Marketing Blagger

For anyone writing a blog as a means of making money, it would be worth reading Daniel’s Daily Blog Tips blog. I especially like this article that applies the traditional 4P marketing mix concept to blogging (www.dailyblogtips.com).

Daniel makes some great comments about the 4Ps (Product, Promotion, Place, Price) and how these are outdated when applied to blogs. For example he suggests Promotion should be replaced by Persuasion, with bloggers encouraging their readers to share ideas and contribute to the discussion. This makes perfect sense as blogs become more valuable when they are interactive.

However, the 4Ps model was actually usurped firstly by the 7PS - which mostly applies to services marketing - and now the more recent 8Ps.

So what are the extra Ps and are they valuable for your business?

The first to think of is People, which in a red brick company means your employees. However in the more interactive world of blogging this also applies to your readers. You need good readers that interact and subscribe in order to grow a sustainable business. How do you get good readers = good content.

Physical Evidence. In an offline business this refers to your restaurant, or the invoice you send out, or the letterhead you use. But in an online environment it equally applies to the quality appearance of your blog and other materials - your online brand if you like. Develop this with a clear and consistent feel if you want to maintain a good readership. You will see a lot of over designed blogs but simplicity is the key here.

The third extra P is Process. This usually means the steps in which a customer goes through from first contact with your business, to receiving their good or service. For bloggers, this means the ease of which readers can sign up to an RSS feed, or newsletter, or even comment on your posts. Make this as simple as possible as it is all too easy for a reader to click away from your blog. Chances are unless your content is excellent, this will happen fairly quickly anyway.

The final and most recently added P is Planning. As with any business, you increase your chances of being successful by planning what you want to achieve ad how you will achieve it. Think short, medium and long terms (i.e.1,3 and 5 years) with a series of objectives, strategies and tactics i.e. where you want to get to, how you will get there and what will actually happen.

So there you have it. A great idea from Daniel, developed to add the further 4 Ps of the modern marketing mix concept.

An article on startup.co.uk claims small businesses are waking up to the need to become more serious about marketing their businesses. Backed up by the Chartered Institute of Marketing it claims business owners are increasingly recognising the importance of marketing.

In particular the CIM suggests developing relationships with stakeholders and clients is a key area. Along with accurate customer segmentation - i.e. identifying the characteristics of similar customer groups so that you can better target your products and communications - and e-marketing. However I doubt that e-marketing is a new topic for any business owner though, after all you don’t have a business these days without a website and that’s the first step on the ladder.

So what does this mean for you? Well, putting it simply, if others are getting more switched on to marketing, you will need to do the same to remain competitive. Think about reading some marketing literature, book onto a course, or if you have the budget, talk to a professionally qualified consultant. Is there someone in your team who would like to take the lead on this area for your business? Would they be interested in studying for CIM qualification and can you use this as a staff benefit?

You can find the literature and links to great books here, or consider looking at www.cim.co.uk for marketing courses, qualifications and a directory of consultants. Speaking from experience, the CIM’s professional qualifications are great for developing a rounded marketing and business strategy knowledge base - you’ll be surprised by how strategic marketing can be.

However, you don’t have to spend a fortune on this. There are lots of free resources available, for example the Marketing Blagger’s site has lots of ideas for you to think about, but there are many, many others.

Good luck and happy marketing.

With the start of the new year and after a god festive break, many of you will be back to work with a case of the January blues. After all, following a couple of weeks of eating, drinking and partying, how could sitting in the office possibly compare?

So what can you do to help ease you and your team back into a productive frame of mind? Remember your people are a key element of your marketing mix, regardless of whether you’re a goods or a services business.

Here are 7 ideas that shouldn’t cost you a fortune.

1. Re-organise the office. A change is as good as a rest as they say, and your staff may find a new lease of life from a refreshed view, a new desk, or a different working space. Of course, this will only have a short term effect but it will help in those first few weeks back.

2. Plants. Get some new plants into your work space to help “improve the atmosphere, reduce stress, and sharpen concentration” Nick Eason, CNN. Read Nick’s article at http://www.plantsatwork.org/pdf/CNNReprint.pdf or visit http://www.plantlady.com for more info about plants at work.

3. Arrange a new year kick-off party. Get your team together to reinforce the company goals for the next year, set priorities, develop camaraderie and more importantly to have a couple of beers. This shouldn’t be hugely expensive though, after all it’s likely you have just paid for a Christmas party!

4. Introduce some staff rewards. Why not start an employee of the month award, a little hackneyed but people will see the funny side of it and you’ll be surprised how much people actually like to be recognised like this. If you allow your team to vote for the employee of the month, it adds the extra dimension of being congratulated by your colleagues and not just the boss! Maybe the winner could borrow the pool car over the weekend as well?

5. Massage your employees. Not personally, but arrange for a professional to come to your office for a day of massage therapy. What better way to look after your staff in their time of need. Benefits might include reduced stress levels, renewed energy and motivation, and decreased absenteeism. Check out http://www.stressangels.co.uk/corporate/ for more ideas.

6. Introduce music to the office. OK, so not everyone will have the same taste in music, but if you can agree some common ground rules, for example no thrash metal or Radio 1, then you might find introducing music will improve the working environment. Research has even found some types of music increase productivity - read this article for more info: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1365/is_5_30/ai_57943400

7. Last but not least, give everyone an extra half day off. Assuming you aren’t snowed under with work, why not give everyone a surprise half day off. Today, Monday, next Thursday, whenever really, just call it a day after lunch so you can all head off into the sales before all of the bargains are totally snapped up. This one won’t be practical for everyone though unfortunately.

Of course, there are plenty of other ideas you could try and I’m very keen to hear of any experiences you have.

Andrew

Have you noticed in the last couple of years an increasing trend for companies not to send Christmas cards? Instead, I’ve frequently received emails with words to this effect:

But what do you think? Should companies continue to send cards, or abandon cards for the charity donation scheme? Or is a mixture appropriate, where key clients receive personalised Christmas greetings cards?