Seems completely counter-intuitive on the surface, but the content helps businesses learn how to better use social media AND that makes them more likely to want to hire me to help them with their efforts.  So by empowering potential customers, I am actually growing my business.

I also liked the first comment:

Excellent piece, Mack. I try to do the same thing and tell all my clients to do this: use your blog to give out free content, advice, etc. This really helps to build trust among your constituency. If a mechanic teaches you how to change your oil, you will be appreciative as a consumer. And there will be times when people need car repairs that transcend their abilities. Where will they go? To the person they know and trust.

Read the full article, “Try to Blog Yourself Out of Business” here: http://bit.ly/b6vk7G

From 4/24′s Saturday Night Live, a commentary on how Girl Scout cookies are only available once a year, and only for sale by an actual Girl Scout.

When developing a marketing plan, where you’re going to sell your product and how it will get there (the Place) is part of your marketing strategy, as are the promotional tactics you’re going to use to build awareness and sell your products. The Girl Scouts have other considerations besides earning money from the sale of the cookies, which is part of the reason the cookies are not available online or in retail outlets. It’s just funny to consider the Girl Scout cookie business model and compare it to traditional business plans.

image borrowed from Search Engine Journal

My newest “boyfriend” is social media. We’ve been dating for a while now. We’ve started slowly, with more obvious sites like this blog on WordPress, Twitter, Linked In and Facebook. If you’re looking to start a relationship with social media as well, I recommend starting slowly, with one or two sites at a time. I also recommend listening and contributing to existing conversations as well as starting your own. I recently read a great article on Social Media Today called “50+ Ways to Search Twitter” that lists a variety of tools that can help you find conversations on topics you’re interested in. I’m enjoying “TweeTag” because it’s easy to use… Are you using a tool like this to search Twitter? Which one(s) are you using, and why?

In particular, I like the idea of  “Next Steps” :

Let’s say you have a 10-step process your prospects find value in. Post an article discussing step 1 and then tell your audience that the next steps will be posted each Tuesday (or whenever) for the next 9 weeks. If possible, invite them to opt in for notification about the  the next installment.

As the article suggests, cliffhanger marketing just requires some creative thought and creating (and following) an editorial calendar.

Brand is more than a logo – it’s your company’s attitude, font, phone voice, furniture… these things communicate something to your clients and prospects. Consider the experience of your firm, be it a phone call, online shopping experience, or in-office visit from the perspective of a stranger. Take notes. Ask yourself if the experience matches your brand.

These thoughts came about during a recent shopping trip – read about the experience below, and weigh in on your thoughts regarding your experiences where a brand revealed itself through the sales experience…

I’ve been shopping for a little black cocktail dress for my best friend’s upcoming wedding. Because I am a member of the bridal party, I needed something slightly more upscale than just the typical little black dress. Living in an area with many department store options, and due to the importance of finding just the right dress (flattering, but not so flattering that it upstages the bride) I visited Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, JC Penney, Macy’s, and Sears. My budget was $200.

I haven’t been shopping purposefully in a long time – I don’t usually visit department stores back-to-back (I have a young son, so shopping trips tend to be one and done) and so had an interesting experience comparing the shopping experience at each store.

You can tell an awful lot about the brands being sold at a department store based on its dressing room, and the organization of the store’s clothing on the racks. At Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, arguably the most upscale of the visited stores, the clothing was evenly spaced on the racks, allowing me to actually move the dresses to check sizes. No dress draped off of the hanger, and all the hanger hooks faced the same direction (even on the sale rack). The dressing rooms had ample space, and even had a lounge area with mirror in case you were shopping with a friend and didn’t want them with you in the room while you changed clothes. Decor included soft carpets and chairs for shopping companions. Partitions between dressing rooms held up to the dressing room door closing, and locks on those doors always worked.

Not so with some of the lower end stores… While dressing rooms at Macy’s were roomy, the fluorescent lighting was not as flattering, and the clothing on the sale racks were bunched together and not easy to navigate. Sears was the worst of the lot – the dressing room walls shook as the door closed, and I tried three dressing rooms before I found a lock that worked. Staff infrequently clear out the rooms of past visitors’ discarded try-ons, making it challenging to figure out if a room is in use. Tiled floors offered a cold experience when walking to the three-way mirror (not located in the tiny dressing room). There were no shelves or chairs in the dressing rooms, meaning my clothes sat on the floor.

Sales clerks at all the stores greeted me and offered to help me, yet at the lower end stores the clerks resumed their conversations when I declined. Clerks shouted across the floor at one another, sometimes while standing next to a customer. I’m not saying clerks shouldn’t have conversations amongst themselves, but perhaps they should consider talking about health issues so loudly?

A store selling lower priced goods doesn’t necessarily have to mark itself as low end. Upgrading the dressing room, staffing the fitting rooms to frequently clear out unpurchased merchandise, and training staff in social graces like not shouting across the floor can go a long way to improving the shopping experience.

To translate this to other industries – a professionally produced website does not have to break the bank, and a small investment in a graphic designer to create templates and a style guide can vastly upgrade the impression your company makes. Be sure your receptionist has a good speaking voice, and avoid one that says, “huh?” Ask your staff to speak in “inside voices” especially on days when you have a guest to your office. Make sure your office is clean, including staff work stations. Ask a friend to call your office at various times during the day, visit the office unannounced, or play “secret shopper” and schedule an appointment to visit just as a prospect or client would.

From my friend Chad, via his Facebook feed, I came across this link, which provides step-by-step instructions to add code to your Outlook that prompts you for the attachment:

“Did You Forget Something? Or, How to Get Outlook To Remind You to Insert a Forgotten Attachment” by David Horowitz – http://bit.ly/aCF2nR

However, because web browsers all have different ways of reading your website’s code, web designers must use care when choosing fonts for your website. This limits your font choices to universal fonts only, which is a missed opportunity for your website to stand out from the pack.

This may be changing due to CSS3, a new way of coding your website to allow for more font flexibility on your website. You may want to ask your webmaster or graphic designer about this option, so you can begin to integrate your overall branding strategy for your print materials with your web presence.

ht/ Field Notes: http://blog.capstrat.com/articles/you-cant-use-that-font-its-not-web-safe/

I personally believe there is no “one size fits all” approach to social media. Integrated marketing communication strategies advocates a total approach to marketing – first decide what your company culture will be, then develop your marketing (including social media) strategies around that idea. If your company’s culture advocates transparency, someone else writing your company blog (even as a ghost writer) is a betrayal of that transparency.

Social Media Today recently ran an article discussing a gentleman who hired an outside company to “ghost tweet” for him while he was away at a conference (http://bit.ly/cMfHlI). A central question of the article, besides the ethics of the idea, was whether or not you need to tweet at all at times?

I again think the answer lies in your overall company strategy. Sometimes the CEO should blog. Sometimes the strategy is one of listening. Sometimes (especially in a creatively focused company) there should be many voices.

I believe in authenticity. Integrated marketing communication strategies are about developing a central message around your product or service, and using business and marketing strategies to reinforce that message.