Corporate Eye

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Bridget Wright

Bridget Wright

Another Method of Social Networking for Your Business

This upcoming weekend, I will be out of town on business attending my annual Toastmaster’s conference for speakers. I love this organization and the stride that I’ve made in my career as a professional speaker. These conferences (hosted twice a year) give me and my fellow Toastmaster’s the chance to network and hone our speaking skills even further amongst an audience of our peers.

One of the other roles that I provide in addition to being a speaker is the office of Treasurer. That’s a lot of counting, figuring, analyzing and saying no sometimes to purchase requisitions! Yes, it is an intense position, but somebody’s got to do it, right? I spend a lot of time balancing the books, matching and verifying expenditures, disseminating reports and overall general bookkeeping. Sometimes I am still up late at night or get up early the next morning to make sure everything is in order for the next monthly reporting period. It’s all pretty detailed work in addition to preparing speeches, choosing and researching topics and perfecting my delivery time.

In many businesses, whether they’re profit or non-profit, there are people who have to multi-task in order to help the organization meet its goals. Multi-taskers bring a lot to the table because they decrease expenses for the corporation and bring much-needed skills to the company.  As both a business owner and a professional speaker within an organization, I have learned the importance of strategizing and maximizing your available resources for the good of the company.

What For?

Notice how I spent the first two paragraphs talking about me and what I am doing. Is anyone really interested in that? Of course, some are  and some are not. The goal of having written this was to 1) get your attention and 2) show you  how to get the most out of your social media efforts.

As a part of the Toastmaster’s organization, I make mention of it within circles wherever it’s appropriate. For instance, when I attend my local business networking luncheon monthly, I make it a point to stress that I am a part of Toastmaster’s, since speaking is part of what I do for a living. So how does this tie into the social media conversation?

While social networking and linking my articles one day, someone tweeted me and asked about my speaking career…how long had I been speaking, what professional organizations was I a part of, how did I get started, etc., etc. I shared with the person all of the information that I could and felt was appropriate, the main gist of it being my experience with my speaking organization. Through this brief conversation online, this person wanted more information on how they could meet me and become a part of the Toastmaster’s organization at our next conference, you know, the one I mentioned was coming up this weekend.

Empowering the Ranks

Effective social media can work wonders for your company through those that represent your company. Give your company representatives duties, responsibilities and a reason to want to talk about your company in the socialsphere. This is what interests people and make them want to know more about your corporation…what others are saying about you. Do more than exist. Do more than just “happen”, but actively find ways to engage your target audience through those that represent you. What are some things that you can equip your representatives with to help them talk about you more?

1. Provide them with resources. Give them resources and information that outline your company’s mission and objectives. They pass this information along in the social connections that they have. Whether it’s offline or online, make sure the resources are there for them to use.

2. Talk about your representatives. If you have a company newsletter or blog, talk up your rep’s. That would include highlights about their other interests, businesses, experiences, etc. If you talk about them, they more apt to talk about you. Get it?

3. Share information. Give them  information that is relevant to the company, preferably inside, non-confidential information (store openings, staff changes, etc.) that they can share with their readers. Readers like to think they have the “inside track” and enjoy getting what they think is “classified” stuff. Remember, they’ll blog about it too, thereby driving traffic to your site to double-check the information. Give them a reason to come.

What can you do to make your company stand out? How does social media fit into your company’s grand scheme?

How to Avoid the Economic Crunch

Alright, we are in a recession. There, I said it and we all know it. Times are hard.

Times are even harder for the corporate interests or for any company peddling their products or services. Consumers are pulling their belts tighter and making purchases based on their needs and less on their wants.  They’re looking closely at how purchases might affect their own bottom lines and how they can safely stay in the black.

Corporate companies feel the crunch too, and may start to panic, especially if they don’t have a backup plan and know what to do. But, all is not lost as just because we’re in a recession, well…

Economic disparities are the ideal time for companies to realize the value and worth in heavily courting and pursuing their customers. This is the perfect time to get new business and increase profits. How?

1. Market, Market, Market

Market your product or service offline and online, and as much as is possible. How are people going to work with you if they don’t know about you. The first thing that companies will do when finances are strained is cut back on their marketing and advertising budgets. This is the wrong thing to do! This time is the absolute best time to pour energy, momentum and those extra dollars into marketing strategies. Let your customer’s know that you want their business and you’re willing to do more to get it.

2. Communicate

This is critical in any relationship, and the business/customer one is no exception. If you’re not already, use the web to your advantage. Become a part of the online social sites by assigning a person from your firm to concentrate on that effort. The rewards can be phenomenal! A few minutes a day, a social site campaign blitz and the right personality taking care of the audience can mean the difference in new business…or not.

3. Patience

Tiny grasshopper, patience is the virtue to success that is often overlooked. Nothing magical happens in any business instantaneously, but must be tendered with the right applications, eventually yielding results. As long as you put good resources to work for your company, you will reap good business.

What are some things that your company can do right now in the midst of this financial delay? How are you going to ensure that your company avoids the pitfalls and pressures that besiege many corporate entities right now?

I Heart Grilled Cheese! Kraft Launches an Opinion Campaign…About Cheese

Kraft doesn’t care how cheesy you are. The cheesier you are, the more likely you are to win. Cheese that is, and more specifically, slices of it. It’s national I Heart (that means love) Grilled Cheese Month.

The largest food marketer in the country is launching this contest to increase their exposure and to try and combat the ill effects of a plundering U.S. economy. What is the contest? Well in 50 words or less, you have to tell why it is that you love the gooey, yummy processed squares so much.

In 50 words or fewer, tell us why grilled cheese brings a smile to your face, and you could receive a coupon for a FREE pack of KRAFT Singles! We’re randomly selecting 500 people to receive a coupon every week in April.*

[Please go to the Kraft site to enter this competition, here: http://kraft.promotions.com/grilledcheese/splash.do. Leaving a comment here will not count as an entry. ED.]

You need to be as convincing as you can be as you share your “cheesiest” answer. The best answers that catches the cheese judges eye with their pitches then moves on until a final winner is selected.

Hard times call for hard measures and being creative in marketing is undoubtedly one of the measures to offset financial challenges that may exist within corporate entities. Although Kraft has done extremely well in profits over the years, their last quarterly reported financial earnings felt a slight drop:

2008’s earnings fell a whopping 72%, which Kraft blamed on taxes, restructuring costs and commodity hedges.

Yes, creativity is the way to go. Or is it? In cases like this, I’d say it is. It all depends upon your brand, your product, your audience and your marketing goals. Although Kraft is already branded somewhat and is already a household name, they really don’t have to try that hard to get name recognition. They may quite possibly be holding such a contest as this one to further their mission and objective of being a household name.

Marketing using media resources is nothing new for corporate America, but marketing using creative, unusual techniques is. This contest that Kraft is holding for the cheesiest entries is bound to get some really, really good answers…and I’m sure a few quacks and duds too. While I’m not a BIG fan of processed cheese, I did go to the site to enter my reasons for why Kraft cheese makes me smile. Well, more specifically why the cheese makes my kids smile, and my kids make me smile. The rules didn’t say anything about that type of entry not qualifying so let’s see if it gets anywhere.

One thing that is for sure is that this type of campaign is not typical or regular. But, does it need to be typical or regular to get the attention it needs? Don’t campaigns need to be different, to stand out? Or does it even need to be lucrative? Cheese is cheese right?

Kraft’s fight against economic effects is a great example for all corporate entities to be creative in their media marketing and customer outreach. Being boring, being the same, being regular is not good enough. Cheese anyone?

Another Phase of Media Relations

Recently, Google decided to allow big media names and online corporate entities to start posting ads on their YouTube sites. The potential that this brings to online corporate sites has a high profitable possibility and can make oogles of money for Google:

A small number of big partners, such as CBS, already sell their own ads on the site, but so far the numbers are small. Industry sources say that the scheme could be extended to many more firms by the end of the quarter. (full story)

YouTube is actually a very, very good site for companies to advertise and post videos about their wares. CBS News is already a part of the activity and have a recurring segment on the video site weekly. However, YouTube has also been known for showcasing folks personal antics, goofy videos and pieces that make you scratch your head in disbelief that someone could even dream up half the stuff that we see displayed on the YouTube site. But, with the advent of the new way that Google will be approaching the corporate entities, this move may in fact bring a new level of credit and respect to what is considered an immature, low-profit watching audience.

Most businesses and business individuals these days have some form of social networking sites or accounts that they use to drive traffic to their site, so the new idea of Google’s offering to YouTube’s clients is not a big surprise. Not only do small and large businesses have YouTube accounts, but they’ve managed to monetize them exceptionally well and create revenues of income streams in the process.

But, the question is how well will the YouTube audience accept, respond and participate with the corporate online businesses? Will they be able to keep an interested, participating audience who will bring revenue to the online YouTube corporate partners? Will they look and click away or will they look, stay and become customers?

Do you frequent YouTube at all? Would you consider becoming a customer of any of the online partners at YouTube?

Hallmark Touts a Recession Thoughtful Cards Campaign

Amidst a time of uncertainties, a shaky and unstable economy, many businesses are either failing under the pressure or rolling with the times. Hallmark cards has chosen the latter as they continue to thrive with the budget-friendly line of .99 cents cards that they introduced in the late 1990s. They were able to spot a trend developing, assess its direction and take their product line towards the way the future was heading.

Often in times of economic hardship, the last thing that consumers think about are the ‘extras’ in life. Things like eating out, shopping jaunts and electronic toys/gadgets become more of a distant luxury than an everyday purchase. Times are tough. Belt buckles are tightening and there are a lot of ‘no’s’. People are having to make some hard changes in their budget and lifestyle, and life’s little luxuries are no exception.

Even though consumers are making often drastic changes, does not mean that they are willing to sacrifice quality for cost. They don’t want to necessarily go cheap, but just want to be frugal, to think smarter about their purchases. Don’t we all? I know I for one have decided to make my money work smarter for me rather than sacrificing what I want just to say that I’ve got it. No, I don’t want to confuse “anything” for “something.” I still want quality at an affordable price and I try to find it in all areas of my spending. Of course, I’m not the only consumer doing that and Hallmark recognizes that consumer trait and expounds on it.

Hallmark has (in my opinion) a very smart marketing and trend development unit of their corporate company because they have been able to stay on target and find just what it is that customers want and will go for. Someone there did their homework and has been able to determine the buying habits of consumers, developing their product line around it touting money saving benefits as their slant.

Each time that Hallmark has introduced a new line of greeting cards has not been all wonderful. Like any other business, they have made mistakes, some huge, some not so smart. They have introduced products that weren’t quite so welcomed (their divorce greeting cards failed), and have at times missed what was hot and what was not. But all in all, they seem to be on point with the bulk of their offerings.

The company’s campaign to (re)ignite the .99 card line is unveiling with a television spot and online digital offerings targeted at savvy consumers who are “looking to send the very best” but want to be frugal at the same time. I think it will be an instant hit, as their money-wise campaigns have been before.

Cause Marketing or Opportunity Marketing for Kentucky Fried Chicken?

There are so many clever and creative ways to utilize your media sources for your corporate marketing campaign that you could essentially never run out of ideas to use. Effective use of your media strategy involves doing things that are unconventional, creative and attention-getting. With so much competition both online and offline for consumer marketing dollars, it’s often a gray place trying to decipher what’s marketing and what’s not. What can sometimes be quite interesting are the things that corporations will do to bring exposure for themselves. I found one.

While I certainly do believe in strategic marketing and in-your-face type of placement marketing, I have to wonder though just what type of marketing this is that Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) has decided to do lately.

The chicken chain has created a type of good-will marketing in the town of Louisville, KY by repairing the city’s potholes. It seems that this was a big problem for the residents of the city, with the potholes causing damages to their vehicles. Not to mention that the potholes were also an absolute eyesore on top of the hazards that it was causing for the citizens. This was a problem that needed addressing and needed to be fixed right away. KFC to the rescue. But whom are they rescuing?  (Full Press Release)

Now what KFC did to help the city in this situation is impressive. Very impressive. The chain fixed the town’s potholes and made the streets smoother and drivable again. They donated their time, their resources and their LOGO to the effort, so that means every time someone passes by one of the repaired potholes, they will have KFC to thank for it. And, they won’t have to wonder who to thank because KFC’s logo will be looking back up at them as a reminder that they are responsible.

There is cause marketing, and then there’s good will marketing. This of course would seem plausible that it would fall under good will marketing because it does in fact impose a feeling of “good will.” But to whose good will is it beneficial?

I personally am more inclined to be impressed and throw my dollars to the subtle and genuine but clever corporate marketing campaign that catches my eye. In other words, don’t try too hard. It doesn’t look so good when things are too “in your face” and you can’t get away from it. Because, I would worry that what if the KFC campaign/good will marketing was such an impressive hit that more corporations wanted to do it to. Then, would streets be inundated with signs, logos and pothole cover with corporate names on them? Will we be able to drive down the street and not see an advertisement plastered across every flat surface? Where is the line drawn or am I over-exaggerating? Is this really not that big of a deal?

Do you think companies corporate franchises like KFC present themselves unselfishly by making such types of donations? Or does it look disingenuous and as a type of “marketing tactic?”

 

http://adage.com/article?article_id=135534