http://creativemindconsulting.com Marketing, communications and social media strategies for professional service firms. Integrated with cloud computing/Web 2.0 tools. Training, coaching, and marketing strategic planning. Based in Stillwater, MN. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:09:00 +0000 http://snappages.com en http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2012/02/28/marketing-strategic-planning-for-small-to-medium-sized-businesses http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2012/02/28/marketing-strategic-planning-for-small-to-medium-sized-businesses Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:09:00 +0000 Jane N-B http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2012/02/28/marketing-strategic-planning-for-small-to-medium-sized-businesses


]]> http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/12/09/helping-others-at-the-holidays http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/12/09/helping-others-at-the-holidays Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:59:00 +0000 Jane N-B http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/12/09/helping-others-at-the-holidays Picnik.com to do some fun photo manipulation, and the result is a banner I love. You can see the finished product here: http://bit.ly/sSA2zb.

I not only [...]]]> Picnik.com to do some fun photo manipulation, and the result is a banner I love. You can see the finished product here: http://bit.ly/sSA2zb.

I not only wanted to express my appreciation for the opportunity to serve, but to also share some ideas for helping people in your community. While some folks have had a good year, 2011 has been difficult for many others. Sometimes it's the little touches that make such a difference in other's lives.

If you're looking for a way to bring a little life into someone's life this year, here are a few thoughts to get you started:

• Pick up a big handful of travel sized lotions, hand sanitizer or lip balm. Pop them in a cheery gift bag and stop by your local senior center or retirement home to drop them off.
• Don't have children at home? Your local child care center can always use a few extra boxes of tissues or rolls of paper towels. (Feeling generous? Bring a case!)
• Many local high schools offer season passes to a wide range of sporting events and activities. Buy a pair for someone you know would love to attend.
• Did you upgrade to a tablet or e-reader recently? Bundle up your books on CD and drop them off at a rehabilitation or dialysis center.
• Many local churches have "angel" or "giving" trees. Pick up a tag or two and buy some gits for the child or teen listed (gifts always needed for teens). I saw a giving tree at a local McDonald's recently!
• We often give small gifts to teachers - maybe this year the counselor, secretary or front office assistant deserves a coffee card "thank you" for their help.
• A time honored tradition when I was little? Taking homemade Christmas cookies to the local fire station on Christmas Day. It's a great time to say "thanks" for their dedication.

Blessings to you and yours this holiday season ~


]]> http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/10/25/hush-therapeutic-massage-makes-an-impact-teaches-lessons http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/10/25/hush-therapeutic-massage-makes-an-impact-teaches-lessons Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:02:00 +0000 Jane N-B http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/10/25/hush-therapeutic-massage-makes-an-impact-teaches-lessons hush Therapeutic Massage for the last year or so on a marketing strategic plan, and associated writing/PR projects. Last Sunday, October 23, 2011, Mindy scored a nice hit in one of our local dailies - the Pioneer Press. [...]]]> hush Therapeutic Massage for the last year or so on a marketing strategic plan, and associated writing/PR projects. Last Sunday, October 23, 2011, Mindy scored a nice hit in one of our local dailies - the Pioneer Press. They do a column every Sunday focusing on a small business still in the start-up stage.

Mindy had the opportunity to answer questions about her business, as well as have photos taken of her at work with a client. This wasn't her first exposure to publicity. A few months ago she had the chance to appear on-camera during a local morning news program.

In a conversation the other day, Mindy made several important observations that would benefit any small business owner or professional services consultant.

First - she credits the strategic planning we did with helping her focus on the needs of her select target markets (marathon runner and triathletes, people dealing with chronic pain, and moms in need of recharging their batteries). It's easy as a small business person to get so caught up in the day-to-day work, and the financial pressures of pursuing clients (any clients, right?) to lose focus on the big picture.

Marketing strategic planning makes sense for businesses of all sizes - especially smaller ones. It lets you take a step back and ask important questions about where your business is going. It's also nice to just take some time for yourself (and your team). Instead of the bustle of client projects and exceeding expectations...you have a small window to sit back and reflect. This helps you gather energy for the next big push.

Once the plan is in place - it's fluid. Circumstances drive change, but at least you have a starting point. A "north star" if you will. You can always drop back to the plan and measure your proposed marketing expenditure against your goals and objectives. Will the effort and expense bring the desired results?

Second - Mindy learned about the importance of taking control of the message and the moment. Instead of letting a reporter, photographer...or client...dictate the terms of engagement, she is able to keep the focus on her message.

Publicity can be a two-edged sword. You want to be responsive to the needs of the news organization (that's why they're interviewing you), but at the same time you need a clear message. If they decide at the last minute they need a "dog whisperer" instead of a specialist in canine diseases...you need to determine if going forward will help or hurt you more. There are many, many opportunities to gain publicity for your business. Doing an interview that takes the focus off your primary business probably won't benefit you in the long run.

Again, congratulations to Mindy of hush Therapeutic Massage for the nice press, and lessons that will benefit all small business owners.

]]> http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/07/27/the-first-deadly-sin-of-small-business-marketing http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/07/27/the-first-deadly-sin-of-small-business-marketing Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:44:00 +0000 Jane N-B http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/07/27/the-first-deadly-sin-of-small-business-marketing
“I had a meeting with a prospective client a while back, and his office felt like a Wild West shooting gallery! Ideas were pinging off the wall every few minutes or so..."I set up a Twitter account a few months ago"..."I tried post cards a couple of times and didn't get much of a response"..."you know, we did some radio spots a while back"...etc.

Now, don't get me wrong - I love brainstorming creative marketing ideas with the best of them. But that's not what was happening. In this case, the potential client was looking for 'next best thing' and grabbing at whatever shiny object seemed to float his way. My suggestions about "strategy," "coordination," or "consistent messaging" fell ultimately on deaf ears. In the long run he wasn't interested in crafting a comprehensive, logical, or consistent marketing strategy. He just wanted to do what the other guys were doing, in hopes of hitting a home run by chance.

Pretty expensive game plan if you ask me.

Taking a 'Shotgun Approach' to marketing and communications seldom pays off. Instead, you're left wondering why you never seem to get traction from your marketing efforts, nor can you determine which tools bring you the most customers. Every entrepreneur, business owner or senior manager needs to regularly sit down and think through marketing for the next 6-12 months.

By crafting a thoughtful strategy, you save time, money and frustration, both for yourself and your customers. They need what you have to offer...good marketing helps them know that!”

This is a common experience for small business owners. You're so busy keeping the doors open that marketing often gets relegated to whatever floats along in a free moment. In addition, I often find certain business owners (*cough* men *cough*) more susceptable to the Shotgun Approach, particularly if something was mentioned over the weekend on the golf course!

]]> http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/05/19/who-do-you-not-want-to-serve http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/05/19/who-do-you-not-want-to-serve Thu, 19 May 2011 16:40:00 +0000 Jane N-B http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2011/05/19/who-do-you-not-want-to-serve
One of the questions is "who do you NOT want to market to in 2011?" She loved the question, and answering it helped to reinforce what she doesn't want to do more [...]]]>
One of the questions is "who do you NOT want to market to in 2011?" She loved the question, and answering it helped to reinforce what she doesn't want to do more of going forward.

Sometimes we really need to take a step back and analyze our current business flow. It's easy to get so busy that we don't stop to look around and look at our business with fresh eyes.

]]> http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/12/27/linkedin-opens-groups-up-to-the-web http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/12/27/linkedin-opens-groups-up-to-the-web Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:35:00 +0000 Jane N-B http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/12/27/linkedin-opens-groups-up-to-the-web
It has a resume-like structure for its user profiles, the ability to share status updates, applications to share expertise, and groups that [...]]]>
It has a resume-like structure for its user profiles, the ability to share status updates, applications to share expertise, and groups that attract people from all sorts of professions, disciplines, alumni associations and interests. You can network from withing LinkedIn, connecting to colleagues, clients, friends, etc. Up to this point, however, LinkedIn's functions have all been internal to the service itself - including Groups.

"Groups" are great. They let you reach out and connect with others, ask and answer questions, share links, post photos and videos, etc. I moderate a couple and love the ability to connect with colleagues.

Earlier this month, LinkedIn took the intriguing step of giving groups the ability to become "open." Everything that's posted to an open group will now appear on the web, be found in search engines, and able to be shared via other social networking sites. You can post to an open Group, without being a member of that group.

This move has intriguing possibilities. It makes LinkedIn more of an "expertise portal." If people can see your insightful answers through a Google search, it can build your brand and credibility (and of course, the opposite is true as well!). On the other hand, it may act to inhibit the free exchange of ideas as well. I think since Facebook made all of your postings public on your friend's walls, that the quantity of interactions has greatly decreased. We'll see what happens with LinkedIn.

]]> http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/12/01/a-small-customer-service-rant-fast-food-edition http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/12/01/a-small-customer-service-rant-fast-food-edition Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:53:00 +0000 Jane N-B http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/12/01/a-small-customer-service-rant-fast-food-edition
A. Me, because I stopped for fast food?

B. The 15-year old behind the counter who took the order on his [...]]]>
A. Me, because I stopped for fast food?

B. The 15-year old behind the counter who took the order on his headset and looked at me strangely after I walked inside to the counter?

C. The 55-year old who takes my wrapped burger and replaces it with a new (un-cheesed) version?

D. Or the same 55 year old who needs to be reminded to put it in a new sack for protection from the cold?

E. All of the above?

]]> http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/11/17/baby-steps-in-social-media http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/11/17/baby-steps-in-social-media Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:45:00 +0000 http://creativemindconsulting.com/blog/2010/11/17/baby-steps-in-social-media
You don't have to have a thousand profiles, lots of little colorful icons all over your web [...]]]>
You don't have to have a thousand profiles, lots of little colorful icons all over your web site, or interact with 100 strangers a day in order to use social media tools effectively.

One of the beautiful things about social media, is that you get to pick and choose the web sites or tools that best serve your business. It's all about the customer, right? You should choose the social media sites that help you connect and communicate effectively with them...not every person on the planet.

Take your time, do some research. While the big sites are by now household names (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), the truth is there are thousands of sites out there where people gather to have conversations with each other. The essential questions - where are your customers, and how do you talk with them?

If your customers aren't very busy in cyberspace (yet), then perhaps you can take some time to research your best options.

In any event, don't feel bad if you haven't started...or if you need a restart. Take it a step at a time, and dip your toes in. You don't have to take a 'polar plunge'* to make a successful start in social media.

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* A 'polar plunge' is a popular event here in Minnesota. Often performed as a fundraising activity, people jump through a hole cut into the ice to the icy waters below...in January (or December, or February). In a bathing suit. To have fun. We're a wild and crazy bunch, aren't we?

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