What’s the Value of a Cup of Coffee with Your Advertising Agency?
How much is it worth to have a cup of coffee or tea (or whatever your preferred beverage may be) with your agency account person a couple of times a month? I’d say it’s one of the best things you can do for your business. I’m not talking about those planned meetings with set agendas to design comps or web site design progress. Neither am I talking about those infamous high-level planning sessions that include everyone from the CEO to the summer intern.
The regular meeting that I am advocating is the one that invites casual conversation. A simple half hour where you can bring your agency person up to speed on the ins and outs of recent business. It’s the time to mention the opportunities that you aren’t quite sure are going to come to fruition, the frustration going on in the sales office or the glowing letter that you just received from a big customer.
These are all things that your agency account person needs to hear. Not because they are smarter than you or have an immediate answer to the latest challenge but because a marketing person’s brain, especially one on the outside of the company, tends to work a little differently. In the nuances of the conversation a good account manager will see glimmers of bigger ideas or perhaps opportunities for improvement. At the very least, they will walk away with a more thorough understanding of the current challenges.
For example, in a recent client conversation my client mentioned that he needed to cut our time a little short because he was mentoring some local students in a program set up by the company. To him, it was a something he felt great about doing but also a little extra stress on his busy schedule. To me, it was an incredible fit for the company blog and a PR opportunity to show a softer side of a construction business.
Another time a client related to me that there sale staff was struggling to keep up with portfolio samples and case studies. They were simply overwhelmed with information when it came to putting together a sales presentation. After taking this back to our agency, we helped them devised an online database with searchable features that not only archived case studies but also organized them.
Some of you readers will be cynical, I know Some will say these little pow-wows are just an opportunity for my agency to ‘upsell’. Others will claim neither they nor their agency have time for this. I’d argue if you feel strongly about either of these, you may need to take a harder look at your agency relationship.
The most effective client/agency relationships are ones where ideas and conversations flow freely. Where there is trust on both sides. Keeping your agency at arm’s length and focused solely on one project at a time may seem like the cost effective approach in the short run but in the long run, the only way to maximize the effectiveness of a good agency is to open the communications. Now, how ‘bout that coffee?
Mindstorm redesigns another web site using the Joomla content management system.
Mindstorm upgrade the Miller Street Dance Academy website using the Joomla CMS system. Mindstorm redesigned the site and upgraded the functionality of their site. Miller Street wanted a web site that could be maintained and updated by their staff. Having two locations they needed a way to ‘get the word’ out faster to their 1,000 plus students. Miller Street will using the new site to promote their two dance studios and at the same time keep their current students informed about current events, class schedules and more.
Tecta Carolinas Web Site Design
When Cyclone Roofing changed their name to Tecta America Carolinas they turned to Mindstorm Communications to promote them on a local level. We started out marketing Tecta America Carolinas with a new website that focused on the regions that they services. Mindstorm also handles the PR for the Indian Trails based company.
Mindstorm launches new Joomla site for Community Association Management
Community Association Management was seeking a new website and a new way to add content to their site. Community Association wanted to becomre an industry resource for Home Owner Associations. Mindstorm suggested a Joomla based website. Mindstorm designed and setup the Joomla system and Community Association has populated their site… over 1,000+ articles and still going!
The Power of Customer Testimonial
Customer testimonials are one of the most powerful marketing tools available. A close cousin of the ‘referral’, testimonials provide a third party endorsement of a product or service and they are incredibly effective means of overcoming consumer skepticism. This is particularly true, if you have a small business that operate primarily in a local or regional market. After all, when a testimonial is from someone in a consumer’s own state or city or even neighborhood, it is generally perceived with an extra helping of credibility. The extra bonus of the customer testimonial is their power to solidify the relationship with the customer offering the endorsement. After all, once a person has “gone public” with their recommendation of a something, they are much less likely to abandon the brand.
When it comes to obtaining effective testimonials, small business owners typically have an advantage over large businesses since owners are generally in contact with at least a portion of their best customers on a regular basis. Most consumers who have had positive brand experiences are more than happy to pen a few words of recommendation if asked by a familiar name or face.
So let’s talk about the nitty-gritty for a moment.
How should you collect testimonials?
- POS. Ask for them at the point of sale if you have a retail establishment. Create a very short comment card to collect the information. Ask open-ended but specific questions such as “What part of your shopping experience did you enjoy the most?” or “What would you tell a friend about XYZ product?” Sincerely thank your customers who take the time to fill them out and ask permission to publish their responses. Assure them you will use only a first name and last initial and a city to protect their privacy. (Adding a location to a testimonial increases the believability factor).
- Online. There are literally hundreds of web sites that allow consumers to submit reviews of products, services and establishments such as Insiderpages.com, Yelp.com, Google Places and local.yahoo.com Make sure your company is listed on these and then encourage customers to use them via word of mouth, cash register receipts, web site links from your site or blog and even links on your HTML emails. The secondary benefit on online referrals is they elevate your online visibility and often link back to your web site. The result? More traffic to your website. Voila!
- Social Networks. Shame on you if you haven’t set up a Facebook Page for your business and then explored other social sites to assess their fit for your brand. These sites can be a rich environment for two-way conversation with your customers that often result in unprompted testimonials.
When should you collect testimonials?
- As often as possible. Testimonials collection shouldn’t be a ‘campaign’. It should be an ongoing effort in your place of business.
Where should you use them?
- Your print materials. Sprinkle them creatively in your text and images to reinforce your brand messages.
- Your web site. There are so many fun and creative ways to bring testimonials to life online. Video messages, animated text formats and even graphics. Of course, there is nothing wrong with the old-fashioned list format if the content says it all.
- Your direct mail or email. Spice up your newsletters by adding a new testimonial or two to the sidebar and margins. Give customers something new to think about by varying the type of testimonial.
Which ones are best?
- The best testimonials are the ones that are specific. The ones that refer to specific dollars saved or products purchased. Details make the statement more believable and often more useful to the reader.
- The key to a great collection of testimonials is diversity. Make sure your testimonials address different aspects of your business when possible.
Hopefully by now you’ve started thinking about how testimonials can add impact to your marketing pieces. Now, get out there and start the conversations with your customers. It’s time well-spent.
From surf to landscaping: Mindstorm launches two new client web sites.
One of the best parts about working at Mindstorm is the wide array of great clients we work with on a regular basis. Recently we completed and launched two new web sites for clients that have truly been a pleasure to work with, in two very diverse industries.
The first site, aimed at the local surfers and skaters, is for Charlotte and Myrtle Beach-based surf shop Wallerbears. It’s rich with cool imagery and gives visitors easy access to the shops via the social network of choice. It also provides product inventory information and helpful links for snow and surf reports. The owners of the shop really know their business and have a need to update product and store information quickly and efficiently. To best meet this need, we built the site using In Context Editing features from Adobe. This gives the client the ability to make changes to their site on their own schedule and without added cost.
The second site we recently launched was for a company named American Boxwood. As their name implies they are a national supplier of boxwood plants to landscapers and nurseries. In addition to redesigning their business-to-business web presence, we also completed a company rebranding including logo redesign. The impressive team from American Boxwoods opened our eyes with their depth of knowledge in this niche market. We certainly relish the opportunity to be a small part of their successful team.
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Social Media Jump Start
In attending a few Social Media conferences and events recently, I recognized a trend among many small to mid size businesses. They have a basic understanding of Social Media and the various outposts of Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, blogging, Flickr and YouTube. They are pretty sure employing a Social Media strategy could have a positive effect on their business. But they are fearful of taking that first step.
Granted, there are a lot of very valid “what if” scenarios to consider. There is also a commitment of time that must be made. However, the potential rewards of having ongoing open dialogue with your target market are too great to pass up. As a small business owner and a marketer, it pains me to see companies miss opportunities like this.
For some businesses, it’s just a matter of more education on the topic. With learning comes comfort. Likely that is why so many turned out for the recent Social Fresh conference held in Charlotte. The one-day event was chockfull of useful tips and information and provided an open forum for questions and answers from some leaders in the Social Media movement.
But I am beginning to realize that what many businesses need is a jump-start. At Mindstorm, we believe that the majority of a company’s social media content must originate from within their own walls. That’s why we have developing a custom Social Media Jump Start package for small to mid-size businesses.
How does it work? Basically, we sit down with a business and assess where they are in terms of comfort level. We listen to their objectives and vision for using Social Media and we gain a basic understanding of their target market. Then, we formulate custom recommendations and a simple but thorough plan to execute. We set up the corresponding accounts on behalf of our client and then teach them how to use them appropriately. We monitor and guide the efforts for several weeks, assess the success, and provide feedback. Once a client feels confident, we take off the training wheels and they ride off on their own into the online land of opportunity.
Want to learn more? Have thoughts on our approach that you’d like to share? We welcome your comments and feedback
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Listen Carefully…Opportunity is Knocking.
Try for a minute to drown out the screams from Wall Street and shrill sound of government rescue sirens. Shhh…hear that? Opportunity is knocking. Amid the gloom, doom and economic pessimism these days, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that recessions actually create opportunities for smart small and mid-size businesses to grow! That’s not a misprint. Grow and thrive. Really!
While the general feeling being passed down from the top is that huge, behemoth businesses are failing and bleeding at unprecedented rates and the sky is falling, the fact is life will go on. And because of this simple fact, consumers will continue to consume both products and services and businesses will continue to provide them. Oh sure, we’ll cut back here and there and well watch our pennies and some businesses will necessarily close the doors but far more will adapt and survive.
Smart businesses will even thrive and grow. They will seize the opportunity presented by weakened and disheartened competition and capitalize on the customers who are being abandoned by the dying giants. They’ll scoop up some fantastic new talent from the deep pool being created by big business layoffs. They’ll continue to spend marketing dollars wisely positioning their brands while their competition freezes and slashes budgets. Why? Because they understand that a marketing dollar spent in a down economy is far more powerful than those spent in a boom. And if they weather the storm appropriately the long run payoff will be big.
And these savvy and focused companies will quietly grow and thrive even while the stock market ebbs and flows and while the government scrambles to get dollar number one of the stimulus plan onto the street. They will remain calm amid the panic of the masses and will continue to focus on the goods and services that provide employment and sustenance for over half of the US population. And when the recession ends (as it will in 11-13 months if history is any indication of the future), we will have a new generation of business leaders and “ones to watch”. Granted, small businesses probably won’t be enjoying a boost from the Feds this go round and yes it’s a bit of a punch in the gut. But it’s not a fatal blow.
How can I be so sure? History. It’s happened this way time and time again. It’s pure and simple capitalism. As entrepreneurs, it’s in our blood. As Americans, it’s in our mettle. Now, turn off the news and answer the door.
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