January 16, 2009
Welcome to the Glocal Consulting blog!
Thank you for checking out Glocal Consulting’s blog!
The blog will cover marketing and PR concepts, conducting business in global markets, local events (Atlanta, GA and Southeastern US), trips on behalf of clients, as well as small business issues. For the most part, it will be a monthly blog, but depending on how busy Glocal is, there may be increased posts.
Please feel free to look around and discuss what you see!
December 28, 2009
Making Time to Review Plans and Goals
The end of the year is hectic…between meeting goals, attending holiday parties and shopping, it is difficult to make sure everything gets done. The end of the year is a great time to review your Marketing and PR plans and goals to make sure you are on the right track for the year. My question to you is how often are you reviewing your plans and goals during the year?
Here are some tips to keep you on track for the year:
- Establish a quarterly and yearly scorecard after you have mapped out your strategic plans for the year. Add all of the goals and activities on the scorecard and the metrics. Have associates fill them in as each activity is in progress and completed in each quarter, then have it reflect on the end of year portion.
- Make sure there is room for adjustments to the market in the scorecard. Add in a “Miscellaneous” portion so that when emergencies arise, your company can adjust to it and it is recorded in the scorecard.
- Have quarterly and end of the year meetings with associates to ensure everyone is on track in meeting their goals and see where things need to be adjusted.
- Use the percentage of goals met to reflect in the associate’s bonus.
What else do you plan to do to make sure you are successful in the coming year?
Happy New Year!
November 10, 2009
Finding Global Customers
The US population is approaching 300 million people. In contrast, the world population is 6 billion. Therefore, 96 percent of the world lives outside of the United States. Yet, it is still difficult with the world becoming smaller everyday for companies to grasp the sheer magnitude of finding global customers. US companies are s-l-o-w-l-y warming up to the fact their customer base can be beyond domestic borders.
As an export/global marketing consultant, I understand getting started is quite overwhelming. There is so much information to digest that one would want to give up after reading the second page. But, it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips to get you started on the right track to finding global customers and successfully making sales. As a rule of thumb, it will take one to two years from the time you start this endeavor until the time you actually make a sale. Patience is key. Keep in mind, this list is not exhaustive nor are the steps in the exact order.
- Look for similarities
Language and culture are two that stand out the most. It is easier to get your product into a foreign market when your target audience is already familiar with it or can easily understand its attributes. Not to mention, you save money when only slight modifications (i.e. converting to metrics) need to be made to marketing materials and labels vs. translation costs and printing new materials.
If there are other countries on the US dollar (El Salvador and Panama are two that are close to home) that you think could be potential markets, look at those, too. You may have to translate materials but you don’t have to worry about currency exchange rates.
- Economics
Look into markets that have similar income levels to match your product. Keep in mind that pricing product should not include all of your domestic costs, only production, marketing and shipping the product globally.
Stable economies are necessary as well. Most companies do not think about this because the US has a stable government, whether it changes every two to four years. There are no threats of political uprisings, coup d’etats, port blockades, national strikes or nationalizing industries (well, the recent banking and auto industries in the US are the exception).
- Market Access
Once you pinpoint and narrow down some global markets, ask the next question, “does your product have market access?” If not, what is it going to take to get it? If you belong to a national trade association that has the ear of the US government, seek their guidance. They can tell you if market access of your product is a priority in gaining market access to certain countries.
On the flip side, is your product even allowed to be sold on the global market? Certain types of intellectual property, firearms/weapons, drugs and chemicals are not allowed to be transfered to other countries by the US. In some cases, export licenses must be issued by the US government.
- Market Visits
Visiting and doing research in your target markets is not only necessary but it shows your committment to servicing it. It also gives you firsthand knowledge of the customer base, culture, wants/needs, distribution system, etc.
If you have a US-based company, the US government is at your disposal. The USDA has the Foreign Agricultural Service based all over the world ready to assist US ag exporters with finding customers and locating trade shows, etc. The US Department of Commerce also assists American businesses who are non-agricultural based. You should seek the assistance of your state department of agriculture or economic development first. They can assist you with contacting US government officials. All of this is either free or of relatively no cost to your business.
Sending product overseas is becoming easier every day. Now that I have given you some resources, you’ll need to build your export team…
August 31, 2009
Unresponsive Clients, Drawing the Line
As a marketing and PR professional who constantly strives to give clients the service they demand and pay for, I can only do so much. When the client is unresponsive to repeated requests for feedback, it begins to put a strain on the working relationship. I understand clients are busy, but when they are paying for service, they need to understand they are just as responsible for their success as I am and my time is just as valuable.
We all have our days planned out, with some flexibility to respond to unforeseen emergencies. But, when a client repeatedly ignores requests for feedback on a project and FINALLY gets back to you after weeks it was first requested, where do the priorities lie when you’ve moved on with events for other clients?
The contract spells out your company’s responsibilities to clients. Clients should also have their responsibilities to your firm spelled out and signed. Here are a few ideas:
- Establish a response time for both parties. Phone calls and e-mails should be returned within, say 24 hours, except for emergencies, then say, 3 hours.
- Comments for project deliverables should also have deadline dates. Give enough time for both parties to respond with questions, meetings if necessary, and approvals.
- Discuss if there is a “go to” person if the main contact is out of touch (vacation, etc).
- Let the client know the consequences of non-responsiveness (delayed project deliverables, product launches, miscommunication, etc).
- Add an opt-out clause in the contract…if the client is unresponsive to repeated requests, why would you want to keep working with them?
Any other suggestions? I would love to hear them!
August 4, 2009
No pay, No play
I am well aware we are in a recession. I know that businesses are hurting. But why do people think they can get something for free, particularly from small businesses? When starting a new business and writing a plan, why are people not including marketing and PR in their budgets?
I am learning the ins and outs of entrepreneurship everyday. I love it but it also comes with its drawbacks. I was speaking to a friend the other day. She has numerous people coming up to her saying, “I need marketing and PR but I don’t have any money to pay. Can you help?” Her response, “Do you give away your products for free? No, then why should I?”
It’s difficult to get it through the heads of business owners that marketing and PR budgets are necessary, just as much as sales. Marketing and PR create the awareness and “buzz” for the product…tells the story. But more and more business owners continue to cut marketing and PR out of their budgets to save money and EXPECT that some struggling marketing and PR firm will pick it up because there is an opportunity for work.
My advice: Tell them to knock on someone else’s door. There is no reason for you to give your services away, just as they would not give their products away. Your time and skills are valuable. Should you decided to take on the client pro bono or at a reduced rate, those clients usually become the most demanding and time consuming. They do not appreciate your efforts. They are also the most toxic.
Develop the mantra of “No pay, No play” and believe your time and skills are valuable. Drop the clients that are consuming most of your time and energy. This will open up space for the great client to come knocking on your door, who knows the value of marketing and PR, and will pay on time.
A few other tips:
- Make sure you have a written, signed contract before beginning work. It should state the scope of work, description of duties, results expected, timelines, payment and payment schedule.
- Know who you are reporting to. If that person cannot be reached, you should have a back-up contact. This helps when you send in reports, to ensure you are abiding by contractual arrangements to get everything in on time.
- If something is beyond your scope of work, discuss if you can do the task. If so, write out the project with descriptions, amount of time it will take and any additional fees. Have that signed and dated.
Everything needs to be clear, concise, signed and dated. If they can’t agree to do that before work starts, don’t agree to starting work. No pay, No play!
July 12, 2009
Time Management in Marketing & PR
“I need more time”. “There just aren’t enough hours in the day to get this done”. “I’ll be burning the midnight oil”. How many times have you heard any of these from a co-worker or said them yourself? Marketing and PR projects can be just as much of a time crunch as in any other industry. With that said, it’s important for clients to understand project timelines/deadlines so the work can be completed on time and efficiently.
1. Make a plan
You have a project, now make a plan as to how it will be implemented. Who will be working on the project? What information is needed to get it done? When is it due? Who is in charge of putting the project together for delivery?
2. Implementation
Now that you have your plan together, with tasks assigned, it’s time to implement. Have regular meetings with team members to make sure everyone is on track and there are no problems. Handle any problems that arise immediately. If someone is unable to obtain a key piece of information, brainstorm, reach out to others, if necessary.
When working on the project timelines, build in time for reviewing and making changes to the project (brochures, scripts, ads, etc).
3. Delivery
When delivering the project, have someone with fresh eyes review the project. Make changes where necessary to ensure a valuable product is delivered.
4. Thank the team
Don’t forget to always thank your team members for their important contributions. If something went awry, consider it a learning experience and don’t make the same mistake next time.
5. Review
Review what went right and wrong on the project. Take team members’ input seriously. If necessary, do a case study and distribute it throughout the company. Everyone will appreciate knowing how to do things more efficiently.
These are just some of the things that can be done to ensure your project stays on task and on time. Any other suggestions?
July 2, 2009
No Marketing and PR plan? Get one. ASAP.
Marketing and PR, two things that are definitely needed in any business plan. The problem is businesses see marketing and PR as revenue depleters instead of generators. A perfect example is marketing and PR people being laid off in times of economic recession, such as the one we are currently in (I have experience with being laid off). When you slash marketing and PR budgets, how are the consumers are going to know about your product, if you are still in business or where will the “buzz” come from? Plans and people are needed for implementation.
I was talking to a guy the other day about his marketing and PR plans. His basic response was, “I throw spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks”. So far, it’s working for him. But how much more effort is he really having to put into things when he and his staff are spread everywhere? This is where plans come into play.
The plan, whether for marketing or PR, doesn’t have to be iron clad. It should allow for some flexibility when unexpected opportunities crop up. It should serve as a roadmap for where your company wants to be and how it wants to be seen in a year, three years, five years. So, what are the important things you need in a marketing and PR plan?
The main components of the plans should include (feel free to add sub-chapters in each category):
– Situation analysis (internal and external factors)
– Target audience (markets, publications, etc)
– Goals
– SWOT Analysis (marketing only)
– Strategies & Tactics
– Budget
– Measured results
As stated earlier, the benefit of these plans are they serve as a roadmap for company direction. Another benefit is your marketing and PR people really understand the company and products offered when they dive in and write the plans. The plans bring order to chaos.
You may be a start-up or established business and do not see marketing or PR plans as important as getting products sold. But if you do all the market research on your competition and set sales goals, why not take another few days on creating marketing and PR plans? It will make all the difference in ensuring there are synergies between the three.
And if you don’t have the time or resources to devote to a full-time marketing or PR associate, consider outsourcing. I’m available!
Glocal Consulting Blog 
February 19, 2010
Video Marketing is getting HOT!
Posted in marketing, social media networking tagged client, comments, Google, internet, keywords, linking, marketing, Meta Data, niche, ROI, search engine optimization, SEO, sitemap, social media, strategy, video, video marketing, YouTube at 8:53 pm by lcochran
I attended the inaugural meeting of the Atlanta Internet Video Marketing Association (ATIVMA) last night. The goal of the organization is to discuss methods on video marketing and how to get the best ROI for your client. The turnout was quite impressive for a first meeting. Kudos to Donna Davis, founder of ATIVMA and co-owner of Innova One Productions for getting together a great group and speaker.
The evening’s speaker was Deedra Hughes of Hughes Media. Deedra focused on video search engine optimization in her presentation to the members. Some highlights were:
1. Youtube is the second largest search engine, behind Google.
2. The foundation for video SEO is the same for text SEO.
Deedra gave more advice…
The presentation was very helpful in introducing another form of marketing to everyone. With everyone adding videos to YouTube, Facebook, etc., it was great to gain insight to an up and coming marketing tool.
If you don’t want to figure it out for yourself, contact me for a quote.
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