Top 5 Reasons You Should be on Quora
Clients and colleagues are always asking “What’s the next ‘hot’ thing we should be doing?” Our latest answer? Quora. According to its administrators, “Quora is a collection of questions and answers created, edited, and organized by everyone who uses it. The main goal is to be the best possible resource for someone who wants to know about each question.” According to Peter Baskerville, Quora reviewer, entrepreneur, educational resource developer and vocational teacher, Quora is:
-An online collaborative information sharing and learning platform.
-An online engineering platform that connects the information needs of real people with information solutions provided by real people.
Tools for Targeting Media Pitches
There are hundreds of thousands of outlets in the U.S. that serve as resources of entertainment and news for millions of consumers. To achieve placements in these outlets, PR professionals and publicity seekers must provide a service to the publications; providing impactful, pertinent information that their readers can use. Interpretation: pitches must be targeted to publications and writers that are interested in providing your story to their readers.
Building a targeted media list entails finding topic-specific publications, becoming familiar with their content, combing through previously printed/posted articles to find the editors and writers on a particular beat, and digging for their contact information. While this process is educational, it is time-consuming and may be prohibitive if there is a wide swath of publications and consumers you plan to reach.
“Everyone” is Not Your Target Customer
Throughout my 23 years in advertising and marketing, the one thing that perplexes me most about business owners is how they could respond to the question, “Who is your customer?” by saying “Everyone.” Mom taught me a long time ago, you can’t be all things to all people, you’ll forget who you are. This goes for businesses as well.
There are many ways to determine who your core customers are. Read about six great suggestions that will help you identify your high-value customers in How to Define a ‘Good Target’ in the Digital Age. These are the customers that will give you your highest return on your marketing and advertising investment.
Tricks of the Trade(show) to Boost ROI
Face-to-face encounters with other human beings are easily avoided with all the new technology we have at our fingertips. Given how easy it is these days to keep up with business acquaintances and colleagues by e-mail and social media, the traditional methods of engaging with professionals in your industry have taken a back seat. However, tradeshows, once the most direct way that companies engaged with and targeted new customers, are still an important part of any marketing strategy and should not be overlooked.
A new study by Oxford Economics USA shows how a dollar invested in business travel, returned a $12.50 increase in revenue and $3.80 in new profits. With that reinforcement in mind, plan your next industry show with a strategy. Check out these “11 Trade Show Strategies to Boost ROI” to get the most out of your time and investment.
Success Can Sometimes be Bought with a Coupon
Successful retailers have generated business through the practice of “loss leader” sales & promotion (taking the loss on one product to get customer traffic in for upsales). The decisions are not made randomly; these items are selected with purpose and by crunching the numbers to estimate the ROI. That’s exactly how you should look at using the online membership coupon services such as restaurants.com or social promotions sites like groupon.com and livingsocial.com.
In an American Express Open Forum Jennifer Van Grove, Associate Editor for Mashable, points out how the pomp and circumstance around Groupon’s success makes it easy to ignore the Posies Cafes of the world. Posies Cafe owner Jessie Burke describes offering a featured Groupon deal as, “the single worst decision I have ever made as a business owner thus far.” Burke’s primary problem was that after deeply discounting her goods — $6 for $13 — and handing over 50 percent of sales to Groupon, she was unable to cover her store’s operating costs, including employee payroll.
Knock the Dust Off Your Marketing Plan
It’s time to start thinking about your marketing plan for the next year, assuming your fiscal year starts January 1.
Around this time of year, assessment and planning starts. What advertising has worked? Should we put more money into interactive advertising? Do we need to revamp our website? While these are all things you should be thinking about, we recommend that you dig deeper.
The “100-Mile Expert” Rule
Earlier this year, I gave a presentation on social media marketing at the League of Historic American Theatre’s national conference, which was held in San Antonio. The 60 theatre-proprietors and attendees that flew in for the conference were very eager to learn about the latest tips and tricks on the ever-expanding social media landscape. Many attendees I talked to claimed that they had seen social media speakers in their own cities, but told me my workshop was the best one they had ever been to.
Flattery aside, it is always nice to have people appreciate your expertise. But I realized that I became a victim of the “100-Mile Rule,” which is a term our office has coined for consultants and subject-experts who are viewed as being more credible strictly because they are new, different and work at least 100 miles away.
Let Others Send You New Business
Building good relationships with your potential competitors could lead to your phone ringing.
Sevans Strategy, a public relations company based in Chicago, has decided to create a page on the owner’s blog, PRSarahEvans.com, recommending other public relations companies.
Frugality is Chic
Signs that conspicuous consumption is passé abound, even as business sees an upturn in consumer spending. Savvy businesses will seize the opportunity of an economic rally dovetailing with price-sensitivity to build brand loyalty.
The Wall Street Journal reported April 26 that first-quarter sales show a second consecutive period of gains with consumer-oriented companies, retailers and restaurants enjoying increased sales. By some measures, these trends indicate the economy is pulling out of recession.
However, amid upward economic trend reports, value remains a top priority and thriftiness is a virtue.
The frugality is chic and evident in everyday conversations when pricey vacations are discussed in apologetic tones and a compliment on a designer bag is quickly dismissed with “got it at the outlet store with a coupon.”
Gem Show Here to Stay; How to Make the Most of It
The Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, which will bring thousands of buyers, sellers and treasure hunters from around the world to Southern Arizona through Feb. 14, will remain a Southern Arizona tradition and economic rainmaker.
Fears that the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, commonly referred to as “the gem show,” will leave Tucson are “unfair” and “unrealistic,” said Kimberly Schmitz, director of communications and public relations for the Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau.
One of Tucson’s premier events, the showcase packs an annual $100 million wallop into the local economy. On its heels: Accenture Match Play Championship, La Fiesta de los Vaqueros (the Tucson Rodeo) and Spring Training. (The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies leave Tucson for a new spring training facility east of Phoenix in 2011.)