What resolutions should you be making in the new year?

When the calendar flipped to 2012, it ushered in a new year of potential and possibilities. As a job seeker looking to take the next step in your career, now is the time to make a resolution to turn the new year into a successful one.

As the world leader in workforce solutions, we know what it takes for professionals to succeed. So to help you, we’ve put together a list of recommended resolutions that can help you land your next great job.

Reassess your Career

Did you love your previous position? Did you want more out of your day-to-day? Is part of the reason things didn’t work out because you needed a more positive work environment?

Now is a good time to ask yourself these questions and determine whether or not you want to continue in the same line of work. John P. Strelecky, author of The Why Cafe, suggests that being unemployed is the ideal time to evaluate what you want to do with your career. According to Strelecky, 45% of Americans aren’t happy in their jobs, and if you are currently out of work, you are in the perfect position to explore a variety of options.

If you’re looking for a career change, try taking classes, volunteering or working on a contract or temporary basis to get the experience employers want to see. You’ll learn more about the industry and improve your chances of securing employment at the same time.

Refresh Your Online Profiles

Today, employers turn to social networks when evaluating candidates like you. That means Facebook isn’t just for friending old high school buddies. LinkedIn, Twitter, Google Plus and other online networking sites can also be great platforms to present and market yourself. Of course, you also need to check your privacy preferences to make sure the information you post can only be seen by appropriate audiences. You wouldn’t want a recruiter stumbling upon photos from your wild weekend getaway.

Your LinkedIn profile is especially important, as it is the most popular professional networking site. Click here for a list of recommendations to help you get the most out of your LinkedIn profile.

No matter what service you use, be sure to keep your information up to date to increase visibility and catch the eye of recruiters or potential employers.

Revamp your network

Building up a network of professional contacts – and potential references – could help you in your job search. After all, “who you know” is often just as important as “what you know.”

So how can you build a solid network? You can start by reaching out to former colleagues, bosses and associates immediately. Solidifying these relationships can take time and effort, and you don’t want to miss out on potential opportunities or potential references.

You should also be selective when it comes to building your network; don’t contact people in the hopes of getting a recommendation for a position if you have no prior history with them. Instead, start a conversation on a blog or social networking site, comment on statuses, offer advice where appropriate, and position yourself as a resource. Remember that maintaining your network is a continuous endeavor and remaining in contact with your colleagues will be a vital part of your success.

Rewrite your Resume

Without a doubt, your resume and your cover letter are two of the most important pieces of content in your job search. They are the first things recruiters and hiring managers see and a poorly written or unprofessional looking resume can cost you a job even if you are a great match. That’s why it is so important to make sure yours is up to date and appeals to prospective employers.

According to US News, there are a few steps you can take make a good first impression with your resume. First, tailor your resume to the job. Create unique resumes for each individual opportunity in order to highlight the skills that are specific to the position. Furthermore, be sure to read the application carefully and follow all the instructions. This simple step can provide you with a leg up on other candidates who are applying to jobs without taking the small details into consideration.

Lastly, keep your resume simple. Leave out any irrelevant information, personal information, and photos, etc. You want your resume to be easy to read for the employer. If it takes too much time or effort to review your application, a potential employer will likely move on to the next candidate.

Revitalize your marketable skills

The Government of Alberta detailed the three critical skills that employers are looking for:

• Transferable skills, such as computer and technology aptitude, are very flexible and useful in a variety of jobs and industries.
• Time management skills and the ability to effectively manage your workload and schedule are also paramount.
• Work-specific skills, the ones you will use every day in your chosen career path, should be continually refined. In addition to taking professional development courses, temporary positions can help you gain real world experience and bolster your skill set to appeal to future employers.

As an Adecco associate, you’ll have free access to our online skills training programs.  We offer access to thousands of courses across professional fields that will enable you to brush up on your skills- or learn new ones.

You have the power to make 2012 a truly awesome year. Take the time to enact these resolutions in order to enhance your job search and land your dream job.

But remember, these tips are just the start when it comes to putting your dream job within reach. For more tips and career advice, visit Adecco Staffing Services or contact your local Adecco office today.

And now for a Contest!

Adecco USA will be running a “New Year, New You” contest starting January 15, 2012. Check out the Adecco Facebook page for more details, and find out how you could win daily prizes throughout January 2012!

One grand prize winner will  receive an interview suit and laptop- stayed tuned, and you could be on the path to career success!

Ms. Career Girl Contest

Now that you have these great New Year’s resolutions, which one are you going to stick with? Do you have another resolution that would be great for women in the workforce? Leave a comment here and the best idea will win a $50 visa gift card!  The winner will be announced on our Facebook page on Friday January 13th at 5pm CST.

By, Gabriela Vega

This week, my husband, stepson and I took a small vacation to Colorado where we took my stepson on his first whitewater rafting adventure. The company we worked with for the expedition really focused on preparing its guests for the adventure that included rafting with a seven-year-old child (don’t worry folks, it was a beginner’s course and perfectly safe), a few treacherous spots and thirty-eight degree water. The company provided its guests with all the necessities to withstand the rocky waters: helmets, water jackets, wetsuits and neoprene booties (available for a small rental fee.)

Upon our return to the company’s headquarters I found myself ill prepared to return to my street clothing.  You see, although I am sure that the company does everything possible to clean its equipment it is pretty much in the water all day.  When I removed all of the equipment I smelled like an old, mildewy washcloth.  And, although they had showers for their guests, I had forgotten to bring toiletries.

When I returned to the front desk, I suggested to the staff that they should selling travel toiletries.  I stated that it would be beneficial to their guests and could become another stream of revenue.  Because they already sold hot drinks, logo’d loungewear and small snacks, I felt that they could easily integrate it into their store.

They thanked me, stated that it was a great suggestion and that they had never contemplated it before.  As my husband drove back to Denver from Idaho Springs, I began to wonder how many opportunities for improvements small companies miss out on because they do not offer their guests, clients, or customers to provide feedback.

I began to wonder about how many opportunities my firm was missing out on because I have failed to provide clients the chance to give us feedback. Although, I send clients a survey after we have completed their case (for those of you that don’t know a lot about me, I own a law firm in Manhattan, Kansas that focuses on family law- i.e. divorce, child custody & support, etc.)  However, for every one case that we accept, we have at least ten potential client meetings.  What about the input of these individuals?  What valuable information and chances for improvement has my firm lost out on simply because we have not obtained feedback from all potential clients?  So here are a few ideas that I had about how to capture feedback from clients; if you have other ideas or please let me know, I would love to hear from you.

How to Get Professional Feedback

Suggestion Box

Yes, an actual suggestion box may be a little cheesy and campy.  However, there is no better way to gather feedback than to do it when the client is actually in your business.  Once gone, the client’s mind is on things other than the service it received from your business (unless it was bad service then their goal is to tell everyone they know how awful you were.)

Snail mail survey

Assuming you captured necessary information, send your client a survey to their home or business address after they have been at your place of business.  If you decide to do this, keep in mind that your return on investment (i.e. the time preparing the survey, stuffing envelopes and getting it to the post office vs. actual surveys received) will be relatively low.  If you decide to use this method, please consider including a self-addressed stamped envelope to increase your chances of success.  If you do not, be prepared to receive 10% or less of your surveys back.

Online survey

With the advent of online services like Survey Monkey, preparing an online survey is relatively easy.  Additionally, as our world has moved to a digital, constantly connected medium, I believe that the chances for feedback from an online survey are greater than the snail mail option.  After carefully contemplating the options, I have decided to give this option a try.

Email message

Another option that may prove beneficial is to send an individual email message to each client that comes into your business.  Although this may sound cumbersome, if you create a template that allows you to change the client name and add personalized information this can be feasible.  I may also try this option to increase our chances of success.

Additional hints and tips

1.  Try the belts and suspenders approach. In other words don’t be afraid to layer a couple of these hints.  Remember that all of your clients are different and trying more than one option increases your chances of reaching clients in a manner they like.

2.  Create a timeline and measures for success. Determine how long you will try your approaches and what success will look like.  If you do not have an idea of how many responses or how long you will give yourself to receive said responses then how will you know whether or not your plan is working?

3.  Don’t be afraid to change your approach. If the options that you have selected are not working do not be afraid to try different options.  Do not feel as though you have failed if your approach is not working; realize that you have yet to find a way to reach your clients.

4.  Consider adding incentives. You may be able to increase your chances of receiving valuable feedback by adding incentives. Utilize your incentives as a way to both capture the information that you need to do obtain your suggestions and as a way to get people to respond. For example, if you own a beauty salon, you may ask do a monthly drawing for a service.  Those clients that give you their contact information have one chance to win and if they respond to your survey they receive another entry in your drawing.

5.  Don’t get offended. If you ask for it, be prepared to hear all types of information, both good and bad.  You will not or should not want to only receive positive feedback about your company.  Remember improvement comes from receiving suggestions about way to improve or change your business.

6.  Talk to a professional. If your company can afford it, you may find great benefit from talking to a marketing professional.  They will provide invaluable information.

Bonus Tip from Nicole:

7. Create a Google doc. If you’re looking for internal feedback create a “Virtual” Suggestion box which is a Google doc your team is shared on.  This works well for people like me: a Marketing Manager whose co-workers always have the next best idea while I pass them in the hallway.   The Google doc is also a great way to open the door to improved processes and it builds bridges between departments.  Encourage people to write their suggestions, concerns and questions in the Google doc, then address all items monthly at a team meeting.  It’s important to show your team members they are being heard and that you value continuous improvement.

By, Patricia Brehm

Today I found a fascinating TechCrunch article by Aileen Lee, “Why Women Rule the Internet.” The idea is that women are now the matriachs of the vast web abyss. Namely, the idea goes that since women are more inclined to work with the social networks, engage in online networking, building e-based professional relationships etc. In another fascinating article posted on  SEOmoz, about “Tips for Link Builders” recommends “being a girl” and if you search through blog posts as well as forums, you’ll find numerous mentions of finding a female community manager or social media specialist.

In contrast, the realm of Information Technology, the driving force of code and script that creates social media, seems to be an industry containing mostly men. According to Wikipedia (source of all reliable information nowadays), the desire to drive women into computing careers seems high. In technology communities, a number of resources have sprung up to foster fellowship amongst females in high-tech industries. For example, Sarah Blow founded Geek Girl Dinners as the result of being fed up with a lack of females at technical events. Even geek chic pioneer ThinkGeek has started a line of heroine t-shirts, including Ada Lovelace,  who is considered to be the first female computer programmer. If you go to Slideshare you’ll find a presentation entitled “How to Be An Awesome Community Manager,” written by Marta Majewska, dealing with how to manage an effective social network.

According to Ms. Lee’s article, not only are women powerful in developing a business presence on the web, but female consumers also play a critical role in Internet commercial success. Her article cites astounding sales figures driven by female consumers. So whether it’s electronic retail or driving social networking, the idea of a matriarchal web presence seems to be pervasive and powerful concept.

What are YOUR thoughts?  Is being a female really an advantage when it comes to online branding?  Do females have more power?  If so, why?

When looking to promote an online business, there is a tendency to always look towards the newest trends in everything that you do. It is a way to draw more people to your business through traffic building. It is also a great way to make sure that your business will be recognized by other websites in the process which will bring more business your way. The problem is that all too often companies will lose sight of reality because they are constantly chasing the next big thing.

One for instance is that too many companies relying on good customer satisfaction will ignore such important tools as the inbound call center. They trend towards online chats or email messages instead. While these methods of communication are all fine and good, they lack the personal connection that only talking to a live person can accomplish. Of course, finding the right telephone answering service can be difficult as not many Indian companies are willing to take what has turned into very low paying jobs. Companies in American and in the UK have been able to snatch up many of the jobs that India is turning away as more companies are willing to pay more to get native English speakers.

With the ability to go global for anything your company needs, it is hard to stay grounded in reality. Seeing India turn its nose up to call center jobs is an interesting reminder that anything is possible in this world. If you are to make a difference with your online presence, you will have to make decisions which will help to keep your feet firmly on the ground at all times.

Connecting with Your Base

There are many great ways to connect with those who visit your website to buy your product or service. One of the easiest ways to do this is by asking your customers to connect with you. Using such social networking sites as Facebook and Twitter allows you to get to know not only what your clients like. You will also get to know what they like about your company. In finding out what they like about your company, it is possible to either promote your good point or make changes to the bad ones.

Setting up an account with either of these sites costs you nothing. Making the profile something people will pay attention to can cost you some extra money. Of course, as soon as the account looks the way you want it to, it is possible for it to be a great promotional site. You can do everything from announce upcoming events and roll-outs to asking those who follow what you write in these locations what it is they would like to see more of. The more you connect with your base, the more possible it is that they will tell everyone they know about your company.

Creating a Blog

While the social networks are great places to attract new people to your business, it is not the best location to really inform people about your business. It is hard to learn everything you need to know about a company in a tweet or two. Creating a source like a blog is a much better way for your customers to get to know your business. The social media sites can mention each new blog post you post. You can direct people from your blog to the social media sites and then right back to the blog.

In a blog you can do everything from tell the history of the company to explain why it is that your company is doing which is different. In most cases you will simply write about the different things going on in your industry. Maintaining interest in your business is highly important if you are to keep a growing base to keep spreading the word.

Reaching Out Beyond the Web

Whether your company is in the business of selling products or services, it is a good idea to send out mail through the United States Postal Service (USPS). By sending out mail, you are making a personal attempt to reach your clients. They will appreciate the personal touch the sentiment makes possible. The reason why this is important is because everyone adores feeling special for one reason or another. Even if all you are sending a note for is to say thank you for the order, it is the thought that counts. The more personalized you can make the mail, the more effective it will be in sending the right message about your company.

The more people feel at home with your company, the more friends and family they will tell about it. This growing base will be able to keep growing as long as you make sure to always take care of the customers you have.

There’s no doubt that our jobs can influence the way we handle things at home.  If you’re a Mom this is especially true.  Thanks to Veronica Hunt for sharing how her career has influenced her parenting!

As a Public Relations (PR) professional for more than 20-years, I work with clients to develop and disseminate key messages that influence behavior and establish credibility. Who knew that I’d employ the same principles at home with my tween daughter?

Wikipedia links a tween with preadolescence, stating that “preadolescent children have a different view of the world from younger children in significant ways.” Well, I’m here to say “yes”.

Example #1:

On a school night my daughter was faced with having to study for a math chapter test (a subject she struggles with) or go to swim practice (she’s been working hard to improve her breaststroke).   I wanted her to study but left it up to her to decide. Using persuasive thinking and sticking to key message points about school being a priority and doing what’s easiest not always being a smart choice, we talked about the consequences of each decision i.e. go to practice and risk getting a poor test result which could lower the C+ she’s worked so hard to earn, or stay home and work harder at swim practice two-days later.

Example #2:

Uniforms are required at my daughter’s school, so any occasion to showcase “regular” clothes with classmates is a big event. We were climbing out of the car to attend a Friday night social and pot luck dinner at the school when my younger child spilled spaghetti sauce on my daughter’s jeans ruining the look my tween had been planning for weeks.  Screaming and tears turned to fury towards her sibling and me!  Cue my all-important crisis communications and reputation management skills.  I quickly ran in, dropped off the spaghetti and raced home, explaining that accidents happen and it’s always smart to have a plan B. I asked her what she was planning to wear to her friend’s party next weekend so she could substitute outfits. No one had seen her in the spaghetti-riddled jeans, and she could wear that next week. We were fashionably late, but the crisis was managed.  Her reputation as a “cool dresser” (who knew!) was saved.

Spend 10 minutes reading any number of mom and dad blogs, and you’ll soon learn that as kids go from child to tween, there is a significant change in the way they view and perceive their parents.  It’s interesting to me that as I strive to educate myself on how to work with my tween, I find counsel that I offer my clients:

• Communicate effectively and often – talk about issues before they arise
• Stay engaged and connected – show interest
• Set aside some face time and listen – don’t push an agenda and follow through, do what you say
• Lead by example – demonstrate responsibility
• Apologize when you are wrong – recognize when you fall short

In my quest to get smart, I find myself employing basic PR tactics to reap knowledge, better understand my daughter and keep her trust:

• Case studies – talking to parents who have had children for 20+ years and learning what worked well
• Focus groups and surveys – addressing and dissecting the topic at social gatherings with other parents
• Spokespeople– positioning teenage and young adult nieces and nephews to champion my cause
• Content development – I’ve been lucky enough to have a few articles published; this blog post should help too!

I’m optimistic that as I learn more, stay on message and stay calm, I’ll be able to survive this personal PR challenge. Many years ago I made a career decision between marine biology or PR. I had no clue this decision would help me with my greatest job in life – being a parent.

Did you ever notice that the best local restaurants are the ones you never see advertised?  That’s because successful local restaurants wouldn’t see a high ROI on print advertisements.  They see a much higher ROI by focusing on their values. 

Hometown Heroes have 3 things in common

1. They know their customers.
2. They care about their customers.
3. They evolve with their customers.

Here are 10 ways you can know your customers, show you care about your customers and evolve with your customers by using social media.

1. Listen, listen, listen!  Smart social media marketers make friends way before they earn customers.  If you don’t feel like you have time to listen, hire someone to do it!  It’s one of the most important parts of seeing a return on social media marketing!
2. Set up Google Alerts. Include alerts for your name, your restaurant’s name, your competitors, restaurant associations, restaurant trends, etc. Incorporate your findings into specials, events, adjustments and coupons.
3. Monitor specific phrases on Twitter that potential customers might be tweeting about. Use a free tool like Tweet Deck or search.twitter.com.  Respond to these phrases.  Chat with these people online. 
4. Run a fun and interactive Facebook fan page. One way of doing this is to make your customers into local celebrities.  For example, consider featuring local high school athletes, veterans, new Moms, grandparents or college graduates depending on your target market and offerings. 
5. Offer a discount to those who show they are a fan on Facebook or check in using Four Square. 
6. Post pollson your website, blog or Facebook fan page to engage visitors and find out peoples favorite dishes.  Use the results to improve your business.
7. Address customer service issues as they happen by monitoring online “chatter.” If someone complains about bad service or cold lasagna, apologize and offer something to them to prove you really care.  Not only have you learned a valuable tip on how to improve your business (perhaps a staff member needs to go if several people share the same complaint) you’ve left that customer feeling surprised and satisfied that you were listening and addressed their issue personally.
8. Make sure your restaurant is on Yelp.  Monitor the comments from “yelpers,”address and adjust as needed.  Remember, one dissatisfied customer can send one tweet, blog post or status update to thousands of people with the click of a button!  Encourage your customers to write Yelp reviews and provide a small incentive for those who do.  It’s ok to ask for Yelp reviews! Edit: Thank you to reader Jane who informed me that providing incentives in exchage for Yelp posts is NOT allowed or looked highly upon by the community.  For more info, see her comment below.  Thank you Jane for pointing this out!
9. Consider starting a blog.  Blogs provide fresh content which makes search engines happy. Happy search engines means more visitors to your website, which equals more customers at your restaurant. Again, if you don’t think you have time to maintain a blog, hire someone to do this to stay consistent with your posting frequency. 
10. Add interactive media to your restaurant’s web site or blog.  For example, you could use short videos to introduce the chef and staff.  If you want to get really into it, show how the food is prepped or share a simple cooking technique.  You could get really creative with interactive media! Now your customers can “try before they buy,” a winning strategy for any busines!

Bonus Tip: When writing blog posts or copy for your website, incorporate relevant keywords.  For example: the name of your restaurant, the name of your town and/or neighborhood and other phrases that people put into Google searches. Incorporate these keyword phrases into the text as much as you can (without losing readability of course!).  Over time, this strategy will make it easy for locals to find you in Google searches.

So, in review…

Keep 3 things in mind when you use social media marketing for your local restaurant or small business: Know your customers,  care about your customers and evolve with your customers.

So you started your first blog and now you need some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips.  SEO sounds intimidating and mysterious to most new bloggers.  Before I answer this, let’s start with the basics.

Search engine optimization is a way of writing content and structuring your site in a way that makes Google happy. If Google is happy, Google will send you more traffic from searches. More traffic equals more readers, leads and/or customers.

Although search engines are always adjusting the rules, the following three components of SEO are a great place to start.

3 SEO Tips for Beginners

1. Consider your keywords.
2. Content is King.
3. Start link building.

Keywords

People come to the internet for two reasons: to solve problems and to be entertained.  If you are writing your blog with a purpose beyond entertainment, you’re probably writing articles about a very specific subject.  In this case, your goal is to write posts that solve problems and answers questions about the subject being searched.  From there you can attract targeted readers to your site who may one day become customers.

Therefore, before you even start writing, the first question you should ask is: what is your targeted audience searching for? Find out by using one of the following three keyword research tools:

• google.com/sktool There is a great little video on this page that explains WHY this tool is helpful.
• Tools.seobook.com/general/keyword
• Copyblogger.com/keyword-research-tools

Once you see what people are searching for, build these phrases into your post.

Content

Google finds your articles based on your written content.  If you want to make it easier for Google to find you, then tell it what you are writing about.  Here are a few ways how:

• Write topic-focused articles that are at least 300 words.
• Include keyword phrases in your content, but don’t over do it.  Rumor has it that if your article consists of 5% or more of your keyword phrases, search engines penalize you for “keyword stuffing.”  Check out your article’s keyword density here. And remember, your articles should appeal to humans first, not search engines!
• Be sure to add a meta description (a brief description of what your article is about) that is 165 characters or less.  If you have no idea where to add a meta description in your WordPress blog dashboard, you probably need to add a plugin.  Try the All-in-One SEO pack.
  • And of course, make sure to keep your plugins updated (I learned this the hard way). Check out Matt Chevy’s video on how to keep your plugins updated.
• Consider using your keyword phrase in the title of the post.  For example, I titled this post 3 SEO Tips for Beginners.  I did this because my goal is to provide information to people who search for “SEO Tips” or “SEO tips for beginners.”  My secondary goal was to use a title that was very clear.  Clear topic-focused titles make it easy for readers to re-distrubute the post to their networks.  “Optimized” titles are a great segue into…

Link Building

Why?  If you were trying to learn more about SEO, what post title would you be more likely to read, bookmark, and re-distribute: “3 SEO Tips for Beginners” or “Rock the Search Engines with Your New Blog”  I wouldn’t bother clicking on the second article because although I can assume what the article is about, it isn’t clear.

Search engines take note of how many links are following your post and site. The more links, the more credible you seem to a search engine (and therefore, the more traffic you get from searches). This is especially true if the incoming links are coming from sites that are even more established than yours.

Here are some ideas on how to earn links back to your site:

• Distribute your posts to all of your social media networks and news sites. Don’t forget to “stumble” and “digg” your articles and bookmark your articles on sites like reddit.  This is one of the easiest way to earn linkbacks.  Make it easier by using ping.fm to automatically distribute your content for you.
• Guest post. Not only will you get in front of a whole new audience, you will earn a link back from a site that is likely more established than your own.  Consider getting creative in your bio and linking to a specific informational post rather than your home page.  Rather than writing, “Nicole is the founder of mscareergirl.com” I might say “Nicole loves to write about free SEO tips…”
• Create new content (because search engines hate duplicate content) and submit it to reputable directories like ezine articles.
• Link to yourself. Link to your own relevant content and others throughout the post using anchor text.

This post is part of the “Ms. Marketing Maven” series- a series devoted to helping women create more flexibility and financial independence in their lives.

You’ve heard the statistics before…

Gen Y doesn’t trust advertisements; we trust the people in our social networks.  But overall, Gen Y doesn’t trust much at all.  If you’re a big company of any kind, you will have to work much harder to win over the 70 million Gen Y consumers living among us.

How Should Marketers gain Gen Y’s trust?

Well, besides Corporate Social Responsibility, you’ll need to prove your brand to us.  Let us touch it, try it and talk about it.  And let us hear about it and experience it from “real” people. In order to gain our trust, you’ll need to focus on experiential marketing.

Experiential marketing 2.0 means offering your product or service to the right people at the right time. A simple example is the nice lady at the grocery store who hands you a sample of fantastic cheese spread while you are exiting the cracker aisle.  Do that online. 

Technically, paid search campaigns attempt to reach the right customer at the right time. When I Google “smart phone” for example, paid ads for Sprint, Verizon, ATT, wirefly.com and Apple appear. There is one huge problem though:  a vast majority of Gen Y consumers will never look at, trust, or click on sponsored results.

Nor will most Gen Y’ers take the time to go through each of the companies’ websites.  We like instant gratification and that takes way too long. Plus, we’d much prefer to read a short aggregated review of the phones on a blog and buy based on a “real” person’s opinion anyways. 

Here are some ways that companies have used experiential marketing to catch me at the right moment and convert me into a customer.

• WalMart.com.  I thought hell would freeze over before I bought any furniture from Wal-Mart (and then blogged about it) but I did.  And I love my $99 kitchen table.  Why? Because I knew exactly what I was buying before I bought it. Walmart.com had great multi-view pictures, tons of honest reviews and they were willing to ship the product to my local Wal-Mart for free so I could see it before I brought it home.  
• Groupon.  Groupon is the best way to experience something that you never would have tried thanks to HUGE discounts on local products and services.  If I were a marketer, I’d make sure my stuff was on Groupon so people could experience it with for little risk, talk about it and experience it again.
• MattChevy.com. A long time ago I sent out a frustrated tweet saying “can anyone in the Chicago area help me with WordPress?!” Matt responded immediately with a friendly (and calm!) tweet saying he could help me.  He caught me in the right place, at the right time.  He gained my trust.  We are now close friends and I refer people to him all the time.
• Amazon.com: “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” and “Best Value.”
• Ulta,  Hairuwear.com, YouTube demos, Ulta.  Worst hair cut of my life + obsession with Ulta + panic = temporary solution via J-Simp’s “Hair-Do.”

Readers, where have companies presented themselves to you at the right moment?

What’s the best example of experiential marketing you’ve seen?

A few weeks ago I was invited to a fund raising event for a non-profit arts organization.  This was the perfect networking opportunity especially since I have been thinking about returning to the non-profit arts world.  As I was doing my hair and makeup I did a quick run-through in my head of the essential networking guidelines.

• Be friendly and approachable
• Have a good, strong handshake
• Do research on the hosting company and key people
• Business Cards

I was only missing one thing: business cards.

Business cards are like little souvenirs you get after meeting someone interesting.  Of course I have business cards from my job, but my current job has nothing to do with the arts or the non-profit world.  After all, you wouldn’t wear your workout shoes to a cocktail party (unless you are Mariah Carey and you exercise in stilettos).  Different outfits call for different shoes and the same goes for business.

Unless I was trying to start a business deal on behalf of my company, handing out those business cards at the event would not have made sense.  My work business cards would have also steered away the attention from myself as a potential non-profit arts leader in the making.  I did not want to introduce myself as a member of that company; I would rather introduce myself as someone who likes the theater, volunteers at museums and is eager to return to the non-profit world.  I also would not want to receive follow-up emails from people I networked with on my work email because they would not relate to my 9 to 5 job. I faced the same predicament when I recently attended a meeting for an organization called Emerging Arts Leaders. I showed up eager to meet young, hip, artsy soul-searches like myself but found myself empty-handed.

So to all you career girls, who have a 9 to 5 job that is not aligned with your career goals or are looking to make a career switch, or have a passion project outside of your 9 to 5, I suggest you have a set of personal business cards that represent who you are and not what the source of your paycheck is (if these two do not go hand-in-hand).

You may love your 9 to 5 job but as a Generation Y career girl you probably have other talents that you want to highlight.  For example, Nicole has a background in banking but she might also have a set of personal business cards that represent her as the founder of Ms. Career Girl.  You may also want to have a set of personal business cards if you were laid off and you are looking for employment.  Your business card can say your name and the degree you have if that degree is relevant to what you want your next job to be.  If you have a blog you might want to have a set of business cards that say your name, email, and your blog url.

Get creative and have memorable souvenirs that will contribute to your personal brand.

Note from Nicole: The picture here shows 3 different business cards I use.  The two green business cards are by Tiny Prints.  I couldn’t agree more with Aimee’s post!

What makes marketing financial institutions very different today than ten years ago?  Trust.

Ten years ago, trust was assumed.  The stock market was booming,successful dot-coms were popping up everywhere and jobs were plentiful. But then September 11^th happened.  And  the dot-com “burst.” And let’s not forget about the stock market crash, the fall of Lehman Brothers, government bailouts, the real estate market hitting an all-time low and the highest unemployment rate in decades. Today, trust is non-existent.

Marketers who focus on regaining trust will make it into the next era.  Companies- especially financial institutions- will start earning trust by reaching their customers exactly when and where they need something.

Simply put, that means better customer service.  But today’s definition of superb customer service goes beyond, “thank you for your business ma’am.”  Customers today expect instant gratification.  Customers want to be seen as individuals.  And today’s customers have bigger problems to solve and bigger voices than ever before.

Old Components of Great “Customer Service Marketing” for Financial Institutions

• A friendly smile and a thank you.
• A fancy lobby, suits & nylons.
• A call center.
• Great interest rates.
• Online banking, conveniently located ATM’s and longer hours of operation.

New Components of Great “Customer Service Marketing” for Financial Institutions

• A totally awesome iPhone app.
• A response from a real person when tweeting a complaint about the financial institution.
• Listening to the blogosphere and making adjustments.
• Creating financial products that offer value, rather than offer high interest rates.
• A customizable online banking interface that allows the customer to create a budget, track investments, create a plan to payoff debt, get financial education and earn rewards that are relevant to their situation.

My online marketing business card says, “get into your customers hands” (yes, it’s a sassy play on another common phrase). Today, customer service marketing is about getting in your customers hands-meaning getting into their iPhone, Blackberry, text messages, emails and social media networks-at the right moment.  It’s about paying attention to individual needs and providing ways to solve their financial problems.

It’s easy for consumers to blame large financial institutions for the economic downturn.  Smart financial marketers should accept this and turn their focus on regaining trust.  Financial institutions in particular should change their definition of “customer service marketing” and prove that they can once again be trusted by providing instant,  applicable and individualized customer service beyond high interest rates.

What do you wish your financial institutions would do differently?  Do you trust financial institutions?  What would make you trust them more?