From Bites to Bytes: The Benefits of Digital Girl Scout Cookie Sales
One of the wags on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! declared that as Girl Scout cookies begin to be sold online it will mean a lot less work…for parents who have to go around to coworkers begging that they buy boxes of their daughters’ cookies. However, I suspect moms and dads will still be visiting the desks of coworkers and leaving order forms strewn across lunch room tables. Moving the sales of some Girl Scout Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs to cyberspace should work out well. After all, as both Internet surfers and baked goods consumers, most of us have “cookies enabled.” Better marketing reach But on a more serious note, the modernization program offers other marketing and educational benefits. Traditionally it has been hard to twist the arms of relatives who live out of town and now there’s an app for that. Individual Girls Scouts create their own cookie-selling pages that can be accessed via the Girl Scout Cookie Finder app – available in both iOS and Android versions. And this leads to what I love most of all: how the program is introducing young girls to business, finance and technology through a very practical, real-world experience. For generations girls have learned a lot about business and finance by participating in the cookie sales program and I’m overjoyed that the Girl Scout leadership has now found a way to bring technology into the mix. STEM studies improved We have been reading a lot about the importance of improving the way we teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to our youth. Historically, these areas have been dominated by men; for a variety of reasons, participation by women has been far too low. When I was raising venture capital for a technology-based company I founded, I discovered that less than 3 percent of all tech firms were headed up by women. That needs to change and I believe that this new addition to the Girl Scout cookie sales program is an excellent step in that direction. It’s often a lack of comfort or familiarity that prevents people from pursuing careers in technology. Bringing in a technology element to the program will help get girls comfortable working in that environment. A person becomes a “power user” by merely engaging the technology on deeper and deeper levels. Leadership upgraded Further, in my experience, the local leadership in Girls Scouts is mostly comprised of volunteer women. Adding technology to this fundamental Girl Scout program will serve to make them more knowledgeable and comfortable with computers, mobile devices and software as well. They will then take those new skills back into their homes, where all their children will benefit. Sometimes the daily economic and political news we read can be a bit discouraging. In contrast, following the stories about the Girls Scout cookie sales program going digital has been uplifting. Recently I also wrote about the good work Junior Achievement does encouraging entrepreneurship in our youth. With community-based groups like these continuing their good work, it makes me more confident about our future. Support them in any way you can…even if it’s just downloading the app and ordering a few boxes of cookies from a Girl Scout in your...
read more3 Home Page Mistakes that Will Undermine Your Marketing
Where is the most valuable real estate? Some might argue for Beverly Hills, New York City, or the Washington D.C. area, but I would nominate your home page. After all, we measure the real estate on your home page in pixels – Donald Trump doesn’t even do that yet – and every pixel is valuable; none should be wasted. This fundamental truth, however, seems lost on many small business owners. A copywriter friend recently got a job rewriting a website for a healthcare professional. The entire home page was dominated by “welcoming” the visitor and listing various academic milestones and credentials. It went on and on without ever really making any case why a prospect should choose this professional over the next guy. The resume mistake is how I’ll label this one and it’s very common. For many people, the only self-promotional materials they have ever written are their own resumes. When they write for their websites – or for a social media site like LinkedIn – everything ends up sounding like a resume. The fact that this healthcare professional graduated “magna cum laude” may have impressed her parents back in the day, but no one cares now. (And any prospect who does care will probably keep looking until he finds someone who graduated summa cum laude.) The “Have you seen my vacation pictures?” mistake is another major error. This is the one where the home page drones on and on about what a wonderful and accomplished person the owner is. It’s self-aggrandizing to the max. In today’s world, personal branding is important; personal bragging isn’t. Can you recognize the difference? If who you are plays an important role in what your business is, then your personality needs to come across. However, you need to accomplish this without boring your prospect. After reading your web page, your prospect must want to spend more time with you. You must pique the interest of visitors and establish rapport (engagement). The “Howdy y’all!” mistake may be number one on our lists of faux pas. This one treats home page copy like a greeting card. You’re so happy and glad someone finally came to your home page, you feel the need to extend your most sincere welcome. Often the people making this mistake just have no idea what they should be saying. Unfortunately, on the Internet, you don’t get anyone at “hello.” Internet users are an impatient audience and when they land on your home page, they are usually on a mission; they don’t have time to waste with casual small talk. Are you seeing a pattern here? These are all mistakes because they don’t communicate a unique selling point quickly, efficiently and effectively. If you suspect that your home page – or other promotional materials – could be making some of these errors, rethink them as an elevator pitch or landing page with a catchy headline and copy that pulls the reader in and makes your case with no fuss or...
read moreProductive Ways to Say ‘Goodbye’ to 2014
Unless you’re working the returns counter at Macy’s, the week between Christmas and New Years can be very slow. This is especially true if your company is B2B. Lots of businesses close down during this week and others operate with minimal personnel. What does that context tell us? For one thing, if you’re planning to meet some sales target, trying to accomplish it in the final days of 2014 is probably going to be a frustrating experience. So don’t go in that direction if you’re looking to be productive during these days. If we admit to ourselves that those days are going to be low key, we can find projects and activities that fit well into that environment. The human side Are there some customers, clients or associates that you should talk to? In the weeks preceding the holidays, there are a lot of handshakes, toasts, cards and gifts exchanged, but despite our best intentions there is a dearth of sincere conversation. Perhaps you need to patch up a business relationship, or put in the groundwork that will allow a relationship to grow significantly in 2015. The quiet, waning days of 2014 might be the ideal time…with the exception of New Year’s Eve, of course. The machine side If you’ve been pushing some of your equipment to the edge, upgrading or performing important maintenance and repairs can be scheduled during this period without losing much productivity. If it’s time to bring in newer, faster computers, get it done; your computer person will have time to make sure everything is running smoothly. In the same way, building maintenance is a great job to get out of the way during this week. If it’s time for a fresh coat of paint, waxing the floor, or shampooing the carpet, get it done now so that in 2015 you can really start with a “clean” slate. The personal side Sometimes there’s a skill I’d like to learn and I just can’t set aside enough time to learn it when I’m on my “normal” schedule. Maybe you want to do an online tutorial to teach you Photoshop or HTML basics. Or perhaps you can free up time for others on your team to pick up skills. There certainly are enough sites on the Internet that offer courses and tutorials today. You should be able to find something that will enhance your operation and help you get off to a strong start in 2015. The financial side Of course, there’s no way around the fact that you have to start thinking about finances at the end of the year. Approach this from two angles: Talk to your tax preparer before the tax season crunch, and Outline a game plan for 2015 growth. Get everyone together for a lunch/brainstorming session where you can capture any and all growth strategies – no matter how off-the-wall they may be. Go off campus, let your hair down and let the ideas fly. Finally, as these days roll by, spend a little time reflecting on the year and promise to leave any regrets behind and allow your 2014 triumphs to propel you into a 2015 of truly outrageous...
read moreFive Cool Sites You Need to Know for 2015
As a small business owner, you know some things better than anyone else on the planet. You know: What you do well, What your passions are, and What’s important for your business success. Sometimes what you would list for the first two items I mentioned above, don’t always correspond to the third item. In other words, there are some things required for business success that fall outside of your strengths and passions. I might also add that there are some things required for success that many business owners have a hard time finding the time to accomplish. Check out these five websites and what they offer. You may find that they can help you strengthen some areas where your small business needs a little help. MarketMeSuite So much is written today about social media marketing. It’s a sprawling, amorphous topic and many small businesses end up with a social media marketing strategy that is equally as sprawling and amorphous. The fact is that social media marketing only works when it is focused. MarketMeSuite lets small business owners easily bring the focus they need to their social media marketing efforts. This is accomplished in several different ways, but let me just mention a few. First, as a small business owner, it allows you to handle virtually all your social media through a convenient email-like interface. Also, it has powerful geo-targeting built in that allows local businesses to easily connect to their most important prospects. Before I move on, I’ll also mention that it makes posting to all of your social media sites or pages, incredibly easy. Spend some time on the website to see all the features and dig into them more deeply. Alignable There is power in numbers and this is especially true for local businesses. You may even be a member of your local chamber or other business organization. As good as those groups are, they lack the power of the Internet. Alignable is the social network for local businesses. More than once I’ve advised local businesses to partner up, share strengths and do some cross marketing. Alignable takes those kinds of strategies and makes then practical and easy to implement. That’s just one example of what can be accomplished when local businesses join forces. Fundera We’ve had the ups and downs of small business lending and financing under our microscope for the last couple of years. Fundera brings some sense and organization to this difficult topic. No matter what kind of loan you need or what you intend to use the money for, you’ll be able to apply quickly and get a fast answer via Fundera. The site bills itself as the “Kayak” of small business loans. That gives you a good sense of what they are. AT&T Business Circle From how-to articles, to first-person success stories, to live events with experts, AT&T Business Circle is a rich resource for any small business owner. I’ve been working with AT&T for quite a while and they recently sponsored my Outrageous Success tour; they are truly dedicated to helping you grow your business – even when it doesn’t involved your phone system! Spend some time on the site and explore the resources. I know you’ll find information and tips you will use immediately. BlogMutt We started today’s article discussing...
read moreSecrets For Creating a Great Plan for 2015
Did you know that December is National Write a Business Plan Month? Maybe they picked December to counterbalance all the good vibes associated with Christmas, but that’s merely speculation… I have met a few people who relish planning, but I think those who dislike it or are indifferent to planning are probably in the majority. Further, quite a few successful businesses get started by folks who are flying by the seat of their pants. However, it’s just about impossible to manage any serious growth that way. Back in the days of original The A-Team television show, George Peppard’s character, John “Hannibal” Smith had a famous line: “I love it when a plan comes together!” This can be the key for those of us who aren’t ecstatic at the thought of doing some serious planning; when you experience a successful plan a few times, you begin to create an affinity for the process. Back to your roots The waning days of 2014 are the ideal time to draft some plans for the upcoming year and review previous plans. Do you have your original business plan after which this month is dedicated? If you do, dig it up and look it over. First, this exercise allows you to relive some of the energy and enthusiasm you had when you started your business. It also gives you a chance to re-experience your original vision. How would you judge where you are today against where you thought you were going when you started out? Is there anything in your earlier plan(s) that you have overlooked? Maybe with additional experience and knowledge, an earlier failed and abandoned dimension of your business can be pursued once again. Manage your marketing The major currents in digital marketing won’t change much next year, they are: Content marketing, Social media marketing, Mobile marketing, and Email marketing. These overlap a lot and that might be one of the most important things to consider as you plan for next year. For example, if you do a lot of email marketing, are your emails easy to read on mobile devices? If they include links, are the landing pages optimized for mobile? With content marketing, some of your content will be articles, others will be media, such as graphics and videos. How do those formats dovetail with your social media presence? Look at my list above and consider all the permutations of these digital marketing strategies and channels. Create your targets Finally, set measurable goals for yourself. Put these in two categories. The first category is what you commit to doing. You might promise yourself that one third of all your tweets next year will include a graphic (they draw more attention), or that you will post two blogs each week. Or your goal might be increased click-throughs that can be measured via your email provider, such as Constant Contact. The second category is increased business. This can be measured by counting new clients/customers and adding up your sales. Working with the right CRM system, you can find out where you’re having success and where you’re falling flat. One final word of advice. Always keep the 80/20 principle in mind. It says that 20 percent of your activities will produce 80 percent of your income. Once you understand this and identify your...
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