Better Business Blog

Marketing, Journalism, and Truth as Competitive Advantage

 

I had a very interesting question come across my desk from {grow} community member John Bethune:

In the minds of most people, journalism and marketing were once diametrically opposed. Has that changed in the social media era?

A great question!  And, in fact, I think the social web has brought these disciplines together in a number of surprising ways.

The ideal of journalism is a quest for truth. Marketing is the quest for a product’s “truth.” By that I mean the best marketers are on a journey to know how their company’s goods and services exist in the hearts and minds of their customers. Then, their job is to express that consumer truth to the best of their ability.  So in this way, the disciplines are unexpectedly similar, although the end product is quite different!

Read More: Marketing, Journalism, and Truth as Competitive Advantage

How To Be A Master Of Productivity: A Small-Business Guide

Theories abound on how to most effectively manage your time, set priorities and eliminate distractions, but there’s no single recipe for efficiency. Productivity is one of the principal factors in being competitive at anything you do. Experts from Open Forum and beyond have shared their insights on how to maximize your time and get more done each day. Here is some of their best advice.

Refine your to-do list

Tracking and managing tasks is central to productivity, and to-do lists are the most common way of organizing responsibilities. All lists are not created equal, however. What you may see as procrastination (detailed, rigorous list-making) can pay off with organizational clarity.

Read More: How To Be A Master Of Productivity: A Small-Business Guide

What One Startup Got Out of Starring in Webisodes

You may have noticed that television is no longer just on your television anymore. More companies are discovering the power of online video to engage customers, and are putting up their own Web-based shows. For instance, Dell just aired a six-part Webisode miniseries on the winner of its America's Favorite Small Business contest, wood-frame eyewear maker Shwood of Portland, Ore.

While it may not offer as much marketing muscle as having a national TV show revolve around your business -- as the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop does with Pawn Stars -- starring in Web videos can still be a useful marketing tool.

Read More: What One Startup Got Out of Starring in Webisodes

8 Easy Ways To Green Your Small Business

For businesses, going green not only helps the environment, it can boost the bottom line, too. Organizations that make a company-wide commitment to more environmentally-friendly practices can benefit from short- and long-term savings, some great PR opportunities and higher employee engagement.

We all know the best ways to go green at home and a few of those approaches translate well at the office, too, but what are some business-specific ways to green-up?

Read More: 8 Easy Ways To Green Your Small Business

The Birth Of An Idea: Ads To Rebrand Girls

Everybody Shout

Target Demo: Men Around the World

The Ad Folks:
Shout is part of She Says, a network of 3,000 ad women who collaborate outside their day jobs on campaigns directed at women.

Their Campaign Strategy:
This ad shouts what studies suggest--that female leaders can be more empathetic and inspirational. The ad evokes movie posters because its creators "expect to see plenty of successful females coming soon to a corporation, startup, or Oval Office near you."

Read More: The Birth Of An Idea: Ads To Rebrand Girls

How to Use Google Search More Effectively [INFOGRAPHIC

Among certain circles (my family, some of my coworkers, etc.) I’m known for my Googling skills. I can find anything, anywhere, in no time flat. My Google-fu is a helpful skill, but not one that’s shrouded in too much mystery — I’ve just mastered some very helpful search tricks and shortcuts and learned to quickly identify the best info in a list of results.

Sadly, though web searches have become and integral part of the academic research landscape, the art of the Google search is an increasingly lost one. A recent study at Illinois Wesleyan University found that fewer than 25% of students could perform a “reasonably well-executed search.” Wrote researchers, “The majority of students — of all levels — exhibited significant difficulties that ranged across nearly every aspect of the search process.”

Read More: How to Use Google Search More Effectively [INFOGRAPHIC

How Crowdsourcing Is Transforming The Way Companies Innovate

Innovation has been a big buzz word for almost a decade. Consumers are hungry for the next big thing, wanting to be the first to use or own the latest and greatest innovations—and the media is always hot to find the next story. It’s not a cakewalk, though—creating products or services that are truly innovative and capture the attention of the masses is a difficult feat that requires unique thinking and a keen eye for design. However, we have noticed that one of the most challenging characteristics to implement true innovation is transparency. 

In today’s creative culture, developing an open environment where customers are brought into the fold early can push a design from boring to bestseller. By tapping into the customer base, organizations can gather input on what users want or need to make tweaks or adjustments earlier in the product lifecycle. Social media has created a real-time engine for feedback, and consumers are ready to share if companies connect with them in a meaningful way. Fully understanding users and providing them with innovative products that enrich their lives helps a company succeed when the product is released.

Read More: How Crowdsourcing Is Transforming The Way Companies Innovate

44 Best WordPress Themes for Business, Marketers, and Entrepreneurs

These days, you can’t call yourself an entrepreneur or a marketer without any knowledge of how to use the Internet to drive your business. That’s why we here at Lakeshore Branding keep pushing WordPress – because it’s an awesome tool for anyone wanting to establish themselves online. It’s a semantic personal publishing platform with focus on aesthetics, Web standards, and usability. So, whatever your title is – small business owner, online retailer, Internet startup founder, online marketer, social media guru, new media advertiser, affiliate marketer – you’ll find something valuable and unique in the way WordPress works.

But to change the way WordPress looks? That’s what this list of WordPress themes is for. We picked out a number of the best business and marketing WordPress themes so that you won’t have to. With this list, we also hope you’ll be able to enhance the ease and efficiency of your WordPress experience.

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5 Ways to Turn Social Customers Into Brand Ambassadors

With the advent of social media channels, customer service has forever changed. Consumers are no longer willing to sit and listen to classical music on hold. In today’s age of hyper-responsiveness, customers expect instant responses from support reps on very public online platforms.

Instead of shying away from social media, smart businesses will leverage their social channels to spread a positive brand reputation, to connect happy customers and to step up their customer support efforts.

Consumers aren’t eager to blast negative messages about your company – unless your brand is unresponsive. I recently learned at an IBM conference that customers are five times more likely to post something positive than negative, and that companies usually have at least 10 warnings before someone posts a negative comment.

Read More: 5 Ways to Turn Social Customers Into Brand Ambassadors

Video Testimonials and Other Marketing Tricks

Video is only one of the incredible marketing tools now available at relatively low cost for small business owners and entrepreneurs. You’ll read more about a variety of these strategies in the roundup below and see how mixing time honored techniques with new technology brings incredible results. Enjoy!

Newest Trends

The power of video testimonials. You’ve heard about the power of video for small business marketing on the Web and the importance of testimonials as well. Putting the two together can be a big win for your online business. Here’s a simple five step guide to get you started. RightLook Creative

How do you measure social media success? The importance of social media in small business marketing is talked about plenty these days. But how can you be sure your social media campaign is a success and what can you expect from those efforts in the future? Ability Success Growth

Read More: Video Testimonials and Other Marketing Tricks

Businesses Only a Woman Could Start

Realizing that women were not always taught to control their personal finances, von Tobel launched LearnVest in 2009. It's a website that helps women manage money in creative ways, using tools and apps. The Harvard-grad led the company to raise $25 million in funding from Accel Partners, and LearnVest now has around one million women users.

Read More: Businesses Only a Woman Could Start

How to Spread Your Content Across Social Networks More Effectively [VIDEO]

Michael Lazerow, founder and CEO of Buddy Media, begins his talk with a promise that letting your brand’s content run free on social networks will increase site traffic and revenues by 12.89%. If that statistic grabbed your attention, Lazerow is prepared to explain how.

However, “If you don’t want to grow it by 12.89%, do not do this stuff that I’m about to tell you,” he warns.

SEE ALSO: Why Brands Need Friends – Not Fans – on FacebookLazerow says that simply being on Facebook won’t maximize a brand’s revenue and traffic. Businesses must take what works on Facebook and apply it to their own sites and the wider web in general. Take a look at the video to discover Lazerow’s recipe for breaking down the content barriers of social networks.

Read More: How to Spread Your Content Across Social Networks More Effectively [VIDEO]

How Linkedin Helps Ad Sales People Trade Dirt on Media Buyers

 

The intent of SellerCrowd.com is to give digital ad sales people a place to quietly trade information about ad buyers so they can more easily find clients' contact information -- and stop wasting clients' time with dead-in-the-water sales pitches.

But as everyone on the site is anonymous, and as clients are banned, it also functions as a place where sales people can surreptitiously trade gossip that media buyers -- the people who actually spend advertising money -- cannot see.

Read More: How Linkedin Helps Ad Sales People Trade Dirt on Media Buyers

Build a Killer Website: 19 Dos and Don'ts

 

I’m continually surprised by how many people call my design company with very firm ideas about what they want on their business website and yet, they haven’t thought through some of the most basic questions first. For this reason, our first question is always “Why do you need a site?,” not “What do you want on it?”

At bottom your website is a marketing tool. For many businesses, it’s the only source of business. If done right, it can be a major part of yours.

Here’s my quick-hit list of the top dos and don’ts before you get started:

Read More: Build a Killer Website: 19 Dos and Don'ts

Growing Your Business Through Practicing Gratitude

It’s the time of year we all give thanks for our many blessings. It’s a good practice in our personal lives, and an equally good practice in our business lives.

On the Wednesday of Thanksgiving week it is my tradition to spend the day calling clients, past clients, colleagues who refer business to me and anyone else who has impacted my business over the past year. The calls aren’t sales calls, they’re gratitude calls. My intention is to thank those that have positively impacted my business’ growth as well my own personal happiness.

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5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Media Interviews

You’ve mastered the pitch, and you’ve already networked with a few reporters at Web 2.0. But before you hop on the interview call, make sure to avoid common pitfalls guaranteed to derail even the most seasoned spokespeople. Here are five mistakes that top the list.

1. Quoting the Press Release

Ever taken an interview in which the reporter asks, “Tell me about your company,” and found yourself regurgitating the press release? The interview is an opportunity to offer fresh perspective, not become a tour guide to something already written.

Read More: 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Media Interviews

17 (or More) Ways to Increase Small Business Sales

There are lots of ways to boost your sales and grow your small business today. We’ve created a roundup with some suggestions below. Want to add to our list, including Susan Oakes’ 17 ways to boost sales? Please add your comments below and help inform the community.

Strategy

Ways to increase your sales. That’s right. There are plenty, and here Susan Oakes shares her list of 17. But don’t stop there. Susan also wants readers to add their own thoughts. You can do that on Susan’s blog, or in the comment section below. Let’s help fellow small business owners today. M4B Marketing

If Smashburger can, why not you? Even franchises of smaller size are expanding these days, some globally. Could your business model be franchised or, if you already have a franchise, is it time you look at expansion in directions you might not have dreamed possible before? WSJ

Read More: 17 (or More) Ways to Increase Small Business Sales

How to Market to Baby Boomers Online

If you think that the Internet is a young person’s phenomenon, consider this: Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, titans of the personal computer era, were both born in 1955, smack in the middle of the Baby Boom.

And Al Gore? Born in 1948. ‘Nuff said.

Of course, social media phenomena like Facebook and Twitter do tend to skew young. A 2010 report by eMarketer, for instance, found that 77% of Millennials maintained a social media profile compared to 36% of “Matures” (people between 63 and 75 years old, which pits many of them squarely in Boomer territory). But younger Boomers aren’t far behind: 46% had a social media profile at the time.

Read More: How to Market to Baby Boomers Online

How Groundbreaking Thinkers Spread Their Ideas

 

In 5 Ways to Be Known as a Groundbreaking Thinker I covered basic principles on how to channel your inner Seth Godin and get your ideas noticed.

Now let’s go a step farther and talk about the logistics of getting your ideas noticed. But before we do, remember:

The audience won’t come to you. Forget “build it and they will come.” Follow a “find them so they will come” strategy. It’s a time-honored approach; most groundbreaking thinkers built their following by writing for and appearing on news sites, blogs, etc. other than their own.

Read More: How Groundbreaking Thinkers Spread Their Ideas

How to Maximize Your Video Marketing

According to YouTube, 13 million hours of video were uploaded in 2010, 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute, and 3 billion videos are viewed everyday. Looking at comScore’s August U.S. Online Video Rankings, U.S. consumers alone drove a record 6.9 billion views across a variety of online video platforms. And most recently, the Pew Research Center found that 71% of Americans using the internet regularly visit video sharing sites such as YouTube or Vimeo, up from 66% in 2010.

Needless to say, if video content is absent from your marketing program, you’re sorely missing out on a massive audience. One of the essential success factors for video is it’s sharability. Much like photos, videos enjoy the “one click, and enjoy” factor that their still image counterparts soak up on Facebook. And it’s not all just fun and games (although funny videos do have a higher chance of virality), as online video encompasses much more than just the standard YouTube clip.

 

Read More: How to Maximize Your Video Marketing

How Samsung Used Angry Birds to Generate Over 12 Million Minutes of Brand Engagement

In an overcrowded and over-hyped marketplace, how do you generate genuine buzz around a smartphone launch? Media communications agency Starcom took an interesting and innovative approach with the recent global launch of the Samsung Galaxy SII by creating an exclusive level of the super-popular mobile game Angry Birds.

“Phone launches have become ever more competitive with an incredible amount of pressure to prove successful within the first few weeks. If Samsung wanted to make an impact with the launch of Galaxy SII, they needed something that was globally relevant, highly engaging and easily scalable across dozens of local markets,” explains Kristen Kelly, VP global business director of Starcom.

Read More: How Samsung Used Angry Birds to Generate Over 12 Million Minutes of Brand Engagement

Personal Branding vs. Professional Branding—Is There Still a Difference

• Guest Blog—This is a great way to get your name out there in a positive light. As long as you don’t write anything offensive, your articles should jump to the top of Google when searching your name; thus pushing anything negative to the bottom.

• Personal Website—If you can show that you can manage your own personal website, and one that is positive, you will look impressive to future employers.

• Interaction and Social Media—Naturally, participating in social media will help give you a good name. If you have a lot of good, quality connections on LinkedIn and Twitter, then employers will be able to see that those well respected (or those with great personal brands) see you in a positive light.

Read More: Personal Branding vs. Professional Branding—Is There Still a Difference

12 Ways to Become a Recognized Expert

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we measure the degree of damage, or more precisely, reduced revenue and increased costs from the downturn, advertising spending tends to be one of the first cuts owners make. Yet this may be a great time to expand marketing to take a share of the market away from your competitors.

The key is marketing without little or no money through efforts like community engagement, referrals or sending a press release to local media. Another method is becoming a recognized expert who is called upon by media and other outlets to speak, write and lend your expertise.

Read More: 12 Ways to Become a Recognized Expert

10 Clues That It's Time to Start Your Own Business

Many budding entrepreneurs struggle mightily with that first step – out of their comfort zone and into the unknown. They keep asking people like me whether the time is right, and the truth is that there’s never an ideal time to start your own business. It’s like starting a personal relationship, if you wait for exactly the right time, you’ll never do it.

I’ve talked to many experts, and everyone has his own view of the right personal attributes, and the right business conditions to jump in. In my own view, the recovering economy is ripe for new startups, but successful startups are more about the right person, than the right idea or the right climate. So the real challenge is looking inward to check your alignment with these clues:

Read More: 10 Clues That It's Time to Start Your Own Business

6 Business Travel Websites Not to Miss

 

 Heading out on a business trip? Check out the latest in travel websites: They’ll help you find the best hotel deals, connect with other travelers, and even suggest things to do as you pass over cities along your flight route.

1. Hipmunk.com
Hipmunk.com has one advantage over other flight search sites: It’s much more graphical. Once you tap in your departure and arrival cities, and enter the dates of travel, you can view a colorful graph that shows you the best flight deals. Hipmunk recently added integration to Google Calendar so when you plan out your flight, you can avoid double-booking with your weekly sales meeting.

Read More: 6 Business Travel Websites Not to Miss