Add V-v-v-Voom! with a Kudos Sheet for Your Online Media Room

Building collateral materials for your online media room can be as simple as taking note of the kind words or praise you receive.

The word kudo has roots in the ancient Greek word kydos, and literally refers to “that which is heard of.” Your achievements on a nonprofit board for example, can earn you praising remarks known as kudos.

Leverage the success of your business by letting others know about your fame or renown with a simple kudos sheet. New authors, persons making career transitions, professional speakers and service providers of all kinds can make good use of a kudo sheet.

Kudos sheets begin as a collection of praise. I differentiate between a kudo and a testimonial in tone. The kudo is informal and frequently without full accreditation. Consider these kudo notes from seminar participants:

• “This presentation was useful for our business and humorous, too.”
• “You presented in a non-threatening way for the not-very-technical among us.”
• “This information is invaluable for all small businesses that want to grow.”
• “The before and after examples made this effective.”

The kudos sheet is a first step to add power to your web site. When a customer doesn’t give permission to use a name with a positive remark, it’s a kudo. Initials-only-comments are kudos at best. The specificity of a comment combined with a name, business or identifier and location build a kudo to testimonial quality. We’ll focus on testimonials in another blog post.

If you don’t keep a kudos sheet, begin one now. Use your kudo sheet to promote. Or, use it as an internal tool, one that generates positive feelings and reminds you how far you’ve come.

Even if you choose to never publish your kudos, you’ll enjoy reading through the comments. And, you can prime yourself to begin asking for additional specifics as well as permission to use names and then build a testimonial.

Six P Motto Aligns Perfectly With Guerrilla Marketing

On Monday, Client A planned an introductory lecture for the following Tuesday. He rushed a flyer through the creative process foregoing a proper logo because the artist could not be reached in time and ordered 500 copies from a quick printer for pick up Wednesday. He made a list of 20 places where his flyer would reach potential customers. His wife assured him that she could deliver 25 copies to each of the 20 locations. Unfortunately, nothing happened Wednesday and she didn’t feel well Thursday; then, an out-of-town trip doomed Friday’s deliveries…

This scenario reflects what passes for guerrilla marketing in many small businesses. Contrary to popular opinion, guerrilla marketing doesn’t mean “marketing for free.” Time and energy go into successful events. I revisited this concept as I reviewed The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook. As Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the successful Guerrilla Marketing series notes, “The guerrilla is a cheapskate. She knows that every dollar allocated to marketing is essential, and she doesn’t plan to waste a penny. But she’s not foolish. When necessary, she hires the best designers, media planners, and experts in the business – she realizes that the best is often the cheapest in the end.[1]”

My advice to the client with the introductory lecture:

• Plan further out – three weeks, minimum
• Pay a graphic designer for a flyer template that can then be used for future events
• If there’s no budget for advertising, talk with the employees about getting the word out. Enlist their support in bringing the flyer to the attention of every customer
• Continue to list locations for flyers; divide them up between employees or, pay a delivery service to get them out quickly
• Build an e-list and get permission to mail contacts with news of upcoming events
• Get the event listed on community calendars in local papers and on bulletin boards
• Offer a reward for the most creative idea from employees

Time Management expert and motivational author Brian Tracy offers a Six P Motto which is perfectly applicable in this situation: “Proper prior planning prevents poor performance. “

Other ideas? This is the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Let me know what low cost methods have worked well for you.

[1] The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook, Jay Levinson & Seth Godin

Where oh where is my trifold brochure?

The tri-fold brochure has been along-time staple for company collateral. It works for virtually any product or service. Websites have impacted the effectiveness of the standard brochure. A static website now provides general information and is easily accessible from anywhere in the world.

Small business owners who use their website as a brochure must then take advantage of additional flexibility offline. Print-on-demand services have made the instant brochure amazingly easy and relatively inexpensive. I notice entrepreneurs frequently updating information, customizing it for different categories of business and even for specific companies or events.

In my opinion, it is now far more effective for a small service provider or even a new product manufacturer to customize. For example, offers specific to a tradeshow or special event can be showcased within the brochure, thus enabling better tracking of responses. Additional outlets can be added as the business expands. Testimonials can change. All of this information can be freshened easily and unless large quantities are ordered it is economical to consider the customized option.

It’s my experience that most professionals research appointments. Given that potential, if I appear with a brochure that offers nothing different than my website, I’d best have some powerful discussion points ready or be prepared for the shortest appointment on the planet.