More Than WE Know

 A newspaper article about you and your business, published in your hometown newspaper, is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to get local customers.  People love to do business with people they know.  An engaging, human interest article about you is one way of “introducing” you to your neighbors (and beyond).

Many of the women entrepreneurs I talk to fail to write press releases even though they know they should. Their reasons:

• “I’m too busy”
• “I feel uncomfortable bragging about myself”
• “I don’t know what to say”
• “Press Releases don’t work”

But Press Releases do work when they are done correctly.  My friend Kim Adams of Kim Adams Coaching, recently did an excellent job of writing a press release.  The result was an article in her hometown newspaper that introduced the concept of life coaching, profiled her business and included her contact information. 

Kim can reprint the article on her website and distribute it in her packet of press materials for speaking engagements or  prospective clients. 

Kim is not only getting local clients from the article, she has made a contact at the paper who will call her again when they need a quote on coaching, life challenges, effective decision making, etc.  As she continues to enhance her “expert status”, she can work her way up into being quoted in newspapers with larger circulations.

Kim was successful in getting her press release noticed for three reasons:

1. she used a standard press release format
2. she wrote the release in an engaging way, similar to a newspaper article
3. she distributed the press release to local newspapers

These three items are important because they made it easy for the editor to do his or her job.  The standard format was familiar and easy to read.  The article didn’t just announce the opening of Kim’s business.  It provided a compelling story that would be of interest to her hometown readers - “life coaching is a popular international trend which is now available to local residents”.  The article both educated the readers and made them more proud of their hometown.

When writing your press release leverage these tips from Kim:

• write the article from the perspective of the readers - why should they care?
• write in the third person as though you were talking about someone else
• quote yourself -  write the article as though you had been interviewed by someone
• include a few statistics about your business or the market

Click here to read Kim’s full article and press release. And then take a peek below at Kim’s other low-cost, high-effect marketing technique - how great of a networking conversation starter is that? 

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 (photo by MikeKorn)

Liz’s 1st Law of Customer Loyalty:

Customers feel more connected to your business when they participate in the development of the product or service. 

What’s more - by partnering with you in the experience they will actually develop more loyalty toward your business than if they had simply made a purchase of the finished product.

Much like Isaac Newton discovering the law of gravity by having an apple hit him on the head, this thought came to me this afternoon while my husband and I were picking apples.  No apple hit me on the head (none actually hit Newton either) but the idea did strike me rather strongly!

I realized that my husband and I had just:

• driven 45 minutes to get to the apple orchard passing numerous grocery stores with fully stocked produce sections along the way
• marched past the displays of already picked apples to get our baskets
• headed out to the orchards to pick our very own apples
• returned to pay - the very same price as the farmer was charging for the already picked apples -  and probably more than those grocery stores were charging
• And finally drove the 45 minutes back home, quite pleased with our day.

That last part is the most important - we were quite pleased with the day.

In fact, we were busy comparing calendars and determining when we could go again - to buy more! and bring friends with us!

On one hand, this makes no economic sense.  This was hardly the most efficient and cost-effective method of purchasing apples.  But the point was, it wasn’t about the apples. They were a nice byproduct of our day.  But that evening, as we sat down, smugly eating slices of freshly-picked apples with warmed brie and chilled wine, we were able to recount to each other stories of our apple-picking experience.  And as we re-lived the experience, we sold ourselves on buying more.

So what - you say - I don’t own an apple orchard - what does this have to do with me?

The key is - the larger lesson for entrepreneurs - is that in our online, virtual culture we are starved for real experiences.  Many of us are so hungry for reality that we are now watching “reality on TV”!

And there are many, many of us who are waking up to the fact that in a time when we literally have “the world” at our fingertips and can purchase just about anything with a “push of a button”, we want to experience more for ourselves. 

We are awash with stimulation and information, but we lack authentic experiences. In a world in which we can purchase anything “ready-made”, doing it ourselves has become “priceless”.

So how can the average entrepreur use this trend to enhance profitabilty and expand customer base?

By incorporating do-it-yourself options into your business or service:

• if you are a designer of cakes, jewelry, art, crafts, web pages, logos - offer a lesson in doing it yourself
• if you are a florist - offer an “arrange it yourself” day
• if you are a tour guide - add visits to local homes and communities
• if you are an attorney or tax accountant - offer overviews on processes requiring simple forms like name changes or registrations
• if you run a website - put up surveys, contests or let them post their own pictures and stories

Those are just a few ideas. The point is most businesses lend themsleves to increased customer involvement.  In some cases you’ll make as much or more as if you provided the service or product while in others, you won’t. 

In either case, you will build increased brand loyalty by making your customers feel:

• more empowered and accomplished for their experience
• more emotionally connected to your business

This in turn will cause your customers to:

• bring more of their own  business to you
• recommend you to their friends

All of which will result in more customers and increased profits.

So now it’s your turn - get involved in the business of blogging - enter your comment below - tell me about your product or service - offer ideas on how you can get your customers involved or ask for suggestions! 

Experience how it feels to see your words and your name on the internet!!!

Today I attended a lecture given by Shelly Lazarus, CEO of Ogilvy-Mather. Shelly Lazarus has been named by Fortune magazine as the 26th most powerful woman in business and by Forbes as  one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.  

It was an intimate women’s networking event.  Shelly’s speech was insightful and empowering. I will write more about her actual words in a future post, but for today I want to tell you about what happened right after she finished speaking.  

Immediately following the speech, a few women gathered around her to talk to her personally.  I went up, shook hands, introduced myself, and thanked her for her speech. I told her the profound impact it had had on myself and the women I had brought with me.  She thanked me and we exchanged a few pleasantries about the corporation I work for and her association with it.  I walked away feeling pleased with the connection.

Afterward I spoke to Diane, a friend of mine, and asked her how her conversation with Shelly had gone. She said, “It was great - I introduced myself and told her where I worked. I asked her if there was anything I could do to help her reach her goals.  She told me that she knows someone in my corporation and it is her birthday today. Could I be sure and take her birthday wishes back with me to her.”

I was amazed. The actual request - taking birthday wishes to an acquaintance is a small thing and Diane was happy to do it.  Not only was she sincere in wanting to do a favor, it gives her an opportunity to reach out and meet someone in her organization that she would not otherwise have had a contact with. So, in her way, with this simple request, Shelly acted as a connector for my friend.

The most amazing thing to me was that, even with my focus on networking, it just never would have occurred to me to ask the CEO of a $9 Billion company, and one of the world’s most powerful women,  whether I could do anything to help her.  I would just have assumed that there wasn’t!

This was a major eye opener for me.  It underscores that at its most basic level,  networking really is about reaching out to help others, making connections as people, and being open to wherever it leads. 

The best networking assumes that we all have similar needs and that we can all help each other to succeed.

What limiting beliefs are you putting on yourself and your networking efforts? Are you assuming others aren’t interested in meeting you or that you have nothing of value to offer?  Is that a valid assumption, or is that just something you are telling yourself to avoid embarrassment?

I’m interested in hearing your own networking insights and experiences. Please share either below or directly through the contact form. 

Every day, I’m becoming a bigger believer in the opportunities inherent in online networking.

In the past few weeks, I have met some really interesting people through blogging, reading comments on my blog and writing comments on other people’s blogs. I have also joined several online networking groups which have expanded my social circle and given me lots of new ideas and inspiration.

I’ve already posted about some of these people, and will continue to post in more depth about the rest of them. When you have a chance, I suggest you check out some of these great sites:

Cafe30 - I love the energy of this site.  Towanda’s views are fresh and fun. She talks about marketing, trends, and current events.   One of my  favorite posts is her latest collection of unusual products for sale which includes an infant carrier designed to be hung on the stall wall while you use the public restroom!  As Socrates said - “How many are the things I can live without!”.

FunnyBusiness - Just about any business related topic is fair game on this site, which is about business culture but “delights in telling tales out of school”. Topics range from the story of “two teenaged boys fired from and sued by A&P for making a lewd rapper video involving the store’s produce” to “the differences in how men and women feel about using the office bathroom”. In her recent, more serious post on Anita Roddick’s death, she quoted several blogs, including MoreThanWeKnow.

Management Informatika - This is an energetic site that has been created by a group of MBA students in India. There are a variety of students and professionals writing on various topics related to business, economics, management and technology.  I love their slogan “Knowledge is Limitless” and applaud their enthusiasm for desiring to make their mark in the world.  I recently wrote a guest article for them and will write more periodically in the future.

Another interesting site is A Green Footprint.  This woman owned company helps businesses go green by reducing consumption, increasing efficiency, making eco-friendly choices, and implementing effective environmental communications. I will be writing more about this site next month around BlogActionDay.

Two other dynamic women entrepeneurs I have met recently are Crystal Berney,  independent broker for Ameriplan and author of Work at Home Facts, a blog on the challenges for moms working at home and Clarissa Mack, Promotional Consultant for BIP (Business is Personal) Promos. Both Crystal and Clarissa have agreed to be interviewed for MoreThanWeKnow - look for them in the coming weeks.

Other exciting sites I’ve written about previously but that are worth mentioning again are MyWomanOwnedBusiness (see post), LoveThemUP (see post) ,  Virtual Woman’sDay   (see post) and FinancialFashionHouse (see post). 

If you too want to expand your network from the comfort of your own home try these tips:

• Join social networks that cater to people with similar interests as your own; Linked.in and Facebook are popular but their size can also be intimidating; the smaller groups are more intimate and can be just as good a source of contacts.
• When you come across blogs that you relate  to, take the time to leave a comment and spark a conversation; your own site will be viewable in the entry so others who read your comment can also reach out to connect with you.
• Participate in forum discussions on topics that are of interest to you; do a search on your favorite subject and the word “forum” and it’s more than likely one or more will pop up.

And don’t forget to network here!  - write a comment about your experiences networking on or send me a personal response on my about page.  I’d love to hear from you! 

Thanks to Heidi Richards at Virtual Woman’s Day for adding MoreThanWeKnow to her list of  ”great woman bloggers”. 

Heidi is the Founder & CEO of The WECAI Network™   – an Internet network of organizations that “Helps Women Do Business on and off the WEB.”

She created Virtual Woman’s Day™ to bring together women from around the globe to network together, learn together and grow together. She intends women to do this by encouraging one another to share resources, promote products and services, increase our circle of influence and have some fun in the process.

Heidi arranges a monthly event called 1st Fridayz in which women network over the internet, sharing their products and ideas and listening to great speakers.  September’s topic was on Blogging for Business. It was such a success that they are going to continue the topic and do “Blogging for Business Part Two” on October 5th.

This is a great low-risk networking opportunity.  You don’t have to leave your home, you can participate as little or as much as you want, and you can easily follow up with people via email after the event. If you would like to participate, register for the WECAI network, and more details will be sent to you.    Don’t miss the fun!