Social Media Positive Impact

July 29, 2010 By Diane Meyer Leave a Comment
Marketing by DM TV Interview on Social Networking

Social Media ~ It's All Good!!

Marketing by DM recent TV Interview  ~ I was recently asked to share my experiences with Social Media and how it impacted my business.  This TV interview is in 3 segments of approximately 7 minutes each.     

The breakdown is as follows:    

Segment 1 ~ My initial introduction to Social Media, in particular Twitter.  Click Here     Segment 2 ~ Marketing by DM beginning to engage on Twitter.  This segment  Click Here    make references to  Jamie Crager , Anne Deeter Gallaher, Deeter Gallaher Group  , Ford , Howell Marketing , and others.    

Segment 3 ~ Some of Social Media’s most recent impact on a small business such as Marketing by DM and the effects of truly being engaged.  Click Here .  Recommendations made to listeners regarding SMMmagazine   and Harrisburg Social Media Club.     

I was delighted to tell my story and in the end perhaps help others to view Social Media in a positive light.  It is worth the time investment….everything else will come.    

Love to hear your story.    

Filed Under Advertising Specialties, Branding, Marketing, Marketing Mojo, News & Events, Promotions, ROI, Social Media, Uncategorized Tagged With Marketing, Promotional Products, Social Media

Fleece Embraces Social Media

July 23, 2010 By Diane Meyer Leave a Comment

Numerous pockets to carry Social Media devices

What would #Ford do?   Or…..as most of you know I should probably say,

What would Scott Monty do?

Can you blame me?  Here I am a Branding | Promotions Director who really, really…I mean really gets Social Media, so why wouldn’t Scott Monty come to mind when I come across a tech savvy wearable!!

Thinking like one of the best Marketers in the business is a little presumptuous on my part but I am sure going to try because if I stumble it just means that I am moving forward.

Now mind you, for a Social Media enthusiast like myself, these new fleece jackets that the vendors are putting out there are innovative and current.  Let me tell you what they have taken into consideration:

Numerous Pockets

Different Size Pockets

Different Weight of Fleece Dependent Upon Use

Can you imazine even a year ago consideration being given to iPod, Blackberry and YES…even the iPad by the Apparel Industry.

My guess is if this were a new Ford Fusion  Scott Monty would mention how neatly tucked into the inside as well as the outside of the jacket these useful compartments are to carry varied sized Social Media devices without taking away from the beauty of the design.  Also, that the lighter weight of some of these jackets get far more mileage than past years because of the freedom of movement not enjoyed previously.  He would also proudly state that all these updates have been made without sacrificing warmth and comfort. Ladies versions have even trimmer lines.

Sorry, but I am hooked and Social Media comes into play now with everything I do.  BUT….I really wanted to share this because I am so delighted that there is a lot of vendors out there who are now understanding their customer is deciding the product they want.  The buyer is driving the market not the seller convincing us that we need a certain product.

Let me know your comments.  Love to hear from you.

Filed Under Advertising Specialties, Branding, Marketing, Promotions, Social Media

You did it! No…you did it! No…you did it!

June 26, 2010 By Diane Meyer Leave a Comment
Looking like monkies

This Is What The Blame Game Looks Like

During this terrible oil crisis in the Gulf, we have certainly heard, seen and spoken about the most overt exhibition of the “blame game” that we have ever experienced.  While there are many opportunities for a blog post just on that subject alone, it brings to mind how in our everyday business dealings we must resist the temptation to look outside ourselves for reasons why something didn’t go well. 

Really…why would we want to look like these three monkies?!!

Best practices guide us to do certain problem solving first when a client does not receive what they expected, when a vendor ships the wrong product, if an expected service is incorrectly applied.  Our clients are extremely intelligent and know that something went wrong but they don’t necessarily care who’s fault it was…at least initially.  Wasting a client’s time is not only costly to them but will definitely impact your relationship with them in the future leaving you potentially a difficult time ahead solidifying your brand all over again.

When we talk about exceeding the expectations of our customers, we are including how you handle issues.  Anyone can handle business going smoothly…at least I would hope so…but the true test is, what do you hear, do and say when an issue arises.  You want your clients to have confidence that they are not concerned about the error because they know you are going to resolve it…PERIOD.  End of story. 

Before I decided to enter the Promotional Product business, I was in various Marketing positions and ordered advertising specialties for years.  Can’t tell you how many stories I got as to why it happened…the vendor did it, the secretary did it, I didn’t clearly state what I needed, there was a turnover in staff, someone was on vacation, etc.  Truly didn’t solve a thing.  After the problem was solved, I would be happy to listen to any explanation as to why we can take steps so that it wouldn’t happen again.  However, it serves no purpose whatsoever, to drone on and on blaming someone/anyone without solving the problem first.

A much better practice is to immediately take the client’s side meaning that their side is simply they did not receive what they expected.  Remember…we are talking about what they expected.  It may be exactly what they ordered but not what they expected!!  It doesn’t matter, at least YET, that they made the mistake.  What matters most is that you are going to immediately come up with some solution or solutions.  Extremely important to not put them on the defense.  We want them to continue to listen to us and hear what we are saying.  Just tell them you will check out what the next step will be for them to get what they actually need, timing, etc. and you will get back to them immediately.  Believe me…you are creating the “WOW” factor in their mind.

If it is your mistake…own up immediately.  However, do not dwell on it.  Again, you must advise them you will take whatever steps are necessary including cost to get this corrected.  Likewise, if it is a vendor error.  You and the vendor can work it out later.  Don’t waste time with calls back and forth to the vendor over the error.  Your client doesn’t care.

Retention is the name of the game in the continued success of your business.  The Blame Game is not compatable at all with retention.

Filed Under Advertising, Advertising Specialties, Branding, Marketing, Promotions

Think Investment Dollars When Considering Branding Initiatives

May 25, 2010 By Diane Meyer 1 Comment




Branding Initiative like Promotional Product is an Investment

Branding Initiatives Deserve Investment Dollars


When working with clients on Branding intiatives, whether it is promotional products, events, wearables, connecting with clients and potential clients, missions and/or goals, it is so important to impress upon them the importance of viewing the dollars spent as Investment dollars as opposed to spending, buying or purchasing…or “it’s in the budget”!!


We wouldn’t just take money that was in the budget and invest in any stock because you were ready to purchase.  You would consult an expert, develop some scenarios, consider either short term or long term gain, understand the value as best you can, and make an educated decision.  Well, let’s take that thought process and apply it to Branding intiatives.


Who is your expert…really?


Again, your hard earned dollars would not be put in the hands of just any Investment Advisor, you would get a referral, ask many questions, see if they have earned your trust.  The same holds true when selecting a professional that you are consulting for promotional product.  Are they selling or advising?  Do they only have your interest in mind? They should! What makes them the expert?  This is so important because initially your are investing your time to even meet with them.


Is there a thoughtful discussion regarding what you expect as a return?


Getting to the heart of your needs takes a professional with marketing, PR, and/or branding experience to, what we call, “drill” down (not a popular term nowadays) to your true expectations.  Some rewards may not all be immediate.  Especially when it comes to events.  You should always have an expert that is considering the years ahead that will consistently propel you to the next level.


You are driving the decision…at all times?


Don’t let anyone else Brand you.  Let’s take the example of wearables.  The most popular fabric out there may be recycled polyester, but organic cotton supports your top client’s efforts or yours.  Your expert should be listening to your Branding message and not using their sales skills to get in the driver’s seat and swaying you to use an item that may be from their favorite vendor.  That is only an advantage to you, price-wise, IF you will get the expected return.  That return for the moment may be your top client’s respect and appreciation but we all know with that comes loyalty as a customer.  Besides, we are not at price yet!!  Experts invest a lot of energy in caring about your needs, they pride themselves in giving the best advice first. 


OK…the infamous ROI?


Certainly when we invest in stock we do expect a monetary increase in our original investment.  Upon examination of what you wish to accomplish when it comes to branding initiatives, if you are having a thoughtful discussion, you will conclude that at times the return you expect is greater name awareness, consistency of brand, future loyalty (especially when it comes to events), respect through choices, outreach to potential clients, convey Company positives, personal trust…notice we haven’t even mentioned monetary return but it is there.  The old “hard sales” way of doing things is over….certainly at least for now as I see it.


Bottom line…


So many business professionals are budgeting marketing/promotional/branding dollars and certainly delighted to hear that.  Please be sure your are working with someone that is interested in how your Investment will impact the success of your business.  Just because something is the hottest item, more expensive pen, cool tech item doesn’t mean you can expect a return.  Thoughtful decision-making must be part of initial discussion.

Filed Under Branding, Marketing, Promotions, ROI Tagged With Branding, Marketing, Promotional Products, ROI

Go Green Can Be Confusing When It Comes To Cotton

May 3, 2010 By Diane Meyer Leave a Comment

This poor gentleman is so confused. 

All he wanted to do was get some #Green polos for a Golf Tournament!

Organic Cotton Polo ~ Go Green

Go Green with Organic Cotton Polo

Did he want Certified Organic Cotton, Recycled Cotton, or the very Eco-Friendly Natural Bamboo.

We are going to give you some simple definitions here to help when you are in the decision-making process. 

Certified Organic Cotton  This is 100% cotton wovens which are grown without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.  They contain no chemical bleaches and/or dyes which in turn reduces the amount of pollutants in the environment.

Recycled Cotton  Made from clippings.  Textile waste or clippings are collected from pre-consumer venues: new cotton-knit cuttings, upholstery and trim fabric, yarn waste and industrial fibers.  Cippings re sorted by color and chopped into fine linty material called “Shoddy”.  Shoddy is then spun into a yarn that is used to produce product.  This information provided by AnvilRecycled Tees.

Eco-Friend Natural Bamboo  Without the use of pesticides, bamboo grows faster than any other plant on earth making it one of the earth’s most renewable resources.  Fabrics made from bamboo offer a luxurious feel (I can attest to that….so very soft and cool on your skin).  It has inherent performance characteristics like UV protection and moisture wicking properties.

This summary information is shared with you from information provided by www.vantageapparel.com, one of the best apparel vendors in the industry along with their amazing award-winning decoration choices.

A Twitter friend of mine inspired this blog when he went to buy a suit and was showed a suit made of Bamboo. 

Next week we will review moisture wicking, breathability, moisture management, and climate control.  All terms that need some clarity.

Filed Under Advertising Specialties, Branding, Inbound Marketing, Marketing, Promotions

Twitter is the Cashew

April 25, 2010 By Diane Meyer 2 Comments

    

Cashew and entire fruit

Twitter is the Cashew and Social Media is the Entire Fruit

This is the last of my 5th Anniversary posts.  I will discuss here my 4th and 5th lessons I have learned throughout my five years in business.

4th Lesson:  Always be open to change.  Your Business Plan must be in the NOW. 

5th Lesson:  Position yourself around positive, energetic, enthusiastic business leaders that are going to give you motivational feedback. 

Both these lessons lead me to Social Media and Twitter which is my “cashew”.  Don’t get me wrong.  The entire plant is ALL GOOD but you have to decide which of the Social Media platforms are best for your business.  However, do not discard any of them because just like the Cashew plant here…..whoever may like the nut, would be making a huge mistake not to try the remainder of the delicious plant.

Last year, if I would have listened to most in the Promotional Product industry, who saw no value at all in Twitter, I would have denied myself the pleasure of  connecting with some of the most professional, knowledgeable, sharing, caring, intelligent, authentic business leaders in the Nation.  We must get past the hard sell, what is the immediate ROI in dollars, what’s in it for me in dollar compensation. 

Relationships create an energy that can’t be obtained more effectively than from each other.  Information sharing on Twitter cannot be matched by any other medium out there.  As an example, just recently @SocialNetDaily shared the following on blogging… http://ow.ly/1CB15.  This is packed with valuable information.   Just by this example should we understand what an impact Social Media can have on our business.

I am glad I didn’t get stuck in the 90′s and fortunate that I surrounded myself with leaders who understood the importance of adapting to the fast changing technology world.  Let’s help some of our clients, business colleagues, and entreprenneurs who are still hesitant about getting a taste of Social Media or at least taking a bite of the Cashew.

Have you had some resistance by executives?  What are some of their issues?

Filed Under Inbound Marketing, Marketing, Promotions, ROI, Social Media

Name Awareness Is Serious Business

February 23, 2010 By Diane Meyer Leave a Comment

I’m so shiny and Red….pick me, pick me!!

Choose me please…don’t ask why!

Have you said this… “I/We need a pen” or “I/We need a mug” or how about “I/We need a notepad…maybe sticky notes”?   Now, you may very well like to have these for various reasons but there are so many questions to be answered before you invest in these promotional products….and how many!!

There are over 85,000 promotional products and all too often business executives are not working with a marketing consultant or promotions director when they are in the decision-making process.  No matter what your budget is, there are products that will represent your business more specifically, will have “hang around” time, and will successfully meet your branding goals…..and not just because it is the color of your logo.

Even if it is a tradeshow and you want to spend $.30/piece, a pen is NOT the only answer.   It could be if you are an accountant and you found a nice, smooth writing fine point or a real estate agent and it is a pen with several imprint areas or a corporate law attorney where many documents are signed.  Well you get the picture.  Questions to ask yourself:

  • Where are you giving these out
  • To  whom are you giving them
  • What value do you expect in return
  • Did you look at this promotion from a marketing perspective

In this economy, it is tempting to eliminate name awareness opportunities.  The dictionary says “…..tempt ~ draw into a foolish or wrong course of action“.   Well no one I know is foolish and positive that with the correct guidance would not make a wrong decision.  Consult with a marketing professional with promotions expertise so that you get the direction you need.  A recommendation would be cut-back but don’t cut-out either marketing, PR or promotions…..have to add Social Media as well.   By the way, I have a pen and a mug for retention and leave behind gifts…..very different than give-aways no matter what the event.

Filed Under Branding, Featured, Inbound Marketing, Marketing, Promotions, ROI

Competition sharpens our skills

February 20, 2010 By Diane Meyer Leave a Comment

Why hate me....I'm just being me!!

Competition is a good thing…right?

Motivates us to be the best we can be, helps to keep us up-to-date with what’s happening in our industry, teaches us to be more responsive to change, sharpens our skills, tests our values.

With all of these positive responses set forth above, why do many view the competitor as the “enemy”.  It takes far more energy to study and complain about what someone else is doing or not doing, rather than developing our own strengths, deepest values, passions, and commitments so that what we are competent at is NOT JUST A JOB.

Keep in mind…somewhere down the line, that competitor may be a potential client and no door should ever be closed.  Respect for the way a person does business should be across the board.  Author Dr. Henry Cloud, “Integrity”, encourages us to be aware of the “wake” we leave behind us as we go through life and interact both with our personal and business relationships.  Smooth or very little waves are good!!

Focusing in on your own worth and value to your client is a whole lot more beneficial to them than comments about what your competitor is or is not doing.  Approach all with respect and it will come back to you ten-fold.

“I have been up against tough competition all my life.  I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.” ~ Walt Disney

Filed Under Advertising Specialties, Branding, Inbound Marketing, Promotions

Branding Lessons Learned in Childhood

February 11, 2010 By Diane Meyer 2 Comments

Count Artell, Aristocrat of Magic

Long before Branding was recognized as crucial to continued success, retention and referrals, my Dad, known as “Charlie” to all who knew him well, was practicing the best branding techniques and in turn I was learning.  He didn’t even realize he was teaching me.  Here is how Charlie and Count Artell, the magician, did it:

  • Basically believed everything and everyone was “all good”

Vaguely remember hearing him talking on phone with either agents or customers recommending his competition if he thought his act would not suit the audience as well. He never understood about nationalities either….if you asked him his background, he would say he was an American.

  • Reduce pricing, undersell, underquote a colleague

Also, overheard him many times being asked to “underquote” a colleague….he just would not do it.  Just wasn’t fair to him.

  • Code of Ethics

I am sure everyone knows the “Magician’s Code” and believe me, growing up we took it very seriously.  Kindof the right thing to do.  Growing up I traveled with my Dad to all the conventions and most of his shows.  He and I were buddies.  I learned early on in my youth that holding true to an ethical standard was truly rewarding.  Building TRUST resulted in respect…..and let me tell you Charlie was extremely respected.

  • Customer Service

No matter what….the show must go on.  Count Artell was always polite, upbeat, gave of himself and truly enjoyed pleasing all that came to see him.  Backstage we would only know that he had a cold, or his back was bothering him or we just came through a raging snowstorm….he never transferred his woes on anyone must less his customer.

  • Personal Image

As he got older, he started to get arthritis in his hands and couldn’t do card manipulation as well as he used to.  Instead of dwelling on the negative, he tailored his act with tricks that appealed to his audience just as well because his business (magic) was never about him but about his “customer” (audience).

Bottom Line: We are impacting our youth with everything we do and say.  They may seem as though they are engaged in listening to something else or not listening at all but the fact is they are better at multi-tasking than we ever were.  When I started my own business five years ago, I just knew what my standards would be as a business person but I recently realized, I learned everything from Charlie, Count Artell and my Dad.  In the end he got Alzheimer’s and didn’t even remember he was a magician but he knew me, “D”, and he provided me with  guidance, high standards, caring, accepting, right thing to do and marketing savvy that only a magician can.

Filed Under Branding, Promotions, ROI

Branding with promotional techniques

December 28, 2009 By Diane Meyer Leave a Comment

Just when you thought Branding, T-shirts, Logo Integrity cannot be part of the same  promotional product….take a look at this shirt that is laser etched to give a more professional look to even the least expensive wearable.  Don’t have to spend a lot on the product, when vendors are offering cutting-edge decorating technology.  This technique is offered by Vantage Apparel along with several other interesting methods of  logo embellishments.

Most recently, they introduced a new laser decoration technique called Reserve Burn-out Applique’….a trendy option for fleece, t-shirts or denim.  This reverse method gives a debossed impression which adds dimension to the logo.

Promotional products should always have a value no matter how little you budget or how much.  Consideration given to imprint method as well as product, when given the proper guidance, you might just find that a $2.50 t-shirt could be quite an exciting give-away (not throw-away) when you discuss with your promotions expert imprinting methods such as Etched and Embroidered, Etched and Applique, Digital Photo Imaging, Heat Seal, Crystal Tansfers.  How about YOUR company logo heat sealed on the inside of the product replacing the main label….tagless.  Yeah!  These unique imprinting methods can be more expensive than screen printing but the ROI makes it worth it.  You can always get samples!

Filed Under Advertising Specialties, Branding, Promotions