Could You Live Without the Internet?

The other week, I attended the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Annual Banquet in McLean, VA. I have been a member of NAWBO for many years and I really enjoy attending their events, programs, and monthly luncheons. As a small business owner, the connections and relationships I’ve made through NAWBO have been invaluable!

At the annual banquet, we heard from keynote speaker, Commissioner Mignon Clyburn of the Federal Communications Commission. She is an extremely remarkable and well-spoken woman who has accomplished so much, not only in her life, but also during her term as Commissioner since 2009.

Mignon Clyburn made a statement during her speech that essentially summed up the main point of her talk. Some of you have probably heard this statement before. She said,

“The internet is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity.”

We take it for granted that everyone has access to the Internet, but in reality they don’t. As business owners and marketers, it is critical that we stay in touch with the conversation and debate that is happening around Internet costs, freedoms and accessibility.

Mignon brought up some very interesting points about the Internet, access, and availability in the U.S. and I wanted to share them with you. She focused on increased access to Internet that would improve lives in 3 particular areas:

Education

I remember when we got our updated encyclopedias and how exciting it was to look through all the information (yes, sigh, I am that old). Today, the Internet gives users access to information, online education, university courses, and resources that they would not have otherwise. From grade school, kids are being introduced to online assignments and tracking with applications like Blackboard, which they will continue to use into and throughout college, and even as parents. The Millennials, (Gen Y) are digital natives and the Internet is their source and primary exposure to new information, news and current events.

Employment

Not only does the Internet open up educational opportunities, but it also can help people find jobs and employment. Many job applications are found and completed online, and third-party sites such as Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed.com, and Glassdoor give users the opportunity to search jobs in their field and apply directly. Utilizing the Internet for job searching, networking and connecting, like on LinkedIn, is a huge advantage that many people don’t realize or overlook. 

E-commerce

Small business start-ups are at an all time high because you can be an entrepreneur and find new sources for income as long as you have access. People without Internet access are missing out on E-commerce opportunities. They have no way of purchasing or trading online, and they also don’t have the ability to sell or re-sell their products online through their own websites or popular sites like eBay. Increased access to the Internet could really boost our economy (in a time when we could all really use a lift!)

Relationships & Connections

On a more personal level, the Internet makes it easy to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones. Whether it is through email updates, social media, or photo sharing, the Internet allows us to stay connected to the important people in our life, regardless of location or time zone. Staying in contact and up-to-date with friends and family is so important – in fact, it makes us happier and healthier people overall. Although nothing can replace regular face-to-face interaction, the Internet has been a huge tool for family and friends to stay connected in their busy lives.

It’s amazing to me how the Internet has become such a crucial part of our daily lives in a relatively short amount of time. Whether you use it for business or pleasure (or both), there is no denying the impact that “The World Wide Web” has had on our lives and culture.

We often forget that Internet services come at a price. Not everyone in our country (or in other parts of the world) can afford or access the Internet, which puts him or her at risk for falling several steps behind. Our world moves at such a fast pace and is so heavily reliant on the Internet and technology. Think about all of those work emails, video chats, file transfers and online systems that you deal with each day. Now imagine not having access to those tools. That would be a problem, don’t you think?

What do you think about the idea of Internet being a necessity? How else does the Internet help or improve your everyday life? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

4 Tips for Great Business Card Design (And Delivery!)

In today’s technology-driven business world, business cards may not seem to be as important as they were in the past, but believe me they are. Business cards are one of the most commonly used marketing pieces out there, and they are ultimately your first impression and reminder you leave with any potential prospect. They serve as a tangible, physical representation of your business and brand.

What does your business card say about you? If you haven’t given it much thought, you should probably take a few minutes to reflect. Creating an experience around the introduction, the conversation, and the presentation of a business card can leave a lasting impression.

Essentially, a business card acts as a snapshot or first impression of your company. It needs to answer the WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHY for potential customers and clients in a very short amount of time. It is much more than a piece of paper; it is a channel for you to convey your mission, services, and purpose.

When it comes to designing a business card, there are certain overarching principles that hold true. Business cards are fairly small in size, so you need to be strategic about which information you choose to share and how you choose to format it.

Make it clean. Above all, your business card needs to be readable. The information needs to be organized, easy to follow, and displayed in a logical order. Be sure to include all pertinent information, such as your name, title, company logo, contact info, email address, website, mission, services, DUNS and NAICS codes, if applicable.

Make it sharable. The whole point of your business card is to share it with others! Use a nice printing company and choose a thicker card weight to give off a better first impression. Opt for an uncoated card stock so that people you meet can write or take notes directly on the card. If possible, consider providing blank lines on your card for people to do just that. Be sure to use an ownable color, but allow white space to balance out your design.

Make it unique. Stand apart from your competitors! Use fonts and color to express your personality and showcase your brand. Carry your brand look and feel from your card through to your website, collateral, social media and other marketing materials. Consistent messaging is critical to developing brand awareness.

Make it scanable. Many people will gladly accept your business card but trust me, no one is taping them to Rolodex cards anymore. (Did I just date myself?) Most business professionals are collecting cards and either taking a picture or using a desktop scanner to capture your information into their contact list. Therefore, it is critical to make sure that your card can fit through a scanner, the type is not mucked up with other graphics or varnishes, and all the information you want them to have is on there. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to scan a card and having everything in the wrong field when it is complete.

If designing your business card is 50% of the process, then business card etiquette is the remaining half of the equation. You can design a beautiful business card, but if your delivery is poor, then the design does no good. Here are a few points to remember:

• Start a conversation first. Engage and connect with that person before you offer up your card.
• Have your cards organized and easily accessible (whether that be in a card case, a name badge holder, or other spot). Don’t fumble!
• Carefully present your card to the other person facing in the correct direction. Don’t hold it between your fingers – it looks sloppy.
• Graciously take the other person’s card and take a moment to read and study it. Make notes so you remember the connection and any key points you both talked about.
• Place their card somewhere you will find it – don’t shove it in your pocket or toss it in your bag.

What other tips do you follow when sharing your business card? What business card design elements stand out to you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Get Ahead of the NLEA Transition

With the new FDA nutritional labeling change on the horizon, many companies are starting to think about how they will manage this overwhelming task while still staying ahead of the game. I had the opportunity to speak with a few companies and I wanted to share my takeaways with you.

Perhaps the biggest concern around this transition is cost, and I mean COST, in all caps. The sheer volume of items that are going to have to be changed – the internal reformulations, label design, prepress and printing – will be an undertaking that the entire industry will have to endure.

In my many conversations with manufacturers, they seem to feel that they will have little to no control over the cost of this change because they will be mandated to use providers that the retailers they supply for dictate.

I have sat on both sides of the table when it comes to buying and selling creative services. I know that we insisted that manufacturers use our chosen vendors and pay the fees that we required when I was on the retail side of things. I also know that we did that a decade ago when the industry was in a much different place. I understand what a cost burden it can be on the manufacturer to not be able to take advantage of the trusted relationships they have with their vendors and gain efficiencies to ultimately save money.

So I know this may ruffle a few feathers but I need to be a little candid. We are not serving the same customer that we served a decade ago. The customer today is more savvy and knowledgeable and fickle. Today, our customers demand transparency, value, quality and a fair price.

The increased costs that will be incurred for this transition will ultimately end up in the cost of goods and in the end it is the customer who will be responsible for paying them. We need to respect and honor our customers no matter what side of the desk we are on and make sure that we do everything we can to find efficiencies and cost savings in this transition.

We are 30 months away, which makes now is the perfect time to start thinking about the transition and answering crucial questions about your packaging design and supply chain. Here are a few questions to take into consideration as we approach the compliance date:

• Where are your assets? Do you have them or is someone else storing them for you?
• Who owns your assets? Are you free to get them whenever you want or do you have to pay a fee to recover them?
• Where is your photography located?
• Is it easily searchable?
• Who has all of your nutritional information and ingredients? Are the formulations current and do they meet regulation?
• Who is your prepress partner? Who is your print partner and when was the last time you met with them to discuss this upcoming change?

There are so many more questions to ask.

If you begin to prepare now, you and your team will be much better off in the long run.  Reach out to your current team, and if your current team isn’t able to help you, look for new partners that can.

What other questions have you answered? How have you started to prepare for the transition? Share your tips in the comment box below!

Pinterest: The New Google?

The other day, I was listening to a webinar from Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick called “The Art of Social Media.” Guy and Peg are two of the most well known influencers on social media, so I was curious to hear what they had to say.

One thing in particular caught my attention: they argued that Pinterest might be the new Google. Whoa.

At first I thought, “Eh, I’m not so sure about that.” But as they continued their explanation, I grew more and more intrigued.

Once I got thinking, I realized that I actually have searched for certain things on Pinterest before (or instead of) searching on Google. In my experience, inspirational quotes, memes, recipes, design ideas, and fun infographics are easier to find on Pinterest than Google. The quality and variety of images on Pinterest is usually better as well.

“The Art of Social Media” webinar and this particular claim inspired me to do a little thinking and research of my own. Here are 3 reasons why Pinterest might be the new Google:

Pinterest has plenty of new and fresh results. It is estimated that 5 million pins are “pinned” by users each day. Pins are constantly rearranging and reordering to make room for new images on the page. For instance, when you search for “craft ideas” on Monday, different pins will appear when you search the same phrase on Tuesday. You can also add #hashtags to each pin in order to tag your images with the appropriate category and increase the odds that it will appear in a given search.

Pinterest leads to ‘accidental discovery.’ It is very easy to stumble upon new and interesting pins. One pin or search result can easily lead to another pin, another website, another blog etc. (Any avid pinner knows what I’m talking about!) There are also “suggested pins” on your home page that are posted by people with similar interests as you. This so-called “accidental discovery” is spontaneous and fun and can lead to lots of interesting finds. Google hasn’t been as successful with this feature.

Pinterest utilizes a successful voting system. Pins with a high number of likes or re-pins are considered more popular than others and will show up more frequently in search results. It’s that simple! By liking or re-pinning an image, you are essentially upping that pin’s chances of appearing in a search result. Google doesn’t use a system quite like this, so most of their search results remain in the same ranking over time.

Perhaps claiming, “Pinterest is the new Google” is a bit of a stretch, but I do agree with the points that Guy and Peg were making. At the end of the day, Pinterest is a rapidly growing and innovative platform with a unique search engine that should be explored. Plus it’s visual and so fun!

What do you think about this claim? Have you had any luck with Pinterest search results? Let us know what you think or which search engine you prefer!

The “Dumbification” of America

Why do advertisers often think consumers are idiots? I have worked with writers and creatives for over 20 years and it is always our goal to communicate information in the most direct and respectful way. Does it always work? No, but we certainly try.

This allergy season, Flonase nasal spray launched into retail. I have personally been using Flonase for years. It is a great product and helps me tremendously with my allergies. But seriously, their tagline is enough to make me want to try something else. “Six is greater than one.” Really? My 5th grader learned that in kindergarten and possibly before that when we were doing flashcards. Six is greater than one. Ok, so I get the point that you want to call out the six histamines the nasal spray attacks. I get the chemistry of it and I approve, but please don’t talk down to me.

Here’s another related example. Anoro, a new medicine for COPD states, “The world is filled with air.” Really – I didn’t know that either. I guess I must have missed that class during my MBA.

Have we all become so overworked, over advertised to, and over stimulated that we can only react when we hear the simplest of phrases? Is this where we are heading as a society?

Here are 3 tips to avoid insulting your audience:

Know your target

Before you start crafting copy for any piece of marketing communication, know who your target is. People react differently to different language, words and phrases.

For example, in children’s cereals, you have two target consumers: the adult making and paying for the purchase, and the child begging to have it. You wouldn’t advertise to those two groups using the same marketing concept or language. The language used in advertising should always be appropriate for your given audience.

Be honest

For many years, we all bought certain products hoping the claims were real. Today, there are more certification bodies out there to keep companies honest about what they say and promise. USDA organic, gluten free, and fair trade certifications are all heavily monitored and, therefore, are more trusted by consumers. In fact, they bring comfort and trust to the consumer. We’ve also seen celebrities and influencers endorse certain products. Some have resulted in amazing partnerships while others end up in the news. I live by the phrase, “never say or print something you don’t want to see on the front of the Times” and this is a perfect example of that. An inauthentic endorsement or sponsorship will get you nowhere.

Show a little respect

Though dogs and babies are often the strongest sellers, stereotypes and clichés simply annoy us. We are much more than a stereotype and by marketing to the lowest common denominator, you can alienate more people then you attract. Be respectful of your potential clients and market to their strengths and needs.

I don’t mean to rant on in this blog, but this is a topic near and dear to my heart. Although I understand the reasoning behind the Flonase and Anoro taglines, I think they cross a very fine line.

Have you come across either of these taglines before? What do you think about the “dumbification” of America through marketing and advertising? I’d love to hear your feedback.