What does your Vision Statement and Mission Statement say about you?

Happy New Year!

For the last year, I’ve been working through the APR process – Accredited in Public Relations.  I’m nearly at the end of the journey. On January 10, if I pass the exam, (fingers crossed!), I’ll be able to add those nifty little letters after my name, “APR,” and life goes on. (UPDATE: Passed!)

A great benefit of the study course is that it’s filled in a lot of blanks in my PR and marketing knowledge base, concepts I didn’t pick up in either my liberal arts college career, or in the School of Freelancing Life.

This week, I studied the difference between a Vision Statement and a Mission Statement. These are key communication concepts that businesses can use in both their internal and external communications. You may think, “Only massive corporations like Apple or GM have vision statements.” But every business or organization, even a business of one, can benefit from thinking through and writing down a vision and mission statement.

Vision statements paint with a broad brush. They state a future goal, answering questions like, “Why does XYZ, Inc. exist?”   A vision statement spells out the future state of being of an organization.  It begins with the end in mind – like Microsoft’s famous, “A PC in every home.” That statement seemed wildly unrealistic in the early 80’s, but not now.

An effective vision statement should be emotional, and resonate with everyone in an organization, to help them feel energized and proud to be part of something much bigger than themselves.  Being able to contribute to a larger mission is more motivating in the long run than simply working toward financial gain.

Google’s vision is “to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”  UPS’s vision statement is, “Our goal is to synchronize the world of commerce by developing business solutions that create value and competitive advantages for our customers.” These are broad, overarching goals.

Mission statements are more common than vision statements, and strive to answer, “How are we different from our competitors?” and “What is our strategy for achieving our goals?” They change over time. Mission statements help people set priorities and goals, and provide a framework for an organization’s activities. For example, Kia Motors’ mission statement is “Provide high-quality, high-value vehicles at prices well below the competition.”  A local hospital system’s mission is, “To promote health, prevent illness and provide state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment, whenever and wherever we can best meet people’s individual and family needs.” It’s a waste of time and resources to engage in activities that don’t support your mission.

The difference between a mission statement and a vision statement is that a mission statement focuses on a company’s present state (“here’s what we do best”), while a vision statement focuses on a company’s ideal future (“here’s where we want to be”).

As we move into the fresh, unspoiled year ahead, set aside some time to think about your business’s value and mission statements, and how they can help guide your 2011 endeavors.  Personally, I’m working on the MOD values and mission, to help me stay focused on what we do best for our clients and our families. We can help you work through the process for your company, too.

Cheers~!

Kate
kate@mktondemand.com

Why your website needs video

Google is the most popular search engine in the world. YouTube is the second largest. A few years ago, Google purchased YouTube. Have you noticed lately that the top search results seem to always be videos?

If you haven’t thought about using video for content marketing, this is the time to do it. Consumers today are relying on mediums like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and smart phones to find out information about products and services before they buy.  But beware of producing video that’s just a commercial for your business. How many of you are fast forwarding through the commercials on your DVR? Consumers don’t want to see advertisements, they want to see stories or engaging education.

Think you have a story that could be viral on the web, but not quite sure you have it in your budget to do so? Thankfully, there are so many tools today that can allow your internal team to create your own videos. You can take video with a Flip camera or a webcam and edit it with programs that most of you already have on your computer like iMovie for Macs or Windows Movie Maker for PCs. With these programs, you can include images, PowerPoint presentations, transitions and perform your own editing. Other tools you may want to consider are a green screen to to create a blank canvas for your background and a product like ScreenFlow that captures or print screens the contents of your desktop.

These programs allow you to easily post a video on YouTube. Once it’s there, you can embed it anywhere – your website, your email campaign and even your Facebook page. If your video has something people want to share, you have a cost-effective marketing piece that also benefits your search engine ranking. In fact, videos have enabled sites with poor ranking to achieve first-page rankings. Forrester Research found that videos were 53 times more likely than traditional web pages to receive an organic first-page ranking. So remember, it’s important to optimize your video with a keyword-rich title, content, and descriptive meta data.

Worried about time constraints for this project? You can always leave the whole project to the pros or contract out pieces of the project, such as search engine optimization or editing.

We’ll see you in the movies.

Communications Best Practices for Schools::Do Facts Matter?

Do facts matter when you’re trying to change minds for school communications? Yes, but you need to use the right tools to get them across.

Ten tips toward a more effective community newsletter for your school district

In times of shrinking budgets, your community newsletter may be one of the first things on the chopping block. After all, who even reads the darn thing anymore? Plus, it takes a lot of work to put it together…and you certainly have other things to do.

Yet many of the school districts we work with are hearing from their communities that they have no idea what is going on in their schools…and they want to know. Maybe the local paper isn’t covering them so much any more…or negative news is the only thing they hear about.

We think community newsletters can be an incredibly effective way to build support for your schools — but only if they’re done right. Here are ten tips to help transform that limp and lifeless document into one that people will go our of their way to say THANKS for sending!

1. Know your audience. Chances are, 70-80% of your community does NOT currently have a child in your schools. Choose articles for your newsletter that have broad community interest, not just informational articles for parents.
2. Stop thinking like an educator. We know you want to explain things thoroughly, in lots of detail. There is a time and place for this, and it’s not in your newsletter. Your community wants brief, easy to read stories.
3. Use color. Sure, color LOOKS expensive, an you’re on a budget. But changes in printing technology mean that color is getting less expensive all the time – and you can usually do a color newsletter for almost the same price as black and white.
4. Have a plan in mind. Don’t just download random information onto people, tie your newsletter articles into your District’s strategic initiatives. What do you need – more volunteers, community partnerships, technology, fine arts support…design your newsletter with goals for what you want to communicate before putting one word on paper.
5. Don’t engage in “mosquito slapping.” Those pesky little issues and complaints need to be addressed, but probably not in your newsletter. Newsletters are big picture documents.
6. Be realistic. If you have serious issues facing your district, you need to talk about them. Even if you don’t have answers now, let your community know you care and are working towards a solution. And of course, ask for their help!
7. Pictures. Pictures are always what gets the most clicks on our email newsletters. A few great pictures go a long way.
8. Charts and graphs. Charts can be a powerful way to tell a story or explain trends over time. Use them.
9. Use a conversational tone. Writing should be accessible. Think of having a conversation with your community. Let your passion and excitement show!
10. Spelling and grammar. Mistakes will ruin your credibility quickly. Have several people go over your proof to catch any last minute mistakes.

Overwhelmed? Don’t worry. If you don’t have the resources to make it all happen, we can help. Check out our website mktondemand.com and click on the “for schools” tab to see some examples of community newsletters we do for districts who need some help in getting it all done!

Am I annoying you yet? How about now? Now?

We’ve had a number of conversations with clients lately that seem to go something like this: “But everyone is just inundated with email already…I don’t want to annoy anyone.”
Sound familiar? To start, I do think there’s a legitimate reason for concern. We all get more email than we know what to do with. We get highly annoying/offensive spam. Why should a legitimate business want to contribute to the clutter in everyone’s Inbox?

However, I’d be willing to bet that your business or organization isn’t annoying. I’ll bet your employees and products aren’t annoying either. In fact, I’m even willing to bet that your customers like your product, and WANT to do business with you.

It all goes back to knowing your customers and giving them what they want. As an example, let’s look through my own Inbox and see what’s happening, marketing-wise.

– Email from Land’s End. A 20% off sale. And free shipping! = YAY! I love Lands End. I feel like an insider. I’m getting something special just for giving them my email address.
– Email from some random organization that thinks I am a CFO. FAIL. Delete. Now I’m annoyed. Who sold them my email address? Grr. I don’t know you, you obviously don’t know me, and I don’t want your email. UNSUBSCRIBE.
– An email from an industry group. They’re selling webinars, but each day they also send a helpful tip, related to my business. Yay! I really want those webinars…but not today…SAVE.
– An email from a theatre nonprofit group offering ticket discounts. YAY! I love being reminded of fun things to do. SAVE.
– OOOH, dry cleaning coupons. I’m going to forward those to a friend of mine.

Bottom line, effective email marketing is more about connecting to customers, building positive word of mouth, and providing value than the “spray and pray” method. Done right, it builds relationships, builds value, and ultimately, customer loyalty.

Now, you’re going to have a few people who find any email from you annoying. That’s OK – they can have the option to opt-out of hearing from you. But don’t let a few naysayers discourage you from the 90% of your customers who will appreciate timely, relevant, professional, well-designed, FUN email from YOUR company.

The Keys to Sending Email Promotions People LOVE to get

Last month, we sent out an email promo for a local fine arts photographer – tonycasper.com. This promo got a 45% open rate, with 37% click-through to his website.  Pretty fine stats for any promotion, let alone an email one!

Tony Casper Email Promo

He’s a talented guy with a great product…but so are a lot of people. So what made his email promotion get such a great response?

1. It builds a relationship. We tend to think people are pretty savvy, and with a higher-dollar product like his, his customers don’t want to be hit over the head with big ugly “sale” signs and messaging.
2. It’s pretty. With his sophisticated clientele, the design of the email reflects the quality of his work. It’s why people would rather visit a high-end gallery than buy artwork off the back of a pick-up truck.
3. It tells a story. Who doesn’t love a good travelogue? The email tells the story of how the featured photo was created, giving you a taste of European travel.
4. It promises more. By providing an easy link to more beautiful photos, it invites clients to easily engage and explore the company website.
5. It goes to his fans. He’s spent time developing his list of customers and fans who’ve visited him at art shows.  The list of addresses is up to date and opt-in only.

Great email marketing isn’t just about design, volume, or technology.  It should be part of a well-thought-out marketing strategy that meshes with your business goals.  Want to learn more? Visit us at www.mktondemand.com.

“Truly absurd?” The case for marketing in public education

Public schools have intense budget pressures right now, and every penny has about ten different places it could be spent. So why should schools spend money on marketing, advertising and public relations?

Teach your old marketing dog new tricks with social media

Thanks to Erica Conway at C2 Graphics Productivity Solutions in Milwaukee for her wise insight on social media strategy:

Embrace New Technology While Staying Grounded in Strategy

Twitter, Facebook, Social Media, YouTube, LinkedIn, Meetups, Tweetups and all the other new media channels can be tantalizing….! Embrace the new channels as appropriate to your needs, but also hold on to your initial strategies. Keep all decisions about new media channels rooted in the strategic approach that guides your marketing, advertising and media buying decisions already.

Regional thought leaders in social media have emerged, offering training, advice, case study material, guidance and consulting, to help you integrate these new channels into your marketing mix.

A few thought leaders to watch:

Cd Vann, www.sohobiztube.com

Steve Glynn, www.spreenkler.com

Trivera owners Tom & Marjie Snyder, http://www.socialmediamilwaukee.com/recap.php

Kate Winckler
kate@mktondemand.com

Marketing On Demand LLC

How to make spiders love you

How to make spiders love you

 

This may give you the creeps…but if you’re responsible for marketing your company’s website, you need to know how to make yourself more attractive to spiders.

 

No need to run away screaming.  We’re not talking about the eight-legged inhabitants of basement corners.  These spiders, also called robots, are what search engines like Google and Yahoo, “send out” to “crawl” all over the internet, categorizing and ranking websites. 

 

If the spiders and robots like you, they reward you with high rankings in the search engines. 

 

So, why should the savvy marketing manager care about influencing robots and spiders?    

Your customers who know your name or your website address can find you without a problem.  But what about people at their computers, asking themselves…

 

            Where can I buy a new furnace in Oconomowoc?

            Who is the best financial planner in the Waukesha area?

            What banks are near my new house?

            How can I ship my motorcycle to South Dakota?

            What was the name of that great builder?

 

If your name doesn’t immediately come to mind, your customer will open up Google or Yahoo and see what comes up. Try it — put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes, and see what happens.

 

Google and Yahoo want to serve up sites that are fresh, up-to-date and relevant, so you keep coming back.  They display the sites that the spiders like the best, first.

 

If your website hasn’t been updated for years, or is all graphics and pictures, it doesn’t have any delicious text for the spiders to munch on, which makes you pretty much “invisible.” (aka, WAY down on the list for Google.)

 

The cure for invisibility: SEO  

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about arranging and adding to your website in order to make it more attractive to these spiders.  When spiders see your site, they tell their search engines (Google and Yahoo)  “Hey, this site has a lot going on — look here!” Robots and spiders love fresh, relevant, up-to-date content.

 

Where you want to be is high in the “organic” or “natural” listings. For an easy-to-understand explanation of organic vs. paid listings, click here.

 

The good news is that getting started with SEO is affordable for small businesses.  Usually, you DON’T need to redesign your entire website!  Good SEO can often be LESS expensive than traditional advertising, and can open up broader geographic markets.

Is it time to kill your yellow pages ad?

Is it time to kill your yellow pages ad? 

This morning, I unearthed yet another soggy, unwelcome phone book from the end of my driveway.  It went promptly into the recycling bin.  Which got me to thinking about all the businesses out there who spend big bucks to get their businesses listed there, and if yellow pages advertising is really a thing of the past.

Bill Gates seems to think so.  In a Microsoft address last spring, he predicted “Yellow Page usage among people, say, below 50, will drop to zero—or near zero—over the next five years.” Already, consumers under age 30 are least likely to look in the yellow pages for information.

Phone book advertising is something many of our clients struggle with.  With aggressive sales reps telling them “you HAVE to be there,” you may feel you need to spend a significant portion of your marketing budget on ads.  It’s an especially difficult choice in our area, where businesses are courted by at least three different directories (local, metro area, and county-wide.)  For businesses that have been buying ads for many years, it’s a scary thought to NOT be there.  So how do you decide?  Here are a few tips to help you re-evaluate your yellow pages strategy.

1. Know how your customers found you.  If you don’t want to ask, put a “special yellow pages only offer” in your ad.  When the customer asks for their discount, you’ll know where they found you.  When you get in the habit of asking your customers how they heard about you, you may be surprised to find that recommendations or other advertising sends more customers your way – which should lead you to enhance these marketing strategies instead.

2. Consider your demographics.  Yellow pages usage is strongly age-driven.  If your customers are mostly age 50+, you may want to continue your yellow pages advertising.  Under 35?  Work on that web strategy!

  

3. Consider going smaller.  If you feel you MUST be in the yellow pages, or you just can’t decide, go for the smallest possible listing plus an online directory, like yellowpages.com.

4. Pick the right book.  Take a look at your competitors in each book.  If there are 30 pages of home remodelers, for example, how are you going to stand out?  You’re not, unless you spend a LOT of money.  Consider a smaller book where your ad will actually get noticed.

5. Look at your overall marketing strategy.  With customers turning to the web for information first, there are many things you can do to make your business website appear higher in search engines, and to offer the content your customers want to make a buying decision.  New technology is making this easier and more affordable than ever before.

(if you need some ideas on how to have some fun with your old phone books, watch this YouTube Video! )