No way! How leaving comments on corporate blogs can benefit your business.

For some time now, I’ve been updating this blog — sharing my business insights and giving readers a little piece of myself each week. This is great fun, but seriously, this blog is not a monolog. Blogging is a group activity, and nothing makes me more excited than when people let me know they are reading and are engaged in the topic I present, or in what I have to say.

You might wonder: what’s the point of leaving comments and what is the benefit to my own business?

Well, comments do a couple of things:

1. They can introduce you to a blog or community you are interested in becoming a part of. Maybe you’d like to offer to write a guest post, or maybe you’d like to work with the blogger. The best way to build a relationship is to comment.
2. They can introduce people interested in a particular topic to you. By posting comments on blogs that share similar topics, you can gain exposure to others who are interested in the same information.
3. Comments can provide a link back to your own company blog or website. Leave a genuine response to a post (don’t turn it into an sales pitch) and be sure to include a way for people to find you if they’re interested in what you have to say. Some blogs enjoy very high readership, so gaining exposure on their sites can help drive traffic to yours.
4. They provide inbound links to your website, which is a good way to build search engine optimization for your own company URL.
5. A good comment can be a gateway to a great discussion and can help you get some of your challenging questions answered.

Whatever your reason for commenting, it’s always appreciated by the blogger. The web 2.0 world would cease to exist if people no longer participated in online discussion. So go ahead, leave us a comment and tell us what you really think!
 

Do you have any great blogs that you read on a regular basis? What keeps you coming back for more? And what gets you interested enough to leave them a comment?

If you’d like more information on how you can build an online presence for your company, contact Pick My Brain at 310.771.0665.

How business can thrive in a Web 2.0 world. 

Informal conversation is probably the oldest mechanism by which opinions on products and brands are developed, expressed, and spread.
Professor Johan Arndt

When Johan Arndt, a famed marketing professor, penned these words over 25 years ago, I’m sure he was not referring to the Internet. But in this world of Web 2.0 and instant feedback, his words have never been so relevant. Social networking sites, review boards, blogs and wikis make it easy for companies to connect with potential clients. And clients are finding ways to influence the products and services they want.

So how can your company use the web 2.0 environment to its advantage? And how do you overcome the pitfalls of instant access?    

According to Tim O’Reilly, who is credited with coining the term, Web 2.0 is “the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.”

Basically, customers have gone digital and companies are scrambling to embrace these new (and ever-changing) technologies to attract more business. But why would companies have difficulty embracing the Internet and it communicative capabilities?

Think about it – you’re a major corporation and you’ve just kicked off a multi-million dollar advertising/public relations campaign. In the early days of the Internet, consumption was still a spectator sport. Consumers would see your ads in print, on TV or even on your website. They’d hear about your public relations on television, in the newspaper or on the radio. Customers didn’t really have the chance to challenge you and life was grand.

Today, things are very different. If consumers want to challenge your appeals they have infinite outlets to do so. They are taking to their blogs and podcasts. They are creating You Tube videos that mock your advertising concepts. Your wikipedia page is updated in a matter of seconds.

But maybe you’re not a multi-million dollar company – how does this affect you? Web 2.0 affects all businesses – big and small – in good ways and bad. Your customers are able to go online and post reviews of your products/services. They can recommend or blast you on their blog or link to your website from theirs.

There is nothing we can do to change this rapid dissemination of information. So why not embrace it? Ask customers if they can write a review about you on a certain site. Befriend bloggers and ask them to rate your product/services. Join online groups and communities of people who can use what you have.

Tim O’Reilly calls it a revolution. I think it’s simply an evolution and an opportunity for small businesses to get their voice heard over the yells of the competition.

If you’d like more information on how to build your company’s online presence contact Pick My Brain at 310.771.0665.
 

Perfecting your 30-second sales pitch.

Have you ever been to a dinner party or networking event and someone asks, “So, what do you do?” Now’s your chance! You have a captive audience and an opportunity to engage them in your company’s story and potentially bring on a new client.

“I’m a consultant,” you say. And just like that, the chance to be interesting and engaging has passed you by. Or, maybe you’re the type that starts with, “I was born in a hospital in Florida…” and proceeds to share your life story that ends with, “I’m a consultant.”

Either way, you probably flubbed the opportunity. When you have the chance to inspire people with what you do – take it! But you must keep some important concepts in mind to be effective and empowering.

1. Time is not on your side. Try to keep your pitch to 30 seconds. It’s what we call the ‘elevator pitch.’  If you can tell someone about yourself and what you do during an elevator ride, you’ll garner success!  If people want to know more, they’ll ask. But, as long as you’re clear and concise you’ll be surprised that you can tell the entire story in that time.
2. Speak to your passion. Tell people what it is about your work that really excites you and the value clients get from working with you. Make sure you tell people the things Do you love about your work (and not just that it pays the bills). Make sure you include the details and answer the questions before you have to be asked.
3. Practice makes perfect. Your pitch should come naturally and fluidly. Start by writing it down on paper. That way you can see if anything is missing. Once you have your pitch developed – memorize it and own it.  Finally, practicing in front of the mirror (as crazy as you’ll feel doing it) is a great way to get comfortable with your story.  Make eye contact with yourself, so you can get used to relating to yourself as others relate to you!
4. Keep it simple. Chances are the people you meet are not experts in your field – so don’t talk to them like they are. Be conversational and avoid terms/topics that might be confusing.

Keep in mind – you are your own expert. People are only going to know the things you share with them. So, if you can’t explain what your company does, how can you expect others to understand your product or service enough to hire you?

At Pick My Brain, we can help you develop a pitch that is sure to bring your company new clients. Contact us at 310.771.0665 for more information.
 

How strategic partnerships can be mutually beneficial.

In an age of niches and specialties, it seems like everyone has an area of expertise. This idea of filling a specific need is ingrained in many small businesses. How else can you compete against the big guys who offer it all? This is great when your clients want exactly what you have to offer, but what happens when a client needs what you can’t provide? Instead of trying to fill a void that you’re not equipped to fill, why not partner with someone who you know can do the job.

Recently, a colleague of mine called me to partner with him on an event. Since we are in the same industry, our sharing clients may seem strange to some. However, we both have the foresight to realize that one company may be able to offer what the other cannot. After years of planning this annual event, the client decided that they’d like to be more strategic in the generation of collaterals and themes around the event. My team was able to use our experience in marketing to provide the client with elegant, branded materials and an eco-friendly alternative to standard paper invitations – something that was very important to this “green” client. His company still provided the client with the event planning and logistical support that they required.

He was able to maintain the long-term relationship he had with his client, while freeing up time to work on other, ongoing projects. Ultimately the customer was satisfied and the partnership was a great triumph.

Of course, working successfully with colleagues takes trust, clear boundaries and a mutual benefit. Beforehand, we drafted an agreement to ensure that our collaboration would not only be successful, but also ethical. Creating this type of contractual agreement prevents miscommunication about responsibility and compensation.

As a project manager, I have often relied on the expertise of colleagues to provide my clients with what they need. As a business owner or manager you have to embrace your strengths, but you also need to realize when someone else might be able to do the job better. Instead of turning the client away or trying to do something you are not skilled at, try building relationships with a network of trusted allies and have the ability to be a full-service provider for your customers. 

Have you partnered on work with another company? What was the result? Do you have recommendations for how partnerships can be lucrative?