Every startup and small business has a story to tell, something that
will connect potential customers to your brand. As a business leader in
the social media age, you have an opportunity to draw devoted customers
by rethinking the way you express your company’s core value.
Foodily, a new online recipe database, set out to brand themselves as the largest recipe aggregator on the web. But after hiring LoveSocial, a Vancouver-based social media agency, they realized that wasn't the story to tell.
Founder Azita Ardakani redefined Foodily's core value, saying
it gives you the opportunity to spend more time eating at home with
family and friends. On social media, she asked consumers to share their
favorite dinner table memories and what it means to them to eat at home.
"We saw a natural conversation erupting," she says.
What made Ardakani’s interpretation of Foodily's core value so much
more successful was that it created an opportunity for human connection.
"Human connectivity is the DNA of social media," Azita says.
Related: A Quick Guide to Making Your Brand's Story More Compelling
In order to engage customers, strive to create that emotional pull.
Try these three tips to articulate your core value and humanize your brand.
1. Expand your idea of value. To stand out in
today's market, define your value in human terms, not in business terms.
"[Companies] often look at their core value in direct correlation with
sales," Ardakani says. "That commercial carrot is very distracting to
who they are and who they could become."
Your real value is about what you believe in, what you’re trying to
do in the world, and how you make others’ lives better. "You need to
drill down to why you matter," Ardakani says.
You might ask: How is your product being created? What is your office
culture? You're looking for the thing that your organization truly
cares about -- an aspect of your business that makes you unique and
valuable to the world around you.
2. Establish common language. Your company's core
value is a bit like your vision -- everyone at your company needs to be
on the same page. "A CEO and employee might describe the company totally
differently," Ardakani says. "[Common language] creates internal
alignment about who you are."
Ask a handful of people in various ranks and roles to share five
adjectives they'd use to describe the company and two aspects of the
business that are unique or valuable. Look for themes or especially
strong responses, and synthesize them into a clearly defined
description.
Read more...
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Trending Stories Richard Branson on Business Ideas in the Growing Health-and-Wellness Industry Richard Branson on Business Ideas in the Growing Health-and-Wellness Industry What Your Desk Says About You What Your Desk Says About You Barbara Corcoran on Projecting a Big Image and Living Up to It Barbara Corcoran on Projecting a Big Image and Living Up to It (Video) Entrepreneur Daily Dose Blog How to Tell Your Company's Story
Thursday, January 24, 2013
7 Simple Steps to Creating Systems That Get You Big Business Results
Ok, maybe not complete fear BUT surely it sends you into procrastination mode!
I get that. It took me a long time to understand the challenges most people have with creating systems because for me it comes naturally.
I am that person who . . .
- has to start at one end of the grocery story and weave up and down every aisle crossing items off of my grocery list as I go.
- runs errands one day a week in a circular pattern. Yep, I look at where I need to go and I travel a route that begins at my house and logically ends at my house.
- realizes that driving across town to use a $2 off coupon is not wise. Gas alone costs more than that, not to mention the value of MY time!
Sometimes we make things a LOT harder than they need to be. I like SIMPLE without sacrificing effectiveness and efficiency.
Here are my steps to creating systems. Did I mention . . . you MUST have systems if you plan to get Big Business Results?
And the teacher in me hopes using the letters in PROCESS will help you remember the steps. Oh, and use them of course!
PLAN- Systems won’t happen by hoping. You have to plan to create systems.
RECORD- A good system begins by writing down what you do to complete a task. But since this is where the overwhelm comes in, please focus on creating systems for no more than 3 tasks at a time.
OBSERVE- Once you finish recording, I want you to use your notes the next time you complete the task. It would be even better if you can give your notes to someone else to use as a guide for completing the task.
CHANGE- Following your notes will help you catch things you may have overlooked and make changes to clarify what you have recorded.
EVALUATE- How do you know if a system is good unless you evaluate? Use your revised notes to examine the steps and how long it takes to complete them.
SIMPLIFY- Remember, a good system is efficient, effective and adaptable so now it’s time to make your process a simple as possible. We all do things in our business that are unnecessary, repetitive or overlapping. Find those areas and get rid of the junk.
SYSTEMIZE- Now you have clear accurate notes. Type them up, give it a title and wahla you have a system.
The BEST part about having a system is being able to pass your formal document off the a team member for completion with the confidence that it will get done the way YOU want it to be done.
THAT is how you get Big Business Results!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Jigsaw Box
You’re a coach, but are you really reaching all the people who could benefit from your gifts?
Are you able to help people no matter the time of day?
Do you make money while you’re spending time with your family?
Are you still spending way too much time trading time for money
Are you able to help people no matter the time of day?
Do you make money while you’re spending time with your family?
Are you still spending way too much time trading time for money
Sunday, October 14, 2012
World’s Largest Technology Distributor Recognizes Kal-Blue to its Inaugural Ingram Micro SMB 500 List
Oct. 11, 2012 – Kal-Blue has been named to the Ingram Micro SMB 500. Unveiled at the Ingram Micro 2012 “Turn the Tables” Fall SMB Invitational in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the inaugural list celebrates the top 500 fastest-growing Ingram Micro U.S. channel partners focused on small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Ranked at number 26, Kal-Blue grew its business with Ingram Micro by 635 percent between June 2009 and June 2012.
Developed in collaboration with Ingram Micro’s Business Intelligence Center and U.S. SMB Business Unit, as well as channel research services firm The 2112 Group, the Ingram Micro SMB 500 list was derived from the more than 20,000 U.S. solution providers and MSPs who work with Ingram Micro’s U.S. SMB Business Unit. Those channel partners named to the list demonstrated a consistent, average three-year growth rate of more than 200 percent. The list also takes into account select criteria such as company size, overall technology category revenue growth and innovation with SMB business engagements.
“Kal-Blue is honored to be included in the inaugural Ingram Micro SMB 500 list.” says Christopher (Kip) Young, President and CEO of Kal-Blue. Key factors in accomplishing this growth have been strategic diversification of software and services for data management and building information modeling (BIM) in the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. “Kal-Blue looks forward to building on the strong relationship we have established with Ingram Micro,” says Young.
“Technology plays a critical role in the overall growth, operational scale and continued sustainability of SMBs across the U.S.,” says Kirk Robinson, vice president and general manager, Commercial Markets Division, Ingram Micro U.S. “As one of this year’s top-ranked SMB channel partners, Kal-Blue has demonstrated its business strength and sent a clear message that serving the technology business needs of SMBs is a top priority. We congratulate Kal-Blue on this accolade and look forward to enabling their continued success in 2012 and beyond.”
The complete listing of the Ingram Micro SMB 500 can be found at www.im-smb.com/smb500 and www.channelnomics.com/smb500.
http://www.kalblue.com/
Thursday, October 11, 2012
How to get Certified as a Woman Owned Business
Tamara Schweitzer
May 12, 2010
How to Become a Certified Woman-Owned Business
Becoming certified as a Women Business Enterprise can help your company pursue new business opportunities.
iStock
So, you're a woman and you run a business. In the pool of privately-held small businesses in this country, being a women business owner actually has many advantages. Most public corporations as well as local, state, and federal government purchasing agencies have programs for allotting a certain percentage of business to women-owned companies. Getting certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) can make the difference between landing that business or not. However, the certification process is not without its challenges, and often times owners get discouraged during the process because they lack the proper guidance or misunderstand how the process works. The following is what you need to know should you decide that certification is to your benefit.
How to Become a Certified Women-Owned Business: Make Sure You Meet the Criteria
Before embarking on the certification process, it is important for business owners to understand that it is a major time investment. The requirements for submitting an application are very stringent and must be met completely. "A lot of people want to scream when they are going through it, but they always end up happy that they got certified," says Janet Harris-Lange, president of The National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC), which was the first private national certifier of women business enterprises when it formed in 1995.
Read on..
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
5 Ways Startups can Create More Email Leads
Email is a fantastic way to build goodwill with current and prospective customers.
With more people using email than any social network, it is essential for all new startups to take list building very seriously.
The question is this: how can startups create more email leads without becoming overly aggressive (a big turnoff) in their tactics?
Below I discuss 5 tested (and proven!) ways that startups can capture more emails without losing customer goodwill.
One great example of this in action can be found over at BidSketch (proposal creation software), where founder Ruben Gamez collects emails on his homepage for test-proposals:
The key with these integrations is incentive and trust.
Whether you’re pitching potentially game-changing software or simply some LOLcats, you’re offering needs to speak to people’s needs enough that it warrants an email sign-up.
Additionally, you must be considered trustworthy (and actually be trustworthy!) with your potential sign-ups.
This means being completely honest and transparent about what handing over their email means for them.
If you plan to include them in your newsletter after the sign-up, notify them. Many people will not object to this at all, but if you try to “sneak” them into something when all they wanted was to sign-up, you’ll create a lot of discontent (not to mention kill your credibility).
What exactly is a “resource” though, and why are they needed?
A resource would be an informative guide of some sort that explains to customers some aspect about your business or your industry. This allows customers to become more familiar with your product, why they need your product, and just what headache your product can solve.
The medium is up to you, as I’ve seen resources in all of the following formats:
This page has easily been one of our most utilized and most successful in creating new email leads, and it’s also a great way to position what our offering is about to curious prospective customers.
The thing about resource-style content is that it was made for promotion: while blog posts and regular articles are a great way to reach out to people (“Hey, thought you might like this recent piece we did on…”), you can get a lot of mileage out of a good set of resources.
One way to do this is to take an already existing resource and transfer it to a new medium for promotional purposes. Slideshows are pretty much the perfect platform for this.
Read more...
With more people using email than any social network, it is essential for all new startups to take list building very seriously.
The question is this: how can startups create more email leads without becoming overly aggressive (a big turnoff) in their tactics?
Below I discuss 5 tested (and proven!) ways that startups can capture more emails without losing customer goodwill.
1.) Integrate Email into Your Offering
Oftentimes, a startup’s homepage can be utilized to gather emails in a very natural way, such as taking the product or service for a test-drive.One great example of this in action can be found over at BidSketch (proposal creation software), where founder Ruben Gamez collects emails on his homepage for test-proposals:
Whether you’re pitching potentially game-changing software or simply some LOLcats, you’re offering needs to speak to people’s needs enough that it warrants an email sign-up.
Additionally, you must be considered trustworthy (and actually be trustworthy!) with your potential sign-ups.
This means being completely honest and transparent about what handing over their email means for them.
If you plan to include them in your newsletter after the sign-up, notify them. Many people will not object to this at all, but if you try to “sneak” them into something when all they wanted was to sign-up, you’ll create a lot of discontent (not to mention kill your credibility).
2.) Resources, Resources, Resources!
My apologies for the overly trite headline, but providing informative resources for your readers is an absolutely essential strategy for startups (in fact, I’d say it’s one of the top list building strategies available).What exactly is a “resource” though, and why are they needed?
A resource would be an informative guide of some sort that explains to customers some aspect about your business or your industry. This allows customers to become more familiar with your product, why they need your product, and just what headache your product can solve.
The medium is up to you, as I’ve seen resources in all of the following formats:
- e-Books
- Whitepapers
- Slideshows & presentations
- Videos & webinars
- MP3s
This page has easily been one of our most utilized and most successful in creating new email leads, and it’s also a great way to position what our offering is about to curious prospective customers.
3.) Promote Your Resources
This one is going to seem like a no-brainer, but when I dive in to exactly what I mean, I think you’ll start generating some great ideas.The thing about resource-style content is that it was made for promotion: while blog posts and regular articles are a great way to reach out to people (“Hey, thought you might like this recent piece we did on…”), you can get a lot of mileage out of a good set of resources.
One way to do this is to take an already existing resource and transfer it to a new medium for promotional purposes. Slideshows are pretty much the perfect platform for this.
Read more...
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