5 Reasons Your Employees are Marketers - Even if They Don't Know It

Yes, I said it.

Every employee in your company is a marketer (whether they know it or not). It doesn't matter if they work in the warehouse, sales department, janitorial services or the executive offices -- your company's entire staff holds high stakes in the success and profitability of your business.

Think about the notion of 'employee satisfaction' as an unconventional 'marketing tool'. Employment is a huge investment to both a company and its employees. Why not make the most of your employees (and make their time working for you worthwhile, too)? Most of us already know that motivating and educating employees keeps them happy. But motivating and educating employees does a lot more than that, when a company plays its cards right.

Here is why:

1) Your employees are PR agents. When employees are mad, they will talk. When employees are happy, they will talk. So why tick them off? Some of the best word-of-mouth (WOM) agents are your employees. Give them reason to talk about you and they will. Take Southwest Airlines' "Nuts about Southwest" blog for example: http://www.blogsouthwest.com/. Southwest handed the reigns of their corporate blog to their best customers and employees -- and just look at the buzz and PR the company has created! It is brilliant.

2) Your employees send marketing messages. An employee who is well-educated through regular training is apt to send the right marketing message to your clients. One trick I remember learning in my graduate corporate communication studies is requiring ALL employees to memorize a 30-second "elevator" spiel about your company's products and services. Think about it: If one of your employees has 30 seconds to ride from the 1st floor to the 3rd floor in your building, would he or she be able to provide an effective description of your company to a potential client? A well-educated employee also knows the ins and outs of your website, org chart and products -- and where to effectively direct client questions.

3) Your employees make your revenue goals. Want to increase your annual revenue? Create bonus / incentive programs. It's that easy. When an employee knows, for example, that they will receive a 5% cut of the quarterly revenue, they will work much harder to meet deadlines and accomplish corporate goals. That is a no-brainer. If you can't provide bonuses, why not start a "wellness" program with milestones and goals promoting employee health? This will increase productivity, too. And we all know that productivity leads to harder work, which may indirectly lead to sales. You have to start somewhere.

4) Your employees have affiliations outside the office. With the rise in personal blogs, MySpace and Facebook accounts, as well as professional networking services like LinkedIn, chances are, at least one of your employees keeps up with the online trends. Obviously, a smart employee will keep any negative press about your business off the blogosphere (for their own good if nothing else). But chances are, if this same web savvy employee respects your business, he or she will cross-link your company blog and/or website. Maybe this employee will write up an entry about your products, services or internal culture. The opportunities are endless.

5) Your employees can promote stronger customer relationships. Without satisfied employees, chances are, you won't have satisfied clients. If your employees are in a bad mood, it is going to rub off on your clients. And nobody wants to do business with a resentful, unmotivated person, no matter what the need. The same goes if your employee lacks the knowledge of simple functions. For example, if your salesperson doesn't know where to find your company's press kit, customer relationships are potentially lost with the file. Keep your employees trained.

Happy employee marketing!

"Sam the Cooking Guy" Rocks the Kitchen

Watch this video clip of Discovery Health's new cooking show and tell me Sam Zien and the show's creators didn't produce an entertaining and innovative new series:

And if you don't have time to watch this clip, why do I think Sam Zien's show rocks?

Well, for starters, Sam Zien has managed to appeal to me, someone who doesn't cook... like... ever. And Sam Zien has turned me into an avid fan.

How does Sam accomplish all this with a frickin' cooking show, you ask?

1) By making me laugh. Sam has taken programming that is typically blahh to me (e.g., cooking shows) and turned it into something highly amusing through his quirky behavior and euphemisms.

2) By making cooking extremely easy. Seriously. Sam Zien's ingredients are mainly store-bought, yet they have the appeal of a gourmet meal. (Tested and tried by none other than myself, I might add.)

3) By making meals for 4 or more extremely cheap. What about the "Ramen Noodle Chow Mein" he makes in the video above? If I had known about this recipe in college, I would have been the most popular coed around.

4) By doing the cooking show in his real-life home kitchen... with distractions like his dog, wife and son and even a rabbit on the counter. Sam does his show in his 'natural habitat'. Therefore, Sam is "real". And I like real. Who doesn't?

It's as simple as that. If you think about it, what does the general public look for, whether you are offering a new service, product or in this case, a television show: amusing, easy, inexpensive and sincere.

Sam has managed to capture all the main "marketing ingredients" and cook up a great new show.

Before I sign off, I'll recommend one of my favorite recipes... grilled up 2 weekends ago for a UNC football game. Check it out and enjoy: Lamb (with no bun) burgers

NY Times Online Discards Paid Subscriptions

At last, the New York Times online has scrapped its paid subscription model. Read the full story here.

It looks to me like offering a "free subscription" is a matter of shifting marketing resources. And it is a win-win model from what I can see.

By allowing readers to view the #1 viewed newspaper for free, the NY Times is opening itself up to a much larger and diverse audience. But here's the payoff: By opening up the readership to a more diverse crowd, the NY Times is opening up its advertisement section to a more diverse crowd, creating more website traffic and more ad impressions.

And in the end, the more money the NY Times makes.

So there's the catch. Free is always free for a reason.

Good idea, NY Times.

Breakfast n' Botox Parties? For Real?

Forget sitting in the doctor's office to get your Botox injection. Try relaxing at a resort and getting your procedure done as part of a "spa package" instead.

Introducing... "Botox and Lox", reported by women's fashion magazine Marie Claire (October 2007 issue): http://www.marieclaire.com/hair/beauty/products/breakfast-botox-beauty

Most of us already know that Botox is tapping the South Beach market pretty hard (that's a no-brainer if you've ever visited the breast-baring beach). But has this event crossed the line by tapping the hospitality industry? If you don't have time to read the article, here is a one-sentence synopsis of the event:

Patient visits the Sagamore Hotel in South Beach, FL for the first (and probably not last) "Botox and Lox" party and receives treatment over "bikini-tinis" and breakfast.

Here's a fun quote to chew on:

"We think Botox parties might become a fun alternative to bridal showers-or maybe divorce parties," says Neil Sazant, owner of the Sagamore Hotel.

Warning: Just in case you were interested in throwing a botex party in place of your bridal shower or divorce party, be prepared to inform your guests that they will have to pay a stiff fee of $750 or more to attend your soiree.

Let the festivities begin!

DayBull and NyBull

So here's a random thought I had the other week while I was enjoying my wonderful Red Bull and vodka at a local bar: Brilliantly delicious beverage with smart market sense.

Many of us know that the infamous energy drink, Red Bull, was intended to fuel the average joe working 9-to-5, or provide some pep in your step before going out after a long day, exercising, etc. etc. Since its inception in 1987 when the beverage was first introduced in Europe, Red Bull has done a great job at branding itself in the "daytime" market.

How did Red Bull dominate the night scene? By creating the infamous "red bull and vodka" cocktail, that's how. It's quite ingenius, really. Red Bull distributed free cases of its energy juice to hungover college coeds who needed some incentive to make it to class on time -- and low and behold (parents be proud), the college coeds realized not only did Red Bull keep them alive during class; it also kept their buzz alive deep into the night! Hence, the establishment of Red Bull and vodka (circa. 1997 in the US market).

The next time you go out and enjoy yourself a Red Bull and vodka, now you have something educational to ponder.

...Parents be proud. ;)

Makin' Whoopie... Pies

Do you know what a whoopie pie is? Chances are, if you're anything like my southern friends, you'll ask me, "Do you mean, a moonpie?"

Because I'm originally from Maine, I thought I'd dedicate this post to the creators of the "Wicked Whoopie": http://www.wickedwhoopies.com/

First of all, Isamax Snacks (named after the creator's two children, Isabella and Maxx), took a native Maine treat and turned it into something fun (and I dare say educational) for all 50 states. The whoopie pie, traditionally known to look like this:














...Was turned into a festival of colors and flavors:











Talk about a wicked good idea.

My mom was the one who informed me of the creators of the "wicked whoopie" after watching FoodNetwork one day. She said, "Why didn't I think of this?!?" Good question, mom.

So I'll leave you with a thought (or maybe even a potential new market). Is there a food specific to your state that you could diversify globally? Because that may be the next 'wicked good' thing.

Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk About

So this is it. My first blog. And I found out through my travels and adventures as a marketer, an event planner, a publicist, an editor, writer, a traveler, a leader and a student.... that there is one underlying aspect to my job as a "communicator" that I absolutely adore. And that is storytelling.

I love telling stories, I love hearing stories, I love sharing stories... Storytelling, gossip, buzz, window-shopping... this is what it takes to be an effective communicator, and in essence, a superior marketer.

So please enjoy the stories I share with you in my blog. Some of my stories may pertain to my marketing and PR adventures and findings -- and many of them may not. But no matter what, my hopes are that my blog will entertain you and make you start thinking as a marketer would, even if you are not a marketer at all.

One thing I will walk away with today is that sometimes I feel the best marketers are people who are NOT in the profession. Buzz starts with one simple story. And when that story appeals to a group of people, people start talking. And if you are a smart marketer, you will pick up on this and put words into action.

That is what I hope to accomplish in this blog: Putting words into action.

So let's get talking, shall we?