Matrix Group International

Tag: Marketing

  • What I Learned About Marketing From a Recipe on a Box

    What I Learned About Marketing From a Recipe on a Box

    Box of GrainsA couple of years ago, I was reading about the health benefits of barley.  So I decided to pick up a box of Quaker Oats barley at the grocery store.  Having never cooked with barley before, I searched for recipes online.  Finally, my husband said, “Hey, there’s a recipe on the box. Why don’t you try that one?”  So I did.  Guess what?  The chicken barley chili recipe on the side of the box was really good. In fact, I’ve made this dish for friends (who rave) and cut up a box to stash the recipe in my recipe box.

    Since then, I’ve made made pasta, soup, cakes and cheesecake from recipes on boxes, cans and cartons.  For the most part, the recipes have been excellent and pretty easy to make.  I know, it’s really  low brow to cook food from recipes on cans and boxes.  In fact, I can’t believe I’m admitting to this on my blog, so please pretend you heard me say that all my recipes are from my Gourmet cookbook.  But here’s what I have learned: if you are a manufacturer of a food product, it’s in your best interest to have a really, really good recipe on your packaging. I bet the folks at Quaker Oats spent a lot of time on that chicken barley chili recipe because it was going to be printed on millions of boxes and, for a lot of people, that recipe was going to be their introduction to barley!

    So what does a recipe on a box have to teach us about marketing?  Just this: that the first interaction potential customers have with your company had better be really, really good. Here are some examples: (more…)

  • The Art and Science of Business Cards

    The Art and Science of Business Cards

    When we moved to our new office in Crysta City, it meant reprinting all of our marketing materials.  While it was simply a matter of updating and reprinting most of our collateral, we decided to redesign our business cards.  Matrix Group Creative Director Alex Pineda wanted to update the design with the refreshed logo and show some more personality.

    Here are some sample cards that demonstrate what we were trying to achieve.

    Joanna Pineda business cards

    Here’s my card.  The front is purple so it’s easy to find on a cluttered desk or stack o cards.  The corners are curved because Alex says the Matrix Group brand is curvey, node-y.  The prominent elements are my name and title and the company Web address.  You’ll also notice that my card has all the ways you can contact me:  phone, fax, e-mail, blog and Twitter.

    Maki Kato business card (more…)

  • Creating an Integrated Marketing Strategy for Your Organization That Blends Traditional Marketing and Social Networking

    Creating an Integrated Marketing Strategy for Your Organization That Blends Traditional Marketing and Social Networking

    Kids and Puzzle PiecesClients often ask me how to add social media to their marketing and communication initiatives.  Rather than viewing social media as a separate program, I recommend adding social media to existing marketing activities.

    In addition, I recommend against blasting the same message across the different platforms.  Instead, I urge clients to create a layered approach that uses each platform according to its strengths and capabilities.  Here are some examples:

    Example #1: Trade Association Wants to Promote a Conference

    • Create a microsite for the conference that contains information about the conference, the venue, the program and speakers, and benefits to attendees
    • Use Twitter to broadcast conference updates and deadlines, industry news and statistics
    • Post photos from the previous year’s conference to Flickr
    • Use a Facebook fan page to feature program and speakers, host discussions about conference topics, and allow attendees to interact with experts
    • Host a blog where conference organizers can blog news before the conference; during the conference, assign members to blog about the sessions

    Example #2: Shoe Boutique Wants to Increase Traffic to Bricks and Mortar Store During the Holiday Season (more…)

  • Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media

    Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media

    Grow Smart Business logoI had the pleasure of being part of a panel at today’s Grow Smart Biz conference, sponsored by Network Solutions.  Our topic was “Integrating Traditional Marketing with Social Media.”  Despite being the last panel of the day (we started around 4:20pm), I estimated that over 80% of the conference attendees attended the panel.  And by the number of questions raised, this is a hot topic for sure.

    You can read a nice recap of the panel on the Solutions are Power blog, but here were my take-aways: (more…)

  • Using the Crowd to Attract a Bigger Crowd To Your Events

    Using the Crowd to Attract a Bigger Crowd To Your Events

    CrowdI’m going to be a panelist at the Grow Smart Biz conference next Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, DC.   In my opinion, this conference will be a must-attend event for small business owners and entrepreneurs (more on that later).  This blog post is about how the conference planners are using the crowd to attract a bigger crowd. Here’s how:

    The planners of Grow Smart Biz have assembled a powerhouse group of speakers and panelists, which is not unusual for a conference.  What is new is this: the planners have actively engaged the speakers in promoting the conference through their blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc. In essence, the conference hosts are tapping into the vast networks of the speakers to promote the event. So, when Jill Foster, editor of the Women Grow Business blog and social media expert, tweets or blogs, the event is marketed to her over 3,000 followers.  So, if you’ve got big names keynoting at your next convention, why not ask them to update their status and give your event a boost? (more…)

  • Does Your Staff Know What Your Company Does?

    Does Your Staff Know What Your Company Does?

    A couple of weeks ago, I called Harris Teeter to order a Thomas the Tank Engine birthday cake for my soon-to-be 5 year old son. The conversation went something like this:

    Me:  Good morning, I want to order a birthday cake with the Thomas design.
    HT staff:  Sorry, we don’t have Thomas cakes.
    Me:  But you have a Thomas cake on display in your bakery section.
    HT staff:  Sorry, we don’t have Thomas cakes.  I think that display is old.
    Me:  I saw Thomas cakes in your catalog.
    HT staff:  I haven’t seen the catalog lately.
    Me:  Okay, I guess I’ll call Costco.

    Thomas the Tank EngineLucky for Harris Teeter, I am a big fan of the store and was not to be deterred.  I went to the store, found a manager, showed him the Thomas cake on display and asked if I could please order it.  Yep, he was happy to take my order, especially since Thomas cakes are expensive!  I told him that I had called the store a few days earlier and the person said HT didn’t make Thomas cakes.  The manager apologized and said that perhaps the person I spoke with was new or didn’t know about the special order cakes.

    Yikes!  How many sales has HT lost because of this bakery guy?  Could this happen in your company? I know this kind of “revenue leakage” has happened in my organization!
    (more…)

  • How Many Times Do I Need to Pay For This Song?

    How Many Times Do I Need to Pay For This Song?

    Rock BandI love Rock Band for the PS3. A friend lent his set a couple of weeks ago to me and my husband and we’ve been enjoying learning how to “play” drums and guitar, as well as do vocals. Rock Band comes with a collection of songs but you can buy scores of other songs (in different genres) on the Sony store.

    So last night, I paid $1.99 for the Police’s Synchronicity.  I love this song.  I loved the album when it came out.  I even saw the Police in concert for this tour.  So I was happy to shell out $2 to be able to sing one of my favorite Police songs.

    Then it hit me:  I’ve paid for Synchronicity four times: (more…)

  • Measuring the ROI on Social Media Initiatives

    Measuring the ROI on Social Media Initiatives

    Analyzing The DataI met with a group of CEOs this morning and social media came up in conversation. More than several members of the group wondered if a social media strategy is worth the effort. In other words, how do we measure the return on investment (ROI) of our social media initiatives?

    This is a topic that comes up a lot at Matrix Group. Unfortunately, there isn’t a magic formula for calculating ROI on social media activities. Mashable says that you can measure the ROI in two ways:

    • Qualitative – Are you part of the conversation in your industry? Are you able to demonstrate that you or your organization is a thought leader? Is social media able to help you build better relationships  with your target audiences?
    • Quantitative – Look to your usage reports, RSS subscriptions, e-mail opt-ins, e-commerce sales and registrations to see if social media is increasing traffic and transactions. (more…)
  • What’s Your Elevator Speech?

    What’s Your Elevator Speech?

    elevatorI moderated a strategy meeting yesterday and a redesign kick-off meeting this afternoon. During both meetings, I started the discussion with a simple question: what’s your elevator speech? It sounds so trite and overused to ask about one’s elevator speech, so we did something different.

    We asked each person how they would explain their job or company to:

    • Their spouse
    • A high school student
    • A neighbor
    • A member of the press
    • A Fortune 100 CEO

    As expected, we got a wide variety of answers.  Surprisingly, the best responses were from people trying to explain their business to a high school student. How can this be?  I think it’s because when talking to a student, we avoid jargon, we use analogies, and we try to explain the most meaningful aspects of our work. (more…)

  • Whale Hunting as a Metaphor for Landing Large Accounts

    Whale Hunting as a Metaphor for Landing Large Accounts

    Whale HuntingAt a recent Vistage meeting, I had the pleasure of hearing Tom Searcy, author and CEO of Hunt Big Sales, a sales consulting and training company, talk about how small businesses can land big sales that will transform their companies. Tom likens the process to whale hunting, which:  requires planning and skills, can’t be done by one person (it takes a village, actually), and can keep a large number of people fed (or employed) for a long time.

    Tom says that whales are like large companies and we all know that large companies usually buy from other large firms because they:

    • Are perceived as having more resources
    • Have a more well-known brand and reputation
    • Speak the language of whales
    • Represent less risk and more security

    We’ve heard it before: “nobody gets fired for picking (fill in large company name).”  So how is a small business supposed to compete against the big guys? Tom says that large companies pick small companies when they are looking for an advantage in their business, specifically:

    • Innovative solutions that are usually  not associated with larger, bureaucratic companies
    • Access to the brightest talent
    • Speed and nimbleness
    • Knowledge of a niche market
    • A relationship with a company where they’re not just another customer

    Ultimately, small businesses can only the land the big sales when:

    • Executive management is involved in the sales process because whales will only talk to senior staff
    • Someone on the customer side believes the small business can help them move the needle in their business in a big way

    (more…)