Archive for March, 2012
Think Beyond the Computer Screen
While at the Inc. GrowCo conference in New Orleans, I was able to hear from one of my favorite brands, Warby Parker.
Founder Neil Blumenthal’s speech taught me a lot! I think that the most important takeaway as a marketer and integrated marketing communications fanatic was about integrating consumers on and offline experiences. Warby Parker reminds us that technology can only take our product so far, and that sometimes we need to think beyond the computer screen.
When they created a web-based eye glass company, they originally only created a virtual try-on center where people could upload photos. Then, after a little bit of time, and slow consumer response, they took a step back and thought, “I wouldn’t buy glasses that way.” Hence, their offline counterpart and at- home try on program was born.
As a Warby Parker eyeglass wearer, let me say thank you for bringing the online try- on home. What I liked on a virtual try-on was definitely different from what I liked at home. Even in an ever-more virtual world, it’s important for brands to take a step back and put themselves in the consumers’ shoes. As the Warby Parker case shows, there are just some things that technology can’t replace … like trying on glasses.
Always wonder what you have looked like in the most fashionable glasses? Go ahead – now it’s your turn to try a pair online or at home thanks to the Warby Parker online/offline experience.
Make sure to follow @WarbyParker AND @nuphorIQ on Twitter!
Post By: Jamie Pritscher
Feast Your Eyes Catering Q & A
Harley Blaisdell from Feast Your Eyes Catering
Question:
Can you work with a website that is already done?
Answer:
Yes and no. If your website is already properly designed, and follows the rules of marketing necessary to do its job, then slight additions and adjustments will work. However, in my view, very few caterers have such a “proper” website currently, so the wisest thing to do is to retool it completely. Remember, your website has less than four seconds to capture enough attention from the person seeking catering information – less than four seconds to “stop” them in their tracks before they move on to then next Google listing. You need to stop them before you can sell them! I promise that the nuphorIQ team and myself can help you create a unique, hard-selling website.
Three Ways to De-Stress While in the Office
I am by no means a yoga guru, but I know a little about a lot of things—just enough to make me dangerous…just kidding. One of the most useful things I’ve ever learned is “office yoga,” aka, how to calm yourself down when you’re completely surrounded by people and currently have a list of things to do that is so long you can’t even take a lunch break.
- If you have a cubicle or a desk with a front wall that reaches the floor (you know, the kinds that hide your legs and feet?), take off your shoes. Allowing your feet to breathe allows the rest of your body to relax. Massaging your feet is even better, but make sure you aren’t about to have a personal encounter with your boss before you do so. If you can, shake hands with your feet—place the ball of one foot in the palm of your other hand with fingers and toes pointing the same direction. Spread your fingers and place one finger between each toe of one foot. Clasp your fingers around the ball of your foot, and breathe deeply. Releasing tension in your feet releases tension in other places of your leg, lower back, and eventually shoulders.
- Spinal twists. Place both feet on the floor, sit up straight, and turn and grab the back of the chair with both hands. Breathe deeply, turn farther. You may hear a series of pops in your spine, but don’t be alarmed. The release of tension in your back can also relieve tension in your shoulders and neck, making it easier to focus on the work at hand.
- Go for a walk. If you find yourself overwhelmed or overly-stressed, set down the pen, push the chair away from the desk, and go somewhere—anywhere—even if it’s just to get a drink of water or a cup of coffee. The simple act of moving releases endorphins, and endorphins allow the body to feel happiness instead of frustration or stress. Another tip is to walk to the bathroom and run cold water over your wrists. Cool water aids in reducing excess heat in the body related to negative emotions.
Post By: Emily Copeland
Romanize Your Website
Alright Catersource fans, it’s finally here: the one and only presentation on how to “Romanize” your website. Not a caterer? Not a problem. The presentation touches on a variety of topics like the value of a website, 3 seconds to impress searchers, content that sells, search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. Take a look, and let us know if you have any questions. We are more than happy to help you bring your website to the next level.
Post by: Brian Ottosen
The Brand Within
If you’re looking for a book to read, trust me, The Brand Within by Daymond John is the answer. Everyone thinks that branding is an important topic for any marketer to understand. Most people understand how important it is for any business leader to understand. But what most people fail to realize is how important it is for each and every human being to understand.
A brand always boils down to an individual, no matter what. When I rock my Nike 6.0’s, I’m telling the world that I believe in Nike and that I’m proud to be part of them. When graphic designer Jen Buczkowski rocks her Tom’s boots, she’s telling the world that she believes in helping others. When chief brand officer Jamie Pritscher rocks her Warby Parker glasses, she’s telling the world that she believes in giving new businesses a chance and in doing things differently than they are traditionally done.
Daymond John went as far as to mention that on ABC’s Shark Tank, when they decided to invest in an entrepreneur’s business, they aren’t investing in the business as much as the person. He said that within 30 seconds he knows whether or not he wants to invest in the person.
Branding is more important to people than they realize. It’s not just some buzz word in the business world.
That leaves me with one question, Daymond John. Would you invest in me?
Post By: Erin Walter
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
It’s that old notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with a simple still image. Have you ever completed hours and hours of market research only to find that you now have a 20-page document that could put your client (even on 4 cups of coffee) to sleep? Next time, try out this highly popular design and marketing technique that recently caught my eye: The Infographic. It’s useful for presenting statistical information in a cool and enjoyable way (guaranteed to keep your clients so engaged they won’t WANT to sleep). There are a lot of cool ways it can be designed depending on the information to be included. It’s the new thing, so check it out!
Post By: Jen Buczkowski
Bread Garden Q & A
From Paul Coleman at The Bread Garden
Question:
We would like a session on how to reach potential shoppers. Most of the sessions focus on shoppers that approach the catering company & teach how to sell (80% if you are Romanized)…So how do you find buyers if you don’t have a venue?
Answer:
Proven Marketing Targets and Ideas – these come from my book CATERING: Tactics, Strategies, & Solutions which you can purchase above.
a) Make speeches to clubs, nonprofits, other organizations.
b) Place news releases with local publications and broadcast media.
c) Get on a radio talk show speaking about parties, events or food.
d) Tie your marketing in with various charities.
e) Find an important person or celebrity to feature in your advertisements.
f) Create and mail or email a newsletter.
g) Write a column for the local newspaper or a local magazine on entertaining.
h) Tell clients that they can borrow some of your event equipment when they need it for something they are doing themselves, without hiring you for your catering.
i) Send congratulatory letters to key business figures who win awards or are written about in the business section of newspapers.
j) Create a traveling information booth to take to shopping malls and community trade shows.
k) Rally around a common problem of the community.
l) Provide your prospective callers with hard-hitting testimonials from happy clients.
m) Provide food for the Chamber of Commerce meetings.
n) Create marketing value with all sorts of event checklists and how to for buyers.
o) Make a contribution to a charity based on a percentage of each sale you make.
p) Send birthday cards or cakes to important people.
q) Provide souvenir menus for the guests at events to take with them.
r) Put catering displays in other businesses windows.
s) Invite your best buyers to a party.
t) Send a picture postcard of your staff.
u) Put best buyers’ names up on a billboard to thank them for their support.
v) Use at least one of the client’s recipes at the event.
w) Put a food scent into your letters or marketing postcards.
x) Offer to buy back one of the host’s pictures to add to your collection to show others.
y) Donate a Win Our Chef for One Night promotion to charities.
z) Give part-timers business cards with their name and yours on them.
aa) Invite people into your kitchen and sales office for an open house.
bb) Give an educational seminar for corporate clients on “What’s Hot and What’s Not in Corporate Catering.”
cc) Offer gift certificates in denominations of $500, $1,000, and $5,000.
dd) Handle RSVPs for your buyers.
ee) Hold a cooking contest for corporate presidents only.
ff) Create a newsletter carrying your name but containing articles, notices, and information provided by the community.
gg) Develop a scratch-and-sniff AD.
hh) Market a deal where customers can buy three events and get the fourth one at half price.
ii) Get specially printed messages placed in fortune cookies.
jj) Hold a fall or spring “fashion show” of your foods and entertaining styles.
kk) Send Thanksgiving cards instead of normal holiday cards.
ll) Create hot lines for special types of orders or information.
mm) Offer a 100-percent money-back guarantee.
nn) Sell a limited number of party permits on certain days to establish supply-and-demand pricing.
oo) Give commissions or other rewards to clients who recommend people who buy.
pp) Offer evening business hours for clients in case they need to call after a normal workday.
qq) Create a division to handle catering for second marriages.
Simply Thyme Catering Q & A
From Tamara Leibfaith at Simply Thyme Catering
Question:
What is the best marketing piece I can invest in?
Answer:
Two things come to mind. First, you need to remember that when a prospect calls or emails you for info they are in essence “raising their hand” seeking attention. So, the first contact is what we call “inbound marketing” meaning that the first things you say to them are a form of marketing instead of selling. Next, without question, your website is your “storefront” to the world. Investing dollars in the creation of a properly designed user-friendly site needs to be foremost on your list of marketing goals. A professional media company (like nuphorIQ) will provide you with a no-charge detailed proposal on what they suggest you consider doing.
Catersource, Catersource, Catersource…
After spending the better part of two months preparing for two days in Las Vegas, my body, mind and spirit are fully recovered from last week’s Catersource tradeshow.
Though I was only in Sin City for a total of sixty-five hours, not one of those hours were wasted on trivial matters like TV—actually, I did take a brief nap after day two and I admit the television was on.
It was my first time returning to the strip since I was a wee lassie of eight or nine years. The only thing I remember from back then is that we stayed at a big castle hotel (Excalibur), we went on a day trip to the Hoover Dam, and whilst my parents enjoyed the many splendors of the casino floor, I enjoyed the twenty-one and under section, complete with a giant claw machine that, when positioned just right, retrieved loads of candy and spit them down a shoot to my eagerly awaiting little paws. The machine yielded me just the right amount of Twizzlers to keep interest, but not enough to go home with rotted teeth. I was what’s referred to as a long-term investment in the casino industry. If this joint had anything to do with it, I would be back sometime in the next twelve to twenty years with bills instead of coins burning a hole in my pocket.
Well, the jokes on me, because one week ago, there I was, a measly fifteen years later walking up and down the strip like it was my first time seeing bright lights (I’m from Chicago, for crying out loud—the strip just does something to a person).
While this experience was a mixture of business and pleasure—hey, I dabbled in some grown up gambling, who wouldn’t, right?—and the business experience far outweighed my hot streak on the craps table.
While at the tradeshow, I got a delightful taste of what it’s like to interact with a variety of people in a business fashion. Though I’ve done my fair share of people meeting, never had it been in such a business-forward setting. I’ll tell you, people from around the world came to this. I met Australians and Canadians. Americans and Antiguans. And all under the context of selling our wonderful minds.
Under the guidance of catering guru Michael Roman, our booth swelled with interest. Looking to my left and right, I witnessed my colleagues in action, both informing and inquiring about website building, SEO maintenance, social media management and more. And hey, I did my fair share of interacting, too.
Actually, now would probably be a most opportune moment to share with the group that I did, in fact, win the badge scanning and client interaction contest amongst my fellow co-workers. Not that it was a competition or anything…. But it totally was. I’ve got to say, though, even if I had just spoken with five people, I would have still walked away from the experience with just that: experience.
Until next time, Vegas…
Post By: Molly Meyer
Sodexo Q & A
From Lynn Murphy at Sodexo
Question:
What do you say when a customer calls and asks you for something CHEAP?
Answer:
Shoppers are comparing your prices to the prices of other caterers. So, it’s not that your prices are “high”, but that your prices are “more” than the other caterers. This Is Important! Therefore, the answer lies in what they will “get or not get” from you over the caterers who charge less. It’s not “cost”… it’s “outcome”. Here are some scripts to use when people infer that your prices are too high:
“We hear that from many people, and it’s an honest comment. But because we charge a little more, we are able to put a lot more into your event. So, I think the extra money is worth your peace of mind because you won’t have to worry about the success of the party. What do you think?”
“When a caterer doesn’t have any track record, they usually offer lower prices, which results in lower levels of experience and food quality that foster much more risk for embarrassment to the host.”