Instead, I now have all my professional  bragging rights in my Linkedin profile. It’s only been 3 years since I graduated from University, so it isn’t the most impressive profile you would see. However, it does accurately represent who I am and what I do.

Linkedin is the New Resume

Download the profile as a PDF and it replaces that boring sheet of paper that you once knew as your resume. Your referees are all there on Linkedin and have put in a ‘recommendation’ for you. Moreover, you can go a step further and see if there is anyway by which you would be able to connect with whoever it was that was trying to recruit you (‘Get introduced’). Your contact details are stored online and can be downloaded as a VCard.

Who needs a resume now!

Would it then make sense for you to ask those Linkedin buddies if they knew anyone at Widget Inc, out of which, you are trying to gain new business? (Post an update so that all can see!)

Networking on Linkedin Presents Real Possibilities

Perhaps they could be a brand ambassador for you and put in a good word. Perhaps they could recommend your service too or make use of the ‘Get Introduced’ button.

Relationship of course, is key!

Back to QR Codes. QR codes mean nothing if you don’t have a smartphone. So a smartphone is the mother of all assumptions when it comes to any sort of marketing strategy involving this.

Now every kid on the street, and everyone man I have seen in a pin striped suit carries a smartphone. If you like stats, then here it is… As of August 2011, 50% of the Australian mobile population was using a smartphone and two thirds of all handsets sold are smartphones. If the users are indeed smart and savvy, then QR campaigns make a good choice. If your product is something that is being sold to the online market (i.e. people who have enough web savvy and feel comfortable entering their credit card details online), then a QR campaign would probably work for you.

The best thing I like about QR codes is that you can place them anywhere and people can scan them (billboards, websites, stationery, company vehicles, garbage bins, tattoo on left bum cheek, etc.)

Here is what you can do with a QR code:

1. Offer discounts and vouchers

2. Educate an audience: The local municipal corporation in New York put QR codes on their sanitation trucks with links to videos showing citizens how to recycle and manage their waste

3. Exchange contact details: A QR code could sit as a V-Card wherever you like (how about an email signature)

4. Offer app downloads or launch mobile websites

5. Event information: Scanning a code means that you can now add this to your calendar and remember when it is on.

6. Pass on secret messages (only if your enemies don’t have access to a smartphone.. also would not apply if they are in Australia)

7. If you can do a combination of the above, you are genius!

There is so much more that you can do with these, but I will go on and on, and I don’t want to bore you with this. I have been wearing my glasses since I was a kid, and don’t drink any beer. A 2,000 word rant on QR codes would only make me more uncool. So, we will leave it there.

Here’s a simple one I did if you want to check me out on FB.

Perhaps we could pretend to be friends.

Prior to printing, I had checked the brochure for spelling and grammatical errors over and over again. In fact, I even had two of my colleagues to go through this to pick out any errors. The graphic designer himself had a read as well.

Finally, on release today, a colleague pointed out that which made me feel completely shit. In the middle of the document in blue subheading was the word, ‘Capabilites’.

I have learned my lesson now. Always use a professional proof reader or someone who has nothing to do with what you do or your department to do a ‘sanity check’.

Anyway, it will be another one year before the 2000 copies are done and over with. I don’t feel better now!

I have made this mistake, and hope you and I learn from it!

Marketing the first-ever Tibetan Film and Arts Festival in Sydney is an honour.

The Tibetans have a strong support network here in Australia and social media seems to be the right avenue to promote such an event. So Facebook seemed to be a good option where I could target my ads to specific networks in Sydney.

What I found interesting was that Facebook suggested a bid of $0.91-$1.55 a day for my ad. That seemed unusually high given that this market segment does not have many people trying to sell them stuff. Anyway, I bid 50 cents and managed to get a few impressions. Increasing the bid to 70 cents seems to do the trick and now the ad gets shown about 7,000 times each day.

A smart colleague once told me that you should never pay what they tell you to pay when it comes to setting bids in the world of online advertising. I think she was right…. and yes, I am A/B testing multiple ads including variations of the Festival logo.

The Hello Bar is a great way to compare selling propositions

The paid version of this tool offers A/B split testing where you can try different variations (copy, colour, style, etc) and compare click through rates. Once you have a winner, you can come up with another variation, thereby driving continuous improvement.

This tool works really well if you have several selling points and want to test which attracts the most attention from your website visitors. The old ‘executive wisdom’ can now be put to test.

During the Japan earthquakes this year, the Hello Bar was served over 2 million times and helped raised more than $2M for the Red Cross.

As I clicked through and actually read the review, I was rather startled to read it. In black bold text was our first review where a customer mentioned ‘AirRoad Direct is better than sex’.

The review would not have bothered me if I had another nine reviews, and this was the tenth review. However, this was our first review and we only have two at the moment.

Time to put the diplomacy hat on and take the Christmas cards out.

You see, the government here has been getting too anal about trying to get people off smoking. The Australian tobacco industry is quite regulated in that legislation exists where by cigarettes can only be sold to adults, and must feature gruesome images of the after effects of smoking. To take it a step further, these cigarettes are always shelved away and never displayed when retailed. Smoking is banned in most enclosed areas (if not all), and is more or less socially unacceptable.

Let's get all psyched out about cigarette smoking and those who smoke.

The latest idea now involves getting generic packaging across all cigarette brands.

I understand that packaging obviously influences purchase patterns and perception about quality. However, given that the steps above are already in place, does the packaging really need to go?

Marketers have put in a lot of work in building a brand, even if it is that of an evil tobacco company. With the packaging gone off a cigarette, it basically turns the product into a commodity, with no brand identity. As a marketer, that is where the problem lies for me.

Yes, cigarette smoking is bad and stinks, but let’s not forget that we are all grown ups. I am sure the smokers are fully aware of the choices they make. We have seen the TV ads during dinner time, and people are aware of what they have opted in for.

Plain packaging is just pushing things too far…. What do you think?

In these hard times, top businesses will agree that the key to success is in knowing who your customers are. Serving existing clients is something that businesses should never overlook if they want to have successful long term relationships and make a decent earning. This article examines why it pays for you and your business to know your customer.

I like the little friendly restaurant that I go to every weekend. The waiter there knows me by name and is more than happy to serve me. She is good at recommending what dishes are likely to please my taste buds or what wine is suitable for which dish. Beyond my culinary habits, she also knows what my interests are and we both like to update ourselves with new music that comes out. I am confident that they don’t have a complex database where my details are stored. I sometimes wish that businesses today were more like them and knew their customers well without trying too hard.

We all know that it costs so much more to acquire new clients than to service existing ones. In their quest to gain new clients, businesses often get so caught up that they forget those that have been providing them with a steady flow of revenue over the years. An outward orientation means that businesses often lose grip on what is going on the inside and therefore lose their say in the relationship. It is important therefore that businesses know their existing customers well and continue to serve their needs.

Customer insight is the ability of the firm to understand their customers and appreciate their individuality. It comes from experience and familiarity. The key to having successful customer insight is to be proactive and learn. Many businesses have become so task driven that they forget that they are actually dealing with people. In most cases, businesses will try to gain new data without considering what they already know and feed them into their databases.

However, another approach to tackle the same problem would be to use an existing database more effectively. From my own experience, there will often be a lot of information that can be used to generate new or more business. Patterns can be studied and as you continue to interact with them, you can learn more about them and see what their needs are. Many databases are also flawed with outdated information and therefore need to be revised continuously.

A successful relationship with a client will mean that you now have the opportunity to up sell or cross sell. As you understand their needs and abilities, you can design personalised marketing campaigns that point out why they should switch from one particular product to the premium one. You can also get them to buy more of what you have to sell.  According to the Peppers and Rogers Group, knowing how, when and what to offer to customers can mean the difference between a profitable business and an unprofitable one.

Customer based strategies and a customer based organizational culture can lead to customisation. This can be the differentiating factor for a business and can improve the overall customer experience. A positive customer experience will then bring customers back to you and therefore increase the total volume of business. People always like it when they are acknowledged. “Dear Johnny”, “Dear Jude” is always better than “Dear Sir/Madam”.

The best way to know more about your customer is to simply ask them. However, this too can be tricky at times, as privacy is a major concern here. People are not keen to give their e mail addresses out in the fear of being spammed. Ask them what you need to know and make it relevant to your business. Observe them and see what their buying habits and preferences are. The inquiries that your customers make through multiple channels can also be valuable and tell you a lot about them.

Collecting data is often easy. However, understanding who your key accounts are and their value to your business is the most important part. Once you have identified your most valuable customers, you might want to reallocate your marketing resources. You then need to turn your customer data into actionable customer insight based on which you can make a sale.

Customer loyalty is the result businesses get when they are able to maintain successful relationships with their clients. This also serves as a switching cost and keeps them away from your competitors who would otherwise take time to know their preferences and behaviour.

Here are the best tips that I could think of so that you hopefully get to know your customer better. Remember that the customer is a person as well and try establishing a successful working relationship with them. Successful relationships in most cases will transcend into successful business.

Top Tips to know your customer:

1. Research them. A good place to start is their website where you can see what their core values and mission statement are.
2. Ask them what you need to know.
3. Respect their privacy. Always ask for permission before sending marketing material and always give them the option to unsubscribe/opt out.
4. Address them and acknowledge their names rather than the generic “Dear Sir/Madam”.
5. Study buying patterns. Actions speak louder than words.
6. Exchange greetings during festivals and special occasions. E.g. Anniversaries, Christmas, New Year.
7. Invite key accounts to events that you have during the year.
8. Remind them who you are and what it is that you do.
9. Sell but do not oversell. You will be seen as annoying and trying too hard.
10. Always be professional and treat each other with respect.

The most important point here is to add value to your business by building quality relationships with your clients. At the same time, remember that you are all professionals and know when to take a step back.

Although, nobody backed up the $5000 pledge to help her in return of which, she would travel and play for anyone (in Europe),  390 people did support her and she raised over $17k.

You can view the not-so-try-hard campaign that Marissa pulled off in the link below:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marissanadler/help-marissa-nadler-record-her-new-album-0?ref=video

Her latest album is self-titled, and was released a week ago here in Australia on iTunes.