As I sit in front of my computer, I am reflecting back on how much the world has changed in the last several years. I’ve witnessed the evolution of a whole new business climate. There is a new richness to be had within this world. Those business owners that don’t make the shift into this new way of thinking and acting will unfortunately see a drastic decilne in revenue. This new mindset is born out of a fresh set of business eyes. The people that create the largest paradym shifts are rarely from within the industry that they help shift. This is true in the business world as well. There is such an influx of displaced workers venturing out on their own that they will radically change the business climate. These economic times that we live in have created the perfect climate for a greater number of people to carve out their own futures in the business world. I believe that this is the greatest time of all to be alive and owning a business. Are you going to capitalize on the opportunities that abound right now all around you?
Monthly Archives: February 2009
Working on the brand identity of YOU
Organic Marketing ™ this week we looked at how important personal branding really is. Organic growth centers around one concept, YOU. When marketing a product or service, you are really marketing yourself.
Questions to consier when living your personal brand:
1. What is your intention?
2. Are you on purpose with your purpose?
3. What is the culture of your business?
4. What elements of your personality must be part of your personal brand?
5. On what core values do you center all that you do?
6. Are you chasing your bliss?
7. What is your play to work quotient?
8. Are you your own best friend?
9. What are your innate abilites and talents?
10. How are you using all of these elements to enhance your passion and ability?
The second step in Organic Marketing ™ is developing your leave behind, or your energy signature. This can be in the form of a business card, brochure, postcard, website home page, blog and more. Take some time to think about what you are leaving with people once they have met you, or your introductory piece that someone may pick up. Develop your brand around YOU! Use personal pictures (on your business card and any marketing materials), tell your story. You’ve got to lead with yourself! Explain what you do in terms of warm and fuzzy terms (emotional reasons), not merely feature/benefit reasons. There is a difference. People buy emotionally, they do not buy you based on feature/benefits. How many people do what you do? The decision to work with you is based more on how you relate to someone, and how well you’ve developed your brand.
Lead with the brand of YOU!
What's in a Marble?
Thank you all who showed up today for the super secret meeting! I hope it was a value to you because it was a blast for us. Just to learn what we learned about you made it the coolest ever!
Now on to marbles…
They are each unique. They each possess all possibility. Each one holds within itself the entire universe, your universe. That marble represents you, your business, your relationships, your entire being. It represents how all of the world works together. If a marble was a person then a bowl full would be a tribe! A very colorful tribe! If a marble represents your business than a bowl of them represents a community (tribe). What happens when you throw a group of businesses together? You get an Insights Group!!
Thanks again to Seth Godin for sharing his methods and beliefs!! Thank You Sandy for believing enough in me to chase this dream, and finally thanks to the marble makers for sharing their vision!
What’s in a Marble?
Thank you all who showed up today for the super secret meeting! I hope it was a value to you because it was a blast for us. Just to learn what we learned about you made it the coolest ever!
Now on to marbles…
They are each unique. They each possess all possibility. Each one holds within itself the entire universe, your universe. That marble represents you, your business, your relationships, your entire being. It represents how all of the world works together. If a marble was a person then a bowl full would be a tribe! A very colorful tribe! If a marble represents your business than a bowl of them represents a community (tribe). What happens when you throw a group of businesses together? You get an Insights Group!!
Thanks again to Seth Godin for sharing his methods and beliefs!! Thank You Sandy for believing enough in me to chase this dream, and finally thanks to the marble makers for sharing their vision!
Tribes, where are you?
Tribes are truly becoming a buzz word, thanks to Seth Godin. What is involved with a tribe? A message, a group of people looking to be a part of something bigger than themselves. People become part of tribes, often without doing it on purpose. People seek ways to be connected to and relate to one another. A group of positive forward focused individuals who are drawn to the InSights Community have become a tribe of their own making. There are often leaders that find themselves with the ability to make a difference, but a leader is not appointed, they are chosen. If the message does not resonate, they cannot lead. What tribes are you a part of?
Some related links:
Download the Tribes audio book here for free
TED Interview: Tribes Author Says People, Not Ads Build Social Networks (Wired Blogs)
What is your relationship level…
with your consumer? This is important when deciding on your marketing mix, as we will explore in Organic Marketing ™.
Here are a few of the levels of relationships:
1. Basic: a one time sale, no follow up in any way. An example is walking into a store and purchasing an item off the shelf.
2. Reactive: the consumer needs to contact the company after the purchase if there are any problems.
3. Accountable: The company will contact the customer for feedback and make sure the product meets expectations.
4. Proactive: A company will maintain contact with suggestions for new and improved products, upgrades and improvements.
5. Partnership. The company works with the consumer to deliver better value with an equal exchange.
Which type of relationship do you have with your consumer? Which would you like to have? The entire marketing plan and marketing mix will be influenced by these relationships. We will explore these further in Organic Marketing ™ later this week.
(photo by rjt208 @ flickr cc)
Is your Business a piece of Art?
In the Organic Marketing meeting yesterday, I mentioned this concept of viewing your business as a piece of Artwork. Just think about it. Is your business a Monet, Degas, Dali, or a Picasso? Maybe its a modern art piece or a living garden(the hanging gardens of Babylon)? You are the artist of your own work! Remember that each you are either adding value to or taking value away from your own masterpiece. Here is an exercise that I recommmend you try! Answer these questio
ns:
1)What does your artwork look like?
2)How does your art impact the world?
3)How much does it cost?
4)Does it have any intrinsic value?
5)Is your artwork ahead of its time?
6)Does your art mature with time?
7)Does your artwork take the viewer on a journey?
Finally, place yourself in the artwork, Where are you?
If you really spend a little time with this exercise you will view your human experience a little differently. Our artwork that we are creating at the Insights Group is taking on an entirely new style of networking, coworking, and education of business owners. It is a glorious and fun adventure and you really should jump aboard!
Advertising, what is it?
An advertising campaign is often a single part of a larger marketing strategy. When we talk about advertising in organic marketing, the actual advertisement may be a piece of paper, a page on a website, a postcard, or even a business card that is used to encourge someone to do something. The action that will be taken is the key.
A good advertising strategy will need to create awareness within people about a product or service, influence a desire, and result in an action, such as requesting more information, brining in a coupon, visiting a store’s location, or to make a purchase of a product.
For an advertising campaign or an advertisement to be successful, it needs to make sense to the audience. The better the creativity used, the more options there are to attract and influence the audience. Benefits of using the product or service should be used, the message needs to be in harmony with the brand personality, and any special company culture should be shown through the ad.
(photo by _emtaddbel @flickr cc)
Organic Marketing ™: What is it?
Organic Marketing ™: What is it? 
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Think of organic marketing as you would the planting of a garden. You need to start with a seed, or the idea. Then you need to decide where the best location is to plant your seed, the type of soil you need, the amount of care and contact it requires, and you need to monitor the growth and progress to appreciate the transformation. Organic Marketing ™ is just that, for your business.
Our approach to organic marketing is geared at understanding where you are in your current business, and where you would like to go. Using an approach where you can begin putting elements in place and watching the results as you go, being able to change directions, implement new elements, change what may not be working, and focus forward are all elements of the natural, organic strategy.
As an example, you can’t build an entire Star Wars ship out of legos without first starting with the very first building block. In a similar fashion, when building your marketing mix, you need to start a marketing plan by starting with the very first piece. It’s important to start with your intention for being in business, and what your goal is. This includes why you do what you do, how people will work with you, and what you hope to accomplish.
The first question is, what is your intention with your business? The second, What is your goal? and the third, How are you compensated? Once you have considered these, you are ready to build on a foundation, and choose the next legos from the box.
(seedling photo by tico_bassie @ flickr cc)
(lego photo by Leo Reynolds @ flickr cc)
Coworking, networking, holistic business center?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COWORKING, NETWORKING, HOLISTIC BUSINESS CENTER CREATING OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN BRIGHTON
InSights Group Community celebrates one-year business anniversary
Insights Group, celebrated their one-year business anniversary in January 2009 in Brighton, is offering area business owners a place to navigate their business through changing economic times. This community of small business owners, entrepreneurs, and networkers offers a place to go for advice, support, and education and shared office space. Located inside the InSights Group is a coworking, networking and holistic business center for local area professionals. This community combines the power of networking, think tanks, business incubators and office space.
Born out of a networking group with a business focus, to incorporate organic growth and a holistic approach to business, the community has filled a need in for local business owners. Entrepreneurs need not feel as if they are an island, struggling with their business trying to make it on their own. Business support groups, philosophy meetings, troubleshooting sessions, fondly referred to as the “skunk” meetings, have all found their place at the InSights Group . Founders Allan Curtis and Sandra Maki created within this former industrial warehouse on Grand River a community that started as a space hosting a unique collection of meetings rooms and offices. The space was transformed using recycled doors, windows, and $5 cans of paint, as the community grows, so do the amenities. Recent additions are the espresso lounge, healing arts meditation room, and member library.
Community members will find many advantages to becoming a part of the InSights Group, beginning with the free online community to profile their business needs and connect with other community members. A plethora of events fill the schedule, and every day of the week there are opportunities to network, learn about online social networking, how to market on a budget, creating advertising opportunities and navigating business plans and philosophy. Insights Group is the antithesis of “online” social networking (there are classes covering how to use social networking for business growth) and much more. InSights bridges the gap between meeting new people in person, and creating relationships that allow members to reach a broad audience while participating in engaged discussion and learning new things.
What are you looking for in small business support? Can a place like InSights help you find it?