There’s an old joke  ”Stand back…  I am a weapon…  I know Karate, Kung Fu… and three other kool words that begin with K”.  Well this weeks blog is about those other three words.

KUNUNDRUM…

A week or so ago, I was teaching a class at the Forest Park Library on using Facebook, Twitter and Linked In to find a job.  The title of the presentation is “Social Networking Beats Not Working… or Dewd… Where’s My Gig?”. It’s kinda a take of of that Ashton Kutcher classic… “Dude, Where’s My Car?”.  The first question out of the box was “Why do you spell Dewd like that?”.  I said “It’s my own personal language…  kinda like BFF or LOL…  It’s just a thang”.

The kunundrum is that if you like the way things used to work…  ”Dewd you may be Screwed”.  In the old days (the last time most of these people had to look for a job), you would look in the Sunday paper, mail in a resume (yes… with a stamp) and call to apply.  Then things changed when Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com entered the jobs business. Now there are THOUSANDS of jobs boards like Dice (techie), Indeed (general), and The Ladders ($100K plus).

The other challenge is there can be as many as 600 people or more applying for the same job. That’s because people are so desperate for work, they will apply for anything (even jobs they have no experience or skills for). So how do you stand out from the crowd?  That’s where social media comes in. You can use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to do things like look for jobs, and use contacts to help you get your resume to the top of the pile… increasing your chances.

Another good Resource is organizations like KCDEE. Dee Reinhardt is constantly posting jobs on their Facebook page.  I also see friends posting openings and/or they lost a job to try to create a connection.

If you know any Library or organization that can benefit from my presentation “Social Networking Beats Not Working… or Dewd… Where’s My Gig?”, have them contact me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or visit our website.

KONTRACTOR…

I am a consultant,  a contractor, and a small business.  B2b Interactive Marketing, Inc. is a S-Corporation.  I have run businesses for over 30 years so all of the changing rules and job landscape comes natural.  Last year I was working on big projects that lasted months.  This year, it’s tougher…  I do dozens of small jobs…  network twice as hard to find more… and work twice as hard making 1/2 as much.   But that’s the economy, being self employed, and just the way it goes!

In this economy, companies are slow to hire (trying to do more with less) and create more temporary positions.  That means that you may find yourself as a contractor in a position that pays fairly well for a limited time.  This new reality can be a good stop gap and may be more the norm in the coming years… so you may have to get used to taking a short term job and continue to network and search for the next gig (that’s what I do as a small business).

The days of retiring with a gold watch are long gone. The average job lasts 3-5 years if you are lucky and most people finding jobs are temps and making significantly less than they did before (underemployed).  And a real contractor job (less than 40 hours a week) can be a real shock to people when they find out they are double taxed (covering both parts Social Security and MediCare).

I was talking with a friend who finally found a job after over a years worth of searching and networking and posting and trying…  huff, huff, huff! He has to drive all the way to Lincolnshire from the western burbs (3 hours a day).  It’s a contract position that is 40 hours a week (with no benefits, or 401k, and they are withholding taxes just like a full time position).

This new world of working as a contractor can be a great stop gap between jobs but can be shocking if you are not prepared come tax time.  If you are in this position, it makes sense to contact a good small business accountant.  I recommend either Dino Marnell (Marnell Financial) or David Boege (David Boege CPA).  It’s a good idea to make a plan so you are not caught between a rock and a hard place.

KOOKY… Bonus Video of the Week

My partners and friends Kizer & Bender posted a picture on their Facebook asking “Which is creepier…  Quzinos Sponge Monkeys or the Kittens” (another word that begins with K – Bonus)?

You Decide…

You’ve probably heard the joke that goes… A man goes to heaven  and says to God… “God, I had a wonderful life but how come you never let me win the Lottery?”.  God says “How come you never bought a ticket?”. The business equivalent of that is “How can I get more business?”. To which I answer “Why do you make it hard to give you more business?”. In no way shape or form am I trying to compare myself to God, but I have been compared to that obscure superhero ‘Captain Obvious’.

It amazes me how some business people call me and say ” I want to use Social Media to build my business”, but they have so many roadblocks in place, that using Social Media can actually do more harm than good.  It’s like having a sale that starts at 8am… and opening the doors at noon! How many customers you think are going to line up a second time?

Some think that Social Networking is going to act like a crystal ball that will magically reveal customers out in the universe… but the real goal of social media is first to create awareness and secondly to drive traffic to your website.  If you think social networking alone will generate sales you may have a better chance of annoying people, than convincing them to think of you when the need arises.  Your website should make it easy for people know what you do, trust you, and contact you.  You should also make sure your website drives people back to your social presence on-line.

Here are three main roadblocks that can make or break your ability to build your business on-line:

1) Look How Good We Are (Information Overload)

A website serves a purpose.  Sometimes businesses see that purpose as telling prospects anything about everything. Do you really want to take an advertised drug… after you hear the list of possible side effects that will render you useless or dead?  That’s how some websites feel.  I see (and reluctantly create) websites that have dozens (even hundreds) of pages. Some think that if they give you all this information then you will see how great and complete their business is.  It’s kind of like making someone read the instructions before they are allowed to buy a product.  Imagine what that would do to the ’10 Items or Less’ checkouts in the grocery store.

There is a time and place for detailed, or massive amounts of information, but more often then not your goal is to generate a phone call or email. Make your initial customer experience simple and point them to that goal.  You can always create sub-sections or micro sites for the more detailed information.

2) Are We There Yet? (Short Attention Span Theater)

Have you ever stood in front of a microwave counting the seconds?  Most people can’t remember heating up the oven and waiting 1/2 hour to eat a TV dinner.  Instant gratification is everywhere… and that’s what your customers expect.  Research shows that the average person will spend 2 minutes and 3 clicks on a website.

I see retailers who show all their products but you can’t purchase online or a non-profit who’s goal is donations and make it near impossible to find out how to give. Businesses assume that customers will get their message, but miss the opportunity to convert a visit to a prospect.

Sometimes, you just have to map it out for them.  Make the home page drive them to a page that most interests them.  Once on that page…  drive them to call, eMail, or fill out a form.  That may be all the interaction you get from them before they go back to the Google search bar.

3) Call Me (If you can find me?)

Time management experts say “Plan your day and set predetermined blocks of time for phone calls and eMails”.  Some people take this too far and feel they are too busy or important to be uber-accessible. Unless you are doing eCommerce, no website can ever make a sale.  It takes a human answering a phone call or an eMail.

Seriously… Do you like calling a business and getting… “Welcome to our 1 to 3 minute commercial.  Now we are going to make you listen to our main menu so you can choose who can help you decide how to give us your money.”  People are now eMailing more because it’s like a request receipt and it’s less effort than dialing a phone! Sometimes eMailing or filling out a contact form can be worse… especially if you take hours or days to respond.

The answer here is to answer the phone or eMail.  If you are too busy making money then hire a service to do it for you and have them transfer the ones most likely to produce income.  I don’t know about you, but one extra sale could pay for a service for months.

Final Thoughts…

I am not immune to any of this.  My website is in desperate need of an Extreme Makeover.  I’ve received feedback at a networking group where a potential client said that they are not sure how I can help their business.  I am constantly working on honing my marketing messages… but I always do my best to answer the phone (unless I am on another call) or answer eMails promptly.  You never get a second chance to make a good first impression… so make sure you have a clear vision of how people that make it to your website… make that phone call or eMails you.

Bonus Video of the Week…

Did you know there is a movie coming out about Facebook? Social Network… Well I know a lot of people don’t get Twitter…  So here is a parody that makes it even more confusing…  Enjoy!

Did you ever notice that you always find things in last place you look? Or as the song goes,  “Oh it only seems to go… that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”?  It’s been about an hour since our Comcast service inexplicably shut down. The only explanation there is an outage in your area… Really?

I know I’m just being ‘Captain Obvious’ here, but it’s really hard to run a company that develops websites with no Internet. So I’m utilizing this bastion of downtime to write my blog.

It’s just amazing how absolute dependent we’ve become on the Internet. We’ve lost our cable TV, the ability to surf websites, and even our VOIP phone lines. It wasn’t for our cell phones we would be completely cut off from the outside world… left to wallow in wonder as to what is happening. It’s like a drug…  We will pay $70 a month for high speed at home, $30 for each phone…  and you can really tell the JUNKIES…  they are the ones who pay another $60 a month for those laptop connect cards…  and they are so strung out from too many $8 frappe-latte-mocha-chinos sitting at Starbucks, that they twitch when pumping gas at the gas station because there is no FREE internet there!

Striving to save some money, last month we canceled our newspapers since we get most of our news off the internet anyways (and nowadays…  it’s just not news without having the ability to read the threads and comments on a breaking story… you just can’t do that in a paper).  That didn’t last a week!  We got a call from the Chicago Tribune bribing us to come back by offering the same service for dollar a week for 13 weeks with a $10 gift card upon our paid credit card subscription. Why?  They need readers to convince advertisers to keep spending money with them!

It’s kind of sad actually…  I know countless newspaper publishers, writers and staff who have either lost their jobs or are watching their friends pack things and having that long walk to the front door.  But just like T-Rex…  It doesn’t matter whether it was a meteor, global warming, the ice age, or viruszilla…  change is inevitable.

Some people see the lack of newspapers as a dumbing down of America. Less papers, smaller magazines means people are reading less. But fear not people…  there is tons more content being generated every day across the internet daily than ever produced when newspapers were at their peak (not that 1/2 is accurate and 1/4 of the other is not fit for human consumption). Go ahead…  check my facts…  they are completely made up!

About this point you are saying to yourself… “Self?  What’s the point?”. The way we are communicating is changing, evolving, and changing again every day!  Losing the internet for even an hour has made me appreciate (or realize) how addicted I am to on-line information.  Could you do your job without an internet connection?  Is reading the newspaper just once a day enough anymore? If you were in you car and it broke down, would you even think of dialing 411 to find help (at only $1.99 per minute)? When was the last time you looked at a phone book?  Whether you love it or hate it, the way we communicate has (and is) changing!

I have to admit…  there is something comfortable about walking down the driveway on Sunday morning and bringing in the Sunday paper.  Coffee taste better.  It feels like the out with the old week… and in with the new.  It’s a recap of last week and makes you look forward (especially the weather report for golf or your summer plans). And I still get a thrill of seeing what Best Buy has on sale this week (even though I have not stepped foot in one for years). Right after that…  I run up to my office to check my eMail and surf the internet…  but that’s just how I roll (when it’s working).

Bonus Video of the Week…

Just imagine if things were Bass-Ackwords…  This would be a commercial in our future!  Enjoy…

I knew I was in trouble when…  One of the participants of our speech said “I only need a cell phone to do two things… Let me answer calls and tell me the time.”.  That’s when you know that trying to teach a crowd of people about using Social Networking to promote their business is going to be a challenge!

But I Digress…

Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are friends and clients for over 20 years!  I met them when they were part of the marketing department at Ben Franklin Crafts headquartered in Carol Stream Illinois.  They were fixtures at my recording studio Sound Decisions creating, videos, audio tapes and music on hold systems.

Rich & Georganne are now highly sought after national speakers on retailing, marketing and more.  We connected again when they needed some help linking and expanding their own social networking accounts.  They had an idea…  Let’s team up together to combine their experience and knowledge with my technical and teaching skills to spread social networking to the masses (or at least very interested small to medium groups).

Fast forward to last week…

We pack up our gear and presentations to head to St. Louis MO to give a speech to a small group of regional Farm Implement dealers. We were part of a multi-day conference for these ladies & gents hoping to understand the ‘How’s and Why’s’ of this new wave of marketing tools.

Farms are not what they used to be.  Some farmers can now run GPS driven robotic tractors to man their fields.  The level of technology is approaching NASA & Sci-Fi level.  Yet selling and communicating to farmers may be as simple as putting an ad on a diner place mat, or driving out to each farm and talking. So you can see where the technological divide can look like the Grand Canyon.

On the trip down from Chicago to St. Louis, you can see corn & soybean farms spattered with large windmill farms (high tech meets low tech).  As we are driving along, Rich mentions that each one of those babies cost 2.3 million each (a google search from my IPhone confirms that).  Along the way we see some interesting and nostalgic sites…  small towns, gas stations selling Boones Farm for $2.50 a bottle, and an antique store with lots of large lawn ornaments (like a Lumber Jack dressed in Harley gear, a Martian Spaceship, and a Pink Elephant – more to come later on that). Needless to say, there is a lot of land between Chicago and St. Louis in that 5+ hour ride!

The Presentation…

Back to my first line…  It’s hard to get people to understand what this whole ‘Social Media’ thing means to business.  Rich and Geaorganne are experts on the various buying habits of Millennial’s, Gen, X, Gen Y, Boomer’s, LOMLOT’s (Lots of Money, Lots of Time). After lunch, we get into the task of helping those with computers, set-up Facebook, then Twitter accounts.  Getting them set-up is one thing…  getting them to understand how, when and why to use it is another!

It’s all about metrics.  If you do something and can measure the success or failure of your efforts, you can determine whether it was worth it and what to do next! That is the biggest challenge with any marketing…  How do ‘You’ define and measure success?  And our challenge was how do you convince people that something that is not part of their lifestyle (or even their vernacular) can make a TANGIBLE difference in their business?   We did our best and at least a few of them are following our Tweets and making the most of this experience.

The Presentation – Part Deux…

Less than a week later we were at it again.  This time it was for a national convention – CHA or the Craft & Hobby Association.  This was a room full of craft & scrap-booking store owners who were hungry to learn.  The skill level ranged from people who maybe knew how to turn on a computer to those who came up afterwards asking for advanced programming advice.  This group was much more connected.  Most of them already had Facebook and Twitter accounts but needed to find a way to differentiate personal from business!

Rich & Georganne worked their magic again and I was left with the technical side of things.  The thing that I walked away with from both speeches is that you not only have to know the how to do, but the why, when and how to measure success.

My take away for you in this post is… If you are new or seasoned in the ways of Social Media, you have to be willing to make a plan, execute it, measure success…  and try again!  It’s the ultimate in Ready, Fire, Aim! Things are changing so fast (even menus in Facebook and Twitter were different in less than a week), you have to be ready to adapt, continue to learn, and have a deep desire engage with fans, likers, clients and customers!

Damn That’s a Big Bike… The Road Less Traveled

On our Way down to St. Louis, heading I-55, we passed this unique antique store that had a large collection of big things in their lawn.  Rich said, “We have to stop by on our way back”… and that we did.  We had to take an exit and weave our way on what we later found out was “Historic Route 66″.  Although the store was closed, people where hanging out in back and very friendly…  including the girl running the ‘Tastee Freeze’ at the corner and the little girl on her bike. We learned a little history, and got some Tastee Malted Milk Shakes (yum).

In-between we marveled and took pictures of these huge lawn ornaments!  My take-away from this is sometimes you have to do something big to make people stand up and take notice.  As you are driving 65 MPH (or 75) past all that corn, soybean and small towns, this site really caught our attention.

When it comes to Social (or personal) Networking, you have to do something to stand out every once in a while.  If all your neighbors had lawn ornaments that size it would have no effect as you drive down the highway. Even the windmill farms lost their luster after the first 10 or so.  It was the randomness combined with the uniqueness that made us stop and get an up close look!  Keep that in mind as you try to break through the chaff of a muddle of marketing messages!

Bonus Video of the Week

It looks like America is infatuated with roadside attractions and silly contests.  The next video pays homage to the aforementioned Roadside Attractions… Enjoy!

Bang Your Head….

Do you know the definition of insanity?  It’s “Doing the same thing over and over…  and expecting different results”.  It’s like banging you head against a wall and hoping the wall will move. In my day…  ’Head Bangers’ had a completely different connotation!  But in the marketing business, I see this all the time.  People say “It worked before so, I want to keep trying.”…  even as the landscape is changing right before their eyes…  they just can’t see it!

I get a lot of questions when I am giving speeches…  ”What is Twitter…  I don’t get it?”,  ”Who am I ever gonna make money with on Facebook?”, “Is LinkedIn the right answer for my business?”… But I finally realized they were asking a bigger question, “What is the difference between social networking and what I have done in the past?”.  This blog may give you some insight and why the changing marketing landscape is important to every business!

Traditional – Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing is the process of providing or sending out materials, with the hope that this will generate an eMail or phone call inquiry. Trade Shows, Telemarketing, and Cold Calling, are forms of outbound marketing also.  Printed Materials can include, letters, post cards, flyers, brochures, print ads, directory placements, even phone book listings. With the internet increasing in accessibility and growing in popularity, outbound marketing has a diminished value while increasing in cost.  Mailings generate about a 1-10% response rate and often takes multiple iterations to even begin to generate a response at all. At a cost of about 50¢ a piece (printing & postage), the average cost per qualified lead can cost around $350 each (most run $500 or more).

Mailings are a little more effective in the B2C (Business to Consumer) market based on the opt-in nature of this relationship (rewards memberships, frequent buyer programs, company branded credit cards, etc.).  B2b (Business to Business) has a much higher hill to climb to create a sense of trust and build credibility and relevance.

Newspapers and magazines have a declining readership (15-25% per year) and are decreasing in size (number of pages).  Yellow Pages (directories) are used 14% as compared to 86% who use the internet to find products and services. It’s the ability to find (plumber St. Charles IL) and the ability to do research (website, Angie’s List, Linked-In, etc.) that makes this the preferred method when looking for a trusted source.

Internet – Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is where the prospective consumer or client finds you, and then contacts you with either an eMail, phone call, fills out a form for more information, makes a purchase (in the case of eCommerce) or some combination of all of the above.

Websites are the most basic and primary source of inbound marketing.  When done correctly, it is probably the most effective tool in your arsenal.  It should have your contact information as prominent as possible (promoting that phone call or eMail) or at least an obvious link to a contact us form (ask for a proposal or other request).

Social media is the purest form of an inbound tool.  Blogs, podcasts, videos and networks like Twitter, Linked-In and Facebook, when effectively used, often direct people back to your website or landing pages, and drive people to interact with your business.

The other benefit of social media is, you have many ways to track the effectiveness through Analytics, url shorteners, web logs, and even social networking built in or third party measurement tools.

Inbound marketing is not only more cost effective than outbound marketing, but based on the proliferation of internet connected devices (smart phones, IPads, netbooks, laptops & more), and faster internet speeds (4g networks are as fast or faster than your home internet), we are experiencing a revolution in communication, connectedness, and community.

Relational Marketing

Traditional advertising is a one to many relationship.  You send out 1000 post cards and hope 10-100 get returned.  Relational Marketing is more of a one-to-one relationship. People contact you and you respond.

Just because you post a blog (one to many) it’s still relational (unless you turn off comments).  You have to be prepared to answer comments, respond to direct messages, even answer eMails and phone calls.

Instead of the advertisement (“We Make the Best Websites”, “Come to My Open House”, “Rated Best Gyro in 6 Counties”), you create a bond by generating or repurposing interesting content (“16 Social Networking Tools that Work”, “What’s Happened to the Housing Market”, “Fast Food Fun Facts”).

The goal here is to create an impression… Not the “Make a good impression” impression…  a “Recognition that you exist and are relevant” impression. Even though not every blog will be read, every eMail will be opened, or every Facebook post commented on, you are still being seen.  Hopefully, when someone needs your product or service, you will be in the forefront of their thinking for a phone call, eMail or maybe even a recommendation to a friend in need.  All of this is built on repetition, recognition, and most importantly, trust!

Bonus Video of the Week…

A couple of weeks ago, Kim, myself and the Bursh’s (friends of ours) went to see Proco Harem and Jethro Tull at Ravinia.   Granted they could not move around the stage as I remembered them but it was great all the same.

There were people with t-shirts from the 70′s and just a nice bunch of people reliving their past and having a great time (along with wine, cheese and some outstanding music). Being a “Rock Star” (Dough!) …  I can appreciate ‘Old Head Bangers’…  but these guys in the video have taken it to a new level!

Enjoy