Are you on target?

Almost exactly 6 months ago I invited you to come up with 4 words to describe how you’d like your year to be.  Now that we’re half way through the year, and with the school summer holidays about to start, why not take stock?

Looking back

In my post back in January, I talked about making ‘anti-resolutions’ as a way to stop bad habits and not end the year with regrets over Christmas dinner.  Another perspective I talked about was coming up with 4 words to describe how you want your year to be.  No promises, no giving up anything, just 4 words to guide you and keep you focused on what actually matters to you.

What were my words again?

I had loads of comments on the last post from different people all with different goals for the year.  To remind you, my words were:

Balance

Creativity

Passion

Learning

My progress so far

Well I think I’m doing OK with these so far:

• I still work part time (4 days a week now) and I’m around for my girls when they need me.  I also do work in the evenings when my girls are in bed (only easy stuff!)
• I continue to write, to come up with new ideas for how to help my clients and to help them to be different.  I have re-branded myself in a way that shows my personality
• I demonstrate my passion for marketing by the way I present myself, with the services I offer and with my #focusonmarketing events.  I also demonstrate my passion for supporting my husband, who has run in some amazing races this year and has carried the Olympic torch.
• Finally, I’ve planned to run my first marketing workshop in September (watch this space).  So all in all, I’m doing OK!

The marketing link

Without having a vision for your life and your business, making decisions is so much harder.  Also, to be happy in life we need to focus on both ‘sides’ of our lives.  Your personal goals and business goals should go hand-in-hand if either of them are to work.  With one failing, the other is more difficult to make a success.  Your customers will be the same.

In developing a marketing plan, you need to define what you’re in business for, who for and where you deliver real value.  By distilling this into key phrases that you can refer to, you can keep focused and have the confidence to make the right decisions.  And by bringing your personal goals into this, it becomes all the more credible to your target audience.

So, how are you getting on?

There were lots of comments last time, but let’s have some more.

We may be half way through the year, but it’s not too late to get some focus in your life – personal and business. So give me your 4 words and then go and stick them up somewhere where you can see them every day.  The next time you need to make a decision about reaching your customers, think about what their goals might be and how you can help to achieve them.

And if you gave me your words last time, how are you getting on?  Are you giving each one the focus it deserves?

Let’s get commenting and get focused and make the second half of the year really count.

Have a great summer!

Until next time…

Do you need a logo for your new business?  Or has your existing logo seen better days?  It can be tricky to know what to tell a designer to get the best result, but this post will help you to ensure a perfect fit.

As I discussed in my previous post on branding; a logo isn’t the be all and end all of your brand identity.  However, it’s often the most visual and the most often seen element of your brand, appearing on pretty much everything you wave under your target market’s noses.

So that’s why I decided to go into more depth.  To my mind it’s a case of ‘first impressions count‘, and that is why people place so much emphasis on getting it right.  And I want to help you to do the same.

Where do I start?

Brainstorm away!  Start with thinking about the following elements:

1. Colours – which colours are appropriate to your industry, product and audience?  What colours do you like?  Try to strike a balance between the two.  You have to like your logo too!  Be careful with using too many or using colours like red (which can appear aggressive) and blue (which can appear cold and clinical)
2. Words – you need to include your business name, but what other words do you need?  Think about whether you need a strapline or something that says what you do or who you help
3. Images – do you need an image to illustrate what you do?  Is a character appropriate?  Be careful not to over-complicate things
4. Audience – who do you want to attract with your logo?  If you want to appeal to men, pink hearts and flowers might turn them off a little ;)  Think about what your logo has to say to them. Build a profile of who you want your logo to appeal to
5. Where? – where will you use your logo?  Think business cards, letterheads, website, newsletters, brochures, leaflets, social media, products, the list goes on!
6. Likes and dislikes – have a good look at other logos.  What do you like about them?  What do you not like?  Which might appeal to your customers?  What are competitor logos like?  Pick out all of the best bits to use in yours ;)

Choose the right designer

When deciding on who you want to design your logo, there are a few considerations:

• Firstly, see who you like and connect with.  Do you like them and feel you can trust them?
• Have they worked with people in your industry before?
• Do they seem interested in your business and where you want to take it?
• Do you like their work?
• Do they like to have a detailed brief or a free rein over the design process?
• How many sets of amends (changes) are included in their price?
• Can you afford them?!
• Ask for a recommendation - this is the most important factor in your search

Think about all of these things and if you can’t meet them in person, have a chat over the phone to see if you get on.  This is very important in getting a good result and maintaining a good working relationship.  Trust is key!

Speak to your chosen designer

Once you have decided who you want to design your logo, find out what they need from you to do a good job.  As a small business, I’d advocate giving them as much information as possible so that you have control of the process and they feel fully informed.  Some designers at the high end prefer a totally free rein, but this isn’t advisable for the budget-conscious small business!  Once you know what information they need, you can write up a brief.

The main content of your brief

Using the brainstorming results as above, plus any other information that the designer has asked for, you could structure your brief as follows:

Background – What your business is and where you want to take it.  Get your designer to engage with and understand your business goals

Industry – Give an explanation of the industry you operate in: who the main players are, direct competitors, challenges and trends

Target audience – Give as much detail as you can on who the logo is designed to attract and what response you want. This will affect colours, styles and any wording

Usage – Where will the logo appear?  This will affect the file types you need (print or web, for instance) as well as the number of colours.  E.g. the more colours you have printed on a mug, the more expensive it can get

Likes and dislikes – Examples of logos you like and don’t like along with reasons.  That way you won’t get something you hate!  Your designer will thank you as well ;)

Deadline – When do you want it?  Ensure your deadline is realistic to allow for any changes you might want to make

I repeat: trust is key!

This works in two ways.  Firstly, trust your instincts.  If it doesn’t look right, say so, but say why.  Your designer will want to get a great result as much as you and you have to like it and feel comfortable with it.  But remember, secondly, to trust your designer.  If you’ve chosen wisely, they will know what they’re doing and will certainly know better than you what makes a good design, or else why would you have hired them?

Ultimately though, you’re the client and you’re paying them.  Equally, they will want a strong logo and a positive testimonial in their portfolio, so as long as you find yourself an experienced graphic designer with the right kind of skills and background, you’ll be fine.

Over to you

So what do you think makes a great logo?  Let me know by adding your comment below.

Until next time…

Photo courtesy of www.salopcreative.co.uk

My new logo - one of many visual representations of my brand

Do you know what your brand is? Do your customers? This 7 step approach will help you to get clarity on how you want to be perceived and how to apply it to everything your customers see and experience.

Having worked in-house for SMEs, with small businesses as clients and from observing others, I’ve noticed there are not many people who can define their brand or even explain what it means. This includes many marketers! It’s one of those mysterious marketing phrases that everyone knows they should understand, and many probably think they do, but it can get confusing. Not least because there are so many definitions and ways of looking at a brand.

A common misconception

A brand is a logo: This is sort of right, except that it’s only part of the story. A logo is merely one of many ways of representing your brand visually. There’s so much more to it, and a logo is at the end of the process of understanding your customer and how you can connect with them. In fact, the term branding comes from the old practice of branding cattle so that a farmer can identify them, so its roots are actually visual. However, as time has marched by and business has become more complex, so has our understanding of the psychology of buying behaviour, as has the subject of branding.

My favourite definition

The way I like to describe branding is that it is how you connect with your customers’ expectations. It’s a promise you make that you can fulfil these expectations and it taps into emotions, fears and ambitions to build trust that you can make them a reality through your product or service.

So how can you define your brand?

Step 1: Look around you – What industry are you in, who are the main players and how do they stand out?  Decide where you fit in and how you stand out (or could potentially)
Step 2: Profile your customer – Look at them in detail, from their demographics (age, sex, profession, income, etc) to their needs, wants and desires.  What’s their ‘pain point’ or the biggest problem or hurdle that’s holding them back from professional or personal goals?
Step 3: Find your value – What is the single most valuable benefit that you can offer your customers to address this problem? Ask current customers for feedback to help with this
Step 4: Your role – What is your role in helping your clients to reach their goals? How can you prove that you can deliver it? Tell them how you deliver it and get some testimonials to back it up
Step 5: Language – What words and phrases will resonate with your audience? List them out, use them to allude to key wants and desires and make them stand out consistently
Step 6: Visual cues – Thinking about your target customers, what images, colours and styles will stand out to them? Do they prefer photos or words? Professional or fun? Bright and energetic or calm and relaxing? Think about how you present yourself in person. What will you wear? How will you greet people? How do you want to come across?
Step 7: Consistency – Think about where your customers will see you – on your website, on social media, in person, on printed material. Ensure that the messages they care about are prominent and consistent across everything you do. Have a 1 page brand policy that you can refer to whenever you communicate with customers.

What should be in your brand policy?

A formal brand policy isn’t usually necessary for small businesses, but I advocate having a 1 page document that helps you to ensure consistency across everything you do that the customer sees. Why not put one together and stick it on your wall?

1. What we stand for – a paragraph that continually reminds you why you are in business and what your key benefit to customers is
2. Keywords and phrases for marketing communication – what must you include in all communications? What are the ‘pain’ points for customers that you can address? Think of the words that will grab their attention. Think SEO as well
3. Logo and colours – How can your logo be used? Colour only or black and white? What are the specific corporate colours that you can use? Get the correct colour references (pantones). This can also be referred to as your ‘style guide’ for when you use designers or printers
4. Face-to-face – plan out the key messages to use in your 60 second networking pitch, for when someone asks you ‘what you do’ and for when you kick off a meeting or presentation.  Think about details like a smile or a handshake

If you refer to this regularly and, for instance, before you send out any communication, it will help you to stay focused on your audience.  If you want to do a separate one for different types of communication – social media, advertising, leaflets or PR, for instance – then even better, but this should cover most eventualities.

A few more visual cues

Personally, I decided to make a deep pink part of my brand. Not just in my logo, but I like to wear it, it’s on my business card and my website and I even have a pink crocheted iPhone case. Cool eh?! This says a lot about my personality, my approach to my business and my mostly female customer base. I’m not saying you have to do this, but it’s easy to make consistent and makes me memorable to the right people for the right reasons.

I also like to bring a bit of fun through little gifts. My newest idea is to give all of my clients a little gift every time we meet for a one-to-one. It’s only a little one, but it’s a sweetener (that’s a clue) and it makes sure they remember me in a positive way and might just tell their friends too.

Finally, as you saw in my previous post, I’ve recently had some new photography done.  Part of my brief was to come across as warm and friendly, but professional.  I use one photo consistently across online profiles so that I’m easy to spot and depending on my audience, I have a few less formal and a few more serious expressions to submit when I have a speaking gig.  Think about what a photo could say about you.

Does that give you some ideas?

OK, let’s talk logos then…

So most people see a logo as a brand and I have to say that designing my logo was an important job. Not least because of what I do, but it also has to say a lot about me and grab the attention of the right people. So when you’re getting your logo designed, make sure you think about everything discussed above. It’s not just about your name in some nice lettering. Use it as an opportunity to say so much more without having to spell it out. I’ll perhaps do a separate post on logos, as it’s such as important part of a brand to many people, despite only being part of the whole branding picture.

A job for you

If you’ve got your branding all crystal clear and sorted, then great. If not, or if you think you’ve missed the mark or need to revisit it, then use the steps above, get a 1 page policy together and see how much clearer things are to you and, most importantly your customer.

So, just for fun, how would you explain your brand in 5 words? I’ll start:

Fun, approachable, knowledgeable, supportive and engaging

Now it’s your turn – pop your ‘big 5′ into the comments below. This should get you thinking!

Until next time…

The 'winning' photo

Do you have a profile on several social media sites or a website for your business? Do you use a photograph or a logo to identify you or your business? This post will help you decide when to use a photo, when not to, and how to achieve a professional image.

Why I had a new photo

Unlike a few people I know, I don’t really mind having my photo taken. On a personal level, I’ve lost weight quite recently and I’m happy and confident with how I look (well, most of the time!) So I was actually looking forward to my latest corporate photoshoot earlier this week. I had a great picture before that I used for my social media profiles and and on my ‘about’ page on my website, which was taken by the same person, but a few factors led me to have another.

1. I lost my ‘baby weight’ last year after it was taken
2. My hair has grown quite a lot
3. A few people have said they don’t recognise me from my photo when we meet in person
4. I’m doing a re-launch of my business (more on that later!)

So those were my reasons for having it done. I invited the lovely Jim Hawkins round to take my pictures again, as he has an uncanny knack of putting people at ease and capturing the real person behind the image. I was looking for something that made me look natural, friendly and approachable but professional. I reckon that Jim did a great job of doing this and I had loads to choose from.

How I made my choice

This did create a problem, which was that I was spoilt for choice! So I decided to see what other people thought. I posted 5 options on Twitter for my business buddies to give their opinions on. I did the same on Facebook to see what my friends thought. I had a favourite to start with, but actually I ended up with a different one. I’m extremely pleased though, as the one I chose portrays everything I wanted it to.

So, what am I using my photo for?

My business social media profiles

I use 3 main platforms for business on social media – Twitter (predominantly), LinkedIn and Google+ (a bit) – and I want them to portray a consistent image of me. Hence why I’ll be changing my photo on all of these to the same one. It makes me easier to spot you see ;)

My business card

I’ve not seen many business cards with photos on (reason 1 to have one on there – to stand out!) and I think they’re missing a trick. When you take someone’s business card, you’re generally left with their contact details, but if you met them again, would you remember them? If they called you up a few moths later to arrange a meeting, would you have to ask them to wear a carnation?! If you’re brave and customer facing, give it a go.

My website

Again, I’m hoping to add my picture to my website’s homepage. This brings everything together even more, reinforcing my brand, which is about me delivering marketing training and bringing small business owners together – in person and on social media – to learn from each other. I’ve got a few other shots which will also be great for profiles that I can send out for speaking gigs.

A word in your ear

I know having your photo taken can be scary, but if you want to look professional, approachable and give a good first impression of your business, getting good quality photos done is a worthwhile investment. It’s also worth a small amount of discomfort! Photos done on your webcam or iPad are ok, but professional shots are so much better, especially if you’re offering a personal service.

Don’t be an egg…

Also, unless you’re constrained by working for a larger organisation or are a franchisee with strict guidelines, don’t hide behind your logo on social media. Social media is about people talking to people. It’s about engaging. It’s harder to engage with a logo than a face (the same goes for an egg on Twitter!)

Be yourself, show your personality, take yourself closer to your customers. That’s what I intend to do and after all, it’s what marketing is all about. 

Go on, be bold!

So, what do you have at the moment? Have you done something unusual with your profile picture? If you have to have a logo, how do you put personality into how you interact?  Let’s carry on the conversation in the comments below.

Until next time…

Photograph courtesy of Jim Hawkins Ltd

Even churches aren't afraid to stand out!

Have you ever been to a networking event and seen the same people, giving the same dull pitches, not talking to anyone, trying to sell, only ‘talking business’ and generally being bland?  Do you see people from the same profession or even business giving virtually the same pitch, time after time?  I see this a lot and it troubles me.  This post is about putting people and personality before business.

The trouble with pitches

I recently went to a local networking event, which is actually my favourite one.  It’s a ladies networking group, which meets on a monthly basis.  There’s always a lot of chat, oodles of positivity and a really supportive atmosphere.  That’s why I go every month.

However, there’s one thing that really troubles me when I listen to people’s pitches or generally observe them.  They’re missing a golden opportunity to stand out and catch the attention of a crowd of 55 potential customers.  What a waste!

There were 2 extremes of pitches that grabbed me for different reasons:

The ‘Samey’ Pitch

The first one was actually given by several people from different companies.  They were actually all solicitors and they all gave the same pitch.  Now, what I know is that they all specialist in different things.  They say this every time.  I also know where their offices are (I’m sorry, but I don’t care how many or where your offices are – I’m assuming you’ll take me on as a client if you’ve turned up today). Most people aren’t bothered how many offices you have, whether the ‘pitcher’ thinks it’s impressive or not, or whether they’re told to give the same standard pitch (in which case, I feel for them).

The Memorable Pitch

The second example shows how different people from the same organisation can give different pitches and achieve very different results.  The first of them to stand up explained what the company was, what they could do for you and to come and talk to her afterwards.  Very clear and professional.  The second one, however, had a relevant prop (relating to the character adopted by the business), a branded t-shirt and produced a pair of ladies undergarments from a bag.  I can’t remember why, but she gave a reason to see her afterwards.  She also made us all laugh and received a round of applause.  So which had more personality?  Yep, the second one, by a mile.

There’s a balance to strike here

Now I’m not saying we should all go round pulling underwear out of our handbags and waving them around (especially not if you’re a man reading this!)  What I’m saying is that there will more than likely be a similar business or even someone from the same direct/network marketing business in the room.  You may have constraints and rules to abide by, but you also have your own personality.

5 ways to stand out

So here are some ideas to use your personality to stand out from what could be a ‘samey’ group of people:

1. Spot the difference – If you work in the same profession as someone else, find out how you differ. Do you offer different services? Do you operate in a different way? Is your approach to client relations different?  Observe what they say and do and pick something that makes you different
2. Pick a key benefit – Think about who goes to this networking group. What key benefit can you offer them that no one else can? What can you say that will really resonate? What challenges do they face that you can show empathy with?
3. Be corporate in a different way – Rather than giving the same pitch as everyone (unless there are strict rules on this), could you wear the corporate colours? Consider doing this every time to stand out. If it’s available, wear the t-shirt! How else can you represent the unique brand?
4. Use anecdotes – Consider someone you dealt with recently that matches your audience profile. What approach did you take? Why were they happy with your service? How did you benefit them? What did they say about you? Gather and use testimonials
5. Be humorous - Making people laugh isn’t unprofessional.  It shows that you are a real person, have personality and would be fun to work with. The above anecdote could be humorous in itself, especially if it resonates with your target audience.

This applies to you as well!

I’ve given the above ideas specifically to those who either stand in a room with several people in their profession or those who work for the same organisation (think Arbonne, Utility Warehouse or Forever Living as examples).  Equally, you can think of these suggestions if you have a few competitors in the room, or just to make people remember you and want to talk to you afterwards.

A thought…

I’ll leave you with this thought, which is advocated by Brad Burton, founder of 4Networking:

Put people before business

I think that says it all, don’t you?

So, how do you make yourself stand out at networking events and in your other marketing activity?  How could you inject more personality?  What could you do to be memorable for the right reasons?  I’d love to hear how you’ve managed it in the comments below.

Until next time…

Me and my running man

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed a frenzy of activity over the Jubilee weekend.  If you’re wondering what #gucr2012 or what the checkpoints were all about, let me tell you a story.  Are you sitting comfortably?

In November last year, my husband (James) told me that he was entering an ultra marathon.  To many, this is a big thing.  To me, this has become a regular occurrance, so I didn’t really bat an eyelid.  However, when he told me that:

a) He was running 145 miles

b) It was along the Grand Union Canal from Birmingham to London

c) It was NON-STOP

I have to say I was a little more concerned than usual!  Still, he’s not a man to sit on his backside and do nothing and I know how passionate he is about running, so I gave him my full support.

The race organiser only allows 100 people to take part.  There are no bells and whistles, no big welcoming committee and no publicity.  Still, a lot of people enter and the lucky few are die hard runners looking for the ultimate challenge.  So, the weekend went a little like this.

The Prep

He’d done a few races already this year and some long training runs.  A couple of weeks before he did a run from Telford to the other side of Church Stretton to stretch his legs (ahem).

James, my Dad and my father in law went to Birmingham the night before with a welfare van.  This van has a fridge, a toilet and storage for all of the food, as well as 6 seats. It was to house not just food, but first aid equipment (my Dad is a Community First Responder), a truckers map with clearly marked canal bridges, spare running shoes, socks and other clothing and various energy drinks to keep him going.

The Race

The race started at 6am on Saturday 2nd June at Gas Street Basin.  He started well and

10 hours and about 50 miles in, he's looking good

made good time, running with the eventual winner for the first 11 miles until she strode ahead.  2 hours in he was interviewed live on BBC Radio Shropshire whilst running, as he was also raising money for Severn Hospice.

I tweeted progress throughout the day using the #gucr2012 hashtag.  This involved posting photos, meeting point times and progress on the fundraising.  My Dad had devised a spreadsheet with a target time of 36 hours and had worked out estimated times for each checkpoint.  That way we could see how he was doing and they could manage his speed.  The other reason for this was that I was travelling to London to see him finish at Little Venice on the Sunday afternoon!

Spot the Chow Mein, cup of sweet tea and very red eyes!

Through the day he did well.  He was in 25th place and keeping a steady pace that would make up for any inevitable time lost.  However, the rain started in the evening, making conditions very difficult.  He was strong and got through it with the help of a Chinese takeaway and a dose of Pro Plus!  Also, without the encouragement and focus of our Dads, he may have done the same as over 50 other competitors and retired.  But he didn’t.

The Home Straight

After passing through Rugby, Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard and alongside the M1 towards London, James was in 10th place and although feeling tired, was starting to see the end in sight.  By 10:30am I was on the train with my Mum and our friends plus their boys.  He had no idea and I was very excited, telling the couple opposite about why we were on our way to the capital (and not to see the Queen!)

I had word that he was on target for a 3/4pm finish, which was spot on.  All the time I was tweeting and Facebooking progress and donations were coming in fast.  The winner had finished at 10am in a time of 28:01. Incredible.

The Finish

We got to the finish for 2:30pm and saw finisher number 7 come in.  It was a modest finishing line, but I was pleased that there were public toilets, chairs and somewhere with coffee nearby!  Shortly after, the Dads arrived looking weary, but very excited, adding another 2 people to the now 8-strong welcoming committee. 4 times the size James was expecting!

At 3:20pm we reached the target of £1000 in online donations.  Watching and waiting

Tired, emotional and proud in equal measure

patiently, at 4pm he came into view.  He was running (still!) with 2 other men and looking tired.  I screamed “come on darling!” and eventually he worked out it was me and sped up to a strong finish.

At 4:01pm and in a time of 34 hours 1 minute, my amazing husband crossed the line.  It’s got to have been the biggest hug either of us have had and we were both really emotional.  He had come 10th in the longest non-stop running race in Britain and I couldn’t have been prouder.

The After Effects

After a drive out of London in the cramped welfare van, we stopped at some services, where I had to support him as he hobbled inside to have a Burger King!  We talked most of the way back and he was in pretty good shape considering what he had just done.

Over the next week, he suffered with the following:

• Painful knees
• Large deep blisters across the balls of his feet and more on his toes
• Swollen ankles
• Hot and cold feelings

However, after a week off work and a couple of days away, he was back at work on Monday and feeling fine.

The Future

He’s said he won’t do another race as big as this again.  I’m not sure if I believe him!  He

An epic medal for an epic achievement

says he’s proved his point and will carry on doing ultra marathons and keep up his obsession with running.

As things stand, we have raised around £1400 for Severn Hospice.  If you’d like to push the total higher, you can donate on Just Giving.

Have you seen hashtags used on Twitter or heard them mentioned and not had a clue what they’re for?  Would you like to know how you could use them for your business?  In this article I explain 2 ways that I use hashtags successfully, as well as giving a simple guide to demystify them, giving you the confidence to use them effectively.

What is a hashtag?

A hashtag – or a ‘#’ – is a symbol that you can put before a word, or a few words with no spaces, to tie a tweet to a particular subject or discussion.  When you go to the search bar and type in a hashtagged phrase, you will see all tweets associated with it.  It’s a different way of tracking tweets by subject, as opposed to just by user (where you can view someone’s stream on tweets on their profile).

5 types of hashtags you might see

• Geographical – do you want to see what people are talking about in your area?  Search for your town with a hashtag at the start.  E.g. #Shropshire
• Subject – do you want to know more about a subject or see what people are saying about your area of expertise?  See what you can find.  E.g. #Marketing or #SocialMedia (remember: no spaces!)
• Event – this can be anything from the jubilee to a television programme.  For instance, Britain’s Got Talent (#BGT) suggested a hashtag during certain auditions to encourage conversations on Twitter.  E.g. one memorable song was #noname by Irish singer/songwriter, Ryan O’Shaughnessy
• Discussion – given that there are numerous different tweets going on in your stream, having a conversation and tracking responses from different people is very difficult.  An example where you can bring people together is #watercoolermoment, which encourages homeworkers to take a break and chat to each other
• Follow suggestions – popular hashtags are #FF #followthem or a more specific example from @jimallthetime: #showcredits, which are designed to suggest people to follow.  Not automating and providing reasons are good practice here

2 ways that I use hashtags

1. #focusonmarketing – I use this for my regular marketing masterminding group.  It shows information such as links to event information and booking, enables attendees to see who else is going, is used to tag posts that the group will find useful and, most of all, is used during live tweeting, thereby allowing non-attendees to join in virtually.  It’s been so powerful that it’s become the logo (as above)
2. #mymarketingmonday – This is my hashtag for my weekly tips, which I post on a Monday (obviously!)  I can signpost people to follow the hashtag during that day and check back on it by searching to catch up. It’s also memorable and on a regular day so it’s predictable

A step further – Storify

My favourite tool at the moment is Storify (see storify.com) which allows me to bring together all of the tweets from a #focusonmarketing event or develop a weekly digest of the tips from #mymarketingmonday.  I won’t go into too much detail on how it works (needless to say it’s not all about hashtags) but have a look for me on there by searching for CloudTen and you’ll see how I’ve used it.

A couple of warnings

Remember: no spaces! – If you have a space in the phrase, it won’t be found.  Don’t worry about grammar either. Just a sequence of adjoined words with lowercase letters only is fine

Don’t over-use – Only use a hashtag when it’s relevant or else you’re wasting characters and will clutter up the stream.  Equally, avoid having multiple hashtags in one tweet.  That’s just spammy looking!

They will (sort of) self-destruct – Whilst using Storify, I’ve discovered that after a week, tweets will disappear from a hashtag.  If you’re using Storify, do it within a week.  If you’re using the hashtag, don’t leave big gaps or it will be empty and possibly hijacked.  You can find the tweets in your profile, but that involves a lot of time and fiddling.

Why not give them a try?

Feel free to have a look at and follow my hashtags and Storify stories to see how I’m using them, but next time you’re on Twitter, have a look at how others are using them.  Do a search on a phrase to do with your local area or your industry.  Contribute and see what happens.  Then, when you’re confident, start your own (but decide why and how you’re doing it first).

So have you got a few favourite hashtags?  Do you use them and how effective are they?  Let’s chat in the comments!

Until next time…

Is this how you feel about your blog?

Have you tried ‘traditional blogging’ and find that you struggle for the time to plan it properly, never mind write a post? Do you slave away creating a masterpiece, but struggle to make an impact? This article addresses this and explains how a simple status update can have a big impact for a small business.

You have this blog. You decided it was a good idea when you developed your website, so you added it. You’ve written a few posts and got a few comments, but not set the world alight with traffic and massive discussions. You sometimes wonder why you bother.

Don’t stress. You’re not the only one. In fact, I’ve been finding it a chore lately (yes, I am human too) which is partly why I’ve written this post.

Small fish in a big social pond

Since social platforms started and grew in popularity, the opportunity to communicate with a big audience has grown massively for someone working on their own with no money to spend. It’s cost me nothing but time to build up to over 1500 followers on Twitter, so I now have a captive audience to communicate to. Not that it’s a numbers game, of course.

So what is microblogging?

Microblogging essentially involves using a status update to communicate a message, give information or stimulate online conversations. It’s a chance to show expertise, personality and generosity in the form of a 140 character tweet, Facebook status update on your page or a LinkedIn status. It’s limited in the amount of space you have, but you can be creative about how you use this limited space.

Ideas for microblog content

Tips – every Monday I tweet 5 tips on a specific subject. For instance, last week it was creating a stand-out business card and this week it was about making the most of your Twitter bio. This doesn’t just happen as a normal status update, I add that little bit more by using a hashtag. A hashtag allows you to group tweets into a category. This means that throughout the day and for the next week, people can catch up on the tips they missed in their Twitter stream by typing #mymarketingmonday into the search bar. Every week I get responses, retweets and favourites on these tips – last week I had 16 retweets. I also post them on LinkedIn and get comments on there.

Links – here’s a great opportunity to post links to ‘bigger’ content, such as useful articles, videos or blog posts that might interest you audience. In addition, you can comment in your status, giving your take on the subject or inviting discussion. You can use newsfeeds to find content that will interest your followers and post the links – it doesn’t have to be your own content (but it helps).

Discussions – if you use a hashtag, you can invite people to ‘join’ you on it at a certain time for a discussion. This can be on a topic of your choice either as a simple discussion, or as a clinic. This can also be done on Facebook where it’s possible to go into more detail, as you have more characters to play with. Taking it slightly further, and perhaps slightly outside microblogging, you can also start a discussion on LinkedIn within a group you’re a member of. All of these uses are a great way to show expertise, appear helpful and get some useful feedback.

There are other ways to use your status update, such as the simple friendly ‘hello’, interacting and replying to people, asking a question or giving useful information on an event, for instance.

Some useful tools for microblogging

Seesmic.com – a great tool for posting your microblogging content across multiple social platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Tumblr. Be aware though of the character limit and think about how your content might appear to each audience. Is Facebook too chatty for LinkedIn, for example?

Storify – if you’ve done a tips series with a hashtag, this content expires after a week on Twitter. What Storify can do is pull together your tips into one story so that people can see a digest of those tips all together. This tool works across social platforms and you can pull in content from other users to develop a balanced view of a subject and then publish it to your followers.

Buffer – if you want to be efficient with your tweeting or Facebooking, Buffer works out when most of your followers and likers are online and will schedule your updates to post at the 4 key times of day, on specific days you select. The best thing about it is that you get really useful stats that show what types of post and times get the most clicks, mentions, retweets and favourites. The Buffer button that you can add to your browser makes posting and ‘buffering’ content really quick and easy too.

Hootsuite – if you specifically want to schedule Tweets, Hootsuite is the best one I’ve come across. It lets you set the time and date and post to different social media accounts.

Don’t abandon your blog!

Now I’m not saying to abandon your blog. Far from it. It’s a great way to keep your site’s content continually up to date and with the right keywords you can build overall traffic. What I’m saying is that using microblogging may suit you and your audience better. By all means, use it to link to your blog posts – that might be the best way to drive traffic to your site.

Look at the time you have. Look at the audience you have. If you only have time to blog once a month, that’s fine. In between you can be building credibility on social networks and engaging with the people you want to have conversations about your business. Now that’s the result you want to be aiming for.

Your call to action

So, why not give some of the tips and tools a go? Do you prefer microblogging? Do you have your own useful tools to add to my list? Let’s start a conversation in the comments below.

Until next time…

Image courtesy of www.crumblicious.co.uk

Do you feel oblivious to your competitors? Do you want a simple but proven way to look at where you stand and what’s going on around you? Here I demystify a classic marketing model and show you how to apply it to your small business right away.

Porter’s 5 Forces

A man called Michael Porter once devised a classic marketing model based on his idea of the 5 forces in a competitive environment. In simple terms, this gives us a checklist of the 5 market forces that can make or break a business. Being aware of what they are, how they work in your industry and how you react to them, is the key to maintaining and growing your market share and staying one step ahead of your competitors.

This is a tool that is used by big businesses at the strategic level and can be a detailed an in-depth process. In essence, it’s a tool to find out where you stand in your current market or a market that you’re planning to move into. This article isn’t about blinding you with the science and theory behind it: it’s about translating it into realistic actions for you, as a small business owner.

I’m going to take you through the process using the example of a cake making business, which I’ll call ‘Claire’s Cakes’ (creative huh?!)

Claire’s Cakes is a home based cake making business, run by Claire Smith who creates bespoke celebration cakes for weddings, birthdays and other special occasions.

A Summary of the 5 Forces

There are 5 forces of competition for you to think about:

1. Threat of new entrants – how easy is it for people to enter your market?
2. Threat of substitutes – how easily can customers find a different way of doing what you do?
3. Rivalry – how many competitors and what are their capabilities?
4. Buyer power – how easily can buyers drive prices down?
5. Supplier power – how easily can suppliers drive prices up?

The Model in Practice

I’m now going to take each in turn and explain how Claire’s Cakes could apply it and devise a marketing strategy accordingly:

1. Threat of new entrants – it’s relatively easy for someone to set up on their own if they know how to bake and decorate cakes, have done and photographed them for friends and family and have lots of happy customers who are willing to recommend them. Also, a lot of people set up this type of business from home and in their spare time and there are courses available to learn extra skills needed. All in all, the threat of new entrants is high, so Claire’s Cakes needs to find a way to differentiate and maintain loyalty from happy customers
2. Threat of substitutes – an example of a substitute for Claire’s celebration cakes are those that you can buy from the supermarket, cupcakes or home made efforts. Equally, people can opt for other desserts or ice cream with sparklers for a birthday, for instance. Substitution is easy in this market, unless you have something totally unique to offer involving skills that others don’t have
3. Rivalry – there are a lot of people that make celebration cakes in Claire’s local area. However, few of them have the level of skill that she has, so rivalry is low when it comes to achieving the quality of cakes that she creates and the level of personal service she offers
4. Buyer power – because of the substitutes available, customers may believe they have the power to drive down prices. However, if Claire concentrates on adding value and letting people know why she’s the best option, then the perceived value goes up and people will happily pay more. Also, by concentrating on selling direct to consumers as opposed to supplying cafes, for instance, power is maintained further as she has more customers buying fewer cakes
5. Supplier power – the amount of money Claire makes on each cake depends a lot on the cost of making them. Ingredients, equipment, premises, electricity, etc can all vary in price. Claire works from a separate room at home, so has no rent to pay. However, she can’t control ingredient costs or electricity bills. All she can do is shop around and allow a healthy margin to account for unexpected increases

So you can see that by looking at your competitive environment and being aware of what’s happening around you can give you a great deal of power to make the right decisions. Use this information to inform what you sell, who you sell to and how you convince them to buy from you and you’ll keep hold of that elusive market share.  That’s what marketing is all about!

What next?

Now go and look at the forces in your market or the next market you want to dominate. How can you stand out and get the upper hand?

Let me know how you get on or what you thought of this article in the comments below.

Until next time…

The premise behind it is that I’d like to develop a series of workshops with the same name. I have a degree and a post graduate diploma in marketing as well as the hands-on experience, so I know all the models, the theory and the practice.  I’ve also been running my own small business and understand how overwhelming it can be and how time-consuming it is trying to research and learn about the things we business owners should be doing.

This is why I’ve decided to ask you, as a fellow small business owner, to let me know what mystifies you about marketing so I can develop a series of blog posts, resources and workshops that will be useful to you.  I want to teach you about the models I’ve learned and help you to apply this to your business in a practical and easy to understand way: no degree required!

So, tell me, what do you want to know?  Pop your answer in the comments below and I’ll get to work :)