It has been one year and a few days since the launch of the Finding Answers Blog.  This post represents the one-hundredth post for the blog.  There have been quite a few things learned since the launch of the blog last year.  This post has the top six lessons we learned that you could use to make your own blog better.

#1 The Echo Effect of A Guest Blogger

Other articles about how to make your blog effective always talk about having a guest blogger write a post.  The key of course is to have the right guest blogger with the right post at the right time.  Having those three key elements will have a tremendous impact on your blog!

The Echo Effect From A Guest Blogger

As you can see in the nearby graph, when Shelly Kramer of V3 Integrated Media wrote about The Power of Women In Social Media , traffic to the Finding Answers Blog soared in the month of December to 1,847 unique visits.  In the day the post was launched there were 947 unique visits.  Those are some pretty cool numbers.  What has happened since is that the number of unique visitors to the blog has never dropped below four hundred.

Shelly’s post is still read and shows up in searches almost every day.

#2 Write Consistently

To maintain readership and the sharpness of your own writing skills you need to post frequently.  Not only do the search engines enjoy the fresh content that you are creating, so do your readers who have taken the time to add your blog to their feeds.

You will also learn how to fight through writers block, make arguments concise and relevant, and you will discover your voice.  If that is not enough for you, all the new content that you are creating will position you as a thought leader against your competition.

#3 Promote Your Posts Wisely

There are guides out there that tell you to “shout out” far and wide when you have finished a recent blog post.  These guides tell you to post on Twitter, Facebook, Ning, LinkedIn, etc. etc.  Be careful because all that shouting can back fire!

You have to send out notifications wisely and in the right locations.  The Finding Answers Blog posts to the LinkedIn groups where the post makes sense and does so sparingly.  An auto tweet is sent when the post is initially put up online.  Then, if it is appropriate, a link to post is shared on a few business websites like Business Week’s Business Exchange.

Where you announce or link to your blog posts has to match with the niche your business is trying to serve aka your audience.  The best way to be heard is to not over promote yourself!

#4 Pick A Reader Friendly Theme

When it comes to blog themes there are as many as there are manufacturers of beer.  A lot!  You have to get over yourself first.  It is not about what you like, it is about what is easy to use for the reader.  Many bloggers forget this and overload their posts with too many buttons, Google ads, and other junk.  Blog posts are like the AM/PM convenience stores: your readers want to get in, get out, and get on with their lives!

Keep your blog theme simple, easy to read, and with buttons easily visible so your readers can share your great content!

#5 Titles Open The Door; Content Means Everything

While we are all trained as children not to judge books by their covers, alas we do!  It goes with titles too.  Some of the catchiest titles that tend to grab the most readers are the “How To” “Top Secrets” “X Number of Easy”.  These titles will get you readers.  They will not stay long.

No matter how enticing your title is, you have to have the content to back it up.  There are a dime a dozen “Secrets To Social Media” and “How To Make A Tweet Cool” blog posts out there.  Some are valuable, but most are not because they only reinforce what most people already know by reading the other similar posts!

Readers (search engines included) devour content that is fresh, bold, and enlightening.  Your job as a blogger is to deliver that content.  So once you get past the coolness of the awesome title you must deliver the goods when it comes to content.  If you do not… you will not retain or attract readers!

#6 Patience Young Blogger

It has been one year and a few days since the Finding Answers Blog was started.  Has it delivered?  Yes it has.  We have built steady readership overtime through consistent valuable posts that match the mission of the blog: getting information you can use today.  Do we deliver exceptional content every time? No, we admit that we miss the mark sometimes, but we do not quit.

It takes time and patience to become the best at anything.  Even if you have talent.  People are not born immediate stars — they practice.  So you too must practice, write, edit, post, and your readers will come.

Thank You

To our readers, our guest bloggers, our commentators, and those who forward our posts to their friends… thank you!  We look forward to writing more posts and providing you with the information you need to make your business a success!

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! 6 Lessons Learned From 99 Blog Posts In 1 Year

Video Blogs, of Vlogs, are becoming a new means for bloggers and other creators of content to get their message out.  It is just another medium for the message.  Just like, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, vlogs are becoming part of the fastest growing social media segment: YouTube.

In April of this year 13 billion videos were viewed on YouTube alone.  Those are huge numbers!  Why isn’t your business taking advantage of that?

You can see from the video below that with some time, a camera, and some editing software you can make a Vlog without a huge production company.

In the case I am using the Vlog to poke fun at the trend of “Hauls” and Shelly Kramer.  Total time from start to finish: 1 hour 35 minutes.

Rules for Vlogs

If you break them you might not get a lot of viewers:

• Keep it short.
• Keep it entertaining.
• Keep it informational.
• Keep it fun for you.
• Have a script – outlines work too.
• Keep an open mind and use your creativity.
• Remember that you are never too cool for school and don’t take yourself too seriously!

In my experience, I think I have violated the first four, but hey, it is just the beginning!

Watch Shelly Kramer’s Haul here.

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! Shelly! Get Your Pretty Face On Camera!

It is amazing what the power of social media can do.

Someone in my LinkedIn network had an update about another software platform called SocialGrow. They used a video from Xtranormal, which has pre-cut computer animated scenes. All you have to do is type in a script, place some camera angles, and… you have a movie! It is even easier than iMovie.

Here is what I cam up with.

In the right marketing hands this can be a very powerful tool!

There is a cost to publishing your video but for a small business it is very minimal i.e. under $100. The downside is that there is a limit in the expressions and you cannot upload your own music or sounds. If you keep your videos short — say under two minutes — then it should not be too much of a problem.

Be on the lookout as I have found a new tool to use!

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! Even Superheroes Pre-Call Plan, Or So Says This Video

One of the exciting aspects of social media is the instantaneous impact a message, post, or tweet can have for your business.  If picked up by the right people or placed on the right platform your message can be viewed and acted upon by millions of people.  Depending on your business that could mean millions of potential customers.  Therefore it is very important that you manage your brand and protect its image in this new medium.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses how an icon brand can be diluted when it is not taken care of.  In this case it is the Playboy brand.   The lesson that your small business can learn from this story is to not dilute the power of your brand.  Just like how you cannot be all things to all people, so too your brand cannot be in every venue or it looses its influence.  This is especially true when it comes to social media.  You need to be where your current customers, potential clients, and your competition are.  Location is key, just as it is in real life, in where you interact with others online.

How Can You Protect Your Brand?

Take a long detailed look at where your business is spending time in social media.  Does your social media efforts pass the DOH! factor?

• Do you belong? If you are the only widget maker on the social media site and it has been around for more than six months and caters to free style artists… you most likely do not belong there and you are wasting time.  You are also annoying everyone who is legitimately there.  You need to know where you belong.
• Organized? Do you have a plan to communicate about your business, your people, your customers, your products, and your brand?  If you have answered no, then you most likely are one of the many frustrated small business owners using social media.  To get what you want – sales, contacts, sign-ups, etc. – you have to know how to get there.  You must have a plan.  This keeps communication consistent, timely, and built around your brand.
• Here… there… everywhere? Just like a plan and knowing where you belong, it is important that you do not spread out amongst too many social mediums.  The right number is one that utilizes your ability, time, money, and brand to have its most impact.  My business is on Twitter, YouTube, this blog, Facebook, Business Week, and LinkedIn.  That is it, for that maximized my return on the investment of time and money.  Plus, it allows me to have the greatest chance of being seen and heard by the greatest amount of potential clients.  These platforms are meant to compliment each other in my social media-marketing plan.  Yours should be as well, otherwise you are just hanging out in too many places with a diluted impact.

Do All These Signs Point To Your Brand Online?

If your business does pass the DOH! factor, then the next step is to make sure you have metrics in place.  A business action without measurement is a waste of resources.  Sure, it might be bringing in the money, but the reality is  that there is probably more left on the table because you do not know where the impact really is.  The good news is that there are lots of free tools out there for you to measure the impact.  The bad news is… there are lots of free tools out there.

Take some time to test the tools that you like and work best with your business model.  Do not be afraid to change or upgrade to newer tools when responses and actions to your brand change.  Social media is a constantly shifting medium that is still trying to discover its foundation.  You need to be prepared to change with shifting winds.

Your brand is the most important messaging tool that speaks 24/7, 365 days a year.  It determines if you even get the chance to compete for the business or not.  Protect your brand, which depending on your business is you, and your business will be rewarded now and for the long term.  If you dilute your brand for short term gain then you will not be in business for too long.

About the author:

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin

The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small.  The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! What Does Your Brand and Playboy Have In Common?

There is a ton of different posts and articles out there, both pro & con, when it comes to the recent passage of Healthcare Reform.  As more information is leaking out, it is apparent that many of the lawmakers never fully read the bill and there will be many unintended consequences.  Some we will have to wait and see over time.

What Will The Impact Be?

One of the largest will be the access to pharmaceuticals and other treatments.  This article on Pharmaphorum looks at how Healthcare Reform will restrict access to novel agents and new therapies through price controls and formularies.  If you are a physician and you hated the insurance companies telling you what to write for treating your patients, that will get worse overtime.  If you are a patient and you are angry that the insurance companies won’t cover some of the treatments that you want or need because of cost, well overtime you need not worry because some of those treatments will never make it to market at all.

Like they say when an election is within the margin of error, the impact of this bill is to close to call for now.

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! Impact of Healthcare Reform On Drug Access

A friend of mine recently participated in an “Inspiration Ideation” meeting last week.  The goal was to help her and her team to find new means of inspiration so that they can come up with better messaging, better slogans, and an overall better marketing campaign.  Otherwise the product they are marketing is simply just old – there is no oomph! – behind it.

Map To Nowhere?

That got me thinking (always a dangerous thing) that you really don’t have to hire an outside person to help you discover inspiration.  You have to simply stop.  Look.

Listen. And be open to what others or you discover.

Even in the most stressful fast paced work filled days there are signals of inspiration all around you.  It does not take much to be open to what is around you; you just have to realize that most inspiration comes from putting complete opposites together in a new and unique way.

So how do you tap into inspiration?

This is what I love about it.  Tapping into inspiration is completely up to the individual. So before you go out and hire an outside company to help you become inspired I’ll give you what I do for inspiration:

1. Listen to my favorite composer Philip Glass
2. Listen to my eclectic taste in music in general
3. Watch The Return of The King
4. Watch the opening speech from Patton
5. Any Gene Hackman film
6. Any Clint Eastwood film
7. Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale Art Museum, and the British Art Museum
8. Doodle
9. Go for a walk in the woods
10. Read old books from school
11. Write bad poetry
12. Go to my favorite pub and start a heated debate – about anything
13. Paint horrible paintings
14. Read my old “Idea Books”
15. Talk to friends
16. Write short stories
17. Create maps of nowhere
18. Cook difficult dishes

There are more things that I do to get me into the creative spirit and look for inspiration.  Like I said, each of us is different.  For me it is about removing judgment and letting myself be open to what I discover.  That is a key to inspiration: be open.  You have to put yourself in a frame of mind that allows you to be open.  To put myself in that mindset I have to be participating in something that moves my spirit.  Hence why with most of my inspiration sources I am doing something and I am not passive.  The actions also take me out of my comfort zone.  The goal is to always push my boundaries so I may grow. Even if it something I am proficient in or I have read numerous times, it is at that point in time when I am active with my source that I discover something new.

So, while there is no earth shattering insights from this blog post, I have hopefully saved you a bit of money and angered a few inspiration consultants.

What do you do for inspiration?  Where do you look?

About The Author

The Author

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin

The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small.  The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! 18 Different Ways To Discover Inspiration

I ran into an old colleague in the supermarket yesterday. (No, no one got hurt.)  We were discussing the current business climate and how our respective businesses are going.  His is in a breakout stage right now, which means he feels a bit overworked but happy.  He is working for a medical device company that does not make a unique product but has improved on current technology.  Which got us into the conversation about what makes a successful start-up company and how do entrepreneurs discover new ideas.

The Secret Recipe

We are all bombarded through media about those who discover a break-through product or a completely new way of doing business.  The pressure on most entrepreneurs, or would be ones, is to discover a fantastic new way to do business.  Yet, there is tons of money to be made by improving existing products, services, and methods of doing businesses.  In fact, if you review most of the break-through products of the last decade and they are improvements on products/services that were already out there.  iPod: improvement on portable CD player and the Walkman.  Notebook computers: improvement on the laptop.  Facebook: improvement on MySpace.

These improvements represent a new direction on existing products/services that were not meeting a need by the market.  That is what it all comes down to in the end… meeting an unmet need.

So, if you are looking to start a new company or create a new product it has to meet the following test:

• Will it meet an unmet need? This is the test that must be passed in order to have any success.  It would do you no good to launch a buggy-whip business where there is not a need for them.  You must do your research to make sure that there are needs that are not being met.  If your product meets and exceeds those needs then you are well on your way to launching a successful business.

If it is so easy then why do most companies fail?  Well, the answer to that question is a hydra of responses.  It could be poor quality of the product, bad business plan, unsuccessful value propositions, et cetera.  Regardless, most of the time it is because the unmet need has been overstated and not vetted.  Think of Crystal Pepsi (I think I am the only person in the world that drank it) and New Coke.  Both of those products were failures because the need was overstated in the research.  There simply was not a need for them.

If you have a great idea, don’t keep it to yourself.  Well, keep the secret recipe and all to yourself, but not the idea.  You need to test if there really is an unmet need that your business idea will fulfill.  That means that you need to seek out beyond your social circle to receive feedback.

This is the toughest part, because the feedback can be brutal.  Yet, it is important as it helps you gauge how much desire there is out there for the services you wish to offer.  It also helps you not be myopic in your vision.

Coming back to my conversation with my friend.  We were both shopping for groceries for different reasons.  It was time to stock up the fridge and cupboards for him.  For me, I needed a few ingredients to complete a recipe I was trying on items I already had.  Another trip, that when you add time and gas, was becoming costly.  If only there was a website where I can plug-in the basic ingredients and it could spit out a recipe.  Hey! That’s an idea!

How would you test if your business idea is ready?

About the author:

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin

The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small.  The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! Secret of Success: Meet The Unmet Needs

A business to survive has to have results. Typically these results are measured by the ultimate measurement: cash. The difficulty for any business in understanding this measurement is if it is a direct relation to activity or something other. Most businesses will have the belief that cash is generated solely by activity. Therefore many sales plans, business plans, and marketing plans are created around activity and not around value.

“People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results.” – Albert Einstein

Activity Is Up, But What About Profits?

At first glance any businessperson worth their salt would deride the above paragraph as being nonsense. To generate cash you have to have activity. That activity can be in the form of a sale, signature on a contract, or traffic to a particular website. The businessperson who thinks this is correct. The closing of the sale, the signing of a contract, and the decision to visit a website are all activities. The problem for the businessperson is really distinguishing if these activities are of value to the customer. Typically this is not the case when it comes to many businesses.

Let’s take, for example, the founder of Mint.com. This individual competes against Microsoft Money and Intuit’s Quicken. Both of those software platforms are major movers in the marketplace of personal finance. So what makes a web-based application like Mint.com different? Well for one, mint.com is focused around giving you “the user” quick information about your financial status. It is also designed to give you the information you need to make sound decisions for your financial future.  It is as a program providing value.  The competition to Mint.com are more focused around how long you spend on particular windows or other GUIs in their programs. The competitors to Mint.com are focused on activity and not real value to you to the consumer.

The good news is at least it’s activity driven.  The bad news is there is no value to anyone.

Still not convinced there is a difference? Well, let’s take a look at social media. In another blog post by Amber Naslund, she uses a quote from Albert Einstein. This quote states, “People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results.” The same is true when a business embraces social media. The belief of the business is that social media is activity driven platform. They tweet and get followers.  They build a fan page and get fans.  The more active you are the greater results your are going to get. This is a fallacy. Why? Well what is one of the chief complaints when it comes to social media? That people are blabbing on about their nonsensical lives. That right there is activity with no value to the consumer of the information. So if you are a business and you are going to spout out nonsensical information about your business, you are just as guilty as those individuals who comment about what their cats are doing. The good news is at least it’s activity driven.  The bad news is there is no value to anyone.

So how can you as a businessperson make sure that you do not get caught and in the activity trap?

First, make sure that any metrics being measured against the plan are value driven. This is easier said than done. Any plan, whether it is for business, sales, or marketing has to have metrics to measure its progress. Yet, a value driven metric is one that returns an exponential response from the customer. For example, take a look at Domino’s pizza in Chicago. They have a social media plan to communicate deals, promotions, and answer complaints. The metrics behind this plan is to foster a strong relationship between the franchises and their customers. The value behind the activity is a strong communication from Domino’s and a demonstration that they listen to their customers. The results are continued purchases and a strengthened relationship.

Second, avoid the temptation to award only activity. Many plans measure the activity of teams and/or individuals. For sales, it can be the number of calls a salesperson makes on customers. For marketing, it can be the number of impressions and/or responses to “calls to action” from campaigns. Both of these are important, but they are not the end goal of any business. The end goal is profits.  The reward should be given to the salesperson that generates the largest margin of profit for an organization. It should be an award to the marketing team that drives business with the least amount of cost. These are viable propositions for any business. A salesperson who can generate millions of dollars of business with one or two sales calls is more valuable than a salesperson who generates 100,000 dollars worth of business from 100 sales calls. If you measure activity then the second salesperson would be awarded over the more valuable salesperson.  Award the value not the activity.

It is difficult to balance activity and value.  The temptation of many companies is to double down on their activity.  They feel it will generate a ton of results.  The reality is that it generates more activity with more costs.  When companies get caught in this trap value becomes an afterthought.  The result is a lower profit margin and a loss of highly valued customers.

How Do Make Sure You Avoid The Activity Trap?

About the author:

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin

The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small.  The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! Avoid The Activity Trap – Provide Value

Before you start smirking and thinking that I have gone stupid, give me at least the next three sentences to bend your ear.  I am not talking about being mean to one customer and super nice to the other.  I am not saying that you should have extreme differences in how you service your customers.  Instead you should start treat them how they want to be treated.

…give me at least the next three sentences to bend your ear.

Going Over Market Research

Companies spend large amounts of cash to segment their markets and define who their ideal customers are.  When it comes to the execution of their marketing and sales plans all that research gets thrown out the window.  Customers that are treated to exactly the same messaging costs companies millions and more in lost sales.

Treating your customers the same can and will result in leaving money on the table.

Still think I am little off?

Run this little exercise.  Take a look at your top performing customers.  Then look at the other eighty percent that make up the rest of your customer base.  Have those customers responded to your latest marketing and sales efforts?  Have they made a move in buying just like your top performers?  (I will give you a hint: the answer is most likely no.)

Companies spend large amounts of cash to segment their markets… then throw all that out the window when it comes to execution.

Now look at the marketing and sales message that you are currently using.  Your top customers are responding to it.  The rest of your customer base is not.  The messaging you are running with is the same… FOR EVERYBODY! You are losing potential sales and new fans because of it.

Male executives will take a product launched to men and just “make it pink.”

If you still think I am wrong, look at the recent article in the Wall Street Journal, about a Boston Consulting Group survey of 15,000 women and 5,000 men across 22 countries.  This survey discovered that male executives make large mistakes by treating their female customers the same as their male customers.

Bartering Prices

One of the most obnoxious points: male executives will take a product launched to men and just “make it pink.”  The executives fail to address even the basic needs of this customer segment and treat the female shopper the same as the male shopper.  (There are nine other mistakes that are made when marketing to female customers mentioned in the article.)

What can you do to avoid these mistakes and not lose potential sales?

• If you are in marketing, test your message with the different customer segments.  Pay attention to what they like and dislike.  Be willing to market to them in how they want to be marketed to.
• If you are in sales, use your pre-call planning to make sure you fully understand your customer.  Do you know where they come from and how they got where they are today?  Can you detail all their biases? Do you know how they make their decisions? Those are just a few questions, but there are many more.  If you cannot answer those three… ask your customer to tell you and then listen!
• Speaking of listening… Listen. Listen. Listen.  Your customers are telling you how they want to be treated.  They tell you in person, in social media, and by where they use their ultimate voice: their currency to purchase from your competitors.  If you still cannot figure it out, ask them and listen.

Treating your customers the same can and will result in leaving money on the table.  Get to know them, understand them, and treat them they way they want to be treated.

Still think I am nuts? I look forward to your comments!

About the author:

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a business coaching and consultancy provider for business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. He has fifteen years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, natural resources, medical devices, software, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin

The Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, was founded by Erroin A. Martin to provide business coaching, business consulting, and other services to companies both large and small.  The primary goal is to have his clients be passionate about their business and reach the unachievable.

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! Stop Treating All Your Customers The Same

Businesses that take the time to learn about social media, make a plan for using social media, and take the time to build a reputation can be rewarded in an amazingly number of ways.  Putting out well crafted content with authenticity is the most powerful thing you can do in social media.

An article on the Social Media Examiner discusses how a Domino’s Pizza Franchise monitors it service and brand on Twitter.  The result: turn a negative impression into a positive one quickly and winning numerous fans. (Plus the pizza is good.)

Putting out well crafted content with authenticity is the most powerful thing you can do in social media.

The lesson here is that a managing partner of the Chicago area Domino’s franchises is involved with social media.  He has a Twitter account @Ramon_DeLeon.  He has branding across his stores to have his customers give the stores mentions on their Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Mr. DeLeon even used video to issue an apology to his customer, Amy, who is a powerful woman in the social media realm. Mr. DeLeon uses video to give answers to customers that leave comments and/or questions about his stores.  He is ahead of the curve using video.

Now all that being said, what sets Mr. DeLeon apart is his enthusiasm, his sincerity, and above all he puts across that he cares.  He creates content that his customers and others want to share.  This works because it is part of his marketing plan that he is executing and he believes in it.  His goal… in the end it is to get you to buy more pizzas.

We Love Authenticity

The lesson here is that even if you are registered on all the social media platforms on the internet, if you do not have plan to use them, if you do not have a goal in mind when using them, and if you do not come across as genuine or sincere… then your content will be lame.  Remember this is a medium that requires authenticity.  Be yourself and you will gain followers and fans!

What successes or failures have you seen in social media?

About the author:

Erroin A. Martin is a Business Advocate with the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC, a coaching and consultancy provider for businesses and medical practices. He has over eleven years experience working within the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, technology, business services, and agriculture industries in various levels of leadership across six continents. He has led diverse teams in sales, marketing, planning, and in the Army.  He currently coaches business leaders and physicians in the tools needed to plan for their success. Learn more about the Von Gehr Consulting Group, LLC at www.vongehrconsulting.com or call +1 203 433 8079.  You can follow him on Twitter at @Erroin

Finding Answers - Business Coaching tools, tips, and other information you can use today! Proof About The Power of Content