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No TV Experiment

29 Sep

Like many of you, Mediacom is far-from-favorite place we want to give our money to.  Their customer service is beyond poor, but there just isn’t many options for internet and TV in our area. So we canceled our internet/cable with Mediacom and just have internet through Century Link now (fantastic connection, so far).  So we are saving some money over the next 6 months by not having cable, but then if we chose to go back to Mediacom, they may THEN value us as a customer to give us decent pricing again, and we start over?

We have never had satellite or spent more then the bare minimum for cable so we were not very hooked in the first place.  I have never seen Jersey Shore or most of the reality shows everyone talks about.  It has never been a priority. We do have streaming Netflix (for now), a Wii, and Apple TV to keep us somewhat connected and I cannot wait to get caught up with the latest seasons of Dexter & Weeds through Netflix or whatever our poison may be.  But even with those options, not having that hour or so of typical TV before bed is challenging.  With just basic cable before, there was only one channel for the kids – and that was PBS.  This is probably what I (and kids) will miss the most.  First, just great shows (Martha Speaks, Curious George, Cat in the Hat). Second, having something there in the morning for the kids to get thru the wake-up time.

B loves “movies”. Movies to him are anything he can pick off Netflix, even it it is short show. Whenever he gets hurt or is really tired he gets into a “I want to watch a movie” whine.  I don’t mind a “movie” during quiet time  and I love movie  night with kids and popcorn.

MJ is a Wii boy.  He would play Wii all afternoon if I let him, but we usually set the time for a half hour and go from there.  We don’t have many games so he is really good at the ones we have – Wii Resorts, Mario, Moster Jam. Wii is Mav’s TV. Although he is also one who can be glued to a TV when walking by it if it is on.

So my experiment,  week 1, the start of NO TV.  Here is what happened:

  • Started to declutter old paperwork and said goodbye to a bag full of old papers that should have been shredded years ago
  • Wrote 3 (your reading #3) blog posts this week for Inspiration of the Moon
  • B played Curious George computer games this morning instead of watching TV.
  • I also got caught up on 2 of the kids baby books, which I can’t attribute totally to not having TV, but I think getting thru the piles of old paperwork inspired me to carry on with other crap that has been taunting me.

So, my goals: Spend more quality time with my kids and husband. Get more creative. Enjoy more books. Get more done.

Would this challenge be easier to take in the summer months? Without a doubt.

Will I get tired of being on this computer? Probably.

Will I end up doing lots of reading? I hope so.

Will my kids be deprived? I don’t think so.

Will I be insane by the time winter is done? Quite possibly.

My CRM is anti-social

28 Oct

Oh, how I loved my Contact Relationship Management (CRM) software program 5+ years ago. As our marketing efforts expanded, contacts were added and our lead management processes were smooth. The majority of our inquiries came from traditional marketing like print advertising, direct mail, and tradeshows. Then these contacts made their way back on to a targeted direct mail or email list, so we could tell our prospects about our products and hopefully earn their trust and turn them into customers. It was pretty simple.

Today, my CRM (an outdated version of Goldmine) needs a drastic makeover. Our needs are nothing like they were five years ago. It reminds me of a similar feeling I had when I finally let go of my old PDA. Yes, I thought I was so tech-savvy for that short time. But soon I realized I still was carrying around a cell phone, camera, video camera, and my PDA. Today it is all integrated into our phones!

Like my PDA of yesterday, my CRM software may soon be dead if it does not evolve. I need a way to integrate our conversations with customers who are on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin into our CRM. I need a CRM that doesn’t just have a one-way “talk” to our customers via direct mail and email, but also helps us to listen to and understand our customers via the many venues of social networking. In a sense, Facebook has become a second CRM for me, limited in some ways, and more flexible in other ways. How powerful it would be to actually be able to integrate our Facebook fans/connections as contacts in our CRM, where we could build a contact’s history of touches they made on our Fan page, such as wall posts, photos, and “Likes” along with the traditional lead qualifying information.

In my research to replace or upgrade our CRM, I ran across Nimble. Nimble, which is in private beta stage, is being designed with social marketers in mind by Jon Ferrara, who also developed Goldmine over twenty years ago. I talked with Jon about Nimble and even got to beta-test it. Although it is just the foundation for a great Social CRM right now, it has the potential to be awesome. It may be a while before the Nimble capabilities match my current needs, but for marketing companies who do most of their prospecting via web and social networking, it will be a great match.

I also ran across a few other CRM companies who are trying to be more social, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM with the Social Media Accelerator (which currently only integrates Twitter) and SalesForce’s Chatter. Sales Force has some integration with Facebook and Twitter but seems to be mostly focused on collaboration between colleagues. It is also interesting to note that Facebook recently chose Sales Cloud 2 by SalesForce as their CRM. It will be exciting to see how this relationship could turn into more collaboration between Facebook and SalesForce in the future.

I don’t think the CRM software that I am looking for exists – yet, but I am hopeful there are other software companies out there working on it. We need to discover a strategy for managing the contacts made via both traditional marketing and social marketing to harness the value of our customer relationships.

How do you manage your prospects and customers? Have you found a CRM that works for your social networking and/or traditional marketing needs? How do you manage the relationships that are made with your brand thru your corporate Facebook Page or Twitter account?

(Originally posted on the MNAMA Blog)

Get the Best Bang for your Stamp

24 Aug

With the recent announcement of yet another postage increase coming in 2011, many marketers may be re-evaluating their direct mail campaigns and how they fit in their budget. In just 10 years, the postage rate has increased from 34 cents in 2001 to a probable 46 cents in 2011, costing us 35% more to send out mail then a decade ago. This increase will hit those who mail periodicals and catalogs even harder.

For many companies, direct mail is still a viable marketing medium for gathering a direct response from customers and prospects. Sure, email newsletters or social networking are less expensive, but they do not hit all the same people that direct mail does. Direct mail can reach a different audience and have more space to share the message. It can be a great way to target new customers to sign-up for email correspondence or engage in social networking, complementing your web marketing efforts.

To get the most bang from your stamp, ask yourself:

* Do I have a good relationship with my printer? Is my printer competitively priced? Keep your printer in check by requesting quotes and comparing them to others time to time. But on the flip side, know that they can help you succeed once they know what you expect and get more volume from you.
* Is my direct mail list clean? Unless you are printing a fancy mailer or have a high-end promotional item, postage is probably your biggest expense. Reduce undeliverable mailers by cleaning up your list. Mailing the pieces “address service requested” is one way to help ensure deliverability for future mailings.
* Is my list targeted to match my goals and message? Drill down to the most targeted list. Often your best list will be your own database if you have spent some time polishing it and keeping your customer and prospects lists up to date.
* Am I mailing at the right time? This is common sense, but it happens all the time. Each of us has gotten the mailer for the event that was yesterday. Don’t let it be you.
* Am I offering an incentive to create direct response? This can be as simple as requesting information on a new product, if the product is exciting enough. Other incentives could be an educational resource (online or print), a giveaway that has a high (perceived) value, or a “chance to win”.
* Am if giving the customer the right outlets to respond with? Determine if a toll-free phone number, reply card, or a landing page will be most effective for your audience. Don’t forget to include social networking hubs. To the customer, this may feel like a nice minimal-commitment connection with your company.
* Do I have a system in place to maximize lead follow-up? The follow-up is crucial to converting the lead into a customer. Have the technology (CRM software) and lead follow-up process ready prior to mailing.

Have your direct mail campaigns changed over the years? How have you successfully increased your response and/or decreased your cost per lead? What other tips can you share regarding an effective direct mail campaign?

(Originally posted on the MNAMA Blog)

It Takes a Village to Build a Blog

6 Jul

Most things are easier when you have a little help, and managing a corporate blog is no exception. As marketers, we should always be asking for assistance – from our customers, co-workers, peers, and so on. After all, what would we do without things like proofreading and customer feedback?

Here are a few simple ways to use your network to help write posts for your blog:

1) Get internal writers from your company on board. For instance, there should be at least one person in each of your sales, marketing, and customer service departments who would want to contribute from time to time.

2) Find a freelance writer to post for a very reasonable cost. A freelance writer could contribute an article that is relevant to your readers, as well as optimized with targeted keywords that would help your blog rank high with search engines.

3) Look for guest writers who may write once or twice. This could be a customer with a unique experience or other bloggers with a complimenting message. When a long-term commitment is not required, there are more people who may be willing to write, especially if they get a link back to their blog or some promotion for their cause.

4) Participate in Wordless Wednesdays. Wordless Wednesday blog posts are an opportunity to share a fun or interesting picture without the stress of a detailed post. They are a great way to recognize a customer, showcase an event, or just share a fun photo that gives your readers more insight into who your company is. Make sure to get permission from the people in the photo and/or photographer if it is not within your company.

5) Look for related blogs that are willing to cross-post articles. Ask other bloggers if you can re-post their article (or an excerpt) on your blog with a link back to the original post. Maybe they also want to reciprocate and cross-post your article on their blog. This can be a win-win opportunity with link exchanges and increased exposure.

6) Re-purpose what you already have either on your blog or in existing media. What questions do your customers ask you the most? What articles have been written in trade magazines about your industry that you can review? You can even look at past blog posts and create “Best of” or “Top 10” lists, or other compilations of past articles to create a new idea.

When it comes to finding writers for your blog, the most important thing to do is ASK. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are great sources to find potential writers, as well utilizing your e-newsletters and your customer database to recruit writers. The best part? Meeting others with similar interests and building long-lasting relationships, all while seeing your blog grow.

How have you recruited writers or found interesting topics for your blog? What other ways have you built up your blog content and readership?

(Originally posted on the MNAMA Blog)

Being a Marketer is Like being a Parent

7 Jun

As a marketer for 13 years, and a mom for 5, I have learned a lot by experience. Many of the same basic principles apply to both my titles, as Marketing Manager, and Mom.

1) Benchmarks Matter: As a parent, I want to make sure my young kids are developing at or above the same level as their peers, or at least know what areas we need to work on. As a marketer, I need to focus on results and compare the results with industry standards, past results, or objectives. How did our marketing campaign do and why? What did we learn and how can we improve?

2) Listen more then you Talk: Communication is essential, and sometimes we tend to tune our kids out. They may be asking for the same thing over and over, or trying to tell you something while you are focused on another task. Just like with our customers, kids are not going to talk to us just when it is convenient for us. All feedback is valuable, and when our customers speak up, we need to listen. Often all our customers are looking for is someone to listen to them, provide empathy, and do what we say we are going to do.

3) Focus on Education: Kids learn new things everyday and we encourage them to be independent, seek answers, and make their own decisions. How are you educating your customers about your products? Are you educating them on the benefits, providing them with helpful whitepapers, videos or articles on your blog? Our customers are seeking information that will help them make a wise buying decision. What educational resources can you provide to help them?

4) Use your Connections: Parenting forums, mommy blogs, and networking with friends can all provide insight or a different point of view into a challenge that you are having with your kids. Just like when we network with other marketing professionals, we learn new ways of approaching a problem and learn from each other’s experiences. As marketers, this is what makes organizations like the MNAMA and social networking priceless.

5) Rewards Help: Every kid likes to feel special, whether it is a new toy, a special outing, or a just encouragement at the right time. Your customers are no different: a well thought out promotional gift, VIP event, or just simple recognition can help set your brand apart and make your customers think the world of you.

6) Attitude is Everything: It is amazing how a smile and sense of humor can neutralize a potentially bad situation. We all know that it’s true: a rough morning with the kids, a marketing campaign that did not produce, or having to deal with an irate customer or co-worker. Think positive, smile, and try to find a little humor in the situation. Then try again.

In both my roles as marketer and mama, I have enjoyed the ride. The day-to-day journey is equally as important as the long-term goals.

(Originally posted on the MN AMA Blog)

8 Easy Ways to Tie Social Media into Tradeshows

10 May

Anyone who gets Exhibitor Magazine, has seen the retro photo that is in the back of each magazine, showing a tradeshow image from what seems like a century ago. As traditional as they are, tradeshows work because we are face-to-face with so many customers in just a few days.

But now, in today’s digital age, we are faced with new opportunities to mix tradeshows with social media to make our marketing efforts go even further.

Here are a few basic ideas on how can we tie the two mediums together to make for a more memorable experience overall:

1) Write a blog post about the event either pre-show, at-show or post-show to share your experiences and knowledge.

2) Prior to the show, monitor Twitter to see if there are any trending topics related to the event. If special event #hashtags are being used, make sure to put them in all your show-related tweets.

3) Take action photos of visitors in your booth (with their permission) and post to your Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr pages.

4) Tweet about customers you met at the show, testimonials they provided, or insight they shared.

5) Team up with other people who are tweeting about the show. Retweet topics when they are relevant to your audience. At the end of the show, thank them via Twitter.

6) Consider a contest or giveaway that ties your tradeshow into social media, such as offering Facebook fans or people who mention @yourcompany a free gift at your booth.

7) Use a Flip Video camera to gather in-booth testimonials or commentary to use on YouTube, Facebook, or your company blog. Ask customers who are featured in the video to share it with their colleagues or friends.

8 ) Use your tradeshow contacts as a possible way to grow your Linkedin network. Always customize your message when inviting people to join you on Linkedin, especially if you just met recently.

What other ideas have you tried or are playing with? How would you expand on these basic ideas?

(Originally posted on the MN AMA Blog)

Getting Social with your Customers

5 Apr

We all know that social marketing is much more then marketing. It is customer service. It is sales. It is your brand and your voice. And if you are lucky, it is the voice of your happy customers too.

Imagine if more of your customers spoke out and became your brand evangelists? What would happen if they loved your product or brand so much that they shouted it out over the mountain tops (or their closest social networking site)?

Let me share my recent experiences with you:

I began following a mom through a twitter search. On one of her tweets, she was experiencing problems finding a standing frame that would work for her son, because of his special needs. Through 140 characters on Twitter, I tried to explain how our product was different. After about a four month process of trialing the equipment, submitting it to medical insurance, and two appeals, she finally got the stander for her son and was ecstatic. She blogged all about the experience, including her son’s grandparents seeing him stand for the first time! She shared photos, and tweeted all about it. Now we are also working on a customer story about her son to share on our website.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that one of our Facebook fans had a profile picture of her little boy smiling in one of our standers. I sent her a simple message introducing myself, complimenting her on the photo, and asking her if there was anything I could do for her. She replied with a friend request, and atypical comments of dissatisfaction. She was frustrated because she got the product without really knowing exactly what her son needed. She did not order an option that provided the support he needed to stand comfortably. Worse yet, she had been contacting the vendor to get the problem solved and they were ignoring her. I had talked to my customer service department, and it was an easy fix that would cost us close to nothing, in comparison to an unhappy customer. We sent her the part and she was so grateful. Within 24 hours, she had sent me a Facebook message, updated her status, posted a photo and comment on our wall, followed us on Network Blogs, and posted a comment on our blog – all with words of extreme gratitude and appreciation for helping to solve her problem.

The beauty of social marketing is that it takes us back to looking at each customer as an individual, instead of a target market or demographic. Every customer has the power to spread the word. Make it good.

(Originally published on the MNAMA Blog)

Is it Healthy for Kids to be Infatuated with Technology?

16 Oct

Whenever a new piece of electronics is introduced in our house, or comes out of hiding after a period without it, it is like an addict with a new drug here.

Digital camera or vid camera- B especially is a nut for the camera. This is one reason why I feel like I have very few pics of him, because every time I get it out, I maybe get one photo before he insists on taking it from my hands. I have so many photos of him, with his hands extended towards the camera, trying to grab it from me. This would be OK if I knew he would not drop it or get peanut butter all over the lense. They have actually taken some decent pictures, and it is nice for me to be in a picture once in a while instead of always be the photographer.

Here is my crew of techies.

Here is my crew of techies.


Wii- At first it was great. Mav was 2 and a half, learning how to “swing a bat”, “play” tennis, etc. Then came the Monster Truck game and he was hooked. Now he has the new Wii Resorts game and EVERY day he asks if he can play. Of all video games, I do think the Wii is great because it actually build a little coordination and you use more of your body then just your fingers. BUT I will not let him sit/stand in front of the TV and do that every day. B also likes to “play” although it is mostly watching Mav and shaking the remote around. M also gets to be VERY competitive and thinks he always has to win. There have been some games that have been too intense for him (i.e. kayaking) that he feels like he is losing and then we have a breakdown. That is an auto Wii turn-off. Somehow we need to set some rules with the Wii, so that everyone knows we are not going to play it every day, and PLEASE that means dont ask me every day either. Oh and M hit B in the head with the Wii remote yesterday during baseball.

Phones- My old phone was easy to lock the keys. My new one is not. So if B gets his hands on it, I don’t know who he is calling or where my phone will be left. Not to mention what the sticky substance on the phone will be when I get it back. Its cute to see him imitate me on the phone, in a fake conversation, nodding his head as he talks… but last time I thought he was pretending, he actually called Grandma. Luckily she did not mind talking to him for a little while.

Computer- When Mav was one and two, we would watch vids of him on our TV/Computer monitor at our old house. He would love laughing at himself and pushing the buttons on the keyboard. It got to be so obsessive, that I ended up buying him a toy computer for Christmas when he was 1 1/2 to distract him from the real thing. Now, if when B sees me on the computer he screams and wants me to hold him up to whatever I am doing. This usually means what I am doing is cut short, one handed typing, etc. Again, sticky keys, and repeatedly reminding them to not touch the screen! A week or 2 ago, I thought Mav would enjoy watching some YouTube movies involving one of his fave toys Geotrax and Monster Trucks. We found some cute ones with kids his age sharing their train creations. The problems is that, M keeps asking to watch them again and again…. And when it comes to Youtube, kids have to be supervised because of all the crap that people put on. I learned that lesson a year or so ago, when I left M watching some Bob the Builder cartoons on YouTube, and came back to him watching one where Bob and Wendy were swearing and drinking booze!
A photo by M, showing his 2 Grave Digger Monster Trucks!

A photo by M, showing his 2 Grave Digger Monster Trucks!


Neil just picked up a Preschool Computer game that is pretty cool, and we are going to set it up on the old imac for the boys to play with as their own. I dont want to discourage them from technology, just want some sanity. With the old imac, at least we dont have to worry about them wrecking it, just fighting like cats and dogs about who will play first…. And I need to get them one of those kids cameras for Christmas. I would have loved to have one of those when I was a kid. Cell phones? Hopefully that will be a while.

Back with my Mac

31 Dec

After a painful couple of weeks, I have my Mac back. The hard drive in my MacBook crashed a couple weeks ago when I was working in it. Neil was bowling so of course I thought it was something I did….but I have been assured it was not my fault.

I have gone through the stages of grief and accepted the fact that I lost some photos, and probably my website files at www.kaufenberg.org. I am pretty sure I will just have to start the website from scratch.

Luckily, Neil had all my photos backed up through May of 2008, which is 5 years (plus) of thousands of digital pictures (and many scanned from before 2003). I am also grateful that I put all my favorite recent photos on our kaufenberg.org website and facebook, so I can pull them from there and put them back into iphoto.

Every year at Christmas, since Mav was born, I have made a photo book with all the best pics of him of the year, then make one for Neil and I and both grandparents. 2008 will be the first year that includes Brody since he was born on Jan. 4. So I am a little behind on that, but hope to get it done soon. I also remember last year Apple had 20% off the photo books after Christmas so I hope they do that again soon.

Well some good things came out of this:
- I have started this new WordPress blog, which I think will be a lot easier to work with, then the blog on iweb. It also has some neat functions that you have to pay for on iweb (i.e. comments!)
-Neil is working on a bigger and better (automated) back up of my photos.
-We actually got our hard drive replaced from Apple for a bigger one.

from iweb to wordpress

22 Dec

So here’s the thing, I have been meaning to start a WP log for a while.  Been using iweb, which looks really pretty with all the pictures, but it takes forever to upload.. and I like the ease of use of logging in anywhere and posting a blog on the spot.

Oh and by the way the hard drive on my ibook crashed and I lost some photos and the iweb files too.

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