Zoo in a Jungle Marketing » Internal Branding

Stop micro-managing. Start empowering.

amanda — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:00:11 +0000

Micro-managing is the pitfall of too many small businesses. It may be counter-intuitive that you must let go a little for your business to grow. After all, perfection can only be achieved if you manage it, right? If your team has the power to make decisions, won’t they only screw things up?

Wrong. If your team feels empowered, they will think of ideas you never dreamed of.

Your small business will never grow unless you develop a team who share the same business vision and are empowered to make the vision a reality. I’ve seen many small businesses stagnate because their owners weren’t able to communicate, delegate and relinquish authority to their teams. Your team can consist of employees, independent contractors and vendors.

Micro-managing means managing the small stuff. As a small business owner, you should be concerned with things such as the company vision or strategies for the upcoming year. Here are some ways to avoid micro-managing. They may not seem like large infractions, but think of the time wasted that could be put towards valuable business growth activities.

Always think, “Is this the most important thing I could be doing right now?” Management expert Peter Drucker wrote, “Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.”
Unless you own a graphic design firm, don’t ever question a font again. Instead, employ designers who have the freedom to design what your customers want- not what you want.
Don’t spend an hour on the phone with an accounting software vendor when you will never use the software. Let your bookkeeper make these decisions. The same rule applies to any kind of purchase.
If your sales team has a bold new idea to reach customers, let them try it out on a limited scale. Avoid “talking it to death” at all costs.

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Measure Your Marketing Podcast

amanda — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:00:35 +0000

I joined David Weatherholt on his weekly radio show “Getting Down to Business” to help his listeners measure their marketing. Listen to see how your small business stacks up! Then listen for our advice on improving your small business marketing. David and I both specialize in small business issues, because we know your issues are unique and require a different strategic focus from large companies.

Listen or download below:

Download the measure your marketing MP3 file here. (12.8MB)

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5 Small Business Marketing Rules

amanda — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:33:15 +0000

Be easy to do business with. Communicate with your customers in ways that are meaningful to them. Know where you want to go. Involve your team. Keep at it. Not too complicated, right? Related posts:Small Business Marketing Test In my last post, I presented 5 small business marketing...Stop micro-managing. Start empowering. Micro-managing is the pitfall of too many small businesses. It...Let’s [...] Related posts:

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Internal Marketing for Small Business Podcast

amanda — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:00:47 +0000

In the beginning segment of ”Getting Down to Business,” host Dave Weatherholt interviews Todd Clark, founder and president of DenaliTEK, an Anchorage-based IT consulting firm. Todd credits his business’ success to an effective Mission and Vision Statement. He was able to use these credos to build a company culture, create excitement in employees and improve the customer experience. Todd also added, “If you don’t have happy employees, you won’t have happy clients.”

Later in the show, I analyze what makes an effective Mission and Vision Statement. I explain how DenaliTEK uses their Mission and Vision Statement as an internal marketing strategy to create strong beliefs about their organization’s purpose and future. DenaliTEK has built a very strong internal brand. It is especially impressive how Todd developed a set of criteria called, “The 10 Keys to Success,” that DenaliTEK uses to evaluate prospective employees to determine if they will help build the culture. The company lives its brand every day.

Not every company is this successful in implementing their Mission and Vision. Many times, these items are left as bullet points in the dust-heap of executives’ PowerPoint slides, never to become implemented. Another pitfall is making them too vague, so that in trying to say everything, they communicate nothing.

For more insights, listen to the podcast below:

Download the internal marketing MP3 file here. (7.6MB)

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The Importance of an Internal Brand

amanda — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:34 +0000

In this podcast, Gerhard Vierthaler and I talk with David Weatherholt, host of “Getting Down to Business,” about sales strategy and cold calling.

I advocate turning your marketing towards yourself to help all employees realize their roles in the sales process. A strong internal brand will improve your profitability, employee performance and your work environment.

Fortunately, small businesses are especially equipped to develop compelling internal brands. They are usually tight-knit organizations with a cohesive culture that can be harnessed to achieve a common company goal.

Download the advertising and promotions for small business MP3 file here. (13.38MB)

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