Evolve or Die: The Entrepreneurship Series

I am excited to be partnering with my ex-employer/mentor, Lorraine Ball, on this seminar for the Hamilton County Chambers of Commerce. Check out more information below.

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Local marketing and social media experts Lorraine Ball, owner of Roundpeg and Kyle Lacy, owner of Brandswag, will offer a marketing seminar as part of the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Series. The program will be held at the April 14, 2009 from 3 – 5 p.m.at The Mansion at Oak Hill 5801 E 116th St
Marketing Basics Evolve or Die, this lively session will look at both the strategies and tactics small business owners must use to create a viable on-line and off-line marketing strategy.  The program combines both a formal presentation, with time for questions and open conversations. Participants will walk away with practical tools they can apply to their business.

“The rules of marketing have changed,” said Ball.  “Talking “AT” your prospects and customers is no longer as effective as it once was.  Today’s successful businesses are learning to talk “WITH” customers using marketing strategies focused on building relationships.”

“I am obsessed with concepts, technology, and people behind social media on the Internet. Location and time have become agnostic. It is about creating a sustainable lead generation tool using new media and creative marketing tactics, ” said Lacy.  Business owners who learn how to use these tools well will have a significant competitive advantage.

The program begins with Check In & Networking at 3:00.   The presentations begin at 3:30.  Additional networking, hors d’Oeuvres and a cash bar follow the conclusion of the formal program at 4:30.

The event is co-sponsored by all the Hamilton County Chambers of Commerce, and is open to all interested business owners.   The fee to attend the event is $15. Participants are encouraged to register early as seating is limited. Advanced registrations are required.  To register or for more information contact:  Carmia Sciotto at csciotto@hcalliance.com or call Carmia at 317.573.4950

25 Ways to Fit In With the Competition and DIE

(disclaimer: this is tongue-in-cheek, otherwise known as sarcasm)

In light of my post yesterday about fitting in with the competition… I wanted to make a list of 25 ways you could fit in with the competition and use marketing/design/communication the wrong way. There is a ton of this going on and it doesn’t make any sense to me.

1. You use an email with an ending of @aol.com or @comcast.net or @hotmail.com

2. Microsoft Publisher was used while creating your brochure. Oh that clip art looks nice!

3. Your website hasn’t been changed in 6 months to 5 years.

4. You send out direct mail the same way you did 5 years ago without changing any strategy.

5. You chose to use a WORD font for your logo instead of investing in good design.

6. You wont touch social media or the Internet because you “don’t have time.”

7. You are reactive to competition instead of proactive.

8. You send out an article for your e-newsletter instead of up-to-date content and information.

9. You send out an e-newsletter once a month… same day… same time.. same content.

10. You sell the same thing your competition sells.

11. You care more about selling than listening.

12. You don’t ask questions… just sign contracts.

13. You will not invest any money into marketing because you fear wasting “resources.”

14. You do not spend time investing into your education and do not read because it is “boring.”

15. Your employees hate going to work.

16. Your brochure has 5,000,000 words about your company and 10 about how you help the client.

17. You think Facebook is just another “college kids” hang out.

18. You don’t attend networking events or community events because you have “better things to do.”

19. Your best client is described as…. everyone that owns a small business.

20. You refuse to write a blog. Period.

21. You create seminars you know nothing about but only because it is the “cool thing” to do.

22. Use a billboard without tying to the Internet.

23. Use the same stock photography as everyone else.

24. Ignore market trends because what “you do” worked in the past.

25. You talk about what you offer instead of what YOU do.. it is about personality and human quality… not service offering.. to an extent.

Well there you go. If you want to fit in with your competition… by all means.. follow the 25 steps.

Working Smarter at the Indianapolis Productivity Summit

As readers of this blog know, embracing social media is a powerful opportunity for your business but it is also no cakewalk. Getting on Facebook and Twitter, blogging about yourself and your organization and networking over the Internet is amazing stuff but is also hard work. Work requires time, and if you don’t want to drown, you need to find ways to be more productive.

Luckily, the Indianapolis Productivity Summit is coming up on March 30. There are four 90 minute sessions throughout the day and you can attend any combination or the whole event. You can even get a big discount—keep reading! Topics include:

Managing Email Productivity: Taking control of your inbox is more than having resolve and knowing a few tricks. It requires changing your perspective on email and this class is the beginning.

Power Modeling – Self Training: Almost every workplace technology tool be a source of frustration and inefficiency—until you learn to analyze software functions with the goal rebuilding your mental model.

Workplace Productivity Tools: Whether you spend time in Microsoft Office, bouncing between websites, working with social media applications or in a custom application, this session covers a range of utilities and techniques for getting more done in less time.

Continuous Improvement Primer: If you have heard terms like Six Sigma, Lean, TCO, JIT, TQM, Kaizen, 5S and Business Process Engineering, but need to know more about what they mean, check out this workshop. We will review the pros and cons of each approach so you can find the right method for your organization.

Are you ready to sign up? Enter the discount code BRANDSWAG to earn 50% off a full day admission. That’s a $50 savings, available to a handful of lucky blog readers. Sign up now, seats are limited, at http://indyproductivitysummit.eventbrite.com/

12Seconds.tv is right. Facebook is still wrong.

(hat tip goes to Rahsheen for the 12seconds post)

This is an old news to many of us but to some this is new territory: 12seconds.tv

You want the break down of 12seconds.tv? Here you go. Straight from the site:

“12seconds is the best place online for video status updates. It’s a super easy way to share what you’re doing with your friends and family using short video clips. You can use your web cam or mobile phone. Show your friends where you are, share your thoughts, or tell them how you’re doing. We are building a video status platform that will help you keep up to date with your friends 12 seconds at a time.”

12seconds is a great place to create short video clips of what you are doing from a day to day basis. The best part about the site is that it keeps the videos to 12 seconds. Save all of us some time.

The news (tip to Rahsheen) is that 12seconds just added a Twitter feed feature to the capabilites of the site. Your twitter followers will now be able to comment on your video. Is 12seconds adding benefits to Twitter that strengthens both sites? Yes.

Now on to Facebook. The new Facebook design is an empty scream (at best) to enter the micro-blogging world. Instead of partnering with more Twitter features (like 12seconds)… Facebook decided to add their own Friendfeed and Twitter functions to create a more dynamic offering to their users. Wrong move and definitly not innovative at the least.

12seconds.tv understands the concept of partnering with other sites to stream content. Facebook would rather have their “like-feature” and get on with life.

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The Guardian Gets It. NY Times Still Missing.

The Guardian (out of the UK) has finally launched an open platform that allows users to share and distribute content directly from their site.

And I would like to say that traditional journalism (at least some of them) may finally be understanding what it means to share and distribute content.

Now onto the people who are still not understanding the concept of the new media: the NY Times. NYT is still trying to focus on the paid subscription and micro-payment models.

I still don’t understand why the New York Times is still having problems accepting the fact that content is now free in an online environment. The Guardian has it figured out.

Take your content and allow users to share it across the millions and millions of pages spread across the Internet. Why? Because the consumer is now in control of the content spread across the web. Let the consumer control the content and your traffic will fly!

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Small Biz Use of Social Media to Double in 12 Months

My father, Dan Lacy, sent me a SearchEngineWatch.com link in my email today that talked about the number of small business and social media. Now, I am a huge fan of small businesses and I am a huge fan of social media. I had to open it.

According to the Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, the number of small businesses using social networking services and strategies will double in the next year. Now, this is good news for companies like man that want to help small businesses leverage social media. It is good to see a tool being adopted by the small businesse market (my favorite).

I do have one word of warning to small business owners wanting to leverage social media. If you are wanting to enter the social media space whether it is through social networking sits, a blog, podcasts, wikis, blah blah blah make sure you have a strategy in place to complete your efforts. Get the right training and social media partner. It is a must.

Danny Brown made a great comment on the post saying:

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I Am Speaking at International Networking Week

I am excited to announce I will be speaking in a couple of days at the International Networking Week. I will be joined with the likes of Lorraine Ball and Hazel Walker. You all should come out and join this shin-dig.

Press Release:

International Networking Week

The central Indiana Region of Business Networking International and Rainmakers, two of the largest and most active networking associations in Indiana, announced they will collaborate on a joint celebration for International Networking Week. This half day event featuring presentations, break out discussions, a local business showcase and time for casual networking will be held on February 5th from 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Junior Achievement Center of Central Indiana on 7435 N Keystone Ave.

This exciting event features keynote speaker, Mike Fry, owner and founder of Fancy Fortune Cookies, Inc. and renowned motivational speaker, and successful business owner Brooke Billingsley will be the MC for the day.

Also joining BNI and Rainmakers in this event are networking association Confluence! and the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Rainmakers on this exciting world-wide event.” said Hazel Walker, BNI Executive Director of Central Indiana. “Our members have much to learn from each.”
“The Indianapolis business community is poised for growth in 2009,” said Lorraine Ball, President of Rainmakers. “This collaboration will help members of the local business community get the year started right.”

Invitations to attend are open to the wider business community, members of other networking organizations, students, press representatives and interested parties from all levels of government and business. Advanced registrations are $49. In addition there are a limited number of table sponsorships for the business showcase. Showcase tables are $149 and includes one registration.
For more information or to register go to: http://www.internationalnetworkingindiana.com/

About International Networking Week
The purpose of International Networking Week™ is to raise the profile of networking in the wider community, recognizing it as an essential tool for success in today’s business climate. The week will feature networking events around the globe recognizing and celebrate the role networking plays in the development and success of businesses worldwide

From Product to Experience: 10 Commandments of Social Media

I don’t know about you but I am ready for the second installment of the 10 Commandements of Social Media series. Commandment number two of social media marketing is From Product to Experience. Disclaimer: The following title was taken from the book Emotional Brandin by Marc Gobe. His 10 Commandments of Emotional Branding are brilliant models for the use of social media.

From Product to Experience

From Marc Gobe:

“Products fufill needs, experiences fufill desires. A product or shopping experience, such as REI stores’ rock climbing walls or the Discovery Channel stores’ myriad of “sound zones” has added value and will remain in the consumer’s emotional memory as a connection made on a level far beyond need.”

I could not have said it any better myself (pertaining to social media marketing). We all sell a product or service. It is universal across the business landscape. Guess what else is universal?

The expectation of the consumer when being involved in the marketing process of a product or service. The consumer expects to be hit with direct mail. They expect to briefly read your billboard before slamming into the car in front of them. They are USED TO reading your article or ad in the newspaper.It is known.

What is the remedy to fulfilling a need through the process of experiential marketing? Social Media marketing allows you to continue being “socially and emotionally relevant” to the consumer.

Join them where they live and work. Become socially relevant to your consumers. The transition from product to experience will breed a sense of trust in your brand and in you.

Social media gives you the chance to come face to face with the life experience of each and every customer.

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1 of 10 Commandments to Social Media: Consumers to People

Two days ago I wrote a post about the 10 Commandments to Social Media based on the The Ten Commandments of Branding in the book Emotional Branding by Marc Gobe. The first commandment is called “From Consumers to People.” The point of the next 10 posts is to connect the concepts in Gobe’s book with the strategies of social media marketing.

Let’s dive in.

From Consumers to People

Traditional marketing and communications has created a landscape of constant battling. The board rooms in advertising and marketing firms have conversations surrounded around the concepts of “attacking” and “owning” a particular consumer group. Times are changing with social media marketing as part of the overall marketing strategy. Marc Gobe gives reference to the concept of marketing battles:

“Terminology like “breaking down their defenses, decoding their language, and strategically to win the battle” is in my day-to-day experiences, still commonly used.” (pg xxviii, Emotional Branding)

We are now a community centric consumer base. We listen to our peers more often than the billboard on the side of Interstate 465.

Your consumer (client) is human.

They live. They breathe. They have families, small children and college grads. They love everything from American Idol to Dirty Jobs. They have lied, hurt, and been punished. AND… they buy.

You are no longer dealing with separate groups of consumers. You are dealing with hundreds of millions on people…

And they talk daily.

20 Reasons Why Your Company is Boring

(This was sparked from a Seth Godin post called You’re Boring. It was brilliant. I had to write about it.)

You know you a boring business if..

1. You have a tri-fold brochure with little business cards that you had out to everyone you see.

2. You designed the said tri-fold in Publisher because you wanted to save a few bucks

3. You are using a type-font called Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier for your logo.

4. You decide not to blog because “I just don’t have the time.”

5. You use your initials for your company name.

6. The only marketing you do is yellow pages because you have been doing it for a decade. Why change a good thing? (I just threw up on myself)

7. You attend networking events and take as many business cards as possible but never help anyone out.

8. If your website says “Copyright 2002″ or anytime before 2006.

9. All your collateral material looks different and there is nothing to pull it together.

10. You refuse to think outside the box and go out on a limb (marketing or anything else).

11. You get up after 9am.

12. If you photo-copy a flier and hand it out. Spend the extra money and get full color. Better yet, don’t use a flier. Doesn’t everyone?

13. You have an individual answering your phone that sounds like they just woke up from a nap or smoked a bowl.

14. YOU USE AN EMAIL THAT Ends with a phone or cable company: AOL, SBCGLOBAL, or the like.

15. You refuse to act on ideas until they are safe or your competitor does it. Ready, Fire, Aim.

16. You do not attend networking events because you have “better ways to spend my time.” You will be spending your time closing your business account at the bank.

17. You never have a new idea. You just copy others.

18. Social Media is scary to you. So you do the next best thing and ignore it.

19. You hard sell EVERYONE. Nobody cares. Put away your product or service. Can I get to know you first? I don’t give a crap if you can save me 20%.

20. You have goals. Wait. Well, you HAD goals but you didn’t write them down so… kind a moot point right?

The best things about having a boring business is that you can change. You can turn into the vibrant and growing company that will be the pride and joy of your life. Well, other than your children or significant other.