Social Media Management Services in New Year

Like many organizations, you may have set up a FaceBook or Twitter account and you may have even created a blog. However, if you’re not using social media management services, you may be asking: “Now what?”

I hear time and again that professionals are using many of these tools for personal use but not to build their business. By spending a little time on your social media now, you really can position your company as a market leader and generate sales. If your team has recently experienced unfortunate layoffs and/or if your employees are already too stretched to take on more responsibilities, rely on social media management services. Social media specialists allow you to focus on your core competencies while still measuring the success of your investment in social media. (For instance, Tell Your Tale helps several companies with social media management services.)

December is a great month to develop a plan for your social media efforts in 2012. Think of the topics that customers may be searching online that would likely lead to sales. Then, plan out sub-topics related to those sales-oriented subjects.  Next, schedule when you will write a blog post and/or promote the subjects on FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Admittedly, this critical step is where professionals often feel overwhelmed.

If you want to try social media in-house first, here are 3 tips to develop a social media marketing plan and tackle social media in 2012:

1. Divide topics into the next 6 months. For Tell Your Tale, in January, we plan to write more about helping customers develop tradeshow materials and create a strategy for maximizing their presence at conferences in 2012. Since a lot of tradeshows and conferences happen in the spring and again in October, putting together a plan at the beginning of each year helps plan ahead. It also gives companies the needed time to develop any needed materials and order equipment. Which of your products/services are seasonal? Which topics should be covered with prospects at the beginning of the year versus the middle of the year?

In June, the Tell Your Tale team will re-group to determine the topics that our social media should focus on for the latter 6 months of the year. This helps us to adjust midway through the year to take into account any innovations or new releases (like Google releasing a change to its search engine algorithm.) Of course, be flexible and change topics along the way if needed.

2. Assign various writers to cover your social media management. Now I mention “writers” specifically here because good writing reflects well on your business. Most professionals know their industry in depth but when it comes to engaging writing, they miss the point. I also suggest a rotation of  responsibilities among writers. Perhaps one person focuses on FaceBook, Twitter & LinkedIn this month, while another handles blog updates. Next month, the responsibilities switch. This helps to level out the responsibilities while also getting more than one person skilled at different types of social media.

3. Stick to a schedule. Commitment matters. In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), it’s a popularity contest. The more prospective customers see your name and product, the more likely your business is to become the most popular, the higher ranked and the one receiving more inquiries. Try to post a blog post 2-3 times per week. 350-700 words is all it takes. FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn should be more frequently but also are less time-consuming due to their character constraints. Again, stick to the schedule.

So if your office experiences a bit of a lull during the holidays, take advantage of this time to develop your social media marketing plan or contact a firm that specializes in social media management. This time next year, you’ll be glad that your discipline paid off.

Honoring the Fastest Growing Aggie Owned or Managed Companies Worldwide

Tejas Office Products Named to the 7th ANNUAL AGGIE 100

Honoring the Fastest Growing Aggie Owned or Managed Companies Worldwide

HOUSTON—November 9, 2011 — Tejas Office Products is among the top 100 companies named to the 2011 Aggie 100 list honoring the fastest-growing companies in the world, owned or operated by Texas A&M University former students.

Tejas Office Products was recognized as number 27 on this year’s list with a growth rate of 44 percent. It was the only office products supplier recognized on the entire list. The Aggie 100 honors graduates from across disciplines and is a program created by the Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship in Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School.

“We are proud to be included in the Aggie 100 list and thankful to our employees and customers for helping us reach this accomplishment,” said Stephen M. Fraga, President of Tejas Office Products and a graduate of Texas A&M University, class of 1997. “I certainly value the education that I received from Texas A&M and the great connections I made there.”

The 100 Aggie-owned or managed companies with the highest compound annual revenue growth from 2008 to 2010 were recognized at a formal luncheon in the Zone Club on the Texas A&M University campus, Friday, November 4, 2011. More than 600 honorees, employees, faculty, administrators and well-wishers were in attendance.

“Since the founding of Texas A&M University, Aggies have been leaving a legacy across all businesses and industries,” said Dr. Richard H. Lester, Executive Director of the Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship. “Over the last seven years, the Aggie 100 companies have continuously proven that even in tough economic times, solid business ideas and hard work pay off.”

 

The Aggie 100 list in its entirety may be viewed at www.aggie100.com.

 

About Tejas Office Products

Since 1962, Tejas Office Products has provided its customers with high quality office products. Its 25,999 square-foot warehouse is centrally located in the Houston Heights area. From next day delivery of office products and department distribution to stock room management, Tejas Office Products makes your business day easier. For more information, please visit www.TejasOffice.com or call 713-864-6004 or 800-593-6004.

For further information, please contact Megan F. Salch at 713-864-1344.

Why Choosing a Professional Graphic Designer Matters

Think back to the well-known children’s story of The 3 Little Pigs. If you were planning to build a new home for yourself, which of the three little pigs would you hire? The third pig who built his house of solid bricks, right? Similarly, hiring a professional graphic design firm to develop your business’ marketing materials is equally important.

While there’s no Big Bad Wolf in reality, the economy is in a recession and that clearly affects how much companies can spend on brochures, advertisements, mailers and the like. In fact, a report by a New York-based Access Market International Partners, Inc. revealed only “a 4 percent expected growth in the overall marketing spending as a rebound from the 2010 economic downturn.” A large part of that 4 percent will be spent in social media. Still, you need printed materials to get your company name in front of prospects as leave-behind information, which will help generate more business.

There are really three choices in developing marketing materials. You can do it yourself, which I align with the first little pig who built his house of straw. Second, you can hire a freelancer, which I akin to the second little pig who built his house of sticks. Finally, you can hire a graphic design firm, which is similar to hiring the third little pig who built his house of bricks. Let’s explore these options.

While I commend the roll-up-your-sleeves spirit, most managers and executives haven’t been trained in graphic design so they’re not familiar with graphic design programs. For example, our design agency has received client-created brochures that were developed in Microsoft PowerPoint® software, which is a presentation software, not a design application. The result is poor print quality and no embedded instruction for the printers to follow when it’s time to print. This results in the printer charging you extra to “fix” the files so that something can be printed. Like the pig whose house was built of straw, these clients first pay for the do-it-yourself effort and then hire a professional graphic designer because the first product couldn’t fulfill the needs.

The second option is to hire a freelancer. While most freelancers are skilled in the industry applications, the real question is around time and availability. Freelancers often have full-time day jobs and take freelance assignment at night and on the weekends. Can your project wait until this weekend? Can it always?

Additionally, if a freelancer moves or gets another job, how will you contact them? Tell Your Tale has recently worked with two clients who hired freelancers to create their logos. A year later, the businesses wanted to use the electronic logos in marketing materials but the freelancers couldn’t be located. (See “Who Has the Keys to the Web Site” for more details.) What’s worse is the clients then had to pay someone else to recreate the electronic file and then create the marketing materials. So, like the pig who built a house of sticks, hiring a freelancer may seem like a cost-effective idea but long-term often cause problems.

The third option is to work with a professional graphic design firm. Design agencies have teams of people so if one employee leaves, the project is filled by another capable employee. Agencies also have physical offices that you can visit so you can easily get in touch with your designer. The design firms also work regular business hours (at a minimum) so your project doesn’t have to wait for the weekend.

Unlike doing it yourself, designers working for agencies are trained in the latest software programs so they can create polished pieces. They have worked with printers innumerable times and understand what “print ready” means. You avoid extra charges from the printer because the files are truly ready for printing. The professionals can often provide multiple price quotes from multiple printers to get you competitive rates as well.

Worried about the budget? Professional design firms will provide price quotes upfront, in writing so expectations are clear. In fact, I believe you actually save money by using a design firm because you get it right the first time, rather than spinning your wheels and incurring extra charges.

In closing, I urge you to use a professional design firm for all your graphics needs. You’ll save money. You’ll save time. And like the little pig who built his house of bricks, your business will gain peace of mind knowing you can rely on well-designed materials that are there when you need them.

For more ideas on graphic design, visit http://tellyourtalellc.wordpress.com/. Megan F. Salch of Tell Your Tale is a frequent speaker on marketing your business. Email Megan to learn how Tell Your Tale can help your business.

Tips for How to Write a Press Release with Every Day News

Media coverage is a great way to get your business free publicity. Unlike paid advertising, press releases require little financial investment yet allow you to position your company in front of readers who are likely prospects. When writing a press release, you should make sure your information is newsworthy. Take the approach of trying to share information about how your business can help others, rather than just a blatant promotion. (Reserve that for paid advertising.)  You may be surprised at how many every day opportunities may warrant a press release. Here are five examples of how you can write a press release based on tasks you do every day or week at work.

1. Speaking opportunities: If you speak publicly about your area of expertise, you should let others know via a press release. For instance, I will speak next month at a parent teacher organization about fun things to do with children in Houston. So, I’ll issue a press release promoting that speaking engagement, invite interested individuals to attend the event and then softly mention that my book 100+ Activities for Houston Kids will also be available for purchase. By doing so, the press release promotes me as an expert on family time in Houston, publicizes my book and helps others find me on the Internet.

2. Awards: Many industries recognize thought leaders with awards. If you have been nominated for such an award, it’s time to write a press release. The nomination itself recognizes you as an expert in your field, which is worthy of sharing with others. (If someone needs to ask questions of an expert in your arena, you want them to call you.) If you’ve been recognized as a finalist and especially if you win the award, write a press release about this wonderful accomplishment. Include a quotation from yourself, thanking the awarding association as well as the person who nominated you. A humble approach goes a long way.

3. New client: Winning a new client may be an opportunity to write a press release as well. If the customer is a sizeable organization and/or is well-recognized within your community, a news release can show your gratitude for the client signing with your organization and help get both your company and your new client some publicity. Share the press release in advance with the client to keep them apprised of your intentions and also to ask if they’d like to include a quotation from someone on their management team. Include links to your web site as well as the client’s home page.

4. New partnership: Have you recently partnered with an organization to strengthen your business offerings? Strategic partnerships or alliances provide great fodder for press releases. These announcements allow your customers to see your breadth of offerings. It’s also one more way to stay top of mind with your prospects and customers. As stated in point 3 above, include links to your web site and to your partner’s web site.

5. New hires: If your company has brought on a new employee, share the new hire’s information with customers and prospects in a press release. Many business publications like The Business Journals have dedicated sections for new hire announcements. Include a professionally-taken head shot of the new hire and talk about why he/she is an important addition to your company. Focus the press release on the benefits that customers will gain by this new person’s addition to your team.

These are five great tips on how to write a press release. For more ideas, visit http://tellyourtalellc.wordpress.com/ regularly. Megan F. Salch of Tell Your Tale is a frequent speaker on how to write press releases and marketing your business. Email Megan to learn how Tell Your Tale can help your business.

Tips for Where to Submit a Press Release

So you have written your press release. Do you know where to submit a press release? In  order to get some mileage from your news release, you should send press releases to a variety of sources. Below are seven sources to consider.

1. Local Newspapers: While this may seem like an obvious outlet, get specific. Don’t just send news to general information or press release email address. Instead, research the reporters who typically write stories on the same topic and reach out to them.

2. Industry magazines: These publications usually have a set email address to receive news releases. Check the online editorial calendar to see if the publication plans to cover your topic in a given month or if there’s an opportunity to tie your subject into a story that’s already planned. For instance, if a magazine is planning a story in three months about the product line expansion of office products companies, a logical tie-in might be your company that donates a portion of the proceeds from sales on that new line to a national charity. Since these industry publications tend to cover the entire United States (and sometimes more), your news often needs to have a national twist to it, rather than a local one. Remember: publications that run on a monthly or quarterly basis work on longer lead times (often three months in advance) versus daily papers (usually a matter of days).

3. Blogs: Keep in mind the online bloggers who follow your news topics. With the popularity of searching online, blogs allow another channel to share your news with a global audience.

4. PR Newswire or BusinessWire: Many organizations choose to pay online news distribution services, which is a good option when needing to reach a large number of outlets. It’s also a cost-effective solution if you’re limited on time before you need to get the news out to the public. If you choose this method, be sure to select the appropriate region for your news. (city, state, multi-state, national) and the focus area (political, special interest, educational, entertainment). Also remember to make a priority list of reporters to follow up with after the news is distributed. The human interaction is still important, especially when it comes to gaining repeated media coverage.

5. Your Web Site: People are often so glad that they’ve written a press release and sent it to reporters, that they forget to post it to their own Web site. Most companies have a News or Media section on their web site for press releases and articles. Individuals can follow that protocol. Days or weeks later, someone may find your press release online because it’s posted to your Web site. That, in turn, could lead to sales.

6. Social Media: Building on point 5, post a link to your press release from any social media tools you use. If your business has a company FaceBook and Twitter account, share the information there. Also encourage your employees to post it to their individual FaceBook, LinkedIn and/or Twitter accounts, especially if they are deeply involved in the announcement.

7. Associations: Do you belong to industry associations or chambers of commerce? Many have newsletters or magazines to share member news with other members. Send your press release to those associations as well.

Overall, a good strategy is to build a spreadsheet or database with your reporters so that you can contact them on related topics on an ongoing basis. Comment on their online stories to illustrate your shared interest in the topic and build a relationship with them.

If you have more inquiries about press releases or where to submit a press release, contact www.TellYourTale.com. Thanks.

6 Tips on How to Write a Press Release

Over the years, many people have asked me how to write a press release. Others say that  they “put out a press release” but have received less than desirable results. Using a standard template and pasting in your details does not mean you have written an effective press release. Initially, press releases or news releases were supposed to share newsworthy information with reporters so that the reporters could in turn write stories on the topics. Today, press releases not only attempt that, but also help prospective customers find you
online. Here, I share five tips on how to write a press release that reporters will use and your target customers will read.

1. Timing is everything. When planning a press release, consider the needed lead time for reporters to use the information. For the media outlets, you need to get the information to reporters in plenty of time to use it. Local radio and TV stations need at least two weeks (usually a month) before an event. Major magazines work four to six months ahead of time and you can review their editorial calendars so you know what story topics they’ll be covering.
2. Remember: your key words are not only important on your Web site but also in your press releases. Incorporate your key words into your title, first sentence and then throughout the press release. This helps people searching online find your company and/or products. For example, if I’m looking online for an interior designer in Houston, the search engines are more likely to point me to interior designers who have “interior designer” and “Houston” embedded in their web site and throughout their press releases. You’d be amazed at how press releases with key words can improve your ranking in Internet search results.
3. Eliminate jargon and overuse of acronyms. While your employees are used to using these terms, it often confuses the prospects you seek. Additionally, the person making the purchasing decision may not understand the industry terms but holds the purse strings. Speak and write simply.
4. Focus on the benefits to the customer, not on the whiz-bang features or specifications. Tell readers how your solution will save them money or help them perform better. Customers are interested in “what’s in it for me?” rather than how much time the engineers spent on development.
5. Include links in your press release not just to your home page, but to specific pages that relate to the content of your announcement. Many times, our agency helps clients create project-specific web pages so that they can get very focused on their message. When a local client began inviting prospects to a software demonstration at an industry conference, we created an announcement about it and then pointed people to a web page specifically about the benefits of that software and that industry audience. This targeted approach allows people to quickly find the information that they’re seeking. No one likes to click through numerous pages in search of information. Make it easy for your prospects to find your information.
6. Always include the correct contact information for both media calls as well as general questions from potential customers. Provide both a day and evening phone number for reporters to call. You need to be available whenever they are. Email addresses are also helpful.

These are six great tips on how to write a press release. For more ideas, visit http://tellyourtalellc.wordpress.com/ regularly. Megan F. Salch of Tell Your Tale is a frequent speaker on how to write press releases and marketing your business. Email Megan to learn how Tell Your Tale can help your business.

Heights Community Expo 2011

July 27th at the SBJST Hall

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s already time for another Heights Community Expo! Last year was such a great event. We were able to build on relationships with Heights Chamber members and we networked with a lot of new contacts. Some of those contacts are now good friends and clients.

I hope that you are all planning on attending or exhibiting at the Expo on July 27th at the SPJST Lodge #88 located at 1435 Beall St. at W. 15th. It is a great opportunity to meet new business connections.

Do you know how to really get them most out of trade shows like these? Here is a quick tip sheet. And please feel free to contact us if you need assistance with key messages or designs for signs, banners, brochures, fliers and/or promotional products.

1. Wear appropriate clothing. You’re going to be on your feet for a long time so make sure you have comfortable shoes. Also now is the time to pull out the company branded shirts. If you don’t have branded attire, then wear business clothes. Now is not the time for the Hawaiian Shirt (unless your Bob Domec of Casa Ole’ 290. If you are, then go for it!)
2. Bring signs and banners to boost your visibility. Tell Your Tale can create and layout the graphics and send it to Janet Featherston at Sign Ups & Banners to be printed. Janet’s team is fantastic at producing high quality products and they are the best in customer service. Signs with QR codes are also making their way into the mainstream. Booth visitors can take a photo of the QR code using their mobile phone and an application like i-nigma for the iPhone, then the QR code takes the person directly to the company web site or a virtual business card. This allows people to retain your contact info without carrying around a lot of bulk.
3. Bring your business cards. How many business cards do you have on hand? If you need more, call Linda Whittington at Pro-Printing. You’ll be amazed at the quality. Also make sure that everyone who will be working in your booth has the same look & feel on their business cards. Consistency is important. If one person has an older layout of the company business card, you’ll need to get those updated so that everyone is aligned.
4. Get your tchotchkes (chotch-keys) ready. Remember a good promotional product has your name and contact information, if it will fit. Check with Mickey Blake from Marketability to find out what’s working best today. Options for all budgets are available. Consider something that people will hold onto and use, rather than just the least expensive giveaway token. This puts your company name in front of prospects regularly.
5. Have something to show. People might not remember you, but they will remember your product. Make sure to show it off. If you’re a service provider, your brochure has to be great so that people will hang onto it. Tejas Office Products sells hanging files that can also include pre-printed information about your company. Now that’s smart. Alternatively, have physical samples that booth visitors can see and touch. If your product is too large for the booth space, be sure to have large, high-quality photos on display.
6. Have your 30- and 60-second speech ready. Practice makes perfect. While you know all that your company can do, you need to practice verbalizing this succinctly and clearly. You need to be able to convey who you are, what you do, the name of your company and how you help your clients. Focus on the benefits to your customers, not on the widget. Remember: this is not the time to close the deal. This is the time to get the appointment to close the deal.
7. Be outgoing, expressive and personable. No wall flower ever had any fun at a trade show. Be ready to shake hands and make connections with people. Avoid standing with your arms crossed while you’re on booth duty because it looks confrontational. Instead, stand with your hands at your sides or, if you must, loosely clasp your hands. Smile. Make eye contact.
8. Open your ears, not just your mouth. With all that talking, a lot of people forget to listen. Make sure you allow people to talk to you and ask you questions. Learn about others’ interests and needs so that you can later help them. Put people at ease by listening and building a relationship one minute at a time.
9. Don’t be a “know it all.” It’s okay not to have all the answers. If someone asks you a question that you don’t know the answer to, tell them that you aren’t sure about the right answer but that you will research it when you return to the office and contact them with the answer. That’s the perfect segue into collecting the person’s business card and it gives you a legitimate reason to follow up with them after the event.
10. Follow up.  All of those cards you pick up deserve a phone call, email or personal letter. Often sales are lost at shows because people simply do not take the time or make the effort to follow up. Ideally, you will make the follow-up calls, emails or letters within a week following the event. Make sure your follow up includes a call to action like scheduling an in-person meeting, taking advantage of discount or visiting your Web site.

We hope that you find these tips useful and timely. If you have any other tips, please feel free to post a comment. And remember: friends share good info with other friends, so forward this post to yours. Check back here next week for more tips on making the most of your upcoming tradeshow and/or conference. We hope to see you on the July 27th!