CWI attended the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and awards banquet on January 15, 2009. The event was held at Baker’s Best in Fairlawn and was attended by a record number of local businesses.

In addition to the installation of the 2009 Board of Directors, the event highlighted many of the successes of the past year, recognized individual and community accomplishments and was successful at underlining the unity of Pulaski County, even in the current economic times.

One of CWI’s customers, Coffee Buy the Book, was recognized as Small Business of the Year. We send our congratulations to Tracey Harriman, Owner of Coffee Buy the Book. Other award recipients included Beulah House for Business Excellence, Lora Brown was presented the Student Leadership Award and Thomas “Bud” Wash was awarded Business Executive of the Year. Congratulations to this year’s winners.

Donna Cope (Vice President – Sales & Marketing) was recognized along with other committee members for her work on the Small Business Focus Group and the Economic Development Committee.

CWI was honored to attend and be recognized. We are proud of the award recipients and look forward to another successful year with the Chamber.

So, I’m wearing my marketing hat again. I know what you’re thinking; what does the itsy-bitsy spider have to do with marketing? Glad you asked. I was thinking about this children’s song yesterday when I found a frozen spider on my deck. No kidding, he was frozen solid inside of his web. This spider didn’t make it back up the water spout. I’m sure you all know the song about a very small spider that climbs up the water spout, until the rain comes. The rain washed the spider away, but when the sun came back out, so did the spider. Great, the spider was persistent, but only persistent when it was comfortable for him. He was only persistent when the conditions were perfect.

Let’s pretend the rain is our current economic times and the water spout is your company’s marketing. Don’t wait until the rain (current economic times) ends to start back up that water spout (marketing your company)! Studies have shown that once you cut your marketing budget, it takes an enormous effort to get your marketing back up to snuff and your branding back on track. Branding yourself is like tending to a garden. If you consistently take care of it, it will provide you with sustenance. This sustenance will save you money, since you won’t need to go to they grocery store to buy it. But, if you stop watering your garden (especially during a drought), it won’t produce. Now you are stuck spending more money in the long run and getting produce from the grocery store that may not be as good as if you had continued taking care of the garden, even during the dry spell.

Don’t be the itsy-bitsy spider. Don’t wait until the weather is better to climb back up that water spout. Be consistent with your marketing, even during these economic times so you don’t lose all the hard work you have already put into branding your company.

Sunday was a big day for football fans as the NFL’s AFC and NFC championship games were played. Both games were incredibly exciting and like so many football fans, I chose to watch the games with a pizza. But what delivery place should I order from? Pizza Hut? Papa John’s? Domino’s? I love Papa John’s and Pizza Hut has the stuffed crust pizza, but I thought I’d give Domino’s a shot, even though they’re not my favorite.

Not wanting to miss any of the game, I decided to order online. I had done so successfully with Papa John’s, so I felt comfortable with the process. Little did I know just how cool, easy and dare I say “fun” the process was! Domino’s online ordering technology is called “Pizza Tracker” and will show you the entire process of your order from the time it is placed.

There are five steps to the process:

1. Order Placed
2. Prep
3. Bake
4. Box
5. Delivery

Domino's Pizza Tracker

The online ordering process was far easier than any other pizza joint on the Web. Domino’s even let’s you choose cash or charge, which isn’t always an option with other restaurants. Once my order was placed, the progress bar you see above glows red to show you what stage your order is at. Way cool!

Then, once your order is delivered the Pizza Tracker page will give you a series of survey questions that ask about your experience. It will even tell you the name of the cook who prepared your food and will ask you how it tasted. And then, you can leave additional comments about the experience.

So, what lesson can we learn from this? Well, even though Domino’s isn’t my favorite pizza, they do offer a very cool and unique online experience and they really do seem to value my input, so I will definitely order from Domino’s again the next time I want a pizza, or their new oven-baked sandwiches, which by they way are actually better than Subway.

Give you customers top notch customer service, a unique buying experience and show them that you value their feedback and they may just choose your over your competitor. Customer service really is that important.

In part two of our series on “Connecting your cell phone to your social networking sites” we show you how to post pictures to your Twitter account using a third-party application called TwitPic. Now, with any third party application, you must trust the application before you use it. Why? Because to use TwitPic, you must provide your Twitter username and password. That being said, TwitPic has gained in popularity and appears to be run by a reputable developer. I have trusted TwitPic with my login info and so far, they have not abused that information. Even Shaquille O’Neal uses TwitPic.

Assuming you trust TwitPic with your info, go ahead and log in to TwitPic with your Twitter info, then click on the “Settings” link at the top right of the page. This page will display a custom e-mail address just for you that will look something like this: johndoe.1234@twitpic.com. All you have to do is save that e-mail to your phone’s contacts list and then when you take a picture with your camera phone, you can e-mail the photo to your TwitPic e-mail address and it will post the picture to your Twitter account, like so: The Hokie Bird at the Basketball Game.

You are not limited to sending photos from your cell phone, though. You can send the e-mail from your desktop, too. TwitPic also allows you to upload photos to its server and then gives you the option to post a Tweet on your Twitter account.

Pretty cool, right? Yes, it is. But, how can this help my business? I think the real question is how can it NOT help your business? Let’s take a real estate agent who just went to a house that is ready to go on the market. Usually the agent takes pictures, goes back and uploads them to their MLS listings along with the rest of the information. With TwitPic, the agent could easily snap some pictures with their camera phone and post them to their Twitter account via TwitPic and the listing will appear immediately on their Twitter account, which can also be linked to their blog. The possibilities and scenarios are seeminly endless.

And remember, social media and networking sites, while great business tools, require a certain degree of personality to be successful. If all you do is post links to your blog and sales pitches, you’ve relegated yourself to Twitter spam and you will lose credibility and people will stop following you. Engage your audience, talk with them, communicate and be personable. People want to work with other people, not spam bots.

If you have questions on how to use TwitPic for your business, e-mail me at gary@cwimedia.com.

Here at CWI Media & Marketing, we have preached the benefits and advantages of using social networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. If you run a business, hopefully you’ve taken the initiative to set up these accounts. But, did you know that you can take those social networking sites on the road with your cell phone? At the very least, all you need is cell phone that can send and receive text messages.

In part one of our series on “Connecting your cell phone to your social networking sites” we begin with Twitter - specifically sending and receiving Tweets via text messaging. Let’s begin…

1. Login to your Twitter account at www.twitter.com.
2. Once you are logged in, click on “Settings” near the top right of the page.
   

   Twitter Menu Bar

3. Then click on the “Devices” tab.
   

   Twitter Settings Menu

4. Enter your phone number preceded by a plus sign (ex. +12125551212) and click “Save.” (Make sure you check the box below that gives Twitter permission to send text messages to your phone!)
5. The next screen will provide you with a random code that you must text to Twitter to verify your cell phone number. Send a text to 404-04 with the code as the message. Assuming you do this correctly, you should receive a text message confirming that your cell phone number is linked to your Twitter account.
   

   Confirming Your Cell Phone

Now, keep in mind that you can only have one cell phone linked to one Twitter account. So, if you have multiple Twitter accounts, you can only have one of them linked to your cell phone. But, if you have a personal cell and a business cell phone, then your problem is solved!

One last thing - and this is very important for your sanity - go back to the “Devices” tab from the “Settings” page and customize when and under what circumstances you wish to receive text messages. Twitter defaults your account to send a text every time one of the people you are following posts a Tweet. If you follow a lot of people, this could be maddening and expensive if you don’t have an unlimited texting plan. So, I suggest customizing it. Personally, I only want to receive a text when someone sends me a direct tweet, so I changed my setting to “Direct Messages.”

You can also customize your mobile device updates for each person you are following. To do this, go back to your “Home” page on Twitter and then click on “Following.” Here you will see an option called “Device Updates” for each of the people you follow. If you follow a lot of people, this can be tedious and difficult to manage, but you can do it, we have confidence in you!

Customizing Twitter Updates

Moving on… To post a Tweet to your Twitter account via text messsage, send a text to 404-04 along with your message (less than 140 characters) and a Tweet will appear on your account. Twitter displays what platform you use to post your Tweets. For example, if you send a tweet via text message, Twitter will display “from txt” at the end of your message following the date and time). The same is true for other Twitter platforms like Tweetdeck, Twhirl, Twitterific, etc.

Mobile Web Access

If you have Web access on your cell phone, you can visit m.facebook.com for Facebook’s mobile site and m.twitter.com for Twitter’s mobile site. In case you hadn’t guessed, the “m” that takes the place of the traditional “www” stands for “mobile.” Ingenius, don’t you think? Anyhow, these mobile versions of the sites are scaled down so that they can load faster on your mobile device. Of course, if you have the iPhone or BlackBerry, there are applications you can download that will give you fuller, richer versions of popular social networking sites.

That’s all for today! If you have questions about Twitter, specifically how to get the most out of it for your business, send an e-mail to gary@cwimedia.com.

What does your logo say about you? Do you even have one? In order to effectively brand your business and stand out in the market, a logo is a must. A logo also gives your business credibility. People perceive the business or person with a logo to be more established than the business or person that doesn’t.

But not just any logo will do. Your logo needs to stand out and be memorable. When creating a logo, make sure it reflects your business. You want people to see your logo and have some idea as to what you do or what service you provide. For example, if you are a florist, having a boat incorporated into your logo simply because it’s your favorite type of boat, might not be the most effective design.

Make sure your logo is easy to read. If the fonts are too extravagant to read, people won’t. Also, don’t underestimate the effectiveness of a simple design. You don’t want your logo to be too busy. You want to attract the reader and keep them.

Another thing to keep in mind - be careful with color. Too many colors may be overwhelming and difficult to reproduce, so limit it to two, three max. Make sure your colors compliment each other, not compete with each other.

And finally, create a clever tag line to go with your logo. Tag lines should be three to seven words and let the reader know the benefit of working with you.

Effective logo design is best done by professionals who listen to your needs and message and work with you to create the optimum logo for your business. If you would like help creating a unique, effective logo design, contact Donna at donna@cwimedia.com.

Do you blog? If so, which blogging service do you use? Wordpress? Blogger? Typepad? Those three seem to be the most popular, at least in our circle of blogging friends and clients. I have used Wordpress extensively and it is my blogging platform of choice for business-related blogs because of its seemingly infinite variety of plugins. Wordpress and Blogger are both free while Typepad comes with a modest monthly fee attached to its services. But let’s not forget my personal favorite, Tumblr.com. Haven’t heard of Tumblr? Well pull up a chair my friend!

Tumblr, like Wordpress and Blogger, is free. After I got past the initial learning curve of the dashboard, I discovered that it is, without question, the most user-friendly blogging platform I have ever used. The most redeeming quality of Tumblr is that it allows me to completely and easily customize the entire look and feel of the site using simple HTML and CSS. What exactly does that mean? Well, it means that I can design a basic Web site and then simply add Tumblr’s blogging code to the page I want to serve as the blog and presto - I have an instant blog that looks exactly like I envisioned. OK, there’s a little more to it than that, but it is very easy. That means it’s a piece of cake to add blog functionality to your current Web site without setting up a separate blog site. If you need help with your blog, let CWI help today! E-mail us at info@cwimedia.com.

At this time of year, most people are more charitable, which is great. But, why not be charitable all year? If you invest in your community, you not only help it, but it will help you in so many wonderful ways.

The most important, of course, is how it helps on a personal level. But, by helping build a successful community, you in turn help build a successful business. If you don’t have a community to sell your goods or services to, then you don’t have a business. Help make sure your community is successful by getting involved. If you can’t donate money, donate time by sitting on a committee. Help increase your sales and increase what you can give back by advertising how you help. As an example: 5 percent of the proceeds from the sale of a particular item or service will be donated to: (list specific community development project here). People like helping others and are more inclined to buy if they feel that purchasing your product will not only satisfy a need they have, but a greater community need as well.

Giving back feels great and it is the right thing to do. You can help others and help your business as well. It is cyclical. Your community needs you to succeed just as much as you need it to succeed, so help your community … and you help yourself!

I’ve had a lot of people ask me how I use sites such as Facebook to network. Does it really work? The simple answer is, yes! If used effectively, these sites can help build customer relationships, which is essential in gaining customer loyalty (we all want repeat business, right?), they put you in more places (the more places you are, the easier it is for someone to find you) and let’s not forget, it’s free advertising. One thing to remember when marketing yourself is that people like to work with someone they know, or feel like they know. Why? Comfort and trust. You trust someone you know more than someone you don’t know. You feel more comfortable working with a familiar face, rather than a stranger. You are also more likely to be a loyal, returning customer to someone you have a relationship with, be it a personal relationship or a business one. Having a client on your Facebook page offers them the opportunity to feel like they know you or at least are familiar with you. It offers you the opportunity to be in front of them on a daily basis at no cost. You can post your message or any updates on your company every day if you choose and your clients will be notified as soon as you do it, FREE advertising. I have created special offers only for my Facebook clients and have made new connections that I may not have without it. As an example (names and occupations have been changed), I have a client named Jane who runs a home health care company. Each of her therapists and nurses are responsible for their own business cards, marketing materials and clientele and Jane provides them with the name recognition of her franchise. When Jane became a friend of mine on Facebook she referred several of her employees to me on the site, employees that I did not yet have as clients. A simple friend request message to Jane’s employees introducing myself and my connection to Jane and….VOILA! A new potential customer that I may not have reached otherwise is now seeing my name and receiving my updates on a daily basis. This new customer now has the opportunity to “get to know me” and what I offer. They also get to see all of their colleagues that are clients of mine and on my page as well. If it takes several months of offers and updates on my Facebook account to get that ONE new customer to make a purchase, it was worth it. Why? Because I did not spend one dime, so the rate of return is 100%. I have also had the opportunity to build relationships with current clients improving the likelihood of repeat business, so there is no loss.

Something that people struggle with is separating the personal from the professional. If you don’t want potential clients to know too much about your personal life, the answer is simple. Create a separate Facebook page. I have a few friends that have done this and it works well for them. Have one page that is your personal page where you can feel free to put your personal views and beliefs and share it with your close friends and family. Have your second Facebook page for networking only. On this page keep it strictly professional and have only your clients and networking contacts. It may seem like a lot to keep up with, but there are sites such as Ping.fm that lets you update all of your sites from one place. Another thing to consider is the 5 minutes it takes to post an update on your profile is worth it when you land that big client and receive that repeat business.

If used effectively, Facebook and other social networking sites can be an extremely beneficial and a completely free marketing tool. You may not land that huge client right away, but the more places they can find you, the greater your chances of gaining them as your client. Not to mention the customer loyalty you can build from these sites. It’s free, it can be fun and it’s effective, so why not?