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Scrolling through my newsfeed the other day I came across yet another 'Sponsored' post but this time I actually took the time to read it. This ad was offering me the chance to attend a free webinar that would tell me all about the pending changes that Facebook and Instagram were going throw at me. Why not, I thought so I signed my life away.
The webinar was run by Samantha English of Retail Marketing Academy and it lasted just shy of an hour. It was an interesting hour that I believe has helped me understand what it is to try and properly market a business on these mega social media platforms. I'm not going to share everything that was outlined in the webinar but these stats really stood out to me, so perhaps you will find it interesting too...
Seriously, that's massive! And the data that Facebook has on us is incredible, which means that businesses are able to drill down pretty far so they can speak to who they really need to. That's a good or slightly disturbing thing depending on how you feel about Big Brother etc. So, how did I feel after the webinar? It just reinforced to me that Facebook is where its at. You really don't need to spend much money on your marketing, you just need to spend it smartly. And Facebook, allows you to do that. Exciting (and challenging) times ahead I say. Until next time... Fx For anyone who really knows me, they know that I love to dance. Cranking up the tunes and bopping to the beat is a favourite past-time in our household; it helps banish bad moods and gives terrible days a happy ending.
When I heard about the early morning rave-ups that were taking place in Auckland's CBD I thought to myself, "that is so me!" but who can get to town that early in the morning when you've got two kidlets? And then a couple of months back a like-minded gentleman posted in the local community Facebook page that he was looking to start up something similar in the East Coast Bays... hooray! Alas, despite some pretty enthusiastic likes and comments his Browns Bay morning rave's failed to take off. But I just couldn't stop thinking about it; surely there were other local people out there who wanted to just dance their socks off and start their day with an endorphin rush. So I reached out and offered my assistance to try and get this thing off the ground. So, if you're into dancing but aren't into trying to follow steps (and feeling uncoordinated whilst doing so), check out Bounce! Morning Raves on Facebook and join the movement (pun intended). Wish us luck! Until next time... Fx It's been a while since I had managed to get out and visit two of my regular clients, sure I had been emailing them reasonably often but its just not the same as visiting the stores and chatting to them face-to-face. I am so glad I got out to both stores this week.
I didn't spend a lot of time on-site, just enough to wander around to see what's new and take note of anything that would make a good story for their websites and Facebook pages. It was also a good way to remind them that I'm still here in the background doing my thing, if they need me. My visit today was particularly good timing; one of the merchandisers was there and it meant I got the inside scoop on a promotion they are running, which I can now pass on to my client's customers without delay. Win/win! I have also got a 'To Do' list as long as my arm to get on with for both clients, which is satisfying. I enjoy having a plan and getting on with things. Until next time... Fx I've had two situations recently where a client was about head down a track that I thought was not such a great idea and I found myself in a tricky situation; do I tell them how bad their idea is, or do I try to make lemonade?
The first time I took the easy way out, I provided other ideas and encouraged them to think about their options instead of rushing in with the current "winner". It worked, but it almost didn't. I was discussing it with a friend of mine she said, "but this is why they've come to you, so you can tell them something isn't going to work. You should have told them how bad that idea was." She had a point but I didn't want to offend a client, I felt that in a roundabout way I had let them know the idea wasn't gold in my opinion. But should I have taken a stronger stance? What would I have done if they had decided to run with the original plan? Later on I found myself in a similar situation, where a client's enthusiasm for a bad idea put me in a spot of bother, I took more decisive action; I told them about the wasted opportunity if they continued down that track and gave them alternative ideas. I figured that if I presented things professionally, they would understand. And they did! It's hard trying to sidestep other people's ideas without upsetting them, but I have to trust my professional instincts and give the client alternative ideas. It's what I'm there for. Until next time... Fx Wowsers, that was a tough one.
Have you ever had a job that just doesn't seem to end; whether it be due to a 'to do' list that just keeps increasing, or because nothing seems to go right? I've just had one of those for both reasons. I've been pretty open about my feelings for WordPress, and before anyone gets offended that I have disparaged their favourite web platform, I can admit that it's my hang-up and not actually the fault of WordPress itself. I've just worked across a number of CMS options and this one doesn't make sense to me. Anyhoo, my most recent client came to me in tears late last year. She had been taken advantage of by several website designers/developers and had paid thousands for a site that she was desperately unhappy with, so much so that she didn't even want to tell potential clients that she had a site for them to view. This client had been let down and abandoned by everyone she had previously turned to, but she wanted to take another shot with me. No pressure! I set myself two goals; improve and refresh her website so the client could be proud of what she was offering, and I couldn't be another person to let her down professionally. There were countless emails and phone calls going back and fourth and there were times that I was tempted to say, "this is just a bit too much for me" but I didn't. Granted, the job took a bit longer than it should have - school holidays can be hard, yo! - but as long as I communicated with the client, she understood and continued to be patient. Long story short (too late!), the client called me yesterday with happiness in her voice. She had showed the new site to her teenage son and he had given her the seal of approval, he even said he would be willing to help her with photos and videos whereas before he wouldn't even look at what she had before. The client was overjoyed with how the site looked and showcased her services! She was excited about her business again and what 2017 might bring for her. And if that's not a happy ending, I don't know what is. Until next time.. Fx I've just returned from a very special morning. The Little Mister attends Glamorgan Kindergarten in Auckland. It's a wonderful early childhood centre; the teachers are supportive and friendly, the kids are energetic, creative and sweet. Glamorgan Kindy are celebrating their 40th birthday today, which is a major milestone. The teaching staff have been working with the little ones to come up with a lovely performance in English, Te Reo and Mandarin. It was a pleasure to watch them, with lots of little squee moments from me. We were then treated to a powerful and moving performance by the Glamorgan Primary School Kapa Haka group. These wonderful youngsters performed with passion beyond their years, and it got me quite emotional. For the grand finale, the Kindy unveiled a beautiful Maori carving that now hangs above their door. It is an exquisite piece of work crafted by a gifted carver (I'm sorry, I didn't catch his name but he was related to one of the teachers at the Kindergarten). Why am I telling you about this? Well, other than being especially proud of my Little Mister and my niece (who was in the Kapa Haka group), I was proud to be part of the celebration by sponsoring their special cake. A few weeks back I was talking to the Head Teacher and she was worried about the lack of cake, "you can't have a birthday party without a birthday cake!" And she's right. I told her to rest easy, I would get it sorted. And I did. Kia kaha Glamorgan Kindergarten, you're doing a wonderful job. Until next time... Fx  Seriously Frances, enough with the excuses! It's time to pull finger and do something with your site, so people don't think you've given up.
So here I am, proving to anyone who cares that I am still here, willing and able to get things done. I've got some jobs lined up for one of the newest members of the All Sorted family -Self Defense Northland - and the brief I've been given is that their business is about empowering women, not scaring them. It will be a nice brief to work on. I've also been asked about SEO and Google rankings for a new business. These guys were approached by a company promising the sky if they were willing to pay several thousand dollars! I was annoyed and disappointed on their behalf. I mean, anyone could get on the first page of Google if they had thousands to spend! But that's not the point, small businesses (especially new ones) don't tend to have that kind of money to spend. They need to be savvy with their marketing budget not spend it all in the first couple of months. I hope they will give me the chance to show them how a smaller budget can do wonderful things for their business. Okay, enough of my ranting, I have things to do. Until next time... Fx I saw a quote today that I just had to share with you, '"Great marketing is like flirting with a crush."
Some might think that's too simplistic but I think it is a neat little summary of the relationship between you and your potential clients. I, for one, like to be treated like the (reasonably) intelligent individual that I am. I also like my sense of humour to be appealed to. But that's just me. Just something to think about. Until next time... Fx A client found themselves with a big pile of end-of-lines, samples and damaged packaging items they'd been given by a friendly supplier. They wanted to let everyone know about it, without spending a bunch of money. You know how it goes.
When considering something like this, you've got to take a good look at the resources you've got to work with, in this case they had their website, Facebook page, a customer database and a tiny budget. My advice; use everything! Step 1. Create an effective banner for the website homepage Step 2. Create an email to send out to the database Step 3. Share email on Facebook (or if you'd prefer, create a Facebook specific post Step 4. Boost the Post on Facebook By 'Boosting the Post' you can choose a far smaller budget than if you were 'Promoting the Page' (in this case, we entered a daily budget of only $1.50). You can also specify a target market and the duration of the promotion. All of this took a couple of hours to get sorted, and within a day of the campaign starting some of the items sold out! If that's not success, I don't know what is. So if you've got something you want to "go loud" about but think you don't have the means to do it justice, just remember that an effective campaign can cost less than $20, Until next time... Fx Some companies really know how to create a big buzz about themselves which turns into big bucks... here are some tips on how you can try to replicate the results:
Until next time... Fx |
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