PRstore of Lake Norman

If Churchhill Were A Marketer . . .

"Never, Never, Never Give Up."

"If you're going through hell, keep going."

- Winston Churchhill

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November 30th is Winston Churchhill's birthday!  Churchhill lived and survived during much darker days than we are currently experiencing. He was a master at "Grassroots" tactics and a strong advocate that the pen is often mightier than the sword. He wasn't afraid to employ strong actions, but his words of wisdom were a big part of winning a great war.

If Churchhill were a Marketer, he would have been a master at Grassroots Marketing. He would definitely be a fan of LinkedIn and FaceBook - what an amazing way to connect with anyone and everyone you want and need to know. And it doesn't hurt that it is a free way to get your message out to a large audience instantly.

Many say that Obama won the election at the local level by having a million people "on the ground." But he also knew how to harness the power of social media to captivate an entire generation of new voters. It's brilliant really - Grassroots Marketing at its finest.

Grassroots Marketing costs little to no monetary investment. It's all about finding your target market, engaging them and getting them "fired up" about your message. Then you just have to give them the tools and the motivation to spread the word. You have to "touch" them on a daily or at least weekly basis.

FaceBook is a great way to do that with their Updates Tool. Philosophy.com does this really well - they know I'm a fan, so they keep me updated every week with new products, specials, new store openings, etc. They make me feel valued and part of their "family." In return, I talk about their products, I join their FaceBook Group, I tell my friends about the company, I marvel at how cool their brand is - and I buy more of their stuff. It's powerful - and I even know what they're doing. But I just can't help myself.

This week as we approach the end of the year and start to evaluate our '09 Marketing budgets, I encourage you to take some time to think about Grassroots Marketing for your business.If you absolutely have to reduce your Marketing investment in '09, then put together a strategy to replace part of your monetary investment with your time. What networking groups can you join - both physical and virtual? What type of social media campaign can you launch to stay in front of your customers and top prospects?  What expert knowledge can you share with editors from your industry's top publications - and as a result with their readers - your target market.

When the economy does recover, the companies that "Never Gave Up" will still have very strong brands and a healthy market share. You absolutely should Harness the power of technology to help your business "Keep Going."

So, get out there and make Winston proud. Your bottom line will be glad you did!- CSR

Tips on Working With a Marketing Firm

When you hire an outside Marketing firm, the very first conversation should be about compatibility. Can we work together as a team? Can we trust each other? Do we have common values & goals at our core?

 

The Marketing function is the most creative aspect of a business. It's the area where we get to have fun, be silly, think outside the box. Of course there are still the very necessary conversations about budget, ROI & maximizing results - but before all that, we get to be artistic, break some rules & put on our Innovative thinking caps.

 

But in order for a Marketing team to function at their optimal level, a client/creative relationship of mutual trust & respect is critical. You wouldn't commission an artist to create a work of art & then tell him what type of paint to use, what he should wear when painting or what he should listen to while painting. Trust & mutual respect are the most important parts of a Marketing firm's relationship with clients.

 

Many times, if a client shuts down the creativity & expertise of the Marketing firm they hired because they needed their expertise in the first place - the damage can be irreparable. A frustrated artist is definitely not an innovative artist. Frustrated & negative energy is a death sentence to a Marketing firm's creativity & must be eliminated swiftly & completely.

 

In business, as in life, not everyone is compatible. Both client & creative team owe it to themselves & their business to do their homework upfront and make sure the partnership is right for both parties. And if it, amazing things will happen!

- CSR

Web 2.0 For The Rest Of Us

"If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space." - Lou Whitaker

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These days, keeping up with cutting edge technology is a full-time job. As a business owner or manager, keeping up is imperative for job security & ongoing success.

For anyone that isn't sure where to start & who might not have heard of Web 2.0 yet, here's a brief run down of the tools that should be on your radar for 2009.

Web 2.0 was defined in 2004 as the 2nd generation of Internet-based sites that allow people to collaborate & share information online in new ways. With Web 2.0 you can make connections that otherwise would take years - or even be impossible to create. And as we all know, connections are everything in the business world. It is who you know and how well you know them. And now you can quickly make meaningful connections with just about anyone in the world you need to know.

Here's how:

www.Facebook.com - social networking & business applications. great way to reconnect with classmates & colleagues.

www.LinkedIn.com - the absolute best way to create a business network. Think the "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon."

www.MySpace.com - social networking & business applications, great for artists & musicians.

www.Twitter.com - share what you're doing right now.

www.Flickr.com - share pictures of what you're doing right now.

www.YouTube.com - share your baby's first steps & your kick-butt business presentation.

And you can pull all of these sites together with one amazing site - www.iGoogle.com

iGoogle allows you to create a customized Homepage that pulls in RSS feeds or "gadgets" for the above sites - plus hundreds of other sites. You can get local weather, a joke or positive quote of the day, the latest news & sports - all from your favorite sites - and all in one place. Pretty neat stuff!

Enjoy staying on the cutting edge of your world! - CSR

Learning To Trust Your (Marketing) Gut

"Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do." - Dr. Spock

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One of the hardest & most important lessons I've learned in my professional life is all about listening to my "gut" & trusting my instincts. Whether it's as small as a paper or ink choice or as large as an employee selection, when I don't listen to that inner voice, I inevitably get into trouble.

But when I do listen to my instincts, my business flourishes. I avoid relationships & partnerships that on the surface look beneficial, but after further inspection will drain energy & resources without balancing that pull with positive input.

One of the amazing perks of trusting your instincts is that it opens your creativty to new ideas & fresh ways to approach business challenges - both for you & your clients.

The way this is currently working for PRstore is that we've been able to play matchmaker with our clients & our community. It's like one big game of "'Connect The Dots" that allows us to all work together & help each other. Think the 7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon - the more people that know about your project or your cause - the faster the word will travel.

Exhibit A:

A Corporate Team Building client needed a business plan that would help him achieve his aggresive growth goals. A CPA client needed an innovative way to make an End-of-Year Tax Planning Seminar an unexpected and atypical accounting class. 

The result: A service trade that allowed both companies to win by building their business in a more impactful way & on a scale the couldn't have achieved on their own.

CPA: Has an innovative & charismatic speaker open her seminar with an Ice Breaker session that makes her event fun & memorable - which results in more prospective clients talking about her firm & exploring working with her.

Team Builder/Corporate Speaker: Gets in front of a group of business owners/decision makers that might need his help - & who will go away & talk about his neat concepts to their friends & peers.

So, Dr. Spock really did know what he was talking about. When we trust ourselves, we can accomplish amazing things!

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My Current Resources for Inspiration:

Duct Tape Marketing

The Rainbow Connection

The Tipping Point