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The Importance of Social Networks and Your Business

2011-07-13T13:24:00.010-05:00

Social networking is a phenomenon that is taking the world by storm.

Recent research has shown that social networking is penetrating all ages of citizens of the United States. That being said, in order to gain the competitive advantage when it comes to your Internet presence, it is absolutely crucial that you utilize social networking sites to their fullest potential.

When one examines the numbers shown by emarketer in Feb 2011, it seems like a no-brainer: With that many people on social networking sites like Linkedin, Twitter, and Facebook, why would anyone with a business not be present on at least one of those networking giants? For many businesses, the answer is pretty simple; it takes effort. Now, that’s not me calling businesses lazy, it’s actually quite the opposite. Business owners are busy. They have to maintain the highest quality of service or product. They must make sure customers are satisfied with their purchase. What happens is that business owners fall in the trap of ignoring the fact that much can be done in the way of marketing with minimal effort on Facebook and Twitter.

What will be introduced in the following blog series over the next couple of weeks will be some simple things that you can do to boost your sales via social networking sites. I’ll show you how easy it can be to use these sites to your advantage and get noticed in this fertile ground for marketing your business!

Let’s Grow!

Wes Stalcup

To learn more, visit us at OnlyWEBS.us

Why does the Dutchman's Hidden Valley Survive?

2010-09-01T11:07:00.003-05:00

Looking back at the last post after a long hiatus due to much client work to be done and the launching of the new referral club in N Texas - Gold Star Referral Clubs, I thought an answer to the question posed then might be in order. A good ole' fashioned reminder.

As a quick refresher, The Dutchman's Hidden Valley outside Hamilton TX is a place I've been going for 20-some years. The daughter of the man who ran it when I started going, runs it now. The Hidden Valley is an antique, deli, smokehouse, country kitchen, candy shop, collectibles store.

The question posed last time was why did it survive, even thrive, after all the years in such a remote place? It sort of defies modern logic.

I have considered the question at some length and have been in the store again since my last writing with the question on my mind.

Here are some observations about it:

They do what they are good at doing
They do what they like to do
Customers like what they do
What they do is unique in the geographic area
Also, geographically, they are a couple hours from several places that are big - meaning a good place to stop and take a break whether coming from the south or north
They have products you don't find exact matches for everywhere (or anywhere else in a few cases), but sauce is sauce and a ham sandwich is a ham sandwich to some people.
It reminds you of a different time
It's changed some over the years, but not in massive ways
It's family owned
Nearly all their business must be walk in or having walked in once, you go online to replenish your fudge supply. Repeat customers must be a big percentage of the ongoing total revenue.

I am pretty sure you could niche it as a country store. There aren't many of those left - real ones anyway. There are Cracker Barrel's (the corporate country store) near the BIG highways around here. Most similar places are gone though. Dutchman's is isolated by comparison. It's really hard to find the old Robertson's Smokehouses any more. Dutchman's differs from those due to the diversity of offering. Is diversified niche an oxymoron?

Are there lessons for those of us in other industries & businesses about why they survive year after year? Yes. Some backroads lessons.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Be along the way to somewhere else
Don't change for the sake of change. Be consistent with who or what you are
Of course, do things you like to do.
Take care of your customers. Understand what makes them come back and never let go of that. I love the place.

Anything else you can think of?

Let's Grow!
Wes Stalcup

p.s. I also learned since the previous post, that the Dr. Pepper plant in Dublin, basically never stopped making DP with real cane sugar. They tried it with corn syrup, thought it tasted funny and refused to switch. Lately, retro-DP with sugar has been made at the big plant in Plano, TX. I have tried them back to back. The Dublin formula is just different and still BETTER.

A Business that does it well...

2010-03-27T17:55:00.004-05:00

I am way behind in posting. I guess once a month is regular. But it's not my goal.
The good news, during the absence I totally gutted and rebuilt the catalog, backend & client portal of OnlyWEBS. The domain registration (new provider, new interface), the catalog It's all way improved. (that's english?) Amble on over & check it out, if you have a mind to.

However, that's not the topic of this post.

Again a find myself discussing an establishment with food as a key component. Last post was directed at Jack and the new "jackie in the box" self service order thing. & how it led me to bail on lunch at Jack's place.

This story is totally different. It's about a place I have been going for 25+/- years. It's not even easy to get to.   First you have to be in Texas. 2nd you need to like the backcountry. On U.S. Highway 281 about 125 miles from Dallas (SW), is the town of Hamilton. It's between Evant & Hico? no? How about between Glen Rose and Lampasas?

On the north side of Hamilton, totally out by itself is an establishment called the Dutchman's Hidden Valley Country Store.
It is one of those places that becomes a tradition, an icon, legendary even.

The question is why? How does it survive year after year? I mentioned I'd been going there for 25 years. It didn't look new then. I don't know how long it's been there. Actually, I do. I looked it up. it started 40 years ago as a produce stand. 23 years ago, the man I know as the Dutchman, Ron Wenzel, took it over. Today his daughter, Kara, runs the show. According to their website, they have 10 rooms under 14000 sq ft of roof.

They have: antiques, knick-knacks, novelties/toys, old time candy, handmade candy (they make it on marble slabs), a smokehouse (producing buffalo jerky among other things), a deli and selection of homemade preserves that's hard to imagine. My 7 yr old, won't eat anything but Dutchman's Pumpkin Butter on her peanut butter sandwiches.

Everytime we go through the area, a stop at the Dutchman's is on the agenda. My kids will abandon the action in San Antonio, to get there. The deli's Bavarian Ham sandwich is the best. Ever. The Fudge. The Jelly Belly selection. Jalapeno Peanut Brittle (love it).

My favorite BBQ sauce (at the moment) is the Honey Habenaro. There are many others to try.

I also have acquired a very large (old) pressure cooker. A print of some ducks (with an autograph by the painter... scribbled on the back no less!) and the longest set of longhorn horns I had ever seen. Those have hung over various fireplaces for many years.

Oh! - I almost forgot. Last time we were there they had a new addition to the soda fountain: Dr. Pepper. It might have been there before & I just missed it. I must set the stage for this next element to achieve it's full significance.

First of all, Dr. Pepper is the KING of soda round these parts. It was invented in Waco TX, which is more or less due east of Hamilton. In the old days, like all soda's it was made with sugar not that corn "sirrup" stuff. In this case, not any sugar, but Imperial Sugar (from Sugarland TX). A few years back, the Dr Pepper plant in Dublin (Texas still), re-introduced Dr. Pepper made with real Imperial sugar. It came in those little 7-8 oz bottles. It was called Dublin Dr. Pepper, by most. Well people loved it, but it was hard to find. For awhile, the old catfish restaurant in Tioga was the only place around my area, where you could find it. So, people paid for it. Paid handsomely. It was more than a buck for those little bottles. It's real real good! Now DP in cans, liters, & fountains was and is everywhere.

No big deal.   but...

The Dutchman's Dr Pepper? In the fountain? For $0.50 each BIG glass (bigger if you're easy on the ice) is Dr Pepper made with Imperial sugar. It's real x 4 good!

Here's the question... why does the Dutchman's survive? By current logic one would argue many things against it. Location, no other nearby businesses, a product hodge-podge, too many sku's (the homemade preserves fill a 50 foot wall), too many one off's (they'll slice your loaf of deli bread in an antique bread slicer for $0.15).

What do you think? Here's their website... Dutchman's - don't go too crazy on the fudge or brittle!
Next post will ponder some answers we may all be able to use.

Let's Grow!

Wes

Dear Jack...

2010-02-22T12:51:00.000-06:00

A letter to Jack, c/o Jack-in-the-Box
***
Dear Jack,
I stopped at your restaurant the other day for lunch. I was in a hurry & you guys are fast. I also like that you serve breakfast all day. Sometimes, I like 87 pieces of meat & cheese on one bun too. So, variety and fast are the draws for me.

That day you were trying something new. There was giant red-ish ATM looking box out in front with a friendly attendant beside it. Nice kid. The box had pretty images of all the food and a touch screen for people to select their choices. Then, it would take their money, give change - the whole sale. It had a friendly female voice. Must be your wife in there... uh Jackie is it? It's like those self service things in Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, probably your local grocery store.

The attendant was out front and not at the usual register. Behind the counter, I heard workers say as they looked toward Jackie, "He wants us to use that and not the register for the front". No customer knew how to run Jackie in the box to get their food, so the cashier was there doing it for every one. There was a family of four in front of me. Jackie's helper patiently stepped them through each question & option for each item the chose.

"Do you want cheese?" Someone has to touch yes or no.
"Do you want sauce?" Someone, please touch yes or no - just like last time.
"Do you want to Super Size, that?" touch it. NOW!
"How about the drink only?" Answer her by touching the right spot!
"How about the fries only?" Noooooooooo! Stop with the questions!

Everyone was helping touch the screen too. Nice... I get to handle something handled by thousands just before eating.

Finally after 5-6 minutes of watching as we moved to the 4th person, I left. Went to the Burger King across the street. The one next to my other 5 options for fast food where the cashiers take my order quickly and effectively. It was cheaper too.

So Jack, whoever told you the talking, touch screen, self serve, Jackie-in-the-box was a good idea...? Well, draw your own conclusion.

My Best,
Wes
***
What's the lesson for the rest of us? There are several I suspect - some of which deserve a whole post. Somebody in Jack's house fell in love with something that others were doing at their point-of-sale and sold it internally as a good idea. I actually like the non-linear thinking and for a moment thought it might be fun. Until I saw the process in action and pondered the whole idea while standing there.

In the internet presence management space, I see the same thinking applied a lot on websites, social media or in the use of 3rd party ads (like Google's Adsense). Jumping on band wagon to do something because it's the latest thing or everyone is doing should always be pondered at some length. It maybe really cool but, still not fit your needs, those of your client or your brand. Think about the purpose and value of it first. Not the "whiz-bang" factor only.

Note: I am certain Jack's people presented a wonderful ROI story on Jackie. Problem would have been - someone had vested interest in it delivering that ROI. Maybe the round headed one himself.

Let's Grow!

Social Media tipping point... ?

2010-02-02T14:36:00.000-06:00

Through one of my Linkedin discussion groups, I was directed to an interesting article at Harvard Business Review. The Moment Social Media became Serious Business

I made comment there and continued to think about it. One statement by the author, pointed to a concern I've heard from my clients - "the train {social media} has left the station." As I think of that metaphor, it implies to me "if you are not on the social media train, you've missed it". This may not be what the author meant.

Do you feel you've missed the boat (another "too late" reference)? Well you haven't.

In fact, the timing could be perfect for your business to get add social media into your internet presence strategy.

And don't panic about the myriad of "too late" references you hear all around and run willy nilly leaping into ever social media tool you or your staff has heard about. Sit down with someone and make a plan on your approach. Make sure you have a way to metric results before you implement a phase. With metrics on social media, your website, your sales and so on, you can optimize not only your internet presence but your whole strategic marketing plan.

Let's Grow!

Wes

A good networking resource...

2010-01-27T17:19:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I participated in great networking event in Dallas. The organizers hold them in many cities around the country. It's called Chocolate, Blues & Business. Kudos to Shelly! The lady who introduced me to it, Catherine, is a connection on Cup of Coffee Networkers. She and her husband came all the way from Indiana to this event in Dallas (as they have in the past) and will go to the one next month in Austin.

The event was not as large as some events I've been to. Cup of Coffee is not a large network either. In both cases that has proven to be an advantage. Most of my clients are smaller companies. My company is a small company.

Quick tip: As you grow your networks and grow your business, don't yield to the temptation to only join big networks. Think about it, do you get more out of your small networks than the really large ones? I do. I am also able to contribute "more" when I contribute - the quality is the same, the potential impact is higher. Caring goes further too. Simple math: each member is a larger percentage of the total

In case you didn't already know, SBA & US Census data shows small business is big business. Has been that way for centuries I guess.

If you are in small business one thing is certain: you are not alone. Yeah, it may feel like it some times. And some might argue chasing big deals pays better and only big firms have big deals. That's debatable.

I don't know what size is right or what is too large. When it comes to ignoring small networks or small businesses, well - I'm just saying...

Run your business from anywhere

2009-10-30T12:08:00.001-05:00

As mentioned on my Twitter

account earlier, I am testing blogpresslite today. So far seems fine. There was lots of whining in the apps reviews about having to use Picassa with it.

First - that is true. Not the fault of the app developer it doesn't seem. Looks like Google wants it that way. Second - so what? If you've got any kind of Google account you can add Picasa with zero effort. Third - some photographer was whining about his website and not wanting to use Picasa as it would dilute his site presentation. Sorry dude - a) you don't have to share your photos at all from Picasa - google now stores blogger photos there and they can be locked and b) why not use Picasa to get yourself another point of presence, drive some traffic to your main site and even sell a print or two right from Picasa? Instead the guy bailed on this app and Picasa and a marketing oppty - probably uses only film too.

In sum, the free version works fine - I need to post a review to counter the whiners and maybe check out the paid version

Let's Grow!

- Posted by Wes Stalcup using BlogPress from his iPhone

5 Steps to Increase your internet presence. Example: Hot Wheels Collectibles in Auctions on LottaThings.com

2009-09-25T10:55:00.003-05:00

So here is quick set of actions business owners or marketing managers can do to expand your internet presence. Managing growth, creating growth is much easier if you leverage web 2.0 tools and social media in concert. Here are the steps I took to create today's blog post. 1) Started with an auction listing at LottaThings.com, TTXW's newest website. 2) Made a video using pictures from a group of Mattel Hot Wheels car from 1969-1971. 3) Posted the video to the LottaThings YouTube account. 4) Shared the video to the blog. 5) The blog's RSS feed is picked up by @LottaThings on Twitter, TTXW's site and feedburner in general

So the sum total: listing on LottaThings, video on YouTube, share post to blog, blog feeds to multiple locations. That's at least 6x the coverage on any one of those things alone. Note that you can also share YouTube items directly to Twitter or sites like Facebook. For this item, I specifically wanted to also go through blog on the way to other places to leverage it and it's RSS feed before hitting Twitter. That way I can describe and demonstrate this powerful process at the same time I put it to work. I also really needed to post and this is a very fast & efficient way to do it.

Wes

Growth is the Opportunity

2009-08-25T10:51:00.002-05:00

For months, the header information at the top of the blog, has said "Grow!... the constant challenge we face from birth."

I changed it today.

The wording suddenly sounded biased toward the negative. Now it says, ..."Grow!...the OPPORTUNITY we're given from birth" and it applies to the individual or business or any other organization.

Now I don't have anything in particular against "challenge" - I actually like the word & what it means to me. Yet depending on context and who you are it may carry a connotation of heaviness. Something which is daunting. Something which must be overcome. Opportunity though, tends to have a more hopeful meaning to most.

It's been said "if you're not growing, you're dying."   That's easy to understand. Especially if you think of plants or crops. From that vision it's easy to map it back to our own lives and activities.

It's easy to translate too: Growth is way better than the alternative.

Here at home in Celina, Texas we have several late season plants still growing and blooming such as pumpkins (some of the giant type for October), watermelons (tasted great!), cantaloupe (also great!), mandevilla (stunning) and morning glories (actually no bloom yet).

Every day they reach out a little further. The fruit grows a little bit bigger, toward a day when it will be ready for the business end of things. Were it not for seasons and the shrinking number of the their growing hours, I think the vines would be keep right on growing. Plants don't think about personal growth. They just do it - assuming the right conditions.

Every day we each have the opportunity to reach out a little further, let our dreams & projects grow a little bigger. We can prepare to deliver results.   One advantage is we're not constrained by the seasons. We can go right on growing, improving ourselves & producing good things 365 days a year. The other advantage we have, is that conditions around us don't have to be perfect. We can create the conditions for growth right in our own minds.

So, from day 1 of our lives, we have the blessed opportunity for personal growth. Every day we get to ask ourselves and choose - "This day, will I grow?"   The best approach? Just make the choice to grow. Don't even question it. Declare it. "Today, I will Grow!"

Let's Grow!

The One Question You Must Answer

2009-07-16T10:57:00.011-05:00

All Results Drivers (customer, constituents, followers, employees, members) want the answer to one question.

Do you know that question? It's only 2 words.

Ask yourself the question about everything you do on the internet and your results will improve. No doubt. Guaranteed.

A quick intro to help get to the question, so you can begin to make sure you answer it. I recently took a class where a gentleman named Jim Kukral was one of the instructors. Jim's a big personality with a lot of great insights. He always has a look on his face that makes you think he is going to bust out laughing. A smile not quite contained. You should add Jim to your list of people to get good stuff from.

Jim likes to say there are only 2 reasons people use the internet. 1) to be entertained or 2) to solve or get an answer to a problem.

Think about it for a minute & I bet you'll agree.

For this discussion, I might suggest that can even be distilled further. People use the internet to have needs met. (I can't help them with some of those needs, to be sure. :-) )

People - your Results Drivers - judge whether what you are offering satisfies their needs and wants by asking this question about everything you do.

The question? "So What?"

Ask yourself that simple question until you get to the fundamental final answer. The answer which, for your business or activity, is the last answer you can give. That answer will be the benefit your Results Drivers get from that offering.

Really simple example: You say, "We're offering new software"

So what?

"Um.. It's faster."

So what?

"Well... you get your results in less time..." (getting closer)

So what?

"Faster results mean more time for you to do other things"

Ah... So your software means the user will have more free time. That might actually meet a need or want.

Now that you have that answer, you can frame it back into your relationship with the user - in the spirit of Billy Mays - as a question to find out if it really matters. [An aside...speaking of Billy Mays, if you didn't watch the first season of Pitchmen, do catch the reruns - it's quite educational AND note that Discovery Channel has renewed the show for another season. YEA!]

"Are you tired of wasting time waiting on your old software?"

It's sound rudimentary and terribly obvious for that example. Who wouldn't do that for a software product? But, how often do we forget it or think we can ignore the concept in another context.

Do all the elements of your Growth Engine (sign up for Grow! - the eCourse for definition) answer "So What?" for the Results Drivers you engage there?

Does your blog entertain or offer usable bits of advice? Your website? Your Twitter stream? Your Facebook page? Your storefront or shop? Your YouTube channel?

Go back & double check.

Then... Let's Grow! Wes

Twitter - Is It For Your Business?

2009-06-30T16:46:00.014-05:00

Everyone says you’ve got to be on Twitter. Although many aren’t sure why. Nor is it clear what Twitter will be when it grows up.

Here’s the scoop and what it means to you.

Twitter still doesn’t have a business model, which is ultimately necessary to ensure longevity. It’s likely to be acquired by a larger company and/or morph into something different from what it is now. If it doesn’t, it may not be around for long. Perhaps this creates implied risk in the minds of users.

Why might that be the case? Research now shows the retention rate of users, which is the percentage of last months users that return this month, is lower than other social networking sites and suggests people just aren’t sure what to do with it or aren’t finding value in it. It’s sort of a wild west really. There are side shows, snake oil salesmen (& women), neighborly discussions, con artists, people of

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ill repute, legitimate businesses selling or doing customer support, and so on - all tweeting away like mad. It’s pretty noisy all the time. There are dozens of tools and 3rd party support sites that have sprung up around Twitter because the Twitter programmers made access easy and open. Some of these 3rd parties do have business models. Most, if not all, have a free element which, as you’ll see, is to our - the users - benefit.

Given the lack of clarity though, what’s all the fuss about? Simply, a place that millions of people visit everyday and where many engage in actual discussion, sharing information, etc has something very compelling about it. I’ve spent a lot of hours trying to get my hands around Twitter and some of it’s surrounding 3rd party tool sites. In the process I discovered some of the best and worst of it all.

The question is, does Twitter hold any value for your organization? The answer is: yes it can, if used correctly. Remember the goal is to help you build relationships with your Results Drivers.

This post is adapted from and concludes in Grow! - The eCourse, Chapter 5.

So, if you are on the fence check about Twitter out the chapter 5 & the rest of the course for FREE by signing up over on the left column <<<<<

Make your days great - by choice!

Wes

Is Your Email Marketing Program Hurting Your Business?

2009-05-27T21:48:00.011-05:00

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Last year - 2008, early in the year, I bought a new hybrid SUV (not shown) from a Japanese auto maker. It was when gas prices were at a peak. Fuel efficient vehicles, like the Prius (pictured) and similar, were in high demand. I got a little bit off the price. The financing was not as good as if I'd gotten a gas guzzler - such as a truck. In fact, I traded a huge guzzler and took a beating on that end of it. That part may have not worked so well for the dealer either. It sat on their lot for over 60 days.

The other day I received another personalized email from the parent company. One of many offers to buy a vehicle. This one offered me a great interest rate plus cash back on a "new" 2008 - the same model as the one I have, which by late in the year they couldn't move.

Frankly... I was peeved. And amazed. I was peeved because it was a better deal of course. But more so because as personal as the email seemed, it showed they ignored what they actually knew about me. It was a total waste of their email marketing loyalty program which quite possibly did more harm than good - that's the part that sort of amazed me. The company has reputation for quality and customer service. I assumed if they had that right, their customer marketing would be done intelligently as well.

Not so much. They offered me the same exact vehicle I already owned, which was one year older now, at a better price & lower interest rate. Now, there was no way they were going to take my current in trade for a new one of the same year - they already had too many and I would be upside down in the deal. No reason I would need to trade, either.

Sure, it's possible I wanted two of the same car, but unlikely. Their offer simply came off as being out of touch and impersonal. All their offers over the last year said "come get another car". This last one really set me off.

Sadly for them there was no need for such a thing to occur. With modern email marketing services they should have multiple lists and much better granularity about my status, current vehicles, how long I'd owned them & more. They would roll me from list to list over time, sending offers appropriate for my situation as a customer. Had they thought, instead, about suggesting upgrades from a dealer?... say... a trailer hitch or a complete luggage rack? Maybe something else related to a driving vacation during last summer or this coming one? What about other options I didn't take originally? Apparently not.

Are you hurting your business with a one size fits all mail list? Join the 21st century.

Use multiple lists. Don't treat prospects the same as customers. Don't treat small customers the same as big ones. Tailor your messages. One service which gives you that kind of flexibility and one we use is Aweber.

True, you have to feed and care for each list. You have to think a little harder. It takes a little more work, time and money (maybe).

Not as much as finding new customers.

Let's Grow!

Grow Profits by Growing Relationships

2009-05-14T11:20:00.013-05:00

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A friend asked me the other day how the notion of Grow! by building relationships with people - whom we call Results Drivers - actually helped a business needing to grow it's profits in this economy.

It's a reasonable question.

If I am talking about using technology tools such as blogs, Linkedin, YouTube or Twitter to connect with people the word "profit" doesn't necessarily get mentioned in every discussion. Point taken. Profit is at least one step removed, but far from forgotten.

In the early portions of Grow! - The eCourse, our discussion is about Results Drivers, some of whom are customers. I cite the proven idea that getting more sales from an existing customer is easier and cheaper than getting a new customer. So, closer connections with existing customers equals sales achieved at lower cost which equals higher profits. That's assuming you make a profit on sales to begin with.

If you are not making a profit on each sale to begin with there can only be two reasons: 1) your product or service with overhead costs are more than you are selling for - which is a totally different topic and one for which selling more doesn't help. You can't really make "it" up (a loss) on volume. or 2) your volume of sales (revenue) has not yet surpassed your total expense. That is: you aren't breaking even yet as shown above in the diagram. That is the case where increasing sales to existing customers and getting new customers will grow the business AND lead you to profitability. It can often do it very quickly.

The idea of Grow! is to put tools into place which can improve all kinds of key business or orgaizational metrics by a keen focus in one area: The people - Results Drivers - who have to biggest impact on your results.

Let's Grow!

The Simple Secret to Growth and Tools to Achieve It

2009-05-01T14:13:00.009-05:00

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Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Grow! - The eCourse...

"There is a secret to addressing growth. One which, if you know it and use it, will keep you focused on the right activities. It will lead to thinking that drives the results you want. The secret is actually pretty simple. But first another question...who drives the results you want for any given metric? They do. Who are they? “They” - your audience - are Customers. Constituents. Community. Students. Vendors. Owners. Employees. Faculty. Board. Shareholders. Or someone else.

One thing is certain.

They are someone. People.

So here is the secret: To grow, you have to build relationships with people.

You probably knew that. You may have been doing it for years and may be very good at it. However, have you noticed something? The times are changing. Always have been, yet the rate of change is increasing. You will be glad to know, there are really only 3 things between you and all the growth you can handle."

In Grow - the eCourse, we'll walk through the tools to address the things in your way and fuel a growth engine. It's free. So check it out.

Social Networking & TTXW Grow! eCourse - Benefit Neighborhood Schools

2009-04-27T14:03:00.020-05:00

If you step back and view your local school district or local school as a business which faces many of the same challenges as a business, then you can

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easily apply some the internet's hottest tools toward the benefit of that "business". It can be a win-win for you and all the those who benefit from better schools and schooling. Obviously, the kids should and will receive the biggest benefit. Equally obvious, I hope, is that in the end, that benefits society as a whole.

Here is one area the tools discussed in Grow! - The eCourse can help. In the previous post, I noted how tax dollars were capped and test scores drove ratings. So, if your revenue is capped, you want to improve your music program, but your math scores aren't where you want them - do you spend more money on improving math scores or invest in fine arts?

First, the district needs to communicate there is a question to answer - in this example: math vs. fine arts. A blog by a district authorized person, is a great forum for this. The blog's existence would of course be communicated to the parents and tax base. At least then the constituents will know about the topic. It would be highly beneficial if such a blog where regularly updated with all manner of topics as part of a holistic communications plan.

Second, what might be a creative way to offset the need for tax dollars to fully fund two things when there are only tax dollars for partial or base level funding? Thinking like a business still, this where a school / district can do a little creative marketing. A booster club run by volunteers (parents usually, students sometimes) AND endorsed / relied on by the administration can create a more enriching experience for the students without a budget increase.

Typically, a booster club will help with fund raising and organizing the boosters. Less often do you find a) alignment with the school on a messaging program about the organization being boosted b) coordinated communication of that message and c) use of modern tools to do the communication or other booster activities. If a booster club operated more as an adjunct of the school, in terms of alignment and direction and communicated to their audience in several ways, their opportunity to grow the organization and increase the value of that activity in the eyes of the community would rise substantially.

So, let's take a school marching band as an example. Let's assume the band director and the administration are aligned on the value of band as an important program. If not, that may be first task. It works best as part of a broader plan started at the top. The administration should occasionally blog about the band. The band director (or designee) should regularly be blogging about the activities and goings on with the band: contests, awards, concerts, new half time shows, scholarships, etc. These posts should be connected to outbound RSS feeds, sent as email broadcasts, twitter feeds and so on. All parents, local tax base, school boards, students, teachers and admin should be made aware of the multiple ways to connect and receive these updates.

Now layer on the boosters. To whom the school refers in their communications.

Twitter accounts for the band could be set up. By band director and boosters. Real time updates from contests, football games, reminders of concerts, and so on could be made to constituents unable to attend. A facebook "page" could be owned by the band or band boosters, even the student members (officers or those who understand the marketing purpose) who can and will agree to make periodic updates, post photos (don't forget waivers may be needed) as well as links to the blog feeds mentioned above.

With the increased visibility and transparency at the school level, the job of the boosters adding to the overall marketing of the band becomes easier. They can feed off the support from the school itself and work on further share of mind and participation within the community. Fund raising becomes less an uphill battle as the benefits and value are communicated consistently. More non-tax funds lead to more enriching experiences. Tax dollars go further.

If the administration takes such an example to heart and applies it broadly in a suggested holistic communications plan, well, an old saying applies, "a rising tide lifts all boats."

To Growth!

Have you overlooked a $520B industry?

2009-03-31T17:36:00.019-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

I've mentioned in this blog and on twitter, the U.S. school districts face challenges similar to those of business. Of course there are differences, but the similarities are striking. Public schools in the U.S. are a $520B "industry". A district superintendent is equal to a CEO. Principals are Senior VP's. They all report to a board. They have customers, known as students and parents. There are shareholders, known as taxpayers. They have to deal with regulatory authorities, usually the state.

There is a great need, nationwide for public school districts to adopt well designed communications plans for their audience. Who is their audience? Again, it's the people who drive their results. It includes, but is not limited to: students, teachers, parents, those paying school taxes, community and state officials. Seem like a lot of different people. That's one level of complexity. What to communicate and how are others. Nearby you there is probably a district that could use some assistance in building a unified communications plan that leverages the best tools the internet has to offer.

Here's why...

Public schools district are funded (at least in Texas) with tax dollars. It's a fixed amount per student. So, the top line revenue is very predictable and you can't just create another product to grow. You can only grow the top line by getting more students.

In Texas, districts can sell bonds, which is debt. Many people assume if a district holds a bond election and it passes it, that it means a tax increase. It doesn't typically, unless the state has authorized the increase for all districts. If a tax increase is not authorized in parallel, the only way the bonds can be sold is for the tax base to increase, because the district is likely spending every authorized dollar. Tax base increase then only happens by local growth - new neighborhoods, businesses, etc. Bond money is often used to build facilities. The reason is simple: If that money were pulled from district operating funds it would impact salaries, supplies, etc. Often a bond election is only the authorization to sell bonds in the future when there is room under the cap.

In our area, constituents complain about the constant assessment testing or preparation for same. Turns out most schools would just as soon skip it and focus on teaching/learning in others ways with other metrics. Problem is that ratings are derived from test scores. Those ratings then influence people's decision whether to live here or there. If ratings drop so do move ins and thus revenue. So the schools have to do the testing.

I'll continue this topic with other complexities faced by public schools. By now, if you are a marketing person, a taxpayer or a parent you may be getting a sense of how there is more to it than you thought. If you missed the link on some school stats it's: http://tinyurl.com/school-dists there you can find U.S. stats for public schools from 2006-7. Check the numbers.

For almost every district, increased communications with their "results drivers" will no doubt lead to outputting a better "product" - educated, well balanced kids. More on this soon.

To learn more about applying technology to communications problems like this or your district, sign up for Grow! - The eCourse

It's the same - only different

2009-03-25T08:26:00.013-05:00

Recently, I've had the chance to visit with business owners, a school district superintendent, a school board president, university leaders, church leaders, scouting leaders, Rotary club leaders and to look in the mirror.

The challenge of growing or managing growth turns out to be pretty much the same for all of them and us. Sure, there are often different constraints imposed by the type of organization.

For example, an organization which relies heavily on state funds or tax dollars, may not have the luxury to add a new product to the portfolio to grow the top line. Tough choices about programs are made within fixed budgets and the rationale needs to be communicated. Perhaps bond programs need voter support.

An organization which relies on donations needs it's members to either contribute directly or help drive the fund raising from donors. Both the member and the external supporters need to value the output. How are they kept up to date?

In government, the customer is the constituent and to stay in office, an elected official ultimately has to serve that audience. How does that audience know they have been served?

A business needs not only it's customers but also it's employees to fuel the engine of growth. Customers have to "know" they want & need the products in order to be motivated to buy them. They have to know you even have products. How do they find out? Employees have to agree on the strategies that produce the product. Do they agree?

The questions are effectively the same.

All of those organizations also interact with a value web of suppliers, bankers, accountants, and community to name a few. The only real way to grow is to build relationships with all these "target" markets. Markets? A term referring to a group. A group of what? um... That would be... people! Individual persons. At some point you need their "buy-in" to what you are doing - individually. You need convey you expertise, your intention, your status, plans and more to secure that buy-in

For centuries, a really good way to reach people has been, and still is, to get face-to-face. A drawback to that approach are the limitations of time and space. We all have the same hours in a day and can physically can only be in 1 place at any given moment. So it limits how many people you can reach. A perhaps obvious solution (to some) is to use technology more efficiently to connect with people. We've all become attached to our technology. Even dependent. Addicted? You know who you are. ;-) These attachments are the way for your organization to find people - internal or external - where they are. It won't be the same for everyone. The way to reach one person, may not work for another. Your message may not play well in all mediums.

You know what? Nearly every organization I've encountered are under utilizing and missing the leverage of the power of technology available to them. We really need to fix that.

That's why you need to build an interconnected network of your own to communicate your results, your expertise and relevant things about your organization.

The 30 second formula is this: I recommend websites serve as hubs. Then use email, blogs and social networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. These - when all connected and cross linked - can serve as an organic growth engine. Then layer on affiliates, Pay per click, auctions, classifieds and other advertising approaches as appropriate for your organization. Chapter 2 of "Grow! - The eCourse" starts to look at websites - from very basics to the activity around them. Other elements are covered in later chapters.

Wes.

Luck of the Irish?

2009-03-17T23:36:00.004-05:00

Tis St. Paddy's day. It's been a busy few days preparing to take a couple of days off with family. It's "sproing" break. Of significance on the Grow! side of things is completion of the first chapter of "Grow! - the eCourse" and staging of a new email campaign via Aweber to handle subscriptions and sending out the eCourse - automatically. I love that service. and blogger too. We are lucky and blessed to have such tools at our disposal.

To learn how you can use these or others, check out "Grow! - the eCourse" by signing up at TTXW You don't even have to be Irish!

All though you'll feel more lucky if you are. and yes, I'm at least 1/4 Irish, 1/4 Scot. We're not 100% sure about the Stalcup line. The story is Swedish

It's a lot like fishing...

2009-03-14T11:13:00.011-05:00

The other day, I was privileged to give a short talk to my Rotary Club. The group consists of mostly local business owners and community organizations. The topic was, of course, growth. More specifically the idea of using some of the plethora of internet tools available to us all to get our expertise and message in front of as many people as possible to maintain and grow our organization.

I showed a new concept diagram I am working up, which perhaps I will call the wheel of growth... or maybe the circle of growth. I'll share it here soon. Anyway, by using all the tools in concert, the odds a gaining Share of Mind (SOM) with your target market or audience go up dramatically. Now in internet marketing circles, that is fairly common practice. However in more traditional spaces - most non-web based organizations - it is not as widely applied. That's who my company, TTXW, INC, is helping.

The next morning I got up early and decided to watch some fishing shows. Watching fishing shows is not a regular occurrence - it a sometimes thing. I was actually looking for some of the old farm shows that used to be on. Finding none any more and with spring break next week and the prospects of taking the kids fishing - some fishing motivation seemed like a excellent choice. My 2nd grade daughter joined me, so even better.

What I saw was enlightening. A lot was explained about fishing and my results, but more relevant to this blog on growth, is a new simile I now have to compare the message from the recent talk with fishing.

The show followed two professional bass anglers during a full day of fishing on lake that was new to them. Each fished alone in their own boat. It compared their style, lure choice, location choice, etc and results.

Here is the first lesson - this explains a lot about my past bass fishing success (or lack thereof) - each man cast their lures into the water an average of 144 times per fish landed. I've never seen these kinds of stats before. Think about the implication. I've always thought if I didn't catch anything in 20-30 casts there weren't fish there or they weren't biting. If someone had told me you have to present the bait a lot more times, it might have helped all these years. Now in sales, we all sort of recognize you need leads to convert and conversion rates are only a small percentage in most cases. But, maybe you need 5-7x more than you think to grow.

The second lesson was found in the two different approaches to the task. Both these guys have made considerable money fishing and are well sponsored as proof. Both are knowledgeable guys when it come to fishing. This day, one guy did a quick study of the maps, found some areas that fit his style and beliefs about bass behavior, went to those spots and went fishing. The other, looked at the maps and also spent time studying his "electronics" - i.e. used sonar and gps to profile the underwater structure, look for schools of fish, and so on. He actually spent A LOT of time doing this. By midday, he was way behind on casts and fish. It looked like a case of spending to much time "fixin' to fish" versus "just get fishin". You've heard the saying "fish or cut bait"? I have a friend who likes to say, "perfection is the enemy of good enough" In this case, putting the bait in the water was answering more questions and producing more results than continued detailed analysis did.

At the end of the day... the deep detailed analyst had cast less than 400 times and caught 3 fish weighing a total of 5-6 lbs. The other guy had cast over 1000 times and caught 6 fish weighing a total of 15-16 lbs. A bit more than 2X the casts, 3X the results (weight-wise)

The takeaways seem pretty clear to me.

The simile is this... put your expertise/value in front of more & more people and catch more growth. Use as many ways as you can find to cast your lure.

Don't forget a key advantage you have over a solo fisherman. You can put a lot of lines in the water at one time AND point your market back & forth between the lines - letting them choose their favorite. Much of what you try may not work. That's OK. Some will. Just get fishin'.

I'll be back to look at some of the ways you can put more lines in the water. From basics on through to the latest... website/email, newsletters, blogs, social networking (huge opportunity here), affiliates/referrals, paid ads and more.

My Best,

Wes.