Change Your Mind, Change Your Marketing

Change Your Mind, Change Your Marketing
Heath Nielsen of Baylor University: RGIII, A Social Media Success Story
The Higher-Ups and The Lower-Downs
New Browser Wars Keep Online Entrepreneurs Guessing

Posted: 28 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST

Have you ever left your house heading one place — somewhere that you don't go to often? But without thinking you slipped into auto pilot and ended up at work or at the grocery store that you always go to or at your child's school?

It's a habit formed by repeated actions. Witthout thinking, you'll slip into it over and over and over again.

As a small business owner, you may have a few marketing habits that need shifting into a different direction. Below are three to consider.

Build It And They Will Come

If you've been in business for any amount of time, you know the truth by now. You have do a lot more than just "build it." To be effective, your marketing has to be woven into the product, service and the launch itself. Instead of one step, it's four:

Tell your target audience what you're going to build and how it's going to change their life.
Then build what you said you where going to build.
Tell them that you built it and simultaneously show them what's in if for them.
But don't stop there. Continue to find relevant and unique ways to show your target audience what you have and how it will change something in their business/life.

Marketing, like every successful move in business, takes focused and intelligent effort and the building phase is only part of the equation.

One Egg, One Basket

You can be a one trick pony and that focus may allow you to excel at that one thing. But when it comes to marketing you need more than one avenue.

It's already too dangerous to put all your eggs in one basket. Because if you drop that basket, everything you have is gone. So having just one egg is even worse. You need multiple ways to explain what you have to offer.

You can put your message in text, videos and pictures — many eggs. You also need varied ways to transport your message to where your target audience is. You can deliver it via social media, website, print items as well as local television and radio publicity — that's more than one basket.

One Man, One Woman Show

You may have started your small business at the kitchen counter by yourself. You may have hustled alone, to move it forward for years. Ultimately, however, every strategy requires a savvy-little team to push it to the next level and your company is no different. The longer you ignore this fact, then the longer your brilliant ideas remain under-utilized.

You need a team, but it doesn't have to be a sea of employees. When it comes to marketing, an outside but well-trained eye can make for a great mix. To move away from the one man or one woman show, you could contract with a marketing assistant. Someone to do things like help you monitor your social media, post your blog articles, and find engaging photos to accompany your content. Or you could add a marketing consultant to:

Brainstorm with you.
Learn to understand your brand and your audience.
Help you implement the advice.
Assess the impact with you.
Adjust the plan for the next step in the strategy.

In other words, get help with your marketing and grow your business faster.

Colored Man Photo via Shutterstock

The post Change Your Mind, Change Your Marketing appeared first on Small Business Trends.

Heath Nielsen of Baylor University: RGIII, A Social Media Success Story

Posted: 28 Dec 2012 08:00 AM PST

Before winning the 2011 Heisman Trophy and taking the NFL by storm as the quarterback of the Washington Redskins, Robert Griffin III was a little-known junior at Baylor University. But thanks to a low budget marketing campaign fueled by social media, creativity and a whole lot of passion, that all changed in a major way. Heath Nielsen, The Associate Athletic Director for Communications for Baylor University, joins Brent Leary to share the personal story behind the campaign that was instrumental in helping Robert Griffin III win the 2011 Heisman Trophy – and become RGIII.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends: Did you really think Robert Griffin III would become the Heisman? Not that he didn't have the skills, but just the thought of a player from Baylor winning the Heisman?

Heath Nielsen: That was pretty farfetched. We knew early in his career that he was special, we knew he was a once in a generation. We figured heading into his junior year, which became his final year, that he was going to get a lot of publicity, and we could maximize on that publicity.

To be honest, our goal all along was just to become a finalist and get him to New York. Then use that as a spring board for his senior year to really make a big run at the trophy. But we never really imagined this was possible.

Small Business Trends: Talk about the branding, the actual brand of RGIII?

Heath Nielsen: I think it is huge. RGIII, that nickname’ origin, I think will probably be debated around here for years. His freshman year there was actually a thread started that said: ‘Robert Griffin III what are we going to call him? What is his nickname?’ It was actually the title of the thread.

From his freshman year, Griffin insisted that they put the Roman numeral III on his jersey. So it just kind of made sense on a lot of fronts, that RGIII is his nickname. Now, it is not something that we ever called him; nobody called him RGIII to his face. But it was something that we pushed a lot.

Small Business Trends: What input did RGIII have into this process? What role did he play?

Heath Nielsen: Very little. His focus was on winning ball games. Coach Briles' focus was on the X's and O's, and getting his team ready. They kind of gave us carte blanche to run the publicity side.

Small Business Trends: Was there anything that took place when you heard RGIII said, 'You know, I am not sure about that one?'

Heath Nielsen: Well, I don't know if he was ever critiquing our strategies. I think he got tired of the interviews. Because one of our main pushes was to get him on with as many regional, national people as possible. So we really rode him hard with phone interviews.

We had a weekly segment we taped videos of him once a week that we called '30 with the 3rd.' We would typically bring in a team mate and have them fire back and forth. What was supposed to be 30 seconds. They all ran longer than that.

Sometimes, I think he rolled his eyes a little bit about that. But the guy is a remarkably good sport. He is very mature and he was special off the field as well as on. He was a dream to work with and really saw the bigger picture.

Small Business Trends: How did you get the student population involved in the campaign?

Heath Nielsen: The fans were great. The students were great with signs. You know Roman numeral III's were pretty much everywhere. Probably the neatest thing we did all Fall as we were promoting him that tapped into the students big, was we had a grass roots Facebook movement. A gentleman on my staff came up with a completely unique idea in which we asked all of our fans to change their Facebook names and add a Roman numerical III to their name.

The idea was pretty simple, just make a little change, and then we called the movement "Join the Third." We ended up using a hashtag on Twitter as well. On Facebook, everyone – my wife, my son – we all became the Third. Then, as you changed that, you would go on your Facebook page and say,”I have joined the Third!'

And then you link back to our website page. It was really cool when the next morning, hundreds and then thousands of people started changing their names. The real neat thing about that was, it was a nice tangible thing. Like a stamp of approval saying,”I am with this person!”

Small Business Trends: Sounds like it was a team effort and seeing how he handles it, it sounds like it was also a team win.

Heath Nielsen: Oh, absolutely. If you get a chance, go onto YouTube and Google or search “Griffin Heisman Reaction,” or “Waco Heisman Reaction.” There are people who have kind of spliced them together, edited them together. It is basically just homemade camera phone reactions to students and Waco residents watching the Heisman show.

The announcement in 2011 just brought absolute euphoria and joy on this campus. We have had a lot of down years. We have had bad things happen around here. And for somebody related to Baylor to win one of the greatest individual awards in sports – it meant a whole lot.

The fact that our candidate was a likable, charming, good, moral person with a great background – a humble person – that was icing on the cake.

Small Business Trends: I think that's a great testament to how social media can work for somebody who is not even necessarily seeking fame. Are there any places on the Web where people can learn more about the campaign?

Heath Nielsen: He has a site, BU-RG3.com.

Small Business Trends: How many people were working with you on this?

Heath Nielsen: The primary core group was about 4 of us in PR and 2 in video. I would say six.

Small Business Trends: Any kind of budget you guys laid out for this?

Heath Nielsen: We spent a little bit on our website, we spent some on graphic designs, and then we produced promotional football cards that cost a little bit to produce. Not much at all. A little bit to ship, a little bit to design.

We stayed less than five figures when it was all said and done. So we did it on the cheap and social media was a big part of that.

This interview is part of our One on One series of conversations with some of the most thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This interview has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click the right arrow on the gray player below. You can also see more interviews in our interview series.

The post Heath Nielsen of Baylor University: RGIII, A Social Media Success Story appeared first on Small Business Trends.

The Higher-Ups and The Lower-Downs

Posted: 28 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST

higher ups business cartoon

I’ve said before that ideas for cartoons come from all directions. Recently, I even wrote that one idea came while writing an explanation like this:

“As a side note, while I was writing this, I came up with an idea for someone in management being summoned by the "lower-downs." I don't think it's going to go well for anybody.”

Well, just over a month later and that idea evolved into this cartoon. Neat huh?

Sadly, no ideas are coming while writing this particular explanation, but I’m sure another is waiting for me just around the corner.

The post The Higher-Ups and The Lower-Downs appeared first on Small Business Trends.

New Browser Wars Keep Online Entrepreneurs Guessing

Posted: 28 Dec 2012 02:30 AM PST

Changes in marketing and technology keep entrepreneurs guessing about what might be next. In this roundup we move from the new so-called “browser wars” to the latest in marketing trends including some techniques your business may not yet be using, but should be. In the comment section below, tell us what you feel will be the most important marketing trend for your business in 2013 and beyond.

Browser Wars

One phone to rule them all. Two decades ago, browsers like Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator fought for control of the Internet. Today, it’s happening all over again with smartphones and tablets fighting for the same dominance over the Web. It’s uncertain who the winners will be. No matter who those winners are, the result will affect how your customers and clients see your business page. The New York Times

Model-T Websites in a modern world. The most important thing about the new browser wars is how they will affect your business Website. It’s important to avoid investing in a business Website only to have it become obsolete a year from now, says marketing expert Dana Pohly. Here are three questions Pohly suggests you ask when considering developing your business site. Step By Step Marketing

The tools not taken. In an ever changing technological and marketing environment, there are many choices to make for your business. Some of those choices are passed over because of all the options out there. Here are eight tools your small business should be using, if you aren’t using them already. In the rest of the roundup, we’ll look at even more options. AllBusiness

More Options

Suggestions for startups. Startups in particular need a good marketing approach. Many great resources exist on the Web, from how to pick the right name for your company to how to land your first startup marketing job. No need to search the Web for the answers to these questions if 2013 is a year you plan to start a new business. Marketing expert Mike Abasov has already picked the best of the best just for you. Marketing Before Funding

Some small business trends. We already know the importance of mobile for small businesses heading into 2013. Other, new small business trends will also affect how you will market your products and services and interact with customers and clients into the New Year and into the foreseeable future. Matt Mansfield presents this infographic to tell you more. Matt About Business

More content creation. Not surprisingly, content marketing made Matt’s list of important marketing trends to watch in the new year. Content creation continues to evolve and has become increasingly challenging for businesses that use it as a communications and marketing channel. Here Lee Odden gives five suggestions for how your small business can make content creation better. TopRank

Better Information

Communication is key. The best kind of marketing may just be explaining what you mean. Forget all the trends and the tools out there. The most important thing is communicating with your customers. The marketing options we’ve discussed are great, but none are much use unless your customer understands the value of what you are offering, says Web content developer Steven Streight. Don’t automatically assume your customer knows what you’re talking about. Small Biz Survival

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