Client Event Spotlight: Brittany's Battle, Inc. - Annual Angel Gala

Brittany's Battle
2nd Annual Angel Gala

Date: Sunday, Nov. 22nd
Time: 5pm to 8pm
Venue: 1705 Prime
1705 E. Millbrook Road - Raleigh NC

Get Your Tickets Now!
Tickets can be purchased through eTix.com. The cost is $30.00 for individual tickets prior to Nov 15, 2009. The cost will be $35.00 after Sunday, November the 15th, so be sure to buy your tickets online this weekend!
Gala Features
With every ticket purchase, you will be automatically entered to win fabulous door prizes - including a TV with a built in DVD player compliments of Alco Electronics!

There will be appetizers, light buffet dinner, dancing, desserts, a silent auction, an online auction, cash bar, door prizes, and more chances to win wonderful prizes.

Some aution items include a trip to the NASCAR All-Star race in May, a weeks stay in an ocean front suite in Wrightsville Beach, an autographed hockey stick signed by the Carolina Hurricanes, tickets to UNC & NCSU events, gifts baskets for all ages and tastes, and much more!

The online auction - hosted by ebay and featuring exciting autographed items from country music's finest - will go live a few days before the Gala and will end a few days after the Gala.
Be sure to visit BrittanysBattle.org for more information! Hope to see some of you there :-)

Double Classy

Since their launch (maybe just over a year ago?), I have been a huge fan of Southern Weddings. Based out of our neighboring Chapel Hill, NC., I don't subscribe to many weddings blogs, but they sure make the cut.

Nonetheless, I was totally in awe of their Veteran's Day post, which expands beyond one day of respect for those who tirelessly serve our country. Not only are they providing a copy of their newest issue (which is sure to be an early sell-out), but they are including some Southern goodies, too. I'm sure they're also including the shipping in that offer.

How many magazines, or businesses in general, do you think would do that?

http://www.swsmag.net/blog/2009/11/11/todays-the-day-well-half-the-day-mega-photo-contest.html

All you need to do is read the very last line of the blog post, but you might as well enjoy the entertaining pictures while you're there!

Kudos to Lara, Emily, Katharine, & Whitney!
(Hope I didn't leave any SW team members out!)

But Target, I Didn't Buy Anything... I Swear!

I thought it was fairly interesting that I received an email from Target.com this morning with the subject line, "Thoughts on what you bought? Write a review."

I thought to myself, "When did you buy something online?" (Because I haven't.)

And then I thought to myself, "Are they now emailing me after I buy in store?" (And then I realized they don't have any sort of loyalty tracking cards (like Best Buy's Reward Zone), and I don't have a Target credit card, so that couldn't be it, either.

Inside the email there was a graphic encouraging me to write a review and a list below of some of my "latest buys". Unfortunately, it was blank... because I said before, I haven't made any online purchases.



While I think this is a GREAT email campaign to send a few weeks after an online purchase (giving the customer time to receive and use their purchased items), it really isn't effective when there is no purchase made to back it up.

I, as a review-reading consumer, definitely don't want customers writing review for products that they haven't given any thoughtful use to personally - and I can't imagine Target does either if they value the quality of their peer review system.

Quick and Dirty Tip: Email Marketing "Reply-To" Email Address

If your email marketing provider (Constant Contact, Fishbowl, Emma, or - our Raleighwood Media Group exclusive email marketing provider - iContact.com) does not provide an opportunity to specify your "Reply-To" email address, you should be dumping them immediately for one who does.

I personally can attest that iContact.com does let you customize this very important part of your marketing emails. Never, never, never does a client email go out that does not have a "Reply-To" email address set up as part of their campaign.

Why is this so important, you may ask?

Habit - Because the "reply" function has become the ingrained way in all of us to respond to an email. I mean... it just kind of makes sense, right?

I, for one, am highly likely to hit "reply" in a heart beat, but I may not be paying the closest attention as to where that email message is going. Unfortunately, messages I send in response to commercial email often "bounce back" since the message got sent to an email address that didn't actually exist. And if I'm doing it, I know others are, too.

Ease of Use - If you are encouraging your customers to contact you by email at any point in your marketing, chances are the "reply" function is going to be the easiest way for them to do so. As email users, we have become accustomed to the ability to hit reply and correspond in return to our original emailer. If your email marketing service does not allow you to set your own email address as the "Reply to" address, they are taking away your ability to communicate as we've all become accustomed to.

Keep It Simple, Simon! - As one of my favorite clients (Mandy, owner of Swagger Gifts) will tell you, you must make participation and communication between customer and business EASY and CLEAR AS DAY, or people will screw it up. GUARANTEED.

Communication is Key - It could tarnish your reputation, really! If the reply aimed at you happens to end up in the black hole of emails (ie: some automated email address that your email marketing company uses) instead of getting directly to you, you run the serious risk of looking to your audience as the type of business or individual that ignores, or doesn't return, email inquiries. No self-respecting business or emailer wants to be "that guy", right?

Questions? Feel free to ask!

Inspiration: Titan Nightlife CEO "Making Moves"

Feeling a little uninspired? The dreary weather here in Raleighwood sure isn't helping, but how about a dose of "man, that is one motivated entrepreneur"?

Check out this feature in Nightclub & Bar Magazine on the Titan Nightlife CEO who not only is making his way through recovery from spinal cord injury - that left him unable to move from the neck down - but is also opening a new business concept at the same time. Talk about determination!
Making Moves
"On May 10 this year, Titan Nightlife Group CEO Scott Frost’s life changed forever when he was paralyzed from the neck down after a motorcycle accident. And in the weeks that followed, his business changed forever too, growing rapidly under Frost’s leadership from a rehabilitation center."
Read the full article online.

Thanks for being such an inspiring guy for entrepreneurs everywhere, Scott - and best luck for a continued recovery!

I'm looking forward to checking out Hussong’s Cantina (look on the flash page under "What We Do" and "Projects" for the link - another reason I hate flash website) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas (one of my favorite hotel in Vegas, by the way) this upcoming March!

Did Someone Say Cocktails?

Definitely on our calendar!

Here's the link to Bogart's website if you want to check out the skinny on them before the event or scope out directions.

Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

If you weren't a business major or didn't go to biz school, there's a good chance you may never have seen this before. I don't know how people set goals and plans of action without it though - I guess they just have big, lofty aspirations and no clue how to measure the results?

Criteria for SMART goals:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely

Here's a great overview I found online from the Goal Setting Guide. It provides an in-depth breakdown of each (more than just the definition I'm including below).

Specific - Goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.

Measurable - If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.

Attainable - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true.

Realistic - This is not a synonym for "easy." Realistic, in this case, means "do-able."

Timely - Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by fifth grade. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.Putting these 5 points to work in any goal-setting or planning project are a no-brainer for me.

A lot of people may ask, "Why include all of these variables into every component of my marketing or business plan?"

The answer is easy: SO THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE YOUR PLAN HAPPEN!

Plus, you'll also know if the components of your plan were effective.

Free Advice: Don't Freak Out Over Keywords

...at least not the keywords meta tags on your website.

From the Official Google blog:
Q: Why doesn't Google use the keywords meta tag?
A: About a decade ago, search engines judged pages only on the content of web pages, not any so-called "off-page" factors such as the links pointing to a web page. In those days, keyword meta tags quickly became an area where someone could stuff often-irrelevant keywords without typical visitors ever seeing those keywords. Because the keywords meta tag was so often abused, many years ago Google began disregarding the keywords meta tag.Click here to watch a short video from Google on this topic.

Now writing effective copy for each page of your website - utilizing keywords, links, and more - well that, is another story.

Raleighwood Soundtrack: "It Ain't Hocus Pocus"

Raleighwood Soundtrack: The official background noise of Raleighwood Media Group + Raleighwood Event Group
"It ain't Hocus Pocus,
you've gotta stay focused,
if you want a good delivery."Cross Canadian Ragweed - "Kick in the Head"

I stumbled upon this group years ago with their singles "Alabama (new version | original version)" and "Sick and Tired" (both from their 2004 Soul Gravy album, but the original "Alabama" was from the Cross Canadian Ragweed (Purple) album.) and I love it when Pandora delivers other songs from them off their albums that I've never heard before. "Kick in the Head" is actually a free download I received as a "thank you" for opting-in to their new email list. i think it's a GENIUS idea and lots of other musicians could take a note from that campaign.

They make my very first Raleighwood Soundtrack post, because I'm in serious need of some focus at the moment, so the lyrics obviously hit home in a big way!

Rave of the Day: Freshbooks

Short and sweet here.

My rave of the day? Freshbooks. (Found out about them because they sponsored BarCampRDU... which I didn't get to go to, but am certainly trying to next time! Stupid busy schedule of mine.)FreshBooks Manifesto

Our mission is to deliver fast and simple invoicing and time tracking services that help you manage your business. We call these Unaccounting™ services.I'm trying out their online service to see if it'll be a good fit for Raleighwood. I can't say enough good things about their "rockstar service" and personal service! I was typing too fast during registration and included an extra "o" in Raleighwood... making for an awkward subdomain. They fixed it with one email... and even cheered me on!

I also receive a phone call today to follow-up on my registration and see how I was liking it and if I had any questions.

There are a few things I will pay for that I could do myself. It's almost ALWAYS paired with fantastic customer service. iContact.com Agency (my account manager, Kate, is also a rockstar) and Freshbooks are totally on that list.

"It's 2009, We Know What to Do at the Beep"

This is funny, and yet legitimate, at the same time.

Cell phone users, send a message
David Pogue, NY Times

I've been ranting lately about one particularly blatant money-grab by U.S. cell phone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.

Suppose you call my cell to leave me a message. First you hear my own voice: "Hi, it's David Pogue. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you" -- and THEN you hear a 15-second canned carrier message.

...

These messages are outrageous for two reasons. First, they waste your time. Good heavens: It's 2009. WE KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THE BEEP.

...

Second, we're PAYING for these messages. These little 15-second waits add up -- big-time. If Verizon's 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday, Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That's your money. And your time: three hours of your time a year, just sitting there listening to the same message over and over again every year.

...

Let's push back, and hard. We want those time-wasting, money-leaking messages eliminated, or at least made optional.
Read the full article here and if you're so inclined (like I am), send your carrier a little note and let them know that there is in fact, some merit to this argument.

After all, like David says, it is YOUR time and money.

Cool Job Feature: NASCAR Managing Director of Green Innovation

Yes, that's actually Mike Lynch's title over at NASCAR. (Insert my jealous face here!)

This NY Times article ("A Fuel-Belching Nascar Track Has Big Plans for Solar Power") talks about the plan to install a solar field at Pocono Raceway which will not only save the raceway hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in energy price increases from deregulation, but it will also potentially yield millions of revenue in reselling the energy collected by the field.

Side Note: NYTimes.com has a very cool feature that I just noticed. When you highlight/select text (ie: to copy and paste into an email to your friends about Mike Lynch's cool job), a little question mark icon pops up. If you click on it, it'll search the rest of NYTimes.com for more matches. I like it, and I like it a lot.

You can read a short interview with Mike Lynch on NASCAR.com here.

If I were in his shoes, my first step would be getting all of the tracks to add a LOT more recyclables containers and make them as highly visible as possible. On my last visit to Charlotte's Lowe's Motor Speedway, they were unfortunately few and far between... and thus, completely full and overflowing most of the time. Beer cans = aluminum!

The picture to the right is of my own taking (notice the Blackberry camera quality). I see printed/junk paper materials, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans... all of which can be recycled instead of trashed.

Some Event Planning Inspiration for Party People

When googling images for "floating pool decor" (yes, I said it), the following came up in the search results:
Cool Idea: Floating Flower Balls via CasaSugar.com
Not exactly what I was looking for, but it is still a great picture and definitely inspires some stellar event decor!

Thanks for the great picture inspiration, CasaSugar!


{Image: CasaSugar}

Tuesday Inspiration and Local Business Spotlight

I hesitated for a moment before posting about a business owner who is starting up a local competitive business to one of my good friends and clients, but competition keeps us fair and honest and it's an inspiring story nonetheless.

From the News & Observer: After loss, a fresh start
Former printer applies his eco-friendly approach to a new business
You gotta admire a guy who never loses sight of the entrepreneurial spirit and commits to starting his business with an eco-approach, instead of waiting for it to become a staple instead of a trend.


{Image: From the online NewsObserver.com article}

Tuesday Motivation

I had already served up a post for Monday of this week, so inspiration got moved to Tuesday. For me, Tuesday's are the hardest day of the work week anyways.

A bar in Chicago serves up good vibes, with a good promotion, and a contribution to a worthy cause to boot: "The saying is true: ‘The more you celebrate life, the more there is in life to celebrate.’”

Read the full article, Cheers to the Positive, on nightclub.com.