Greater Rochester SCORE is a dedicated resource in our areas that serves new and growing small businesses and non-profits. 

I’ve been impressed with the experts at SCORE and highly recommend them to new entrepreneurs. Some of the IDEAMAKERS clients have benefitted from SCORE’s expertise which they found very helpful in starting their businesses.

If you have a small business, you can tap the expertise of nearly 100 experienced Rochester area SCORE volunteers and over 13,000 national members are waiting to mentor you to entrepreneurial success.  Using trained volunteers, SCORE delivers FREE, timely, confidential and trusted business advice to small business start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs.  They are very helpful in providing guidance in developing business plans.

SCORE provides trained confidential mentors and low cost business startup workshops. Want help facing a business challenge? Use SCORE SMART Counseling - A unique team of SMART counselors will work with your key personnel to identify opportunities for improvement and suggest tactical changes needed to achieve growth and profit goals. You can also attend SCORE’s Low Cost Advanced Workshops to learn need-to-know topics such as QuickBooks, social media, internet marketing, and business planning.

If you need to learn about operating a non-profit, SCORE volunteers are ready, at no cost to you, to help you and your board with issues relating to starting and running an effective non-profit business.  SCORE, as a non-profit itself, understands the issues relating to non-profit management. They will help you focus on the business planning process and establish both near and long term objectives.

As a resource partner with the US Small Business Administration (SBA), SCORE volunteers understand the process of funding your small business.  Greater Rochester SCORE has active relationships with other organizations that want to see your business succeed: Chambers of Commerce, the Urban League, NAWBO, IDAs, and many others.  It serves Monroe, Livingston, Ontario, Wayne and Yates Counties.

To learn more, check out the Greater Rochester SCORE website at www.scorerochester.org or call  (585) 263-6473 Also, the National SCORE website, www.score.org, provides Webinars, worksheets, templates, and informative guides to support your business.

IDEAMAKERS client, Elaine Rittler, owner of Elaine Rittler Fine Art, comments on her recent business startup success… “Business has been gradually building.  I now have 5 senior homes who have booked me for (art instruction) classes right through April.  I’ve already had my first class and it went very well.”

“I have had 2 successful art shows” states Elaine.  “Not only did I do respectably well with selling of my art, but they were the 5th home to book classes.  I also got a commission out of it (which I just completed) from a customer and the facility also asked me to do a solo art show there in the spring.  A quadruple whammy…”

In addition to doing art commission work, Elaine has been busy generating business mailings and has begun follow up on those.  After the holidays, she plans to market herself publishing companies.  

Here are Elaine’s recommendations: “First, line yourself up with a SCORE representative.  That way you’re not operating in a vacuum and they’ll advise on everything from concept to launch and then some!  Then, do your research to be sure your idea seems like a good one – one that will fill a need.  Develop a well-thought out business plan and stick to it.”

“Get with a great marketing firm like IDEAMAKERS who will help you with all the necessary marketing needs.  For example, developing a professional looking website and business cards will show customers you’re serious.  Also, establishing the right price to open doors is critical especially if you’re an unknown quantity.”

Ideamakers developed a brand identity, graphics, marketing ideas and website for Elaine Rittler Fine Art, a startup company that provides original art and prints.

Elaine Rittler, a Rochester area artist, creates original waterscape and sunset, lighthouse, winter and holiday, portrait, and religious artwork.

She accepts commission work, commercial projects and provides group and individual art instruction.

There’s a great deal of information and advice about the effective use of social media as a marketing tool.  I ran across this article that may provide some clarification in Inc.com – Small Business Resources for the Entrepreneur by Malcolm Faulds on Oct. 4, 2011

Social Media is a Waste of Time

But an online marketing expert explains how you can make Facebook, Twitter, and Groupon, among others, work for your small business.

If you are like most small businesses, you and your team are stretched thin. If you even have a team. All day long you are servicing customers, delivering products, managing finances and doing whatever it takes to keep your business up and running. The last thing you need is to waste time. But for many small businesses, that’s exactly what they are doing when it comes to marketing with social media.

The typical small business Facebook page is a ghost town. It might have some pictures of the business, a few posts about an event six months ago, and a handful of followers who joined when the page launched. On Twitter, there might be a couple posts a month and none of them are related to any customer question. The same is true for Foursquare. Groupon is like going to the casino: there’s a good chance you’ll come home with empty pockets.

It’s hard to resist the promise of marketing in social media. It’s personal, efficient, and it is growing at a remarkable rate. Your customers spend most of their media time on these sites and they are discussing product experiences and researching purchase decisions. But that doesn’t mean that every business should drop everything and start a Facebook page or a Twitter account. This isn’t like buying an ad in the newspaper or the Yellow Pages; You don’t just set it up and walk away.

To make the most of your social media marketing, you need to have a plan. Social media is about having an ongoing conversation with your customers, not droning on about your business while they ignore you. You have to put in the time to cultivate your existing customers and attract new ones. Yes, this will take a little more time and thought, but that’s why it works. If you “set it and forget it,” you are wasting your time. Guaranteed.

Here are six steps to make sure you don’t waste time in social media:

1. Pick the right channels.

You know that location is everything in business, so make sure you are in the right place. What social media sites do your customers use? How do they use them? Where do they turn to research your product? You need to be where they are and where they are talking to each other. For example, if you run a restaurant, you should pay attention to Yelp. If you have a jogging-goods store, you may want to engage with folks on RunKeeper. If you offer laser hair removal you should know all about Groupon (if you don’t already).

2. Write posts for your customers, not you.

You can’t have a meaningful dialogue with customers if you don’t know what they want to talk about. Think about the questions you hear every day from customers. Look at what people are talking about on discussion boards, in blog comments, on competitor sites, and on review sites. Engage with active customers individually by answering their questions and asking for feedback. Their responses will give you ideas for new blog posts and places to engage folks, and may even lead to new promotions or offerings. Remember, social media marketing is about your customers; it’s not about you.  

3. Give to Get: What offers can you make to drive loyalty?

Everyone loves a deal, and they love to share it when they find one. Access to offers is one of the biggest reasons people follow brands in social media. Give them something exclusive. Make them feel special and encourage them to share it with their friends on Facebook and Twitter. It’s a great way to get people buzzing about you. It will build your following fast, and it’s a heck of a lot less expensive than what you pay sites like Living Social or Groupon to distribute your offer.

4. Mix it up. Dull content is like Spam.

You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating. Social media is a conversation. Conversations can be insanely boring if you say the same thing over and over again. Add variety to your posts. Ask for feedback and questions. Run a contest or a sweepstakes. Try humor, and candor. Invite people to submit photos of their family and friends using your products. Share the stories of your best customers. This is your community online, make it fun.

5. Budget enough time to engage, or else hire someone.

You are making a commitment to your customers and you have to follow through. Make it a daily routine. Schedule reminders in your Google calendar. Cover your desk with yellow stickies. Do whatever it takes. This is an important task that is part of your job. If you don’t have the time for it, find someone who does. Make sure that person understands your business completely, has the authority to solve customer problems, and can communicate with the public in a professional way.

6. Use the right tools.

Like any project, the right tools can make the job a lot easier. The Internet has many free tools you can use to monitor discussion and measure the impact of your efforts. Some of my favorites are Tweetdeck to manage Twitter, Topsy for trending discussion volume over time, and Socialmention for evaluating the sentiment of conversations surrounding your industry. To make your update posting easier, check out Posterous for distributing updates to all your networks and communities, and Cinch.fm for recording voice messages on the phone that can be shared with your social network followers. You can see a more complete list of the popular tools here.

Journey through your imagination as you view the colorful landscapes, florals, portraiture and nostalgic pieces that Elaine Rittler has created.  Elaine’s realistic style combines the clarity seen in a photograph with the softness and look of fine art.  With a broad pallet and wide variety of subject matter, Elaine’s artwork is created to appeal to a large audience. 

Elaine’s artwork can be purchased online.  She will also do commission work and can provide individual or group art instruction.

As I meet with numerous business owners and managers, I ask what they are doing to promote their business’s products or services.  More often than not, many say that times are tough and that they cannot afford to advertise.  Many are struggling.  They complain that business is bad and that new customers are not learning about their offerings.

For much of my career, I planned and directed advertising strategies and tactics for Wegmans Food Markets, known world-wide for their innovation and marketing tenacity.  Wegmans was not always the dynamic regional market leader that they are today.  Wegmans benefitted from challenging economic times as a result of developing powerful, high quality advertising campaigns to communicate their offerings.  When their competitors cut back on their advertising, Wegmans stood out.  When the dust settled, they were standing strong while many of their competitors had expired.

So, to businesses large and small alike, established and startups, I say… develop a strong marketing plan and advertise –advertise – advertise!   To support my advice, I offer the following article from American Business Media…

The Value of Advertising During an Economic Downturn

History has proven companies that maintain or increase their advertising investments in periods of economic downturns increase their sales and share of market, both during and after the downturn.

Here are the facts:

• Maintaining or increasing advertising budget levels during economic downturns may be necessary in terms of protecting market position vis-à-vis forward looking competitors.1
• If a company fails to maintain its “Share of Mind” during an economic downturn, current and future sales are jeopardized. Maintaining “Share of Mind” costs much less than rebuilding it later on.2
• If during an economic downturn you maintain a strong advertising presence while your competitor cuts his budget, you will automatically increase your “Share of Mind.”3
• Advertising through both boom and down times sustains the necessary brand recognition.4
• Maintaining a company’s advertising during an economic downturn will give the image of corporate stability within a chaotic business environment, and give the advertiser the chance to dominate the advertising media.5
• Economic downturns reward the aggressive advertiser and penalize the timid one.6
• During an economic downturn, a strong advertising/marketing effort enables a firm to solidify its customer base, take business away from less aggressive competitors, and position itself for future growth during the recovery.7
• When times are good, you should advertise; when times are bad, you must advertise.8
• Advertising in an economic downturn should be regarded not as a drain on profits, but as a contributor to profits.9

1How Advertising in Recession Periods Affect Sales, American Business Media

2Ibid

3San Diego Executive Magazine

4Making A Recession Work For You, American Business Media

5Ibid

6The Strategic Planning Institute

7Coopers & Lybrand

8Making A Recession Work For You, American Business Media

9Harvard Business Review

Demo uses more TV, online video and visits more ecommerce sites

Generation X—the first generation to grow up with PCs—are plugged in and media-savvy. For marketers, that means that while these 34- to 45-year-old consumers are heavy users of digital tools, they also watch more TV than any other age segment.

A new eMarketer report, “Gen X: Demographic Profile and Marketing Approaches” indicates that this group is as comfortable with digital as with traditional media. “To effectively engage with Gen X, brands need a strategy that incorporates multiple channels—including mobile, social and online video—with authentic, relevant messaging,” the report notes.

So, while no brand should leave TV out of the media mix when targeting these consumers, who are in the prime of their earning and spending potential, a brand would also be wise to include online video.

Gen X constitutes the largest online video audience. eMarketer forecasts that 74.2.% of Gen X internet users will watch online video at least monthly in 2011, and that percentage is expected to grow to 80% by 2015.

Most Gen Xers are online. eMarketer estimates that 88% of the segment are web users in 2011, and that number is expected to increase to 90.9% by 2015. They are slightly more likely than the general population to visit online retail sites and significantly more likely to visit mobile retail sites, according to comScore.

Top product categories purchased online by Gen Xers in fall 2010 included apparel, airline tickets, books and hotel reservations, concluded a survey by GfK MRI.

The full report, “Gen X: Demographic Profile and Marketing Approaches” also answers these key questions:

To purchase the report, click here. Total Access clients, log in and view the report now.

Here’s some great advice!  I recently read and am sharing this timely article by Nichole Kelly of the Social Media Examiner that discusses 7 signs that a social media “expert” doesn’t know what they’re talking about. 

News Flash: Not everyone who says they understand or have used social media actually knows what they are talking about.

I know, that’s not much of a news flash for many of us. We’ve been watching as this tremendous growth of social media has created a mass-market of companies selling huge lines of BS to brands who honestly don’t know the right questions to ask. They are like really smooth men with pick up lines that are so brilliant you don’t even see them coming. They know if a company is looking for help with social media, it is likely because they don’t understand it themselves. Therefore, if they talk in buzz words and “fake it ‘till they make it” the company will never realize they are clueless.

This is so prolific you can’t really point a finger in one direction. I’ve seen it with agencies, I’ve seen it within corporations, and I’ve seen it amongst “consultants.”  And honestly, it isn’t that these are bad people per se, they are simply trying to capitalize on a market that is booming and trying to learn as fast as they can. That’s just capitalism taking its natural course. However, it can be really unfair for companies who are placing a tremendous amount of confidence in these providers to not at least have a clear understand of their real capabilities.  Therefore, this post will provide a list of “red flag” pick up lines I’m seeing a lot.

Social Media Red Flag Pick Up Lines

Social media is a great strategy for every company. If you don’t have a social media strategy you will be left behind.

Social media isn’t the “right” answer for every company. There are several factors to consider before diving into a social media strategy. Do you have the resources to support a social media strategy for the long-term? Are there natural places within your current marketing strategy where social media can be integrated? Are there conversations happening about your industry already?

You must have a presence on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and…

There is no magic list of social media channels that applies to every company and industry. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are not the end all be all of social media and for many companies they are the “wrong” places to be. The big question here is whether or not your audience is actually “participating” in a social media channel. If they are which ones are they using? The reality is that for many industries Facebook and Twitter are not the right channels, but represent a drain on resources that could be better allocated to social media sites where their audience actually participates.

We will manage your entire social media presence for you…it’s effortless for you

There are definitely companies that will do this for you, but it raises a huge red flag. Social media isn’t about pushing out a bunch of marketing messages, it’s about engaging in conversation.  Who would you allow to have a direct conversation with your customers and prospects? What kind of training is involved before you let someone pick up the phone for the first time? Allowing a social media provider to manage all of your social media channels without active engagement and commitment from your team to support them can be disastrous.

We developed a strategy for Company X that led to over a bazillion fans

Anytime a provider uses the number of fans or followers or views as a gauge for the success of a campaign, I throw up a little in my mouth.  Were the fans and followers relevant to the company? Did the people who viewed your video do anything as a result? Did any of these people do anything that actually contributed to the financial goals of the company?

We have an experienced social media team

Unfortunately, this is more often than not a bold faced lie. There aren’t enough people who have successfully created, implemented and measured a social media strategy for a business to work for all of these providers who are making these claims. I’ve seen this range from people who have no “real” experience in social media to a team of fresh out of college “interns” being managed by one person who has a little bit of experience. Make sure to ask exactly who will be working on your account and how much experience “each one” has in social media. Also, make sure to ask what companies they have developed and implemented social media strategies for. You will likely have some junior people in the mix, but you should have at least one who has been in the space long enough to know their elbow from their “rhymes with smash hole.”

Social media is special. Your current marketing strategies won’t work, that’s why you need us.

Social media is another tool in your marketing tool kit. It isn’t any more special that email marketing or paid search advertising. Each one of these requires and understanding of what you want to accomplish and a clear understanding of how it can help you reach your business objectives. Social media isn’t any different. In many cases, social media will compliment your current marketing strategies with a little twist.

Social media is the only marketing strategy you need.

Social media is not a silver bullet. It will not fix problems within your current marketing strategy and quite frankly it is more likely shine a big red light on them. It is also not the “only” marketing strategy a company should use. Good marketing is a combination of smart strategy and well-thought out tactics that are executed within marketing channels where their prospects and customers play. Putting all of your eggs in the social media basket is extremely risky.

If you don’t know a lot about social media and need some help, that’s okay. But make sure you prepare yourself so you hire a solid provider who can contribute to your goals. There are some really solid providers out there if you look hard enough. The best tip I can give you is to ask for specific examples and references. Then actually check them. Otherwise, there are plenty of people who have some great ocean front property in Arizona they’d like to sell you.

Ideamakers signed up a new client… BSR Customs.

BSR Customs is a startup company that builds bar stool racers. BSR will custom-build these fun vehicles for companies such as restaurants or branded products to use for their marketing purposes. They can also be a fun part of events such as monster truck shows and even for private use.

The Ideamakers Interns at Bryant & Stratton College will be designing logos, business materials, collateral, website mockups, presentations templates and more as part of this project.