The Simple Power of One-a-day
September 19, 2012 | Posted By:
Bilguun |
Blog |
Disclaimer: this article had originally appeared on Seth Godin’s blog and he truly inspires me to do something new and worthy each day.
There are at least 200 working days a year. If you commit to doing a simple marketing item just once each day, at the end of the year you’ve built a mountain. Here are some things you might try (don’t do them all, just one of these once a day would change things for you):
– Send a handwritten and personal thank you note to a customer
– Write a blog post about how someone is using your product or service
– Research and post a short article about how something in your industry works
– Introduce one colleague to another in a significant way that benefits both of them
– Read the first three chapters of a business or other how-to book
– Record a video that teaches your customers how to do something
– Teach at least one of your employees a new skill
– Go for a ten minute walk and come back with at least five written ideas on how to improve what you offer the world
– Change something on your website and record how it changes interactions
– Help a non-profit in a significant way (make a fundraising call, do outreach)
– Write or substantially edit a Wikipedia article
– Find out something you didn’t know about one of your employees or customers or co-workers.
Enough molehills is all you need to have a mountain.
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4 Important Tips For Working With The Media
June 28, 2012 | Posted By:
Bilguun |
Marketing |
Media is good for you. Only when you do it right. While talking to FedEx’s America’s Small Business Summit representative, I learned the following important media tips.
1. KNOW YOUR THREE KEY POINTS. This is your opportunity to tell your story. Select three key messages that you want readers to learn. Think of facts and anecdotes to develop and support your three key points, making a compelling story. Keep bringing discussion back to the three points that you want to make.
2. YOU ARE ALWAYS ON THE RECORD. Only say things that you believe are fit to print anywhere and everywhere.
3. IT IS OK TO ASK QUESTIONS. If the reporter approaches you for a 1:1 interview, ask questions so you understand where they are coming from. This will help you better fit your story and their needs. What kind of story is it? What’s the angle? Who else has been or will be interviewed?
4. WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW, SAY SO. You are an expert but you don’t have all the answers. Say “I can’t speak to that, but what I can tell you is…” or “I’ll get back to you.” It is extremely tempting to hazard a guess, but this may be published … you want to be accurate.
A few additional tips:
Be assertive. Don’t just answer questions, seize every opportunity to drive your messages. Reporters grab audiences’ attention by leading off with the most important, newsworthy information. Do the same thing with your answers.
Use flags. Signal that a key point is coming up with a phrase like; “the key point is,” or “what makes this important is.”
Turn negatives to positive. Don’t repeat negative language or allow the reporter to put words in your mouth. Anticipate tough questions and develop responsive answers that are not defensive. Bridge to one of your key messages with phrases like “let me put this in perspective,” or “the real problem is”.
Avoid jargon. The public doesn’t know your industry jargon so don’t use it even when the reporter does. Explain abbreviations and technical terms.
Focus on your objective. Don’t get mired in statistics or lengthy explanations. It’s OK to pause and think!
In summary, you should know your three key points, bear in mind that you are always on the record, it is okay to ask questions, and if you don’t have the answer just say so in a polite way. It will add to your values.
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What Do I Do At Work?
June 28, 2012 | Posted By:
Bilguun |
Blog |
So, I have been asked by many of my friends “Beck, What Exactly Does an IT/Marketing Manager Do?” While I cannot mention everything, here is the list of some of the things I do for Serola Biomechanics, Inc.:
1. EMAILS: As I arrive at 8:30am, M-F, and turn on my computer, the very first thing I do is read my emails. I receive, on average, 30-50 emails per day. I answer every one of them – personally, professionally, and in as much details as I can. (Since it is set up in Microsoft Outlook – the incoming emails are easily categorized/organized and all are assigned to their certain folders)
2. ORDERS: I go through each order that was received from http://www.SerolaBelt.com and separate them by type: RETAIL CUSTOMER’s order VS. WHOLESALE CUSTOMER’s order. I keep ONLINE SALES ANALYSIS spread sheet and keep track of the Total Annual Sales, Average Sales per Day, Retail Daily Sales, Wholesale Daily Sales, and Total # of Transactions. In addition, a Sales Graph is created for each month – it makes sales analysis look so much easier. There are also Declined Orders – if it is the case – I contact the customer to let him/her know why their online transaction was declined. It usually happens when they enter the incorrect billing address and/or CVV code.
3. MAGAZINE ADS: We advertise on 10+ different magazines, newspapers, and medical journals in which I coordinate which ads due for publication, and what artwork is due by when, etc. It is uniquely important to keep track of dates and deadlines for each magazines. Making changes is time sensitive – and once the publication is gone for print, there is nothing you can do about the ad. Ads cost anywhere between $800-$1,500 depending on size, color, & magazine. My favorite is Annual Buyer’s Guide because you reach potentially to 100,000’s of prospects with one single print – and these ads are distributed in big trade shows, medical shows, & expos.
4. MARKETING CAMPAIGNS: As a Marketing Manager, I determine the expected marginal revenue and the cost before we announce any campaign. I sit down with my boss and discuss it in details and analyze any potential risk(s) that may come from the campaign. When things go normally, you can just relax – but when you see the sales starting to decline, it is that time to think “What Campaign Can I Create Differently?”, “How Can We Acquire New Customers?” etc.
5. TALK TO PEOPLE: Yes, I love it. This diverse list includes Advertising Magazine/Newspaper/Journal Managing Editors, 3D/Flash Animation Artists, Photoshop Artists, Chiropractors, Physical Therapists, Distributors, Wholesalers, Retailers, and people with severe back pain. By email, phone, fax, or even Skype – we try to acquire as much customers as we can. I also closely interact with our production manager, Tom, and administrative assistant; between the three of us, we can solve any resentful situation.
6. KEEP LOGS: In other words, keep record of what you did, as often as possible. Yes, it definitely helps me what I did and when I did. If possible, in any project, try to use MS PROJECT – it helps you define the project scope, budget, resources, and the time line. Great software. In addition, there are always bunch of Post It notes on my desk and I use them to take quick notes.
7. ONLINE ADVERTISING: I love this part and it is what I enjoy the most. We utilize Google AdWords (pay-per-click), Facebook Ads (pay-per-click) Yahoo Search Marketing (pay-per-click), SEO, and other social media sites.
If you were to go on to Google and searched for “Sacroiliac Belt”, “Back Pain”, or “Sacrotrac” – the chances are you’re probably looking at the ad I created: “Serola Belt – Slick Design, High Quality: Support Your Back Because It Supports You” or see something like “Serola Sacroiliac Belt – Heal Your Back. 100,000’s of Americans Wear Our Belt – They Loved It.” Pay-per-click ads great in the short run but keeping the keyword bid in the long run can be “expensive.”
On the other hand, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is free. You just have to use the right keyword(s) and define the META TAGS of your web site.
Facebook and other social media sites is great, as well. We have a company profile page wherever possible. We can announce any events, photos, videos easily and share it with our subscribers.
8. PLANNING : A comprehensive plan is created at the beginning of the year, and it determines our marketing plans: Online Advertising vs. Magazine Advertising. Usually more budget is spent on the traditional marketing channels. If you have the SWOT Analysis (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Treat) created – it is easy to see which areas need more planning and improvement. Also, I keep track of what our competitors doing. Where are they advertising more? How are they creating strong call-to-actions? Are they declaring a price war? Keep a note of all of this, and check it bi-weekly. Competition is a harsh yet fair game when it comes to selling – and always compare what you are doing with the industry leaders.
9. DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL: It used to be simple, before the Amazon.com era. Know everything about your wholesalers, retailers, and distributors both in the US and overseas. If someone asks where he can buy our goods in Australia – I send them our eight distributors’ address in Australia. Then, follow-up in a week or two to see how it went.
10. SELLING IN EUROPE: We have been negotiating with FedEx and MIDL (both trying to earn our business), and after a series of scrutinized cost-and-benefit analysis, we selected MIDL to become our logistics & warehouse partner for our European operations. The outcome of this project will potentially increase our company revenue by at least 40% by 2015.
So, that’s it folks – this is the short list with only ten bullet points.
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How To Create a Social Tag Image
May 7, 2012 | Posted By:
Bilguun |
Marketing |
Mirror.me knows what you care about and helps you find things that are highly relevant to you, and it is a simple tool to create an image of social tag cloud that describe you. For instance, this is how my reflection looks like:
Step-by-Step Instructions On How To Create Your Own Reflection:
- Step 1: Go to www.mirror.me, and sign-in using your Twitter account
- Step 2: Fill out the profile section and verify your email address.
- Step 3: In the right upper corner, click on your username, then select “Settings”
- Step 4: Make sure to claim your Personal URL. For example: mirror.me/bilguun
- Step 5: Scroll to the bottom and you will be able to get the HTML code or the actual image.
- Step 6. You’re done. Enjoy.
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