Marketing Company in Phoenix, Arizona, Marketing Planning, Publicity, Social Media Marketing - 2/55 - Small business marketing, social media, publicity, and marketing planning in Phoenix, Arizona

Feb 6 2012

An Open Letter from Law Enforcement Regarding the Impact of the Internet on Your Success

Posted by 23Kazoos in Success
0 Comments

Note: Years ago I worked in law enforcement in the state of Oregon. This letter is from a former colleague of mine who has seen first hand the Impact of the Internet on people’s success. While this post is not about marketing, it is important to all of us. -Wendy

By Bill Carroll, Retired Special Agent in Charge, Oregon Department of Justice Criminal Division, started the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force in Oregon and former ICAC ask Force Commander. For more information go to: Carroll Consulting LLC.

As a retired police officer after 35 years, I am still conducting backgrounds. The evolution of resources has produced a remarkable product for this purpose. What is it? The INTERNET! As a consumer, where do you go to find out more about a service, product or business, where do you go? The Internet. When you want to find the best price, where do you go? The Internet.

I spent many years working murder cases, backgrounds, thefts, robberies, gambling and drugs. Countless hours were spent trying to locate prior witnesses and victims of the defendant’s past crimes. Sifting through documents, report and newspapers took hours.

Now the whole world is at our fingertips. Whether it is a marketing tool, you posting your information or your friends posting your information, everything appears in view of the world.

One area that should be of particular concern is the impact that the internet may have on your future and your career. The internet is being used more and more to screen potential employees and to monitor employee’s activities outside the work place.

Almost all employers have been doing some sort of formal or informal background checking on potential employees. This means that prior to an applicant being called for an interview, chances are that someone has performed a “Google” search on the applicant on behalf of the employer, looking for Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn pages, as well as blogs and other accounts. No law officially prohibits employers from searching social networking sites while conducting their own background checks of job applicants.

I’m not trying to pick on any social media; it is clearly a popular form of communication. I see people who post ‘like’ links or “thumbs up” or “re-tweets” that are clearly racist, sexist, advocate drug use, etc… Then there are the photos and videos that people post — or find themselves in — on Facebook and YouTube and other sharing sites like Flickr, Picasa, Yfrog and Photobucket. A lot of times it is photos and videos that seem to get most people in trouble. Think about it. Have you been to a party or tailgater where people are taking photos and you have had a little too much to drink????

Sexually explicit photos and videos can be posted without your knowledge. A case is point is a person that went to a bachelorette party. A male stripper was the entertainment. Photos of the person, in close proximity to the stripper, were later posted on the internet. Those photos came to the attention of management and a legal nightmare ensued for this individual to keep their job.

Some people think that they have protected themselves by making things private, but that is not the case. At any time, things you have posted, potentially in private, can be re-posted and open to the entire world.

Employers, scholarship committees, youth groups and schools have long used criminal background checks, motor vehicles and local records to determine suitability for funds or employment. Now, some companies are requiring job candidates to also pass a social media background check. How will you do?

TAGS:

Feb 4 2012

5 Ways to Gather Email Addresses and Fill Your Customer Pipeline

Posted by 23Kazoos in Email Marketing
0 Comments

Arizona farmer shows wheatgrass at Gilbert Farmers Market

Last weekend I went to the Gilbert Farmers Market to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers. As I walked around visiting the different vendors, I couldn’t help but put on my marketing hat. After all that’s what I do! My biggest observation was that while all of the businesses were there to sell their products to as many people as possible, they were missing out on huge opportunities for continued sales.

Small businesses, especially mom and pop shops, have a special place in my heart, and my first thought was “somebody’s got to teach them how to market their small business! Maybe I should!!” My mind swirled with all the great ways small businesses can spread the word about what they do, bring in new customers, and secure repeat business.

I thought it through and pulled out some of my best ideas on what mom and pop shops could do better from a marketing perspective to broaden their reach and increase their sales. All these ideas center on a single central marketing concept, email marketing.

This type of small business marketing is one of the most important tools small businesses have at their disposal. Why? Because email marketing, unlike social media, is direct. Once you have someone’s email, you have an opportunity to get in front of them on a regular basis and you have the ability to personalize and target the marketing messages you give them.

In order to use email marketing effectively, you need ways to gather email addresses of current and prospective customers. Here are some of the best ways small businesses can gather email addresses.

1. Give Something Away

Everyone loves to win free things and one of the best techniques for getting people to give you their email address is to have a free drawing for one of your products.

2. Offer an Educational Opportunity

Do you have a special skill or is there something customers and prospects would love to learn that you can teach? Hosting a free online webinar or in person seminar where people have to register, including their email, to attend, is another way to gather email addresses. As an added bonus, this can boost your image as an expert in your field.

3. Create a Preferred Customer List

Let customers sign-up on a piece of paper in your shop, stand, or stall to be preferred customers to get advance notice of sales and special discounts and promotions.

4. Share Something Special

If you are known for your ability to grow amazing tomatoes, write an ebook about how to grow tomatoes and offer it for free to anyone who signs up. You can even do this offline at a farm stand without electricity by having people sign-up and sending the ebook via email.

5. Appreciate Your Customers

Remember, everyone likes to win and when you position it as a monthly customer appreciation drawing, you give customers the chance to win while letting them know you appreciate their business and gathering their email addresses. It is a win for everyone.

The key to effective email marketing is getting the email addresses of your customer base. With a good email list, you can send personal emails, a regular newsletter, and announcements about sales and promotions. Marketing experts say you generally need to connect with someone seven times to make a sale, email marketing can make it easier to reach out and connect.