The Ever Changing World of Business Etiquette

As long as there has been business, there has been business etiquette. Many manners from 20 and 30+ years ago, still apply today. For example, don’t wear so much perfume or cologne that people smell you when you pull into the parking lot. Don’t speak so loudly while on the phone that the person in the cubicle on the next floor can hear you (while we’re at it, keep personal conversations to a minimum). These are some of the common sense basics of office manners.

Today, there’s a whole new world of business etiquette that we need to be aware of, such as:

• When making presentations and emailing, use full sentences, not social media acronyms. Believe it or not, not everyone tweets or is on Facebook and some people have no idea what LOL, FTW, FWIW or IMO stands for (Laugh Out Loud, For the Win, For What it’s Worth or In My Opinion).

• While we’re talking about email, before you click “send,” think about how you would feel if someone forwarded it to the CEO of your company. If you would be uncomfortable with the company head reading it, you shouldn’t send it.

• When it comes to cell phones, keep them on vibrate while in the office or in a meeting. Seriously, if I’m on a conference call, I don’t want the person I’m on the phone with thinking I’m at a Lil’ Jon concert (WHAT? OKAY! YEAH!). Also, don’t set them on the table in front of you during a meeting; it is distracting and disrespectful to the person conducting the meeting.

• If you like to decorate your home with flashing neon lights, palm trees, grass skirts and that great picture of your spouse in their bathing suit to remind you of your wonderful honeymoon…GREAT! Don’t do it at the office. Your office space and cubicle should not be distracting, distasteful or disrespectful.

Basically, what this all boils down to is being considerate of others. Be considerate; use your manners and your common sense to avoid uncomfortable situations!

The Death of the Postcard

I understand how this may seem like a strange post from someone who is in the marketing and printing business, but my goal is to help my clients to be successful.

I'll cut right to the chase.....Unless you have a history of seeing results from postcards, I don't recommend them.

There, I said it.

Recently I conducted a poll in which I asked a two part question. With the first question I asked what people do with sales postcards when they received them in the mail. The majority said they simply threw them away without even reading them. Not a single person saved the card. I've been saying for a long time that you have about 3 seconds to get someone's attention and get them to read your post card. Question 1 supported that point.

I've also been saying that, in most cases, postcards are a waste of your marketing budget. Question 2 supported that point.

In question 2, I asked if a postcard had ever influenced a buying decision. Not a single "yes." Not. a. single. one. All the time and money spent didn't get a single person to buy a product.

With the advent of social media, email marketing and the slew of other effective marketing tools out there, the next time you are tempted to spend hundreds of dollars on postcards, save a few trees AND a few dollars; invest your money elsewhere.

As always, CWI Marketing is here for you, please feel free to contact us for help with any of your marketing needs.

Facebook Releases a Guide to Marketing on Facebook.

acebook has published their “Best Practice Guide: Marketing on Facebook.” This guide gives ideas on how to foster product development and innovation, generate awareness, increase traffic and sales, build loyalty and deepen relationships, gain insights, as well as meet several other objectives. While this guide is specific to Facebook, many of the helpful hints they list can be used anywhere in social media. If you’ve read my blog before, portions of it will be familiar, as the advice they layout covers some of the topics I have tacked before (i.e. engaging your clients, interacting with them, building relationships).

If you are new to Facebook, new to business or are interested in kicking up your Facebook page a notch with Facebook advertising, plug-in’s, etc., then this guide will be very helpful to you and I would recommend checking it out.

If you would like to read the Guide (it's not too long, only 14 pages), click here:

As always, if you need help with creating your Facebook business page or any other social media projects, contact us. It would be our pleasure to help!

Five Great Reasons to Use Online Videos

1. It helps your Google rankings. Did you know that Google owns YouTube?

2. It helps build your brand. If you read my blog, have been to any of my classes, or simply have NOT been living under a rock the past several years, you know how important it is to build your brand!

3. It’s an opportunity to present yourself to potential clients in a way that words just can’t. It helps people to connect with you.

4. It allows you to offer a more effective presentation of your product (i.e. in real estate, a video tour of a home can have much more pizzazz than simple pictures. Not to mention, gives the potential buyer a better feel for the home).

5. To get started is easy. You can start with a simple power point presentation and convert it to a video. If you are camera shy, your video doesn’t have to include you. In addition to the benefits stated above, simply having video helps keep people on your page longer and enables you to tell a story in a more visual way.

If you need help with online video creation, if you already have a video and simply need it edited or if you need a Power Point presentation converted to video, contact us. We’d be happy to help!

Community Involvement....a Blog for Thought

CWI Marketing routinely presents at workshops in our community. What does your business do to help your community?

Community involvement is an important part of any business. Not only is giving back simply the right thing to do, it also builds trust and respect in your community and who doesn't want their business to be trusted and well respected?

There are many ways your business can volunteer to help in your community:

Are you a real estate agent or a mortgage broker? Why not sponsor a first time home buyer's course for the members of your community? Now really is the best time to buy, but it can also be scary and confusing for first timers. Give them someone to turn to.

Own a local sports equipment store? Sponsor a little league team.

Allow your employees to donate some of their time to local charities during the work week.

Are you a florist? Offer a class on how to make centerpieces, corsages or other floral arrangements at the local senior center.

There are literally hundreds of ways you can donate your services. Take the time to help out in your community. Giving back is not only good for you, it's good for your business!

As always, CWI Marketing is here for you, please feel free to contact us for help with any of your marketing needs or ideas on how to help in your community.

Marketing Trends 2011 - What's In and What's Out

WHAT'S IN:

Mobile/text marketing.

Did you know that mobile phones outnumber computers 4 to 1? Just about everyone has a mobile phone in their pocket, purse or somewhere close by. The use of apps, mobile coupons, etc. is a great way to quickly and easily reach out to clients and motivate them.

Personal Relationships.

The social media explosion has created more consumers wanting further personal communication. Consumers want to know that they are important individuals, not just some group of clients you are trying to sell to.

Interaction.

Get feedback from your clients. People love to tell you what they think, so give them the means to do that.

Coupons.

Yes, coupons. There is even a show on TV all about people who save hundreds of dollars every time they shop just by using coupons. With the advent of mobile coupons for smart phones, iPads, E-readers, etc., coupons aren’t just for clipping anymore.

Outsourcing.

When it comes to marketing, there is so much to do and keep abreast of. From technology, to analytics, to strategy, to marketing plans and ad campaigns, to graphic design and print materials. Most companies have an in-house marketing manager, but are finding that it’s more successful to outsource particular portions of their marketing effort. It can also be more cost effective.

WHAT'S OUT:

Postcard marketing.

In most cases, it just doesn’t work in today’s world. A majority of people simply throw them out. There are still a few markets where postcard marketing can work, but a lot of the time, the return on investment isn’t worth it.

Target Markets.

While it is important to know who your target market is, it’s more important to treat customers as individuals and not focus so much on putting them in any one particular group.

Dictation.

Don’t just tell your clients what they want or what they need. Ask them.

Rebates.

People still love a rebate, especially in these economic times. However, the ease of simply using a coupon at the time of purchase attracts more customers than offering a rebate.

Trying to do it all yourself.

Some businesses try to save time and money by doing it all themselves. What they are finding is that instead of getting everything done effectively, they are only getting some things, halfway completed. This is a recipe for disaster.

Of course, this is just a sample of some of the new trends in marketing for 2011. If you would like to know more about what is on the horizon and make sure your company is ahead of the curve, please feel free to contact us.

Say WHAT? Social Media Misconceptions

I was recently told that 20% of small business owners don’t believe their clients use social media and 27% weren’t sure about it.

Say WHAT?

62% of the adult U.S. population is on Facebook alone. That’s 139 million potential clients. What about Twitter? There are currently 105 million users on Twitter. If you are not using the internet or social media, you are missing a major opportunity to market yourself and bring in new clients. And, don’t get me started on the potential to reach a global market! There are currently more than 1.5 BILLION people connected through the internet worldwide. Think BIG! Don’t limit yourself to your surrounding area.

I have also heard people say, “But my clients are older and they don’t use the internet.” Wrong. In one year alone, internet users age 50+ went up from 22% to 42%. Oh, and guess how many 70-75 year olds are online? 45%!

A majority of people go online and do research prior to purchasing anything. ANYTHING, not just online purchases. From a house to a pair of shoes, people go online prior to walking out the door. Make sure you have an internet presence. It is no longer enough just to have a web site. Using social media is key to building a successful business.

As always, CWI Marketing is here to help. If you would like help with your social media, please feel free to contact us.