By Bill Tamminga, SEO Expert & Founder of TM&C
There are five major external forces that affect your sales and marketing efforts:
1.The General Economy
2.Social Beliefs and Attitudes
3.Politics
4.Technology
5.Ecology
They operate outside of any specific organization and companies are, for the most part, at their mercy. Are these forces hindering or enhancing your success right now?
Is Social Nurturing just for prospecting or sales? No.
At InsideSales.com they have been testing the use of LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ , Blogging, Klout, and many more social media platforms in a model they call ACQUIRE. Forbes contributor and entrepreneur Ken Krogue explains how to actually use the ACQUIRE model to make influential contacts using social media.
So, Twitter launched a new service last week that let’s you create 6 second videos. Yes, you heard it….6 seconds. So, how will this new service play in the realm of B2B marketing? Check out this article from SmartBlog on Social media for a few suggestions.
How to leverage Twitter’s Vine app for B2B content marketing | SmartBlogs SmartBlogs.
How would you view using this new tool for B2B marketing?
The team over at BtoB Magazine shared some excellent findings from their surveys with B2B marketers. 49% of respondents expect with increase their budget with only 10% expecting to decrease. The biggest beneficiaries of this increased spending are digital marketing with 67% planning to increase spending in areas such as website, email, social media, video and search. The main emphasis for nearly 70% of B2B marketing efforts is demand generation and customer acquisition.
Read more results at BtoB Magazine.
So, is your business taking a similar approach? Where is your focus in 2013? How does your plan affect your staff and its needs?
America’s leading authority on referral selling, and author of No More Cold 
Calling, Joanne Black highly recommends you stay in touch with your network and rigorously build new connections. You will become closer and closer to potential clients. Your new referral network will contract your world. It will be faster and easier for you to give and receive referral introductions.
Read the entire article here.
By Emily Driscoll, Fox Business 
The holiday season is often busy with parties and events to catch up with family and friends, but these gatherings can also be prime locations for job seekers to make connections and find a good lead.
Events like company holiday parties, volunteering opportunities and networking events are opportune times for recent grads and current students to make personal connections with those in their field.
Although some businesses are looking for temporary hires, job postings tend to dwindle during the holidays as companies focus on planning for the following year, says Kimberly Baker, career services manager at Bryant & Stratton College Online.
“This makes the holiday season a great time to network as decision makers are thinking about future growth,” she says.
The holidays also offer a great excuse for candidates to check in with people they connected with earlier in the year to provide a status update and send warm wishes, says Doug Brown, academic program manager for The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business’ MBA program at Post University.
“You can use this special time of year to check in with someone that you may not have spoken with in a while (or have been meaning to reconnect with) to find out how they are doing, wish them well this holiday season and connect with them on a genuine level,” he says.
For those who are gainfully employed and want to move up in their career or for recent grads just getting started, here are four tips to network effectively during the holiday season and land a job in the new year.
Make Multiple, but Genuine Connections
While it can be tempting to bounce around at a crowded party, it’s more important to make a strong and more lasting connection (or re-connection) with people while networking, says Brown.
Particularly when meeting people for the first time, it’s a good idea to be focused and target a few individuals to get acquainted with, advises Larry Nash, director of experienced and executive recruiting at Ernst & Young LLP.
“Don’t necessarily try to meet everybody because you might not have time to [build] a deeper rapport. Focus on three to five people and try to go deep in establishing a connection,” he says.
Don’t Make it All About You
To avoid falling into “what-can-you-do-for-me” mode during a conversation, Brown recommends grads use the 80-20 rule, where 80% of the conversation should be about the networking contact and 20% about the student/grad.
“Focus on really establishing a genuine connection with the people who you are speaking with–ask questions about how they are, how their family is and truly engage in the conversation,” he says. “If you take a genuine interest, you will leave a lasting and positive impression with them.”
Leave the Resume at Home
Baker notes that unless the holiday event is a job fair, avoid bringing a resume.
“A business card that has a link to a professional website highlighting your work or at the very least your LinkedIn profile is a perfect way to communicate your skills and stay connected to the person after the event,” she says. “Make sure to exchange business cards as well so you have their current contact information and can follow up with them.”
Brown cautions against trying to tell a long story on a business card or using brochures or handouts—these should only be used for follow up rather than in a networking situation.
Follow Up
After meeting someone at an event, grads should follow up with a friendly email, mention how much they enjoyed speaking and wish them happy holidays–save the more professional/job-seeking email for after the New Year, recommends Baker.
Brown suggests going the extra mile and sending an old-fashioned handwritten thank-you note, which will go a long way in making a memorable impression.
“If time has gotten away from you and you haven’t had a chance to follow up promptly, don’t hide behind your embarrassment,” he says. “You can still pick up the phone and follow up with your contact–don’t let embarrassment get in the way of a potentially great contact.”
Stay on the Radar After the Holidays
Connecting with contacts over professional networking sites is a great way to stay on top of industry news and keep in touch without being overbearing, says Nash.
“It’s good to look at your network on LinkedIn or Facebook to see who you know at this organization and it’s important to contact them because many organizations have very strong and formal referral employer programs,” he says. “People can use their networks to talk to colleagues about opportunities at their companies, so they get might get more notice when it’s coming from an employee rather than from somewhere else.”
Touching base with a contact every couple months by sending a link to an article or blog post that is relevant to their industry is a better alternative than grads only contacting them about open positions, says Baker.
“If they are local, see if they would like to get coffee or would be open to meeting for an informational interview,” she says. “However, if they agree to an informational interview, approach it as a friendly conversation with no expectation of a job offer. Instead, you should consider it an extension of your earlier conversation and an opportunity to gain additional insight into the industry and that company.”
The end of the year is a time to wrap up loose ends, as well as a time for new beginnings. Getting everything done at the end of the year can be a little hectic. This checklist can help you prioritize your time and make sure you set yourself up for a fantastic new year.
==> Checking Your Vision Statement and Goal
Perhaps the most important thing you can do at the end of the year is to see whether you’re on track for your long-term goals and vision.
It’s very easy in business to get sucked into the day-to-day operations. You get so concerned with hitting the next immediate target or putting out the most pressing fires that you lose sight of your ultimate goals.
The end of the year is a good time to review those goals. Are you on track to hitting your vision?
Here’s some tips for setting goals that are actually keep-able!
==> Review Your Budget for Next Year
Look over this year’s financials. How much did you earn? How much did you spend? What’s your return on capital?
Look at the highest ROI aspects of your business. What can you expect over the coming year? Do you expect profits to increase or decrease?
The end of the year is the ideal time to set your budget for the next year, because you have all the data for this year to look back on.
==> Schedule Seasonal Promotions
The holidays are a fantastic time to end the year with your accounting books “in the black” (meaning that you are making cash!) through the addition of some holiday promotions and specials.
It’s important to run promotions that are actually useful – and not overly aggressive – to your loyal readers. You want to benefit them and not penalize them through aggressive marketing. Don’t ask your loyal customers to make up for the sales you didn’t make earlier in the year but instead set out ways to really benefit them!
Here’s some tips to help you do seasonal marketing right!
==> Employee Evaluation Time
Even in a small company, you should still evaluate your employees and freelancers on a regular basis. Are your employees pulling their fair share? Is your freelancer the right fit for your business? Are there employees that aren’t performing as expected? Is the VA becoming more valuable to you over time as you train them?
GE’s former CEO Jack Welsh famously fired the company’s bottom 10% performers every year. You don’t have to go to this extreme, but keeping your staff force lean and sharp should be a part of every company’s credo.
==> Make Large Purchases
Often times the end of the year is the best time to make big purchases. If you have leftover income, you can write off the expense under this year’s taxes rather than next year’s taxes.
Generally these kinds of purchases would fall under the capital intensive equipment category, also known as a Section 179 purchase. The maximum amount you can spend in this category is $125,000 and you must put the equipment into use by the end of the year.
If you meet these criteria, you can save a lot of money on taxes. The key to remember however is that you should not spend money just to “save money” as the net impact is still spent money that you may not have had in the budget to begin with.
==> Back Up Your Files
Finally, take the time at the end of the year to back up your files and do a full backup of your web hosting account. At least once a year, store all your most vital files on an offsite backup facility or at least an external hard drive stored at another physical location.
These tips will help you wrap up all your loose ends at the end of the year and get you set up for a profitable launch into the next year.
Numerous studies reveal that when you thank your customers, they spend more money and tell their friends about the exceptional service and products you deliver, increasing your profits. Vendors go the extra mile to extend credit and deliver “just in time” when they hear gratitude regularly, and keep your cash flowing. Giving thanks works in business.
Tap into the Power of Thank You
There may be only one day a year devoted to giving thanks, but expressing thanks year round and doing it well is one of the most profitable business strategies you can have.
Numerous studies reveal that when you thank your customers, they spend more money and tell their friends about the exceptional service and products you deliver, increasing your profits. Volumes chronicle how employee productivity zooms when appreciation is expressed, raising your margins. Vendors go the extra mile to extend credit and deliver “just in time” when they hear gratitude regularly, and keep your cash flowing. Giving thanks works in business.
But you’re already doing more with less and the last thing you want is another item on your to-do list. What are the most effective and efficient ways to express gratitude to these important players in your positive business success?
Start today implementing these 4 tips to develop the profitable habit of saying “Thank you” to your customers, employees, and vendors year-round:
Be specific in your thanks. It’s one thing to say, “I appreciate you. Thanks a lot.” That’s a soap-bubble comment. Pretty while it lasts, but gone in seconds. When you thank them for something specific, that’s Velcro. That’s a thanks they remember because it sticks. You hook your gratitude to something the employee did. For instance, an employee just handled a difficult phone call with a customer really well. Thank them for that specific activity.
Appreciate the process. Target your appreciation at what the person did. Let’s go back to the worker who took the phone call. Avoid telling the employee, “Thanks for helping me keep that customer.” That’s just an outcome that benefits you. Say, “I like how you hung in there when that customer was being difficult. You were really patient and respectful.” The same type of strategy goes for vendors. Give thanks for their doing something that was an extra-mile effort. Recognize the above-and-beyond work.
It’s about them, not you. Showing that you know something about them is incredibly valuable. Connect your gift-giving with life beyond the business walls. If a vendor became a Grandpa, give him a copy of “Goodnight, Moon” to read to the little one. If an employee’s mother died of breast cancer this year, make an end-of -the-year donation to the American Cancer Society in her name. Such intimacy breaks the relationship ice in a transformational, not just transactional, direction which is the game-changing pathway to greater profits.
Go old school with your thanks. In this pixelated world of emails and texts, Facebook and Twitter, the simple and quick act of writing a handwritten expression of gratitude goes a long way. There’s something special today about a handwritten note. I keep a stack of cards and envelopes with me to write thank you notes in flight when returning from a workshop or coaching session. It takes about three minutes per card. You create return business when you take pen in hand and write, “Thank you,” to your customers. Just say, “I know you could do business with others, but you chose us. Thank you! We treasure our relationship.”
Implement these tips, and your business says “Thank you” back to you as you positively increase your profits year-round.
How often do you say Thank You? Tap the profitable power of Thank You with these 4 tips from best-selling author, Work Positive coach, & speaker Dr. Joey Faucette.
I was invited to talk on a panel at Social Media Week London, on ‘The psychology of love and brands’, hosted by a very intelligent agency, Social Kemistri. It sparked some interesting debate around a psychological approach to social marketing and how to encourage love and loyalty – I’d like to share my thoughts here.
Firstly it’s clear that love and loyalty of a vocal brand army in social, can be both very frugal and ultimately very profitable for a brand.
Source: Social Media revolution, Erik Qualman, May 2010
The following is a brief train of thought to look at ‘belonging’ and how it can help to drive brand love in social media.
Social is the great leveler, providing a single and equal platform for brands and consumers to communicate. It’s leveled the playing field for communication and has important ramifications for your brand perception. Your brand perception is not just your broadcast communication, it’s an aggregation of the 1,000′s of social echos from your customers.
To really make the most of social, brands need to humanize. But being more human should not be quickly interpreted as a ‘personality’ and a tone of voice. The fad of believing you are social by simply having a colloquial tone of voice is well and truly over. For a brand or business, it’s much more important to understand human behavior, rather than trying to make your brand become a ‘person’. Understanding what makes people tick and discovering in particular what can help create those sparks of love that lead to loyalty in social.
There have been many psychological models set out to help understand the different levels of people’s needs. I wanted to use, what is probably the most familiar and popular. Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. Here Maslow sets out the different strata of human needs from the physiological to self realization. These are often presented in a pyramid, with the more idealistic level of needs at the peak and only achievable once the previous more essential human needs have been satisfied. The section I’m interested in is the middle strata. Above the physiological layer and the safety layer. The strata that deals with love and interestingly note that this strata is also about belonging.
So if we are looking to increase brand love, perhaps the right way to approach this is to be thinking about brand belonging.
We spend our lives in groups, clubs, teams and circles. The basic need is the belonging and it is a critical driver of love. Knowing you are part of something with others, being able to share that and interact has been amplified by social media. That belonging is also more about the social interplay amongst the people who belong, rather than always between the brand and the consumer.
So it poses an interesting question that we should ask ourselves as we plan our strategy and tactics to gain brand love and loyalty in social. Are we just trying to connect with our customers to broadcast messages to them, or to offer sales incentives and deals? Will this end up achieving the committed love and loyalty we are after? Or should we spend more time humanizing and understanding the needs of people in social and creating environments and tactics for our customers to connect and belong.
I just wanted to conclude with a couple of my favorite examples of that feeling of belonging in social.
DuckTape - Over 5 million Facebook fans! Surprising?
DuckTape is a remarkable example of social brand love, that is all about belonging to a craft led community. Sharing useful, bizarre and amazing things created from Duck Tape. The social community on Facebook is stimulated often with competitions and innovation from the fans. The love of this brand in social finds it’s sweet spot right in that middle layer of Maslow’s hierarchy. Just take a look at the DuckTape gallery in Facebook.
Ecko – branded for life
Okay, so this is an extreme example. But never the less an extreme stimulant to encourage belonging. American fashion brand Ecko offers 20% off for life to any fan that is prepared to get one of the brand logotypes tattooed on their body. Check out the gallery of fans who have taken the plunge. People really do want to belong.
Maybe your community won’t go as far as the Ecko community. But if you want to build the love and loyalty for your brand, think about what people need in social and that concept of ‘belonging’. It can change the way you approach a strategy and lead to a community that builds love and loyalty based on that essential human need… To belong.
Nick Bennett is managing partner and strategic creative director of an NMA top 100 digital agency. Nick has spent the last 14 years working in digital advertising and marketing, planning and running digital strategies for UK and global brands. Extensive experience in brand, acquisition, eCRM and social media marketing. Web technologies, SEM and media planning. Full time social media enthusiast, digital evangelist and part time philosopher. More from Nick at www.smilespread.co.uk.
By: Ryan McCarthy, Inc.Com
Why more companies are integrating marketing and recruiting.
Razor Suleman faced a morale crisis. Employee turnover had spiked at I Love Rewards, his Toronto-based incentive marketing agency, with 10 of 22 workers leaving in the span of six months. Amid the chaos and the cost associated with these constant exits, Suleman had come to feel that running I Love Rewards wasn’t all that personally rewarding.
Suleman knew he was a lot better at selling than at HR. So he decided to take a salesman’s approach to hiring–treating each potential hire like a customer. He had a hunch that not only would this approach yield better results, it would spread the word about his company. “We started thinking that even if someone didn’t get the job, he would either tell everyone he knew about us or would begin to use our products and services,” he says.
It’s a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma. To lure talent, you need to establish your business as a cool place to work, as a company on the rise. But that can happen only if you have great employees in the first place. One way to solve that problem is by integrating your recruiting and marketing efforts. Experts call this creating an “employer brand” and suggest that bringing together these two crucial business functions can help a company excel at both.
The quintessential employer brand is Google. In 2004, the company posted obscure math problems on billboards in several major cities. Any enterprising math geek who could solve the equation was directed to Google’s hiring website. The billboards drew a lot of press attention as well as thousands of resumés.
Of course, getting HR and marketing to work more closely together isn’t as easy as it sounds. The traditional HR tasks are focused on the internal needs of the employer, whereas marketing is all about connecting with customers in the world outside the company. Old-line marketers may bristle when they are asked to brainstorm ways to enliven want ads or hiring initiatives. For their part, HR folks may feel uncomfortable making a sales pitch.
Small companies tend to have an easier time merging marketing and HR, largely because managers are used to wearing multiple hats and the CEO or owner is in a better position to make sure his managers are cooperating. That was the case at Red 5 Studios, a video game company based in Aliso Viejo, California. CEO and founder Mark Kern had had horrible luck with traditional recruiting techniques, in part because his venture-backed company was still in stealth mode and hadn’t yet released a game. Though at his previous job Kern led the team at Blizzard Entertainment that created the wildly popular World of Warcraft games, he couldn’t get top programmers to submit resumés and had no luck posting want ads on online job boards. “It was hard to communicate anything about our company in a way that stood out from the other guys,” says Kern.
So Kern decided to dedicate himself to creating an employer brand. He identified the 100 workers in the game industry whom he most wanted to hire and sent them each a special package in the mail. The package contained a box, with a smaller box inside of it, with an even smaller box inside of it, and so on, like a Russian nesting doll. At the center of the smallest box was an iPod Shuffle. On the iPod, Kern had recorded a personal message describing why it was worth applying for a job at Red 5. “At Red 5 we’re assembling a team of incredibly talented individuals dedicated to pushing the envelope in online entertainment,” the recording said.
The iPods were engraved with a code that directed the candidates to a dedicated portion of Red 5′s website, where they could read Red 5′s strategic plan. More than 90 of the 100 prospects responded to the campaign by logging on to the site. Better yet, word of the outreach spread from the programmer world to the blogosphere and ultimately to The Wall Street Journal.
All told, Kern spent about $50,000 on the campaign, including hiring a design firm to create a Japanese animation aesthetic for the boxes. The campaign cost roughly the same as more traditional recruiting techniques. And the payoff? Kern estimates that 16 of the 21 people he’s hired since the campaign found out about his company as a result of the stunt. “What we were sending out was a symbol for our entire company,” says Kern.
At I Love Rewards, Razor Suleman has bridged the gap between marketing and hiring by relying on group interviews–a lot of them. When the company has an open position, whether it’s for a technology job or for customer service, members of his sales, marketing, and HR departments lead group interviews of 10 or 12 people at a time. Suleman views these group interviews as a good way to screen a large number of candidates.
He also sees it as an efficient (and fairly victimless) way of delivering a brand message to a group of smart professionals who can recommend the business to their current or future employers. Each candidate leaves the interview with a hefty dose of corporate indoctrination and an I Love Rewards gift card. Suleman says that having employees deliver the pitch also has the effect of reinforcing it within the company.
In the span of two years, turnover at I Love Rewards is down to around 10 percent per year. Maclean’s, the Canadian newsweekly, recently named the company one of Canada’s best employers for the second year in a row. Earlier this year, the company received 1,700 resumés for seven openings.
With every group interview, Suleman says, he cultivates not only some good candidates but also a few brand evangelists. One job applicant who was rejected for an HR manager job at I Love Rewards subsequently landed a position at the Toronto office of a well-known U.S.-based retailer. The applicant was so impressed by Suleman’s interview process–and the sales pitch contained therein–that he convinced his new boss to sign on with I Love Rewards as a customer. That referral alone boosted revenue last year by more than 12 percent. “We always talked about treating prospects like customers,” says Suleman. “And this created tangible business for us.
