person using computer and phone to view social media

How Social Are You?

by BlogEdmiston Group
person using computer and phone to view social media

The key to growing your business is understanding your audience and who your prospective customers are.  With the recent workplace changes, zoom meetings, and virtual cups of coffee how are you connecting with that audience?  Are you reaching out via a newsletter to stay top of mind?  Do you regularly post on social media channels where your customers are?  Are you using postcards and/or snail mail to stay in touch?

Sharing relevant content on your social channels is a great way to keep your audience abreast of industry updates, new products, and/or accomplishments.  This type of information can come directly to your inbox by way of Google Alerts.  If you are unfamiliar with the term or the process to set up an alert, here is a quick how to link. 

Look for your customer’s pain points.   For example, if a prospect mentions a problem they’re having that you can address, a Google Alert can enable you to quickly get involved in the conversation with a helpful piece of content or insight. If a potential buyer’s company hires a new CEO, key personnel, or expands their business, you should comment on the alert’s trigger event as soon as possible to get on their radar.  Based on your need, these alerts can easily be adjusted.

As it pertains to LinkedIn, make sure your LinkedIn profile is optimized.  Identify the groups where your potential customers are members, follow and participate in discussions.  These discussions can often reveal the current pain points a customer is experiencing.

NURTURE DON’T SELL

When developing online relationships avoid the hard closing tactic and nurture your leads.  Understanding who your leads are is key to your sales process.  Social selling is the process of researching, connecting, and interacting with prospects and customers on social media networks — notably Twitter and LinkedIn, but others certainly fit the bill. Through commenting on, liking, and sharing prospects’ and customers’ posts, salespeople create relationships with buyers and boost their credibility by taking an interest in what they’re discussing.

As you share success stories from current customers, third party validation helps build your credibility with potential buyers and allows prospects to relate to your customers’ experiences.   If you have provided a solution to a problem a potential prospect may be more likely to envision the same solution solving their issue as well.

Likewise, are you monitoring customer satisfaction within your company’s service delivery and addressing any unresolved problems and issues?  How often before hiring a company or service, going to a restaurant, booking travel, etc. do you look at customer reviews?  As a consumer, do you have a better image of the company if they acknowledge the issue and make amends?  Let’s face it, we’re not going to please everyone 100% of the time, but if your company consistently has 2 or 3-star reviews it may be time to look internally.

IF YOU’RE NOT MEASURING YOU’RE NOT MARKETING

Measure your engagement in the form of likes, comments, and shares.  The higher the engagement the more likely the content resonated with your audience. By paying attention to what content gets the most engagement with your audience, you can see what content or conversation topics are of interest to your prospects.   This is a good indication that you should seek out and share more about that topic.

It boils down to this…

  • Know your target market
  • Provide relevant information and nurture prospective leads
  • Track your engagement and provide more like content
  • Develop social relationships that allow you to close the sale

If you are unsure of your audience, their pain points, or how to engage and track performance, contact the Edmiston Group or call 724-612-0755.

About the Author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.  Contact the Edmiston Group today to learn how we can bring fresh ideas to help grow your business.

Man with eight arms holding business tools

How Much Are You Willing to Invest?

by BlogEdmiston Group

You don’t always need to make huge changes in your business to grow. Sometimes, small pivots can be just as effective. Here are some tips to help you understand what it takes to adapt and make incremental adjustments.

Let your personality shine through.  As a business owner, are you involved with the local community or a nonprofit organization?  Have you created a company culture where employees enjoy coming to work and feel valued?  For years, many business owners have kept their personal and company brands separate. But your personal brand could be an asset to your business.

Build your management team.  As your business grows, a business owner can reach capacity.  We start off in business wearing all the hats, but there are only so many hours in a day.  As a business matures, owners must decide if they will begin to invest in key personnel – a good attorney, accountant, marketing support, IT staff, and HR.   Lack of this commitment to move forward will leave a business stuck.  Savvy business owners realize there may not be the budget to bring on senior staff as they outgrow the ability to do it all.  However, a fractional manager brought on as an outside consultant can be most effective. The fractional manager is laser-focused on their skill area and can quickly assess the situation while delivering results.

Invest in marketing. Building a brand requires investing time and resources into creating awareness.  I often hear “I’ve been in business for 4 years and people don’t know we’re here.”  To gain customer awareness, you have to invest in a website that becomes your business’s digital front door and in traditional and social media to communicate with potential customers where they get their information. Not having an internet presence is as bad as a retailer having a bad location and no outdoor signage. No one knows you are there to meet their needs.

Know your customer.  It is not enough to be out there in cyberspace, you have to be able to reach the right people. Being where they are is integral to pushing them along the buying continuum so they understand who you are, believe what you offer, and then try your product or services. Marketing is not a cost to a business, it is an investment. Without it, you have no chance to connect with those who you want to buy from you.

Review Your Email Marketing Strategy to be giving valuable information that people want to read.   Make sure to utilize a mobile-friendly template.  “Email marketing should address how you can make [the recipient’s] life better today, even if it is in a small way,” Dave Charest, director of content marketing at Constant Contact. “You can demonstrate urgency by positioning your products and services in a way that addresses new and changing customer needs, not by pushing discounts and products down their throat. Email marketing is all about sharing the information [the recipient] needs in the way they prefer it, which includes tone, length, and time of day.”

Are you ready to invest in your business?  To learn more about these and other marketing strategies, contact the Edmiston Group, or call 724-612-0755.

About the Author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.  Contact the Edmiston Group today to learn how we can bring fresh ideas to help grow your business.

Touch screen smartphone in hand

SHOW YOUR HUMAN SIDE

by BlogEdmiston Group

Are you bringing a human element into your email marketing program?  
Better yet, do you utilize an email program to stay in touch with colleagues, referral sources, employees, and more?

Email marketing is an effective, interactive, and measurable communications tool that allows businesses to reach a large number of customers efficiently. With specific links to areas on the website, calls to action, you can measure your results.  By looking at reports within the email platform, a business owner has effectively developed warm leads and knows who is interested in their company.

Yet, most small business owners and managers who have the best intentions to handle email marketing on their own fail to execute it consistently. They are missing opportunities to increase sales, remain top of mind for their customers, show a human side to the business, and announce new products or services.

List segmentation allows companies to target messaging to a particular area of their list, or reach out to all lists with general newsletter information.  It’s much easier to strategize who your target market is and create the segmented lists when developing a newsletter.  Although labor-intensive on the front end, by taking the time to step through this piece during setup, the email program will yield better results moving forward.

For example, we work with an eye doctor that has multiple offices.  His lists are segmented by office in the event we have a particular message for a given office.  A contractor segments his lists by business, engineering, land developers, and government.  A nonprofit organization has their lists segmented by sponsors, business, and donors.  Think about how your business touches others and the types of clients you serve.

Many companies choose to lean on the Edmiston Group, a company that provides a full suite of marketing services to include: content creation, professional email marketing as a service, strategic marketing guidance, advertising guidance, social media management, and website development services.

Some things to consider in your newsletter include:

  • Show your human side. Are you looking for employees?  A recent newsletter we produced featured a video highlighting an employee interview with the company’s owner as to why the employee liked the company.  We prepared a short video script and the business owner and his team executed.
  • Update company information. Did the company’s hours of operation change in light of the current business climate? Are plans for a customer appreciation sale in the works? Companies keep their customers informed of changes via email.
  • Savings. Special offers are popular content in an email newsletter. The offer could be a phone consultation, a discount, or other forms of a product bundle sale.  The email subject line should announce that the message contains a type of promotion.
  • New Product Offerings. Companies should not assume that loyal customers are keeping abreast of changes and additions to service offerings. Use the email newsletter to announce new products and services so that your customers know what’s available.
  • Relationships and Community Support. Many nonprofit organizations are shifting to virtual events, walks, and other forms of communication to continue to raise awareness for their cause. Be a champion for a nonprofit by utilizing email to spread the word about company partnerships with community organizations or support of charitable causes. The goodwill could inspire people to hire the company, encourage others to pitch in, or spark new opportunities or business relationships.

Email newsletters are shareable and measurable.  People can forward them to friends and family who might need the information. Savvy business owners and managers will take advantage of this communication tool. But they don’t need to do it alone; they can turn to the Edmiston Group for a myriad of marketing services. To learn more and email us or call 724-612-0755.

About the Author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.  Contact the Edmiston Group today to learn how we can bring fresh ideas to help grow your business.

lund book crop

COMPASSION IS THE COMPETITIVE EDGE

by Guest Blogs

Leading with Compassion While Delivering Results

Our guest blogger is Karin J. Lund, author, speaker, consultant, and founder of G-Power Global Enterprises. She shares how companies are incorporating compassion into the workplace and the positive impact it is having on productivity, employee engagement, and retention.

Can a compassionate workplace culture create a competitive edge in your market?
Can productivity and profitability co-exist with a compassionate, culture empowered workplace?
The answer is YES!

This topic is particularly relevant in the midst, of this pandemic environment. Life events and the aftermath of these events are crushing employees legally, financially, and emotionally. Creating an environment where employees and management can express and acknowledge their feelings and support one another in a work environment, and/or a virtual or semi-virtual environment is crucial if you are going to retain employees while maintaining productivity and profitability.

An estimated $75B is lost annually due to the impact of life events and their aftermath in the workplace. Acknowledging and understanding these events and their effect on employees and management is a fundamental step toward creating a compassionate, culture empowered workforce.

We have all experienced major life events and some degree of loss since March 2020 when most of the world locked down in response to the COVID19 pandemic. Our work lives and our personal, professional, family, and parental relationships have all changed. How we eat, socialize, and plan our lives have also changed.

The silver lining is that we have taken time to reconnect with ourselves, our spouses, family, children, friends, and our employees. Our furry friends have enjoyed more attention and love during this time. CEOs and executives have appeared on Zoom screens with their favorite dog or cat sitting on their laps while they spoke to us about the state of the company’s current financial and operating situation. 

How do we come together through this major life event at home and at work?

For many of us, home and work are the same place right now and will be for the foreseeable future. How do managers and coworkers reach out to one another? How do we talk to one another? With millions of Americans dealing with furloughs, job layoffs, or job losses, working on the front line as a medical responder or uncertain school situations, how can we support each other in managing all of these challenging transitions?

The chapters in my book, Compassion is the Competitive Edge: Leading with Compassion while Delivering Results, to be released August 5th provide an opportunity for discussion around the disruption, the impact of life events, and their aftermath in the workplace, and how the workplace can and does impact our life events. This book encourages workplaces to come together as a team in ways you may not have thought possible

By addressing these issues, it provides a starting point for companies focus on creating, expanding, and refining a culture, and process around caring about, and for, co-workers, while contributing to the financial or service success of the organization.

Jack Weiner, CEO of LinkIn, credits his success to a compassionate leadership culture that he feels has provided his company with an “incredible competitive advantage” over any business strategy.

G-Power Global’s mission is to inspire and encourage CEOs and their organizations to create and support a workplace culture that is driven by compassion throughout all verticals of the operation. It has been my goal to encourage the continual creation of workplace environments that employees, management, and new employees support because the culture respects personal and professional values while being vested in the local and global community.

A companion online program to the book called, Your Journey Through the Islands of Grief and Loss, is an interactive, private experience which guides employees and management, as well as individuals, to confront their own personal issues and questions in relation to different aspects around loss and life events and their aftermath. 

The book and will be available through Amazon on August 5th and the online program will be available around the same time on my website www.G-PowerGlobal.com. If you have any questions concerning additional online programs for your company, college/university, or non-profit group you can contact me at [email protected].

If your company or place of business incurs a sudden loss or life event, G-Power Global Enterprises is available to help your team come together following that event.  Leading with compassion is not just the right thing to do. It’s also the best way to support employees so they can feel valued and do their best work. As Ram Dass says, “We’re all just walking each other home.”

Opens the dialogue to create more productive, empowered, non-toxic work atmospheres. Every corporate leader should read this book!

Michelle R. Donovan, best-selling author of The 29% Solution and A Woman’s Way

A must-read for business leaders and supervisory management. 
This book is a comprehensive prescription for how to live the people value in the workplace.

Fred Bentzel, Managing Partner, 10x Solutions Inc., www.10x-solutions.com

A great tool for both managers and employees in helping build a more cohesive and caring work environment, which can lead to stronger employee retention, engagement and productivity.

Lori Gallagher, Senior HR Consultant

About the Author: KARIN J. LUND, author, speaker, consultant, and founder of the G-Power Global Enterprises. Through educational and professional input, she has authored books, created corporate workshops and online programs that encourage the development of a compassionate, culture empowered workforce that also supports productivity, services, and profitability. As a civilian responder after Hurricane Katrina and 911, Lund experienced first-hand how different kinds of loss impacts management, employees, and entire business and local communities.

MjCallaway BounceUp_Cover_Front CC

BOUNCE-UP™ WITH PROACTIVE FUNDAMENTALS

by Guest Blogs

Our guest blogger is Mj Callaway, author, speaker, and trainer. She shares her personal story of overcoming adversity and some fundamental tips on how to Bounce-Up™.

Click the image to buy on Amazon

Have you ever wondered why some people seem unshakeable in the face of adversity, while others become immobilized? Though it might look like they’re equipped with an extra something, more than like, they’ve implemented core fundamentals into their lives. When a crisis happens, they’re proactive.

During an interview with Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel [for my book], he said, “It isn’t if adversity will happen, it’s when will it happen.”

The same way we prepare for destructive weather, we need to prepare for adversity because it impacts our personal and professional lives. Having thrived over three crises in 10 years—I know. During the second crisis in 2016, I had a 20 percent chance of surviving if chemo didn’t work and chemo had a 50 percent chance of working. Through the journey, fundamentals [and faith] kept me proactive with my health, maintaining and rebranding my business while leading the National Speakers Association (NSA) Pittsburgh as co-president.

Here are three proactive fundamentals to help you Bounce-Up™.

  1. Flip It™ for Positive Mindset.

During disruptions, verbal drama, aka negative chatter, bounces inside your head like a superball. Unless you shift that negativity, it doesn’t stop. Be proactive by creating two columns on a sheet of paper. Write Verbal Drama for the left column and Flip It™ for the right column. Under Verbal Drama, write the negative chatter. Consider how can you Flip It™ to a positive message. Write the positive “flip” under the Flip It™ column. Chemo has such a negative connotation so I Flipped It™ to Magic Wand. Radiation became Buzz. The machine size and clicking sound reminds me of Buzz Lightyear. Clients love this exercise because it can be fun. Try it.

  1. Improvise to Spark Momentum.

When life spirals downward, what worked before doesn’t now. Think about our new normal. Focusing on the situation, loss, and the disruption keeps us stuck. To create momentum, I use what I call “Momentum Questions.” “What can I do right now with what I have?” Questions engage our brain to segue into solution-based thinking. As a speaker and trainer, the current situation could’ve destroyed my business when events cancelled. Asking “What can I do right now with what I have?” my mind shifted to improvising. I transitioned to virtual meetings and programs, and I converted a live training workshops into online courses.

  1. Spy an Opportunity.

Do you remember the I Spy books full of objects to find? Sometimes the objects like opportunities are smack in front of you. In sharing a photo with the National NSA president on Facebook, a North Carolina speaker reached out. He mentioned his search for a house in Pittsburgh and his realtor didn’t get his young family’s lifestyle. Hearing an opportunity for a colleague who had little kids, I introduced them. The outcome, his family found the perfect home and moved. For me, I read repeated posts about business owner and colleagues who felt stuck. Those posts prompted an interactive online course, Bounce-Up™: From Stuck to Success and an opportunity to help.

As we journey through out new normal, what messages need a dose of Flip It™? What can you do right now with what you have? How can you spy opportunities? While you can’t control life’s face plants, you can control your Bounce-Up™.

About the Author: Mj Callaway is an award-winning author, resilient speaker, and corporate trainer known for shifting attitudes and converting strategies into results. As a Certified Sales Professional (CSP) and two-time survivor, Mj’s experience includes being the only female sales executive of a national male-dominated company to sell three times her quota. She’s the creator of Revenue Rescue Audit and her eighth book, Bounce-Up™: Outpowering Adversity, Boost Resilience, Rebound Higher, launched April 28th.

focus red word and conceptual target

FOCUSED THINKING BRINGS ABOUT BREAKTHROUGH

by BlogCommunicationsEdmiston Group

The past few months have been challenging for business owners, yet some are thriving while others have given up.  What takes a business to a new level or a pivot in a business operation?  FOCUS and the ability to PIVOT your thinking to a new way of doing business.

Many businesses and organizations have shifted to virtual meetings, working remotely, and bringing about operational changes.  While one vertical line of business may not be as strong right now, other product lines are flourishing.

Manufacturing companies that have shifted to make protective equipment, are working multiple shifts to meet demand.  Distilleries and breweries that have pivoted their thought process to online sales and curbside pickups are busy.  Construction product suppliers that have picked up a PPE product line have an additional product to sell.  Clothing companies that shifted to making masks and fashion masks have developed new product lines.  The list goes on.

What do these types of businesses have in common?  They are open to new ideas and ways to grow.  By FOCUSING on the assets they have and PIVOTING their operations to utilize those assets to expand their services.   Those business owners are moving forward with renewed energy and resolve.

This challenging time has been compared to the Great Depression.  According to the Advertising Specialty Institute, those companies that continue to advertise when everyone else stops marketing are more likely to be noticed.  WHY?  Because there are fewer ads in the market.  “Firms that advertised during the recession increased in value and got more marketing bang for their buck…in some cases for up to three years after the recession had ended”.

Pulling financial support for your company’s brand can undermine revenue goals.  The better strategy is to go all in to understand customer needs and respond accordingly with tailored messaging across channels.  How do you do that?

Here are 5 tips to keep business growing:

  1. ASK

Layer these insights and information gained with the human element to get a deeper understanding of how target audiences will respond.  What is the value your company brings to the table to alleviate the pain point?  Do you even know where those pain points are?

  1. REDISCOVER YOUR BRAND

How are you different than the competition?  What new services can you offer or how can you shift your message based on the information you learn from your customers?  How can you position your brand to provide a sense of community while offering reassuring messages that demonstrate empathy?

  1. DEVELOP LOYALTY PROGRAMS

Reward consumers who purchase frequently and send targeted messaging to thank them for being a loyal customer.

  1. CONTINUE TO SHIFT AND INNOVATE

Embrace technology and commit to working ON your business instead of IN your business.  At a recent class I took, I was challenged to commit the first 30 minutes to 1 hour a day working on strategies to grow my business instead of working on other people’s businesses in their growth.  By blocking the time, I’m fresh in the morning to focus on how to grow my own business.

  1. MEASURE YOUR OUTCOMES

If you’re not measuring, you’re not marketing.  Know how people find you.  Advertise and be present where your potential customers are.  Be vigilant in your metrics tracking and reporting. Stay agile so you can adapt plans to reflect what you’re seeing. From there, brands can make messaging personal.

Keep a level head and commit to a long-term marketing strategy can help you flourish in the down cycle and be fully prepared to capitalize on the upswing.  Give people good things to talk about by continuing to have good products and great communication.

To quote Henry Ford…“A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.”

Let the Edmiston Group help you strategize how you can PIVOT and GROW your business.  Call 724-612-0755 or email Autumn Edmiston for a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Creative power and Powerful ideas business innovation concept with a red glowing boxing glove shaped as a light bulb representing strong innovative new thinking and competitive imagination.

ARE YOU PREPARING FOR A BUSINESS COMEBACK?

by BlogCommunicationsEdmiston Group

Creative power and Powerful ideas – new thinking and competitive imagination.

When there is a business halt, are you preparing for a strong comeback or sitting paralyzed in the silence? Because business owners are fearful of what is to come next, we often will sit back and do nothing. A business may never return to the way it was and just like the businesses that failed to embrace social media, those that choose to stand still and do nothing will lose.

Savvy business owners are taking this time to think of the future and what new lines of business or target clients they want to reach out to. Should their sales pitch change and if so what would that look like? Will the presentation desk, social media channels or website need updating? How will these changes impact their sales staff and will they need retraining? Could staff training be done remotely while the sales force team is working at home?

Try to work down the line deals. Now is the time to negotiate. If your conference has been canceled, negotiate rates on a tentative date to rebook the conference in the future. Pass along the savings to your customers to relaunch a successful event. Instead of doing nothing, you’ve become a problem solver.

If your fundraiser was postponed, can you create a go-fund-me campaign or an online event? There is so much need, you want to be certain your mission stays top of mind.

Meet your customers where they are. Yoga studios and gyms are providing online classes with instructors via Zoom and staying connected to their tribe through private Facebook groups. Chambers of Commerce are offering free classes on how to use Zoom. Restaurants have shifted from dine-in to take out and brick and mortar stores have opened on-line stores. Think about it. They have provided a solution to our present-day situation that could result in an additional revenue stream in the month’s ahead post COVID-19.

Barbara Corcoran, self-made millionaire, real estate mogul, and ‘Shark Tank’ star believes there is great opportunity in every crisis. She has survived 9/11 as well as other critical times in her business. “But here’s what I’ve learned on all these crises through all the years, Corcoran recently shared on her Business Unusual podcast. When things go south, they come back like gangbusters.”

Are you ready to breathe in and move forward to polish up your business? Let’s chat – give me a call at 724-612-0755 or email [email protected].

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Businessman thinks of a new creative idea

NOT BUSINESS AS USUAL – COPING WITH COVID-19

by BlogCommunications

New Ways to Do Business Post COVID-19

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of business. For retail establishments, many doors are closed to customers. Restaurants have shifted to take out. Essential businesses are operating in an adjusted work environment. Business operations have shifted online and business development personnel are reaching out through phone, LinkedIn, video and voice conferencing, and email. Health care personnel and first responders are on the front lines of the pandemic and are stretched beyond belief.

What does all of this boil down to? Do you wonder if life ever goes back to the way it was? Fear of what is happening and what may be yet to come fills your mind. Will you be able to pay your bills? Will your family be safe? Will kids ever go back to school? Will you have a job? The changes all amount to loss and the grief you feel about things lost.

I have also read positive things with social distancing. Families are once again gathering around the table, life is existing at a slower pace, families are hiking, businesses are helping each other by supporting one another through online gift cards, and manufacturers are shifting operations to provide health-related products and sanitizer.

Many business owners are pivoting and thinking outside the box to stay top of mind or to prepare for opening their doors again when the time is right. They are part of a solution to a problem. A supply company instituted an online order system that not only will work during this challenging time but can also be utilized as a sales tool for their salesforce moving forward. A consulting company set up call times for monthly lead exchange meetings. A construction company is leveraging this time to update records and connect via LinkedIn. A construction labor force company is taking this opportunity to update their website and set up processes for a newsletter.

These businesses and many others are looking at the situation as an opportunity to continue to reach out, or prepare for a major push once we are able to be “open for business” again.

As you look at your current situation, is the glass half empty or half full. Here are some tips to make the most of your new norm.

  • Review your goals – we’re still in the first quarter of 2020. Did you set goals for the New Year such as developing a vision board, writing a blog, or taking a class? If you haven’t set goals with target dates, perhaps now is the time to do so.
  • Learn something new – a new platform for online meetings such as Zoom or how to create branded images using Canva.
  • Read – books, online publications, and a little fiction just for fun. The most successful entrepreneurs are avid readers.
  • Listen – to podcasts from thought leaders and business coaches.
  • Join – Ted Recommends and receive TED programs and initiatives sent to your inbox.

I challenge you to step up and try something new. If your business has been stuck for a while, perhaps a business strategy session is in order. Maybe your website needs a refresh or marketing materials that need updating. Pick up the phone and give me a call at 724-612-0755.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Human Effect

How Human Is Your Business?

by BlogCommunications

Human EffectAre you depending on technology or the human approach to marketing your business?  Content, particularly in the B2B market is often clinical, crammed with facts and technical words.  Although it’s important to share your knowledge, are you connecting with your customers on a human level?

For B2C, it’s just as important to have that human interaction.  Don’t get me wrong – technology has its place in notifying you of upcoming appointments and flash sales, but it’s the human experience that converts to referrals.

Are you giving your customers that personalized experience or are they just a nameless, faceless purchaser?  Your job is to figure out how to differentiate yourself from your competition.  Why do people want to work with you or buy from you?

Givers Gain is the underlying philosophy of BNI. Be open to helping without expecting anything in return. Think about this: A prospect or a business colleague contacts you with a problem they can’t solve. You freely offer advice, which they implement. Soon, they begin to see positive results. They now have proof that your service is worth investing in, so they purchase it, and hopefully recommend it to a friend or give a positive review which others can see.

When meeting with a potential client for the first time, do you ask questions to understand their problem?  Do you take the time to get to know them and their story, or are you already steps ahead “selling them” your solution?  By investing time on the front end, it allows both parties to see if they are a fit for one another.

An integral element of human-to-human H2H marketing is the art of conversation.  The dialog can uncover potential business opportunities you may not have realized existed.  Conversations lead to conversions.  Conversions lead to business growth.

Here is a personal example of H2H experience.

Our long-time insurance agent, as well as his in house support person both retired at the same time.  I always told my agent that he was the only reason we remained with the company.  We had his cell phone and when I needed him – he answered.  Our son also had him for his agent and when he needed someone in his corner for a house claim the agent responded resulting in a positive outcome.  Great H2H experience right?

The agent personally called me and told me of his upcoming retirement.  What we have received since the agent’s retirement was a letter stating whom we were assigned to.  Not a phone call of introduction, only a letter.  We don’t feel special anymore and guess what?  We’ll be shopping our insurance.

At the end of the day, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.  In business, as well as your personal life are you striving to raise others up to make them feel special?  I challenge you as we begin a new year to spend the time to develop and nurture relationships with your employees and your customers.  Technology has its place, but the humanness of these efforts will shine through.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.

Editorial Calendar

Utilizing Editorial Calendars to Help Guide Your Marketing Strategy

by BlogCommunications

Editorial CalendarIt’s a new year and often business owners take this time to reflect and set new marketing strategy goals for the upcoming year.  An often overlooked tool in business growth is an editorial calendar.  Not only can it set the path for blogging, but it can also be the guide for social media as well as other marketing activities.

Editorial calendars mean a couple of things to a business owner.  But first, you must identify exactly who your ideal customer is.  Why is this important?  Because it also determines where to put advertising dollars.

The owner of a construction company I work with asked about advertising in a high-end community magazine.  The magazine went into an upscale neighborhood, but this client doesn’t build high-end homes, rather they build manufacturing facilities, strip malls and office complexes.  Although someone in the neighborhood might hold a decision making position, we determined it wasn’t the best use of his advertising dollars.   However, advertising in a different publication that targets property managers, land developers and commercial real estate professionals was a good fit.

Another client is a B to C.  We advertise in a digital publication that also allows us to publish monthly articles along with our advertising.  This publication is sent to thousands of potential customers that are his target market.  By utilizing an editorial calendar, we know when certain things happen during the year and target ads, as well as articles to that topic.

Monthly magazines and business publications have an editorial focus such as Real Estate, Summer Camps, Women in Business, Weddings, etc.  Knowing what is being published helps to plan your advertising budget and/or pitch a story to the editor.  It’s important to note that these publications work 4-8 weeks ahead, particularly for feature stores.   For example, as of this writing, all ads for February have already been submitted.

There are certain appreciation days and awareness months throughout the year.  Understanding when these times occur allows you to plan special events around those times.  Did you know that May 4 – May 8, 2020, is Teacher Appreciation Week?  If your business served teachers, what could you plan special for them?  Perhaps if they come to your business they receive a free gift or a percent off their service.  This works particularly well in the B to C market.

There are National Fun Days throughout the month.  Having a calendar with those days noted will enable you to plan and preschedule some of your social media posts.

What if you are a B to B business?  You still can partner with a cause.  The Southwestern Pennsylvania United Way sponsors a Day of Caring on September 13, 2020.  Can your businesses partner with that cause?  Perhaps you can participate in a build with Habitat for Humanity.  Consider a care box drive for the troops.  There are over 4,000 nonprofit organizations in Pittsburgh.  Be a business that gives back.

What does this all boil down to?  PLANNING.  If you’d like a copy of our 2020 planning calendar email Autumn Edmiston or call 724-612-0755.  Don’t know where to start?  The Edmiston Group can customize a yearly calendar specific to your business.

About the author: Autumn Edmiston is the CEO and owner of the Edmiston Group. The Edmiston Group is a multifaceted Pittsburgh based marketing consulting firm providing senior-level marketing management services to businesses and non-profit organizations on a short or long-term basis. Core areas of service are business development strategies, website creation and management, social media management, marketing, strategic planning, and public relations. The Edmiston Group has consistently delivered and implemented real-world, proven business marketing ideas and strategies for business.