At Pick My Brain, we've had an interest in and passion for Corporate Social Responsibility.  It began many years ago
when we created an event for a client.  Moving away from the traditional teambuilding, the client was looking
for a way they could engage their employees in something greater than themselves, and which would leave
a lasting impact on a targeted community.  For this group, a 400-person Habitat for Humanity Build was an
event that was engaging, transformative, and left a legacy of commitment to community and the greater good.

Since that time, my interests in CSR and Sustainability have expanded.  I've learned that there are many
definitions and interpretations of what it means to be sustainable, and there are equally as many arguements
about whether it is a necessary element of business, or an optional choice. 

As one who consults with businesses, and who works with many companies to formulate their strategic
goals and plans, more and more I believe that a sustainability policy or plan is a key element of the company's
core foundation.  No one would argue that companies must have a financial plan, or a marketing plan, or a human
resources plan.  Sales plans are a must for growth.  Yet, so many companies (and dare I say, especially small companies) have
yet to subscribe buy in to the belief that there we have a responsibility to be good stewards in our businesses.

What does that mean or look like?  Here a few key ideas that small businesses can consider:

•  What is our company mission/vision and what do we stand for, from a CSR perspective?  What
   matters to us?  What do we care about?  What moves us?  What worries us?
•  In our internal funcational processes, where can we begin to create policy and processes that make a
   positive impact environmentally and socially?
•  From whom do we purchase our supplies or services, and do they have a policy, or practice around CSR?
•  What matters to our customers?  Our communities?  Our stakeholders?  Our employees?
•  When we forcast 3 or 5 year plans, what kinds of impact would we like to have on the world?  What do we want
   to be known for?  What contribution do we want to make?
•  Where can we begin right now?  Reducing waste, recycling materials, giving back to community, selecting
   vendors who practice sustainability -- these are just a few ways we can start today.

The world of sustainability is big, complex -- and yet wide open.  More and more we are called upon to consider how our
actions today will impact our world tomorrow, next year, and in the generations to come.   

At Pick My Brain, we believe that every company (even single entrepreneurs) can make a difference, one action at a time, and that
collectively, we will make a large impact on sustaining our world for generations to come.  We're committed to helping our clients
explore and engage in practices that will add value around CSR - whether organizationally, or through customized events.

Is CSR new to you?  Are you employing sustainability practices, and if so, what are they?  The above is by no means inclusive,
but a launching point for your consideration. 

Check out the Green Meetings Industry Council at www.greenmeetings.info for links and ideas on how to integrate
practices into your company meetings.  #gmicblog   #gmic

Laurel Coote
Founder, Pick My Brain Consulting
 

Web Weaver takes the guesswork out of creating website metadata.

Web Weaver is a free tool that makes life easier and puts you in control of creating complicated metadata for your website. I first came across the tool a couple of years ago and it’s a bookmark I revisit again and again.

Along with offering links to website template sites, clipart and design tips and tricks, Web Weaver has an amazing metadata generator that makes creating those infamous title, description and keyword tags a snap. You still need to do the legwork to figure out what terms work best for your particular website, but this generator will count characters and create the HTML code to provide to your web designer.

I’ve used this for a couple of websites with great results.

Keep in mind, if you do plan on using the Meta tag generator, don’t get carried away. It offers you the option of creating a number of advanced tags outside of title, description and keyword. If you would like other tags incorporated into your site, consult your web designer.

So browse the Web Weaver site and let me know what you think. So many great tools in one place makes this a site you won’t want to miss!
 

Are you ready to join in the conversation on social networking site Twitter?

We live in an intensely connected world – one that allows us the opportunity to share our thoughts and ideas with hundreds of people through the click of the mouse. The old-fashioned art of conversation has not disappeared (thankfully), but new methods of communicating virtually and being “in” the conversation are introduced all the time.

One that has the attention of many is TWITTER.

Don’t know what Twitter is? Here’s how it describes itself:
Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

What they’ve left out is how it’s evolved to be a favored method of keeping connected with colleagues, other like-minded people and even prospective clients. The methodology of Twitter is simple: You post “what you are doing or thinking” right now and others who “follow” you get the update. They can take it, or leave it. Maybe they’ll find the information you’ve shared to be funny, helpful, intriguing or even irritating. Whatever it is, it’s out there. They can continue to follow you, or choose to stop, and you can do the same.

The magic is that it’s short and sweet – posts are limited to140 characters. While there are some rules on how you can and can’t use Twitter (no impersonations, violence, threats, unlawful use or phishing) the application allows a lot of room for creativity and sharing of whatever matters to YOU! Think about it, you have to interestingly condense your thoughts into 140 characters (not words, characters). It takes some practice, but it’s fun and addicting!

What I’ve noticed from a business perspective is that there is a wealth of information to be shared, and via Twitter, I get simple and direct access to it. I twitter at laurelcootepmb and I follow a variety of individuals who share information in which I am interested. That includes small business success, how to use social media more effectively, trends in sustainability and corporate social responsibility, the meeting and events industry, music and other topics. I also have shared my knowledge about these topics, as well as other things that might seem random, but might actually be intriguing to someone who hasn’t heard of them (things like walking a Labyrinth or why one should donate homegrown fruit to a food bank).

Strategically, I use Twitter to direct followers to my website when I’ve posted a new product or blog, to notify them of my upcoming speaking engagements or to let them know when I think something significant is going on in the world of small business, event management or CSR. Twitter is a great opportunity to give kudos to others who have made a difference in your life or to share another’s blog or knowledge with the world. It allows the opportunity to be a contribution to others, as well as to gather knowledge you might not otherwise have.

A great article targeted to event planners, but completely relevant to anyone in who wants to grow and develop their business can be found on the Event Solutions website at:
 http://www.event-solutions.com/breaking_news/19_ways_event_planners_can_use_twitter

Want to get started? Go to www.twitter.com and sign up for an account. Search for me at laurelcootepmb and click to follow me. Then check out the people I follow and see if anyone is of interest to you. Or, search for your friends, colleagues or associates and start communicating!
 

No way! How leaving comments on corporate blogs can benefit your business.

For some time now, I’ve been updating this blog — sharing my business insights and giving readers a little piece of myself each week. This is great fun, but seriously, this blog is not a monolog. Blogging is a group activity, and nothing makes me more excited than when people let me know they are reading and are engaged in the topic I present, or in what I have to say.

You might wonder: what’s the point of leaving comments and what is the benefit to my own business?

Well, comments do a couple of things:

1. They can introduce you to a blog or community you are interested in becoming a part of. Maybe you’d like to offer to write a guest post, or maybe you’d like to work with the blogger. The best way to build a relationship is to comment.
2. They can introduce people interested in a particular topic to you. By posting comments on blogs that share similar topics, you can gain exposure to others who are interested in the same information.
3. Comments can provide a link back to your own company blog or website. Leave a genuine response to a post (don’t turn it into an sales pitch) and be sure to include a way for people to find you if they’re interested in what you have to say. Some blogs enjoy very high readership, so gaining exposure on their sites can help drive traffic to yours.
4. They provide inbound links to your website, which is a good way to build search engine optimization for your own company URL.
5. A good comment can be a gateway to a great discussion and can help you get some of your challenging questions answered.

Whatever your reason for commenting, it’s always appreciated by the blogger. The web 2.0 world would cease to exist if people no longer participated in online discussion. So go ahead, leave us a comment and tell us what you really think!
 

Do you have any great blogs that you read on a regular basis? What keeps you coming back for more? And what gets you interested enough to leave them a comment?

If you’d like more information on how you can build an online presence for your company, contact Pick My Brain at 310.771.0665.

How business can thrive in a Web 2.0 world. 

Informal conversation is probably the oldest mechanism by which opinions on products and brands are developed, expressed, and spread.
Professor Johan Arndt

When Johan Arndt, a famed marketing professor, penned these words over 25 years ago, I’m sure he was not referring to the Internet. But in this world of Web 2.0 and instant feedback, his words have never been so relevant. Social networking sites, review boards, blogs and wikis make it easy for companies to connect with potential clients. And clients are finding ways to influence the products and services they want.

So how can your company use the web 2.0 environment to its advantage? And how do you overcome the pitfalls of instant access?    

According to Tim O’Reilly, who is credited with coining the term, Web 2.0 is “the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.”

Basically, customers have gone digital and companies are scrambling to embrace these new (and ever-changing) technologies to attract more business. But why would companies have difficulty embracing the Internet and it communicative capabilities?

Think about it – you’re a major corporation and you’ve just kicked off a multi-million dollar advertising/public relations campaign. In the early days of the Internet, consumption was still a spectator sport. Consumers would see your ads in print, on TV or even on your website. They’d hear about your public relations on television, in the newspaper or on the radio. Customers didn’t really have the chance to challenge you and life was grand.

Today, things are very different. If consumers want to challenge your appeals they have infinite outlets to do so. They are taking to their blogs and podcasts. They are creating You Tube videos that mock your advertising concepts. Your wikipedia page is updated in a matter of seconds.

But maybe you’re not a multi-million dollar company – how does this affect you? Web 2.0 affects all businesses – big and small – in good ways and bad. Your customers are able to go online and post reviews of your products/services. They can recommend or blast you on their blog or link to your website from theirs.

There is nothing we can do to change this rapid dissemination of information. So why not embrace it? Ask customers if they can write a review about you on a certain site. Befriend bloggers and ask them to rate your product/services. Join online groups and communities of people who can use what you have.

Tim O’Reilly calls it a revolution. I think it’s simply an evolution and an opportunity for small businesses to get their voice heard over the yells of the competition.

If you’d like more information on how to build your company’s online presence contact Pick My Brain at 310.771.0665.
 

Email marketing that follows the rules.

We’ve all seen it, the dreaded flurry of emails from people we don’t know selling products we don’t want – a healthy dose of SPAM. Receiving unwanted emails may be one of the most annoying things to wake up to. But sending SPAM is a big no-no and should be avoided at all costs. However, avoiding SPAM does not mean your company should avoid email communications altogether. Many customers prefer to hear about deals or get company updates by email; you just need to be sure you are playing by the rules.

The FTC wants to ‘CAN-SPAM’ and has set forth guidelines to do so:

Do not try to deceive people. Basically, be honest. If you want people to check out your new product, tell them. If they’ve won a brand new car, tell them. If you want them to check out your new product, do not tell them they’ve won a brand new car. Simple as that. Also, if you are sending an advertisement make sure that your company’s physical address is included somewhere in the email.

Tell people who you are and where you are from. Make sure that the “from” email address is valid and it identifies the sender and company information.

Give recipients an opt-out method. Minimally, you must provide recipients with a return email address so they can let you know they no longer want to receive emails from your company. Any reputable email-marketing company will provide an ‘opt-out’ solution within the body of the email that will automatically remove the person’s address from send lists. This method ensures that no mistakes are made and the person never receives another unwanted message.

Collect email addresses in a reputable manner. Send to people who want to be sent to and do not purchase lists from third parties. The best practice is to ask people to ‘opt-in’ before they ever have to ‘opt-out.’ Be careful if you are using association lists; make sure that the association allows you to use its membership directories in this way. Also, check with your email-marketing provider to find out the best ways to create lists.

Spammers are criminals, so make sure you follow the rules. You could face fines up to $11,000 for intentionally breaking these laws, and not to mention you could upset customers and lose business. Be honest and fair and treat your clients the way you’d like to be treated.

Our last post gave you tips on sending out great email campaigns and now that you know the lawsyou should be well on your way! If your company would like help creating SPAM-free email campaigns please contact us at Pick My Brain at 310.771.0665.