Craig Rentmeester's Blog

SEO Resource

I found out about a resource today that I think could be of value to many people.  It is compete.com. This site can be useful to anyone interested in comparing up to five Web sites.

It's free to use once you create a user account (yes, another account).

It provides data, and graphs, for each site on:

    the number of visitors per month or year.

    the average length of time a visitor spends on a site.

    the average number of pages a visitor views on a site.

    the growth of a Web site over time.

If only it collected data about the users and more statistics.

p.s. In my opinion, Compete has a great blog with information about web usage and useful resources. 

Site Review: Marcom Professional

After going through the screening process I am officially a member of Marcom Professional. As promised, I reviewed the site so those that aren't members, or can't become one since they're not in the industry, can have glimpse at what's underneath the hood.

Below are screen shots that can be enlarged. The top screen shot is of Marcom's home page (it's from a printable version so the color scheme and spacing are a little off). The bottom screen shot is the members page.

   

Layout

Marcom's home page looks like a blog.

In the sidebars of the page are a categories section, a hot topic section that functions similar to a technorati cloud, a recent activity (posts) section.

In the center of the page is a list of recent blog posts contributed by various members.

Features

Communities - join together with other professionals to discuss topics. Have events in your area. This functions similarly to Facebook Groups.

Members - Search and become friends with other members.

About Marcom

Invite Colleagues

Likes

I like the community feature. I think this is the only value that Marcom provides. 

Dislikes

Marcom encourages the use of aliases. I understand that aliases allow people to push the envelope  in terms of the topics they write about, but I think industry professionals shouldn't be afraid of backlash inside their own community. 

You can only import blog posts from Blogger and WordPress. 

Like any new social network, there aren't many members nor content.

Most of the members seem to be from the UK. I wish there was a more diverse makeup of members. (this may be a function of Marcom's rollout strategy)

Grade

C -   This site is very mediocre. The design is simple and aesthetically pleasing. Other than that, there aren't any unique features.  I would be surprised if Marcom takes off any time soon.

My take on Marcom

For a site dedicated to, and probably built by, marketing professionals, it doesn't offer very much of an experience. Even if I wanted to import my existing blog, there is no way to do it with ease. Also, there is nothing remarkable about Marcom, yet. They say they'll develop the site based on user suggestions. For now, that remains to be seen.

Marcom Professional - Social Network for Marketing/Communications Professionals

Watch out. There's another social networking site. It's called Marcom Professional.

The site launched Tuesday morning.

Unlike other professional social networks, Marcom Professional is dedicated to marketing and communications professionals.

To become a member, one must be go through a verification process to ensure that he/she is indeed a marketing/communications professional. However, Marcom employs a rather loose definition (corporate, agency, blogger, journalist, teacher or student).

I heard about this site from PR Blogger.

Here is MarCom's answer to the first question I had,

So why a social professional network for Marketing Communications?

"A marcom professional seeks to establish dialogue and forge a relationship with potential customers, stakeholders and all influencers of importance to their client or employer.  The rise and rise of social networks, and the associated blogosphere, is therefore critical to the marcom skillset. What better way to discuss this and all marketing communication matters, what better way for the marcom community to come together, than on the marcom social professional network."

I have to say that I'm skeptical.

Right now, I am going through the registration and verification process. I plan to do a site review once I am registered. 

My Take from the Outside
I think it will be tough for Marcom Professional to gain large-scale traction in the industry. The social networking world has become crowded in the past two years. Many people, especially those interested in networking and blogging, have invested time in developing other, existing tools. Thus, I think the switching costs, in this case, will be too big of an obstacle for Marcom to overcome.

Craig's Blog Gets a New Look

As you can see, I decided to give my blog a makeover.  It does go against some people's theories on branding (select a color scheme and own it).

But, blogging is fun and rules can be broken. 

Plus, I think this is a much cleaner look.

Celebrities and Personal Branding

One key element to personal branding is knowing your own personal traits, skills and accomplishments. Once you've done that self assessment, you need to leverage that package into something that can create opportunities and revenue for yourself.

Celebrities do this extremely well.

Here is a small list of celebrities that have leveraged their traits, skills and accomplishments (lets not forgot fame) into something of monetary value to themselves.

Peyton Manning. He's a record holder (most TD passes in a season, passer rating, passes completed, etc.), a winner (Superbowl XLI), and a man with strong character (no suspensions or arrests and strong community involvement).

He's leveraged this into many endorsement deals including Reebok, Gatorade, DirecTV, Sprint, etc.

Tiger Woods. He's a winner (13 majors), he's humble (doesn't talk trash), and has a great story (Dad was a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant, of mixed descent, began playing golf extremely young, etc.).

He's leveraged this into many endorsement deals including Nike, Buick, American Express, Accenture, etc.

What if you aren't naturally gifted like these athletes?

Kathy Griffin ("My Life on the D List" won an Emmy Award)
She's not the funniest person, nor the prettiest, but she faced the facts and grew her personal brand in spite of those obstacles that many celebrities face.

There are plenty of other celebrities that understand personal branding and playing to their own strengths.

The question is not, how can I become like Kathy Griffin?

Society already has a Kathy Griffin. She fills that niche and plays to her audience well. 

The question is, how can I learn from these examples to further my brand?

If you can, you'll be rewarded with better opportunities and wealth from doing so.

Employee relations gone public; part two

In case you haven't seen a U.S. news site today, GM has a crisis on its hands. Not only does General Motors have to deal with over 73,000 disgruntled employees, but it has to deal with countless media inquiries.

In case you're wondering what caused the strike was caused by, here is an excerpt from the story filed by CNN.

Gettelfinger said the union was ready to discuss the company's key bargaining goal of shifting an estimated $51 billion in healthcare expenses for retirees and their family members to union-controlled trust funds. But he said that other issues had derailed hopes of an agreement.

The union president said he was looking for assurances from the company about the job security of UAW members. He said he wanted guarantees about how much GM would invest in U.S. plants and about how many new vehicles would be built in the United States.

It'll be interesting to see how GM handles this with both the media and its employees, and how long it stays in the news.

Employee relations gone public

Today, while driving to work, I took this photo. (click for larger image).

The sign reads, "The world's best crew works here".

Whether or not you think that McDonald's workers are the most talented individuals or they're paid a fair wage is irrelevant.

Take those issues and attitudes somewhere else.

I love this sign. I think it is a step in the right direction in terms of employee relations.

What is a better motivator, and display of gratitude for your staff, than letting everyone on a busy intersection know that this group of employees is exceptional.

If I had more time this morning, I probably would have stopped in to see if this staff made my McDonald's experience better than any I've had before.

There is room for improvement though. The other side of the sign read, "20 Piece Chicken McNuggets for $5.99".

PR scandals and rebounds

Here is a brief slide show from Fast Company that mentions companies that went through PR scandals and survived.

The eight brands that Fast Company says are rebounding are:

McDonald's
Exxon Mobil
Merck
Tylenol
Ford/Firestone - debatable
Wendy's
Martha Stewart
Boeing

This list made me think of other brands that rebounded and aren't like to rebound.

Other brands that rebounded from PR scandals

Wal-Mart - The High Cost of Low Prices movie.  Click here to view the trailer
Taco Bell - E. Coli
Bill Clinton - Monica
Home Depot - Lumber suppliers
Nike - Child labor

Brands that probably won't rebound from PR scandals

Enron - Fraud, Conspiracy
Britney Spears - Excessive Partying, Divorce, Head Shave
Lindsey Lohan - Drunken Driving, Excessive Partying
Michael Richards - Racism

If you're interested, here is a list of companies that were involved in scandals. My apology, the list was compiled in 2002, but it does allow you to see if/how the company rebounded in the past five years.

Search vs. Experience Goods, and the Internet's role

You may have heard about goods being classified as either a search or an experience good. The concept is not new, and was actually developed by American economist Philip Nelson. These classifications provide a working distinction between different types of products and services.

If you like/need examples of Nelson's classifications, here are some.

Paper (notebook, copier, etc.) is a search good. Paper products can be easily be compared and evaluated prior to purchase.

Commodities are search goods.

A restaurant is, usually, an experience good.

A theme park is an experience good.

An experience good requires a user to actually experience the product/service to be able to evaluate it. This can include eating at a restaurant, sitting on a chair, or walking through a haunted house.

The Internet and search and experience goods.

The Internet presents a great opportunity for businesses with experience goods (restaurants, bars, dance clubs, theme parks, etc.) to take, and showcase, their experience online.

Not only will it reduce uncertainty amongst first-time users, but it can tap into people's emotions, thereby creating a stronger bond.

Here is a restaurant Web site that, in my opinion, leverages the power of the Internet to create an experience while having a rather basic Web site.

Here is a great pizza place that does a terrible job of leveraging the internet to create an experience.

Disclaimer: I have been to, and would recommend, both of the restaurants above. I went to the first restaurant primarily because of its Web site. The second, not so much.

 

Make it easy

Whether it is having RSS feeds available on your Web site or electronic check-in at the airport, a big thing in marketing is taking any unnecessary obstacles out of using your service. 

Here is a neat widget that I saw on a trade show Web site today. (see right)

They get it. Anyone that doesn't need a reminder to go to a trade show either isn't that important or is obsessed with the things on display and wouldn't miss it for the world.

This widget makes it easier for people to attend.

Trade Show Checklist

Wednesday is the first trade show that I am putting together. As such, I'll need supplies, signs, literature and information. To deal with the ever-changing circumstances that off-site events present, I made a checklist that I think will be useful for my upcoming events, but also for corporate events, seminars, conferences, weddings, etc.

Here is the file both in MS Word and PDF format.

Trade Show Checklist MS Word 

Trade Show Checklist PDF  

Feel free to modify these documents as needed.

If you have suggestions, please post them in the comments section of this post.

I also added the checklist into the "Links" sidebar of this blog so that you'll be able to reference it in the future.

Thanks,
Craig Rentmeester

Marketing and the Guthrie, Part Two

In May, I wrote about the new Guthrie Theater's advertising in downtown Minneapolis. After actually going to the Guthrie on two occasions recently, I thought I follow up post would be valuable.

The past two weekends I went to the Guthrie Theater to have drinks; the first time on a Friday from (roughly) 9:30pm-11:00pm and this past Saturday from 10:30pm – 11:30pm.

The first time I was there, the Guthrie was pretty quiet. There were roughly 8 couples having dinner while a small band played, and there
were about 15 others in the bar area of the Cue Restaurant (the main entrance to the Guthrie at night). The higher floors (4, 5 and 9) were also quiet, until a show let out.

This past Saturday, there was less than 50 people that I saw in the entire building. There was no performance and it was Labor Day weekend, so a smaller crowd would be expected.

The Friday before, there many people around once a performance let out. They were sitting around on chairs and sofas, while others were enjoying the view of the Mississippi or hanging out at one of the many bars. However, while the performance was going on, the Guthrie was, for all intensive purposes, empty.

For a 285,000 square foot facility to sustain itself, it must generate alternative streams of revenue. Ticket sales help, but there are other markets to serve than those willing to pay inflated prices for performances. Alternative revenue will only come in the form of food and, mostly, liquor sales.

The Marketing
The Guthrie is one of the best destinations in all of Minneapolis and the Twin Cities, as a  whole. 

Drinks are fairly priced -- $3.00 for a pint of Sam Adams, $5.75 for a mixed drink, there has yet to be an overwhelming crowd and one can enjoy some of the best views of both the Mississippi River and the downtown skyline. In addition, no area of the Guthrie is off limits to someone that is not attending a play.

This gem, in my opinion, has gone unnoticed. I don’t think the problem is the product. I think it’s the packaging and exposure. Rarely is this the case in marketing. Usually, people in marketing have to fight for great products to bring to market and are left to think of creative ways to gain awareness of a product or service with a tight budget.

My Prescription
For the Guthrie Theater to thrive it must ramp up its marketing efforts to increase exposure, draw in local visitors to build referrals, and draw in out of town visitors through advertising and media relations.

There is my take on the Guthrie. If you have experiences, ideas or suggestions, please post them.

Sometimes you have to Ask

Yesterday, I had a plumber (Bob's Sewer Service Inc.) come to my house to unclog a drain. My landlord explicitly said that he'd like it to cost under $100, and if was going to cost more to call him. Understandable.

When the plumber came, it took him less than thirty minutes to determine the problem, figure out a solution and be on his way. I was impressed. The cost -- $75.

All was well -- It was quick, relatively cheap, and a minor inconvenience.

After the plumber cleaned up his tools, we chatted for a little about ourselves to one another and developed a meaningless relationship -- for me. To be honest, I didn't really care how long he'd been a plumber, if he had plans for the weekend, or what he thought about the Vikings this season. My only objective in the whole interaction was to get the drain fixed and be on my way as fast possible.

However, he could have leveraged my situation (recent graduate, renter, my network of other current students/recent graduates that are renting, soon to be homeowner) to build referrals for his business.

However, he left without leaving behind any marketing collateral.

You may be wandering, what is the point?

The Big Deal: Referrals. They are a large part of marketing. Businesses incur extra customer service costs to keep customers happy so they'll use their service and tell their friends to do so as well. Talk and conversation play a very important role in deciding which businesses get called and which ones don't. The next time you're in a situation where you've met the customer's expectations (trial and error detection), ask them to tell their friends, or leave them information to make it easier to tell their friends.

Solving Problems or Diffusing Problems

Businesses make mistakes. Whether it is a cable installer not showing up for their appointment or a construction company that doesn’t meet the deadline they promised, it’s not how a company arrives at a problem that determines their brand, it’s how the organization deals with it.

As with many things, the value placed on customer service varies from person to person. However, people know about companies with bad customer service.

This (reputation) happens because a business problem that turns into a customer service failure leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. It doesn’t live up to expectations, thereby deflating trust in the relationship.

So my question to customer service managers is are you diffusing problems, a.k.a. getting the person to go away, or are you solving problems, a.k.a. finding a workable solution that both parties agree upon?

Customer service issues are opportunities to strengthen brand loyalty, if they’re dealt with correctly in the eyes of the customer.