Hawaii Tech Industry in Pictures

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:44:00 GMT

Having the right project manager is absolutely critical to the success of your next project. Make sure you accurately understand what your customer really wants. Test your assumptions! I developed a Customer Persona worksheet that keeps my clients focused on their customer.

Timing is another overlooked area. What is your "window of opportunity?" Projects can be either "too early" or "too late." If you started a social media firm in Hawaii in 2008, you may have been a bit too early and spun your wheels for the first couple of years. However, if you're just getting starting with your social media campaign now ... there's a lot of work right now.

The "digg" effect refers to what can happen to your website (and reputation) when too many people flood your business. Customers of Groupon have had this experience, also -- too many customers rush the store after receiving a 50% discount coupon and the staff, inventory and service are just not prepared. The same can happen with your website. The risk to your reputation is higher than ever before in the globally connected, social world.

Thank you to Judy Shapiro over at the Trenchwars Weblog who shared this image with me yesterday (I'm not sure where she got it). Judy was an inspiration to me at SXSW last year, my conversation with her was one of the highlights of my trip, and I've been following her entrepreneurship adventures with much interest!

Social Media Trends to Watch in 2012

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:01:00 GMT

Last year experts predicted tablet computers would become the bridge between streaming video and broadcast television, and that tablet computers would change the way we watch TV as much as smartphones had changed the way we accessed the Internet.

As we get ready for 2012, take a moment to consider the trends that will most affect your marketing and public relations efforts this year.

Twitter

Most small business owners have never used Twitter, never heard of Twitter and may never plan to use Twitter. But, if your business depends on relationships, or you ask for donations, or you sell things to people, then you need to know that people who use Twitter are heavily influencing the mainstream media. For those unfamiliar, Twitter is a short message service where people post updates of 140 characters or less.

Many journalists are now following the companies they write about on Twitter and using the micro-blogging site as a source for story ideas and interview subjects. For anyone that wants more visibility and publicity, Twitter has become highly popular ways of building relationships with reporters. So, for 2012, a key trend will be more marketers using Twitter to influence reporters and other thought leaders about what they write and talk about.

ROI of Social Media

Speaking of visibility and free publicity, did you know that another marketing trend in 2012 will be more marketing agencies measuring social media as much as they measure paid advertising?

Social media is often talked about as being "free," but it's not. The cost comes from the time and resources to build an online presence and reputation. It's not enough to just have a Facebook page in 2012. Marketing agencies are going to need to show how they can actually develop a vibrant community around an advertised product, or connect an offer to a real conversation on the Internet. Because a community can generate word-of-mouth and free publicity, small business owners will need to measure their social media results as carefully as they measure their paid advertising campaigns.

Check-Ins and Mobile Marketing

Another trend to watch in 2012 is more "check ins," advertising and brand sites on the most popular websites. Sites like Yelp! and TripAdvisor automatically generate business profiles from a phone book listing. In 2012, look for companies to take more control over these pages and how their brand appears on social media. Businesses will invest more resources to provide a seamless experience in the way they interact with customers online. Look for more brands to integrate with Google+, Facebook and Twitter where they will offer discounts and rewards in exchange for becoming a member of their community.

Companies Put Branding First

User-generated content, such as blogs, YouTube, video streaming and link-sharing sites are connecting like-minded people more than ever before. Everyone is publishing and improving upon the ideas of others. Advertisers will use this trend to create a "lifestyle" image around their brand.

You might be thinking, "that's all well and good for Coca-Cola, but my customers aren't on social media." Well, just wait. The fastest growing segment on Facebook are those between the ages of 45 and 55, according to eMarketer. And, 75% of the U.S. Internet population has a Facebook account. Of those, half of those login daily. If "getting found" or "visibility" is important to your business, then go to where your customers are. Businesses who connect and interact with their customers in 2012 will come out ahead of those who don't.

2012 will also be a year of better analytics--as-it-happens information about your customers and prospects and how they are engaging with your products or service.

Social Brands Perform Better

Economists predict 2012 will be a year of growth, but customers will be selective about who they do business with. Customers will expect the companies they buy from to be fully connected. If you're a business owner, help your staff become socially engaged and better aware of what people are saying about you. Consider going over comments left on travel review and recommendation sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp. Use staff meetings to talk about ways to improve, or to continue doing positive things that generate good reviews.

Use these trends to focus your efforts in 2012. You may be surprised at what you discover! You may find out what TV shows your customers like to watch and what music they enjoy. Use those topics to start conversations and stay regularly connected to your customers in 2012.

While the sites, tools and gadgets your customers use will change over time, the cultural shift of one-to-one communication with customers will not go away. This isn't anything new, you have always talked to your customers. In 2012, that conversation will just happen in different ways.

Social Media Year in Review

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:30:00 GMT

From starting a newspaper column in North Hawaii News to hosting several social media training sessions and presentations, 2011 was sure a year to remember!

The highlight was traveling to Austin for the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference. I began writing more, volunteered with the Chamber of Commerce, joined the Social Media Club of Hawaii, spoke at the Honolulu Convention Center, met social media gurus ... it really was quite a year!

I'm especially grateful to the eight new clients I picked up this year and my 800 or so loyal readers of my blog and member newsletter (http://join.laura-kinoshita.com). I really enjoy sharing marketing tips and resources for anyone who wants to get more from their marketing and social media efforts.

Of course, every year I publish the West Hawaii Social Media Report, a major effort which takes almost three months to put together. I'll be doing it again this year, so leave a comment below if you'd like a copy.

Thank you to all the new friends I made this year. You've been generous beyond belief, a great deal of fun to be around, an invaluable sounding board and sanity-keeper. I've found a great group of friends that are passionate about what they do, smart as tacks, funny as hell, strong-willed and they all really like to have a good time! I can't wait to spend time with you again!

Please, let's also remember the dear friends we lost along the way, all too soon. Life is precious and short, so let's honor their memories by appreciating all the small blessings life has to offer, every day. Let's make the most of it in 2012, because there are no guarantees any of us will see 2013. Doesn't the Mayan calandar predict the world will end tomorrow?

But if you're reading this in 2012, may your life be filled with health and your soul with peace and wellbeing.

Me ke aloha and Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

(With my love and Happy New Year)

50% Savings on Email Marketing

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:30:00 GMT

I also provide "Done for You" email marketing and newsletter services so you can put this important part of your business on autopilot, or a "pay-as-you go plan" where you can get focused support where you need it most.

Two Things Every Email Marketing Message Must Have

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:15:00 GMT

Today I received an email with the subject line, "December 2011."

Do you get these?

When deciding what to read every day I look at two things: Who it is from and what is it about?

If you can't pass these two two tests, then ... you're deleted.

How many of your customers have so much time on their hands that they are just sitting there waiting for your news to come in?

But now let's look at some successful email subject lines:

The Best Business News You’ll Hear This Holiday
[My name], reward yourself with up to 6 free nights at [Hotel]
The hottest conversations on [our site]
Save up to 33% with the December Sale
Should this woman keep a secret?
Exclusive. Free Shipping. Right Now.

Notice a trend?

A successful email marketing campaign must include two simple things

In your email message subject line, make sure you have:

1. A specific offer
2. Clear idea about what the person will get in return for opening the message

It's no longer enough to expect people to read your message just because you sent it to them. You must trade VALUE for your customer's time.

Now, I realize most small business owners don't have the resources to craft highly effective online newsletters every 10-14 days (the recommended frequency of a successful online marketing campaign).

That's why I've launched a new service dedicated to helping small businesses improve their email newsletter campaigns. It's called "Done-For-You Newsletter Services" and its designed with the busy (and overworked!) business owner in mind.

I'm also offering my subscribers a FREE email grader report, from the talented folks at HubSpot, with whom I work. Just send me a copy of your best newsletter and I'll send you a detailed report of how effective your email newsletter campaign is. You will get data across 5 categories: message deliverability, conversion, social media optimization, effectiveness of message timing, and mobile device compatibility.

Then, if you'd like "done-for-you" email marketing services, or just a one-hour "Power Session" that will improve your email marketing campaigns, you can contact me for assistance.

Want to learn more? Watch this video to learn how email grader works. Then send me a copy of your newsletter!

It's My Birthday...and Here's My Gift for You!

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:30:00 GMT

I'm turning 40 years old on November 29th, and I have a special birthday treat for you!

As part of my Birthday Celebration I am going to help you (or someone you know) better use online tools to get more sales leads for your business.

If you work in the tourism, retail, real estate, restaurant or professional service industries, this can significantly help grow your business in 2012.

Until tomorrow, November 29th at midnight, Hawaii standard time, you will get 50% off my "Social Media Boot Camp for Small Business" program.

http://info.laura-kinoshita.com/birthday-social-media-promo/

This is my way of saying "Thank You" for being a loyal reader and supporter over the past few years!

This isn't false hope. What I'm offering is a proven system for converting more of your website traffic into new business leads and sales.

How quickly you put the program to work for you is up to you.

You will have to work. But isn't that how you grew your business to begin with?

Those who spend 5-10 hours a week see results faster than those who can only spend 1 hour a week. This is about you moving toward a process of reaching people where they hang out in more effective ways than what you're doing right now. Everyone who puts effort forward will see improvement.

In my personal experience working with neglected websites I've seen traffic improve 75% in six months.
I've seen conversion rates from Facebook outperform Google ads by 3 to 1.
I've seen businesses better link social media efforts to in-store sales.
It's about being more visible, and getting the right types of people wanting to do business with you.

So, what do I teach exactly?

In this program I provide:

An overview of inbound marketing and why it's essential for your business in 2012
Practical steps for radically improving your visibility online
A way for you to spend 60% less getting better-quality sales leads
A list of questions you need to honestly ask yourself before getting started
4 Steps to a Successful Social Media Strategy
Information about the cultural shift your business will need to take to be successful online
Easy steps you can take to get started now
An overview about how Google works, and how recent changes will affect you
Understanding about why inbound links are the “currency of the Web” (and what that means!)
Examples of local Big Island businesses that you know and love being successful with social media in Hawaii

There's only one thing you need to know....

After December 31th, this program will disappear. I'm taking it off the market to get ready for a new "Digital Mastermind" small-group program in 2012.

So .... If you've been wanting to learn more about how to use social media marketing to get more leads for your business, now's the chance to get my system at a huge discount:

http://info.laura-kinoshita.com/birthday-social-media-promo/

Dear Laura --

It is after 11 PM and I am still thinking about the things we discussed and the information about [our] website that you shared today . . . it was a valuable session, and I thank you very much. Joyce R., College Goals

e welina Laura ~
[Our business] still doesn't have a website. Nevertheless, I used some of what I learned at the Social Media Boot Camp to publicize our recently concluded online auction... I know it worked because within moments of posting we exceeded our bandwidth and had to ask our service provider to bail us out. I've also been asking, "How did you hear about our auction?" So thanks...I would never have thought to do any of that kind of publicity if it weren't for your blog and the Boot Camp. Michelle M. Friends of the Future

Mobile Internet Brings Opportunities to Retailers

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:53:00 GMT

Did you know 70% of people will refer to an online source before visiting a local business or restaurant? This is according to a March 2011 study from CityGrid Media and Harris Interactive and shared last week by eMarketer.

The study found people are turning to Google search as the #1 source, followed by review and recommendation sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp! (13%) and followed by Facebook (12%). The results were published on the eMarketer website, which offers a complete report on the findings:

EMarketer also looked at the fact that smartphones are increasingly driving traffic to retail stores. As I wrote about here before, searching for information on mobile devices is the #2 activity and Google says mobile users who search for stores and products are very likely to buy that product or service within 24 hours!

The rush to mobile media advertising also explains why so many businesses are expressing a high interest in social media in Q4 2011. In my own social media survey of small businesses, I found local retailers are investing more time and money into social media and inbound marketing techniques this year than they did last year, and they plan to increase that number even more next year.

This fact is backed up by Retail Systems Research (RSR), which found the numbers of retailers worldwide who say smartphones "have a lot of value in driving traffic to their stores" jumped from 20% to 31% in just one year. ("The 21st Century Store: The Search for Relevance"). That means 2011 could really be the year retailers put their mobile strategy in place. Is your business getting ready?

Having clear goals, key performance indicators and social media metrics will be key in the way you determine if your social media plan is working or not.

So are you just getting started or do you have a plan in place? Is there someone on your team who is the "social media manager" or a "community developer?" Do you have all the skills you need in-house, or will you need some training first? What are you are seeing as they key trends in your industry? Tell me what's going on in the comments section below!

7 Scary Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Facebook

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:57:00 GMT

Do you know the full extent to which Facebook uses your personal information?

Few people do.

The following is based on actual published news accounts and interviews with Facebook employees:

1. Facebook keeps everything, forever.

By far the biggest misconception is that once you “remove” or “hide” something on Facebook, it’s gone forever. Not true. Whether you’ve deleted, untagged, hidden, removed or interacted with anything, Facebook keeps a record of it. Click on a profile, upload a photo, update your status, change your profile, Facebook remembers. This is how they keep track of who your best friends are and make the site so engaging and satisfying to use. When you type a letter in the search box, what appears isn’t arranged alphabetically, but rather who you interact with the most. The Friends that appear first in search arearranged according to who you send messages to the most, or whose profile you view the most, or people you interact with the most. So Facebook needs to keep track of every message, chat and poke. They even keep track of which people you are tagged in photos with, and how often.

2. Facebook has multiple versions of every photo you’ve ever uploaded.

When Facebook saves photos, they don’t just make a copy of the original, but instead they make multiple copies to use in various ways. For example, they store one version for the newsfeed, another version for your profile, another for your timeline and so on. And each photo that is uploaded to Facebook carries with it the metadata that digital cameras include with each image. This type of data often includes the manufacturer of the camera, themodel number and even its serial number, as well as properties such as shutter speed and exposure time. On some cameras, such as the iPhone 4, metadata can also include the precise GPS location of where the photo was taken.

3. Facebook stores multiple data “snapshots” throughout the day.

Snapshots include every viewable screen, and every piece of data behind every screen. These “snapshots” are taken every hour, of every day, of every month, for every year. That’s how Facebook can provide timelines that go back to the day you were “born,” (or the day you started using Facebook.) This data is stored in multiple data centers around the world, including San Francisco, New York and London. In each data warehouse there are approximately 10 thousand servers, and each location has essentially the same data on it as every other location. If a world disaster ever brought the entire Internet down, Facebook could be back online within just a few days, regardless of where the disaster took place.

4. Facebook engineers can look at any message, chat or photo without having to login to a specific profile.

In the early days of Facebook there used to be a “master password” which allowed a few engineers view any user’s profile from within Facebook headquarters, but practically speaking, the use of a password is irrelevant for an engineer who has access to Facebook servers. “It’s just for style,” said one employee. That’s because everything uploaded to Facebook is saved in a simple database. Whether deleted or not, every message, chat history, photo and so forth lives on in a database that can easily be accessed by Facebook engineers.

5. Facebook keeps track of every device you use, and how often.

A privacy group named Europe v. Facebook discovered this fact when they requested a copy of every piece of data Facebook had on record for two European Facebook users. One of the Facebook profiles contained more than 880 pages of information. Included among the messages, chat history, photos and viewing history was also a record of every device the person used to access their profile on Facebook, including how often they logged in from each machine, as well as all the other Facebook profiles which had ever been accessed on that same machine.

6. Facebook uses scientific research to make its site as appealing and addictive as possible.

When Facebook wants to introduce new features, they conduct a variety of scientific tests to find out which ones will be the most emotionally appealing and engaging for the greatest number of users. For example, Facebook used eye-tracking tests to find a better way to display photos. Testing revealed that one design improved the number of page views by 77% while also reducing bandwith and page load time. That test changed the way photos are displayed on Facebook.

7. Facebook’s “Frictionless Sharing” enables the site to track your browsing activity even after you log out of Facebook.

With frictionless sharing, once you approve a website or application to interact with Facebook, all your activity on that website and application will be automatically shared with Facebook, whether you’re logged into Facebook or not. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint with the FTC saying that Facebook puts secret, persistent identifiers in users’ browsers. Privacy advocates also complain that the process for people to opt-out of frictionless sharing is confusing and impractical. Facebook responds by saying they provide more granular control of data to users than any other site, and that their privacy controls are superior.

So, what can you do to better protect your data? Read the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy for all the sites you use most, starting with Facebook, Google and iTunes. Facebook allows you to download an archive of everything you’ve ever uploaded, but be careful—once you have a copy then you will need to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands!

(This article was originally published Oct. 27, 2011 in North Hawaii News)

How to Turn Your Content into a Strategic Marketing Advantage

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:52:00 GMT

I'm on my way back from the Hawaii Social Media Summit at the Honolulu Convention Center! Mari Smith presented the keynote session, "Relationship Marketing: How to Build a Large, Loyal and Profitable Network Using the Social Web." Mari's talk emphasized the actions businesses can take to build and sustain long-term relationships with customers, and the importance of building relationships first, business second.

"Modern marketing is about relationships," she said, and the challenge for marketers is to be "creative about the ways you nurture relationships with customers." For example, Mari hosted a retreat at her home for her top clients, drawn from a community that had been part of her network for years.

Mari also talked abouth the importance of "social equity" and to treat people on social media like equals. “You are equally important to me whether you have 10 or 1000 followers,” she said. "Show you really care about people, not just sales."

One idea I liked was the suggestion going into the profile pages of your best customers or new business prospects and gather information such as what their favorite movie or book is. "I have a friend who will buy a small piece from a movie set." What a great way to keep the personal connection while still leveraging the power of social media! It not only shows you care, but that you're also paying attention!

Turning Content into Your Strategic Competitive Advantage

I was also the presenter for Session 4 which was about helping businesses use their existing content for a strategic competitive advantage. A key point of my talk is that a business website must help your customers and clients acheive their goals while they on your website (not yours.) I encouraged businesses to look at the keyword search phrases that people are using to find their site, and also the personal profiles of "fans" that have liked their page. Or, even just talk to 10-15 most trusted close customers during conversations. However the data is collected, marketers will often find that what they think customers want from their website is often not what they had thought.

A copy of my presentation is below. It includes a step-by-step process for creating an editorial calendar that will dramatically improve your ability to attract the right types of visitors to your website -- those who are most likely to buy from you! It's about attracting more qualified visitors to your website, and then converting them into paying customers over time. But remember! It's a long-term process, because relationships must come first!

Turning Content into Your Strategic Competitive Advantage

View more presentations from LKinoshita

How to Grow Your Business with Reviews, Deals & Check-Ins

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 20:19:00 GMT

(This article was originally published in North Hawaii News)

Now's a great time to get your digital footprint ready for the upcoming season. Set aside one hour this week to look at one or more of the following sites. Each offers a free set of tools that can help you, the small business owner, get better found online and encourage positive word-of-mouth. Take advantage of these resources and see which makes the most sense:

1. Yelp. Yelp helps people find great local businesses, like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics. It's been around for seven years and each month more than 53 million people use the site.

Because of its popularity and longevity, Yelp listings for businesses often "outrank" self-made business pages in search results. If you don't claim your site, your customers can make one for you, until you decide to "claim" it and take over. Of the 200 million reviews posted on Yelp, 83% are positive. Use Yelp for: Getting found in search; establishing an online business presence.

2. TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor is the world's largest travel community in the world, period. Each month, 60 million people use TripAdvisor to get reviews and recommendations, book flights, make restaurant reservations and find recommended vacation activities. There is also a vacation rental division for property managers. TripAdvisor is the engine behind 19 top travel websites, including airfarewatchdog.com, bookingbuddy.com, cruisecritic.com, independenttraveler.com, smartertravel.com, seatguru.com and others. When a business signs up for a merchant page, they get priority rankings in search, the ability to interact with members and a custom landing page. Use TripAdvisor for: Better traffic, testimonials; offering special deals and discounts.

3. Facebook Places. Did you know the fastest-growing segment on Facebook is 55-65 year-old females? Or that 50% of mobile traffic is to Facebook? When people find a place they really like, they want to tell their friends about it. Facebook Places encourages people to "tag" their location to whatever it is they are doing -- sharing a thought, posting a picture or having lunch. Facebook wants to encourage people to:

Share where you’ve been
Share where you are now
Share where you’re going

Past. Present. Future.

4. Foursquare. Foursquare is a game environment where friends compete for points and badges. The premise is to make cities more fun to navigate and explore with friends. Facebook Places may have the largest user base (about 7X the size of Foursquare), but Facebook is moving away from the "check in" and focusing more on "tagging." Foursquare, on the other hand, has a user base that checks-in frequently and about one third share their check-ins with their Twitter and Facebook followers.

So, while Foursquare users may not be as prevalent in number, they tend to be more influential in their social circles.

Foursquare also offers free tools to help business owners identify and engage with their best customers, then reward those customers for their loyalty. There's also a merchant platform for detailed venue statistics about foot traffic and other metrics.

Use Foursquare for: Engaging with your best customers; getting statistics about your business.

Confused about where to begin?

1. Claim your site. Check to see if your business is listed among any of the top sites. Chances are it is. Remember, your customers are already talking about you online. To respond to reviews, post better pictures or have better control about how you are perceived online, "claim" your business page this week on each of the above sites.

2. Complete your profile. This is where it may get a little tough. Who is going to be the "face" of your business? Who is going to set the "tone of voice" for your location? Sure, you may get away with using your logo on some sites, but Yelp requires a picture of an individual, and sunglasses and group shots are not allowed. This may be a difficult decision, but it makes sense from a social perspective. Would you rather talk to a person or would you rather talk to a logo? Your customers feel the same way.

3. Optimize for keywords. Do you know the top 25 phrases your customers use to find you online? Use Google's AdWords "Keyword Tool" to get a suggested list. Then, include the top keyword phrases in your profile business page, description, titles, headings and tags. You can even rename your images to include one of your keyword phrases before posting them to your profile. This will help the search engines find you using the very same words your customers already use the most.

Once you complete these steps, you'll be able to better monitor and respond to how people are talking about you online. You'll also get invaluable customer feedback. Reward employees for outstanding service and develop new ways for identifying and encouraging loyal customers. Over time, you'll have a brand personality that distinguishes you in the hearts and minds of your best customers.

Want to learn more? Email me with the subject: CHECK-IN-SAVINGS and I will give you a 50% discount toward my Social Media Bootcamp for Small Business training program. It's a great way to understand social media marketing and how to position your local business for success.

Create a Deliberate Online Marketing Experience

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:30:00 GMT

The most successful businesses are building active and vibrant social communities around their products and services. They do this by working every day to improve the overall customer experience, to make every customer feel positive whenever they think about the business. Successful businesses know the emotions that their customers respond to most, and they make sure the customer experience is deliberate--not just something that happens by accident. Strong businesses understand that loyalty is an emotional connection.

Know Your Customer's Heart

Your social media success will depend on how well you can orient yourself towards your customer’s lifestyle. This means understanding your customer's innermost values, problems, needs and desires.

My marketing process starts with getting honest about who your customers are, and the real value your product or service provides. It's not just art or jewelry you might be selling, but a moment remembered, a special day, a cherished experience. Ask yourself, what are the real motivators for my customers? What do they really want the most? Perhaps it's a sense of nostalgia, pleasurable dining, the ability to share good times with family and friends, go on an adventure, trust in a hope, or live out their dream ... these are the real nuggets of value that your business can provide.

Now look at what you're giving your customers in social media. Are your messages relevant to the types of experiences your customers want? Are you willing to care and nurture your customer community every single day? Are you really listening to your customers? Or just going through the motions?

Social media is an amplifier, so first you'll have to start with these deep business and operational questions. Be honest with yourself before you get started.

At first, you might be worried about getting a lot of complaints -- that's okay. Let your customers express their frustrations. It only gives you another opportunity to show that you take their concerns seriously.

If Engagement Makes You Nervous...

Then at a minimum just make it easier for your potential customers to find you. Get yourself set up on the major social media networks and try hanging out where your customers congregate online.

Do a Twitter search of your company, industry or brand name. Listen and respond to comments about your business and brand.

Engagement takes a lot of effort, but if you're consistent at it, you'll be rewarded with more support and encouragement than you can imagine.

Setting Goals for Social Media: You Get What You Inspect

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:25:00 GMT

There's a saying that goes, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there," and never has than been more true than in the world of social media.

Having a clear, specific goal will keep you on the right path. I like S.M.A.R.T. goals--Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, Time-Specific.

Examples:

“By Dec. 31, 2011 5% of visitors to our website will turn into a brick-and-mortar customer within a 6-month time period.”
“Starting 12 months from now, our website will generate 10% of retail revenue.”
“80% of people surveyed within a 10-mile radius will be able to correctly identify and describe our primary business.”

These are just some ideas to get you started...

Outputs, Outgrowths and Outcomes

Ultimately, any effort to measure the ROI of social media will come down to some combination of URL tracking, customer surveys and/or redemption of offers. Each tactic initiated for the purpose of a specific goal must have its own indicators of success. Be clear about what you are trying to do.

You can measure:

Outputs (clicks, followers, retweets, website traffic, likes, etc.)
Outgrowths (cost savings, engagement, word-of-mouth, influence, reputation)
Outcomes (change in sales, change in behavior, change in opinions or values

Marketers have direct control over outputs, but outgrowths and outcomes will also be influenced by other factors – like the responsiveness of your staff, the quality of your customer service, your level of consistency, effectiveness of your sales team, etc.

Even factors such as consumer confidence, seasonality and what your competitors are doing (like outspending you in advertising) will affect your overall marketing outcomes.

But one factor will always hold true—the more power you put into your marketing effort, the more you will get out of it.

7 Ways to Tell if Your Social Media Campaign is Successful

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:30:00 GMT

What does success in social media look like?

Here are 7 ways to tell:

Your customers start repeating and sharing one of your “key messages,” something they didn’t know before and something you needed to get more widely publicized.
Your email subscriber list starts growing by leaps and bounds.
The quality of engagement on social media increases dramatically. You see you’re making a real impact on customer’s lives, and they are enthusiastically sharing their experiences with their friends.
You get high redemption rates on your online coupons and offers.
Your email metrics skyrocket. More people open and click through to your website because you add real value to their day.
In response to feedback, you improve your business. You are becoming more customer-focused, more innovative, delivering more quality.
Your customers become advocates for your business. They are willing to pay a little extra, wait a little longer, promote your business to their friends because they genuinely appreciate you and your business. They write positive reviews on your behalf.

Most businesses are suspicious of online advertising, and I understand why. Even if you get a large numbers of “hits” or “traffic,” how does a small business owner know if all that traffic turned into real customers or sales?

“Assuming we can identify our best customers and demographics, how will we know if our online marketing campaign is working?”

There’s no question that advertisers can place the right message in front of the right person at the right time, the moment when they are most likely to buy. (The question of whether advertisers are willing to do the necessary research, creative development, testing and evaluation is another matter entirely.) This makes online marketing the most accountable form of marketing available.

How to Convert Web Traffic to Sales

The secret is to create an online conversion process on your website where “real people” request/subscribe/raise their hand to have a real relationship with you. The most common example is a newsletter list sign-up, but unfortunately, most businesses fail to offer any compelling reason why someone would want to subscribe. Remember – you still have to “sell” or “market” yourself, even when a person has clearly expressed an initial interest in your business. In the customer’s mind there are stages of “awareness,” “interest,” “evaluation” and “purchase.” It’s your job to carry the relationship through each stage. Let me say that again--it’s your job to get the customer to sign-up or “purchase.” You are not entitled to any attention, support or sign-ups. You must earn every one.

Did you like this article? If so, please share it! Click on one of the buttons above, Tweet me @lkinoshita or just leave a comment below.

How to Use Testimonials Effectively

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:20:00 GMT

Sure, everyone loves it when someone says something nice about their business, but did you know testimonials can radically help grow your business?

Think of a testimonial as a way to create a “mirror effect” in the mind of your ideal customer prospect. Your customer might be worried about doing business with you, testimonials confront that fear head-on by showing how your product or service was used by real customers.

"Struggles" are the problems your business can help solve and “Desires” are all the positive experiences your customers will have after working with you.

Use customer testimonials to show how your product or service has helped people in real life. This will help other people overcome any objections or hesitancy that they might have in doing business with you.

Here are 7 questions you can use to get amazing testimonials:

What hesitations did you have about working with our company?
What changes have you noticed since working with our company? (Get specific, measurable outcomes.)
What specific feature/service do you like best when working with our company?
How have you benefited from our service? (the more specific, the better.)
Would you recommend our product/service to others? (Why or why not?)
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Would you be willing to be interviewed by me at another time?

Tips:

When collecting testimonials, get the full name, where the person lives, a picture (and permission to use) and the industry the person works in (if it's relevant to your business.)

Capturing testimonials on video is best, because with video you can convert to all types of formats you will ever need (audio, visual, text). Smartphones make it easier than ever.

Then, plan to edit down responses, but let the emotions come through. Genuine enthusiasm trumps all.

After you edit for clarity, get your customer's permission that everything is a-okay.

Did you find this useful? Then Like this page and check out Sean Desouza's site, Psychotactics.com. The first six questions were developed by him and later shared by Marie Forleo during Rich Happy Hot B-School earlier this year. Marie also added question #7.

You might also like this article: "What Does it Really Take to Succeed in Social Media Marketing."

Have a question? Leave a comment below.

How to Reduce the Number of Facebook Messages in Your Email

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:09:00 GMT

Are you getting bombarded with Facebook spam? Getting too many email notification messages from Facebook? Here's how you can turn those messages off in Facebook. And some other useful Facebook notification tips as well!

Have another Facebook question? Type in your question in the comments section below, and I'll answer them in an upcoming video

Help Me Pick a Social Media Speaking Topic!

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 22:32:00 GMT

I'm going to be speaking at the Hawaii Social Media Summit on Oct. 19th (Hawaii Convention Center) and I need your help in picking a session topic!

What other topics should I consider? Write your answer in the comments section below.

How to Find an Online Community for Any Small Business

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:18:00 GMT

I was at an event recently when I noticed someone browsing dilegently through my portfolio. They appeared to be late 60's-70's, bearded, wrinkled with years of rugged country living.

"Can I answer any questions?" I asked.

"I'm into antiques," he said.

"Well, there are large communities on the Internet dedicated to antiques," I started to blather.

"Antique furniture restoration." He said, as if to stop me. It was almost as if by "antique" he was saying "old" and that by "old" he was saying "not online."

It got me thinking. Could there be interest groups that are just "not right" for social media? Interest groups so narrow it would be impossible to reach them?

I told the man I could probably find an online community dedicated to furniture restoration in less than an hour. The man added his name to my email list and asked me to follow up with him after the event. So I did.

How to Find a Social Community for Any Industry or Topic

I started by researching the types of people that are most interested in antique furniture restoration. I wanted to find out their demographics, and what types of problems or solutions they were searching for most on the Web.

Based on my research I found the most active community were collectors and buyers. That got me thinking about what types of information and topics would appeal to that group most.

Based on this information, I would make sure his website catered to this demographic, and I would align his business around topics based on those kinds of conversations. For example, the key would be to target websites and online forums featuring:

Antiques & Collectibles
Homemaking & Interior Décor
Kitchen & Dining
Home Furnishings
Visual Art & Design

Then, find the intersection of those interests with Hawaii and Hawaii readership. Based on that information, he could begin to develop a marketing campaign to generate awareness and interest in antique furniture restoration services.

Twitter

I then turned to Facebook and Twitter to find the most influencial people with audiences that would be appropriate for antique restoration:

You can see from the description what these writers like to focus on. Some are more relevant than others. By engaging with conversations it wouldn't be long before a person could find a community of people talking about topics most relevant to their small business.

Competitive Analysis

The last thing I did was to find out what competitors were doing online. It was very hit-or-miss. Not a single locally owned business website came up in a search for "antique furniture restoration." It was all empty directory site listings.

Hint: it would be very easy to “rank” for this search term. In fact, I may have done it already with just this one article!

Outside of Hawaii, antique restorers are making YouTube videos and teaching people principles of antique furniture restoration. This makes their website and phone number come up quickly on Internet searches. Look at how business names and phone numbers pop up in this search:

The Opportunity for Hawaii Small Businesses

Businesses in Hawaii have storytelling opportunities others don't have. You have jaw-dropping backdrops, a unique lifestyle and islands filled with interesting people. Using stories from your own backyard would be a strategy for growing a readership. And the community of Big Island bloggers is growing.

If I could find all this activity on the social web for antique furniture restoriation, just think what could be lurking in your field of expertise! My experience has taught me that the more niche the interest group, the more vital it is to use online tools to connect with them online.

Be curious about what other's are doing and see if you are inspired with new ideas for your business. You could find some fun stuff.

For example, I found the only known pair of solid gold singing bird pistols, estimated to be worth between $2-5 million.

Is this the type of thing that I could share with my network and possibly increase visibility and interest in my business?

What types of interesting things will you find? How will you be able to use those discoveries to draw awareness and attention to your business?

Share what is working best for you in the comments section below.

Should You Accept LinkedIn Invitations from People You Don't Know?

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:08:00 GMT

What do you do when you get an invitation from someone on LinkedIn that you don’t really know?

Perhaps its someone in the same industry, or a person connected to someone else that you might know quite well. Should you link with them?

I think this is a personal choice, but for LinkedIn I think there's rarely harm in connecting to people you don't know all that well, especially if you want to get to know them better!

If the person requesting a connection has high-quality, established relationships, it's usually to your advantage to accept. However, if the person is relatively young or inexperienced, or someone who may be overly agressive in outreach (such as a salesperson or job applicant), it may NOT be to your benefit. Here's why:

Linking to someone gives people the ability to see (and potentially prospect with) each other's contacts. They can request introductions or see detailed profile information. In most cases this will not present a problem, but sometimes it could put you in an awkward situation, especially if you don't know the person well. In general, I recommend "protecting" the quality of your professional network by connecting to people you generally believe to be worthwhile. You are who you associate with, in my opinion.

On the other hand, some people believe connecting to as many people as possible exponentially increases the number of opportunities for their business to be found online. Consider your goals. Increasing your network will expand your realm of possibilities, but it will also generate more "noise."

I almost always accept invites from people I know or who I've exchanged emails with. But when I get a request from a person I've never heard of, it makes me suspicious. Usually I can trace the invitation back to a group or common interest. But if we have nothing in common, it makes me think I'm being targeted for spam, or worse.

Don't forget that LinkedIn is not the only way people have for contacting you. Sometimes you might want to keep relationships to Twitter or your blog before you accept someone into your professional network on LinkedIn.

Treat your relationships on LinkedIn the way you treat relationships in real life, and you'll rarely run into problems.

What are your thoughts? Do you accept invites from people you don't know all that well? What other questions do you have about LinkedIn? Tell me in in the Comments section below.

Creative Marketing with QR Codes

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:09:00 GMT

[The following article was published in North Hawaii News]

I was standing at the “Turn and Learn” display at Petco. Each of the five panels addressed a topic that, under ideal circumstances, a salesperson would normally help me with. The topics were “bird selection” “play pods” and “enrichment advantages.” And then I saw it. That ubiquitous QR code you see popping up everywhere. “Scan-to-Learn” it said.

I was curious. So with my four-year-old by my side, I pulled out my phone, pointed it at the QR code and instantly a window popped up on my phone with a video of Professional Bird Trainer Barbara Heidenreich. She began telling us how to properly care for birds, and my son and I stood there watching videos of happy cockatiels, budgies and small parrots.

We were imagining ourselves as bird owners and emotionally connecting to the idea of providing birds with happy homes and enriching treats. The video ended and we were left standing there in the pet store, in the bird isle. Do you think we wanted to adopt a bird? You bet we did.

Online Users to Real-World Customers

What made the link between the physical pet store and a digital pet website possible is the QR code. QR stands for “Quick Response,” and these codes work like barcodes, but are much more powerful.

They are free and easy to use.
They are two-dimensional and can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters of information compared to barcodes which can only hold 20 numbers.
QR codes can link to websites, videos, audio files and even activate phone functions such as email and SMS.

QR codes are extremely powerful at establishing connections between the physical and online world.

Examples:

United Airlines is using QR codes to replace printed boarding passes.

Libraries are using QR codes to help patrons with information and research.

Here are a few more practical examples by industry:

Tourism

The City of New York was the first to demonstrate that giant QR codes could be used to effectively promote destinations in Times Square. The city draped giant QR codes off the sides of buildings and offered free ringtones or a chance to win tickets to special events.

QR codes can also be used to provide special offers from nearby restaurants and stores as people walk by the location.

Restaurants can point users to a special landing page where they enter an email address in exchange for a coupon.

Travel guides can include QR codes to provide visitors with video and audio experiences related to a specific destination.

And QR codes can be used on interpretive signs, walking trails and historical sites, allowing visitors to interact with the local culture in new and meaningful ways.

Real Estate

Realtors are using QR codes to make it easier than ever to access a property’s details. Video tours, pricing and contact information can be grabbed on the go with “point and scan.” QR codes can also be used on building permits and construction notices, which is already happening in some cities.

Retail

QR codes have appeared in magazine ads, business cards and direct mail campaigns. But local companies can also use them on name tags, cocktail napkins, t-shirts, backpacks, company vehicles, trade show booths, door signs, social media profiles, TV and newspaper ads.

Most people still don’t know what a QR code is or how to use one, but that will change quickly. Industry insiders expect QR codes to be as prevalent in five to eight years as websites are today.

To use a QR code in your business, include instructions about what a QR code is and how to use it. Always include your phone number, website and other relevant information. Don’t let QR codes get in the way of communication; instead, use them to support your campaign where it makes sense. Most of all, make sure your content is optimized for smart phones. Provide the best user experience as you can.

And don't forget to download one of the free QR apps and experiment with this new technology yourself.

Resources:

Get a QR Code: http://myqr.co

Read a QR Code: ScanLife, QR Scanner, Barcode Scanner, Blackberry Messenger (search for these terms from your mobile device App Store.)

What Does it Take to Get Results from Social Media Marketing?

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:13:00 GMT

I asked more than a hundred local businesses if they were using social media to market their business and more than half (68%) of them said they were!

Good news, right?

But then I saw why many weren't seeing the results they expected--four out of 10 were only investing 1 hour or less on all their social media efforts combined.

So what does it really take to get results from social media marketing? Here's a quick list:

A website optimized for search engines so your prospects can find you before they find your competitors

Landing pages where you can quickly exchange contact information in exchange for offers, discounts, valuable information, free trials, free tools or other material your prospects need before working with you

An online newsletter and/or business blog to support your SEO efforts and give reasons for people to link to you. (There are other reasons why a business blog supports your sales process.)

THEN Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but ONLY to promote your newsletter and blog (because you need to build subscribers).

Do you see how all of this requires more than 1 hour a week to be successful?

Most people jump into Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn because they are easy to do and there's no cost to get started (besides your time, of course).

Every business needs to be involved in social networks because they help build brand awareness, lets your sales team connect with prospects, supports trusted referrals and fills the pipeline to support your other marketing efforts (you DO have other marketing efforts, right?).

But Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are not going to be your primary source for sales leads and new business. Your blog and email newsletter will be. If lead generation through your website is your goal, then you need to focus on your newsletter and business blog first.

Here's why.

If a prospect finds you on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, they're going to want to learn more about you, right? Is that person going to want to go to your home page and read about products they can buy from you? Usually not.

In the early stages your prospects want to know more about you. What makes you special? What do you stand for as a brand? What value can you offer? How are you going to solve thier problems and make their life better? Your blog and newsletter are where your expertise can shine. So you need to start your business blog and email newsletter BEFORE you invest time in Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Make sense?

And that's why when you look at the 2011 Social Media Marketing Report you'll see why people who are reaping the most business rewards are spending more than 10 hours a week on their efforts. They are investing in email marketing, creating valuable content, building relationships and following up with prospects as part of an established sales process.

So remember, it's not just about spending an hour or less on Facebook and Twitter. It's about:

Helping your website get found
Converting more website visitors into subscribers
Consistently providing valuable information over time in ways that will help your prospects think of you when they have a need for your services
Measuring your efforts for effectiveness
Doing more of what works and less of what doesn't

Over time these efforts will have a compounding and cumulative effect. You'll see growth in traffic and an increase in the number of leads you get each month from your website.

So don't ignore your website and jump into Facebook or Twitter without first spending time on your newsletter or blog. Make them work together as part of an integrated marketing strategy.

If you don't know where to start, consider going through my Social Media Boot Camp for Small Business or contact me for a personalized consultation.

2011 West Hawaii Social Media Survey Results

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:04:00 GMT

A recent survey of West Hawaii businesses found that 68% are using social media to market their businesses, a 22% increase over last year.

A similar study by Social Media Examiner showed use of social media marketing by businesses to be 93% (Stelzner, 2011). Stelzner's report suggests use of social media in West Hawaii could grow another 25% in the next 2-3 years.

Those who spent between 1 to 5 hours per week using social media marketing (33% of respondents) attributed social media to:

More exposure for their business (66%)
Increased website traffic (47%)
Reduced marketing expenses (26%)

Businesses who spent 11-20 hours per a week on social media marketing (5% of respondents) were most likely to say social media had helped:

generate new business leads (33%)
close new business (33%)

When asked which social media tools they use, 35% of all respondents said they used Twitter. However, only 16% admitted to actually using Twitter for business.

Of those 16% who Tweet about their area of expertise, 27% said social media had helped generate qualified business leads, and one in three (33%) said social media had helped close new business.

LinkedIn remains the most popular tool behind Facebook for identifying high-quality leads. Read the top 5 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Business here.

Click the green button to get the full set of 11 charts and a video describing the report.

Twitter Users More Likely to Buy from Brands they Follow

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 21:01:00 GMT

Constant Contact offers social media marketing resources to its subscribers. Talk to Kinoshita Communications about how to use Constant Contact to get up and running on major social networks, boost email marketing efforts, increase Website traffic, ramp-up online visibility and track all your efforts.

You can also talk to Kinoshita Communications about developing your social media marketing strategy, increasing your email list and growing your social media following.

Contact me today to learn more about how to use social media marketing for your business.

5 Essential Steps for Successful Business Networking

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:30:00 GMT

[The following article was published in North Hawaii News]

Whether you've been in business for 25 years or are just starting out, networking is still a critical element of advancing your career. Here are five tips to help you get the most out of your networking experience:

1. Begin with the End in Mind

Your time is valuable, and networking is a serious investment.

Spend 15 minutes thinking about how you want to feel after the event is over. What will need to happen for you to reflect back on the evening and feel it was a success? Will it be connecting with someone in particular, or connecting with many different people? Will it be to learn more about the market you're serving or to promote your products and services?

Before you arrive, have a clear vision about what you want to accomplish. Know who your ideal customer is and the one key message you want them to know about your business. Make sure you are comfortable knowing you want to talk to and what you are going to say before you arrive.

2. Do Your Homework

For larger events, especially those you have to travel for, look at event information and identify the "must meet" people that have the potential to take your business to the next level.

If panel speakers have written books or have websites, be sure to visit them before the conference. Most presenters have Twitter profiles to promote their events. Following their conversations before the event will help you get noticed (and remembered) when you introduce yourself in person at the event.

By doing your homework, you'll show key influencers you're passionate about your industry. That passion will make you stand out in a crowd. If you'll be seated at a table, try to pick a table that includes prospective clients or people who might refer business to you.

3. Participate in Conversation

You may not like speaking in public, but don't be afraid to ask a smart question at the end of a presentation.

Questions help you show a little bit about your background and area of focus. Be prepared to talk about current events and any hot topics affecting your industry. Weather and sports are easy entry points into a engaging conversation.

Listen more than you speak, and try to look people in the eyes when you are addressing them. Try to include others in the discussion, whenever possible. They'll appreciate it.

4. Prepare Questions Ahead of Time

Create a set of questions to use as conversation-starters with your ideal prospects. Remember, this is your investment of time so it will be you to steer conversations in ways that will be productive for your business.

Having questions prepared in advance will especially help those who get tongue-tied in large events. It will also help keep you focused. Thoughtful preparation will help you look your best.

5. Follow Up with Your Contacts & Ask to Meet Again

Since the purpose of a networking event is to develop relationships with people who can support your business, take your investment one step farther and take a proactive approach.

Professionals and high-quality prospects will admire your initiative, and most people will be flattered if you request a follow-up meeting following an event. Ask to chat again to find out more about how you can help them, or to identify ways the two of you could collaborate on projects or business together.

And don't forget, sending a handwritten note or emailing a personal thank-you within three days of a meeting is mandatory--no exceptions. Thank the person for their time, mention something you learned from them or will put into practice and don't be shy about asking for additional referrals.

Put these tips to work for you now! North Hawaii networking events include:

Business First! Tuesdays at Daniel Thielbaut restaurant, every first Tuesday, starting at 7p.m.
Young Professionals at KB Extreme, every first Thursday, starting at 6p.m.
Chamber of Commerce AfterHours events every third Wednesday, starting at 5p.m.

Your sincere interest in another person's business and your ability to talk intelligently about your industry will boost your networking success rate every time.

7 Qualities of Great Marketing Consultants (Part 2 of 2)

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:00:00 GMT

On Friday I shared some qualities all great marketing consultants have with Rafael Nadal:

1) An excellent game

2) Consistently reproduce outstanding results

3) Stay focused on the task at hand

These qualities form the foundation for everything that comes next:

4. Respond to competitive threats quickly and effectively

Rafael Nadal talks about how it's more difficult to retain number 1 championship status than to attain it in the first place. From time to time we will encounter opponents that elegantly exploit a weakness or perhaps even use our strength against us.

But Rafael Nadal is not afraid to adapt, revise and improve his game--in the middle of tournament play, if need be. He doesn't sulk or mentally break down. He stays positive, drawing from experiences of the past to better situate himself in ways that make winning more likely in the future.

In marketing and public relations the disruptive force is mobile media, and small businesses just aren't prepared. I talked about the impact mobile media will have on every business in April and why companies need to prepare for this emerging threat now.

Meanwhile, mobile gives challengers an opportunity to leap forward. Mobile media is in its infancy, a rare and juicy opportunity for any young company ready to capitalize. Responding to competitive threats means finding ways to make your business relevant for today, and for the future.

5. Never give up. Make the impossible 'less difficult'

Like most players, Rafael Nadal has faced some seemingly insurmountable challenges in his career. He didn't look at the greatest player of all time, Roger Federer, and call his situation hopeless. Rather, he played the best personal game he knew how and let the points speak for themselves.

When standing several feet behind the baseline and seeing a soft drop shot tip over the net, Rafa doesn't tell himself its impossible to reach in time. He pours his energy into getting there and tries. Sometimes it works, sometime it doesn't. But over time he has improved this component of his game. An "impossible shot" IS impossible if you don't strike the ball in time. So the first step is to get there. Then you need to hit the ball. Then your ball needs to land in play. Finally, you need to be back in position in time to hit the next return shot.

It's not that different in our marketing practice. We can't allow ourselves to give up because "no one has ever done it before," or "we tried that already." Can you imagine what would happen to a tennis player if they refused to hit any type of stroke that resulted in an error?

Similarly, we need to realize that some of our balls are going to go out of bounds. We will learn from those experiences, study the data, discover why the error was made and return to the game ready to make the next point even better.

6. Stay healthy and strong

Most top players can make a charge at Rafael Nadal and overcome him with powerful serves, well-placed return shots and an aggressive game at the net. But with rare exception, they can't keep up that pace of play for long, usually not longer than a set or two. Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal can play a 5- or 6-hour set with near the same level of physical play, intensity and focus.

Similarly, a marketing agency can produce impressive results for a short time by getting a small team to work insane hours for a few weeks. But the results are not sustainable, the account will go over budget and the team will burn out. Aggressive, short-term efforts comes at significant cost.

Marketing consultants need to stay healthy in their working relationships and business environment the way atheletes need to stay healthy for their game. That means proper planning, time management and delegating tasks to avoid overwhelm. It means having a process that supports business growth over time, in ways that are profitable and enduring.

I'm not suggesting you have to strive for "life balance" or any such nonsense, because to reach your goal there are going to be times when balance isn't possible.

But you can be appropriate in your efforts, strategic so that you don't burn out and by not burning out you will be able to serve your clients to the best of your ability over the entire campaign.

7. Be a positive role model for the next generation

Rafael Nadal is, first and foremost, a humble and generous human being. He knows knows success is fleeting, and that happiness doesn't come from a world title.He may be a great tennis player for a decade, maybe more. But then? Family, faith and character are what ground him, because that's what endures.

The more successful Rafa becomes, the more aware he seems to be of the less fortunate around him. He strives always to be a good role model for the next generation.

In 2007 the Rafa Nadal foundation was established with a mission to help socially disadvantaged children and adolescents. Rafa is especially interested in helping those who come from hardship and personal setbacks, particularly those with family troubles and most at-risk for being excluded from society. Rafa's foundation promotes respect, hard work and self improvement as a way to build self-esteem in young adults, using sports as a vehicle to teach those values.

Each of us has the ability to bring our best game forward in whatever role we play each day. That means helping those around us be better in what they do, reaching out to those who need our help and expecting the best in ourselves and from those around us.

Contribute to your profession. Share your success. Help others. Give back to the community. Be a positive force for change in the world. It's these things that ultimately give our life meaning and the most success to our endeavors.

There is never going to be a Grand Slam of marketing or a US Open of social media...

But the grace and humility Rafael Nadal brings to his tennis game inspires me in my work each day. We may all work in different industries and have different types of jobs, but I hope you have a hero that can inspire you, too. Who is your hero? What are ways they have inspired your work or helped you do better in business?

Write your answers in the Comment section below.

(HQ52EZUSU34Y)

7 Qualities of Great Marketing Consultants

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 07:00:00 GMT

I've been watching the French Open at Roland Garros for the last couple weeks, hoping my favorite tennis player, Rafael Nadal, will make sports history on Sunday with his 6^thtitle.

Watching the French Open this week I realized there are seven qualities that every remarkable marketing, public relations or social media consultant has in common with Rafael Nadal:

1. They start with an excellent game

Despite his reputation as the “King of Clay,” Rafael Nadal holds 45 career titles and the world’s #1 ranking because he learned to perform equally well on all surfaces. His topspin has been clocked at 18 rotations from baseline to baseline and he has a soft touch for drop-shots. Similarly, social media consultants may have come from a dominant background (web design, SEO, blogging or public relations), but need to be remarkable across all tactical areas, and this includes mobile and social.

If you’re working with a PR consultant who is “not that great” at technology, or “doesn’t know that much about SEO,” ditch them! You need to hit opportunities as precisely as Nadal hits his forehand spins to the corners of the court. It’s not enough that your marketing consultant “knows what the tools do” they need to prove they can consistently apply them in ways that will get you to reliably outperform the competition on a week-by-week basis.

If you’re not the absolute best at what you do, then either learn how to become better, or partner up with someone who will take you to the winner’s circle.

2. They are able to reproduce their shot over and over again

Rafael has held the #1 position in tennis for a total of 84 weeks and consecutively since June 2010. He didn’t “just get lucky” or have a single game that brought him the sum total of his success. Too often marketers chase tactics they think will drive thousands of sign-ups over a period of a few days, but what will all those “likes” and “followers” do for them in the long term? Now that people have liked your brand or Facebook page, now what?

Excellence is a long-term game. A routine made up of consistent, remarkable shots that collectively add up to outstanding outcomes. Can your marketing consultant repeat past successes? Or are breakthroughs short lived? Do you see consistent shot-making on a daily basis, or are you hoping for an “out of the box” miracle that will give you a fleeting moment of fame? Be careful what you focus on, and focus on doing the right things.

3. They stay focused on the shot at hand

High-pressure situations require clarity and confidence. There may be others in your field that are better than you, or have the same skill set as you, but your ability to handle high-pressure situations with clarity and confidence will distinguish you as a winner in the rest of the field.

So often we let the magnitude of our project overwhelm us and we shrink away in fear or become intimidated by the prospect of succeeding in our efforts. Rather than focus on the consequences of what may or may not happen, we must focus our full attention on the task at hand.

So many times I’ve seen a top tennis player wilt at the prospect of overcoming Nadal in the 5^th set. The idea of overcoming the world’s number 1 player disrupts the attention and focus required of great shot making. An unforced error fuels the first doubt after a match filled with confidence. Another error. More doubt. The downward spiral begins.

Rafael Nadal doesn’t allow himself to care much about statistics, the history of his game, or even the history of tennis. He just focuses on the shot in front of him and devotes his full attention to preparing for that shot the best that he knows how.

Similarly, we can’t let small setbacks or failures in our ventures set us back. We can't allow ourselves to become overwhelmed with things not yet known, or others which may have happened in the past. We must focus on the task at hand and make it the best it can be.

On Sunday, in honor of the BIG DAY, I'll share the remaining 4 qualities that all great marketing consultants share with Rafael Nadal. Enter your email above to get my next article delivered straight to your inbox.

In the meantime, GO BLUE and show your support of Rafael Nadal!