13 Reasons to Blog

Back in January, I posed the question to the blogosphere - ‘Why do you blog?’ as I wanted a client to start blogging. Everytime I talked with her, I discovered new levels to her fountain of knowledge. I thought she should share that knowledge with others.

Whenever I brought up the blogging topic, she always asked me the same question:

“But Denise, why should I blog? Why do you blog?“

I blog because I have ideas to share, to build credibility and to engage with the community around me. The very same reason that she should blog.

So to get extra help to persuade her, I asked my fellow bloggers and got some great comments. You can catch the entire comments HERE so I’m paraphrasing.

Reasons to Blog
These are the main reasons that I saw when reading the comments of fellow bloggers. They are in no particular order of importance:

1. Own my own little piece of the internet
2. It’s a good way to force me to pursue my interest in writing
3. Gain a superior understanding of the topics/subject when it’s written down
4. For the joy of writing, learning and sharing
5. Others may benefit from my articles
6. Aid SEO
7. Help establish me/my company as industry experts on a topic
8. Share observations or thoughts on the way people/companies do things
9. Recount a story from from recent travels
10. Advise companies/people on things they could do differently that I’ve seen elsewhere
11. Act as a FAQ site/repository of information
12. Provide my thoughts on a range of business/technical topics which can be accessed  reasonably accessible way.
13. Another way to help others

So in summary, people blog to:
- Help others
- Get higher rankings on search engines
- Gain clarity in their own mind on a particular topic
- Make use of the instantness of the medium

A caveat - or indeed follow up question.
Most of the people that I spoke with said that they don’t blog regularly enough.

So, how much is regular enough?

I’ve got a goal: 100 articles in 100 days

I signed up for the ‘100 articles in 100 days’ (#HAHD) last year but through one thing and another, I didn’t complete it. This year, I’ve decided that I’m going to complete it.

I want to get:

1. Downloadable #HAHD Certificate of Achievement (frame not included)
2. Original Limited-edition EzineArticles #HAHD Trophy Mug
3. Limited-Edition EzineArticles #HAHD Mouse Pad
4. Limited-Edition EzineArticles #HAHD Canvas Tote Bag
5. Limited-Edition EzineArticles Motivational Wall Clock

It’s not the goodie bag that I want but the sense of achievement and accomplishment.

So please - can I ask for encouragement from my friends and readers?

And give me your ideas as well!

What is your biggest marketing challenge at the moment?

I’ve been very quiet for a while and you know what? I think It’s time to get back to solving marketing issues for small businesses.

But instead of me assuming what your issues are, I thought why not ask you what your issues are.

You only need to turn on the radio or open up the newspaper to be (constantly) reminded that things have changed.

So I want to know:

• What is your biggest marketing challenge or issue at the moment?
• What are you struggling with?
• What would you like to do better?
• What would you like to know more about?

There are a myriad of issues in marketing, such as:

• Getting the strategy right
• Competitive analysis
• Market research
• Pricing
• Promotion
• Customer value
• Customer retention
• Promotion
• Direct marketing/selling
• PR
• Social media
• Writing of brochures/case-studies/leaflets/etc
• Printing of brochures/etc
• Website marketing

I could go on for days - but these are just a few ideas for you to think about.

So go on - take five minutes and tell me what your biggest marketing challenge is.

I’m a ‘Woman of Worth’ - Yippee!

During Louth Enterprise Week, the Drogheda Chamber held the ‘Women of Worth’ Awards celebrating the achievements of business women in the Drogheda & District Area.

You can imagine my surprise when I got a phone call from Marian Caddell, Office Administrator Extraordinaire at the Chamber to congratulate me for making it to the short-list. I didn’t even know that I was nominated!

There were four categories and I was short-listed in the Professional Category along with some very strong local women:

Among the other finalists were Marcella Bannon, Droichead Arts Centre Director and Orlaigh Carmody Duffy of Aerga Productions in the Creative Arts category.

Karen Devine and Marian Caddell celebrating with short-listed WOW Denise Fay and Marcella Bannon

The other finalists, in their respective categories were:

Creative Arts

• Orlaith Carmody-Duffy, Aerga Productions
• Marcella Bannon, Droichead Arts centre
• Els Borghart, Nexus Arts project

Community

• Isabel Sanroma, St. Patrick’s Day Festival
• Anne Tracey, Gary Kelly Cancer Support Centre
• Phil Conyngham, Samba Festival

Entrepreneur

• Laura Armada Buch, Labfitness
• Gemma McGuinness, Jacquis Fashion Boutique
• Carmel Riggs, Essential Magazine
• Gwen Fearon & Orlaith Callaghan, Stockwell Artisan Foods

Night of the Awards

The awards were held in the four star d Hotel and the guest speaker for the night was a woman of worth in her own right, Ms Terry Prone. Terri expressed her support for the WOW initiative in her inspiring speech.

It is not very long ago that women could be sacked from their employment simply because they were women and I have known that experience myself, it is incredibly important to acknowledge and celebrate the successes of women in business and there are some excellent examples to celebrate here tonight.”

Before announcing the winners, Chamber President Patricia Rooney congratulated each and every nominee, saying that the Chamber received an overwhelming number of nominations and the judges had a hard job whittling it down to the finalists.  “The calibre of the women who were nominated was really impressive and the judges reported it was a real challenge to decide on one winner for each category from such a wealth of talented and deserving candidates.”

Even though I didn’t win, I had a great night. It is always good to get nominated and who knows what could happen over the coming year. My sincerest congratulations goes to Sheila Cooney who won in the Professional category and all the other winners on the night.

Photo: Cowley Photography

I love Shoes, therefore I am in love with Shoeisms

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to hear Veronica Canning speak at a networking event and you know what, everytime I hear her, I learn something different.

She is engaging, entertaining and enthralling. I could listen to her all day, every day. On this speaking occasion, she shared with us her Personal Brand Success Programme which is a five step model.

Shoeism - Personal Brand Success Programme

This five step model makes sense - yet many of us don’t follow it as unfortunately common sense is not so common! The five points are Veronica’s five points - the sub-information is my personal take on Veronica’s words of wisdom.

1. Act Strategically

I’m a marketing consultant so I always tell my clients to think strategically. My constant advice is that marketing should not be done on an ad-hoc basis but should always be part of an overall plan.

Veronica applies this same logic to your brand - you as your brand should act strategically. Ask yourself before you do or say anything - “Does this help my personal brand?” If not…don’t do it!

2. Make your Message Match the Messenger

Be consistent with your brand. If you are a fun, quirky person, then don’t have a corporate banal brand. You are not representing yourself in the correct way.

3. Get Out of your Own Way

This was one of my favourite points. How many times do we get in our own way? Have you ever used phrases such as:

• “I’ll do it tomorrow”
• “I’m afraid people will laugh”
• “What will people think?”
• “It’s just not right”
• “I just don’t have time”

Go on - be honest. If you say any of these (and more!), then you are in your own way. Veronica is a big believer in this. We are our own worst enemy and as successful women (and men) that has to change to move forward.

4. Benchmark against the Best

Look at who is the best in your industry and benchmark yourself against them. Ask yourself what skills or talents do they have that you don’t? What can you learn from them?

If you benchmark yourself against the best, then you will find ways in which to improve yourself. And self improvement is a constant in today’s environment.

5. Fake It until you Make It

If you don’t have an office in  Dublin 2 or 4, then meet in a Dublin 2 or 4 hotel. If you’re travelling somewhere, hire a porsche or jaguar. There are ways where you can fake it without breaking you or your bank. Once you have self-belief and the right skills, then fake things before you make it. Take control of your own destiny.

Again, this is my take on Veronica’s five step model. If you want help with your personal brand, contact Veronica directly - she will do an audit of your brand and work with you on a one to one basis.

The Shoeism Book

Veronica has recently written a book called Shoeisms: Working Woman’s Guide to Take Control and Be the Sassy, Successful Woman You Know You Can Be. The world has changed and finding your role in the world as a powerful woman just got more difficult. Shoeisms will enable you to think independently and to carve out your own destiny.

I hope to bring you a review of the book later in the month but all you sassy ladies are recommended to check it out - www.shoeisms.ie

Forget The Apprentice. Apply for the Bord Bia Fellowship.

If I didn’t have my Masters of Business Studies (MBS) in International Marketing from the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, I would be filling in my application form for the Bord Bia Marketing Fellowship instead of writing this blog.

I heard about it on the radio and just had to check it out. What a great opportunity for 25 people who want to embark on or further progress a marketing and business career. It’s an  intensive 12-month action learning programme which gives successful candidates the combined opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with some of Ireland’s most respected food companies and to also gain a postgraduate qualification.

Not only do you get experience and a MSc in Marketing Practice, but you’ll get to work abroad aswell. The student’s time will be spent here in Ireland and in a foreign location.

All this and it’s a fully funded programme, which means that you don’t even have to pay for it. AND you get a bursary of over just over €22,000.

To apply, you need to be a graduate with a minimum of two years work experience. Some placements will require fluency in a second language (German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian or Chinese). As a graduate of Smufit School and the marketing department specifically, I can highly recommend working with the school.

Closing date is the 23rd April which two weeks on Friday. Tell your friends, family members, your neighbours. If you or they fit the criteria, this is a programme not to be missed.

For further information and to apply please visit www.smurfitschool.ie/bordbia

Drogheda Chamber Holds Local Business Meeting

Earlier in March, the Drogheda Chamber organised a public meeting and invited business owners and managers aswell as local representatives from the Drogheda & District area.

Over 240 people attended the meeting in the newly opened Barbican Centre. The meeting was chaired by Patricia Rooney, President of the Drogheda Chamber and Padraic Kierans, Finance Committee Chairperson.

The minutes of the meeting are HERE.

Prior to the meeting, the Drogheda Chamber undertook a survey and the results were announced at the meeting.

Why the Meeting was Called

Padraic Kierans informed the packed auditorium that the Drogheda Chamber had been forced to call the meeting due to the seriousness of the situation businesses in the area are currently facing. He went onto say that he noted that increasingly businesses were under severe pressure and sadly as we all knew many had disappeared in recent weeks, highlighting the difficulties for large, medium and small business have incurred since the summer of 2009 – who took on large loans to facilitate growing their businesses, or negotiated expensive leasing arrangements which are now crippling them and they are struggling to cope with these and many other cost elements weighing down their businesses but cannot escape these burdens.

Positive Suggestions

This meeting was about acknowledging the situation and seeing how, as a group, positive actions could be taken. Suggestions were encouraged from the gathered business owners, almost a rising tide raises all ships.

For my end, I was delighted to see some really positive suggestions coming from the business owners of the town. I know that the Chamber is putting together an action plan and many of the suggestions are included.

If you don’t get time to read the minutes, here are the many positive suggestions:

• Busking Licence / encourage Buskers
• Survey the shoppers to see what they really want
• Write to banks and let them know the real story
• Get a central tourist office
• Clean up Battle of the Boyne site
• Free parking at certain times/ special rate / discounted rates
• Bus Park especially for Tourists
• Booklet of offers / coupons for shops and hotels
• Erect multi story car park on unused land
• Let artists use unoccupied space/windows to bring creativity into town
• Use pavement on West Street for Saturday Market - certain stalls
• Involve West Street more with Arts Festival
• Market Drogheda more to other regions – churches, historical religious monuments – Town of spires
• Enclose Food Market ala Georges Market in Belfast (6days)
• Walking tours / audio enhancements at hotels
• Reduce Letting Rates / Water Rates
• Remove Toll into Drogheda
• Motor Home park
• Package Drogheda as a place to relocate companies to – 4/5 key points to present to IDA
• Educate Drogheda people about benefits of shopping locally
• Drogheda business owners to support Drogheda Suppliers

If you are a business owner, why not suggest some actions yourself - you can either post them here or email enquiries@droghedachamber.com directly.

First Blogpost of 2010 - Why do you blog?

It’s the 12th January 2010 and I can’t believe that I’m only getting around to writing my first blogpost for Achieve Marketing.

I’ve been writing posts for clients but not myself and have been fielding questions about the importance of having a blog.

I’m only dying to get into blogging again for 2010. I’ve had a number of customer relationship issues that I need to share, some writing tips to let you know about and generally engage with people now that Christmas is over.

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been thinking about the importance of blogging. So for my first post, I’m posing a question to all the bloggers:

Why do you blog?

I blog because I have ideas to share, to build credibility and to engage with the community around me.

Can you take a few minutes to share why you blog? I’ll combine all comments and share later in the month.

Why Lucinda Lost and How to Avoid a Similar Fate

I’m an avid fan of The Apprentice and it was with regret that I watched Lucinda being fired. She was an excellent candidate.

The radio ad had a lot to be desired to be honest but unfortunately for Lucinda, it wasn’t the radio ad that was her downfall. Her print ad fell foul for a number of reasons - and Lucinda should comfort herself that she is not alone in making those mistakes.

Lets look at the mistakes in the print ad that cost Lucinda her place in the semi-final.

Mistake No. 1: Too many words

White space is gospel when it comes to copy-writing. You need enough to make your words stand out. There wasn’t enough white space at the two-page ad.

A common mistake is to have too many messages. For a two page ad, you should have two-three main messages. That’s it, no more.

There was at least five messages through-out the ad. Too many to concentrate.

Lucinda should have stuck to two-three messages, summarised them and used them in her call to action.

Mistake No. 2: No compelling headline

“This Christmas” and “Three Wise Men” isn’t exactly compelling reading. In order to get (and keep) attention, you need a compelling headline. Three pictures of three men isn’t the compelling headline that I’m talking about either.

You need a headline that screams ‘read me - I’m the the most interesting article/ad in this magazine’.

Mistake 3: Imagery didn’t support wording

If you’re going to use imagery as a supplement or distraction from your words, then choose wisely. The images should complement the wording.

Lucinda had a great idea of giving tips to picking jewellry this Christmas. It was a great idea - but unfortunately it didn’t work. She used bulleted images which didn’t work - it only added to the clutter on the page.

In summary, anyone can put together a print ad. However, if you want maximum returns, then you need to do it right. Hire a copy-writer!

John Noonan is Ireland’s top marketer

A big congratulations to John Noonan, Sales & Marketing Director of Flahavans who won Marketer of the Year last week. He’s the man behind the resurrection of one of Ireland’s most well known brands.

It is great to see that it was his marketing strategy creation and implementation that won over the judges. They said that they were particularly impressed by Mr Noonan’s strong focus on research and insight to identify customer trends and frame a very successful product development strategy to grow the business.

As a marketer, he clearly led and implemented his strategy successfully with the support of management and demonstrated that in this difficult economic climate (and against aggressive competitive challenges), marketing and effective leadership will achieve success.

I’ve always said that marketing is more than promotion and Mr Noonan certainly is one to share that view. Operating in a highly competitive  market where Flahavans competes successfully against international food giants Kelloggs, Nestle and Weetabix, he was responsible for crafting a finely tuned re-positioning of Flahavans which has resulted in market share growing to 65.3pc in the year to August 2009.

The brands profits increased by over 15pc and with a fourfold increase in turnover.

Well done to John and his team with congratulations to the other finalists.