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Turn your small business into a BIG one : Easy to implement ideas
Feb 22, 2012 Written by Mellissah Smith
Marketing Eye has hit this point many times and each time we have done a situation analysis and made business decisions on where to go. Right now, we are in expansion mode with the US market firmly in our sights.
If you are in this position, think about what your Big Hairy Audacious Goal is and work out how realistic it is given your current resources and capabilities. Things to consider include;
Expand into new markets
But at the end of any relationship whether it is with a supplier, client, employee, friend or partner, is really the beginning of something new and exciting. It just sometimes takes people longer to get over the last relationship than needed.
Don't bag the tech geek in your office - you will need him! Marketers be warned!
Feb 21, 2012 Written by Mellissah SmithThe rise of the tech geek in the world of marketing has been fast and furious. In fact, they have become more important to marketing than marketers themselves. How the world has changed!
We had only one hour to spare on Saturday to put a costume together, so we headed to a costume shop and purchased a hat. Cheaper than renting it we decided.
Sometimes, they have insight that perhaps marketers do not. Mostly, they just like a particular colour, font style, identity mark or a way of doing things that may not quite be up with the times.
I was thinking... when you have stars in your eyes, anything is possible. In every aspect of your life, if you walk around with stars in your eyes, it opens the world to possibility beyond anything you could ever imagine. I know that this is contrary to what most people believe because when people are pronounced to have 'stars in their eyes' they seem to fall into the category of dreamers who are about to have a BIG fall.
The adrenelin of belief is contagious. If you believe that anything is possible, then it is. But there are a few things you need to do to make it real.
Of course, not everyone believes in this theory. There is the question as to whether successful dreamers are born or made. If you look at leaders in organisations, you have to look at whether it is nature or nurturing that makes them that way. Why are some people good at being leaders and others are not. I am of the opinion that it is a combination of both. There is a certain about of being 'born' with it and definately a bit of nurturing it through
The difference between a dreamer and a doer is profound. Successful entrepreneurs might have initially dreamt of success, but they will not stop there. The drive to accomplish necessary tasks to insure successful outcomes separates them from the dreamy class, which includes most people. Success is a goal that requires drive, determination, courage, fearlessness, planning, discipline, sacrifice and passion. It is not easy, or everyone would be successful.
What makes one opportunity succeed while another, even more promising idea, fails? It always comes down to the individual and their makeup. A few no's and the dreamer folds their tent. The successful entrepreneur recognizes no as a hurdle, not a deal closer. The opportunity to overcome the objection represented by the word no is an absolute necessity for any individual seeking success as an entrepreneur.
Dreamers take shortcuts. Dreamers make guesses. Dreamers defer tedious research. Dreamers hope somebody else will do the work for them. Dreamers cannot succeed. And, most unfortunately, many perfectly wonderful commercial opportunities are lost because of this dreamscape approach.
Successful entrepreneurs are always doers! They overcome the often seemingly endless obstacles placed in their path. The road to success is a curvy one, very seldom taking a linear approach. Doers find a way to hurdle each obstacle and move ahead in the process. Doers do not fear criticism, but see this as an opportunity to improve their business model. Doers are realists, no fantasy allowed.
Most importantly, doers are positive realists. Most dreamers are negative. Dreamers see hurdles as absolute barriers. Doers find a way, trying any legal, available strategy to achieve success.
What is the value of writing content? If content is king... how is this defined? When content is written well and tells a story or a message that people resonate with, it is KING. But what happens when it doesn't. When content falls prey to audience misconception or to a swing in favour because your opinion or comments differ from the opinions of your audience?
Olympic swimmer, Stephanie Rice, was innocently tweeting backwards and forwards to a friend and used a word that may be seen as deogratory to people who are homosexual, and all of a sudden she was 'on the nose'. Ousted. Gone.
In Kyle Sandilands latest rants, he said one thing that went a little too far, and all of a sudden, he too has fallen prey to the swing of the public and more importantly, the sponsors who subsidise his wages.
Content management, whether it is in the written form or through a media platform like radio, television, podcasts, webinars, youtube or any other media of this type, needs to be managed.
The written form for small businesses covers custom publishing, custom media, customer media, customer publishing, member media, private media, branded content, corporate media, corporate publishing, branded media, your website, your direct marketing campaigns, blogs, landing pages and more.
What is content marketing?Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action.
What content marketing is not... is it does not 'sell' in a direct manner. It is un-interrupted marketing. It provides knowledge and explanation driving customer and prospect loyalty.
This marketing blog is a clear example of how content can work for an organisation. It provides information on 'real life' small business operations whether it be how we work with customers, marketing, employees, mentors, finance or expansion. It travels through the daily grind of being an entrepreneur and dealing with real emotions that at times goes up and down according to how the week flows. It is often raw with experiences or up-beat with positivity. The marketing blog uses examples of people that I interact with in business and in life and it cover how your personal life influences your business life.
How can you improve your content marketing immediately?
"Develop case studies and put them online, write a blog, use mobile enabled web outreach with website landing pages, video, advanced search engine optimisation, digital content and be sure to measure through analytics the results. How long are people reading your content? What is more popular?
Hiring a professional writer or a journalist to help you develop content that is readable will be beneficial to any business who is choosing to produce high quality content.
IN TODAY'S COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT... IF YOU ARE NOT CONTENT MARKETING, YOU ARE NOT MARKETING. THINK ABOUT HOW YOU CAN DO THIS BETTER.
The latter... very easy for me as I am a seasoned professional on being hard on people when they need a kick up the bum or a little push in the right direction.
Then, today, my mentor rung me. Not to give me a kick up the bum, but to ask me how I am going. As I explained the latest developments in my business and a little update on my personal life, I was able to hear out loud what my dreams are for my business and how I planned to execute them. I couldn't very well just give him an overarching view like I can with my employees. He wanted to know exactly how I am going to make it happen. Am I going to enough meetings with the right people? Have I done enough research? Is it financially viable? Have I run it past some other people we mutually know that are very smart in business? What do I want the outcome to be? Do I realise how much work is involved?
Since light travels faster than sound, you are always seen before you are heard. It's the quick impression someone has of you that can be the lasting one.
A marriage proposal on Valentine's Day... I can't believe it!
Feb 16, 2012 Written by Mellissah Smith
The arrows signify desires and emotions of love, and Cupid aims those arrows at Gods and Humans, causing them to fall deeply in love. Cupid has always played a role in the celebrations of love and lovers. In ancient Greece he was known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
Today is Valentine's Day. It's a day that holds so much expectation for so many people around the world, particularly those who are young. It's a day that every girl/woman wants someone (anyone) to say to them they are special... usually in the form of a card, roses or a gift. The day is so full of expectations, that I am sure many people end up not savouring the day and enjoying it for what it is, but instead having disagreements like the young couple in the park this morning with the guy following a beautiful girl in tears with a bunch of roses.
It got me thinking... what should men do. Now, I am no expert, so these tips are only a singular point of view, but something that perhaps should be considered. What do you think?
10 Things A Man Should Do To Be More Successful
5 Things That Every Woman Should Do If They Want To Get Ahead In Business
Feb 12, 2012 Written by Mellissah SmithWith a bookshelf full of every book genre imaginable, I am working my way through Small Giants - Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big by Bo Burlingham. My good friend Kingsley Smith (from Kingsley's restaurants fame) gave it to me to read and I can't seem to put it down. Luckily for me, its raining outside and last night I celebrated a friends birthday, so I am little bit weary.
As I read, I am getting more and more inspired. It is encouraging me think beyond what I am reading and imagining the lives of other business women around the world and what makes one more successful than the other or for that matter, more happier than the person next to them.
I am inspired. Work is fantastic. Life is falling into place and things are getting done. It's amazing what 24 hours can do. Another day, a new outlook.
Sometimes when you have been staring at the same document for days or doing the same things over and over again, its hard to have a fresh perspective.
It may take some time away from what you are doing to have a 'new outlook' or perhaps it means showing someone else your work.
If you have goals and you want to reach them, then its important to stay on track. Try new paths, but when they are obviously leading you in the wrong direction, switch. Don't waste time. Make the cold hard decisions that need to be made and revisit your business plan or your marketing plan to make sure everything still leads in the same direction.
Some tips on how to keep on track:
1. Ensure your plan is written down in hard copy. We are all about soft copies these days, that sometimes a hard copy is the reminder we need to ensure that we follow things through.
2. Ask others to make you accountable. It may be other members of your team, your board of directors or your family and friends.
3. Change paths if the path you are on isn't going to work.
4. Make decisions and don't be afraid of failure.
5. Engage with everyone around you and get their buy-in.
As one door closes, another opens - that's the life of an entrepreneur
Feb 06, 2012 Written by Mellissah SmithI sat on the beach, looking out at the stars and soaking up a warm summers night in Palm Beach. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. I had had a run of bad luck. Fortunately, not in business. It was more little things like parking fines and delayed flights. Things that don't matter too much but all together seem like a big deal. I also had the anniversary of my father's passing, which is never a great time for anyone.
But sitting on that beach, I had a moment of clarity. And then everything changed.
