| Bruce Law |
| The New Normal |
| 02.07.2009 01:52:44 | |
|
The New Normal is a great article from The McKinsey Quarterly by Ian Davis. The economy and the changes that are ensuing are becoming increasingly permanent and pervasive. After reading this, I think it’s nice to be a small business! Tags: Marketing | small business | economy Hits: 53 | Read more... |
| Bruce Law |
| How To Market Through A Crisis |
| 30.06.2009 23:04:30 | |
|
Also this past February, a McDonald’s employee was denied his claim to workers comp after more than $300,000 in medical expenses. The preceding August, at an Arkansas McDonald’s, a male customer was hitting a woman. Nigel Haskett, a McDonald’s employee, proceeded to break up the altercation and forced the man outside. The man returned and shot the employee multiple times. McDonalds’ insurance company said, "We've denied this claim in its entirety. It's our opinion that Mr. Haskett's injuries did not arise out of or within the course of his employment." At this point, neither the insurance company nor McDonald’s are willing to provide any compensation to Nigel Haskett as a consequence of his brave actions while working on the job. Instead of treating Haskett like the hero the community has made him out to be, McDonald’s is avoiding the situation altogether, hiding behind a legal cloak. If McDonald’s would have simply paid for Nigel’s medical bills, despite the insurance company’s denial, the company would have emerged as a heroic organization, one that genuinely cares for its employees. Instead, the opposite view has spread throughout the internet, tainted the company’s image, and damaged McDonalds’ perception with potential employees and customers who now refuse to support an organization that mistreats or ignores the needs of its employees. What a missed opportunity to stand for something besides burgers and fries. Every crisis, though never hoped for, is an opportunity to showcase what the company and its people are made of. The danger lies in not being prepared and not seeing things clearly. Ideally, a company will think about the worst things that could happen to the organization and then create a plan for dealing with it. This “Crisis Communications Plan” is then available if it is ever needed, when clear thinking and time to react may be a shrinking commodity. Often in a crisis, bringing in an outside team with more objectivity and trained expertise may be the best approach. If a crisis hits close to home for employees, they can become the biggest hindrance to the recovery. And relying solely on business partners to handle the situation, or passing the blame over to them, is foolhardy and can easily backfire. There are a lot of factors in play when it comes to crisis management, and under the circumstances, it may be difficult to avoid all negative publicity. However, if you remember a few key points, you can weather almost any storm: · DON’T avoid the situation; address it head on and be the first to tell your story. · DON’T assume that the existing internal team will handle the situation well. Ultimately, the CEO will be the only person that people will believe has enough clout to address the problem. · DO plan ahead for the worst case scenario; you’ll know what they are based on the industry you are in. The worst situations almost always deal with loss of life or property or threats on health or well being. · DO bring an external team in if necessary so the internal team can focus on the rest of the business at hand. · DON’T try to use the opportunity to garner accolades or promote your company. Stay focused on addressing the problem completely and thoroughly. Nothing else matters. · DO take positive, correcting action – be innovative, bold and determined. Ignoring a bad situation will not make it go away, it will only make people angry. Tags: communication | marketing tactics | Public Relations | PR | crisis management | Marketing Hits: 88 | Read more... |
| Melissa Flinn |
| Social Media Relationships |
| 18.06.2009 06:15:40 | |
|
A study by Cone found that Americans expect companies to have a social media presence. 60% of Americans use some form of social media and 59% of those are using this media to interact with companies. That means more than 35% of Americans are using social media to interact with companies and there are many more people that can be reached through these methods. 85% of social media users believe a company should have a presence AND interact with consumers this way. So why aren’t more companies doing this? It provides customers a stronger connection to the company and allows it to be on their terms. Being able to interact online may help facilitate customer relationships and lets a company be easily accessible to their customers….especially customers who have generally been harder to reach in the past. Tags: Marketing | customer relationships | Social Media Hits: 164 | Read more... |
| Mary Yedlin |
| Learning from the Pros in a Challenging Economy |
| 04.06.2009 23:31:27 | |
|
The morning of April 21, small business owners and executives gathered at SLCC’s Miller Campus for Thriving in Today’s Economy and left with practical ideas for running their businesses is this tough economy. MarketStar Chairman and Entrepreneur of the Year Alan E. Hall kicked off the morning with thoughts about the critical elements of building a solid organization. In general presentations and breakout sessions, Jim Bennett and Laura Guthrie of NOW Advisors addressed financial and risk management techniques; Jeff Jones of Durham Jones Pinegar reviewed a wide array legal risks and opportunities for these times, and Sprout Marketing’s Bruce Law presented multiple ideas about making big marketing impacts in focused ways.
Join us at our next seminar on June 24, which will cover new topics. Check out the details at utahbusinessbuilders.com. Tags: Marketing | Utah | CEO | Utah CEO | Random Acts of Marketing | small business | startups | Alan E. Hall | Jim Bennett | Jeff Jones | Bruce Law | Business Builders Series | Free Seminar | Finance | Legal Affairs Hits: 111 | Read more... |
| Brandon Carter |
| PR For the Rest of Us: What's Your Story? Think Like a Journalist |
| 21.05.2009 11:15:37 | |
|
The second post in a series on PR for small businesses, which is also being simulcast on my personal blog at http://www.bscarter.com. Comments and questions along with additions are most welcome... ---------------------------------------------------------- In my last PR for small business post I talked a little about knowing your audience. This would help you define more closely who you need to focus on and find the best mediums to reach them. Kind of a durr! post, I know. But you'd be shocked how many people develop an amazing product, thinking it's so awesome it'll just sell itself...then watch it fall flat because it never finds its way to the people who can't live without it. Moving on... The next step is important: Find your story. Even better, find your stories. How is your nail salon different? What does your auto repair shop do better than any other shop in your area? Do you have kick-ass customer service while your competitors are notorious for their lack of it? Maybe your company has a great charitable or environmentally-friendly commitment. This isn't limited to your business, either. Maybe you as an individual have a compelling story - dip into your personal background. Overcome a rare disease or rare childhood? Adopted 6 children from Africa? Leave a high-paying corporate gig to jump out on your own? All of these are compelling and make for great reads. Tie your business or yourself into a national story or emerging trend, and you greatly improve your chances. Look for compelling stories everywhere. What may seem like everyday, mundane to you might be a revelation to the readers of your favorite trade publication; or what seems like an overplayed (among friends) personal story or belief might be an inspiration to readers of the local newspaper. Relevant to 2009 - New media. What's going to drive hits to a blog, or make for interesting chatter on a podcast? The key to all of this is to think like an editor. Think of the story in its final form - what's the headline, the subhead, is there a picture?, who is quoted, and on and on. The best PR people don't think like PR people, they think like the journalists they have to work with on a daily basis. Which brings me to my next post, where we'll chat about identifying outlets, editors, journalists and others who will want to hear your story, tell your story and make you a freakin' star. Tags: Hits: 93 | Read more... |



