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MM List
Below are just a few services and products we think are really keen.
Greenprint
If you feel like a nature terrorist every time you print something out, it's time to consider GreenPrint, a free software you can download online that allows you to print only the pages you want, saving you $100 per year in toner
and ink. Visit www.printgreener.com
to find out more.
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Facebook to Twitter
Save valuable social networking time by taking advantage of the option to link your Facebook page to Twitter. Click here to get started. You can share your Facebook updates with your Twitter account instantly and specifically tailor which types of posts you want to link to Twitter.
Main Street Program
If you follow civic goings-on, you may already have heard about the PDC's Main Street program, which is actually a roll-out for a national program to revitalize older,
traditional business districts with a time-tested approach that emphasizes their unique assets:
distinctive architecture, a pedestrian-friendly environment, personal
service, local ownership, and a sense of community. Find out more at the PDC website.
Mt. Tabor Brewing
The rumors that Mt. Tabor/Montavilla is getting its own brewery seem to be true. Brian Maher and Eric Surface have started a Facebook and a Twitter account to build buzz about their forthcoming venture. Read more about it here. You can also become a fan of their Facebook page.
A Whole New Mind
I thought this book, A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, was a bit silly when I first glimpsed it, but its readability and fresh insight drew me in pretty quickly. Pink asserts that the United States is nearing the end of "left-brain" dominance and that we need to re-train our brains to prepare for a world that will increasingly place more value on creativity and innovation. It's full of fun, fresh exercises for individuals and teams and will give you a fresh perspective on the creative process.
Hearts with Spunk
I like that even Valentine's Day candy is trying to keep up with social marketing trends. Sweethearts, the sweets purveyor that considers their conversation hearts to be the 'official love candy,' now come with expressions like "Tweet Me" and "Text Me." I'm not sure which one of the two is considered the more forward of romantic statements. Maybe time will tell.
Edible Portland Magazine
Those delight in Michael Pollan books or generally just believe growing, preparing and eating food -- especially locally grown food -- to be the source of great pleasure will rejoice in the pages of Edible Portland magazine. I find every issue a visual and intellectual delight and appreciate its multi-faceted approach to the slow food ethos.
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Upcoming Events
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ReDirect Guide Networking Social
Tues., Feb. 9
6 to 9 p.m.
Seven Planet
412 NW Couch St.
Focusing on "Eco-Resolutions," the next ReDirect Guide networking function should prove to lively and informative. Only open to ReDirect Guide advertisers.
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Greetings!
Happy New Year! Time to get out that newly purchased (or gift-given) notebook with its fresh, empty pages eagerly awaiting your list of resolutions for 2010, right?
Before you start groaning too loudly, keep in mind that setting and keeping goals takes practice. Don't be hard on yourself if you failed at all of last year's resolutions (or can't even remember what they are). Goals are meant to be constantly refined and require a plan of action. Writing them down to begin with is the first step to achieving them.
I tend to tackle my goals, both personal and professional, on a month-by-month basis. And if I haven't made my goal(s) by the end of a given month, I just put them down again and consider why I didn't accomplish them. Then, I just write them down again at the first of the next month, hopefully devising a better strategy for achieving them.
(On the other hand, if I do accomplish a large goal, I treat myself to a cup of drinking chocolate at Cacao.)
Speaking of goal I achieved so far this month -- I just set up a Facebook page specifically for Mixed Media here. I hope you'll become a "fan."
I invite you to visit my website, drop me a line anytime at kristin@mixedmediapdx.com or call me at 503-754-2636.
regards,
:: kristin schuchman ::
mixed media marketing communications
kristin@mixedmediapdx.com
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 Question
of the Month:
How do we collect testimonials for our website?
Last month we talked about what how to get reviews for your business to show up on Google.
If you got that process started you may already have a collection of reviews that you can now place on your website's "testimonials" page. Don't be shy about continuing to request testimonials from your clients by simply emailing them and requesting them. Be sure to ask their permission before quoting them on your website or brochure.
Don't feel that you need to quote them verbatim. You will likely need to shorten them for readability and as long as you don't change the meaning of their words, you're not likely to cause anyone umbrage. Try to limit them to one or two sentences.
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 Websites help customers
find you...and refer you
by Kristin Schuchman
If you're using the downturn in the economy as an excuse to put off
building a website, think again. No matter what type
of business you
run, you need a website. If you don't have one, make no mistake, you
are losing business. There are people out there who are trying to find
you so that they can purchase your coffee, dresses, or t-shirts or take
advantage of your accounting, legal, or acupuncture services, but they
can't. You just don't know about them, because they don't know how to
contact you.
"My business can't afford a website right now."
Maybe you don't think you need one because you get most of your clients by referral. I would argue that you need a website because you get most of your clients by referral. Whether people hear about your business from a friend, an ad in the Willamette Week,
or a flyer at your local coffee klatch, your prospective customers are
going to want to check out your website before they call or visit you.
(If
you have a website, don't necessarily think you don't need to read the
rest of this article. It's possible - likely, actually - that your
website isn't doing you justice, and the tips I offer here may help you
make your website better.)
As a business owner myself, I
understand the urge right now to save your pennies, but not having a
website is akin to throwing fistfuls of cash out the window. What's
more, building an attractive, effective low-cost website has never been
easier. There are some impressive Content Management Systems (CMS) out
there for creating websites with varying levels of difficulty of use.
"Okay...so if I were to build a website, what should I use?"
Ugal is a
Portland-based company that offers easy-to-use templates with several
features and monthly payment plans that include hosting and start at
$19 per month and don't require users to know a lick of HTML. Their
highest level option costs $49 per month and enables users to build a
full-service e-commerce site.
Portland's own Old House Dahlias and the Bay Area's Jajaja Purses sell their products on Ugal sites while Bipartisan Café and Montavilla Community Acupuncture have simple Ugal sites with the most basic features. For more information, check out www.ugal.com.
What's nice about Ugal is the fact that the owner, Jean Moniatte, lives
here in Portland and is accessible if you run into snags when reserving
a domain name, updating your site, uploading graphics, etc.
You can also make easy-to-build websites with blogging sites like Wordpress,
which offers a multitude of templates. Though originally designed to
allow people to feature pictures of their newborn, espouse political
beliefs, build communities around shared hobbies or organize family
reunions, Wordpress,
which can also be used as a Content Management System, has become a
common platform for impressive website. Two businesses with WordPress
websites include Portland's Paperdoll store in Montavilla and Bend's Moonfire and Sun Garden Center. Moonfire and Sun's site was built by Jeff Walsh of EyeGoDesign, whose own site is built with Wordpress.
Content
Management System sites are great starts for businesses with limited
marketing budgets because they're inexpensive to set up, easy to
maintain and equipped with built-in blogging features. (Ugal's 2nd tier
plan at $39 per month also has its own e-newsletter and calendar
features.) Plus, they're both able to be expanded upon with javascript
and CSS if you ever do decide to invest more money and time into your
site.
For those of you with a bit more technical skills, you might look into Drupal and Joomla,
which are both open source Content Management System applications. What
does "open source" mean? It means that software developers are
continuously collaborating to improve the product and are "open" to
letting others modify the code to create a better mousetrap, so to
speak. Drupal and Joomla are meant to be used by people who consider
themselves at least somewhat proficient in computer programming.
"What if I do want to hire someone to build a website?"
One
advantage of challenging economic times is the fact that there is no
shortage of out-of-work programmers and graphic designers willing to
build websites for a lot less than they usually charge. I'd expect to
budget $500 to $1500 for a simple Content Management System site with
no more than four short pages, a minimum of graphic embellishment and
no e-commerce features.
If you're interested in updating the
site yourself once it is created, I'd encourage you to emphasize this
point in your initial meeting with a web designer. Tell him or her that
you're willing to pay extra to learn how. If he or she doesn't seem
amenable to this, move on to another.
I'd also recommend that
you keep your content to a minimum so that the updating will not be a
time suck. (That said, I do recommend you change the content at least
monthly so that Google continues to think you're relevant enough to
keep track of and rank highly.)
Overall, try not to be too
squeamish about spending money on your marketing right now. In 1993,
following the 1992-93 recession, the American Marketing Association
reported that companies that invested marketing dollars during the
downturn in the economy actually managed to acquire and retain market
share. MM
In the next issue, we'll share some tips on how to start planning your website.
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mixedmediapdx
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Hope you liked this issue of The Medium. Send your questions and ideas for the MM List and Upcoming Events to me at kristin@mixedmediapdx.com.
Send me your business networking events to include in next month's newsletter, if you like.
Sincerely,
:: kristin Schuchman ::
mixed media marketing communications
kristin@mixedmediapdx.com
503-754-2636
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