Author: Montrie Rucker Adams

Cameras and Twitter…The New Weapons of Choice
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Here’s the scenario: You are sitting at a business conference chit-chatting with a business colleague about something between the “boys.” Someone in front of you overhears your conversation, takes offense, shoots you and your friend (with her cell phone camera), tweets your photo with a comment about you and your friend’s conversation and now, your career is dead (hers too).

What was not expected was how quickly the tweet went viral, that it would get back to your boss and that you would lose the job you love because unbeknownst to you, you violated the conference’s Code of Conduct. You’re not sure you even read it.

adria richards twitter

The shooter and twitterer didn’t see her pink slip coming either.

This scenario actually happened last week between Adria Richards, developer evangelist at SendGrid and developer Alex Reid of PlayHaven. To read the full story, click here…

Big Brother is here and watching your every move. With cameras on every cell phone, it’s hard to get away from Big Brother. What bothers me is that we’re not safe anywhere. Where are the rights of the individual who just happens to have a yuk-em-up conversation with friends?

Now, I’m not defending Mr. Reid. He and his friend should have carefully chosen their words. However, I’m wondering if Ms. Richards, warned the two that they were offending her. From the article, it seems she just turned around, pointed, shot and tweeted.

There are many lessons in this scenario. A few are:

  1. Always be on your best behavior on company time…no matter where you are.
  2. Always read, read and read again your company’s and any other’s participation agreement. Apparently, these Codes of Conduct are taken seriously.
  3. Always be on your best behavior, period.
  4. Big Brother is always watching…

Do I think anyone should have been fired? No. Everyone should at least get one warning. This social media world in which we now live is so new. We’re all getting used to it.

The age-old sexism issue that Ms. Richards cried is real and may be growing stronger. From the looks of the photo, she was out-numbered. Hers is a field where few women dare to tread. Is it because of sexism? Ms. Richards had a right to be offended. She had a right to voice her discomfort. But, did she have the right to take a photo of Mr. Reid and tweet it without his permission?

What do you think?

What is a D-U-N-S Number?
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The SBA is a useful resource for small businesses. If there is an office in your area, please take advantage of their services. If meeting face-to-face is difficult, peruse the information they have available online.

Before you can bid on government proposals, you need to obtain a Dun & Bradstreet, or D-U-N-S, Number. This is a unique nine-digit identification number for each physical location of your business. D-U-N-S Number assignment is free for all businesses required to register with the federal government for contracts or grants.

What do I need to get my D-U-N-S Number?

When registering for your D-U-N-S Number, you will need the following on hand:

  • Legal name
  • Headquarters name and address for your business
  • Doing Business As (DBA) or other name by which your business is commonly recognized
  • Physical address, city, state and ZIP Code
  • Mailing address (if separate from headquarters and/or physical address)
  • Telephone number
  • Contact name and title
  • Number of employees at your physical location
  • Whether you are a Home-Based Business

How do I get my D-U-N-S Number?

Good news! Getting your D-U-N-S Number is easy. Visit D-U-N-S Request Service to obtain more detailed instructions on applying for your D-U-N-S Number.

Also, see the FAQs for obtaining a D-U-N-S Number and visit Central Contractor Registrations (CCR).

For more information about the D-U-N-S Number, click here for a downloadable document.

Customer Loyalty: Simple Ways to Win Them Over
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Do you receive the Sunday newspaper? Where I live, the Sunday newspaper is filled with news and feature articles. It also has an abundance of sales advertisements and coupons. Wal-Mart, KMart, Target… they have the same three products on sale. Which store do you choose?

There is a one-dollar coupon for Wal-Mart, which is closer to your home. You have a 99-cent coupon for KMart, but they have double coupon day. Then the kicker is Target – if you buy four of this product – which is on sale cheaper than the other two – you will also receive a five-dollar gift card at the register.

On yesterday’s SBA.gov blog, guest blogger Rieva Lesonsky is CEO and President of GrowBiz Media discussed “Creating Customer Loyalty Programs.” Some of the ways she mentions are:

  • Distribute rewards cards
  • Offer discount programs
  • Give a gift
  • Create a VIP program
  • Hold events
  • Use mobile apps
  • Get personal

If you are looking for a way to get and keep loyal customers, you must be very creative in the way you market to them. You also must think of ways to reward them for their loyalty. In doing so, they will share their commitment with family and friends, which can create new customers for you.

Click here to see “Creating Customer Loyalty Programs and let me know what you think… – http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/creating-customer-loyalty-programs.

Take Advantage of Editorial Calendars and Media Kits
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Publications use editorial calendars to plan the content of their issues. They are also helpful for writers and public relations professionals who want to pitch stories. Companies often use the calendar to determine the best time to advertise in the publication.

An editorial calendar or media kit, is a list of upcoming issues, which details the theme, and planned features. For example, the spring issue may feature weddings or Easter, while the winter may feature Christmas, winter sports or the best vacations for the snowbound.

Most publications make the editorial calendar available to the public. In doing your research, you may find that some do not offer electronic versions – they ask that you submit your request and they will email it to you. For the most part, you can easily find editorial calendars by visiting their website. Look for links or tabs that say, “Editorial Calendar” or “Media Kit.”

Media Kits are full of other useful things such as:

  • Information on the Editor-in-Chief
  • Circulation information – this can help you determine your costs
  • Reader demographics – this can help you determine if this is the right audience
  • Promotions
  • Advertising rates
  • Dimensions and specs – for ad space
  • Contract and regulations
  • Closing dates
  • Direct response rates

Using the editorial calendars and media kits can help you plan your advertising campaign and your budget.

Can You Backup Your “Green” Claims?
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Even Kermit the Frog knows it’s not easy being green. It’s also not easy touting your green products if the claims are not verifiable.

If you’re making claims about the environmental benefits of your products, you must back them up with competent and reliable scientific evidence. The FTC’s Green Guides explain how truth-in-advertising principles apply to your green claims.

http://business.ftc.gov/multimedia/videos/green-guides

TED: Winners of “Ads Worth Spreading”
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If you aren’t familiar with TED, it is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading in the areas of Technology, Entertainment and Design. It was started as 1984 as a conference and they now have two annual conferences, among many across the world.

The “Ads Worth Spreading” challenge is an initiative to find ads that communicate ideas with consumers in the same way that TED wants to communicate with its audience.

  • The Crowd – by Glaxosmithkline
  • Meet the Super Humans – by Channel 4
  • Security Cameras – by Coca Cola
  • Three Little Pigs – by The Guardian
  • Daily Dose of Drama – by TNT
  • The Farmer – by Dodge Ram
  • Dumb Ways to Die – by Melbourne Metro Rail
  • Find Your Understanding – by Expedia
  • Follow the Frog – by Rainforest Alliance
  • Annie – by Dell

These ads are great! I have my favorites but I won’t tell you which ones they are. I don’t want to spoil it for you.
Watch them here and tell me your favorites.

 

[Montrie – here is the link to this – http://www.ted.com/aws so you can read and watch more.]

 

Give yourself a branding overhaul
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Do you need a branding overhaul? Does your branding really showcase who you are and what you offer? Now is the time to sit back and see how “visible” you are to yourself – you are the customer.

A lot of people think branding is just creating a logo, having business cards and a website. But what do these things really say about you.

Branding is a big package and in it should be all the things representative of you, your style, your products and services. So… if you are the customer, how do you feel about these things?

Business documents

How do you look on paper? If you are the customer, can you appreciate the materials you hand out? Is your logo and artwork aesthetically pleasing and visible on your business cards, stationery, envelopes, brochures, and other business documents? Are they well written and clearly defines who you are and the services you provide.

Will you communicate electronically? Do you have electronic versions of your paper products?

Your Email

Do you have an electronic business card you can place in your footer? If not, have you set up your Automatic Signature that appears after your email (i.e., your name, company name, address, telephone numbers, website and email address)?

Your Website

Review your website. Is your logo and artwork appropriately placed and visually pleasing? Other things to look for:

  • Do you have a tagline, slogan or catch-phrase that helps to reinforce your message?
  • Does it say who you are, what you do, what products and services you provide?
  • What about client testimonials…ones that can provide credibility to you and your business.
  • Do you have a way to share news, tips and other relevant information such as a blog?
  • Do you have a way for your visitors to share your information such as Share Buttons?
  • Do you have photos of past events, workshops, client projects?

Your Social Media Accounts

All of your social media accounts should have your logo, tagline and other relevant artwork, and color scheme. Different accounts give you different ways to customize your information.

  • Facebook Business Page – allows you to add a Logo and Cover Image.
  • Google+ – allows you to add a Logo and Cover Image
  • Twitter Business Account – allows you to add your logo, a header image, a custom background and use custom colors.
  • LinkedIn – allows you to add your company profile and use your logo.

Be consistent. Use the same images cross all social media accounts.

You should also be sure to create an account with a similar name as your business or tagline.

These are just a few of the important things to review during your branding overhaul. Make a weekend of it. Who knows… you may look one way on Friday and look a better way on Monday!

Are You a Spammer? Seven Ways to Ensure You’re Not
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Using email is a great, inexpensive way to reach hundreds of potential customers. However, you must make sure that you don’t fall into the “spammer” category.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has set rules and guidelines to follow when using email marketing campaigns. Click here to watch and learn…

Your Advertising Legal Responsibility
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You are in business and now need to develop marketing materials and a marketing and advertising campaign. There are rules that must be followed when marketing your services and products. Below are snippets of useful information from the Bureau of Consumer Protection Business Center under the Federal Trade Commission.

Whether a business is an established global brand or a start-up, effective advertising and marketing can be the key to its success.  All businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure that advertising is truthful and not deceptive. No matter where an ad appears – on the Internet, on the radio or television, in newspapers and magazines, in the mail, or on billboards or buses – the same truth-in-advertising standard applies.  Additional standards apply if you use telemarketing in your promotional efforts.

Advertising and Marketing Basics

Under the law, claims in advertisements must be truthful, cannot be deceptive or unfair, and must be evidence-based. For some specialized products or services, additional rules may apply.

Children

If you advertise directly to children or market kid-related products to their parents, it is important to comply with truth-in-advertising standards.  (Questions about kids’ privacy? Check out the FTC’s resources about COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.)

Endorsements

Do you use endorsements or testimonials in your marketing? Do they meet the standards of the FTC Act and the Endorsement Guides?  Find out more by consulting FTC compliance resources.

Environmental Marketing

Companies are offering consumers an ever-growing assortment of “green” options. Whether your environmental claims are about the product or the packaging, you will need competent and reliable scientific evidence to support what you say. Find out more by consulting the FTC’s revised Green Guides.  Have you spotted what you think might be a deceptive claim or practice? Contact the FTC at green@ftc.gov.

Health Claims

Companies must support their advertising claims with solid proof. This is especially true for businesses that market food, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, contact lenses, and other health-related products.

Made in the USA

Do you promote your products as “Made in the USA?” Under the law, some products must disclose U.S. content. For others, manufacturers and marketers who choose to make claims about the amount of U.S. content must comply with the FTC’s Made in the USA policy.  Is your company up-to-date on what’s required?

Online Advertising and Marketing

The Internet connects marketers to customers across the country and around the world. If you’re thinking about advertising online, remember the rules and guidelines that protect consumers also help businesses by maintaining the credibility of the Internet as an advertising medium.

Do you have questions about children’s online privacy? Read about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Telemarketing

The FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule helps protect consumers from fraudulent telemarketing calls and gives them certain protections under the National Do Not Call Registry. Companies must be familiar with rules banning most forms of robocalling.  If you or someone working on your behalf is telemarketing products or services, know the dos and don’ts before planning your strategy.

Visit their website for more in depth information on each area – http://business.ftc.gov/advertising-and-marketing.