Moving from Success to Transformation: Driving Better Performance

June 30, 2011 by 1 Comment

Crossing over to the other sideIf we look at the stages of evolution in companies, they go from survival to success to transformation. I believe we have tasted success at Affinity Express and are ready to make the next move to transformation. But as we prepare ourselves for the journey, it is helpful to consider the analogy of “crossing the Rubicon.” When we transition from “I would like to” to “I will,” we cross a personal Rubicon. After that step, there should be no hesitation and no way back.

The metaphor of crossing the Rubicon comes from Roman history when Julius Caesar decided to cross the river Rubicon with the words “ Alea iacta est,” which means “the die is cast.” He had made a decision to return with his legions to Rome. That meant war. Once he entered the Roman heartland across the Rubicon, there was no alternative and no way back. In the same way, managers are able to achieve the impossible only when they are able to harness the power of their will, that is, only when they make this personal crossing of the Rubicon. The journey from “I would like to” to “I will” and happens in three phases: forming the intention, crossing the Rubicon, and protecting the intention.

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Lack of Affordable Resources is the Biggest Challenge SMBs Face with Online Marketing

June 28, 2011 by 1 Comment

So how can more SMBs embrace the advantages of online marketing? If online marketing is actually more effective than they think and small businesses lack the resources and the knowledge to use it more effectively, how can this change?

But first, some more data. We asked our respondents about the challenges they face in online marketing.

Challenges of Online Marketing for SMBs: Affinity Express survey

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Branding is NOT a Luxury

June 23, 2011 by 5 Comments

White beverage boxes with blue caps: no branding or textThey’ll tell you, you can’t afford to think about branding if you’re a small business. They’ll tell you it’s a luxury because it’s only for the Cokes and the BMWs. They’ll tell you you have better things to focus on, like sales, for example.

They’re dead wrong.

Anyone who says any of the above doesn’t have any idea what branding is. Branding doesn’t mean you spend millions on an advertising campaign that features sports stars and TV celebrities. What it does mean is that all your communications—from the sign outside your office to your website to the uniforms your staff wear—all show the kind of business you are (or want to be). They communicate that you’re great at what you do and that you want to serve your customers. Branding says whether you’re a fun, casual workplace or a staid, old-fashioned one. It reinforces whether you’re in business for the long haul or a fly-by-night operator. It helps your customer connect and remember every experience they had with you and to like buying from you so much they’d be willing to drive across town or pay 30% more.

Now tell me that isn’t important to you.

So how do you brand if you’re a small business and can’t afford an ad agency? Here are some simple rules to follow. Read more of this post

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It’s Summer!

June 21, 2011 by 3 Comments

Embroidery digitizing sample from Affinity Express

Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. And as usual, we celebrate it on the Affinity Express blog by sharing a few summer-themed designs from our team.

What are you doing this summer? (Actually, I’m going away this weekend, to a cottage in a forest–glad you asked!)

Going on a vacation? Going camping, maybe? You’ll need a tent. Read more of this post

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Online Marketing Effectiveness: Affinity Express Survey Results

June 21, 2011 by 1 Comment

In my last post, I shared some of the results of our recent survey of our SMB customers. While I found the number of respondents using online marketing surprisingly low (63%), it informed us that SMBs (or our respondents in particular) aren’t very well-informed about online advertising and marketing, which is reflected in their low use of relatively easy and affordable channels such as online ads and blogging.  

Therefore, I was less surprised at their assessment of the effectiveness of online tactics. While 56% found online advertising and marketing somewhat or very effective for their businesses, fully 44% found it ineffective. I believe this is less an indictment of online marketing and more an indication of the need to educate SMBs about these tactics.

Effectiveness of online advertising or marketing: Affinity Express survey

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6 Biggest Mistakes in Project Management

June 17, 2011 by 1 Comment

Project management mistakesWhen managing a large project, there are many points at which you can go wrong, as I know from experience! Here are what I consider the six biggest mistakes in project management.

Not Setting Expectations

Different stakeholders often have different expectations for a project. It is critical to first understand what communications your sales team has had with the client to learn the client’s requirements first-hand, since it is likely you are coming in late to the conversation. You also need to have a detailed dialog with the client in about what the project is to achieve and what your requirements are in terms of collaboration, support, training, etc. Whatever was promised by sales, you have to roll up your sleeves and make it happen.

Lastly, you need to set expectations clearly with all stakeholders within your company as well (for example, at Affinity Express the stakeholders are the new client implementation, production, IT and finance teams).

We had a situation a couple of years ago about using a design practice within the Affinity Express Service Bureau, which one of our workflow systems. The client asked and sales responded it was okay without realizing that this was actually not allowed in the system. Collectively, we should have addressed this request properly at the beginning. Now, we always make sure our sales team has up-to-date feature lists along with any known limitations. Plus, we have plenty of communication across teams to ensure we’re all on the same page. Read more of this post

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Marketing on a Budget

June 14, 2011 by 2 Comments

Web ad designed by Affinity Express

Web ad designed by Affinity Express

When you are a small- to medium-sized business, you have a few options when it comes to marketing your company:

  • Hire an agency—“No way, that’s too expensive!”
  • Do it yourself design—“That takes so much time and I’d have to learn different software for all the online and print vehicles!”
  • Don’t do anything—“Yeah, I’m sure potential clients will find out about my company by telepathy and break down my door to buy my products and services!”

Many Affinity Express clients are large companies that provide services to small- to medium-sized businesses who are often challenged because they have limited resources for marketing—small teams, low budgets and a lack of expertise, especially when it comes to newer interactive tactics. So, as a company, we understand the problems.

But as a professional, I live with this every day.

The Dilemma

When I joined the company, and for several years afterward, “the Marketing Department” was Kelly Glass. My budget covered a salary and almost nothing else. Read more of this post

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Only 63% of SMB Respondents Have Used Online Advertising or Marketing: Affinity Express Survey

June 10, 2011 by 5 Comments

In our recently concluded survey of our small business customers, we asked them about their use of online advertising and marketing tactics.

63% respondents have used online advertising and marketing: Affinity Express survey

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Why Commenting On A Blog Is Like Going To A Dinner Party

June 7, 2011 by 1 Comment

Don't forget to use coasters!As several commenters pointed out on this post, there’s not much difference between virtual and “real” face-to-face communication except for the medium you use. The same rules apply: remember your manners, put the other person at ease, be cheerful, be gracious.

That is the premise of my post over at Search Engine People. In my several years of exploring the blogging medium, I’ve realized how powerful commenting can be as a way of making new contacts. If you leave witty insightful comments on someone’s blog, they or their readers may want to follow you back to your blog and see what you write. You can find people whose views you agree with, and a blog comment saying so might even lead to a friendship. (I have several friends whom I’ve got to know through blogging, and I know that’s pretty common.)

You can also get business opportunities. The reason why I was invited to post on the Search Engine People blog in the first place is because the editor liked a comment I left on a post there.

And if that’s not enough to get you to go over and read my post, here is one of the tips I share:

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Advertising and Marketing in the Digital Age

June 2, 2011 by 1 Comment

Twitter designed by Affinity Express

Twitter background designed by Affinity Express for a client

Interactive services is such a dynamic, interesting space. I recently interviewed Marisol Oberzauchner, director of interactive services at Affinity Express, to pick her brains about what she thinks of the space and what Affinity Express is doing in it. Here you go. 

KG: You help lead interactive services for Affinity Express. This is a dynamic category and it seems to change almost daily. How do you stay current with the latest trends?

MO: Our clients are looking for informed guidance. In my role, I have to continually stay abreast of what is happening in the industry, so I connect to social media portals that cover these topics, track new technologies through communities on LinkedIn and access creative groups. Outside of work, I read technology books, computer magazines and daily digests. At times, I attend demonstrations of new products. The information is available; you just have to stay current and make it a daily priority. 

Of course I follow the leaders in the space but also keep an eye out for the smaller firms who are trying to depart from the norm and solve problems in new ways. Breakthroughs seem to come frequently from these smaller guys and then the Apples and Googles buy them out. YouTube is a great example. I also found the acquisition of Radian6 by Salesforce.com interesting. A bigger recent event was of course Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype. Read more of this post

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