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Marketing Nuggets Newsletter Coming Soon

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new Marketing Nuggets eNewsletter!  We hope that you will sign up to keep in touch with us.  We have a lot of great information to share with you throughout 2014.  The idea behind the newsletter is that we would like to send you information that you can apply immediately to your business.  This information could be considered your nugget because it will be short and sweet!

Feel free to share this information with others who may also benefit from great marketing tips!  We will never spam you!  You can opt out at any time.

5 Lessons from the Target Nightmare

Target is currently in a windstorm of controversy.  The question of the day is ‘How are they handling this crisis that could happen to any large retailer?’  And what lessons should other large and small organizations learn from this nightmare.

target red card1. Revisit your crisis communication plan.  Or, create a crisis communication plan if you do not have one.  We all hope that our organizations do not have to face controversy.  Unfortunately, many when do and it happens when you least expect it.  You should review your plan quarterly. When people need to go into action to correct the situation, you want to make sure these individuals are still in that role.  In many large companies, people change roles regularly.  This quickly puts your plan out of date.

2. Control the situation, do not let the situation control you.  One hug mistake made by Target is letting the media break the story.  Target’s team should have immediately devised talking points to tell the story as they wanted it to be told.  Now, it seems like Target is having to run from behind to manage the story.

3. Constantly communicate with your consumers. Target has a very loyal fan base.  Similarly to our own customers and clients, Target’s customers would be more understanding if they were getting constant updates about what is going on to rectify the situation.  I am almost certain that I used my Target Red Card during the days that they mentioned and I have yet to receive an email or notification about what I should do. 

4. Use social media to your advantage.  Social media is a great way to respond directly to your consumers.  It is also a great way to listen to how your consumers are feeling about a particular situation.  Target is taking a beating on Facebook.  They are giving 10% off this weekend, but it looks like customers do not feel that it is enough.  But, from Target’s perspective, can they really do enough to satisfy some customers.  It looks like they will have to take a loss and gradually earn the trust of their audience back.

5. Keep your employees in the loop. Employees can be your biggest ambassadors, but only if they know exactly what is going on.  Your employees do not need to hear the information from the media, they need to hear it from their managers.  The employees on the front lines also need to be well versed on how to handle the comments, concerns, and complaints that they are going to get from customers over the next few weeks.

What lessons have you learned from this incident?  Leave us a note in the comments section.  I am sure that this is a situation that we will be watching into the New Year.

Dear Target,

If you need help with your crisis communication and PR efforts to rebuild your reputation, give us a call!  Selsi Enterprises would love to help!

Sincerely,

Selsi Enterprises CEO

Additional articles about the topic:

A Message from the Target CEO (Behind the Scenes at Target)

Target’s PR Nightmare: Customer Service Gridlock (MarketWatch)

Target on Facebook

Target Breach Likely Involved Inside Knowledge, Experts Say (PC World)

Time for 2014 Plans

It is not to late to think about your marketing and communication plans for 2014. Take a look at what you did in 2013. What worked and what was a waste of time? What would you like to try in 2014? Does your brand need to be revitalized?

Ask yourself a few simple questions like the above and you will be surprised what you are able to turn into a plan for 2014. The good thing about it is that it can be fluid. You can add to and take away from it as you please. The key is just to plan!

In the comments section below, let us know what you have to keep in your plan for 2014 and what you have to avoid in your plan for 2014.

A Fortune Worth Sharing: Fortune Cookies, Marketing, & Events

This story is a true testament to the power of social media.

A few weeks back I received an email requesting a product review for a product that is baked all of the way on the other side of the country. After the exchange of a few emails, this 25-year-old bakery in the SF Bay area is now connected with a wonderful PR boutique in Atlanta . Product reviews are not something we normally do at Selsi Enterprises, but for the effort made by the company to share their products with us, we said ‘Yes!’

The Product: Fortune Cookies
The Company: Fortune Cookie Creations
Website: http://www.fortunecookiecreations.com/
Our Verdict: Excellent

The freshly baked, colorful fortune cookies arrived and immediately I was blown away by the concept. My event planning wheels started to roll nonstop. What an AWESOME way to complete a theme at a wedding, a sweet 16, or even a corporate holiday party. Not only can the color be customized, but so can the message on the inside.

Fortune Cookies

Custom Fortune Cookies in a variety of colors and flavors with your own personalized messages

The true test — do they taste as good as they look??? I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle flavor associated with each color.  The flavors are not overwhelming.  I think that even if someone did not like strawberries for example, they could still appreciate the slight flavor added to the cookie. This is important because if you do have the cookies at an event or to hand out to potential clients, you do not want the flavor so strong that you can easily turn someone off.  Our team felt like there is a safe level of flavor in each cookie that would allow most people to like any of the cookies that they were offered. 

Red = Strawberry
Brown = Chocolate
Blue = Raspberry
Orange = Orange
Green = Lime
Yellow = Coconut

 

I must say that out of all of us in the office, the Chocolate was our favorite. Orange pulled a close second!

The company has a great website. Click here to take a look around their site. I love the information they shared in the ‘About Us’ section. You are able to find out some interesting facts about the company immediately. A couple of facts that stood out to me was that the company was created in 1986. 10 years ago, they decided to add in the colors and flavors.

Event Planners

What a nice touch this would be to any event. You could continue your theme and put an event appropriate message inside the cookie.  We all know that it is details like this that make an event memorable for guest at your events.  If done right, this is something that will be talked about way after the event is over.

Marketing Nugget

Fortune cookies are a great leave behind when you call on a perspective client. They are also great to use on trade show tables. The fact that you can customize the color and the message on the inside can prove to be a great marketing tool for your company.

Let us know if you order any fortune cookies from Fortune Cookie Creations.

Don’t Fail to Plan

Don't Fail To Plan

It is that time to year to reflect on 2011 and plan for 2012.  This is one activity that you do not want to put off any longer. All successful small businesses grew by strategically planning the route that was best for their organization.  Do not overthink this task!  Sit down with a calendar of the previous year.  Look at what you did and evaluate the success or failure of your business growth strategy.  Did you add the number of new clients that you had hoped? Did you attend the training seminars that you needed to attend?  Did you increase your profits by the margins that you needed to over the year?

After this reflection, it is time to move forward.  You cannot change 2011, but you can plan 2012 in a manner that will set you up for success. First, select your objectives for the year.  These objectives are your areas of focus for the entire year.  I think that many people mess up when they significantly stray from their original objectives.

Secondly, sit with your calendar of choice.  Something as simple as the calendar in Google’s Gmail can get you started.  I like this calendar because you can have multiple calendars in one.  You can invite others to view your calendar and you can set up reminders that come to your smart phone. When you have decided on your calendar, let the fun begin. Look at every component of your business from the events you may need to plant to the events that you would like to attend.  Leave no stone unturned.

Know that this calendar is a living document.  Just because you pencil items into your calendar in a certain order, it does not mean that they have to stay that way.  Don’t hesitate to reevaluate your plan at least monthly.  Make sure that you are keeping on track with your objectives and key messages.

There are many of you that already do a great job planning ahead.  Please feel free to share your tips on creating your plan. This is a weakness for many small business owners and nonprofits.  At Selsi Enterprises, it is our hope to share as many tips as we can to help your business or nonprofit reach its’ full potential!

Cheers to a successful 2012!

Marketing Plan Check Up

We are over half way through the year and it is time to reflect back on the success of your current marketing plan.  In order to gain a detailed look into your success, objectively take a “step” back and outline the goals you were hoping to achieve from your campaign.  Determine if you had elements in place to actually measure the outcomes accurately.  Pull out the accounting of how much you spent and a tracking of all of the free and ‘paid for’ elements that were included in your plan.

So, now that you have done all of your prep work.  Let’s take a close to look to see where you are at and where you need for go for the rest of the year.  Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Did our marketing campaign raise awareness of our product or service? We are able to measure this by ________________________.

2. Did the dollars spent on the marketing campaign yield the results we were hoping for with the campaign?

3. Are their pieces of the marketing campaign that need to be removed from the line up due to the fact that they did not result in meeting the company objectives?

4. Are their pieces of the campaign that we need to make sure stays in the campaign for the remainder of the year?

5.  If we were to add something new to our marketing campaign, it would be _________.

This list of questions is a great place to start when examining the success or failure of a marketing campaign.  The company’s that take the time to reflect back on their marketing campaigns are the company’s the see the most success.

What’s Your Objective

As marketing communicator’s, many of us are making 2011 plans to improve brand engagement with customers. It is important to pick solid objectives and stick with them throughout the year. Many times, it is not necessary to change our objectives drastically from year to year. It is important to carefully evaluate what direction you need to take your brand.

Step 1: Evaluate the marketplace – Fully understand the environment that you are working in. Understand everything from your competitors to pricing strategy. Do not leave any stone unturned when examining the current marketspace. Building off of a strong foundation will help improve your growth potential.

Step 2: Survey the target market. Go straight to your customers/clients and ask questions. Find out what they like and dislike about your product or service. Understand the needs of your customers and your potential customers. Find out why your potential customers are not converting. There are some reasons that you may be able to address immediately.

Step 3: Design strategic objectives. Once you conduct the above mentioned research to your satisfaction, establish some key objectives that you must accomplish in the upcoming year. Determine your messaging based on your objectives. The key – STAY FOCUSED!

Success comes when you stay focused on your objectives and do not let anything cause you stray. Revisit your written objectives often. STAY FOCUSED!

Time to Set Your 2011 Integrative Marketing Goals

This year, I would like to challenge all to take the offensive approach on strategic planning for 2011.  Before the busy holiday season hits, sit down and reflect on the past year.  Take an honest look at all of your efforts, how potential customers have joined or not joined one of your networks, and if they have actually converted into business for your company.  If you have not been as successful as you would have liked to have been in 2010, then now is the time to alter what you are doing to make 2011 better.

 Regardless of the fact that you are a small business owner or if you work for a large organization, marketers should be the driving force in company’s strategic planning efforts. In today’s competitive environment, it is not about throwing more money at the marketing budget but about being more strategic in how you are engaging with your customers. A simple ad in the newspaper will not convince someone to make a purchase any longer and those that are going to be successful in the near future will be the individuals that embrace our new environment.

 If you have not begun to think about your 2011 plans, here are a few places to start:

 1. Evaluate what you are currently doing.

2. Review all of your key messages.

3. Determine the objectives that you must achieve.

4. Examine what your competitors are currently doing.

5. Think like a content creator and figure out a way to publish more info in to the social mediasphere.

6. Put your plan in writing and revisit it several times before the year is over.

 When 2011 roles in, you should have a plan that you can focus on and stick to throughout the year.  It is understandable to make minor changes, but those that are successful generally stay disciplined and focused to reach their goals.

 Happy Early Planning!!!