EQ Consultants Group, LLC blogs

NOTES FROM @AustinAMA Luncheon: Taking a premium position in the marketplace! By: @gerardodada #Marketing Insights Worth Sharing

eq — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:22:59 +0000

We all go to several lunches, meetings, networking events, and conferences. However, there are sometimes where you get a great deal of insight from one speaker. Sure, we all know what he is presenting but something about his presentation style, examples, and simple message .. makes the message stick in our brain and that is what we all want as marketers.

Here are my tweets (notes) of the @austinAMA luncheon of @gerardodada's presentation in chronological order (edited to be sure to properly attribute in a blog post):

Don't lead with price from #prodmgmt @gerardodada via @AustinAMA that erodes value. Understand the extrinsic value of your product - remember buying milk at gas station. #marketing #prodmgmt cc @AustinAMA @gerardodada
Premium is a #biz strategy - product leadership, operational excellence, customer intimacy @AustinAMA @gerardodada
Differentiation is building your #biz on a strategy to target a specific type of buyer #marketing #prodmgmt @AustinAMA @gerardodada #in #fb
Sell the experience, appeal to emotions: needs for security community clarity respect & authority/order @gerardodada @austinama #marketing
Align prices with value - don't sell premium product at commodity prices. @gerardodada @austinama #marketing #prodmgmt
Packaging & price communicate value - understand the intangibles!! @gerardodada @austinama #marketing #prodmgmt
Peeps pay 4 peace of mind Red Hat is $9B selling free by selling peace of mind - support @gerardodada @austinama
Be Different - like Trader Joes, Samuel Adams - who educate people about beer. #WOM @gerardodada @austinama #marketing #prodmgmt
Empower employees - happy & empowered employees delight customers @gerardodada @austinama #WOM #marketing #prodmgmt
@baconator Love that - personality always wins! Cc: @gerardodada @austinama
Help people especially before they write a check - price becomes irrelevant. Talk to customers @gerardodada @austinama #WOM #marketing
Love it! Where some biz peeps see as a challenge - #marketing sees as an opportunity #WOM @gerardodada @austinama #prodmgmt

For those interested in the slide deck:

Taking a premium position in the market

View more PowerPoint from Gerardo Dada

My favorite takeaway .. remember the customer experience that's how Starbucks created its brand.

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

Repost of @Mashable Article: Want People to Return Your Emails? Avoid These Words [INFOGRAPHIC]

eq — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:56:26 +0000

A quick note before the Repost of @Mashable Article, "Want People to Return Your Emails? Avoid These Words [INFOGRAPHIC]": I and all of us at EQ have been hard at work .. so, I apologize for neglecting posting to the marketing gunslinger blog. If you want a taste of what has taken our bandwidth, please visit the following two websites:

Holly Plant Decommissioning Project: holly.austinenergy.com - We designed, built, deployed, and manage all the content on this site as well as ensuring all the content is "localized" into Spanish.

Anue Systems: anuesystems.com - Elizabeth has been working very closely with the marketing communications team on a variety of projects ranging from website, landing pages, pay per click (PPC), social media, and marketing automation. On that note .. here is a repost from @mashable:

Want People to Return Your Emails? Avoid These Words [INFOGRAPHIC]

Next time you write an email subject line, think twice about the words you’re using.

Loading your message with words such as “confirm,” “join,” “press,” or “invite” is not a good idea if you want a response, says data from Baydin, the makers of email plugin Boomerang.

Baydin recently extracted data from five million emails its users handled — either using the company’s “email game” or scheduled for later via Boomerang. It found that some subject-line words, such as “apply” and “opportunity,” got more responses than words from the aforementioned list.

Its data also suggests the best time to send emails is before work. Users who scheduled messages to read later, using Boomerang, most often wanted to deal with them around 6 a.m.

Already sending emails packed with “opportunity” at 6 a.m. and not getting a response? You’re in good company.

I promise to not let so much time pass between now and our next blog post ..

Happy Valentine's Day!

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

Wanted to take a moment and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- Thank you!

eq — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:51:10 +0000

Today is MLK Day .. while some of us had the day off and others went to work ..

We all should take a moment and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Here is a quote from MLK: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Let's all take a moment of each of our days to achieve this content of character and live in a world where we may all enjoy the freedom and ability to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

I believe Elizabeth Bert of Total Leadership Ventures, LLC said it best:

Leadership By Example | 7 Lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

by Total Leadership Ventures, LLC. on Monday, January 16, 2012 at 10:39am

Today, more than four decades after his death, the legacy and sacrifices of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fight for freedom, equality, justice and opportunity are being celebrated more than ever before.Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Statue at The University of Texas

As a testament to his contributions as a leader, visionary and hero; on October 16, 2011 we witnessed the unveiling of the “the 30-foot-tall “Stone of Hope” statue of the American civil rights pioneer. The memorial is the first on the National Mall to honor an African-American and the first to honor a person who did not serve as president.

Much of my admiration is based on his courage, continual focus on excellence and commitment to lifelong learning. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. legacy left us with so many words and lessons that we can apply to evolve into a transformational leader.

[1] Articulate a Powerful Vision

Leaders communicate a concrete vision of the future with a clear call to action to inspire others to get there. People want to follow someone that they know are going somewhere. People do not follow leaders who don’t care about their values, the wants and needs, or the hopes and aspirations of those in the organization.

[2] Challenge the Status Quo

Excellent leaders simply are not passive; they are active. They will challenge the status quo and not settle for business as usual. When there’s a major challenge facing your organization, you must step forward to initiate new methods of getting things done to solve problems and ignite innovation.

[3] Be Courageous

Being courageous does not mean you’re not afraid. It just means you care more about something else greater than what you fear. Don't be reluctant to take on new initiatives, even if they may not pan out. Those who raise their hands climb the ladder faster.Courageous leaders do what’s right, not what’s easiest and focus on the good of the many over the good of one.

[4] Leaders are Readers

Leaders are learners committed to the discipline of reading for continuous improvement. Feed your brain with content rich information to stay informed about your competition, your customers, and what is happening in the marketplace. The self sacrifice of rigorous study offers valuable insights to differing points of view and builds character.

[5] Master the Art of Communication

Not all of us can be great orators but we can enhance our communication skills by practicing, preparing and discovering your own authentic message. Use relevant stories and metaphors that bring to life the organizations mission, values and goals. Leaders who authentically speak with confidence and conviction can persuade action for others to go that extra mile in the organization.

[6] Walk the Talk

Actions speak louder than words. If your actions do not back up your messages, your lack of focus can become detrimental to your team and your career. People will respect and follow leaders who do what they advise others to do.

[7] Demonstrate Faith in People

Wholeheartedly showing someone you believe in them is the simplest, most powerful thing you can do to bring out their best. Leaders have faith in not only in himself but others. The authentic leader readily acknowledges the commitment and hard work of their followers. When times are tough people need to know that their work matters. An excellent leader listens to the ideas of the followers and responds.

Excellence and leadership should be the signature traits of all of us, street sweeper or president. To be an authentic leader, you simply have to act- to “lead by example".

Let's all do our best to be our best and walk the talk .. just like MLK did.

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

With the start of 2012, we should review what #socialmedia actually is .. and don't treat it like another #marketing channel

eq — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:56:46 +0000

With the start of 2012, we all should review what #socialmedia actually is .. and is not. Social Media is a very powerful tool in business especially when used properly as is the telephone and email. However, we all can waste time on the phone, email, or on all the social media channels. Despite being a presentation from 2009, I thought it was important to share this presentation with you:

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more presentations from Marta Kagan

While it is always fun to share silly pictures on Social Media, all of us can leverage this tool more effectively. Ofﬁcially, social media is “an umbrella term that deﬁnes the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos, and audio.” http://www.wikipedia.org. IT’S ALSO A FANCY WAY TO DESCRIBE THE ZILLIONS OF CONVERSATIONS PEOPLE ARE HAVING ONLINE 24/7.

I agree with Marta when she says: "93% OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS BELIEVE A COMPANY SHOULD HAVE A PRESENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA. Cone, Business in Social Media Study, September 2008 & UNFORTUNATELY, MOST COMPANIES ARE STILL TREATING SOCIAL MEDIA * LIKE JUST ANOTHER MARKETING CHANNEL."

Hope you laughed as much as we did when flipping through the slides and have a great weekend!

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

Thank you to everyone who made 2011 a great year & Happy Prosperous 2012 - Year of the Dragon!

eq — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:58:43 +0000

Hello to all who read this blog ..

I just wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You!" to everyone who made 2011 a great year!

Here are some highlights of 2011 that I thought were worth sharing:

EQ had 25+ speaking engagements

Received an award as part of EGBI's Biz Steps Program as a trainer.

Awarded a prestigious contract as a Woman Business Owned Firm (WBE) by Austin Energy for Digital Community Outreach as a subcontractor on the Holly Decommissioning Project Team. Visit http://holly.austinenergy.com to see EQ work from design, development, and chief Content Curator/author perspective as well as our translation services.

Elizabeth Quintanilla, as a City of Austin Commissioner, is currently leading an Austin Task Force on investigating Austin's Digitial usage as looking into further refining the results of a Tech Survey and is proactively working to make sure all of Austin has an ability to access the Internet.

Continued to support multiple clients with their strategic marketing, branding, interactive needs as well as public relations. We have had clients featured on KXAN and other news outlets this year.

Enjoy a positive, prosperous, happy New Year and 2012 Year of the Dragon!

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

UPDATED: Had to share this funny, witty, yet important #IT #Tech #Marketing wisdom that was shared via email to me..

eq — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:26:18 +0000

My favorite social network is actually: email. I know that sounds old fashioned but I do have several close circles that share jokes, posts that I should read and I'll be the first to admit that I scan my email before scanning my Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. My tightest circle of friends/fans/associates are the ones that I share emails with ..

However, sometimes someone shares something that is too good to not share with the broader world of social media and avid marketing practioners ... Here you go and it's pretty funny.

Here’s the excerpt:

Why won’t you tell me why I care about whatever you are selling? Some companies seem to want to tell me why they care about their stuff – although I suspect they care about my money even more – but never why I would want it. Really, when you get down to it, isn’t it more important that I care and not you? Passion is great, so share some. My mother taught me that you don’t keep all of a good thing to yourself. You give some to people you like. Maybe they just don’t like me enough.

My only regret is that the person didn't share the source of the article .. I'll have to ask her to again and post a comment on this witty point of view.

UPDATED: The source of the excerpt is: http://www.enterprisestrategygroup.com/2011/12/in-memory-of-andy-rooney/ Thank you, RZ for sharing the source with me.

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt (and article) as much as I did.

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Bon Natale!

eq — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 19:55:46 +0000

Taking a moment today to remember everyone in my life, especially all those who made me smile and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, and warm holiday wishes!

Photo from: http://anamariao7.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/merry-christmas-feliz-navidad...

"Have a wonderful Christmas everyone! Let the joy and happiness fill your hearts, hope you’ll spend magic moments with your loved ones and that you won’t forget the true meaning of this holiday!"

May you enjoy today with your loved ones!

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

Clarity is important .. in all things marketing but especially in Warning signs .. can you distinguish your feces?

eq — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:22:01 +0000

As a Marketing Gunslinger, I know the importance of clarity when creating the perfect marketing mesage ..

We need to be sure that our messages are clear, and audiences actually get it quickly .. So, Messages always should be:

C – Clear and to the point

L – Limit the clutter and any extras that don’t need to be in the message

A - Accuracy

R – Reach your audience

I – Inform

T – Timely

Y – You own the message – live with the results!

Inspired by this Canadian Warning Sign ..

Do you have the ability to distinguish your feces?

Hope you laughed as much as we did when reading this warning sign ..

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

Do you use #socialmedia for your #Job Search? Then you need to see this Infographic! cc:@mbaonline

eq — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:10:49 +0000

Do you use #socialmedia for your #Job Search? Then you need to see this Infographic posted by @mbaonline!

It's very interesting to note that people are using both Facebook and LinkedIn for their job search .. Remember to MARKET and always be marketing the Brand called you!

Created by: MBA Online

Don't forget to complete your social profiles with relevant information on all your social media accounts!

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla

#Marketing can be inspired by all the Cozumel Ironman 2011 Athletes .. Are you dedicated to finishing what you started?

eq — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:20:28 +0000

Currently, I'm in Cozumel, Mexico with my boyfriend .. This is a personal story that I thought I would share with all those who read my blog ..

One of the things that I appreciate in my boyfriend is his dedication. He went from zero to Ironman in 10 months. A year ago .. he never participated in a triathlon and in 2011 finished, within the time constraints, his first Ironman. While most of us (myself included) will not dream of doing this - it is a goal that requires planning, dedication, and focus. All of which are positive attributes when accomplishing any goal or project.

What is an Ironman? Ironman distances are typically: 2.4 mi. swim • 112 mi. bike • 26.2 mi. run

Ironman Cozumel 2011 had nearly 2500 athletes. Each with the determination to finish what they started .. not everyone did but those that did .. can now call themselves an Ironman.

Here are two athletes that inspired me with their goals to finish and their consistently positive attitude throughout the entire triathlon:

She finished the entire triathlon ...

What truly amazed me was all the residents of Cozumel, Mexico. They all came out to give their positive support to ALL the triathletes ... here is a quick video clip of my perspective as a spectator!

Remember to stay positive while finishing what you started and perhaps you too can be an Ironman ..

Your Chief Marketing Gunslinger,

Elizabeth Quintanilla

@equintanilla