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on a mission … in Life, in Work and with People

Feb
12

The Only Constant is Change

Last week I moved into the TechDEC in Dublin, a new entrepreneurial center for tech-related companies.

My background is in tech writing and marketing, and I work with a lot of tech companies, so I look forward to becoming part of this new and growing community.

A couple unique features about this environment … nice offices and unique conference rooms, lunch and learns with a classroom in the kitchen, a think-tank room, a ‘sandbox’ for creative collaboration and offices with window. Give me a dose of daylight anytime.

The TechDEC has 31,000 feet to be exact, with about 6,000 square feet dedicated to the onsite Metro Data Center … which is how the TechDEC came to be along with the encouragement and support of the City of Dublin.

We are excited to host the broadcast of the TED 2012 Conference on March 1 from Long Beach, California. Guests to the TechDEC will watch a full day of TED talks on large screens throughout the space.

Stop by for a visit at 565 Metro Place South, Suite 300, Dublin, Ohio 43017.


Posted in Change, Collaboration, Written Impact | Tagged , , | Leave a comment
Jan
23

The Power of the Meetup

A friend and I started a new Meetup group, MovNat & Paleo Columbus.

We did this because we enjoy practicing natural movement along with traditional lifting in the gym.

We also eat Paleo — which, in a nutshell, is eating meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds with no gluten and no processed foods.

So our Meetup gathered for the second time recently. It is interesting to watch how quickly a group of 15 people who don’t know each other can gather and really enjoy themselves based on a common interest — in our case it is food and fitness.

In the Meetup, we share a few MovNat-inspired movements, practice, learn a traditional lift or fitness move (such as the pushup), practice more, talk about Paleo eating and enjoy tasting some Paleo food.

The Fit2Play gym owners, Jeff Turner and Ryan Callahan are kind enough to provide the gym space to us at no charge. Jeff teaches the gym movement skills and I share the MovNat-inspired information.

I am fascinated by the Meetup concept. There are more than 4,000 Meetups in our area (central Ohio) with every topic you can imagine … such as Tapping, Dining, Fitness, Crocheting, WordPress and much more.

A Meetup costs about $12-$20 a month for the organizer and the software is easy to use;  you build your group and communicate. Some Meetup organizers charge participants a fee — currently our Meetup is free.

From a Marketing perspective, this is pure genius. The Meetup software gives you the platform to communicate all the event details, sends out

automatic reminders and suggests Meetups you might enjoy based on your interests and location as identified in your profile. Meetup also sends evaluations after gatherings.

Organizers can post photos from events, load files and communicate directly with Meetup members by email or posting on the Meetup page.

Leading a Meetup is helping me to learn, stretch and grow in planning and communication. I am also researching food and fitness and figuring out how to share it well — I am enjoying the challenge. Best of all, I am meeting new people and they are (hopefully!) learning and growing as well.

Are you involved in Meetups? How do you like the concept?


Posted in Event Planning, Events, Exercise, Fitness, Marketing, Paleo, Planning, Written Impact | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment
Jan
18

Why a Discovery Session is Critical for Marketing Success

Last week I experienced one of the most productive meetings I can remember.

I am not being overly dramatic; it was an experience of being completely on the same page with a client in regard to their goals and designing a plan to meet those goals.

I know that I can serve them well and they will take ownership of their marketing strategy with my assistance. A marketer’s dream.

Our meeting was a kick-off Discovery session where they share information about their brand, and how they do business, and I listen so that I can help them put a marketing strategy in place to reach their target audience with new strategies.

Why was it such a great meeting?

Because they know their brand, their audience, their messaging and they are completely open to taking on some risk and exploring new ways to reach out in their market.

It was exciting. Their enthusiasm, candor and realism about their brand was refreshing. They know what they do well. They know how they differ from their competitors. They know what they want to achieve with marketing. Game on!

But they are also realistic about their weaknesses and more than willing to address those. Absolute candor about strengths and weaknesses is imperative for developing a marketing plan that will make a difference in your business.

Here are some questions I use with clients during the Discovery process:

  • What are some adjectives you would use to describe your brand?
  • What would your clients say about you? (If multiple audiences, break that out)
  • What do you do very well?
  • Where can you improve?
  • How do you currently reach your target audience? How is that working?
  • Are you comfortable exploring social media marketing? If so, let’s go deeper and identify the best tool for you.
  • What marketing tactics do you currently use?
  • What is your marketing budget?
  • What are your marketing goals? (Identify at least 3 key goals)
  • Can we speak with some clients for testimonials?
  • Let’s talk about your tagline, mission, vision. Is there clarity and consistency?
  • Let’s explore content ideas … visuals … who is managing the marketing process?
  • Where do you want to be a year from now with marketing?

Anything you would add to these questions? Whatever you do, don’t skip the Discovery process when working with marketing and creative teams. It is essential for us to get to know your brand intimately so we can serve you well.

 


Posted in Branding, Business Passion, Communication, Creativity, Entrepreneur, Marketing, Planning, Written Impact | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment
Jan
10

What Have You Done to Build Your Brand Today?

Sometimes small business owners look at Marketing as a task done separately from the rest of their business.

Oh contraire!

Marketing, or the building of your brand, occurs every day on many levels — with every action, word, meeting, email, phone call and event.

Review today’s brand building .. how did it go? Did you meet with new people? Did you post on social media? Catch up on your blog? Follow up on a referral? Finish a project?

Here are my 11 brand-building activities (in no particular order):

1. Networking

Have you met with anyone recently? Talked about your products and services? Being out there can be a challenge when work needs to get done in at your desk, but make a point of working this in every week, if not every day in some way.

2. Giving Back

Volunteer your time and talent creates goodwill for your brand; I do business with many people who I have met through volunteer endeavors and I enjoy working with clients who have similar values.

3. Social Media

Are you posting information about your company on your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube? Get in the newsfeed and do it regularly to build business leads over time.

4. Print

Submitting content to print publications, running ads (strategically), an occasional print newsletter (non-profits), creating a postcard for an event, writing and releasing a press release … these are effective brand-building practices.

5. Presentations

Do you give your time to share your expertise with organizations and at events? This helps build your credibility as an ‘expert’ and this supports your brand.

6. Events

Planning, attending, volunteering at and presenting at events gives you a chance to network, learn and grow — all important to continue to breathe life iinto your brand.

7. Collaborate

Gathering with competitors or collaborators to address a business or non-profit need can be extremely life-giving for your brand.

8. Mentor

Are you working with high school or college interns?  This has been a very fulfilling practice for me as a business owner and I believe it is a way of giving back to the world at large and keep in touch with how youth connect with brands.

9. Be There … In Person / On the Phone

Do you ever just stop in to say hello to a client? Or pick up the phone after working together for months via email? This is one of the best practices I know for keeping a strong and positive brand image with those you do business with.

10. Sponsor Something

Get your company name on something that matters to you. Count on positive impressions for taking this risk with your time and money.

11. Do Something Amazing

Every now and then, we have an opportunity to do something amazing that supports our brand … it may be personal or professional. There are no limits to this. Do you have an idea for a new company? A new product? Hiring an intern from Ireland? Collaborating with a competitor to serve an important cause in your life? Blogging on behalf of an organization you care about? Define your amazing.

What other practices help you build your brand?


Posted in Blogging, Branding, Business, Collaboration, Events | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment
Dec
30

Do This One Thing Now

Tell those truly special people in your life that they really matter to you and thank them for being there for you.

Do it now.

True, these are people who would be there for you anyway — whether you tell them this or not, but don’t let that stop you.

I know, I know … sometimes it’s hard to just-out-of-the-blue tell someone you are grateful for him or her — it might seem sissy, silly or trivial. But do it anyway.

Why?

Because nurturing a spirit of gratefulness will change you.

It will make you think about yourself differently.

It will humble you. It will make you happy and you will feel like giving more of yourself to others.

None of us get by very well in this world alone and every now and then we need to be reminded of this so we don’t get too full of ourselves.

Reminding ourselves of this innate need for others (as important as water and food in my book) with a few, heartfelt thank-yous is pretty simple and it doesn’t cost you a thing.

But the good feeling you’ll have afterward is worth a million bucks.

Here’s my truly-grateful cheat sheet to use as a starting point …

“Hey Joe, I had some downtime over the holidays and I was thinking about how lucky I am to have some great people in my life. You are one of those people who I am truly grateful to know. Thanks for being there when I need you man.”

You can do this. Let me know how it goes.  ~Lori

 


Posted in Communication, Inspiration, Written Impact, WrittenImpact Connections | Tagged , , | 1 Comment
Dec
27

Drawing Lines in the Sand

I am not one who makes New Year’s resolutions.

I am one who draws lines in the sand as needed throughout the year. This means that at certain points in my personal and work life, I determine that a change needs to be made and I work hard to make it happen.

So here’s what’s on my mind right now …

Read More. Blog More. This will happen in 2012 as Blog Coaches is off to a great start with our DEC blogging roundtable, but the brand needs more of my attention, care and feeding to help it grow.

Nurture the Lighter Side. I enjoy a Paleo-eating lifestyle, conventional exercise mixed with some natural movement called MovNat, so a friend and I are starting a new Meetup group in January for those who want to learn to eat whole foods and move well in the gym and outdoors. You are welcome to join us!

Simplify. I have a lot of Christmas decorations, and I only put up maybe a tenth of them. That gave me time to do other things, spend time with people and de-stress. I plan to carry this new minimalism into other areas of my life.

Give Methodically. I am all over the place with giving a little to many non-profits and I really need to focus my time, talent, treasure on a few organizations that are most important to me.

Join Strategically. I have been waffling about what Chamber of Commerce to join — Columbus or Dublin. I attended the Dublin Recognition Lunch and had a great time. Done. Dublin it is. And this is where I work, live and play.

Collaborate More. I have started working with folks who could be considered competitors. I even formed a marketing team for a non-profit client with the goal of saving 1000 lives thanks to the invitation from a non-profit president. Collaboration breeds excellence.

Breathe. Taking a break by unplugging is sometimes necessary. I received a thumbs-up from my family for taking a break from my work life this holiday season. I continue to work to maintain life/work balance.

In a magazine recently, I noticed a quotation that really stuck with me. “There is no can’t — only will or won’t.”

We can always do something nice for others. We can always focus on improving our work skills. We can  learn and grow in every aspect of our lives … if we are willing.

I WILL that for you and for me in 2012. Now let’s go and get it done.


Posted in BlogCoaches, Business Passion, Change, Creativity, Inspiration, MovNat, Paleo, Written Impact | Tagged , , | Leave a comment
Dec
19

Facebook Ads: Take Facebook One Step Further

Source: FacebookStudio.com

Guest post by writing talent Eric Schieve.

If you’re not seeing enough traffic through online advertising, or if you want to harness the true power of Facebook, Facebook Ads is a great way to raise even more awareness and increase conversion rate. Here’s why:

  • Facebook has all your customers’ demographic data, so it’s really easy to narrow down your advertising to your target audience. You can quickly and easily target consumers that are likely to be interested in your product just by the data they themselves share.
  • Facebook has over 800 million users, so it’s easy to find your audience where they already are.
  • Facebook ads can be programmed to direct users either to your website or to “Like” your Facebook page, so you can measure conversion and analytics to both places.

Types of Ads

  • Website Ads: Facebook ads which allow users to click through directly to your webpage.
  • Page Ads: Facebook ads that allow users to “Like” your Facebook page. This is preferred by many advertisers, as it sends the user directly to your page without leaving Facebook. Most consumers prefer not to leave Facebook once they’re logged in, and an ad linking directly to your page or a tab on your page prevents channel disruption (e.g. having to click through to a separate website outside of Facebook).
  • Page Post Ads: These ads allow your audience to see the better content on your page. Viewers can see likes, comments and share the post.
  • Sponsored Stories: These ads are almost like recommendations from friends. They show pages the users’ friends like and gives them a link to like the page as well.

Remember, your audience on Facebook is constantly evolving. So, you need to evolve with them. Facebook Ads are very easy to change – swapping copy and images out is an extremely simple process within Facebook’s dedicated ad page. This also makes testing ads to different demographics and with different messaging very simple.

Whatever ad you use, remember to change your graphics at least once a month! This will help keep your content fresh.

Budgeting: How much should I spend?
Normally the cost per click is between 1 to 3 dollars. With Facebook ads, you can really choose your own budget depending on the size of your target audience. Facebook will provide you with as much clickthrough and impression data as possible within the budget you set.

How do I know it works?
There are several ways to keep track of your ads. One is to keep an eye on your brand’s page. Are the number of “likes” increasing? Are you seeing more traffic and impressions overall?

Eric Schieve is an aspiring blogger from Columbus, Ohio who wrote social, web and digital copy for a large, local company and now works as a freelance writer. He’s passionate about three things: writing, social media, and football. Eric graduated from Ohio State in 2011. Follow Eric on Twitter @cbuseric.


Posted in Written Impact | 1 Comment
Nov
30

What Lady Ivy Taught Me About Customer Service

Over Thanksgiving break, I was thinking a lot about carrying around a spirit of gratefulness well beyond the turkey carving and holiday gift-giving.

One of the things I am truly grateful for in life is great customer service.

It makes that moment, that day, and in many ways my whole life a lot more enjoyable when people around me care about what they do and how they do it.

Those great customer service moments elevate ordinary people to extraordinary status.

They become super heros who I tell others about, spend my money with — and they also become my friends, business collaborators, partners and people whom I greatly admire and seek out whenever I can.

After Church on Sundays, Al and I like to go to Bob Evans for breakfast. We’re empty-nesters (most of the time) so we go often.

We think the food is pretty darn good there, but what makes this weekly habit particularly memorable is a server named Lady Ivy (yes, that is what her nametag says–and has she got style.) In fact, this extraordinary woman has made me look at customer service in a whole new way.

So thanks to Lady Ivy, here are a few customer service thoughts …

We Want to Feel Special

How does one do that? Remembering my name, remembering things particular to me, greeting me with a big smile and making sure my needs are met and more. It is that feeling that we should all create for our clients — that even if for just a moment, no one else in the world exists except for that one person you are serving at that moment.

We Want Things Made Right Without Excuses

Occasionally, and it is very rare, someone, somewhere makes a mistake on our order. But no worries, because Lady Ivy is all over it before you can butter your toast. I have an advocate, an evangelist, a woman on a mission to make sure my breakfast is perfect — without blame or negativity. Even if there is a hiccup somewhere in the bacon and egg system, I feel really good about my decision to eat there again and and again.

We Love it When We Get More Than We Expect

Wow, she offered to serve griledl pumpkin bread for me one day. I eat Paleo and gluten free, so I don’t usually eat any bread or grain at all even though I can eat it. But this … this, I just couldn’t resist giving it a try. It tasted like warm pumpkin pie and melted in my mouth. Going that extra mile really made an impact.

We Appreciate New Ways of Thinking

Well this is actually quite interesting because we are talking about breakfast here … but are we really? Creative thinking applies to any situation in business and in life. Maple syrup in our coffee? Grits instead of potatoes with a little butter or  maple syrup. Omelets loaded with fresh spinach and minus all the other stuff that I don’t want — and her list of creative ideas that build on the standard menu goes on.

While hubby and I often get the same basic entree (bacon and eggs), she knows us well enough to know that we like to mix it up a little — so she is always offering new ideas to enhance our experience and keep us coming back for more. We might even spend more money now than when we first started going there. I don’t know for sure — and I don’t care because I am so happy with my experience. If she can innovate with breakfast, I should be able to innovate with marketing.

Do you know someone who is a customer service stand out? How does it prompt you to look at serving others in a new way? ~Lori


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Nov
14

Social Media Club Columbus Talks Blogging

On Tue., Nov. 15th, I will be part of a blogging panel at the meeting/luncheon of the Social Media Club of Columbus.

If you are not familiar with this organization, you should check it out.

They are great about varying the speakers and topics and they deliver the latest social media info, including, but not limited to: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Geo-location, and Blogging.

They try to make it work with the day– 11:30-1 at the Main Library with a Panera lunch. Only $15 for lunch, presentation and the chance to spend time with 20-40 interesting people. So there is my plug for joining this organization — and it is real.

I finally figured out this WordPress SlideShare widget …so here is the presentation — and I will share some insights from BlogWorld recently.

One of the slides is entitled: ‘You are a Freakin’ Publisher’ and this statement came from Peter Shankman’s talk (Founder of HARO among other things) in which he reminded us that traditional media folks are beginning to take bloggers more seriously and that our voices matter.
Come on out on Tue., Nov. 15th and join us for lunch and blog talking. ~Lori

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Oct
31

Reflections After Two Years in Business

Written Impact just celebrated two years in business … and as I kick-off a new venture BlogCoaches, I thought it would be interesting to post a few reflections about my entrepreneurial journey.

  • Being an entrepreneur suits me — every time I think about going back to the corporate world, I break out in a cold sweat. So no matter how hard this is, it is right for me right now. Why? I thrive on the creativity, flexibility and the ability to serve a number of organizations in very different ways — but most importantly — in my own way.
  • Networking is the most crucial element of business — sure, social media is great online networking, but most of my work still comes from meeting with people, talking with people and allowing them to get to know me and how I do business. Not so revolutionary, but it is a good reminder to get out of the office on regular basis.
  • Change is the only constant – it goes without saying that a small business owner needs to be nimble and willing to innovate. What do my clients want and need? What skills do I bring? Where do I need to grow? Too much work or not enough work? Is this the right work for me? I suppose it would get boring if it everything all lined up nicely every day … hmmm.
  • I still love writing — there are certainly a lot of aspects to running a business: cultivating new business, planning, using social media, networking, finance, developing proposals, dealing with equipment/office issues … Writing (especially blogging) brings me back to why I started this business, fulfills my creative side and still brings me great joy.
  • Staff or Solo — have worked in both worlds and I find a lot of fun in each. Right now I am flying solo and it feels pretty good as long as I can maintain a decent life / work balance.
  • Still have a heart for the non-profit and small biz — a friend just asked me if I had moved on to larger companies. Nope. Still love the startup, the small, the non-profit mission, the beginning, the challenge, the hope … and the Great Possibility of It All. Looks like others like Leonardo DiCaprio do too.

What about you? Do you take time to reflect on your entrepreneurial journey occasionally?

 


Posted in Business, Business Passion, Networking, Written Impact, WrittenImpact Connections | Tagged , , | 2 Comments