussion on the company’s long-term strategy; a query on new product development could be used as a springboard to speak about the key benefits this product the consumer offers.

There are generally two settings in which a TV interview will occur–face-to-face with the reporter or off-site into a camera.

• In-person:
  For in-person interviews, unless otherwise instructed, avoid speaking to the camera. Instead, interact with the reporter as if you were immersed in a conversation. Look the reporter in the eyes. Don’t let your eyes drift to the camera, the ground or the ceiling. Also, avoid moving around or, conversely, being a statue. Extremes in either direction are amplified by the camera.

• Off-site:
  More often than not, TV interviews are conducted off-site, where the interview subject is asked to speak to a camera and receive the questions via earpiece. This setting can be a bit disorienting if you’re not properly prepared. Prior to the start of the interview, make sure you’re in a comfortable position and the earpiece is secure. If you feel any awkwardness, alert the producer. Remember, the smallest signs of discomfort are magnified on-air. Once the interview begins, the best technique is to try to have a conversation with the camera; maintain eye contact, but avoid staring–try to imagine that the camera is a person. There may be a monitor in the room broadcasting the interview. If so, resist the urge to look. Wandering eyes are very noticeable on screen.

Remember, while there’s no way to guarantee that an interview will result in favorable coverage, in most cases, reporters are interested in presenting an accurate, balanced story that’ll be appealing to their audience. 

If there’s one key takeaway from this crash course in media training, it’s this: When you state your case in a confident, informative manner, you’re helping the journalist. In most cases, that’ll result in coverage that reflects positively on you and your company, no matter what the topic is.

Gathering Competitive Intelligence

It’s official. You’re going to start your own business. You know what you plan to sell and who your customers or clients will be. But how will you decide what your marketing materials should look like or even what you’ll charge for your products or services? You need to become an amateur sleuth and gather competitive intelligence to create an on-target marketing program and tailor your services or products to position against the competition.

It’s important to complete a competitive analysis during the start-up phase of your new business, about the time you’re putting together your marketing plan. In fact, if you get underway without performing a competitive analysis, you run the risk of creating marketing tools and product or service offerings that are way off the mark. This can cost you valuable time and money during the critical early months. You should also plan to gather competitive intelligence as your business grows, in order to stay competitive.

Who’s Your Competition?

One of the biggest mistakes new entrepreneurs make is failing to recognize the range of competitors for their businesses. Your new company will have two types of competition-real and perceived. For example, imagine you’re a former college athlete who’s decided to start a personal fitness training business. Your competitors will fall into two categories: other personal trainers, and gyms and health clubs that offer trainers or advisors on staff. Although you’d directly compete only with the other personal trainers, your prospects-people who want to shape up-would perceive the gyms that offer these services as a viable alternative to hiring you. So to complete your competitive analysis, you need to evaluate the marketing materials and services both types of competitors offer.

Get the Facts

The first step in your competitive analysis is to collect all the marketing materials used by your competitors-both perceived and real. Begin by clipping your competitors’ ads. Then request copies of their brochures and other marketing materials-not so you can copy their ideas, but so you can check out marketing strategies and formats, competitive pricing, special offers, the key benefits (or promises made), and clues to marketing niches that may be underserved. If possible, you may even want to “mystery shop” your competitors-go out and actually buy their products or services so you can experience the purchasing process with their store personnel or salespeople. If your competitors are large enough, you can gather information about them on the Net. Use major search engines to look for recent press releases and articles about them. There are even free sites on the Web that allow you to customize your own daily news page, such as NewsPage by NewsEdge Corp. (www.newspage.com). And don’t forget to check out your competitors’ Web sites. How do your direct and perceived competitors use the Net to attract customers and sell products? This will give you important clues about information a Web site of your own should contain.

Put It All Together

Now you’re ready to draw some conclusions about the types of competitive offers and pricing your new business should use. Best of all, you’ll have clear guidelines for developing your marketing tools. Complete your analysis by answering these questions:

• What size are their materials? Do most of your competitors use standard mailing envelopes, or are they using large folders with inserts?
• Do your competitors use photography or illustrations in their materials?
• Do they have Web sites, and how deep are they? Do they sell products online or just offer information?
• How are your competitors’ products or services similar to yours? How are they different?
• What key benefits do their marketing materials communicate? Can you offer additional benefits that are valuable to prospects?
• What special product, service or pricing offers do your competitors use to stimulate responses to brochures and ads?

Once you find answers to these questions, you’ll be in the perfect position to create marketing tools that work as hard as you do.

This article originally appeared as “The Spying Game” in the October 1999 issue of Business Start-Ups magazine

By Kim T. Gordon

Creative Brainstorming Techniques

Q: My partner and I need some creative ideas for our business. We want to do some brainstorming, but we’re not sure how to go about it. What’s the best way to use this technique?

A: Brainstorming is a great technique for generating creative ideas. Generally performed in groups, it’s a fun way to get lots of fresh ideas out on the table and get everyone thinking and pulling together. Over the years, I’ve participated in and facilitated brainstorming sessions ranging in size from just several people to about 40. But to start out, I recommend you keep your group on the small side. The participants should be relatively at ease with one another, and as you continue to brainstorm together over time, they’ll become more comfortable throwing out off-the-wall ideas–which often generate the best results.

Begin by choosing a facilitator to record the ideas on large, poster-size sheets of paper that can be stuck to a bulletin board or along the walls of the room. This will keep all the ideas clearly visible. And follow these important ground rules:

• Suspend criticism. All ideas, no matter how crazy they may seem, should be encouraged and recorded without comment or criticism from the group. The general goal of brainstorming is to collect as many ideas as possible, making quantity much more important than quality at this initial stage.
• Postpone evaluation. Brainstorming sessions are not the time or place to evaluate the merits of the ideas suggested. So don’t suspend the process to evaluate the projected results of any single idea.
• Build on others’ ideas. At their best, brainstorming sessions are fast-paced and fun. Participants should try to build each consecutive idea on the previous ones. This can sometimes result in surprising twists and turns.

Though all brainstorming sessions should follow these basic ground rules, there are numerous ways to approach the idea-generation process. Here are three proven methods to try:

• Pose an initial question. Suppose you had created a product for small businesses and were looking for a new marketing approach. The facilitator might open the brainstorming session by posing a question such as “What do small business owners want?” Participants would then throw out ideas, such as “to save time” or “to increase sales.” Or you might select a feature of your new product-one-button operation, for example–and open with a question such as “How does one-button operation help small business owners?”
• Use word association. This method involves brainstorming lists of words and then finding linkage between key words on each list. For example, imagine you want to create a new slogan for a hair gel product. You could start with the root word “gel” and use word association to come up with a list of ideas, such as “flexible hold.” Then you could brainstorm another list beginning with “flexible.” In the end, you might have four or five lists of ideas based on word association. To build your slogan, you’d choose a word from each of the lists and creatively link them together.
• Identify a challenge. Even the most difficult questions can be tackled by brainstorming, provided you have the right group of people. When I was called in by an auto parts manufacturer to find ways to use the company’s roll-forming expertise to produce additional products, we gathered together a large group of experienced workers from throughout the plant for brainstorming. As the facilitator, I began by posing a simple challenge–list anything made from rolled metal not presently manufactured by the company. In short order, the group turned out dozens of viable product ideas. Later, management evaluated all the ideas to determine which products offered the greatest potential.

So while inspiration may come to you in the shower, a more structured approach to creative idea generation is often the best bet. Try using these effective brainstorming techniques to come up with terrific ideas for marketing your own business.

Kim T. Gordon is an author, marketing coach and media spokesperson-and one of the country’s foremost experts on entrepreneurial success. Her newest book, Bringing Home The Business, identifies the 30 “truths” that can make the difference between success and failure in a homebased business. Kim offers one-on-one coaching by telephone to motivated individuals, providing practical marketing advice and budget-conscious strategies unique to your business. To receive free how-to articles and advice, get information on coaching and appearances, read a book excerpt, or contact Kim, visit http://www.smallbusinessnow.com, a huge site devoted exclusively to marketing your small business.

By Kim T. Gordon

10 Marketing Trends to Watch in 2007

 

Throughout 2006, I’ve been watching and interpreting the marketing stats and studies that impact small businesses to give you tips on staying one step ahead. Now, with 2007 fast approaching, let’s look at a roundup of the hottest trends, from changes taking place among consumer audiences through what to watch for in traditional and online marketing. Here’s the info you need on the most important trends and how to make the most of them to increase sales and grow your business in the New Year. 

Consumer Trends

1. College Grads
If you’re searching for the most effective way to reach this desirable prospect group, move your marketing dollars into online media. The internet is now the primary source of media and entertainment among college grads, whose top planned purchases upon graduation are professional clothing, travel/airline tickets, health insurance and furniture according to the “Y2M: eGrad College Graduate Survey”. Nearly 80 percent of respondents are online purchasers, making them ideal candidates for your online campaign. 

2. Affluent Working Women
The big news is that this group is increasing in size, and the best way to reach them may be online. According to The Media Audit, affluent working women with family incomes of $75,000 or more are growing in number, and 94.3 percent access the internet during an average month. About half are now considered heavy users of the internet, while heavy use of radio, television, newspapers and direct mail has all declined within this group. To increase sales from this expanding audience, alter your media spending to place greater emphasis online.

3. Asian Population Growth
The southern region of the U.S. boasts the fastest Asian population growth rate (31 percent), followed by the Midwest (24 percent), the Northeast (23 percent) and the West (19 percent), according to an analysis of Census Bureau data in the “American Community Survey” by Kang & Lee Advertising. Asians represent a prospect group with higher than average household incomes and education levels. Can you offer a product or service that will appeal to this growing market? 

4. Word-Of-Mouth
Want to build buzz? Lucid Marketing’s study, “U.S. Adults: Word of Mouth Communications,” found that women were more likely than men to share a positive experience with a business or recommend an enjoyable product; full-time employees made substantially more daily contacts than those not in the workforce; and people with household earnings of more than $100,000 were more likely to make recommendations than those earning less. So buzz marketers should direct efforts to these three “chatty” groups.

Trends in Traditional Media

5. Yellow Pages
According to a study from the Kelsey group, marketers targeting younger demographics should transition away from print. Only 28 percent of teens said they would turn to print Yellow Pages first to find a local business, product, or service, while 47 percent said their first choice would be search engines. And just 44 percent of respondents between the ages and 18 and 34 favored print Yellow Pages.

6. Simultaneous Media Usage
There’s no longer such a thing as a captive media audience–consumers are frequently participating in more than one form of media at any one time. Seventy percent of web users, for instance, watch TV occasionally to regularly while online, according to BIGresearch’s “Simultaneous Media Survey.” It also found that nearly 65 percent watch TV while they read, and 51 percent of radio listeners read the newspaper while listening. The rise in multitasking among consumers mandates an integrated media approach and an increased emphasis on advertising within the most relevant and engaging content.

7. Newspapers
This past year, many of the websites of major newspapers have become the number-one portals in their geographic markets and are drawing a larger, younger and more affluent readership. The audience that reads a newspaper’s website but not its print version accounts for 2 to 15 percent of the Integrated Newspaper Audience, according to Scarborough Research, and that represents hundreds of thousands of readers for many newspapers in larger markets. They’re successfully attracting 18-to-34-year-olds to their sites, and the online readers are more upscale, which can make them a more desirable audience. If you’re an advertiser in the “print” newspaper, you can negotiate for a combo rate to run online as well to reach these additional readers. And if advertising in the print newspaper is too expensive for your business, you may find more affordable rates online by drilling down past the main pages to place ads on content-rich, but less frequently visited web pages.

Hot Online Trends 

8. Web Conferencing
As business travel becomes increasingly challenging due to increased security, advance check-in times and transportation delays, online workshops and meetings that require no travel are coming to the forefront. It’s more desirable than ever to demo your new product to a group or make a sales presentation without anyone ever leaving home. Participants can watch your presentation on their computer monitors and hear you live on their computer speakers or by phone. In fact, I’m now transitioning to this technology to deliver webinars, and you can, too. 

9. Online Research
Whether you sell exclusively online or primarily through a brick-and-mortar site, online search will have a profound impact on your sales in 2007. When asked how often they researched products online before buying them in person or in a store, 87 percent of nearly 7,500 respondents to a BIGresearch “Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey” said they did so occasionally to regularly. And a comScore research study showed that 63 percent of searchers completed a purchase in offline retail stores following their search activity. So no matter whether you sell online, off-line or both, you need a great website with deep, persuasive content that keeps your prospects and customers shopping on your site or sends them to your store.

10. Local Search
Want to know where to invest your online marketing dollars in 2007? Aim for higher rankings in the top search engines. Sixty-two percent of searchers click on a link within the first page of results, according to a report from iProspect and Jupiter Research. To win higher rankings in natural search results, you can optimize your site by sprinkling the keyword phrases your best prospects will be searching for throughout all the pages of your site, in your page descriptions and in metatags. You should also secure links to your site from other high-ranking websites. But to guarantee you’ll turn up in the top search results, invest in a paid search campaign. Local search campaigns are often the most affordable and will bring traffic from your immediate market area in the New Year.

Kim T. Gordon is the “Marketing” coach at Entrepreneur.com and a multifaceted marketing expert, speaker, author and media spokesperson. Over the past 26 years, she’s helped millions of small-business owners increase their success through her company,National Marketing Federation Inc.Her latest book,Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars, is now available. 

Harmful Hype?

Earlier this year, General Motors Corp. learned the hard way that buzz marketing tactics can backfire big-time. The company invited customers to make their own online commercials about the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV—a campaign that resulted in a slew of negative ads about everything from the vehicle’s quality to its contribution to global warming.

Peter Shankman, president of The Geek Factory, a New York City PR firm that creates buzz marketing campaigns, warns marketers to be careful when trying to create buzz. A snafu could lead people to trash your company’s name all over the internet or even make your efforts sound disingenuous, prompting customers, prospects and even the media to lose interest. He advises finding people who are fans of what you do and encouraging them to tell their stories to others who will probably like what you do.

In buzz marketing, honesty is key. “If you overplay it, people will know that it’s not real,” Shankman says. “If, all of a sudden, someone gets a couple of recommendations about a company from people they trust, that’s interesting. If they get many recommendations from people they don’t know, that’s probably not going to ring true.” So don’t encourage people to say things they don’t mean or pummel your target with messages that aren’t genuine.

By Gwen Moran

Using Experiential Marketing

 

Are you looking for the best way to increase sales for your product? There’s a great marketing tactic that’s proven to profoundly influence customers’ buying decisions. It’s called “experiential marketing”–using events to bring customers into contact with your product to create memorable experiences–and it’s increasingly popular with entrepreneurs looking for a high return on investment.

After all, which would be more likely to influence your intention to buy something–reading about it in an ad or trying it out first hand? If you’re like most people, personal experience shapes your opinions and buying preferences more strongly than information you get through advertising or even via word of mouth from friends or colleagues. In a 2005 Experiential Marketing Survey by Jack Morton Worldwide, nearly three-quarters of consumers said that participating in a live marketing experience would increase their “purchase consideration,” and close to 60 percent said it would result in a quicker purchase.

For certain target audiences, experiential marketing exerts an even greater influence on sales. Nearly 80 percent of teens surveyed by Jack Morton said experiential marketing would increase their consideration of a purchase, and 60 percent of women said it would be more likely to lead them to actually purchase a product than would TV or the internet. What’s more, 80 percent of Latino women indicated that participating in a live marketing event would make them more receptive to future advertising.

Any number of venues will work for your experiential marketing events, including malls, fairs, retail stores, restaurants and urban street corners. The key is to choose a venue that supports the theme of your event and fosters interaction.

Here are four smart reasons to make experiential marketing part of your annual program:

1. Make Immediate Sales
Events that integrate entertainment with the chance to try a product are very popular. For example, home parties can be used to give customers the opportunity to experience the benefits of a product they can’t buy in stores. In the Jack Morton survey, nearly 85 percent of women said they would bring family or friends to a live marketing experience, and three-quarters said they’d tell others about it. It’s the event itself that separates experiential marketing from traditional sampling (such as mailing a trial-size product to customers along with a coupon) because the fun and excitement of participating entices customers to buy.

2. Launch a New Product
Product launches can cost millions, but for small-business owners on more modest budgets, putting your product in front of just the right people can be a low-cost way to attain lift off. You can hold a party in a store or restaurant, for example, and invite your best prospects. And don’t overlook the opportunity to include press, because for members of the media–just like other consumers–seeing is believing. If a launch party doesn’t fit your needs, you can stage an urban street event or participate in a community fair that attracts your target audience group. Just be certain the attendees are the right age, gender and economic group to be great prospects for you.

3. Stand out in a Competitive Field
Some products just need to be experienced first-hand. For example, one toy inventor was delighted to get his product placed in stores, but then it just sat on the shelves, lost among thousands of other products. It wasn’t until he began experiential marketing–exhibiting at craft shows and taking his new toy to kid-friendly events–that the product took off. That’s because children got to see it and play with it without other toys competing for attention. Products that are new and quite different can also benefit from experiential marketing at consumer or trade shows where customers can actually see them in action. It’s easier to understand the benefits of a new technological product improvement, for example, when it’s experienced rather than read about.

4. Get People Talking
Like ripples in a stream, a positive product experience is sure to make waves with ensuing recommendations and endorsements. While your experiential marketing event may directly touch only a relatively small number of people, it has the added impact of building word-of-mouth. The Jack Morton survey revealed that eight out of 10 people who’d actually participated in experiential marketing in the past said they had told others about their experience. So not only will you have an effective interaction with customers and create a memorable experience with your product, you’ll have the added bonus of positive word-of-mouth and an unofficial workforce of salespeople spreading the good word.

By Kim T. Gordon

Build Sales with E-Mail Marketing

Follow these three steps for an affordable campaign that yields a strong ROI.
By Kim T. Gordon

 

If you’re looking for a highly effective, yet low-cost way to up-sell or cross-sell current customers, consider setting up an e-mail marketing program. Since it can cost as much as five times more to win a new customer than to keep an old one, retention programs using e-mail are a solid small-business marketing tactic. E-mail programs to in-house lists perform at least as well as direct mail–and often considerably better–without the postage or printing costs. And results are easy to track and measure.

Here are three steps that’ll help you build a successful e-mail marketing campaign:

1. Build your list. Today, having a terrific website is simply not enough. You need a marketing program that drives traffic there and keeps visitors coming back. And since e-mail to rental lists is often kicked out as spam, it’s essential to build your own opt-in list of customers and prospects. These are individuals who have visited your site and given you permission to contact them.

Prominently post a sign-in box or button on your home page accompanied by brief copy that induces visitors to join your list. This simple one-click button or single-entry form should click through to a more in-depth form where you can gather demographic and other pertinent information. To induce visitors to register, you can offer entry in a sweepstakes or contest, special notification of sales or new products, a free newsletter, access to members-only content, or even the ability to post product reviews or participate in message boards. Brick-and-mortar retailers can also capture e-mail information by asking for e-mail addresses from customers at checkout. And service businesses can contact satisfied clients and gain permission to add them to an e-mail list.

As you build your list, it’s easy to add the e-mail addresses, names and demographic information to an in-house database using contact management software. Affordable off-the-shelf software products, such as ACT! 2005 from Best Software and GoldMine 6.5 by FrontRange, will help you track all sales and marketing activities as well as maintain vital demographic and sales information.

2. Send the right message. For many e-mail marketers, it’s beneficial to alternate promotional messages with softer-sell communications, such as newsletters. This helps avoid list burnout and may increase the frequency with which you can successfully communicate with your customers and prospects. The most crucial element is to make the content of your e-mails relevant to the needs of your recipients, because off-target e-mails and those that come too frequently are generally treated as spam.

E-newsletters allow you to share information with your customers, position your company or yourself as an expert in your field, introduce new products and services, and get vital feedback from customers. There are two types of editorial styles: short blurbs with links to longer articles, or one major article interspersed with ads or promotional links. The key to success is to make your newsletter content so compelling that customers and prospects will look forward to receiving it. Choose a name for your e-newsletter that communicates something important to the subscriber, and keep your design, tone and format consistent from one issue to the next.

In addition to e-newsletters, e-mails that include sales promotions, coupons, customer reward information and invitations to events are generally well received. Nearly one-third of respondents to a recent DoubleClick consumer e-mail study said they’d made an immediate online purchase as a result of receiving an e-mail, and close to one-third said they’d clicked on messages for information and later made an online purchase as a result.

3. Design and track like a pro. The two elements that most dramatically affect your e-mail “open rate” are the “from” and “subject” lines. So it’s essential to make it clear the e-mail is coming from you, a valued source of information. And the subject line must contain a benefit, or at least convey what your e-mail contains–otherwise your open rate will plummet. Comply with all CAN SPAM regulations by including your company’s name and physical address in the body of the message as well as an unsubscribe option at the bottom.

When it comes to design and execution of your e-mail campaign, it’s not necessary to go it alone. In fact, it’s difficult for an entrepreneur to send more than 50 e-mails at a time, since higher numbers are usually blocked as spam by ISPs. Fortunately, e-mail marketing services that cater to small businesses, such as Constant Contact or those available through major web hosting services like Interland, will generally e-mail up to 5000 subscribers for $50 a month or less. The service will also maintain and clean your list by removing bounces and addresses of people who choose to unsubscribe.

Choose an e-mail marketing service that provides design templates for e-newsletters, promotional offers and coupons that are easy to customize. Since only about 56 percent of internet users have broadband, it’s essential to design full-color, high impact HTML newsletters or promotions but still give recipients the option of receiving a text-only version.

Best of all, most e-mail marketing services will provide all your campaign metrics, which are vital to evaluating the effectiveness of your mailings. You’ll be able to identify who opened your e-mail and clicked on each link. Then you can fine-tune your key elements–from your offers to your subject lines–for maximum ROI, and compare your results from one mailing to the next.

Attract Attention With a Feature Article

Get the press you want by crafting a feature story that’ll get picked up by the papers.

 

Pitching the media can be tough. Every day, reporters are inundated with breaking news from different sources, all clamoring for attention. One way to break through the cacophony is to offer a different type of article–one that speaks to a topic that’s of interest to a target audience but isn’t dependent on being newsworthy right at the moment it’s sent. That type of article is called a feature.

A feature is an in-depth look at a topic, product or industry–it’s a complex story designed to be read at a leisurely pace. And a feature can benefit your company by linking your brand or product to a larger trend or industry focus while also showcasing you, the entrepreneur, as a thought-leader in your field. While a news release is designed to entice the reporter into finding out more information themselves, a feature’s designed to be used as is, or merely edited to fit the space available.

Topics such as health, home improvement, travel and technology all lend themselves well to features since they can be used in special sections of newspapers–such as lifestyle, home, arts or technology–or in the weekend magazines. Trade publications also publish feature articles, usually in the form of special supplements.

Because a feature should be written from a journalistic perspective, you should emphasize information over outright promotion. Ideally, a feature editor won’t change the story at all and will use it when it’s needed as part of a theme or to fill space.

Papers like to have quality articles on hand, so come up with your feature-worthy concept, then use the following guidelines to help you write a great article.

Headlines
The headline is the most vital part of your feature. Treat the headline as if it were a summary of the article. Ask yourself, Why is this story important? What about it will it grab readers’ interest? A good headline answers those questions by telling the reader something new, different or useful–in 20 words or less. A few examples I’ve seen recently include:

• Plug-In Devices Help Save Money on Your Utility Bill
• Reinventing the “Mommy Tack”: More Women Choose Business Ownership to Gain Control, Flexibility and Family Time
• The Sleep Expert’s Advice on Creating the Right Sleep Environment for Students

To come up with a good headline, pretend you’re telling a friend what the article’s about, explaining the most interesting aspects of your story. Keep the wording simple, and avoid superlatives and emotive language. Also, avoid using a brand or client name in the headline unless it’s very well known. Instead, focus on what’s most interesting about your topic.

Leads
A strong lead paragraph offers intrigue from the start. Editors don’t have time to read through the entire article to reach your key point, and neither do your readers. Think of the lead as an extended version of the headline, even using some of the same words.

When writing a lead, try to keep the paragraph short–two to three short sentences at the most. In total, your feature should be close to 400 words. Don’t worry about your brand at this point–just introduce the interesting aspects of the story. If your lead reads like an ad, it’ll be discarded immediately.

The Second Paragraph
The second paragraph serves to support and expand on the ideas set out in the lead. It’s also a good place to let people know who’s “behind” the feature so there’s no confusion about who provided the copy. Also, if the article has to be shortened due to space limitations, having the name of the company or spokesperson and your web address near the beginning will be vitally important.

If written well, the first two paragraphs can serve as a brief column item or filler if a newspaper or magazine has only limited space.

Using Quotes
A quote can lend authority to an article, introduce an expert and further advance the story. Most important, quotes can introduce personal feelings, comments and opinion, so this is where you want to use superlatives and emotive language (without sounding false!). Be sure quotes are in a conversational style, and don’t merely cite facts or figures–no real person speaks only in data. Also avoid repeating information or using jargon; speak as if you were explaining your product or service to your grandmother.

Ideally, the person you quote should be someone who’d be available for interviews should a journalist want to ask additional questions. So he or she should be knowledgeable on the topic and open to working with the media. Use your strongest quote first, and be sure to provide information on the speaker and his or her relation to the company in a contact section at the end of your article.

Getting Into Detail
After the third paragraph, any information you add should develop the story further and hold the interest of the reader. Now’s the time to go into detail about the benefits of a product, or the mechanisms of how it works. However, for ease of reading, use bullet points or “top tips” if you’re listing information.

Another thing to remember–and one way a feature differs from a news release–is that a feature story will almost never include corporate identity or forward-looking statements.

When to Send a Feature
Generally, newspaper feature sections are planned at least three weeks in advance, so you’ll need to plan ahead. E-mail the features editor to determine their interest before you start writing–just a simple outline will do. If you’re trying to get into a trade publication, do your research and check the deadlines–they could be working as much as three months in advance.

Most newswires offer feature services and media databases, and they’ll often offer a feature calendar that corresponds with publications’ due dates. Consider distributing your feature via newswire and, if possible, choose one that has a list of when and where your feature could be placed and advises on crafting your feature for the different audiences.

Also, don’t forget your web audience. Search engines are used millions of times each day by people looking for how-to, where-to and when-to articles. Your newswire can help you reach these audiences by providing search engine optimization to help get your story placed highly in searches.

Images and Multimedia
A photo can often mean difference between your feature being chosen for publication vs. them choosing your competitor’s. A photo helps explain the story and can draw the eye of those scanning the page. It also giveseditors more options when filling space.

Make sure your photos are high-quality: Always provide digital photos in high resolution (300 dpi) and, if possible, have them shot by a professional. A bad photo will reflect on the quality of your feature.

Other multimedia options include a video or audio version of your story, or additional expert quotes and interviews. A feature podcast or multimedia news release can include all these assets to transform your story into an online experience for your audience, complete with links and reference materials to let them experience more for themselves.

Finally…
When sending your feature to reporters for editorial consideration, don’t be afraid to call them to offer more information; however, don’t call to check that the article has arrived. Reporters are busy and don’t like being called without good reason. And be patient–since your feature isn’t breaking news, the reporter may file it for use next week, next month or during the next holiday season.

Once your feature’s been accepted, look out for follow-up opportunities: Keep tabs on industry trends, or consider doing a “What happened a year later” story or a biography of someone quoted in the article. With luck, your feature could be the next topic of discussion around the water cooler.