The week in review - lessons from reflection

What a week that one was!  May I never have one quite the same again please.

• Monday - submit CV.  Then submit CV again just in case the first email didn't go through.  Amazingly the first email didn't go through so sending the same email from a different address was a lifesaver. 

  Lesson - always have a plan b/plan c.

• Tuesday - Christchurch earthquake.  Members of my team had older children caught up in the drama along with project team members that I know.  A day of stress, worry and ultimately disaster for Christchurch.

  Lesson - you never know when or where a crisis may appear.  You as a manager have to lead, understand and be flexible with your team.

• Wednesday - Marketing workshop.  A very interesting session whereby the group reflcted in the marketing practices of our organisation - both good and bad.  Congratulations to Rob who somehow managed to hold the workshop together and had some very good ideas.

  Lesson - if you don't have something constructive to say, don't say anything at all.

• Thursday - head down, bum up.  Thursday was intense.  Trying to catch up on missed work due to the extended workshop of the day before.

  Lesson - meetings chew up time.  Plan ahead, delegate and avoid meetings with little reward or outcome.  Don't do meetings for the sake of doing meetings.

• Friday - customer service 101.  Two hours spent with students arranging courses for 2011.  Two more hours spent on following up students who either aren't turning up or we think will struggle in 2011.  (Time well spent indeed!)  Then to finish the week - two emails.  One apology and two good news emails.

  Lesson - time spent on people is always a valuable use of your time; and always try to end the week on a good note.  If you have had issues with a co-worker then try and fix them before you leave for the weekend.  Reinforce positive events that have happened and fix up any molehill issues before they blow out to be mountain sized issues.

I wonder what next week will hold?

Using technology realistically

via EduGeekjournal.com

While this video is centred mainly on the development of an online course there are quite a few lessons in this video that go wider.  Here is what I picked up -

• Online development isn't instant.  Rome wasn't built in a day.
• Online anything takes, time, work and practice.  Practice makes perfect.
• Have a road map or development plan and stick to it.  Cutting corners at the beginning will only mean that you will have to correct those mistakes again later.
• If you are doing something online - ask an expert for help.
• If you are going to create something - make it great!
• Just because you have done well in printed media absolutely does not mean you will have what it takes to make it in an online medium.
• Don't be overawed by others trying to use their postition as leverage to get you to give in.
• Just because it's online doesn't mean that it is going to be engaging.
• Don't mess with a female with pink or red hair!

Marketing that means something!

Many, many months ago I emailed the good people at Dilmah with a query about one of their products.  I never subscribed to any emails or newsletters.

What's great is this -

• Dilmah added me to a mailing list but haven't abused that fact.
• This email came through last night.  It is honest and sincere.

Now THAT'S what I call marketing!

 

Bridging the social divide

by David Armano

Smart marketing - putting it in reverse.

This is one of the most powerful advertising videos I have seen in a long time.

How does it work?  It takes a simple idea - before and after - and reverses the cycle.

Super effective and very, very moving.

This fantastic video was created by Ogilvy.com.  To see more of their great work head over to their website.

Getting your customers attention - number 2

I love this video.  What happens is customers (movie goers) interact with the a part of the product (in this case a movie) and have a real life experience.
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This is great.  Shifting a two dimensional experience into the real life - unforgettable!
This simple method of creating the customer experience is the glue that companies need to engage and entice with.  Get real people having real life experiences with your offering.

Social Media Planning - Marketing 101

Do the basics - marketing 101.  Social media - it's that simple.  Plan and execute.

Want new customers - get their attention! (Stand Out)

Getting peoples attention is the first step in getting them to engage as a customer.  Many people don't know that you exist or that you have a product or service that can help them out.

The key is getting those people to stop and look again at what it is that you have on offer.  If you have a product or offering that is just like everyone else's then you'll need to try really, really hard to get their attention.

If what you do is a little uncommon then you have a great chance of really engaging.  Like Seth Godin talks about the growth areas are on the outside of the circle, not in the middle.

So how do you do it?  How do you get people to stop? 

1. Take a simple example from a complex method or process and explain it to people.  In the past week I used some little wooden shapes to get peoples attention and explained to them how wood processing works.  I also had a number of plant specimens and a microscope for people to look into.  Then I was able to explain to them what we do in plant biotechnology and science.
2. Aim at people who aren't your target customers.  With the wooden kiwis I had I would look for older people (novelty value) and young kids (toys) to give them to.  Then with the older people I know that they will tell their family and friends about what they have and the kids get their parents to come and have a look at our stand and talk to me.  Its that simple.
3. Get in peoples way.  This is the same as the two points above but more active.  Position yourself in such a way that people see you by chance and want to look at what you have on offer. 

The key is to get people to stop, talk and think about what you do.  If you can achieve these three things then you really are well on your way to gaining new customers.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annagaycoan/3897152533/)

Social Media Statistics

Amazingly even now in 2010 some people still aren't convinced that social media is a valid tool for marketing.  Honestly!  (Some of those people work at my workplace...)

If you click on the following link you will find a whole buch of statistics that relate to the Asia Pacific region speciifically - http://socialmedianz.com/opinion2/2010/10/09/an-eye-on-asia-social-media-growth/

So how do we as an education organisation engage?

1. Facebook.  This is an interesting one.  Our main institute page has over 500 fans (which is not too shoddy) but the other pages for individual schools don't seem to be able to gain any traction.  The other interesting side to Facebook is that there are lots and lots of international students who use it to find out what the institute feels like and to let others know they are coming.
2. Twitter.  Twitter is great for connecting with specific industry groups and organisations.  There is where we are able to engage in each of the different business units with our customers.

And what are great examples from other education providers?

1. RMIT.  These guys are based in Melbourne, Australia.  They effectively engage using twitter and facebook to keep on touch with their stakeholders.  They design and implement their marketing strategies across all their various media channels.
2. NorthTech.  For a polytechnic based in the far north of New Zealand these guys are great.  They are using YouTube to quietly and efficently show the world what they are up to.

The choice is clear.  Engage with customers in a non-threatening easy way through social media or keep hammering away using traditional methods like print media.  The choice is yours.  I know which one I prefer.

Social Media Policy

If your organisation is considering getting embracing social madia as a genuine tool for marketing and advertising - go for it!  It is super simple to use and it is generally free (except for the man hours of course).

If your organisation is going to get started I recommend the following -

1. Establish some protocols and policies.  Make sure people know what the rules are around what they can and can't, should and shouldn't say in regards to your organisation.  If there are no rules - the people will run wild.
2. Embrace the people using the technology.  Start by getting the people using social media for their own personal use to take up the challenge of using it to promote your organisation instead. 
3. Get edgy in what you are doing and the tack you take.  With the internet you can tell your potential customers a different story.  Get a bit wild and maybe even a bit wicked.  On the internet - cool stuff spreads quickly.
4. Pick the right web space to use and locate yourself in.  Different internet users use a variety of web platforms and pages.  Like all marketing the idea is to find where your customers are and go and speak to them where they are.

At the end of the day the statistics around social media use in your country are quite astounding.  Embrace social media before social media embraces you.

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/silvertje/3582813518/)

Advertising and the Causal Game

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/will-lion/2670240933/in/photostream/)

Best practices for social media marketing

I'm taking the day off to keep working on my CV and job application. In the meantime this is a great powerpoint and says a lot.

Social media marketing, best practices

View more presentations from Sidneyeve Matrix.

Relationship Management - Using Remembering Tools

So today I had the opportunity to make a presentation to some of the key people who influence our priority customers.  Sound a bit overblown?  It's not.

I am in the business of recruiting and educating students so that they can become valuable members of society.  They will have careers, employment opportunites, pay taxes and contribute to society.

So who were the key people I was talking to?  The Careers advisors and Transition Educators (or CATE for short).  These are the front line people who can influence students decisions on what they want to do in life and where they want to study.

Last year I had the same opportunity and at that time I gave each teacher a wooden kiwi that had been manufactured by our students.  Today a number of those persons commented on the fact that they still have those kiwi's on theor desks or near their phones.

Another momento we handed out last year were Christmas trees.  At the time they were about 30cm tall.  Students were encouraged to take them home and grow them.  And guess what?  Those students came back 12 months later and commented on the fact that they remembered getting a tree and their tree was still growing.

So my question to you is -

• When you see someone important again in 12 months time - what does that person take with them? 
• and when they see you again in the future - will they remember you?  And how?

(Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sbisson/86164348/)

Presentations That Work

Today I'm working our stand at a local expo.  And guess what?  It's going great!  What are we doing right?  We have a very simple stand set up over an area approximately 3m deep by 6m wide.  This is enormous for an expo but we have bought extra space because we need it.

The space at first glance appears to be a bit bare but it's about the customer experience and interaction that counts.  We have products that are simple to expain, people can put their hands on them and interact with them, and they are everyday products or items that people have just never thought about. 

The way it works - we get at most 2 minutes with every person that walks past. Thats 120 seconds max. So what we do is give the people something to put their hands on straight away and gain their interest. No standing around waiting in qqeues - just cut to the chase and sell what you've got.

So this year we have - a microscope for looking in, a laser sight for measuring heights, wooden kiwi's to give away and a grass meter (that measures grass depth.)  All of these take no more than 60 seconds to explain or to get peoples attention.  That leaves us with 60 seconds to sell our product (in this case education) before the people turn off, get bored or move on.
Short, sharp and simple.  Effective.

Marketing - The Viral Way

I received this email from a 'friend' of mine about an hour ago -

"Easy, Hope ur all good. .

We're shooting a music vid this Sunday, & looking for people 2 come show there support..

Basicly, we're gonna throw a lil rave inside the tube train.. We bringin drums and shit, and probably a big Ghetto blaster playin the music for our nxt release.

It's not gona take long, n hopefully no 1 will get arrested ..  If u want som more details giv me a shout..

BiG LoV."

 

Now this type of email works on a whole lot of levels.  How?

• It speaks directly to people who have an interest in the actual topic or arena.  This isn't mass marketing but speaking to the people who want to hear the message.
• It has a certain mystery quality to it that entices the reader to think more and saw - ooh and aah.
• There is a call to action.  The reader has the opportunity to choose if they will engage or not. 
• It creates a sense of exclusivity.  That is one of the keys in sucessful products and marketing.  make it exclusive or give your product some glamour.

Unfortunately I don't live in England so I can't choose to respond.  However if I did live in England - I'd be telling all my friends about it as well!  Now that is smart marketing.

Tips for attending Expos and Events

Expos and events are the perfect time to enhance not only your companys product but yourself as well.  You can work on your people skills and methonds of interaction with others.  Here a few tips for the next time you are out on the road -

• Be confident.  Know your product and be confident that you know what it is you are selling.
• Look for points of similarity with others.  Use what they are offering as a starting point for then focusing what makes your product different from theirs.
• Speak to other exhibitors.  Use these times as self marketing and marketing opportunities to tell others what you are good at.  There may come a day when you could be asking them for either a reference or a job.
• Have fun.  Interact with others.  Mix and mingle.  
• Smile lots.

Above all else - if you are having fun, so too will the people you are talking to.

The Value of Visual Thinking in Social Business

I hope this slide show interests you as much as did me.  Check it out:

The Value of Visual Thinking in Social Business

View more presentations from David Armano.

(Okay so this is a cheat of a post.  Borrowing someone elses idea.  Still - it's a brilliant presentation.  Enjoy)

Book Review - This Little Kiddy Went To Market

"This Little Kiddy Went To Market" is a very sobering and interesting book that looks at the effects of business management practices in and on educational systems.  The author has conducted and collated  a survey and review of practices across a number of western world school systems including countries such as - USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

What this book does is assess the impacts on children and school management in action due to the increased involvement of businesses in the education arena.  The book covers subject areas including the supply of branded resources by big business, the results of private businesses managing schools and the teaching of consumer values to school children.

"Children have never before been under such pressure to 'succeed, conform and look good'.  It is little wonder that so many children grow into youths who are unhappy, stressed, fat, delinquent or self-destructive"  (Excerpt from introduction: Sharon Beder).

If you want to know how and why the author reached these conclusions - read the book.  Every one of those statements can be backed up by well researched information and facts from the public arena.

So what did I think?  This book will make you think. The facts are presented in a clear light and very little personal opinion is recorded.  Rather the book requires the reader to draw their own conclusions on every matter listed.  I was astounded at some of the areas of interaction and even learnt some interesting marketing techniques should I ever choose to start marketing to children.


My give this book a two thumbs up rating.  This book is easy to read, broad in scope and definitely worth a read.  Your thinking will be challenged and think you will review your position on topics that up until you now you may not have considered important in your childs education.

Swiss Army Knife - Management Lessons - Market Placement

Mark Di Somma wrote a great post about the Swiss Army Knife on his blog back in 2008.  What he wrote is as relevant today as it was when he wrote it.

Here is a summary of his points -

• Competition can come from unforeseen places. 
• The place of manufacture and production can be used to leverage an advantage.
• Visual branding is vital.
• Who you are perceived to be selling to can also be an important marketing tool.
• The amount of time and care you take to produce your product can set it apart from it's competitors.
• Create a legacy that future generations want to interact with and own.

Here are my thoughts -

• You never know where your competitors may be coming from - so keep in touch with latest trends and fads.  You can start here for some ideas.
• Consumers are aware and passionate about who made and where made the products they are buying.  Use this as a positive.  Small countrys and towns have great appeal.
• One example of a great branding is Fuel Advertising.  They have a mock fuel pump for a door handle at the entrance of their offices.  This is a great idea!
• Way back in time Harley Davidson used to market their motorcycles to Joe Average.  Clean cut, nice guy motorbike riders.  What they didn't realise straight away was that their motorcycles didn't appeal so much to the masses as to the rebels.  So they changed who they were aiming at and completely changed their business.
• Quality is everything.  There is no excuse for selling, making, teaching crap.  There are few spaces for competitive and sustainable company's to do crap.  The same goes for managers.  Learn, train and be the best at what you do.  Quality counts.
• Do it right today and people will come back for more tomorrow!

Who are you talking to?

Check out these research results from Mckinsey -

• People in the 60 largest cities in China spend around 70 percent of their leisure time on the Internet;
• In smaller towns, the corresponding number is 50 percent;
• The PC is fast replacing the TV set as an entertainment hub;
• One in five consumers between the ages of 18 and 44 won’t purchase a product or service without first researching it on the Internet;
• The volume of e-commerce in China more than doubled last year.

So if you are selling something, have a service to offer, or are looking for blog readers - try publishing your pages in Chinese! (That's not a joke).

We have completed this exercise at work with Spanish and guess what - our website hits went through the roof for South America!

My boss is now off to China next week for a visit as well. The possibilities are endless...

(Source: https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Marketing/Digital_Marketing/Chinas_Internet_obsession_2546)