Is Your Website Responsive?
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In today’s dynamic, electronic media landscape, having a “responsive” website is becoming increasingly more important. It means that your website is designed to respond according to the device on which your website is viewed, i.e., a desktop computer, laptop, iPhone, Android, tablet, touchpad…The underlying code knows which device is used and adapts accordingly.

In 2011, Compuware published results from a survey entitled “What Users Want from Mobile” that showed global consumers’ expectations for mobile and application performance.

One of the survey results mentioned that, “A bad experience on a mobile website leaves mobile web users much less likely to return to, or recommend, a particular website. Nearly half of mobile web users are unlikely to return to a website that they had trouble accessing from their phone, and 57% are unlikely to recommend the site.”

Another stated, “Mobile users do not have much patience for retrying a website or application that is not functioning initially — a third will go to a competitor’s site instead. The majority of mobile web users are only willing to retry a website (78%) or application (80%) two times or less if it does not work initially.”

Two advantages of responsive design are 1) faster load times and quicker access to information on your website, and 2) it eliminates the need to develop a separate mobile version of your website.

If you would like to have your website redesigned or designed in a responsive manner, please contact us for a consultation.

 

Too Busy? Outsource Your Social Media
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Social media in today’s business world has become a vital part of branding and in building new business relationships. Some businesses have found that they are unable to commit the time, personnel and resources in maintaining a successful social media campaign. Instead of pulling your hair out, you can outsource this function to an outside consultant who is an expert in your business field.

Social Media

Although this is an important function, you need to make sure that the consultant you choose has a successful track record in social media. What they write on you or your businesses behalf could potentially harm your business and brand.  You must ensure that they write and/or share information that represents your business’ vision, ideals and overall brand.

To begin searching for the right consultant, ask a few key questions on the role of the social media consultant:

  • Will the consultant merely look for information and share it on your behalf?
  • Will they be a part of your team helping to develop a campaign, marketing new business initiatives, or launching new products or services?
  • Will they voice “an opinion” on your behalf?
  • Will they provide content via your blog?

Defining the role is going to be very critical in the beginning to eliminate any misunderstandings and errors.

The next step is selecting a consultant. Visit their website. Read their blog and look for comments. Review their writing style. Does it fit with your business or brand? How often do they blog and how many “shares” are they averaging? Look for testimonials from their clients. Visit their Facebook and Twitter accounts to review the information they have written and shared. Look at the number of shares and “retweets.” Check their Klout* scores. These are just a few of the many strategies that will help you make a clear decision.

Develop guidelines and identify tasks for the consultant:

  • If they are writing blogs on your behalf, create a list of topics that should not be included, such as religion, political views, negative comments about competitors, etc.
  • Develop a list of topics that require your approval before publishing.
  • Create a schedule for performing these tasks. And lastly,
  • Delegate a member of your team to oversee the consultant’s progress. Someone who will follow up and keep track of what is being shared and also any feedback that might come back to the company.

Social media is evolving daily. For you business to reach new clients, it should be someone’s daily responsibility.  If you are unable to do it – think about outsourcing it.

*FAQs about Klout.. “Klout digs deep into social media to understand how people influence each other, so that everyone can discover and be recognized for how they influence the world. You can use the Klout Score to understand how influential you are; you can use your topics to shape what you are influential about; and you can be recognized for your influence by receiving +K from friends or Perks from brands.”

Do-It-Yourself Marketing. Can You Really?
By Categories: Be More Visible, Blog

I recently attended a seminar that focused on how to get more clients. This is the premise: If you want more customers, you have to do all of the marketing yourself. Don’t rely on anyone else to do it for you.

While this sounds great and wonderful, it may not always be practical. Let’s think about this for a moment. You are a small business owner. You started your business because you have a passion for something. You love to create, work with your hands, design, strategize, transform or improvise.  We can even break it down further…you love to cook, paint, cut hair, talk, teach/instruct, fix cars, design brochures, sell houses, heal wounds.

You started your business because you love what you do and want to make a living doing it. Can you really do everything it requires to run a business?

If you worked in Corporate America, most likely you had a specific job to do. For illustrative purposes, let’s say you were a salesperson.  You came to work, made phone calls, conducted meetings, responded to emails, completed sales reports, then went home and started again the next day.

While you were selling, someone else at the company was answering the phones, determining the company’s budget, ordering supplies, filing tax forms, interviewing potential employees, ordering lunch, generating publicity, making travel reservations, designing the marketing materials, placing advertisements, updating the website…and the list goes on.

Now you own I Amma Salesperson Inc.  Not only do you have to perform your responsibilities as a salesperson, you also have to do all the above … answer the phones, determine the company’s budget, order supplies, file tax forms…

Every professional has his/her gifts and specialties. They are experts at what they do. Why not hire them to do what they do best? It’s impossible for you to do it all.

When it comes to marketing (or any other discipline), there are professionals who have skills and years of experience. They have been doing for years what they do best while you were out selling, because that’s what you do best.

While there is the do-it-yourself mantra out there… many are finding that, if the company is to grow beyond the “solopreneur,” it’s best to hire professionals to help you get to the next level.

Don’t believe the hype. You can start out by doing-it-yourself, but if you have plans to grow, you have to hire professionals to help you.

We Need Black and Brown in Green
By Categories: Blog, Sustainability

You can call me an energy technology nerd, but I enjoy assisting clients in the development of energy management solutions that help to reduce our societal carbon footprint.  More importantly, I find it intrinsically gratifying to develop successful consumer engagement strategies that incentivize the average citizen to reduce water and energy consumption.  After all, we should all be good environment stewards.  Yet, I attend energy and water management conferences where I am literally one of few Black people among conferences with attendances that range between 8,000 and 12,000 people.  I also struggle to find Hispanics attending such events.

Since environmental sustainability is a global issue, it would stand to reason that initiatives related home energy management, water conservation, or recycling of any kind be targeted in an equitable manner.  My point is not to make this a race issue, but to acknowledge “the elephant in the room”.  A white upper middle class public utility corporate communications specialist inherently knows how to connect to her suburban neighbors.  Tactics such as community forums, high-touch mobile displays, and engaging the church pastor will lead to significant traction in communities of color.  Politician running for office have known that for a long time.  After all, we are ultimately seeking ways to modify human behavior.  The methods and the messenger matter for African-Americans and Hispanics – a lot!

The 2010 U.S. census counts almost 90,000,000 African-Americans and Hispanics collectively.  Race or ethnicity aside, the fact is that we have to develop substantive consumer engagement strategies for such a large demographic. After all, everyone consumes water, uses electricity, and heats their homes.  Institutions that serve the total public such as utilities and local governments have an obligation to create value propositions for all.  If we are asking people to change habits, they have to understand what is in it for them.  For poor and working class people of color, water and energy conservation has to be linked to cost savings.  However, being an environmental steward may resonate more with higher income people of color.  If the message of environmental stewardship is being driven home by someone with significant social or political capital within the community, then you will have more success.  I have not even begun to overlay regional and age differences among communities of color.  The larger point is that it is time to better engage people like me.

Despite all of this, I see progress on the horizon.  Just as wireless phone providers slowly learned that people of colors also use cell phones, business models emerged to facilitate consumer preferences for communities of color.  Various studies now show that African-Americans have a higher cell phone adoption and use rate than America in general.  I expect the same phenomenon to occur in communities of color relative to the adoption of home energy and water management technology.  At a recent consumer engagement symposium in Texas, a utility executive told me that he is engaging African-American pastors and politicians as a means of generating Smart Meter and energy management awareness within the service territory for his utility.  Major energy trade organizations have made recent public declarations to develop consumer engagement strategies targeted to communities of color.

All of this signifies opportunity for people of color experienced in the development of customer segmentation strategies.  Whether you be the owner of a public relations firm or a corporate communications specialist for a utility, this is represents a tremendous opportunity to contribute to your triple bottom line (financial, environmental stewardship, social responsibility).  Retailers such as Best Buy are beginning to sell home energy management electronics.  Green is becoming main stream.  Pastors and grass roots community leaders also need to step up to the plate.  Being a protector of the planet is a spiritual matter.  The advocacy of green jobs workforce development programs can serve to economically revitalize many African-American and Hispanic communities.  Although I believe that government and public sector institutions need to do more to ensure equity in the green movement, ultimately African-Americans and Hispanics have to take ownership of changing the landscape.

Annual Reports… Who Reads Them?
By Categories: Be More Visible, Blog Tags: , ,

No one.  Annual Reports are long, boring and usually have awful photos. Well…not all of them. Some people actually do read them, because even though they are few and far between, there are good Annual Reports out there.  You just have to know how to create them.

Corporations with shareholders have to report their Income Statements, Cash Flows and Balance Sheets.  However, no one reads financial statements. So, if that’s all they published, no one would know about all the other wonderful things corporations do.  They have to put their Income Statements, Cash Flows and Balance Sheets in pretty packages so that people will read about the other contributions they make.

Non-profit organizations are not required to produce Annual Reports. But they do. They want their donors to see their names in print as a thank you for their contributions. Publicizing the charitable work that they perform may inspire others to help out as well.

Make it Easy to Read

Annual Reports usually aren’t. There is so much information organizations want to share that it ends up in tiny print.  You don’t have to include all the details of the last 12 months. Pick a few great things that you think are more than interesting. Use a larger font. It’s easier on the eyes.

Pick Great Photos

Don’t use stock photography.  Make it genuine and hire a photographer to capture events throughout the year.  Use close-ups whenever possible and candid shots rather than stiff, posed images.

No Stiff Copy

Punch it up. Make it fun. Invite the reader into your world. Instead of, “More than 350 people attended the annual fundraiser, and a good time was had by all…” include a quote from someone who attended the event. It gives the article a more personal feel.  “I had great time at the annual fundraiser. The entertainment gets better and better each year. My children loved the balloon animals and the talking bear.”

Engage the Public

No one wants to read a bunch of comments from employees about what they do at such-and-such a place. They want to read about people like themselves.  Ditch the employee humdrum and find real people who are benefit from your products or services.  Include real testimonials from the company blog or Facebook comments. Make it real.

Make it Accessible

Save a few dollars and make a pdf version that can be electronically distributed. Hard copies are nice, but you don’t need 10,000. You can save on distribution charges using email, or have a link to the document on your website.

Who reads Annual Reports? More people will. If they are easy to read, have great photos, include interesting, easy-to-read copy, stories from real people and are easily accessible, they will attract the inquisitive rather than repel the curious.

Sustainability – It’s a Matter of Stewardship
By Categories: Blog, Sustainability

While engaged is a discussion today regarding consumer engagement strategies for home energy management solutions, a colleague raised the question, “How do you make environmental sustainability resonate with the average person?’ For that matter, does the average person really connect personal driving habits to air quality? As we turn on our tap water, do we ever question whether clean water will flow? As I pondered these questions, it occurred to me that the questions are not really about conservation or reducing pollutants. We have to probe further into human nature to ask the right questions.

Although the “green movement” has gained significant momentum, tom many, environmental issues still remain abstract. Humans respond to things that are immediate and personal. People that experience the death of a loved one to cancer will often become the most passionate champions of charities committed to cancer research. The fact is that sustainability and environmental stewardship have to be personalized in similar ways.

Environmental stewardship has to be linked to outcomes that align with human values. Electric utilities have found that saving money on a monthly bill can motivate consumers to conserve energy. A reduction of carbon emissions may be viewed as a good thing, but financial stewardship at home in a tough economy is viewed as absolutely necessary.

In urban communities, people are more likely to live near electric generation plants that emit pollutants into the air. Environmental justice advocates assert that pollutants from cars and factories also disproportionately impact underserved communities and communities of color. They cite the skyrocketing rates of asthma in such communities as proof. Thus, many people are beginning to see environmental stewardship as a matter of life and death – literally. We are now speaking of a public health issue and not merely an environmental issue.

The fact is that we have to communicate to people in ways that are personal and compelling. The success of recycling programs, home energy management programs, and water conservation initiatives depend upon strategic public relations campaigns. After all, the focus is not the environment – it is ultimately the manner in which people treat the environment.

A Sustainable Planet – We Need to Educate
By Categories: Blog, Sustainability

As an energy management professional, I am always reading terms such as “Smart Grid,” “energy efficiency,” and “carbon footprint.”  Among my peers, I also use such terms.  However, the esoteric use of such language is proving to have little effect among the masses.  Some of us are attempting to be good environmental stewards, but let’s face it – most of us are energy hogs.

I say this to illustrate a point, and it is not my intention to be judgmental.  The fact is that public-interest institutions and organizations have to do a better job in delivering a value proposition to the average citizen.  Utilities have to engage consumers in ways that encourage them to embrace behavioral modification that results in energy conservation.

It is imperative that local governments develop communication plans designed to engage citizens in substantive ways that make them want to recycle.  I live in a small suburb of Cleveland that offers weekly pick up of recyclable material (cans, glass containers, plastic).  Yet there are only a few of us on my entire street that voluntarily place their recyclable items curbside.Surely, a community of educated and professional people knows better.

The fact is poor messaging results in a lack of awareness in any community.  All schools should integrate environmental and energy literacy into the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) curriculum.  Religious institutions need to align spiritual messages with principles of environmental stewardship.  Every level of government should have someone who ensures that we meet our growing energy needs without compromising our planet.  In addition, this person should lead effective public education and awareness campaigns.  It is also about time that utilities develop hands-on tactics that enable customers to save money while reducing energy consumption.

The point is that we need to leverage those with existing political and social capital to drive home the message.  We have to educate, and then reinforce what’s learned.

From your preferred position, let us advocate for a sustainable tomorrow.

Visibility Marketing Inc. & the 8(a) Certification
By Categories: Featured, News

Visibility Marketing Inc. is thrilled and eager to participate in the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program.  It was a difficult process and we’re happy that we are in!

The nine-year program helps small, disadvantaged businesses compete in the government’s market place. Thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs like us (and you!) are able to gain a foothold on government business.

By participating in the program, Visibility Marketing Inc. can receive sole-source contracts. But we can also form joint ventures, like the one we’ve formed with Möbius Grey (Mö-Vis).

If you’re interested in becoming 8(a) certified, give us a call. We can explain our experiences and point you in the right direction.

Green Visibility
By Categories: Sustainability

Almost every day I am reminded of being a good environmental steward.  Public service announcements have President Obama encouraging home energy efficiency from the oval office.  News articles tout the value of water conservation.  In my local community, I can place my recyclable glass, plastic, and aluminum cans for weekly curbside pickup.  Since this is voluntary in my community, I really feel like feel good to know that I am doing my part in preserving life on earth.

However, various studies have shown that most utilities have a long way to go on educating consumers about smart energy and water management.  Furthermore, I notice that very few of the neighbors in my suburban development recycle.  Surely, many of my educated and professional neighbors should understand the value sustaining our planet.

The fact is that this entire “green” movement is still abstract to the average person, and it does not resonate to most of us in a way that is immediately personal.  As I engage people on topics of the environment, it has occurred to me that I spend most of the time simplifying the message for people.  At that point, I get the “now I get it” response.

Messaging and strategic communication are critical.  Government entities, utilities, and major community stakeholders have to simplify the message.  We are told to get ready for the Smart Grid or to reduce our carbon footprint.  If we are to really prompt public behavior modification, then we have to put an end to the esoteric jargon.   This necessitates effective public relations and strategic communication planning.  When my 93-year-old grandmother understands exactly how reducing her carbon footprint can require less of her fixed income, now we are onto something.

Todd Q. Adams is Visibilty Marketing’s Chief of Sustainability & Innovation

Visibility Marketing Inc. Gets New Logo!
By Categories: Featured, News

It’s time! To celebrate it’s tenth anniversary and the move into sustainability initiatives, Visibility Marketing Inc. has a new, re-designed logo. After ten years, we thought this is a great time to spruce it up and go for something a little different. It’s interesting how, as my mother would say, “time brings about a change.”

Ten years ago it was very expensive to print a document using more than one color. So, as a new company and thinking economically, we went with one color in different shades. The printing industry is definitely different now. Four colors, spots colors…these are no longer words to fear in printing.

We’ve added green to show our appreciation for energy conservation, sustainability and saving our natural resources – the Earth.
What Our Colors Mean:

Purple: Purple is a color favored by creative types. With its blend of passionate red and tranquil blue, it evokes mystery, sophistication, spirituality and royalty.

Green: Green connotes nature, health, freshness and serenity. It represents growth, nature, and money.

There is still the distinguishable V and M with a 3D feel. When you see the logo, we hope you see what we see, that Visibility Marketing is looking forward to ten more years with a focus on a future of “green” and “innovation.”
Sources: Entrepreneur.com and digitalskratch.com

Be More Visible! And The Power of Ten
By Categories: Be More Visible, Featured, News, Uncategorized

The number ten signifies completeness. It implies that nothing is wanting. Ten is a very significant number so far for me in 2010. Here’s why:

~We launched the much needed and very helpful booklet Be More Visible! Create More Interest in You, Your Product or Service

~We celebrated Visibility Marketing’s tenth anniversary in October (tenth month), with Don’t Drop the Dream! a fundraiser for Continue Life, a homeless shelter for pregnant and parenting women.

~Over 100 people attended Don’t Drop the Dream!

~I was ten when I first visited my father’s company and decided I wanted to own a business

~Visibility Marketing won COSE’s Ten Under 10 Award for best practices in innovation, growth/success, value to the community and the environment, diversity promotion and customer service.

I’ve just listed five (half of ten) significant tens for Visibility Marketing. The first ten people who email me will receive the new booklet, Be More Visible! Create More Interest in You, Your Product or Service.

In it are more than 60 (six times ten) ways to tell others about you or what you have to offer. Using these tips at least once a week will create mre visibility, which often leads to more sales.

Thanks in advance for your support and continue to Be More Visible!

A Celebration of Tenacity
By Categories: Featured, News

Don’t Drop the Dream! was a celebration of tenacity, perseverance and hope. Thank you to everyone who attended and an even greater thank you to those who supported Continue Life, a homeless shelter for pregnant and parenting women.

The over 100 guests at the Italian eatery Massimo da Milano enjoyed the jazz sounds of Cecil Rucker & Good Vibes featuring Nancy Redd. Nancy sang passionately and accompanied the band on flute. International recording artist and author Kelly Chapman soulfully treated the guests to several inspirational songs not featured on her two CDs Real and Great is Your Grace. Continue reading A Celebration of Tenacity