Winning Words of Wisdom: September 16 CAMA Meeting to Focus on Best Practices in B2B and B2C

The Charlotte chapter of the American Marketing Association (CAMA) is pleased to host the Carolinas Winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Awards on September 16 in an engaging panel discussion on navigating this recession and beyond. This year’s nominees and winners averaged a 91 percent increase in sales growth. Learn how they did it at our September meeting. In November, they will represent the Carolinas at the National Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Palm Springs, Fla.

Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Consumer (B2C) experts participating in the event panel are Bob Salvin, Founder & CEO, Salvin Dental Specialties; Frank Spencer, President and CEO, Cogdell Spencer; and Philip Maung, Founder and CEO, Hissho Sushi.

Meeting attendees will enjoy pre-meeting networking opportunities and food at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille beginning at 5:30 p.m. Admissions costs are $20 for current CAMA members and students; and $35 for non-members and all walk-ins. Individuals may register online for the event now through September 15 by visiting http://www.charlotteama.com.

August 12th CAMA Meeting at the Great Wolf Lodge

"Howling" At the Recession: Marketing the Great Wolf Lodge

This March, in the midst of the worst recession in generations, Great Wolf Lodge opened in Concord, North Carolina. Yet despite this economic challenge, management is “howling” about exceeding expectations. Come learn how the Great Wolf Lodge has leveraged the “Staycation” phenomenon to create a growing business for kid-friendly vacations during a down economy. Attendees are invited to stay after for a guided tour of the Great Wolf Lodge complex.

To learn more or to register: http://www.charlotteama.com/events/index.htm

Check out Cause Marketing article from CAMA's VP of Programming

Check out Cause Marketing article from CAMA's VP of Programming:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/406/story/371034.html

Attend CAMA’s July 15th event and learn how making a difference in your
community can make a bigger difference in your business: http://www.charlotteama.com/events/index.htm

Are You Paying It Forward?

Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Bobby Sager certainly are. And their incredible philanthropic endeavors are so ingrained in their public identities, that these millionaires are just as famous for their humanitarian work as they are for their business ventures.

So how can you help the world?
Well the best place to start is in your community. While most businesses don’t have millions to spare like Harpo Studios and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, there are still many opportunities to help others and the environment. Listed below are a few steps that you can take to accept civic responsibility and become more involved in your community.

1. Identify a cause that really speaks to your organization, and compliments your core goals.
2. Decide on a budget and determine all of your available resources.
3. Conduct research and find out if there are any existing programs that your organization can participate in.
4. Commit to a program or an activity that allows your organization to make a positive difference in your community.
5. Celebrate your efforts and look for opportunities to share your success stories with the public.

Establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with any community requires dedication and some skill. Therefore, it can be helpful to work with a community or public relations specialist that has experience connecting organizations with local communities in a meaningful and visible way.

For more information about how to foster good will, increase your community involvement, and build a favorable public image, attend the next CAMA event on 7/15. Read below for details.

Keri Glover is a freelance marketing communications professional who lives in the Charlotte area.

Charlotte AMA July 2009 event

Charlotte AMA July event: July 15, 2009 at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille


‘Cause It’s the Right Thing to Do: Cause marketing; it’s good for your business, good for the community


Learn how businesses are increasingly leveraging cause marketing as a powerful outreach and sales tool.


Register now


Cause marketing has become a “game changing” marketing tool for professionals looking to gain a competitive edge. A 2004 Cone Institute study found that 86 percent of Americans would change their buying habits if a company is associated with a good cause. It also showed that a cause / community affiliation impacted other decisions – when doing business (85%), where to work (81%) and products and services they would recommend (74%).


Learn best practices in cause marketing from our distinguished panel, hosted by Cecilly Durrett of In The Public Interest.

When:

• Wednesday, July 15, 2009
• 5:30 p.m.: Networking, Appetizer Buffet and Cocktails
• 6:30 p.m.: Program

Where:

• Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, 911 East Morehead St., Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28204

Pricing:

• $20 AMA members/students pre-registered and paid online
• $28 Affiliate members paid online
• $35 Non-members pre-registered and paid on line
• Seating is limited. Walk-in registration on a space available basis for $35.

Online Registration

• Register online by Tuesday, July 7 at 6 p.m., at: http://www.charlotteama.com/register/20090715_meeting/
• Pre-register now to have a guaranteed seat, express check-in, and pre-printed name badge.

One Door Closes ....

By Ken Caputo


It’s an all too familiar story. The person who puts everything but everything into the job. The long hours… The missed social engagements…. Putting so much of all the other parts of their lives on hold.

I recently met a lady who fits the profile. She’s at the very top of her game. Held a prestigious position at one of the area’s premiere financial powerhouses.

Then the economy went south and the axe cut deep. All the hours… All the sacrifices… When it came down to it -- they meant nothing. The bean counters in some isolated part of the organization decided their shining star needed to be let loose.

Shock. Disbelieve. Then the effort to get back into the rat race. Almost immediately she poured all her energies into re-connecting with corporate America.

Only, some things changed. She took some time to take inventory who she was and what she wanted. She took stock of the way she was leading her life and came to the conclusion that something was out of balance. Out of whack.

In her quest to move higher in the corporation she concluded she gave more of herself to her job and the company. And everything else suffered. Mind you, this lady is gentle, highly ethical and extremely talented. She stabbed no one to reach the pinnacle. But, somewhere along the way she stopped smelling the roses….

The door closed on her and opened up a whole world of new possibilities. Her hunt for meaningful work lasted less than a half a year – record time in this crapola economy.

And the new company she’s joining? In interviewing with the CEO he stressed how his company respected the individual and actively encourages every employee to lead a balanced life. Of course this was music to her ears. After finding herself she now believes she found the place she never knew existed.



Ken Caputo is a marketing professional who relocated his family to the Greater Charlotte area from Central New Jersey a little over a year ago. He is currently consulting with Cristina Cassidy Productions of Charlotte, NC on a number of exciting projects.


Ken and Cristina are currently working on a series of videos exploring the world of the Greater Charlotte job seekers and emerging support groups. Look for it on the Web soon.

Where to Start Social Media Marketing

“Where do I start social media marketing?” That might be the biggest question that appealed so many markers to the Charlotte AMA June’s meeting as the topic is about Facebook. When Mark Zuckerberg found the Facebook as an online community to connect college friends five years ago, he probably didn’t expect this website would become a widely used tool to market various products.

I got a chance to chat with several people in the CAMA meeting and found that everyone was using at least one social media site and they all understood the vital role social media may play in the future marketing activities. Most people, however, still haven’t figured out where to start the first step. Markers are still observing various online communities, collecting trendy knowledge and searching for best practices they may apply to their own companies.

Why not stopping your research and start learning best tactics from your own experiments? Here are some tips to help you kick off your social media marketing programs:

Step 1:
Opening an account in social media for your company will cost no more than 10 minutes and especially there is no expense needed. Some people may think that sounds so easy. So they fill out the application form, post their companies’ logos and some basic information. Done! But, is that enough?

Don't wait for customers coming to knock your door. You need to proactively send social media invitations to them. The easiest way is to include a social media invite in your email newsletter or on the company website’s home page, such as “Fan Us on Facebook” or “Follow Us on Twitter.”

Step 2:
Imagine an interested customer links to your social community from your website but finds almost no content there. Will the customer still be interested in joining? To start your social media marketing, there might be no money directly needed from your pocket, such as costly ads or professional copywriting. But your company needs an administrator to regularly manage your community. There are a bunch of things the administrator can do, for instance, writing blogs, posting messages and photos, organizing discussion boards, conducting polls, etc.

No matter what you do, the main purpose is not to talk about yourself, but to stimulate conversations among your community members. Never forget the social media world is about person-to-person activity. You are not speaking as “the company”, but as a person. Don’t be afraid to add any content that may benefit your customers.

And then, be a good listener. Keep your ears open to any feedback, comment or suggestion on your product. You can also write a blog with questions or create a discussion topic to hear more voices. Other company staff can also engage in conversations with customers in all aspects. It’s like building up a bridge from one individual to another. Customers will be more open to speak up as they don't consider talking to a company but to people.

Step 3:
Be creative! The social media workplace gives you infinite capabilities and no boundaries to market your brand and products. You can post company news, announce product launch, organize events, and provide special offer or coupons to community members.

By adding the vanity URL to each marketing message, your Web analytics expert will be able to track the page views, visitors from your social community and analyze the user behavior by looking at the path they visited on your website. All the information will be useful to create more effective message in your next marketing campaign.

Nevertheless, it’s relatively hard to really measure the effectiveness of social media since its ultimate power is “word of mouth.” For example, if one person becomes a fan of your brand or RSVP your event (real or virtual), all the status will be displayed in this person’s home page and be seen by his or her 200 friends on Facebook. Maybe ten friends followed this person by doing the same thing and the information will be passed to their friends too. Think about the math if the activities continue to happen. That’s how your brand message to be spread out. That’s how companies like Coca-cola have had more than 3 million fans on Facebook.


Is your business struggling to find new opportunities? It is the time to stop looking around but to take some actions. Don't wait until you hear your competitors have gained tons of traffic and numerous quality leads from the social media marketing. Sometimes it’s good to hear more best practices from different companies but it will be more significant to find your own successful stories from the ground work. Good luck!