1. Pull it all together
2. Update the company brochure
3. Regularly update the company web site
4. Agree and release press releases and articles
5. Organise product, people and client photo shoots
6. Produce emails, letters, advertising

and other marketing stuff, not least of which was having the time to update any of the social media sites.

What’s more he hadn’t got the time to bring someone in occasionally and ask them to do some web site copy, or the brochure or emails or anything else.

He couldn’t afford someone full-time and yet he knew he needed to do the marketing. The problem being that if he brought someone in they were only used occasionally and never really got to know his business.

You could tell he was immensely frustrated.

The frustrations mounted, even while getting business

And as he said it wasn’t all about buying a web site, yes he might get some people buying through it.

It wasn’t about tweeting the latest offers, although he was sure he’d get some business.

What it was all about was being able to integrate the lot into a more powerful way of using all the bits and bobs he had.

That meant every piece of marketing supported every other piece of marketing.

Dealing with the right avenues of marketing at the right time was frustrating

It was so that rather than having to deal with all the different marketing related companies such as a PR company, an advertising agency, a marketing company, a printing company, a social media agency, a graphic design company and Uncle Tom Cobbley he could just tell someone his vision of where he wanted to be with marketing and leave it to that one person to pull it all together. They would deal with the PR company, advertising agency, and everyone else whilst maintaining his strategic view of the company direction and marketing thrust.

In a large company that would be the sales and marketing director, or other such person. In the smaller companies (his turnover is about £1 to £2 million) they don’t exist and they wouldn’t even be affordable.

Marketing headache relief

And the solution as he saw it was to employ someone on a part-time basis who’d had marketing experience from social media to marketing strategy and had the ability to manage outside agencies and the ability to write web copy as well as direct mail.

A tall order we both agreed. Until it slowly dawned on both of us that I was that person!

So the new marketing action man is your truly!

So what now?

Luckily I already know his business so I can be productive from day one. First task is to see about an ecommerce site, where I’ll also ensure that the marketing elements we need are included at the design stage rather than an add-on after the fact.

What next?

I thought it was such a good idea that I want to offer it to other businesses who don’t want to pay the significant sums such as person would want if working full-time.

So if you’re interested in having an ex-programme director/marketing strategist/direct mail and email copywriter/blog writer and WordPress blog builder coordinating and implementing the marketing you want email me on marketing at acornservice.com

It could be a lot of fun and very profitable for both of us!

I know we’re all guilty of being deeply immersed in the doing of stuff that makes money. That means it can be terribly difficult to put time aside to work on your business.

You may be terribly busy, rushed off your feet, going from meeting to meeting. Or maybe simply making things happen so you can deliver your product or service to your customers.

And yet…

What if there’s a better way to achieve your customer sales?

What about if you could reduce the cost of the item you manufacture by 25%?

What if you discovered a better way to market your service?

What if you found a way to recruit the very best sales people?

What if there’s an informal way of doing things by one staff member that could be used by everyone which would massively improve sales, operations, marketing or brand recognition?

What if there was a better way of managing your own and staff time?

What if you found a way to get more attention and sales through social media?

Unless you allow yourself to think strategically about your business these sort of questions may drift to the top of your conscious mind from time to time. And unfortunately you’re too busy to give them the attention you know they deserve. And even then thinking tactically means you don’t always see the wood for trees.

Sound familiar?

Answering these questions strategically means that everything you do supports everything else you do. It means that you’re squeezing the last drop of effectiveness out of all you and your company does. So why don’t you do it.

Having been a business coach for a long time now and coached clients from Australia to Denmark, from the UK to Japan and points between it’s amazing what happens to a business that takes the time to really look at their business from a strategic viewpoint. Provided they use a good facilitator and coach to get to the real question.

So rather than asking the tactical question “how to we get more sales?” the strategic question could be “how do we get more sales from the following sectors: x, y, z, whilst positioning ourselves as experts, as friends of the community and supporters of business enterprise in the UK and Singapore and building close relationships with our prospects and clients?”

So do you have the time to think more strategically? Or do you waste the time you have by working harder and harder and pushing your people more and more?

Creative Credits aims to help Manchester SME businesses get creative input from other businesses registered on the Creative Credits gallery on their web site.

The way it works is as follows:

Creative Credits As A User

Initially eligible users register on the Creative Credits site. There is a deadline after which no more companies can register.

Then there is a lottery and a certain number of companies is awarded “Creative Credits.” What that means is that NESTA (the organisation funding this) will pay £4,000 of a £5,000 creative bill if the user uses one of the companies registered on the creative credits database.

What NESTA say on their web site is:

We’re inviting Manchester-based small businesses from all sectors to apply for ‘Creative Credits’ worth £4,000. These can be used to purchase services from a local creative firm. All we ask is an investment of at least £1,000 and we’ll top it up with £4,000.

The first wave of registrations has finished and the next wave will be February 2010. So remember to register.

Creative Credits As A Supplier

A web design agency, marketing coach, PR company, graphic designer or other sort of creative company registers on the Creative Credits site as a supplier of those services.

Then they wait to be approached by businesses who can browse the online gallery to choose a supplier to work with.

It does seem like a very good idea for businesses who would benefit from creative input but who really can’t justify the cost of a campaign yet.

And of course I’m registered as a supplier, see my creative credits gallery

Table of contents for H1N1 Swine Flu - 2009

1. Pandemic Virus = Business Loss

The Swine Flu Pandemic, also known as H1N1 is a virus.

As a virus it is thought to spread by those infected coughing or sneezing, others touching something with the H1N1 flu virus on it, then touching their eyes, mouth, or nose so the virus has access through the mucus membranes.

handle the pandemic wrongly and your business can effectively close down and in extreme cases cease trading.

Preventing H1N1 Swine Flu Spread Amongst Employees

1. Ensure sick workers stay at home
2. Continually remind workers about hygiene
3. Make sure everyone washes their hands
4. Make sure all
5. Get all handles, switches, chairs and desktops disinfected everyday
6. Don’t allow sharing of equipment: PCs, phones, staplers
7. Ideally have a shallow footbath of disinfectant at each external door so people can put the soles of their feet in the bath to remove virus brought in off the street
8. Stand more than 6 feet from someone who is infected
9. workers with lower immunity (asthma, eczema, reduced lung function problems, cardiac, pregnant women, diabetics and others) should be encouraged to work from home or have reduced public contact

Also the UK government has a short, useful pandemic checklist for business!

H1N1 Swine Flu Symptoms

Briefly the symptoms for H1N1 are a fever with a cough or sore throat. There can be other symptoms too. These can range from headaches, extreme tiredness, muscle aches and pains, sickness and diarrhoea.

The video, below, explains the detailed symptoms of H1N1 swine flu.

If An Employee Gets H1N1 Swine Flu

The best thing to do is to ask them to stay at home until they are symptom free, or have been off 7 days – whichever is longer.  The Centre For Disease Control has recommendations for dealing with sick people that may be useful reviewed.

In addition, according to the UK Government guidelines you should recommend they take medicines such as aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen and that they keep hydrated.

If the pandemic becomes virulent and more aggressive these drugs will be harder to find so it would be wise to suggest that your staff buy a packet a week over the next few weeks so they’ve enough in case everyone in the family contracts the illness.

Also, ensure that they know to have a 2 week stock of food in place, just in case.

Preventing H1N1 Infections With Face Masks And Respirators

As a virus is much smaller than a bacteria a normal surgical facemask is simply unable to act as an effective barrier to it.

The Centre For Disease Control recommends an N95 respirator for people who are caring for those who have the H1N1 virus – for example at home. So if you’ve key people it may be appropriate to suggest that if they need to look after someone in their home that they use such a respirator.

There are several respirators on the market, including:

These N95 respirators are not intended for “occupational use” and are only single use.

Also be aware that anyone with facial hair is unlikely to get protection when using one.

As time progresses I will continue to update this series on the H1N1 pandemic. If there’s any question you think I’ve not covered yet please leave me a comment.

The UK government has a business related H1N1 Pandemic handbook that also provides extra information, such as the safe wearing and disposal of masks and respirators.

Good health!

Now, we all know that there are not vast rafts of people dropping dead, or even becoming ill at the moment. Certainly nothing like the deaths there were in Mexico.

However, the experts are also aware of this and have still signalled that this is a pandemic.

”Now is the time to panic”, you think to yourself. After all if you run a business think about how many staff you’re going to be down when the pandemic really bites and employees start dropping like flies. So rather than letting the flu get in to do something about it now.

We don’t know whether this flu will cause people to die or not. However, it’s likely to mean that a significant proportion of your staff (possibly 25% or more) are going to be off work recovering from flu.

In a previous incarnation of the flu people in their 20s and 30s were the main victims so if this H1N1 virus does that the healthier parts of the population will be affected more severely than the older and younger people.

And before you get to complacent see this swine flu article that explains how on current projections and based on the WHO reported mortality rate of about 0.4 per cent and a not unusual infection of 10 million Brits you’d expect to see 40,000 people die. And in the preparedness video, below, you can watch experts tell you what you need to be doing personally, and how your business may be affected.

Plan For A Pandemic

You want your business to survive? Plan for a pandemic.

If it turns out to be nothing you’ve “wasted” a small amount of time planning for something that didn’t happen. If it does you’re planning to help you and your business survive.

Think about ways of removing contact between employees, suppliers and customers. That does sound draconian but it massively reduces the risk of infection for everyone: employees, suppliers and your customers. Publicise it and everyone will be happy you’re doing your best to prevent then getting the flu too

Explain The Pandemic

Do a home video to explain the pandemic to all the  your staff. Show them the video, use YouTube, videos like these, to make the points about protecting themselves.

Get Pandemic Protection

The Daily Mail (UK) had a useful article on face masks to help reduce the risk of infection. It turns out that the normal surgical masks you see are a complete waste of time. In fact their suggestion is that out of the masks they looked at only a respirator would be able to significantly reduce your risk of infection.

The video, above, explain some of the ways to ensure you reduce infection risk at home and in your business.

Work out how employees can work from home. How many you need to protect, which suppliers you can ask to simply deliver, or even drop ship, which customers you can deliver to without contact and what prospects you can convert without meeting, or minimising meetings, and your key employees.

Make Office Workers Homeworkers During A Pandemic

Identify staff who can work from home. Try and make almost every admin employee work from home. It needs management. It also needs setting up before its needed. Trying to set it up when a full blown pandemic is operating is going to be worse than useless as key staff will not be available.

1) Make sure they’ve broadband and access to your internal email and the admin systems they need

2) Provide a phone line for them. The best way to do this very cheaply is to use Skype and buy them a very cheap headset from one of the larger supermarkets.

3) Make sure that they all have a fully detailed contact list for each employee, supplier and customer and prospect as you don’t which employee may contract the virus.

Remember an emergency will reduce public transport and allowing your workforce to come into work may infect your other key employees and completely disrupt your business.

How A Pandemic Affects Your Sales Force

Salespeople are a business’ life force. Often sales people still need to meet others.

You must impress on these staff the importance of good hygiene and to ensure they wash hands, don’t visit public toilets, including supermarkets and restaurants and most of all only set-up and attend meetings with as few people as possible. Preferably make much more use of the phone to contact prospects and current clients.

Contracts still need signing, think about sending contracts by email and then having them signed and sent through the normal mail.

As one of the highest risk employees, because of their extended contact with other people, sales staff should be kept apart from your other staff. You need to institute a procedure now that will enable them to do their job by contacting and using other staff through the phone, Internet and email.

Shops Face More Exposure

If you’re in retail face the fact that you’re probably going to have to close so look at ways of ensuring your property is less of a target (such as signs saying “valuables removed during emergency”). Remember if you plan to shut down (as a last resort) take your valuables with you, and that includes contracts, orders and invoices, not just computer kit!

Make sure all your staff follow a hygiene routine when dealing with customers so that you’re not responsible for cross-infection and your employees are less at risk.

If you intend having one or two employees in to “caretake” the shop on a rota make sure that you have plans if the rota is disrupted by illness.

What About Banks During A Pandemic?

Banks are likely to be just as affected, possibly more with all their customer facing staff. That means there’s the possibility of branches having to close. Leaving you with little or no cash, unless you plan ahead.

So, again plan ahead and set-up extended payment terms with suppliers. Set-up cash payment with customers, or draw the money out as soon as its been deposited in your bank. That way you’ll remain liquid and able to pay bills.

Is This Pandemic Just A Storm in a Teacup?

Unfortunately we just don’t know/ In fact we wont know until much later this year. But to me it makes much more sense to plan now when you ahve everyone with brains still working and not worrying about sick or dying relatives.

Then if it happens you’re prepared your plan can swing into action. You, your employees and your business stand a much better chance of surviving, all because you planned!

Then, as I said before, if the pandemic isn’t as awful as some are saying it doesn’t matter – you were prepared, in case it was much worse.

This book is a must read for anyone who advertises right now, or wants to advertise, on or off the Internet.

In it Whitman shows exactly how to create websites, brochures ads, sales letters and more that actually have the best chance of selling.

The Life Force 8

The Lifeforce 8 looks to be an adaptation and extension of the famous Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. However, Drew Whitman explains how to use the lifeforce 8 to tap into “what makes humans tick.” Plug that into an ad and as he says people want to know more.

He also demonstrates the power of the lifeforce 8 by showing the increases in sales for books when their titles are changed to reflect one of the lifeforces.

The Nine Learned Human Wants

As Whitman notes people don’t just want the Lifeforce 8. So he shows 9 other needs researchers have identified. These are known as the Nine Learned Human Wants. These needs are strong but not as powerful as the Lifeforce 8.

The 17 Foundational  Principles of Consumer Psychology

Whitman lists each of the principles and explains how each one can be used in advertising. And not just how to use them but the research behind them and how they must be used to actually drive what you want to achieve.

Ad Agency Secrets

A great deal of research has been conducted into consumer psychology. And anyone with any sense needs to use the research. Often however, it’s ad agencies that know where to look, after all how many business people have the time to read beyond their own industry?

An example of the research is the use of typefaces, either in print or on the Internet. One author suggests that using the wrong type can “blow away three-quarters of our readers.”

In this as with much of the book Whitman pulls on research conducted decades ago. He also quotes research reported more recently so that he speaks authoritatively on the use of advertising on the Internet too.

For example do you know which font is best in printed work? Interestingly enough it’s not the font I use for printed documents. So I will be changing to the font that research demonstrates that content is better understood.

What about online fonts?

I’m glad you asked, yes Whitman has research for that too, plus the point size – his tip 12 point for normal readers and 14 if you’re targeting the more elderly.

Want to know the best way to set a photo in a printed advert, or what photo type is best? What about whether an advert size affects sales? How about ways to create “mental movies” to make your prospects pus the cash into your hand?

Yes, all of this comes out in Ca$hvertising.

Long Copy Vs Short Copy

And like a red rag to a bull Whitman grasps the horns of the eternal dilemma: short copy or long copy?

He shows that the right length of copy is the best length. And more often that not, it tends to be long copy. That is based on the hundreds of studies done to check and re-check. As he points out you may have written 8 pages worth of an ad but if someone is ready to buy after just reading the headline that’s great. Someone else may get half-way through and buy, another may get right to the end before they’re convinced.

In fact using long copy gives you the chance to speak to everyone, not just people who like short copy. And in case you thought that doesn’t apply to the Internet he explains that experiments have been conducted to show that long copy outperformed short copy on web sites too.

You Can Make Ads Sell Rather Than Suck

This book is like the Special Services arriving in the battle for better advertising for the beleaguered business owner. It’s going to help you win!

You owe it to yourself to grab it, devour it and really apply everything that Whitman lays out and put it into action in your business battle plan. So click below, get it from Amazon and then go and kick competitor butt!

If you’re not involved with Twitter or blogging it’s probably because you’re scared that the time you invest in getting interesting content together is actually a waste of time.

Twitter’s A Time Waster

So many people have denounced Twitter as simply navel gazing. Or they say they’re  completely uninterested in the fact that someone is making a cup of coffee, or is saying hello to everyone who follows them, or is going for a walk in the park.

That means they’re looking at it in the wrong way. Twitter is a relationship builder. It builds your profile for prospects and clients alike. It shows what you’re like when you deal with customers day after day.

Using Twitter properly is a definite advantage to business, check out my Twitter Action Guide for Business to see the tools you’ve got to help you.

Blogging Is A Dead-End

Maybe you’ve heard people say that blogging is a dead end, people run out of things to say. And anyway, “it’s impossible to make money through a blog.”

I make money through my blog, I know plenty of other people who make money from their blogs. And the important thing to remember is that a blog is really almost (but not quite) like a web site with content that’s continually changing. That changing content is the golden key to the Google front page ranking. Because Google likes fresh, relevant, content.

What’s Squidoo and HubSpot?

Are you aware of important social media sites like Tumblr, Squidoo or Hubspot? They’re all very much like blogs but use different terminology. However, they’re liked by Google and therefore your content can get good rankings, if used properly.

I Don’t Need The Internet

You’re right not everybody really needs the Internet. However, you can bet the number of people using Yellow Pages to find your product or service is dropping.

You can bet that even if you’re referred by word of mouth they’ll be able to check up on you on the Internet. If they dislike your site, or its content, that’s a referral you’ve lost.

If they’re referred again and they re-check your site and it’s still the same, they’re going to think nothing happens at your company. And they use Google to find another company.

Wouldn’t you rather be the company that hoovers up prospects disappointed by another company’s web site or lack of Internet presence?

Are You Missing The Point?

If you’re not taking advantage of these low cost ways of exploiting the Internet you’re guilty of not exploring and testing other ways to get new clients and to address previous and current clients.

Where To Start Social Marketing…

The best place to begin social marketing is to think strategy. You need to incorporate social marketing in your business. Do it half-heartedly and it’s totally pointless.

The other thing to bear in mind is that social marketing is evolving, you need to test what works for you. Incorporate it in your marketing arsenal and keep up to date.

That way you wont miss out on changes to how to use the Internet. Alternatively, of course, subscribe to this blog because I tend to be at the bleeding edge of marketing. Although I rarely advise my clients to go that far until I’m happy things are working.

Whatever you do remember that Peter Drucker said that in a cojpany there are really only two things that are important: Marketing and Innovation. And the Internet incorporates both!

Table of contents for Better Proposal Writing

1. 10 Questions To Create A Great Proposal
2. Proposal Teams – Who’s In Them?

The key questions to ask to produce a great proposal are as follows:

1. Where’s It Come From?
2. Are We In?
3. Who’s Involved?
4. What Do They Want?
5. What Do We Need?
6. How Can We Deliver?
7. Who Should Deliver?
8. When Do We Need to deliver
9. What Do We Deliver
10. Where Do We Deliver

Let me explain them a little further…

Where’s It Come From?

Where a Request for Information or Tender comes from is very important. If it comes from a journal such as OJEC in Europe it requires much more effort than if it comes from a current client who is not looking elsewhere for the work to be done and just wants a rundown of what is needed and the costs.

If it’s a response from a previous customer it may be treated differently to a current customer, or to a prospect you’ve been trying to deal with for years.

The source dictates how much resource and effort you need to put into the next 9 questions.

Are We In?

The very first question to ask is whether we actually want to commit our time and resources to answer the request for information (RFI) or reply to a tender. For example,if we lack industry knowledge that makes it impossible for us to deliver there’s no point in putting effort into responding.

Also, will the prospect meet with you if you’ve queries is an important point as there’s usually some questions that are best answered by face to face meetings.

It’s rare that one person in your company is responsible for making the “Are We In?” type of decision, so it’s best to have a meeting of all interested parties to decide. And if the decision is to go ahead the same group of people can answer many of the required questions.

If the decision is not to go ahead all that needs to be done is to document why, so the company can learn from the experience and also write a letter to the prospect thanking them and explaining why you’re not going to go further with the project.

And one thing to remember is that if the company you’re responding to dramatically changes their RFI or Tender request you may want to meet up again to see whether you wish to respond now.

In my next post I’ll write about who needs to be involved in replying to an Request for Information (RFI) or Tender.

And of course I just had to follow the David Ogilvy character!

There have been other cases of brand hijacking, fans writing further stories about Star Wars for example. And the Internet has made it easy to share your own stories based around other famous characters.

However, as I’ve said before the brand becomes what your fans/users/customers/clients want it to be. So you need to think long and hard before coming down on anyone who does "hijack" your brand. Because they may enhance it for you and even take it in new directions you weren’t even aware of.

And of course brand hijacking does matter, so it’s important that you keep abreast of new ways of working that could affect your business.

Currently it’s social media and Twitter. So if you’re in Film, TV or you’re writing books you need to reserve your names in Twitter before someone else uses them.

Registering Your Twitter Name

And you need to do it quick because people are registering a lot of different names, I suspect in the hope that they become valuable in the same way domain names have!

Names like Winston Churchill, Leonardo Da Vinci, Washington, Manchester even a Motorway (the M62) and try registering CarInsurance – yes, they’re all gone already.

There appear to be no country names available…

So whether Social media is here to stay or vanishes forever in a year’s time it’s important that you put a little effort into registering the names you want on Twitter (and on the other social media sites too).

Get my Free Guide to Setting up and using Twitter in business (before I revise it and start selling it!)

For example, "We want to grow our business and make 25% more profit next year."

That’s the wrong way to go about it. After all if you haven’t done some investigation how do you know whether your business can grow by 25% or 200%?

It would seem a shame not to grow 200% if you could by spending the same time and money you would growing by 25%.

Business Growth Requires Focus

Every business can improve the way they do business and deliver their products and services to their clients and services to the people inside their own firm.

All it takes is some commitment, a few goals to aim for and someone to keep you focused on those goals when business life just assumes a life of its own and keeps you working hard in it, rather than on it.

Improving a business easily falls by the wayside when there are "more important business issues" such as making payroll.

Business Growth Lacks Ego

The reason why people are wary about employing a mentor or business coach is for two reasons:

1. They’ve got their business going, it’s their baby and no one can know what they know or do what they do or offer advice that’s convincing or useful
2. They’re afraid that a mentor will uncover the skeletons in the closet and everyone will find out that the business isn’t as solid as they represent to the world

Both these views are understandable. However, don’t let them stop you from growing. Firstly you should choose a mentor you can trust. Secondly remember by avoiding coaching you you don’t know what your business is really capable of.

Business Growth Needs Help

You may really know everything there is to know in your industry and you may be making the most profit in your industry and you may be best business in your industry.

However, what if a mentor could improve your business massively simply by getting you to focus on what you need to do to grow your business by 200%? Because if you could already do it by yourself you would already have achieved  massive and continual growth by now.

What I’m saying is you need to make a New Year’s resolution to get someone from outside your company to help you build your business. Someone who isn’t afraid to tell you they don’t agree, someone who’s willing to be a devil’s advocate and someone who really wants to help your business grow.

They don’t need to live next door to you as the phone and Skype have shrunk the globe as far as communications is concerned!

Certainly when I coach companies I find the biggest issue now is making sure that we know which time zones I and the client really mean and whether it’s summer time or not!