Alternative Strategies Blog

A slice of Social Media

I talk about social media being everywhere these days.
And if your not in the game on some level at this time, you're being out marketed by the local delivery guy. 
A few friends of mine ordered some pizzas from Dominoes. After tracking the on-line order through a very intuitive website and real time status tracker which I thought was the definition of on-line experience btw..
the driver sent a text to us that he was outside. What got me was the flyer attached to the box.

This national pizza chain is engaged in every level of social media outlets  from blogs, to on-line video, communities,social networking, photos, etc... 
They get it and have done it right. You are not in communication with Dominoes, the corporation,
but DPZRAMON a local Chicago guy who is part of the Chicago neighborhood communities who "is known for giving hookups". This social guru claims on the flyer that he has been doing it for five years, so that should tell you that social media is here, and if you are not involved, you are missing out on the pizza party.

Seems like everybody is doing social media, and perhaps a bit too much of it polluting the pond. If you are involved, make sure you are using the right outlets and reaching your intended market with the right messages like Ramon.  After making a social media 101 synapses of  to a few of my friends, two of them commented about that twitter thing, they just heard something about and was wondering what it was all about. And they were proud they just joined facebook (and the rest of 1/2 total population of the US)  Social media is the latest marketing trend and relatively still in it's infancy. So there is a vast market of current social media users, and many more to come. Make this inexpensive marketing a solid part of your marketing efforts, and deliver your goods to your market in 30 minutes or less.

Resources for a Greener Business

Search Google for "green business practices," and you'll turn up more than 6 million hits, including countless Web sites devoted to the topic. But relatively few sites offer practical help to entrepreneurs and business owners. Here are some of the best:

1. Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE, dsireusa.org). Search by state to learn about local and federal financial incentives promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. The site provides information about free energy audits, loan programs, and utility rebates.

2. GreenBiz (greenbiz.com) serves as a clearinghouse for information about businesses and the environment, from reporting on giant corporations' environmental programs to guidance on how to publicize your green efforts.

3. The Green Office (thegreenoffice.com) sells environmentally friendly office supplies, from clipboards made with recycled plastic to paper manufactured with the use of wind power. The site also serves as a one-stop shop for helping business go green, offering everything from in-depth articles on business environmental issues to sustainability consulting.

4. Energy Star for Small Business(energystar.gov) offers resources such as how-to guides tailored to specific industries and lists of environmental engineers for all 50 states. You can join the Energy Star for Small Business and Congregations Network at no cost to receive free technical support for green initiatives.

5. U.S. Department of Energy (doe.gov). Are you considering replacing your incandescent office bulbs with compact fluorescents? Search this site for a "compact fluorescent calculator," which will help you determine your likely cost savings. 

Saving the World at Work

Sustainability. Carbon footprint. Green design. These are not fads; these are the new norms by which companies are being measured. Companies are now looking to do good as a whole and, in turn, are attracting customers and employees who choose to support their unselfish intentions. These are the companies that are growing in popularity and revenue.

I had the pleasure of meeting a very inspiring individual, Tim Sanders, author of Saving the World at Work.  This book is full of inspirational stories of foot soldiers of the “Them Generation.” This generation comprises those who are concerned about “them", or others in totality. The book is formatted with an intuitive list and easily executable actions. According to Sanders, as the Responsibility Revolution unfolds, five rules of the New Order will become clear:

1. The longer it takes to join the Responsibility Revolution, the more expensive it will be to realign in order to catch up with the innovators.
2. Integration is as important innovation in the long term.
3. Progress must be measured and reported.
4. Companies must provide rewards for adding social value.
5. Companies must stay focused on the new Value.

                 Order Here                                    

So what can you do to change the world at work? It can be as simple as being more conscious of your printing habits. After all it’s not just about saving the trees, but saving the resources needed to harvest, produce and distribute one single page of print. Even before getting your hands on this must-read, I recommend you implement the following actions as part of your everyday routine:

1. Become conscious of what you print and spread the word. Often times we print an e-mail or PDF unnecessarily. Make your clients and colleagues aware of "being green." Go to www.greenpdf.com and download the widget to discourage unnecessary printing
2. If you must print, cut and paste only the parts you need and use the back sides of paper. This could reduce your paper needs by half! Simple. But once you start to become conscious; your paper consumption reduction is drastically reduced. Multiply this across the entire office and you get a sense of the degree of impact, if everyone participates.
3. When you must print, use ecofont, which claims to use 20% less ink by placing tiny indistinguishable holes in the font. Download it here.

Tim Sanders is a foot soldier in the movement toward a better tomorrow. He inspires me to take action toward one of my favorite inspirational quotes - “Be the Change you seek in your World,” Gandhi.

I hope after reading his book, or even this article, you are inspired to save the world at work.

Rain Will Come

It is certain that in every life rain will come. The rain represents the situations, sensations, conditions, and events that we try to avoid: adversity, controversy, stress, pain, inconvenience, and delay. We do not intentionally seek out these tough challenges. We do not desire to face these difficulties. We do not want to weather these storms. When the rain does come, it is our human nature to allow these times to get the best of us, to overwhelm us, to cause us to sink.

However, when we can appreciate these challenging times and respect their value in our lives, we come to a place of contentment. When we can see beyond our current difficulties and realize that these challenging times will make us stronger, allow us to grow, and give us a deep admiration for the blessings that life grants us, we truly open our eyes with optimism. And when we understand that ultimately we are in control of the way we respond and think about life's events, that only we have the ability to choose the thoughts that enter our minds, we discover absolute freedom. No longer are our attitudes tied to what happens to us. Such hope is there in knowing that when faced with any type of circumstance, the truth remains, after all, that life is what we choose to make of it.

When your rain comes…will you choose to be the person, upset how the storm has inconvenienced you? Or will you choose to be the farmer who knows that while rain has the potential to be destructive it also brings growth and new life?

When the first drops fall, may you be reminded to think differently about facing life's obstacles. May you choose to see beyond life's storms, to uncover the blessings that the rain brings, and during all of life's twists and turns, may you always choose to...Welcome The Rain.

Marketing into 2009

Sometimes it’s hard to believe we are ringing in another New Year. It feels like just yesterday it was all about the Y2Kaos and what would endure subsequent to the aftermath. Well, nothing really changed right then, but the New Millennium has seen ever increasing changes in marketing, which have only been picking up speed since. With the innovations in telecommunications and the evolution of technology, you can communicate to your market with increased authenticity and transparency. With the economic conditions, effective value-driven operational means are a standard. Every day people are now becoming involved with your brand image. Hopefully you have solidified your 2009 marketing plans and, ideally, those plans have touched base on one or several of the following issues to will take you well into the next decade.

1)    Social Media
You can directly communicate to your customers, on an authentic, genuine level and gain their insight, trust and loyalty. They, in turn, can become brand advocates and marketing vehicles via word of mouth (aka “word of mouse”).

Most people equate Social media with Facebook, YouTube, twitter, etc., but as with everything online, there is a plethora of choices to interact with. It is immensely beneficial to get involved in this movement, on some level. I recommend that everyone have a blog, which is the basic building block of social media. It can serve as a hub to interact with other individual social sites, and will be there long after the Facebooks and twitters have faded into the history books. Just like in the early 90’s when everyone was rushing to create a static informational website, now blogs are the standard “dynamic websites” to involve your social media outreach.  Let us create your blog and social media strategy and get you in on the conversations.

2)    Value Driven
With the given state of the economy, everyone is looking for value. And value does not equate the lowest price, but the purchase that is going to give consumers the most bang for their buck. Consumers want to know that the product or service is going deliver on the promise and is around to last. That, in turn, is what your Brand Image should be focused on.  Consumers are willing to pay a premium for your products or services knowing that they will live up to the promise of your branding. Being in business yourself, you should be looking for values to get the most bang for your buck. We offer an unprecedented guaranteed Public Relations Program that guarantees to deliver what we say we can do for you. Now, how can you guarantee to appease your customers and create value around your brand ?

3)    Social Responsibility
Most companies now embrace transparency of their operations. This can tie into the above two mentions, in that Social media now offers a platform to showcase your social good doings. This creates a (moral) value for your consumers. Those consumers want to know that their purchase is doing well for the whole of humanity, not just themselves. By implementing social responsibilities into your manufacturing processes, employee and vendor relations, community outreach and involvement, green strategies etc., your brand will stand out that much more from your competitors. You will find consumer loyalties among those who want to make a difference with the products or services they choose to spend the hard earned money on.

Each of the preceding matters are gaining momentum as marketing trends, and you will greatly benefit to incorporate just a few these practices into your company's marketing strategies for 2009.  We always practice what we preach and can be found working these principles into our own operations and our clients'.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. Cheers!

Social Media Explained

Social Media Explained

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Wild West Social Marketing

Wild West Social Media

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Marketing in a Down Economy

It’s not shocker that these tough economic times have put a tight squeeze in most budgets. Managers in every business, in every industry, are looking for great ways to save some money in their budgets, without losing precious profits. Understandable. There are some places, though, where there is prime opportunity for cutting your budget, increasing visibility and, ultimately, increasing sales.

Take it from Warren Buffet. The multi-billionaire recently poured $5 billion into Goldman Sachs, then went on to invest $3 billion in General Electric. He knows that now is the time to buy cheap and bank big. This includes your advertising.

With tight budgetary pressures, businesses are cutting back on marketing expenditures. This is good news for savvy business owners who are looking to invest in their business’s success. For starters, it means that there are few competitors taking up your ad space. With many business abandoning marketing efforts to help meet their bottom lines, there are fewer competitors passing by your audience’s eyes. That means any marketing initiatives you make will end up being more effective. Why wouldn’t you want to advertise when there are fewer competitors visible?

Beyond the lack of competition that the down economy presents, there is the added benefit of more affordable advertising spaces. As media outlets scramble to attract advertisers, they are willing to accept lower fees than what they typically do. As an example, I recently purchased a full-page advertisement in a regional magazine at a fourth of the price it sold for a year ago. A fourth of the price! While that example may be a bit extreme, it’s representative of advertising sales trends throughout the U.S.

More than the lack of competition and the advertising steals you can find today, there is also something valuable going on inside the heads of consumers. As individuals look for ways to save money, their brand loyalties are being challenged. They are willing to try new products or services if they think they will be more economical. Creating a sense of need is all it takes to get shoppers to consider your product or service as the cost-effective alternative to their current brand loyalties.

Fewer competitors, advertising bargains and consumers’ finicky brand loyalty combine to create the perfect opportunity for you to market your business during challenging economic times. There’s no better time than now to put good marketing to work to sustain and grow your business.

Twitter for PR (Public Relations)

Twitter for PR (Public Relations)

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