small-picture

The SMALL Picture

A Visual Guide to Marketing and Management Ideas for Small Business

Mark Smiciklas - Intersection Consulting

© 2008 by Mark Smiciklas

Copyright holder is licensing this under the Creative Commons License, Attribution 2.5 Canada.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ca/

Special thanks to:

David Armano for use of his image on page 4.

Read David’s great Logic+Emotion Blog at http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/

Robin Eldred at Apis Design Inc. for use of the iceberg concept on page 8.

Check out their website at www.apis.ca

David Ian Gray for encouraging me to start blogging and to develop a “thought leadership” position. This

e-book is a culmination of my blogging efforts year to date...now I just need to work on the thought lead-

ership part :) Check out Dave’s retail consulting website at www.DIG360.ca

Please feel free to share this e-book and/or post it to your website or blog.

Thank you.

Mark Smiciklas

The SMALL Picture - A Visual Guide to Marketing & Management Ideas for Small Business Mark Smiciklas - Intersection Consulting 2

Where to find an idea...

Steps to Brand Greatness 4

Brand Differentiation 5

eDNA 6

Marketing Touch Points 7

Website Components 8

Word of Mouth 9

Effective Website Content 10

Right People on the Bus 11

Online Marketing Basics 12

Staff Retention Ideas 13

Small Business Coaching 14

Is Anybody Home? 15

Email Marketing 16

Using FREE To Build Your Brand 17

About the Author 18


Positive Interactions - Your brand story begins with the interactions

your small business has with customers. Positive interactions that take

place across all touchpoints accumulate to form positive customer ex-

periences.

Consistency - Engaging in positive interactions at every opportunity,

across all touchpoints, is the next step to brand greatness. Repeated

positive interactions add up to an experience and form the basis for

developing loyalty for your small business brand.

Credibility - cred-i-bil-i-ty: 1. the quality or power of inspiring belief;

2 : capacity for belief (Source: Merriam Webster Online). Seeing/

experiencing is believing - An ongoing series of consistent and positive

interactions will "inspire belief" in your small business brand.

Authenticity - The ongoing engagement of consistent, positive interac-

tions with your stakeholders begins to formulate your brand culture -

an honest representation of your small business beliefs and values.

Trust - As your small business brand develops, it instills a level of expec-

tation from your stakeholders (brand promises). Your brand "keeps its

promise" by consistently exceeding the expectations of your custom-

ers, employees and vendors - the foundation of building trust.

Loyalty - Trust leads to loyalty - the pinnacle of any brand. Brand loy-

alty is demonstrated in some of the following ways:

• Customers become dedicated to purchasing your product/service

• Customers express a desire to promote your brand though word of

mouth

• Brand forgiveness - customers choose not to dwell on the occasional

service gap and continue supporting the brand. (Note: Be careful not

to take advantage of the loyalty customers have bestowed upon

your brand. Although it takes a long time to build, brand equity can

erode very quickly if you begin breaking brand promises)

• Customers will likely pay higher prices for your products/services

Steps to Brand Greatness...or Purgatory

Image © David Armano - http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/


The Fear of Differentiation Building a unique small business brand requires some

courage. Why are unique brands so scarce while middle of

the road products, services, retail stores, etc dominate the

business landscape? My theory is that it has something to

do with an innate fear (we all have) of being different. In a

branding context, this poses a problem because

differentiation is one of the key elements in the

development of a great brand.

The Opportunity Cost of Being The Same - One way to

challenge the fear of being different is to try to understand

the consequences of "being the same". One differentiating

decision a small business has the opportunity to make

involves product/service mix - the common fear being

specialization (and missing out on potential sales). As a

small business owner or manager, you should challenge

the fear of differentiating your product mix by assessing

the risk of blending into the landscape and becoming

"invisible" to your target market.

Subtle Differentiation - Small business owners might

believe that differentiation needs to be extreme in order

to be effective - fearing brand alienation as a result of

trying to act/behave way outside the norm. Understanding

that subtle differentiation can be a successful way to

separate your brand will help your small business face this

fear.

Don't be afraid to have a small business that is different -

Following/chasing the masses is not always the best

strategy. Seth Godin puts this into perspective with a great

analogy in a post about Danny Devito and George

Clooney..."Because everyone in Hollywood is trying to be

George, there are a lot more opportunities for the few

Dannys willing to show up. Invest in Danny. The edges

usually pay off."


eDNA

Have you ever written anything online that might

cause someone to question the integrity of your

company or brand?

Think about all the imprints you've left online over

the last few years - emails, blog posts, forum com-

ments, articles, etc., essentially an eDNA trail that

leads back to your small business.

As I recount the following story, consider what kind

of impression your eDNA might have on your brand

- will it be positive or negative...

A client was alerted to a forum post about one of

their products. A prospect was asking for feedback

on a popular forum - someone responded with a

series of negative comments about the product and

proceeded to suggest a competitor (that it ap-

peared they represented) as a better alternative.

My client responded accordingly with some actual

facts and a few client testimonials and left it at

that.

A few months later , they received an inquiry from

a gentleman expressing interest in re-selling their

products in South America. Can you guess who it

was? Bingo, the same person that tried to sabotage

them a few months prior!

Take the ethical high road in all of your online com-

munication and remember that your words are a

reflection of your brand. The next time you post

something online remember that your eDNA stays

out there - use the opportunity to give people a

positive insight into your brand as opposed to a

reason to stay away.

blogs

email

forums

articles

websites

social

networking

sites

wikis

chat

rooms


Marketing Touch Points

“

”

Touch points are all of the

communication, human

and physical interactions

your customers experi-

ence during their relation-

ship lifecycle with your or-

ganization. Whether an

ad, Web site, sales per-

son, store or office, touch

points are important be-

cause customers form

their perceptions of your

organization and brand

based on their cumulative

touch point experiences.


- Hank Brigman -

Components of a Successful Website

Visible

Invisible

Image and Content

Sound Programming

Well Planned Framework

Goal Driven Design

Effective Maintenance

Search Engine Optimization

Quality Assurance Tested

Web Marketing Strategy

Usability

Accessibility

ISP Services

Concept Source: Apis Communication, www.apis.ca.

“ Many companies are neglecting

the important back-end issues

that can make their websites

search-engine friendly. When

we surf the web, we see a lot of

the same functionality. But the

problem with the average web-

site is that it’s not optimized to

gain top rankings on the major

search engines.

While all appears to be smooth

on the front end, potential

problems lurk on the back end.

There are a plethora of back-

end technical connections going

on behind the scenes, and if

you’re lulled into complacency,

your site could be missing the

road to top rankings that in-

crease your conversions.


Paul Bruemmer,

Search Engine Guide

”

Trust - The foundation of any great relationship is trust. One of the reasons that people talk about your product, service or company is because they trust your brand. As a small

business owner, it's important to earn the trust of your stakeholders with every interaction. The best way to build trust is to deliver on your brand promises. For example, if

your small business guarantees a certain level of service, make sure you meet or exceed the expectation level you've created with your customers - meeting brand promises will

result in the kind of communication you want...positive Word of Mouth (WOM).

Increasing Viral Capacity - As online social networks become common place, the viral capacity of WOM continues to increase. The ability for WOM to spread (at a rapid pace)

beyond face to face communication or via other traditional means i.e. telephone creates both opportunities and pitfalls for small business owners. It’s important to understand

the power of social networks and how quickly they can impact your small business. Individual stakeholders have a voice - if you meet/exceed expectations, consumer empower-

ment fuelled by technology will have a positive effect on your small business.

Enigmatic - WOM is complex and difficult to control - help position successful WOM by: 1. having a great product/service 2.building trust with your stakeholders 3.delivering on

your brand promise 4.exceeding expectations. WOM can be so intangible that sometimes it's easy to lose sight of how it can affect your small business. A good way to keep

WOM top of mind is to be empathic across all touch points - If you were in your stakeholders shoes, how would you feel about the execution of your brand promise on your

website, in your store, on the phone...and who would you tell about it?

Why is Word of Mouth So Powerful?


5 Ways to Create Effective Website Content

5. Good Content - It's important to understand the meaning of good content -

it's not content you think is good, it's content your visitors will find valuable.

• Write an article that solves a client's problem

• Write an e-book that helps visitors learn something new

• Start a blog to share your ideas - and invite people to comment

• Publish a white-paper on a topic or trend that is important to your visitors

4. Keywords - research the keywords that are applicable to your product/

service before writing or editing your website content. Keywords are the

words or phrases web users type into search engines to find information

on the internet. Having the right keywords will increase the likelihood of

getting found online. Google offers a great tool that will help you come up

with keywords and provide you with search statistics.

3. Simple Language - One of the biggest

problems with many websites is the amount of

jargon that is used. Try to avoid the use of

technical language, industry specific lingo and

acronyms.

2. Concise Copy - Avoid the urge to present

every detail about your product or service.

Approach your content from the perspective of

your visitor and (briefly) describe how you can

help provide a solution to a problem they

might have. When it comes to editing, a good

rule of thumb is to take what you've written

and cut the word count by 50%!

1. "Clean" Information Layout

• Descriptive headings - Let the reader know

exactly what's on the web page by using

headings that provide accurate descriptions

of the content

• Short paragraphs - present one topic or idea

per paragraph to make it easier to scan

through a web page

• Bullet points - if your web pages present

multiple facts within a single section, lay out

the content in point form to make it easier

for your visitors to "digest" the information

• Bold text - bold or capitalize to draw atten-

tion to important words/phrases

FREE eBOOK


Right People on the Bus

The first step your small business should take is to hire the

right people, even before establishing a strategic direction. The

idea: getting the right people working together will help your

organization manage change. For example, if your small busi-

ness attracts people because of your products, service offering

or strategy, you might have issues if you have to change the

direction of your business. On the other hand, if people join

your organization because of reasons such as values, working

with like minded people, etc. you will likely be able to "change

the direction of the bus" without too much difficulty.

The right people eliminate the

need for your small business to

focus on the motivation and

management of your team. The

right people are driven, self-

motivated and responsible.

Your small business will never

maximize its potential with

the right strategic direction

but the wrong people.

“ ”

Great vision without great people is irrelevant.

Having the "the right people on the bus" is one of the business concepts

discussed by Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies

Make the Leap...and Others Don't. Collins researched over 1400 companies

and discovered a set of ideas that, when embraced and implemented, dif-

ferentiated great companies from their "good" counterparts.

- Jim Collins -


Online Marketing Basics


Staff Retention Ideas

In a competitive labour

market where employees

have a lot of choice, your

small business needs to

excel in the "culture"

department.

As demographics change

and the baby boomers

exit the job market, Gen

X'ers and the new Face-

book Generation are

demanding more from

their work environments.

If your small business

embraces work/life

balance as part of your

culture, you will have a

better chance of attract-

ing and retaining great

employees.


“

Benefits of Small Business Coaching

Big picture thinking.

Owning a small business

can be all consuming – so

much time is spent on

managing the day to day

tasks that little thought

Ever goes into strategic

planning.

The opportunity

to get challenged,

become accountable

for your personal

development and to

receive candid, con-

structive feedback

Increase the level

of self awareness

including

strengths, weak-

nesses and “blind

spots”

Access to a confidential

“business partner”

that is focused on

the success of your

small business and can

help test ideas and

explore possibilities

Ongoing one on

One attention that

promotes thought

and stimulates

the generation

Of ideas, strategies

and tactics to help

solve problems

”

Business coaching is a relatively new discipline. As a result,

many small business owners are probably not aware of

the coaching process and why they might consider coach-

ing as a resource to fuel their business growth and per-

sonal leadership development. One might assume that the

primary benefit of having a business coach would be an

ample supply business advice. Not really - the benefits of a

good coach extend beyond management consulting.

- Anne Wilkinson, Executive Playground Ltd -

Many people start a business without understanding

their real motivation and a good business coach can do

much more than just work the business process - a

good consultant could do that. We ask different kinds

of questions and have a different quality of conversa-

tion.

A coaching relationship is based on skilfully guiding a

client through a process of increasing self awareness

backed up by solid business acumen. This has the

added value of increasing confidence and establishing

a better process for making decisions in the long term.


Is Anybody Home?

[email protected]

How many companies simply ignore inquiries that arrive via the [email protected]" inbox? In an era of technology and connectivity,

there should be no excuse for your small business to miss the opportunity to serve a customer. Think about mapping

"[email protected]" to a specific email address and having that email account linked to a BlackBerry. This will give you the ability to

engage in a conversation with a customer instantly.

I think you will be surprised by the positive reaction you will get from your customers - many companies don't deliver on the service

promise...set yourself apart by responding to those emails and providing responsive service that will create buzz and word of mouth about

your small business.


Email Marketing

Content — only send content

that recipients have re-

quested and don’t use per-

mission to bait and switch

email content. For example, if

a customer has registered for

an information type news-

letter (articles, tips, advice,

etc.) don’t send them emails

pushing products or services.

Permission Marketing — only send

emails to prospects, customers,

etc. that have requested informa-

tion and have given you permission

to communicate with them.

Consistency - be sure to select an

email marketing frequency that you

can comfortably attain i.e. every two

weeks, monthly, etc. and then be sure

to stick to the schedule.

Timing - send emails

Tuesday to Thursday

during business hours.

Avoid sending emails in

the evening or on

weekends.

Build your list - have a newsletter sign up box on

your website; register email addresses at trade-

shows; ask for permission to send information

when networking, etc.

“

” The SMALL Picture - A Visual Guide to Marketing & Management Ideas for Small Business Mark Smiciklas - Intersection Consulting 16

— Seth Godin —

Permission marketing is the

privilege (not the right) of deliv-

ering anticipated, personal and

relevant messages to people

who actually want to get

them...It realizes that treating

people with respect is the best

way to earn their attention.

Real permission is different

from presumed or legalistic per-

mission. Just because you some-

how get my email address does-

n't mean you have permission.

Just because I don't complain

doesn't mean you have permis-

sion. Just because it's in the fine

print of your privacy policy

doesn't mean it's permission

either.”

Using “FREE” to Build Your Brand

FREE Content

Website Visitors

"Free" content is becoming more

prevalent and is being embraced

as a way to share your ideas,

assume a thought leadership

position, build your brand

and generate sales leads.

Benefits Access

to Content

Documents - Become a re-

source provider to your target

market. Create tools that will

attract an audience to your

website, expose your brand

and create word of mouth.

Write an E-Book - provide prospects

& customers with useful information;

assist in solving your clients problems;

help your target market learn some-

thing new about their business

Articles - Create an articles sec-

tion on your website that pro-

vides useful information for

your target audience and adds

value to a visitor's experience

on your website.

• Creates brand awareness

• Builds word of mouth marketing

• Engagement - facilitates a connection with your

audience and helps build relationships

• Helps develop trust with your target audience -

visitors accessing your content without having to

register won't need to worry about whether they

will start receiving spam from your small business

• Creates a great opportunity to expose your ideas

• Removes any barrier to your content and results

in more downloads.

• Viral - free content is more likely to spread online

through linking on other websites, mentions on

blogs and forums, etc than gated content.

• Free content helps generate sales leads. As your

content gains exposure it helps build brand

awareness - if your target audience likes what

they see, it will lead to relationship building and

new business opportunities.

• Search Engine Optimization - the more pages you

have on your site, the better the chance that your

small business website will be found by potential

customers. More free content helps build search

engine rankings.

• Becomes a business card/brochure for your small

business and provides your target market with an

insight into who you are.

Free - Users should not have to

provide personal information or

have to register in order to be

able to access your free content.

Gated - Users should have to

perform some call to action in

order to access free content i.e.

provide contact information such

as an email address.

With gated content, peo-

ple that do register may

not actually be interested

in future communication

from your small business

- they simply want to ac-

cess your content to see

if it of value to them. Any

email you send after they

are forced to register will

likely annoy them and be

treated as spam.


About the Author

Mark Smiciklas is a Vancouver Marketing Consultant, Entrepreneur and Blogger. Mark uses a

casual, no-nonsense approach to help de-mystify the marketing process for small businesses.

To schedule a meeting or call to discuss your small business marketing or management

challenges (no cost or obligation, of course), please contact him through the Intersection

Consulting website at www.intersectionconsulting.com

Check out Mark’s Blog at www.intersectionconsulting.com/blog

View Mark’s LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksmiciklas

This is Mark’s first e-book. Thanks for checking it out!
