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Dust Off Your Company Mission Statement

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ben-and-jerry-mission-statement

Courtesy of Ben and Jerry’s

Before a company establishes a blog, it’s important to determine its goals. Maybe it’s to drive sales or strengthen a brand; or, perhaps it’s to become an influencer in a category or sector. Either way, a blog has goals just like program strategy has goals.

If you own or work at a company, having business goals are also critical. Everything implemented throughout the company is in alignment with business goals.

What of a company mission statement?

No matter the size of your team, if you’re a small-to-medium business (SMB), then you need to think strategically about your company’s purpose. What is the philosophy you’ll guide your teams with? With whom are you engaging and in what location? Do you have a product or service you want to particularly focus on that should be added to your mission statement?

I honed in on the word “mission” in a story by Crain’s Chicago Business when I saw the viral video by the Chicago Music Exchange called “100 Riffs.” The owner of the Chicago Music Exchange asked its employees to create viral video (I think you can only create video with the hopes of it going viral, really).

The video of 100 riffs on the history of rock in one take did go viral and is still being viewed on YouTube. The campaign was submitted to Crain’s Chicago Business and was featured in a story. The owner of the Chicago Music Exchange said the video aligned with its mission, was perfect for customers, and showcased the very essence of the Chicago retailer of music equipment.

In the Jan. 28, 2013 issue of Advertising Age, a story “How the usually dry annual report has become brands’ secret marketing weapon,” detailed how a bland annual report took the 2012 Cannes International Festival of Creativity by storm.

Austria Solar submitted what looked to be a completely blank white book as its annual report. The pages were solid white with no ink…until someone took the book outside and exposed it to solar rays. The sun’s rays reacted with the specially treated paper to bring the words inside to light, literally.

Here’s the hitch…the article stated, “While it could have come across as gimmicky, it was a solid concept that conveyed the company’s mission in a single, startling moment.”

Think about that a sec…here is a reporter making the connection from a highly creative annual report the likes no juror at this international competition has ever seen to the company’s mission. When do reporters draw that bridge? When something so extremely innovative makes someone connect the dots to the company that launched it. Fabulous, eh?

We can draw the same correlation to the Chicago Music Exchange video, too. It asked the staff to develop something that showed customers its equipment, talent, knowledge, and love for music  — all part of the mission.

We rarely see mission statements of companies; they’re oft hidden on websites or buried deep in a dusty file cabinet. Every so often, pull your mission statement off the shelf and see if your company is adhering to that original intent, philosophy, and strategy with highly creative products, services and actions.

 

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PR Strategy For Business: The Company Launch

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News crew setting up to report on the floods (Photo credit: max_wedge)

Economics and economies are contributing to the start-up and along with the great idea to launch a company comes the need for solid public relations counsel to strategize about the best way to distribute news.

Gone are the days when launching the company was straightforward. What we used to do was develop a media list, write a press release and get it approved, and then start pitching media one by one with phone calls, followed by executive interviews, and stories that appeared in media outlets.

I’m not going to say that was easy, but it certainly pales in comparison to what we do today (she said with excitement!).

Blending Traditional With Digital

Launching a company today requires in-depth strategy and a healthy regard for the social media sphere.

When a start-up is launching a company website at the same time it’s trying to establish a brand and reputation, there are elements to activate that enable a one-two punch in logical sequence.

A website with language by copywriters and marketers needs to launch with the appropriate optimization and back-end analytics tools.

Meanwhile, a should be orchestrated from which a few news releases and fact sheets are created.

The media list is trickier these days. Media outlets have fewer reporters on staff and also fewer print editions. Many publications are strictly online which means the lead time for publishing the news (especially if it’s hard news with a time element) is zilch. If an editor likes a story, he can clear a blank web page and run it! Funny, but true; you get the idea of the immediacy of the news cycle.

What that means is the PR team has to button up and think about every news angle, its impact on the company, how it should be communicated, and when. Please read this sentence twice; it is that important for your business’s success.

Factors To Consider

  • Should the news go on the wire, just online or both?
  • Should social media channels post the news same day and repeat it or wait?
  • Which social media channel should be regarded as primary for corporate news; how about consumer news?
  • Should bloggers be pitched? How about important journalists? Should you pitch them online via Twitter or traditionally via phone and email?
  • Do you want to field requests for interviews that are inbound or do you want to be aggressive and pitch and earn the hits?
  • Is your spokesperson trained using the message map? Is there a Q&A developed so spokespeople are prepared and not blindsided?
  • Has the PR team created a media brief of reporters who call requesting an interview?
  • When should a blog post news of a launch? Before or after a news release?

And, there is so much more.

The primary takeaway is not to confuse you, Ms. or Mr. Business; it’s to encourage you to hire a qualified public relations strategist with media relations expertise. Have no fear…

 

 

 

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Does Your Business Give Holiday Gifts?

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Please Send Me Lou Malnati's

Every year during the holiday season, I strive to send thoughtful gifts to all my clients. And, it gets tougher each year not to spend a fortune while being thoughtful. Gifts can be to employees, clients, bosses, or vendors/contractors. There are so many ways to acknowledge your business partners; while it doesn’t have to happen during the holidays; it’s the time of year for me when I do it.

The Internal Revenue Service only allows $25/gift as a deduction. At the end of the day, it’s because of your clients that you actually have any income, so staying within that paltry limit is not feasible or generous.

For my clients with whom I’ve had a long-term relationship (average 8-10 years), I spend about $100. I begin shopping months in advance, and when something strikes me in a catalogue, I tear out the sheet and keep the page until it’s time to send a gift.  (I also send a referral thank you gift to peeps who send me prospects who become paying clients.)

I like to send the deliveries to arrive any time in December so people can enjoy the foodstuffs or flowers or something prior to leaving on holiday.

This year, I’m torn about what to gift my clients. I’m looking at:

  • Heifer International – I can purchase a few chickens or a lamb or even a quarter sheep or cow so people in underprivileged regions in South America can use the animals for their livelihood.
  • Wolfermann’s – I gave these astonishing muffins last year, and everyone snarfed. For families and larger offices, this is perfect.
  • Coffee, wine and cheese – I always look at these types of baskets, but I have to say, I received one once, and it was done up so prettily with a lot of empty colored boxes and tape. The items inside were cheesy.
  • Fruit from Harry and David – In the past I’ve ordered these (Fruit of the Month), but I was disappointed because the fruit didn’t match the order form. They were forever switching out the really good fruits for pears.
  • Kiva – I have been on the receiving end of Kiva, and what a great gift. You put money into micro-loans around the world, and the business owner slowly pays back the money with interest and you reloan the money. I have probably financed 10 business owners across the world. It’s a really cool service.
  •  Personal items – If you really know your client well, you can get a little more personal. I know one of my colleagues loves good tequila. She is also a fanatic for Himalayan salt. So, I found Himalayan salt tequila shot glasses; she thought they were candle holders and when I told her what they were, she nearly dropped the phone in excitement! That was worth it!

What do you gift your clients? Anyone have any good ideas, please?

 

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Fixing The Social Media Plateau

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Pinterest featue in Metro - 27th February 2012

Pinterest featue in Metro - 27th February 2012 (Photo credit: Great British Chefs)

There’s a social cultural shift on the ‘sphere and the ‘webz; have you felt it? More’s the question…are you experiencing a social media sea change plateau yourself?

Many in my community have been on this social engagement and blogging journey for an average of 18 months. For me, it’s almost four years.

When you look at that timeframe doing almost the same thing day in and day out, it’s time to grow or die.

The signs below may be an indication it’s time to step up your game, take it to the next level, and grow or remain complacent. See if these strike a chord and whether you might add a few of your own:

10 Indications You’ve Hit a Social Media Plateau

1. Learning new things becomes more rare; another 20 ways to use Pinterest blog post isn’t providing new insight over what you know now.

2. Your favorite bloggers seem to be echoing the chamber more frequently, and there’s a reason you’re spotting that — you’re ready to grow because you know.

3. Posting wit and banter on the channels is more of a chore and you find yourself sharing posts without reading to keep your Klout score up.

4. Facebook’s continued alterations and altercations have you yawning as you realize other channels may be a better fit.

5. You read some of the posts and shake your head at the nonsense.

6. When you find a new blogger with some awesome content and you write a comment saying so and get crickets in response.

7. When you see a favorite blogger MIA or changing it up so drastically you can’t follow whose writing you’re reading.

8. When whining becomes more the rant and a feeling of morose amplifies emotions in posts.

9. When the Triberr stream is populated with content that boils down to limited scope, repetition and topics you’ve seen already a dozen times.

10. When the road ahead is a question mark.

How To Fix The Social Media Plateau

Not saying you need to feel all of these or any, but when you begin to question your purpose and experience a few of those listed above, consider these possible solutions to fix The  Social Media Plateau:

1. Take a hiatus and refocus on your core business. You’ll buy back tons of time; yet, your social brand will suffer.

2. Reduce the time spent on the channels that don’t return much to you. That way, you’re not spread as thin.

3. Guest post on national blogs or other more high-traffic blogs (only after you engage and make a connection with the bloggers’ community, of course).

4. Tackle a whole new area, which can be any or all of the following — web design, analytics/big data, content marketing and lead gen, podcasting, webinars, passive income, affiliate marketing, speaking, e-books/books, and, and, and…

OMYGOSH…look at #4 — there’s my laundry list to push the envelope and avoid a social media plateau! What about you? Did any of that tickle the pink?

 

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When A Black Cloud Hits Your Business Psyche

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English: Managing emotions - Identifying feelings

English: Managing emotions - Identifying feelings (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ever look at the sky and see the black clouds roiling and churning up dismal and bleak sense of unbalance? Mother Nature has a way making that happen, and unfortunately, it happens to business owners, too.

When a black cloud of obstructionary (yep, coining) thoughts hits your business psyche, then everything is off balance until it’s not. This week, I’ve experienced that sense of forboding. Maybe it’s the time of year when there’s pressure to spend more money than you want on personal things and holidays. Perhaps it’s that constant feeling of playing catch up because there is never enough time to be the best social media buddy any more AND bring in the client work AND service it.

Perhaps it’s the fact that life happens and emotions get the best of us turning what was a solid pathway into a twisted, pot holed crevasse.

When all this kind of life happens and your business psyche are put at risk (because we all know a healthy mind, body and spirit make for an even healthier business), what are the things you do to take a turn for the better?

Here are 11 ways I try to deal with all things black cloud:

1. Cocoon and let the darkness slide in and around until it passes and the light comes on again. Don’t reach out to anyone unless it’s short conversations.

2. Stay away from topics on blogs that push buttons and don’t comment unless it’s neutral and positive.

3. Focus outward on others who need attention.

4. Belly laugh because it relieves stress immensely.

5. Eat comfort food like what I did for supper tonight — grilled cheese and tomato soup.

6. Hit the tennis court after working out the kinks on the treadmill and stretching to open the chakras.

7. Breathe in the nose deeply and slowly and breathe out the nose.

8. Watch mindless TV or read mindless books with no business connection.

9. Write a blog post to clear the head because bloggers are full of ideas and the mind becomes cluttered with topical tension.

10. Ask for a hug.

11. Call a friend and shed a few tears to detox.

Do you have certain things you do to ease tension and get your business back on track? When humans run businesses, it’s expected that human emotion can sometimes get in the way. It’s up to we as business owners to recognize the signs that emotion overdrive is hitting and put remedies in place to manage it.

 

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