Apparently, the company that makes Motrin pain reliever put out an ad recently which not only offended moms all over the country, it also caused a huge viral video and blogging storm as well!
Moms everywhere fumed and ranted about how the ad offended them, but it also made them angry that the company continued to run the ad on the Motrin web site, and thought that their inability to quickly react to the chatter taking place in the social online networking universe made the moms feel like the company really didn’t understand them as a target audience. Motrin.com did eventually remove the ad from their site, and the marketing department has issued an apology.
But still, it all happened within 20 hours or so of the initial storm brewing up. I’d say that’s fairly quick. But how quick is it? Are we really so dependent on technology nowadays that minutes seem like hours, and hours are almost like days, or even weeks?
Thankfully for those who’ve missed it, a YoutTube user has posted the ad for folks to view (big thanks to Dilbert is Funny for a Reason).
In some of the blogging comments I’ve read, the moms who are angry and complaining are being called “whiners” and “too sensitive”, and yet there are folks like me who are a bit confused about it all. While I understand that moms are not happy with the company (some even said they will boycott the Motrin products), I’m not a mom, so I am not sure I understand what the big deal is about the ad itself.Moms? Chime in and send me a cluebag!
Is it any different–better, or worse, than this ad?
This is a post published on Nov. 19, 2008 © at Web Pro’s Peak by Bobbi Jo Woods
http://www.microwebblogs.com/bwoodsdesign
About the author:
Bobbi Jo Woods is the owner of B. Woods Design, a St. Paul Web Design company
http://www.bwoodsdesign.com
Tagged: advertising, blogging, motrinmoms, social networking, viral video November 19, 2008
You never know what could become of it.
10 Inspirational stories about how they did it.
Do you have one to share? Feel free to post in the comments.
Tagged: marketing, small business, success stories November 17, 2008
Part I in this series talked about the best ways to connect with others at an event.
But what do you do if you want to get the other businesses taking part of such an event to keep your name top of mind long after it’s over?
Here is another way to benefit from events in your community - Take part in it!
If you are the planner/organizer of an event, you would be privy to most, if not all of the vendors, sponsors/other involved biz’s contact info, right? Right.
Step 1: After the event, gather the info into a spreadsheet, send an e-mail to each and every person on the sheet. One at a time, personally addressing the business’ manager or owner.
Step 2: In the e-mail, I’d ask them to opt into a simple news list in which you’d like to include them so that they can be alerted when you have promotions, news they can use, etc. I highly recommend MailChimp. It does all the wonderful things that other services like Constant Contact do, but it’s slicker, simpler and their site is just plain cuter! Plus, compare the businesses on Constant Contact’s client list to MailChimp’s. ‘Nuff said.
Step 3: Create a spreadsheet. On your spreadsheet, mark those who opted in. Do not contact ANYONE who did not specifically give you permission to.
Step 4: Focus on getting your cards, website text etc. together, and then once done, send out a newsletter to that list of interested folks, announcing the launch of the new & improved site. Make it short and sweet. Don’t make the announcement newsletter more than one screen-scroll long. It’s not about long sales pitches (yet). You are wanting them to click to your site. One line of text and a graphic should suffice.
DON’T send a bulk e-mail with a bunch of addresses in the “To:” field (or even the “CC:” or “BCC:” field! In fact, just don’t ever bulk e-mail ANYTHING through your normal e-mail channels. Not only could your e-mail provider think you are spamming, but also when mail is sent this way, a good percentage of your recipients will never get it in their inbox. Be sure to use a service that is meant for mailing to a list, which I’ve mentioned above.
BONUS tip: In a hurry to get folks to your site, but it’s not ready yet?
Create a mini-site or landing page, with a promotion geared toward getting leads. One of my web site clients was a small business consulting service and they had a thing where instead of calling it a “consultation” they’d say it was a meet & greet to “check the fit” to see if each party was a good fit to work together. Come up with your own ideas, be creative. But be clear that your invite page is meant to get folks to consult with you on your service.
I know my business mostly relies heavily on consultations, no one buys web sites from me hand over fist without first meeting, or at least having a consult over the phone.
These steps have been a great way for me to wrangle in some good prospects from events, in the past. Hopefully you will find them helpful as well.
Stay tuned for Part III in this series, which gives pointers on how to find events in your community, to sponsor or organize.
Good luck!
This is a post published on Nov. 12, 2008 © at Web Pro’s Peak by Bobbi Jo Woods
http://www.microwebblogs.com/bwoodsdesign
About the author:
Bobbi Jo Woods is the owner of B. Woods Design, a St. Paul Web Design company
http://www.bwoodsdesign.com
Tagged: contacting leads, events, mailing list, newsletter, promote your business, promotion, public relations, sponsor November 12, 2008
We all know blatant spam from 100 feet away if it’s meeting one of the following requirements:
* it’s from someone we don’t know or never met (but sometimes Kermit the Frog or Oprah)
* If it mentions male body parts, mortgage benefit, or diet fad in the subject
* If it’s utter nonsense
…but how do you recognize spam when it doesn’t meet any of the above conditions?
I get e-mails frequently from people I have chatted online with, maybe I’ve posted a comment at their blog, or even got very close to doing business with (e-mailed back and forth with them about a project).
But does that give them permission to add your name and e-mail to their big o’ mass e-mail news blast list?
I say ABSOLUTELY NOT. I’ve even written back to them saying that I’d like to be removed from their list because I was never asked to be on it, because in my book, any e-mail that is UNSOLICITED is spam. I don’t care if you are my neighbor.
How HARD is it to ask, “Hey, can I keep you in mind for when I send out news now and then?”. Maybe it is hard. But just because we’ve exchanged glances, gotten introduced and hell, even had an intimate e-mail or chat session… doesn’t qualify as permission to spam me.
When I see myself writing this post, I wonder if my attitude is too harsh. I have sometimes wondered if others might perceive this as bullish.
I’ve often put myself into the following scenario. I’ve thought of what others might think of me if I casually added a whole group of folks to my e-mail list without their permission… even THOUGH I know them through places like Ryze, etc. and I didn’t think it would be right… so I never do it.
Do you think this means a missed opportunity? Or doing what’s right?
What say you?
This is a post published on Nov. 11, 2008 © at Web Pro’s Peak by Bobbi Jo Woods
http://www.microwebblogs.com/bwoodsdesign
About the author:
Bobbi Jo Woods is the owner of B. Woods Design, a St. Paul Web Design company
http://www.bwoodsdesign.com
Tagged: e-mails, market your business, spam November 11, 2008
Over the summer, I had felt the pressure to start a blog for my business. It grew a little every day until I stopped one day and thought, “I really need to get started!”.
I used to run blogs all the time in the past, as well as having my own. However, I had been discouraged by having a “company blog” because of the recent abuse of blogs by people I’ll call “Throwup Artists”. These guys and their ilk are the ones who get numerous Google AdSense and other advertising accounts and promptly “throw up” sites full of practically nothing of value, recycled content and bloated chunks of keyword-addled hype which I also call “throwup” (hence the name). But other people in the blogosphere have named them, “splogs” (spam + blogs).
I can’t count how many times I’d gone to Google to get something looked up only to find several results leading me to these kinds of sites/blogs. It was very discouraging and made me not want to do the blog thing for a very long time. Nowadays, these sites are being penalized by Google by not being listed as much anymore. Whoopee! I’m seeing more actual web sites now in search results!
I’m very aware that original content, quality writing and lending my own style and voice to little bits here and there will help me be more credible online, allow me to maximize the promoting of my company site and give me a whole new audience. Thankfully, I finally got over my anxiety and decided to go for it! It has started to pay off a bit here and there, as I’ve gotten to know other business bloggers along the way, and even though I’m not young pup anymore, I’ve learned a few new tricks as well.
So even if you are discouraged, you will be happy in the end if you take the time to do this! My blog hasn’t gotten me to onlnie celebrity status (yet), but it’s a good start for anyone who wants to promote their business online cheaply and easily.
This is a post published on Nov. 3, 2008 © at Web Pro’s Peak by Bobbi Jo Woods
http://www.microwebblogs.com/bwoodsdesign
About the author:
Bobbi Jo Woods is the owner of B. Woods Design, a St. Paul Web Design company
http://www.bwoodsdesign.com
Tagged: blogging for business, business blog, company blog, promote your business, splogs November 3, 2008
I joined Twitter this summer, and have been actively using it for just over a month or so. In that time, I’ve made several observations of others and of my own habits with Twitter usage.
Here are some of my recommendations to being an effective and valuable Tweeter that folks will want to follow, take part in what you are putting out, such as clicking your links, etc., and ultimately one that people will trust and respect, leading to mutually beneficial relationships, and hopefully more business for you!
* Sure, you want to promote your business, but it’s not just all “about you”, despite the elusive Twitter question, “What are you doing?” Don’t just make noise and post to no one in particular, just promoting what you are doing all the time. Tweet to others too, and if you are not getting much from them, come right out and ask @theirusername what they are up to, say “hello” and “how are you” at the very least. Othersise, you may appear to others as self-serving. Communicate with your followers and others.
* Give AND take. Social networking is a virtual handshake at the very least. Answer folks when they send polls or quick questions out over the network. Be sure to reply to folks when they send you a Tweet or when they tag your name.
* Don’t post the same updates over and over
* Check your links! Can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen page errors come up
* Don’t touch politics or religion, or get too personal if you are Tweeting for business
* Acknowledge your followers and follow them back–even just at first. You can observe them for awhile and if they are putting out too much noise or are Tweeting things that annoy or are inappropriate, you can take action as necessary (block, unfollow). It seems rude to stop following someone who is following you, but in these cases, folks ought to get the hint that they are doing something wrong, if in turn, others stop following them, as well.
* Try to keep your numbers about even, to avoid losing your account. I’ve seen a lot of folks out there who have a higher number of followers than the number of folks they are following. For example, Jane is following 1,234 people but only has 345 followers. This might be because she is turning folks off or is adding more folks to her follow list to have the maximum number of folks to Tweet her message to and could be construed as her being a spammer.
This is what your Twitter profile looks like to others, if your account is suspended by Twitter for inappropriate or unusual activity.
Not good for your public image! When in doubt, ask Twitter for help. Better to keep your account than to lose it!
This is a post published on Oct. 29, 2008 © at Web Pro’s Peak by Bobbi Jo Woods
http://www.microwebblogs.com/bwoodsdesign
About the author:
Bobbi Jo Woods is the owner of B. Woods Design, a St. Paul Web Design company
http://www.bwoodsdesign.com
Tagged: netiquette, promote your business, social networking, Twitter, Twitter etiquette October 29, 2008
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